Hey guys! As you might have noticed, Maleficent 2 has been in pre-production for several months now and still got no news of Sam Riley reprising his role as Diaval, so I'm getting pretty anxious concerning the future of our OTP (seriously, if they pair up Maleficent with someone else than Diaval I'm not watching the movie AT ALL) so this story was a way to compensate. I hope you'll enjoy!

Edit: OMG THEY FINALLY ANNOUNCED DIAVAL! (thx Luinwen-2013!) They did so just the day after I published this. Do you guys think that if I ask for some Maleval in the movie on the next chapter it'll work the same? xDD

Since Aurora's coronation several years ago, peace and harmony were growing steadily between the human kingdom and the Moors, making both lands more prosperous than ever before. Maleficent never thought she would see her parents' dearest wish coming to life and she couldn't be happier about it.

She smiled upon watching the usual celebrations taking place below and tilted her head to the side to grant Diaval better access to her brown locks. She'd had her hair ruined today after trying to stop a mud fight that went slightly out of hand. Thankfully, Diaval was always happy to help with such things, and had a patience she certainly had not.

The fairy barely refrained from sighing in contentment as his fingers combed through her hair. It wasn't the first time he helped with her grooming, but it was the first time she let herself enjoy it so much. Maybe because she had recently realised that she didn't mind his proximity anymore. Actually, if she was honest with herself, she would even say she enjoyed having this kind of intimacy with him.

Maleficent yawned and stretched her wings languorously, mindful not to disturb her raven at work.

"I'm almost done, Mistress," he announced in response.

Her feathers ruffled at the word and she turned her head toward him with a raised eyebrow while intentionally bumping his head with a wing.

"Maleficent," he corrected with a playful smile.

Her moody frown turned into a little smirk, and she directed her gaze to the stars above. By now, they were both aware he wasn't her servant any longer, but Diaval still had trouble breaking the old habit of calling her by title, sometimes. It was a shame, really, because she liked how her name rolled off his tongue. She would always remember fondly the first time he pronounced it…

"Care to join me for a flight?" Maleficent asked right after Aurora's coronation.

"Of course, Mistress," the raven-man replied with a grin.

She was about to change him but stopped mid-motion at his words. Her wings twitched slightly and she straightened, before catching his eyes with a solemn face.

"Don't call me that, Diaval. Not anymore."

They looked at each other for a long time, and the raven-man eventually nodded, as if to tell her he understood her meaning.

"As you wish, Maleficent."

And just like that, he was free. She would never forget the knowing smile they exchanged at this moment. They didn't need any lengthy talk to know where they stood. Of course he would stay, because even with her wings reclaimed, after so many years of companionship, they belonged with each other. And if he ever wanted something else, he knew he could just ask, and she would grant him pretty much anything in her power.

Maleficent smiled at the memory. Now, things were slowly starting to change between them. She could swear Diaval was actually flirting with her sometimes, and the fairy had been experiencing unusual urges in his presence. She seemed to be, well, maybe not craving for his touch, but at least curious as to how it would make her feel. Recently, she had even started wondering what it would feel like to be in his arms. She could almost imagine the way he would hold her lovingly, peppering kisses down her head and stroking her feathers while watching a beautiful sunset.

Warmth spread in her chest at the simple thought, and she wondered if they would ever get there. Was he even still interested in her that way, or did she miss her chance a long time ago? She had to know, if only not to let her childish fantasies escalating too much.

"You once told me you loved me," she started, not sure of how to proceed with this.

She sensed Diaval freezing in surprise for a second, before resuming his work.

"And you told me never to speak those words again," he replied evenly.

The lack of any emotion in his voice spoke volumes. He clearly didn't want to be reminded of that day, and she knew perfectly why. She winced and looked down, wishing she hadn't brought that up.

"I remember," the fairy said softly, almost apologetically.

Back then, she had been unable to believe him and had somehow been convinced that he was mocking her. She remembered how his declaration had reopened her fresh wounds, infuriating her to the point of lashing out at him, both verbally and with her magic.

She was just grateful he didn't say out loud the actual words she had thrown at him that day.

"I was…" she tried, but was unable to express just how much she regretted hurting him when the only thing he did was to tell her how much she meant to him.

"I know. Don't worry," he interrupted gently while gathering her hair, his delicate touch on her neck eliciting goosebumps to the fairy.

