Title: This Magic Moment
Summary: And just when Killian thought kisses with Emma Swan couldn't be any more magical, she proved him wrong.
Spoilers: Up through 4x11, "Heroes and Villains"
Characters: Emma Swan and Killian Jones.
Rating/Warning: K+. Here be Captain Swan fluff, my lovelies.
Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time and its characters were created by Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and are owned by ABC. I just need something fluffy to keep me from going nuts over hiatus.
Author's Note: This is what happens when I get on an oldies kick. Title, inspiration, and lyrics in the header are all taken from "This Magic Moment," which was covered by a few different bands in the 1960s, though my favorite version is by Jay and the Americans. Feedback makes my day so much brighter! Enjoy.
This magic moment,
So different and so new,
Was like any other,
Until I kissed you.
Killian Jones had noticed something special about his kisses with Emma Swan. Every time their lips met, something miraculous happened.
Something magical happened.
Their first kiss in the Neverland jungle was of course magical in its own way. The thick humidity of the jungle air, the sticky scent of the damp leaves, the danger that constantly surrounded them … it had all faded away the second her lips touched his. He could only feel her, sense her.
The kiss had awakened within Killian feelings and desires he'd long believed lost to time, pain, anger, and vengeance. But perhaps the most miraculous occurrence of all was the brilliant flashes of color he'd seen behind his closed eyelids during the kiss, sparks that had brightened his world and had shown him the promise of life beyond the bleakness of his past.
He still didn't know if Emma had seen the same sparks behind her closed eyes but something within her changed after that kiss. He had seen it in her eyes; she felt the same desire he did and the kiss had offered her the same promise it had offered him.
Apparently, neither one of them could handle it.
"A one-time thing," she'd said at the time but somehow they'd both known that she was wrong.
And thank the gods she was. Every single kiss they'd shared following, Killian had seen the sparks behind his eyelids. The colors of the sparks varied, differing with the mood of each individual kiss. The slow and tender kiss outside Granny's after their return from the past, for example, had resulted in pale purples and blues. They were soft colors, calming colors, a far cry from the hot reds and oranges he'd seen during the Neverland kiss. But they were just as wonderful, just as miraculous.
Just as magical.
And just when Killian thought kisses with Emma Swan couldn't be any more magical, she proved him wrong.
One day not long after the Lady Belle had banished the Crocodile from town, Emma and Killian had enjoyed a stolen moment in the sheriff's station while the prince was out on patrol. "Thank God you're here," she'd said when Killian had stepped into her office. "I'm bored out of my skull."
He'd smirked at her. "I'm assuming your days are much quieter now without a villain causing disruption."
"You assume correctly," she'd replied, smirking back, "and while I appreciate having time to breathe and not having to fear for everyone's lives every second of every day, I do kind of wish we had a string of petty crimes to investigate or something, just to keep me from falling asleep at my desk."
And then they'd taken advantage of their time alone, sharing a few tender kisses. And all of a sudden, Killian had noticed that the sparks weren't just behind his eyelids anymore. Oh, no, the sparks had exploded in the air above their heads like silent fireworks, bright flashes of white and yellow that were gone as quickly as they appeared.
Swan hadn't noticed, however, and Killian hadn't been able to figure out a way to bring it up. For now, the sparks could be his little secret.
He soon discovered – through plenty of opportunities for observation – that the outward sparks only occurred when she was fatigued. He could only assume that her magical control, which was still relatively new to her, would slip when her energy reserves were low.
He still didn't mention them to her, however. Since the sparks were the result of an utterly endearing but completely unconscious magical quirk, he was somewhat afraid that calling his Swan's attention to them would cause them to stop.
Now, the two of them were enjoying a rare evening alone. Henry was staying the night at Regina's, the two of them entrenched in their plan to find the author of the lad's storybook. The prince and princess had taken the young royal for a visit with Red, leaving Emma and Killian alone in the apartment for the next few hours.
It was positively blissful.
Emma had prepared spaghetti noodles for the evening meal, mostly because it was easy to prepare after her long day at the station. "Not stressful long," she'd explained when he'd asked if everything was all right, "just long."
They'd eaten leisurely, taking their time over the meal to talk about the events of the day – or non-events of the day, in Emma's case – and enjoy the relative peace and quiet together.
Then they cleared the table and washed and dried the dishes together. Killian's heart leaped in his chest at the sheer domesticity of the activity. Dare he imagine that one day, he and his Swan would be washing their own dishes in their own place?
Killian had just set the last plate back in the cabinet when Emma took his hand and dragged him over to the sofa. "I see your attempt to culture me in the ways of the Netflix continues apace," he said teasingly when she turned on the moving picture box with the magic control wand.
"Yep," Emma replied somewhat distractedly, her attention mostly focused on searching through the options the Netflix offered tonight.
Killian didn't understand why she always weighed her options so heavily. No matter which story she chose to show him, one of two things would happen. Either they would wind up getting too wrapped up in each other to pay attention to the story or Emma would fall asleep part of the way through it.
"Are you sure you're going to be able to stay awake for the story tonight, love?" he teased as he watched her wearily flick through the options.
She glanced over at him, a smirk curling on her lips. " What are you talking about? I always stay awake for the movie."
