'Winter's Curse' - Once Upon a Time (Regina, F, eventual F/F)

[Rolling Rebel]

So I've been re-watching Once Upon a Time recently, and I'm currently mid-way through season 3, and Regina is giving me all the feels. I decided she needed a hug and that I was going to get her one via the means of fanfic, but of course that means torturing her a little or a lot more first. For those who watch, this is set around 3x13 'Witch Hunt', for those who don't this is Regina. Need I say more? Eventual Swan Queen, because who doesn't ship it?

(Also not tons of sneezing in this part. There will be more.)

****

"Hey Mayor Mills," Henry said as he walked into Granny's and Regina felt the now-familiar stab of pain run through her at the casual greeting.

"Good afternoon Henry," she replied, trying to keep the longing out of her voice. He was inclined to look at her as if she'd grown a second head for showing too much interest in his life, which made any conversation longer than an exchange of pleasantries difficult.

Not that she was in any state to begin a conversation now, the headache that she'd woken up with had intensified to the point that it felt as if her head were trapped in a vice and there was a dull ache spreading through the rest of her body, making her feel sluggish and almost heavy. After finally admitting to herself that she wasn't going to get any work done today, all she wanted was for Ruby to finish making her coffee so she could go home and crawl into bed. But Ruby was on the other side of the room, merrily chatting to Belle and ignoring her duties, while she was left trying to think of something to say to her son that he might respond to with something other than a blank look.

Then Emma Swan burst into the diner, and for once Regina was grateful to her for interrupting.

"Hey kid," Emma tossed her hat and scarf onto the table. "Did you order yet?"

Henry shook his head without looking up from the handheld video game he was engrossed in. Emma straightened and looked around, noticing Regina for the first time.

"Hey!" She said brightly, and then her smile faded as she took a closer look at Regina. "You OK?"

Great. Apparently it wasn't enough that she felt like death, she had to look like it too.

"I'm fine dear," she said dismissively, and winced as she realised that congestion had begun to dull the edges of her consonants. Worse, the tickle that had been torturing her all day flared up almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth and she barely managed to raise her hand to her nose in time to smother a set of sneezes against her knuckles.

"Heh-nxxt! Heh-mmppt! Hih-tscht! Heh-gxnsch! Hih-nxxt-nxxt-nxxt! Heh-mppt-chiew!"

Each stifle only seemed to increase the itching sensation and the sneezes came faster and harder to restrain until an embarrassingly breathy 'chiew' tumbled out and the tickle receded slightly, leaving her sniffling and breathless.

"Bless you!" Emma exclaimed, one eyebrow raised. "So you were saying how 'fide' you are?"

She blurred the 'n' into a 'd' in a mockery of Regina's earlier speech and, though her smile seemed good-humoured, Regina flushed in humiliation. She looked around for Ruby, who was still prioritising her social life over her job, and when the tickle started to flare in her nose again she was just done. There was a nagging voice inside her head whispering that everyone in the diner was revelling in her misery, and the teasing had effectively handed it a megaphone. So she turned and fled back home before the sneezes tickling at her nose or the tears stinging her eyes had a chance to escape.

[PropertyofCora]

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN EEEEEEP SWAN QUEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited? I love nothing more than finding once fanfic on here, especially of my OTP. There is so little it pains me. However, knowing you're about to torture my baby makes me so happy. That sounded horrible as I reread it, but I don't care, because this is so wonderful! You just had to set it at such a devastating time, didn't you? That just makes this so much worse for Regina!

Please never stop.

[Evilduckling108]

OMG yay! This is so fantastic and I love love love the stifles. Poor Regina! Can't wait for the next update.

[Rolling Rebel]

SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN SWAN QUEEN EEEEEEP SWAN QUEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited? I love nothing more than finding once fanfic on here, especially of my OTP. There is so little it pains me. However, knowing you're about to torture my baby makes me so happy. That sounded horrible as I reread it, but I don't care, because this is so wonderful! You just had to set it at such a devastating time, didn't you? That just makes this so much worse for Regina!

Please never stop.

