He finds her, cold and wet beneath the apple trees, fingers numb and teeth chattering, her already tight clothes plastered to her icy skin. He doesn't know what brought him out here in the dead of night, pounding rain and howling wind, but he'd been woken with an aching heart and a feeling of wrongness.
He'd followed his feet, head wrapped up in a jumbled mess of the previous day's events until he'd found himself in the orchard. Regina had been particularly snappy recently, but he'd put it down to their lack of progress with the hunt for Zelena, the latest simian attack and her frustration with Snow's constant smiles and reassurance.
Such thoughts vanish from his mind when he sees her curled up under the tree. Under normal circumstances he would be more cautious with approaching her, careful not to send her running like a startled cat, but he knows this isn't normal circumstances. He wraps his arms around her torso and knees and hoists her into his arms. In no time at all he's at her chamber door, nudging it open with his foot and placing her gently on her bed. He doesn't know what to do, can't leave her here, nearly hypothermic and unconscious, twitching fitfully, face scrunching in some unseen distress, but also doesn't know how much she'd appreciate him seeing her so vulnerable. After a particularly loud whimper he makes up his mind, he'll take a month of verbal lashings and snappy insults if it means he knows she's okay.
He leaves her on the bed and goes to the bathroom to run her a warm bath, before returning and gingerly peeling her clothes off. He debates leaving her undergarments on, to provide her what little modesty he can, but knows he'll have to change her later anyway, so takes a deep breath and removes the final bits of cloth until she is bare to him. She has stayed unconscious this entire time and is still moving and whimpering on the bed, occasionally gripping the sheets under her, and in her current state all he can think of is her in the same position, but instead writhing under his tongue and only deep throaty moans of pleasure leaving her glorious plump lips. He takes a minute to simply admire her form, olive skin glistening with residual rain water in the moonlight, and he thinks she must be a goddess brought to earth, for no mortal could be so perfectly sculpted.
He moves her to the bathroom and settles her in the bath, resting her head against a wrapped up towel at one end. At the contact with the water and Robin's hands gently washing the dirt from her hair and skin, Regina starts to relax, and to Robin's horror, to rouse. He watches her face carefully as her eyes slowly blink open and fixate on him, continuing to wash suds from the ends of her hair. Her deep brown eyes gaze at him, and for once he cannot read them, cannot work out how she is going to react. He's about to explain his actions, opens his mouth to do so when she gently grasps the hand that is still holding the cloth, squeezes it and whispers, 'Thank you'. What he couldn't read from her eyes he reads in her tone, and knows that she won't reject his help, at least not this time, so continues with his ministrations.
Every so often he glances at her face to check his proximity is still okay, conscious of people in her past that had taken without permission, knows this time will either cement her trust in him or send her running more than ever. When the water starts to cool he helps her stand and wraps a huge fluffy white towel around her. With her stood next to him like this he is struck by just how petite she actually is. Without the ridiculous heels and imposing dresses she is really quite dainty, her gaze soft against his, and he wonders at how thick the mask is that she wears every day, what a burden it must be.
He gets another towel to gently dry her hair and tries to ignore how much he wants to lean down and press kisses down the length of her neck and across the smooth skin of her shoulder, she may have let him see her and care for her, but he knows this is no invitation to share her bed. Wary to break the comfortable silence between them, he moves round her to the doorway and tells her he'll just change the wet sheets and then leave her in peace, waiting for her nod in acquiescence before exiting the room.
He hears her moving around the bedroom behind him, conscious of the fact she's probably changing into nightwear and makes a point to keep focussed on his task. As such, he doesn't notice her come up behind him, and his voice gets stuck in his throat as he turns to look at her, damp hair brushed through and resting against a thin white nightgown. She ignores his open mouth and climbs into bed, shuffling her legs beneath the sheets before resting her gaze on him again. She looks tired he thinks, takes it as his cue to leave, but is halted in his movements by her soft voice, 'Robin.' He angles his body back towards her, thoughts scrambling wildly to think of a way to reassure her that he thinks no less of her, will not share this with anyone, to let her know she can trust him. Her 'stay with me?' is uttered quietly with a conviction that tells him this is what she wants, what she needs, and who is he to deny her anything? His face must show some hesitation though, as her request is quickly followed by a more emotional, 'Please.' She never says please, never asks for anything, and he knows at this point her walls are broken and crumbled around her, but he dares to hope that maybe if he stays with her, when her walls are built again come morning, he will be on the side closest to her heart.
