Run Down

The Invite

Regina woke with the sun filtering through the blinds to her bedroom, casting golden streams across her face. Robin's arm was resting over her hip, a welcome weight atop her frame as her eyes fluttered open and she turned in his arms. His eyes were open, blinking slowly once, a sleep-filled smile painting his lips when he whispered, "good morning sleeping beauty."

"Good morning," she replied, returning a smile of her own. Visions of last night filled her mind and she couldn't help smiling wider as she dropped her head onto his shoulder. Robin brought his arm up and ran his fingers down her bicep and along her forearm. It was warm beneath the sheets, leaving Regina with a fuzzy feeling nestling in her chest. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon." He said, lifting his hand to brush back a lock of hair from her eyes and grazing the soft skin of her cheek with his knuckles. She hummed against his shoulder, the hard expanse of muscle warm against her head. "I'm sorry to have to say this but I should be getting back to Roland soon." His words were slow, accent lilting around vowels deliciously.

"Okay," Regina sighed, a small thing, only audible because of their close proximity. "Maybe just ten more minutes?" Robin chuckled his agreement, dropping a kiss into her hair, fingers tangling into the tresses at the nape of her neck.

---

He left around an hour later, and Regina lifted her phone from the dresser to see that the incessant ringing from before was Mary Margaret, no doubt checking up on her. She called her friend back, inwardly rolling her eyes at how much she secretly appreciated her worry. At least she knew people cared.

"Regina!" Mary Margaret exclaimed after she picked up. "Why didn't you answer?" She sounded curious, when wasn't she thought Regina but she answered her nonetheless.

"I was with Robin--"

"Robin? He stayed the night," Regina could practically hear the smug grin on Mary Margaret's face through the way her words were a statement, rather than a question.

"He just left." She told her, trying to keep her voice neutral. "Did you need something?" All this interest in Regina's love life would not get them anywhere and frankly, she liked the idea of Robin being hers, being someone she didn't have to share just yet.

"Oh, yeah." She sounded slightly put out, but quickly regained her optimism as she said, "Me and Emma are going to have a girl's night out tomorrow. Would you like to join us? Ruby and Belle are coming too."

If it were only Emma, Belle and Mary Margaret, Regina would accept the invitation a bit easier. But when Ruby was involved, well...she was a bit of a wild card. And even though they were all younger than Regina, there was something about Ruby that was still very early-twenties. According to Mary Margaret, when she and Ruby were in elementary school, there was a rumor going around that Ruby was a werewolf because her unpredictable actions became even more unpredictable around the full moon. "Bullshit," she'd said when Emma had asked her on a drunken night out some time last year, because of course their friend was not a werewolf.

"Sure. I'll be there."

"We're meeting at the Rabbit Hole at seven."

"I'll see you then," she was secretly happy about going out, it had been a while since all of them had been together and although she wouldn't admit it, she liked that group of friends, would go as far even to say enjoyed their company. And there was never a dull moment where Ruby and alcohol were involved.