A/N: look at me go! Two chapters in two days. Yes, I'm amazing! Slash I didn't have much to do today in terms of work. It's still not as long as my earlier pieces but I hope you like it all the same. Our ladies are making some real progress now!
When the two women returned home later in the afternoon Cora announced that she was heading out to dinner with a friend. Regina knew her mother hadn't had those plans the day before and presumed she had called around to see who was free short-notice to allow Regina and Emma to have the house to themselves that evening. She was grateful, she realised. After a whole day out with Emma in the city, Regina was looking forward to it just being the two of them again, hidden away from the curious eyes of the world.
They had spotted a few people looking at the two of them during the day as they walked hand in hand. Emma had assured Regina that it was just because they were two women and people were still a little surprised to see a same-sex couple. Regina, however, couldn't help but wonder if they knew what she was.
"How could they?" Emma had scoffed when Regina whispered her suspicions, stepping back and admiring the dark blue denim shorts and light blouse the brunette was wearing. "You're gorgeous, Regina. There's no way they'd know about your spare appendage."
But now they were home Regina was itching to change her clothes. The shorts were tight, constrictive. She needed to get out of them and put on something a little looser. She hoped Emma wouldn't mind. And judging from the way the blonde's eyes darkened slightly when she returned to the living room ten minutes later in a pair of baggy black shorts and a tank top, Regina guessed she didn't.
"Did you steal my clothes?" Emma asked as the brunette sat down on the couch.
"No, why?" Regina frowned.
"That's exactly the sort of thing I like to wear when I'm lounging around the house," Emma said.
"It's comfy," Regina shrugged. "I needed to relax."
"You weren't relaxed today?" Emma asked.
"I was," Regina said. "But those jeans were …"
She trailed off, not wanting to admit her dick had been quietly protesting about being squashed all day. She didn't want to bring it up again. It seemed their conversations always ended up focusing somehow on her transgender identity.
"I'll change too," Emma said, hopping off the couch. "Then we can slob out on the couch together. Do you want to watch a movie tonight and get take out?"
"It's not very romantic, is it?" Regina frowned. "I was going to cook for us, actually."
"You cook?" Emma asked.
"I can make lasagne," Regina replied. "But that's about it."
"I love lasagne," Emma grinned. "Gimme five minutes to get changed and then I'll come and help you. I'm starving already."
When Cora popped her head around the kitchen door an hour later, the two women were stood side by side giggling uncontrollably. She had been about to say goodbye but didn't want to interrupt the beautiful moment so simply turned around and headed out the house. When the front door snapped shut, Regina glanced towards the hallway.
"Did Ma just leave without saying goodbye?" Regina frowned.
"I dunno," Emma said, still chuckling as she finished sprinkling the last of the grated cheese on top of the lasagne dish. "Is this ready now or are you going to make me grate more cheese?"
"It's ready," Regina said, reaching for the glass bowl and picking it up. Emma opened the oven door and she slid it inside. "Team work," she smiled when she stood back up.
"We make a good team, it's true," Emma grinned. "More wine?"
Regina nodded and passed over her almost empty glass. Emma drained what was left of the first bottle and opened a second to top off her own beverage. They set the timer on the oven and then moved through to the living room, Regina glancing at a phone where a text from Cora confirmed that the older Mills had indeed left without saying goodbye because she didn't want to 'interrupt the love birds' and that she'd see them both tomorrow.
"What movie shall we watch?" Emma asked, crouching down and perusing Regina's sparse DVD collection. "Geez, is there anything here from this century?"
"Probably not," Regina shrugged. "I like the classics."
"Ooh, Fight Club!" Emma grinned, spotting one of her favourite movies and pulling it free from the rack. "Can we?"
"Sure," Regina nodded.
They settled on the couch, Emma's arm around Regina as the movie started. The brunette curled her legs onto the cushion next to her and rested her head on Emma's shoulder. The younger woman turned and placed a kiss to the crown of her head before facing the screen again. When the lasagne timer pinged, both women untangled themselves and headed to plate up their food.
"Wow, this smells amazing," Emma gasped as the oven door opened, steam coiling into the air.
Regina served up two generous helpings and they carried them and the remaining bottle of wine back to the living room. Emma dug in impatiently, coughing slightly.
