Pairings: Emma/August
Rating: T (mention of nudity, nothing explicit)
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Once Upon a Time.
A/N: snarkyweetness has been asking for this for a long time, so I finally sat down and delivered. Hope the rest of you enjoy as well :D
Early morning light spilled across her body, setting her bare alabaster skin aglow and softening the already serene features of her sleeping face.
August pulled a chair in from the dining room as quietly as he could manage and sat with one foot hitched up on the edge of the bed and a sketchpad balancing on his knee. He stared at her as she lay on her side. The first smudge of charcoal was always the hardest to place, trying to decide what part of her delicate frame to begin with first was never easy.
He thought back to his first semester in college. It was at that overcrowded state school that his penchant for storytelling began. Illustration was simply a happy bonus. He'd been wildly successful in Creative Writing and Drawing while his failing grades in all other areas of study earned him a one-way ticket out the door. In the years that followed, between travel and writing about his adventures, he found himself doodling the same blond-haired girl again and again; filling up page after page with her likeness. It wasn't until he found her in Portland years later that he realized it was Emma.
Now he had the chance to draw her from life. He hardly needed the reference, though; every part of her body was committed to memory. And she hated when he stared at her so intently, his eyes flickering between her face and the paper, so he chose to draw her while she slept and never revealed his sketches, knowing she'd disapprove of his hobby.
Her face would be the best place to start, he decided. It was always easier to determine proportions that way, as every body followed a basic set of rules. Her eyes began to take shape and soon her nose and mouth followed. Even the slight dip in her chin was emphasized by the shadows across her face. He lightly sketched the mess of curls spilling in waves around her head and shoulder before moving on to her neck and collarbones.
The next smudge followed the curve of her breasts and the stiff peaks of her nipples. August smirked, thinking of the way she would fling the blanket away in her sleep after growing too warm, and the effect of the cool air on her body subsequently.
A hand was tucked up underneath the pillow while the other rested on the bed just in front of her abdomen. The outline of her narrow waist came to life next along with the curve of her hip. Her navel and the divots of her hipbones followed close behind.
When he got to the conjunction of her thighs, she began to stir.
"August?" She tried to open her eyes but found the light to be a bit too much to handle.
"Shh, don't move," he cooed quietly.
She lifted her head and squinted at him. "Why? What are you doing?"
"Emma, don't move, I'm almost done."
"Are you drawing me?" She might have sounded annoyed if her voice wasn't so thick with sleep.
"Maybe."
"August…"
"Shh… stop moving, you're gonna make me mess up."
"Okay, tell me when you're done," she sighed and closed her eyes again, nuzzling back into the pillow.
He grinned to himself and quickly finished up her legs, knees, and feet, then set his charcoal and sketchpad on the nightstand. He rose and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, sliding his fingers affectionately through her hair. "All done, love."
She blinked her eyes open again, more easily this time with August blocking the rays of light emanating from the window.
"Do you want to see?"
"Of course." She propped herself up on an elbow. "I love your drawings."
August chose not to bring up all of the times she'd scolded him for trying to draw her, and reached for the sketchbook. As he presented it to her, he felt a small wave of nerves in his stomach, though he wasn't sure why.
"Oh August…" She pushed herself up into a sitting position and took the book from his hands. "This is… this is beautiful. Do I really look like that when I'm asleep?"
"No." She looked up at him, her brows knitted together in confusion. "My drawings could never compare to how amazing you are in real life."
"How did I get so lucky to have you?" She smiled up at him and reached over to set the book back on the nightstand before leaning up to capture his lips against hers.
He felt her hands on his shoulders, pulling him down on top of her. "Are you sure we've got time? I did let you sleep late," he broke away long enough to ask.
"If my perfect boyfriend has time to make me look like an angel, then I have time to show him how much I love him."
"Well, if you say so…" He leaned back in to kiss her and vowed to let her catch him drawing more often.