Author Note: I've never done a holiday based one!shot before-weird. Anyway, it's not much but I tried. Merry Christmas, and all that.
"I am a thuper twooper," Emma sang, laughing to herself as though it was the funniest thing in the world.
She was drunk, so very drunk and it was absolutely hilarious—especially for Regina, who had been standing in the doorway to the den for the past ten minutes or so, watching as the blonde made an absolute fool of herself. Emma hadn't noticed her yet and she was ever so thankful for the fact, enjoying the rare display of childlike freedom that a drunken Savior presented.
Regina would never admit it out loud, but an inebriated Emma Swan was the sole reason she ever dared to show for those annoying parties the blonde's mother liked to throw for any random occasion the woman could think of. The blonde had three modes when it came to drinking, and although she would die before ever acknowledging this secret fact; the goofy version of the blonde was her second favourite of the three.
If Emma wasn't asleep, or dancing and singing absurd phrases that no one else understood; she was decidedly handsy around certain people—Regina specifically more than any other. The latter was the version of the drunken idiot she adored most, always seeking the blonde out in these moments with the hope Emma would spot her and a switch would flip somewhere in the Sheriff's drunken haze.
She'd then find herself holding hands with the Savior, or stuck in a booth across from their family or friends, with Emma displaying a general lack of understanding for personal space as she lounged all over her—much to the amusement of everyone present. Regina would half-heartedly attempt to move away, only to feign a longsuffering sigh when Emma managed to weasel her way back in.
Chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully, she allowed Emma a few more minutes to herself before she cleared her throat. Emma spun; a large, dorky smile on her face at the sight of the brunette and Regina couldn't resist a responding smile, though far more tame in its delight than the one Emma wore. Not that she wasn't excited Emma had decided to stay the night, but she had a reputation to uphold and a very false, very hesitant friendship to maintain with the woman she sometimes loathed to love.
Emma shot to her feet, accepting her less than enthusiastic smile as some sort of invitation and Regina stifled a gasp as hands suddenly engulfed her cheeks. Emerald eyes seemed to pierce through her and into her soul, and then Emma blinked, her smile somehow more genuine than the first as she informed her, "You should smile more; you're so pretty."
Feeling her cheeks redden beneath the warmth of the palms against them, Regina pursed her lips and tilted her head. "Thank you, dear," she replied, fingers wrapping around slender wrists and regretfully pulling her face from the blonde's hold on her as she added, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
Emma pouted as she was forced to release the brunette, but cheered up immediately when Regina offered her another smile. "Good," she chimed, face lit with a grin.
Noticing the blonde was swaying on her feet, Regina sighed softly and reached out, taking Emma by the elbow as she said, "Come along, dear; you need to sleep if you hope to be awake in time for presents tomorrow."
Their son had bounded upstairs almost three hours earlier, declaring that it was time for bed and that he planned to wake the both of them the second he woke the next morning. Regina knew that meant Emma would have no more than five hours remaining and while they were both used to waking after only a few hours of sleep, the blonde would be sporting quite the hangover after all the cider she downed throughout the night.
As they ascended the stairs and made their way to the guest bedroom, Emma stopped and forced Regina to stop with her. Confused, Regina turned her head to question the blonde, and froze as Emma pressed their lips together. The kiss was light, chaste and she barely had time to respond before Emma pulled back.
"So pretty," she said with a wistful sigh, flashing a lopsided grin as she stumbled from Regina's embrace and through the door to her room.
The door closed behind the blonde and Regina raised a hand to her lips, stare boring into wood as she tried to understand what just happened. Emma had kissed her, and called her pretty, twice. She frowned. Emma was also extremely drunk and likely had no idea what she was doing at the time, her mind reasoned in the seconds that followed.
Shaking her head, she decided not to question the moment and continued down the hall. Even if Emma remembered what happened in the morning, she doubted either of them would bring it up and she wouldn't be surprised if the blonde stopped drinking because of it. Emma never was one to talk about things, preferring to keep to herself when it came to her feelings. If what she wanted didn't coincide with what everyone else wanted—if it didn't serve to make everyone else happy, then Emma rarely took the chance and chose to pretend it didn't exist.
If she didn't remember, well—then it at least wouldn't be weird between them in the morning, and Regina had something to look forward to the next time Emma decided to overindulge. She sighed heavily as she closed her bedroom door, directing an eye roll at her thoughts.
"How sad," she said aloud, discarding her clothes and entering the wardrobe in search of something to sleep in. "The Evil Queen reduced to a love sick puppy, waiting on the Savior to deaden her inhibitions before she'll deign to offer me the attention I desire."
