This story is mostly canon compliant. I've tried to follow the narrative established in the Descendant franchise thus far, and write the narrative to fit around it. I have had to go against it at some point to work with the story I'm trying to tell. This chapter takes place before the events of the first movie.

The crowds parted before the indomitable gazes of Mal and Evie. From the edges of their vision, they could see the scowls sent their way. But no one made a move against them. No one dared. Either out of a fear of their parents, or the girls themselves. Or, in the rarer case, a begrudging respect. A young boy, rushing to get out of their way tripped, spilling the contents of the basket in his arms. An apple rolled across the cracked, pocked marked grey cobblestone coming to rest before worn, leather boots that had the look that someone had tried to shine them with old grease. The rest of the person's outfit matched the look of the boots, brown muted colours and clothes that could have looked impressive, if they'd been taken care of properly. The person reached down, plucking the apple from the ground, wiping it clean on his pants.

Mal and Evie frowned, the latter crossing her arms.

"Horrendously sunny day, isn't it," He said, making a wide sweeping gesture with his hands, "Perfect, for practising one's marksmanship, don't you say, Mal," He lifted the double barrelled shotgun hanging on his shoulder, and mocked firing a shot, "Impressed? Father let me borrow it… Well, I didn't ask for permission and he doesn't know I have it,"

"What do you want Clay?" Mal asked drily.

"I was thinking about heading to Serpent Prep for some practice shots," He grinned widely, "Those deformed lumps they call gargoyles have always reminded me of ugly gorillas. I find them invigorating for target practice. Would you care to join me?" He offered the apple to her.

She rolled her eyes, hands on her hips, "Join for what, exactly? Watch you waste your father's ammo?"

"What? That's…"

"You give that story about Serpent Prep's gargoyles every other week, and they're all still intact. Obviously your shooting is worse than your flirting skills, as impossible as that is to comprehend, so no I don't want to watch you shoot the air," Mal said with a wicked smirk. Evie laughed, looping her arm with Mal's as they brushed past him.

"They repair them!" He yelled after them.

"Sure they do," Mal replied flippantly over her shoulder, not even looking back.

"I can hit anything!"

"You couldn't hit a gorilla ten feet in front you,"

"You want to bet?"

They both stopped in their tracks when they heard a gun cocking. Mal whipped around, eyes narrowing when she found Clay aiming his gun at them.

"Holding me at gun point, that'll get me to agree to go out with you,"

The area had gotten tensely quiet. Several people had run from the area when Clay took aim. Some were still there, silently watching this stare down take place.

"Put it down Clay, no need to make more of a fool of yourself than you already have," Mal said. She felt Evie squeeze her arm. She slipped herself out of Evie's grip, walking forward.

"Well then, prove me wrong, shoot me," She stopped five feet in from of the barrel of his gun. She cocked a hand on her hip, smirking.

"You don't think I will?" He asked, voice shaking.

"Clay, don't," Evie said. Mal held up a hand, silencing anything else Evie was about to say.

"It's okay E, he's not going to shoot,"

"I'm not scared of you! I can and I will,"

"No, you won't," She said in a deathly soft voice, laced with venom, her eyes glowing, "You say you're not scared, but we both know you are," She stepped forward again, one hand grabbing the end of the barrel of the gun, "Even if you were brave enough to pull that trigger I don't think you'd be able to hit me, even at this distance," She gave a quick yank, and the gun fell out of his hands. Mal took it in her hands, aiming at him. He yelled ducking into a crouch on the ground. She aimed up slightly and pulled the trigger. The bullets smashed into overhanging metal scaffolding. There was a groan from the metal as it buckled, then collapsing inwards, metal pipes clattered down around them.

"Got some kick in it," She mused as she dropped the gun to the ground, "See you around Clay," She said with mock saccharine and a little wave as she strutted back to Evie.

"That was a little on the bold side, don't you think?" Evie asked as they fell into step together.

"Against Clay? Hardly. He's all talk, no show,"

"It's almost a shame he's too proud for his own good," Evie said, "He's actually good looking,"

Mal snorted, "Sure," She drawled, obviously not in agreement.

"Not your type?"

"Eh?" She gave a none committal shrug, "Maybe if he wasn't such a pompous show-off,"

"So who is your type?" Evie nudged Mal's shoulder. They'd had similar conversations in the past, without any real resolution. Evie never seriously entertained any of the advances of the boys around her. She knew her mother wouldn't accept anything less than royalty. She didn't want anything less either. But that didn't mean she couldn't practice with what she had available. So she had a trail of broken hearts in her wake, it was their fault for putting so much on the line. Love was a game, they gambled and lost. But, for as long as Mal and Evie had been friends, Mal had shot down almost every attempt to earn her affection, sometimes, as she'd just shown, in a more literal sense.

