A/N: I'm still here, I swear.
Feeling spoilt for a while wasn't something Emma did a lot -more like never- but she found out it was a nice thing, at least once in a while. Her shoulders were relaxed against the seat as she watched the buildings getting more and more higher as she entered the city again. She had had lunch after a nice jacuzzi session to end with a massage that had left her back like if she had gotten a new one. Emma could definitely get used to that.
When she opened the door she was met with the stillness of the apartment. It wasn't new for her and she searched for Regina with her eyes. The sharp figure of her roommate drew a silhouette in the curtains, so Emma moved to the sofa to leave her backpack but noticed the shift in Regina's position when she heard her. She pulled out a bag of snacks she found in one of the cupboards, taking her time, and then she finally joined Regina at the terrace.
As she slid the curtains and took a seat in front of Regina, she closed the files she had been reading. "Hey," Emma said now that she had her attention.
Regina finally glanced up at her. "How was the spa?"
Emma offered her from the snacks and Regina considered it for a moment before she reached for it and took a handful. "It was nice. You should have stayed. The massage was amazing."
She saw the start of a smile forming in Regina's lips, but it never came out. "I'm glad at least one of us enjoyed it. There's some leftovers from lunch, by the way," she informed as she waved inside. Then, she looked down at the snacks, "Although I think you're already served."
"I'll have something for dinner, anyways. Thanks." They sat in silence, only broken by the crisp sound of Emma eating, and she watched how the sun reflected in the glass mirror of the building in front of them. Maybe it was the intimacy of the moment, maybe she just didn't need an excuse for it, but suddenly and keeping her eyes on the windows, she asked, "Did you like him?"
"Who?" Regina calmly asked. Emma still didn't look, but could feel the other woman's eyes on her.
"That man from the spa. The small one with the guards."
If she hadn't been paying attention, she wouldn't have heard the surprising soft snort from Regina. "That's offensive."
Emma's eyes finally fell on Regina. "It felt like we were following them."
"It's clear you've never been to a spa before," she stated, not with a superior attitude, but more like a fact. Still, Emma frowned.
"Hey, that isoffensive."
Regina tilted her head, "How? Isn't it true?"
Emma sulked in silence for a moment before she shrugged, "Yeah. Anyways, it was like we were there for them."
"Maybe you should be a detective," Regina joked, now with a teasing smirk. "Or even better, a Sheriff."
Emma raised her eyebrows, "Sheriff? Why?"
Regina shrugged. "The uniform would look really good on you."
The warmth on her cheeks felt familiar to Emma, but she didn't chicken out, now aware that Regina hid more that she thought about her feelings. "It feels like you've thought about it."
"It just occurred to me, but maybe I will from now on," she threw back, narrowing her eyes.
Emma felt like they were throwing each other the ball to see who dropped it first, and it half infuriated her, half intrigued her. It was always like that with Regina, but this time she had a secret weapon, and she wasn't ready to lose that easily.
"Do you mind that I see other people?"
It was the first time Emma saw genuine surprise in Regina's eyes. She clearly hadn't been expecting that and it had taken her aback. Her jaw clenched almost unnoticeably before she answered.
"You seem to mind a lot about that."
"And you seem keen to avoid the answer."
"I don't."
Emma watched Regina's features. Maybe she hadn't caught all of her, but she had caught the way her lips twitch when she lied. And she definitely caught it then. It was her moment, now that Regina had her guard down.
"Have you seen anyone else?"
This time Regina looked at her right in the eyes, "No. Are we done with this interrogation?"
The force of her question threw Emma a little off balance, "It wasn't one, but yeah I guess I'm done." Lowering her gaze, she saw the files and decided to change the subject. "Were you working?"
"You weren't done after all," Regina smiled knowingly. "It is, but it's nothing important. Only some profiles."
"You take a lot of work home. It must be interesting enough to do that," Emma noted. She thought of her job and felt lack of motivation fall upon her. And it must have been all over her face for Regina to ask:
"Do you like what you do?"