What happened to the woman who took what she wanted, she wondered. It wasn't as though Emma didn't share in the desire between them. Regina wasn't blind, and she certainly wasn't stupid. Alcohol allowed the blonde to let go of her restraint, to do as she wanted without fear of judgment. People might have a problem with the two of them should they get together, but if Emma was drunk? They'd blame the alcohol, of course. Emma would get a pass and Regina would pretend it never happened because she would rather pretend to be content with what they had rather than force the blonde to admit she wanted her and risk their friendship.
Emma hummed and tried to burrow deeper into the warmth and softness beneath her, arm flexing in an attempt to pull whatever it was closer. She smiled at the faint scent of jasmine invading her senses, images of the night before slowly trickling into her consciousness. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so happy; talking and laughing, surrounded by friends and family and… and Regina who somehow managed to look more and more beautiful with each passing day.
She sighed, stretching her legs as she rolled on to her back. Regina who made her feel safe, who made her feel warm, and comfortable and loved more than her parents had, more than anyone ever could or tried in the past. Regina who looked so shy, so gorgeous when she came to her and asked if she would like to stay, to wake in the morning with the brunette and their son, to open presents and share Christmas.
Christmas.
It was Christmas!
Her head jerked up from the pillow under her at the same moment her eyes snapped open, and then she groaned, hit all at once with the pain of her hangover and one memory she hadn't recalled until right then.
"You do remember then."
Emma blinked, flinching as she slapped a hand over her eyes a little too hard. "Why didn't you send me back to the guest room?"
When there was no response, Emma remembered something else and—"Oh my god, I kissed you."
Silence.
She gingerly raised her hand and turned her head, swallowing as she met the swirling pools of caramel that continued to stare at her from beneath hooded lids. She licked her lips and watched, intrigued as the eyes dropped to follow the motion and remained fixed to her mouth long after her tongue disappeared back inside.
I kissed her, she repeated the words inside her head. I kissed her and she kissed me back—sort of. She frowned. She remembered the shock on Regina's face before she felt the lips move against her own, the way Regina's face had fallen when she pulled back. Most of it was a blur, but she remembered laying in bed staring up at the ceiling and thinking of Regina's lips… and her face… and how much she really wanted to kiss her again before she practically threw herself out of bed and stumbled to the master bedroom.
Regina had still been awake and she'd said nothing, simply pulled back her duvet and accepted that Emma wanted to share her bed, allowing the blonde another kiss before they curled up together and fell asleep.
"Do you…" Emma took a breath, forced it out slowly as she sat up and leaned back against the headboard. "Do you want this?"
Regina answered with a question of her own. "Why wouldn't I?" she said. She rolled from the bed before Emma could respond and continued, "You're the mother of my son, and you defend me all the time. You make me laugh even when I'd rather hate you and you're intelligent, beautiful—you're a good mother, a good daughter and you care about everyone, even when they don't deserve it.
Emma sat there, unable to move, speak, or even think as she listened. She had no idea. Listening to Regina speak, her brain started comparing every word to how she thought of the brunette and her chest squeezed, suffocating her with the unbridled love that ensnared her heart.
This was, without a doubt, the best Christmas she'd ever had. "You love me too?" she blurted and Regina spun, mouth gaping as surprise, hope and disbelief painted her face in equal parts.
"What?" she snapped, a flash of regret shining in her eyes when Emma winced at the volume of her voice. She moved back to the bed, climbed on and crawled up from the bottom to where Emma still sat, watching her warily as she rubbed her temple.
"You heard me," Emma mumbled, scowling at the petulant way her voice sounded in her own ears.
She hated hangovers and she never imagined confessing her feelings for the brunette while having to tolerate one at the same time. Even she had standards when it came to confessions of love.
"Say it again," Regina demanded, but Emma only continued to scowl. She wasn't going to say again. Why should she? For all she knew, Regina just liked her and wanted into her pants or something, which okay, she admitted to herself that was stupid considering all the nice things Regina had said before the whole Evil Queen commanding repeated confessions of love but…
She had a hangover, damn it. It wasn't fair to expect anything she said or thought to make sense, at least until the headache was gone and she could think again without fear of hurting herself.
Rocking back onto her heels, Regina held up both hands. A nice, tall glass of water appeared in one, the condensation running down the glass taunting Emma before her eyes were drawn to the two small pills in the opposite hand.
"Tell me and you can have these," Regina said, smirking as Emma narrowed her eyes. "You've got about five minutes, dear, before our son barges in here and sees you in my bed. My reason for such will be entirely up to you, based on the next words out of your mouth."
Emma pouted, drawing an amused chuckle from the brunette that she couldn't help but smile at. She sighed. "Fine," she said, resigned to being bullied into a proper confession. "I love you. I have been in love with you for so long that I'm not entirely sure when it started but if I had to guess, I'd say it was somewhere around the time that wraith tried to suck out your soul."