"Well?" Evie prodded.

"Who has time for boys, when there are plots to undertake and territories to conquer?"

"There must be someone who you at least think is hot,"

A shrug was the only response she got. Evie rolled her eyes.

"Jay?"

"Hell no," Mal said, "He's like a brother,"

"I'm guessing you'll say the same of Carlos,"

"Naturally," Mal shook her head. Then, after a beat, she asked, "Why? Do you…"

"Oh, no, ew, that would be weird. I've seen them eat. That can turn any girl off,"

Mal laughed at that.

"What about Anthony?" Evie said thoughtfully, "He's not bad looking,"

"No," Mal said flatly.

"Too party boy for you?" Evie arched an eyebrow.

"Among other things,"

"Who else… Harry has a certain rugged quality to him,"

"Harry? We can't be thinking about the same Harry. That mousy guy who used to follow Carlos around?"

"Not him,"

"What other Harry is there?" Mal asked slightly exasperated. It clicked in her mind before Evie could elaborate, and she all but shouted, "Harry Hook? Uma's sly sea dog?"

"Poor taste in alliances aside, you have to admit he's cute,"

Mal bit her lip in thought, head tilting to the side, "I suppose,"

"You kissed him, didn't you?" Evie said.

Mal gave her a deathly glare.

"I'm just saying," Evie hurried out, not wanting to upset her.

"That ship sailed when he choose shrimpy over me. Besides, it's not like that was anything more than having some fun,"

"He chose Uma over you?"

"Why are we even talking about this?" Mal asked, a bite to her voice.

"I'm just curious, 'cause from what I heard he and the youngest Gaston were a thing,"

"Gil?"

"Aren't they all called Gaston?"

"No the last one is Gil, at least it's what he goes by," Mal said, "Harry was always an equal opportunist I suppose,"

"So if Harry wasn't… cavorting with our enemies would you give him a chance?"

"I don't know. Looks aren't everything,"

"Try telling that to my mother," Evie said with an exasperated sigh.

"Mal! Evie!" Carlos came running up to them, "We got a problem in the Rust Heights, Zevon he's trying to strong-arm in our territory. He got some goblins to help him stir up trouble. Jay's was fighting them, but he needs help,"

"The Goblins. Mother won't be happy if she hears about that," Mal said.

"Let's go Mal, you can get them back in line," Evie said.

She nodded. Carlos went off running, leading the way, Mal and Evie behind them. Their conversation was forgotten for the moment.

They wouldn't broach the topic until days later when they were in their hideout, catching their breath after another turf skirmish with Uma and her crew.

"Ow! Hells! That burns!" Mal slapped Evie's hands away from her, clapping a hand over the gash on her neck and shoulder.

"It's supposed to burn. Mal, you have to let me clean it," She snapped back.

"It's just scratch,"

"It's a little more than a scratch. And we need clean it before it gets infected. Who knows where Harry sticks that hook of his,"

"You aren't suggesting that him and…" Jay started to say but trailed off pointedly.

"Ew! Dude, that's gross," Carlos' expression was disgruntled.

"Disgusting. No!" Evie said, "I was referring to the fact he works at the Fish and Chips and has probably used it to gut dead fish. But thank you for that image,"

Jay grinned, either not recognizing Evie's sarcasm, or choosing to ignore it. Evie took hold of Mal's shoulder getting ready to press the alcohol soaked rag to it again.

"The hell! Evie, are you trying to make it worse?!" Mal hit her hands away, standing and walking away from her.

"I'm trying to help," Evie huffed, hands on her hips.

"How'd he'd even get at you?" Carlos asked, "You're… you,"

"He got a lucky strike in," She said tersely, "That's all,"

"It seemed more than luck to me," Jay said, with a laugh, "What he said seemed to really throw for you a loop. It isn't true, is it?"

"What'd he say?" Carlos asked.

Mal glared at Jay, "Don't you have junk to go steal for your father?" She practically hissed, "Or an empty lamp to dust,"

His smile fell. He stared at her for a long moment, jaw clenching. She stared right back. He got up snatching up his beanie. He left without another word. Carlos watched as he left, then frowned at Mal.

"Did you have to be that mean?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, do I suddenly look like I have silken flowing hair and a voice that makes animals come to my aid?"

"Jay was just joking. You know how he is. He didn't mean anything by it,"

"How would you know? You don't what happened because you ran when you heard Gil's fake barking,"

"I really thought there was a dog. You know I hate dogs,"

Mal growled, "Go home and dust your mama's coats,"

"You certainly made your mother proud today," Carlos said before he walked out.

"Are you going to insult me now to get me to leave?" Evie asked.

Mal didn't reply.

