Killian all but storms into Emma's house, having collided with Anna just moments ago outside. Only stopped by Ingrid shouting, "Shoes!" from the kitchen, he slips off his sneakers at the pile by the door and continues his way upstairs. He knows there's no rush but he takes the stairs two at a time to get him to Emma's room faster.
(He snuck out of her room at a quarter to one last night and really, with Ingrid already knowing he's here more often than he's at home, sneaking out's more for politeness and show.)
"Rise and shine, love!" Killian greets her as he throws the door open. He hears a groan coming from underneath the comforters piled on her bed.
While it's fall and it's not necessarily the warmest temperature, he's sure Ingrid's left the temperature inside a bit chilly for the time being. Hence the hiding Emma, who he's certain lies there torn between actually getting up and punching him for waking her up.
After placing a wrapped box on her nightstand, he pulls back the covers and plops into bed next to her. As if on cue, she moves his arm around her and tucks herself into his side.
(He's never told her about the butterflies that make a mess inside of him every time she's near—or the way his heart races when she does things like this.)
"Five more minutes," she mumbles as she begins to tangle her leg with his. Not once have her eyes opened, but he nods all the same and presses a kiss to her forehead.
He would have given her the whole day if she asked for it, lying here with her, but Ingrid's voice calling out her name throws out any possibility of that. This time, Emma groans again and slowly pulls herself away from Killian's embrace.
"Why can't I just sleep?" she asks, rubbing away any remnants of peace from her eyes. She yawns and stretches and it takes Killian everything in him not to focus on the fact that she's not wearing a bra.
"Because it's your birthday, love," he explains, reaching over and grabbing the box from the nightstand.
"Exactly! It's my birthday, I should be allowed to—oh!" She looks down at the wrapped box now shoved in her hands by Killian. "Killian, you didn't—"
"Just open it," he urges her, shifting his position so that his back's now to the foot of the bed to face her.
He can only watch her in silence as she huffs, mumbling something about how he's too much and did not need to get him anything, before she tears through the package and unveils a jewelry box.
"Please don't tell me you—"
"You are the most talkative person I've encountered opening presents, Swan," he points out. "And yes, I'm including Anna's gift commentaries during Secret Santa."
She shoots him a look as she opens the box and when the focus goes down to the piece in her hand, her jaw drops. Inside a blue box rests a silver swan pendant. She glances up at him with a smile, one that Killian matches just as enthusiastically.
"So…you like it?" he asks. He glances down at his jeans, picking at invisible lint as he nervously says, "Because if you don't, we can return it. I know you aren't big on jewelry but I saw it and thought of you and figured—"
"Hey." She reaches out and places a over his own. He squeezes her fingers lightly. "I love it. Help me put it on. "
"As you wish."
(Little does she know that for her, he'd go to the ends of the world—or time if necessary.)
"There," he whispers against her ear once the pendant's clasped. His fingers brush against her collarbone as he straightens the chain and when she turns her head to look at him, he swears she can hear his heart racing this time.
"Thank you," she says. He knows if he inches forward their lips will meet.
(He wants their lips to meet. God, how he's wanted that for quite a while now.)
"Of course, love."
He's pretty sure she's not hallucinating when he sees her start to lean forward, but Ingrid's voice shouting about implementing a 'no door' policy in this household causes them to jump apart.
(If he were looking at her then, he'd see the blush that crept up her cheeks then. One that matched his own.)
-/-
They spend Emma's birthday night at Ruby's for a surprise party thrown by her. By now, their friends don't question the fact that Emma and Killian are practically glued at the hip, so Ruby places it on him to make sure Emma doesn't find out about the surprise.
It's a warm welcome for the girl who years ago planned on running away from yet another foster home until Ingrid vowed not to give up on her.
(She let her get on the bus to the next stop and Emma all but cried when she stepped off the bus and came face to face with teary-eyed Ingrid waiting for her.)
In typical Ruby party fashion, the music's loud, the drinks are flowing, and everyone's having a great time.
Emma, who barely dances herself, has already dragged Killian onto the dance floor twice, Graham once, and even Ruby herself. He's pretty sure the second and third red solo cups she had been walking around with weren't filled with beer, but he knows this one is.
When he grabs her now at the side of the yard, holding her close and swaying to the beat of a Dexys Midnight Runner song, he realizes he never wants to let her go. He wants to let her know that she's it for him.
She looks up at him, lazy smile on her face as the hand at the nape of his neck trails into his hair.
(This is it. She's going to kiss him. Should he be the one to do it? God, he wants to kiss her.)
