"Liam should just be getting back from class," David says, shouldering open the stairwell door. "You remember him, right?"
"Of course I do," Emma replies. "He's only been your roommate since freshman year. If I wasn't sure you had a girlfriend, I'd consider you guys my favorite couple."
Despite himself, David chuckles. His sister's always had a weird sense of humor, only cultivated by the years of cynicism and abandonment preceding their mother adopting her. "You know, sometimes, I think Mary Margaret wouldn't hesitate to agree with you."
He digs his keys from his pocket and knocks on the wooden door of his dorm room. It's their signal, a precaution taken every time the door is closed. They don't want a repeat of the one time Liam accidentally walked in on him and Mary Margaret in more of an intimate embrace. As Emma struggles with her bag over her shoulder, David hears voices coming from within. Cautiously, he jiggles the knob and finds the door already open. Pushing the door ajar, he finds the majority of the space in his shared room occupied by two tall, dark-haired men.
Emma speaks from behind him, her voice gruff. "Can you move? This may not look heavy, but after the day I've had, I'm done with this bag."
David apologizes and moves out of the way. Upon hearing another voice, the two others in the room turn around. One is Liam, thankfully, but the other looks too similar to his roommate to be anyone other than the younger brother he speaks so highly about.
"Dave, mate, what's going on?" Liam asks, his hand gesturing to Emma and her overnight bag. "Mary Margaret isn't going to be too pleased when she finds out you've picked up another lady on the side."
"Jesus! If you cheat on Mary Margaret, David, I will end your life." Her threat is empty for now, but it sure does get the brothers' attention. Their eyes are the same shade of blue, more pronounced with their eyes wide with shock as she smashes her bag on the ground near the closet. Standing up, Emma stretches briefly and then holds her hand out to Liam. "Guess you don't remember me, but I'm Emma. David's sister, not his side hoe."
Liam laughs but his brother's eyes grow even bigger, if possible. "Of course. I apologize profusely. Lovely to see you again." He shakes her hand and then claps it on the shoulder of his still-shocked brother. "This guppy here is my little brother, Killian Jones. Killian, this is my roommate David Nolan and his sister Emma."
"Emma Swan," she corrects him. "Long story, but I swear he's my brother."
Killian's jaw hangs open as Emma sticks out her hand for a shake. It takes a moment for the circuits to connect correctly, but he eventually takes her hand, then her brother's.
"What are you doing here?" David asks Killian, their hands still firmly grasped across the bed between them.
"I'm here for the weekend," he explains, pointing to the rucksack on Liam's covers. "Big brother wanted me to come and visit before exams got to be too overbearing." With a lift of his eyebrow, Killian nods to Emma. "I'm assuming it's the same tale for you, love?"
She rolls her eyes from her perch on the mattress before nodding in reluctant agreement. David looks at Liam, their eyes meeting and confusion echoing through the connection. "I thought you said he was coming next weekend?" David says.
"No, Killian was staying this weekend and Emma the next."
It's an argument in the making that's put quickly on hold. Looking toward David, Emma sighs and asks, "When do you guys plan on going to sleep? It's been a long day and if you plan on partying the entire night, I'll just go down to Mary Margaret's room and sleep there."
"Nonsense," Killian admonishes. He physically brushes the idea away with a wave of his hand. "I'm quite knackered as well – drove up here from New London earlier today."
"Interesting," Emma drones, clearly feeling the opposite of what she's said. Sighing again, she groans as she sits up. "Well, what are the sleeping arrangements then? Should I go down to Mary Margaret's room?"
"Emma, no, you're the guest. If your brother hasn't already offered you his bed, you can sleep in mine and I'll take the floor," Liam insists.
David rolls his eyes and scoffs. "D'you really think I'm such a bad brother that I haven't told her she can sleep in my bed?"
Moaning, Emma grabs her pajamas from the top of her bag and heads toward the door. "I don't mind sleeping on the floor, there's no need for anyone to be chivalrous. Just throw me a couple blankets and I'll sleep next to whoever isn't afraid I'll give them cooties."
When she returns from changing in the bathroom and saying a brief hello to Mary Margaret, Killian's curled up on the floor, both their brothers in their respective beds. "Well," she drawls, throwing her dirty clothes on her bag. "So much for guests and that shit."
"Shut it, Emma," David grumbles into his pillow. "You were the one who wanted to go to bed."
