Alright everyone it's 6 AM here and I just pulled an all nighter just to be able to finish this super-longer-than-usual chapter and I can see sounds! And this chapter is NOT BETA-D SO THERE MIGHT BE HELL OF A LOT MISTAKES PLEASE FORGIVE ME
I'm high on caffeine and the cleaning lady will be here in two hours, I can't sleep then. Basically this was a pretty bad idea and I'm screwed please pray for me
Robin would be lying if he said this was the best sleep of his life.
It wasn't his fault really; he'd just never slept in the same bed with another woman for the past couple of years. Marian had already taken him some time to get used to and after she was gone, Robin had felt like he was back to his usual routine; as if Marian had been a temporary arrangement. Sure there had been women before; women that he met here and there who had the pleasure to warm his bed for a couple of hours at least but it had never gotten serious. One way or the other his relationships always fell apart and he had always gotten back to bed alone.
So Robin was actually surprised when the next woman who ended up sharing his bed, well in a literal sense at least, turned out to be his boss. He hadn't anticipated it and he wasn't even thinking properly when he offered her the chance to share his tent. But after all sharing his tent somehow meant sharing his bed and Robin only came face to face with that little fact when he found her laying peacefully in his arms and that had been the last thought that was crossing his mind right before he closed his eyes and went to sleep himself.
It hadn't been a deep sleep, that was for sure, but at least he had managed to actually catch a few hours of sleep which surprised him the most. The other women he had been with were always the ones who left after the main course, and those who stayed slept by themselves while Robin laid wide awake next to them, contemplating the day's events. There were even times he even left the bed, wandering around in the house, and promising himself that he would get used to this lady whom he shared a candle lit dinner with. It was what considered normal after all and Robin, as far as he knew it, was an ordinary guy.
However he had never gotten used to it, and he thought one of the reasons he'd managed to actually sleep next to Regina Mills was because he had been tired, and another reason was that how much he actually worked for her to be comfortable around him that he somehow fell for the same trap himself, even though that had never been his intention. True, he never had been as hesitant as Regina when it came to physical contact but there were some walls he had built around himself too and that was the night as he watched himself tear some of those walls down.
Because after all, he had gone to sleep.
When he woke up however, any evidence of her spending the night in his tent was gone. For starters, he woke up alone. He didn't know if it was his internal clock that woke him up or if it was the faint sounds of students chatting right outside his tent but he groaned right before opening his eyes and bringing a hand to rub the sleep off his eyes. It took him a moment to realize that he was alone and that Regina had left his tent sometime in the morning. Of course, there were no surprises there. Robin knew she was probably the kind of person who liked to wake up at 5 am and go on a treadmill before heading off to breakfast.
After putting on a shirt, and taking a moment to actually wake up, he hastily left his tent to face the army of students who were gathered around the campfire. It had been their unofficial meeting point and now everyone was impatiently waiting for Archie Hopper who was to lead the hike for the day. Robin didn't know what actually this hike was about since he had never been a fan of Earth Science even though he tried to actually understand what Archie was saying while he excitedly ranted about the field trip back before they left the school. So instead of trying to understand, he just shrugged and went on with his day.
It wasn't long before he caught a sight of Miss Mills who was listening intently as a student talked to her in a hurry. She nodded as the boy in front of her raised his hands in excitement as she brought a hand to her hair before brushing a lock away, eyes never leaving the student in front of her who was obviously concerned over something. For a moment, Robin stood there watching the exchange between a student and a teacher but before he had a chance to avert his gaze from the two, Regina's eyes left the student momentarily only to land on Robin's. It was quick and he didn't think it lasted more than a second but she glared at her, eyes filled with something he couldn't quite explain before she turned her attention back to the student who was oblivious to the brief eye contact that had just taken place between his two favorite teachers. Realizing that was all he was getting out of her that morning, he sighed and moved on.
After a brief breakfast, they headed out of the camp.
#
"Alright folks, make sure to have your notebooks with you and try not to leave the group and get yourselves lost!"
Archie yelled as about two dozen teenagers groaned before forcefully following him. This was going to be their first hike and considering how most of them joined the field trip thinking this was going to be a huge sleep over among friends, they weren't pretty excited when it came to the footwork of the trip; three hours of walking was not something to look forward to after all.
