fic: lost somewhere, missing parts (swan thief, once upon a time)
title: lost somewhere, missing parts
characters: emma/neal, once upon a time
rating: t
summary: that one time emma had to drive the getaway car.
She doubts him at first. Doubt and happiness tends to be an awful mix when you’re on the run. But Emma doesn’t mind. She doesn’t mind, either, that Neal is just as charming as he pretends to be. There are nights when they can’t find a place to stay and they find themselves squished in the backseat of the bug. The car stayed with them because nothing else would do.
But Neal won’t listen to her, never listens to her. So when she tells him that it would be much smarter for her to make the bust, he brings up her delicacy.
“Are you being a misogynist again?” she inquires, her eyebrows perking like they always do.
“Nah, just being truthful.”
She’s knows it’s a solid joke that she should refute and fight, but she can’t. His smiles involve his entire face with the lines around his eyes becoming visible. He crinkles his nose and squints, leaning in to press his face against hers. It’s become a somewhat ritual before they venture to do anything seemingly dangerous.
Robbing a bank is certainly dangerous.
It’s a small bank, he reasons, and there shouldn’t be too much commotion on a Wednesday afternoon.
How he comes to that conclusion Emma can’t fathom.
But she goes along with his plan, staying in the car as he begins his rouse. It starts with a hobble - a crutch was a little too much, he convinced her - and a bit of a wheezing problem. Emma hates being in the car more than anything else. It’s stuffy and quite boring without Neal’s consistent laughter filling the small space. She wouldn’t dare say it, but she misses him when he’s gone. A dependency was not something Emma was betting on.
But then again, she was never any good at poker.
The minutes tick by as she waits for Neal to make the grand escape and heroically jump into the car - a habit he couldn’t seem to quit. Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen pass like mere seconds on the clock. She begins to worry, but hears his voice in her head.
“No matter what, you stay in the car. Stay put, you hear me?”
So she stays put, attempting to hum a song long forgotten.
When Neal does finally appear, she’s almost afraid he’s been injured He’s still hobbling, a sly grin creeping on his face. She’s not sure what it means and she’s not even sure she wants to know. Neal’s mind was a convoluted mess and she had only begun to scratch the surface.
He finally makes it to the car, out of breath and out of time, grinning like the Chesire Cat. He slides the bag into the back of the car and pulls her in for a kiss. Their lips and eyes lock simultaneously as Neal’s hands slide down her jaw and stroke her elongated neck. Her eyes dart around his face as they break, questioning his success and, in all fairness, his entire being.
“So? Did we do it?”
“Oh yeah, baby. We did it.” His smile instantly breaks into a grin before he can finish the sentence. He’s more proud than a child after building a volcano - something Emma never got around to.
She fights the urge to whack him and exclaim that he had her worried sick. Instead, the urge to kiss him wins her over. She wraps an arm around his waist as their lips meet once more.
And that’s when it happens: The alarm in the bank goes off. Emma is stunned, confused, and panicked all in one. Neal has to yell at her to start the car and move on out. He’s excited and eager for the chase. Emma, on the other hand, was not prepared for this.
The car screeches to a start, but no one seems to follow them down the street and around the corner. Confusion sets in as they make it down two more streets and around four more corners. Emma pulls the car to a halt, spinning to face Neal with accusing eyes.
“What the hell is going on?” Her usual anger sets in, one that she tends to keep far away from Neal.
“How should I know? I’m in the car with you.”
“Neal.” Her voice commands the truth, whether or not Neal wants to indulge her.
He chuckles before answering, that devilish smile of his transforming his face completely.
“I bugged it.” Emma isn’t quite sure what he means, so he continues, “I mean, I set it up. Made it look like someone else took the cash.”
His chuckle continues and the car feels bright once more. Emma still isn’t quite sure how he did it, she’s just glad that he thought it through. She kisses him again, her hands tracing the outline of his stubbled jaw. She scrunches her nose as they part, a smile plastered to her face.
Working with a partner may not have been her style, but Neal made living in a car much easier. Ironic, considering he took up a considerable amount of space.
Emma puts the car in drive and presses her foot against the gas pedal. Neither are sure where their next stop will be - Tallahassee is still a dream - and neither truly cares. That’s the point of their time together- they don’t need a town to call home. They are each other’s home, each other’s safety, each other’s saving grace.
