Emmett has been living in Storybrooke with David and Mary Margret as his foster parents for almost a year now but things begin to change when Regina Mills moves back in with her mother. High school AU. Gender swap Emma. SwanQueen.
AN: Woow, new story! High school AU. Gender swap Emma. So, SwanQueen is endgame but it's gonna be a slow burn with both parties 'dating' other people before they eventually get together. And while this is a SwanQueen story, the main focus to begin with will be on Emmett resolving some problems and then Regina eventually helping. And the gender swap has a reason since there's no magic :)
I don't really know how the American school system works so it's gonna have more in common with England's but they're gonna finish when their 18 instead of 16 (similar to sixth form).
And this is rated T (swearing and violence) and will only be raised to M if there is an especially violent scene. Any T/W will be at the beginnings of the chapters.
"Hey, beauty," Emmett says coming up behind Belle and wrapping his arms around her waist, causing her to stop walking towards the school's entrance. "Why are you here so early?"
"Hello, Emmett," she replies with a sigh and a small hint of a smile. "I help out in the library, remember? Why are you here so early?"
He gives her a quick peck on her cheek before releasing her, moving to her side, and offering her his arm, which she takes. "Detention," he replies, the pout obvious in his voice.
"And since when do you turn up for morning detentions?" she asks playfully as they walk up the steps to the high school.
"Since I'm curious about the new teacher. I heard the principle say, and I quote, 'I'll give him morning detentions, then the newbie will have to deal with him. I'm sure if any other teacher has to sit with him one more time we'll have a murder-suicide on our hands'," Emmett smirks.
Belle shakes her head and swats his arm lightly, "You shouldn't be proud of torturing the teachers."
"But it's fuuun," he whines, smirk still in place. "You and Ruby Red going well?"
"You know your nickname for her is basically 'Red Red', right?" Emmett simply replies with a chuckle. "And yes, thank you." But her smile has dropped slightly.
"Still hasn't asked you out?" She shakes her head. He sighs. "You ask her then."
"Will be having lunch with us today?" Belle asks when they reach the library door, avoiding his statement. She already knows he isn't going to be joining them, he's always more playful when he's having a bad day and when he's having a bad day he always does something stupid.
"I'll join you if I'm still here. Now, go get your book on."
Belle releases his arm after giving it a light squeeze and shakes her head with a smile before leaving him alone in the empty hallway. He lets his smile drop and sighs. Putting his hands in his pockets, he begins to make his way to his detention.
There are two reasons he actually decided to attend it today. One, he is genuinely curious about the new teacher. He'd heard one of the teachers say 'she's going to be eaten alive' because she's fresh out of education. And two, he'd woken up at about 5am shaking and sweating after a painful nightmare and knew he wasn't going to get back to sleep. He's never been able to in the past.
So here he is, at 7am, getting surprised looks from passing teachers as they get ready for their day.
The walk to his destination is short so it doesn't take him long to reach it. The detention room is a smaller version of a classroom, about half the number of desks facing the teacher's one in front of a blackboard.
He knew it well.
Although, he only turns up when there's nothing else to do or he can't trust himself to be alone.
He puts his hand on the door before shaking his head and walking back the way he came. He pushes through the library door, "Belle, fuck detention! Do you need any help?" He stops in his tracks noticing Belle behind the library's desk talking over it with someone he's never seen before.
"Emmett, don't be stupid. You're actually here for once so you might as well go."
He walks further into the library; his eyes linger on the new person. Her brunette hair, cut just above her shoulders, swishes as she turns to face him. And by fuck is she gorgeous. Her eyes rake over him in a way that is both intense and, hopefully, faking disinterest. He smiles to himself, challenge accepted.
When he realises Belle has been talking to him he snaps his eyes to her before leaning against the desk. "I'd much rather help you out."
She sighs for two reasons; one, he is going to get in trouble for skipping and two, because she knows what that look in his eye when he spotted Regina meant. More trouble.
The new brunette clears her throat drawing the other woman's attention. "Oh, Regina, this is Emmett Swan he moved here about a month after you moved away. And, Emmett, this is Regina Mills, the mayor's daughter."
Ooh, the mayor's daughter, challenge defiantly accepted.
"It's nice to meet you, Regina," he says, liking the way her name feels rolling off his tongue. He offers her a smile, looking her up and down appreciatively before offering his hand. She doesn't take it, deciding to roll her eyes instead at the attention.
"You're the boy the Nolans adopted. Mother told me about you," she states sticking out her chin slightly.
He withdraws his hand. "Actually, they're just my foster parents and I'm sure Cora had only nice things to say about me." He displays the cocky smirk he'd perfected ages ago that he knew drove stuck up people crazy.
Regina looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "She says that she's thought about calling social services on you for all the crap you've pulled."
His smile drops for a moment before returning and, although it was barely noticeable, Regina instantly knows she went too far. She'd obviously noticed he's blatant checking out of her body and she didn't want to deal with a hormonal teenage boy so she'd gone into cold bitch mode. But his look hadn't been as leering as most of the guys that have so plainly checked her out without even trying to hide it. It'd been quick and felt more as if he had been appreciating fine art than thinking about what she'd look like naked. His eyes haven't left her face since while most would have slipped back down by now. He didn't deserve that level of bitchiness, she thinks.
