Daddy Issues | A Descendants Story | Mal & Hades

TWO

She glanced over her shoulder, quirking her head towards the back of the bike, already expecting the reaction she was about to receive. "Hop on then," She grinned, knowing full-well Hades wasn't the type to ride on the back of a motorbike, that he'd likely take offence at the suggestion. But hey, she'd been raised a villain, teasing was in her blood.

Mal was far from disappointed when any trace of humour vanished from Hades' eyes- eyes which within seconds had turned icy and sunken below his furrowed brow. He let out a small scoffed "no", crossing his arms over his chest, and leaning back against the gate. Mal had to hold back a chuckle as the picture before her blurred with a child throwing a tantrum. The two almost indistinguishable. She raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Go ahead, take as long as you need," Mal said with a sweet smile. "It's not like it's the end of the world." Her smile fell and she brought her eyes up to lock onto Hades' as she added, "oh wait, it is."

Hades glared as he pushed himself away from the metal and slowly walked towards Mal. Perhaps stalked was a more suitable word as the look in the man's eyes was nothing short of predatory. If looks could kill, Mal was sure she'd be six feet under. He moved around to the front of the bike, arms resting against the frame as he bent to be level with his daughter. Blue eyes met green as a low growl slipped past Hades' lips.

"Back of the bike," he said lowly, gaze unblinking. And so they stared, for what felt like an eternity or perhaps only a few moments, neither was sure. Mal was stubborn, but it was no secret that Hades was too. People had said she could outlive God trying to get her way. Of course, she'd never actually been trying to get her way with an actual god before.

Eventually, Mal's mouth fell open, argument poised on the tip of her tongue. But she didn't speak. She swallowed the words when she saw the slight twitch of her father's left eye knew she had to be the one of back down. They'd already spent too long staring one another down and time was already sparse. With every second Mal spent here, Audrey's power grew and Mal's chances of victory diminished.

So, with more grumbling than strictly necessary, and a pout that was borderline comical, Mal pushed herself backwards, making space for Hades to sit in front of her. Despite the rules she'd learned to follow in Auradon, doing something she was told to when she didn't want to do it, was still as irritating as before she'd left the Isle.

Hades didn't move for a second, waiting for Mal to snap her irritated eyes back up to his before he straightened up. It was nice to see that despite all these years, he could still be the annoying parent.

"Good girl," He winked, taking a step forward before throwing his leg over the bike, mimicking the grace Mal had demonstrated before.

A small shiver passed through Mal as the tips of her ears tinted pink. She was unused to praise from her father and she knew her reaction had been because of this. The twinge in her stomach that told her differently was pushed aside, bigger things to currently worry about. She let out another irritated sound, once again biting her tongue to hold back the smart remark she so desperately wanted to offer.

Hades' eyes flicked to the bike's mirror, glancing back at the clearly exasperated Mal behind him and couldn't help but poke her more. "Grab on then, I thought you had a kingdom to save," He said, relishing in the way the deep red flooded Mal's face before she finally grabbed his sides and he drove off.

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The ride to the edge of the barrier seemed both eternal and fleeting. In a sense, Mal knew that time was not on her side and the sooner she returned to Auradon, the more likely she would be able to stop Audrey's magic. In another, she was aware that the second she stepped off the Isle, everyone was relying on her.