Hello OTP friend! Glad you enjoyed, I know there wasn’t much in the first part, but hopefully this will make up for it. And yeah, I don’t know why my brain transitioned from ‘Regina needs something nice to happen to her’ to ‘Let’s make some more bad things happen to her first’ but I am a massive hurt/comfort fan so it’s hardly surprising really.

OMG yay! This is so fantastic and I love love love the stifles. Poor Regina! Can't wait for the next update.

Thank you!! I love stifles too, especially when they start failing at being stifles. *evil dictator laughter*

Here’s part two, I’ve switched to Emma’s POV for this (although still third person). I’m planning on doing alternating chapters in each perspective, hopefully it’ll work. Also I’m trying to keep this in character and not make Swan Queen happen too fast but I keep having to forcibly separate them so that may not last.

Let me know what you think!

Part Two:

Emma shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other and seriously contemplated bolting. She hadn’t rung the bell yet, so Regina wouldn’t even know she had been there and she would avoid what would undoubtedly be a very awkward conversation.

This was probably a crazy idea anyway, to say that she and Regina had a complicated history would be an understatement and if someone had told her when she had first come to Storybrooke that she would one day be delivering soup to Henry’s other mother she would have laughed in their face. But yet she was here, and her bag definitely contained soup, and somehow her finger had just taken on a life of its own and wandered to the doorbell so there was no backing out now. If there was one thing she wanted to do less than explain to Regina why she was ringing her doorbell it was explain to Regina why she’d rung her doorbell and then run away. Plus, she tried to remind herself, their relationship had changed since she’d first approached this house and while the woman she’d met that night might have been someone who she’d be willing to leave sick and alone, the woman who had fought beside her in Neverland and given up her own memories to give her a happy life in New York wasn’t.

That didn’t mean, however, that her heart didn’t drop into her stomach when she heard footsteps approaching and the door opened a little to reveal Regina’s irritated face. Her expression softened slightly when she saw Emma standing on the porch and she opened the door the rest of the way.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked sarcastically before whirling away to sneeze into her cupped hands. “Heh-gxnt-chiew! Hih-txcht-iew! Heh…heh…hetschew!”

They were less well suppressed than her earlier fits and from the exhausted look in her eyes when she resurfaced Emma guessed she simply didn’t have the energy. She looked a lot worse than she had at Granny’s just a few hours previously, nose red, eyes bloodshot and face unnaturally pale.

“I had that cold last week,” Emma said, wincing as she added. “Probably spread it around the town actually. Anyway, it knocked me on my ass so I just brought you some stuff that might help.”

“Stuff?” Regina arched an eyebrow, eyeing Emma’s overflowing bag with suspicion.

“It’s mostly the contents of Mary Margaret’s medicine cabinet,” Emma admitted. “Kills two bird with one stone really, she’s been complaining about missing me growing up, so when I get back she can give me a lecture about stealing and I can act like a sulky teenager.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Regina’s mouth. “You know she was a bandit?” She said. “Remind her of that if she starts on you.”

They both chuckled for a moment until Regina’s vision slid out of focus and she spun around to sneeze again. Despite her obvious exhaustion she had returned to trying to suppress her sneezes as much as possible, and pinched her nose hard between her thumb and forefinger. This worked well on the first four sneezes, which were completely soundless, only noticeable due to the violent bobbing of Regina’s head. But they were clearly becoming stronger and more and more sound began to escape although Regina continued to pinch her nose fiercely.

“Hih-mppt! Heh-gxnt! Huh-gnsch! Heh-nxxt! Hih-nxgt-chiew! Huh-gnsch-iiew! Hih-hih-hih-ushieeew!”

This fit lasted longer than the first and she staggered dizzily on the final sneeze, clutching at the door frame for support. Before she had time to think about her actions, Emma was stepping over the foyer and cupped a hand under Regina’s elbow to help keep the unsteady woman upright. Regina took a few shaky breaths before she opened her eyes and looked sharply at Emma.

“I see invitations work differently in New York,” she said, and Emma had to bite back a retort about leaving her to faceplant the rug next time.

“I see hospitality works differently in Storybrooke,” she shot back instead.

Regina sighed. “And where do you expect to be invited next?”

