Mal's POV

I'm walking down the street checking out the different shops. I can't believe family day is in a few days. In all honesty I'm a bit nervous about it, this will be the first time we're exposed to the older heroes and rulers.

"Hey kid nice ball" a guy about my age says and I turn to see a group of about four boys from the tourney team cornering a little boy about seven years old who's holding a blue and silver soccer ball.

'Maybe it's his brother' I think to myself, but I'm not so sure.

"Thanks" the little guy say happily.

"Too bad you won't have it much longer" the older guy sneers grabbing it off of him. The little boy cries in protest and starts jumping as high as he can to reach the ball while the guys laugh at him.

"Hey!" I shout, crossing the street to join them.

"What's going on over here?" I demand, standing in front of the little boy protectively.

"Are these guys bothering you?" I ask gently as I look down at him. He nods slightly then shoots a terrified look at the guys and shakes his head.

"N-no" he says shakily.

"Yes they are, don't worry I'll handle this" I say reassuringly as I turn to glare at the four.

"Seriously? Picking on a little kid? So much for being the good guys" I scoff as I rip the ball out of one of the guys hands.

"Oh and what exactly are you going to do about you little witch?" the ringleader scoffs.

"you can't do anything you're too scared to because you'll get sent back to the rock" he says with a smirk.

"Scared? I'm not afraid of you" I scoff.

"You want pick on someone then pick on someone who can fight back you're just being cowards picking on a little kid" I snap.

"And there is something I can do" I say with a smirk and one of the guys starts to look a bit nervous. "Um...Kevin...maybe you should back off"he says nervously. The ringleader appently Kevin scoffs

"She wouldn't do anything" he sneers.

"Watch me" I say with an evil smirk before letting out a beastly roar and letting my nails sharpen into claws and bare my fangs with my eyes glowing bright green. All four guys yell in shock and scramble back away. I let out another roar and shoot a fireball out of my mouth causing them to run away screaming.

"That's right run! Scram! Get out of here!" I yell after them before letting myself go back to normal.

"Crazy witch!" I hear Kevin yell as they runaway.

"Come on man just leave it she's the wrong person to mess and not just because she' sa vk" the smarter guy yells back as they disappear. I give a small smirk and turn to the little boy

"Are you ok?" I ask gently. The boy sniffs and nods, looking at his ball pleadingly but afraid to take it from me.

"I believe this belongs to you" I say with a smile as I crouch to his level and hold the ball out to him.

"Thank you dragon lady" he says happily as he takes it. My smile widens and suddenly his right arm is around my neck, giving me a hug. I freeze in shock for a moment before hugging him back.

"You're welcome" I murmur softly.

"Are you hungry?" I ask gently, glancing at the popsicle stand across the street. He nods shyly and I smile encouragingly. "Come on then" I tell him leading him across the street and over to the cart.

"Which one would you like?" I ask as I look at all the flavors, taking out my wallet.

"Lemonade one please" he asks shyly.

"One lemonade popsicle and a strawberry popsicle please" I say with a smile as I give the man the money, thank you Ben for giving me a little money to explore this morning. The little boy smiles happily as I hand it to him.

"Thank you!" he says happily as we walk away from the cart.

"You're welcome" I say with a smile as we start walking around.

"What's your name little guy?" I ask sweetly.

"Arlo" he say happily as he licks at his frozen treat. He has light skin, dark brown hair, beat up pants and sneakers, a baggy red shirt and a grey sweat shirt on.

"It's very nice to meet you Arlo" my names Mal" I say shaking his free hand playfully and he giggles.

"Come on I'll walk you home" I say with a grin and a few minutes later we're standing in front of an old beat up hotel.

'This cute little guy has to live here?' I think to myself sadly. I forgot that not everyone that lives in auradon is rich or part of a royal family

"Are you sure your going to be alright now?" I ask, unsure if I should leave him.

"Yeah, mummy gets back from her second shift at seven!" he says proudly.

"What about your daddy?" I ask gently.

"Daddy died three years ago in a car accident" he says innocently. I fight back a flinch and crouch down and hug him again

"Look after yourself ok? And maybe I'll see you around?" I say gently.

"Okay!" He says happily, giving me another hug.

