A/N: This is all sex, just so you know. If you don't like smut, well, you probably don't want to read my stories at all but if you are here for my storylines sans the sex, just skip this chapter. But, come on, I know this stuff is what you all wait for! I love it too!
A single lamp on Emma's bedside table bathed the room in a soft light. Low music played from the speaker system which Emma triggered on her phone as soon as they entered. It was as romantic as one could make the setting without candles and a live four string quartet.
They stood at the foot of Emma's perfectly made bed, kissing in a manner which could only be described as furious. After so many weeks, or perhaps years, of pent up sexual tension, their proximity to one another and to a bed in a private space was overwhelming. Emma's shirt hung open, her toned abs flexing as Regina's fingers curled around her waist. The zipper at the back of Regina's dress was half-undone, Emma pulling it slowly downwards, still aware enough to make sure Regina had time to stop her. But there was no stopping the brunette who started to push Emma's shirt from her sculpted shoulders.
"Are you happy?"
"What?" Regina asked as she tossed Emma's shirt to the floor.
"With what's happening here. Is this all ok? Are you happy?"
Regina paused, her hands now resting on tight biceps. "You're asking if I'm happy?"
"Comfortable might have been a better word," Emma clarified.
"Comfortable? With you?"
"With sex," Emma pressed. "Given your history and -"
"No," Regina interrupted. "Don't say his name. Don't bring him in here. Not here, not with you." The mere thought of her ex-husband made her skin crawl and took the edge off her arousal. But Regina was determined; Leo wasn't going to destroy another part of her life. "I want this, Emma. I want you. I promise you that I'll say if anything makes me uncomfortable but for now, can we just be together? No one else matters right now. Just me and you."
Emma reached up and brushed some stray hairs from Regina's forehead. "Ok," she said softly. "Just me and you."
Plump lips smiled in thanks before pressing to Emma's neck. The blonde allowed her head to fall back, a soft groan vibrating through her pale skin. Regina's core clenched. The arousal was back in full force. She trailed a line of soft kisses, interspersed with nips and flicks of her tongue, down the slender column of the blonde's neck, biting lightly at the juncture where the slope of her shoulder joined, the defined muscle flexing beneath her teeth.
"You work out," Regina remarked as she pulled away, noting the power and tone of the blonde's upper body.
"Yes, every day. It's part of my routine," Emma said, her hands now travelling to Regina's thighs to coax the material of her dress up, the zip now completely undone.
"I … I don't work out," Regina said, lip suddenly pulled between teeth in the way it always did when she had a moment of self-doubt. Back in Maine, she was always chewing her lip. Body shaming had been a favourite cruelty of Leo's, even though Regina's figure was almost as it had been before she gave birth to Henry. The stretch marks which marred her stomach, however, made her ex-husband sneer in distaste. Over the years, Regina had grown to hate them too, even if they were simply a natural reminder of the amazing feat her body had accomplished in creating her son.
Emma's hands paused in their quest, the black material now bunched at the top of Regina's thighs, sensing her discomfort. "I think you're beautiful, Regina," she murmured earnestly, fingertips gently caressing the exposed skin. "So beautiful."
"I'm not perfect," Regina whispered, staring at the flat, flawless plane of Emma's abs.
"No one is. And I don't want perfect, I want you."
The words, sounding as if they were out of a cheesy Hollywood film, made Regina lift her head. She almost scoffed at the line but when she met Emma's gaze, she realised something. Emma didn't lie. Emma didn't say things she didn't believe. Those words were true; coming from Emma, they had to be. Emma didn't want someone perfect. Emma understood that people are all flawed in one way or another. Emma wanted her.
Regina threw her arms back around Emma's neck, kissing her hard. The realisation that she was wanted, desired, lusted after, sparked a renewed fire within her belly. Emma cupped the back of her head, steadying herself at the intensity of the kiss. And then, as they settled back into the rhythm their tongues found, her hands returned to Regina's thighs.
The material slid up slowly, bunching tightly over her hips before moving more quickly past her waist and torso. They were forced to break apart as Emma reached Regina's armpits and the brunette stepped back, raising her hands above her head to allow Emma to tug the fabric up and over her body.