0000
It's nearly three in the morning and, like clockwork, Liam's bladder forces him awake. It's yet another remainder of his and Killian's questionable childhood. Unsure if anyone would make it home during the night, Liam took to drinking two glasses of water right before going to sleep every night. That way, he'd be forced to wake up in the middle of the night to check on his little brother. He could've stopped once he turned 16, when the brothers Jones moved in with their Aunt Belle, but old habits die hard.
Silent and well-practiced, Liam rolls out of bed. He stands for a second, gathering his wits and steadying his bearing. It's only then that he remembers not one, but two bodies make the trek across the dark room harder. He lets his eyes adjust to the night, staring at the ground somewhere in the vicinity of where Killian fell asleep.
What he sees when he's become accustom to his night vision makes Liam smile. His little brother's body is beside his bed, mere inches from his feet, but unexpectedly, it's curled around Emma's. His forehead rests between her shoulder blades and her arm lies over his on her waist.
His younger brother seems happy in his sleep, as does his roommate's sister. They're cute. When Liam returns from the loo a few minutes later, they had shifted so Emma's head was pillowed on Killian's chest.
"Quite the catch you're reaching for, little brother," Liam murmurs to himself, pulling the covers back up to his chin. "Best of luck."
0000
It's hours later that the sun streams through the creases in the curtains, waking David up way too early on a Saturday morning. He shuffles around, making unattractive grunting noises in an attempt to burrow back into unconsciousness.
It's not working.
Reluctantly, David stretches, forcing even more noises from his throat until he remembers that Liam isn't the only one he could annoy this morning. He doesn't know much about Killian, but he knows his sister well enough to immediately cease his noises or else risk waking the tiger she becomes when she hasn't had her eight hours.
It's curious, though; Liam himself is always awake before him and Killian is an earlier riser as well. So the fact that it's…9:27 in the morning and nobody in their crowded dorm is awake is a bit unusual.
David leans over the side of his mattress, looking at the floor space between his and his roommate's bed. It's barely big enough to fit two backpacks when the room is clean, but it's the largest amount of open space they have for guests.
To say he's disconcerted by the scene between the sheets that greets him is an understatement. He knows Emma can take care of herself – she survived the foster care system for far too long before finally coming home with their mother – but he can't help the big brother protective urges sometimes. He always made sure she got the lunch money if Mom had forgotten to give some to both of them, or that the Stenson boys got shoved into their respective lockers when they made fun of Emma. And right now, it's one of those instances.
Not bothering to stay quiet anymore, David stands up mere centimeters from Emma's face. He skillfully edges himself around her sleeping form and begins kicking Killian in the back a little more forcefully than he really should.
With a snort, the younger Jones jolts awake. He rolls over onto David's stationary foot, rubbing at the sleep in his eyes. Before he can even say a word, David grabs Killian by the shirt collar and drags his stumbling figure out into the hallway.
With his finger at attention directly between Killian's eyes, David asks, "What funny business do you think you're trying to get into?" He growls at the younger boy, backing him up into the closest wall. "On my floor with my sister?"
"Nothing, mate," Killian assures him, his hands coming up in a show of surrender. "Nothing, I swear."
David looks at him – tries to look through him for his true intentions – and his search comes up empty. Killian's got nothing but honesty in his expression: wide eyes, raised eyebrows. He looks a lot like his brother after he learns an underdog sports team wins by a landslide. He's just surprised.
Reluctantly, David calms his defense mode. "Don't try anything," he warns. "Your brother might be my best friend, but I will not hesitate to beat you and then cut off your hand."
"Dave, mate, I swear, I'm not trying anything." Now that his wits have woken up, Killian draws himself to full height. He's only an inch or two taller than David, but it works its charm. "I had a lass back home, I'm used to sleeping next to her," he explains. "I'm sorry, I must have unconsciously thought Emma was her."
"Oh," David mutters. "Okay. But don't get any ideas."
Killian scoffs and pats him on the shoulder. "Worry not, mate. The girl's got walls sky-high. I don't think I could try anything even if she let me."
a/n: A brand new MC? I know, right? I've been working on this so long, I don't even remember where the idea came from. Oh well. This story is all written out, so I should be able to post it rather frequently (unlike I did when Shower Streams first came out, cough cough sorry).
Many thanks to Cathy, who's ultraluckycatnd on tumblr, for being my beta, and for the at least two other people who read some part of this over. I don't remember who you are, but I am very much grateful.
As always, feel free to leave a word - any questions, comments, or concerns. Until next time :)