What Comes Next
New Things
It's like letting a child loose in a shop full of sweets.
At first, Maleficent had been apprehensive, maybe even skeptic about the prospect of shopping for new clothes, but she had quickly warmed up to the idea. The moment they had walked into the store, her eyes had lit up, and Regina had immediately sensed, that this shopping trip was gonna be a success.
She is right.
Maleficent had immediately started going through all the clothes in the store. Regina chirps in now and then, comments on the clothes Maleficent shows her, but for the most of it, she lets Lily guide Maleficent. Not that Regina doesn't want to help, quite the contrary, she simply keeps in the background to give Maleficent and Lily some time to bond.
Lily is more than happy to assist her mother, so Regina finds a chair near the dressing rooms and sits down. From here she can watch Lily and Maleficent. And she likes what she sees. She won't stop fawning over how beautiful her daughter is anytime soon. Lily doesn't like hearing that. She doesn't like fawning in general, and the few times Regina has dared doing it, she has been met by an eyeroll and "mom, seriously?"
But Lily is beautiful. No doubt about that.
So is Maleficent. Regina had feared that adjusting to the modern world would be difficult, but for someone who has lived most of her life alone in an isolated castle, Maleficent is adjusting very well.
"Regina? Where did you run off to?"
Regina's head snaps up when she hears Maleficent's voice. "I'm right here."
"Oh. What do you think of this?" Maleficent inquires and holds up a bottle green silk blouse with tiny little buttons.
"It's pretty," Regina smiles. "I like it."
Maleficent frowns slightly. "What does "figure fitting" mean?"
"It means that it's a bit tight."
Maleficent smirks and tilts her head. "Like your shirts."
"You never miss anything, do you?" Regina chuckles. "I would pick that shirt if I were you."
"You like it?" Maleficent asks a bit uncertain.
"I do," Regina nods. "But this is not about what I like. This is about what you like."
"I like what you wear. I want you to like what I wear, too," Maleficent says plainly.
Before Regina gets the chance to answer that statement, Lily comes over to them. "Have you tried the shirt, mom?"
"No," Maleficent says and her eyes flickers anxiously towards the dressing room.
"I think you should," Lily continues. "We have to make sure it fits."
Maleficent squirms a bit as her eyes flickers towards the dressing room again. "I don't think..."
"I'll go with you," Regina immediately offers. She knows exactly what this is about. Maleficent doesn't like small, cramped spaces. Especially not if there's no light. The dressing room is nicely lit up, but it's still a very small space. Regina will probably never stop feeling guilty about it. Because Maleficent's phobia comes from being trapped underground in the darkness for thirty years.
Regina isn't quite sure why Maleficent has forgiven her for that, let alone wants to be with her.
"You... You will?" Maleficent asks and a small smile grazes her lips.
"Of course," Regina nods and carefully explains: "there won't be much room when we're both in there, but..."
"That's alright," Maleficent interrupts. "I'll be fine if you go with me."
"Done deal," Regina smiles and squeezes the blonde's hand softly.
Both of them head into the dressing room, and Maleficent looks visibly uncomfortable when Regina closes the curtain.
"Hey," Regina says gently, and Maleficent's eyes snaps up to meet hers. "I'm right here, okay?"
Maleficent nods once as she begins to unbutton the cream colored blouse she's wearing to replace it with the bottle green one she's considering buying.
Regina doesn't say much as Maleficent slips the cream colored blouse over her head. Just smiles every now and then when Maleficent looks up.
"What do you think?" Maleficent asks as she buttons the last button in the bottle green blouse.
Regina tilts her head and smiles. "You look very nice."
Maleficent purses her lips as she looks at her reflection in the mirror. "It's certainly different from what I wore in the Enchanted Forest."
"So it is," Regina nods and thinks back to her first meeting with the unstable, doped Maleficent.
"But fortunately enough, I've never been afraid of changes," Maleficent continues. "Will you stay in here while I change out of it?"
"I'm not going anywhere," Regina assures.
Maleficent changes out of the blouse and back into her own, and then she and Regina leaves the dressing room.
"We have a winner," Regina announces and smiles at Lily.
"Great. What's next? Skirts? Pants?"
Maleficent quickly scans the store, and then she looks back at Lily. "What are those called? The garments you're wearing?"
"Jeans," Lily chuckles. "And they're not garments, mom. They're pants."
"Give me chance," Maleficent mock scolds. "I'll learn it. Eventually."
Regina chuckles. "You want to try on a pair of jeans?"
"Yes, the one you wore the other day looked nice," Maleficent says plainly.
Regina rolls her eyes a little at that statement. Maleficent had been flabbergasted at seeing Regina in jeans. She hadn't been able to comprehend how well the pants fitted everywhere.
