She has no clue what she's doing here.
That's a lie.
Okay, well, she has no clue why she's been here so long.
Another lie.
She sighs. She knows exactly why she's here and exactly why she stayed.
Two days ago, she had heard in passing from her little brother that his teacher, Ms. Mills, had left early because she wasn't feeling well.
Emma had acknowledged it in her subconscious but hadn't started to worry until she had dropped him off at school today to find that yet again, he had a substitute teacher.
And she couldn't help but wonder…and worry about Regina. No, she may not be in love. She may not be looking for anything too serious. But she still has a heart.
And it has quite the soft spot for you, Ms. Mills.
She looks down at Regina sleeping peacefully.
Initially, she had been terrified when Regina had passed out, falling almost perfectly into her arms.
She had looked around, lost for a moment, with a limp Regina slumped against her before finally deciding to carry her in. She hoped against hope that no one had seen that series of events, only imagining how sketchy it looked.
She had carried Regina up the stairs and placed her in bed before calling her mother in a frenzy.
After describing all apparent symptoms, Ingrid had explained that it sounded like an untreated flu.
The flood of relief that swam through her was impossible to ignore.
Her mother had instructed her to pump Regina full of cold & flu medicine and fluids and let her rest until she could see a doctor.
Two hours ago, that seemed like easy advice to follow. She had found some flu medicine in the very bag that Regina was holding but the longer she sleeps, the more concerned Emma becomes.
Emma: She's still asleep. Is that normal? Is she supposed to sleep this long?
Her mother responds almost immediately, as she always does.
Mom: Sweetheart, it's fine. In fact, it's great that she's sleeping so soundly. Would you rather she have trouble getting rest?
Emma: Okay. I guess that's fair.
Mom: The only thing you need to worry about is chills or a fever. Are either of those present?
She's laying on her stomach watching Regina's chest move as she breathes slowly. She leans forward to feel her forehead. It's a little warm but certainly not a fever.
Emma: No chills I don't think. And definitely no fever.
Mom: That's perfect. Just keep doing what you're doing and call if you need anything.
Emma nods firmly, feeling better after talking to her mother.
She sets her phone back on the nightstand and lays back down, facing Regina's sleeping frame.
She reaches out tentatively to remove a strand of lose hair from her face and as Regina sighs and moves into her touch, she feels like she's discovering her for the very first time.
"You are so beautiful, Regina Mills."
She gets no response. Not that she expected or even wanted one.
"I probably should've told you more. Complimented you more. Because you…" She pauses to ask herself what she doing.
Talking to a girl that's practically unconscious and incredibly ill? Complimenting her and flirting with said girl?
In the hopes of accomplishing what exactly?
"She can't hear you Emma," she berates herself quietly as she rolls onto her back and stares at the ceiling.
But at least Emma could get these thoughts out of her head. The things she's thought about Regina since day one that she's always wanted to tell her. But she knew that saying those things would confuse her. Sometimes it was so glaringly obvious that Regina wanted more and because she hadn't wanted to hurt her or lead her on, she had kept all sorts of things to herself.
But the truth was,
"I find you so attractive. And not even in that, your body is gorgeous, you look good naked sort of way…," she turns briefly to make sure that Regina is still fast asleep first. "I think you're the prettiest when you have clothes on. And not even fancy, teacher clothes. Just like some sweats or something. You are so cute in sweats."
She laughs at herself involuntarily.
The first time she had ever seen Regina is something so casual, she had wanted so badly to pull her into her arms and tell her how adorable she looked.
But she had refrained. She had recognized what that might look like to Regina, so she held that desire back.
"But sometimes, all I want to do is hug you. You look so huggable. Is that a word?" She laughs to herself.
"That's another thing I like. You're so smart. You always know what's a word. And it's like you know all these random facts-well, I guess they're really not random. They're things everyone with a degree probably knows but still…you know so much about so much. Sometimes, August will ask me something and I swear I almost call you to get the answer."
She chuckles, remembering all the times he'd stump her (which wasn't hard to do) and she had considered calling Regina. "But…I didn't want to call on a Monday or something. I thought that'd be weird since we only…" she lets herself trail off.
