Outlaw Queen Shorts

Let the Rain Fall

New York AU

"Regina!" Robin pounds the concrete, splashing up droplets of water from puddles formed in the cracks of the road, brushing shoulders with every single person in this damn city except the one he wants to. He can see her dark hair as she weaves through the crowd, the fat lashings of rain dampening it along with her blue coat which has now turned three shades darker on the shoulders.

His heart is racing, jumping in his chest to keep up with the erratic thoughts running around his mind. Was it something he said? He can't remember. They were talking and he'd gone to get them drinks, returning only to the sound of the latch clicking back into place, her coat missing from the hook.

He calls her name again, unperturbed by the glares he receives from sodden pedestrians moving in a stream which seems determined to keep them apart. She doesn't turn. Whether she doesn't hear him or just doesn't want to he can't tell, but he moves faster, elbows and shoulders connecting with every other person as he shoves himself a pathway.

Robin's eyes are firmly locked on her - fearing he'll lose her in the never ending swarm of passers by if he looks away - as he wracks his brain for their last conversation. He'd spoken about Marian but it can't be that? Regina knows Marian, they're friends or so he thought.

She takes a sudden turn down a side street and he's relieved because finally he can catch up to her. She's his best friend and the thought of him having upset her is something he can't have. Won't have. He runs the last few steps when the crowd eventually frees up and turns off to the right.

The rain is falling harder than ever, making the already dark alley impossibly darker. A streetlamp hangs from the side of a building offering a measly speck of orange glow, just bright enough to make out her silhouette, nothing more detailed. Her arm is outstretched, palm flat against the wall and at first he thinks she's out of breath but he edges closer and sees her shoulders shaking, hears the choked sobs rattling out of her body.

Robin watches from behind as she lifts her hands to her face and slowly falls against the wall. She never cries. In the three years or so that Robin has known her, she's cried no more than twice. He remembers this because on both occasions he'd been the one to hold her close and catch her tears on his shoulder after another worded assault from her mother down the phone.

It was selfish of him to think it but in those moments he'd felt closer to her than ever. She was so vulnerable and open, willing to let him into a part of her she so often kept walls built up high around. She allowed him a glimpse of another side of her and he was grateful because he knows how guarded she is, knows that she so rarely shows weakness but she had with him.

If she's crying this is serious, and she clearly didn't think he'd follow her or she wouldn't have stopped. Suddenly he feels like he's intruding, like maybe he shouldn't have followed her after all. But that thought is drowned out by the next sob that leaves her lips and has him stepping closer to her, saying her name softly so she looks up. She turns away, wiping furiously at her tear stained cheeks but Robin stops her, reaches for her wrist with one hand and cups her cheek with the other.

"What's wrong, Regina? You know you can tell me anything."

"I'm fine--"

"Don't." He cuts her off, saddened that she feels she has to keep her feelings to herself. "You're clearly not fine. Whatever it is bothering you, please, tell me and I can help."

The rain is pouring down around them, not letting up for a second. He's holding her cheek, thumb coasting gently over the damp skin, his blue eyes looking into hers unfalteringly. She blinks once, twice, her brow furrowing ever so slightly before she asks "do you still love Marian?"

It throws him off guard but he doesn't move, doesn't take his hand away from her face or his eyes away from hers for a second. He's ready to deny it out and out, of course I don't. But before he utters the words he stops, mouth half open, and thinks.

"Marian was such a huge part of my life. I don't think I'll ever not love her." Regina scrunches up her face, closing her eyes to the infinite blue orbs before her. Then it clicks. He realises what he should have months ago. "Hey," he strokes his thumb over her cheekbone once more and she opens her eyes, brimming tears mixing with the raindrops falling from her hair and onto her skin. "But I'm not in love with her."

"You aren't?" Her eyes are uncertain, voice barely above a whisper against the thrashing rain.

"How could I be?" He reaches his other hand forward then, weaving his fingers with hers and lifting their interlocked hands up to place a kiss on her knuckles. "When I'm so madly in love with you."

Regina shakes her head slightly, disbelieving, her brow knitting in the middle. "Wha--"

"Regina I've been in love with you since the moment you knocked on my door asking me to shut the hell up on my guitar." He smiles recalling the memory, opening his door the day after he'd moved in to the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and being scolded like a child for being too loud, too late at night.

"Well why didn't you say anything?" Her stunned silence has worn off slightly. This can't be true. Can it? Robin lowers his fingers from her face but their hands are still linked. With his free hand he gestures into the space between them, sighing before rubbing his fingers over his scruff.

"Because at first I thought you hated me!" He's grinning, fighting back the urge to laugh as the image of her stern face pops into his mind. "I was loud and caused you constant annoyance." Regina tries to cut in, to protest, but he speaks over her. "And then we became friends. You are the best friend I've ever had. You're funny and kind, so caring and the most beautiful person, inside and out. I couldn't risk losing you if you didn't feel the same."

"What about what you felt?"

"We spend almost every waking minute together, that was enough for me."

His honesty and selflessness brings fresh tears to her eyes; tears of an emotion she can't quite place because she's not entirely sure she's felt it before. How could she not have seen that the man before her was just as head over heels for her as she was for him? She laughs, tears still falling from her eyes and Robin joins in, bringing both hands back up to cup her face.

"I love you, Regina mills." He crashes his lips to hers, both of them smiling against each other's mouths more than anything until Robin tilts his head and slips a hand over the nape of her neck, into the soaking tresses falling over her shoulders. He deepens the kiss, pulling a moan from her which is only just audible over the rolling thunder.

Finally she opens her eyes and pulls away, his blue gaze warm like the Mediterranean Sea looking at her. She stares back because this is it. This is what she's always wanted. A place to belong.

Authors note:
The past few weeks have been so busy, I've not had much time to write so thank you for being patient.
Also, if you're reading Twenty Three Pages, I'm currently writing the next chapter which should be up in the next couple of days - keep an eye out.
I hope you enjoyed this and as always, please comment your thoughts and feel free to leave a prompt!