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@witchpieceoftoast prompted me to write Swan-Mills family snow day and @wig257 prompted “Regina gives Emma a hot chocolate with a surprising added kick” which seemed like they belonged together, honestly. Then I started to think about how I’m always writing first kisses and really I should mix that up a bit. The following is a bit light on the “family” part of the prompt, but Henry is in it!
…
Emma and Henry looked through the window with matching frowns, watching snow hurtle from the sky. It didn’t so much settle on the ground as obliterate it. A snow day had seemed so exciting when it was announced; Storybrooke had snow, of course, but it was usually not enough to close schools or keep people from work.
Today was an exception, a true blizzard with white-out conditions that had everyone huddled inside, including the sheriffs–although David was at home and Emma had gotten herself stuck over at Regina’s.
Henry sighed. “I can’t believe it. First snow of the year and we’re trapped inside.”
“Totally with you, kid,” Emma said. She’d already considered (and rejected) walking home, but there wasn’t really anything there, and it wasn’t like she had seriously considered it anyway–it looked really bad out there.
No, it looked like she was going to be here for at least a few hours if not all day. This meant spending time with Henry, which was always nice, but it also meant spending time with Regina. That would have been fine a week ago, but now things were a bit fraught between them. She’d come over today to check in with Henry but also to… test the waters a bit.
“Well, maybe it’ll get nicer later,” Henry said, turning in his seat and picking up a notebook and pen he carried with him everywhere these days.
Rolling her eyes at how easily Henry gave up moping–so not like her in that way–Emma got up from her perch and wandered over to the other window. She wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like the weather would be different over here. She wondered where Regina was. She wasn’t going to go looking for her.
She wasn’t.
She wandered the other way, and then wandered right down the hall and into the kitchen.
Regina was pouring a pot of hot chocolate into three mugs. Emma waited until she was done before shuffling awkwardly into the kitchen.
“Hi,” she said.
Regina startled–just a little. Placing the pot into the sink, she turned around and indicated the mugs. “I thought…”
Regina looked almost as uncomfortable as Emma felt. She said, “I was going to take one to Henry.”
Two of the mugs, Emma saw, were in keeping with the kind of mugs Emma would expect Regina to have–perfectly pristine and white, a little boring but obviously quality. The third was black with beat-up yellow lettering that said STAR WARS.
Emma stuck her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels. “Oh, yeah, good idea. Thanks.”
Regina gave her a funny look but just took the Star Wars mug and left for the living room.
“Thanks?” Emma muttered to herself. Oh god. What was wrong with her?
The other two mugs were still on the counter. Emma would have thought Regina had taken the other with her to the living room. She could hear Regina and Henry talking in low voices. Should she take them both in? She thought that would probably be the nice thing to do. She picked on up and took a sip.
It burned. Emma choked, not expecting the strong taste of mint and booze that came with that first sip.
“That is definitely not cinnamon,” Emma said to the mug.
“I suppose I should have warned you,” Regina said from behind her.
Emma turned. “You think?” She took another sip. This time, she was able to appreciate the combination of flavors. She raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have thought you were the spiked-chocolate-in-the-morning type.”
Regina shrugged and took the other mug from the counter. “Maybe I thought we’d both need it if we’re going to be spending the day together,” she said.
Emma’s pulse picked up. She turned the mug in her hands. “I guess things have been a bit…”
“Tense?” Regina finished. She took a sip of her own mug.
“… tense between us lately.”
“They don’t have to be,” Regina said.
“They don’t?” Emma said.
Regina stared down into her mug, Emma getting the distinct impression she was avoiding meeting her eyes. “Of course not. It’s not that big of a deal; we’ll just pretend it never happened.”
Emma blinked at her. “Not that big of a deal?” she said.
Regina huffed out a breath. “It doesn’t have to be–”
“Regina,” Emma protested. “That’s not–I don’t think I can just pretend it didn’t happen!”
Still not looking at her, Regina’s shoulders hunched. “Okay, fine,” she snapped. “I’m sorry, then. I apologize and it will never happen again. I just… made a mistake.”
“Wait, what?” Emma was more confused than ever. This conversation was quickly getting away from her. “You made a mistake?”
“Yes, okay–I thought–well, I clearly misread the situation, and–”
“You–whoa. Wait. I’m the one who freaked out, not you,” Emma said. “You didn’t do anything wrong. At all.”
Regina shook her head. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”
Emma saw a way out of the confusion. She said, “You didn’t assume anything that wasn’t true.”
“I did, I assumed–” Regina stopped as Emma’s words finally sank in, looking up at her for the first time. “What?”
Emma put down her mug and took Regina’s, setting it beside hers. “I said, you didn’t assume anything that wasn’t true.” She swallowed and took her hand.. “I just wasn’t expecting–which is not the same as saying I didn’t want–”
“But you–” Regina looked down at their hands, and then back up to Emma’s face. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
“Yeah, because I thought you were going to kill me,” Emma said. “Because I took off like a chicken shit and ran, not because you kissed me.”
“Not because I kissed you–” Regina repeated in a monotone. “Not because I–” her eyes narrowed, her expression hardening.
Emma braced for impact.
“You let me think–Emma, it’s been a week!”
“Hey–I thought you were already mad at me. I was giving you space!”
“Oh, no, you are not going to get off that easy–” Regina stopped suddenly, a horrified look on her face.
It took Emma a second or two to realize the double meaning. She snorted and said, “I would hate to presume,” and then Regina was laughing, too, little gasps that turned into full-throated laughter.
God, Emma loved Regina’s laugh.