Only what? Only fucked twice a week? Only went on group dates pretending to be a couple?
She sighs.
She shouldn't be doing this, emotionally unloading onto a sleeping Regina. It isn't fair to her.
It wasn't fair to hug her or compliment her then and it isn't fair now to be so much of a coward that the only time she can admit to these things is if Regina can't hear her or respond.
But what is Emma Swan if not a coward?
She sighs again and decides to stop talking. She isn't doing anyone any favors by continuing on this mini rant.
She closes her eyes and drifts off next to Regina.
She is awoken by the sound of retching, coming from the bathroom she determines. She quickly gets up to inspect and what she finds is quite possibly the saddest sight she's ever seen, next to August being sick, of course.
Regina is slumped onto the toilet, looking pale and sweaty and she feels so bad for the woman.
She doesn't get sick these days. Her mom is a firm believer in preventative care. But when she was younger, before she was adopted, she had gotten sick often from eating from the trash or sleeping on the ground. And she remembers clearly wishing so badly that someone would take care of her. Rub her back and tell her everything was going to be okay, just like moms and dads did in the movies she would sneak into.
So even though Regina's hair and shirt is splattered with vomit and the thought of touching it kind of repulses her, she does what she wishes someone had been there to do for her. She leans down anyway and pulls the tangled, sweaty hair from her face. Using the hair tie on her wrist, she quickly puts Regina's hair in a ponytail until she can make sure she's actually done emptying the contents of her stomach.
Regina doesn't acknowledge her as she crouches down next to her and tentatively rubs her back.
"It's okay. Let it all out."
As if waiting for the command, she lurches forward again and vomits into the toilet, all while Emma is rubbing her back and whispering soothingly to her. She's not sure if it's helping or even if the motion is wanted, but she is desperate to help and this is the only way she knows how right now.
She can only hope that it's enough.
Finally, after about an hour, Regina nods in the affirmative that she is finished. She attempts to stand, but nearly falls over and Emma almost has a heart attack.
"Here, let me help you." She stands with her and helps her rinse her mouth before sitting her back down on the toilet.
"Alright, let me get this off of you."
She goes to lift Regina's dirty shirt, but her hands are quickly pushed away.
"I don wanna have sex, Emma."
Emma's eyebrows raise in surprise. "I-I'm not trying to have sex with you Regina. I'm just trying to take off this dirty shirt and get you a clean one. Come on, arms up for me."
She reaches again for the hem of the shirt and meets resistance again when Regina's open palm hits her square in the chest in an attempt to push her away.
"You are tryna have the sex with me. You wan me naked. It's all you ever wan."
Regina is sick and weak so the hit to the chest doesn't hurt. But the words themselves? Knowing that's what Regina thinks about her? That causes something inside of her to break.
She stands there for a minute, at a lost. She's sure it's the medicine talking.
Or at least I hope so.
She rubs her hands across her face trying to figure out a different plan since Regina is unwilling to cooperate.
She considers for a brief moment just saying 'fuck it' and leaving her in the shirt, but she knows that when Regina finally returns to her normal self, she will be furious to find out that Emma let her sleep in bed with vomit on her shirt.
She looks down to find Regina's eyes closed. She could really quickly just yank the shirt off and fight her until it's done.
Eh, that feels a little rape-y.
She finally makes an executive decision and heads downstairs to the kitchen. She finds what she's looking for then returns to find that Regina is drifting in and out of sleep.
Swiftly, she uses the newly acquired scissors to cut the shirt from bottom to top, trying to miss any of the food chunks. Once she's done, she pulls the fabric gently off of Regina's shoulders, met with pretty much no trouble.
Now she feels bad for cutting it, but she just shrugs.
What's done is done, she figures as she picks up the shirt with only her thumb and pointer finger and drops it into the bathroom trashcan.
She removes Regina's yoga pants with minimal effort but when she tries to take off her bra and underwear, Regina awakens just in time to put up another fight.
"Stop it," she says it so half-heartedly, but Emma still feels weird about pressing forward.
She pauses her motions and crouches down to explain.
"Gina, I have to take these off so you can-" But Regina will hear none of it.
