A/N: thanks a lot for the reviews and notifications! I hope this keeps being interesting for you.
Regina lifted her sunglasses and left them on her head as she pushed the door open. Her eyes were on her phone, focused on reading whatever was on the screen, and didn't raise her gaze when she murmured a hello towards the doorman.
"Hello, Ms. Mills. I already brought the luggage to your apartment, but there was no one at home."
She stopped on her tracks and turned, finally looking up from her phone with a frown. "There wasn't?" Sidney shook his head, clueless. "Well, thank you Sidney."
"No need, ma'am," he kindly answered, coming back to the computer he was looking at.
Regina made her way up in the elevator, leaving her phone inside her bag and wondering if Emma had gone out. As Sidney had said, a set of boxes and a couple of suitcases were waiting at the door. Regina opened it and listened for anything inside the apartment that could mean Emma was there, but there was no sound.
She left the bag on the couch and then the take out she had been carrying on her wrist on the dining table as she glanced around. Emma's things were still outside, so she decided to put them inside quickly, surprised by the poor amount of items she owned. After closing the door, she headed towards what now was Emma's bedroom, but on the way she noticed the study's door was closed.
When she opened the door she found what she expected. Emma was sleeping fondly on one of the sofas with an open book on her chest. Her features were troubled and Regina guessed it was probably due a nightmare, so she walked closer and cleared her throat, wondering how she could wake up an almost total stranger. In the end, she leaned down and gently shook one of Emma's shoulders, whispering her name. It took her a couple of whispers more to finally get Emma slowly open her eyes.
"Uh?" she managed to articulate, coming back to sense.
Her gaze found Regina's face, looking at her from above with a funny smile trying to make its way out the corner of her lips. The other woman raised her eyebrows and then glanced down at the book.
"I did not think you would find planes interesting," she said, coming back up. "Or rather uninteresting."
Emma looked down at the book and grabbed it, closing it and leaving it on the café table as she sat on the sofa. "Sorry, I didn't realise I had fallen asleep."
"Clearly," Regina noted amused. She picked up the book and put it back in place. "I would've let you sleep but it looked like you were having a nightmare."
Emma brushed her blonde mane with a hand as she remembered her dream. "Yeah. Pro tip: don't read about flying a plane when you're about to fall asleep."
"Noted," Regina laughed softly as she held the door open. Emma quickly stood and jogged to leave the room, stopping when she saw her suitcases and boxes. "Sidney brought them upstairs but since no one answered the door he left them outside. I didn't know what you wanted to do with them so I just left them there."
A blush crept up Emma's face with embarrassment and nodded. "I'll just put them in my room. Thanks."
"You're welcome," Regina waved her hand already moving over to the kitchen. "I bought Chinese take out, but I didn't really know what you like so I bought a little of everything. I hope you're hungry."
As if her body had been listening, Emma's stomach claimed for attention and Regina smiled, pulling out two glasses and a bottle of wine out of the fridge. Emma took a seat on the table, big enough for at least a group of six, and started to pull the food out of the bags.
"I don't eat meat, so I bought the vegetarian options for me, but you can eat too. I bought enough for both of us, just in case," Regina explained as she took a seat next to Emma, at the head of the table.
"You're a vegetarian?" Regina nodded and Emma imitated her without noticing it. "Cool. I've always wanted to become one but I guess I've never really tried it. I don't really like salads."
"Not everything is salads," Regina recited and Emma felt like she had said that too many times. "You'll see if you stay around."
Emma noticed the if but decided not to say anything, not quite sure if she wanted to know the answer. Instead, she popped open one of the meals and took a spoonful of rice. "So what do you do for a living?"
Regina's eyebrows shot up and she hid a smile behind one of the bowls. "I'm kind of a freelancer."
"But like what do you do?" Emma took a sip of the wine and looked down at it with surprise. She had had many glasses of wines in her life but she never had tasted one that was as good as this. Probably because she used to but the cheapest one.
"You could say I work in favour of the people."
"Social worker?" Emma pointed at her with the chopsticks.
Regina nodded. "Sort of. And what do you do?"
"I started a few weeks ago in a lab."
