I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.
10: Comforting Companions
The weather was warm enough for Emma to work on the Bug without gloves, but that did not save her hands from being cut up. Little scratches and nicks dotted her fingers, palms, and the tops of her hands. It was not as bad as before and that was fine. Regina did not scold her about it, anyway. She did keep on top of Emma about cleaning the wounds, though.
Emma needed more tools, too. Regina's garage was well-supplied with things Emma was certain Regina had no idea what they did, but they had been helpful to her. Unfortunately, she needed more. The Bug was falling apart right in front of her, which was understandable. The car was probably older than she was.
The Bug needed a lot of work, which was always the case. I definitely should've stolen a better car. Of course, she had not really been thinking about how well the car functioned when she stole it. She was more interested in if it was easy to take and simply if it ran, which it had. It looked like it was on its last leg now, though.
Emma sighed as she walked around the Bug. "We've been through some tough times and I know there are more to come, so just stay with me a little longer, okay? One day, I'm going to have a real job and get you properly fixed by a real mechanic. Until then, just stay with me a little longer." The Bug probably would not be able to fulfill that request.
Emma was not put off by the impossible task, though. She had a plan and it was time to execute it. She zipped up her yellow duck hoodie and took the long walk from Regina's house to Granny's diner to meet up with her friends. David had agreed to drive her to the dump to look for parts. It was the best she could do right now and it had worked in the past. Mary Margaret and Ruby would come along for the ride and company, which would be nice. They did not hang out as often as they should.
"Hey, Emma, we didn't think you'd make it," Ruby said with a grin as Emma stepped through the door at Granny's. Ruby rushed over to her and gave her a happy embrace, even though she was technically working. The table she just abandoned did not look happy over it, though.
Emma arched an eyebrow. "Why? I'm not late and my legs work just fine." She glanced over at the clock on the wall and then down at her jean-clad legs.
Ruby snickered and slapped Emma on the shoulder. "Because we didn't know if kitty could come outside and play. You know how people are with their pets."
Emma laughed. "Shut up!" She shoved Ruby.
Ruby only laughed more as she kept her balance. "Lemme go let Granny know I'm off. Ashley's gonna be pissed she has to cover for me." Ruby cackled as she walked off.
Emma shot Ashley a look and Ashley smiled as she made a show of rolling her eyes. Emma chuckled as Ashley went to take care of the table Ruby abandoned. Ashely probably enjoyed the extra tips when Ruby was away.
Mary Margaret and David made their way over to Emma. M&M grabbed her up into a tight hug while David smiled at her, partially in sympathy as well as a hello. They barely made it through greetings before Ruby showed up again and they all left. They piled into David's raggedy truck, having to squeeze into the front seat. It definitely was not built for four adults. They needed to give David room to drive, so there was a lot of grunting and elbowing.
"Tight fit, huh?" Mary Margaret grinned as she moved her arm, trying to make more room for Ruby, who was in the middle. Ruby shoved over and slapped Emma right in the face.
"Ow!" Emma closed her eyes and leaned against the window to hopefully avoid any more assaults.
Ruby winced. "Sorry, dude!"
"Oh, just sit on my lap already!" Emma huffed and Ruby hopped right up.
"I thought you'd never ask!" Ruby batted her eyelashes at Emma and kissed her cheek.
"Will you cut it out?" Emma put her hand up to keep Ruby at bay. "Now, are we good?" Emma looked between them. Even with Ruby in her lap, things were still a tight fit between her, Mary Margaret and David. There was a lot more wiggling to be done and even then Mary Margaret had her leg a little over David's.
Once they figured it out, they were on their way to the dump in David's truck, that they should by all rights leave there. Of course, Emma would never say that aloud, even as it rattled badly, hissed on occasion, and smelled quite awful. David loved his truck despite its current condition and Emma respected that. She would not hurt his feelings insulting this thing he loved. These were good friends, so she was careful of their emotions. Before them, no one she knew would have ever done anything like this for her, helped her this way without wanting something in return. They all practically fell out of the truck once they got to the junkyard.
"Oh, god! Have you been eating raw onions in that truck, David?" Ruby asked, gasping for air as she leaned against the side of the truck.
"I was going to ask if that was your feet!" David laughed, but he inhaled just as deeply as the rest of them did.
"We all know you drop food on the floor like I do," Emma said with a chuckle.
"I am not gross." David turned his nose up.
"No one said you were gross, just that you drop food," Emma replied.
Mary Margaret wrapped her arm around David. "She's right. We have to clean that thing out when we're done here." That calmed him down.
