A/N: Written in response to a Tumblr prompt – Compliment.
Regina stared at herself in the mirror, scrunching her hair slightly to give it a little more volume. She pursed her lips and checked at her makeup, making sure she was perfectly painted. A deep blue dress hugged her body perfectly, accenting the soft curves of her breasts and hips. Smiling at what she saw, she flicked back a final tress of hair before walking out of the bathroom and making her way down the stairs. A knock sounded loudly from the front door.
"Henry!" Regina called from the bottom of the steps. "Emma is here!" Excited shuffles came from upstairs and the brunette grumbled to herself. He never seemed even remotely excited when she came to pick him up the blonde's apartment, yet anytime his birth mother came to visit, it was as though it were Christmas. Regina let out a frustrated sigh and stomped into the kitchen, feeling her son bound down the stairs toward the door. "Don't run," she chastised, her warning falling on deaf ears.
The brunette grabbed her clutch and keys from the kitchen counter and tucked herself in the corner of the room, shamelessly eavesdropping on her son's conversation with the Sheriff.
"Emma!"
"Hey kid." A beat. Regina assumed she was giving him a hug or ruffling his hair, and she growled deep in her throat. "Where's your mom?" The brunette raised a brow, curious to know why Emma was looking for her. The last few times the blonde came to babysit, she had simply gone off with Henry without a second thought, running up the stairs to dive deep into an intense game of Kingdom Hearts. Regina supposed it was for the best. Being around Emma seemed to bring out an odd trait in her that she didn't particularly admire – vulnerability. She had lost herself in green sparkling eyes more times than she could count, her body moving close to the other woman's on its own accord.
One night two weeks ago, after returning from her weekly council meeting, Emma had cornered her in the kitchen, and Regina fell, once again losing herself in emerald orbs. She felt Emma closing in, her eyes glued to hers questioningly, pupils asking, "Do you feel this too?" It wasn't until she felt warm breath on her cheek and fingers lacing around hers that the reality of the situation had set in. When Emma closed the void between them and brushed her lips against her own, Regina felt overwhelmed with a mixture of warmth, love, and fear. Her heart had pounded wildly in her throat as the younger woman had kissed her harder, filled with the ferocity of all their fighting and bickering combined. She had pulled away, breathless, staring at Emma's swollen lips and closed eyes. And when the blonde had embraced her, leaning in to begin another chain of passionate kisses, Regina had lifted a single finger and placed it gently on her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to speak, to explain everything to Emma, her budding feelings for her, her fear of losing Henry, her overwhelming need for love and comfort…but her voice betrayed her, the wall around her heart stepping forward to take center stage. "I can't," Regina whispered, pulling her hand away from Emma's and biting back the hard sobs that were stuck in her throat.
"Hey." A voice knocked her out of her memory and Regina stiffened, pulling herself away from the corner. She lifted her chin confidently.
"Miss Swan." There was a beat of silence, their eyes meeting in a passionate connection that sent a sharp shiver down the brunette's spine. "Per usual, I will be back from my meeting by 10. I have a lasagna prepared in the fridge. Cook it at 200 for 30 minutes. I've made it as simple as possible for you. Try not to burn my kitchen down." Another awkward beat of silence. Regina fumbled nervously with the clasp of her clutch for a moment and chewed at the inside of her cheek. It was the first time the two of them had been alone since…. "I-I'm going to be late," Regina said before brushing past where Emma was standing near the doorway. A tug on her wrist caught her off guard and she stumbled for a moment, trying to balance herself on her four inch heels. She turned her head and looked at the blonde, breath hitching in her throat when she caught sight of the heart melting smile flashing in front of her. Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest as Emma closed the space between them, a mere few inches separating the two. The warmth of the younger woman's body radiated against her skin and Regina felt lightheaded.
A gentle hand reached out and brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. Emma's fingertips brushed softly against her smooth cheek and then against the sensitive spot just below her ear. A little gasp bubbled from Regina's throat and she immediately bit her lip to try and stifle herself. "Emma…" the brunette's voice trailed off as the girl's fingers snaked across the back of her neck, causing the little hairs there to stand.
"You look really pretty," Emma complimented softly. She pulled away and the brunette shivered, the younger woman staring at her with an equal mixture of lust and compassion; it was as though she was undressing the Mayor with her eyes alone. Regina bit her lip – as a means of unconscious seduction or legitimate nervousness, she wasn't sure – as the blonde's eyes slowly raked up and down her body.
"I-" She drew in a deep breath as the blonde stepped forward and hovered her lips close to hers. Her head swam and she felt as though Emma was sucking all the oxygen away from her lungs.
"Emma!" Henry's voice called impatiently from the top of the stairs. "The game's loaded! I'm gonna start the race without you and it's gonna ruin your stats!"
Emma titled her head and stared intently into brown eyes – warm and vulnerable, a state she had only seen once before – before bringing her thumb to her bottom lip. It was an intimate gesture, a simulation of the kiss Regina so desperately wanted but was afraid to admit to.
The brunette's eyes fluttered shut in anticipation as Emma's face grew close, lips brushing against her cheek before tucking close to her ear. "Have a good meeting, Madame Mayor. I'll see you later." Green eyes twinkled mischievously as the blonde turned on the heels of her boots and bounded up the stairs two at a time toward Henry's room. Regina stood in the kitchen, speechless, as though Emma had cast a spell on her. She raised her fingertips to her own lips and brushed them softly across her tingling skin. The remembrance of Emma's touch caused her knees to tremble. The way the younger woman made her feel was going to be the death of her. She wanted to believe it was a ruse, a trap to take Henry away, but she couldn't help but want more of the intoxicating feelings Emma sparked within her. Four little words echoed in Regina's ears for the night, causing her heart to leap in her chest at the prospect of what was to come when she returned home.
You look really pretty.