A/N: Hello, I am not dead. Still here, alive and kicking. Here, have an update! And leave reviews, the Malora fandom is slowly dying and we need to keep it up! xx
Aurora clenched her jaw and squeezed the handles of her seat as she felt the aircraft take off and slowly begin its climb upwards. She hated flying, always had. If she was forced to fly, she always demanded a window-seat; seeing where she was, even though it might've been thirty-thousand feet in the air, calmed her down as much as it could without being the result of heavy anti-anxiety medication.
Sighing, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. It was no lie that the air inside airplanes was intolerably thick, but it didn't stop her from smelling her companion's - or capturer's - sweet perfume. Still, she daren't look.
The last few hours had indeed been some of the strangest of all of Aurora's life; she'd met Maleficent at a café at the train station in Amsterdam. There, she'd stood, all dressed in black, eyes serious and judgmental, or so Aurora had thought. Upon her arrival, Aurora hadn't brought anything but one suitcase of clothes and personal belongings. It all seemed so absurd. It hadn't even hurt when she'd left her apartment, knowing she wasn't coming back, but at the same time thinking that everything that was happening had to be some kind of a huge joke.
But no, there she'd been. That tall, elegant creature who simply made Aurora's skin tingle, like she was naked, walking through rain of soft snowflakes. There'd been a faint smile on her lips upon seeing Aurora in her leather-jacket, pulling her bag, but that had been it. Maleficent had handed her a train ticket and simply commanded her to follow, informing her that her business companion would be joining them at the airport.
As for the train ride, it had been one of the most awkward ones ever. Aurora had constantly been fidgeting in her seat, alternating between looking out the window and looking at Maleficent, whose eyes had been fixated on her phone the whole time, like Aurora wasn't even there. Her heart had curled into a tight little ball inside her chest whenever she'd looked at Maleficent without her giving any indication of even noticing the girl's presence.
Things had changed once they'd arrived at the airport. A handsome man, also dressed all in black, with messy, black hair and piercing eyes, yet the warmest of smiles, had greeted them next to the check-in desk. He'd nonchalantly shaken Aurora's hand while Maleficent had cleared them both. Aurora very much appreciated the fact that the man, Diaval, hadn't asked any questions about why she was there - she figured Maleficent had been short-worded and simply explained the necessary facts. She'd liked Diaval right away, his comforting, kind smile and scruffy appearance, although she found it strange that Maleficent was traveling with a man like him. It just didn't fit, but then again, Maleficent was no ordinary woman.
"How long until we're in London?" Aurora blurted out before she could stop herself. She looked to the side, at Maleficent's light skin and piercing cheekbones, but the woman kept her gaze firmly on her phone just like before. When she remained indifferent, Aurora turned to face the window.
"Less than an hour", Maleficent replied softly, without looking at the girl. "Did you not fly this very route when you left home?"
Aurora bit her lower lip and stared at the beautiful sea beneath them without really seeing it, as her mind worked on finding the right words. "I took the tunnel to Paris and then just went on from there. Amsterdam just, kind of, happened."
"Yes, I'm sure", Maleficent mumbled and opened her bag. She pulled out a black folder and leaned back in her seat, then pulled out a pair of black-framed glasses from her pocket.
Aurora stared as she put the glasses on and sunk into whatever it was that she felt the need to read instead of talking to the person sitting next to her. Diaval had been kind enough to switch seats; he was sitting on the opposite side of the aisle, but to be perfectly honest, Aurora would much rather have been sitting beside him right now. She couldn't quite comprehend Maleficent's silence; she was the one who had sought her out, persuaded her to come home, even paid for the flight, and now she was as cold as stone? Was she angry with her? Or disgusted? That last thought made Aurora choke and she coughed into her hand, embarrassed.
"Are you ill?" Maleficent asked without looking up.
Aurora took a deep breath and looked at her knees. She felt embarrassed, still. The memories from last night crept up her neck like an invisible cloak of thorns, and out of instinct she felt the need to cover herself, then realized she was completely dressed. "No, it's the air. Are you - I mean, are you angry?" She regretted asking as soon as the words left her lips, and she mentally slapped herself. That was not the right way to strike up a conversation.
