Really, Regina thought as she lay awake in the small double bed, it’s bad enough that we have to share a bed on this ridiculous “vacation” the Charmings planned, but the fact that you snore Miss Swan, is your most unattractive feature.
Which admittedly wasn’t saying much since Regina found next to nothing unattractive on Emma, lately at least. Their friendship had been growing for months, and she could confidently say they were close. But recently, Regina had noticed certain feelings for the blonde becoming rather apparent the more time they spent together. As she had been taught to do since Daniel had died, she pushed down any feelings of attraction and ignored them, too scared to let herself get too close. There had been Robin of course, but it had become obvious fairly quickly that he was in no way her soulmate in terms of a romantic relationship. They were best friends, and once they’d agreed that the physical side of their relationship wasn’t really working, they had become more comfortable around each other.
Instead, Regina found herself casting sideways glances at Emma, holding her gaze a little too long, feeling things she hadn’t truly felt in many years. Emma invoked something she hadn’t felt since Daniel. She had thought she had had it with Robin, but when she’d realised that Robin was more of a distraction, she had figured out that it was Emma she truly loved.
Until of course they were forced to share a bed…and Emma had a cold. Precious little Snow White, or Mary-Margaret or whatever, had for some inexplicable reason, thought it a good idea for Regina to join her, Charming, Emma, baby Neal, and Henry on a weekend away from Storybrooke. Henry’s excited and pleading expression across the table at Granny’s diner had been the only reason she’d agreed.
So they were an hour's drive out of the town, and the hotel had messed up Snow's booking, giving them two doubles and a single room. Apparently they were too full to rearrange and give them a twin room at such short notice, so Emma had stepped on Regina's toes when she’d opened her mouth to either complain or threaten (she hadn’t quite decided yet) and graciously accepted the mistake, saying “of course it’s not a problem, we'll be fine, won’t we Regina?” then turning to look at her with the most unusual smile she’d ever seen on the blonde’s face. If she’d had to describe it, she’d have picked a mixture of smug and challenging.
So at two o’clock in the fucking morning, Regina lay next to the curled up Saviour, who seemed utterly oblivious to the fact that she was making enough noise to wake up the whole damn hotel. It was almost a surprise that her parents, in the room next to them, hadn’t knocked on the wall to try and get her to stop snoring. With a frustrated sigh, Regina turned her head on her pillow to glare at the other woman, wondering if it would be out of the question to kick her really hard under the covers. She thought it would likely be okay if she apologised and pretended it had been an accident. But when she saw the peaceful face, relaxed more completely in sleep than she’d ever seen it awake, her heart melted. Emma was curled up on her side facing Regina, a lock of hair fallen across her face.
Hesitantly, the brunette reached across the small gap between them and tucked it gently behind her ear, trying not to wake her. The soft touch seemed to comfort Emma somewhat, and the snoring decreased in volume, a small smile stretching the slightly open lips. They looked soft, and very kissable. But Regina wasn’t one for kissing sleeping people without their express permission, so instead drew her hand back and drifted off to sleep, the last thing she saw before closing her eyes was the resting face for the woman she had grown to love.
****
Emma woke groggily in the dead of night to soft snores coming from beside her. With an internal groan, she searched for her phone to tell her the time. Half two. Crap. She always found it difficult to fall back asleep after being woken up. Especially with noise in the room, however quiet the snores were. Wait, Regina snored? Emma woke up a bit more as this hit her, though she wasn’t sure why it was such a bizarre concept. Possibly because everything else the once-queen did was so perfect it just hadn’t occurred to her that in sleep she would be anything less than perfect.
And that’s what Regina was to Emma: perfect. Sure, she’d murdered people and terrorised the whole kingdom just because she could or whatever, but in the last few years she’d really grown as a person. But as Emma lay watching the sleeping form, the urge to kick her majesty began to grow, if only to see what would happen. It might be worth it so she could go back to sleep and wouldn't be grouchy in the morning, but would Regina punish her for it? As that thought came to her however, a small shiver went through her and she became more inclined towards the possibility, considering it with some relish.
Curiosity overwhelming her to see Regina’s reaction, she leaned across the tiny gap between their bodies and kissed her cheek gently, with a whispered “sorry.” She settled back into her pillow and kicked out with one leg, connecting with the side of the other woman’s leg before throwing herself over onto her other side.
****
Regina woke suddenly from her light sleep as something connected with her leg. Her eyes snapped open and she held her breath, listening for danger. But she heard nothing. Nothing…so Emma’s awake. She thought, her tired brain not working as quickly as it should. She felt her leg aching a little and put two and two together. That bitch did exactly what I was considering doing. She thought indignantly. With a small huff, Regina rolled over onto her side to look at the woman next to her, who was now facing away from her and trying to breathe as evenly as possible.
