Fluffyness ahead :)

Chapter 21: Why not?

Zelena's House

"So we kissed…" Regina uneasily said as she looked up and pressed her lips together while waiting for some reaction from her sister. After kissing Emma that night Regina has been very conflicted because there's just so much to look at. So, she needed somebody else's opinion and that somebody can only be her sister.

Zelena was about to take a bite of her cookie but she stopped right when the cookie was between her teeth because she wasn't expecting her sister to tell her that she kissed Emma Swan. She was still a bit shaken by the fact that Kathryn suffered a motorcycle accident. They were never close and Zelena never spoke to her alone but it was still a sad thing to happen to somebody like Kathryn. "Wait hold up…" Zelena blinked a several times as she tried to process the information, and moved the cookie away from her mouth. "You two kissed? Like a real real kiss?"

Regina slowly chewed on her lower lip and nodded at her sister questions.

"On the mouth, right?" Zelena pointed at her own lips.

Regina rolled her eyes at that. "That's what a "real real" kiss is, right?" She even mocked her a bit by imitating her accent.

Zelena frowned slightly at her sister's tone. "No need to get so defensive."

Regina sighed and rolled her shoulders. "I am sorry. It's just I have been a bit stressed lately. I haven't contacted Emma for four days now."

"Four days?!" Zelena gasped at that. "What about school?"

"We kissed on last Thursday night. I only have classes with her Tuesday and Wednesday."

"Hmm, so you going to see her tomorrow." Zelena reminded her as she finally took a bit of that cookie.

"I know." Regina quietly replied.

"So what you gonna do, sis?" Zelena asked while chewing on her cookie.

"Does it make me a bad person if I say I don't know?" Regina looked at her sister with a bit despair on her face because truth to be told she was desperate. She didn't know what to do.

Zelena kept chewing on her cookie and moved her head like to say her sister that she wasn't so sure. - She only decided to talk after done eating. "If this happened last year I would understand all your doubts but now..." Zelena looked at her. "…you have to look at things in a different way, sis. Emma isn't the same child anymore. You and I know that."

"Yes but…" Regina leaned back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "I am still her teacher."

"If your issue is only that then you can have a serious conversation with her and just say you two need to keep it secret till she gets her degree." Zelena told her like it was the most obvious thing and went back looking through the channels for some rom-com.

Regina folded her arms and played a bit with her upper lip as she looked at her sister but only because she was in deep thought. Was her issue only that? Or was some part of her still unsure of how much Emma changed? Nobody could exactly blame her because she witnessed Emma Swan's infamous moments but people can change and she knows Emma changed but maybe there's a tiny part of her that still isn't completely sure of that.

Zelena noticed that her sister wasn't saying anything but she knew that Regina just couldn't walk away from this. She knew how much feelings Emma held for her sister and she knew that Regina couldn't let a chance for happiness like this escape. "But even if you have more doubts I think you should still try it out."

Regina snapped out of it and perked up an eyebrow at that.

"I am just saying. Why not try out? You guys kissed. She changed. In couple of months she will graduate. What's there to lose?"

"I could end up with a broken-heart." Regina stated the obvious.

"Or you could not." Zelena shrugged and looked at her sister. "Don't you think there's times we just need to woman up and go for it? We both know that having a relationship with anybody can leave you broken-hearted. So why not with somebody that you actually care about?" Zelena reached out for more cookies that were on the coffee table in front of her. "Isn't Emma worth it?"

"I guess." Regina shrugged as she allowed her sister's words to sink in.

"But decide fast. If you don't go for it, somebody else will." Zelena ended her words by taking another bite of her cookie.

Now that was something that really sank in and Regina has a lot of thinking to do before meeting Emma tomorrow in her class.

"God, City of Angels is playing. It's so old and so sad!"

Emma's Mansion – Backyard

"And then she wanted more but like we don't know shit about each other, aye? We just hooked up." Killian shared his weekend experience with some girl from college.

"So the big boss isn't going to get his walls down and date somebody?" Jeff mocked as he put his legs over the table they were sitting around.

Killian rolled his eyes at that. "You talk like I am scared of dating. I ain't scared, mate!"

"Well then what's stopping ya? Isn't she hot?" Jeff asked as he looked down at his beer, seeing it was empty.

"Yea but not dating material." Killian twirled his index finger beside his temple. "She ain't right in the head."

"And you know that just with one hook up?" Jeff perked up an eyebrow.

"Nah but you know who she is! It's that Tamara chick."

"Oh you hooked up with Tamara? Good for you." Jeff mocked again as he put the empty bottle over the table.

"At least I am getting some."

