#dynamic: the swan-mills family

[dinneratgrannys]

ONCE UPON A TIME 5.15, The Brothers Jones

#ouatedit #onceuponatimeedit #swanqueenedit #henrymillsedit #once upon a time #ouat #swan queen #henry mills #regina mills #emma swan #s5 #5x15 the brothers jones #dynamic: the swan-mills family #event: rewatch 22

[mcpercky]

So I’ve been writing another SwanQueen Fanfic and decided to share my playlist with you guys. It servers as inspiration for me when writing about them so it might help someone else. Feel free to add songs that you think fits this couple :)

My SwanQueen Playlist

Love/ Fun:

Afterglow - Taylor swift (one of my personal fav)

In my room x you came - remix + speed up

Those eyes - New West

I’ll be waiting - Cian Ducrot

Soldier, poet, king - The Oh Hellos

Daylight - Maroon 5 (one of my personal fav)

Emily - James Arthur (this one but Henry’s name)

I hear a symphony- Cody Fry

Enchanted - Taylor Swift slowed

Fire on fire - Sam Smith

Tacones Rojos - Sebastian Yatra

Numb - marshmellow ft Khalid (for this one I always imagine every character in the Rabbit Hole having a blast)

Fix you - Coldplay

Speechless - Dan + Shay

Still falling for you - Ellie Goulding

Here with me - d4vd

Always - Gavin James

If you’re not the one - Daniel Bedingfield

Dandelions - Ruth B.

Infinity- Jaymes Young

True love - Pink (one of my personal fav + literally them)

Hurt/ Comfort:

I drink wine - Adele

Car’s outside - James Arthur

Love you in the dark - Adele

Wonder - Shawn Mendes (one of my personal fav)

Touch - Sleeping at last slowed

Saturn - Sleeping at last (one of my personal fav + very deep song)

Dancing all alone - Clinton Kane

Forget me - Lewis Capaldi

Atlantis - Seafret

Iris - googoodolls

Past lives - sapientdream (cover)

In this shirt - the irrepressibles (very deep song)

Let’s hurt tonight - One Republic

Hold on - Chord Overstreet slowed + rain

You say - Lauren Daigle

If the world was ending - Jp Saxe

Rescue - Lauren Daigle

Don’t give up on me - Andy Grammer

Falling like the stars - James Arthur

Ghost of you - 5 SOS

Control - Zoe Wees (Regina feelings)

Silence - Marshmellow ft Khalid slowed

What hurts the most - Rascal Flatts

The loneliest - Maneskin

Pointless - Lewis Capaldi

Set fire to the rain x another love mashup

As the world caves in - Sarah Cothran

Naked - James Arthur

Angst/ War zone:

Bones- Imagine Dragons

How to train your dragon - flying theme (literally imagine Emma coming to a fight on a back of a dragon holding for dear life but still showing off and waving her sword)

Once upon a dream - Lana Del Rey

Uprising - Muse

Stranger things theme song - C418 remix

Star walkin’ - Lil Nas X

Venom- Eminem

Demons - Imagine Dragons

Whatever it takes - Imagine Dragons (literally every imagine dragons song makes me want to throw hands lol)

#swan queen #regina mills #emma swan #swanqueen #swen #dynamic: swan queen #emma and regina #swan mills #ouat #once upon a time #sq #swan-mills #swan mills family #playlist #true love

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

i love you expanding on the zenin’s & megumi’s dynamic because like — there had to be so much more than gojo just getting megumi. it had to involve more politics, more manipulation, etc & you added to that.

( i always like that detail about gojo teaching megumi everything from the gojo playbook. like it made me realize that megumi was more gojo than zenin, which probably pissed off the zenin )

what made you expand on the great custody battle between gojo & the zenins for megumi? like the visitation rights? did gojo know how badly megumi was going to be treated? also how would you describe megumi dynamic with each prominent zenin clan member (ex. naoya, mai, naobito, maki.)

I am sooo convinced there’s an entire child custody battle political drama lurking beneath canon but gege denies me

Visitation rights:

The decision that the Zenin clan briefly got visitation rights was a combination of where Gojo was at that point in life and what a sheer, unmitigated shitshow adopting Megumi must have caused.

The thing is that the Zenin and the Gojo clan are established in canon as rivals at best and enemies at worst. Gojo swanning in like "I have discovered the Magic of teenaged fatherhood and want to teach this spunky, angry little dude how to Throw A Baseball. Btw he's zenin and the clan already sort of “”””””purchased”””””” him, meaning they already consider him property even more than they usually do with their kids. i will be keeping him tho. xoxoxoxoxo" must have been insulting to the Zenin. It must have been even more insulting that he could legitmately do that and overpower their entire clan without having to even try. It's bad even if megumi is just like, the run of the mill sorcerer. But he had the most powerful techinque in their bloodline. I legitimately think that Gojo almost started a war when he decided that his boyfriend had dumped him and he needed to immediately adopt a child about it.

The thing is that I think gojo really must have been committing the ultimate taboo for a society he was raised within. Older, traditional mindsets tend to think of children as property, and the clans are established to be almost exclusively self governed. Gojo making a Zenin boy his business would stomp right over that standard. Add in the complication of inherited techniques being viewed as almost a highly treasured clan heirloom within the invidual families, and you have a perfect recipe for the entire world being very very angry at Gojo for doing this.

And the thing is that present-day Gojo would have absolutely told everyone to get fucked, he does what he wants.

But this isn't present-day Gojo. This is seventeen year old Gojo. And he's just coming off three of the biggest failures of his life: 1) Riko's death, 2) Haibara's death and 3) Geto's defection.

Gojo has always been extremely self-assured as a character, but teenagers tend to be a little bit more uncertain and vulnerable than their adult counterparts, and Gojo, again, had just been hit by failure after failure. If there was ever a time in his life where he would have been looking for outside guidance, it was this one.

And the number one most likely candidate to guide him in this was Yaga.

I've talked in other posts about how Principal Yaga's dynamic with Gojo suggests he's not in the inner circle of trust the way that Nanami, Shoko, or even Ijichi is. I've also discussed how I think he compromises too much with the higher ups, why that works with his character but ultimately comes to the detriment of the students, and how he ultimately fails to protect the students in his charge.

The thing is that if Yaga was making the decision, he absolutely would have compromised with the Zenin.

Yaga very consistently is shown to care about the students, but to not protect them. It's also established that the most likely cause of that is the fact that he panders to the higher ups, even if he is more progressively minded than someone like Gakuganji.

In the past arc, geto and gojo have a throwaway line in a conversation about how Yaga's busy campaigning to be principal with the higher ups. we also have him 1) excluded from the people who know about Yuuji's survival, which 2) he later punishes Gojo for, albeit partially because of the disrespect towards Gakuganji and for hiding his survival.

That being said, if I was the principal of a school where my sister school's principal set up my entire first year class to die, i would not be punishing a teacher for disrespecting that man. I would be too busy beating him to death with my bare hands. Good luck trying some shit with my fucking students again you dead fuck.

i would simply not make it as an educator in this world.