"If you need anything you can find me at auradon prep" I say gently and he nods happily

"Thank you for everything" he says finally letting go and going inside. I smile sadly before walking back to down town, thinking of doing a little more exploring before I go back to the school. As I'm walking around I hear voices.

"...Have half a mind to complain and have that witch sent back to the rock" I hear Kevin whisper angrily.

"Are you crazy Kevin? You're not just messing with a vk you're messing with the prince's girlfriend" one of the other guys whispers shouts back.

"Oh come on Andrew it's not like anything's going to happen with that relationship" kevin mutters back. I stay hidden nearby behind a dumpster and let out a low threatening growl.

"It's not not like anyone will actually miss her" Kevin scoffs. I roar and they all jump, looking around frantically as they try to spot me but are not able to.

"You know what Kevin I have a mind to complain about you...and you would not like that" I snarl.

"Maybe I should tell the coach what you four were doing to that boy!" I growl.

"I don't really care what you say about me but when you threaten my relationship with Ben and pick on a child that's when I get angry" I growl. The four of them scream and run off. I glare after them then shake my head and go to find Ben before I do something stupid, he always calms me down. I go back to the school and am just beginning to walk on the grounds getting closer to the school.

"Mal! There you are" a voice calls sounding relieved. I look over at the sound, surprised someone is calling for me. Ben hurries over putting an arm around me.

"Did you have a good time?" he asks as he nuzzles me.

"Yeah...it was nice to get a good look around and get off the grounds for a bit" I say with a smile before kissing his cheek and he smiles.

"No one gave you any trouble did they?...And don't lie to me" he says.

"No, no one gave me any trouble" I say, and technically I'm not lying. No one gave me trouble.

"Anyways thank you for the money" I say say as I take out my wallet and take out the rest of the money to give it back to him.

"You're welcome...oh no no you can keep it" he insists, shaking his head.

"No this is yours, I don't need it" I say as I try to give it back.

"No you might need it for something else and it's yours, I gave it to you don't worry about it" he insists.

"Okay" I say as I put it back in my wallet and put it in my pocket. He smiles and leads me over to a bench

"So what did you do?" he asks curiously.

"Well I walked around downtown for a bit, I did stop for a popsicle before exploring a bit of the south side of town" I tell him.)

"Cool...let me guess a strawberry popsicle?" he teases.

"Of course" I giggle. He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. I smile and lay my head on his shoulder. I was going to miss this, when this is all over Ben would never look at me the same way again love spell or not. I close my eyes and block that thought from my head. Do I really wanna risk losing him for someone that doesn't give a damn for me? He doesn't deserve to be a puppet..he'll probably hate me enough to send me back so I'll be dead anyway...but this wasn't right.

'I'll tell him everything after family day, he deserves that' I swear to myself. I just want a few more days that's all.

"This is nice" Ben sighs happily.

"Yeah" I say softly, nuzzling my head under his neck.

"Audrey never did anything like this with me" he murmurs.

"I'm not really that surprised, probably too busy talking about herself to just sit here quietly" I mutter.

"Not only that, if I ever gave her some money she'd spend it quickly and keep asking for more, insisting that I spoil her" he says and I scoff

"Ben...if we ever break up..please pick any other girl other than going back to her you deserve so much better" I plead.

"I promise but we're never breaking up, I love you too much" he say sweetly.

'You say that now' I think sadly as I close my eyes to enjoy those words for one of the last times. I raise my head and kiss his cheek with a small smile before putting it back where it was. I feel him smile against my hair as he holds me closer.

"Can we just stay like this forever?" he murmurs.

"As much as I'd love to we can't" I murmur back.

"Awww" he pouts sadly and I chuckle before I playfully kiss his cheek again. He kisses mine back chuckling softly and I think back on how those guys took Arlo's ball away from him and teased him. Is that how the aks see us? Someone to pick on? Someone who's feelings don't matter? Or do they see us as the bullies who pick on the weak? Do they see us as monsters? I shake my head slightly why do I care? But that's the thing I do care.

"You okay?" Ben asks.

"Yeah I just though a fly was buzzing in my ear" I say with a soft smile and he runs his fingers threw my hair

"Gone?" he asks gently.

"Yeah" I say with a small smile.

"So are you looking forward to family day?" I ask him after a minute of comfortable silence.

"Yeah I get to introduce my amazing and beautiful girlfriend to my parents" he says proudly and I smile nervously

"Hey don't be nervous they will love you" he promises.