"I said stop! I don wan you here!" Her eyes are closed and her head is lolling from side to side as she speaks and Emma's almost positive she has no clue what she's saying, but it breaks her heart nonetheless.
The feeling of Regina not wanting her to stay, not wanting her around, makes her feel like shit. She had grown so accustomed to Regina always enjoying her company, always craving it, that now she feels incomplete without that desire from her.
It crosses her mind that that makes her a selfish, shitty person but she shakes her self-deprecation away for the moment.
She looks up at Regina and sighs. She lifts her head and carefully pushes some hair back from her face. She shakes her head, because she knows that despite Regina's apparent desire to be left alone, she cannot leave her like this.
"Regina, look at me."
Her head tilts again, but she doesn't respond. She seriously is starting to wonder what this medicine has in it.
"Baby, look at me."
That seems to get her attention, at least a bit. She slowly opens her eyes and Emma takes advantage of the moment.
"Baby, listen, I have to clean you up. You will feel so much better after you take a warm shower and get in some clean clothes. Okay?"
Regina's eyes droop again.
"Hey, hey, try to stay awake for me, okay?" But it's too late. "Regina?" It becomes pretty obvious that Regina has fallen back asleep and she has no clue where to go from here.
Truthfully, Regina does need a shower and probably would feel better after. But how in the hell is she supposed to get a mostly unconscious woman into the shower, hold her up, wash her hair, and not slip and kill either of them in the process?
The simple truth is that she can't. So as much as she hates it, she's going to have to let Regina sleep this off and try again a little later.
She makes sure that Regina is situated on the toilet and then cautiously lets her go to see if she can go wrangle up some towels or baby wipes or something.
She checks under the sink and in the linen closet and eventually finds a few helpful items.
Returning with the towels, she runs them under warm water and then washes Regina's face, chest, and arms gently. She groans lightly but makes no other noise and Emma works mostly uninterrupted. She uses a new towel to run through her matted hair to clean it up a bit and then rubs the hand sanitizer onto Regina's hands and arms, hoping to minimize the spread of germs until she can get her into the shower.
It's not great and she will definitely need to change the sheets afterwards, but it will do for now.
Hell, Regina would probably be impressed.
Once done, Emma easily scoops her up bridal style, which causes Regina to wake up for a few seconds and her arms loosely wrap around her neck for support and Emma can't help but stare at her as she walks them back to the bed.
Even when sick and covered in a light layer of sweat, she's still the most beautiful girl Emma's ever seen.
She places her gently down on the bed, or at least tries to, but Regina's grip suddenly tightens around her neck.
"Noooo," she groans out. "Don wanna you to go."
It's the first positive thing that Regina's said to her since she's arrived and Emma smiles involuntarily at that. Not only is delirious Regina adorable, but hearing Regina say that she wants her there gets Emma's pulse racing, even though she's well aware that it shouldn't.
"I'm not going anywhere babe, I just need to get you a fresh shirt."
Regina doesn't respond so she tries again to put her down. This time, her grip slackens and Emma drops her gracefully onto the bed, leaning her against the headboard, maneuvering her legs and placing the sheets over her waist.
After that small feat is taken care of, she heads to the dresser to get her a clean new shirt.
She's not exactly sure what Regina likes to sleep in, since the only times they've slept in the same bed, Regina has been naked but she finally settles on a long sleeve thermal and with some difficulty she gets it on her body, with absolutely no help from Regina as her heavy, limp limbs flail around. Once redressed, she maneuvers Regina's body so that she's laying down in the bed again, with the sheets covering her entire body.
She doesn't awaken at all and Emma figures that's probably a good thing. Like her mother said, good rest is preferred.
She stands there for an extra minute or two, making sure that Regina's comfortable before she sighs and heads back to the bathroom to take care of that shit show.
It still smells disgusting and she almost vomits herself. She turns on the ventilator and uses the Clorox wipes from under the sink to wipe down every surface in the bathroom that Regina may have touched. After she feels satisfied that the disinfectant has served its purpose, she heads back to the bedroom and looks around.
Regina's now laying on her side with her mouth slightly ajar, snoring lightly.
"So fucking cute," she whispers to no one.
She checks her watch to find that it's about time for another dose of medicine.
