Red Swan (Red/Emma) Fluff. Deal with it ;P
SUMMARY: There's a conspiracy going on, and Emma's determined to get to the bottom of it. Craziness. Juice boxes. Fluff.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Once upon a Time or its characters. I am not making a profit from this story. In fact, if you recognize it… I probably don't own it. Actually, I'm kind of happy I don't own it; I had a hard enough time keeping my fish alive.
Juice Box Confessionals
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The first time it happened, Emma didn't give it any extra thought. All she knew was that one minute she had a juice box, and the next Ruby claimed she was thirsty and drank it. Emma just shrugged it off; she loved Ruby, so the theft of her juice didn't bother her.
At least, in hindsight, Emma knows why the plant in the corner of the room became infested with ants.
The second time it happened, Emma started to become suspicious. Though, admittedly, it was hard not to, what with the diner flooding. One minute she was absorbed in an article in the newspaper, and the next she was lifting her legs and sitting cross-legged on the bench.
Granny really wasn't happy when they pulled the remnants of her juice box from the bowels of the toilet.
The third time it happened, she wasn't even near Ruby. It was early in the morning and she had dragged herself out of her nice warm bed, very reluctantly leaving a grumbling Ruby to walk her son to school. Thirsty, she had popped open the straw and was just about to take a drink before the juice box was suddenly snatched out of her hands and thrown in the trash. She had been indignant, but Henry had given her a look, as if she knew better than to be drinking apple juice.
Emma grumbled the whole way there and back, but ended up humoring him anyways.
The fourth time it happened, Emma was ready to yell conspiracy. Or, at least she would have if Mary Margaret hadn't looked so damn apologetic for spilling her juice, as she frantically tried to wipe it up before it soaked into her paperwork. She wasn't sure if it was genuine or not, but it being Mary Margaret, she figured it was a safe bet. Even if it weren't, that kicked puppy look she was sporting was borderline illegal.
Either way, Emma had no qualms whatsoever in giving Regina yellow-stained paperwork.
And so, Emma was determined that the fifth time it happened would be the last time it happened. She almost called Ruby on it as they got ready for their picnic, what with her whole stash of juice mysteriously not being where she left it, but both Mary Margaret and Henry had been by earlier, any one of them being a possible culprit. So Emma decided to bide her time.
While walking down the street towards the forest, Emma figured it was the perfect time to have a drink. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, she had a beautiful woman on her arm, and she had one last juice box stashed away in her pocket. Life was grand.
Pulling out her juice box, Emma yelped and narrowly missed having it stolen from her. Jumping back, she clutched the drink to her chest and watched the taller woman suspiciously. "So you do have something against juice boxes." Emma backed up as Ruby practically began stalking forward.
"No I don't." Ruby retorted as she advanced, eyes flickering between Emma and the juice in her hands. "I'm just thirsty. Really."
"Yeah?" Emma asked disbelievingly as she bumped into a tree. "Well, what a coincidence; I am too." As she brought the straw to her mouth, she was narrowly able to evade the other's lunge.
"Emma!" Ruby whined, distraught, as the sheriff made sure to keep the tree between the two of them. "Give me the juice box!"
"Not unless you tell me why!" Emma retaliated, evading another attempt before cutting the other off. "The real reason!"
"Because!" Ruby finally pinned the other to the tree, though Emma kept a strong grip on her juice box. "Because I already lost my best friend once!" Ruby slammed her lips to Emma's, causing the shorter girl to let out a squeak, before pulling back sharply. "Because I can't let that happen to her daughter! Because…" Ruby blinked back tears, face so damn sorrowful that it broke Emma's heart, before kissing her again, gently this time. "Because I don't think there's enough magic in this world for this to work if it did happen…" Ruby whispered.
Emma didn't believe in the curse, no matter how much she humored Henry.
The similarities between her and Mary Margaret? Coincidence.
Henry's book? A somewhat twisted children's book, though nothing unusual.
When Ruby started wearing her red scarf more often, complaining about it being the closest thing she owned to a cloak… Well, Emma wasn't sure what to make of that admission, but then again, she was very accomplished at burying things under denial.
So no, Emma didn't believe in the curse, but as she gazed into shiny brown eyes a hair's breadth from her own, she found herself handing over the juice box.
She didn't believe in the curse…
But she did believe in Ruby.
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A/N: Ah… Um… Yeah. The box of apple juice sitting next to my TV has been haunting me since last night/early this morning…So…yeah… It's short.