“Your kitchen?” Emma suggested, nudging the door shut with her foot. “I brought soup. Do you want soup?”

“If it’ll get you out of my house faster,” Regina grumbled as she led the way to the kitchen, but Emma knew, like she always seemed to know with Regina now, that she didn’t mean it.

She expected a bit of a fight before being allowed to use Regina’s precious kitchen equipment, but apparently the other woman had given up on fighting her because she simply collapsed onto a stool with her elbows propped on the table in a very un-Regina-like manner and as soon as Emma turned her back she dropped her head into her hands.

“Why are you here?” She asked tiredly as Emma tipped the soup into a saucepan. Mary Margaret had made enough to feed a hospital full of flu patients when she was sick last week and though she had rolled her eyes at her mother at the time she was grateful now.

“I told you,” she said. I had this last week and it knocked me on my ass. I did not feel well enough to make myself soup and tea or do anything much. David actually had to carry me to bed one evening.”

Regina looked faintly horrified at the thought. “You are not carrying me anywhere.”

Emma burst out laughing at her expression. “Understood. But soup? And tea? You’ll let me help with that?”

Regina nodded tiredly and they lapsed into silence until Emma set a steaming bowl of soup in front of her. She picked up her spoon, then set it down again almost immediately, pinching her nose between her thumb and forefinger again as her eyes glazed over. This time she only managed to keep the first sneeze completely silent before the sound began to tumble out.

“Huh-ngg! Mppt! Huh-ngsch! Heh-nxgt! Hih-mppt! Mppt! Mppt! Huhgnschoo! Heh-ngxt! Nxgt! Nxgt! Nxgt! Nxgt!”

The sneezes were coming so fast Emma doubted Regina could breathe but still the sick woman kept her nose in a chokehold. She gasped in a ragged breath, eyelashes fluttering, and then began again.

“Heh…heh…heh…heh-ngsch-oo! Huh-mptsch-iew! Heh-nxgt! Nxgt! Nxgt! Nxgt! Nxgt!”

Finally Emma could stand it no longer.

“Regina,don’t,” she said, startling the other woman into releasing her nose. Immediately an unrestrained “Hah-IT-SCHIEW!” tumbled out, followed by a dozen more.

“Huh-ISCHIEW! Huh-ISCCH! Huh-ISSCH! Hih-tchiew! Het-schew! Huh-chiew! Chiew! Chiew! Heh-sschoo! Huh-ra-schiew! Hup-tchoo! Heh…heh…heh… heh…heh-ITSCHIEW!”

She kept her hands cupped over her nose when she was done, sniffling desperately, and Emma reached for the tissues on the counter behind her and passed her a handful. Regina wiped at her nose and hands then tossed the crumpled wad into the trash, still sniffling. Emma made a quick decision.

“Just going to the bathroom,” she said, and darted out of the room. Even from down the hall she could hear as Regina blew her nose thoroughly, released at least ten more irrepressible sneezes, and then blew again. She frowned to herself. Maybe she was embarrassing Regina more than she was helping.

When she returned to the kitchen Regina was taking tentative mouthfuls of soup but she was visibly drooping and when Emma got closer she saw an almost imperceptible shiver run down her spine. She busied herself with the washing up and a few minutes later Regina pushed away the half-full bowl with a sigh.

“I’m sorry,” she said, the congestion evident in her voice again. “I’m just not very hungry.”

“It’s fine,” Emma replied. “You’re actually a better patient than me. I refused to eat the first batch of soup Mary Margaret made, said it was too salty. The second batch wasn’t salty enough, and by the time we got to the third she said she wasn’t making any more so it’s a good job that tasted perfect.”

Regina’s lip twitched in that odd half-smile again. “Henry did the same thing when he first had flu,” she said wistfully. “Except I panicked and ran to Granny’s for soup when my efforts weren’t good enough. I think she was a little surprised to see me, given that it was eleven at night and I was wearing my pyjamas and an apron.”

