Bruised Written before Breaking Glass, so off canon & no spoilers but premise is Regina & Emma have words after fighting the snow queen, then Robin arrives, he's not happy and not feeling particularly honourable?..

She's too bruised for this right now, it's a mistake, her walls are down, battered by Emma's words, words she will have to face later but not now, now she has to deal with this situation. She is injured, not perilously so but enough for the pain to catch in her throat, leave her miserable. Emma is injured too but not as badly, few bruises, some cuts but then Emma is level headed, even in a fight and she, well she is reckless. A fact that Robin has not stopped berating her for ever since he arrived at the edge of Storybook forest just in time to spot her and Emma stumbling out from the trees, covered in snow, little bits of ice and a fair amount of blood, mostly hers. Emma hovers awkwardly to her side, keeps accidentally catching her eye and they've been here before but this time there's less of an audience, no David and his so called wit and no ex-boyfriend's wife calling her out. Dear Marian is still renting a room at the Nunnery, well she's taking up space, her needs are few given her frozen state, which is frankly the only state Regina would ever deem acceptable should she herself ever finding herself needing bed and board in that place. But in the here and now, yet again Emma is witness to more of her pain, the pattern between them all is really starting to piss her off. She wishes Emma would just leave, she knows why she had stayed but Robin has calmed down somewhat, a side to him she hasn't seen here in Storybrooke and only briefly before in their realm. He was so angry, at first she couldn't understand, was hit with the dread that something had happened to the town or heaven forbid Roland. It was only when he started on the ever so repetitive reckless track that it dawned on her, he was angry with her and to some extent Emma for venturing into the woods alone to track down the latest villain, the so called Dairy Queen. He's still clutching at her wrist, fingers digging into her flesh and she's distracted by the thought, not for the first time that his nails are always so clean especially for someone who lives in the forest, literally sleeping on the forest floor. She is hit by the memory of him rising from a nest of moss completely leaf free during the missing year and having the audacity to laugh at her not so subtle attempts to remove twigs and a god damn beetle from her hair. She wanted to punch him then, now she wishes he would notice the leaf tangled in her hair, the one she can see in the corner of her eye, was about to remove before he came up in her space, hopes he will spot it too and brush it away gently like he did then. He is calming down and has loosened his grip on her wrist, busy himself with sweeping his eyes up and down, taking her in. Looking for injuries she realises, she pulls her good hand from him, resists the urge to wrap it round the injured one. "Regina" he huffs "are you injured?" "No" she lies, it comes out a little more petulant than she would have liked but quite frankly her wrist is hurting like a bitch, she just needs some time, away from his never ending stare and Emma's sideward glances, she supposed she should be grateful they both care but right now, she's tired, in pain and pissed off with people that care but not quite enough. "Regina" from Emma it sounds like a warning, from Robin a disbelieving, almost groan. Great, two people she cant lie too, two people who think they know her better than she knows herself. "Fine" and now its full on petulant "my wrist is a little?.sore" she allows. Its far more than sore, its broken she heard it snap when she mis-stepped and fell back, landing on it heavily. It will be fine when she gets some peace and quiet, can find a happy thought to wrap herself in and heal it. The magic is there, scratching under her skin but it's skittish, too hocked up on adrenaline from the fight to settle down and heal her. Her magic not unlike herself is quite irritable right now. "Let me see" Robin hmms softly, reaching slowly, very slowly towards her, "roll up your sleeve" he's no fool, knows better than to do it himself. She wonders if he remembers when she told him about magic and emotion, how intertwined they are, especially for her. How she confessed to him, that sometimes she couldn't tell the difference between her and the magic, if she was upset or it was. It seems he does remember, worst after using a lot she had said, like in battle he had asked and now he has that look on his face, the same one he wore after her confession and ever since she overused, that look deep into her eyes, checking she is present, grounded her. "I'd rather not" she says "That bad" he replies, not a question but a statement. Emma is hovering again, its evident she wishes to leave. "You can go now Miss Swan" she tells her, "Im sure your pirate is missing you' "Right" Emma nods, hesitates but finds her resolve "we will talk in the morning" "Dont hold your breath" "No we will Regina, things were said tonight, things that cannot be unsaid but perhaps not said at the right time, in the right way and if I was out of line then I apologise but we WILL talk in the morning because despite everything, theres no one else I'd rather have by my side in a fight" Emma offers her a smile, small but genuine as she starts walking away, clearly not expecting a reply, they both know one is not needed. Her silence is answer enough. "Hey Regina, we make a good team" she calls back, pushing her luck. Clearly Emma's magic is making her cocky and despite herself she smiles. -Robin has taken to her Granny's, commandeered the back room, not her ideal choice but its closest, its late so the diner is practically empty as he ushers her through, hand on the small of her back, the first time he has touched her since their 'break-up'. His earlier grasp on her wrist doesn't count since she doesn't think he was even aware of it. Granny nodded them through, she couldn't hear what was said but it was a brief conversation and she trusts him not to say anything to the old women that if repeated could throw the town into yet another panic. "Roland can be quite clumsy especially after a massive amount of sugar" he explains at her raised eyebrow, the unasked question of how come he knows where the first aid box in the diner can be found, answered. "Come