Pairing: Emma/August, mention of Emma/Neal

Rating: M (explicit sex, turn back now if it's not your thing)

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Once Upon a Time.

A/N: I've had an idea for angsty pre-Neal sex for a while but I wasn't sure how to work it out. Then robinsgirlwonder gave me a prompt for August and Emma running into each other on the street and things kind of fell into place. It will be multi-chaptered so stay tuned for more angst and maybe some Neal eventually. Also if you think I'm being mean, then I definitely am. And as always, thanks to snarky for being awesome.


All he seemed to do these days was walk. It was compulsive, as if the moment he stopped he would wake up wood-bound, unable to speak or move. So he walked the small town until his legs ached, the good kind of pain that resulted in the repeated activity of flesh and bone working together, and when he felt as though he would drop, he sank into bed and slept dreamlessly.

The crisp chill of autumn air whipped at August's neck as he walked with his head down, uninterested in greeting the scant amount of people still strolling lazily through the streets at this time of night. He pulled his collar up high, moving his legs quickly toward the home he now shared with his father.

A pair of feet appeared in his narrow field of vision – a noticeably booted pair of feet – belonging to a body that crashed nearly head-on into him a second later. He mumbled an insincere apology and brushed past the figure swiftly, too absorbed in thought to take notice of the body's identity.

"August?"

He stopped cold in his tracks and lifted his head slightly. He could recognize the pitch of her voice anywhere. It was only a matter of time until he'd run into her; the town was small enough that it was inevitable, not to mention she'd been back from their land for several weeks.

"Emma." His stomach churned as her name came tumbling out his mouth. The agonizingly slow transformation in the weeks that followed his reanimation and the overwhelming shame that swelled in his gut rendered him weak and undeserving of her attention.

"My God, August… you're you," she sputtered bewilderedly, a hint of guilt edged her voice. She approached him tensely as if unsure what manner of physical greeting would be appropriate and settled for reaching out to grip his forearm, her fingers flexing and clenching almost affectionately around the leather-clad extremity in a uniquely 'Emma' way. "I… I was coming to see you. I didn't believe Granny when she said you were… you were…"

August felt his cheeks flush and he opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him as they gazed unbelievingly at each other. All that fire he felt when he was near her returned immediately and the hitch in her breath told him he wasn't the only one who felt it. Her hand slid up his arm and shoulder and came to rest on his cheek, her thumb lightly stroking his stubble. The cold on his bare skin seemed to disappear at her touch and he leaned lightly into it. "Emma…"

"How is this possible? I… I watched you die. Where have you been?"

He shrugged. "After you broke the curse, I woke up and slowly, painfully… I turned back. I hid away during the worst of it and when it was all over, I went to find my father."

Another stretch of silence bloomed between them. Emma averted her eyes and took her hand away. "I didn't… I didn't forget about you," she said quietly after a moment. "I know you might think that's what happened but… You have to understand, August, I thought you were dead. And after the curse broke, so much shit went down and I didn't… I couldn't deal with it, with any of it. Especially losing you. You're my best friend and I…"

During her speech her hand returned to his arm, and August hadn't realized how close they'd gotten until his fingers were running through the mess of blond curls falling around her shoulders. Her hands move to his waist, pulling him against her as if they'd never be close enough.

He dipped his head ever so slightly and leaned in to kiss her gently. "I know."

Pressing her forehead to his, she smiled and leaned up to press her lips again to his with more fervor. His mind screamed that this was a terrible idea. He should not be kissing Emma in the middle of the street, or at all for that matter, but his body acted on its own accord. He gently cradled her head with one hand and pulled her waist against him with the other. She moaned softly and shifted, allowing him to take her bottom lip between his. After leaving him completely breathless, she pulled away and gripped his gloved hand. "Let's go."

It wasn't a question of where they were headed; August had the direction to her apartment building emblazoned in his mind. Heat flared up under his collar with the weight of a thousand different emotions crashing into his brain in an instant. Emma Swan had been looking for him, that much was clear to him. But what about everything else? He certainly hadn't planned on kissing her, and definitely didn't expect to be following her back to her place, presumably to begin where they'd left off. And in the midst of all this, he couldn't help but think of the fact that he was not only friendly with Henry's father, but had been instrumental in their separation as well as her jail time.

