A/N: Modern AU where it's Emma's birthday and she never celebrates it with anyone. She's been slowly falling for this new neighbor of hers, Killian, for a while now. Emma's crafted a plan to ask him out after months of pushing him away, but because it's me writing a fluffy fic, Killian already has his own plan in motion. The two come together in a sweet, lovely one shot and there is no angst anywhere ever at all, the end.
Whatever special love the rest of the world had for birthdays, Emma Swan could never seem to understand.
Maybe it would make sense to her if she'd grown up in a loving home with the parties and the presents and the celebration, but there was none of that in her world. Her birthday was just like any other day, with no fuss and no grandeur and that was the way she preferred it. Even when she'd left the foster system, an adult in her own right now in charge of her own decisions and destiny, Emma still downplayed the day. What was the point of making a big deal? It wasn't like she had a ton of friends to party with, and she definitely didn't think that wishing on a candle would get her anything of value in life. It all just felt kind of pointless and arbitrary. Why should this one day of all days matter?
The truth was it shouldn't, at least not in Emma's eyes, but this year she was making an exception, because this year, for the first time in her life, she had a real regret that she was living with. As cheesy as it sounded, she actually had a birthday wish, a wrong to make right and a hope in her heart where hope had so long been absent.
It all started a few months ago when her closest neighbors unexpectedly moved out and a new tenant moved in. Emma hadn't thought anything of it. This apartment complex had enough turn around to make it inconsequential. New people came and went all the time; that was the way things went in the city. But then she'd actually met the man who would be living across the hall and everything changed.
"You must be Swan," this handsome foreigner had said as he dropped one of the boxes he was moving in and came to extend a hand in greeting. Clearly he had missed the memo on city dwellers in America – the occasional smile or hello in the elevator was just about as chummy as people got here. Still Emma found herself accepting the handshake all the same. "Well at least you are 'Swan' if the mail boxes are to be trusted."
"They are," Emma replied hesitantly, her thoughts distracted by the way his being so close made her feel. It was pleasant when typically she went out of her way to avoid people. "And I am. But it's Emma actually. Emma Swan."
In the moment she couldn't understand why she was telling him so much. Emma never opened up to strangers. Heck this guy could be certifiably nuts. Lord knew she saw enough in her line of work to know there were some real sickos out of there. But strange as it was, her gut couldn't seem to muster anything like repulsion at this new person in her life. Instead she felt comfortable, even safe, and that thought scared her half to death.
"Emma," he'd said as his hand held hers just a little too long, leaving a warmth and tingling all in once in her palm and through her fingers. The way he said her name was delicate but also gruff. It had just a hint of gravel melted in with that sexy accent and it shocked the hell out of Emma, so much so that she barely caught his introduction: "Killian Jones, at your service."
"You always talk like that? Like a pirate or something?" she'd asked, completely embarrassed when it slipped out but hiding it as best she could as Killian laughed.
"Aye, love. It's one of my many quirks. Beware my tendency for swashbuckling and excessive exclamations like 'argh' and 'ahoy there.'
Emma found herself laughing at his joke, which totally took her by surprise. But surprising didn't cut it when it came to Killian Jones. He was… indescribable. There was just something about him that drew Emma in, that made her want to linger out there in the hallway when he greeted her, or made her debate if a little more neighborly visiting wouldn't be a good thing. She could cook him something, right? Like a casserole or whatever the hell people brought neighbors in the movies. Well obviously she'd have to learn how to cook first but…
These were the kinds of thoughts Emma had been having for months as she slowly but surely caved to an infatuation with the handsome Brit. She would not call her feelings for Killian a crush – she would certainly not call it love – but she had to admit that there was something about him, something in those piercing blue eyes and that charismatic smile; something about the way he always held the door, not just for her but for everyone; something about the charm he had that was almost roguish even though he was always a gentleman. He was a flirt, but never crossed a line, he would tease her, but he never insulted her at all. Instead he boosted her up, whether he meant to or not, always leaving her with something – some small compliment or professed bit of faith that made her feel better and made her want more.