Robin was enjoying himself though. To him, this wasn't just boring hike in the middle of a forest no one has heard of, it was more like a little relaxing trip away from the four walled classroom of his. Not that he didn't like teaching, he adored it, but he was a man who was fond of change and this weekend was a pretty big switch from his usual job. So taking his bag pack, he watched as Archie led the way and students followed right behind all the while trying to write his words down to their respective notebooks on hand. It wasn't long before he followed their trail and started walking just a few feet behind the group, hoping to get a good view of the students just in case something happened.
He could barely hear Archie from where he walked, hell he could barely even hear the students quietly muttering to themselves as they looked around the giant forest, but he found himself being content with his position. For some strange reason he felt in control that way and got a better view of the students than anyone.
No matter how much he tried to keep his eyes on the group before him, Robin couldn't help but look for a specific person amongst them; the person he had spent the last night with. Even the mere thought of it was enough to send chills down his spine but he ignored the feeling at the bottom of his stomach before looking back up to the group.
She was walking right in the middle, not close to Archie but not that close to Robin either as she made sure to stay on the side lines, like a wolf keeping an eye on her pack. The little metaphor made him smile as he made sure to keep his gaze on her, anticipating for the time she turned around to acknowledge his presence.
She had changed into something more formal this time, the sweatpants and a tank top from last night nowhere to be found. Instead she was clad in the same jeans she came here with and he noticed the white buttoned down shirt she chose to wear for the day. It was still far more different from her usual dress suits and it was a nice change for him since he realized that casual clothes did suit her. Her body was pretty good, he had to admit, and that shirt looked like it was custom tailored for her tiny waist as her enticing curves traveled downward to her perfect-
Oh my god Robin, stop looking at her ass.
He turned his gaze away from her, the moment he caught himself on the sinful act. Not only was it disrespectful but they were also accompanying the whole class and it would take one student to turn around and realize that their English teacher was checking out their principal's ass.
He shook his head, horrified by the mere thought of it.
However before he had a chance to distract himself away from her, like he had so fruitlessly tried to do for the past hour, he realized that her pace was getting slower and she was purposely falling behind the group.
It didn't take long before they were side by side as she fell into step with him. He tried his best not to make any unusual remarks, half afraid by the fact that it would only make her run away again so keeping his eye straight on the students before them, he kept walking.
They hiked for a while in comfortable silence as Archie kept on shouting various terms from the front of the group, loud enough for everyone to pay attention to, except for Robin of course who was hyper aware of the woman walking beside him.
Was he supposed to say something? He could always make small talk, he thought to himself. He could talk about the weather. But on second thought that seemed like a pretty bad idea considering the weather absolutely sucked and she had to sleep curled up against him just to avoid freezing to death. Archie was lousy at picking a date for this field trip.
Or maybe, Robin though, he could talk about school. He could tell her about the papers he had to grade by next week or funny things happened in class. But a voice inside him told him to shut up even before he dared to open his mouth. She was probably bored of school, she was running the place after all. Why would she want to hear of it in the middle of a camping trip?
Maybe he could talk about the-
"Thank you."
He jumped by the sound of her voice as he quickly turned to look at her, just to make sure that she was addressing him. And by the stare he got from her in return, he realized that indeed she was. Regina Mills was talking to Robin.
"What for?" he found himself asking, their conversations only loud enough for both of them to hear. The students were too engrossed in Archie's class anyway.
"For last night." She spoke before averting her gaze like she was deliberately avoiding eye contact. "I was cold and…"
"Oh." Robin quickly got the point, having no intention of making her any more uncomfortable than she already was. "It was nothing."
"No." she interrupted him. "It was something. I was… I didn't like uhm…" she tried to find the right words for it but failing, she kept going, hoping he'd understood. "And you handled it pretty well. Not everyone would do what you did."
When those words left her lips, Robin only raised his eyebrows in surprise before turning to face her. Their pace was even slower now and they were falling behind the group but Robin realized that he didn't care at all as he continued to stare wide eyed to the woman who was walking next to him. He even saw the faintest of smiles on her lips but he quickly convinced himself that he was imagining it.
