Neal's magic

FionaMo asked for a oneshot of Neal's magic coming through much earlier than expected. This leads to him nearly destroying the loft when he's angry. Emma helps him get it under control.

It was like a raging fire burning within him. The more he tried to hold it in, the more the fire burned. It was too much; he couldn't control it. He had to let it out or he was going to implode.

Charming and Snow just didn't understand. He was only eight years old. The Blue Fairy had assured them both that if Neal did have magic like Emma, it wouldn't manifest itself until he was in his mid to late teens. Why was it doing it so early? They had noticed a few weeks ago, but it was so sporadic it was hard to keep track of. This was the first time Neal had gotten angry since they'd notice a magical presence. Clearly he wasn't strong enough to control it yet. So they called who they thought was the best person to deal with the situation before something serious happened: Emma.

After getting her parents' urgent call, Emma rushed back to their home and up to her little brother's room. There she saw him, standing in the centre of the room. He was clearly terrified. She knew exactly what was going on in his head. She'd been there too.

"Hey buddy." She said gently. Neal's head snapped up.

"Don't come any closer." He ordered her. He didn't want her to get hurt.

"I won't." She promised, remembering what happened when people got too close to her when she was losing control. "But we need to keep you safe. So I need you to listen to me. Can you do that buddy?" Neal nodded. "Good. I want you to take nice, big, deep breaths. I want you to close your eyes and think really happy thoughts. I want you to think about everyone who loves you. About everything you love to do. Anything that makes you happy. Can you do that for me now Neal?" Her little brother nodded. He screwed his eyes tight shut and balled his glowing hands into fists. Emma stayed silent and waited. That's all she could really do.

After a few minutes, Neal's hands stopped glowing. He started to sway on the spot, exhausted. Emma sprinted forward and caught him before he fell.

"I gotcha buddy." She told him. He was limp in her arms, out for the count. She got him settled on his bed before going down to their concerned parents. "He's ok." She assured them. "Just tired. He's sleeping. Will be for a good while I reckon. Other than that, he's fine. He's got some coping strategies now, but when he's calm and rested I can develop them further." Snow and Charming nodded. Charming moved forward and pressed a kiss to Emma's forehead.

"Thank you for looking after him, sweetheart." Emma shrugged.

"It's what big sisters do." She responded. She was worried about Neal just as much as her parents. If his magic was developing this early, how strong could it become?