Work Text:
Regina Mills, aged thirteen years, was sitting on the living room floor of her best friend’s house, having a life-changing epiphany.
Regina had grown up a quite sheltered child with two loving but overprotective parents. She had never before slept over at a friend’s house, but Ingrid, her best friend Elsa’s mom, had called her parents and guaranteed her safety. After much debate, she had finally been given approval to spend the weekend here. Friday evening until Sunday afternoon, she would get to spend time with her best friend. Even better than that, she was going to the fair with Elsa, Ingrid, and one of Elsa’s cousins. She had never been to the local fair but had heard many stories from other kids of the fun things they had done there.
Regina had been picked up on a warm summer Friday evening in a blue Jeep with the top off. When she had hopped in the back, Elsa had introduced her to her mother Ingrid and Ingrid’s roommate, Mal. Elsa didn’t live far from Regina, but the drive back to her place, with the wind whipping against Regina’s face and through her lengthy hair, she had never felt so free.
When they arrived at the modest home, Ingrid and Mal retired to the couch to relax, while Ingrid recommended Elsa give Regina a tour. They started on the second floor, where Elsa’s room was, so Regina could put her overnight bag in there. The floor consisted of one office, one bathroom, Elsa’s room, and Ingrid and Mal’s room, which they shared. Regina found that slightly odd. She didn’t think roommates actually shared a room. Even weirder still was the one large bed. Regina shrugged internally, she had never met anyone with a roommate, so really, she didn’t know anything about the practice. The downstairs consisted of a large bright kitchen and dining room, a cozy living room, and one small guest bathroom.
After a night of too much giggling and too many video games, Regina was somewhat groggy when Elsa forced her up and downstairs for breakfast. Ingrid and Mal were nowhere to be found, and Regina assumed they were still in bed, where Regina wished she could be. Elsa poured her a bowl of cereal and milk, and the two girls took the bowls to the living room and laid them on the coffee table. Regina sat cross-legged with her back resting on the couch as she focused on not spilling her cereal all over herself while some morning kid show played in the background.
She was only halfway through with her bowl when Ingrid and Mal came down the stairs. Ingrid was still in her pajamas, but Mal was dressed in scrubs. She was a nurse and was off to work this sunny Saturday morning, unable to join them at the fair. Mal dropped a kiss to the top of Elsa’s head and told the girls to have fun at the fair before turning towards the door.
Ingrid approached Mal as she reached the door with a lunch bag already packed. That was when Regina’s whole life changed. As Ingrid passed the blue bag with Mal’s lunch over, she leaned over as well and placed a gentle kiss on Mal’s lips. Ingrid pulled back after only a few moments from a fairly chaste kiss before whispering words of love and wishes for a good day at work. Mal left with a soft smile on her face, and Regina’s brain exploded.
They were lesbians.
Regina Maria Mills. Was. A. Lesbian.
The young brunette sat with wide eyes, staring at the now empty doorway running through so many moments in her head. Regina and Elsa had just graduated eighth grade, a year in which showers were required after gym class. Only, her gym’s showers didn’t have any stalls. The showerheads weren’t even in a neat line against the wall, where you could stare at the wall while you showered. No, the shower heads were around a thin pole in the middle of the room where the only place to look was at the floor or at the naked girl across from you. The number of times Regina had tried to convince herself she stole a peak because she was comparing herself to the other girls were all rushing into her head.
Or the several times Ruby Lucas had worn low cut tops and very short skirts, then sat across from her at lunch, leaning over the cafeteria table. Regina had made one too many looks down those tops. A look Regina swore to herself was just jealousy that her chest wasn’t quite so large, and her cleavage didn’t look quite so beautiful.
Regina knew Elsa was sitting next to her, twitching nervously. Still, the young brunette didn’t know how to function right at this moment. They were alone again in the living room, Ingrid off somewhere else. Finally, in the smallest of whispers, Regina asked, “are they lesbians?” She didn’t know why she asked it. She just needed confirmation of some kind. If Elsa said no, did that mean she wasn’t a lesbian? Is that how this worked?
Elsa’s reaction was sharp and quick. Her head whipped around, and she gave Regina a stern look. “Is that a problem?”
“No,” Regina whispered. She knew her blonde friend was giving her side-eye as she continued to stare at the door, but how could she explain that her whole world was changing at that moment? That everything was different for her? She knew what a lesbian was. How had this never occurred to her? How hadn’t she known that one time when Belle had reached past her in the library to grab a book and her breasts brushed gently against Regina’s back, that she was a lesbian? Regina’s whole body had been on fire. She had goosebumps everywhere. She had physically shivered at the touch.
