Pairing: Emma/August
Rating: T
Word Count: 982
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Once Upon a Time.
A/N: This got stuck in my head over the past week and I had to write it out. I guess it's kind of what I hope will happen, but I totally know it will not.
"I'm sorry, but… would anyone mind if I asked for a few minutes alone with Emma?"
All focus turned to where she stood quietly next to the door. She wanted to be first in line to see August when he woke up, but also knew the respectful thing would be to let his family at him first. Jiminy and Gepetto had helped him stand, easing him up stiffly in his human body and while finding his balance, he winced as his weight came to rest on sore muscle and bone.
A carousel of embraces followed and tears poured down his father's face with every kiss planted on August's flushed cheeks. Jiminy and the Blue Fairy's eyes were hardly any drier, and even Emma allowed a streak or two of wetness to mark her skin, wiping it away quickly with her sleeve before Henry or her parents could see.
Emma shifted uncomfortably and felt heat rush to her face.
"Of course!" Snow piped in after a beat. "How about we all go downstairs and have something to eat. Just come down when you're both ready."
Gepetto planted another kiss on his son's stubbled cheek while Jiminy clapped him on the shoulder before being ushered out and down to the diner. Emma thanked her mother quietly before closing the door, then turned slowly and leaned back.
"So."
"So."
"You wanted to see me alone?"
"I do."
As he moved toward her, Emma could see it was taking a great deal of energy for him not to grimace in pain with every step. She wanted to tell him to take it easy, to sit down and relax while the Blue Fairy's complicated and time-consuming magic continued to repair his body. But she also knew her protests would fall on deaf ears; August was the second most stubborn person she'd ever known, the first being herself.
She looked up as he stopped in front of her. "Well what is it, then?"
"You…" he began slowly after a moment, a small smile pervading his lips, "…kissed me."
"What?" Emma's mind raced at the accusation.
"I said: you kissed me." His characteristic smirk grew wider.
"What… how… how could you even know that?"
August shrugged and leaned closer, placing a hand on the door next to her head for support. "Does it matter? It wouldn't change the fact that it's true."
Emma crossed her arms indignantly and broke her eyes from his stare. "It was Henry's idea. He thought… since it worked for him it might work for you, too."
"Ah, but the thing is, Emma – and I know I needn't remind you – the reason it worked for Henry is because you love him."
She knew what August was trying to imply, but transformed back from wood or not, he was still a cheeky bastard and she wasn't about to let him win. "Well it didn't work for you," she replied sharply.
"You thought it might."
Emma looked back at him resentfully. "There were a lot of things I thought would work, August! I tried everything to bring you back… everything." The unwelcome waver and rise of her voice caught her off-guard and she found herself unexpectedly fighting a sob forming in the back of her throat.
"I know."
His kiss was warm and soft; so unlike the cold, stiff wood her lips had grown accustomed to after weeks of vain attempts to bring him back.
What she hadn't told her son, or anyone else for that matter, was that it became a daily ritual. Whenever a spare moment afforded her the opportunity to slip away, she lay next to his lifeless form and tilted his wooden head toward her, making sure everything was in the right place upon leaving. It broke her heart each time, but she couldn't allow herself to stop trying.
Emma moved her hands up to feel the rise and fall of his chest, just to make sure he was really breathing. She'd imagined the day she would finally be able to feel his arms return her embrace, but somehow, despite the fact that he'd pulled her waist flush to his body with one hand and used the other to cradle the back of her head, she still had a hard time believing it was really happening.
Skimming her hands up into his thick, coarse hair, Emma moaned and pressed into him as her mouth parted, savoring his heat and his taste. With a few fumbling steps they fell to the bed, legs entwined and breaths coming heavy and ragged.
Close contact with August was something Emma grew used to after their many bike rides together, but feeling the weight of his body press into the matress was an entirely different sensation altogether. Her kisses grew more impassioned and her hands worked in a flurry to make contact with skin when without warning, August pulled away, his face contorted with pain.
"You okay?" Emma brought her hands to his cheeks, thumbs lightly stroking his skin.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." August blinked his eyes open. "Maybe we should cool it until I'm fully healed… and our families aren't waiting for us downstairs."
"Probably not a bad idea," Emma agreed with a smile, "Plus there is so much to fill you in on."
August began to pull away, flinching as he used his aching muscles to push himself up. Emma helped him the best she could and sat in silence on the edge of the bed while he worked labouredly to catch his breath. Weaving her fingers through his, she leaned her head on his shoulder and breathed in deeply.
"You have to tell me how you knew."
"How I knew you came to kiss me every day?"
"Yes."
August paused. "You were wrong."
Emma pulled away, looking at him uncomprehendingly.
The familiar smirk returned to August's face as he spoke, "It did work."