Holding out her hands in a grabby motion, she added, "Now gimme," ignoring the look of wonder on Regina's face and her own heated cheeks as she downed the painkillers, slowly sipping the rest of her water while trying to buy herself time to figure out whether she'd kiss Regina before she ran away.
When she finished and placed the glass on the bedside table, Regina surged forward. Her eyes widened a split-second before their mouths clashed and her hands were suddenly on hips, grabbing and pulling the brunette closer even though closer would mean the two of them having to develop some weird, freaky power that allowed them to merge into one.
A sound of want echoed in the kiss, neither knowing which it came from but neither caring much as they both melted into the other. Tongues glided and teeth nibbled as years of longing caused a blazing fire to ignite within them, and Regina gasped as Emma slipped a hand beneath the silk of her pajama shirt, stroking the length of her back as arms curled around her waist and held her close.
Time ticked by and neither thought to stop. Hands wandered, mapping what little flesh they could reach as breathy little sighs and soft moans filled the room. Emma had the thought that if she died from the lack of oxygen, at least she would die happily. And then the door to the bedroom flew open and in darted their unsuspecting son who thought shouting, "Ew," would be enough to make them stop.
It wasn't.
Regina's hand shot out from where it strayed underneath Emma's tank top and Henry found himself nudged backwards. The pressure was gentle but insistent, lasting until he'd backed out into the hall and the door to the bedroom closed.
"I see how it is," he called from behind the door, which caused Emma to giggle against Regina's lips. "I'm going to open everyone's presents now! Have fun being gross!"
Emma was full on laughing by then and Regina pulled back with a grin, loving the sound as it seemed to infiltrate her chest and encase her heart. She leaned in, grin turned sly as she whispered, "You're so pretty," thrilled by the blush that darkened the blonde's cheeks as the laughter faded and they were left staring at each other.
Biting her lip, Emma reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Regina's ear. "We should probably get down there," she murmured, eyes closing as their lips brushed, tempting her to say screw it and lose herself in another kiss before Regina thought to put some distance between them.
"I suppose," Regina replied with a quiet sigh, waiting until Emma opened her eyes before she darted forward and kissed her again.
Hands squeezed her hips and she chuckled, slapping them away and standing from the bed. Emma pouted, and Regina tsked her, still grinning as she promised, "Later, dear."
Lower lip sucked in, Emma's nose wrinkled as she threw off the covers and catapulted out of bed. Quicker than Regina thought possible, the blonde grabbed her but instead of kissing her on the mouth, lips pressed against her cheek and as she found herself on the receiving end of an unexpected embrace, she questioned the likelihood of turning into a puddle at the blonde's feet.
Released, she blinked and turned in time to witness blonde curls disappearing into her bathroom. "You're still just a guest," she declared, arms folded across her chest as she directed a half-hearted glare to the door that remained closed despite her declaration. "Swan!"
Looking up as his mothers entered the den, Henry eyed them both suspiciously. Regina glanced to the presents beneath the tree and smirked, seeing that he hadn't touched a single one as she moved to the couch where he sat and bent down, kissing his forehead.
"Good boy," she murmured and he rolled his eyes, as any normal fifteen year old being condescended to by his mother would.
"I'm not stupid," he replied. There was little point in getting presents if they were going to be taken away before you could appreciate them, which he knew was what would have happened had he gone through with his threat of opening them.
"As I said; good boy," Regina repeated. "Choose one and open it while your mother and I make breakfast."
Launching himself from the couch and onto the floor, he scooted across the carpet on his knees, causing both women to wince at the thought of carpet burns. Regina shook her head, grabbing Emma by the hand and leading her to the kitchen as he shouted a warning after them, "Don't let Ma touch any appliances, she breaks and/or ruins them beyond recognition!"
Regina shot the blonde an amused look and Emma shrugged. "It's true," she admitted. "When I first came to Storybrooke and started living with Mary Margaret, I took apart her toaster and couldn't put it back together; she had to buy a new one."
Eyebrow raised, Regina gestured to a stool at the island in the center of the kitchen and listened as Emma continued. "A couple of months after the curse broke, I couldn't be bothered cooking and there were leftover sausages; I heated them in the microwave but left them in too long and they exploded."
"You, Miss Swan, are a train wreck," Regina chuckled, beyond pleased by the fact both instances—inadvertent or otherwise—likely drove Snow White up the walls. "Are there more?"
"Loads," Emma answered, flashing a grin when Regina turned with a smile. "Enjoying this, huh?"
"Like you wouldn't believe," Regina confessed, tugging open the door to the fridge and staring at the contents within. She smiled as she heard Henry's holler of yes from the den, and wondered which present he'd chosen before she decided pancakes would suffice, throwing the door closed.
"Be a dear and start the coffeemaker," she said to the blonde, rummaging through cupboards for the right ingredients.