He toes off his boots and strips off his jacket and topshirt before climbing onto the bed next to her. The moment he is led down fully she moves to lie next to him and he wraps his arms around her on instinct. This seems to be what she wants however, as she lets out a sigh of contentment, but he senses something is still unsettled within her, can practically hear her thoughts whirring. He starts to rub her back in slow steady strokes up and down her spine, waiting for her to talk to him. When she does, he can hear the slight tremble in her voice, but also the determination to tell him everything.
She tells him how it's Henry's birthday today, how even the relentless search for Zelena cannot divert her thoughts enough anymore, how the hole in her chest feels bigger every day and even little Roland's happy chatter and dimpled smile cannot fill the cracks in her heart anymore. He has nothing to say, so simply turns his head and presses his lips to her hair as she starts to sob against him, keeping up the steady rhythm of his hand against her back as she grips his shirt in her hand and presses her face against his chest. Eventually she stills against him and falls into a deep sleep, but Robin does not follow her for a long time, stays awake, wonders how she still fights even after all the heartbreak she has endured, cannot fathom the strength it takes her just to get out of bed and face Snow every day, her constant reminder of what she has lost.
When morning comes it is with a clear sky, the storm of yesterday washing away the heavy air that had been present for days prior. Regina is still curled against him, but now her arms are firmly wrapped around his torso and her legs entwined with his. He takes a moment to appreciate the feeling of her soft curves pressed against him, and the warmth of her palm against his skin where it has crept under his shirt during the night. He wonders what she will do when she wakes, should he leave now before she does or simply leave her in peace for as long as possible?
He settles on the latter, but it is not long before she is stirring against him, making the most adorable disgruntled noise as bright sunlight hits her face when she moves. He can't help the grin and chuckle that escapes him, drawing her sleepy gaze to his face in the process. He braces himself for the moment her expression shuts down and walls drop, but is instead astonished when her face splits into the most genuine smile he's ever seen directed at him (Roland gets these smiles a lot, and it makes him more jealous that it should that his boy gets such a lovely gift), accompanied by a sleep-husky 'good morning'. 'Good morning to you too' he replies, grin now stuck to his face with her ready acceptance of him in her bed, arms still wrapped tightly around her (and too late he realises, perhaps not resting in the most appropriate of places). 'Did you sleep well?' he asks, eager to maintain this easy moment between them. 'Mmm yes thank you' she replies, lifting herself on one arm to look down at him, glorious bed hair tumbling against his chest in silky waves. Thinking he'll likely not get the chance in the near future, he sweeps a section of hair out of her face and runs his fingers through to the ends, marvelling in the silky softness of it. At her chuckle he looks back to her face and raises an eyebrow in question. 'I knew you had a thing for my hair' she says in answer, a smirk tugging the corners of her mouth up, the action drawing his gaze and overwhelming him with the urge to kiss her.
She must notice the action as her breath hitches and she shifts closer to him, his eyes darting up to meet hers. He reads lust but also uncertainty in her eyes, so instead of giving in to his desire, simply cups her face and tells her, 'You are so beautiful', pouring all his unsaid feelings into his voice. Her eyes flicker away from his and she pulls away slightly. He hadn't wanted to scare her off, but couldn't help the thought spilling from his mouth, so he sits up slowly, the action bringing their torsos nearly flush and their faces a hairsbreadth apart. To his relief she doesn't shy away, only bites her lip and looks at him from under her dark lashes.
By this point they're sharing the same air and both of their breathing has sped up but Robin refuses to be the one to move first, he will let this be her decision, will give her every opportunity to move away and distance herself, but she doesn't. Instead she shifts slightly until their noses are bumping and then her lips are on his, warm and gentle and oh so soft. He's reluctant to let the kiss deepen yet, but senses her desire to do so, so instead pulls back to meet her eyes. Her lips are pink and plump already and her already dark brown eyes darkened further. The sight has him hardening more but he forces enough blood to his brain to talk to her, has to know this isn't some emotional response to yesterday's trauma and that he wouldn't be taking advantage of her. As if she can read the conflict in his eyes, she slides her arms around his back to keep him close, rests her forehead against his and proceeds to turn his world upside down
. She tells him of the fairy Tinkerbell and the tavern and the tattoo, of Daniel, her lost love, and her marriage to the king. The last part has his arms closing around her but makes no move to interrupt. 'When I first saw your tattoo, I ran because it reminded me of all the makes I've made and all the good things I've ruined, but yesterday made me realise that Henry would want me to be happy, and as infuriating as you can be at times-' she gives him a wry smile at that and he chuckles in response, 'I am happiest with you and with Roland, and I owe it to you to give us a chance'.