"You could have just asked them to leave if you wanted to be alone,"

"That would have shown weakness," Mal said, "Besides they're big boys. They'll be back tomorrow to steal coffee from the Slop Shop and riot in town with us,"

"You're probably right. But they're your friends. You don't have to treat like that to them,"

"They'll get over it. But I do want to be alone. So you can go to,"

"I will. As soon as you let me clean that up," She indicated to the gash.

Mal glared at her, eyes glowing. Evie steeled herself, glaring right back. Maleficent was the only person with a perfect track record against Mal. Evie knew Mal well enough understand when to pick her battles. A lot of the time even those instances she chose to stand her ground against Mal's judgement she still found herself folding to the piercing green that made even the most hardened villain's blood run cold. But today, more than usual, she knew Mal's defiance wasn't born of her usual iron clad reliance. Even so, she was still surprised when Mal, with a growl, said, "Fine, just get it over with,"

Evie bit back her smile of triumph, knowing it wasn't the time to celebrate her victory. She took up the rag and the bottle of whiskey she'd been using before to clean Mal's wound. She gestured to the edge bed. Mal gave it a reluctant glare. She hated to lose. Even if it was to Evie. She crossed her arms before sitting, looking straight ahead. Obviously avoiding meeting Evie's eyes.

Evie pulled Mal's jacket partly off her shoulder, "Ready?"

Mal took the bottle from Evie's hand, taking a swing before nodding. Evie pressed the rag to the wound. Mal let out a hiss, muscles flinching, but beyond that, she didn't move.

"Some would say you're too young to be drinking," Evie said. She was making idle talk. An attempt to keep Mal's mind off the pain.

"Shut up, Evie,"

"We can talk about what happened today if you want,"

"There's nothing to talk about. Harry is an idiot, he got in a lucky strike. It won't happen twice,"

"I heard what he said," Evie said carefully. She knew she'd just potentially stepped into a minefield.

"Of course you did," Mal all but snarled. Evie stood, walking over to the barrel they had sitting on a ledge to catch rainwater. She used it to wash out the rag. She came back, using the rag, just wet with water this time to clean the blood around the wound. Mal flinched again, but her reaction was much more subdued, "It isn't true,"

"Harry and Uma would say whatever they can to get under your skin, and inside your head. And I'm sure your kissing prowess is fine,"

Mal gave a growl, hands clawing at the sheets as her head snapped around to glare at Evie.

"It was a bait. I'm more surprised that you let yourself fall for it," Evie said, still too smug from her previous victory to be affected this time.

"I… I wasn't expecting it," Mal said.

"Obviously," Evie arched an eyebrow, "But I've seen you handle worse. Why'd this one get to you to so much?"

"I don't know. Because of how stupid it was,"

Evie let that explanation sit in the air between them. They both knew it was a bullshit excuse, "The cut's long, but it isn't deep. It shouldn't scar, once you don't scratch at it, and let it heal properly," She said, instead of responding to Mal, "Jacket off, so I can see if the damage,"

Mal shrugged off her jacket, handing it to Evie. She lifted, her hand slipping through the rip Harry had torn with his hook, "A patch job should be good enough to cover it," She mused, "Shame though, I don't have any more leather," She started to go through her belongings, looking for a piece of fabric that matched.

"Harry was the first guy I kissed,"

Evie turned at Mal's sudden declaration. Mal's eyes her filled with a challenge. She was daring Evie to say something. But there was something looking back at her in Mal's eyes. Something she'd never seen in them before. She couldn't be sure… vulnerability. Impossible. Mal never showed weakness to anyone. Not even to her own mother. Especially not to her own mother.

"Okay…" Evie knew she was still in the minefield, "Is he… the only guy you've kissed?"

The way Mal's eyes flickered Evie knew she'd just taken a bad step. She knew her options were limited, but she had to talk her way out, and quickly or it was about to explode.

"I only asked-"

"Yes," Mal's reply cut her off. Evie was slightly stunned by the admission, "Yes, he's the only guy… but not the only person,"

The confession fell, heavy for a moment "Oh… okay," Evie said, "Who?"

"Ginny. I don't think she even remembers it. She was hopped on some of Yzla's punch at a party when it happened,"

"Okay," Evie said, still cautious of pushing too far, "So, what are you telling me?"

"I don't know," Mal said, not breaking eye contact.

"Are you saying…" Evie didn't know how to finish that question.

"I don't know,"

"Alright… well, who did you think the better kisser was?" Evie asked.

"That's…" She fell back onto the bed, staring upwards. She was quiet for a long moment, "I guess Ginny. But that could have been because of the punch,"

"Do you think that's why Harry said what he did? Because you weren't into it,"

"I was into it, I think. I'm just not sure how I feel about guys on the whole. Harry's good looking, yeah. That's mostly the reason I kissed him,"

"And how do you feel about girls?" Evie asked.

