A/N: One step closer to the end, and into their happiness. This chapter is a 100% OQ, my little finger tells me that you won't complain about it. Enjoy, and don't hesitate to tell me what you think!
Very dear Guest: If you can't stand the fact that I have a life, and if two updates a month (little reminder that I currently have two on-going stories) aren't enough, please stick to complete stories.
Thank you Anny for the suggestion, I hope you won't be disappointed with what I did with it 🙈🙊
The last months have been blissful, and saw a lot of changes in their lives.
Daniel's been appointed new temporary CEO until she has the capacity to take over the job. Going back to their family's company has changed him, and Regina's noticed how much happier he's been.
She went with him a few times, saw everyone again, thanked Jefferson for doing what she couldn't do: Tell Daniel the truth. People were glad and relieved to have them back, agreeing that Daniel was the rightful and best choice for the job while she follows her studies. Regina feels reinvigorated when she goes there, her memories flooding back and making her feel at home in this company that carries the essence of her family. If they all know what she's been through, most of them don't act different with her, treating her like they always had, with care and respect.
Her relationship with Robin is more solid than ever, especially now that their hope to be able to go to the same college has been confirmed. After he nailed the second SAT session, and wrote a brilliant essay for his applications, he got admitted into one of the colleges of his choice. It was only one among his entire list of main choices, but they only needed one to allow them to spend their college years together.
Regina remembers staring at the positive answer with wide and tearful eyes, meeting Robin's glassy ones. Never, in her entire life, did she feel as proud of someone as she was of him in this instant.
Ever since, their senior year has been everything she expected a normal year of school to be, made of classes, time spent hanging out with her friends, dates with Robin, driving lessons for the two of them, afternoons horseback riding, sometimes followed by time spent all together with Daniel and Robin's parents, eating cookies in a meadow next to the stables, with Rocinante grazing next to them. They also spent their first Thanksgiving and Christmas together, and it was among the best family celebrations she's ever known.
After they realized she was spending all of her nights in Robin's bed, she definitely moved into his bedroom during summer holidays. Now, one year into her relationship with her wonderful boyfriend, falling asleep in each other's arms, and waking up to the other's sleepy smile every day, is the most amazing feeling.
The only problem stays her annoying inability to let go of her fear and share more than a few caresses. When they're both in dire need of each other, and they want to take things further, she always ends it before they are fully naked. It frustrates her, and more than once, Robin had to tamper her own self-loathing.
She tries, and she wants to get past it. But she can't. Despite her sessions with Dr. Hopper, she still hasn't managed to remove the images from her mind. She's unable to keep the fear away. So, to avoid hurting each other with their own frustrations, they agreed on something: to stop pressuring themselves. To take things as they come, and enjoy every single moment, every single touch. The massages are a good way to enjoy and learn to know each other's bodies without triggering her fears. It's not nearly enough, but it helps, places the goal less high, more reachable. They use them to discover each other's bodies, inch by inch, and with every new attempt, Regina grows more comfortable. Now, when they decide to go further into intimacy, not setting any goal allows them both to avoid ruining their evening, no matter how unsatisfied they are after every new failure.
Robin's actually handling this with an iron will she didn't think anyone could possess, especially considering that he's only seventeen. However, the situation affects him, she's not blind enough to believe he's accepting things easily. She sees how much it hurts him, how much it has him doubting himself, the fists that clench around the sheet so he can fight the overwhelming level of need running through him and that will not be released. She makes sure to reassure him every time, to remind him how much she loves him, that he's perfect, he has nothing to blame himself for, and they force their demons away by focusing on how much they love each other.
However, today is a special day. Tonight, they have the house to themselves, and Regina couldn't be happier.
It's the first anniversary of their relationship, so they asked for a special favor, a night alone at home. Edith and Tom went to the restaurant that will be followed by a movie at Storybrooke movie theater, and Daniel will use the evening to catch up on work at the company.
It's only the two of them, and Regina digs a tooth into her bottom lip to vainly contain a grin when she feels arms wrap around her waist, and the warmth of a body she knows very well around her back, a chin resting on her shoulder.