"Ben they hate my mom" I say nervously.

"You are not her" he says gently but firmly.

"But what if they-" I start to say worriedly.

"Nope they won't do anything and if they do I won't speak to them again" he says stubbornly.

"Ben they're your family" I point out.

"Yes but they can't tell me who to love that's my choice" he insists. I nod and gently nuzzle him and he purrs softly nuzzling me back

"I didn't think you knew about that" he says.

"Knew about what?" I ask gently.

"The nuzzling" he says.

"What about it?" I ask as I continue to do so.

"It's a thing that comes from my beast side...but it usually...only happens between mates...but maybe it's just from your dragon side" he murmurs, kissing my nose.

"Probably, I'm just following my instincts" I giggle as I continue to nuzzle him.

"Well by all means continue" he chuckles nuzzling me back. I chuckle and nuzzle him one more time before resting my head under his chin. He tightens his arms around me and I smile slightly at the feeling.

"Do you wanna go back to my dorm and cuddle for a bit? it would be more comfy" he suggests and I nod.

"Sure" I say gently. He smiles and leads me into the school. After a few minutes we're curled up on his bed.

"Less hard on the back" I giggle. He smiles and cuddles me to him as I rest my head on his chest.

"I love you" he murmurs and I look up at him.

"I love you too" I whisper. He may not believe it when everything happens and his may be fake but it was true and at least I got to say it once. He smiles brightly and kisses the top of my head. I smile and curl closer to him happily. For a few hours we just lay there in comfortable silence.

A Few Days Later

It is now family day and Evie, the boys and I are joining the party. Evie and I wander around the food tables and admire everything and I have to giggle at Ben's musical number of 'Be Our Guest'

'He's so cute' I think. geez what does that boy do to me? I don't think things are cute.

"Well that was...interesting" I giggle.

"Well he had fun with it at least" Evie smiles.

"Mal" Ben says as he comes over.

"Come on I wanna introduce you to my parents" he says happily.

'Oh dear' I think to myself as I allow him to lead me over to them.

"They will like you I promise they were already thrilled when I told them I broke up with Audrey" he whispers in my ear.

"Mom, Dad this is Mal my girlfriend" he says with a smile as we stop in front of them. Belle faints in Adam's arms and I frown.

"Ben maybe I should go rejoin Evie and the boys-" I start to say.

"I think that would best" Adam says as he glares at me.

"Dad!" Ben snaps.

"No its ok...I'll go" I say, letting go Ben's hand and walking away sadly. Despite everything I actually did want Ben's parents to like me. I go back over to Evie and we watch Carlos play fetch with Dude fondly while making small talk.

"Look mommy it's the dragon lady!" a familiar choice calls out and suddenly I have a little bundle of joy hugging my waist.

"Well hello to you too Arlo" I chuckle, picking him up.

"Hi" he says excitedly, wrapping his arms around my neck. His mother smiles as she approaches us.

"Arlo told me what you did, thank you so much it's not the first time those boys have done that to him" she says gratefully.

"You're welcome, I can't stand anyone that picks on little kids" I say as the boy continues to hug and nuzzle me happily.

"He likes you" his mother chuckles.

"He's grown on me too" I chuckle.

"If you'd like I wouldn't mind babysitting him after school until your shift ends" I offer.

"That would be great as long as you don't mind" she smiles.

"I wouldn't mind at all, he's a good kid" I say with a smile as I put him down. He waves at me before going taking his mother's hand. I wave back at him as he and his mom begin wandering back over to the food tables. I smile and head over to one of the games after making sure they've gotten in line.

"what are you doing here?" I hear a shriek halfway through the bean bag toss and I sigh and roll my eyes.

"Enjoying the party" I say sarcastically.

"How did you get off the isle?!"The older women next to Audrey shrieks.

"Queen Leah its alright she's not Maleficent" Ben's says quickly coming over and standing next to me, wrapping his arm around me protectively. I look over at this woman in surprise, have we met?

"This is her daughter Mal, Maleficent is still on the isle" Ben tells her and the woman looks even angrier now.

"Is there a problem?" I ask.

"Is there a problem?? I missed my child's childhood because of your mother! You should not be here!" she shrieks and I wince.

"Queen Leah..."Fairy Godmother starts.