She almost thinks better of it because Regina seems so out of it, but she figures the doctor knows more than she does about this type of stuff so she gets the liquid sludge and pours it into the small cup before heading to Regina's side of the bed. She lifts her up and sits behind her, supporting her weight then tips Regina's head back just so and opens her mouth.
Please don't vomit on me. Please don't vomit on me.
She repeats it over and over to herself as she pours the medicine into her mouth, hoping that Regina's involuntarily bodily reflexes will just take over. Thankfully, they do and she administers the medicine for a second time without incident.
She contemplates what she should do now.
Hands on her hips, she looks around the room.
She's already picked up the dirty clothes. She's already tidied up the few things out of place. At this point, there's nothing else for her to do so she crawls back into the bed gently, not wanting to disturb the sleeping brunette.
As if she'd wake up anyway, Emma snorts to herself. Regina's snoring is slightly louder, but not obnoxious.
She reaches for the remote on her side of the bed and turns on the t.v., putting the volume on the lowest possible level while still being able to hear.
She's never watched t.v. at Regina's house. She's never really done anything at Regina's other than fuck, sleep, and go to the bathroom. She once grabbed a granola bar on the way out the door but that was about the extent of it. So today had been one of many firsts for her. She's only been here about 6 hours but that is rapidly approaching a record.
She turns back to check on Regina and finds her snuggled up into the pillows, even when sick looking beyond words beautiful.
She shakes her head.
"It shouldn't be fair to look that good." Emma turns on the Netflix and puts on a random movie and divides her attention between that, her phone, and Regina for about an hour until she, too, falls asleep.
The first thing she feels when she emerges from her sleep is a feather touching her skin.
It's running back and forth on her cheek and she wants to swat at it but then it is accompanied by whispering and she knows that voice and loves it and can't bring herself to stop what is happening. Especially when she awakens enough to know that the feather is actually a hand and she can make out the words being whispered so closely that the air is hitting her cheek.
"You are just a piece of art."
Emma smiles internally. Regina's voice is thick with sleep and something else she can't make out.
"Of course everyone wants to buy you and hang you up in their bedrooms."
There it is. She's figured out what that 'something else' is. Regina's voice is tinged with deliriousness, evident even more by the stream of consciousness thoughts that flow from her mouth. Whether the deliriousness stems from her being tired or the medication, she can't say. But it's actually adorable.
"I would love to hang you up too, you know, but I don't want to share a work of art. I want to be the owner. Not like I want to own you though, I just want…to have you. To know you."
It's so hard to keep her eyes closed and her mouth shut, but she manages and she's rewarded when Regina tucks her head into her neck so that Emma has a face full of…
Her eyes shoot open.
Regina's hair lacks its usual apple scent. And, in fact, the hair in her face smells like puke and she gags instantly.
She sits up abruptly and scares Regina, who yelps and scoots away from her.
"I-" she reaches out to put a hand on Regina's leg. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, I…"
"It's okay, are you okay?" Regina asks cautiously.
Emma places a hand over her rapidly beating heart and nods. "Yeah yeah, I'm totally fine. I just wasn't…expecting anyone to be in bed with me." She lies easily.
Regina nods understandingly, "Sorry…again."
Emma chuckles a little and shakes her head. "It's fine. Not your fault."
The silence extends for longer than she would like but she also doesn't know how to politely say, "You smell like old vomit so let's get you in the shower."
She finally settles on something simple. "I'm feeling kind of grimy. Wanna take a shower with me?"
Regina's eyebrows raise instantly.
"Not for sex or anything!" Emma feels the need to clarify, especially after the earlier shirt confusion.
"I just want to feel clean again and I thought maybe you would too?"
She doesn't want to sound pushy or forceful but she wants to make this shower sound as enticing as possible.
After a long, semi-awkward silence, Regina nods. "Yeah, you're probably right. I would love to shower."
There's a brief pause before she comes back once more with, "with you. I would love to shower with…with you."
Regina is awkward and cute and she smiles back at her, getting weirdly excited for this shower.
She's showered with women before, obviously, but it was 100% sexual. This wasn't. And the idea of yet another first with Regina makes her skin tingle with nervous anticipation.