"So this is you actually thanking me?" he found himself asking, and quickly wished he could take it back.
Her reaction however was not a sneer or a roll of eyes, instead she did something he would never think that she would and she smiled. For a moment, Robin thought if someone had slipped something to his drink during breakfast that morning.
"Is it really that hard to believe?" she asked, eyeing him playfully.
"A bit yes." He nodded. "Or I'm just so used to you yelling at me that I never stop to consider the chances of you actually thanking me."
"That's because you never follow protocol." The little irritation was momentarily back on her eyes before she quickly brushed it off. "It's not often that you do something right."
"If cuddling with you in a dirty tent is called doing something right, then by all means, I would love to follow that protocol more often." That was it, he shamelessly flirted with her and it was too late to take it back.
Instead of a burning stare, the only thing he got was another playful smile accompanied by a roll of her beautiful brown eyes.
"I mean it, Robin." She repeated before she turned to take a look at him once more. "Thank you."
Her lips were parted, she was flushed from hiking and her expression had a bit of a softness that Robin had not quite seen before but in that moment he realized that he liked that look on her. So instead of giving her a reply, he maintained their short eye contact before giving her the faintest of nods. It meant much more than 'you're welcome' or 'no problem', no, in his mind it meant that no matter the circumstances, he would do the same thing anytime, anywhere. He just hoped to God that she'd get the message.
And a few moments later, not being able to stop himself, he tried something he promised himself not to, considering how risky it can be, but he leaned to his side before gently but intentionally brushing his arm against hers.
She did not flinch nor did she take a step away from him.
In that moment, Robin realized that he had torn down one of her walls.
#
If this had been a date, then it would have been the perfect time for Robin to casually brush his hand against hers before taking a hold of it and intertwining their fingers together. But no, the woman who walked next to him with a concentrated look on his face was still the woman who signed his paychecks so he told his mind to shut up and keep walking.
Who knew how much damage he would inflict upon their already shaky relationship by actually holding her hand? Besides, who said she was interested in him anyways? Sure she had let him come close to her last night but Robin was almost sure that it was a one-time thing and that he wasn't getting anywhere near her or her body for a very long time.
For the past fifteen minutes or so, after their small talk and her brief thanks to him (which he had already replayed in his mind a countless times) Robin's thoughts stayed completely focused on her so hard that he didn't even realize when Archie led them deeper into the woods.
This part of the forest was thick with trees and Robin only realized it when he had difficulty walking. His casual stroll on the grass had turned into a quest to try and pass through the various trees and branches without tripping and falling down and he turned to his side to watch Regina do the same. Although her attempts were a bit funnier compared to his and he could tell she wasn't used to nature at all.
"Don't you dare." She spoke as she spotted the half smirk on his lips.
"I didn't say anything." He replied, trying to prevent himself breaking into laughter as he watched her brush away a branch that was sticking to her face.
So both of them were startled when they heard a voice call out to them.
"Mr. Locksley, Miss Mills!"
Robin quickly turned to the source of the voice and it wasn't long before he spotted David trying to part the group in order to reach his two teachers.
"David, what is it?" Regina was first to respond, her voice instantly switching back to the tone she reserved only for her students.
"It's Mary Margaret," the boy spoke, once he reached them. He was already panting and Robin could see fear radiating from his eyes. "I can't find her."
The whole group had come to a halt once they realized that something was wrong and Archie was already making his way towards Robin and Regina in a hurry.
"Calm down, take a deep breath." Robin put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "What do you mean you can't find her?"
"She was walking by me one second and then she was gone the next!" David spoke, now visibly shaking. His friends, Killian and Emma were already beside him as they desperately tried to comfort him. It was no use, David was already panicked.
Robin's eyes momentarily left him only to give a quick once over to the group of students before him as he came to the realization that he was right, Mary Margaret was really gone. Panic also began to set through him but he tightened his hold on David's shoulder before taking a deep breath. He had no right to be panicking after all; he was supposed to be the one in control.
His gaze immediately went to Regina and he wasn't surprised to see her staring back at him with complete and utter shock crowding her features. She was also alarmed just like he was but she did a way better job hiding it.
