Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Regina donned light blue summer dress with thin straps fitted to her waist before pleating out and cutting off above her knees. She was lucky that Barcelona was still warm in October. She shook her keys in one hand while she gripped her phone tightly in the other. The board said that Emma had landed thirty minutes ago. She had wanted to arrive an hour before Emma’s plane was due, so she wouldn’t leave her waiting for even a moment with questions about if Regina was going to stand her up. But all those plans flew out the window when Emma’s flight was far earlier than she had planned for. 

She had wanted to get Emma flowers, at the very least she had worked hard on her make up to cover up the dark circles under her eyes, and the paleness of her skin. She transferred her keys to the hand with her phone. Running her now free hand through her hair. She waited at the arrivals baggage claim. She texted Emma but she wasn’t hearing back. She tapped her phone against her forehead. She was so stupid, maybe Emma never boarded the plane. She was deep into a spiral when her hand lowered and she saw a blond girl in a thick black hoodie pulling a bright blue suitcase. Her mouth parted slightly, her voice caught in her throat as her mind screamed out to the blond. 

Seeing Emma for the first time hit her hard and she was overcome with the thought that this was it. She was the one. She was about to berate herself for that delusional line of thinking when the most beautiful bright blue eyes were cast her way and the blond broke out into a run, Regina frozen in place as her eyes couldn’t comprehend that Emma was really here and not behind a screen. She finally got her feet to allow her to take two steps forward when the blond tackled her.

“Regina!”

She gasped. “Emma?” her voice was so thick with emotion she barely got the blond’s name voiced at all. Her hands finding their way and gripping Emma back. She was convinced she must be dreaming. Emma was so solid and warm in her arms. She lifted her hand to stop the sobs that threatened to make their way out of her mouth. 

Emma started rubbing her back. “Hey, it’s alright. I made it. I’m here.” She leaned back and Regina extracted herself quickly, her hands frantically wiping at her eyes as she tried to smile. 

Emma lifted her hand and cupped Regina’s face. “Woah, you’re even more beautiful in person.” Her eyes crinkled and the brunette shrugged.

“It’s just makeup.” 

The blond quickly rolled her eyes. “It’s not.” Emma went to reach for her hand when Regina moved to grab Emma’s bag.

“I’ll get that.” She felt her heart skip a beat as Emma grabbed her free hand. 

“We gotta start acting like we like each other.” Emma cast her a cheeky smile. “We should probably take some photos and post them while I am here.”

Regina nodded along feeling a bit overwhelmed with what it would mean being connected to Emma publicly online. She expected Emma to drag her with some force but she seemed content to follow Regina’s lead. Whether that was her personality or because she felt off balance in a foreign environment, the brunette wasn’t sure yet. She pointed out her car and as she opened the trunk, Emma lifted her bag, setting it inside easily. Regina got in the car and gripped the steering wheel. The blond joined her only a moment later. Her smile and mood were infectious. 

Regina noticed her knuckles were going white. She looked to the side and saw the way Emma was looking at her, it was the way she had fantasized that the blond might look at her. She felt Emma place her hand on top of hers. Regina lifted her hands away from the steering wheel. “I’ve been spiraling since last night.”

Emma rubbed her hands. “That’s ok.” Emma’s eyes drifted from Regina’s hazel eyes to her hands, her smile dropping slightly. “I should have stayed on the phone with you, I’m sorry.”

Regina shrugged. “You were busy.” Her eyes lifted. She moved to voice a thought that she had been holding in her head for quite a while now. “How many other girls are you seeing?” She held her breath as Emma let go of one of her hands. “No one since we started what we are doing.” 

Regina nodded. “So, last night?”

Emma smiled. “First of all, last night was a workout session, just working out. I was literally running on a treadmill with a trainer.” Emma looked down and smiled. “The other time… yes, I was with a girl, and I left because you called.” She looked up. “Does that answer your question?”

Regina rubbed her stomach. “You shouldn’t put your life on hold for me.”

Emma leaned her head on the car seat and reached her fingers out to run them through the brunette’s hair, relaxing as she felt Regina subconsciously lean into her. “We’re friends, Regina. And I care about you. I think I did the right thing.” She sighed. “You’re absolutely adorable.”