"No! Who knows what she's planning or what she's already done? She's just like her mother!" she yells angrily.

"Leave her alone! Go away mean lady!" Arlo says as he comes over and hugs my leg, and I can't fight back my amused grin.

"Easy there slugger" I chuckle, ruffling his hair.

"I for one am very glad Mal is here" Arlo's mother follows him over and glares at Queen Leah

"She saved my son" she continues. Arlo nuzzles his face into my jacket happily after I pick him up and hold him protectively.

"she attacked me and my friends" Kevin yells coming over.

"Oh like I was going to let you pick on this little guy, all I did was scare you and throw one fireball!" I snap back.

"Here buddy hang out with my friend princess Evie for a minute" I say gently, giving him to Evie before storming over to Kevin.

"People like you make me sick" I growl, my eyes glowing green.

"Picking on a child like that makes you no better the our parents not to mention you threatened my relationship!" I hiss.

"You are nothing but a coward! If you wanna pick on someone pick on me! Pick on someone your own size!" I growl, moving my hand in a 'come at me' gesture.

"I didn't do anything wrong" he scoffs.

"Tell the truth!" I growl angrily. Kevin tries to lunge at me but Ben gets in the way.

"What is she talking about Kevin? What did you do?" He growls. I glare over Ben's shoulder at Kevin who stays silent.

"If you won't tell him I will" I snap.

"He and his friends tried to take Arlo's ball of him and after I scared them off I overheard Kevin threatening to get me sent back to the isle" I tell Ben and he growls furiously. He starts taking a step towards Kevin but I put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll handle this" I say firmly, moving around him and I start to advance on Kevin, backing him towards the wall.

"As I said you make me sick. You get enjoyment out of it! How you three are still on the team is beyond me, the only one of the four that seem to have a conscience is Andrew! Maybe I should let coach know" I start furiously.

"And another thing!" I growl, backing him up against the stone wall as I conjure a green fireball in my left hand and hold it a few inches away from his face.

"If you ever and I mean ever bother Arlo again or threaten my relationship again I will make the rest of your life a living hell, am I understood?" I hiss into his ear and he nods frantically, fear in his eyes for the first time.

"Good" I say lowly, making the flame disappear and backing off.

"Now get out of here!" I grunt and he immediately scurries off as I turn back to Ben and the others.

"Being the baddest of them all has it's perks" I say proudly as I go over to Evie and the boys and I hear Ben chuckle fondly.

"Not one more word, Mal's not going anywhere!" he snaps at Queen Leah as she looks like she's about to say something. He comes over and and kisses my cheek as he wraps his arms around me.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side" he chuckles, nuzzling me. I nuzzle him back happily before walking over and picking up Arlo.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about anyone bullying him anymore" I tell Arlo's mother and she nods with a smile.

"Thank you so much" she says gratefully.

"You're welcome" I say as tears gather in her eyes.

"You have no idea how much that helps, I have to leave him alone for hours after he gets out of school until late at night so I can make a few dollars. Sometimes he's asleep before I can even make dinner" she sobs, pulling me in for a hug.

"It took me weeks to make enough money to get him that ball" she cries and I pat her back.

"I was happy to help, no one should pick on someone that can't even defend themselves" I say while looking down at the little boy that's hugging me.

"Hey...maybe he could come over to me after I'm finished my school day. I can walk him home about ten minutes before your shift ends" I offer, I wouldn't mind spending more time with him. He reminds me of my nephew Hunter.

"Thank you so much" she sniffs as I pull out my wallet.

"Take this" I say, holding out my leftover money.

"There's about ninety five dollars there" I say

"Oh no I couldn't" she says shocked, shaking her head.

"I insist, you need it more then I do" I smile. She slowly takes it then pulls me into a hug.

"Thank you" she sniffs.

"You're welcome, I'm sorry I know it's not much-" I start.

"No its more than enough, you have done more for us then I can repay" she says tearfully.

Apr 8"You don't need to repay me" I say while shaking my head, breaking the hug. She sniffs and looks over at Ben. "Bringing her over was the best thing you could have done your highness" she says gratefully.

"I agree" he says while looking over at me proudly.

"Why don't you two go out for a treat? There's a nice popsicle stand downtown not far from the hotel" I suggest with a grin.