"So you're a doctor?" Regina wondered as she watched Emma with interest.
The blonde shook her head as she laughed. "No, no. I'm just there to help the brains. I make sure they always have clean panels, tubes, gloves, etc. It's not that exciting really but it's a job and it pays well."
"I hope."
Emma opened her eyes wide and nodded. "I promise I will make all the payments in time."
Regina laughed softly, which confused Emma, and clarified. "It was a joke. If you're late in a payment, it's okay."
Emma released a relieved sigh. "Right, but I will though."
"Nice to know. Now let's leave that aside and focus on you," Regina leaned forward on the table and her eyes landed on Emma's. "What can you tell me about you that I should know now that we share our living space?"
Emma wiggled in her seat, suddenly too aware of Regina's intense gaze. "Well, uh, I usually take my time in the shower, I like to watch reality shows on TV and I'm a heavy sleeper, as you just saw."
"I did," Regina smiled. "And that would be all?"
Emma shrugged, "I guess? I don't really know what else to say. I'm pretty uninteresting."
"I don't agree."
Their gazes locked for a moment and Emma swallowed the piece of chicken that she had just eaten. She glanced down at her plate and cleared her throat. "What about you? Any perks?"
Regina watched Emma for a moment, like considering something, before leaning back and taking the glass of wine with her. "I sometimes travel, more often than I would like, so don't be surprised if I'm not here for a couple of days every week. I will always tell you in case you need anything and I don't appear. I also appreciate privacy so my room if off limits as well as yours is off mine. I don't really watch TV so you're free to watch and record anything you want. And I think that's all."
Emma nodded, mentally taking note of everything she had said. "Okay, that was a list."
"Oh, and you're, of course, free to bring anyone you want at home, but I'm not going to make them breakfast, lunch or whatever. Your guest, your responsibility," she added.
"What about your…guests?" Emma asked.
Regina smirked and lowered her head. "I'll take care of them." Emma reached for the glass of wine to have anything to do to avoid Regina's eyes and nodded.
There was no doubt Regina didn't mess around and it stunned Emma. She wasn't used to people to go straight to the point like her.
"So work, perks, food," she said raising a bowl of veggie noodles. "We've covered the essentials I think."
"Yeah," Emma laughed softly. "It almost feels like a date."
"It does, doesn't it?" Regina asked staring into Emma's eyes for a moment before her phone rang and her attention shifted towards the device. "Sorry it's about work."
"Don't worry." Emma shook her head but Regina was already standing up and heading towards the terrace. Emma followed her with her eyes and watched the other woman close the glass door behind her as she picked it up.
Emma stared at her, hypnotized by the way Regina was talking, and when she realized it was a private conversation she snapped out of it. She glanced around the table and grabbed the bowl of noodles Regina had been picking at a few moments ago. As she had said, she wasn't into vegetables at all. A pizza or a good burger could beat any other healthy food, even knowing eating well was good for her well-being. Still, she gave the noodles a try, convincing herself it was like pasta, and when she swallowed the first bite she admitted it wasn't as bad as she had thought. In fact, she disconnected completely and only paid attention to the bowl in front of her.
She glanced at the chopsticks and wondered if she would be able to eat with them as easily as Regina made it look like but, before she could even try, a voice startled her from behind.
"Enjoying that?" Regina asked taking a seat, leaving her phone with the screen down this time.
Emma raised her head from the bowl and guiltily smiled. "I thought I could try it and maybe I got too excited about it. There's still some though," she added handing the bowl to Regina, who shook her head.
"Don't worry, I was done anyways. I'm glad you liked it."
"I mean how could I not?" Emma said stuffing another bite in her mouth. "Is it the sauce?"
Regina shrugged, amused as she sat back on her chair and crossed her arms after taking a sip of wine. "I told you it wasn't all about salads."
"You're going to need a lot more to convince me," Emma pointed out and Regina raised an eyebrow.
"If you're willing to let yourself be convinced, I accept the challenge."
Emma laughed and pointed at her with the fork . "Good luck with that."
"I saw you eyeing the chopstick. Don't you dare to use them?" Regina asked completely throwing Emma off balance by the change of subject.