With a thud, the dress fell to the floor. Emma's gaze raked down Regina's body, taking in the beautiful woman. It was only when she got to those brown orbs in which she could usually see glimmers of her future that she realised Regina's eyes were screwed tightly shut. A pang shot through Emma's heart as she saw yet another reminder of the abuse Regina had suffered. But the brunette had asked not to be reminded of that, even though her history was painfully obvious to both of them.
Heeding Regina's wishes, Emma closed the gap between them once more, revelling in the feeling of warm skin against her own bare stomach. Regina responded to the kiss at once, a soft sigh of what must have been relief escaping into Emma's open mouth. Knowing the brunette was happy and relaxed, Emma's mind also became more focused on the woman in her arms. Her fingers raked up and down Regina's back, tripping over the narrow bra strap on each passing. Although she was itching to take it off and feel the weight of Regina's breasts, free from their confines, she knew she should wait. Their current state of undress was uneven, and that was unfair.
A view Regina clearly shared, Emma mused, as she felt fingers start to fumble at her belt. The strip of leather was quickly removed and tossed blindly behind Regina before she returned to undo her button and slide the zipper down. A quick wiggle of her hips and the dark pants were pooled at Emma's feet. Without breaking the kiss, she stepped out of them and toed the material aside.
And then the kiss ended, Regina pulling away slightly and stepping back. Both women stood there, clad only in their underwear, drinking one another in. Regina's bra and lace panties were both black, although not from the same set. Emma's white bra was simple and practical and her cotton briefs were navy blue. Both choices seemed to fit each woman's personality and style. Regina drank in the sight before her, marvelling at how the beautiful yet gangly teenager she had once known had blossomed into, well, for want of a better word, swan.
Their eyes met and Emma stepped back towards Regina but the brunette held up her hand, fingertips pressed lightly into the woman's sternum. She stopped at once.
"I haven't … I mean, I have but … it's been a while," Regina admitted at last.
"Ok," Emma said slowly. "But you have had sex with women before, right?"
"Yes, a few times, in college," Regina nodded. "Drunk. Always drunk. Never sober."
"You've had two glasses of wine this evening," Emma pointed out.
"I'm not drunk."
"Good. I wouldn't be standing here if you were."
"I just … look, I want this, Emma. But I don't want to disappoint you, do something wrong, not please you. I want you to feel good, satisfied with me."
"I want the same for you," Emma assured. "It's not that hard really once you get going and let's keep this communication stuff open. I'll tell you what I like, you tell me. Deal?"
"You want us to talk during sex?"
Emma frowned. "If there's something you want to say, yeah. Why?"
Regina shook her head. She didn't want to give those thoughts invading her head a moment of her time. Except, there they were. Leo had talked in bed. Well, instructed in bed. Do this, touch that, suck me. Regina's stomach coiled at the memory until cool fingertips stroked her cheek, pulling back to the present.
"As slow as you need us to go," Emma said sincerely. "We move at your pace."
"At our pace," Regina said. "The same goes for you."
"Ok," Emma agreed. "At our pace."
Regina nodded and stepped back up to Emma's body, kissing her tenderly and bringing her mind and body fully into the moment. The heat returned almost at once as she felt Emma's arms wrap around her. She moaned into the kiss as Emma gently turned their bodies so that Regina's back was to the bed. But the blonde pressed no further. There was no way Emma was going to physically push Regina down onto the bed. That was a move Regina would have to initiate herself.
She did, minutes later, breaking the kiss and leaving swollen, parted lips behind as she sat down and then lowered her back to the soft duvet, eyes never once leaving Emma's face. Standing at the foot of the bed, Emma drank in the sight before her. Regina blushed slightly at the intensity but also felt a glimmer of pride and a minute boost to her self-confidence as Emma's aroused eyes grew even darker. Slowly, she shifted herself up the bed so that her feet left the floor and her knees straightened, eventually allowing her head to rest on one of Emma's pillows.
"Come here," Regina asked, permitted, instructed once she was in position.
Emma, who had been motionless the entire time Regina had been moving, seemed to spring into action. She quickly reached down and pulled off the socks which still adorned her feet before placing her left knee beside Regina's right ankle, followed by her right knee by the brunette's left ankle. Leaning forwards, her hands landed on either side of Regina's ribs. Their eyes locked.
"Happy?"
"Blissfully," Regina nodded, reassuring Emma that the stance wasn't too dominating.