"That's almost as confusing as how I feel about guys,"

"Almost?" Evie arched an eyebrow.

"Almost," Mal repeated, turning her head to meet Evie's gaze. There was a long gap where neither said anything. Finally, Evie was the one to break the silence.

"Regardless how you feel, you know he only said that to throw you off your game,"

"I know that," Mal let out a frustrated growl, "And that makes it worse. It got to me because it hit my own confusion. I let him get under my skin, and it's not even for the reason he thinks it is,"

"Look, I can't help you figure out your attraction. But we can put an end to this stupid Harry business right now,"

Mal sat up on her elbows, arching a questioning eyebrow at Evie, "And how would we do that?"

"Kiss me and I'll tell you if you're a good kisser or not,"

She sat up all the way at that, eyes wide with surprise. It wasn't everyday Evie saw that expression on her face. It took a lot to surprise Mal. When Mal didn't give a response Evie felt as though she'd really set off a mine this time.

"It's a stupid idea. I know," She hedged quickly, hoping they could sweep this away, "Forget it. And forget what he said. He's not worth you stressing," Mal was still looking at her with a surprised expression. Evie lifted the jacket in her hands, "I think I have something at home to fix this. So I'm just going to go,"

She got halfway to the steps. Halfway, when she was yanked around by her wrist. Mal grabbed the lapel of her jacket, tugging her in. There was a moment of uncharacteristic hesitation for Mal. Giving Evie a chance to step back. Giving herself the opportunity to change her mind. Neither happened. For a second their eyes searched the others'. Their distance vanished. The kiss… it was harsh, demanding, burning. Everything she'd expect from Mal. She was shocked still, hands finding their own way to Mal's hips. Sparks spurred her mind, slamming her to full presence into the moment. She responded in kind, not willing to let herself be bowled over by Mal. As terrifying as she was at times, Evie never let her know how much she really affected her. She wouldn't give in this time either.

As quickly as it started, it was over. She opened her eyes to find Mal looking at her, her gaze indomitable, as usual, but it lacked the cruelty that ordinarily lingered behind it.

"Well?" Mal asked, eyebrow arching.

"Harry doesn't have a clue what he's talking about," Evie said, a little breathless.

Mal smiled, self-satisfied. She still had a vice grip on Evie's jacket. With a tug, she made Evie come impossibly closer, "If you tell the guys, or anyone, about anything I said-"

"You'll torture me with white-hot metal?" Evie asked, with a small smirk.

"I was going to say disembowel you, but that works too,"

"I'm not going to tell anyone,"

Mal's grip loosened, but she didn't step back. For the first time, Evie realized she had a fist full of Mal's tank top gripped in her hands. She let go, hands dropping to her side. Neither moved. The tension lingering in the space is enough to make their skins prickle.

"Um, I should get to work on our revenge plot for Uma and her sardine pack," Mal said, finally taking a step back.

"Right," Evie snapped too, shaking her head, "Right. And I should get to work on this," She lifts the jacket in her hands, also taking a step back.

Mal turned on her heels, taking through the doorway.

"Mal," Evie calls after her.

Mal turns to look at her, eyes questioning.

"I won't tell anyone, but anytime you need to talk about things… I'm always here,"

"Not like you have anywhere else to go," Mal smirked.

"Yeah,"

Mal nodded. The only confirmation that she truly understood and appreciated Evie's offer. It was all the confirmation she was going to give. And that was fine with Evie, it was all she needed. She smiled at her before she left. She stopped at the bottom of the steps, turning to watch the gate slide close behind her. She smiled, biting her bottom lip. Breathing in, she let out a slow breath.

"We'll have to talk about that another time," Evie said to herself touching her thumb to her lips.

That time didn't come, nor did Mal's plan against Uma, because less than a week later they were being driven to Auradon and unknown to them at the time, towards a decision that changed in their fates in a way none of them could see coming.

Some things I'd like to note; Dove Cameron, Thomas Doherty and Kenny Ortega have talked about a backstory that ties Mal and Harry Hook's characters together, where they dated and after they broke up Harry joined Uma, partly to get revenge on Mal. But in the first movie, Evie mentioned Mal had never had a boyfriend before and Mal mentioned that they didn't really date on the isle. I could have just picked one these plot threads and gone with that. But why do that, when I could try to weave the two contradiction together. So the residents of the Isle don't really date nor do commitment, as much they hook up for flings (All the Villian Kids had have been to born, somehow). So Mal and Harry did have a few amorous rendezvous together.

Secondly, I did make a quick reference, of sorts, to the kiss between Gil and Harry, that was cut from Descendants 2.

Hope you enjoyed this first chapter and are looking forward to more. If you have enjoyed this story and can't wait for more, why don't you check out my other Descendants' fic, The Subjectivity of Art.

Nardragon~ until the next page.