Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters you may recognize and am not profiting from this story.
"C'mon guys, I know you've got more than that! Give me all you've got! I wanna see you sweat! 8, 7, 6…"
Chocolate eyes snapped towards the group X room, curiously scanning the small group of people currently laying on step platforms raising bars with weights over their heads. After a few moments and several more shouts of encouragement over the noise that was labeled music, Regina nudged the blonde next to her.
"Who in God's name is yelling like that?"
The blonde in question looked up from her phone, raising an eyebrow in question. Regina motioned with her head toward the wall of glass they were passing on their way to the locker rooms. "Oh, that's the new group instructor. She teaches a few of the classes I think. Looks like that's the BodyPump class but I've seen her doing Zumba once or twice as a sub and one of the other Body-classes, can't remember which one," Katherine said, finishing her text before putting her phone away. "You can't see her from here but she's a beast; I heard she's ex-military but super sexy. The attendance of her classes is so high they have to do a signup sheet and then cut people off for safety reasons."
"Certainly sounds like a beast, barking like that," the brunette mumbled.
"Mhmm, but I'd let her bark at me any day," Katherine replied wistfully, making Regina raise an eyebrow at the unusual comment.
Regina placed her bag on the bench near the corner they always used for their lockers and started pulling out her tennis shoes and bike pants. The women chatted lightly while getting changed before grabbing their water bottles, towels, and music and heading back out into the gym. This was their normal routine; every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday they would use the bike room during the early slot when there wasn't a class and would set off for an hour, riding anywhere from 15 to 30 miles depending on the difficulty they chose that day. Then on Saturdays, Regina came by herself and swam several laps to relax and stretch out her muscles before utilizing the steam room (when it wasn't out of order for whatever reason).
"So," Katherine broke Regina's concentration, who was still trying to catch a glimpse of this beastly woman, "how's Henry? Did he figure out how to handle those boys in his grade?"
Regina sighed, "You know, sometimes I wonder why God would let people procreate to birth such demons. But yes, he said Ms. Blanchard talked to them about their behavior and is going to keep an eye on him, so hopefully that'll help some. 8 year olds can be real pains in the ass, it seems."
Katherine chuckled, agreeing whole heartedly. "And you question why I don't want kids. You are much more level headed than I'd ever be if a kid was bullying my son."
"Oh trust me, if Henry hadn't been so adamant, I would have stormed over to those boys' houses and had a very strongly worded discussion with their sorry excuses of parents. Those doe eyes can get just about anything I'm afraid."
Both women claimed a bike and set off for their 10 minute warm up ride, continuing their conversation and catching up from the weekend. After their ride, the women said their goodbyes and gave each other hugs. Then Regina grabbed her shower caddy and slipped on a cheap pair of flip flops to rinse off before she had to head to work.
It was on her way out of the shower, wrapped in nothing but her small navy towel and dripping wet that she noticed a woman she hadn't seen at their gym before. Katherine and Regina purposefully went to the gym just after the brunette dropped Henry off at school because fewer people were around, so Regina recognized most every female who used the locker rooms around the time she was there. And this blonde was not a regular. She was turned away from prying brown eyes, rummaging through her locker in search of something it seemed, so Regina took the time to look the woman over. Defined calves lead up to shapely thighs and a pert back side covered in small black shorts. Muscle rippled under the creamy pale skin of her back and shoulders, a dark blue sports bra covered a modest yet appealing che- wait… Regina's breath hitched as her eyes shot up the last few inches to connect with green eyes filled with amusement. She'd just been caught ogling the other woman; Regina did not ogle anyone, let alone a woman.
Pale pink lips curved up in a small smirk, causing Regina to clear her throat and continue her trek to her locker. When had she stopped moving? Prickling tingled at the base of her neck alerting her to extra eyes watching the brunette's every move. As discreetly as she could, Regina slipped her thong up her legs, the material catching slightly from not being completely dry. She readjusted her towel around her waist so she could clip her bra into place and then let it fall to the bench behind her. Chancing a glance behind her, she noticed green eyes flick down past her hips as the unknown woman glanced her way once more. Immediately Regina felt her cheeks heat with a fierce blush and she turned around to finish putting on lotion. As she was buttoning the last two buttons of her silk blouse, Regina heard a shower turn on. When she turned around and began tucking in her shirt, the blonde was gone. Regina didn't give herself time to question why her heart seemed to stop for a moment or why there was a slight frown on her face.
Dark brown locks were just being mussed into place when a flash of blonde caught Regina's attention again, surprising her. She wasn't able to stop the small gasp from escaping and if the quirk of the blonde's lips were any indication, it was not as quiet as she hoped. Regina tore her eyes from the blonde's form in the mirror and focused back on applying her eye makeup for the day. Of course, she picked the one mirror that was just adjacent to the locker the mysterious woman was now at. But it was also the closest to her things as well, she reasoned. She cursed herself and her fluttering heart when her hand slipped, leaving a small streak, when she saw a glistening drop of water slide into ample cleavage.
"Shit."
A quiet chuckle made chocolate eyes snap to the right again, catching the blonde just as she released her towel and stood in all her naked glory for anyone to see. Or in this case, just Regina and the two older ladies chattering away on the other side of the row, but the fact remained that this chiseled, gorgeous, goddess- ok this woman was naked, and staring at Regina like she knew exactly how the brunette's heart was flip flopping in her chest. Regina quickly licked her pinky and wiped away the smudge, re-outlining her eye and studiously moving on to apply her smoky shadow as a finishing touch.
"You know," a slightly raspy voice broke the palpable tension that had built, making a certain brunette's breathing catch slightly again, "You have great definition in your legs. The BodyAttack class would be a perfect combination with your biking and swimming. You know, if you wanted to try it out." The blonde had just casually made conversation while redressing, like she wasn't basically eye-fucking Regina the whole time.
Regina wasn't used to random strangers making small talk with her. At the office, hardly anyone dared to even wish her good morning lest they endure her wrath, and it wasn't like she was involved in PTA or anything to bring about friendly conversation with other parents. Other than Katherine, she didn't talk to many people outside of business transactions and her son. Frankly, she wasn't completely sure what she was supposed to do in this situation. Evidently Regina was silent too long, as the blonde continued.
"I'm Emma, Emma Swan. I teach a few of the Les Mills classes here and I think you'd be great." With blonde locks tied up in a pony tail again and finally decent (if a thin wife beater and small shorts are considered decent), the taller woman reached out a hand, eyes roving Regina's body once more.
Ah, a venue Regina could work with: flirting. "Well, Ms. Swan," Regina husked, ignoring the blonde's hand, "I think someone has a bad case of a wandering eye and loose lips. Which is too bad; I prefer to keep things tight." With a last blot to her ruby red lips, Regina packed her makeup away, grabbed her things, and headed out of the locker room with a smirk on her face. It was going to be a good day.
AN: So this is my first dabble with OUAT after reading anything and everything SwanQueen and RedBeauty and Beautiful Warrior related religiously for the last few months. Not completely sure where this will go but I think it has potential. Would love to know if anyone thinks I should continue and any suggestions or constructive criticism is always encouraged! Thanks for taking a chance on this journey with me,
Xox B