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Some things, Emma thinks, should be illegal.
Like slow walkers. And black coffee.
And when Regina smiles. And when Regina does that evil-queen-smirk that makes Emma’s stomach flip flop. And when Regina walks by and Emma can’t look at anything besides her ass in those tight dresses.
And just, Regina.
Regina, Emma thinks, should be illegal.
Except she’s most definitely not, and she’s standing in Emma’s office looking very pissed off. Emma really should be listening to what Regina’s saying, but she can’t really focus on anything besides the scent of Regina’s perfume; it’s her signature perfume today, cinnamon and apples and everything warm, and Emma just wants to nuzzle into her like a cat.
“Miss Swan.”
Emma blinks up at her. Regina has been going on and on about some new safety protocol that just doesn’t make sense for their small town, and Emma had zoned out midway through the first sentence. Emma doesn’t know when she’d stopped talking, but Regina’s glaring at her, and it’s sour, sour face today, so Emma’s eyes rove downward. The shirt Regina is wearing is two sizes too small, and the third button is straining.
“Miss Swan!” Regina snaps again, crossing her arms over her chest. Her cheeks are flushed. “Did you hear what I said?”
“Yeah.” Emma meets her eyes. She licks her lips, Regina’s eyes tracking her movements, and Emma grins when Regina’s flush darkens. Flustered Regina is her favorite state of Regina. “And it sounded pretty damn useless to me.”
Emma hops off of her desk, and prowls forward, observing with a pleased smirk at the way Regina automatically steps back. But she doesn’t let up, and she has Regina pressed up against the wall in seconds. “So, Regina. What are you really here for?”
“What am I really here for? Seriously?” Regina’s eyes gleam in irritation, but… ah. There it is — a glimmer of arousal, and Emma smirks, knowing she’s already won. “I’m trying to ensure the safety of my town, Miss Swan.”
“Oh, but we both know that’s bullshit.” Emma reaches forward, catching Regina’s jaw in her hand and forcing her to look at her. “I’m not going to ask again. What are you really here for?”
Regina clenches her jaws, glaring at her, but Emma is unmoved, staring right back at her.
“Goddamnit, Emma.” Regina reaches for her waist, tugging her forward into a kiss. She threads her fingers through Emma’s golden locks, moaning softly when Emma kisses her back, thrusts her harder against the wall.
“So you weren’t here to ‘ensure the safety of your town’?” Emma murmurs against the skin of Regina’s neck, biting at the soft skin behind her jaw.
Regina jerks, whimpers despite herself. “Emma. Shut up.” It doesn’t come out nearly as threatening as she had hoped, and it’s breathless and needy and everything that Regina Mills is not.
But, here she is, vulnerable under Emma’s touch, and it should scare her — the way Emma knows just how to touch her to make her body spark.
And yet.
Emma trails her fingers up her thigh, dragging the material of her pencil skirt higher and higher until it’s cinched around her waist.
“You didn’t... wear panties to your meeting?” Emma’s stopped moving, leaning back slightly to stare at her with a cocked eyebrow. There’s something in her eyes — a flare of possessiveness that shouldn’t be there because they’re not a couple, no matter how many times Regina finds herself waking up alone and craving Emma’s warmth. Emma leans forward, breath warm against her ear. “Someone’s been a naughty girl.”
Regina gasps when Emma thrusts two fingers into her. Emma’s not gentle with her, never has been, and Regina finds herself arching off the wall, her leg rising to wrap around Emma’s waist.
“I love how wet you get for me,” Emma breathes into her ear. Regina whines, eyes squeezing shut when Emma adds another finger. “I love how sensitive you are to my touch.”
It doesn’t take long after that. Regina comes with a keen, her body jerking forward. She falls forward, almost relying entirely on Emma’s weight to keep herself standing.
“I’ve got you.” Emma’s rubbing circles into the small of her back, and Regina tells herself that if she actually had the energy to move, Emma would be a pile of ashes by now.
Regina leans back against the wall, her breaths having slowed down. Emma presses a soft kiss to her lips, and it’s sweet and tender and everything that they’re not supposed to be.
“Sweetheart,” Emma murmurs against her lips.
