Regina could feel the warmth before she fully realized where she was. She opened her eyes slowly and met the form of Emma Swan, lying on her stomach and breathing with her mouth open. Regina concealed a smile and stared at her for a while; it seemed to be a trend lately, to stare at her until she lost track of time.
It was too early though. She was still half asleep, so she let herself enjoy the feeling, not caring about what that feeling might mean in the future. Eventually, she felt her eyelids heavy and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep again with a smile on her lips.
When she woke up again, the bed was empty. There was no warmth, no body, no breathing next to her. Regina opened her eyes and sat up slowly, looking around. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Emma emerged cleaning her wet hands on her long shirt.
"Hey, you're up," she smiled when she saw Regina looking at her from the bed. Emma dropped on her own bed this time and stretched. "I didn't think you were one to sleep in but you were sleeping so fondly I let you sleep it through."
Regina glanced at the clock and her eyebrows shot up when she realized it was noon already. She wasn't a girl who slept in; she usually woke up before 9:30 on days there was no school.
"I…guess I was tired," she murmured, blinking fully awake.
Emma chuckled, "Yeah, you really wouldn't drop those kung fu moves last night."
"Did I hit you?" Regina asked slightly embarrassed, but Emma shook her head.
"Nah, I was just kidding. You're a cuddler though."
Regina's cheeks dyed a shameful tone of red as she stood, "I am not."
Emma met her gaze and smirked, "You're right, you're not. But you definitely find more comfortable my shoulder than you pillow."
A pillow flew and hit Emma's face, cutting her chuckle. "Perhaps I should have hit you when I had the chance," Regina commented before entering the bathroom. She wondered if Emma was telling the truth about using her as a pillow and found she would probably never know and she would use that to tease her.
Regina washed her face with cold water as she decided she wouldn't let Emma sleep on her bed again. Even if all her body ached for it to happen again.
Regina met Kathryn for lunch that day and both girls caught up with the events of the previous night. Regina didn't see Emma nor Ruby at the dining room; not that she was looking for her, she just hadn't seen her. In fact, she didn't see her again until that night, when Emma entered the room eating an apple.
"Oh, hey. I just saw your sister. I think she's coming to see you," Emma informed her with her mouth full. "Also, I just visited kitten us and guess what?"
Regina rolled her eyes as her feet touched the floor and she rose, "What?"
Emma threw the rest of the apple in the trash and smiled smugly, "I found them cuddling."
"Cats don't cuddle," Regina sneered, but she felt her neck turning red at the thought of the two of them sleeping in the same bed the night before. She wondered who would be the big spoon out of the two girls.
"Whatever," Emma cut the line of thought. "Are you doing something tomorrow?"
Regina looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "No, but you should study for the art history test you have on Monday."
Emma smirked at her from the bed, "Are you keeping track of my classes?"
"No," Regina answered swiftly, turning to hide the blush in her cheeks with the excuse of reaching for a jacket. "I just happened to hear some students in the dining room."
"Sure," Emma murmured, the disbelief clear in her voice.
A knock cut off Regina's snap and she opened the door, already knowing who she would find there. Zelena smiled at her, "Regina. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, let's go." She was going to close the door when Zelena leaned and waved at Emma.
"Think about it!" she threw at her, making Emma laugh.
"Will do."
Regina closed the door and frowned at her sister, "What was that about?" Zelena hooked her arm to Regina's and waved her other hand.
"Oh, nothing. So, what did you want to do? You were pretty mysterious in that text."
Regina cleared her throat, "I just wanted to talk to you about Mal and her friends. And that Killian boy."
They entered the hall of the dorm, where a few students were spending the evening. The sofa in front of the TV was all full and so was the few chairs that were around it, so Regina led them to a table at the back of the room. There was a chessboard on it and, out of habit, Regina started to gather the pawns and put them on their place.
"What about them?" Zelena asked as she imitated her sister. They usually played it when they were younger.
"I want info of them. You're close to them, so you can surely tell me what's their Achilles' heel?" Regina wondered, moving first.
Zelena watched the chessboard with a hand on her chin. She made a move before looking up, "Why do you want to know that?"
Regina fidgeted with the queen between her fingers. She knew her sister how her sister would react when she told her why she wanted to know it, but it was the only way she could get the information.
"Remember the party last night?" Zelena nodded as her eyes followed Regina's pawn moving. "Well, turns out Killian doesn't take rejection too well. He and the girls joined forces and tried to pull a bad joke on Emma. They wrote her number on a stall under the name 'slut'."
Regina felt her blood start to boil again at it, but remained calm as she watched Zelena's eyes bulging. "Seriously?"
"I wouldn't joke about this," Regina rolled her eyes. "They may be your friends or whatever, but I'm not letting them get away with it. So, I'm asking you about something you can give me to throw it back."
Zelena grimaced, "They aren't really my friends; we're just on some classes together. It doesn't surprise me though, Mal is one bad b—"
"Anyways, you have anything?" Regina asked raising her eyebrows questioningly. Her sister leaned in, looking around to check nobody was listening to them. She smiled, the chessboard long forgotten.