"Ooooh can we mommy? Please?" Arlo begs.

"Sure" she laughs giving me one last smile before taking Arlo's hand after he gives me a quick hug and leads him away. I turn to see all the royals staring at me.

"What?" I ask confusedly, do I have something on my face?

"There are a lot of people who have been wanting to give Kevin hell for a while, I think you got yourself a fan club" Ben tells me with a light chuckle. I chuckle before looking over at Ben's parents and Queen Leah.

"You were wrong about us, we were never the problem" I say seriously before walking away and back over to my friends.

"Woah...that was awesome!" Jay chuckles.

"Well at least now everyone knows not to mess with me" I chuckle and they all laugh.

"You may have Ben now but just remember he will never make a villain a Queen" Audrey sneers as she walks past us leaving. I flick my finger and make a mud puddle appear in front of her, causing her to slip and fall face first into it.

"Oh Audrey? I ALWAYS have the last laugh" I call out sweetly.

"And for the record he may not make me Queen but he will never make you queen either" I say and she shrieks and storms off.

"Anybody else wanna test my patience? I can do this all day" I call out and they all back away.

"Good" I snap.

"Easy there sweetheart" Ben chuckles, coming up and kissing my cheek. I smile and nuzzle his neck slightly before we go to sit at a picnic table and he sits down next to me

"How's it going guys?" he asks.

"Pretty well now that we saw Mal put that guy in his place" Jay chuckles and Ben laughs.

"Yeah you're not the only one Kevin doesn't have very many friends" he tells us. I smile proudly like the cat that ate the canary but then my smile dims as I look over at Ben and remember what I have to make to tonight. I lay my head on his shoulder, trying to soak up the last ounces of affection I can get. He puts his arm around me and kisses my head, I squeeze my eyes closed fighting back tears 'Just be grateful you had him at all he's given you more than anyone ever has. Even if it was fake' I tell myself.

'And at least you were able to change a little boy's life in the small time you were here' I tell myself.

Later

"M...you wanna BREAK Ben's love spell?" Evie asksas she looks over my shoulder from where I'm looking at the antidote and I nod.

"Yeah...you know for after" I say. Ben still being in love with me as our parents destroy his kingom seem a little extra...cruel. I go into the kitchen and start putting it together.

As I'm mixing the batter I think about every moment Ben and I have had together.

"I love you" I hear him say in my head.

"So hard to let go" I sing softly as a tear falls into the batter and I sob.

"Mal?" I hear Ben call out as I prepare to pour the batter into the pan.

"Yeah?" I say, spinning around frantically wiping tears away and forcing a smile.

"Are you okay?" he asks gently, walking farther into the room.

"Yeah I'm fine I'm just making some brownies"I say as I gesture to the batter.

"Then why are you crying?" he asks gently. I look away and wipe my eyes again.

"What is it sweetheart?" he asks, walking closer and wiping one I missed.

"Ben...I did something very wrong" I whisper.

"Mal...you couldn't have done anything that bad, whatever it is we can sort it out" he says softly as he hugs me to him.

"Ben...you're under a love spell, this is the antidote" I say, not looking at him. and he tips my face back up.

"Is that it? I already knew about the spell" he says gently.

"Wait what?" I ask tearfully, pulling away.

"Sweetheart there is a reason the Enchanted Lake is called that. Magic doesn't work there, the spell washed off" he explains.

Al"So...you've just been faking everything since then?" I ask as I turn back to the batter.

"I haven't been faking anything" he turns me back around.

"Remember the first time I said I love you? It was after I came out of the lake. Every time I've told I loved you was real" he says soothingly. I look up at him tearfully before slowly leaning in and kissing him. He freezes for a split second before kissing me back.

"I-I just need to know...was the time you told me you love me in the dorm real too?" he asks when I pull away slowly.

"Yes" I whisper against his lips. He pulls me back to him, locking me against his body as he kisses me again. I kiss him back eagerly, resting my hands on his shoulders. He twists a hand into my hair, resting the other on my back. There's no way for me to get out of this and I don't want to. I move my hands to his neck and lightly stroke the sides with my thumb. Ben groans slightly against my lips crushing me closer.

"Ben" I barely manage to murmur against his lips before he kisses me again.

"Very sensitive against neck" he mutters against my mouth before he kisses me properly again. I smile againsy his lips and it takes all my self control to break the kiss again. He finally pulls away and rests his forehead against mine.

