Bath Time

If Killian Jones had a guilty pleasure it was a nice warm bath. He knew it was the norm of this realm was to shower, but he still preferred to draw a hot bath after a trying day of chasing whatever bad guy was terrorizing Stroybrooke. They reminded him of his days as a notorious pirate captain and whenever he was in port he would go straight to the nearest bathhouse for a long soak and steam. It was a long needed respite from his crew, to be alone with his thoughts whilst lounging in the hot water infused with perfumed oils. He liked to think about where to go to next, what great adventure was just out on the horizon, what priceless treasure could he capture and after he lost his love and his hand he mainly thought about ways to find and bring down the Dark One. The hot water and the steam seemed to help open his mind and bathhouses were great places to eavesdrop and gain information from unsuspecting patrons.

However here in Storybrooke there were hardly any chances to get a good bath, there just wasn't enough time between fighting bad guys, having his heart taken from him, Emma getting it back and True Love Kissing him, helping Emma move into her new apartment and moving out of Granny's and in with her. He wasn't complaining though, in fact he had never been happier now that he was living with Emma and Henry.

One Sunday afternoon as he was reading on the couch in the living room while Henry was out hanging out with some friends and Emma came into the living room shrugging on one of her many leather jackets.

"I'm going on a Costco run with Mary Margaret so I'll be gone for a couple hours, unless you want to come to?" she asked.

"Need I remind you of the last time we went to that behemoth of a store?" he said looking up from his book.

"Hey it's not my fault you wandered off and got lost! But I guess you're right, I'll see you tonight then," she leaned over the back off the couch and kissed him goodbye before walking out the front door. Killian stretched and continued reading, Belle had suggested it to him when he came into the library looking for something to read. The two had become unlikely friends after Rumplestiltskin had skipped town when Emma discovered his plan to rid himself of the dagger by killing Killian. He enjoyed the story so far, plenty of sword fighting and witty word play to keep him engrossed, especially from the character Tyrion Lannister but his favorite might be Jon Snow, a bastard quite like himself. He finished the chapter he had been reading and set the book down, needing to rest his eyes. He got up off the couch and started to tidy the apartment up, old navy habits die hard and he likes to keep his living quarters neat and orderly, he did the dishes in the sink and swept the floors in the kitchen. He had finished wiping down the counter and looked at the clock, Emma and Henry were not due back for over 2 hours and he had run out of things to entertain himself with. He wandered around the apartment just thinking, when he found himself in the bathroom he and Emma shared and he eyed the large tub that had gone unused since Emma had moved in. He checked his watch again, Emma and Henry would be out for a couple of hours at least, plenty of time for a nice long soak. He turned on the bath, fiddling with the taps until he got the water to the perfect temperature. He remembered the basket Ruby had given Emma as a house warming gift at the party her parents threw for her after she had moved in.

"If anyone in this town deserves a nice bubble bath, it's you," Ruby had said while handing it to her. Emma had smiled politely and thanked her and stashed the basket in the cupboard under the sink. He knelt down and found it, pulling it out and opening it. His nostrils filled with a multitude of different scents, and he went about looking at and sniffing the different bath bombs. He avoided anything with an abundance of glitter and anything too sweet smelling, especially one that wreaked off vanilla that practically gave him a headache with one sniff. He found one that was green with yellow speaks that had a spicy and herbal scent that reminded him of the bathhouses he frequented in the Enchanted Forest. He dropped it into the bath and watched as it fizzed and bubbled and created a rich foam of dark green with veins of park purple running throughout, for a land without magic they had many amazing things that he wouldn't have begun to dream of before coming to this realm.

He undressed, neatly folding his trousers and shirt and removing his brace before he remembered his book and wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed it before returning to the bathroom and lowering himself into the bath. He sighed contently, the warm water soothing his sore back and muscles, chasing down villains and moving house can really do a number on the body. He breathed in the rich and spicy scent of patchouli and black pepper and closed his eyes, letting his thoughts slow down, he pushed any thoughts about the Crocodile's whereabouts out of his mind, instead just letting his mind go quiet for a while. He was extremely cozy, the tub was large enough for him to stretch out comfortably, he felt knots he didn't even know he had loosen and come undone. Maybe he should convince Swan to try a bath, or maybe he could give her a back rub, if his muscles were this sore then hers had to be too. He wondered what they were going to have for dinner, if he was going to make something or if Emma was going to grab something from Granny's on the way home. His thoughts swan through his minds lazily and without haste, images of a possible future with Emma and Henry and maybe in a few years another child, with her golden hair and his blue eyes. Killian smiled, he never allowed himself to think about things too far in the future but ever since Rumplestiltskin had stolen his heart and nearly crushed it, he realized just how much he wanted to make the rest of his very long life happy and Emma was definitely a factor in that.

He heard the key being fitted into the lock of the front door and he sat up abruptly, water sloshing out and onto the floor.

"Killian?" he heard Emma call out and heard her footsteps approaching the bathroom and he only just realized he had left the door open. Emma pushed open the door and locked eyes with him her face moving from confusion, to shock, to laughter.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, trying to hold back her giggles.

"Taking a bath obviously," he said leaning back into the tub, "You should try it sometime, it's quite relaxing."

"Wait are you using one of the bath bombs Ruby got me?" she asked coming closer to inspect the water.

"Yes and I must say Swan I've never had a bath this luxurious, where do we get more of those?"

"This place called Lush, wow I never would have thought that Captain Hook enjoys bubble baths," she said a smile spreading across her face.

"Why so surprising? Working on a ship for weeks on end can really take a toll on the body that only a nice long soak can fix, it can really relieve some tension," he said winking at her.

"Hmmm well if a bubble bath can help you're old bones maybe it can help me unwind," she said as she started taking off her sweater.

"Swan what are you doing?" Killian said raising his eyebrow.

"Unwinding," she said as she stripped off the rest of the clothes and got in the tub with him.

"What about Henry?"

"He's sleeping over at Hansel and Gretel's. So pirate, let's release some tension," she said as she captured his lips with her own. Baths definitely became a guilty pleasure for Emma Swan too.