"And who says I am not?!" Jeff gasped, sounding all offended. "Just to let you know I met a nice guy last month and things are going wonderfully well."

"Then how come I've never met him?" Killian frowned and folded his arms.

"Because he says we need to keep it secret."

"Well that's bullshit right there." Emma finally spoke because she went inside to get more beers and left the boys to continue their conversation. "Why keep it secret? Why doesn't he want other people to know you guys are together?" Emma questioned as she put the beers over the table and sat back down in her seat.

"Well…maybe because…" Jeff was now looking for an excuse because he actually liked this guy. He was handsome so you would look for any excuse to try understand the all secrets.

"He probably has a boyfriend and you are his mistress!" Killian pointed out before jamming his hand against the table.

Jeff only frowned at Killian and felt like throwing the empty bottle at him. "Okay first of all I am not a mistress. Secondly, I doubt he's dating anybody."

"You don't know that." Emma said. "I don't want you to think I am not happy for you, bro. But it's suspicious when he says he wants to keep it secret."

"I guess." Jeff huffed out and grabbed his new beer to take long sips.

"Instead of being upset about that let's be upset about the fact that our lass here, Swan, didn't want to meet at a club!" Killian pointed his finger at his friend.

"Yea. I could be having a blast right now but I am here in your backyard having cheap beer." Jeff now judged his friend.

"Cheap beer?! Now I am offended." Emma joked a bit because she didn't want them to start thinking she was being lame for not going to the club. She just couldn't continue with that anymore. She wanted to focus on her studies and on the firefighter thing. She's actually getting the results of her exam sometime this week and if she passes, then they will send her the date for the physical exam and she just can't wait for it. "I just wasn't in the mood for the club." Emma casually said as she shrugged.

"Lately you haven't been in the mood for a lot of stuff, Swan." Killian pointed out. "You've been distant."

"True. We used to do shit together every day and always playing music but now you barely there." Jeff added his opinion.

"I am just focusing on studies lately. You know graduation coming closer and I really want my degree, man." It wasn't a lie. Once she had her degree she could just focus on being a firefighter, if she gets approved to go to the fire academy.

"Yea well, don't turn into an anti-social geek, Swan! After graduation we gonna party the whole summer!" Killian said as he rose his hand with the beer to cheer.

"Hell yea!" Jeff smirked and rose his beer as well.

Emma smiled and cheered along with them but knowing very well if she gets in the fire academy there won't be any summer fun for her.

Next day – College

Today was the day that Regina was going to have a serious conversation with Emma if time allowed, or if the student even wanted to talk to her. She wouldn't blame Emma if she was distant or upset because Regina really made no efforts to try to contact the blonde. She was just so nervous and with so many doubts that she needed time for herself and sort everything out in her head.

So she nervously stepped in her classroom and she could see some curious looks on her students face because she was those kind of teachers that were already in the classroom long before the students came in. "I am sorry, I am late." But the only reason why she was late was because she was trying to not freak out while she washed her face in the bathroom.

Emma was in her usual seat and she quickly looked up when Regina finally stepped inside the classroom. She thought that the teacher wasn't going to show up and at some point she felt like something bad happened because she hasn't heard a single word from the brunette. But now she was glad that she was here and after a knowing look between them the class started.

…

"Just bring me the essay next week and then we can discuss more about it." Regina informed her students as they were already putting everything away to leave. She took a quick glance at Emma's seat to see what the blonde was doing and she seemed to be taking her time to put her things in her backpack, so that gave Regina a bit of hope that Emma wanted talk to her.

Emma watched the others leave as she slowly put her things away. She wanted to be the last one leaving to see if Regina wanted to talk to her and if she didn't, then, well, she would be forced to because Emma really wanted answers. – So when everybody left, she was already on her way to walk out with her backpack over her shoulder and looked at Regina to see if the teacher was going to say anything or look at her.

Regina wasn't looking up to see who was leaving but she could tell exactly who was stepping out right now. "E-Emma can we talk?" She tried to not stutter after clearing her throat as she finally looked up at the student.

And Emma was 100% they were going to talk about their kiss because Regina addressed her as Emma and not as Miss Swan. "Yes." The student replied and stepped closer to the teacher's desk.

Regina only forced a quick smile as she rose her finger as in to ask for a second then she went to the door and closed, to make sure they were going to have some privacy. – She leaned her back against the now closed door and took a deep breath, clearly showing her nervousness. "I wanted to start by apologizing. I shouldn't have had spent so many days without saying anything to you."

Emma kept her cool but she was really nervous deep inside. "Yea but it's okay, I guess." She shrugged. It was okay as long as Regina didn't tell her next that they couldn't be together.

