Hey guys! Thanks for waiting! And thanks for your lovely reviews! Gotta warn you, this ending is full of fluffiness xD

Maleficent sighed happily while observing the stars with her raven. She was comfortably tucked against his side, with her head resting on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, letting his smell and steady breath soothe her into a drowsy state, taking away the strain of the day. The arm he had around her loosened up and she would have groaned at him in annoyance if it hadn't been to allow his hand to comb through her feathers reverently. The caresses made her wings flutter in pleasure. By now, he knew just how to touch her. And when. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that he had prevented her from falling asleep. She didn't think she would mind falling asleep with him anymore, but she was thankful for his thoughtfulness.

After a while, his hand slid back over her waist and he kissed her temple tenderly, before humming one of the songs they had danced to a few days ago. She couldn't help a giddy smile from appearing on her face at the memory. The beastie's 20th birthday party had been an event to remember, indeed...

It had been almost two years since Diaval had started courting her, and she couldn't have been more pleased with the way things had turned out. He had been planning all kind of things to do with her, from simple strolls in the woods to fancy dinners. At first, his intentions had been so subtle that she wouldn't have noticed it if she didn't know already, but with time, the two of them got closer and closer. Surprisingly, he never once made her feel uncomfortable, and still somehow managed to bring them this far by merely nudging her in the right direction. The simple fact that things had evolved so naturally between them was further proof that it would work. They would be happy together. They were happy together, thought the fairy dreamily.

She straightened to stretch her back and wings to their full length, before leaning back against him. Ever since their first kiss a few weeks ago, curling up together had become their way to relax at the end of an eventful day and explore their newfound intimacy. They would exchange pleasantries and affections until the darkest hours of the night. Maleficent positively loved those moments. She liked his delicate touch, his charming way of murmuring sweet words into her ear, and how he was ever so careful of her reaction anytime he would get bold enough to try something new with her. She also liked how her heart would swell anytime he told her he loved her with that husky voice of his.

The fairy sighed. She loved him too. She didn't know why she hadn't found the courage to tell him yet, but she knew she did.

Maleficent raised her head and sought his lips for a kiss in the hope to chase away her guilt. They were both still quite green with the practise, but kissing was well on its way to become her favorite part of their growing relationship. She was getting blissfully lost in the delicious feeling of his lips moving against hers. It made her forget about everything except the way they felt for each other, her dark past and doubts scattering away like dead leaves in the wind. The fairy chuckled as her friend nibbled at her bottom lip and responded in kind, before licking his lips purposefully. They had never tried anything like that, so it didn't come as a shock when he pulled back in surprise.

She barely had time to frown at him with a mischievous smile before he came charging back for more. Their kiss deepened as their tongues got to know each other tentatively. Maleficent never felt anything like that. His tongue running against hers was the most thrilling sensation she ever experienced, and by the stars, she wanted more. Her body wasn't only driven by the tender feelings she had for him, anymore. Instead, wild and ravenous lust was making every part of her on fire. She couldn't seem to get enough of him, and he looked just as desperate for more of her. Their initial position started to get frustratingly in the way and with a flap of her wings, the fairy was straddling her raven. Her hands flew to his hair while he pulled her tightly to his chest. Everything seemed to go so fast all of a sudden. All of her nerves seemed to be sparkling and alive, some parts of her body actually throbbing in pleasure and anticipation.

When they parted for breath, they both somehow regained control of themselves. The day they would cross that bridge, Maleficent had no doubt it would be glorious, but neither of them was ready for this yet. In the meantime, she let herself linger on his lips some more, reveling in the sensation of their close embrace and the warmth of his chest against hers. After a moment, she directed her hands toward the ground to grow a bed of grass and moss around them, under the curious eyes of her former servant.

"I can sleep in my nest, miella," he protested softly when she pushed him to the ground.

Maleficent shook her head with a loving smile at the term of endearment. It was a fairy word meaning 'my love' that Diaval had started to use on her not too long ago. She wondered where he could have picked it up from, because the fair folk rarely used the old tongue of the fae in his presence. Maybe one day she would get bold enough to reciprocate and call him 'Mieli'...

She leaned over him and brought her lips to his one more time, before laying down against him. She wasn't afraid of falling asleep in the arms of her loved one, anymore. She trusted Diaval with everything she had. Her wings settled on them both like a blanket, and he kissed her forehead. This was definitely more comfortable than being alone in her nest, she thought as he tightened his arms around her. Hopefully he wouldn't mind sleeping like that again in the future...

"I love you," he murmured into her ear, awash with tenderness.

She snuggled closer to kiss his jaw in response. She could almost feel his love warming her chest in gentle waves, and it made her utterly happy. Her heavy eyelids soon dropped, and the fairy was on the verge of consciousness when her lips moved on their own.

"I love you," she said in a whisper, and a slight smirk graced her face when she heard him gasp in surprise.

It had just slipped out before she could stop it, but she didn't regret it in the slightest. He had every right to know how she felt, and if anything she regretted waiting this long to tell him. In the end, they wouldn't be true mates until they would, well, mate, but as far as Maleficent was concerned, he was hers and she was his.

Big thanks to my little DancingKitKat for beta-reading! For the record, "miella" and "mieli" are in fact Vastayan words, used by the lovers Rakan and Xayah from the video game League of Legends (check out their video on youtube, it's called Xayah and Rakan Wild magic. Don't they remind you of Maleficent and Diaval? Or is it just me?)