"Right…okay," she pulls the sheets off of her, "I'm going to go get the water running and warm."
She hears Regina mumble a thanks before falling back onto the bed. She takes her time getting the water ready and stripping naked before calling out to Regina that everything is ready. When she doesn't get a reply, she worries that Regina has fallen asleep on her again.
She peaks her head out the door, but doesn't find her in bed at all. Instead, she's leaned against the wall with her eyes closed.
"You okay Gina?" She opens the door a little more and walks out naked as the day she was born.
Regina's surprise when she discovers that fact is evident, as her skin turns her a shade of pink Emma has never seen before.
"Uh…yes, I'm sorry. I just…I tried taking a few steps but I began to feel a little woozy."
Emma steps closer, placing her hand around her waist. "Here, we'll walk together."
Regina wraps an arm around her as well as they slowly walk towards the bath.
"Hey, sit here for a sec. And go ahead and take everything off."
Regina follows the instructions well and she leans over the shower to turn it off.
"What are you doing?"
Emma looks back at her briefly before turning the water back on.
"Nothing, I just don't want you to have to stand. So I'm going to run you a bath instead."
"Oh, okay." The disappointment in Regina's voice is hard to miss.
"I can still stay, if you want."
Emma smirks to herself and she pours her fancy bubble bath soap into the tub, watching bubbles form instantaneously.
"Well…you are already naked…"
Emma laughs at the horrible logic, as if it's impossible to put her clothes back on.
"That's true. But no funny business, alright missy?" She looks back to see her smirking.
"We'll see Miss Swan. We'll see."
Emma feels her dick stir and she reminds herself that no matter what she says, Regina is too sick to have sex.
Aaaand also, we said we weren't doing that anymore.
That one, she had forgotten about.
She sighs and swishes the water around with her hand to test the temperature.
"It's ready." She stands to find Regina standing as well.
"Uh, here, I'll get in first if you want? Or did you…?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
The exchange is so awkward and so unlike the them that she's used to.
In the past few months, they had fallen into an effortless rhythm. They had overcome any awkwardness and had created quite a sex routine of sorts.
But this? This is so new, to not just them, but also to Emma.
As she slips into the perfectly warm water, she tries to think of the last time she even took a bath. Surely, it must have been in her teens.
But when Regina nervously slips in in front of her and leans back into her tentatively, she feels all of that nervousness and tension float away.
It may be her first time taking a bath with Regina, but she knows this body well. She probably shouldn't but she wraps her arms around her waist securely and feels Regina exhales and lean further into her.
They sit for a moment, just enjoying the closeness. It's been over two months since they've been this intimate and Emma suddenly feels her heart fill up again.
Why does this feel so damn good?
She shakes her head in disbelief and refocuses on the moment in front of her, choosing to enjoy it rather than overanalyze it.
"We should wash your hair, baby."
Regina puts her hands up to feel it.
"Oh gosh. Is it awful?"
She laughs. "Define awful?"
"Geez! It's that bad?"
"Well, I tried to clean it earlier, and I did okay, but I mean…trust me, we should wash it."
Regina sighs in exasperation, but stands. She retrieves the removable shower head and shampoo from the top shelf and resumes her spot.
"May I?" she asks gently.
Regina turns to look at her and their eye contact makes Emma's heart flutter.
Regina says nothing but hands her the showerhead and turns back around.
She turns on the water and Emma uses extra care when running the water through her hair.
"Is that too hot?"
"It's perfect," Regina moans out, tilting her head back.
They sit in silence as Emma gently rinses her hair until Regina finally speaks.
"Why did you come here?"
"Because I missed you," is her immediate reply and she feels like she should be embarrassed or something but there's none of that.
Because what's so shameful about the truth? She has missed Regina. Like crazy actually.
"You have?" Regina whispers.
"Yeah, like fucking crazy."
She runs her fingers through her hair, massaging Regina's scalp. She sighs at the soothing motion and that sound, in turn, sooths Emma as well.
"I…I'm happy that you're here, believe me…but nothing has changed. I still want more."
Regina sounds so upset about that fact that Emma feels instantly guilty.
"I'm sorry about before. Really."