Okay, that would be the first order of business. Get that out of the way and then see where things go. August's lips tingled at the thought of feeling her lips against his again and he prayed he'd be able to stick to his plan.

"My parents took Henry out on some wilderness trip to teach him archery and basic survival skills," she mumbled as a set of keys clinked noisily between her fingers at the apartment door. "They should be back late tomorrow."

Words continued to evade him as they entered the loft, that feeling of ease and comfort he'd grown accustomed to overwhelming him all at once. Everything was exactly as he'd remembered, right down to Mary Margaret's floral mug sitting on the counter with an Earl Grey string hanging over the edge.

"Something to drink?"

"Water," he managed, his mouth suddenly parched, and cursed himself for not being able to pull it together.

Emma nodded and motioned toward the couch. "Why don't you have a seat? I'll be there in a minute."

Sitting back into the old cushions with his legs parted, August's hands fidgeted absent-mindedly in his lap as he tried not to watch her ass as she leaned into the fridge to fetch the water pitcher. She joined him a moment later, holding out a glass and then settled next to him, tucking her feet up under her body and rested her cheek on her fist propped up on the back of the sofa. "I only ever see you drinking water," she mused idly as she watched him. "Or coffee. Why is that? You don't like alcohol?"

"No. Quite the opposite, actually." He took a sip and swallowed hard, toying with the condensation forming on the outside of the glass with his thumb.

"Oh." She looked down at her hand, which he realized was now tracing light circles on his thigh. "I had no idea."

"It's not something I tend to open with… it just… turns out I'm not that great at saying 'no'." He felt sick as he suddenly remembered his conversation with Neal ten years prior. Even though he'd kept his promise, in the end it still felt like betrayal. Time to change the subject. "So I heard you went on quite the adventure."

"I did," she took in a breath and released it slowly.

"Tell me about it," he smiled, trying to feel relaxed. It was just like talking with an old friend, he convinced himself, and took another sip. He leaned forward to deposit the glass on the coffee table.

Emma's expression changed suddenly; the light in her eyes seemed to dim and a crooked frown formed on her lips. "I missed you." Faster than he could register, her lips were pressed hard against his and her fist knotted in his hair, tugging him closer. "I missed you so much."

Lips parted and tongues probed tentatively and as their desperation grew, Emma shifted, swinging a leg across his thighs.

"Emma, wait…." He tried to break away but she ignored him, continuing her assault on his lips.

"I've already waited too long with you."

"But… Emma, listen. There's something you need to know…"

"No, you listen," she said and pulled away to look in his eyes, her cheeks wet with tears, "I already lost you once. I'm not taking that chance again. Whatever it is, it can wait." Her lips were plump and pink, just begging to be kissed again and the light from the kitchen illuminated her golden hair spilling around her head like a halo. The woman really couldn't have been more beautiful if she tried.

Though he knew better, August found himself leaning up to kiss her desperately, knowing full well that what he had to tell her wouldn't only completely ruin everything, but she may decide never to speak to him again once she knew. Not that he could blame her, not now anyway. But nevertheless, her body slowly rocking into his was more than he needed to neglect that information in the present and focus solely on her.

With the roll of her hips, his cock began to twitch and swell, straining hard against thick denim. His hands moved up under the front of her shirt to begin kneading her breasts over a flimsy cotton bra. She moaned and ground into him in response, then pulled away, nipping at his bottom lip before removing the offending article and tossed it to the floor behind her. After tugging the black thermal over his head, Emma's hands raked up and down his bare chest before latching her lips to his neck, sucking roughly. He groaned and ran his fingers through her hair. The skin contact alone was almost more than he could handle.

Emma kissed her way up his throat and back to his mouth, slipping a hand around the back of his neck and drew him forcefully down on top of her as she laid back along the length of the couch.

August was all-in now, and he struggled to get a trembling hand between them to begin fingering the enclosure of Emma's jeans. He gave up after a minute and pushed himself to his palms, inhaling deeply and taking in the sight of Emma; cheeks flushed, chest heaving, and trailed a hand along the length of one leg. She held her breath as he began to pluck at the laces of her boot and brought her knee up to allow him to pull it free from her calf, then toss it haphazardly to the ground.