"What are you cooking?" Robin whispers in her ear.
Regina nuzzles his cheek, before kissing it. "Lasagna." Robin's eyes shine at the announcement, and Regina adds, knowing how much he'll like the second part. "And apple pie with whipped cream for dessert."
Robin buries his face in her neck, and groans, his grip on her tightening. Regina chuckles at his reaction, she chose this meal knowing very well it's one of his favorites.
"All homemade, of course."
Robin moans this time, dropping a kiss to her neck, making her shiver.
"You're a goddess," he murmurs against her skin.
"I'm mostly a good student," she reasons playfully, tilting her head backward to press herself closer to him. "Your mother is the one who teaches me everything about cooking."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" he offers, pecking her cheek.
Regina tilts her chin towards the set of plates and glasses on the countertop. "Can you set the table, please?" Robin is pulling away from her when she adds, "I placed several blankets on the couch. I was thinking that we could eat on the coffee table, make some sort of picnic at home. It'd be cozier," she suggests with a slight blush, shrugging.
"That's a wonderful idea! But I want candles! My girlfriend deserves the best and most romantic dinner for our first anniversary," Robin replies excitedly, looking around him before heading for the large dresser, putting several candlesticks out.
Regina chuckles as she watches him knit his brow in concentration and think everything through to organize the perfect table, changing things, repositioning the candles, then the blankets, running upstairs to grab more pillows. When Regina puts the lasagna in the oven and takes a few seconds to check Robin's work, she stills, her heart fluttering at the sight.
He's created the perfect space between the couch and the coffee table, filled it with blankets and pillows, placed the two plates side to side, three candlesticks illuminating the table enough for them to see. It's beautiful, romantic, has her grinning like an idiot because she really is the luckiest. She's so caught in her thoughts that she doesn't hear him come back, startles when he spoons her from behind, revealing a bouquet made of a good dozen red roses, their smell invading her.
She grins, eyes watering as she turns in his arms, taking the flowers and humming their scent, raising shining eyes at him, at his sheepish but proud face she loves so much, and damn, he never fails to surprise and amaze her.
"They're beautiful," she murmurs, fighting to keep her emotions inside. Every time she thinks she has the most perfect boyfriend, Robin manages to surprise her again. "But you shouldn't have."
"Would you prefer for me to put them to the trash?" Robin questions with a smirk.
Regina sends him an offended glare that turns into a smile almost immediately. "Of course not! I love them! Thank you, Robin."
"I know it sounds cliché, but your smile is worth it," he answers smugly, chuckling as he leans forward, capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. Regina places a hand on his cheek tenderly, answering his kiss, moaning softly.
"Let me put them in a vase!" she says as she pulls back, immediately looking for one, filling it with water and placing it right on the center of the coffee table. "There! Perfect!"
Regina finishes to prepare the pie while Robin dresses up, and then she does too, carefully picking her outfit, the dress they bought with their friends last year and Robin is really fond on, the one that triggers a sparkle in his eyes that makes her feel like the most beautiful woman that's ever walked this earth.
She completes her outfit with his necklace and bracelet, wears light make-up, playing on mascara to accentuate the depth of her gaze, and on a slightly purple lipstick that Robin particularly appreciates and which gives her lips more fullness.
She retrieves an envelope hidden in her part of the wardrobe, digging her tooth into her lip, fighting her excitement, because she has a feeling that Robin will love this gift, and she can't wait to see his face when he'll discover it.
When she finds him downstairs, he's checking the lasagna in the oven, and she hides the envelope behind one of the couch's cushions, before strolling to join him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let me."
She has to admit that she's proud of herself, because as they're sitting side by side on the ground and tasting her lasagna, it is an absolute delight, tasty, slightly spicy thanks to the red pepper flakes she decided to add to Edith's recipe.
"That was an excellent idea," Robin confirms after she explains what she did. "It gives them more kick."
"I also added some cinnamon to the apple pie. Figured it would fit with the apples."