Regina nodded and pressed her lips together as she approached the other woman. "It's just after the…the kiss, I started having doubts…" She carefully said her words because she didn't want Emma to think bad things but she needed her to understand her point of view.

"About?" Emma straighten a bit her back as she gripped tightly the handle of her backpack, trying to keep it together. She really hoped Regina wasn't going to crush her dreams with this conversation.

"About what to do next." She stated. "What do you want to do next?"

"Well…what do you want to do?"

"I asked first." Now Regina sounded a bit childish but she wanted to hear Emma's opinion first before she made any final decision.

"Huh I…" Emma licked her dry lips as she took a deep breath. There wasn't any more second thoughts for her. There wasn't any more 'let me think about it'. She knew what she wanted but she was just nervous to say it. She didn't want to be exposed to Regina again and get herself hurt like last year. "…I think I would like…" But sometimes you have to say 'fuck it' and just go for it. "…I actually would like to have a relationship with you, Regina."

"You would?" Regina's face broke into a small smile as she was still trying to not get her hopes high however it was clear she was happy because of the glint in her eyes.

"Yes, why not?" Emma shrugged again as she seemed to play the 'cool kid' card well. "I wouldn't have kissed you that night if I didn't want to." She stepped forward leaving only space for one more step between them. "And I hope you know that I am not here to play around. I changed." Emma was being very sincere with her words and she hoped Regina could see how truthful she was being.

Regina licked her lips as she watched Emma stepping closer and that made her feel a bit breathless because she thought her personal space was about to be invaded but it never came to that. She then listened carefully to Emma's words and looked into her eyes. It was in those seconds that Regina made her choice that could change her life forever.

Without saying anything Regina launched her arms forward to grab onto Emma's strong arms and tug her close as she smashed her lips against the blonde's. The kiss wasn't the most elegant out there because it was literally a smash and it hurt at first but they easily got lost when their lips moved against each other.

The kiss lasted few seconds and when they finally broke apart Emma felt like she was still in the clouds but managed to find her voice. "So…what do you say?" She looked down at Regina and kept a hopeful smile on her lips that were already stained with Regina's red lipstick.

Regina bit down on her lower lip as she looked up at Emma with half closed eyes and she gently tried to remove her lipstick from Emma's lips with her thumb. "What do you think, Miss Swan?" She gave Emma a look.

Emma smirked and finally wrapped an arm around Regina's waist. "I think I will start enjoying being called Miss Swan somewhere else."

"Oh goodness." Regina chuckled lowly before playful swat Emma's arm. The student also chuckled but was quick to end their laughter with another kiss.

Regina was finally hers, right? So she was going to kiss this woman as many times she could.

Regina smiled into the kiss and allowed herself to get lost in it but there was just one more thing they needed to talk about. "But one more thing…" She muttered against Emma's lips and gently pushed her away. "…nobody can know about us." She seriously stated.

Emma frowned slightly at that and was ready to protest till things clicked in her brain. It was obvious they couldn't be open about their relationship given the fact that they were teacher and student and Emma didn't want Regina to get in any trouble. "Alright. I promise. My lips are sealed." Emma agreed and Regina couldn't be happier.

"Good. Now go to your next class so you won't be late."

"Okay but only if you let me take you out on a date tonight."

"If we are keeping our relationship secret we can't go on dates, Emma." Regina pointed out.

"We had lunch together!"

"Was that a date?" Regina perked up an eyebrow and now folded her arms.

"Well…I took you out for lunch…" Emma said in her defence.

"Yes but you never said it like it was a date. You only asked if I wanted to have lunch with you."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Okay then let me take you on a real date. An inside date."

"Inside date?"

"Yes, instead of going out to a restaurant or something. I'll cook you a home meal." Emma said with a proud smile.

"You can cook?" Regina asked as she eyed Emma suspiciously.

"Of course I can cook. I am grown ass woman. I need to know how to cook."

Regina looked a bit amused. "Alright then. As long as you don't burn anything and the food is good, I have nothing against it."

"Great!" Her smile got bigger. "Can it be at your place? Because well…privacy…" She now showed a sheepish smile trying to sound very casual and innocent with her words but Regina knew exactly what she meant by that.

The teacher gave her a look but had to admit privacy is something that they would need. Mostly because it's a date. "It can be at my place. I'll text you my address later. Now go, you will be late and soon my students will be here."

"Okay, okay." Emma was about to just walk out but she decided to peck Regina's lips one more time. – Then she quickly walked out not giving Regina any more time to complain.

