Work Text:
The red liquid sloshed inside the wine glass like a tidal wave. Emma blinked, but her vision remained blurred. Swaying to the side she stumbled over a jacket some idiot had left on the floor. It occurred to her that she lived alone, but she was an idiot, one who believed things might be worth sticking around for. They never were and she should no better than to believe otherwise by now.
When she stumbled again, feet tripping over themselves and Bambi legs hitting the couch, Emma fell less than gracefully onto her ass, sliding to the ground. The glass went next. It shattered where it hit the floor. And that was the last of the wine. For all the good it had done her.
Emma pouted as the last remaining drops dribbled down the couch and made a small puddle on the carpet. And it was all Regina’s fault. Those large brown eyes that showed nothing but pain, then anger, and all of it directed right at Emma. She hadn’t even done anything wrong, had certainly not intended to cause the mayor further harm.
Maybe now she’d gotten enough alcohol in her system to knock her out cold, she could sleep for a good few hours and forget the entire thing. She pressed her hand down to drag herself up, only for pain to spread across her palm. “Shit,” she muttered, looking towards the broken glass.
Pools of blood formed over her hand. It throbbed. So did her head. There was little chance she could fix this alone, and she was drunk enough to call the one person who was likely to tell her to go to hell. Well it was her fault, so she could help fix it. Emma fumbled for her phone then jabbed her thumb over the screen until it called who she needed.
“What do you want, Miss Swan?” Regina sighed with endless amounts of exasperation. “It’s almost midnight.”
“R’Gina. Could…use some ‘elp. M’hand all cut up.”
“Are you drunk?”
“Lil’ bit.”
That was an understatement and even her fogged mind new it.
“I don’t see how that’s my problem.”
“R’gina.”
Tears pricked the edge of her eyes. Emma could hardly admit that the blame for Marian’s return had stung and she’d felt so terrible that she’d grabbed a bottle of wine before thinking and just kept going. But she couldn’t tell Regina it was her fault when all Regina would say was that it was Emma’s fault to begin with.
“You ‘ave magic,” Emma said. “Cut ma hand open on sum glass.”
“Go to the hospital,” Regina snapped.
If she could figure out how to get herself up, then she would never have called Regina in the first place. She couldn’t call her parents either. The last thing she wanted was for them to worry, especially with the new baby, all she’d be is a distraction. And quite frankly, the rest of the town could go suck on an egg.
When Emma was about to admit defeat and hang up, Regina sighed, “Are you even in any state to get yourself to the hospital?”
Emma loosely shook her head.
“Well?” Regina asked.
Oh. Yeah. Phone. “Am stuck,” she said, not risking trying to stand up again in case of further injury. “Please.”
“Are you at your apartment?”
“Yeah.”
The phone clicked off. It took a few minutes before purple smoke appeared. Followed by Regina. Emma wanted to whimper. She managed to offer a wonky smile and thrust her palm into the air.
“Hand hurts.”
“Miss Swan.”
“Hmm-huh?”
Regina shook her head then crouched beside Emma’s sprawled out figure. “Let’s get you up.”
Where Emma had expected Regina to yank her up and struggle to move her from the floor, she practically floated upwards. Probably the magic that still managed to terrify her. Regina’s arms looped beneath Emma’s arms. Emma let her head lull forwards onto Regina’s shoulder. She smiled lazily up at Regina as her feet fumbled along the ground, thinking that perhaps not all magic was the worst thing in the world.
Regina didn’t look at her though. Not until after they’d gotten up the stairs and she’d been plonked on the toilet seat. Then Regina’s stern eyes were placed directly on her. “Throw up on me and you won’t live to see tomorrow.”
Emma grinned, albeit lopsided and her un-injured hand attempted a salute. Regina rolled her eyes, but there was a tiny smile that she was very clearly trying to fight. She turned away before it bloomed, locating the first aid kit in the cupboard. It made Emma feel giddy.
With the appliances, Regina perched on the edge of the bathtub, their knees bumping together. She gripped Emma’s hand and placed it gently onto her own lap. “Why do you rent this place?” She ran her eyes over the damage followed by the tips of her fingers. Emma’s stomach went fuzzy and it was not because of the wine sloshing around in there.
“Dunno.” Emma shrugged. “Every’wone expects stuff. Tired of it.”
“You can’t just run away.”
With some tweezers, Regina removed a large piece of glass. Emma hissed, wrapping her free hand around her wrist.
“Didn’t. R’member? Still here.”
Still here and regretting it. The only thing worth staying for was Henry and now she’d had a bit more time to think about it, she knew taking him from his family wasn’t fair on any of them. Not to mention Regina would hunt them down and likely kill her idiot self before letting it happen.
Emma winced as more glass was removed. Regina didn’t react all that much, just her usual sigh as she placed bits of glass on the edge of the sink.
“Just keep still.”