Gojo would have had the entire world up in arms at him when he took megumi and refused to give him back. The Zenin, for obvious reasons--but also the higher ups trying to preserve the status quo and the other clans, who want to maintain their ability to rear and keep their children without outside interference. He would have most likely said to give Megumi back entirely, but I don't think Gojo would go for that complete of a surrender of him, especially after Megumi asked him to keep him with Tsumiki and to keep them in a place she could be happy.

But very limited visitation would 1) at least somewhat soothe ruffled feathers, even if they are still furious, 2) give megumi access to information on his technique that he could not possibly get otherwise, and 3) supposedly cause minimal damage, since they only get him for a few days a month and are supposed to love him more than anyone. It's the sort of compromise I could see Yaga pitching in the best possible faith--and it's the sort of compromise that I see blowing up spectacularly, because the Zenin are fucking insane.

When I'm dealing with past versions of characters with very defined personalities, I sort of like to trace in the roots of their present-day selves in any backstory i make for them. Gojo of the present day is completely uncompromising when it comes to protecting his students and their youth. He is not afraid to butt heads with the higher ups and ruffle feathers to do it. So i decided to make that because he compromised when he was seventeen and doing his best, and Megumi paid the price, and he is so, so goddamn sorry for that. He doesn't let Yaga into the inner circle by the time we make it to canon because he was in the inner circle, and taking his advice directly resulted in Gojo's absolute biggest regret, which was letting the Zenin have unsupervised access to Megumi.

I think Gojo as a character is someone who refuses to repeat old mistakes, and what happened when Megumi was a child is something that he won't ever forgive or forget. A part of him still blames Yaga for convincing him to compromise with the Zenin and iced him out by the time we hit canon as a result.

Gojo and Megumi's treatment:

He had absolutely no idea how bad it would be for Megumi.

The thing is that Gojo approached it with the severely biased mindset of someone who thought he knew exactly how Megumi would be treated when he was with the clan, because it was supposed to be how he was treated growing up. The Six Eyes/Limitless user and the Ten Shadows were supposed to be corollaries. Megumi was meant to be to the Zenin what Gojo was to his clan, and if anything, the issue with his clan was that they treasured him too much. Gojo get up as this much beloved, much revered godling who was put on a pedestal and had all the distance of it.

In my mind, the issue with his childhood was that he was indulged to the point of being deprived of actual human connection or intimacy that he didn't truly get until Geto and Shoko.

In Gojo's mind, the biggest danger was that Megumi would be treated with too much reverence and distance, but he was spending the vast majority of the month with his big sister and the teen parenting trio. He would get plenty of normal interaction and intimacy from them. He thought that there would be no one in the Zenin clan who would dare raise a finger against him, because no one would have ever done that to him as a child. He never imagined that the Zenin would be legitimately dangerous to Megumi, and there were a lot of red flags he overlooked when the worst of it was going on because he assumed he already knew what was happening. When this was happening, he was completely burnt out, overwhelmed, mourning more than one friend, and struggling to meet the burden of being the strongest alone. He thought Megumi was acting out because 1) megumi already was getting in fights at school, and he made the mistake of thinking that Megumi was just a stubborn kid going through a sort of angry phase and 2) that Megumi hated them so much because visitation days meant he couldn’t stay with his sister. He didn’t realize that Megumi was fighting so hard to not go on visits because he was legitimately afraid of what the Zenin clan would do to him when he got there. For a lot of reasons that I won’t get into now, Megumi thought that putting up with the abuse was the cost of getting to keep his sister. He asked for help, told them that he didn’t like it at the Zenin compound and didn’t want to go, but he didn’t have the words to really explain what they were doing to him and gojo didn’t understand how bad it was. Megumi read this as “knowing and not caring” and thought the teen parenting trio knew how bad it was and that he just had to suffer through it or they’d take his sister away from him. By the time they realized what was really going on, it had escalated beyond the point of repair. Gojo has a lot of regrets.

Megumi's dynamic:

Naobito: Disturbed.

Naobito was the one who initially purchased Megumi from his father. And if Gojo hadn't had intervened, he would have personally taken Megumi into his household and raised him as the Zenin clan heir. He didn't really give a shit about Megumi until he realized he was the Ten Shadows, and after that, he felt completely entitled to him.

I think Naobito was always sort of insulted by Gojo's existence. He predated Gojo, is the thing, and he's the most powerful character that we know of in the pre-Gojo era other than Yuki Tsukomo, who wasn't an active fighter for the higher ups. As far as we know, he was the strongest until Gojo and Geto came along. Gojo potentially represented an immediate and violent shift of power from the Zenin clan to the Gojo, and it definitely would sting to be upstaged by a literal child.

The Ten Shadows returning to the clan represented a chance to correct that balance again.

If we accept that the Ten Shadows is a technique that can rival the Six Eyes/Limitless user, as well as the idea that the universe introduces “balances” to the birth of beings of power, then we at least have an environment where the Zenin may believe that whoever is next born with the Ten Shadows would be Gojo Satoru’s equal. Considering they value strength above all else, that gives them major incentive to desire the assimilation of whoever has the ten shadows technique into the clan.

But this was made a lot worse by the fact that the last ten shadows died.

The timeline in this is generally:

Second to last ten shadows: the one who got in the duel with the six eyes that gojo discussed in canon (~500 years ago)

Last ten shadows: child that was killed within months of discovering his technique (~200-300 years ago)

Current ten shadows: Megumi.

So they had just come off an overwhelmingly powerful Ten Shadows user, only to hurtle into the shame and humiliation of not being able to protect the next one. I like the idea that the six eyes and the ten shadows tend to pop up at the same time, so that means that the last six eyes got to grow and gain power while the Zenin were still licking their wounds from their heir being offed at a very young age. It’s insult to injury.

In the modern age, Naobito is coming off the humiliation of having been replaced by a literal child as the strongest sorcerer. He’s still harboring the ancestral humiliation of having lost the last ten shadows. And then gojo hits the humiliation of taking the new one right out from under his nose. Naobito bears that humiliation personally, because he’s the clan leader who should have brought Megumi into the fold and didn’t.

As a result, he’s just about obsessed with Megumi. He absolutely refuses to give up on bringing him back into the clan and grooming him to be the perfect, promised heir whose idea he’s been clinging to since before Megumi was even born.

There’s just something about how, in canon, Naobito had a clause in his will locked and loaded to make Megumi heir if anything happened to take gojo out of commission. I think that losing Megumi to gojo was personal to him, and that he’s almost fixated on Megumi as a result.

For his part, Megumi hates him and is a little afraid of him, though he’d never admit it. All of his interactions with the Zenin clan are skewed through the lens of “he was fucking six and just thought they were crazy motherfuckers who were weird about blood.” Megumi legitimately does not understand how important his technique is to them—he thinks they’d be possessive with any inherited technique, and he has sort of explained away any weirdness particular to him as it being because of what went down with gojo.

The Zenin view what they do to him as love. He’s the inheritor of their most treasured technique, and the only good thing toji did was name him blessing. It’s like Maki said—any resistance he has to them is attributed to Gojo’s influence, and they’re banking on overcoming it one day and returning him to the clan. Things like wearing the kimono and being called the ten shadows is a sign of genuine honor for them.

