A/N: A follow on to my story "Something More" and loosely based on the song 'Something Stupid' which is quoted at the start. This pairing won't leave me alone so be prepared for a bombardment of one-shots :P Many thanks to excusemeb who came up with the title. Hope you enjoy it! :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Thought You Should Know
...
I can see it in your eyes
You still despise the same old lies
You heard the night before
And though it's just a line to you
For me it's true
And never seemed so right before
I practice everyday
To find some clever lines to say
To make the meaning come true
But then I think I'll wait
Until the evening gets late
And I'm alone with you
The time is right
Your perfume fills my head
The stars get red
And oh, the night's so blue
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying somethin' stupid like
I love you
-"Something Stupid," Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman
...
For Maleficent it had been easy.
She'd seen the way that he'd looked at Aurora when he'd kissed her hand before returning to her side and, for the first time, she'd feared losing him. When he'd later declared that he didn't care anymore and stalked off, she'd been terrified that he'd leave her side forever.
It had been that fear which led her to realise how she felt about him.
Diaval had never had that fear.
His had been the fear of being displaced and provided the impetus for him to give voice to his more tender feelings towards his Mistress rather than to realise he had them.
Not that he'd actually said it. But, then, neither had she.
Although, he didn't need to hear it; on some level he'd always known and his sense of her affection had been the source of his security for his banter with her (or his insubordination according to Maleficent).
Lately, however, he'd begun to wonder whether it might be something that she needed to hear and he didn't want to disappoint her.
He knew her history, sincerity would be paramount and a trite "I've always loved you" would never do. So, he was determined to provide her with a full and frank account of his affection for her.
Which proved much easier said than done.
His sympathy had long been engaged for the loss of her wings, not to mention his anger that they had been stolen and a certain pride that he had been chosen as a replacement. But the loss had also made her vulnerable and he'd been protective of her almost from the start.
A protectiveness that led him to remain within arm's reach whenever possible, especially after he noticed her tendency to stroke his feathers when she needed reassurance.
All easily explained as the affections of a devoted servant, but love…?
At some point she had stopped being merely his Mistress, but he just couldn't figure out when it had happened.
Perhaps it had been at the Christening when she'd shown the full extent of her power and been, well…magnificent. Or when she'd saved the child Aurora from the cliff. Or her mischievous meddling with the fairies. Or perhaps it was when she'd declared there was no such thing as true love and he'd wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong.
Yet, regardless of when his affections had changed he'd known it was serious when he'd been prepared to attack Aurora – the child he looked upon as almost his own – in her defence when she'd confronted Maleficent about the curse.
Diaval almost fell out of the tree he was sitting in as Maleficent suddenly appeared beside him and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
"There you are," she greeted him, watching in amusement as he righted himself. "What are you doing up here?" she asked before he could respond.
"Just thinking," he replied, settling back against the tree trunk with as much dignity as he could muster and shooting her a mock glare.
"Penny for your thoughts," she offered, still amused at she took a seat on the end of the branch he was sitting on.
"They're worth more than a penny," he assured her, "they're about you." He winced, "Sorry, I'm not very good at this," he apologised as she raised an eyebrow.
He took her hand, "Maleficent, I…" he frowned, "I have…" he shook his head and took a deep, steadying breath. "No one's perfect," he continued, looking in her eyes, "but you come close," he pulled a face and sat back, dropping her hand. "I'm sorry," he sighed, avoiding her gaze, "I'm really bad at this."
Maleficent regarded him with affectionate amusement for a long moment, "Why don't you just tell me what you're trying so hard not to," she suggested gently, taking his hand in turn.
"I love you," he said flatly, "I've been trying to remember how it all started but I think," he shrugged a shoulder as he looked up at her, "I think I always have." He smiled at her ruefully, "I just thought you should know."
Maleficent gripped his hand tightly as she stared at him in stunned silence and Diaval started to become uneasy.
"Finally, I've found something to make you speechless," he quipped, attempting to lighten the mood. "Maleficent?" he continued when she didn't respond, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you-"
Maleficent cut him off with a kiss, "You talk too much," she murmured as they broke apart.
Diaval grinned, "Well, feel free to interrupt me anytime."
Maleficent rolled her eyes with an amused smile as she sat up, "Vain bird."
"Arrogant fairy," he countered easily, eyeing her with concern as she looked away.
"I told you once that true love does not exist," she began, staring off into the distance, "I'm not so sure now." She looked up at him shyly through her eyelashes, "I…I…" she broke off, surprised to find that her eyes were welling with tears.
Diaval hesitated for a moment before he pulled her into his arms, silently glorying in the fact that he was permitted to do so. "It's all right," he assured her, absently stroking her hair, "you don't have to tell me anything."
For a brief moment, Maleficent clung to him and considered doing just that but she owed him the truth. She closed her eyes, drawing comfort from his presence as she had so many times in the past, and took a deep breath.
"I love you," she breathed.
Immediately Diaval froze and she found herself fighting an absurd urge to laugh as she pulled back slightly to meet his stunned gaze.
"Apparently neither of us are particularly good at composing grand speeches," she commented after a long moment. Diaval continued to stare at her in shock, "I just thought you should know," she added as an amused smile tugged at her lips.
"Diaval?" she prompted, becoming uncertain as the silence stretched on.
"I thought I didn't need to hear it," he replied after a moment, staring at her in awe, "but it turns out…I did."
Maleficent let out the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding as she smiled down at him, "Wouldn't be the first time you were wrong," she teased.
"Oh really? Shall we revisit your claims about true love?" he asked, his innocent tone belied by his wicked grin.
"You really are a vain bird," she informed him, tapping him lightly on the nose.
"Of course I am," he agreed, tightening his hold on her, "I have you."
Maleficent burst out laughing, "You really are bad at this aren't you?" she teased as she rested her head against his shoulder, still chuckling.
Diaval shrugged a shoulder, "Well, I can say the words that matter."
Maleficent sobered and pressed a kiss to his chest, "Yes you can," she agreed, snuggling closer into his side.
Diaval grinned but contented himself with kissing her forehead and the pair settled into companionable silence.
In time, Maleficent would confess that she'd never said those words to anyone – not even Stefan – but that would be much later.
He was vain enough as it was.