She kicked her boots off, stumbling through the door, tired from a slow day at work. Not that Emma didn't enjoy the time between pursuing hellbent monsters and magical emergencies, but she swore to god, the paper work in the sheriff department, would be the death of her. She'd prefer to throw a few spells at some menacing beast, then conquer "Mt. Annual Report". David had promised to help her out, but Mary Margaret had called, just as they had started. Neal was sick and she wasn't feeling too great either. At Emma's gentle nudge turned insistence, after his reluctance to leave her surrounded by the stacks of paper, David had gone home. Emma was ready for a large cup of hot chocolate, and whatever was left over in the fridge, for dinner. What she hadn't expected was the smell that greeted her as she closed the apartment door.
"Hello, love," beamed Killian, oven mitt on his hand, plate resting on his hook, and a few too many bubbles spilling over the edge of the sink. It definitely wasn't the strangest scene she had come home too these last eight months, since asking Killian to move in with her, to her new, little apartment. There had been that shower incident, with the soap, and the hairdryer, and- god, she was too tired for those memories right now.
"What's this?" Emma half laughed, half sighed. The whole place smelt like cheese, not that Emma minded. She had grown quite fond of the smell, ever since falling in love with Granny's grilled cheese.
"I finally got the hang of the cooking box and-"
"Oven," Emma corrected him.
"Aye, that. And I heated up this thing…," he motioned his head toward the doughy, cheesy circle sitting upon the tray, "pizza? I think." Killian looked at her, eyebrow raised, pride in his eyes. "Stupid pirate" Emma thought to herself, smiling.
"You hungry?" Killian slid the hot tray onto the bench, pulled two plates from the cupboard, and split the pizza in two. "Starving," Emma groaned. They moved to the couch, Emma resting against her boyfriends chest, listening to the beating of his heart, and they ate their pizza in silence.
"Hard day at work?" Killian mumbled, the last of his pizza still in his mouth.
"Not hard, just draining," Emma sighed, placing her plate on the floor, and pulling her knees closer to her chest. Killian's arm wrapped around her waist, and she hummed contently. "I like this," Emma whispered, not sure if she had even said it out loud. For so long she had been alone, heart-broken, angry and confused as to why her life had turned out this way. Focusing on all the what-if's had driven her nuts. When she had come to Storybrooke, and discovered who she was, and her family, she had thought that maybe, just maybe, things will be better here. She might just find a home. It had taken a while, brought back many old ghosts, thrown her on unexpected trips to meet strange new people and see new places, and caused more than one saviour problem for her to solve, but lying here, on her couch, in her own little apartment, wrapped in the arms of the man she had fallen in love with, she realised that Storybrooke had given her what she had been searching for, her whole life. Family. Home.
"I like this too," Killian sighed, shifting underneath her, to place a kiss on the top of her head. Emma looked up, to find his face close to hers, and nudging her nose against his, their lips found each other, soft, and warm, and safe, as they always were. They stayed like that for a while, gently tugging, and biting, and taking, and giving, until Killian murmured under his breath.
"What was that?" Emma smiled, eyes still closed, bringing her forehead closer to his, her fingers wrapping around the back of his neck.
"Marry me, Swan." Killian moved his head backwards, opening his eyes. They were strikingly blue, and more loving, and more serious than Emma had ever known.
"What?" A bubble of laughter rose in Emma's chest.
"Marry me." Killian blinked, certainty beginning to settle in his voice.
"Seriously?" Emma felt a fluttering in the pit of her stomach, just coming to understand the meaning of his words.
"Of course. I am completely, and stubbornly in love with you, Emma. And I want the rest of our lives to be like this. I have actually been thinking about it for a while now, I just didn't know how to ask you. I mean, we already live together, it wouldn't be that much of an adjustment," he was rushing his words now, attempting to get all of his plans out for their future, before Emma could say no, or run away.
"Shhhh," Emma smiled, and placed a soft, tender kiss to his lips. "Of course I'll marry you, Killian," only pulling away again to look at her pirates idiotic grin, "I love you too, you know. I've told you that a million more times then I've told anyone else those words. Okay maybe not quite as many as Henry, because I tell him at least six times a day, but-"
"Honestly, love! You want to marry me?" Killian interrupted, excitedly. Emma wasn't even sure if he had been listening to her, his grin was wider than ever, and his eyes shone with happiness.
"Yes, you ridiculous pirate! Didn't we just establish that?" Emma laughed. Killian rose to a sitting position, bringing Emma with him, shaking off the sleepy feeling the two of them had felt moments before.
"I'm not ridiculous Swan. I'm the luckiest man alive," Killian smirked before kissing her again, and again, and again, wrapping his arms around her waist, and under her knees, carrying her to their bedroom, Emma's laughter filling the apartment.
It seemed the Charming's wouldn't be hearing the good news until very late tomorrow morning, but that was okay. They were going to have plenty of mornings together to inform them, over breakfast at Granny's of course.