She gave a sad little laugh at the end of the story, and Emma shifted uncomfortably. She remembered the incident Regina was describing well, it was one of the memories she had given her, although in her version it was a Jewish deli owner who had been shocked at the sight of Emma in her strange outfit, banging on his door in the early hours of the morning to demand soup. She felt the same mix of guilt and gratitude and something else she couldn’t place that had compelled her to come here in the first place, although she still didn’t know if her presence was actually helping.

“Do you want me to leave so you can get some rest?”

Regina hesitated and that was all the answer Emma needed. It appeared that with Regina her superpower no longer stopped at spotting lies. She could also see the truths the guarded woman was hiding.

“Or we could watch a movie?” She suggested. “I wouldn’t mind putting off that conversation with Mary Margaret about why half the contents of her apartment went on a walk to your house this evening for a little while longer.”

It was the right way to pitch it. Regina looked relieved for a brief moment before schooling her features so that she looks more put upon. “I suppose I could save you from that for an hour or so, dear,” she said, and led the way out of the kitchen.

[Evilduckling108]

I LOVE IT. Really good, really sneezy fic of my OTP and it's still in character and OMG you are killing me! Those multiples are incredible and poor Regina! She's so embarrassed and I just can't. Keep up the great work!!

[PropertyofCora]

Yay! I love the newest installment. Regina's nose is out of control, which has to be killing her. I also love how Emma realizes Regina's embarrassed yet is still determined to stick around because she loves her. Please tell me this movie-watching is going to come with cuddles? Actually, don't tell me, I might not survive sneezy and embarrassed Regina snuggling up to Emma.

On a side note, it makes me very happy to see fellow SWEN on here. It's been a while since I've posted any fanfic on this site, but I have so many started stories of these two, I just may have to post some now.

[evilregal]

Oh this is amazing! My OTP! We definitely don't get enough Swan Queen fics on here!

[Rolling Rebel]

I LOVE IT. Really good, really sneezy fic of my OTP and it's still in character and OMG you are killing me! Those multiples are incredible and poor Regina! She's so embarrassed and I just can't. Keep up the great work!!

Thank you!! Glad you’re still enjoying this and finding it in character. Characterisation causes me all of the stress so it’s nice to hear that I’m doing it right!

Yay! I love the newest installment. Regina's nose is out of control, which has to be killing her. I also love how Emma realizes Regina's embarrassed yet is still determined to stick around because she loves her. Please tell me this movie-watching is going to come with cuddles? Actually, don't tell me, I might not survive sneezy and embarrassed Regina snuggling up to Emma.

On a side note, it makes me very happy to see fellow SWEN on here. It's been a while since I've posted any fanfic on this site, but I have so many started stories of these two, I just may have to post some now.

Cuddling, you say? I couldn’t possibly comment…

You should definitely post your fic – this forum needs more people torturing *ahem* writing about Swan Queen!

Oh this is amazing! My OTP! We definitely don't get enough Swan Queen fics on here!

Thank you! And welcome to the forum, great username choice!

We’re back to Regina’s POV for this part, and I find her harder to write than Emma so I rewrote it about four times and I’m still not entirely happy with it. But I’ve written the next part already and I enjoyed that much more so I’ve decided to let this out into the world so I can publish that quicker.

Part Three:

When Regina had accepted Emma’s offer of watching a movie she hadn’t realised that the other woman had the attention span of a gnat, along with most of its decision-making capabilities. Emma had seized the remote control and was currently taking Regina on a whistle-stop tour of every channel on her television. Apparently there were a lot of them too, she had bought the most expensive package because of course that was the only one with the cartoon channel that Henry needed, but she barely watched it herself.

“Sorry, Emma said suddenly, apparently realising that flicking through the channels at lightning speed wasn’t exactly conducive to relaxation. “What do you want to watch?”

“This is fine,” Regina said and Emma’s brows knit in confusion.

“But it’s a commercial for laundry detergent.”

“Perhaps I like laundry detergent dear,” Regina said in as condescending a tone as she could muster. In all honesty she hadn’t been paying much attention to what was on the screen, she just didn’t want to be left alone, but she wasn’t about to admit that. “I certainly prefer it when we stay on one channel for more than ten seconds.”

