This chapter is for Hypnotoad76 with the prompt: "Emma convinces Regina to try BBQ. At first Regina tries to eat ribs neatly with grace and poise, before deciding to just go for it and not care how messy she gets."
Emma smiled as Regina walked into Granny's. They had agreed to meet for dinner, as they always, but this time without Henry. Henry was with Snow and David, giving Emma and Regina the chance to have their very first date.
The two women had finally admitted their feelings for each other, even though they had already been close friends for a long time. Apparently everyone else knew they were in love before they did.
"Hey there," Regina said, sitting across from Emma.
"Hey," Emma said. "I already ordered. I pretty much know what you always eat by now."
Regina smiled. "I would think so, considering we do this everyday."
"Not exactly this," Emma said. "Usually there's other people with us. Now it's just you and me. And I kind of like it better that way."
Regina nodded. "Agreed. Very much agreed."
After about half an hour of small talk, the food came. Regina smiled as the salad was put in front of her. Emma did know her well.
"Told you," Emma said, smiling at Regina's reaction. "I know you and your meal choices."
"And I know yours," Regina said, looking pointedly at Emma's plate.
Emma smiled sheepishly as she picked up one of her ribs. "You know, you could try it." She waved the rib back and forth, laughing at the look on Regina's face.
"You actually think I would eat that?" Regina asked. "You are crazy. There is no way that I am putting something that unhealthy in my mouth."
"Come on," Emma said. "Just take a bite of it. I can guarantee that it's not as bad as you think it is."
Regina looked at Emma skeptically before reaching out and taking the rib from her. "How do you even eat this?"
"You eat the meat around the bone," Emma said.
Regina eyed the rib before delicately chewing off a small piece. "That's not bad," she said, after she had swallowed.
Emma raised her eyebrows as Regina took another little bite. "Eating it like that is going to take you forever. And you look weird. You can't eat ribs delicately."
"What do you think I'm doing?" Regina asked. "I already am."
Emma rolled her eyes. "I know you are, but that's not how you're supposed to do it. You're supposed to just dig in and get messy."
"As if," Regina scoffed. "I am a queen and a bit more refined."
"So drop being a queen right now," Emma said. "Just be a person. There's no one here that's going to judge you."
Regina sighed before bringing the rib back up to her mouth, taking a larger bite. Emma smiled as Regina sheepishly wiped the BBQ sauce from her lips.
"Well?" Emma asked. "Is it as bad as you thought it would be?"
Regina rolled her eyes before shaking her head. "No, it's not as bad as I thought it would be."
Emma smiled before continuing to eat. "Glad you enjoyed it. Now eat your salad."
Regina laughed before wiping off her hands and picking up her fork. "For once, I'm sad that I'm eating a salad."