A/N: I have a lot of stories just randomly started in a word document and I was scrolling past, and was like, sure, let's make this a one shot. Ignore plot holes, I seem to when it comes to one shots.
"C'mon Regina, it's just the showcase, it won't even be that long and the dances are only ninety seconds. Surely you can spare an hour, two at the most." Kathryn pleaded with her closest friend as Regina looked at the blonde. "Besides Frederick is the one who did lighting design and would appreciate if I gave him honest feedback, you could help."
"Alright, I'll go." Regina huffed out as Kathryn hooked her arm in Regina's and pulled her in the direction of the auditorium where the dance show would was being held this year.
zZz
She was nervous to say the least, doing an exhibition show to try and get other students, mainly freshmen on campus interested in the dance ensemble, but she didn't really understand why she had to be one of the people to do it.
"Ready Em? Curtain opens in ten minutes." The blonde whipped around startled to look at the one of the people who understood her better than she understood herself sometimes.
"I guess but I don't get why Dr. Keller had to guilt trip me into doing this." She huffed out as he laughed with a shrug.
"You're a great dancer, especially when it comes to Modern and Lyrical, you can tell such amazing stories with the movement of your body even when you freestyle." Emma blushed at the compliment, yeah she loved to dance, she'd been doing it since her second foster family had placed her in classes after catching her dancing in the living room and loving it.
"Oh August, did you ask Maggie to record it? Mom and Dad would love to see the performance." He nodded.
"Yeah, we all know how much mom loves to watch you dance." August commented as Emma rolled her eyes.
"She loves watching you too!" Emma exclaimed as he shrugged.
"Yeah, but we both know she would rather read my short stories." He added as Emma nodded, the two of them were both dancers since the age of seven and nine. August had only started because Emma wouldn't go without him, and their foster parents found it beneficial to have them doing a hobby that kept them hardworking and out of trouble, but what August really loved to do, why he was here in college was writing.
"True, anyways, let's get into position."
The movements were so fluid, the story they were telling was more than beautiful in her opinion. The song fit the story in a way that made the movements even more elegant. One of the dancers caught her eye, the one who turned out to be the main focus of the dance, a blonde who moved so graceful and swiftly seemed to execute every movement. The others were around her doing repetitive movements to not take from the mesmerizing solo as she danced like it was just her and the music.
Regina watched as the story unfolded, the black button up shirts being discarded on stage to reveal that everyone sans the blonde had a match. Her eyes followed the movements of the blonde as she watched the others pair up, synchronizing their dance to one another as the blonde was in the middle doing more elaborate movements. She watched as the paired up dancers slowly, effortlessly danced off stage with one another, leaving the blonde center stage looking around at them at disappear.
Regina could almost feel the pain that the blonde was projecting as she ran to the end of the stage only to stop herself with a gasping motion and pull back into herself turning and picking up speed as she effortlessly jumped and turned in the air landing gracefully on her side as she as she turned on the floor only to tumble backward as the only male dancer who was wearing white to her black came back on stage and helped her up.
They danced together until the end of the number ending it in a hug, showing that she wasn't alone.
"That was brilliant!" Regina looked to roommate and closest friend who had dragged her to this exhibition show that the dance ensemble had put on to gather interest from the underclassmen.
"The blonde is a very exquisite dancer." Regina pointed out as Kathryn looked at Regina with a raised eyebrow.
"Emma Swan is just that, a Swan, a beautiful dancer who moves so eloquently when it comes to dancing. She is able to captivate anyone when she takes the stage! But she is really different when not dancing." Regina looked at Kathryn with open curiosity.
"Do you know her?"
"Not personally, David Nolan, you remember the blind date daddy tried to set me up on sophomore year?" Regina nodded. "Well we are sort of friends now, and I saw him one day at the Hub with her and a bunch of others but she was different from what she is on stage." Kathryn explained as Regina nodded and was about to asked another question as the dancers filled the stage for their finale.
It was about seven minutes of mild laughing and amusement that the curtain closed and Regina stood up smoothing her clothes over. "So what did you think?" Kathryn asked standing up looking around as the dancers filed out from a door on the side and their friends were greeting them with flowers and words of praise.
"Jim did a decent job with the lighting design." Regina pointed out mildly distracted as she watched the blonde—Emma walk from the door only to be enveloped in a hug by a young woman who then kissed her cheeks.
"Why not go congratulate her?" Kathryn smirked amused as Regina glared at her closest friend.
"I don't know her, I'm not going to—"
"I have to ask Mary Margaret about an assignment anyways, so let's go over." Kathryn smiled while pulling her friend over to the group who were congratulating Emma and another young man, the one who'd hug her at the end of the dance she'd been in. "Emma! You're fantastic!" Kathryn exclaimed as Emma turned to the voice and smiled.