Regina moved Emma’s hand away from her hair and rolled her eyes but smiled. “Let’s get you to the house so you can rest, you’ve had a long journey.” Her head slightly dipping, “And you can get your pleasantries over with my mother.”

Emma reached over and patted her thigh and Regina gave her an easy smile.

***

Regina led Emma up the apartment stairs as she profusely apologized that they didn’t have an elevator. Emma waved her off, telling her that she worked out for a reason. As they reached the apartment door, Regina’s fingers fumbled her keys, her eyes landed on them in shock as the blond bent down to pick them up and place them back in her hands. Regina nodded her thanks, and as she moved slowly to place them in the keyhole, Emma held her hand against the brunette’s lower back.

As the door opened Cora swept into the living room with a grand affair. Wearing a nice enough dress, she put on a practiced smile, though Regina noticed it seemed genuine enough, perhaps her mother was really ecstatic that someone was ready to take her daughter off her hands, and support her lifestyle in the process. 

“Emma! My dear, you made it, come in, come in. It’s warm out and we have air conditioning.”

The blond waited for Regina to find her way in so she didn’t crowd the brunette’s space. Emma reached out her hand. “It’s lovely to meet you, Ms. Mills. Thank you for the email alerting me that it was Regina’s birthday.” She playfully nudged Regina with her elbow, noticing that her face had gone blank. Emma’s eyebrows furrowed at the unexpected look. 

Cora’s eyes also noticing the distance behind hazel eyes. “For god’s sake, Regina, get your guest settled and see if she needs anything. I promise I raised her better than this. Emma, I know Regina has made other accommodations for the week but you are always welcome here, my dear.” Her eyes snapped to her daughter’s once more – trying to hold in her frustration in front of their guest. “Regina, why don’t you take Emma’s bags to your room. I know she’s had a long journey. I remember that flight to Spain.”

Regina’s eyes widened as if she had come back from a deep sleep, and before she could reach for the bag, Emma had located it herself and reached her hand out for Regina’s. “Lead the way, Babe.” The brunette moved quickly taking Emma down the hall, stalling before entering her room. She turned around abruptly. 

“I only have one bed.” Her eyes were wide and uncertain. Emma nodded along. “I’m ok on the floor.” Regina shook her head as if Emma had misunderstood her. “No, no, we can share. I just wanted you to be aware.” She looked between Emma and her room a couple more times then opened the door. 

Emma left her suitcase just inside the door as her eyes wandered around the room. Instantly going to Regina’s setup. “Woah, that is a sick computer!” She looked at the see-through walls that showed off rainbow colors within. She smirked “Fitting colors, did your father know?” she kept her voice low, which Regina appreciated. The brunette looked to the door just in case Cora had followed them down the hall. When she could see that she was nowhere to be seen, she turned back to Emma and nodded.

“He wanted me to have a safe place to get away from… the world.” She leaned over and tapped her keyboard, the dark plastic also lighting up in an array of rainbow colors. The blond’s mouth opened in shock. 

“These are so cool!” Her fingers lightly glossed over the keys, her eyes falling to Regina’s chair. “Is this special as well?”

The brunette shrugged. “Daddy got it for me with the rest but it’s just a gaming chair, nothing special.”

Emma shook her head as if she knew better. “We can get you one that you like the look of, if you don’t want to ship this one.” Emma stood and pointed to the chair. 

Emma sat on the desk, her eyes still roaming the room. Landing on Regina’s self-tape setup the brunette flinched a bit. Emma nodded towards the area. “Is that where the magic happens?” She stood and wandered over as the brunette sat on her bed. She inclined her head. 

“That’s my setup for filming, yes.”

Emma checked out the tripod and the backdrop. “Pretty nice. I don’t know where I thought you filmed.”

Regina shrugged. “It works.” Her eyes were wide as she caught Emma looking at her expectantly. “Yes?”

Emma motioned towards the bathroom. “Would it be cool if I caught a shower? I feel disgusting and I feel super lame but would it be alright if I laid down for a bit?”