"I'm gonna look for some parts for the truck while you look for parts for the bug," David said. Emma nodded.
"And we're going to stay in here and talk about you both because we don't know a thing about cars," Ruby said, pointing to herself and Mary Margaret.
"Well, I'll probably start cleaning out the car, too." Mary Margaret patted the truck door.
Emma grinned. "We wouldn't expect any less." She and David walked off together.
"Have you ever gotten parts from this scrap yard?" David asked, scanning the place. There were rows of junked cars as far as the eyes could see. She looked for a Bug.
Emma nodded. "Yup. I'd say they're pretty good, but the Bug can't move, so obviously not that great. But, can't beat the price."
"Free."
"You know it." Most of the time, she was able to walk out of this place with anything she wanted as long as she could haul it. After all, they were just going to destroy it eventually.
"I'll take it. That truck is ready to fail inspection if I don't put some work in it." David made a fist and flexed his bicep.
A chuckle escaped Emma as they walked on. "You really love that truck, huh?"
He nodded. "Last thing my dad gave me before he left. I can't stand him, but for some reason, the truck tugs at my heartstrings." He shrugged.
"I get that. Similar story with the Bug, except old boyfriend." Who she never wanted to think about again, but she could not get rid of that stupid car.
He winced. "Sorry about that. Mary Margaret told me what happened."
"Of course she did." M&M was an awesome person, who always had the best intentions, but could not keep anything to herself. Emma did not mind in the sense that Mary Margaret was not going to be blabbing to random people, but she wished the woman would learn to respect people's privacy.
"It was just her way of explaining why you might be standoffish with me when we first met. And then, of course, you weren't." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Because you're a cool dude." Emma might not have taken to David immediately, but she also was not an asshole to him when they first met. "Neal was a prick. I don't think all dudes are pricks because of him." She would then have to think all women were pricks because of Lily and then she would have to give up on humanity, but her friends proved there were good people in the world. Regina proved that even scary and easily annoyed people could be kind.
David made a noise. "Even after Hook?"
Emma shook her head. "She told you about that?" She really needs to learn to respect people's privacy.
"That one, not much." David gave her a shrug. "I know he's a lot sometimes, but he has a good—"
Emma cut him off. "I swear if you finish that sentence, I will punch the shit out of you."
He winced and held his hands up. "Okay, sorry. She just tries to not have him around if she invites you somewhere, so I know it had to be something bad."
"It was more like a series of bad than just one thing. He just wouldn't take no for an answer. I was trying to stay with him to get back on my feet, but it got so bad that I'd rather live in my car than to sleep on his sofa." Mostly because he didn't want me to sleep on his sofa and I had to start sleeping fully dressed in my shoes like I was in a freaking halfway house again.
"Wow. Are you still living in your car? I mean, you could always stay with me and Mary Margaret." He grinned and it was so kind and trusting.
Emma laughed. "Thanks, but that's cool. I've seen the loft. There's just not enough space. We'd all kill each other before the month was out." They would get on her nerves long before that, though. "I've got a place to live for now. I think I should be good."
"I'm happy for you. Everyone deserves a safe place to live. Home should be a comfort." And there went his smile again. His eyes even shined.
Home. Was Regina's house home? She tried not to think about it because Regina's house felt like what she thought home was, but she knew all too well how easy it was to lose "home." The second Regina was done with having a pet and waiting her out on it, she would be out on her ass again. No, Regina couldn't kick me out now, would she? She's been so nice to me. It did not seem like Regina was waiting for her to blink like before, but she still could not hold onto the thought that she had a home. She never had a real home and it would hurt more if she dared think of Regina's house like that, especially when Regina eventually forced her to leave.
"Come on, let's find these parts," Emma said, clapping her hands. She needed something to distract herself.
David nodded and dropped the matter. Hunting for parts with him turned out to be really fun. They kept themselves occupied by comparing the work they were doing on their automobiles. She did not usually have conversations with David, even though he seemed like a good guy. This was a nice change of pace and it helped things go by faster. David even had some very corny, but very funny jokes. Before she knew it, they loaded up the truck with parts and they were on their way once more.
"We should get lunch. No way of knowing when Emma will come out and play again," Ruby said.
Emma laughed and she pinched Ruby in the side. "Shut up!"
Ruby yelped and jumped in Emma's lap. "Cut that out! You need to have your nails clipped."
Emma leaned in close. "Regina does that for me," she whispered.
"Damn," Ruby replied and she wiggled a little. Emma snickered, quite proud of herself. Ruby would stew in a bunch of questions that she would not ask in front of David. "You're evil."