Their eye contact was brief and but it conveyed everything Robin needed to know. She nodded once, eyes wide with terror and he didn't need to be told once.
"I'm on my way." He quickly spoke before hurrying off.
The trees got even thicker as he moved forward, one hand brushing away the stubborn branches that threatened to poke him in the eye as he took step after step, eyes roaming over the giant forest just to catch a glimpse of the lost girl. It hadn't been that long since they realized that she was gone, and even though they were in the wild, Robin knew the place wasn't dangerous. He neither took Biology nor Earth Science but something in his gut that he couldn't quite place assured him that the woods did not have anything to hide. Mary Margaret was safe somewhere, he just did not know where.
Closing his eyes, he took a moment to feel the cool breeze against his face as he forced his mind to think. Where could she be? Robin did not believe the girl was in danger, as a matter of fact, he was almost sure that she had gone wandering around somewhere. Mary Margaret was someone who could be distracted the moment she heard the soft sound of rain drizzling outside the building and she would forget all about the class in a second. Robin had always found himself calling out her name in order to get her mind back to his class. So it was only normal for a girl like her to forget all about their hike and wander off somewhere.
His train of thought was interrupted when he first heard the distant sound of water. Quickly opening his eyes, he located the source of the sound before walking towards that direction, guessing it to be a little creek somewhere buried in the forest. Speeding up his pace, he pushed the various tree branches away and it wasn't long before he spotted the little river. But his heart skipped a beat in his chest when his eyes caught the glimpse of a girl lying by the water.
It was Mary Margaret, and she was most definitely on the ground.
Panic pierced through his chest as he took in a deep breath before running over to the girl but he was way to engulfed in his actions that he didn't hear her calling out his name, accompanied by a sudden warning.
"Mr. Locksley! Be careful, there's a-
She did not get to finish those words.
Before he knew it, Robin's foot hit a sharp rock and he tripped before falling down himself. Though unlike Mary Margaret, his arms shot up to break his fall the last minute as he closed his eyes and felt the impact.
"…rock." The poor girl completed her sentence, now raising her head to check on her teacher who was lying a few inches away from her. Her eyes instantly filled with worry.
"Found it…" Robin spoke after a beat, before slowly raising himself back up.
First thing he felt was a sharp pain coming from his arms. However ignoring his current state of health, his eyes immediately went to the girl lying before him, happy to find her very much conscious. She seemed to be okay except for the deep cut on her leg as she struggled to clean the wound with her hands, eyes watching him just to make sure if he was okay.
"No, don't touch it." He quickly warned her. "It might get infected."
She instantly drew her hands away from the wound but when Robin tried to stand up, he winced. His eyes immediately went to his arms, as he brought them closer to take a better look. Rolling up his sleeves, he examined his skin and was surprised to see various small cuts decorating his arm. As far as he could tell, there was also another, deeper, cut on his bicep since he could sense the sharp pain radiating from it but deciding that taking off his shirt was a luxury he couldn't afford at the moment, he gave up. He had scraped his arms on the small, pointy rocks on the ground and it was completely his fault for not paying more attention to where he was going.
"You okay?" he then asked Mary Margaret, standing up and coming closer to the girl before he crouched down and examined the wound himself.
"Yeah, I'm sorry." She paused, however when Robin's questioning gaze fell upon hers, she began to explain herself. "There was a bird, and it was so pretty… so I followed it and then-
"Point taken." Robin sighed to himself with a soft smile playing his lips. He so knew that this was going to happen. Mary Margaret was once again chasing a pretty little thing that had her distracted and she had tripped on her way over here.
"Can you walk?"
The girl tried to make a move to stand up but winced in pain right after.
"Alright, just hold on to me." With that he leaned forward before placing a hand on her back as his arm went to the back of her knees. Seconds later, he picked her up.
It hadn't even been more than fifteen minutes when he found his way back to the group with a very worried Mary Margaret in his arms, though the voice in him said that she was more scared of the principal than the actual cut on her leg which might or might not get infected. Even the thought of it was enough to make him roll his eyes. The woman was not a monster for God's sake.