She's silent after that, letting the information sink in as he stares at her in shock. Soulmates. The realisation of what this means, the explanation of the speed at which he'd fallen for her despite her spiky behaviour, and why he'd just known where to find her last night has him laughing and diving at her for a kiss much less tentative than before. She opens her mouth to him and tangles their tongues, has him groaning into her mouth at the feeling, clutching at her hip and her silky hair. He pulls away breathing raggedly and grins widely at her. 'That day a few months back when we were all on Zelena's trail, that's when you saw the tattoo wasn't it? I'd rolled my sleeves up to start the fire, and after you were even more snarky than usual, but only towards me.' She mock gasps and turns her face away, 'I'm sure you deserved it anyway' she sniffs, but he can see the curve of the smile she's trying to fight, and the movement has exposed her lovely neck to him, so he uses her distraction to lean in and place sucking kisses against it.
One of her hands grips the hair on the nape of his neck, the other sliding under his shirt to roam over his heated skin, her nails scraping against his back when he sucks a particularly sensitive point just below her ear. The breathy moan she releases has him hard and aching for her, and there isn't enough blood in his brain to work out and reason why he should stop. Luckily Regina, ever the mother, has enough sense to ask where Roland is, and Robin thanks his lucky stars that he'd left him in the care of his Merry Men and no one will notice his absence if he doesn't make an appearance for a while, and tells her as such. Her answering smirk makes him realise how presumptuous he sounds, but before he can explain himself she is rising up onto her knees, straddling his hips and settling herself firmly against where he straining against his trousers.
She grinds down against him and he can't help the jerk of his hips and the groan against her shoulder. 'Robin, I want you' she breathes against his ear, then moving to press kisses down his neck, occasionally nipping then lathing her tongue as she moves across his shoulder. 'Regina' he breathes, trying desperately to maintain control as she continues her descent. Reaching the end of his shoulder, Regina looks back to his face, her eyes dark and determined. 'Robin. I want you. And I know you want me' she emphasises her words with a hard grind against him, 'Please' she adds more softly.
With that all control flies from him and then they are all over each other. Insistent hands remove clothes and roam skin until there is nothing between them. His eyes nearly roll back in his head when he feels her wet heat against his member as she slides against him. She's getting needy and he can tell she wants to move fast and rough, but he wants to treasure her, show her how much he cares for her, but also wants to hold out for her, and her current movements are not helping him in the slightest.
She lets out a startled yelp and then a laugh when he flips her underneath him, her legs coming to wrap around the back of his thighs as he settles himself between hers. She tries to push her hips against his to gain friction but Robin is determined to make her come on his tongue at least once before he gratifies his own need. He starts to kiss his way down her body, paying particular attention to her breasts until her nipples are hard and she is arching under him, hands gripping and clutching at his back. It's only when he reaches her naval does she realise where he's going and tenses. He immediately stops and looks up only to see an expression of apprehension and confusion on her lovely face as she sits up on her elbows. 'What's the matter?' he asks worriedly, eyes locking with hers. 'I-, no one's ever-, you don't have t-', Robin moves quickly up her body silencing her with a bruising kiss. 'I want to. God you have no idea how long I've been wanting to taste you, to make you writhe and scream and come on my tongue'. Her eyes go wide at that, and she swallows heavily before nodding, 'okay'.
He kisses her headily, full of tongue before moving down to settle his face in front of her sex. The smell of her arousal and sight of her glistening before him has him groaning in anticipation before quickly glancing up to watch her expression as he finally puts his mouth on her. He takes a long swipe from her entrance to her clit before swirling and sucking on the sensitive nub. His action has her flopping back to the mattress, her back arching and releasing a throaty groan that goes straight to his cock. Spurred on by the noises she's making, Robin starts to eat her out with abandon, relishing in the way her hands grip his hair and her hips jerk against his face.