Megumi views it as a constant, persistent humiliation that’s probably just meant to spite gojo. They bought him because they’d buy any kid who inherited a technique, and then gojo saved him, which embarrassed the clan, so they’ve been getting back at him for it ever since. They can’t actually hurt gojo, so they hurt the kid he saved.

He’s dressed up like a doll in the kimono to mock him. Being called the ten shadows isn’t an honor to him—it’s dehumanizing. He has a name and they refuse to call him anything but his technique, which is why they bought him to begin with. From his perspective, it’d be like if you were hired for being Microsoft proficient and your boss refused to call you anything but “excel spreadsheet” because that’s all you were to them.

Naobito is the one who had “custody” of him as a kid in the clan, and he’s the one who called a lot of the shots with how he was treated. Megumi remembers him as the source of some of his most painful moments in childhood, and it’s undercut with this growing fear that Naobito won’t let him go. He’s sort of picked up on how obsessed Naobito is with him, and it scares him even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

Naoya: about as bad as can be.

Megumi really hits all of naoya’s inferiority/superiority complex hard. The thing is that Naoya kind of is sour he didn’t get the ten shadows. He was born right after gojo satoru, to the heir of the clan. He wants to be strong more than anything, and the ten shadows is supposed to be one of the strongest things in the world. Megumi is toji’s son, who he’s got that weird obsession with. And everyone sort of presumes Megumi would be heir if gojo hadn’t stolen him, which is a position Naoya would kill for.

In my mind, Naoya was one of megumis biggest abusers as a child. It made him feel strong to be able to hurt him. It made him feel strong to be able to make Megumi feel weak. His father was obsessed with Megumi, but Naoya was just cruel to him.

Megumi is legitimately terrified of Naoya. There was a time in his life where he genuinely thought Naoya would kill him one day.

Mai: A missed opportunity.

Megumi does remember Maki and Mai. Playing with them was the only good memory he has from that part of his life. He thinks of them as fondly as he can think of anything that happened in that place, and occasionally hopes they're okay, but he doesn’t really think of having a relationship with her ever. That would require going back to the Zenin, and he won’t ever willingly do that.

I’ve talked about how Mai thinks of Megumi in other posts, but he really does occupy a slightly less bitter version of the space Maki occupies in her mind. He was kind to her when no one else was, and it really was something that meant the world to her. There was a time in her life where she wished desperately he would come back and be her friend again. He was the ten shadows and the presumed heir to the clan, and he didn’t let anyone hurt her or Maki and agreed that they could all be friends. He sort of fueled her hope that things would get better one day, and when he went no contact, it sort of crashed her into a realization that it never would.

Maki: potential for growth

Maki turned her back on her entire family so she wouldn’t be crushed down, and that’s not something that didn’t hurt her. She convinced herself she would be absolutely alone for the rest of her life, but it would be fine because she would be strong enough to stand alone. It wouldn’t hurt.

(It did hurt.)

The other first years actually started to pull her back from that. It’s that moment after her talk with Yuuta, where she tells herself that she shouldn’t fall for it and go thinking she’s actually been accepted. She thought she would be alone and suddenly, for the first time, she’s not.

Megumi was a half remembered child she played with one time growing up. He didn’t mean the same to her that he did to Mai, because she didn't consider him a source of hope that things would get better the way that Mai did.

At the beginning of the fic, he was a bit of a sore spot, but not because of anything about him. I tried to very lightly hint that she had a bit of a sore spot around the Ten Shadows because there was a time in her life that people used to think that maybe she'd get it.

From birth, people knew Gojo would be the six eyes and limitless user. I like to think the Ten Shadows is the antithesis of the Six Eyes in almost every possible way, so in my mind, the ten shadows is notoriously hard to spot.

And i think that there is some canon to suggest this. Namely, the fact that they didn't know Megumi would have the ten shadows (or they wouldn't have been waiting to see what technique he had), the fact that megumi's cursed energy aura canonically changes with the shikigami summoned (re: his entire cursed energy output changing when he summoned mahoraga for the first time), and the fact that a huge part of his technique is stealth. With Gojo, you feel him from the other side of the block, but Megumi can be hiding in your own goddamn shadow and you don't know it.

I also like the idea that the Six Eyes and Ten Shadows tend to show up within the same lifetime. So from the second that Gojo Satoru was born, the zenin had an eye on the ten shadows finally returning to the clan once more.

Maki is from a branch of the clan that appears to be pretty high in the zenin clan hierarchy. By the time that she would have been developing a technique, if any, Naoya would have been confirmed as having not gotten it. Maki and Mai were the only other kids in that upper hierarchy that we know of. Canonically, it's implied you don't see curses from birth (if i have the right translation, Gojo at one point asks Megumi if he's started to see them, implying it doesn't happen right away, and when the Zenin buy megumi, they talk about how they think he has potential, implying there's an uncertain period where you don't know if a kid will be able to see curses). The clan probably had a lot of hope for them.

At one point, Kamo mentions that it would have been better if maki or mai had inherited Megumi's techinque, and I like to think that was a shared sentiment. Gojo was seventeen and had already usurped their clan as the strongest. They were getting desperate for the ten shadows to return, and a lot of people looked to maki and Mai for potentially inheriting it. And out of the two of them, Maki is the one that came off as having power (because she did--it was just a heavenly pact). Maki was certain, and confident, and moved like someone strong. People really, really wanted it to be her for a while. When she talks about how her dad used to take her to see the kimono a lot, it's because he was hoping she would wear it one day.

Maki was never jealous of Megumi. She's better off without her family anyway, and she's confident in who she is. But at the start, he was a little bit of a reminder of the sort of fall she had from the Zenin clan's greatest hope to their biggest disappointment. She never held any of it against him, but he reminded her of bad memories and set her on edge.

That turned on a dime while talking with Tsumiki in chapter 5, when she started piecing everything together. And megumi sort of became this chance to heal from old regrets.

Megumi will never be what Mai was to her, but a part of Maki still hasn't healed from leaving mai behind and losing her. Her sister hates her, and probably always will, and maki doesn't regret what she did but she does regret that it blew back on mai. She couldn't stay for mai, but she doesn't have to stay to help Megumi. She's sort of been ushered into a perfect opportunity to protect him from her family the way she could never protect mai, and he already means more to her than she really wants to admit out loud. She genuinely wants to protect him from her family, and a bit part of that is so that way she can finally protect someone from them, instead of just... failing and losing them.

For megumi's part, it's the same as mai--he barely remembers Maki, but he did think of her as the source of the only good memory he had in the clan.

He ran off with Mai, and Maki tracked them both down. He stomped his stupid clan clothes into the mud, and they didn't hurt him for it, not even a little bit. They played together, and playing is something he never had time to do anymore. Mai was the damsel, and Maki was the brave warrior coming to save her, and megumi's dogs played the part of the terrible monsters who had stolen mai away. Maki bullied Megumi into carrying her "swords" for her, and megumi honestly didn't mind, because all people did was make him fight at that stupid compound, and he just was relieved no one was hitting him for once. it was one of the greatest days he can remember from that phase of his life, and Maki has since been one of the only two zenin he missed. He hasn't thought of her in a while. He'd be glad to hear she got out.