She was relieved to hear a slight smile in his voice. Her wings brushed his shoulders as if to thank him for understanding and it gave her the courage to ask what she wanted to.

"Do you still?"

It only took him a few seconds to answer, but to the fairy it felt like hours. Her heart was trumpeting loudly in her chest. At this instant, she realised just how much his answer actually meant to her.

"Yes," he replied, and she swore her heart could have melted at the fondness he poured into this single word. "Ravens aren't as fickle as men on these matter," he explained.

The butterflies in her stomach seemed to suddenly multiply. She couldn't believe he still loved her after all this time. The fairy literally had to struggle with herself not to smile like an idiot. It meant there was still room for their relationship to grow, eventually.

A few seconds later, he had finished combing her hair and was sitting down next to her.

"May I ask why the sudden interest?"

She let the silence linger for a very long time, wondering how much he would resent her if she was to ignore his question altogether. Surely not too much - it wouldn't be the first time she did so - but she owed him the truth. Years ago, he had been honest about his feelings for her no matter the consequences. The least she could do for him today was to have the same faith in him.

"My deepest wounds are slowly healing, and for some reason I find myself… drawn to you," she admitted slowly, careful to avoid his eyes.

"Well, it's not surprising, I am quite the pretty bird, am I not?" he chattered smugly.

She rolled her eyes and batted the vain raven over the head with a wing, making him laugh cheerfully. Despite her friend's big-headed attitude, Maleficent was secretly relieved he was making the whole situation so easy to talk about.

They exchanged a small smile and she averted her gaze to the horizon. She could feel his inquiring eyes on her. He wanted to know if it would change anything between them.

"I'm not sure I'm ready just yet," she murmured wistfully to answer his unspoken question.

She saw him nod from the corner of her eyes.

"Would that help if I were to court you?"

The fairy turned to him with a raised eyebrow. From what she knew about courting, it involved kissing, cuddling and overall a kind of intimacy she wasn't sure she would be comfortable with at this stage.

"Court me, now? That's a bit straight-forward, don't you think?" She replied haughtily in an attempt to hide her wariness.

He shrugged in response. "Doesn't have to be."

Maleficent let her gaze linger on the festivities dying down below while pondering over his words. He had a point: there were lots of different ways to pursue a potential mate, especially for a raven turned man trying to charm a fairy. The possibilities were almost endless.

"And how exactly do you plan to court me?" She inquired while turning back to him.

Diaval flashed her a grin. "Can't tell you that, really. It would ruin the effect."

Her feathers ruffled and she narrowed her eyes at him. She couldn't remember the last time he had refused her something. His smile slipped away under her suspicious eyes, but he stood his ground.

"I know you, Maleficent. Please, trust me on this," the raven-man said earnestly.

She looked at him for a few seconds, before averting her eyes with a sigh, deep in thoughts. The prospect of changing their dynamics was already intimidating enough as it was. She wished he would just tell her how far he intended to push her limits before agreeing to anything… On the other hand, what was the worst that could happen? Even if he was to make her uncomfortable, she could either fly away or turn him back into a bird.

"Fine. You may court me, then. But it doesn't mean I'll refrain from turning you into a dog the minute you'll get on my nerves."

"I wouldn't expect any less from you," he replied with a smirk.

Their eyes locked once more and she pressed her lips together in a thin line to hide her smile. Diaval knew her, indeed. If he truly wanted her, she trusted him to know he would have to take things slow with her. Hopefully, this whole courting business wouldn't end up being a huge mistake, and their bond would only grow stronger from it.

Diaval interrupted her thoughts by getting up and started walking down the cliff. After a few steps, he seemed to notice she wasn't following and turned to her.

"Well? Aren't you coming?"

She frowned suspiciously but stood up nonetheless. Did he want to get on with the courting already?

"Where?"

"Don't you want to teach those wallerbogs not to mess with you again? I'm thinking mud traps," he announced, eyes twinkling mischievously.

The fairy couldn't help a laugh at his antics, and caught up with him with a flap of her wings, relieved he didn't seem to make such a big deal out of their previous discussion. It made her all the more confident that he would be gentle and patient enough to help her overcome the last remaining fears Stefan had instilled in her. It would take time, but with his help, she was certain those wounds could heal, eventually.

Many thanks to DancingKitKat for beta-reading! I started writing another short chapter to conclude this one, should be out in the coming weeks.