"We should get lunch, though. It'll be nice to just hang out with us and not have to worry about taking care of something at the same time," Mary Margaret said.
Emma really did not have the money for that, but it would be nice to just hang out with her friends. So, she did not object. She did not have to eat a lot anyway. There was lunch waiting at Regina's house, which would hold her over until dinner.
"Yeah, let's get some lunch to celebrate this sweet haul!" Emma cheered and then her stomach growled. Everyone looked at her. "Hey, dragging around car parts works up an appetite." They all laughed.
-8-8-8-8-
Regina sighed, kicking off her shoes the second she stepped into the house. Her feet had never felt so relieved, even though those were her good shoes. Tension coiled around her body like a phantom python, but at least her feet were free. Being out of her shoes was such a comfort, it took a long moment for her mind to register that the house was dark. All of the lights were out.
"Duckling?" Regina called. There was no answer. Her heart rate ticked up. Calm down. There's no cause for alarm. She said she goes outside sometimes. Of course, she thought "outside" meant the driveway to work on her car. This was beyond that.
Even though Duckling's car was still in the driveway, Regina went to check her nest as well. It was as messy as always. Regina often had to resist the urge to clean. She knew how important it was to have space for oneself and do whatever with that space. Duckling had a right to her mess. The important thing was that Duckling had not left.
Regina's heart calmed down to a decent speed and she went about her business, but the tension she brought in with her from the outside remained. It squeezed just a little tighter now that she did not have to worry over Duckling. She needed a hot shower and to get into some comfortable clothing now or she would go out of her mind. She never imagined there would be a time she and Maleficent did not see eye to eye and they were not dating, but that had been her entire evening.
Starting her shower, she also put a few drops of peppermint oil in, hoping the aroma would calm her down. She had her shower playlist, which was almost all piano music, going. She sighed as she peeled off her clothing, dumped everything in the hamper, and stepped into the shower with the hope it would cure all that ailed her.
She tried to forget her day as she let the scolding hot spray work its way over her back, easing so much tension there. Between the office and working with Maleficent, she would not be upset if the entire town disappeared after today. Why did everything have to be a fight with everyone all the time? She expected it as mayor, but had not been ready for it with Maleficent. Stop thinking about it. It's done and over with.
Well, the stuff with Maleficent probably was not done and over with since they had a business together. She would have to figure out how to navigate those waters now that issues popped up. She should have expected them, but she had a selective memory when it came to Maleficent, which Maleficent also had when it came to her. So, she had forgotten how extravagant Maleficent could be when it came with money. The argument had been exhausting.
Regina took a deep breath, taking in the peppermint scent steaming up the shower, hoping it would relax her, as it usually did. With each inhale and exhale, some of the tension eased out of her, but never all of it. She never wanted to get out of the shower, but she needed to eat something. She put on a crimson camisole and black yoga pants before descending the stairs.
She heard the television before she reached the bottom, so Duckling was home. Her body relaxed in a way the shower did not make happen the second she saw Duckling curled up on the sofa, dressed down in a sleeveless, white tee and yellow sweatpants. She went over and kissed the top of Duckling's head.
"When did you get in?" Regina asked.
"About a half-hour ago. You?" Duckling replied.
"Maybe fifteen minutes before you if that's the case."
"You didn't have to leave the door unlocked for me. I know that has to bother you."
Of course it bothered Regina to leave the door unlocked, but Duckling did not have a key. Duckling was a pet. Pets did not have keys and Regina refused to hide a key, not wanting to make it easier for someone to break in.
"Are you hungry?" Regina asked.
Duckling shook her head. "I ate with my friends."
Regina paused in her move toward the kitchen. "Your friends?" She did not mean to sound as shocked as she did, but since when did Duckling have friends?
Duckling did not seem to pick up on her surprise, going on as if the question was asked normally. "Yup. They helped me go out and get parts for the Bug and then they wanted to keep hanging out. They treated me to some food."
Regina made a noise to show she was listening, but she did not have much to add. It did not occur to her that Duckling had friends. She did not even think Duckling went outside much beyond working on her car. She was not sure how to feel about that. She did not have Duckling all to herself. Duckling did not just wait around for her to come home. One day, she could come in and Duckling would not be there. She had options.
"You sure you don't want anything?" Regina asked to stop thinking.
"Ice cream," Duckling replied.
"No treats unless I know exactly what you ate or what kind of exercise you had today."
Duckling pouted. "You're responsible to a fault, you know that? Have you seen that car in the driveway? I carried parts of that piece of junk. I get plenty of exercise." Duckling held up her arm, flexing her bare bicep. The muscle that appeared caused Regina to blink and, for a very brief moment, a knot tightened in her stomach. But, it was gone as quickly as it appeared and Regina turned her attention back to the food.