#i have this entire prequel lore thing about megumis childhood with the Zenin but I don’t know how much I want to get into just because #I sort of want to write it but also probably don’t have the time #I will say what made them go no contact is what pushed Nanami over the edge and made him leave the jujutsu world entirely #he had been on the brink for ages and that was what broke him #Nanami had the line talking about how he promised Megumi he’d never have to go back to the Zenin compound again because he was the one who #first found out about what the Zenin had done to him and just couldn’t forgive himself after #all he could see was haibara #all of the teen parenting trio were messes when tsumiki and Megumi were young but Nanami really truly loved them so much and he has never #ever forgiven himself for not finding out and putting a stop to it sooner #sea glass gardens

[kmomof4]

Self-Promo Sunday: Clipping an Angel’s Wings

And now it’s time for Regina and Robin’s story!!! A Swan Family Christmas will post two weeks from today, so to get everyone ready for it, I’m featuring the original four fics in the series for SPS! If you haven’t read it before, I really hope you do because I’m SO STINKIN PROUD OF THIS ONE!!!! It was TREMENDOUSLY fun to write and everyone who’s read it already really enjoyed their dynamic and the mystery, as well as the appearance of the other family members.

Summary: Hollywood star Regina Mills is being stalked. When she finally admits she needs help, her agent, Will Scarlet contacts his old friend Robin Locksley to find the stalker and keep Regina safe in the meantime. Sparks immediately fly between Regina and Robin, but falling in love was the last thing either of them planned or wanted.

Ao3 link

Tagging the usuals. Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed.

@jrob64 @teamhook @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @artistic-writer @xarandomdreamx @undercaffinatednightmare @the-darkdragonfly @stahlop @superchocovian @pirateprincessofpizza @tiganasummertree @anmylica @cosette141 @motherkatereloyshipper @zaharadessert @jonesfandomfanatic @ultraluckycatnd @jennjenn615 @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 @kymbersmith-90 @booksteaandtoomuchtv @wistfulcynic @mie779 @snowbellewells @lfh1226-linda @aprilqueen84 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @pirateherokillian @elfiola @ilovemesomekillianjones @justanother-unluckysoul @poptart-cat-78 @myfearless-love @goforlaunchcee @searchingwardrobes @gingerpolyglot @gingerchangeling @djlbg @cocohook38 @cs-rylie @thisonesatellite @donteattheappleshook @deckerstarblanche @veryverynotgoodwrites @wefoundloveunderthelight @fleurdepetite @alexa-fangirl-forever @bluewildcatfanatic @qualitycoffeethings

#self promo sunday #clipping an angels wings #oq fic #krystal writes #a family affair

[ouatnextgen]

Curious Archer/ Mad Archer Ship Headcanons

One of two canon Next Gen ships, Alice Swan-Jones and Robyn Hood/Mills!

These two were one of the only things I liked about S7. Initially, I wasn't going to have Alice here at all, since I took the multiverse out of my re-write, but I love her waaaay too much to cut her out.

Tropes: True Love || Hopeless flirts || Fairytale romance || Love at first sight || The grumpy one falls for the sunshine one || Protective Couple

Songs: Dead Sea- The Lumineers || Mess is Mine- Vance Joy || Yellow- Coldplay || Still Into You- Paramore || Love Me Like You Do- Ellie Goulding || All of Me- John Legend

Headcanons Under the Cut: (Changes from canon) (Also keep in mind I changed Alice's parents to Killian and Emma in this AU)

Since both girls are teenagers in this AU, their relationship is going to have a different dynamic than in canon when they are both adults. I just wanted to make it clear that I’m not trying to infantilize Alice due to her mental illness or time stuck in the tower, but because she and Robyn are still teens, and it’s only been a year since Alice escaped her tower.

They met a year after Alice escaped from her tower. Since they had Snowing’s “I caught you in a net” meeting in canon, I gave them the “smacked you with a rock” meeting for this AU.

Alice ended up in Storybrooke, trying to find her lost family. Robyn saw her and thought she was a spy, chasing her down and tackling her in the woods. Robyn was surprised that she was a (pretty) girl, and Alice wacks her with a tree branch to escape. True love, baby.

After everything settles, they do a formal introduction: “I’m Robyn Hood. The new Robin Hood, anyway. The old one was my dad.” “New Robin…so Nobyn Hood?” “...no.”

Robyn was a goner from minute one. Unfortunately, she can’t flirt for shit. Alice, on the other hand, flirts by just being herself, which makes Robyn incredibly flustered, which makes her flirting worse, and on the cycle goes.

Alice knows that Robyn likes her, but she finds herself being cautious about growing close to anyone, not wanting her “bad days” to ruin any relationships she might have in Storybrooke.

Once Alice gets settled at Storybrooke High, Robyn takes it upon herself to show her the ropes and protect her from any perceived slight. Faces have, and will be, punched.

Everything is slow for them, as Alice has never been in a relationship (of any kind), and Robyn is trying reeeeeally hard not to fuck this up.

Robyn calls Alice “Tower Girl,” “Lovely,” and “Starlight,” because she’s a sap. Alice calls Robyn “Nobin,” “Yobin (Robyn with a ‘Y’),” and “Love,” because she is also a sap.

The first time Alice has a “bad day” in front of Robyn, she freaks out and thinks that Robyn will think she’s a psycho and leave. Instead, Robyn talks with Alice and comes up with plans to help her during her “bad days,” and episodes.

Alice has dragged Robyn out of bed to go stargazing with her more than once. True to form, Robyn complains, but she won’t ever say no to Alice’s smile.

They practice their magic together, though Alice is much more gifted than Robyn. Robyn tries not to let that get to her.

Alice’s favorite activity is to watch Robyn do archery. She loves how focused and passionate she gets.

Robyn’s never been all that touchy-feely, but Alice is touch starved from being alone in a tower since she was twelve. Robyn suddenly becomes VERY touchy-feely. With Alice, at least.

Robyn has previously dated Alex Boyd, before they came out as aroace, but that ended real quick, much to Robyn’s heartbreak. Alice hasn’t dated anyone, but during her time in Wonderland, developed a crush on Will and Anastasia’s daughter, Penny, which never went anywhere.

Both Robyn and Alice knew pretty early on that they were Not Straight. Robyn had a brief stint when she was considering she might be bisexual, but decided that lesbian fit her better. Alice just flat-out knew she liked girls when she accidentally conjured some non-heterosexual romance books while trapped in her tower.

Zelena, Regina, and Emma (and Robin, when he comes back to life) all ship the heck out of them. Killian, old fashioned man that he is, is concerned, but comes around eventually.

#ouat next generation #ouat next gen #curious archer #mad archer #alice jones #robyn hood #robyn mills #robin mills #robin hood ii #the next gen verse #the season 7 rewrite #alice swan jones

[thegrantwater]

posting a little snippit of an idea i got for a new swanqueen fic bc for some reason the whole dark swan arc seems to stick with me and i am thoroughly obsessed with the dynamic of dark swanqueen. let me know what you think and if you have any ideas! i need to write something soon or i might turn into sylvia plath idk

To be very clear, it was not supposed to happen like this. 

If things had gone according to plan, Regina would have absorbed the Darkness, taking on the Dark One mantle and all the power behind it. 

But, much like anything involving Regina Mills lately, Emma Swan felt the desperate need to stick her nose in it. 

