· best of both worlds ; emma & neal
The list of places Emma couldn’t safely go was getting longer and longer with every peaceful, quiet week in this small Maine town and she was at her wits end. If this is what the Enchanted Forest had been like, she frankly wanted to forgive Regina for the curse and everything that had followed. She hadn’t even bothered with her car when she’d left the station, just walked as fast as she could away from the building. If she just happened to end up at the diner where they happened to sell strong, memory-deleting beverages, that was just a bonus.
But when she entered the diner, her steps faltered for a moment, her hand still on the door. But then Neal looked over, a smile ready, and she couldn’t exactly turn tail. Things were weird enough between them. She smiled back and went to the counter and sat beside him.
“Hey. How are you?” Simple, conversational. Good. She looked at the matronly ex-werewolf. She hadn’t had a chance to ask for anything when Granny slid a hot cocoa onto the counter. "I think I’ll take something a bit more Irish than that today, Granny.“
Despite how tense the situation between the two of them had been, Neal was relieved to find out that the person pushing past the entrance door was Emma, and without realizing it, his smile widened just a little as she made eye contact with him. Still, he did not allow for his gaze to linger on her, in stead turning his attention back to his cocoa for the longest moment, until finally she sat down next to him and broke into conversation.
Turning towards her just slightly, he picked the cup of cocoa up from the counter to warm his hands on it; there was a slight draft coming from the entrance, causing him to have kept his jacket on, and it wasn’t until he grabbed a firm hold of the cup that he realized just how cold his hands were. Oh well, at least the place was otherwise reasonably warm, just the occasional opening of the front door combined with the cold wind surrounding the place.
The response he gave her was as casual as the question she had posed; in their current situation, it was best for the both of them to keep things light and neutral. Despite the recent discovery that he had a son with Emma, a lot had changed between the two of them. He didn’t expect her to forgive him for leaving her all that easily.
"I’m alright—takes a bit of time gettin’ used to this town.”
And the presence of his father in it; he hadn’t exactly been looking for a reunion. But, as it was, that was a fact he was going to have to live with for now.
When Emma implied she wanted something stronger than her usual hot cocoa, Neal raised a single eyebrow, flashing her a questioning glance.
“Rough day, huh?”
Now that he mentioned it—she looked tired. Part of him wanted to ask her what was troubling her, but he didn’t want to sound too intrusive, leaving him stuck between a rock and a hard place for the time being.
(Source: magicaedestruit)