The reaction is instantaneous. Regina whips her head back, eyes flashing. “Do not call me that.”
It’s an unspoken rule they have — a rule that Emma knows well enough to know to break it: there is no affection to them, whatever they are, and there never will be. Emma looks away, but not fast enough for Regina to miss the flash of hurt in her eyes. Regina swallows, blinking down at the floor for a moment. Something in her wants to gather Emma into her arms, but no, no.
There’s Emma, and there’s Regina.
There is no Emma and Regina.
“I should go,” Emma says after a beat. “I have to go patrol.”
Regina clears her throat, smoothing the material of her skirt. “Yes, I suppose I should go as well.”
And that’s that.
Except —
“Emma!” Regina gasps, back arching off the mattress. It's late now, the sun long gone, and Regina’s room is dark. “You can’t —”
“I can’t do what?” Emma grins, silencing Regina’s moan with a kiss. Regina whines, trying to move away from Emma’s probing fingers, but Emma is so much stronger than her, and she can do little more than squirm against the sheets. “Hm?”
Emma twists her fingers, and Regina gasps, her hips involuntarily arching into Emma’s hand. She’s sensitive — so sensitive that the pleasure is bordering on pain, but Emma doesn’t let up, and Regina can do little more than whimper and writhe.
“Can you get through this last one for me?” Emma nibbles on her earlobe, grinning when Regina moans. “I know you can. You’re so good for me, aren’t you?”
Regina can’t focus on anything besides the heat curling in her stomach, and she whines again when Emma bites at the juncture where her neck meets her shoulder.
“There you go,” Emma murmurs into her ear. “Come for me.”
And Regina does.
Emma still has her in her arms and is whispering soft words of praise into her ear when she comes down, and she’s so tired, and her eyelids are getting heavier and heavier, and everything fades to black.
~
Regina wakes up in the morning to soft kisses down the side of her neck. She instinctively tilts her head to the side, moaning softly, before her eyes snap open, and she realizes that she is not, in fact, alone in her bed when she most definitely should be.
She jolts away, her body tensing up, before she notices the mane of golden hair and wide, green eyes staring up at her.
“God, Emma!” Regina tries to get her breathing back to normal, her hand still pressed against her chest.
“Sorry.” Emma shrugs, but she doesn’t look apologetic if the smirk on her face is anything to go by. “You looked so cute with your bedhead and everything.”
“Right,” Regina grumbles, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair. She freezes, suddenly, narrowing her eyes at Emma. “What are you doing here anyway?”
Another unspoken rule — never stay the night. And yet, Emma’s lounging on her bed as if it’s her own, bathed in sunlight, and Regina thinks she looks so beautiful.
“You fell asleep last night,” Emma says, picking at the fringe on her blanket. “I couldn’t leave without waking you up.”
Emma looks up at her with wide eyes. “You’re not gonna kick me out before breakfast, right? I really wanted waffles.”
Every part of Regina is telling her to say ‘no’ because breakfast would mean she’s allowing Emma to stay, and allowing Emma to stay over for a meal, and what would Henry think?
But Emma’s watching her with a pout, and Regina can’t say no.
“Fine. But only for breakfast.”
Emma beams at her, and Regina tries very, very hard to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
~
“Did Ma stay the night?”
Henry blinks up at them with wide eyes. Regina freezes, her fork hovering over her waffles. Emma pauses mid-chew.
“Yeah, uh,” Emma swallows, taking a sip of orange juice, “Regina and I were working on something for the city.”
“All night?” Henry asks dubiously, his eyes narrowed in a strictly-Regina fashion.
“We fell asleep while working,” Regina says smoothly, and it’s not really a lie, anyway. “Finish your breakfast. You’re going to be late for school.”
Henry pouts, scooping up the rest of his eggs into his mouth before he slings his backpack over his shoulder. “I’m going to school. Don’t forget that I’m going to Violet’s house tonight so I won’t be home until later.”
Regina nods, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his forehead. “Stay safe. I love you.”
Henry frowns, wiping at his forehead. “Mom! I’m fifteen.”
“Bye, kid.” Emma grins, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin as Henry pulls open the front door.