Emma shrugged, "It's fine, I guess. It pays the bills."
Regina leaned back on the chair, her attention only on Emma while the sky dyed orange. "And what would you do if you could choose?"
"You sound like a counselor," Emma joked, but answered anyways. "Actually, you had a point when you said I should be a detective. It may sound dumb but since I was a child, I've always liked that kind of job."
"So you like fighting for justice?" Regina wondered with interest.
"If you want to see it that way," Emma laughed. "I guess I do, yes. Like you, right?"
Regina smiled, "Yes. You could say that." Her phone started to ring and Emma caught the name of the caller before she grabbed it and stood up. "I have to take this. Leftovers are on the microwave."
She was already walking to her room, her phone in her ear, when Emma called for her, making her turn around. "Thank you for inviting me." Regina smiled, but didn't say anything, probably paying attention to whatever that Gold was telling her on the phone.
Only when Regina closed the door, she finally answered her boss. "I think it will be easy, but I'm going to need access to the spa." She threw the files on her bed and noticed she had grabbed one of Emma's jackets from laundry without realizing.
"Okay, then you will know from me in two days." Hanging up without saying goodbye, Regina left her phone and picked up the jacket before walking over to the mirror and trying it on.
It looked big on her, specially on her hands, but she knew it looked like that on Emma as well because she was already used to see the sleeves hanging around the house. A smile crept up her face and she let it happen, comfortable in the intimacy of her room.
A knock on the door pulled Emma out of her dreams. She groaned loudly, trying to form some words and failing, but the knocking didn't stop, so she got up. She practically dragged herself to the door and when she opened the door, she met a clean and fresh Regina. She was in tight sweatpants, a sports top and a jacket, in contrast with a disheveled Emma who barely had her eyes opened.
"I was going to go for a run and some exercises. Do you want to come?" Regina asked as if Emma matched her energy.
"It's Sunday," Emma kind of whimpered.
"7 am to be exact. So?"
Emma finally opened her eyes, "7?! Are you trying to kill me?"
"I'm not. Are you coming or what?" Emma sighed, leaning her head on the door. "You're already up," Regina pointed out.
Rolling her eyes, Emma threw her hands up in the air. "You know what. Fine. Let me just get some clothes on."
Regina nodded with a smile and left to have a glass of water while her roommate got ready. Ten minutes later, Emma emerged from her room wearing sweatpants and a long shirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she clearly had taken a moment to wash her face before coming out.
"Is that my jacket?" she asked pointing at Regina with narrow eyes.
Regina glanced down as if noticing for the first time. "Yes, it is. It was in my laundry. Do you mind?"
Emma shook her head, smiling slightly at the way it looked on Regina. "Let's go before I regret this."
They started the warmup at the beginning of the nearest park in complete silence. Probably because Emma still felt a little sleepy. They agreed on a light run until the training area, where Regina would share her routine with Emma, but when they started to run, they started to go faster and faster as they noticed the other was ahead of them. The competitiveness made them arrive panting at the -still- empty training area.
"You sure can run," Emma breathed out, leaning on a pole.
Regina drew a breathless smile, "You sound surprised."
"Well, you don't exactly look like the runner of the year with those suits and elegant clothes," Emma explained. "But I won't make any more assumptions about you from now on."
While Regina took off her jacket and tugged it around her waist, she walked over to one of the wall bars. "Are you ready for more or do you want to sit on a bench?"
Emma rolled her eyes, but her smile didn't fade. "Where do we start?"
Regina explained her the routine she followed and Emma did each and every one of them next to her, both pushing themselves. It was too early for Emma, but by the time they finished she felt way better than she thought she would ever feel. Tired, but fulfilled. And it wasn't 9 am.
"What about a race back?" Regina challenged, using her hands as a cap to be able to look at Emma without feeling dazzled by the sun.
Emma took off her shirt revealing a sports bra underneath that made Regina glance down unapologetically. Emma noticed it and took the chance to suddenly bolt towards the way they had come through. "I'll meet you there, loser!" she yelled over her shoulder.
