For the longest time the brunette refrains from making a sound; simply toying with pale curls as she brushes her lips softly against the Sheriff's. The blonde's skin hosts a delicate tang of salted iron and it occurs to the Mayor that despite a quick change of clothes, Emma remains in much the same state as when she'd fled the mansion during the early hours of the morning.
In much the same state as when the imp had held her captive.
She frowns, pulling back so that she can observe the younger woman with troubled eyes, before leaning forward and placing an uncharacteristically gentle kiss at the Sheriff's brow. She sighs as pale arms encircle her waist tightly and speaks into tangled tresses.
"I was so worried about you..."
Her words are met with silence and she swiftly reprimands herself for speaking aloud. She is crucially aware of the fact that neither of them know exactly what to say, and she is terrified of breaking the fragile sweetness that now lingers between them. As if sensing her sudden tension, the blonde plays her own fingers over luxurious silk, nipping at the exposed flesh of the Mayor's throat gently, causing the latter to let out a small moan.
Regina complies gratefully as strong thighs tighten around her hips and the Sheriff flips them easily so that she lies on her back beneath a curtain of cornsilk curls; Emma's eyes dark as her long hair casts her face into shadow.
The blonde works the buttons to the Mayor's shirt slowly, her eyes cast down to the task at hand while she captures her bottom lip between her teeth. Regina watches her silently, drinking in lustful eyes, slim fingers and dirty cheeks. Faint tear-tracks remain curiously visible- marring enviably high bones- and she runs a hand gently over a denim clad thigh. Her vision becomes obscured with the Sheriff unclasps the last of the small buttons and leans forward to taste the flesh revealed beneath.
The Mayor arches her back a little, using her body rather than her words to convey what she needs, and she is swiftly sated as delicate lace is shoved roughly upwards to be replaced by warm lips. She plays her hands over the soft cotton of the blonde's rather boyish hoody affectionately, relishing the strength that emanates from the lean muscle beneath her fingertips as she muses on the way Emma's go-to response when things get a little stressful is to adopt this hungrier, darker persona.
Purely sexual.
She finds she is at peace with this now; gradually having come to realise that the younger woman's lustful approach to what she herself would have wished was a more intimate moment is no reflection on her, but simply one on the Sheriff's coping mechanisms. She is momentarily cruelly reminded of the way Emma had taken her in the jail cell upon recovering from the hateful effects of that tainted apple but is able to push this aside now.
Emma knows.
Emma knows everything.
And she may not be happy about it, may not be happy at all, but she's here. She stayed.
The brunette sniffs lightly as she realizes that, just as the younger woman had doubted if she was worth being found, she herself has never quite believed she was worth staying for.
I was worth it. It's just nobody saw that.
But isn't that sort of the same thing?
The Sheriff stills as she senses the Mayor's silent sob, desisting with the wet trail she creates down the valley between the brunette's breasts hesitantly. Letting out a low sigh, she turns her head to the side, resting her cheek on bare flesh and closing her eyes as slender arms rest firmly around her. She strokes a finger lightly over the delicate ripple of the darker woman's ribs, adopting a small smile as a light tremor reminds her of Regina's ticklish side. Burying her face back into velvety skin, she places a hard, decidedly wet kiss just above the Mayor's heart; the gesture purposefully exaggerated and audible.
And just like that, as they both descend into light, amiable laughter, each woman comes to the beautiful realization that it might just be possible for things to be okay between them.
Glancing down at Emma as the younger woman remains face down between her breasts, Regina rolls her eyes and prods at a narrow shoulder playfully, smiling as the Sheriff looks up at her, before adopting a tone of arrogance and plucking at soft cotton.
"Is this even a woman's sweatshirt?"
"Dunno-"
A waterfall of curls as the blonde pushes herself up and pulls it over her head swiftly, the Mayor's hands finding her bare stomach instinctively.
"-Want to check the label?"
Regina shakes her head; dark coals following the course of the faded material as the Sheriff sends it flying across the room. Raising an eyebrow and smirking back up at her, the brunette regards the younger woman appreciatively as the latter looks down at her with shy curiosity.
"How does it work?"
"How does what work?"
"... Magic?"
The blonde's tone is low, and her face is carefully free from any expression save for mild interest. The brunette swallows, not sure how best to approach the matter.
"Well... What would you like to know, dear?"
"Can you... Will you show me?"
Studying Emma levelly as the younger woman continues to captivate her with curious green eyes, the Mayor nods slowly, holding her hand up deliberately between them. She allows a mild tremor of force to flow up through her fingers; exuding a delicate purple haze and a subtle heat. Keeping her eyes trained on Emma, she moves her glowing hand so that it hovers just shy of the blonde's bare stomach. With her blood thrumming loudly in her ears, she sees rather than hears the small noise of apprehension that comes from the woman above her, but the Sheriff doesn't flinch, and so she slowly closes the distance and presses her fingers lightly against soft flesh.
Emma's eyes widen at this new contact, but amongst the mixture of emotions she feels, fear is not one of them, and while she detests such Freudian navel gazing- I'm just me, just Emma, who gives a flying shit?- she can't help but acknowledge the significance in this. On cue, Regina speaks quietly, the curious warmth from her hand- a heat that shouldn't be possible- thrumming soothingly against taut muscle in a way that the blonde finds inexplicably pleasant.