“Sorry,” Emma said again with a wry smile. “I don’t normally get control of the remote. Got a bit carried away. Oh look.” She pointed at the screen, where the detergent commercial had ended, giving way for the opening to some romantic comedy. “I think I’ve seen this one before. The blonde girl thinks she’s in love with the hot guy, but he turns out to be an ass so she ends up with the other hot one who she thought was an ass at the beginning? Or is that just the plot to all of these movies?”

“They are all rather similar,” Regina said. “But I don’t know that I want to be subjected to the choosing process again.”

Emma threw a cushion at her and then, at Regina’s raised eyebrow, sent a blanket hurtling after it. “Just making sure you’re comfortable. Do you need anything else? Tea? Advil? Foot rub?”

Regina rolled her eyes and wrapped herself in the blanket.

“I’m fine dear,” she said, though she was feeling worse by the second. The ache in her head had lessened a little, but it seemed to have spread to the rest of her body. An insistent tickle was still probing the back of her nose, faint enough that she could just about ignore it for now, but warning that more sneezes could not be far off. Her throat was sore too, and she was beginning to feel a chill creeping into her bones. She snuggled further into the blanket and shivered. Emma gave her a sideways glance.

“Fine dear,” Regina said again. “Just a draught.”

Emma seemed placated by this, and turned back to the movie, but when ten minutes had passed and Regina was still shivering she looked over again with a sigh.

“You’re not fine,” she said impatiently. “I can practically feel this couch vibrating. Have you taken anything?”

“I had some Tylenol earlier,” Regina said defiantly, although she had taken the last dose that morning, having found her medicine cabinet all but bare. Emma was not fooled.

“How much earlier?” She asked, and when Regina didn’t answer she flung herself off the couch and stomped off, returning with a handful of pills and a glass of water.

“Take these.”

Regina was about to ask what she was being given but Emma’s tone brooked no argument so she just swallowed obediently. Emma tossed a number of pill bottles from her back pocket onto the side table.

“Repeat dose in four hours.” She said. “Maybe I was wrong about you being a better patient than me.”

She flopped back into her seat on the couch and Regina, still shivering, tried to focus on the movie. Her nose was making it difficult to concentrate though. The tickle that had been brushing feather-light against her sinuses since her last sneezing fit had spread to the rest of her nose and had intensified to an infuriating itching sensation. She wrinkled her nose, which had no effect whatsoever, then brought a hand to her face and scrubbed furiously at the offending appendage with the heel of her hand. If anything, this made the itch worse, her nostrils burning and flaring with the desperate need to sneeze. Despite knowing it would do no good in the long run, she pinched her nose so hard it was painful and managed to release six sneezes without making a sound. She knew it couldn’t last though, the stifles providing no relief, and though she kept her nose pinched just as tightly the next few sneezes were less well contained.

“Heh-txxscht! Huh-gnsch! Hih-mppt-chiew! Huh-gnk-choo! Heh…heh…heh…heh…heh…”

The itch vanished suddenly and she released her nose with an exhalation of relief. It was a mistake. Within seconds the tickle returned with a vengeance and the final sneeze exploded out of her.

“Heh-IT-CHIEEEWWW!”

“Bless you,” Emma muttered, and sent the tissue box sailing her way without taking her eyes off the movie. Too self-conscious even to apologise due to the congestion she knew would be tainting her voice, Regina flushed scarlet as she mopped herself up. The blanket had slipped onto the floor during the sneezing and a more violent shiver ran through Regina’s body as she noticed the lack of it. She heard Emma sigh again and looked over. Emma’s eyes were still on the screen but her mouth was twisted as she deliberated over something. Regina’s own lips twisted in tandem. Obviously Emma had realised that sitting with her while she sniffled and shivered her way through a predictable romantic comedy wasn’t the best way to spend an afternoon, and was trying to figure out the politest way to make her escape. She opened her mouth to tell Emma that she was fine, she didn’t need her here, she wanted to sleep anyway, but was cut off by an abrupt “Come here.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come here,” Emma repeated, patting the couch beside her. “Consider this lesson two of Fever 101, if you can’t get warm on your own then try stealing someone else’s body heat.”