"Midas! Hey! Thanks! Jim mentioned that you might be coming! Glad to see you made it!" Kathryn smiled with a nod. "He's in the back with August, they should be out in a second."
"You were amazing, it was a good show, but Jim mentioned that you are in other classes, why only the modern today?" Kathryn asked as Emma smirked.
"I actually wasn't going to dance at all today, but Dr. Keller guilt tripped me into it. She tried to get me to do lyrical and step but I got out of that."
"Don't let her fool you Kat, she loves it, she just has to watch her ankle that she rolled the other week." David pointed out putting a hand on Emma's shoulder joining the conversation. "Hello, Regina was it?" David asked directing all the attention to her.
"Oh! I'm so rude! David, Mary Margaret, Emma, this is my best friend and roommate Regina Mills." Emma smiled and offered her hand to Regina who took it with a slightly nervous smile.
"You're a very talented dancer Miss Swan." Regina complimented as Emma blushed at the sincere compliment.
"Oh, thank you, um, please, call me Emma." Regina nodded as August and Jim walked over the group.
"Hey guys, are we ready to close out the syllabus weekend right?" Emma rolled her eyes at August.
"I wasn't aware that we were going out, Jim?" Kathryn looked to her boyfriend who gave her a sheepish look. "So where are you headed?" Kathryn asked as August smiled.
"We're all headed to the Rabbit Hole to— ouch Emma." The group chuckled as August rubbed the back of his head where Emma had just slapped him.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Oh, right, I forgot. Um, I know Jones and Locksley are having a house party to kick off the end of the first week. You can meet us there around eleven." Emma rolled her eyes as Mary Margaret chuckled.
"I can stay behind with you," Mary Margaret looked to Emma who shrugged. "We can hang out at the apartment until then, you want to shower?"
"Do I smell that bad?"
"Yes, please shower before coming out." August teased as Emma flipped him off.
"Please cancel your subscription to behind the times because I've been out since I was seven." Emma winked causing the rest of the group to laugh out. "Its fine Maggie, you all go out and have fun. I only have about two more months until I can join you." Emma waved them off as Kathryn pinched Regina who turned and glared at her friend.
"Regina, you're a lightweight, why not keep Emma company and meet us at the party? We wouldn't want you to pass out on us early." Kathryn suggested as Emma looked to the brunette who seemed a little embarrassed.
"Yes, I remember the last time we went out, Regina you were ready to pass out by midnight." Regina glared at Jim who just chuckled with a shrug. "Can't get made at the truth, Mills."
"You hungry? We can get some food. I don't like to eat too heavy before performances so I'm starving right now." Emma smiled as Regina just stared at the blonde unsure of what to say.
"Emma it's almost nine at night." Emma shrugged looking at Mary Margaret.
"Sounds good, go shower, get food and I'll text you when we're headed to Jones' place." August leaned over kissing Emma's temple as the five of them started walking towards the exit.
"You know, they do that to me a lot." Emma chuckled grabbing her duffle bag from the floor. "I can't help that I'm underage, but you really don't have to stay with me, you could probably catch up if—"
"No, its fine, I don't mind if you want the company. As much as I hate to admit it, Jim is right." Regina sighed falling in step with Emma who smiled.
"August is too, a lightweight I mean, he just drinks slowly and chats everyone up. Makes it seem like he's had more than he really has."
"Aren't you a bit afraid of getting an underage right before you turn twenty-one?" Emma shook her head.
"I don't actually drink, I just go to dance and have fun. Jones keeps non-alcoholic drinks for me at least until October, it'll more than likely be a shit show, and everyone is pretty excited to get me drunk. August is the only one who's ever seen me drunk." Regina chuckled slightly at the information.
"So, where are we headed?"
"I live in a house downtown, we can catch the shuttle. Unless you drove?" Emma questioned as they walked out of the building.
"Kathryn and I walked, so the shuttle is doable."
"That's not the only thing." Emma muttered turning in the direction of where the shuttle would pick up.
"Excuse me?" Regina asked with a raised brow as Emma's cheeks tinted.
"I said, that's a good thing…you know, since you'll end up drinking and having a car would be…yeah you get it, moving on." Emma turned away looking forward as Regina chuckled. She'd heard what Emma had said the first time. Emma made sure to fill the time until they got to her apartment with small talk. She'd learned that Regina was an Anthropology major with a minor in art history, she wanted to be a museum curator when she graduated, even had a job offer from an internship she'd done for the last two summers.
Regina had been impressed that Emma was a senior double major and only twenty years old. She'd also been surprised that Emma was majoring in Sociology and Psychology, she intended to help child, hopefully getting a job in social work. Regina had pointed out that it didn't pay much causing Emma to shrug stating that it wasn't always about the money.