“Swan, I know you’re awake, you’re not snoring.” Regina said, her voice croaky from sleep still. Immediately soft snores came from the blonde and she rolled her eyes. “Very convincing, Emma.” The pretend snores got a little louder. “Well if you didn’t kick me awake, who did?”
Emma mumbled something incoherent, and Regina leaned closer, her front almost brushing Emma’s back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”
“A mongoose.” Came the muffled reply. Regina gave her an open-mouthed look of disbelief then gave a small snort of amusement, deciding to play along with the fully grown child lying beside her.
“Oh really? And pray tell Miss Swan, where is said mongoose now?” She asked lightly. A small shrug came from the Saviour, and Regina’s lips curled into a happy smirk...and then her tired brain decided to take a gamble. She wasn’t blind; she’d seen Emma reciprocating the glances and touches that she’d been giving. “Because if I caught it, it would have to be punished.” She said in at the most seductive voice she could manage at half past two in the fucking morning. She felt Emma go very still beside her, and knew with a sudden rush of triumph that she was right about Emma’s feelings for her.
The blonde seemed to be deliberating something, and Regina found out just what seconds later when Emma’s leg kicked out behind her. Regina moved slightly to avoid being kicked, and the leg withdrew. A few moments later it moved again, but she shifted once more to avoid connection. The third time Emma tried, Regina trapped her leg between her own two, stopping it from doing any damage.
“Oh look, a mongoose.” She purred. She felt Emma shiver, and shifted forward the last inch between them, and they were suddenly pressed together. Emma was still as a statue, breathing quietly. Regina hesitated, unsure if she had permission to continue. Then she felt the Saviour shift her butt a little backwards, and she took it as her cue.
“Now then, what punishment best befits a naughty mongoose, hm?” She continued, in the same purring voice. She waited a second, then reached out a hand and placed it on Emma’s waist. She could feel her heart rate increasing, but then her sleep-deprived brain decided against doing what she really wanted to do. Instead, she freed her other hand with a smirk and without warning started to tickle Emma.
The resulting cry of surprise drew an evil laugh from the former queen, and she relented when Emma pulled her leg free and squirmed as far away from her as was possible on the small double bed. The Saviour turned back over to face Regina, looking very awake, and very annoyed. The latter simply gave her an innocent smile, smirking down at her from where she was propped up on her elbow and forearm.
“I’m sorry, where you expecting something different, Em-ma?” Regina murmured. Emma grumbled and curled into a tighter ball, half hiding her face in the duvet. Regina couldn’t keep up the act any longer, she was too tired, and her expression melted.
****
Emma curled into a defensive ball, tucking her chin slightly to cover the bottom half of her face with the duvet and giving Regina her most convincing puppy dog eyes. The latter opened her mouth to say something, the evil glint still shining in her eyes despite the darkness of the room, but all of a sudden, her features melted into the most open expression she’d ever seen on the queen’s face.
Emma's body relaxed, all memory of the tickling driven from her mind as she stared into the eyes slightly above her own. The tiniest strip of moonlight seeped through the cracked curtains, and it hit Regina’s eyes in a way that made them shine. Emma lowered the duvet and hoisted herself up to Regina’s level, mirroring her pose. The room was deathly silent, and Emma could have sworn she could almost see the tension between the two of them.
She’s so close. I could lean across so easily and just...kiss her. What if she doesn’t want that? But you’ve seen the looks, the glances, the lingering touches. She wants to as much as you do, Emma. So what’s stopping you?
Nothing.
As if they shared the same thought process, as one they leaned in, lips meeting in the middle. It was as if fireworks exploded inside Emma’s mind. Her heart sped up, her eyes flew open, her lips began to tingle. She broke contact, staring into the beautiful brown eyes with wonder, and she saw the same feeling reflected back at her. She’d never felt something something that felt so immediately familiar, so comfortable. Nothing had ever felt so perfect.
****
Regina didn’t feel fireworks, but she felt a rush of completeness, as if a hole she hadn’t realised she had was being filled, and a sense of a home; as if she’d found what she’d been looking for with Robin. As soon as their lips came apart, she missed their warmth and softness. She stared into the bright green eyes, closer to a forest green in the muted light, and saw the same unabashed wonder she felt radiating from them. She closed the distance between them again, her eyes sliding closed as she did.
And at once she knew that this was it, she was finally at home in the world. No matter what came next, she’d be ready for it, with the Saviour, with Miss Swan, with Emma, at her side.