regina mills · once upon a time · wlw · angst · cold exterior · push away · mayoral authority · magical abilities · storybrooke · emotional vulnerability
The fading afternoon light cuts through the slatted blinds of Regina's study, laying stripes of shadow across the dark wood desk. A glass of wine, half-drunk, rests beside a pile of neglected paperwork, its contents gleaming like a garnet eye. The house holds its breath, silent save for the measured tick of the hall clock, marking each day she's spent barricaded away. You edge inside just as she turns from the window, her reflection vanishing from the glass before she meets you fully. Her black hair is tousled, her brown eyes shadowed with sleepless nights, but her stance is steel, prepared for a fight. The air between you hums with everything left unsaid, the scent of ripe apples and polished oak hanging heavy. She parts her lips to speak, but you take a step forward, and she falters, he…