Written for the first day of Inspired By OQ week. This piece is inspired by Starscythe's art.
Nightmares
"I lost love before, and I won't again!" Regina exclaims, her voice trembling. She's staring straight into Emma's eyes, pleading with the Savior to save her soulmate from death.
Emma is hesitant to use her magic, and Robin is bleeding more and more with each passing second. They don't have time for hours of pointing out pros and cons, doesn't she get that?
"I'll do it," the Savior states finally, and Mary Margaret doesn't seem happy about it, she opens her mouth to argue but Emma has already stretched her hand over Robin's bleeding wound.
Regina shudders from the unknown and turns to look at Robin's face. She opens her mouth to tell him to hold on just a little bit longer but the words die in her throat.
His eyes are open wide, staring back at Regina with no life left in them.
He's dead.
Regina's eyes snap open as a broken gasp escapes her quivering lips. Her breathing is labored, her arms trembling at her sides from the fear that's gripping at her heart.
For a brief moment she's disoriented in the dark chamber, and it takes her a few deep but shaky breaths to collect herself and remember that she's still in Camelot, and that Emma is the Dark One now, and that Robin is safe and sound in bed beside her.
But he could've died.
Only hours ago Regina was so close to losing him.
Regina shakes her head to clear her thoughts before flicking a shaky wrist, illuminating a candle at the end of the bed. Her eyes blink rapidly, adjusting to the light and keeping the tears at bay at the same time.
Her head rolls to the side and she sighs in relief at the sight of Robin in bed beside her. He must have rolled away from her in his sleep because now he's sleeping on his stomach, his face turned away from her, quiet snores echoing through the silent chambers.
Regina's eyes flutter closed as she inhales shakily and reminds herself that Robin is alright now. Emma healed him.
For a few minutes, she just lies there and stares at him. Careful not to wake him up, she stretches her hand to touch him, her fingertips running over his back, up and down, again and again. She finds comfort in this simple touch, his warm skin and snores assuring her that he's still alive.
It's still dark outside with only a few stars dotting the black sky, Regina notices when she turns towards the uncovered window. They will have a busy day tomorrow, and it would not do well for her to get no rest at all, so she tries to focus on easy things (she tries not to think about darkness in Emma or how close to death was Robin) and hopes to fall asleep.
But her thoughts keep wandering.
Huffing in frustration, she moves closer to Robin, and then a little bit more until her head is rested on his back. She tries not to put all of her weight on him because his wound might be healed with magic and is not threatening to take him away anymore, but the pain is still there and Robin will feel it for weeks.
She lets her fingers run over his stunning body, drawing invisible patterns over his skin. Not being able to stop herself, she presses a kiss onto his shoulder, and this time Robin's body tenses as he groans and shifts a bit under her.
However, when he realizes that it is Regina's weight on him, her now longer hair tickling his skin, he relaxes back into the mattress. His arm is moved from under his body and he twists it awkwardly when he tries to reach Regina's hand on his shoulder and squeeze.
"R'gina?" he murmurs into the pillow, his voice slurred with sleep. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she whispers, hoping that he won't hear the shaking of her voice, and presses another kiss into his skin. "You go back to sleep, I'll be just fine."
The near-death-experience must have drained out all of his energy because he doesn't say anything else, doesn't try to talk to her like he usually does when she accidentally wakes him up in the middle of the night when she can't sleep.
Regina sighs in relief when only second later he's snoring again, his back vibrating from it, and a small smile spreads across her face.
It's not a very comfortable position she's in, but the warmth of Robin's body, his breathing, the rhythm of his heart are soothing her anxious soul. Robin didn't seem to mind her presence, so she tells herself that she'll stay like this for a few more minutes and then, when she's finally calm enough to fall asleep, she'll move back to the other side of the bed.
With that in mind, her eyes flutter closed and she sighs, her body finally relaxing.
She doesn't even feel when she falls asleep.
In the morning she grumbles about her aching muscles and glares at Robin when he laughs at her grumpiness, but deep down she's content because despite the very uncomfortable position that she's slept in, it was the best sleep she's had in a very long time.