Regina pulled out the container that held Duckling's dinner. She would have some of that and leave the rest for Duckling to have tomorrow. She warmed up the shredded flank steak, yellow rice, and red beans. She needed something serious to drink with this and could not stomach Robin's weak, pissy beer, so she would have to have some cider with it.
"Oh, maybe I should eat," Duckling said as Regina sat down next to her. Duckling leaned down, almost putting her nose in Regina's plate.
Regina blocked the plate with her arm. "No, mine."
Duckling poked out her lip. "But, can't you make me some, too?"
"I thought you ate already with your friends." Regina sneered, but she did not mean to. Calm down. It's good that she had friends. People should have friends.
"Well…" Duckling shifted in her seat. "I think I could eat again. And, we can have ice cream after, right?" There was such an adorably hopeful look shimmering in her eyes.
Regina chuckled. "You just want ice cream."
"And dinner. I really want dinner. This dinner. Please." Duckling pressed her palms together.
Regina rolled her eyes. "You don't have to beg."
Duckling grinned and let out a victory crow when Regina got up to heat dinner up for her. She put the rice first, then the meat, and then put the beans on top as that was how Duckling preferred it. Oddly enough, this helped relax Regina even more. She poured Duckling some juice and carried everything out to her. Duckling had something new on television — an animal documentary. Regina loved them.
"I recorded this for you. Figured you'd like it," Duckling said.
Regina smiled as an overhead shot of the Amazon rainforest flashed on screen. "Thank you." She put Duckling's food down in front of her. "I wasn't sure if you wanted a whole helping or not, but I figured if you don't eat all of it, we can just put it back in the fridge."
Duckling turned to the plate. "No, this is perfect. It smells like heaven. I don't know why I thought I'd just not eat once I got here. Everything you make is so amazing." She dug right in and made a pleased sound at the first mouthful.
The sound hit Regina below the waist and she tried to shake it. Stop thinking about her like that. Duckling is a pet. Your pet. Nothing more.
"I never knew olives were so good, but the way you use them to flavor stuff…" Duckling hummed.
Regina resisted the urge to preen and started into her own food. "So, how often do you go hang out with your friends?"
"Not a lot. They have lives and jobs. Plus, it's a long walk from here to them and it was too cold for a while to do that." Duckling shrugged before having another forkful of her food.
"Why didn't you stay with them during the snowstorm?" Duckling could have gone to her friends, but had come to Regina, as if she wanted to suffer the humiliation of needing help from someone she cursed out and someone who should have called the police on her immediately. It did not add up.
"I didn't think it would be that bad and I don't like bothering them. They've already helped me so much, you know?" Duckling filled her mouth again, as if to pause the conversation and consider her words. Then, she smiled. "I'm glad I came here."
Regina's heart thumped at that admission. Duckling did not seem to notice the effect of her words. They ate quietly and watched the documentary. Duckling finished before her and she got Duckling some ice cream. Just plain vanilla, but she liked it with chocolate syrup and cookie bits, which Regina had for baking purposes. By the time Duckling finished her ice cream, Regina was done with dinner. Duckling dropped her head into Regina's lap. Regina's fingers went through her hair. Duckling sighed, sounding quite content.
"So, you had a good day?" Regina asked.
"Yeah. I can start really working on my car tomorrow now that I have some decent parts. What about you? You had a good day?" Duckling gave her a bright smile.
Regina wished and she chuckled. "No, today I was reminded of one of the reasons why Mal and I never worked as a couple."
Duckling blinked. "Oh?" She rolled, turning so she could look Regina in the face. "Everything okay?"
"It'll be fine. I just have to adjust, remind myself about everything I already knew about Mal, but put it behind me."
"So, what happened?"
Regina moved her hand, stroking Duckling's shoulder now, earning a content sigh. "She's terrible with money. We were trying to pick out furniture for the property and she just wants all of this gaudy, expensive furniture that doesn't fit the vision we have of the cafe and also that we can't afford," Regina replied with a sigh and her stomach twisted at the memories. She hated arguing with Maleficent. At least they had learned not to say hurtful things to win, but it was still a pain in the ass. "She used to do this when we dated. She'd criticize gifts I bought her for not being expensive enough, scolding me that I could afford better."
Duckling frowned. "Really? I never would've guessed that. You both seem to get along so well."
"Yes, well friendship doesn't have the same expectations as dating, so we get along much better as friends."
"Okay. That's understandable. So, what happened?"