Robin chuckles as he brings another bite of lasagna to his mouth. "You know, with ideas like that, you may very well dethrone my mother as the best cook of the house."
Regina laughs at him. "Please! I could never! I'm still a beginner compared to your mother."
"That's not what I heard her say," Robin answers, an eyebrow lifting. "And my dad agreed with her."
Regina shakes her head, laughing softly as she bumps her shoulder into his.
They chat as they eat, sharing memories, discussing the future, their plans for college now that they know for certain that they will be able to go to the same one. She can feel Robin's anxiety, his fear of failing without her help since they won't be in the same courses. She reassures him, reminds him that his grades have improved greatly during this senior year in comparison with the beginning of junior year, and he barely needs her help anymore, he will do great. She fights against his self-deprecation, against his tendency to diminish his abilities, because he's an excellent student now, and that's not only thanks to her.
All along, she looks at him with a smile that never vanishes, happiness filling her to the brim at the thought that they won't be separated for the next few years. That was something that she dreaded, being apart for years, although she hasn't spoken a word to any of them, aside from Dr Hopper.
Robin is her rock, her heart, her best friend, her reassurance. She'd be lost without him, even despite her recovery.
She gets up to retrieve the apple pie while Robin prepares them hot chocolates, smirks as she removes the envelope from behind the cushion.
"What is this?" Robin asks, tilting his head and frowning at the envelope placed next to his plate, his eyes following Regina as she sits back next to him.
"Open it," she answers mischievously, but smiling widely nonetheless, impatient to see his reaction, dreading it a little too.
His parents and Daniel gave their blessing when she mentioned her idea to them, they even helped her make the reservation. Edith and Tom assured Regina that Robin would be thrilled but… she can't help feeling anxious. That's a huge step in their relationship, she believes that they are ready for this, but will Robin share her confidence?
She holds her breath while he slowly opens the envelope, teeth biting his lower lip in curiosity, glancing at her regularly, and damn, he's doing it on purpose to make it last but the wait is killing her.
Until he pulls two folded papers out, and his eyes widen in shock.
"What the-" he lets out, staring at the sheets of paper in disbelief, then at her in confusion. "Regina?"
She fights her anxiety, swallows down the lump in her throat, and clears her throat before explaining.
"I've planned a trip to New York this summer. Just the two of us, for a week," she announces, her voice steady despite her dry mouth. "Your parents and Daniel helped me book the plane, but we thought that it's best if you and I choose the hotel together, so there's still some planning to do together." She blushes as she says the next words. "Happy anniversary, Robin."
For a moment, she's totally clueless as to what's on Robin's mind. He's staring at her and at the papers in his hand, silent, his face shocked, and Regina fears that she might have been wrong, that she might have made a mistake and that was all a bad idea.
She startles when his hands close over her face, and his lips land on hers, kissing her ardently. She relaxes then, smiles in the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him to her and answering his kiss with the same fervor and love.
Robin pulls back, his forehead resting against hers, kissing the tip of her nose, and he's grinning at her, wiping all of Regina's fears away in a second.
"So, you like it?"
"I'm not sure there's enough words to describe how much I love it." He leans back a little, eyes shining as he can't tamper his grin. "But why?"
"Do I need a reason to offer my boyfriend a gift?" she says coyly.
"Of course not, Regina. But what I meant was that it's not the usual type of gift. Why did you choose this?"
She falls serious, although still smiling, grabbing his hand and turning it between hers, the tip of her fingers tracing the lines of his palms tenderly.
"I wanted to offer you something unusual, something…" she pauses, searching for the right word, and then she shrugs. "Special. I love you, Robin, and over the year and a half that I've known you, you've done so much for me, I've changed so much to thanks to you, but…" He's about to interrupt her, so she raises her hand to silence him. "You did, too. What you accomplished at school… it might seem like nothing, but Robin, that's huge. You got accepted in one of the best colleges of the country, when initially you didn't even care about school. I'm so proud of you," she says, a hand cupping his cheek lovingly as she smiles at him. "You've been here for me, supported me through events most teenagers would've been freaked out about and run away from. Even now, it's not always easy, but you're here, you don't give up on me even when I am the problem," she admits, gaze falling between them. She forces herself to lock eyes with him again, adding with a lopsided grin. "And I mean, we'll both be eighteen this summer, might as well enjoy our freedom before college begins."
