Regina smiled and lifted her forehead from Henry's, tilting her chin up to kiss his forehead before sitting up straight again. As she looked at him, she noticed his eyes were cast down, and followed his gaze with her own to her chest, where her shirt was askew, one breast only covered by her camisole and bra. Clearing her throat, she hurried to straighten her clothes.
"No," Henry said suddenly, his voice hoarse as he reached to stop her hands. He bit his lip, his gaze flicking up to her face as his cheeks reddened.
"Henry?" Regina asked, her brow furrowing slightly.
"I just…" Turning his head, Henry looked away for a moment before his eyes came back to Regina's chest. "Did you," his voice broke and he coughed. "I-I mean, was I… did you… breastfeed me?" His voice was soft and hesitant by the end of the question.
Frown deepening in confusion, Regina gently asked, "Henry, where is this coming from?"
Henry shrugged, looking away again, although he still had his fingers wrapped around Regina's wrists. "I-I just… Grandma… I mean… She feeds Neal. A-and I thought… I mean… the internet says it's, y'know… possible."
"To breastfeed a child you didn't give birth to?" Regina clarified. Henry nodded and she twisted one hand out of his grasp, running her fingers soothingly through his hair. "Yes, it's possible. But it's not something I decided to try."
Henry looked, oddly, almost hurt. "Why not?"
Smiling gently at him, she explained, "Because I didn't want to deny you." At his confusion, she added, "I got you very quickly, it was only a matter of weeks between the time that I decided I wanted a baby to when I brought you home. I didn't have time to prepare my body, and I didn't want to deny your hunger in order to train my body. It would have taken weeks for me to produce milk, and I didn't want you getting frustrated. So I bottle-fed you."
Brow furrowed, Henry looked like he only half followed her explanation, but he didn't ask for clarification. Instead, he asked, "Do you think… maybe that's why I… turned against you?"
"Oh my sweet prince," Regina sighed, kissing his forehead again. "You found out that you were adopted, and then that I was the Evil Queen. Both of those would have happened if I'd nursed you."
"I just…" Henry's voice trailed off in a frustrated whine. "I see Grandma with Neal and they both look so…" Shrugging helplessly, he said, "And I want that."
"Sweetheart?" Regina asked, her head tilted slightly as she watched him.
"That…" Struggling to find the right word, Henry finally settled on, "Closeness. They're so close. I want that." He turned wide eyes to Regina, asking in a small voice, "Please, Momma."
Regina's eyes widened in surprise, suddenly realizing what he was asking. "Henry… you're not an infant anymore. It's different now."
"It doesn't have to be," he whined. "I just want to be…"
"Henry," she sighed his name again, looking at him with sympathetic eyes. She couldn't deny the longing she felt these past few years to have her precious little baby back, to have the time when he was small and helpless and she was the center of his world.
"Momma," Henry whispered back, one hand moving to the exposed camisole, his fingers curling around the edge of it and the silk bra beneath. He met Regina's gaze, seeing the hesitance, but finding no reproach, he pulled down, bunching the fabric below her breast, small goosebumps breaking out over her skin in the cool air, her nipple crinkling and tightening to a hard knot. Swallowing hard and licking his lips quickly, Henry shifted on the bed, his comic slipping off his lap and falling to the floor as he swung around, his feet toward the head of the bed and body facing his mother. Tentatively, he brought his mouth to her breast, lips closing around the firm nipple.
Regina's breath hissed through her teeth at the heat around her nipple, already sensitive from the night, and morning, with Robin. Still, she didn't push Henry away, instead choosing to lean back on one hand, the other cupping the back of Henry's head, fingers running through his hair as she found herself making soft, soothing noises as he began to suckle at her.
As Regina got more comfortable and gently encouraged him, Henry got bolder, taking her entire areola into his mouth, her nipple pressed between the roof of his mouth and his tongue as he sucked enthusiastically. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close as his eyes closed and he inhaled deeply through his nose, smelling the familiar and soothing scent of his mother's perfume.
As he worked at her breast, Regina found herself humming a lullaby she used to sing to him when he was young, and when he tilted his head to look up at her, she smiled warmly and bent her head to nuzzle her nose against his temple.
Henry sighed through his nose and closed his eyes again, pulling himself closer to her and relaxing at the familiar feeling of being surrounded by his mother.
Regina noticed the slowing of Henry's mouth before anything else, but she continued to run her fingers through his hair until his lips fell lax around her nipple, releasing it. "My little prince," she whispered, adjusting herself back into her shirt before pulling him against her body, her head leaning against his as he slept in her arms, his breath hot and even against her chest. After a while, she closed her eyes as well, relaxing into the bed and drifting off into dream with her baby boy.