Regina nods but says nothing.
Because that's not what she wants to hear you fucking idiot.
She sighs and tries again.
"Look…to be honest, I don't know what I'm doing here…what all of this is supposed to change or whatever, but I know that I fucked six other girls in the time that we've been apart and it was…unsatisfying to say the least."
Emma nods proudly, feeling like she's just bared her soul but the tension emanating from Regina tells her that her revelation isn't exactly what she was hoping for.
"I meant that as like…a compliment."
Regina snorts. "It's a compliment that while I was here, missing you, you were having sex with tons of other women?"
"It wasn't tons," she defends.
"But it was none or one! It took six women to realize…what exactly? That I am exceptionally good in bed? That's why you came here?"
"No no, you're not understanding me." Emma's voice begins to raise and Regina leans forward, away from her.
"Well, you're not being clear. I don't get it Emma."
"I'm just…trying to say like…yeah I fucked those girls but it wasn't what I wanted."
"Are you suggesting that someone forced you?"
"NO! I mean like…" she struggles for words and briefly considers how awkward this fight is, as it takes place in a bathtub with Regina straining to face her.
"I just mean that I thought I wanted to fuck other women. I wanted to be able to do what I want, without being tied down. But I realized that I don't want that if it means I can't have you too. I…I really enjoy sex with you. But also doing all the other stuff wasn't so bad either. But I'm going to be 100% honest with you, I don't know if I could just do that all the time. I don't know if I could just be with you and not think about other women. That's…just not my style."
Regina takes a small breath and then turns around, her back to Emma once more.
After the silence becomes crippling, she speaks again. "Tell me what you're thinking?"
Her voice is soft and light and doesn't portray any of the agony that she feels.
"I…I don't know what to think. On the one hand, you're saying exactly what I want to hear. I love that you love going to dinner and movies with my friends, but on the other hand, that doesn't mean you like spending time with just me. You've never done that before. And even if you did enjoy just being with me, you wouldn't just be with me at all. You'd want to be with other people at the same time?"
"Well….yes and no. I mean, it's not like I would be going out every night with a different girl. Typically in the past, when I was seeing someone seriously, we'd both sleep with other people but we wouldn't do any of the other stuff with strangers. That's what makes this different from anything I may be doing with someone else."
"So you sleep with me and go to dinner with me and you'd considered that dating…and, and still would sleep with other women?"
Emma reaches out and tentatively takes the shampoo from Regina's hands, lathering up her own before rubbing it into her wet hair.
"Look, I don't want you to dwell on that. Right now, I don't even have a desire to see anyone else. I just think that in order for this to seriously work, or even stand a chance, I have to know that I'm not stuck. I-I hate that feeling. Like this is the only option."
Regina leans back into her a little more, placing her hands on either of Emma's thighs and drawing small patterns.
"So having the title of an open relationship is just so you don't feel trapped with me? But it doesn't mean that you will be with other people?"
"Exactly," she leans down to kiss Regina on the neck sweetly. "I can't predict the future, I don't know who's going to come into my life. But I do know that right now I'm just interested in being with you. Getting to know you better and spending more time with you."
She kisses her neck again, slightly rougher this time and Regina moans quietly and grips her thighs.
She swallows and pulls away though. This isn't about sex. Not only is Regina unwell, but she's also desperate to prove that she is capable of wanting more. She's capable of giving more than just the physical.
"I know this may not be exactly what you want but it's the best I can do for now. And we can take the relationship thing slowly. There's no need to rush anything," she begins washing the suds from her hair.
Regina is silent for a few minutes until Emma whispers that she's all done.
"My conditioner is leave in." She responds in her own soft whisper.
She stands then, the bath certainly helping her regain some clarity and balance, and steps out grabbing a towel.
Emma continues to sit awkwardly, not really sure where to go from here.
She had done it all, hadn't she?
She had admitted to having feelings, she had admitted to wanting more, and she had been honest through it all.
Maybe too honest, she thinks morbidly.
She stands herself and grabs what Regina always referred to as the guest towel, though she knew she was about the only guest Regina ever had.
They both dry quietly and Emma leans down to let out the water, turning to find Regina gone.