Emma smiled as she crawled up the bed until her knees were cradling Regina's hips, her hands were carefully placed underneath the fan of brown hair and their lips were hovering inches from one another.
"Still ok?"
Regina smirked. "Very ok."
It was sweet that Emma kept checking in, even if it was entirely unnecessary. Regina felt more than ok. With Emma, she felt safe and cared for and … it was too soon for that. What mattered, however, was that the way Emma treated her was so far from the way Leo had, that Regina felt not even a glimmer of trepidation or anxiety as Emma lowered her body slowly on top of Regina's.
Their mouths met once more, softer this time. More slowly, the build up to what was next, the inevitable development, requiring a little pause to take stock, as they both grew used to the feel of the other. Warm flesh, alive, vibrant, wanton. Breathless lips, expanding ribcages, breasts pressed against breasts.
Regina's hand trailed up Emma's sides, fingers of one coming to unhook the clasp of her bra, the other burying in tangled blonde hair. But the hooks slipped and slid, forcing Regina to use both hands. She flushed with embarrassment at not being able to perform the simple action which she did herself every day. The mirrored motion had confused her. But eventually the strap gave way and she set about removing the material.
Pushing herself up on her hands, Emma's bra fell away, straps sliding down her arms as they did so. Regina's eyes locked on the small, pert breasts which hung before her, light pink nipples tight against the rush of cool air they had been exposed to. Emma quickly rid herself of the bra but continued to hold herself up, allowing the observation. She understood the hooded gaze. She was a boob girl too. Her eyes trailed down to Regina's chest, the bra at least a size bigger than her own. She licked her lips.
At the action, Regina pushed herself onto her elbows, positioning her mouth within kissing reach. Emma obliged, shifting her weight to one hand as she kissed the brunette so she could undo Regina's bra, the clasp of which was now available to her. It was released within a second.
"Show off," Regina chuckled into parted lips.
"I'm good with my hands," Emma replied.
Regina laughed as she let herself fall back onto the mattress and set about the task of removing her bra. "Is that so?"
"Yes," Emma said. "I am practical and I'm good at building things. I helped my foster father with lots of DIY in the house when I was younger and -"
"Emma, shut up," Regina giggled, pressing lightly on the top of the blonde's thighs, forcing her to sit back, straddling her own hips. She then guided Emma's hands which were no longer supporting the woman's weight up to cup her breasts. "Let's put those magic hands to work, shall we?"
"They're not magic. Magic isn't real and -"
This time, Emma was silenced by Regina covering the blonde's hands with her own and squeezing lightly. Against her palm, taut nipples pressed tantalisingly into her soft flesh. Ok, Emma mused, perhaps this was not time to argue why magic was all an illusion and didn't really exist. She took over from Regina's gentle encouragement and curled her fingers more firmly around the supple flesh. Regina let out a sigh of contentment and her hands fell away, leaving the blonde to work alone.
The pads of Emma's thumbs massaged the soft underside of each breast lightly before sliding her hands to either side, revealing those hard nipples. They were darker than Emma's, unsurprising given the woman's complexion, she mused. Leaning down, lips captured the peak, a delicate kiss to test the waters. How sensitive was Regina? Judging by the way she arched her back, very. Emma needed a little harsher treatment to her own breasts but she knew some women were very sensitive. Proceeding carefully, she parted her lips, drawing the tip into her hot mouth. Fingers threaded through her hair as a moan vibrated up from Regina's chest. Emma smiled into the flesh and flattened her tongue against Regina's nipple, laving softly. Fingers tensed on her scalp.
Moving on, Emma switched her attention to the neglected breast, her hand covering the now wet nipple as she applied the same ministrations to its twin. Beneath her, Regina's body twitched and trembled with arousal. Emma's own lust was brewing, bubbling up from deep inside her as she felt Regina react to her touch. But she had promised Regina she would be the one to set the pace. She didn't want to push.
Regina did, however. Emma released the nipple with a soft pop and looked up to meet chocolate eyes when she felt hands on her shoulders, a gentle, encouraging pressure applied. She raised an eyebrow in question. Regina nodded. Emma rocked forwards on her hands and placed a kiss to Regina's lips before starting her quest downwards. Kisses fluttered down Regina's neck, over her collarbone, between the valley of her breasts, over the edge of her ribcage which rose and fell and down towards her stomach. Beneath her lips, Emma could feel the woman tense slightly. Her eyes opened, glancing up to take stock of the woman.