"It's not that I don't dare. I just don't know how to use them," she shrugged.
"Oh, it's easy." Regina leaned forward and grabbed the chopsticks. "You put one of them here, between these fingers, like a pencil. Then you put the other here and with these fingers you move that one, leaving the first chopstick still." She showed the other woman during the explanation and Emma noticed the elegance in every move Regina's fingers made. Pretty much like everything Regina seemed to do.
"You make it look easy, but I've tried before and trust me, I'm just a lost cause," she assured.
"Come here," Regina suddenly said reaching for Emma's hand. She grabbed it softly and explained her again the process, but Emma's attention was on Regina's fingers caressing hers. "Get it?"
"Uh…" Emma tried it, although she already knew the result, and when they fell to the table, she shrugged. "Told you."
Regina laughed. "Give me a few days and you will master it."
"If you get me to be able to eat once with them, I will try your veggie food for a weel," Emma challenged her.
"Deal," Regina said extending her hand. Emma took it and they shook their hands. "I'm already thinking about recipes."
"Don't get too ahead of yourself," Emma joked. She didn't know if it was the wine or the nerves that were gone now, probably both, but she felt a lot more relaxed and comfortable. "Everything okay at work?"
"What?" Regina asked, confused.
"The call," Emma explained pointing behind her before having the last sip of wine of the night.
Regina's eyebrows shot up. "Oh that. Actually, I have to work tonight so I'll probably come back late."
"So is there trouble?" Emma asked frowning.
"No, no. It's just...an urgent matter. It happens sometimes," she waved her hand, but Emma noticed some irritation in her tone.
"Ah…" Emma nodded like if she knew what she was talking about. "It's what you get when you work with people, right?"
Regina laughed and nodded, "Yes, you could say that," she laughed as she nodded. Then she started to pick up everything from the table and Emma joined her. "Anyways, I hope I don't wake you up when I come back, and if I do—."
"Don't worry," Emma cut in following her into the kitchen to put the leftovers in the fridge. "I work in the afternoon tomorrow so it's okay."
"You work on weekends?" Regina asked, curious.
Emma put the glasses on the dishwasher and closed it, shaking her head. "No, but I asked for a free day today and I have to cover the hours I didn't do." Regina opened her mouth to talk but her phone rang again on the table and both of them glanced at it. "You're quite in demand today."
Regina laughed softly and nodded, "I have some busy days and you got here just in the middle of a job." She walked over to her phone, which had stopped ringing, and read a message. "I'm going to get some things before I leave. Again, the house is yours. I hope you feel comfortable and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me."
Emma only nodded because Regina was already closing the door of her bedroom behind her. The boxes were all on the floor of her bedroom and she was too lazy to start putting everything in place, so she just searched for the box with her toothbrush and fishes a shirt from another. She was taking off her clothes when she heard a muffled 'Bye Emma!' from outside before the front door closed.
It was well past midnight when Regina stormed into the building. Sidney's shift had ended hours ago, so she typed a code in the alarm set for when he left the building for security. Her steps were heavy and they matched with the thrumming of her heart.
"If I hadn't been notified in such a short noticed I would have managed to—" she roared into her phone as she pressed the elevator button repeatedly. "Yes, of course I am the best, but no one told me he would have a fucking army as security guards. I did what I could."
She listened the person in the other side of the line as she pressed the number 9. "No, you listen. I can do it, just give me another day." She closed her eyes, pinching her nose as a masculine voice explained her something. The elevator doors opened and she walked out, fishing the keys in her bag. When she raised her hand to open the door, she saw a stain of blood in her sleeve and sighed.
"Trust me. I've never failed at this. I will finish what I started," she whispered into the phone before entering the house. Then she murmured 'thanks' and hung up. "Dickhead."
The lights were off when she entered the apartment and it was quiet. She gently closed the door and glanced down at her sleeve. "Fuck," she murmured under her breath. Her purse fell on the sofa as she unbuttoned her shirt and prepared the bathroom sink to put the garment inside. She closed her eyes and repeated the events she had just lived in her mind, using the sound of the water to focus.