She was still holding Regina’s hand, so she gave it a tug and then Regina was right there–not laughing any more, and then they were kissing. A proper kiss this time, because Emma was expecting this one and not standing there like an idiot. She was pretty sure Regina had already forgiven her, because she was wrapping her arms around Emma’s neck opening her mouth and this might be the best snow day ever.
…
Emma and Henry looked through the window with matching frowns, watching snow hurtle from the sky. It didn’t so much settle on the ground as obliterate it. A snow day had seemed so exciting when it was announced; Storybrooke had snow, of course, but it was usually not enough to close schools or keep people from work.
Today was an exception, a true blizzard with white-out conditions that had everyone huddled inside, including the sheriffs–although David was at home and Emma had gotten herself stuck over at Regina’s.
Henry sighed. “I can’t believe it. First snow of the year and we’re trapped inside.”
“Totally with you, kid,” Emma said. She’d already considered (and rejected) walking home, but there wasn’t really anything there, and it wasn’t like she had seriously considered it anyway–it looked really bad out there.
No, it looked like she was going to be here for at least a few hours if not all day. This meant spending time with Henry, which was always nice, but it also meant spending time with Regina. That would have been fine a week ago, but now things were a bit fraught between them. She’d come over today to check in with Henry but also to… test the waters a bit.
“Well, maybe it’ll get nicer later,” Henry said, turning in his seat and picking up a notebook and pen he carried with him everywhere these days.
Rolling her eyes at how easily Henry gave up moping–so not like her in that way–Emma got up from her perch and wandered over to the other window. She wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like the weather would be different over here. She wondered where Regina was. She wasn’t going to go looking for her.
She wasn’t.
She wandered the other way, and then wandered right down the hall and into the kitchen.
Regina was pouring a pot of hot chocolate into three mugs. Emma waited until she was done before shuffling awkwardly into the kitchen.
“Hi,” she said.
Regina startled–just a little. Placing the pot into the sink, she turned around and indicated the mugs. “I thought…”
Regina looked almost as uncomfortable as Emma felt. She said, “I was going to take one to Henry.”
Two of the mugs, Emma saw, were in keeping with the kind of mugs Emma would expect Regina to have–perfectly pristine and white, a little boring but obviously quality. The third was black with beat-up yellow lettering that said STAR WARS.
Emma stuck her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels. “Oh, yeah, good idea. Thanks.”
Regina gave her a funny look but just took the Star Wars mug and left for the living room.
“Thanks?” Emma muttered to herself. Oh god. What was wrong with her?
The other two mugs were still on the counter. Emma would have thought Regina had taken the other with her to the living room. She could hear Regina and Henry talking in low voices. Should she take them both in? She thought that would probably be the nice thing to do. She picked on up and took a sip.
It burned. Emma choked, not expecting the strong taste of mint and booze that came with that first sip.
“That is definitely not cinnamon,” Emma said to the mug.
“I suppose I should have warned you,” Regina said from behind her.
Emma turned. “You think?” She took another sip. This time, she was able to appreciate the combination of flavors. She raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have thought you were the spiked-chocolate-in-the-morning type.”
Regina shrugged and took the other mug from the counter. “Maybe I thought we’d both need it if we’re going to be spending the day together,” she said.
Emma’s pulse picked up. She turned the mug in her hands. “I guess things have been a bit…”
“Tense?” Regina finished. She took a sip of her own mug.
“… tense between us lately.”
“They don’t have to be,” Regina said.
“They don’t?” Emma said.
Regina stared down into her mug, Emma getting the distinct impression she was avoiding meeting her eyes. “Of course not. It’s not that big of a deal; we’ll just pretend it never happened.”
Emma blinked at her. “Not that big of a deal?” she said.
Regina huffed out a breath. “It doesn’t have to be–”
“Regina,” Emma protested. “That’s not–I don’t think I can just pretend it didn’t happen!”
Still not looking at her, Regina’s shoulders hunched. “Okay, fine,” she snapped. “I’m sorry, then. I apologize and it will never happen again. I just… made a mistake.”
“Wait, what?” Emma was more confused than ever. This conversation was quickly getting away from her. “You made a mistake?”
“Yes, okay–I thought–well, I clearly misread the situation, and–”
“You–whoa. Wait. I’m the one who freaked out, not you,” Emma said. “You didn’t do anything wrong. At all.”
Regina shook her head. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”
Emma saw a way out of the confusion. She said, “You didn’t assume anything that wasn’t true.”
“I did, I assumed–” Regina stopped as Emma’s words finally sank in, looking up at her for the first time. “What?”
Emma put down her mug and took Regina’s, setting it beside hers. “I said, you didn’t assume anything that wasn’t true.” She swallowed and took her hand.. “I just wasn’t expecting–which is not the same as saying I didn’t want–”
“But you–” Regina looked down at their hands, and then back up to Emma’s face. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
“Yeah, because I thought you were going to kill me,” Emma said. “Because I took off like a chicken shit and ran, not because you kissed me.”
“Not because I kissed you–” Regina repeated in a monotone. “Not because I–” her eyes narrowed, her expression hardening.
Emma braced for impact.
“You let me think–Emma, it’s been a week!”
“Hey–I thought you were already mad at me. I was giving you space!”
“Oh, no, you are not going to get off that easy–” Regina stopped suddenly, a horrified look on her face.
It took Emma a second or two to realize the double meaning. She snorted and said, “I would hate to presume,” and then Regina was laughing, too, little gasps that turned into full-throated laughter.
God, Emma loved Regina’s laugh.
She was still holding Regina’s hand, so she gave it a tug and then Regina was right there–not laughing any more, and then they were kissing. A proper kiss this time, because Emma was expecting this one and not standing there like an idiot. She was pretty sure Regina had already forgiven her, because she was wrapping her arms around Emma’s neck opening her mouth and this might be the best snow day ever.