"Go on," Regina breathed out. "I trust you."
Emma nodded and placed a quick kiss just above Regina's belly button before moving down, settling between the woman's legs which had been parted to make room for her. Only one item of clothing remained. Emma glanced up to Regina's face and received a nod, permitting her to slip a finger into either side of the black lace and wriggle the material down. It was awkward; Emma having to climb out of the way and Regina raising her hips up to release the fabric. But eventually the underwear was gone and Emma knelt between Regina's thighs once more.
Cool hands rested just above her knee, the touch light and reassuring, thumbs brushing over her smooth skin. Regina allowed her legs to fall open a little wider at the pressure, although that wasn't Emma's intention. It was just a touch, a promise, a reminder. 'I'm not him,' Emma was trying to say. I'm not going to hurt you. The nod of Regina's head seemed to reply, 'I know', and it was Emma's cue.
She shifted herself once more, lying on her stomach with her legs dangling half off the edge of the bed. No Hollywood movie depicted how ungainly sex could actually be, with two people trying to get their bodies into the right position on a relatively small surface. But she ignored the awkward angle as she reached her arms around each thigh, her hands coming to rest upon Regina's hip points. The woman was slender, the bones protruding lightly at the base of a flat stomach. What had the brunette been nervous about? Emma mused. The thought disappeared, however, when she looked up to see the unadulterated desire in Regina's eyes. The woman had been waiting long enough.
Returning to the task in hand, or mouth, as the case was about to be, Emma moved closer, breathing in the scent of Regina fully for the first time. Every woman Emma had been with smelt and tasted differently. Regina smelt sweeter than her exes and Emma was already addicted. Unable to wait any longer, she lowered her lips and placed a soft kiss to the woman's mound, covered in neatly cropped dark hair. A gasp filled the air. Emma glanced up to see Regina's pupils blown black with lust. She smirked and lowered her mouth once more, maintaining eye contact as she allowed her tongue to lave the soft skin.
Regina's eyelids fluttered closed. So did Emma's as she focused on the task in hand. She dragged her tongue repeatedly across Regina's labia, parting the lips and allowing her tongue to dip into the woman's entrance. The sharp, sweet taste on her tongue drew a groan as she delved deeper, seeking out more. As her tongue entered the brunette, fingers dug suddenly into her scalp. A quick glance told her Regina was more than ok and Emma continued.
She started a rhythm. Lick up, tease clit, lick down, enter. Lick up, tease clit, lick down, enter. The taste intensified with each pass, Regina's clit hardening beneath the tip of her tongue as she swirled her tongue around it. Readjusting herself on the bed, Emma splayed her hands across Regina's stomach, holding down hips which had begun to rock into her ministrations.
"Emma, Jesus, I'm close already," Regina gasped.
The blonde didn't reply, but instead opened her eyes and looked up the naked, tense body of her lover. Regina's core was clenched, her shoulders lifted off the bed as pleasure thrummed through her veins. As Emma watched, tongue still performing the same actions, the brunette arched her back, reversing her posture. On either side of Emma's ears, thighs twitched, little jerks of pleasure which told her Regina was reaching her peak.
Usually, Emma would have used her fingers, adding internal stimulation to maximise the pleasure of the woman in her bed. But a small voice in the back of her head told her not to. Regina hadn't said anything about avoiding penetration but she decided that this first time needed to be as different as possible to anything Regina might have experienced before. So she kept going. Lick up, tease clit, lick down, enter. Lick up, tease clit, lick down, enter. Regina's core was slick with saliva and her own juices by now, Emma's tongue gliding easily over the hot flesh. She sped up her movements as Regina moaned out her name again, urging her onwards, upwards.
And then she was falling, her body rising off the bed once more, fingers grasping at the duvet as her body quaked. Emma kept her mouth where it was, allowing Regina's rocking hips to grind against her lips, prolonging her pleasure until, after over thirty seconds, she fell back to the bed, chest rising and falling heavily.
Satisfied, although not as satisfied as Regina by the looks of things, Emma extricated herself from beneath Regina's legs and crawled back up the bed. She reached for a tissue from the bedside table and wiped the wetness from her mouth. Through half-open eyes, Regina watched the action.
"Sorry."
Turning at the whispered apology, Emma frowned. "What for?"