on" he smiles, hand returns to her back rubs small circles there which is nice. "What happened between you two?" He asks as he unwinds a bandage strip, ready to re-wind around her wrist. She is sat on the edge of the couch with Robin on his knees to her side. Removing her jacket was easy, hiding the agony not so. "I told her she ruined my life, she told me I was wrong, I ruined my own and hers" she shouldn't have said that lest he think she would rather Marian was still dead which obviously she does but he doesn't need to hear her say that. "I mean in everything" she clarifies "henry, breaking the curse". "You wish your curse was still in effect?" He asks head tilted to gauge her reaction. "Life was a whole lot simpler and safer for that matter" lifts her injured hand to make her point. Robin chuckles that soft chuckle, the one that is almost always accompanied by a shake of his head and bottom teeth disappearing into his lip, he does not disappointed now, makes that face at her, like she's incorrigible and he's delighted by it. "And what of Henry?" He asks She wonders briefly if he means what of me and this is his way of asking but decides, no he would have just said it. She almost wishes he had, that question would have made her slightly less uncomfortable than the one he has asked. "We would have been fine" she says, they would have worked it out, she would have found a way. Curse in tact, would have saved them both some heartache but really fine? better than fine? happy? she's not sure. "You really don't regret the curse?" He asks. The simple answer is as always no because it led to Henry but breaking the curse, well that's a whole different ball game. She thinks of Emma's words again "you ruined mine, you have no idea" but she does and Emma knows it. That's the annoying thing about the Saviour, she gets it, all of it, the whole messed up situation and yet she still thinks that she and only she can bring back the happy endings but she's wrong. "Regina?" Robin murmurs. He has stopped mid bandage, concerned look on his face as his eyes drift down to her other hand, the uninjured one, the one in which she digs her nails into her palm repeatedly. Robin reaches for it, then stops. "Im fine" in answer to his unspoken question "just tired". Straightens her palm flat on her trouser leg, look see, all fine. "The curse gave me control" she tells him, now she has none, its unsettling. "At the time, it seemed necessary" more than necessary. "And now? You gave up Mayorship voluntary after all". "Mmmm true?but I have more important things to do right now". "For which I am grateful" he says, this time he reaches for her hand, doesn't stop himself, takes it and gives it a gentle squeeze briefly before turning his attention back to the bandaging. "Besides this cursed land, isn't all bad isn't it?" "No indeed not, Im quite fond of it"he tells her "especially the food". "It always comes down to food with you merry men" she teases. "Besides, I think that level of control is unrealistic" She stifles a sigh, wishes he'd move on, change the subject, so much simpler before when they were together and she would have shut him up with a kiss. "You think Im unrealistic?" tries for flippant, fails. "Thats not what I said" "Its unrealistic to expect everything can be controlled, can be fixed, sometimes all we can do is try our best" he's looking concerned now, worried about her, worried about the burden he has placed on her, a burden she knows she deserves but yet, She snorts a laugh "Or you can just get yourself a code and live by it no matter what" its cruel and she didn't mean it,
mostly she regrets it apart from that small angry voice that says this is ridiculous, he loves you and you love him, codes and everything else be damned. Her words have shaken him, he rocks back on his haunches to his feet, pushes away from her, she sees the tight line in his jaw before he turns fully away, paces forward, hands running through his hair, his little tell of stress. "Im sorry" she says and means it now. He half turns back, "don't be". "I am sorry Robin" she forces herself to her feet. Inspects his handiwork, he has done a good job on her wrist. He steps forward as she does, two magnets, meeting in the middle of the room. They really shouldn't be this close, he said he wanted to fix up her wrist and he has done so now they should leave, go, their separate ways but neither of them move away, only closer. "Its a bit of a mess isn't it" he says, chuckling low, its not funny and he's not really laughing. "Indeed" Robin pulls her into a hug and she lets him. Its just a hug and its been a shitty shitty day. Its nice to lean against him, tuck her head into his chest, breathe him in, familiar and thrilling at the same time. One hand around her waist, the other at the back of her head, palm down running up and back down, smoothing it against her skull, she sighs, so nice. Both her arms are round his waist, loosely wrapped there, neither of them speak, neither wants to break the moment but her wrist aches and she wants to move her head up to his, wants more so she pushes back and away. Robin reaches for her, pulls her back and kisses her, hard. Its too brief then he's the one pulling away now, putting space between them, hands running back though his own hair, apologising again and again. "Don't" she tells him. "There's nothing you can say to make this better, we both know how we feel and you know how you feel about Marian and I respect that and despite what I said earlier, I do respect your code, I really do" she tells him, words spilling out, "but apologising is pointless". Its all pointless really she thinks. She stands, back straight, head raised "thank you for this" lifts her bandaged wrist "and thank you for coming to find me today it means a lot but Robin you made your choice, asked for my help which I intend to give you and in return I ask that you continue to stick by your code" "I don't know how you feel" he says, he's miserable, its not what she wants. He is supposed to have his happy ending, she has promised herself he will get it. Marian has been frozen too long, she will try even harder tomorrow but she wont lie to him. "Yes you do" she says and leaves, doesn't look back, makes it all the way home before she gives into the tears, pushes away the tiny sliver of hope in her heart, that voice that whispers, perhaps now he knows how you feel, wishes she told him sooner, wishes she hadn't told him at all.