“What was lesson one?” Regina asked, still a little stunned that Emma wasn’t running for the hills.

“Take the damn drugs,” said Emma with a grin. “Had you forgotten already? Now seriously come here, for both our sakes. I wasn’t kidding about the couch vibrating.”

Another violent shiver was all it took to convince Regina, and she shuffled hesitantly towards Emma, who put an arm around her and began rubbing her blanket-covered side to generate more heat. She had to admit that she did feel a lot warmer, and she was just starting to relax when the tickle in her nose decided to make its presence known again. She wrenched away from Emma to avoid sneezing on her but her body protested against the sudden movement and a wave of dizziness came crashing over her, which she had no time to recover from before the sneezes hit. Mortifyingly, she was too exhausted and woozy to do anything more than cup her hands to her face and lurch forward again and again, unable to suppress the sneezing.

“Huh-TSCHIEW! At-sschew! EISCHEW!! Heh-ti-schiew! Huh-rah-schiew! Heh…heh…heh…heh…TCHIEW!”

By the time she was done she was completely out of breath, the world spinning so much that she was forced to shut her eyes with a groan. Through the dizziness she felt a hand rubbing soothing circles on her back and the realisation that she had an audience brought the humiliation crashing back over her. Hot tears sprang to her eyes and she squeezed them tighter shut, taking shaky breaths until she was sure she had enough control over her equilibrium and her emotions to open her eyes and sit up.

“You don’t have to stay, you know,” she said, searching Emma’s face for the expected contempt and disgust but seeing only concern.

“I know,” Emma said, motioning for Regina to come closer again. “But I don’t think I have seen this movie after all. How will I know if it’s like all the others unless I see the end?”

[evilregal]

Yay! I love the newest installment. Regina's nose is out of control, which has to be killing her. I also love how Emma realizes Regina's embarrassed yet is still determined to stick around because she loves her. Please tell me this movie-watching is going to come with cuddles? Actually, don't tell me, I might not survive sneezy and embarrassed Regina snuggling up to Emma.

On a side note, it makes me very happy to see fellow SWEN on here. It's been a while since I've posted any fanfic on this site, but I have so many started stories of these two, I just may have to post some now.

Oh, please do post some stories!

[evilregal]

Loved the third part! Poor Regina, she's so embarrassed! Emma's being wonderful though!

[Evilduckling108]

Yay! I love the newest installment. Regina's nose is out of control, which has to be killing her. I also love how Emma realizes Regina's embarrassed yet is still determined to stick around because she loves her. Please tell me this movie-watching is going to come with cuddles? Actually, don't tell me, I might not survive sneezy and embarrassed Regina snuggling up to Emma.

On a side note, it makes me very happy to see fellow SWEN on here. It's been a while since I've posted any fanfic on this site, but I have so many started stories of these two, I just may have to post some now.

Oh, please do post some stories!

Seconded!

Loved this installment too! You are literally killing me right now! I cannot handle all the cute and Regina's so embarrassed and so not used to having someone want to take care of her and be with her and the sneezing, of course, is just GAH!! You are satisfying my hurt/comfort kink and then some. Can't wait for more!

[guiltyascharged]

Yes, OTP! Just look at my little Swan Queen babies

[SexyGodlikeHair]

Okay, this is DEFINITELY one of my favorite fics in a while-without a doubt my fave Swan Queen one. Please continue, I love everything about this so much!

[ValkyriePleasant]

I've never actually seen this show before, but this is frickin' amazing! I love how Regina's still trying to muster all the sarcastic remarks she can and is so worried about Emma thinking she's disgusting.

Please continue!

[Likesn]

Keep going! We definitely need more OUAT female sick fics here, and I'm crossing my fingers for Emma to catch this cold......

[SexyGodlikeHair]

poor bby Regina...yo I think we all know who made lil regina so upset about her sneezing :,(

[TheGreatCatsby]

This is super cute!!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Finally started watching OUAT and I have to say I love this. Only just got beyond this episode and well... all the feels. Regina does need a hug, desperately.  So I'm glad you gave her some and made her bond with Swan. ^^

Awesome story.  Hope you consider picking it up again at some point, but in any case, loved the read!