A/N: I'm in Canada and I just wrote this on my phone but it's almost midnight and I gotta get an entry up for today so have this I guess. Snow and Charming throw a party during the Missing Year, but Regina ends up leaving before it's over.

day four/thursday
prompt 171: "Fireworks"

I'll get this up on ao3 tomorrow, but i'm having wi-fi troubles atm and I can't use data so i'm just hoping this uploads on time

——

Regina was looking up at the stars when Robin found her. She was seated under her apple tree, silently naming the constellations her father had taught her decades earlier. Robin walked over and sat down next to her silently.

"I noticed you left the party early."

Regina over, as if she'd just realized Robin was there. "Parties aren't exactly my thing."

Robin nodded understandingly. He didn't press further; he didn't really need to. If Regina wanted to go into more detail, she would.

The two were silent for several moments before Regina finally spoke, "You know the names of the constellations, don't you?"

Robin nodded. "Yes. Why?"

Regina pointed to the constellation Robin knew to be Sagittarius. "In the Land Without Magic, Sagittarius marks the direction in which the middle of the galaxy we live in lies." She then pointed in the opposite direction. "Perseus is the direction in which the closer edge of our galaxy is. You see the band of light that looks kind of like a bunch of stars that connects them?" Regina looked over at Robin and he nodded. "That's the spiral arms of our galaxy. It's so much brighter here. You can't see it real well in Storybrooke because of all the light pollution."

Robin studied the band of light Regina had pointed how. "What do you mean 'spiral arms'?"

Regina thought for a moment before conjuring up a magical model of the Milky Way Galaxy. She pointed to approximately where the earth would be. "That is us. Or, that is the Land Without Magic. See how it's about two-thirds of the way out from the center? The 'spiral arms' are the spirals that come out from the center. That's what we see in the night sky."

Robin looked back up at the sky, and then down at Regina's model. He looked at Regina. "How did you learn all of this?"

"It's easily obtainable knowledge in the Land Without Magic," Regina explained. She waved her hand and the Milky Way model disappeared. "I learned a lot about the stars from books and a really nice invention called the internet. I could tell you more, if you want."

"Perhaps another night," Robin suggested. He looked back up at the sky for a few moments before a thought hit him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because who else would know the stars better than a thief who's spent his life under them? And because you're here." Regina looked over at Robin, suddenly confused. "...Why did you leave the party to find me?"

Robin shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. It wasn't that great of a party anyways."

Regina half-smiled at Robin. "You know, I heard they were supposed to have fireworks."

Robin hummed. "I do enjoy fireworks. But I bet they're just as nice from here."

Regina didn't respond to that, mostly because she wasn't sure what to say. She looked back up at the stars and so did Robin. After a few minutes, Robin felt Regina lean her head on his shoulder. She must be tired.

"Do you ever wish you could control what you feel to make your feelings more convenient for you?" Regina asked.

"All the time," Robin responded, trying his hardest not to look at Regina and keep his tone at least semi-emotionless.

Regina sighed. Then, she lifted her head up, suddenly alert.

"What is it?"

"Listen."

Robin went silent, and he knew what Regina was talking about. It sounded as if the fireworks show had begun.

As if on cue, brilliant lights exploded in the sky, lighting up the night. Regina looked up at the fireworks in awe. Robin looked at Regina.

The next set of fireworks exploded, and Regina looked over at Robin. "Aren't they beautiful?"

Robin didn't know why, but he heard himself say, "Not as beautiful as you."

Regina blinked. "Wh-what?"

"I-I mean—"

"You think I'm beautiful?"

Robin couldn't make himself say any coherent words, so he just nodded.

Regina made a split second decision and leaned in, pressing her lips against Robin's.

More fireworks exploded above the couple, but they were too focused on each other to even think about the light show in the sky above them.