"You don't like how my body tastes. It's ok. He didn't either."
Anger boiled in Emma, both at the mention of the man while they were in her bed and also at the look of rejection on Regina's eyes and the realisation that her action had caused that.
"What? No, Regina, that's not it at all. You're delicious! The tissue thing is a habit." The words 'from a past relationship' hung unspoken in the air. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. But seriously, you taste amazing."
Regina looked unconvinced. Lying beside the sceptical woman, Emma reached down and ran her finger through Regina's wet core and brought that glistening finger to her mouth. Eyes locked on brown orbs, she sucked it clean. "Delicious," she declared.
"Really?"
"Truly," Emma nodded. "I don't lie, you know that."
"Ok, thank you," Regina said, turning onto her side and slinging an arm over Emma's waist.
"For the orgasm or telling you the truth?"
"Both."
Emma smiled and leaned in, placing a delicate kiss to Regina's lips. She wrapped her own arm around Regina and pulled her even closer before closing her eyes and resting her head on the pillow more comfortably. Regina watched the woman before her, unguarded and content. How far they had both come, she mused, fingers trailing up and down the blonde's spine, feeling the ridges of each vertebrae beneath her tips.
"You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" she asked after several minutes of silence.
"No," Emma smiled, eyes still closed. "Just basking in the moment."
"I'm the one who should be in a post-orgasmic basking phase. You're pre-orgasm, you should be tense and itching for me to touch you."
"I'm not going to push you," Emma replied, eyes opening again. "There's no rush."
"But you are itching for me to touch you?"
"I'm not itching. I don't have lice or crabs."
Regina wrinkled her nose at the literal reply. But then Emma lifted up her leg, hitching it over the top of Regina's thigh and opened up her core, a silent offering. Regina took the hint at once and slid her own thigh in between Emma's legs, pressing upwards until she met slick, hot skin.
"So, you are a little impatient?" Regina teased as she felt the blonde's arousal on her thigh.
"I'm as patient as you need me to be," Emma said. "There's no rush."
"But you're turned on."
"By you," Emma nodded. "What I just did to you, watching you come, it was erotic, Regina. You're very sexy, in case you weren't aware."
Regina hadn't been called sexy for years and hadn't felt sexy since the birth of her son. Not that she blamed Henry but the experience affected the way she perceived her body. The feel of Emma's wetness, however, did send a rush of empowerment throughout her veins.
"You're sexy too," Regina murmured, kissing Emma softly. "And I'm not going to make you wait any longer."
Emma felt herself being pushed onto her back, Regina rolling on top of her, thigh still wedged between her own. She grinned into the kiss which grew more heated as the brunette moved to kneel between her legs. And then the brunette had pulled away, slithering downwards quickly and all but ripping the underwear from her body.
All that pent up desire, those feelings, the musings and wonderings of what Emma Swan would be like in bed suddenly flooded back and Regina couldn't get between her thighs quick enough. The blonde cried out as a hot mouth sealed itself over her core, diving in without any preamble. Already aroused after her time pleasuring Regina, the blonde gasped as she felt a tongue swipe through her wetness.
"Fuck, Regina."
Dark eyes glanced up, eyebrows raised cheekily. Emma chuckled. What have I unleashed? She thought to herself as Regina's teeth grazed her clit. And then thoughts were no longer an option for her as Regina's tongue started its assault. Lashing and twirling and sucking and looping around her bundle of nerves, Emma groaned and pushed her body further into the relentless stimulation. She liked it hard and fast, something Regina seemed to enjoy providing. Unashamedly, she ground her body against the woman's mouth, feeling Regina's tongue push back eagerly.
Almost embarrassingly quick, Emma's body trembled and then her back arched, her orgasm taking her by surprise with its speed and intensity. She froze, core pressed tight against Regina's mouth, the woman also not moving as she watched Emma's body poise, half off the bed, before collapsing back down, chest heaving. Before pulling away, Regina placed several kisses to the sensitive inside of Emma's thighs. By the time she crawled back up to Emma, the blonde was watching her though hooded eyes.
"And you were worried about pleasing me," she husked, pulling the brunette towards her for a deep kiss. While Emma's previous girlfriend hadn't liked the taste of herself on Emma's tongue, the blonde didn't mind it and savoured the mixture of Regina and her own come.
"That was ok then?"