"The red pepper flakes give it a bit of a kick," Regina remarked as the blonde's eyes watered. "Did I over-do it?"
"No, it's just really hot. Like, temperature hot, not spicy hot," Emma said, reaching for her wine and gulping it down to soothe her burned tongue.
"That'll teach you for not waiting then," Regina teased, leaning over to kiss Emma lightly.
The blonde leaned into the contact and deepened the kiss at once, pushing her tingling tongue into Regina's mouth where it was caressed and sucked by the brunette. It might not have taken the pain away but the kiss definitely made Emma feel better.
"Thanks," she murmured when Regina pulled away several minutes.
"You're welcome," Regina chuckled. "It's probably cooled enough now as well."
"Two birds and one stone," Emma laughed as she reached for her plate and resumed the previously paused movie.
By the time the gunshot sounded at the end of the film, Regina was dozing, her head in Emma's lap. The blonde's fingers were trailing through her hair, eyes fixed not on the screen but at the woman lying beneath her. She smiled as Regina snuffled slightly in her sleep and she wondered what other noises the brunette might make whilst unconscious. She hoped she got the chance to find out.
Much as she wanted to continue watching Regina sleep, Emma finally relented after the DVD's menu music began to repeat for the umpteenth time and she stretched across the brunette and grasped the remote to turn off the tv. She knew the movement would wake Regina and she apologised as brown eyes blinked open.
"How long was I asleep?" Regina asked.
"You missed the ending but not much more," Emma said. "Tired after our day?"
Regina nodded. The two of them had walked around much of the city after their lazy morning in the park and then lunch. Emma's FitBit had beeped long before they returned to the house and she knew her feet were going to be sore the next day. It had been worth it, however, to see the sights of Chicago with Regina by her side.
"Ma didn't come back yet?"
"Nope," Emma replied. "I'm guessing she will be out pretty late to avoid walking in on us."
"Walking in on us doing what?" Regina asked, smirking up at Emma, her head still in the blonde's lap.
"Oh, I don't know," Emma mused, her finger trailing along Regina's jawline until her thumb brushed over her lower lips. "What could we possibly get up to that your mother might not want to witness?"
Regina giggled and reached up, clasping her hands behind Emma's neck and pulling the blonde down towards her. The kiss was a little awkward, Emma bent over at an uncomfortable angle but neither woman cared. As the kiss deepened, tongues swiping and teeth nibbling, Regina moved slightly so Emma could lie down too, their bodies pressed together on the couch, their mouths still working. When Emma hooked her thigh over Regina's the kiss broke for a moment, both breathing raggedly as they took in each other's faces to determine whether the new move was ok. It was Regina who resumed their passionate embrace.
Emma wrapped her arm more tightly around Regina, her palm flat against the brunette's lower back. She had lifted her leg up almost absentmindedly and was immensely glad that Regina had accepted the position. She could feel the brunette's erection, no longer pinned down by tight denim or a dress but free within those baggy shorts, pressing against her thigh. Her core was wet, her centre aching for contact. But she knew she would never push it. She did, however, rock her hips forwards slightly, allowing the pressure of Regina's cock to increase slightly. From the whimper that tumbled from plump lips against her own, Emma was guessing Regina didn't mind. She let out a moan herself when Regina's hands grasped her ass, squeezing her cheeks and pulling their pelvises together. Clearly she wasn't the only one craving more contact. The next time they broke apart, Regina's eyes were black with desire.
"Do you want to stop?" Emma husked.
"No," Regina replied. "But I think we should."
"Ok," Emma nodded, uncurling her arm from behind Regina.
But the brunette stopped her, pushing her body impossibly closer to Emma's. Green eyes widened in surprise and then fluttered closed as the kiss resumed, Regina unable to tear herself away despite knowing she ought to.
It was the front door closing that finally forced the two women apart. By the time Cora rounded the doorway into the living room, both women were sitting up and wiping the smudges of Regina's lipstick from their faces.
"Good evening," Cora said grinning widely. "Did you two have fun?"
"Yes, thank you," Regina replied. "How was your dinner?"
"Not as fun as yours I'm guessing," the older woman said moving into the room and sitting down in the armchair where she began to rub her swollen knuckles. Her arthritis had begun to flair up again on the drive home. It was time for her medication.