So she ran to the Darkness, brandishing the dagger like a soldier in their first war. The Darkness, of course, adapted to the shift as darkness always does, and circled the Savior instead. Eagerly it tore through the light, shoving it down below its thick, inky evil and preparing for its new home. A change of plans, certainly, but nothing that couldn’t be reconciled. 

But Regina pushed her way through the sinister tendrils, joining Emma in the eye of the storm. 

That was unexpected. 

All cries of protest from their family were muted by the Darkness swirling around them, and they themselves had to scream to hear each other. Their noses were nearly touching, Regina with a hand on the back of Emma’s head and the other on her waist. The dagger was still in one of Emma’s hands, and the other quickly came to hold Regina’s shoulder. 

“Regina! What the hell are you doing!”

“I can’t let you do this Emma!”

“You have to! You’ve come too far to go back to darkness!”

“But so have you! I won’t let you become a monster just to save me!”

“Regina, please! Let me go!”

“No! I won’t lose you! Whatever happens to us, we’ll figure it out together! It’s what we always do.”

A look passed between them then. One of deep understanding, of longing and despair and hope all at once. Tears filled the women’s eyes as Regina’s hand moved up Emma’s torso and down her arm, meeting her hand at the dagger’s handle. She wrapped a firm hand around Emma’s, and the blonde brought their foreheads together, where they stayed as the Darkness continued to coil around them until finally, as if this was meant to happen all along, it swallowed them whole. 

Not according to plan at all. 

But damn, is it going to be interesting.

#regina mills #emma swan #swanqueen #swen #swanqueen fanfiction #swanqueen fanfic #ouat #once upon a time #ouat fanfic #idk i would just love to see more stuff about dark swanqueen mostly bc the evil queen and dark swan would be a fantastic power couple #who knows

[ao3feed-supercorp]

Alpha and Omega. SuperCorp and SwanQueen addition

by Thatonedumbkid61

Regina Mills and Lena Luthor wants to become a family. They've been wanting to become something more than friends since god knows when. But of course their mates, Emma Swan, and Kara Danvers have to know about this plan.

Words: 794, Chapters: 1/4, Language: English

Series: Part 39 of Swan queen and Supercorp Drabbles.

Fandoms: Supergirl (TV 2015), Once Upon a Time (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F

Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers & Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers/Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Emma Swan/Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers/Emma Swan

Additional Tags: Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Smut, AU combined universe, Foursome - F/F/F/F, Lena Luthor have powers, magical powers, Fluff, they're so in love, Pregnancy, I don't know who gets pregnant yet, Girl Penis, kara danvers is a puppy, so is Emma, Bisexual Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Lesbian Lena Luthor, Pansexual Kara Danvers, Lesbian Emma Swan, MY GAY BABIES, Alpha Emma Swan, Alpha Kara Danvers, Omega Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Omega Lena Luthor, Beta Child, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Scent Marking, Maybe twins.., Just maybe, a lot of cursing in the second chapter, because they're...fucking

from AO3 works tagged 'Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor' https://ift.tt/41iS7JP via IFTTT https://ift.tt/41iS7JP

#supercorp #Kara x Lena #Kara Danvers x Lena Luthor #karlena

[human-nxture]

Day 4- Favorite Non-Romantic Pairing

For OUAT Week, Favorite Non-Romantic Pairings.

...Is it okay if I just say any family dynamics? ALL of them. It's hard to deny family is a major part of this series; so the Charmings', Mills', etc. are just awesome.

But if you want some specific examples...

Swan and Regal Believer (Emma and Henry, Regina and Henry)

Henry and Lucy

Snow and Red

Emma and August (to me, they're like a brother and sister team)

#userstorybrooke #ouatweek2022

[lilacmoon83]

Which is the best ship for Emma? Regina or Neal?

I tend to ship Swanfire. I don't dislike Swan Queen and in fact, I love the whole Charming-Mills family dynamic so I'm certainly not opposed to it. I usually tend to ship Swanfire though. They have history and there's a bit of fate there. It also echoes Snowing as they meet, because she's trying to steal from him. :)

[dustxandgold]

chiara thanatos, daughter of lord hades of the underworld and zelena, wicked witch of oz (disney once upon a time) // character intro

Major: Philosophy

Age: 20

backstory:

chiara and her siblings were born on the isle of the lost to a loving family (albeit quite chaotic and troublesome at times), something that she always regarded as a privilege, considering her birthplace and all.

zelena was a protective mother who wanted to give her children what she never received herself; a real family. though she still hated it, she understood why her sister had had to send her away.

hades never did, but he still cared for his children in his own way; he would often encourage them to seek power so they could live happy and fulfilled lives. even after zelena helped defeat him, he still had a soft spot for her. eventually, he also started getting along with cora for the sake of their family.

her family dynamic is a mess that you don't really understand unless you're a part of it; what else can you expect with the infamous Mills on one side and the Greek pantheon on the other?

she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, though. they mean the world to her and she's glad that she and cassius have a strong bond, unlike their parents did with their own siblings.

personality and others

she's fair, loyal, and determined, but can also be bitter, cold, and a bit of a hothead. tends to hold grudges, much like both of her parents (luckily enough, she doesn't turn green like her mom, but she does have her dad's fiery hair)

she feels at home in the underworld, but she also likes digging into witchcraft and all kinds of magical practices she can get her hands on. power of any kind is useful, after all.

surprisingly enough, chiara is fond of classic subjects of study, such as philosophy and literature, and she's part of the university's debate society as well.

has a pet cerberus puppy called spot

doesn't like the swan-jones or 'their yes-men' a whole lot; she sees all of them as hypocrites (especially her aunt, regina).

#character intro #headcannons #[do you feel like a young god?; chiara]

[once-upon-a-incorrect-quote]

Snow: Wake me up…

Emma: Before you go go!

David: When September ends…

Henry: WAKE ME UP INSIDE-

#once upon a time #ouat humor #ouat #ouat incorrect quotes #incorrect quotes #emma swan #henry mills #david nolan #snow white #mary margaret blanchard #dynamic: the charming family #source: scatterpatter's incorrect quotes generator

[dinneratgrannys]

ONCE UPON A TIME 6.08, I'll Be Your Mirror

#ouatedit #onceuponatimeedit #swanqueenedit #once upon a time #ouat #swan queen #swan believer #regal believer #the swan mills family #s6 #6x08 i'll be your mirror #dynamic: swan queen #dynamic: the swan-mills family #event: rewatch 22 #the way i actually cried making this gifset <3

[swanqueensalad]

don’t come for me abt this but why do adora, glimmer and bow remind me of emma, snow and david 

#tough dumb gay blonde jock in a red jacket is adopted by overly warm n fuzzy disaster duo #while also being in love with their enemy lmao #its the Dynamic of Champions #catradora #shera #ouat #swan queen #snowing #charming family #swan mills family #swan mills charming family #spop #best friends squad #glimbow

[takaraphoenix]

Regina Mills and Emma swan for the ask game

Ah, both my girls! xD Thanks for asking! ;)

Regina:

favorite family dynamic: her and Henry (and Emma), they’re a good family

brOTP: Snow, I really love the way their dynamic changes over the seasons

OTP: Emma! Definitely!