Robin laughs, leans forward and softly kisses her lips. "Well, I can't really counter these arguments."
The pie is devoured quickly while they both discuss things to visit in New York and start to google hotels to book.
Robin is about to clean off the table, but Regina has something else in mind, and she stops him by looping her fingers around his wrist and tilting her head to the side. He must understand her thoughts immediately, because he grins, then looks up at the clock, and frowns at her.
"My parents and Daniel?"
"We still have an hour and a half before they come back," she replies simply.
Robin utters Oh! before dropping the plates on the coffee table, kneeling in front of her, his palms finding her thighs and squeezing gently. She tilts her chin up so her lips meet his, her fingers grabbing the collar of his shirt, pulling him to her.
"Start with a massage, as usual?" she offers. Robin nods and is about to help her lie down, but she shakes her head, invites him on the cushions instead. He smirks, removes his shirt, and Regina grins at him before he rests his head on his arms.
She slides the tip of her fingers against the skin of his back, feeling him shiver and blow out a shaky breath. Her palms fall flat, thumbs rubbing in circles regularly, alternating with regular pressures of her other fingers along his spine, from the back of his neck down to the curve of his ass. The more she touches him, the more she relaxes, letting go of her fears, little by little. She rediscovers his body every time, learns every aspect of his body, every curve, every specificity. The small dimples in the hollow of his lower back. The broadness of his shoulders. The few moles sprinkled on his skin. He fully abandons himself to her care, and Regina puts all her heart in this moment, reveling in the contact between their skins, taking down her walls one by one.
When she stops, Robin cranes his neck to look at her, smirking, rolling on his back under her, therefore putting an end to her massage. He brings her back to him, makes them roll until they're face to face on their sides, and she lets him take the lead. They kiss lazily as they let their hands wander, knowing very well the limits, how she cannot touch him below the waist, and he cannot undress her fully without her shutting down completely.
All they can have, they enjoy, and Regina moans softly when Robin's palm slides against her waist to settle on her lower back, moving up and down her spine, making her smile and shiver contently, breaking the kiss to bump her nose into his gently, a hand cupping his cheek as she gazes deep into his blue eyes.
She can feel his lust, his need, how he's struggling to hold back, to respect her limits, and she wishes she could give him what he wants, what she wants. And as his mouth closes over her neck and she arches her chest, pressing herself against him, she doesn't tremble as she usually does, doesn't see any of the images of her abuse. Hope grows within her at the thought that this is it, that just like that, her fear has disappeared, that she's finally free.
So she pulls back, starts to unbuckle his belt, his brow furrowing immediately in question, but she nods and smiles, helping him relax. Regina runs her fingers across his chest, along his neck, thumb brushing his jaw, before she wraps an arm around his back and forces him to lay back down on her, their mouths finding each other immediately, his hand palming the back of her thigh as she folds her knee and locks her foot behind his leg.
Regina breathes out in relief at the feeling of his skin against her, even though she's still dressed, but she feels confident tonight, is more comfortable than usual. She pushes her own limits, reaches Robin's belt in his back and slips her fingers underneath, until she cups the flesh of his ass, squeezing in appreciation, at the feeling of this intimacy they've never reached before. Given Robin's groan and shudder, he's not complaining in the slightest.
She finishes to remove his belt with relatively steady fingers, then unbuttons his pants, feels him slightly tense, but he knows her enough now to give her the lead. He knows she won't do anything she's not comfortable with, that she'll stop as soon as it gets to be too much. When she pushes at his pants, he pulls back, helps her remove them, staying only in his boxers in front of her, his erection more than clear, but Regina isn't scared this time.