Seconds later, her head drops between them as she pukes something vicious up. He's quick to hold her hair back as she grips onto his forearm for support.
"I'm not feeling too good," she groans.
"Let's get you home, Swan."
Home ends up being Killian's place where Liam's gone for the weekend on business. He assured Elsa that he would take care of her tonight, knowing full well that if he let her go home with Elsa in her current state, Ingrid would not be pleased. Newly turned seventeen year-old Emma would not live to see the light of day until graduation.
He's practically a pro at getting Emma upstairs and into the bathroom to rinse her mouth and wipe her face.
(He doesn't want to think about why he's a pro at this, because what's happening with Emma now's completely different than what's happened with Liam in the past.)
He hears a thud when he turns his back to her seated form on the bed, and when he returns to her with one of her favorite shirts of his and a pair of pants, he has to coax her out of bed.
"Sleep," Emma's muffled voice comes from the pillow.
"After you've changed, love," he tells her. "There'll be hot cocoa and a hangover cure waiting for you in the morning."
That wakes her up, if only for a second. With all the crankiness of someone in her state, she unbuttons her pants and slides them down her hips, steadying herself with a hand gripping Killian's shirt as she gets her legs out of the jeans. She tries to get her sweater off but only manages to get stuck and Killian can't help but laugh at the small whine that comes from her.
(Laughing's preferable to noticing that your best friend, the one you're madly in love with, happens to be standing in front of you in only her undies.)
"Just let me help," he says. She lets out a sigh as he throws the clothes onto his shoulder and helps Emma get out of the sweater. Just as quickly as he gets that shirt on, he helps her into the other one.
She's staring, that much is obvious. As he positions the pants in his hand lower to help her, he looks up to see that she hasn't moved an inch.
"Have I got something on my face?" he asks, standing upright. "What is it?"
He's not prepared for the way her lips crash onto his in a searing kiss, full of hunger and want and lust. Her hands thread into his hair as he drops the pants so that his own could move to the small of her back to steady himself.
(His heart's racing. He wanted to kiss her. Not like this.)
He's halfway ready to pull away, tuck her into bed and sleep in the guest bedroom just in case, when her tongue finds his own and yep, he's a goner.
He only inches her forward when she shifts their positions, knees hitting the edge of the mattress before she pushes him back.
"Emma," he breathes.
"Just shut up and let me have my birthday wish, Jones."
He feels his jeans getting tighter and dear God does she have to straddle him now, of all times?
(His heart's past the point of racing, now. More like drumming out a beat that won't stop.)
Her lips hover above his before she kisses a trail down his neck. And then he feels her still atop him, breathing evening out.
"Swan?" he says softly, pushing her hair to the side.
Her nose only burrows itself into the crook of his neck before the soft snores escape her.
(He writes this off as just his type of luck, especially when it comes to one Emma Swan.)
(Maybe one day his luck will change.)
-/-
(The next morning isn't it. Even though they wake up a mess of tangled limbs, she doesn't remember a thing about last night.)
(He wishes he remembered how he got that hickey.)
-/-
(Halloween rolls around and of course they've got matching costumes as they trick-or-treat around town before yet another party, this one hosted by Tink dressed in her namesake's figure.)
(The Dread Pirate Roberts walks a few steps behind the group, watching Princess Buttercup engaged in quiet conversation with the Huntsman.)
(He should have dressed up as Captain Hook.)
(The party's less like a party and more like a gathering with pumpkin ale and their group of friends sitting in a circle exchanging candy.)
("You don't even like malted milk balls!" shouts Tinkerbell, ready to trade her entire stash of gummy vampire teeth and gummy Krabby Patties with an unmasked Westley.
"Trade half your stash for the Krabby Patties," Buttercup nudges his side. "I like those."
"As you wish," he responds. "Anything else you might fancy?"
"Don't even dare look at my stash, Pirate," the Huntsman says.
Snow White pushes her pile of peppermint patties forward.
No one's ever warned her about making deals with pirates.)
(She smiles as Red Riding Hood nods to the Huntsman and places a kiss on his lips.)
("You thought I...?" she glances over at Ruby and Graham.
He shrugs, scratching behind his ear in that way he does when he's nervous or doesn't want to answer one of her questions.
"We should have dressed you up as a different pirate," she says offhandedly. "You're definitely living up to Jack Sparrow's stance on opportunities.")
(She stands awkwardly at her door when he drops her off. Bids her a quiet goodnight then heads home.)