Regina jumped up and moved quickly past the blond and into her bathroom. “Of course! I’m sorry. I just can’t believe you’re here. Here’s a towel. The water takes a minute to warm up but I promise it does… and I have a lot of products in there, or we can go grab you something you like from the store,” Emma’s touch on her back cut her off. 

“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She smiled lazily. She leaned against the wall. “You smell really good.”

Regina blushed and pushed her hair behind her ear as she turned, for a moment lost, and then gestured to her room. “I’ll just… go.”

Emma shook her head laughing. “If you want to stay and enjoy the show I wouldn’t mind. But I know you like to take things slow.” 

Regina stumbled from the bathroom and quietly shut the door.

Emma smirked, knowing she needed to reel it in, she was tired so she wasn’t really holding any of her thoughts back and the brunette seemed a little overwhelmed. She turned on the water and sighed when it picked up some warmth. Yes, a good sleep, then her and Regina would be back on track. 

She smelled each of the products before making her selection and hoped Regina would like them on her as well. She washed off and towel dried her body and hair only to realize she didn’t have clean clothes. She wrapped the towel around her body and popped her head out, finding Regina staring intensely at her computer screen. “Regina?”

Brown eyes shot up. “Yes?”

Emma glanced at her suitcase. “Could I get some clothes? I figured you didn’t want me walking around in a towel just yet.”

The brunette sprung into action, but instead of going for Emma’s suitcase she opened her own drawers, handing the blond a pair of underwear, a cotton shirt and some shorts. The blond’s eyes crinkled as she took them. “I meant my clothes, but I’ll gladly wear yours.” She giggled and closed the door before Regina could take them back.

The brunette huffed causing the blond to smile wider. She donned Regina’s clothes and found a hair dryer under the cabinet quickly drying her hair. She hung her towel on the back of the door besides Regina’s and shook her head at herself. She had to admit that, though they were just doing this as friends, she was getting certain feelings from how domestic this seemed already. She opened the door and found Regina gaming and trying not to pay attention that Emma had returned. The blond sat on Regina’s bed and looked around. The brunette muttered a quiet shit as she died in the game, then turned around. “Was everything alright?”

Emma crossed her legs under her and nodded enthusiastically. “I hate to do this to you but I am so tired. Would it be alright if I took a quick nap?”

Regina nodded. “Of course, you came a long way.” She moved to the bed indicating the two pillows. “Will one of these work?”

Bright eyes crinkled. “Yup.” Emma’s hands taking one and collapsing onto the bed. The brunette moved to stand awkwardly by the bed. “I’ll put my headphones on…” Emma caught her arm.

“Leave it on, I find the game soothing.” 

The brunette glared jokingly. “You enjoy hearing battle cries and the screams of the dying?”

Emma snuggled down into her pillow. “Sounds like exactly the thing that will send me off to dreamland.” She yawned, and hadn’t meant to close her eyes but was out the second they closed. Her mouth slightly hanging open.

***

Regina tapped Emma’s back. “Emma?” The blond grumbled and dug her face deeper into the pillow. Regina raised an eyebrow, how Emma hadn’t suffocated herself by now was a mystery. “Emma? You need to eat. Then you can go back to sleep.”

Emma rolled onto her side, tilting her head to look behind her. “I’m not hungry. Just need sleep.”

Regina sat on the edge of the bed. “I think you should eat. I’ll… I will try and eat if you come to the kitchen with me. Just something small, maybe a sandwich?”

Emma blew out a breath and flopped back down before she slowly pushed the bed away, turning to the brunette. “Ok, then bed, right?”

Regina’s face wasn’t far from Emma’s, she cleared her throat and nodded. She eased herself away from the bed. “Come on, my mother went out to a hotel tonight, so it’s just us.'' She heard Emma yawn from behind her so she knew she was following.

“Why did your mother leave?”

Regina smirked, turning slightly. “Oh, she finds same sex relations quite repulsive, and she did encourage me to try and,” she made air quotes with her fingers, “seal the deal as soon as possible.” 