"Sorry I can't seem to stop kissing you now that I can" he laughs softly.

"No problem there, but shouldn't we continue this somewhere more private?" I pant. He nods and leads me out of the kitchen and back to his dorm. As soon as I shut the door he kisses me again. I smile against his lips and kiss him back eagerly.

"You...are...going...to...drive me...insane" I mutter in between kisses and I feel him smirk against my lips as he picks me up and carries me across the room.

"Well...you make...me...insane...so...I guess..we are..even" he tells me as we continue while lying on his bed with him on top of me. I stroke his hair with my right hand while I stroke his neck with my left hand and he purrs loudly. After a few heated minutes we break away from each other panting.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to go so crazy on you" he gasps.

"It's okay" I pant heavily. He strokes my hair as we catch our breath.

"Its just...I've kinda wanted to kiss you since the conversation by the lockers so now that I can..." he starts.

"You don't need to apologize for kissing your girlfriend" I murmur before pecking him on the lips. He chuckles and continues to stroke my hair lovingly.

"Is that why you looked so sad the last few days? When did you make the decision?" I ask gently.

"A few days ago" I murmur and he nods slowly.

"You never needed it you know, I loved you the second we made eye contact" he says softly. I smile softly and lightly stroke his cheek. He purrs and leans his face into my hand.

"Don't let Audrey hear you say that" I chuckle.

"She doesn't mean anything to me" he murmurs as he nuzzles my hand.

"I only said yes to dating her in the first place to get Queen Leah to shut up about it" he says while rolling his eyes.

I nod sympathetically before nuzzling him.

"You know...watching you with Arlo today I couldn't help thinking-" he cuts himself off.

"Yeah?" I say gently.

"About you with our future kids" he whispers and I smile softly before nuzzling him again. He purrs nuzzling me back and I close my eyes. I have to tell him, I can't not tell him now I love him to much

"Ben...my mother wants FG's wand" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

"What?" he asks, moving his head away slightly to look at me.

"My mother wants her wand it was the reason we came here at first" I whisper.

"Are...are you gonna give it to her?" he asks.

"NO!!" I say immediately.

"I haven't wanted to give it to her since our date" I tell him

"No worries then" he says gently with a smile and I stare at him at him in shock. "What you're not going to shove me out out of here yelling 'how could you do this?!" I say in disbelief.

"Sweetheart I love you and you just said you weren't going to do it" he says gently as he hugs me closer

"You're amazing" I murmur, nuzzling him as I stroke the side of his neck.

"So are you" he purrs as I continue to lightly stroke his neck.

"I can't wait until our own kids run up and hug you like Arlo did earlier" he mumbles and I smile.

"Neither can I...but not for a few years ok?" I say gently.

"Ok" he says happily. I kiss him softly and he purrs and cuddles me to him. I smile and lay my head on his chest finally able to enjoy it. He kisses the top of my head and my head snaps up.

"I left the batter in the kitchen!" I cry, starting to scramble to get up.

"Whoa whoa whoa don't panic you can clean it up from here"he says as he holds my waist and I nod and mutter under my breath.

"There we go I vanished it to oblivion" I say aftee a few seconds. He smiles and pulls me back to him happily.

"I'm not going anywhere now am I?" I giggle as I curl into his chest.

"Nope" he says happily as he wraps his arms around my waist.

"I've got no complaints to that" I giggle, settling into his chest.

"You will always be my Queen" he purrs, nuzzling my neck. I purr happily and he kisses me again, just as passionate as before.

"You know for the fact I'm the first girl you kissed...your a good kisser" I giggle breathlessly.

"And I'll only get better" he pants in between kisses. He flips me on to my back and continues to kiss me deeply.

"You've really been holding out on me haven't you?" I pant against his lips.

"You have no idea" he groans.

"Not anymore you can kiss me as much as you like" I murmur, my breath hitching when his lips travel to my neck.

"I've been dying to do this but I didn't want to push you"he murmurs.

"Ben I kissed you first, if I didn't want it we wouldn't be here" I whisper. He moves his head away to look at me, his eyes shining brightly.

"I love you" he whispers, brushing his nose against mine.

"I love you too" I whisper. It feels so good to be able to say it and know that we both mean it.