(Fuck, he realizes at three am staring at the ceiling. She wanted him to kiss her.).
-/-
(There's pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. He sits next to Emma at the table and the two of them notice Liam and Elsa making eyes at each other.)
(He's thankful for her and his brother and Ingrid's delicious turkey. She's thankful for not feeling so alone in this world anymore.)
-/-
A huge nor'easter hits their small town in Maine a week before Christmas vacation's set to start, effectively closing the school district and giving them an extra week off. The near blizzard conditions still almost everything and shuts off the power in half the block.
Those with generators and power are encouraged to open their homes to their neighbors. The Jones house, while being maintained well enough by Liam, happens to be one of the first houses to lose power.
So, just like that, the Jones brothers pack a bag and head to Ingrid's place until the storm clears.
(Unfortunately—or fortunately, if you ask Killian—the storm lasts almost the entire week, spilling over into Christmas.)
When Christmas Eve hits, Liam braves the storm with Elsa to grab the presents and any non-perishable food he could contribute to Christmas dinner. That night, dinner's a success. One present's exchanged at midnight and the rest are saved for the morning. Then they're off their separate ways, Killian and Liam sharing the guest bedroom once more.
"Hey," Emma says as her and Killian get up from the couch and shut off the television. "How about we open another present?"
They had stayed up later than the rest to finish watching A Christmas Carol and even with his current exhaustion he doesn't regret it one bit. He stretches, tee riding up to expose a bit of his side as flannel pants hanging low on his hips. He turns back to Emma with a sleepy smile.
"Now, love, you know Anna would kill you if we ruined the surprise."
Emma rolls her eyes and heads for the light up pine tree with a huff, digging into the branches for the small box she had hidden inside of it. She walks back to Killian and shoves it into his hands. "Just open it," she instructs him.
He sits back down on the couch and rubs the sleep out of his eyes before tearing open the package. It's a box. He looks up at Emma with a smile, keeping eye contact as he opens the box.
"You're not gonna see what's inside if you keep looking at me," she points out.
He laughs and looks down; the words leave him soon after.
"The lady at the antiques store said it'll point to the thing you want most. Or whoever love most," she corrects herself. "I forget what she was saying but she was really excited about it. If you don't like it, I'm sure we can re-gift it! They didn't have the best returns policy, but—"
"It's beautiful, Swan." He gets up from the couch and presses a kiss to her forehead. "I'll cherish it forever. Thank you."
(She's glad the only thing illuminating the living room happens to be the Christmas tree still lit, effectively hiding the blush that creeps up her face.)
"Come on, let's go to bed. I've no doubt we'll be up with the sun tomorrow to finish opening the rest of these presents."
(The compass points to her as he follows her up the stairs. Maybe that lady was onto something after all.).
-/-
"I just think this is dumb!" Emma grabs another chocolate from the box in the midst of her tirade. "Why place so much importance on your first time? It's not going to be out of a fairytale anyway."
"Someone sounds a little bitter," Killian says with a chuckle, reaching around her to steal the last one with coconut.
"Says the guy who hasn't gotten any ever," she retorts.
(It's true. He hasn't. That's because this year, like every other year, he's spent Valentine's Day with her.)
"Low blow, Swan."
"I'm just saying." She shrugs. "I just wouldn't want to get attached to that person. It's your first time. It should be more for the experience."
"Well, if you ever need help with that, I'd be happy to assist," he responds.
Seconds later, he stills. She switches the channel and stumbles upon another romantic comedy, keeping her mouth shut.
(He should just ask her out and get it over with, right?)
(He doesn't.)
(Asking her out on Valentine's Day would be too cliché anyway.).
-/-
Ruby snaps a picture of them together at the diner on his birthday. She has her head on his shoulder, both of them engrossed in the book Liam got him the night before as a gift.
"Hey, I wasn't ready! Take a better one!"
Emma throws her arms around Killian's neck, cheek touching his as Ruby slides into the booth one table over and snaps the picture.
"One more," Ruby says.
"No more," Killian retorts, looking over at Emma.
"Oh, come on," she says. "It's your birthday! Live a little!"
Ruby snaps another one before running away with an "Aw," to the back room for the cake.
When he blows out the candles, he makes a wish to gather the courage to tell Emma he loves her. Ruby snaps another picture then, just as Emma presses a kiss to his cheek.
(He keeps all of those pictures on his phone and even makes one of them his background.)
-/-
He comes to a stop next to her locker, all dimples and mirth. "Two tickets to prom, love," he says, holding up a white envelope. "I'm thinking we go all out with this fairytale theme. Can't let Mary Margaret and Dave steal the spotlight as Snow White and Prince Charming again."