“Bye!” Henry calls, before the door shuts behind him.
Emma’s still smiling fondly when Regina turns back around, and she thinks there must be a malfunction in her brain when the butterflies immediately stir in her stomach.
“Are you just going to stare?” Emma’s looking at her with an amused look in her eyes, her head tilted slightly to the side.
Regina flushes, reaching for her half-full plate of waffles. “I’m going to put these away.”
“But you -”
Regina all but scurries to the kitchen, breathing a sigh of relief when she’s finally alone. Emma shouldn’t be able to have this effect on her. It’s maddening, really, how easily Emma can turn Regina into an absolute mess.
She sighs, tossing the remainder of her waffles into the trash and rinsing off the plate.
“Need some help?”
Regina practically jumps out of her skin when Emma speaks. She whirls around, eyes wide until she spots Emma leaning against the doorframe.
“What is with you and scaring me?” Regina glares, wiping her hands on a towel.
“So you admit you were scared?” Emma raises an eyebrow, smirking, and it shouldn’t be as hot as it is. She pushes off the doorframe, sauntering over to where Regina’s leaning against the counter.
“I don’t get scared,” Regina retorts, but Emma’s pressing up against her, and she’s trying really, really hard not to just melt into her touch.
“Hm.” Emma grins, tracing Regina’s jawline with her index finger.
Emma’s gazing at her with so much warmth and adoration, and Regina just smiles back because Emma’s so beautiful and warm and perfect and —
— not hers. Emma will never be hers, because Emma is the savior, and Regina is the evil queen.
And evil queens don’t get happy endings.
“I have to go to work.” Regina clears her throat, abruptly stepping out of Emma’s grip. She tries to ignore the confused, kicked-a-puppy look that Emma’s giving her.
“Oh.” Emma sounds disappointed. “Right. I’ll see you later?”
Regina just gives her a tight smile before she leaves the kitchen.
~
“Regina!” The voice is distinctly Emma, and Regina curses softly under her breath, clutching her bag of takeout closer to her. She speeds up her walking, hoping the dim streetlights will be sufficient enough to keep her hidden until she turns the corner.
“Regina!” This time, Emma’s voice is much closer, and Regina has no choice but to slow down.
Regina takes a deep breath out of her nose, before whirling around with a saccharine smile. “Yes, Miss Swan?”
Emma stares for a moment, wringing her hands together. “You’ve been avoiding me all week.”
“I’ve been working.” Regina’s lip curls in disdain. “Something you may find unfamiliar.”
“Yeah, right.” Emma rolls her eyes. “I know you better than you think, Regina. I know you’ve been avoiding me.”
“Avoiding you? Miss Swan, we’re not kindergartners, so stop acting like one.” Regina turns, but Emma curls her fingers around her wrist, holding her in place.
“Regina, stop,” Emma says with a surprising amount of force behind her words. Her voice softens. “I miss you.”
Regina’s face immediately hardens, and she jerks her wrist out of Emma’s grip. “You don’t get to miss me. I think you forget, Mrs. Swan, that we are not in a relationship.”
“Why not?” Emma narrows her eyes, and Regina thinks she’s heard her wrong until she repeats, “Why aren’t we in a relationship?”
“Why aren’t we in a relationship?” Regina throws her hands up, exasperated, her brows drawing together. “Because you’re Emma Swan. You’re the savior, and I’m the evil queen. We don’t work.”
“Oh, fuck the fairytales, Regina. No more excuses.” Emma’s looking at her with an intensity that’s making it really hard to think. “What are you afraid of?”
Regina stares helplessly. Her mouth opens and closes, but nothing comes out. And then:
“You,” Regina blurts out. “I love you.”
Emma freezes, her eyes wide, and Regina swallows. This was a mistake, and now, she’ll probably lose Emma forever because she’s such an idiot. She doesn’t get a happy ending, and it was foolish of her to even think about trying.
Regina clears her throat, trying to ignore the tears collecting in her eyes. “Now, if you’ll excuse me -”
“Regina.” Emma covers her hand with her own. She’s blushing in a very un-Emma-like fashion. “I love you, too.”
Maybe they do work, after all.