"This won't hurt."
"I know."
The Sheriff's voice is barely a whisper as she continues to study the hand which warms her skin with wide-eyed wonder, and Regina nods as though in agreement. Removing her fingers, the flesh below the younger woman's navel glows a warm red as though sunburnt, but the brunette knows this is merely a reaction to the heat bestowed on fair skin rather than any cause for concern. Glancing up at the blonde quickly, she wets her bottom lip before returning her attention to the hand that hovers between them.
The small flick she gives of her wrist is slower- carrying less finesse- than she is capable of, but she is reluctant to make any fast movements in fear of scaring the Sheriff. She imagines Emma's clear trust will keep her in place, but she has no wish to give the younger woman any cause for alarm whether she responds visibly or not.
"Oh..."
Regina bites back a smile at the childish squeak from above as her unseen ministrations have the clasp of the blonde's jeans coming swiftly undone. She slows her hand even more as she watches- along with the trembling Sheriff- as the zipper to Emma's Levi's drags slowly downwards to reveal gray cotton.
"Fuck..."
The Sheriff captures her gaze with stunned green eyes, her face pale but her breathing noticeably heavier. The brunette smirks, quelling the power that thrums from her fingers and reaching around with both hands to cup pert denim amiably, threading her thumbs through the blonde's belt loops and tugging at the coarse material gently.
"Is that a request?"
Emma snaps out of her bewildered daze abruptly, eyes flickering feverishly over the Mayor's delicate features before letting out a nervous laugh. She pushes herself up off the brunette swiftly, standing precariously over the darker woman as she balances on the soft mattress and shimmies out of her jeans; careful not to stumble and fall on top of the brunette.
Regina watches in amusement, stabilising the younger woman with a hand flashing up to steady a skinny hip, before the Sheriff lowers herself back down cautiously to straddle slender thighs. She raises her own hand and flicks her wrist wildly, adopting a playful grin as the older woman raises an eyebrow in bemusement.
"I was just checking."
Emma confides lightly, before shrugging and attacking the delicate catch to the Mayor's dress pants manually. Regina shakes her head in mock despair, swiftly unclasping the blonde's simple, black bra as the latter tugs at the soft linen that conceals her prize. She lifts her hips obligingly, allowing herself a small, secretive smile as she watches the Sheriff take the time to fold expensive fabric carefully and lean over to place the small bundle beside the bed.
Taking advantage of the blonde's position, Regina snakes her hand beneath a slender thigh; flipping the younger woman onto her back on the expansive bed and pinning her down once more while her teeth graze pale flesh deliberately. She catches a momentary glimpse of smeared scarlet beneath Sheriff's breast and her eyes flicker to the white lines that encircle slim wrists like curious bracelets. She is given little time to dwell on such things however, as a devious hand slips between them and slides sweetly beneath the delicate lace of her underwear to find her wanting wetness.
She reciprocates gladly, pulling aside scant cotton while nipping cruelly at the sharp line of the blonde's jaw, as Emma deepens her ministrations and hisses encouragingly next to her ear. As she climbs ever higher and ever closer to the edge of pure pleasure, she throws caution to the wind and allows just a little of the curious heat to thrum through her busy fingers, moving swiftly to swallow the Sheriff's cry of surprise as the younger woman comes immediately undone beneath her.
Chuckling huskily, the brunette growls as she is clumsily flipped onto her back by the shaking blonde as the Sheriff takes her over the edge; Emma's legs trembling ever so slightly as she clambers breathlessly on top, her eyes deep pools of emerald as she watches the Mayor squeeze her own eyes shut and bite her lip as she goes over. Collapsing onto the darker woman with a light chuckle at the winded gasp this garners her, the blonde lies with her head rested within the hollow of the brunette's shoulder as they struggle to regulate their breathing. Closing her eyes and resting a hand gently on the soft flesh of the Mayor's stomach she sighs quietly.
"I love you."
Regina smiles, her own eyes closed in exhaustion as she brings her arms gently around to encircle the Sheriff; wishing they could remain lying this way, but knowing that Emma needs sleep- bathing wouldn't go amiss either- and not quite hopeful enough to believe the blonde the sort for slumbering in another's arms. Speaking into tangled curls softly, she runs a finger gently down the length of the younger woman's spine, causing the Sheriff to twitch amusingly.
"And I you, which is why I hope you wont take it to heart when I insist you spend a good amount of time under the shower, before getting straight back into bed... You must be exhausted..."
"Oh look, it seems I've acquired a moth...er..."
"... It seems you have..."
The silence is more awkward than it is tense and Regina brushes the comment off swiftly.
"You need sleep... I need sleep... As I'm sure Henry does too, but perhaps it is for the best that we sort a few things out between us while he slumbers peacefully in your mo-... Mary Margaret's care."
"...Sort things out between us how?"
The blonde tenses immediately in the Mayor's arms, and Regina sighs as she supposes that no matter what has transpired between the two of them, the subject of Henry will be one that may cause yet more discomfort. Deciding to go with what is- ironically- a less dangerous course of discussion, she plays with a stray curl of long hair absently-mindedly as she mutters sleepily into the crown of the younger woman's hair.
"Well, for one... How we plan on dealing with that despicable little imp..."