𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓪𝓶𝓷𝓮𝓭

𝓐 𝓕𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓫𝓾𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼

 "Okay after today I'll stop with the magic and talk with Hayden," Mal agreed.

"Thank you," Holly said leaning forward to kiss her forehead. Mal loved when Holly did that, not that she would ever admit it. Deep down Mal was just a little girl that wanted her more powerful sister's approval and ever time Holly kissed her forehead she felt it. The slight burn only served to remind Mal that it was one of her siblings kissing her. "You can ask Hadie to help you, I have to head over to Ben to get some work done. But if I find out you're still doing this after today, I will ground you both and donate your spell book."

Their fairy's shoulders slummed, and offence grew of her features, "Wha- Holly that's not fair!"

The Demigoddess crossed her arms and cocked her hip, "Like Lethe it's not, I am not sacrificing your health because you refused to have a conversation about boundaries and schedules with your boyfriend."

She huffed throwing an arm behind her like she hoped it would hit something. She always did as if she was hoping they grew back over night, "It's not like he can see it anyway." The main reason Hayden couldn't tell how stressed Mal was, was because of her lack of wings. They had been taken from her when she was so young, by the same women that gave them to her. When she was really little stress, and fear would make them molt, a weakness according to Maleficent, so she seared her daughters' wings from her back the same way she had seared off her own. Taking them in a way that assured that they would never be able to return to her. Even if they could find where her mother disposed of the little wings there was no guarantee that they grew with Mal's body and her back was so mangled that there was no healing spell that could reattach them properly, it would be doing more harm than good honestly. Mal had always been self-conscious about her lack of wings, she was a fairy without wings, who wouldn't be self-conscious about that, besides a crazy person like her mother. 

"You're right, he can't see, your entire relationship you've been stressed over one thing or another, he's never known you calm, this is just how he thinks you are. That's why you have to tell him," Holly told her softly.

The demigoddess smiled at her before waving her off and moving on to meet Ben in his office. Mal sighed and bowed her head as she watched her sister walk away. She knew she was right, but Mal had never been one to listen to authority. She placed the spell book in the back of her locker, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice. 

With Holly gone and the serious atmosphere easing, Hayden felt that it was safe to approach his girlfriend again, "Hi," he smiled as he approached. 

She gave him a tense smiled, "hey."

"Is everything okay? Holly looked kinda annoyed." 

Mal let out a fake chuckle, "yeah she was just upset about somethings that Belle and Adam did that she and Ben have to fix." That was a normal occurrence these days, Ben constantly confided in Hayden about everything from the restrictions on magic to the unlawful possession of all the artifacts in the museum. He wasn't likely to question which problem she was talking about. 

The prince sighed, "I'm glad I'm not in their shoes right now." 

"Tell me about it," Mal mumbled honestly, she was barely holding on now, there was no telling how she would fare if she was in Holly's place as Queen to be. As much as she envied her sister's ability to deal with everything thrown at them with grace and a bright smile, she also knew that Holly had way more work than her and there was no way she would be able to do what her sister did. 

Hayden clapped, making Mal jump, "enough with the depressing stuff for now, I have a little surprise for you."

She looked startled, he had been showering her with gifts and she didn't even have her head on straight enough to remember their lunch dates, "Again? Wow. That's like every day now."