Do What You Gotta Do - a Descendants fanfic - Hades Maleficent

Chapter 39

As she slunk over Celia got fed up with the repeating record and moved over and plucked the needle off it. Mal reached out for the ember.

"What are you doing here?" Hades asked and Mal froze. Drac brought a hand to his mouth covering his grin, he was enjoying this wayyy too much. Then Hades' head turned to Celia.

"I noticed. . . you were low, on canned corn." she lied as she pulled a can from her knapsack. With his attention elsewhere Mal made her move, but their dad was quick, and he wasn't stupid. His hand snapped out and grabbed Mal's before her fingers could even graze the ember. She gasped as he lowered his leg from the arm of the chair and turned to her.

For a moment it was silent, until –

"Hi Dad." Mal said unenthusiastically, while Celia's brows shot up in shock.

He lifted his hand and removed his sunglasses giving her a small wave by wiggling his fingers. "Quite a show you put on the other day."

"Right back at ya."

"Hmm." he chuckled, "I was just coming to see you." he said smiling as he stood from the chair.

"Really? Wonder why. Is it because I'm going to be Queen?"

"Ah! Now Mal, Mal don't be bitter." he laughed as he moved to a mirror and fixed his hair. Mal crossed her arms clearly already in a foul mood.

"You abandoned me when I was a baby. Twice."

"No." he turned to her pointing a finger, "No, I left your mother, she's. . . not the easiest person to get along with."

"Ya think."

"Ah, yeah ya see? We have something in common already." he said taking a scarf from a wooden beam and flicking the dust off it before throwing it over his shoulder, "We both hate your mother -"

"No." it was Mal's turn to hold up a finger and correct him, "I don't hate my mother. She may be an evil lunatic, but at least she stuck around."

"It's not healthy to hold grudges Mal." he told her, "You should be more like your brother in that." He said as he walked past her. Mal turned to Drac and he looked sheepishly down at his feet.

Then he swallowed and met her eyes "Dad's not so bad."

Her mouth fell open and he saw anger in her eyes. Then she turned on Hades. "What did you tell him?" He looked at her, "What lie did you come up with that justified abandoning us?"

"Mal-" Drac stepped forward and tried to intervene. But she held up a hand stopping him as she kept her attention on their father.

"So protective." Hades observed. "I'm glad that you two have always stuck together and watched each other's backs. But you don't need to helicopter parent your brother. He's proven he can handle things on his own." Hades walked past Mal and smiled at Drac, "My boy. My boy who took and held half the Isle on his own." Hades rested a hand on his shoulder and Drac felt himself get all warm inside at his father's pride. "You know our time together is one of the happiest memories I have?"

Drac opened his mouth to respond but Mal beat him to it. "Oh please." she scoffed, "A few months together doesn't make up for the years you weren't there."

Hades turned to her, "Oh boo hoo. Wake up and smell the stink." he said approaching her, "You think you've had it rough. I used to be a GOD! I had an entire world which bore my name. And now, I have nothing!" he sneered tossing an empty can across the room. "And you have no idea what that feels like!"

"Really! Because for sixteen years I had nothing. And now, I have a whole world. But unless I get that ember, it's game over." she held out her hand and Hades paused.