Regina now took the last couple of minutes she had before her next class started so she could calm down and just appreciate how her life just took a big turn and she was so happy about it.

Regina's Mansion

Regina was probably taking too long to find something to dress because she wasn't sure on what to wear tonight. It was a date, yes, but it was an inside date, or whatever Emma had called it. Does that mean she doesn't have to wear a fancy dress and big high heel shoes? Should she just go for something more casual?

She only figured out on what to wear after couple of hours and the outfit was a pair of blue tight jeans, some flats and a dark top. She thought she was a bit too casual so she put more effort on her hair and makeup. Then she spent some long minutes staring at the mirror, making sure everything was okay and appealing enough.

She doesn't know what to expect from this date. All she knows is that Emma is going to cook for her and she hopes it's a great meal. But after dinner what is going to happen? Are they going to make out like two teenagers? Are they going to actually have sex on the first date? Well they already had sex so that wouldn't be a problem. However, Regina is looking for something more than just lust because if they are going to be in a relationship, she doesn't want it to be all based on carnal. She wants to see if Emma will appreciate her in other ways than just a nice body.

On Regina's porch was Emma Swan also being nervous about this date. She didn't have any issues with the clothing because she just went with her usual casual clothes and her infamous red leather jacket. - She had prepared things before so it wouldn't turn into a big mess but they always say nothing goes as you plan it, so she doesn't know what to exactly expect from this date. She will cook for Regina and have a nice evening with her. She will probably just do whatever the brunette feels like doing because Emma wants to prove that she's good dating material and that this means a lot to her.

"Okay, Swan, here we go." She whispered to herself before take one final last deep breath and finally ring the bell. As she waited for Regina to open the door she kept telling herself to calm down and relax and that everything was going to be wonderful.

Regina took her time to open the door because she was checking herself in the mirror one last time. When she finally faced the door she took a deep breath, put a smile on her face and opened it. "Hello." She greeted in a happy tone.

Emma quickly smiled when Regina opened the door and greeted her. "Hi!" She said in a bit of high pitch tone but then cleared her throat, getting a hold of herself. "I brought the ingredients." She showed Regina the plastic bags she was holding with food in it.

"Step in." Regina mumbled as she stepped aside and opened more the door for Emma to step inside. "So you won't use mine? I am offended."

Emma stepped inside and then frowned slightly at Regina's words. "What? No, I just thought you wouldn't have these, so…"

Regina chuckled lowly and shook her head before close the door. "I am joking, dear."

"Of course you are." Emma mumbled, feeling a bit silly now.

"So…" Regina took a discreet deep breath and stared at Emma. Should they kiss now? Or not? Couples greet each other with a kiss, right? And why was she debating so much about kissing Emma when they had no problem doing it at her classroom? It's weird how she just got nervous and anxious about this. It feels like her first relationship.

"So…" Emma said as felt the same awkwardness and nervousness atmosphere invading them. She wanted to kiss Regina, really, but she doesn't know if she should let her take the first step. Or maybe Regina was waiting for her to take the first step! Just do it. She thought to herself.

So she leaned forward and gently kissed Regina's lips, it was more like a long peck. After pulling away, she took a better look at Regina's outfit and noticed that the brunette was wearing jeans which was something new. Not even last summer while she stayed over her place she wore jeans. She was always with some dress or long skirt. "You look great in jeans." She teased just to ease the moment.

Regina closed her eyes briefly for the kiss and her lips formed into a tiny smile because she was very happy that Emma decided to kiss her. But then her smile turned into a smirk when Emma started teasing her about the jeans. "I'd like to think I look good in everything."

Emma snorted at that and rose her eyebrows. "You do. My favourite outfit is the skin one." She mumbled those last words and Regina didn't hear her clearly.

"What?" She asked with a confused frown but Emma figured the best was to not mention it again.

"Nothing. Where's the kitchen?"

Regina was still suspicious but she let it slide. "Right there." She leaded Emma to the kitchen and the blonde placed the bags over the balcony. – Regina watched her taking out the ingredients and she was getting curious about what Emma was going to cook for her. "What are you going to cook?" She asked with a small smile.

"It's a surprise." Emma replayed her as she kept emptying the bags. "That means you can't stay here while I make it." She then took out a bottle of wine and a DVD. "So I brought you some wine and Scary movie 3." She showed a big smile as she held the DVD and the bottle.

Regina perked up an eyebrow and folded her arms as she eyed the items. She was content with the wine but the DVD? Was Emma really going to make her watch Scary Movie? "Really? That movie?"

"Oh what? Regina Mills is too good for Scary Movie?" Emma pretended to be offended. "Nobody is too good for Scary Movie. Come on."