She wraps the towel around her waist, tucking it snugly before re-entering the bedroom.
She finds Regina slipping on panties and a tank top and doesn't know what to do with herself.
Should she get dressed and go? Get dressed and stay?
Regina then begins taking the sheets off the bed to prepare them for the laundry and she feels like she can't just sit back and watch so she silently helps.
They remove the sheets and while Regina goes to put them in the washer, Emma heads to the linen closet and grabs a new set of covers. Regina returns to find the bed remade and thanks her quietly before crawling under the sheets again.
"Uh, here…it's probably time for more medicine. Let me get it."
Just to keep herself busy, she takes her time pouring the liquid into the cup and handing it to Regina. She doesn't know what she's supposed to do now. She knows what she wants to do, but she's not sure what right she has to do it.
She takes the cup back from Regina after she downs the medicine.
"I hate being sick."
It may not necessarily be the olive branch she was looking for but she'll take whatever she can get.
She crouches down in front on Regina's side of the bed, "Yeah, me too. And I really hate seeing you sick."
"You didn't have to stay," Regina responds sharply, obviously misinterpreting her words.
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I meant, it makes me feel awful for you. Trust me, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."
"Really?"
She brushes some hair out of her face. "Really really."
Regina's eyes close tiredly and she wants to kiss each eyelid so badly that she almost vomits at the thought.
"Your hair is still damp baby."
"I love when you call me baby."
Emma swallows, unsure of how to respond.
"I..., okay."
Regina smiles at that. "And I love how awkward you are."
Emma laughs, sensing that the medicine must be kicking back in pretty fast, having the ability to make Regina a little loopy and carefree with her words.
"Yeah, I am pretty awkward. Especially with you. I just never know what to say or do."
Her brutal honesty is rewarded when Regina reaches out and strokes her cheek reverently.
"Say you'll stay?"
"Yeah..." she tilts her head to kiss Regina's wrist. "Of course, baby."
"I'm just going to borrow some shorts and a shirt."
"Anything you want…baaaby."
Regina's lazy smirk confirms the medicine is doing its job. She stands and places a quick kiss to her forehead before heading to grab some clothes. She pulls off the towel and begins dressing quickly, eager to join Regina in bed.
She can feel Regina's eyes on her as she dresses but neither of them say anything until she's headed back to the spacious bed.
"We've never done it before, but…do you ever cuddle? Do you know how?" She asks as Emma slips back into bed.
She laughs loudly and throws her head down on a pillow, sighing at how good it feels to lay in clean sheets on a comfy bed.
"Yes, Regina. I do know how to cuddle. And I'll have you know I make a wonderful big spoon."
"Can I be your big spoon?"
"No, that's not a thing."
"Pleeeeease!"
"No," she scoots closet and wraps a muscular arm around Regina's waist, pulling her as close as they can be, silencing the discussion.
"Ooooh," Regina groans, "you do make quite a nice big spoon!"
She settles into Emma and she uses it as an opportunity to place a few kisses on her neck and bare shoulders.
"See, I told you babe. Plus, you make a much cuter little spoon than I would."
"The cutest you've ever spooned?" Regina's voice sounds casual but the words themselves betray her apprehension.
"The sweetest, most beautiful little spoon I've ever had the privilege of scooping into my arms."
"Ahhh, I get it! Because spoons scoop things!"
Emma, not meaning it as a joke, just chuckles and pulls her impossibly closer.
"Go to sleep Gina."
"Promise not to leave?"
And though it's against her nature, though she's always been an unpredictable runner, never in one spot for long enough to get attached to her surroundings, she breathes in Regina and cannot help herself.
"I promise not to leave."
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Took me forever, but I finally finished it! In my defense, the only "free" weekend I've had in the last month, I spent in Vancouver meeting Lana so I will not apologize this time for being too busy because I have NO REGRETS! Lol. But as always, thank you for your patience. And your favorites, follows and reviews. They mean so much to me and really contribute positively to the writing process. There will be a part two of this that picks up immediately after this scene so don't worry! We're not done yet! But let me know how you liked the first part of their big talk. And what do you think Regina's going to do?! :O Even I don't know yet!
Until next time! :D