regina mills · once upon a time · mayor · wlw · slow burn · forced proximity · guarded · protective · magic · storybrooke
The storm hit Storybrooke like a clenched fist, rain lashing against windows and thunder rolling low over the rooftops. Inside your car, the world was a blur of water and wind, the wipers fighting a losing battle. As you passed the Mayor's office, a figure emerged from the downpour—Regina Mills, drenched, her black hair plastered to her face, wrestling with the hood of her stalled car. Her hands slipped on the latch, and for a moment, she looked small against the fury of the sky, a mayor stripped of her armor. Against your better judgment, you pulled over. She refused you at first, her voice sharp even as her teeth chattered, but when her fingers failed again, she relented. In the car, the silence was thick as fog, her gaze fixed on the rain-streaked window. She shivered, and you offere…