OT3: Mh, no, not really got one

NOTP: I guess Snow?

favorite character trait: the way she fights for the ones she loves

least favorite character trait: girl really holds a mean grudge

faceclaim (if not adapted)/favorite adaptation: no, I am very pleased with the cast

favorite headcanon about them: Descendants crossover where Evie is her daughter (either with Graham from during the curse, ignoring the infertility, or with Robin), because I think even the two actresses look very similar and fit as mother-daughter!

godly parent in a Percy Jackson AU: Nemesis, revenge. I don’t like Hecate for her, because she actually had to learn her magic painstakingly so I think she’s more just magically inclined, like Hazel Levesque, than an actual child of Hecate

Emma:

favorite family dynamic: her and Henry (and Regina), because they co-parent Henry so well!

brOTP: Mh, that’s actually a good question... Probably August

OTP: Regina, definitely, though Hook is a close second!

OT3: Nope, I don’t... I can’t make Regina and Hook work, so no OT3 for her

NOTP: I don’t think I’ve encountered an Emma ship I really disliked yet? So, if there are, I am blissfully unaware of them so far! xD

favorite character trait: how well she can work even with those she may not trust

least favorite character trait: how she runs away and pushes people away when she becomes scared

faceclaim (if not adapted)/favorite adaptation: also very pleased with the cast as is

favorite headcanon about them: if she got to be raised in the Enchanted Forest, Ruby would be her FAVORITE aunt - both like wearing red jackets, both track people. Imagine how Ruby would have taught Emma to track others, because even in the AU I would want to keep that part of Emma that is a bounty hunter in there somehow, I just love the idea of kiddo!Emma running after Ruby everywhere

godly parent in a Percy Jackson AU: good question... I do think that she has some archery in her through her mother, so maybe legacy of Apollo and her “lie detector” as a warped version of Apollo’s gift of prophecy? While not seeing the future, she can tell the past/present??

Send me a character and I’ll tell you

#Emma Swan #Regina Mills #Once Upon a Time #Character Ask Game #send me asks #fantasylover16

[strideofpride]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard & Emma Swan, Background Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, background Victor Frankenstein | Dr. Whale/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard Characters: Emma Swan, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Prince Charming | David Nolan, mention of Victor Frankenstein | Dr. Whale, mention of Aurora - Character, mention of Mulan, mention of Henry Mills Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Mother-Daughter Relationship, i just really wish these two had kept some of their season 1 dynamic later on, also i love that throwaway line about one night stands in 201 and i wish they did more with it, Season 2, Charming Family (Once Upon a Time) Summary:

Mary Margaret’s right, they had talked about so many things they shouldn’t have talked about, back when they thought they were just roommates, and close friends, but certainly not family, certainly not mother and daughter.

Or, Emma and Snow adjust from being just friends to mother & daughter.

#just a silly little thing i whipped out cause i was having ouat feels again #ouat #once upon a time #snow x emma #snow white #mary margaret blanchard #emma swan #snowing #but in the background #my fics

[captcas]

Worth Fighting For

WORTH FIGHTING FOR by capthamm

Killian “Hook” Jones is a dominate up and comer in the UFC while Emma “The Savior” Swan’s career was cut short. When Hook’s manager moves up and the office brings in UFC’s youngest legend to keep him in check, will either of them be able to handle it?

read on ao3 // tumblr: ch 1/ ch 2

[CHAPTER 3/?]

Saturday night brings their monthly movie/game night and Emma has never been more grateful for a distraction. Ruby and the Nolans will come over around 6 o’clock and Henry is practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. Tonight’s theme is Star Wars and this will be Henry’s official introduction to the series; at David’s insistence they’re starting with A New Hope and going release order from there. They’re also going to play Star Wars trivia which Henry will undoubtedly suck at.

Should be a fun night all around.

And it was, until Henry went to bed and the “adults” got to talking.

Ruby cracks another beer and turns to Emma, “So, Emma, you’ve got probably the coolest new job in the world and you haven’t said jack shit.”

She shoots Ruby an icy glare as David and MM stop bickering over whether or not Kylo Ren deserved a redemption arc to hear what Emma has to say.

Emma sighs, “It’s going alright. All the onboarding is underway and between the perks, benefits, and pay, Henry should be set for life.” She’s been fortunate to live off her winnings for the past nine years, being mindful of money and not giving into the lifestyle of frivolous spending many fighters take on, but -even her friends know- she doesn’t have a money tree.

The looks on their faces when she mentions Henry being set for life could melt 1000 Olafs. When she arrived at Ruth Nolan’s home at the age of 16, she never expected to find a family. Hardened by a life too lived for anyone her age, Emma assumed they’d be like every other foster home and use her for the money. To this day, she’s never been so happy to be wrong.

Emma’s not sure what twist of fate landed an orphan with such a great support system, but she’ll be forever grateful. David took to the “protective brother” role immediately. Soon after Emma moved in, he met Mary Margaret (fireworks and butterflies and all that mumbo jumbo) who introduced them to Ruby. They’re small, and maybe a bit scrappy, but they’re family.

She breaks out of her thoughts and returns to the present, “I will need some babysitting though; I’m required to attend each of my client’s Fight Nights. But overall it’s great, really!”

She hopes she squeaked away without having to mention Jones at all but the glint in Ruby’s eye tells her otherwise. “Ok that’s all fine and dandy,” Mary Margaret shoots Ruby an incredulous look, warning her to tread carefully, but Ruby ignores her and continues, “but who’s the client?”

David is giving her a protective father vibe, Ms is practically vibrating, and she's pretty sure Ruby is salivating. Emma sighs realizing she shouldn’t postpone the inevitable, “Killian Jones.”

Ruby practically drops her drink and Mary Margaret squeals, David rolls his eyes and turns back to the TV where SportsCenter has been playing in the background. Mary Margaret beats Ruby to the punch, “THE Killian Jones?! As in Killian “Hook” Jones?!”

Emma nods, standing up to refill the only slightly empty chip bowl in front of her. She knew this was going to happen and she wasn’t exactly looking forward to her friends thirsting over her client– client… right.

Ruby speaks next, “Well that is probably the best case scenario. Do you think he can get us tickets? Have you met him? Is he as gorgeous in person as he is on TV? Can we meet him?”

Emma, now glad she’s in the kitchen with space to breathe, is starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. She knows Ms can sense it and is unsurprised when she speaks next,“For Christ’s sake Ruby let her breathe. She’s probably only had her initial meeting with him.”

Ruby seems to get the hint and it doesn’t take long before Ms is in the kitchen helping Emma pick up the leftover pizza, “We’re happy for you, Emma. He’s a huge client for them, they obviously trust you to do a good job.” Emma nods in thanks and they both head back into the living room. Her sister-in-law’s warmth always calms her (and Ruby) down which allows David to jump in and change the subject to the coverage of some football player’s arrest on SportsCenter. Emma finally catches a breath and realizes just how lucky she is for the friend dynamic they have before settling in to debate if this James Spencer kid should still be eligible for the draft.

As she lays in bed that night, Ms’ words ring through her head. Despite the rollercoaster of emotions she’s been feeling, Killian is a huge client, one that was formerly represented by a namesake for the company. This re energizes her a bit and helps her fall asleep, actually excited for what's to come.