She raises determined eyes at him, and kneels down so she can get rid of her dress, staying in front of Robin only in her underwear. They've only been in this situation once, and she had frozen the second he had placed his hands on her. She can't deny the pinch of anxiety that begins to grow in her stomach, her quickening breathing, but it's not enough to stop her this time.
Regina experiences the wonderful feeling of pressing her body against the man she loves, with no layers of clothes between them except for their underwear, and she can tell that Robin is just as overwhelmed as she is, because he trembles in her hold, buries his face in her neck and clutches to her body as if she was a mirage about to slip from his grasp.
He peppers kisses along her collarbone, his hands playing with the hem of her panties, tentatively slipping underneath, reaching the curve of her lower back and the limit of her ass, but his gestures are so soft that Regina doesn't stop him, if so she manages to abandon herself to his care, leaning back to give him better access when he moves his kisses to the skin of her abdomen.
She lets him take care of her, cherish her body like she wishes it always had been, attempting to ease the weight on her chest reminding her that her fears haven't completely vanished. She sighs contently as he flicks his tongue around her belly button, and she answers by running her fingers through his hair tenderly, his neck, shoulders, the top of his back. She smiles when he shivers and nips the skin of her abdomen, and she spontaneously reaches behind her back to unclasp her bra, the movement catching Robin's attention, drawing his gaze up and making him frown and still.
"It's okay," she reassures him in a whisper, grabbing his hand and placing it on her breast, shivering at the touch, forcing through the trembling of her own hand, but she's not ready to quit just yet. The farther they go, the more frustrated they will be if she stops things, but it's also a step closer to finally sharing the intimacy they're longing for.
However, Regina doesn't miss Robin's Adam apple bobbing up and down, the redness of his cheeks, the wetness of his palm, the hardness between his thighs that's pressing against her own thigh. He's on edge, struggling to control himself, not knowing how far they'll be able to go, very much aware that if he loses control, he'll go too far. His constant dilemma whenever they try to make love. She loves him for being so careful with her, and hates herself for imposing so many boundaries on him.
So, she pauses, tilts his chin up so he looks at her, smiles as she brushes his cheek, and says in her most loving voice, because this isn't only about her.
"Do you need to stop?" she offers.
Robin's mouth opens, and she can see that he struggles to speak as his mouth is dry. She leans forward and kisses his cheek tenderly.
"I want to keep going, Robin. I really do. But my fears are still here, and I can't guarantee you that I will be able to win them over tonight," she explains. "And I don't want to hurt you because going further is too much to bear. This isn't only about me," she reminds. "We can stop if you need to."
She sees hesitation flare in his eyes, how he almost says no, but doesn't say yes either. How he wants to go further, but also fears the consequences of a new failure.
He's too good to her, too kind, because this must be hell for him, and he always tries his best to be protective towards her, to make sure she doesn't feel guilty or ashamed, when in reality, she knows how much he suffers from the situation.
Tonight, she'll be the one to protect him.
Regina pushes at his chest, forcing him to sit down, locks their lips in a tender kiss, smiles lovingly at him while she cups his cheek.
"I love you so much, Robin." He leans into her palm, kisses its crook. "You have a right to not be ready yet. I am not fully ready either anyway."
Robin looks down, forehead stuck to hers, and Regina can feel how much he's relieved that she's stopped things, but how much he blames himself for feeling that way.
"I'm sorry," he murmurs. "You caught me off guard, and I wanted, I really did but-"
"I know," she answers, before she wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, her bare chest against his own for the very first time. She sighs when she's surrounded by the warmth of his arms, buries her face in his neck, kissing him there with all her love and tenderness.
They put their clothes back on, clean off the table and the kitchen. When his parents come back from their night out, Regina is snuggled in Robin's arms on the couch, comfortably watching a movie. Once the movie ends, Edith, Tom, and Daniel are already heavily sleeping upstairs, so Regina and Robin head to their bedroom, before falling asleep in each other's arms.
Title of the next chapter (I know that at least one of you is excitedly waiting for this one XD) : The prom