Checking too often
FanOfMost asked for a oneshot of something containing "Are you going to check my temperature every time I feel a little cuddly?"
Emma Swan had never really had anyone she could feel secure enough with to cuddle as a child. That did not mean that she never wanted to cuddle, that was a common error. Even as an adult, just because she didn't feel comfortable with hugging and cuddling straight away didn't mean she didn't have a want for the security of that kind of touch.
Even when the curse had first broken, both her parents were quite cuddly by both nature and nurture. They had been raised by loving parents, Emma had not. They never factored that in. They just assumed she was one of life's "not huggy" people. They were wrong.
Gradually, over time, Emma began to feel bonds forming with both of her parents. As those bonds grew, so did her feeling of trust towards them. As that happened, she began to feel more comfortable cuddling up to them. This came as a shock towards Snow and Charming. It wasn't a side of Emma either of them were used to seeing. So every time they found Emma snuggling up to them, they assumed something was wrong. Almost every time Emma let her guard down a bit and cuddled up to one, or both, of her parents, she felt them subtly feeling her forehead to check that her temperature was ok. At first, she accepted that they were adjusting to the relationship change too, but as time went on, her patience wore thin. When her dad did it again one evening as she rested her head against his shoulder whilst the three of them watched TV, she snapped.
"Are you going to check my temperature every time I feel a little cuddly?" She said irritably. Both her parents looked at her, a little shocked at her outburst. Emma sighed. She probably should have addressed this before this point. "I know I've never been the most cuddly person, that wasn't always through choice. It takes a lot for me to feel safe hugging someone. I know neither of you mean any harm, but it can hurt when you don't think I'm capable of hugging either of you without being sick." Emma explained. Snow and Charming now felt dreadful. They had never meant to make Emma feel that way at all.
"Sweetheart, we're sorry." Charming said sincerely. "We both should have thought…of course you can hug us without being sick." Charming said, kissing the side of Emma's head. Snow came over and sat on the other side of Emma.
"There's never a reason why you can't hug us." Snow promised her. "Never." Emma nodded, awkwardly rubbing her arm, unsure of what to do now. Snow smiled, she knew what to do. She grabbed a blanket from the linen closet and draped it over all three of them, Emma in the middle. They settled back into watching the show they had been watching. After about half an hour, Emma once again tentatively rested her head against her father's shoulder. This time, neither parent said a word. Instead, they shared a loving smile over Emma's head. Never again would they make Emma feel like there were any conditions when it came to hugging either of them.