And she couldn’t be happier even as she mentally pushes the idea that it all has to end to the back of her mind.
characters: emma/neal, once upon a time
rating: t
summary: that one time emma had to drive the getaway car.
She doubts him at first. Doubt and happiness tends to be an awful mix when you’re on the run. But Emma doesn’t mind. She doesn’t mind, either, that Neal is just as charming as he pretends to be. There are nights when they can’t find a place to stay and they find themselves squished in the backseat of the bug. The car stayed with them because nothing else would do.
But Neal won’t listen to her, never listens to her. So when she tells him that it would be much smarter for her to make the bust, he brings up her delicacy.
“Are you being a misogynist again?” she inquires, her eyebrows perking like they always do.
“Nah, just being truthful.”
She’s knows it’s a solid joke that she should refute and fight, but she can’t. His smiles involve his entire face with the lines around his eyes becoming visible. He crinkles his nose and squints, leaning in to press his face against hers. It’s become a somewhat ritual before they venture to do anything seemingly dangerous.
Robbing a bank is certainly dangerous.
It’s a small bank, he reasons, and there shouldn’t be too much commotion on a Wednesday afternoon.
How he comes to that conclusion Emma can’t fathom.
But she goes along with his plan, staying in the car as he begins his rouse. It starts with a hobble - a crutch was a little too much, he convinced her - and a bit of a wheezing problem. Emma hates being in the car more than anything else. It’s stuffy and quite boring without Neal’s consistent laughter filling the small space. She wouldn’t dare say it, but she misses him when he’s gone. A dependency was not something Emma was betting on.
But then again, she was never any good at poker.
The minutes tick by as she waits for Neal to make the grand escape and heroically jump into the car - a habit he couldn’t seem to quit. Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen pass like mere seconds on the clock. She begins to worry, but hears his voice in her head.
“No matter what, you stay in the car. Stay put, you hear me?”
So she stays put, attempting to hum a song long forgotten.
When Neal does finally appear, she’s almost afraid he’s been injured He’s still hobbling, a sly grin creeping on his face. She’s not sure what it means and she’s not even sure she wants to know. Neal’s mind was a convoluted mess and she had only begun to scratch the surface.
He finally makes it to the car, out of breath and out of time, grinning like the Chesire Cat. He slides the bag into the back of the car and pulls her in for a kiss. Their lips and eyes lock simultaneously as Neal’s hands slide down her jaw and stroke her elongated neck. Her eyes dart around his face as they break, questioning his success and, in all fairness, his entire being.
“So? Did we do it?”
“Oh yeah, baby. We did it.” His smile instantly breaks into a grin before he can finish the sentence. He’s more proud than a child after building a volcano - something Emma never got around to.
She fights the urge to whack him and exclaim that he had her worried sick. Instead, the urge to kiss him wins her over. She wraps an arm around his waist as their lips meet once more.
And that’s when it happens: The alarm in the bank goes off. Emma is stunned, confused, and panicked all in one. Neal has to yell at her to start the car and move on out. He’s excited and eager for the chase. Emma, on the other hand, was not prepared for this.
The car screeches to a start, but no one seems to follow them down the street and around the corner. Confusion sets in as they make it down two more streets and around four more corners. Emma pulls the car to a halt, spinning to face Neal with accusing eyes.
“What the hell is going on?” Her usual anger sets in, one that she tends to keep far away from Neal.
“How should I know? I’m in the car with you.”
“Neal.” Her voice commands the truth, whether or not Neal wants to indulge her.
He chuckles before answering, that devilish smile of his transforming his face completely.
“I bugged it.” Emma isn’t quite sure what he means, so he continues, “I mean, I set it up. Made it look like someone else took the cash.”
His chuckle continues and the car feels bright once more. Emma still isn’t quite sure how he did it, she’s just glad that he thought it through. She kisses him again, her hands tracing the outline of his stubbled jaw. She scrunches her nose as they part, a smile plastered to her face.
Working with a partner may not have been her style, but Neal made living in a car much easier. Ironic, considering he took up a considerable amount of space.
Emma puts the car in drive and presses her foot against the gas pedal. Neither are sure where their next stop will be - Tallahassee is still a dream - and neither truly cares. That’s the point of their time together- they don’t need a town to call home. They are each other’s home, each other’s safety, each other’s saving grace.
And she couldn’t be happier even as she mentally pushes the idea that it all has to end to the back of her mind.