of ice packs and celebrations (part three of three)
(Anonymous: Swan Queen: Emma prompts Henry to join a school sports team (bonus if it's a violent!sport) and Regina is worried and peeved.)
Regina's been on her feet for the whole game, and that fancy jumper has long since been removed and is now tied casually around her waist - leaving her in just a white undershirt that perfectly sets off her olive skin. Her hair is a complete mess and her face is flushed from all the excitement as she cheers, waves and claps for her son. In short, as she watches her, Emma's never been so mesmerised.
"Shouldn't you be watching the game, Miss Swan?" Regina mutters as her eyes follow the ball down the court, a smile playing upon her unpainted lips.
"Uh. I… am?" Emma squeaks, blushing. She turns her attention back to the game just as one of Henry's teammates throws the ball over to him - until a tall kid she saw earlier knocks right into him and the two tumble to the ground with a loud grunt. Regina gasps and grabs onto Emma's forearm, squeezing painfully with her vice-like grip.
"Henry!" she cries out, and then turns to Emma. "Is he okay? What am I supposed to do?" Amidst her surprise that she isn't receiving a lecture about the inherent dangers of team sports, Emma notices the look of utter helplessness on Regina's face - she's trapped in the crowd, knowing that if she causes a scene she'll only embarrass her son.
Emma gives the hand on her arm a reassuring pat and whispers, "He'll be fine."
Sure enough, Henry and the boy laugh as they pull each other to their feet, and the game recommences with another shrill blast of the whistle. Regina lets out a sigh of relief, sharing a quick smile with Emma before returning her focus to the game as Henry takes off with the ball. Emma tries to keep up, but she's finding it pretty hard to pay attention as for some reason, Regina still hasn't removed her hand from Emma's arm.
The grip's a lot gentler than before, and Emma tries to ignore how much she's actually enjoying the contact. She coughs softly, shaking her arm just enough for Regina to finally notice and immediately release Emma's wrist. She flushes bright red and mutters an apology.
"It's alright," Emma chuckles. She's definitely enjoying the decision to bring Regina along.
They both find themselves drawn into the game once more, as one of Henry's teammates shoots a goal and scores draw equal. There's only a minute left in the game, and Emma crosses her fingers, cheering as Henry takes the ball and dribbles it down the court. His smaller size does actually give him an advantage, they notice, as he weaves and ducks his way through the taller boys.
"Come on, come on, come on…" Regina mutters, wringing her hands together. Henry's poised to shoot, and she screws her eyes shut. "I can't watch."
Emma nudges into her shoulder, startling Regina's eyes open again. "Oh, you're watching," she says, "'cause I'm not letting you miss this moment."
Henry crouches slightly and then springs up into the air, tossing the ball up with perfect aim. Both of his mothers gasp and bite their lips as the ball rolls once, twice, three times around the ring before finally dropping through.
Half of the crowd goes wild, Emma included, but no one cheers as loudly as Regina. She's actually in tears as she shouts out Henry's name, clapping high above her head. The siren blasts through the chaos, signalling the victory, and Emma puts an arm around Regina's waist and leads her down to court level. Henry comes barrelling over and launches into the both of them with a force that almost sends them sprawling. He clutches onto both of their waists, pulling them into a group hug as he bounces and cheers, "I did it! We did it!"
Emma laughs and ruffles his hair. "You did good, kid." Her arm is still wrapped around Regina's waist as the three of them embrace, and somehow, it all feels right.
Henry smiles up at Emma, his gaze hopeful. "Can we go for ice cream?"
"Uhh…" This would not be the ideal time to get on Regina's bad side, and Emma knows that Henry isn't usually allowed such treats. She gives Regina a questioning look, and the other woman shrugs and gives another real smile - she seems to be full of them today.
"Of course we can, dear," Regina says, "I think this calls for a celebration."
—
Emma watches in amusement as Henry drops his spoon into the bowl, groaning and clutching his stomach. "Too much," he whimpers. Regina simply raises an eyebrow and refrains from commenting. She really is in a good mood, Emma thinks.
Their eyes meet over their son's dramatically slumped figure, and they share another smile that leaves a strange feeling in her stomach - the kind of feeling you'd get when your high school crush speaks to you, Emma supposes (because she'd never really stuck around in a school long enough to have one). She continues to watch her when they break eye contact and Regina takes a sip from her coffee.
"I'm really glad you came along today, Regina," she says quietly when Henry hops off his stool and trots away to get more napkins.
Regina gives her a brief, grateful smile before looking back down at the drink in her hands. "I'm glad, too." When Henry returns, vigorously rubbing at his chocolate-stained mouth with the napkins, she puts down her coffee and pats him on the shoulder. "So, Henry," she asks, "When is your next game?"
AN: Hope you enjoyed that little series. Remember, reviews are always appreciated, and follow my fanfiction tumblr (thesestarkwords) or main tumblr (leaving-storybrooke) where these prompt fics are posted first. Closed for prompts at the moment until exams finish, though. Thank you all for reviewing, alerting, favouriting, etc. Hopefully more coming soon! x