As he slowly approached the students, he first spotted Archie; running back and forth among the group, making sure that no one else was getting lost. Everyone seemed to be panicking now that Mary Margaret was gone, as he heard various shouts of predictions as to her whereabouts. Some kids were even betting on a kidnapper as some made up stories about how she had screamed before she was brutally taken away. Robin couldn't help but to scoff as he made his way to the small crowd.
He didn't know why, maybe it was an instinctive thing but it was Regina who sensed his presence first before turning to look at him. They made a brief eye contact, she didn't move but her gaze switched back and forth between him and the girl in her arms then she took a step back and sighed in relief, eyes quietly thanking him. Moments later, rest of the group noticed the two and before he knew it, students were running towards him with a very relieved David leading them.
#
It was a chilly night but if one was to sit close enough to the campfire that was once again set up by Mr. Hopper for the night; they would be enveloped by the delicious warmth radiating from it. That was exactly what the majority of the students did as they relaxed, wrapped in blankets, on the logs placed strategically around the campfire. It was right after dinner and students had fallen into deep conversations. The collaborative game spirit from last night had already come to an end and everyone was just content with being in their friends' company.
Yes, everyone had a pleasant smile on their faces except of course for their principal. She was busy with Mary Margaret, one of her beloved students even though she refused to admit that any student could be beloved to her, as she tended to the cut on her leg. And once again, Robin was watching the interaction from across the campfire, now starting to feel like a creep for spying on her boss. Every time his eyes landed on her, he had to pull himself back to reality and remind himself that it was absolutely and utterly rude to stare. However, every time he tried to focus his attention back on his book, he found himself getting distracted by a small sound or even a small breeze and that was enough for his eyes to pop back up to where the principal was seated right across from him.
Thankfully for them, Regina was the only sensible person in the whole camp to actually remember to bring a med kit and somehow, but also not surprisingly, she also knew her way around first aid and deciding that Mary Margaret's situation was manageable, she settled on treating the girl's injuries by the campfire before advising her to see a doctor the day after, since it was already their last night there. Mary Margaret nodded obediently before turning to her boyfriend.
The minute Robin saw Regina stand up, his gaze immediately went back to the pages before him, pretending not to even notice her presence around the campfire. Yes he was supposed to be reading anyways, definitely, reading-
"How could you read without your glasses on?"
His head immediately shot up to find the same woman he was quietly gazing at, standing in front of him with a hand on her hip.
"I'm trying this new technique…" he started, all of a sudden getting jumpy. Did she even see him looking at her? "…that if you hold it really far away and squint your eyes a little…"
"Don't think I didn't notice the cut on your arm on our way here." She cut him off before he even had a chance to finish his excuse, though he had no idea where he was going with it anyways.
"Did you?" his eyes went to his upper arm and he could clearly see his shirt being a little torn; a small souvenir from his rescue mission.
"Follow me." She ordered in a commanding tone that left no room for excuses.
"Yes, ma'am." He immediately stood up, the book already forgotten somewhere by his bag pack.
Much to his surprise, she led them to the exact tent they had shared the night before and he forced himself to forget all the memories which were now flooding back, and focus on the woman before him. She unzipped the tent before going in and he found himself following right behind without having any clue as to what she was actually up to.
She left the tent flap open, as they sat down opposite from each other since standing up in the damn tent was not an option. Though because of the size of the tent, they sat especially close to each other and Robin found himself making sure that he wasn't touching her in any way. A misunderstanding was the last thing he needed at the moment no matter how relaxed she was now when it came to his touch.
"Take off your shirt." She spoke and she dig into her small med kit, way too focused on the task at hand to even notice Robin raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"Never thought I'd heard you say that." He remarked before bringing his hands to unbutton his shirt.
"Yeah well, dreams do come true." She murmured, not really paying attention to him as she shuffled through her med kid, desperately trying to find the bandages she had just put in minutes ago.
"What makes you think it wasn't a nightmare?" he bit back, fighting the smirk off his lips. He always did love getting on her nerves after all.
The tent was illuminated by the soft light coming from the campfire and Robin could still make out her face so he didn't miss it when she rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond. At that point the shirt was already off, discarded somewhere in the small tent and he was sitting right in front of her with a sleeveless shirt.
