Disclaimer: Maleficent and its characters belong to Disney.

Note: The new chapter is finally here! Also, don't get your hopes too high for the smut, or you'll end up hating me! Well, this chapter will make you hate me anyway, but I'd rather we limit the damages!

mess·y

(adj.) characterized by a dirty, untidy, or disordered condition

It's been a week since Aurora last saw Mal, when they went to the movies together, and she couldn't be more grateful. Not that she doesn't appreciate the woman, of course. She does, a lot. And that's exactly the problem; Aurora likes her too much. If when her father first told her she would get married to a complete stranger she was wary of the whole situation, she had very recently started to be pleased with it, though she knew she shouldn't be. How was she enjoying the idea of being forced to marry a woman she had met only a few weeks before?

Aurora sighs and shakes her head as she puts a second pack of beer in her shopping cart. She has to stop torturing herself with these kinds of thoughts, she is doing grocery shopping only because she needs a distraction from them. And from Mal. God, now she is thinking about that ridiculous dream again! She slaps her cheeks lightly before resuming her way through the maze of the supermarket. An aged lady stares at her from the other side of the aisle, eyes wide open in surprise. Aurora walks past the lady, smiling brightly at her. People probably already think she's an alcoholic, she can't have them believe she's grumpy and rude. Knowing that some paparazzi could be waiting somewhere, in a corner of the supermarket, or outside, to take pictures of her for a random new article on her relationship and wedding to come with Mal, might be another reason for her to smile.

Her phone vibrates in the back pocket of her jeans, startling her. She quickly fishes it out. She stops walking and rests her arms on the shopping cart as she stares down at the screen of her phone, blinking a few times.

Would you be free to come to the apartment tonight?

Aurora gulps. Mal. The one person who has been on her mind for the past few hours. Phillip get out of my head, she thinks to herself, her mind already going where it should absolutely never go again. She repeats the mantra five times before trusting herself enough to answer the message without writing anything too stupid that would betray her… feelings.

Of course! Should I come over or will you me pick me up?

"Pick me up? Really, Rory?" Aurora whispers, shaking her head.

When she looks up from her phone, she realizes she has been standing at the same spot for minutes and is blocking the way of two other people. She apologizes, her head tipped down, and rushes away to pay for her groceries. She needs to get back home quickly to change into something a little bit more fancy - she can't present herself to Mal wearing old ripped jeans and an over-sized band t-shirt, can she? Aurora gasps. She's wearing the t-shirt Mal gave her when she spent the night at her apartment for the first time. If a paparazzi takes photos of her like that, Mal will know that she's been wearing it…

Her phone vibrates again, interrupting her thoughts.

Diaval will pick you up at your father's at 7PM.

Diaval? Is Mal too busy with work? It's… weird. Another message lights up her phone screen.

Need to finish something at the office.

Aurora is exhausted when she finally reaches her father's apartment with the second pack of beer. Climbing up and down the stairs three times because she couldn't carry all the groceries at once, and with the elevator still out of service… When was the elevator not out of service? She lets herself fall onto her bed, ignoring the fact she should put the beers in the fridge. She deserves to rest a little before going crazy over what she'll wear. She closes her eyes and lets out a deep, content sigh, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she can relax for the first time that day, maybe even that week. No nannies running around the apartment, no father yelling at everything not going his way, and not even Phillip to ask her too many questions.

When she opens her eyes again, it's only because of the loud, incessant knocking at the door of the apartment. She rolls off the bed and quickly goes to the door.

"Good evening, Aurora!" Diaval exclaims as soon as the door is open.

"Diaval? Why are you already here? Weren't you supposed to pick me up at 7? And how did you get in the building?" Aurora asks, stepping aside to allow the man inside.

"Tiny redheaded boys opened the door. And I'm actually late, so if you could hurry and grab your things so we can leave, that would be great!"

"Late? But it's only-" Aurora pulls her phone from her pocket. Her eyes widen in surprise. "Wait for me, I'll be ready in a minute!"

She rushes to her bedroom, stuffing some of the clothes that has been lying on her desk for a few days into a the first bag she sees and runs to Diaval so they can exit the apartment. Aurora smiles at the man, who only smirks as he takes the lead.

"Already stealing Mal's t-shirt?"

Aurora's mouth falls open, no word coming out of it as she struggles to find an explanation as to why she was wearing Mal's clothes. She doesn't have any excuse, she just wanted to wear it. And fell asleep before she could change out of it. It's definitely not something she could tell Diaval without feeling self-conscious - even if she knows he wouldn't judge her.

"She gave it to me, for when I sleep at her place. Do you think she'll mind if I wear it today?"

"Ha! Of course not!" Diaval exclaims. "She won't admit it, but she'll most certainly feel flattered or something. Don't tell her I said that."

"Your secret is safe with me."

A comfortable silence settles between the two of them, and it stays there without either wanting to interrupt it, even after they get in Diaval's car.

Aurora and Diaval have been sitting in silence on the couch and watching TV for over a hour when Mal finally arrives, apologizing for having been delayed by a very special and unexpected… guest, whose name she refuses to mention even to Diaval.