She hadn't been able to keep her hands to herself that day. And Regina hadn't minded that at all.
Maleficent heads straight towards the jeans department, and once again Regina trusts Lily to pick out a pair of jeans for her mother. Regina isn't exactly an expert when it comes to jeans. She doesn't own many pairs. But maybe she'll buy another pair, who knows.
A couple of minutes later, Lily and Maleficent comes back. A pair of black jeans is slung over Maleficent's arm.
"We have a winner," Lily proclaims and chuckles.
"Excellent. Let's go and try them on then," Regina replies. Mal has already grabbed her hand and is tugging her towards the dressing room.
Watching Maleficent trying on the pair of jeans proves to be more interesting than Regina has expected. Mal has a few issues with putting the jeans on, but that's not exactly the reason why it's interesting.
"Well, that looks very..." Regina trails off as Maleficent turns her back on her to see how the jeans look in the mirror.
"Very what?" Maleficent asks and glances at Regina over her shoulder.
"Very, uh..."
"Uh?" Maleficent repeats and one of her blonde eyebrows rises. "That's not terrible coherent, little queen."
"They look nice. You look nice," Regina says. Her voice breaks and she quickly clears her throat. It's true. Maleficent does look nice in those jeans. Very nice. Regina's mouth goes slightly dry at the sight before her eyes.
"They're surprisingly comfortable," Maleficent comments as she spins around slowly in front of the mirror. "And they do make a certain body part of mine look particularly nice."
"So I've noticed," Regina says a bit flatly. And she thought she had seen everything when she first saw Maleficent in one of her ridiculously tight velvet dresses.
"Oh?" Maleficent turns around, and that smirk is back on her lips. "Have you now?"
"Quite impossible not to," Regina mutters. Seriously, Maleficent's ass has never looked better than it does right now.
Maleficent lets out a soft chuckle as she creeps closer to Regina. Suddenly, she's standing inches from Regina, and she grasps the brunette's hands and places them on her hips.
"What are you doing?" Regina asks. Her mouth goes dangerously dry again.
"Making sure the quality is good enough. You're the expert. Not I."
"Mal..."
"You said you would help me," Maleficent interrupts and grins. "Surely, checking the quality is important, is it not?"
"This is not how you check the quality," Regina mutters.
"No? Then let's call it "make sure they fit"," Maleficent purrs as she grasps Regina's hands again and places them on her ass.
It takes all Regina's willpower and then some to not get turned on in a dressing room and do something reckless.
Like ripping those damned jeans off Maleficent and have her right now.
"So? What's the verdict, little queen? I think they're a bit... tight."
Regina's breath hitches slightly at that. Oh yeah, they're tight alright. Everything is tight.
"Perfect!" Regina blurts out and moves her hands away so fast it's like Maleficent just burned her.
"Are you referring to the jeans or my ass?" Maleficent asks innocently.
"Both. And can we please focus here? Our daughter is standing right outside."
Maleficent cackles. "But if she hadn't been standing right outside..."
She doesn't need to finish that sentence. Regina has a fairly good idea what would have happened if Lily hadn't been right outside, and it's enough to almost make Regina flee the dressing room.
Maleficent cackles again as she shimmies out of her jeans and into her own pair of slacks.
They leave the dressing room. Thankfully, Lily isn't standing right outside. She has wandered down to the jeans rack again, and thus she has not heard her mothers' conversation.
Regina is grateful for that.
"So? Do they fit?" the young brunette asks.
Oh, yeah. They fit.
"Like a glove," Maleficent is bold enough to say.
Regina keeps her mouth entirely shut.
"Great. So, what's next? I found some skirts you might like."
But something else has caught Maleficent's attention. The underwear department. She looks like a dragon hunting as she walks over to the racks of lace and silk. And admittedly, she looks a bit confused too.
"Right," Lily half-chuckles. "That's definitely not my department. This looks like a job for mom."
Regina rolls her eyes. Of all things, why the underwear department?
"I don't understand any of this," Maleficent says frustrated. "How in hells name am I supposed to know what size they are?!"
Regina silently thanks whatever god that the store is empty.
"Okay," Lily splutters. "On that note, I think I'll be off. I promised Esme anyway, so... Mom, can you take it from here?"
"I believe I have to," Regina says. This should be interesting.
Lily chuckles as she gives Regina's shoulder a light squeeze. "Let me know how many bras were burned in pure frustration, okay?"
"I'm counting on keeping the damage at a minimum," Regina quips. "Give my best to Esme."
"I will. See you later."
"See you, dear."
Lily says a quick goodbye to Maleficent who's far too distracted by all the fascinating garments to actually pick up on it, and then the young brunette leaves the store.