Emma rolls her eyes as she swaps out her math textbook with her history textbook. "Who says I'm going to prom with you, Jones?"
From the corner of her eye, Emma watches as Killian scratches behind his ear and begins to shuffle his feet. "I just figured…" He casts his eyes down. "What with…I shouldn't have assumed…It was stupid of me to think…"
She reaches out and touches his arm. He's drowning—fast. "Hey," she says. "I'm kidding. I'd love to go to prom with you. Now walk me to class and make this official like in one of those cheesy rom-coms."
She links her arm through his as they begin to walk to their history class.
(He swears his heart skips a beat.)
-/-
(Two weeks before prom, Neal Cassidy asks her to be his date.)
"You've had a crush on him since ninth grade."
"I had a crush on him in ninth grade. Plus, I'm going with you."
"You're only going with me because we always go together."
"Killian…"
"Just say 'yes' and enjoy one of our last moments in this place. I'll…go with Tink or something. No harm done."
(She says yes.)
When Liam sees him moping around the house the rest of the week, he just shakes his head.
"Word of advice, little brother: a man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets."
Liam smacks him upside the head just before he goes to bed.
(He deserved that.)
-/-
"I'll be back tomorrow," Liam says, searching the living room for his keys. Killian rolls his eyes, grabbing them from the coffee table before tossing them his way. Liam catches them expertly before adjusting his tie. "Where would I be without you, little brother?"
"Probably still here, instead of leaving," Killian remarks, sinking back onto the couch as he changes the channel. "Go already!"
Liam laughs, throwing the door open just in time to see a fidgeting Emma by the door. She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear before mumbling something along the lines of, "I thought you'd be gone by now"; Liam glances back at his younger brother with a glare.
"No wild parties are happening here!" he says to his older brother. "I didn't even know she was coming over."
"He didn't," Emma backs him up. "We haven't spoken since this morning." She glances between the Jones on the couch and the Jones by the door. "Could I talk to him…in private?" she asks Liam.
The older Jones holds the door open for Emma before walking out and shutting it himself. He calls back a "Goodbye!" through the closed door just as Killian gets up from the couch. He can see the nervousness rolling off of Emma in waves; shoving his hands into his pockets, he comes to stand before her.
"What's the matter, love?" he asks as he hears Liam's car leave the driveway.
(He's hoping this has something to do with prom and her changing her mind about Cassidy.)
"I want you to fuck me."
(His jaw drops. This is so not what he had in mind.)
"Not fuck," Emma stutters, a furious blush creeping up her cheeks as she continues, "Not…" She sighs. "Sex sounds too…formal, and making love sounds too…y'know."
(He knows. Oh, he knows. He's wanted to make love to her since she drunkenly confessed her birthday wish to him last October.)
"But I need you to take my virginity." She's got a white-knuckle grip on the straps of her backpack as she looks up at him, and now he's the one to blush as their eyes meet. "Better yet, I want to give you my virginity."
"I…um…" He scratches that spot behind his ear. "I'm not saying no. I'm definitely not saying no, but…what happened to all that 'virginity's a social construct and your first time's crap' stance you had?"
"I still have it!" she's quick to respond. "I'm just…also well aware of how society views things and…" she sighs again. "Look, with prom and graduation and everything all coming up I just…" Her eyes never break contact with his, fingers loosening her grip on her straps. "I want my first sexual experience to be with someone I trust." This time, her eyes glance down at her sneakers. "And I trust you, okay?" she mumbles. "I trust you more than anybody."
(There's a ringing in his ears and he's pretty sure he's just standing there, staring at her like the idiot he is because he hasn't said a word yet.)
"God, I'm so stupid," she says a moment later. "Barging in on you like this, asking you for this when it would be your first time, too. I'll just…"
Just as Emma turns to leave, Killian reacts; his hand reaches out for hers, pulling her back to him. He swears she can hear his heart beating; she has to hear it because to him it sounds like thunder and drums echoing on and on.
"Hey," he says, squeezing her hand. "I'd be honored. So, when would you want to do this?"
"Tonight."
"Oh."
"Too soon?" she quickly asks. "I'm springing too much on you. I shouldn't have come prepared. God, I'm an idiot."
"Hey," he says again. "Your timing couldn't be better, actually."
(When she offers him a warm smile he can't help but think about how beautiful she is and how lucky he is and how maybe one of their birthday wishes is coming true tonight.)