"Business is not to be discussed right now," Mal repeats as she serves herself a glass of wine, glancing up at Aurora.

Aurora hears Diaval stand up but doesn't look away from Mal, who is staring at her over her glass - she presses her thighs together, concentrating as hard as she can on packs of beer and the half-empty fridge she would come back to the next day. Diaval pats her shoulder lightly as he makes his way towards the kitchen; the gesture is distracting enough for the moment. She watches silently as Diaval and Mal have a brief discussion before he leaves the apartment, smiling brightly at her and waving.

"I would like to apologize again for being late. Even if you seem to have enjoyed spending time with my assistant."

"He's really sweet," Aurora says, surprising herself with how calm her voice sounds despite the panic growing inside of her stomach.

"Indeed he is."

Mal sits down next to her, holding tightly on her glass of wine. Aurora gulps with difficulty as she watches the older woman cross her legs. She scolds herself mentally and looks up at Mal's face, telling herself not to look down again because it really wouldn't be reasonable or respectful of Mal's dignity and pride.

"You must be wondering why I asked you to come tonight…"

Aurora decides not to trust her voice this time and nods - it seems to make Mal smile.

"I thought we should start organizing the wedding. It is approaching, after all. Your father barged into my office, again, to remind me, which is why I was late."

"Oh! Of course! What- What should we start with?"

For a moment, Aurora had forgotten about the wedding, about the idea that had caused her to meet Mal in the first place. She is starting to feel ashamed by how quickly she's been getting distracted these past few days.

"Date and location. Then we will have to talk about the guests…"

When she hears the soft knock at the door, Aurora looks up from the book she had picked from one of the shelves in the "guest room" before she had settled down on the sofa. She doesn't have time to say a word before Mal opens it and lets herself in - it's her home, after all. They both stay silent as the businesswoman sits at the end of the sofa, her stare fixated on Aurora, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Aurora really likes that smile on Mal's face, it makes her look almost vulnerable, so much more human than she usually does.

"I've been meaning to thank you for being so accepting of the situation for a long time but never quite found the courage to until now."

Mal's voice sounds weirdly distant, but Aurora listens anyway, closes the book and leaves it to rest on her lap.

"It's normal-"

Her words catch in her throat. Mal has a hand on her knee and is caressing it through the blanket. The gesture is simple and way too intimate, too suddenly. But she doesn't question it. Doesn't question the fact that Mal is leaning in dangerously closer to her face either. She doesn't protest when Mal presses her lips against hers but neither does she kiss back.

"Thank you, Aurora," Mal breaths against her lips, making her blush a deeper red.

There is a short pause during which they only stare in each other's eyes. But it only takes seconds for Mal to kiss her again, placing a warm hand on her cheek, bringing herself even closer to Aurora, who can feel the erratic beating of her heart in her chest - this is all too good. The kiss is intense and yet soft, like the both of them, completely contradictory, but it's what makes them more interesting together, isn't it?

When Mal finally pulls back, she's grinning. Aurora's eyes are wide open in surprise at the sight before her. She could have never expected to see the older woman look so disheveled; pupils blown and red lipstick smeared, breathing uncharacteristically heavily.

Before Aurora can process what is happening, Mal has pushed the blanket away from her body, revealing her almost completely bare legs. A shiver runs through Aurora's limbs, goosebumps erupting on her skin at the soft touch of Mal's hands, running up and down her calves, fingernails scraping lightly against it from time to time - since when does Mal have such short fingernails?

Mal shifts even closer, sits on Aurora's lap. She grabs Aurora's face, leans her forehead against hers. Too quickly, maybe, too hard. Awkward. Aurora giggles and pecks Mal on the lips. Mal has never been one for sweet gestures and soft kisses but the younger woman's delicate mouth is starting to change her mind. Mal moves a leg to the other side of Aurora's body to straddle her lap.

Wasn't she wearing shoes when she got in the room?

No time to think about it.

Mal has her hands on the hem of Aurora's shirt and is already pulling at it, she struggles with getting it past the girl's shoulders. Aurora laughs uncontrollably for what feels too long to Mal, who hides her embarrassment between her breasts. She hears Aurora sucking in air and holding her breath. Not for long. Mal reaches behind Aurora's back and unhooks her bra with one expert move, throws it on the ground carelessly.

Neither of them question how Aurora is lying on her back all of a sudden or why she is pressing a thigh between Mal's legs. Because with Mal's mouth around one of Aurora's nipples and the other one pinched between her thumb and her index finger, nothing else matters.

The moan that escapes Aurora's throat is enough to make Mal bucks her hips, desperately, for friction.

What is happening?

It doesn't make any sense.

Does she care, though?

A loud blaring noise echoes through her bedroom, making her open her eyes. She reaches for her alarm clock on her nightstand and hits the snooze button before taking her phone and dialing the last number she had called.

"Yeah?" a sleepy voice answers.

"I can't tell her, Diaval. I can't tell her about wanting to send her father in prison."