"Look, if I hear that kind of thing one more time…" she started but she came to a complete halt when she looked up and the words died in her throat. For this once, they did not make eye contact since it wasn't Robin's eyes that caught Regina's attention, no, this time her gaze was stuck on his arms and chest.
He watched her watch him as his gaze switched back and forth between her face and his own body. Wait. Was she distracted? Was he the one distracting him?
Was she enjoying the view?
Robin's heart skipped a beat in his chest as his lips curved into a small smile. Her gaze was still hungrily roaming over his arms and when he finally let out a chuckle, she jumped back to reality.
"You'll do what exactly?"
"Do what? Uhm, what?" her voice was already hoarse and she immediately cleared her throat after as her gaze went up to meet his.
"If you hear that kind of thing one more time, you'll do what?" he repeated his question, enjoying the reaction he was pulling out of her. This was just way too good to be true.
"I'll uhm…" she shook her head, trying to focus. "I'll demote you to janitor."
"Being a janitor is also a very rewarding job, Leroy wouldn't like you talk about it like that." He teased, eyes never once leaving hers. And it was having a kind of an effect on her he couldn't quite tell but she immediately turned her eyes away from his like she was caught doing something wrong.
"Alright Karl Marx, if you're done talking I'm gonna need you to hold out your arms."
He nodded, his smile never once leaving his lips as he slowly held out his arms in front of him which were covered in small scrapes and bruises. Crossing his legs, he rested his elbows on his knees which gave her a full access to the cuts as her gaze roamed over his arms, deliberately avoiding eye contact.
"Hope you're not sensitive to physical contact as I was or else we're gonna be here a while." She remarked quietly before picking up a water soaked cloth.
So she can joke? Robin instantly let out a chuckle as his eyes lit up with playfulness.
"Would you indulge me if I'd say yes?"
"But then I knew you'd be lying." She replied, giving him a subtle smile.
"What makes you say that?" he asked her, raising his eyebrows in question though he already knew the answer.
"Because…" she spoke and suddenly placed a hand on his arm, fingers coming to curl around his wrist. He sucked in a sharp breath and met her eyes. "…you like my touch."
"Seems like the feeling's mutual since you're now so comfortable around it." He instantly bit back, enjoying the feel of having her slender fingers dance around his wrist.
"Guess I have you to thank for it." She said softly before withdrawing her hand.
Her touch was immediately replaced by a wet towel as he gasped at the sudden feeling of it. All she did was to smile upon seeing his brief reaction before she started cleaning every scrape, every little cut he had on his arms no matter how minor they looked. He watched her hands for a minute before speaking.
"I never congratulated you." He said, voice cutting through their brief and yet comfortable silence.
"For?" she asked without lifting her gaze away from her task.
"For getting the job." He said and that's when she looked up to meet his gaze, lips parting slightly. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." She replied softly, her attention switching back to his arms as she started putting small bandages on the scrapes she deemed serious. Though none of it was and Robin was going to take them off the day after but she didn't know that yet.
"It wasn't a hard job to get really," she added, going through the med kid for more bandages, "Mr. King was fired all too suddenly and they were looking for an immediate replacement. I was happened to be available."
"Leopold King?" he asked, curious to know if she knew the guy. Robin had worked for him for many years and even though they had many disagreements, it was way too easier for Robin to get Leopold to agree on something. All it took was subtle little manipulations and the guy would be where he wanted him. "I always wondered why the county fired him."
She became tense even with the mention of his name and he could tell she didn't have much good memories with him.
"Some mismanagement issues," she explained briefly, as she placed the last bandage on his arm but her fingers did not leave his body yet. "And there were some harassment suits."
"Law suits? From whom?" he asked, suddenly his eyes growing wide.
"Oh just a few teachers," she cleared her throat, trying to seem all too casual about it but the slight tremble in her voice betraying her altogether. "And me."
"You?!" his voice came out a bit higher than he expected as he looked back at her, completely dumbfounded by her sudden revelation. "But, how? When? You didn't even work here."