When they reach his room, he locks the door and she kicks off her sneakers. Her backpack's deposited at the foot of his bed. He counts to ten, takes a breath, and turns around to face her only see her standing there with a string of condoms in hand and her hair up in a pony.
And he laughs. He can't do anything but laugh in a situation like this because here they are.
"Could I just take this off?" he asks, reaching up to pull her hair out of the elastic. She nods just as he pulls it away, letting her golden locks flow around her shoulders. "We'll stop whenever you want, no matter what. Just say the word, love. Sounds good?"
Emma nods, reaching for the hem of her shirt to throw it off her. He reaches out and stills her movements. "Not yet," he tells her. Before he can hesitate any further, he cups her face in his hands and closes the distance between them. His lips almost ghost over hers as their foreheads and tips of their noses touch. "May I?" he asks again. All it takes is a simple nod from her before he gently touches her lips with his own.
(Even now, as their lips begin to move in sync, he feels like he's dreaming.)
A gentle exploration of tongues becomes something more as Emma hooks her fingers into the loops of his pants and tugs him closer. It's not long before their clothes are littered about on his floor and her back's hit his mattress as he hovers above her. He's hard and ready but damn it if she came to him to be her first then he was going to be her first in more ways than one.
"What are you…" she begins to ask as he trails a line of kisses up her smooth thighs. Her hips give into his movements before he can respond; an ache grows as he all but nears her already wet center. She moans out his name before she lets out a breathy, "Just do it."
While he's sure he should be the one being teased by removing her panties so slow, the way he has her reacting lets him know that it's most definitely getting to her. Before she even realizes, his tongue works up a rhythm that has her threading her fingers through his hair to tug on it. When he pulls away abruptly she pulls him back down just until she screams his name.
His hair's all over the place as he sits up, reaching for the condoms on the nightstand just as she does. He loses his balance seconds later and as Emma tries to grab him to prevent him from falling, she comes tumbling down onto the floor with him.
"Ow," he groans as he hits the floor. Pretty soon she's laughing and he's laughing and then he leans up and kisses her and starts up all over again.
They go through three condoms. The first one goes flying in his attempt to open the package. The second one rips as she takes a stab at opening the foil.
(Guess they are right when they say third time's the charm.)
It takes them a while to work up the right rhythm and their foreheads bump once or twice, but when she comes with him he's certain she's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.
In the middle of the night, famished by their activities, Killian, in his boxers, and Emma, in nothing but her underwear and Killian's shirt from earlier, head downstairs to make PB&J's.
"Liam!" a startled Killian shouts, moving his arm behind him to hide Emma. He feels her hide her face, nose touching his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"
The older Jones puts down his bowl of cereal. "Considering I live here, I think that's a fairly stupid question to ask, brother." As Liam attempts to look behind Killian's shoulder, Killian feels the blush begin to creep up Emma's cheeks once more.
Killian sighs. "I mean your business meeting thing. I thought you'd be back tomorrow," he explains.
"Got my dates mixed up," Liam says with a shrug. He raises a brow before sitting back on the couch, bowl of cereal in hand once more. "Hello to you, too, Emma."
"Hi, Liam," she says, poking her head out to sheepishly greet him. Her hand quickly finds Killian's.
"We're just…getting a snack," Killian responds, tugging her hand and rushing them into the kitchen.
He stands behind her as she preps the sandwiches, arms on either side as she moves about in the small space. When she finishes hers—peanut butter on both sides and jelly in the middle—he steals a bite and then grabs his own, thwarting off her quick hand trying to take it back.
They sneak back upstairs once Liam's dozed off on the couch and neither of them can hold in the laughter much longer. That too, turns into something else. Kisses that tasted like peanut butter turned into lips locked and before either one of them realizes it, it's past midnight.
He assures her he'll be back swiftly and if it isn't for Liam standing outside his own bedroom door, he would have kept his word. The two brothers stand there in silence for the better part of two minutes, waiting for the other to crack.
Liam's the first one to do so, shit-eating grin appearing on his face as he claps his brother on the back and says something along the lines of, "It's about bloody time."
He disappears back into his room to spot a half-asleep Emma trying her best to wait up for him. He shuts the light off and slips back into bed; almost instantly, she molds herself into his embrace.
(Maybe his luck's starting to change after all.)
When he feels her breathing even out, he presses a kiss to her hair and whispers those words against her skin.
(Maybe it will after this.)
-/-
(It doesn't. She still goes to prom with Neal Cassidy. He, for the better part, goes alone.)