They made it to the kitchen and Regina started to open and close the fridge and the cabinets, making Emma and herself turkey sandwiches with some cheese and lettuce. Before she could second guess if this food was acceptable, Emma grabbed a sandwich and took a large bite. She inclined her head at Regina and the brunette blushed, taking a small bite of hers as they stood at the kitchen island eating quietly. 

Regina grabbed a pitcher of juice and poured them both a glass, the blond nodding her thanks. Regina ate a bit more and then set her sandwich down, noticing Emma had finished her food, ready to abandon hers when Emma sat down at the table with her juice. 

“I can wait till you finish.” 

Regina sat quietly and took another bite as Emma’s eyes took in the juice. “This stuff is really good, what is it?”

Regina squinted her eyes at the liquid. “It’s orange with mango I think, do you like it?”

Emma nodded, filling the space with small talk as Regina continued to eat. When the brunette finished her plate, Emma stood with her to put the dishes in the sink. Regina turned and led Emma back to her room and she found herself stalling at the bed. 

The blond chimed in. “Did you want the inside or outside?”

Regina rubbed her arm. “I don’t sleep well. Maybe I should be on the outside?”

Emma crawled up on the bed, and swapped the pillows, sliding under the blankets. She laid on her side and saw that Regina avoided her eyes. “Why do you have trouble sleeping?”

Dark eyes stayed on the bed as she shrugged. When dark eyes looked up, Emma’s eyes were fluttering closed once more. There was plenty of space for her on the full-sized bed but she found that her heart couldn’t calm down. She moved back to her computer and opened up her latest save game. Maybe once she was tired enough, it wouldn’t be so hard to join the blond in her bed. Even though her headache was already splitting. 

Regina played well into the night when she heard Emma begin to shift around, she turned her chair slightly. She didn’t speak in case Emma was going to just fall back asleep.

The blond’s voice was thick with sleep. “What time is it?”

Regina tapped on her screen. “It’s two A.M.”

Emma leaned up on her arm. “You should go to bed.” The blond watched as Regina gripped her mouse. Emma made to move off of the bed. “Regina, I can sleep on the floor if you’re uncomfortable. You need your rest. Or maybe I can game for a bit while you sleep.”

Regina rose and lifted her hands to stop Emma from vacating the bed. “No. you’re fine.” She was quiet as she thought about if she wanted to reveal more to the blond. “I don’t sleep well most nights. I was worried I would keep you up.” 

Emma climbed on top of the covers, grabbing a blanket from the end of the bed, and pulled Regina’s comforter back so she could get under. She reached her hand out and tugged lightly on the brunette. “Come on, time for sleep.”

Regina carefully got into bed and laid on her back looking at the ceiling. She grew annoyed when she felt the blond looking at her. “What?”

Emma shifted further away. “Am I too close?”

Regina looked away then shook her head. With the blond being annoyingly persistent, she assumed Emma would keep poking her till she answered so she provided more. “I’m worried I’ll do something embarrassing in my sleep.” When Emma was silent she looked over to see if the blond had fallen asleep again, she hadn’t. 

Blue eyes were staring intently at the sheets when she looked up, an idea fresh on her face. “What if we cuddled? Then we could get over the ‘what if we do in the middle of the night’?”

Dark eyes were wide in the low lit room. “I… I’m not ready to do anything else.”

Emma nodded. “I know that. I’ll be good, come on, get down here.”

Regina took a moment to contemplate the offer and maybe because she desperately needed sleep she leaned down, Emma shifting her head onto her shoulder, pulling Regina to her. The brunette stiffened. 

Emma placed her hand on her back, lightly moving her thumb. “Is this ok? Or do you want to move?”

Regina tried to relax her tense body. “I’m fine.” She huffed out trying to still sound dignified. 

The blond smiled. “Okay, feel free to shove me over if I take up too much room later. I can always move to the floor. Goodnight, Regina.” She turned her head towards the wall, and was softly snoring within a few moments.

Dark eyes glanced down Emma’s body covered in her sheets. She had the conscious thought that maybe she should stay awake for a while, just to make sure she didn’t do something like grope Emma in her sleep. But before she could follow that line of potential embarrassment further, she had knocked out.

***