She wakes up Sunday morning and makes Henry some pancakes and declares it a lazy Sunday. Henry happily obliged, cuddling up on the couch with The Deathly Hallows while Emma threw on some shitty reality TV.

. . .

When her alarm rings Monday morning, Emma pulls her pillow over her head like some teenager from one of those Disney Channel movies.

It takes her a second to remember what day it is and why she’s up at this godforsaken hour.

Killian Jones. Right.

She audibly groans before rolling out of bed and getting ready for the day. Between her shower and breakfast she gets Henry up. School starts at 8 so he’s technically running a bit behind but he’ll make it on the bus in time… hopefully.

She’s pouring him a bowl of cereal when he comes out of his room zipping up his sweater and rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, kid. Coco Puffs or Fruit Loops?” He mumbles some semblance of what she thinks is Fruit Loops so she pours the bowl and slides it across the kitchen island. He smiles in thanks as she pours her own bowl and sits beside him.

“So today’s the big day?”

She didn’t tell Henry about her new client and when she spoke to the Nolan’s and Ruby, he was definitely supposed to be sleeping. “How could you possibly know that?”

“You’re not as quiet as you think you are and I’m not as tired as you think I am.” He yawns as if to punctuate his point.

“Uh huh, sure, kid.” He gives her a knowing glance and she realizes she’s not getting out of this. She runs her hands over her face and sighs, “Yes, today is the first meeting and I’m only slightly nervous to fu— screw this whole thing up.”

Henry chuckles at her attempted censorship (she never said she was a perfect parent), “You’ll be great, Mom, and Hook seems like a decent enough guy. I’m sure he won’t give you too much trouble.”

She stares at Henry a bit dumbfounded. It shocks her everyday how old he’s getting– nine going on nineteen for sure.  “Are you hiding some Weasley’s Extendable Ears in your room or something? Are you a wizard? Should you be at Hogwarts?” Emma is very obviously trying to derail this conversation but it works, setting Henry off about how he’s finally on the sixth book and explaining the concept of a horcrux.

Oh, her sweet summer child.

God, maybe he is old enough for UFC.

When did that happen?

She ushers Henry to the bus, promising him they’ll watch the sixth movie tonight if he finishes the book today and is to school on time. It’s only September and he can’t be late three times in the first month of school. She kisses his forehead and he wishes her good luck.

Sometimes she wonders how such a screw up ended up with the perfect kid.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Emma finishes getting ready. She jumps on the subway and finds herself at the office with a half hour to spare. She’s never early so she chalks it up to nerves and uses the time to prep for this meeting.

Over the weekend she received multiple emails from Gold’s team surrounding a possible spot for Killian on the card for the pay-per-view Fight Night in November.

A pay-per-view card. She did enough research about Killian this weekend to know that would be his first.

Emma feels like she’s been thrown into the deep end before being taught how to swim.

Go big or go home.

She did a lot of research about Killian and learned practically nothing. She knows he came here from London almost ten years ago and that his team includes his head trainer Robin (husband of now former manager Regina Mills), and three other men named Will Scarlett, August Booth, and William Smee (he’s really selling it with that whole Hook theme). Other than that all she found was his record and highlights. He’s 6-0 which is insane for only being in the circuit for a year and a half– fighters are usually limited to three, maybe four fights a year.

4 of his 6 are knockouts.

He’s good… really good.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a light tapping on the edge of her cubicle. She glances up to find none other than the man himself. She can’t help but double take.

Real professional, Emma.

She's only ever seen him in the ring, at the gym, or dressed up for a business meeting. She’s not sure what she expected, but a leather jacket and pants that fit him like his own skin definitely weren’t it.

He looks good… really good.

Emma snaps herself out of it, “Hi, Mr. Jones, just give me a moment and we can head to the conference room.”

“It’s Killian, love, please.” She notices he winces at the seemingly habitual pet name. Emma ignores the ring of disappointment that runs through her gut at the realization that it may not be reserved for her. “A conference room’s a bit formal, don’t you think? Let’s get out of here, Swan.”

He grabs her hand before she can answer. “Mr.— Killian. Is this allowed?”

He chuckles. “We can plan the meetings at our leisure,” he says the last bit in an almost scary imitation of Regina, “but even still, Regina and I never met in office. A bit silly for two people to take up an entire conference room, yeah? Come on, lass, try something new. It’s called trust.”

Emma rolls her eyes but follows along anyway. The elevator ride should’ve been awkward but Killian kept the conversation flowing by asking her preferred drink. “Coffee, tea, or smoothies?”

Despite the risk of sounding like a child, Emma finds herself being honest with him, “Uhh, I actually prefer hot chocolate… with cinnamon.”

He smiles brightly at her, as though her drink order was the most brilliant discovery this century, “Perfect, Swan. I know just the place.”

She was so swept up in his ambush, she doesn’t realize that this isn’t the cocky, asshat Killian Jones she sees on tv or at the gym until he’s practically dragging her across the street to a small cafe. This Killian seems genuine and carries this almost childlike excitement.

Emma tells herself she has no interest in learning more about this Killian.

(Emma doesn’t have to tell herself that that is complete bullshit.)

. . .

He can’t stop himself from beaming when she offers up her drink order without hesitation. Killian feels like a bloody teenager around her. He promised himself he wouldn’t feel this way again, but something about Emma Swan has completely entranced him.

He finds himself fascinated with every part of her, including the small things, like the fact she takes cinnamon on her hot chocolate.

Once they get to the cafe across the street, Killian forces himself to dial it back. He can tell she’s guarded and as much as he’d like to be friends (more than friends) with the lass, he knows business has to come first.

It wouldn’t exactly be a good look for him if he ran “The Savior” out of the office on her second day.

Somehow he thinks he doesn’t have that power.

He’d like to. (Obviously not to run her out of the office, but he’d like his existence to mean that much to her.)

Bloody hell, he's being ridiculous.

They sit down across from each other at a small table by the window. He expects to start the conversation but before he can form a coherent thought she’s speaking.

“So, Killian. I’ve already received some correspondence from Gold’s team. I’m not sure how much time you usually take between fights and I know it’s already the end of September but…”

She’s rambling and he doesn’t think he’s ever seen anybody so adorable when they’re nervous.

Adorable is not a professional descriptor.

Killian Jones doesn’t want “professional” with Emma Swan.

Fuck.

“...Gold is hoping to get you on the main card for November 14th.”

Did she just say main card?

He chokes on his coffee.

“Main card, Swan? I’ve never been on the main card. Strictly early prelims…”

She eyes him suspiciously, “Usually that’s a good thing. Upward momentum and all that. His team is clearly impressed by your dominant record.”

“Is his team the only one impressed?” The flirt escapes him before he can stop it.  

Bloody idiot.

She doesn’t even bat an eye, “The entire league seems to be impressed, Jones.” Her tone tells him she knows what just happened but she shut it down immediately.

He likes a challenge.

Emma Swan may be his favorite challenge yet.

Emma Swan is off limits, but Killian will be damned if he cares.

. . .

Emma is surprised when Killian pays for their drinks despite her insistence that she can charge it to Mills Management. She’s also surprised by how nice he is.

She keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop.

She’s still waiting.

He’s definitely flirtatious, every other sentence being easily twisted into some sort of innuendo, but she can tell it’s a front. The little things he does like tipping the barista an extra fifty cents or holding the door for her, let on to the man behind the persona.

Well, and the fact he practically chokes when she tells him they want him for the main card.

He seems genuinely shocked that anyone would be impressed by him. His mask comes out almost immediately, another innuendo laced into his question. She doesn’t let him go there, shutting it down as quickly as it started. For this to work, she needs him the real him. Not the cocky MMA fighter who he used to catch the eye of UFC execs. She compliments him, and it’s beyond genuine. That seems to calm his nerves a bit as they move into social media management and he shifts into a professionalism she’s not entirely prepared for.

She’s not sure she wants professional Killian Jones.

Whoa, Emma, pump the breaks.

She shakes it off as she watches him take notes on what she’s saying about the importance of a lead up on Twitter and how it can set the tone for the entire fight. His tongue runs along the inside of his lower lip as he concentrates and she can’t help the overwhelming wave of attraction that hits her.

Like lightning.

It’s not just the tongue, (but that’s not helping) it’s his dedication to this sport and how he actually gives a fuck about what she’s saying. Killian never displayed even a hint of the deeply rooted misogyny that runs rampant throughout the industry. He actually seems almost humbled by her presence. The words escape her mouth before she can’t stop them, “Why are you actually taking anything I say seriously?”

Very professional, Emma. Way to instill confidence in your client. Smooth.

His head snaps up at her abrupt question and he looks confused. “I know you don’t like being called a legend, Swan, but you were a damn good fighter. If I walk out of this partnership with half the following and success you had, I’d call that a win.”

She’s stunned by his sincerity.

Brick. Wall. (She thinks she hears Pink Floyd somewhere in the distance.)

“And I suppose you think you know all about me from our, what, three conversations now?” She knows it’s snippy, that’s the point.

He stops typing and puts his phone down. “Pardon me, love, but you’re a bit of an open book.”

Emma scoffs, “Anyone with the internet knows I prefer people don’t call me a legend.”

“Aye, but do they know it’s because you feel too young with a career too short to have made an impact? That you feel choosing yourself, a life, over MMA removes all glory from your name?”

Emma is entirely shaken by his apparent ability to read her like a fucking picture book. (Does that even make sense? Do you read picture books?) Emma never had a formal retirement ceremony; gloves in the middle of the ring and all that. She had asked Gold to be taken off the roster and for a quiet exit and that’s what he’d given her. The public doesn’t know the real reason she left MMA, her attempt at keeping Henry’s life as normal as possible, but somehow Killian–

Brick. Brick. Brick.

“Let’s talk about Instagram.” She sees the disappointment sweep across his face, realizing she can read him pretty well too. That’s terrifying.

Way more terrifying than social media plans.

They keep it strictly business for the rest of the meeting. She’s startled when her stomach rumbles and she checks the time.

12:00. They’ve been strategizing for three hours.

She’s not sure where the time went, and when Killian asks her if she wants to grab a bite to eat together, she’s startled again by her initial gut reaction to say yes.

Obviously, she says no and makes up some lie about needing to get back to the office. He knows it’s a lie, she can see it all over his face. He doesn’t push her though, and she’s grateful. They set their next meeting and Emma’s heart speeds up, seemingly unaware that this is a business meeting and not a date. She shakes his hand and promises to have a full plan ready for Thursday before practically sprinting out of the cafe.

In three conversations Killian Jones has gone from asshat to… who knows. One thing Emma does know is that Killian Jones is off limits to the highest of ethical degrees. But what scares her most, is that she’s not entirely sure she cares.

. . .

As soon as he asks her to lunch he knows he’s pushed too far.

Actually, he perhaps pushed too far by letting on just how easy it was for him to read her, but lunch, well that was just asking for a brick wall. He runs his hands across his face, completely taken with someone he has no right to. She’s witty, smart, and could probably kick his ass— scratch that, could definitely kick his ass— but she also has demons, he can see them swimming behind her eyes. Demons that seem scarily similar to his, maybe not on the surface but definitely in their damage. Emma is raw and unapologetic; a real human being who is, for all intents and purposes, unimpressed by the suave persona of Killian “Hook” Jones.

She’s bloody perfect.

He’s fucking fucked.

Eloquent.

Killian decides to grab a quick lunch from the cafe and head to the gym. He has a lot of pent up frustration and really feels the need to punch something. Thank god that’s his job. He scarfs down his sandwich, not realizing how hungry he was and jumps on the subway to the training center. He miraculously finds a seat and is able to scroll through his phone a bit. As he pokes around Twitter he finds an article announcing Emma “The Savior” Swan’s comeback to the UFC. He clicks on it, curiosity getting the better of him despite probably knowing the gist of the article.

He didn’t expect a timeline of her very impressive career:

2008: Swan joins the UFC with her Boston gym. Her debut match against Aurora Rose ended in a TKO. She’s back in action six months later fighting Ella Tremaine. She wins again, this time after three rounds by split decision.

2009: A dominant start to the year for The Savior with a first round submission against Tiana Dampier in January. She rounded out her year with another first round submission against El Oldenburg in May, and a third round knockout against Esmerelda Gringoire in October.

2010: Swan goes three rounds with Merida Baer and wins by unanimous decision. Swan wins again after three rounds by split decision against Megara Alcmene. The Savior’s final match is a KO against Mulan Fa rounding out her record to 8-0. Her next match, meant to be for the women’s title, was declined with no comment from The Savior.

2020: Swan joins Mills Management as a talent manager assigned to Killian “Hook” Jones.

Killian knew Swan was good, an early legend in her own right, but he had no idea she was this dominant. He also had no idea she left without so much as a wave goodbye. He figured he’d just missed the announcement seeing as it came well before his introduction into the sport. Against his typical moral code, he tries to google why she left but finds nothing. She knocks out Mulan Fa and then just stops being added to cards and fades away as new fighters take her place.

He knows there’s a reason for her secrecy and he’d be lying if he said curiosity was the only driving force behind his attempt to learn more. He finds himself wanting to know everything there is to know about Emma Swan; a deeper part of him aches for her to be the one who tells him.

He’s positive he can only dream of gaining that level of trust from her, but he has to try. Liam's words ring heavy in his ears, "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets."

He gets off at the stop closest to the training center and walks through the front doors, waving to Belle at the front desk before heading into the locker room. He’s fortunate to be on the UFC roster, allowing him to keep his training gear at the center and not have to worry about lugging it around with him. It also gives him the freedom to come here whenever he needs to let off some steam. He changes quickly and finds a treadmill to warm up. He jogs a mile and a half before picking up the pace. Killian’s in the midst of his runner’s high when someone steps into the machine next to him. He turns his head to offer them a small smile in hello, it’s not that big of a gym, exclusive to the UFC industry and a few friends of friends, so chances are he knows the person at least in passing.

Oh, Killian knows them alright, and he practically falls off the treadmill when he sees her green eyes blown wide.

#Captain Swan #cs ff #cs modern au #emma swan #killian jones #capthamm #worth fighting for