Pairing: Emma and August

Rating: M for language (and smut in the following chapter)

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Once Upon a Time

A/N: I realized after I started writing it that I had no clue about 19th century clothing and had to do a lot of research. I'm pretty sure most of the stuff I wrote is not accurate, but we're gonna pretend that it is. TBH I don't know how I feel about this story. But I'm happy enough with it enough to post and I hope you enjoy!

"She won't come out." Ruby closed the heavy oak door behind her and sighed.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" August tensed and pushed away from the stone wall he'd been leaning against for the past half hour waiting for Emma to get dressed.

"Nothing! Granny and I got her laced up and she looks…" her face lit up with admiration, "August, she looks amazing. Snow's trying to coax her into coming downstairs but she says she doesn't want to wear it in front of everyone."

"Well, what did she expect when her parents told her she'd have to attend a royal ball?"

"Honestly?" Ruby laughed, "I think she'd prefer to go in something more like what you're wearing."

August regarded his own clothing and knew she was probably right. He definitely got off easy after they came back to the Enchanted Forest when it came to fashion. Tonight he was dressed a shiny, frilly suit with a sword hanging at his side similar to Charming, but his everyday clothes were much more practical. It was no secret between them that the tight leather pants and vest with cotton undershirt were a far cry better than the everyday dresses and cloaks the rest of the women seemed so excited to have back, though Emma managed to avoid the full treatment by adopting her mother's old forager look of fitted sheepskin pants and fur collars.

Then her parents announced a celebratory ball to be held one month after the defeat of Regina in honor of the restoration of peace to the realm. Emma agreed to wear a gown reluctantly, and later while she and August lay in each other's arms under the canopy of their four-poster bed, she revealed the extent of her disdain.

The door slowly opened again and Granny poked her head out. "She wants to see you."

August pushed in past her into the room and could hear Emma arguing with her mother behind a changing screen on the opposite side of the bedchamber.

"Emma, it's just one night, a few hours, really! And then I promise not to make you dress up again. " He could hear the pleading in Snow's voice. "It would mean so much to your father and I…"

"I don't care if it's just a few hours, I'm not going out there in this… thing! I feel like a walking freak show! This isn't who I am!"

August coughed nervously, announcing his presence.

"Okay, look, I'm gonna let you calm down and talk to August, but then you are coming down and showing your support of this kingdom and of this family. And that is final!" Snow rounded the edge of the changing screen and sighed as she approached him, placing a gloved hand on his arm. "Please get her to come out. I know it's not what she's used to, but if we can at least get her downstairs for an hour or so, it would really mean a lot to everyone."

"I'll see what I can do. But you know where she gets her strong will from," he reminded with a smirk.

Snow shook her head at her future son-in-law and laughed. "Of course! Why do you think I have to try this hard?" She gave his arm a gentle squeeze and left the room.

After the door latched shut and he knew they were alone, August walked slowly toward the changing screen and peeked around the edge. "Emma…"

"Don't look at me!" She sat hunched over on an ottoman with her face buried in her hands. It was a dark corner so he could hardly see what she looked like anyway, but shot back around all the same.

He strolled in resignation toward the bed and plopped down on the velvet-upholstered bench in front of it, reclining casually against the footboard. "Emma, you're gonna have to come out eventually. It'll be a lot less painful if you just come downstairs with me right now and get it over with."

"But I look ridiculous!"

August rolled his eyes. There was not a chance in hell that Emma Swan looked any way other than absolutely drop-dead sexy in any outfit at all times. However, also with Emma, flattery would get him nowhere so he decided to stay with a tactic that had always worked for him in the past. "Probably. But I won't even know until you at least let me see you."

There was a long moment of silence before he heard the rustling of silks and cottons. "Fine. But you have to be nice."

Emma stalked out from behind the screen holding the fabric of her dress up to prevent her from tripping and hung her head. August's mouth fell agape and he sat up at full attention. Her gown was a rusty-rose colored silk with a floral pattern hand-embroidered in gold thread. The cap sleeves rested just below her shoulders and the front of the skirt opened to reveal a shimmering golden petticoat edged with ruffles. A waterfall of blond curls spilled down her back, accentuated with an arrangement of white flowers and her neck and shoulders were bare except for a delicate filigree necklace set with diamonds and pearls, and the dozen emeralds hanging from it perfectly matched the color of her eyes.