"We're just heading to bed actually," Regina said.
Emma flushed bright red and Cora's eyebrows rose. Realising what she had said and the implications behind the statement, Regina gasped and looked between both women.
"No, not like that," she gushed. "Ma, I didn't mean … Emma, I'm not -."
"I know," Emma interrupted, a placating hand on Regina's knee. "I know."
"So I don't need ear plugs tonight?" Cora smirked.
"Ma!" Regina groaned. "Stop it!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Cora laughed. "Just warn me when the time comes that I do need to start wearing them. I've never seen you like this with anyone else, Regina. She's special, you know that, right?"
"Yeah, I know," Regina said, smiling at Emma.
"Regina's special to me too," Emma added. "Really special."
Cora cocked her head to one side. "On second thoughts, perhaps I'll book myself into a hotel when you two finally -."
"Ma!" Regina exclaimed, covering her face with her hands and flopping back on the couch.
"I'm sorry it's just too easy," Cora laughed. "I never got to tease you as a teenager, darling. But you remember all that stick I gave Zelena. You must have known it was going to be your eventually."
Regina parted her fingers and narrowed her eyes through the gaps at her mother. Emma couldn't help but chuckle at the two women. She liked the relationship the two women had. It was very different to how she interacted with her own foster mother but she could see how close Regina and Cora were and was immensely grateful to the older woman for how accepting she was being of their relationship. She wasn't sure what Mary Margaret or David would say as and when they found out about Regina. It hadn't yet come up in conversation and when it did, Emma still wasn't sure how much she wanted to tell them.
"Can you just lay off a little," Regina said to her mother, interrupting Emma's thoughts. "It's still early days."
"Ok, ok," Cora agreed. "But just so you know, I'm really happy for you. For both of you, in fact," she added, smiling at Emma. "You must have really captured her heart, Emma. I've never seen her like this before."
"Like what?" Emma asked.
"Aside from tangled on the couch with you and completely at ease with your physical contact, I've never seen her so happy and comfortable with who she is. It's like she can finally see what I've been seeing for ten years. A beautiful, smart, confident young woman who deserves the best in life."
Emma turned to Regina whose eyes were glistening with tears at her mother's words.
"I agree," Emma said softly. "And I hope I can give it to her."
As Emma kissed her lips Regina closed her eyes and the a single teardrop rolled down her cheek. Their lips brushed against one another, tender, loving, and sweet. But even though there was nothing over-sexed about the contact, Cora got up and left quietly, not wanting to interrupt the beautiful moment. Neither woman acknowledged her absence when the kiss ended.
"You do deserve the best," Emma confirmed. "And I really do want to give it to you."
"You already have," Regina whispered back. "You've given me you."
They smiled at each other, Emma reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Regina's ear. It wasn't until they heard the toilet flush upstairs that they realised Cora must have left the room whilst they had been kissing.
"We should probably go to bed too," Emma said. "Separately, of course."
"We don't have to," Regina said.
"Go to bed?"
"No, go to bed separately."
There was a heavy silence. Emma felt her heart rate quicken and the area between her thighs tingled in anticipation. She clenched them slightly, trying to dampen her own desire, a difficult feat when sat opposite someone as attractive as Regina Mills.
"Regina, if you're not ready then -."
"No, I don't mean sex," Regina amended. "I'm not ready for that. But sleeping in the same bed doesn't have to mean sex, does it? We could just … sleep?"
"In the same bed?"
Regina nodded, biting her lip. Emma had never seen anyone look quite so adorable. Regina was clearly nervous, unsure whether Emma was going to reject her suggestion. Emma just wanted to wrap her arms around the brunette and hold her close. Which, she realised, she could do. In bed.
"Sounds perfect," Emma said, standing up and pulling Regina to her feet. "Lead the way."
Regina stepped into her bedroom first and flicked on the light. Emma shuffled in too and looked around. It was simply decorated; white walls, a few photo frames on the dresser, and a photograph of a landscape on the wall. And perfectly tidy, of course. Regina headed out to the bathroom to brush her teeth, allowing Emma to gather her pyjamas from the guest room and get changed into her old t-shirt and sleep shorts. By the time Regina returned, minty fresh, Emma was perched on the edge of the mattress.
"You were right," she said bouncing slightly where she sat. "This is comfy."