And thus, Regina is left alone with Maleficent. A Maleficent who's vibrant with curiosity at her latest discovery. Women's underwear.
She appears to be having fun, so Regina has every intention of staying in the background until Maleficent needs her help.
Which she does immediately.
"Regina, can you please come and give me a hand?" she asks over her shoulder.
"Certainly," Regina says as she walks over to the racks of bra's. "What's troubling you?"
"What's this?" Maleficent asks and presents Regina with a black bra. "It feels strange."
"That's a push up bra," Regina explains. "It's padded. That's why it feels a bit different from the others."
"Push up?" Maleficent echoes and that little wrinkle appears between her eyes again.
"It pushes your breasts up." Regina says shortly.
"Why?" Maleficent inquires and her frown deepens.
"Because it sometimes looks better," Regina replies. "Depends on what shirt or dress you're wearing."
"Do you have any of these push up things?"
"Several. And they're called push up bras. Not things."
"You don't need push up," Maleficent says and turns her attention back to racks of bras. "They look fine without being pushed up."
Regina finds it very troublesome to contain her amusement at that. "Thank you, dear. I appreciate that."
Maleficent flashes her a smile.
They continue their little "hunt", and Regina tries to explain the different cup sizes to Maleficent. The Dragon finds that confusing.
"How do I find out what size I am?"
"I'm sure there's a measuring tape in the dressing room."
"You can measure it?"
"Yes, that's how you find out what size you are."
"What size are you?"
Why did I just know that would be her next question?
"34B." Regina informs her lover.
"Oh," Maleficent frowns again. That didn't make a lot of sense to her. "And am I... bigger or smaller than that?"
"Bigger," Regina says, and her mouth goes a little dry again. "Definitely bigger."
"Oh. What's this?"
"That's called a strapless bra. I'm sure you can guess why."
"It doesn't have any straps."
"Right you are."
"And what's this?"
"That's called a bralette. As you can see, it doesn't have any wires."
"Oh. Right." Maleficent sighs and shakes her head. "This is so confusing."
"Which is why I'm here to help you," Regina gently reminds her and takes her hand. "We'll figure it out together."
"Okay."
"First things first," Regina says. "We better get you measured so we know what size we're aiming for."
"Alright."
"So, normally the shop assistant is the one who does the measuring..."
"I'll bite the head of the first one that tries," Maleficent vows darkly.
Right. Of course. "You want me to do it," Regina guesses. She has already been defeated.
"And nobody else," Maleficent says sternly.
"Right." Regina grabs a bra she estimates will fit. Ish. "In you go." She ushers Maleficent inside the dressing room and follows her.
Measuring Maleficent is an interesting situation too, and Maleficent keeps hinting that she "wouldn't exactly mind if Regina took advantage of the current situation", but Regina insists on being "professional". This is a dressing room. And they'll have plenty of opportunity to do things when they get back. She's not about to be caught doing the dirty in a dressing room, thank you very much.
Finding Maleficent's size is fairly easy, and Regina was right. The blonde indeed needs a bigger size than Regina.
Maleficent redresses, and Regina silently thanks the universe for that, and armed with the right size they venture out in "bra wonderland" again.
Maleficent is less confused now that she knows what size she needs, and she has a mighty fun time with hauling out different bras and ask for Regina's opinion on them.
Regina might be biased, but she's fairly certain Maleficent will look wonderful in all of them. Which is quite easy to picture, really. It's harder to not picture.
And she gets plenty of visuals when she accompanies Maleficent into the dressing room to help with tricky clasps. This is beginning to represent some kind of slow torture. And not the slow torture Regina likes.
Regina has just steered Maleficent away from the maternity bras and explained why she doesn't need one of those, when they suddenly get company in the clothing store.
Emma and Killian walks through the doors, and Killian is muttering something about the possibility of getting a new leather jacket, when Emma spots Regina and Maleficent in the underwear department. The blonde flashes Regina a smile.
Regina returns the smile and her answer is a bit halfhearted when Maleficent asks her opinion on yet another bra.
"Do you think I would look good in this?" Maleficent inquires and holds the red lace bra up.
"Mhmm. Of course."
"That wasn't very genuine," Maleficent frowns and her mouth twists slightly. "You don't like it?"
Oh, dear god have mercy. "Yes. I like it." Regina says strained. Why is it that Emma and her pirate has to potter around in the women's department right now?
"A lot?" Maleficent asks, uncertainty still seeping through her voice.
"A lot." Regina confirms. She has a distinct feeling that Emma and Killian are listening in on her and Mal's conversation.
"Good. I'm glad," Maleficent smiles and then she continues to go through the bra rack.
Regina steps backwards to let the blonde have some space. Maybe they'll finish their shopping trip before the store closes.