At some point he notices her moans change and the words of encouragement turn into an incoherent jumble of pleading and expletives mixed in with his name, so he works her harder, flicking his tongue faster against her clit, sliding two fingers inside of her and crooking them just so to find that spot and thrusting hard against it when he knows he's found it. If he thought she was incoherent before it is nothing compared to the way she is rambling now, legs sliding, hips twisting, back arching and god he wants to watch her come undone, so when she stiffens under him he looks up to see her mouth open in a perfect 0, eyes scrunched in pleasure as her orgasm washes over her. He slowly works her down, thrusting his fingers slowly but leaving her sensitive clit alone. Her arm is thrown over her eyes and her chest still heaves as he kisses his way up her body.
He supports himself above her and smirks as she moves her arm to look at him. She gives him a half-hearted swat at the shit-eating grin on his face, but laughs anyway, pulling him down for a tongue-filled kiss, moaning at the taste of herself on him. Using his distraction against him she slips her hand between them and wraps it around him, sliding from base to head and back in leisurely strokes that have him dropping his head against her shoulder and releasing a guttural groan. At this Regina tightens her grip and adds a twist with every stroke that has him fighting the urge to buck into her hand.
Not realising how close he'd gotten making Regina come has Robin pulling her hand away and attacking her lips again, pinching and twisting her nipples with the hand not supporting his weight. 'If you keep doing that, I will embarrass myself terribly by coming too early like some adolescent boy' he husks against her neck. Regina, making no reply, only loops her legs more firmly round his hips and pulls him against her, raising an eyebrow at him as if to say, what are you waiting for? Lining himself up, Robin slowly presses forward, savouring the way her wet heat envelops him and the delicious way her muscles contract around him. She does it again and he knows she's doing it to torment him, and whilst she may be unfamiliar with someone going down on her, he can tell she's definitely well-versed in other aspects of common bedroom activities.
He starts moving with deep but languid thrusts, kissing her over and over until she whispers against him, 'more, Robin'. Barely holding on as it is he starts to rap his hips hard against hers in a rapid motion, angling himself so as to hit her G-spot with every thrust and thrums his thumb against her clit. Her legs come up higher so she can push herself harder against him with every thrust and her nails leaving red marks down his back, scrabbling for purchase as she comes undone, her walls clamping down around him and bringing him with her. His hips stutter as his orgasm hits, and he collapses onto the bed, careful to avoid crushing her even in his pleasure induced haze.
They lie in silence, regaining their breath and simply basking in the afterglow. It is Regina who speaks first, rolling to lie half on top of him, chin on his chest as she looks at him. 'I think a certain young outlaw will be looking for you soon'. Robin sighs, lifting his hand to tangle it in her now thoroughly dishevelled hair, 'Yes I suppose he will, but first we need to clean up, and as much as I enjoy you like this-' moving his hands to grope her behind as he says so, 'I'd rather not share it with everybody. Fancy a bath?'. Letting out a throaty chuckle and sitting up in bed, Regina lifts her tangled hair out of her face, exposing her breasts to Robin's hungry gaze before saying, 'Fine, but with that look on your face I don't see much getting clean being done'. He shrugs and smirks, 'Well, can you blame me? You're a goddess, I could spend all day worshipping your body and still not be satisfied', running his hands up her front to cup her breasts and thrum his thumbs across her nipples, resulting in a lip bite from her that sends his blood southward.
Moving away from him quickly and climbing off the bed Regina makes her way to the bathroom, making a point to sway her hips as much as possible, stopping at the doorway to turn back to Robin whose gaze is fixed on her shapely behind and with a raised eyebrow ask, 'Well, are you coming?'. Robin has never moved faster in his life.
As they enter the dining hall for a late breakfast, their hands are entwined and Regina pretends not to notice the way Snow gasps and near-bounces out of her seat in excitement. Roland jumps up to tug Regina to the seat next to him (as if she would sit anywhere else), taking all her attention and demanding to know where she'd been, it was breakfast. 'I'm sorry my boy, I'm afraid I was stealing a little time with Regina for myself', Robin tells his son, causing Regina to turn to face him and raise her eyebrows, daring him to explain just what they'd been doing. Robin only grins back, and risks a chaste kiss, resting his forehead against hers briefly before pulling away. Regina smiles softly at him in return before turning back to Roland who seems unsurprised by the interaction and declares his Papa must share.
Robin lets Roland hog her attention for the remainder of breakfast, content in watching them together, only occasionally playing with her hair and whispering sweet nothings in her ear, determined to get her to smile that dazzling smile at him.
When they leave the hall together not long later, with Roland perched on Regina's hip and Robin's hand in hers, all eyes are on them, but neither care. They've both found a new beginning.