Regina rolled her eyes with a playful smile as she went get the glasses for the wine. "Why can't I just stay here and watch you?"

"Because…you are going to distract me." Emma tried to open the bottle of wine.

"How so?" She put an innocent expression and walked up to the blonde woman with two glasses for the wine.

Emma looked at Regina and licked her dry lips. "Trust me, you will." She admitted and finally managed to open the bottle. "And it would get too boring for you. So a funny movie and a good glass of wine will keep you occupied and entertained while I am making dinner."

"Fine. I'll watch the movie but I don't promise I will enjoy it." She handed the glass so Emma could pour wine in it.

"I wouldn't worry about that." Emma grinned and poured wine in the two glasses before settle the bottle aside. "There you go. Now…" She picked up the DVD and handed it to Regina. "…you go watch this and let me work."

"Alright, Chef Swan." Regina teased before grabbing the DVD. "Hope your cooking will be better than this movie," she said, already on her way out. Emma shook her head with a smile as she began prepping for the meal.

…

The time passed and Regina had to admit the movie wasn't that bad but it did get too stupid for her at some point so she was just getting bored of it. So time to time she'd go to the kitchen to check on Emma but the blonde kept dismissing her. The last time that Regina went to the kitchen was only to grab the bottle of wine because Emma was just taking too long with the meal and the wine was entertaining her more than the movie.

And then finally…Emma was calling out for her. "Regina! It's done!"

Regina slowly stood, well aware that she just had more than two glasses of wine. "I am coming." She replayed and slowly walked up to the kitchen with the half empty bottle on her hand and her glass on her other hand. "It smells so good." It was her first impression as the smell of Emma's cooking invaded her nose. "Seafood?" She curiously asked.

"Shrimp." Emma said as she placed the plate over the balcony, closer to Regina. "This is Shrimp with rice a la Emma's way." She introduced the dish with a proud smile as she threw the small towel over her shoulder.

Regina tried to not laugh at Emma's introduction to the food. "Let's see if it's good." She placed the bottle and the glass over the balcony and reached for the fork that Emma was handing her.

Emma just patiently and nervously waited for Regina's judgment on her food. – And she knew she got approved when Regina literally moaned at the taste.

"This is so good." Regina mumbled after moaning at how good it tasted as she kept chewing on it.

"I am glad you like it." Emma said with a proud smile as she watched Regina eating it. It actually felt good being able to cook something that your lover appreciates it.

"I love it." Regina replied as she kept eating, not even bothering herself to speak only after swallowing the food. It was after few bites that she realized Emma wasn't eating. "You won't eat?" She managed to say through her chewing before put a hand in front of her mouth.

Emma showed her a sheepish smile as she brought her shoulders up. "I messed it up at first so there's nothing else left but that." She admitted and Regina couldn't help but to laugh at that.

"Only you, Emma Swan." The brunette said after swallowing the food in her mouth. "We can eat this together." Regina brought the fork up, closer to Emma's lips.

"No, no need." Emma declined but Regina just insisted so eventually she opened her mouth and took the food that she was offering. "Damn, I am good." She commented after tasting her food, making them both laugh.

…

After the dinner Emma said that she also brought ice-cream so the two women were on Regina's couch, eating ice-cream and drinking wine. Well Regina was the one more into the wine while Emma was content with the ice-cream but because of that Regina was obviously drunk and Emma didn't know what to do with her other than just play along with whatever she wanted to do.

"Okay, okay, let's prank call my sister." Regina managed to say between giggles as she clumsily reached for her phone that was on the coffee table.

Emma stopped her from falling over by grabbing her hips. Regina had decided the most comfortable position for them was for Emma to sit down on the couch, put her legs over it while she straddled the blonde's lap. "Careful." Emma mumbled as Regina finally grabbed her phone and adjusted herself in her position as Emma was forcing her to sit more on her hipbone because she was trying to keep it decent. "Are you seriously going to prank Zelena?" Emma perked up an eyebrow as she went back eating the ice-cream.

"Yea, why not? It's going to be fun." Regina chuckled as she took her time to finally call her sister. "Shhh! It's ringing." She said before press her finger against Emma's lips even though she wasn't even speaking.

Emma just watched her and carried on eating her ice-cream when Regina pulled her finger away so she could put it on speakerphone.

"Hello?"

Regina was ready to change her voice and ready to talk but Emma quickly noticed that voice didn't belong to Zelena. "Kat?" The blonde asked with a slight frown and looked over at Regina's phone to see if she was really calling Zelena. - Why was her sister picking up Zelena's phone?