Killian had even been bold enough to make it clear that he wanted more too, asking Emma a number of times if she had plans during a weekend or a slower night of the week. She always said the same thing – "Sorry, I can't" – any time he asked, but she also knew he would ask again even when he turned her down. No matter what he always asked again, and he managed to do so without ever pressuring her or making her feel like her boundaries were tested or infringed on. Emma could tell that he was patiently waiting for her to be ready, but she was starting to worry that that patience had run out, because for the past week she'd barely seen him, and when she had he hadn't mentioned anything about hanging out at all.
"It's my own fault," she muttered aloud to herself as she nervously paced around her apartment. "I should have just said yes. I should have just gone on the date with the guy I like instead of turning him down over and over again. Now I'm that girl who makes a move on her birthday of all days. God this is so dumb."
Emma was spared from further self-censure by the ding of her over timer, a sound she'd rarely ever heard since moving in. She went to open it up and found the vanilla cupcakes she'd put in there. They actually looked kind of okay and as she pulled them out she read all directions very carefully. She made sure they were totally cool and then she did her best (which was admittedly not very well) to try and frost them. The frosting she was using was blue, a blue not unlike the darker specs in Killian's eyes, and she would be lying if she said she hadn't thought of that or about Killian's love of the sea when she chose it at the store. She knew all these little things about him, and unbeknownst to her at the time she'd been saving them up and keeping them all close because they actually mattered to her.
Finally Emma looked at the scene before her, finding two of the twelve cupcakes she'd made that looked slightly more passable than the others. She placed them on a clean white plate, added a couple of white sprinkles, and then she took a steadying breath and readied herself for this moment. Right now she was going to make a move – she was going to see if Killian was interested in spending the evening with her, and hopefully if the promise of her company wasn't enough, then the cupcakes would bribe him into letting her back in. Truth be told she missed him, even though it had only been a few days, and accepting that was a big step for her, one that told her she should take the chance and see what happened.
Emma headed out her front door, moving down the hallway the short distance to Killian's place. Once there, she only hesitated for a moment, trying to steady her resolve. She was a big girl, a strong woman, surely she was brave enough to put herself out there. But just before she could raise her hand to knock, the door swung open, and there was Killian, looking as gorgeous as ever and totally taking her breath away.
"Emma," he said, taking in the sight of her with an obvious tone of shock. "What are you – I mean I was going to – uh…"
Emma watched the expressions of his face. He started at thrilled to see her, something that made her heart flutter with excitement in her chest, and then he moved into surprise as he saw her cupcakes. Emma realized she was staring at him, and then it was her turn to notice that he was holding something too, a small light green cake with candles and everything not so unlike her cupcakes.
"Is that for me?" Emma asked, smiling as she saw him turn a bit red at the question.
"Aye, Swan. I know you don't typically celebrate your birthday – you've told me as much before – but I hated to think it would go by and we wouldn't commemorate it somehow. You deserve all recognition, love. Your too remarkable to go without."
Emma was touched at how sweet his words were, and she ducked her head back down to look at the cake and to hide the mistiness that was coming to her eyes. This was honestly more than she'd hoped for. Killian hadn't forgotten her at all. He wasn't taking a step back from his admittedly closed off and guarded neighbor. He still cared – she hadn't waited too long!
"I thought I'd make an exception this year," Emma clarified, looking back up at him and finding so much hope and curiosity in his cerulean gaze. His hope emboldened her own as she said more. "But I realized the only person who I'd want to spend the day with was you. I mean if you're not busy that is."
"I'm not," Killian rushed to say and Emma smiled at how he seemed to get flustered all over again before trying to regain his cool. "Trust me, I've no other plans, Swan. Certainly not when I could be spending time with you."
"Good," Emma said softly, stepping into his apartment and putting her cupcakes on the kitchen table. Killian chuckled at the sight of them, commenting on how they'd had the same idea. He said something about great minds thinking alike, but Emma wasn't really listening. Instead she was thinking about how she'd already come this far and how she should just do it – she should just put it all out there so he'd know how she felt.