"We just spent a lot of time arguing over this furniture and, in the end, she told me to worry about the money if it was so damn important to me." She would now have to focus on the finances as well as baking, especially when the business got underway.
Duckling's forehead wrinkled. "What are you going to do?"
"Just narrow down some affordable choices I know she'll like. But, now, I know it'll fall to me to buy all the appliances for the kitchen. That's going to be a pain in the ass."
Duckling purred and turned, rubbing her nose in Regina's abdomen. Regina gritted her teeth, not wanting to shiver from the motion. Duckling was just being a comfortable pet. Nothing more. So, calm the hell down and don't lust after your pet.
"But, it'll be worth it, right?" Duckling asked, breath warming Regina's skin through her camisole.
Regina nodded. "It will be."
"That's good. I want to be first in line. I might need you to spot me some money, but I definitely want to buy an apple turnover." Duckling made a show of smacking her lips together and then made a happy coo.
Regina chuckled. "You need to get a job then or just wait until I make one at home."
"No!" Duckling made tight fists and wiggled a bit in a tantrum. She put her hands on Regina's cheeks, smushing them together and stared at her with big, wet hazel eyes. "It's not the same thing. I need to get one from your bakery. You can spot me the money. I'm good for it."
Regina laughed. "Oh, and how will you pay me back? In cuddles?"
"I'm very good at cuddles." Duckling threw her hands around Regina's waist and held her tight while continuing to rub her nose in Regina's abdomen.
Regina yelped, not expecting that, but her body immediately relaxed in Duckling's arms. Her free hand went to Duckling's stomach and rubbed Duckling's belly like anyone would do a dog or cat. Oh! There were hard muscles under the skin covered by the cotton t-shirt. Duckling actually purred from the attention and smiled. Regina swallowed as her insides quivered.
"See? Good at cuddling," Duckling said in a low voice. Her eyes drifted shut.
"Very good." Regina sighed, all the tension of the day gone from her system. The only thing that existed was this couch and Duckling. She leaned down and kissed Duckling's forehead.
Duckling made a noise, but did not say anything. Regina glanced back up at the television to see what was happening in the documentary, enjoying the capybara on screen for a moment, and when she turned back to Duckling, she found Duckling was asleep. Regina smiled at the sight.
It had been such a long time since she felt this kind of peace, but also a spark of life inside of her. She thought these things died with Daniel. She thought all of her hopes and dreams died with Daniel. She drifted through life for almost ten years without him, feeling like a ghost for the most part. She had sought meaning and feeling and affection and each time she thought she found it, there was something missing. She had never felt whole, but now there was something. While Duckling did not give her the exact same feelings as Daniel, Duckling made her want to do more than exist, more than dabble in things and then retreat. Duckling gave her some purpose, more so than this cafe with Maleficent did and it was quite fulfilling.
She shook those thoughts away and looked back at the television. Now, there were pink dolphins jumping out of the river. Her hands remained busy, stroking Duckling's stomach. She could feel the outline of abs under the thin t-shirt. Her eyes wandered to Duckling's arm, just by her fingers and still wrapped around Regina, like she never planned to let Regina go, like Regina could protect her from all the world's evils. I wish I could.
It was jarring to think Duckling would go to her for protection. She could see the power in Duckling's arms, sharp muscles just under soft skin. Soft skin thanks to her care. Hell, muscles in general thanks to her care as well. So, maybe it was not so ridiculous for Duckling to think she could protect Duckling, or at the very least take care of Duckling. She traces the outline of muscle in Duckling's biceps and her fingertips tingled from the skin to skin contact.
Duckling whimpered in her sleep and the sound shot through Regina, stilling her fingers. Duckling borrowed deeper into her abdomen, scratching her nose just above Regina's navel. Duckling smacked her lips together, smiling in her sleep, and then strands of her golden hair covered her face from the movement.
Regina brushed Duckling's hair out of her face and her gaze settled on Duckling's parted lips. What would it be like to kiss Duckling? Really kiss Duckling? She shook that thought away.
Are you crazy? She's just your pet and she's not going to stick around for long. Just enjoy the moment. It was nothing more than that. It was merely a moment, as was her entire adult life. A series of moments, unfulfilling moments drifting by like a slow stream.
"This is going to blow up in my face and I'll just have to sit back and watch it." Regina could not do anything else about Duckling. It was fine. It would just be another mark on a long list of things that kept her heart from ever growing back.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Regina forces Emma and Maleficent to bond.
A/N: please go check out my Facebook page (SL Kassidy, there's a link on my profile) for an announcement about my new book. Please, show me some support. I would greatly appreciate it.