Regina chuckled. "I told you."
Emma grinned before disappearing into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself for a while before she began to brush. She wondered what was about to happen. Not sex, of that she was sure. And she didn't mind. It was enough to simply be in the same room let alone the same bed as Regina. But she knew their relationship was about to change. The intimacy, the connection between them was deepening with every passing moment they spent together. It scared her, she could see it in the face reflecting back at her, toothbrush poking out from between her pale lips. It didn't scare her in a bad way, of that she was sure, but the strength of her feelings for Regina were positively petrifying.
She bent over, spat out her toothpaste and wiped her mouth. Giving herself a final once over in the mirror, Emma ran her fingers through her hair and left the bathroom.
When she returned to Regina's bedroom, the main light had been switched off but the bedside lamp cast a soft glow over the room. Regina was sat up, propped against some pillows when Emma returned. She smiled shyly at the blonde as the door clicked shut. Emma made her way around to the empty side of the bed and sat down on top of the light summer duvet.
The question was on her lips, poised, waiting. She had to say it. She had to check.
"Are you sure?" Emma asked, turning to Regina and searching her face for any sign of hesitation.
"I'm sure," Regina nodded, wriggling down beneath the covers and patting the space beside her.
Emma nodded and climbed into the bed too. The sheets were soft and cool but she could feel Regina's body heat radiating towards her from just a few inches away. They both lay on their backs, staring at the ceiling. Regina reached over and turned off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. It took a while for their eyes to adjust, the dim orange glow from the streetlight outside slowly defining objects in the room. They both still lay stock still, not speaking. It was Regina who broke the silence.
"I've never slept in a bed with anyone before," she whispered.
Emma rolled onto her side, hands tucked beneath her pillow. Regina mirrored her position seconds later.
"What do we do?"
"What do you mean?" Emma frowned.
"When we sleep. What do we do? I mean, do we cuddle or lie on our sides? What if I kick you or snore? I might snore, actually. No one's ever been in the same room to tell me if I do or not and -."
"Regina," Emma chuckled, cutting off the brunette's adorable ramble. "You're overthinking this."
"I am?"
"You are," Emma nodded. "Sleeping in the same bed has no rules. We just do whatever feels right for us. Some people cuddle. Some don't. And if you kick me, I'm sure I'll survive."
"We do what feels right?"
"Whatever we want," Emma nodded.
"What do you want?" Regina asked. "I mean, what do you usually do?"
"I like cuddling," Emma admitted. "But only if -."
She stopped talking as soon as Regina all but scrambled across the bed and wrapped herself around Emma's body. The blonde was frozen for a second before she curled her arm around Regina too, feeling the thin silk nightshirt beneath her fingers and the now familiar pressure of Regina's erection against her thigh.
"I like cuddling too," Regina mumbled against Emma's neck.
"I can tell," Emma chuckled.
"But just cuddling," Regina said. "For now."
"For now?"
Regina slowly moved her face from the crook of Emma's neck and gazed up into the curious green eyes above her. Even through the darkness, she could perfectly read the anticipation and hope shining out of them.
"For now," she nodded. "I'm not ready yet, Emma, and I don't know when I will be. But I think … yeah, I think I want to try it."
"It?"
"Sex," Regina said. "With you. With it."
"It?" Emma said again.
"My spare appendage," Regina said, the corner of her mouth quirking as she used Emma's term. "I think I want to see what it's like at least once before the surgery."
"Really?" Emma asked, eyes lighting up with excitement.
"If you're willing," Regina nodded.
"I'm willing," Emma said at once. "I've very very willing, Regina. Whenever you're ready, whatever you want, I'm willing."
Regina smiled and buried her face in Emma's hair, inhaling the familiar, sweet scent of the blonde. She felt Emma kiss the top of her head and let out a little sigh of contentment. She shifted her leg, allowing it to slide between Emma's, entangling them together. Fingers raked slowly up and down her silk-clad back, her skin tingling delightfully. Yes, Regina thought, some day she would be ready. And she knew there was no other person in the world with whom she would want to be with when the time came.
Emma's breath tickled her forehead as she settled in the blonde's arms and began to drift off to sleep, a smile on her lips and a warmth in her heart, the source of which she had not yet verbalised but which she knew to be true.
Love.