Emma did as instructed, reciting more stories about her adventures in the kitchen while Regina sorted out breakfast. Every so often, Regina had to stop to question certain things; like how Emma managed to burn water.
"I didn't burn the water," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "I forgot I had water boiling on the stove and it evaporated, so there ended up being an empty pot on the stove, which burned instead."
Regina laughed when she added, "You should have seen Snow's face; it was like she was so disappointed in me, but at the same time she didn't want me to know and was trying to look sympathetic at the same time. It was hilarious, though she banned me from the kitchen after that."
Adding the last of the pancakes to the plate she pulled from the oven, Regina requested, "Would you be so kind as to tell Henry breakfast is ready."
"Henry," Emma hollered from where she sat, sipping her coffee. "Breakfast!"
"Coming!"
Spotting the glare Regina fixed on her, Emma shrugged and questioned innocently, "What?"
"Honestly," Regina sighed, exasperated as she picked up her own coffee and waited for their son to join them.
After breakfast, Emma ducked outside for the present she'd left in the bug. During her last trip into Boston, she'd spotted something through a store window that she thought Regina might like. Not wanting the brunette to feel obligated to buy her something in return, she hadn't mentioned it to anyone. It had slipped her mind the night before, too caught up in her mother and Red plying her with alcohol so she'd get drunk enough to sing for them all.
Generally, she'd be mad at them for it but she remembered Regina joining in after her rendition of 'Winter Wonderland' and the memory ended up being warm, and not the annoying embarrassment she thought it would be. Her voice wasn't anything to scoff at, but being the center of attention wasn't something she enjoyed and she'd spent most of the night keeping to herself—at least when she wasn't following Regina about like a lost puppy.
She did that a lot, truth be told, drawn to the woman as though a moth to a flame.
Dashing back across the lawn, she shook the snow from her hair and looked up as the door opened. Regina leaned against the doorframe, giving her the once over before she smirked. "Pink suits you," she said and Emma blushed, realizing she probably resembled Rudolph with how cold her nose felt.
She wrinkled it and grinned as she stepped into the brunette. A perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose a second before Emma buried her face in the crook of her neck and Regina gasped, swatting the blonde's shoulder. "So warm," Emma murmured happily.
Regina chuckled, "Get off of me, you fiend." Emma sighed mournfully and pulled back, eyes twinkling as she darted in for a kiss. Regina smiled, turning her back to the outside world as Emma slipped passed her and into the mansion. "I thought you already added Henry's presents to the tree."
"I did," Emma admitted, freeing herself from the jacket she'd slipped on over the beautiful—horribly atrocious—sweater Snow had knitted for her. Regina had a matching one she refused to wear, and only resisted setting on fire because she hadn't wanted to ruin Emma's night.
Restraining herself yet again, Regina frowned and shook her head, focusing on the conversation instead as she questioned, "Then what…"
"I got you something," Emma interrupted. "I would have brought it in last night but Mom had other ideas and I only remembered it this morning. Besides, I probably would have sat in the car for another hour if she hadn't, wondering if it was too much but I like you, and I wanted to buy you..."
Seeing the amused expression Regina wore, Emma cut herself off and blushed again as she realized she'd started to ramble. "Sor—" Regina leaned in, silencing the apology with a kiss and Emma wrapped the brunette in her arms.
"No need to apologise dear," Regina murmured against her mouth, nipping a pink lower lip as warmth suffused her chest. "I wasn't too sure myself, but I may have picked something out for you as well."
Emma lit up like a Christmas tree. "Yeah?"
"Yes," Regina laughed, unable to help herself from claiming those soft, tempting lips again as kissing Emma Swan was fast becoming one of her favourite things
When she pulled back, she took the blonde by the hand and tugged her towards the den as she said, "Oh and Emma, dear?"
"Hmm?" Emma hummed, speechless as she tried to chase the fog from her senses and figure out how that whole breathing thing worked.
"You like me?" she teased.
Emma stumbled over her words, "Uh well I—"
"I believe this morning you confessed feelings of a much deeper variety, a rather specific word if I recall correctly that I must confess a preference for."
Emma ducked her head, a chuckle escaping her as she wondered if hot cheeks were going to be as frequent as they were that morning now that the two of them were on the same page regarding how they felt about one another.
Shaking her head, she took a breath and stopped them at the entrance to the den. She glanced inside to their son was watching them, and turned back to the brunette with a smile. "I love you," she said, her voice strong.
Regina swallowed, biting her lip as her eyes travelled the same path Emma's had to Henry and back again. "I…" She blushed, suddenly feeling as though she were underneath a spotlight with a crowd waiting in the wings with bated breath. She laughed at herself, shaking her head as she met that beautiful emerald gaze and confessed, "I love you too."
From his seat on the floor, surrounded by a mountain of unopened presents, Henry shouted, "Best Christmas ever!"