Or perhaps not. Maleficent looks like she could continue investigating forever. Well, at least Regina knows where to look for her if she ever gets lost. In the women's underwear department.
"Hey," Emma says as she and Killian emerges from whatever rack of clothes they've been hiding under.
"Miss Swan," Regina acknowledges.
"Shopping trip?" Emma asks.
"As you can see," Regina nods.
"How's she taking all the new things?" Emma inquires.
"Quite well. Some of the clothes was a bit confusing for her, but apart from that, we're making wonderful progress."
"Great. Are you picking up Henry today or should I...?"
"I'll do it," Regina says. "Him and Mal can spend some time together. Get used to each other."
"I don't think that's gonna be a problem," Emma snickers. "I heard excited talk of a dragon this morning."
"She's more than just a dragon."
"Our son is fourteen. I'm pretty sure it's the dragon stuff he notices first," Emma says and snickers again.
"Perhaps you're right."
"And suddenly, the glamour has gone off Captain Hook," Killian interjects and chuckles.
"Beg your pardon?"
"Can't exactly compete with a dragon," he says and laughs.
Emma laughs too and gives him a soft nudge.
"I wasn't aware that it was a competition for Henry's attention," Regina says a bit wryly.
"Regina? Could you come over here for a second?"
"Certainly," Regina says as she walks over to Maleficent. "What is it?"
"What's this? That looks strange too."
"That's a halter neck," Regina explains. "You tie it in the back."
"Oh. Like one of those bikinis?"
"Exactly."
"I see." Maleficent's brow creases in confusion as she continues her quest, muttering something about why there's so many different kinds of bras, and how it's so much easier with a corset.
Regina disagrees with that. Bras opened a whole new world to her, and she knows the same thing will happen to Maleficent. There will be a day where Maleficent will cherish her bra's.
Suddenly, Maleficent's face lights up as she spots something familiar. Something she knows and can relate to. "This looks exactly like the one you wore the other day!" she proclaims as she holds up the red lace balconette bra and matching panties for the world to see.
Right then. God, Regina keeps forgetting how straight forward Maleficent is with everything. Out of the corner of her eye, Regina sees how Killian suddenly gets busy looking everywhere else.
"It sure does," Regina answers. She has already been defeated.
"You looked good in it," Maleficent remembers. "Do you think I would too?"
"Undoubtedly." Regina says. Her mind is more than helpful when it comes to providing with visuals in the manner.
"Do you think I should try it on then?"
No. No, no. If Maleficent decides to try the bra on now, Regina is officially screwed. As in very screwed.
Regina takes a step closer and lowers her voice so Maleficent is the only one who hears her: "Any chance you can buy it without trying it first?"
"But I thought the whole point with this shopping trip was to..."
Regina clears her throat quietly. "If you try that bra on right now, I'm not sure I'll be able to..."
Maleficent tilts her head, raises an eyebrow and breathes a soft: "Oh."
"Yes. Oh."
Maleficent's voice is surprisingly nonchalant when she says: "I think we're done shopping. Don't you reckon, Regina?"
Regina wholeheartedly agrees to that. They're most definitely done shopping.
She helps Maleficent with paying for all the clothes she has purchased and then they leave the clothing store.
Maleficent insists that she should try the bra on as soon as they arrive back home, and Regina finds that that is an excellent idea, so she willingly sits down on the edge of the bed and waits patiently while Mal is changing in the bathroom.
It doesn't take more than a couple of minutes before the door opens and Maleficent emerges from the bathroom.
"So?" she asks as she spins around for Regina. "What do you think, little queen?"
"I think..." Regina takes a second to clear her head as she looks at Maleficent's pale skin and the way the bra just clings to her. God, Maleficent looks good in that. Red is definitely her color.
"You think?" Maleficent encourages and raises an eyebrow.
"I think that underwear needs to come off." Regina states matter of factly. Her own needs to come off too.
"You do?" Maleficent says with feigned surprise.
"Yes, I do. And preferably right now."
"But it's so comfortable. I like it," Maleficent teases.
"I'm sure you do. Get over here."
Maleficent snickers as she saunters over to Regina. Suddenly, she's standing right in front of the brunette, and Regina is finally able to reach out and put her hands on Mal's hips. She smirks up at the blonde before she lowers her head and places a teasing kiss on her stomach.
Maleficent shudders at that.
Regina gives her stomach another kiss. A bit further down this time.
"Y-you're right," Maleficent breathes. "I think the underwear needs to come off too."
"So glad we agree," Regina purrs as she hooks her fingers inside the waistband of the brand-new panties. "Allow me to assist you then."
Maleficent is more than happy to let her do that.
To Be Continued...