After shucking the remains of whatever cloth and leather remained between them, August pressed a kiss to the inside of her ankle, slowly moving his lips up to her knee, where she seized the back of his head and pulled his mouth back to hers. His cock rubbed hard against her thigh and she let out a small whine, adjusting her legs in encouragement.

"Condom?" He huffed urgently. Instead of responding, she surprised him by reaching down to her discarded jeans and produced a square of silver foil from one of the pockets. "You have no idea how hot you are right now," he grinned.

"I told you I was coming to see you," she replied nonchalantly and tore open the package with her teeth, then helped him roll it onto his cock.

August wasted no time burying himself inside her. It was everything he'd ever imagined, hot and slick and utterly perfect. She let out a sharp gasp as he rocked against her hips, taking his time to allow her body to adjust to him.

"Mmm… August…" she moaned and gripped his biceps, digging her nails into his flesh and rolling her hips up to meet his.

"Fuck, Emma, you're amazing." He chewed his lip in an attempt to hold himself together. Since leaving Phuket in the months-long search for Storybrooke he hadn't indulged in this manner, but from the moment he saw Emma on his first night in town, he knew his dry spell could ever only end with her.

He pulled out and pushed himself to his knees, much to Emma's dismay. "What the hell?" She panted and leaned up on her elbows.

"You really want to know?" He responded with a mischievous grin and grabbed one of the throw pillows that had found its way to the floor. Emma nodded and pinched her lips together as he hoisted her hips up high enough to stuff the pillow under her ass. He entered her again slowly, gripping her ankles to pull her feet up over his shoulders. "I'm gonna make you come so hard you won't be able to remember your name."

August continued moving deliberately, angling himself inside her to hit that sweet spot deep in her cunt. Emma keened loudly and arched her back in response, reaching behind her head to grip the armrest, emboldening him to stroke harder.

Her muscles began to shudder and she cried out, crashing her pelvis sharply up against his. He bit his lip in a desperate attempt to hold out for just a little longer, though Emma's writhing body below him made it extremely difficult. The metallic taste of blood seeped onto his tongue as her orgasm subsided and he felt as though he could breathe again.

He returned her legs to either side of his waist and resumed his position on top of her, their hips still elevated by the pillow. Her nails dug into his scalp as his movements quickened, the sloppy sound of the slickness from her orgasm only spurring him on more.

Leaning his weight on one elbow, he reached between them with his free hand, rubbing his thumb where they were connected to gather her fluid. He knew he couldn't last much longer but he needed to see her come one more time. "Okay, Emma, tell me where to stop…" He rubbed his thumb around her clit slowly, making sure to gauge the reaction on her face as he went.

"Oh fuck, there!"

He stopped right above her hood and pressed down. "Here?"

"Mmm, yes…" she moaned and bucked her hips into his touch.

He applied more pressure to the area and stroked solidly into her, breath shortening as his balls began to tighten. "Come for me…"

August exploded in orgasm and rubbed her hard with his thumb. She came crashing down a moment later with a sharp gasp, her muscles clamping around his cock and milking him into the condom. Slowing his pace until he was spent, he kissed her before bringing a hand up to cup her cheek. After having to pull away to catch his breath, he shifted off of her, settling on his side between her body and the back of the couch. August ran his lips along her neck and shoulder and his fingers traced up her ribcage, following each indentation before moving up to lightly massage her breast.

"August, that was…" Emma grinned and ran her fingers lazily through the tuft of hair across his chest. "Why did it take us so long to do that?"

"Well," he began with a sly grin, "aside from the fact that you were too stubborn to allow me to woo you properly, there was the small matter of trying to get you to believe in magic."

Emma blushed. "But with moves like that," she poked him emphatically, "you could have gotten me to believe in magic much, much sooner."

He craned his neck to kiss her; slow and languid, until they both needed air. Nestling into her hair, he took in the scent of her as her fingers trailed lightly along his arm. She smelled of sweat and sex and cinnamon. And he was utterly intoxicated by her. "I could stay here forever. Just like this." He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

"Me too," she agreed with a sigh. "Oh… so, what did you want to tell me earlier?"