"Well, tell her not to bother, I'm sure the Nolans will call them themselves soon enough. So, Belle," he says stopping either woman adding to that conversation. "Is there anything I can do here?"
She points him to the returns trolley full of books that need to be placed back on the shelves. The two brunettes watch him leave.
"I'm sorry, I did mean to…" Regina trails off watching him leave with furrowed brows.
"Just steer clear of that topic with him unless he brings it up." she shakes her head. "He's having a bad day."
"A bad day? He looked fine until I stuck my foot in it."
"He's good at hiding it," Belle says turning and trying to catch glimpses of Emmett through the bookshelves. "You can tell when he acts extra happy. He over compensates, hoping no one will notice."
Regina sighs, "I should apologise. I'm trying to be less of the Evil Queen I was before I moved."
Belle's gaze returns to Regina who is looking apologetically towards Emmett's direction. She genuinely looks like she means it. The fact that she's been happily talking to the 'Book Worm' of her own accord has been surprising enough. I wonder what happened in the time she was away to make her change so much, Belle thinks.
"Okay, but be warned he'll try to hit on you." While she doesn't want to deter the apology, the warning is genuinely needed if the look he got in his eye earlier is anything to go by.
"I'll take my chances, dear," Regina says over her shoulder as she walks towards the blond boy.
"Hey."
Emmett looks up from where he's knelt on the floor trying to do a good job for Belle and get the books exactly where they should be instead of just a general location near it. Before he'd found out Belle has the hots for Ruby, he'd tried to hit on her, offering to help around the library just to spend some time with her. Back then, he would have just roughly found the correct shelf where the book belonged but after becoming her friend and actually spending real time in this place, he'd learnt how annoying it was when he was trying to find a book but it wasn't in the correct location.
"Hi," Emmett stands up facing the new brunette. "Couldn't get enough of me?"
She rolls her eyes. "I came to apologise but…" she trails off while shaking her head before moving to walk away.
He raises his hands, palms outward. "Wait. Wait. I'll stop with the cockiness." She turns back towards him. "But you don't need to apologise. You were just repeating what your mum said."
"I'm still sorry. I shouldn't have said it, at least not like that."
"It's okay, really, I've had much worse." Her eyebrows furrow and she goes to open her mouth, obviously about to ask, but he cuts her off quickly. "So, did your mum talk about me much? She seems to have an obsession with me."
Regina raises an eyebrow. "Well, firstly, she warned against going anywhere near you."
"That's the worst thing she could have done." She tilts her head. "Normally, when I'm told I can't do something, it just makes me want to do it more," he explains with a smirk.
"I respect my mother's opinion." The small, barely there smirk and the piercing look in her eyes tell him that the challenge he's set for himself will be difficult but not impossible. "And, secondly, she told me some stories."
"Oh, really," his smirk turns into a grin that he tries to hide by returning to his job replacing the books back in their homes, "Such as."
"Apparently, you egged our house-" 'mansion' he mumbles under a fake cough before moving to the next shelf over. She ignores his interruption - the only indication that she heard him is a small eye roll - and carries on, "And her car."
"She has no proof that was me."
"That grin about to break your face tells me you had something to do with it."
"Shh," he lifts his finger to his lips while trying to suppress said grin. "This is a library; please keep your voice down."
Another eye roll.
But she doesn't walk away.
And he swears there's a small smile tugging at her beautiful lips.
"I told you she's obsessed."
"Just talking about you had the small vein in her forehead showing. I've only seen it when she's shouting."
"You should see it when I'm in her presence," he chuckles. "I'm surprised she hasn't had an aneurysm yet."
"I'm surprised she hasn't done everything in her power to make you leave town."
"I'm just too good at not getting caught. Although I wouldn't have minded her persistence when I first got here, I should have caught her attention earlier," he admits putting the last book in its place before turning to Regina.
"What do you mean? Didn't you like it here?"
He shrugged. "I'm a city kid. Much more to do there," he says before adding quietly, "And a lot easier to get lost." He turns away and starts wheeling the book return trolley back to where it is kept behind the desk.
"Why did you stop trying to leave then?"
"A couple of reasons I guess. Mary Margret and David aren't bad foster parents… but mostly that nerd," he says nodding his head towards the shorter brunette currently humming to herself as she took some things down and put other things up on the notice board by the door.
She raises an eyebrow. "You know if you want to date someone it's bad form to hit on someone else in front of them."
Emmett chuckles. "It's not like that. Well to begin with… but she's just a good friend and they're hard to make when you're constantly moving. And I wasn't hitting on you, simply admiring."
The bell rings before she can reply, catching them both off guard.
"I'm guessing you already know your way around this place."
"I do."
"Well, Belle and I have lunch out on the field by the car park with some other people if you want to join us."
"I have some old friends I have to say 'hello' to," she says walking over to the door and giving a small wave to Belle before looking back over her shoulder at him. "But I'll think about it." She leaves without saying goodbye.
AN: Tell me what you think. Reviews are always welcome.