"Wow." He stared at her in disbelief.

"I look awful, don't I?" Her voice pitched. August immediately recognized that sound and knew she was close to tears.

He jumped up and ran to her, wrapping one arm around her waist to pull her close and brought the other hand up to lift her chin. "Oh, quite the opposite, Emma," he whispered before meeting her mouth in a fiery kiss.

She kissed him back, but only for a moment and then pushed away. Crossing her arms, she looked at him furiously as she spoke. "Look, I don't know what my mother promised you to get me to go downstairs, but it's not going to happen."

He approached her again, backing her up against the wall. "Forget the fucking ball. I want you. Now." He pressed himself firmly against her body and fluttered his hands down her bare arms, then grabbed her wrists and pinned them to either side of her head. Kissing her greedily, he took his time to fully explore every inch of her mouth with his tongue and eventually moved down Emma's jaw and across her throat. Taking advantage of what that wide-open neckline had to offer, he planted hot open-mouthed kisses along her chest and her breath quickened as he reached a particularly sensitive spot right below her collarbone. Emma writhed against him and moaned his name, managing to free her hands from his grasp and immediately went to work on the buttons of his tailcoat, tugging the cream undershirt out from his trousers.

Turning his attention to her the stiff form of her bodice, August's hands glided across her reinforced breasts and down her stomach, then clamped around her hips to begin pulling her toward the bed. They made an awkward dance of kisses and gropes along the way, and August threw her down with a hungry look in his eyes upon seeing the pink flush of Emma's cheeks and heaving breasts beginning to spill out. As much as he wanted to rip her out of that dress and feel the soft flesh imprisoned beneath, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her elegant, awe-inspiring form.

With a smirk, Emma sat up on the edge of the bed and took hold of his face, pulling him down to capture his lips. August moved his hands through her hair and down her back, letting his fingers trace the seam of the bodice and run down every laced eyelet and back up until he reached the knot at the top. August knew Emma always admired the dexterity of his fingers, so he plucked deftly at the strings until they began to loosen.

"Wait!" Emma pulled away and looked up at him, biting her lip. "Maybe we should go downstairs after all. Just for a little bit."

Sinking to his knees, August let out a frustrated growl. "Seriously?"

"Yeah I mean… I feel pretty awful for fighting my parents so hard on this. Plus I haven't eaten all day because I've been so nervous and now… well, you've made me feel a lot better about how I look." She smiled. "So thank you."

August groaned and dropped his head in her lap. "Alright," he heaved and then rolled back on his heels and stood, tucking his undershirt back into his pants and buttoning his tailcoat.

"One more thing," she said as she stood and turned her back to him, looking over her shoulder coyly, "you're gonna have to tie me back up."

"You got it, Princess." August leered at her and taking the laces between his fingers, he cinched the bodice tightly, extracting a hiss. Emma leaned her head back on his shoulder, fully exposing her neck and giving him the perfect view of her cleavage. He wasted no time in lavishing the bare skin with his lips as he finished knotting the strings, then moved up to her ear, nipping the lobe before pulling back slightly to whisper, "But if you think for one minute I won't cut this dress off of you and fuck your brains out the second we get back into this room, you're out of your damn mind."

She shivered in his arms and spun around, throwing her hands around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. "I wouldn't expect anything less," she whispered against his lips and then gripped her dress to stroll back towards the changing screen. "Just let me get my shoes on and I'll meet you outside."

That woman could do things to him unlike any other and every minute he spent with her was counted as the most incredible miracle. August watched her disappear behind the screen and took a deep breath. With a reluctant sigh, he paced toward the door and opened it to find the three women waiting anxiously.

"She's coming." A collective exhale was released. "She's just getting her shoes and then she'll be out." He surveyed their overjoyed faces and frowned. "But I think she'd feel a lot better if you weren't all here staring at her when she does."

Snow agreed and gave August a quick hug, then hurried down to find her husband and greet their guests while Ruby and Granny retreated to their own quarters to finish some last minute prepping.

August leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, replaying his previous moments with Emma and imaged that silk dress slipping from her slender body and falling to the floor. For a moment he thought of returning to their room and making it a reality, but his reverie was interrupted when the door began to creak open.