Maleficent looked up from her file, but instead of turning to meet Aurora's gaze she kept her eyes on the back of the seat in front of her. Aurora saw her clench her jaw; her cheekbones momentarily sharpened underneath her skin, and there was a light twitch to her brow. "Now, why do you ask that?" she said in a monotone voice, still not looking at the blonde.
Aurora shrugged her shoulders and nervously tapped on the armrest between her body and Maleficent's. "You're really quiet."
"I'm a quiet person."
"You won't even look at me."
"I find it hard to do two things at a time."
"Oh please", Aurora chuckled and shook her head, irritated, and Maleficent finally turned her head to look at her.
"What?"
"I've heard my father talk about you", Aurora continued and met the emerald sparks with her azure ones, but drew in a quick breath when she realized Maleficent was looking at her over the black frames of her glasses. "You're like the queen of logistics, do not tell me you don't know how to multitask."
Maleficent pursed her lips and turned back to look at the seat in front of her, clutching the file in her hands so hard that her knuckles whitened, much to Aurora's surprise. "I am not angry."
"Then what are you?" Aurora bit the inside of her cheek. There was no telling what would anger the woman, then. "You should be satisfied, you got me to come with you, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
"Wasn't that your goal in all of this?"
Maleficent slammed the folder shut so hard Aurora flinched in her seat. Diaval glared at them from the other side of the aisle. "Let's get one thing straight, shall we?" She turned her head, eyes narrow. "I took you with me because I simply couldn't stand the guilt of coming back to London and seeing your father, knowing his daughter was taking her clothes off for money in a place that I can only describe as utterly filthy and disgusting."
Aurora stared at her in silence and inhaled sharply when she felt a burning feeling in the corner of her eye. So that's what it all was about. Foolishly, Aurora had thought that maybe Maleficent had insisted on bringing her home due to her feelings, but it was all because of her father. Of course it was.
"My father…", Aurora began, her heartbeat quickening and breath hitching, "are you two - do you - ?"
"No", Maleficent hissed, pressing her eyes shut. "He's a friend. I care for him deeply. I was there when you left, and I pitied him. If there is something I can do to make his life better, I will. Even if it means bringing you home against your own wish."
"So you're going to leave me at his doorstep, then?" Aurora muttered, suddenly angry. Maleficent said that she'd deal with Stefan, that Aurora didn't have to worry about him. If their conversations would be like this in the future, she might actually prefer being dumped back home. The tension between them was maddening.
"I'll leave you there when you feel like it", she replied sharply, removing her glasses.
Aurora took a deep breath and tried to ignore the agonizing twist in her stomach. She glared at her watch; twenty minutes until arrival. A warm tingle shuddered through her at the thought of seeing Britain's beautiful coast in the horizon, but at the same time her heart was heavy. Living the life she had in Amsterdam had given her a certain freedom; she'd known where her paycheck would come from and she never had to explain herself. The people at Casa Rosso had taken her in, given her a job, security, yet never forced her to do anything against her will. All she had done had been on her own accord, except this; this was for Maleficent, not her.
Still, a quiet sense of gratitude succumbed her as she inhaled the sweet scent of the woman next to her. The thought that someone would go as far as she had, even if it was for Stefan, meant a great deal to Aurora. Maleficent's intensions were good, in the end. Swallowing, Aurora softly moved her hand over to Maleficent's, which still laid on the file in her hands. Carefully, Aurora placed her hand upon the brunette's thin, white fingers and squeezed a bit.
Maleficent immediately glared at the sudden warmth on her skin. For a couple of seconds, she only looked, but then she swiftly moved her hand away from beneath Aurora's and placed it on the armrest between them. "You may want to look to your left", she whispered to the girl without looking up, then opened her file again and pretended to read.
Aurora moved her hand back to her own lap and shot a look out the window. There it was; the beautiful, green coast of the most beautiful island she'd ever known. Still, the presence to her right was more beautiful than the sight before her, and no matter what she wanted to tell herself, nothing could compare.