"I think I may have what you need."
When Regina came back into the room, Emma looked up from the bed. "Kathryn came by," she shouted. Regina grimaced and motioned Emma to take off her headphones. The blonde smiled, "Sorry, too loud?" At Regina's nod, she scouted in her bed until she was sitting up.
"Did she tell you what she wanted?" Regina asked eyeing her phone; she had no messages from her friend.
"Yeah, but next time tell her I'm not an owl."
"Tell her yourself," Regina shot back, although she was too distracted and it lacked of venom.
"Anyways," Emma started, stretching her back. Regina caught the movement and tried to look away but she couldn't, her eyes glued to the way the shirt moved up Emma's thighs. "She said if you could help her with the debate homework tomorrow, at the library."
When Emma finally lowered her hands, Regina's brain seemed to start working again. She cursed mentally and nodded, "Thanks. I'll text her." Regina stood and went to the bathroom, changing her clothes while her mind was still going over what Zelena had told her. When she came back out, Emma was reading a thick book she guessed was art history's.
Regina grabbed her own book and got into bed, both letting the time pass comfortably. After 30 minutes, Regina finally accepted she would never finish her book, as her gaze drifting to Emma's legs that just kept moving. Emma was lying on her stomach, her legs folded up and moving to what Regina guessed it was the music Emma was shaking her head too. She noticed Emma was drawing something in the book while her lips muttered the lyrics of some song.
After a while, Regina threw the bookmark at Emma, who let out a surprised gasp and looked over at her, taking off her headphones, "Hey, what was that for?"
"You didn't hear me," Regina shrugged the lie easily. "I'm going to sleep, so I suggest you do the same. I can't sleep with the lights on."
"I'm studying," Emma protested.
"Hardly," Regina left the book on her nightstand and looked at Emma's pointedly. "I can see you're drawing."
"It's called art history."
Regina rolled her eyes, "Don't stay up too long." With that, she turned in the bed and closed her eyes. However, she really couldn't sleep with the lights on, so she just laid there listening to Emma's pencil on the pages and the random hums following the music.
Eventually, she heard Emma finally putting the book away and turning off the light, so she turned and stared at the ceiling. The room was dark, but Regina still couldn't get herself to sleep; the bed seemed suddenly uncomfortable as she tossed and turned.
After a while, Emma spoke softly, "You're going to dig a hole in the bed if you keep tossing and turning."
Regina rolled her eyes in the dark, huffing. She wouldn't admit it, but deep down she knew why she couldn't sleep; her body just didn't like the feeling of the whole bed to herself. She wanted to feel a body by her side. Emma's body.
She was almost resigning herself to a sleepless night, when she heard Emma moving beneath her sheets. She caught her shadow sitting up, but she didn't stand up right away. There was a silence before Emma finally whispered softly, "I know it may sound weird, but wanna share the bed?"
"Afraid of the dark?" Regina joked. She almost saw Emma's eye roll. Without further word, Regina scouted aside in the bed, leaving room for Emma, hoping she would get it. It wasn't long until she felt Emma sliding into the bed next to her. She could feel her warmth instantly.
They say one of life's most blissful moments is seconds after you wake up, when you haven't fully take in reality and you feel your muscles relaxed. Regina hummed in satisfaction when she started to drift away from Morpheus' arms. She felt the soft skin beneath her fingers as she slid them up her toned stomach. She only realized it wasn't hers when they reached under her chest. Her stomach wasn't that toned.
She opened her eyes and gasped when she noticed the situation. Her fingers were skimming up Emma's abs, brushing beneath her boobs. She jumped back in the bed, like if the soft pale skin was fire.
She looked up to Emma's face, hoping she was still sleeping, but her roommate was smirking at her, "Looks like you are a cuddle after all."
Regina could feel her face burning and she tried not to look down, where Emma's shirt was up to her breast, leaving the lower part of her body in sight and that was, Regina saw, her superman panties. She pushed Emma out of her bed.
"Hey, hey," Emma protested. "Not fair. I just woke up too."
They both stood from the bed and, much to Regina's relief, Emma's shirt slid down covering her body again. "Sorry, I wasn't myself," she said with a hoarse voice.
Emma's lips curled up in a side grin, "Clearly."
"Shut up," Regina shot back. She turned to go to the bathroom and heard Emma behind her.
"Do you want me to go with you to the shower too?" she quipped.
Regina turned and squinted her eyes, "We are never talking about this again." The last thing she saw before she closed the door was Emma's grin growing wider. Her roommate was so talking about it again.
She leaned against the door and willed for her heartbeat to slow down as she felt her fingertips still burning with the touch of Emma's skin. The thought of it along with the memory of Emma's body half naked made her stomach jump and lower than that, her center throbbing.
Regina saw herself in the mirror and scoffed, "Oh come on; it's only been a week."
And yet.
