Again, I got no beta, so sorry for any mistakes. 3
A pleasant sort of warm buzz settled in his chest the whole day as we went into town for some minor errands. He had locked the house up, as requested, and set out about an hour after she had left.
Walking down the street, he found his mind wandering back to last night. His mind carefully avoided the more risque moments, he was in broad daylight after all. He was, no, is happier then he has ever been. He cannot imagine his life without her and that thought makes that little idea in the back of his head move to closer to the forefront.
He's taken from his thoughts by the feeling of someone slamming into him, jolting him but not knocking him down. He goes to catch the person, out of instinct, and manages to save them from harsh fall. He blinks, catching mischievous eyes and a sort of apologetic smirk. Oh damn. Tink.
"If I knew I could get a conversation with you by running into you, I would have done it sooner." she chides playfully.
Smirking back, he helps her right herself. He has been avoiding her, not because she isn't a nice person to talk to, but because of her oddly personal questions as of late.
"My apologies, I was deep in thought and wasn't watching my path. It shan't happen again."
She laughs lightly as she shakes her head. He was so chivalrous it was ridiculous, she was the one who ran into him after all.
"Don't be silly. Nothing wrong with thinking of your love." She waits a beat before going into it; "Speaking of Regina, how are you two doing?"
So she's decided to go right for the meat of it this time, he thinks as he chuckles to himself. It's strangely endearing how direct she is, but not so much when it's directed at things he knows Regina isn't keen on sharing.
"We're fine," his face betrays his nonchalant words by allowing a beaming smile to show.
Tink's smirk grows into a giddy sort of smile. A knowing smile, Robin surmises.
"Just fine, huh?" She asks, "by the looks of your smile I'd say it's much better then that."
He nods, knowing Tink has caught him and finding he rather not play off the happiness he shares with Regina.
"Yes, we're better then fine. We are doing amazingly."
He sees the shift in her eyes at his words, that was exactly what she wanted to hear. He knew this was going to happen, not that he doesn't like talking about how happy he and Regina is, but if Tink knew what he had been thinking of before she ran into him? That would send Tink into a tizzy for sure.
"Well true loves normally do, but I have to say I can't help but notice something seems to be on your mind."
That caught him slightly off guard, he was expecting something else. Seeing the look on his face, Tink explains, "I mean your head was in the clouds more then normal. You'd have never bumped into me otherwise." She grins. "Thinking of the future?"
There it is. He can tell by the look on her face that he must have reacted without meaning to as her grin widens. "You are." Oh boy. She knew.
"You know well as I, that Regina prefers things as they are." He tries, hoping to dissuade Tink from her current train of thought.
Tink drops her smile, getting serious, "All she knows about that is-"
"I know," Robin cuts her off. "However, I won't be making her uncomfortable, not for my own selfish whims."
Huffing, Tink resists the urge to stomp her foot like a child. Robin takes a breath, knowing he needs to remove himself from this conversation soon. He and Regina are, after everything, so happy. It was a long time coming and he doesn't wish to stir anything up.
"That's not selfish. Wanting to share-"
His brows furrow and she stops, he's clearly frustrated. He offers a quick excuse and goes to leave, but Tink stops him, a sudden thought coming to her mind.
"Robin?"
He lets out a long suffering sigh and turns to her, clearly expecting her to continue her previous line of thought.
"How attached are you to tradition?"
She feels so content. It's funny, considering where she is, but it's true. She's sitting at Granny's, in her old spot sipping a cup of tea as Snow sits next to her chatting with her. It's a little one sided at the moment, but Snow seems to be happy.
That would have annoyed her a long time ago, but now it's nice knowing someone enjoyed her company, without pretense. She had missed that, but now it's such a common occurrence that sometimes she takes it for granted. Her mind flashes to Robin and the words they had shared last night. She was happy what she said seemed to affect him so deeply.
Though... the words she said lingered in her mind. Honestly, she was glad she had said them rather then what she normally did. It took her a long time to sync up her feelings with words and actions, she realized. It was out of fear, as weak as that sounded. It took forever to tell him she loved him and now she thinks that maybe, she can let go of the things she feared with the idea of-
"Regina?"
Humming in question, Regina's eyes turn to Snow's. Snow smiles softly and Regina realizes she had tuned her out.
"Sorry, I guess I spaced out a bit."
Snow shakes her head. "No, no. It's alright." Snow pauses, thinking, "everything ok?"