So when the cakes were safely on the counter, Emma made her move, cutting into Killian's compliment of her frosting job and pulling him in by the leather jacket he was wearing, the one that she'd always wanted to grab onto. There was only an instant before she pressed that first kiss to his lips, a single moment before the world exploded into all the possibility that Killian had presented from their very first meeting, but in that second Emma watched as Killian understood her intentions, and she saw in his eyes an undeniable point of proof that she wasn't in this alone. Then the kiss took that proof so much further, illustrating that not only did they understand each other, but that the chemistry between them burned so much brighter than she'd ever imagined possible.
All those nights that Emma lay awake wondering 'what if' had done nothing to prepare her for reality. She'd imagined what it would be like to be wrapped in Killian's arms, but it didn't hold a candle to the real deal. Here she was warm and safe, protected and cherished all at once. She might have started the kiss but he controlled it, showing this dominance and a need that woke her up inside and made that already present craving flare to something even more. She was desperate for this, desperate for him, but all they could have right now was a taste. There were still things to say, still steps to take, but this kiss would forever represent the start of something Emma now truly knew she wanted. She'd have this memory emblazoned in her mind forever, and she couldn't help the smile that played at her lips as they broke apart. She felt like a kid at Christmas – or at least a normal kid at Christmas. It was foreign to her, but oh so delightful all the same.
"I didn't want you to wonder about where I stood in this," Emma said, her voice sounding breathy but strong as her words sounded out between them. Killian, meanwhile, ran his hand against her cheek, the feel of it a perfect mix of rough and tender and Emma had to fight to get the rest of her thoughts out and to not get distracted "I want you, Killian, and I'm tired of trying to deny that. I just thought you should know."
"Thank Christ for that," he muttered before kissing her again, but before they could get too carried away he pulled back making his own confession. "You know you really had me going there, love. I'd wait forever for this, but damn am I glad the wait is over. It is over, right?"
Emma laughed at his sudden bit of panic and nodded. "Yeah it's over. We're doing this. Well, we're trying at least."
"Oh we're doing this," Killian affirmed as he took both of her hands in his. "Because no matter what may come, Emma, my feelings will not change. This is it for me. You're it for me. I knew it from that first day."
"I think I did too," Emma confessed happily, looking from Killian back around his apartment and feeling so satisfied as his arms came around her once more. Her eyes landed back on the cake, and so did his, prompting his question.
"So… any thoughts on what you'll wish for?"
"Not a clue," Emma replied before looking back up at him. "I already got what I wanted. I don't think I need a wish."
"Everyone needs a wish, Swan," Killian said, deftly finding a lighter and illuminating the candles as he still held her close, tucking her back to his front and letting her face the treats they'd both worked so hard to create as the candles glowed and waited for her. "I think you can rise to the challenge."
Emma thought on it for a moment, loving that even with all this newness there was still that easy, playful banter between them. So much was changing, but the most important things would stay the same. She trusted Killian, she wanted Killian, and now they could be together because they were willing to make the choice. It was an easy choice to make too, once she'd let go of the fear and listened to her heart, just like it was easy to find another wish if she let it come from the same happy, hopeful place. Just before she blew out the candles Emma smiled at the realization that this was her first birthday wish in all the years she could remember. She only hoped as she got all the candles in one try that all those years of waiting would mean better luck in getting her heart's true desire.
And sure enough that wish did come true, though it took a little time to come together. Because Emma's wish was to make this work with Killian; to take the risk, to fall in love, and to find her happiness once and for all. She wasn't looking for a fairy tale per se, but something honest and real and wonderful, and lucky for her, and for Killian too, they found exactly that.
Post-Note: So it's my birthday today, and as such it felt right to treat myself to a little bit of writing. I carved out some non-existent time and wrote this little drabble because I needed some CS fluff today. Hopefully you guys will enjoy, and if you're wondering about the title, it's inspired by the song 'No Other Plans' by Jillian Edwards. I'm not including this chapter in my mixtape collection since there's a lot of variance from the original lyrics, but figured I'd plug it here if anyone wants to listen. Anyway thank you all so much for reading and I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!