For Pt. 1 of Day 1 of OQ Prompt Party
Prompts: #73: dinner in bed, #135: oq making a pie together, #166: Regina wears one of Robin's shirts & #230: Robin tries to bake an apple pie for Regina
Takes place 2 years after "Well, good for you I guess"
The chicken browns perfectly in the oven. Robin found it on some recipe website as he flurried through what he could make. The name called out to him, perfect for a first anniversary dinner. "Marry Me Chicken" called for garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes (Regina's signature ingredient), chicken broth and lots of dairy between the cream and cheese. After scrolling through an essay on love and the author's childhood that had absolutely nothing to do with the recipe, he finally got to the simple instructions. Marinate, mix in the skillet and then transfer to the oven. The garlic and cheese envelopes the kitchen with a homey feeling. Herb potatoes sit on the second rack of the oven, adding to the cornucopia of smells.
Robin has never been much of a cook. He can heat a can of soup or throw some pasta in the pot, but both his ex and current wives always did the cooking. For once, he wants to do something for Regina. She's been too exhausted between work, the kids and her business classes so he agreed to a quiet dinner at home for their first wedding anniversary. Roland is at his mother's for the week and as always, Mary Margaret is more than happy to take Henry for the night. Regina's already returned home and slipped upstairs for a much-deserved bath. She offered to call takeout, but Robin insisted he had it under control. And he does, the chicken will taste delicious.
It's this stupid pie he worries about.
Regina's made him tons of pies over the years, it's what brought them together in the first place. He thought it'd be romantic to make one for her. Stealing Henry Sr's recipe cards, Robin found one for a simple apple pie. It's the first pie they ever made together, in that tiny yellow kitchen. A beautiful callback to how it all began.
Except the crust is lopsided. He tried to use her cookie cutters to make it simple, but they don't look anything like Regina's. Robin used the apple slicer but is struggling to get the skin off. He can deliver babies, cut cords, perform life saving measures. And yet, he's bested by a stupid apple pie.
"Need some help?"
Robin's head snaps up. Regina leans in the doorway of the kitchen. Her damp, dark hair slightly curls and her face is bare of any makeup. One of his flannel shirts swims on her, tied by a belt around her middle. Still, it falls down to her jean covered knees. Simple, exhausted and yet so damn beautiful. It brings him back to the beginning of their relationship. Regina never wore much makeup and her hair was consistently frizzy from the wind or heat. To him, she's still the most beautiful woman he's ever seen.
"I think I've got it," he manages to lie.
A shadow of a smile crosses her lips. "Robin."
"I promised you, I'd take care of dinner."
She crosses into the kitchen, disappearing behind him. A moment later, he feels a pair of tiny arms wrap around his neck and her lips brushing against his stubble. "You did, and it smells delicious. But why don't you let me help with dessert?"
"I want to do something nice for you."
Regina drops down to her feet, turning him to face her. He lets out a sigh though a smile tugs up on his face when he sees her own. "If you truly want me to have a happy anniversary, you'll let me help you with this pie."
He chuckles, relinquishing the knife. "Good, because I'm about to poison us."
She shakes her head. "I doubt that. Let me wash my hands and we'll get started."
When she returns, she has aprons in hand for them both. He forgot all about that and he's a bit of a mess. His dry cleaner is going to kill him for the stains that line his white button down. Regina recuts the pie crust and lines the pan with more, before getting to work on the dry ingredients.
"I've done this before," Robin muses. "So why can't I do it on my own?"
"Daddy always said baking is more fun when you have someone to do it with," Regina points out with a small shrug. "Get the lemon juice."
Robin turns to the fridge, searching for it. When he comes up short, Regina finds it within seconds. He chuckles, shutting it behind him. "Yeah, I guess I should've left this to the professional."
"You could've asked me and I would've brought one home with me tonight."
Robin shakes his head. "You work hard enough, I didn't want to do that to you."
"I think I can spare one for my husband." She winks at him and squirts some juice into a small bowl with some cinnamon. "Now, you know what to do with the apples, dip them in there."
Robin obliges, before gently tucking them into the pie crust that Regina's brushed with butter. Once it's filled a sufficient amount, she gets to work with the top. Robin's phone buzzes with the timer and he quickly silences, putting on oven mitts to grab the chicken and potatoes from the oven. The smell is overpowering as he sets the pans onto the countertops.
"Red or white?" He asks, heading for the wine rack that Mal and Killian gifted them for their wedding. Killian had made it himself.
"White will probably go better."
Robin nods, searching the racks for the perfect one. After locating a white burgundy, he tucks it under his arm. He settles it down before heading for the cabinets. He takes down their wedding China and good wine glasses. Next comes the tray with legs. Regina snakes her head around as he portions everything out.
"What's with the tray?"
Robin grins. "Well, we could go through all the work of setting up the dining table, lighting candles and finding romantic music…or we could take this upstairs and finish binging Bridgeton."
Regina drops the final strip on, clearly not caring that it's lopsided. She throws her arms around Robin's neck and presses a kiss to it. He's so overcome with joy and humor that a few of the potatoes fall to the floor. "You are too good to me, Robin Locksley," she purrs into his ear.
"Just trying to keep up with you, Regina Locksley."
The deep smile that takes over her face makes his heart melt. He had told her that he would understand if she chose to keep her maiden name. After all, she hadn't even changed it during her first marriage. Regina explained that she had always loathed Jefferson's name and even naïve teenage her knew that she'd never truly be a Chapeaux. Not only was Robin adopting Henry so soon he would be a Locksley, Regina knew she wanted nothing more than to share the same last name as her husband. One year later and Robin still loved the way it sounded.
Once the pie was is in the oven, wine smoothly poured and chicken divvied onto plates, Robin carries the tray up to the bedroom with Regina trailing along. They lay atop the covers, snuggled with each other as they watch the period drama and devour the delicious chicken. In time, Robin will go down to get the pie and cut it (one thing he knows he won't fail at). For the moment, he simply enjoys the laidback anniversary with his wife.