When they arrived at the building, Emma was still gloating over her win, bugging Regina. She opened the door and let her roommate in, who greeted Sidney.
"Good morning, Ms. Mills," he bowed his head. Then, he slid an envelope over the desk, "This just came through for you."
Emma snooped over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows, "Mail on Sunday? They must really want to get to you."
Regina smiled at Sidney with gratitude before walking towards the elevator, the other woman following her steps. "What can I say. I'm a demanded woman," she winked at Emma, whose heart skipped a beat.
Emma had to admit it had been a nice weekend and she didn't really complain when she had to come back to the routine. It was still the same, but at least she had had a massage and had spent a great amount of time with Regina. She smiled at the memory of the previous day, when they were having lunch while they watched The Bachelor. Regina had gotten caught up in the reality show and they had started a debate on which of the girls was better that went on even after the show ended.
When Regina had insisted on watching another episode, Emma had accepted, but couldn't ignore the slumber after lunch and finally ended up falling asleep on the couch. She woke up an hour later, cuddled up next to Regina who had turned off the TV and was now reading. Emma didn't know when she had found Regina's shoulder and used it as a pillow, but the other woman didn't seem to mind.
"Sorry," Emma had mumbled, feeling the hot red blush in her cheeks.
Regina had smiled softly, in a way that Emma thought maybe she was still dreaming. "You drool when you sleep," she teased, her smile turning into a full smirk and breaking the moment.
The conversation with Regina in the terrace had made her think a lot, both in the professional and personal way. For the first, Emma was starting to consider the goals she had and maybe she could start eyeing prices in degrees in Criminology as she had always wanted. For the second part, she had to acknowledge the feelings that had started to rise. She had felt attracted to Regina ever since she laid her eyes on her, that much was obvious, but now she was afraid for the flutter in the bottom on her belly when Regina smiled at her or she was wearing Emma's jacket. That, in addition to the fact that Regina had lied about feeling jealous, was something she could not stop thinking about. And it was starting to feel too real, too fast for Emma.
She had always had a wall built up around her. Maybe she was transparent, but she still tried to not have her heart up her sleeve, cautious when feelings started to take the protagonist part in her life. Emma knew it was bad news. The little voice in her head was practically yelling at her to stop developing deeper feelings for Regina. They were roommates! If something went wrong Emma would have to go back to Mary Margaret's and she sure as hell wouldn't go through that. She wouldn't fail in the first attempt to really become independent.
Speaking of Mary Margaret, she thought she could pay a visit to her friend. IT had been a long time since they caught up and she was kind of missing their moments they shared while living together. She texted her as she left the locker room, having her shift finished for the day. She had had a late-ish shift, and it was almost 6, so she just asked Mary Margaret to meet up at her place, who quickly answered positive and informed her she was making apple pie.
Emma waited for the elevator, her mind already on the apple pie she was dying to get a taste of, and when the doors opened she wasn't ready for what she saw.
"…get in your head I'm not getting myself involved in this anymore!" Lily yelled at her mother, whose eyes were shining like two furious flames. They both glared at Emma, surprised by the interruption, and separated while they tried to play it cool. "Hey Emma. It's been a while."
"Yes, it has," Emma smiled trying not to show the awkwardness she felt. "How have you been?" She pressed the button for the hall and noticed the other button oushed was one of the basement, where one could only access with a special key.
"Good, good. A little busy though, you know, work," the girl shrugged, eyeing her mother behind Emma.
"I know," Emma answered as if she knew what was Lily's job. She realized she never had said, but then again, it's not like they had known each other that much.
"Have you met my mother?" Lily asked to fill in the silence that was starting to spread. Emma turned and the older woman glanced down at her. She was taller than her, and the high heels added a good few inches that made her look even more threatening.
"Actually, I haven't had the pleasure," Emma smiled, aware she was in front of The Boss, and offered up a hand. However, Mal only stared at it and raised an eyebrow.