Elsa still seemed stiff as she took their two bowls to the kitchen to rinse out and put away. She finally coaxed Regina upstairs and into a shower to get ready for the day. By the time she came back down, Ingrid was dressed and in the living room. Elsa ran upstairs without saying anything to Regina.
Ingrid smiled at Regina sweetly before patting the couch cushion next to her. “Why don’t you come sit down, sweetheart?”
Ingrid pulled her in a light hug as she sat. “Elsa tells me you might be a bit concerned by what you saw at the door. Do you want to talk about it?”
Regina leaned stiffly against Ingrid. She was still so lost in her head. She finally shook her head. Ingrid seemed to sigh against her, almost as if in defeat. Regina didn’t want them to get the wrong impression. She bit her lip before looking up into the kind face of her best friend’s mom. “Not…not yet, but maybe later?”
A look of sudden clarity seemed to come over Ingrid, and she smiled warmly down at Regina. “Whenever you’re ready, day or night.” She released Regina from her embrace. “I mean that.”
When Elsa came down the stairs to see the two side by side on the couch, she looked in question to her mom, but Ingrid just shook her head. Elsa looked angry before Ingrid excused herself and pulled her daughter into the kitchen. Regina didn’t know what her friend’s mom had said to her, but when the young blond came back in the room, she plopped down next to Regina and leaned against her as if nothing had happened.
“My cousin, Emma, is gonna be here soon, then we’re gonna take off. Wanna play games till then?”
Emma lived one town over, so they had never gone to school together even though they were in the same grade. Regina didn’t know what she expected when Emma plopped down on Elsa’s bed after her arrival, but it was not what she got. Regina was immediately entranced by the green eyes and wavy blond hair. She had on jean shorts and a white tank top. Regina was fairly certain she was the prettiest girl she had ever laid eyes on. Suddenly Emma’s cheeks had turned red, and she realized she had been staring at the poor girl too long and immediately turned away, her own cheeks warming.
The fair had been full of all different activities, some that had been boring to the young trio of girls, and some that had been fun. They had all just finished eating far too much funnel cake after a large lunch of burgers and turkey legs when Elsa asked if they could go on the fair rides. Ingrid agreed, and they all made their way to the midway, playing carnival games and riding some of the rides. Suddenly Elsa pulled them all towards a large swinging ride, and Regina felt herself go nauseous just looking at it.
Regina decided to sit and wait for everyone on a bench close by. Emma decided to join her and let Ingrid and Elsa go on the ride alone.
Emma plopped down next to her and laid her hand on the bench next to Regina’s, almost touching. Emma asked, “are you having fun, Regina?”
Regina blushed and looked down, Emma hadn’t engaged her much directly today, but when she did, Regina always had the same reaction. She bobbed her head, yes.
Emma didn’t seem to mind Regina’s shyness because she asked, “you’ve been really quiet today, you ok?” Regina saw Emma blush out of the corner of her eye. “I…I mean. Well, you could just be a quiet person, but like you seem super quiet, and maybe you are like that all the time. I mean, it’s not weird if you are, it’s like, cool and stuff….”
“Have you ever discovered something about yourself you thought you should have known but didn’t know?”
Emma just sat there blinking at her, with her mouth hanging open.
“That happened to me this morning. I’m having a hard time processing.”
“What happened?”
“I saw Ingrid kiss Mal goodbye,” Regina whispered. Regina’s blush deepened, and she dropped her head further.
“Then what?” Emma urged in a whisper of her own.
“Then my brain exploded.”
“What?!” Emma whisper shouted.
“The entirety of the English language at my disposal, and that is the best word I can use to describe what happened.”
Emma twitched next to her and then gulped. “Are you gay, Regina?”
Regina stiffened. She had only just found out, what was she doing telling people? But if she didn’t want to tell her, why had she started this whole conversation? She had only just met the girl; she couldn’t tell her something so personal. Regina glanced over and saw those soft green eyes looking at her with such sweet understanding. She nodded her head before blushing and looking away.
Emma leaned towards her and whispered, “me too.”
Regina whipped her head back towards Emma, but by the time her eyes reached her face, she could only see one blushing cheek. That was ok, though, because she suddenly felt one tiny pinky link with hers on the bench between them. She looked down in awe to watch as the two pinkies linked themselves together. For some inexplicable reason, it felt like the tiny pieces her brain had exploded into this morning were knitting themselves back together.
Regina moved slightly closer to Emma on the bench. Emma glanced at her, a bright blushing grin on her face, and moved a little closer as well until their shoulders bumped, their pinkies still linked between them.