Oh yes, everything is definitely ok. That's what Regina thinks, but she just nods. She had always been close to the chest about things regarding her and Robin. It's a sort of self defense she knows, something that bled over from the harm her mother had inflicted on her so long ago.
"Of course. Henry would have gotten it out of me already if something wasn't right."
Snow giggles, knowing Regina was right. That didn't make her curiosity waver, however, but Regina was ok so that's all that matters.
"Speaking of, where else are you two going today?"
Good question. She and Henry had been all over the place today, the library, the stables and Gepetto's wood shop just to name a few. However, she does recall a conversation with him about the docks.
"Not sure, I believe Henry wanted to show me something down at the docks."
Regina couldn't hide the sneer that appeared with the notion of going to the docks of all places. It wasn't her favorite place, for obvious reasons.
"Regina." Snow scolds playfully. "I'm sure there is something interesting to see if Henry wants to take you there."
She's not hiding the disgust on her face now, Snow notes, but says nothing of it. Not that she'd let Regina know, but she takes comfort in the fact that Regina is willing to talk with her like this.
"It smells like fish and salty old men."
Snow can't help but erupt into giggles at Regina's words and expression. That and the fact that it sort of does smell like that.
"Be nice." Snow admonishes, but her eyes betrayed the humor she found in Regina's words.
"I don't want to smell like fish." Regina mutters.
Snow laughs and can't help but think that a few years ago, Regina would rather choke her to death then admit such a thing to her.
"Please," Granny pipes up as she pours some more tea into Regina's cup, "you'd have to roll in fish before it would overtake the smell of forest on you."
Snow guffaws at Granny's input and Regina can't help but blush at the implications as she watches Granny walk back into the back like nothing happened.
"I pay for food and drink, not opinions." Regina grouses, slightly embarrassed.
"Opinions, wit and sass are offered for free." Ruby chimes in as she passes.
Rolling her eyes, Regina looks to the hall hoping Henry would show up already, he said he'd only be a minute. She can hear Snow just now managing to stop laughing and get a hold of herself.
"They tease me too, you know." Snow offers, "you should have heard them when Charming and I first made it official. It means they like you."
A look of disbelief from Regina is the only reply to that. Snow just smirks. "Anyways, speaking of forests, where is yours?"
"Oh... you think you're so clever." Regina counters without thinking, causing Snow to giggle. "... He's probably out getting some things at the market."
Snow straightens up, a smile on her face.
"Ooh, maybe he intends to make you a romantic dinner?"
Taking a sip from her tea, Regina shakes her head. At least, she can't imagine that's what he was thinking.
"I doubt it, he mentioned getting some things for his Merry Men."
Sitting down the cup, Regina turns to Snow, curious.
"Didn't Charming do something like that for you this past week? Cook for you or something?"
Seeing Snow's face blanch, Regina chuckles.
"Not so charming in the kitchen?"
Not being able to help it, Snow smirks. "This time he wasn't." She sips her water, thinking, "it might have been better if cooked for me with his shirt off."
Regina sneers in disgust, "that's gross."
Snow goes into another peal of laughter, tickled at the fact Regina seems grossed out by such a small thing.
"I didn't know you were such a prude."
Regina scoffs as she watches Snow smirk in some sort of pride as she takes a sip of water.
"Because you didn't continuously honk the horn of the truck when Hook was with us making innuendos about taking Emma fishing."
With that, Snow choked on a mouth full of water, almost spitting it out. She managed to resist, knowing almost instinctively, Granny would be pissed.
"That's completely different," Snow sputters.
"It's not," Regina retorts, amused. "It's practically the same thing."
Snow turns to Regina, about to say why she thought it was different. Emma was her- Snow made a sound, a sort of gasp. Regina turned to her, curious at the strange sound.
"What?"
Just before Snow could say something, Henry bounded up to them, excited and ready to go.
"Hey, ready mom?"
Standing from the stool Regina glances down at Snow, who was seemingly a little stunned. That's when she realized what she had said. Oh shit. Henry glances back and forth between his mom and grandma, confused, but he's quick to give them both an out.
"I'm super excited to show you my surprise, Mom." He said, taking her arm at the elbow, jarring her. "I know you don't like the docks, but it's worth it."
Thankful for Henry's insistence, Regina smiles and nods.
"I'm sure." She gives Snow a nod. "See you later."
Snow returns Regina's nod and watches Regina relent to Henry's tug on her arm. Turning back to the bar, she takes a breath and smiles.