"And who are you?" she bluntly asked.
Emma closed her hand and dropped it. "I'm Emma. I work for the cleaning service."
"Mmm," Mal murmured, still seizing Emma up. "And how do you know each other?"
Emma opened her mouth to speak, but Lily was already answering before she could even take a breath. "From here, actually. We bumped into each other a couple weeks ago."
Mal nodded and her eyes went from analyzing Emma to her daughter, clearly sensing there was more of the story to tell. Fortunately, she didn't push and just glanced down at her phone, which she found way more interesting. Emma turned to Lily, who rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Hey, are you free tomorrow?" Lily asked way lower, looking at Emma. "We should catch up."
"Yeah," Emma nodded. She knew it was the worst timing, having all her feelings messed up with Regina, but she wanted the conversation to be over and leave that small place. "I'm working the middle shift now, but I'll finish around this time tomorrow."
"Cool," Lily smiled, and Emma's face dropped a little, feeling like the other girl wanted to hang out way more than her.
The elevator opened and Emma let out a relieved breath she didn't know she had been holding. "See ya!" she waved her hand and left the elevator as fast as she could. She didn't look back, but as soon as she was out, she heard Mal's voice.
"Really, Lily?"
Mary Margaret almost asphyxiated her with a hug the moment she saw her. Emma laughed and returned the hug, closing her eyes at the smell of coffee just made and apple pie. She hadn't realized how much she missed that. It was nice to escape Regina and Lily and her job, and just enjoy a cup of coffee with her best friend. Mary Margaret asked about her life, and Emma deliberately left out most of the drama, focusing on other things. They talked about the possibility of starting to study again and Mary Margaret was so happy about it she almost dropped her cup.
Emma felt a little sad when it was time to leave, and even felt a little homesick. Mary Margaret had always been there for her, willing to listen to her and give her advice, and her heart felt warm from the visit. It was hard to say goodbye but, after reminding her friend to send regards to David, she finally left to get home. A smile adorned her face; she had been in need of an evening like that.
Lily, and the date for the next day came to her mind and wondered if it would be anything like that. Little did she know, it would be completely the opposite.
"Isn't it a little early for shots?" Emma asked with a funny smile painting her lips. One hand was holding her third bottle of beer while the other was holding her head as she watched Lily ask the bartender for a couple of shots.
"C'mon, we're celebrating!" Lily grinned. They watched the transparent liquid fill the small glasses and Lily slid one of them towards Emma.
"What are we celebrating exactly?" she asked, but still raised the shot to toast.
"To finally getting back together." Lily toasted and swallowed the shot, making a face before leaving it upside down. Emma laughed and followed through, letting the alcohol guide her actions.
"We are getting what together?" Emma asked, dragging the final letters. Lily giggled and pointed at the bartender for another two shots.
"I have no fucking clue," Lily laughed. She had drunk one more been than Emma, but that was enough to get her giggly. At first it had been nice, both of them catching up and talking about their interests. It had been on the second bottle when Emma realized she hadn't really eaten anything since the poor sandwich she had carried to work, and the alcohol was affecting her more than she thought it would.
They toasted for nothing, and then again for the alcohol and once more for the bartender, until they couldn't help giggling over everything. Lily stopped ordering shots and Emma was deep down thankful, and so was the bartender. The stools they sat on swung from one side to the other as they moved, and suddenly Lily's hand fell on Emma's thigh.
Lily sighed and leaned in to whisper in Emma's ear, her breath warm against her skin. "Do you want to go to my place?"
Before Emma's brain could even process the question, she answered, "No."
Lily leaned back and tilted her head. "No?"
"I…No," Emma shook her head, feeling confused. All she could think of was Regina. The hand on her thigh was making her think of when Regina had touched her there and she frowned.
"Why?" Lily watched Emma's face and then raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I get it."
"What?" Emma shot.
Lily smirked, "So you finally got it on with your roommate, huh?"
Emma's eyes went guiltily wide, "What? No!"