"Feel free to make yourself at home, I'd stay outta August's room though, it's always a mess." Emma commented before disappearing into her own room. Regina stood looking around the rather large apartment surprised. Emma had told her when they were on the shuttle that herself, August, Mary Margaret and David lived here together. Regina wasn't exactly sure what she'd expected at hearing that, but this place seemed like home.
It was quaint. Regina toured the downstairs and found herself in the kitchen staring at their fridge. The freezer had a whiteboard on it with various messages in an array of colors.
Em
Do the dishes! It's your turn!
MM
Maggie
I love you, but no. I'm on strike. Ask David why.
Emma
Regina chuckled as she looked at a few papers that were hung. You would have thought a child lived here the way they proudly displayed their grades. Regina kneeled slightly noticing that there were sticky notes. Ha! Em! I got the highest in econ! Suck on that! Regina shook her head, August and Emma had a special sort of relationship that much she could see.
"Didn't expect to find you in here." Regina jumped as she stood and turned around to see Emma towel drying her hair.
"It's barely been ten minutes." Regina breathed her hand over her heart. Emma was wearing a pair of jeans and white tank top.
"Yeah, I shower fast and I'm also starving, so it was probably like a two minute shower." Emma shrugged.
"So why are you on dishes strike?" Regina questioned as Emma chuckled.
"Cause I always do them for David. He's forgetful when it comes to that particular shared household chore. So I am no longer doing them." Emma turned and could hear Regina following her. "You want to go to the diner?" Emma questioned walking into her room as Regina stopped at the entrance looking into the blonde domain.
"Granny's?" Emma nodded hanging her towel over her desk chair.
"Yep, you can come in, my room isn't going to bite." Emma chuckled as Regina stepped into the room. Emma sifted through a basket of clean clothes looking for a matching sock. "Their clean, honest, I just didn't have time to fold them before the showcase." Regina just raised a brow as Emma found a matching sock and plopped down on her messy queen size bed. "This is always a mess, I usually roll out of bed just into to catch the seven thirty shuttle." Regina leaned against her dresser watching her put on her socks and then a pair of beat up converse.
"Where are you from?" Regina suddenly asked as Emma looked from her shoes after she fixed her laces.
"That's random, but grew up on Staten Island but I was born somewhere outside of Boston, I think."
"You think?"
"Orphaned on the side of a road near a gas station, about fifteen miles from Boston."
"I'm sorry."
"Not your fault, so don't be sorry. Anyways, I have the best secondary parents one could ask for. I was officially adopted by then when I was fourteen right before I dropped outta of school." Emma chuckled as Regina's eyes widen.
"You dropped out? But then how are you here?" Emma smiled as she grabbed her red leather jacket that matched her converse.
"I got my GED when I was fifteen, and was able to join August in college the next year. That's why I'm so young. I was over the high school experience after the first two months. Decided to drop out." Emma shrugged grabbing her wallet and cell phone before stopping in front of Regina. "C'mon, I'm starving, we can talk more at Granny's." And talk they did. Regina was so fascinated by the blonde dancer, and it seemed Emma was just as fascinated about her.
"I can't believe you let a rose bush get the best of you." Emma laughed as Regina tossed a fry across the table.
"Technically it was a horse that flung me into the bushes." Regina huffed as Emma rolled her eyes still laughing popping the fry that Regina had thrown at her into her mouth.
"Eh, I have a scar on my inner thigh from jumping a fence."
"Why were you jumping a fence?"
"A game of manhunt, my team decided it'd be better to hop the fence because it was quicker. They were right of course, and four of us made it to the safe zone, but I had to call it quits because not only were my pants torn, but I was bleeding. It was hilarious because August had thought I'd gotten my period and was freaking out until Jefferson told him I cut myself." Emma was laughing at the memory as Regina joined her shaking her head. "Jefferson and Alice still tease him about that."
"I could only imagine." Emma was about to say something but stopped at her phone started to ring.
"Swan," Emma answered only to groan. "She's an idiot…I don't care! Tell her! Wait! No! Don't! Fuck. August you're an ass." Emma breathed looking over at an amused Regina. "Well fine then, we're going to catch a movie. We'll meet you at Jones' around midnight…yeah, love you too, and tell Ruby I said hi!" Emma disconnected from the call looking at Regina. "Maggie left her I.D. at August's girlfriends so not they have to wait until Ruby gets off at eleven, so want to catch that new superhero movie with me? There's a ten thirty showing." Emma questioned as Regina just looked at her. She felt like she was on a date with the blonde. Not that she minded, she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
"I...this feels like a date." Regina blurted as Emma chuckled nodding in agreement.
"It does, but officially it's only a date if one of us pays for the other." Emma winked as Regina looked at her.
"So this is on me." Regina smirked reaching out grabbing the bills that had been set on the table about fifteen minutes ago. Emma looked at her and couldn't help herself from smiling, this night was turning out to be far more interesting than she'd expected.