"More than ok. God, you're incredible."
Regina couldn't stop the smug smirk which graced her face. She settled down beside Emma who held out her arm to cradle the smaller woman.
"No regrets?"
"No regrets," Regina confirmed. It was true. She had no regrets about taking her relationship with Emma to the next level. She was ready. They were ready. It was long overdue but had also been worth the wait. She turned her head and placed a kiss to Emma's collarbone beneath her lips before settling more comfortably. Emma's arm held her tightly. They fell silent, both lost in their own thoughts. Mostly good. Reminiscing about the past. Pondering the future. What next? What now?
"I should get back to the shelter," Regina said after almost thirty minutes.
Emma, who had been almost asleep beside her, reached out to check the time on her phone. "It's close to eleven."
"Yeah, I told Marian I'd be back by then. She has to work tomorrow."
"Ok," Emma said. "But, for the record, I don't want you to go."
"I know. And I don't want to go either." She added a kiss to the statement as if in proof. "But I have to get back to Henry. He can't be alone for the night."
Emma understood and nodded her agreement as Regina sat up. She watched for a moment as the woman navigated her way around the room, gathering her discarded clothes. Once Regina's bra was fastened, Emma got up and did the same.
"Are you coming with me?" Regina asked as she noticed Emma was pulling on her boots.
"Of course," Emma replied. "Have walk my date home, don't I?"
"I hope the shelter isn't my home for much longer."
"It won't be," Emma assured her. "We can start looking for jobs which you can apply for on Monday if you like? After we finish your CV, of course."
"Yes, that sounds good," Regina nodded. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," the blonde said, pushing herself off the bed and giving Regina another kiss. "Ready?"
The dark streets were quiet and the two women walked hand in hand, barely speaking on the short walk back to the shelter. Outside the door, Emma leaned against the brickwork. "Well, I guess you can take it from here."
"You're not coming in?"
Emma shook her head. "Ruby will think I'm checking up on her. She'll be watching us on the CCTV now and cursing me for not trusting her."
"You're just worried," Regina pointed out. "And rightly so. She's suffered a serious loss."
"Yes and I want to help her but she won't let me. So I'll leave it until she's ready. As long as she's doing her job and taking care of herself, I suppose I can't say anything. She wants to work, so I'll let her. When she wants a friend, I'll be here too."
Regina wondered when she'd ever stop falling for this woman. Because that was what was happening, she knew, as she stepped forwards and kissed Emma, a silent way of showing her admiration of the incredible person before her. Much as it pained her to do it, Emma broke the kiss shortly after it started.
"Don't want to put on a show," she remarked, glancing up at the discrete camera above them.
"Right, sorry. Well, thank you for tonight. It was amazing," Regina smiled.
"It really was. We'll do it again soon, ok?"
"I can't wait."
"Goodnight Regina."
"Goodnight Emma." With that, she turned and opened the door to the shelter, glancing over her shoulder as she stepped inside. Emma watched until the door clicked shut before stuffing her hands into her pockets and turning around to walk back home. If Emma believed in cliché sayings, she'd probably describe her heart as singing with joy. But hearts didn't sing. So that was stupid. But whatever the vital organ was doing, whether it was the part of her body where her soul resided, as Emma walked back to the apartment, her heart felt full to bursting. In a good way.
Was this it? Was this her happy ending? She wondered as she bolted the apartment, unbolted it, bolted it shut once more, and slid the deadbolt back. Curling up in her bed minutes later, surrounded by sheets which smelt of Regina and sex, Emma couldn't help but muse that everything was too perfect.
Life hadn't dealt Emma Swan a fair hand. Something always went wrong. What was going to happen to destroy the tentative life she and Regina were building? Her skin tingled. Something was coming. She could sense it. Scoffing suddenly at the absurd thought, Emma rolled onto her side and buried her face into the pillow, breathing in the lingering scent of the woman whose naked body she wished was still beside her.
The sign loomed out of the dark, stark white against the black sky. Headlights glanced off the wording, reflecting them into narrowed, determined eyes which flicked from the freeway over to the welcome and back again with renewed determination and focus.
"Empire state, my ass," he growled as he crossed the border.
A/N: yes, I'm leaving you hanging for another week. And please, I politely ask you to give me time to unfold my creative decision before you criticise them – I can justify my choices, I promise!