Tilting her head again, Lily frowned. "But you like her."
It took a moment for Emma to be able to answer, but when she did, she felt a wave of relief to finally say it out loud, "Yeah."
Lily smiled and pushed a strand of hair behind Emma's ear tenderly, "Good luck with that one."
Emma rolled her eyes and pushed her, but the smile was almost swallowing her whole face. Suddenly she felt an urge to go home, to go to Regina. She wanted to tell her how she felt. She really wanted to get to know her, she wanted that. "I gotta go," she urgently said, jumping down the stool.
"Wait!" Lily yelled. She pulled out some bills to pay and raced after her friend as fast as she could in her state, that was almost as bad as Emma's. When she finally got her, she clutched her shoulder. "Wait. Let me call you a cab."
"I'll just take the subway," Emma breathlessly said as she tried to turn around, but Lily laughed and shook her head. After a few attempts she finally got to call a taxi and it was there after a few minutes.
Emma got into the car quickly and gave the driver the address while Lily helped her close the door. "You know where to find me if you need me, blondie."
Their eyes met and Emma nodded, smiling at Lily, before the taxi took off and headed into the traffic. She felt her chest heavy and found it difficult to keep her eyes open and her head still, but she was able to make it to her door. Emma fought with the keys but the lock kept moving just when she thought she could get the key in and grunted frustrated.
Inside, Regina raised her head from the envelope. She hid it inside a book and walked to the door with a frown, tilting her head to hear what was happening on the other side. She heard a familiar grunt and rolled her eyes, opening the door. Emma fell backwards into Regina, who caught her before they both ended up on the floor.
"I hate that lock," Emma huffed pointing at the door.
Regina's lips twitched in a small smile and she narrowed her eyes, "Are you inebriated?"
Emma looked at her right in the eye and deadpanned, "No, I'm a Libra."
Regina shook her head and her smile grew. She helped Emma in, holding her so she didn't fall, and led her right to her room. However, on the way, Emma stumbled and her eyes fell shut. "Emma, stay awake. Just a few more steps," Regina murmured as she carried almost all of the other woman's weight.
"I think I wanted to tell you something," Emma slurred, narrowing her eyes.
Regina decided to follow the conversation as she opened the door to make sure Emma didn't fall asleep. "Did you?" She helped Emma on to the bed and let her sit there. "I'm going to get a glass of water and then you tell me what it is that you wanted to tell me."
When she was back, a glass of water in her hand and an aspirin on the other, she found Emma sitting on the bed right where she had left her, her eyes fixed on the floor as she bit her lower lip. Regina left the glass on the nightstand and gently pushed Emma down to make her lay in bed. "Come on, get into bed," she softly ordered and Emma obeyed, taking off her shoes and diving beneath the sheets with her clothes still on. Regina turned off the lights and only left on the one in the nightstand before taking a seat on the bed, next to the other woman.
"Emma, wait. Drink some water first." She shook Emma's arm and she grumbled, but sat on the bed as she swallowed half of the glass. Regina accepted it and left the rest on the nightstand for her to drink on the morning. "Be thankful you don't work early tomorrow," she murmured.
She watched Emma, whose blonde locks were falling in her eyes, and raised a hand to push it aside, caressing her skin. She sat there for a couple more seconds, taking a chance to slow down and really consider a lot of things that were going through her head, but after shaking her head, Regina turned off the lamp and stood up to go.
A hand grabbed hers and she turned, glancing down to Emma's hanging arm. "Stay," she heard a softly voice, muffled against the pillow. "It's cold."
Without dropping her hand, Regina raised an eyebrow, "Emma, it's the middle of the summer." This time Emma remained silent, but she wouldn't let go of Regina's hand, still holding her tightly, so eventually Regina sighed, "Okay."
She made her way into the bed, on the other side, and felt Emma moving next to her, not quite close but enough to feel her warmth. Regina allowed herself to relax and close her eyes, thinking of waiting for Emma to fall asleep and then going back outside, but before she could even know, she was deep in her sleep.