Emma gave a jerky nod and gritted her teeth. It hurt like hell, but Regina’s soft touch almost made cutting her hand worth doing. Emma’s eyes were growing heavy by the time Regina had pulled out the last of it, swiped her hand with a dose of healing magic then cleaned up the rest of the blood.
The pain disappeared completely. Emma squeezed her fingers then extended them a few times in a row. “M’gic,” she said then hiccupped.
“Now all you’ll have to contend with tomorrow is a headache,” Regina said. “Here—”
A cup of water was shoved in Emma’s face. She gulped it down then handed the glass back like a helpless child. Regina simply took it, leaving it on the sink beside the remaining glass.
“Come on. Sleep.”
Emma groaned, finally able to stand on her own two feet without wobbling. There was an awful taste in her mouth, but she doubted she had the coordination to brush her teeth right now. Mouthwash would have to do. She sloshed some around her mouth then spat it out, some of it dribbling down her chin.
Regina grabbed a towel and dabbed against it gently. It was soft against her mouth, and for a second her mind cleared up enough for her eyes to lock with Regina’s. It was nice being taken care of, but saying thank you felt weird, so she just stared instead.
Regina smiled weakly. “You’re worse than a child.”
With the mess cleaned up, Regina wrapped an arm around Emma’s waist, guiding her to the bedroom. It wasn’t much either, just a bed and a few belongings, impersonal, just a place to crash.
“Can you locate your clothes?” Regina asked, patronising as ever. “Or do you need help with that too?”
Proving that she wasn’t completely helpless, Emma yanked her shirt upwards. It got trapped around her head. Because of course it did. Her elbows poked out to the side and she could feel the way her biceps tensed as she tried to pull it off. Eventually, she bent forwards and managed to get the stupid thing loose.
Next were her jeans which she could absolutely get off without any help. They might be tough on the best of days, but Regina was stood with her arms crossed wearing an amused look. No, she would not be defeated by some fabric. Even when they pooled around her ankles and wouldn’t come off no matter how much she hopped around the room whilst tugging at them.
“Oh for the love of—”
Regina pushed on Emma’s shoulders. She fell backwards onto her bed, bouncing a couple times. Helplessly, Emma did nothing more than watch as Regina effortlessly pulled the jeans off her traitorous feet. She looked down at them and wiggled her red painted toes instead of acknowledging she was sat in nothing more than her underwear and a sports bra.
“These do?” Regina asked, holding out a loose shirt and shorts.
Emma nodded. Usually she would take off the bra, but she couldn’t very well get almost full naked in front of Regina and she doubted she could manage to get the thing off anyway. She shoved the shirt on then pulled on the shorts.
Emma eyed her suspiciously before she crawled under the covers. If Regina was still mad at her she would have left by now, right? She didn’t have her angry face on but it wasn’t all soft like she sometimes got either.
“Sorry,” Emma whispered and curled up on her side. “Don’t hate me.”
Regina gripped onto the soft material and pulled it until it was up to Emma’s chin. Her eyes softened when Emma looked right up at her. That look meant everything and so was the feeling of being tucked into bed. It felt nice. Even more when Regina perched on the edge of it.
“Do you think I’d be here if I hated you?” Regina asked.
Emma shrugged and looked down.
A hand found her leg, pressing down gently. “Just get some rest, okay?” Regina said, the weight on her leg remaining.
Emma bit her lip, chin still resting on her chest. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
There was silence for a long while, one Emma didn’t want to break. She didn’t risk looking up either, didn’t want to see the look of betrayal on Regina’s face. It was a mistake to bring Marian back, but she couldn’t stand by and watch an innocent woman die. She was about to remind Regina how it all came to pass to begin with, but luckily, some rational part of her brain reminded her that Regina likely tormented herself enough, she didn’t need Emma’s voice to tell her she was wrong too.
“I know, Emma. I—”
When the sentence abruptly stopped Emma glanced up. Those brown eyes were back to staring at her, shining and hurt. Emma swallowed. Perhaps it was the wine, or maybe Regina had gotten under her skin more than she’d ever realised, but she pulled her arm from under the covers and placed her hand over the one Regina still had over her leg.
Regina startled then settled quickly, her hand remaining cushioned beneath Emma’s. “I know,” she repeated. “We’ll talk tomorrow, okay? No more…” her gaze moved away, realisation slowly dawning on her. Emma’s cheeks burned.
“Just get some rest, Emma. I’ll come check on you tomorrow to make sure you haven’t injured yourself further.” Slipping her hand free, Regina stood and moved away from the bed. “Henry would never let me hear the end of it. Not to mention your idiot parents.”
Emma smiled a little, wondering if Regina might care about her too. She caught one last look of the mayor before she waved her arms and became engulfed in smoke. Now the room was empty, Emma breathed out slightly, hoping this meant that the relationship they had been trying to build was back on track. But for now, she’d have to hold onto the promise of tomorrow.