Emma was awake when she heard the front door open. The improvised nap she had taken earlier had the consequences of staying up well past midnight. She was playing on her phone, but she left it aside to listen to Regina. There was some shuffling and then she heard the water stream. The thought of the running water made her thirsty, so she got up and slowly opened the door.
It was dark except for the kitchen dim lights that were on and they guided Emma. When she left the small hallway she immediately saw Regina on the bathroom sink, across the apartment, grasping it with her hands. She walked closer letting the floor swallow the sound of her steps since the sound of the water had stopped and noticed Regina wasn't wearing her shirt. The black lace covered part of her back and -now Emma was close- she noticed it stood up in Regina's tan skin. She breathed in and Regina turned quickly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Emma whispered quickly as she saw Regina's shoulders and features visibly relaxing.
"It's okay," she whispered back. Then, with a louder, more confident voice, she added, "I didn't mean to wake you up."
"I was already awake," Emma shrugged. She eyed the sink behind Regina and nodded at it. "Everything alright?"
Regina followed her gaze before she walked out of the toilet and closed the door behind her. "I just stained my shirt." Emma nodded absently, trying to ignore the fact Regina was standing in front of her wearing only her bra from her waist up and looking quite comfortable that way, which made her more attractive. "What are you doing up?"
"Uhm I was going to get a glass of water." Emma pointed at the kitchen at her left and Regina walked in front of her to open the fridge. She pulled out the bottle of wine they had been drinking before and took a sip directly from it. She grimaced at it and left it on the counter.
"Too bad I don't have anything stronger," she murmured to herself.
Emma, grabbing a glass of water, eyed her from the corner of her eyes. "Work didn't go as planned?"
Regina leaned back on the counter. She was still wearing her high heels and she could almost sit on it, but she glanced at Emma at her side, looking back at her with wide eyes, and sighed. Work had been a disaster and she would have to deal with an unfinished job as soon as she could to not to fuck everything up. It had never happened to her and the frustration made her blood boil. Usually she dealt with frustration the old way: taking a prey home and have sex until she let all that energy go, but even those plans had failed her when the sweet boy she had been talking to at the club had disappeared after the incident.
She then noticed Emma's shirt ended in her high thighs and revealed toned legs she hadn't noticed before. Her roommate took a sip of water before leaving the glass on the counter, next to the bottle of wine, and Regina watched her lick her lips maintaining the eye contact. She didn't think when she leaned forward and felt the last drops of water in Emma's soft lips.
Regina was about to separate, thinking she had gone too hard too fast, but then Emma pushed and responded to the kiss. Regina's hand moved to the back of Emma's neck, tugging at golden locks, as the kiss deepened, wasting no time. It wasn't a tender kiss and she gasped when Emma pressed their bodies together and the edge of the counter dug in her lower back.
Before she could register it Emma's mouth was on her neck and one of her hand had snuck inside her bra. Regina sighed with pleasure and was taken aback when Emma lifted her and sat her on the counter. Her pants were soon a problem solved as they fell to the floor and Emma moved her hand up her thigh. Regina's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she threw it backwards, her hips moving forward to meet Emma's rhythm, only surrounded by their ragged breath and eventual moans.
"You may be bad with chopsticks but that's the only bad thing you're at with your fingers," she breathed, and moaned when she felt Emma's chuckle on her neck.
Regina felt the wave building inside her and silently prayed for Emma to never stop as she tugged hard at her hair to keep her close. It was only when she felt her lungs running out of air when she pulled back and stared into Emma's eyes a moment before she closed her own and her forehead hit the other woman's shoulder.
She took a few seconds to catch her breath again, feeling the relaxing buzz run through her body. Emma took a step back and Regina took a chance to come down the counter and pick up her pants and underwear. She buttoned it up under Emma's gaze and grabbed the bottle of wine, placing a hand on her roommate's shoulder.
"Good night, Emma." She reached for her purse and walked towards her room, still without her shirt. Regina stopped and glanced over her shoulder, "By the way, if you don't like light in the morning, I recommend you close the curtains. It can get annoying."
Emma blinked with the sound of the door closing.