He smirked as well but didn't bother arguing with her. They both knew that barring her attention being focused elsewhere, Emma would fall asleep snuggled up against him. The promise of a story she'd seen multiple times previously was never enough to keep her from succumbing to the exhaustion of the day. Not that Killian minded at all. He'd simply comb his fingers through her hair while she dozed, the casual intimacy between them bringing a smile to his face.
"Oh!" she cried as she sat at attention. "Super 8! I actually really liked this. It's a total throwback to the movies of my childhood."
Killian had no clue what that meant or how numbers could be super but the excitement shining in her eyes left him with only one option. "Then this is the story we shall watch tonight."
They assumed their usual positions as if an invisible teacher had assigned them. Killian tucked himself in the left corner of the couch while Emma snuggled up against his side. Smiling gently, he slung his arm around her shoulders. She accepted his silent invitation, shifting impossibly closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder. Then she pressed a button on the control wand and the story burst to life on the moving picture box.
As was typical for Killian during this activity, he initially had a hard time focusing on the story. His entire being was wrapped up in the closeness with his Swan, in basking in the togetherness, in breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo, in attempting to calm his pounding heart.
Of course, Emma's hand coming to rest on his chest as she made herself comfortable didn't help matters.
But focus he was eventually able to do, and he had to admit that this story intrigued him. He didn't understand what was happening yet, of course, but the children in the story amused him and he wanted to know what was behind all the odd occurrences in their little town.
Killian was not at all surprised when Emma's head began nodding forward halfway into the story. He simply smiled and ran his fingers through her long tresses. He'd discovered that this particular action typically soothed her into a light slumber.
He was surprised, however, when she shook her head and pulled away slightly, sitting up a little straighter. "Don't," she mumbled. "You're going to make me fall asleep if you do that."
"You're falling asleep anyway," he murmured softly. "You're tired, love. You should sleep."
"I don't want to," Emma insisted somewhat petulantly. She sat up fully, swiped a hand over her face, and pressed a different button on the magic control wand. As the story halted in its tracks, Emma turned to face Killian with a half-sleepy, half-coy grin on her face. "We have the apartment to ourselves tonight. We never have the apartment to ourselves."
"Oh?" he asked.
She simply arched an eyebrow at him.
Oh.
The half-finished adventure of the children in the story immediately fled Killian's mind; he now only had eyes for his Swan. He leaned in for a kiss, and in the moment between their lips meeting and Killian's eyes closing against the rush of emotion, he saw the sparks surrounding them.
They were light, pale blue and pink and green, but they had an edge to them, too, as if they could turn dark and fiery at the slightest provocation. Just like the kiss, slow and tender and exploring but heavy with mounting passion.
The spell was broken when Emma suddenly pulled away, a surprised gasp escaping her lips. Killian's eyes snapped open and searched her confused and panicked face. "What's the matter, Swan?" he asked, his own panic rising in his chest.
"Did you … did you see that?"
Her voice was breathless, strangled with fear and astonishment. "See what?" he asked, glancing from side to side. Was someone in the apartment? How had someone gotten in? Unless they'd done so by magic. A new villain, perhaps?
"There were … colors."
And suddenly, a wave of relief washed over him. There was no new villain. It did appear, though, that the secret of the sparks had been revealed. "Aye, love," he said, smiling gently. "Pink and blue and green, if I'm not mistaken."
Emma blinked at him, utterly bewildered. "Why the hell are you not freaking out?"
Before he could even open his mouth to explain, however, comprehension flooded her features. "This isn't the first time this has happened, is it?"
"No, Swan, it's not," he replied, hiding an amused grin.
"But … it doesn't happen all the time. I think I would know if it happened all the time. Hell, other people would have seen it! Oh my God, can you imagine if my parents saw it? Or Henry? Or all of Granny's?! Oh God!"
Killian had to work hard to swallow a snicker. Her flustered embarrassment struck him as utterly adorable. "I think we're safe from all of Granny's being a witness, at least. It only happens when you're fatigued."
"So you've only seen them when I'm tired? No other times?" He nodded his confirmation. She pursed her lips, as if trying to determine whether or not that was all right with her. After giving a slight nod – apparently, it was indeed all right with her – she finally moved on to the deeper implication of her discovery. "I'm … we're … we make actual sparks when we kiss?"
A tender smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Aye. The colors change seemingly with the intensity of the kiss as well."
Emma paused, allowing that to sink in. "And you kept this to yourself because ...?"
Killian shrugged somewhat sheepishly. "It's endearing. Also, it was clear you weren't aware you were doing it. I was afraid that if I brought it to your attention, it would stop."
The expression on her face changed as the shock wore off and his words registered. She appeared touched, both at the notion that her magic reacted to their kisses in such a manner and that he liked it so much that he was afraid of putting a stop to it by bringing it to her attention.
After a breathless moment, Emma Swan shot him a wicked, flirtatious grin. "Okay, then, pirate. What do you say we see what kinds of colors we can make when I'm fully aware of what I'm doing?"
Killian grinned back, his heart pounding in anticipation as she leaned in for a lingering, passionate kiss.
And oh, the sparks they made.