"There was this conference…" she replied, avoiding his eyes like she had committed some crime. Her voice was barely above a whisper and Robin felt her hands involuntarily tightening around his wrists. He immediately curled his fingers around her arm, encouraging her to go on. But of course, it wasn't that easy. It was never that easy with Regina Mills.
"Can we change the subject?" she suddenly said, withdrawing her hand away from his grasp to shuffle through her small med kit.
"Regina." But he wasn't letting go of this that easily, not without getting that one answer he needed from her. His hand came to rest on her arm and when he got her attention, she looked up, eyes betraying her stoic stance.
"Sexual harassment?" he suddenly asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Her reply was short and yet soft.
"Yes."
He immediately withdrew his hand away, afraid that even one touch would break her. The progress he had made last night was long forgotten as he looked at her, horrified by what she had just confessed him.
"Anyways," she cleared her throat and let out a brief smile, in order to dissolve the tension in the air. "He got fired and I don't-
She quickly corrected herself. "We don't have to see him ever again. Now… let's get down to business."
He was still way too stunned to even understand the meaning behind her words and when she pointed at his upper arm and raised her eyebrows, that's when he let out a soft 'oh' before leaning over to her slightly and putting his arm in front of him.
There was still an ugly gash on his bicep and that needed to be cleaned more than the mild bruises on his arms.
Content with him being ever so cooperative, Regina squinted to get a better look at the cut on his arm. But it was located right on the side of his bicep and the lightening in the tent was incredibly poor so Robin watched as she rose to her knees and leaned forward a bit, in order to get a better view.
Suddenly Robin found a very concentrated Regina hovering over him and he was lying if he said it didn't cause some subtle changes in his breathing. But still, his mind was on the secret she had just revealed to him and he found himself speaking up before he had a chance to stop himself.
"Regina, I'm so sorry. I had no idea." He looked up to her and he was surprised to watch her lips curve into a soft smile.
"No one knew," she nodded, leaning even closer to his wound before bringing the wet cloth over to his skin to clean it. "But thanks to a very witty English teacher and his jokes, I forgot all about it."
His mind instantly darted back to the first time he was introduced to her in the teacher's conference room. He remembered how he had difficulty tearing his gaze away from her, just like all the other male (and even some female) teachers in the room as he tried his chance at a couple of lame jokes in order to get her to warm up a bit. But of course he was way too obvious at hitting on her and his pathetic attempts had results in weird stares and a roll of eyes on her part. He still cringed when he remembered that horrid day.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to apologize to you for that day too." He suddenly confessed, averting his gaze away from her. But when he looked straight ahead, a very beautiful view of the principal's cleavage blocked him so he instantly looked back up. He did not want to be caught staring at her one more time, especially staring… there.
"I was hitting on you and uhm…" he swallowed. "I'm very sorry."
"You weren't the only one." She shrugged, standing so close to him that he felt her breath on his neck every time she spoke. "Though I would be lying if I said I didn't find it amusing."
"But you didn't laugh at my jokes."
"Because they weren't funny." She bit back, fighting off a smile.
His eyes widened in surprise and he leaned back a little to get a better view of her face. She had a smug smile on her lips and he found himself wanting to kiss it off.
Kiss it? What the hell, Robin, shut up.
"Has anyone told you that you were rude?" he said instead, thinking his words right now were better than his stupid actions.
"Yes as a matter of fact, you did," she said before leaning back to grab a bandage. "Many times."
He just shook his head in amusement in return as she put the bandage on the wound, so carefully that he wasn't even sure if he felt her touch on his skin. Leaning back a bit, she admired her work before sitting back down on her knees and closing the med kit.
"Thank you." He said softly after a brief pause.
He watched her nod in return, like it was a mandatory thing for her to do, and not a simple favor.
"Wouldn't want one of my teachers to get an infection and die," she said shrugging before turning to look at him. "It's hard to find a new employee these days."
"Thank you also for pretending not to care about me." He replied with a smug smile.
"Anytime," she smiled and she made a move to leave the tent but before she could crawl out, his voice stopped her dead in tracks.
"Where do you plan to sleep tonight?"
Robin watched her turn back and shrug before looking around his tent. When her eyes landed back on his, she had a soft smile playing her lips.
"I was thinking, here."
THANKS FOR READING
