Happy Valentine's day my lovely shipmates! :) I wrote this little one-shot for the lovely ouatwithadashofrum for CS Secret Valentine!
Enjoy!
Advise on love
"Captain?"
Hook was startled when he suddenly heard a voice behind him. He turned around and saw young Henry Mills standing there, his hands in the pockets of his coat, shuffling nervously. "I need your advice on something."
"Aye, lad?" Hook was curious as to why Henry would come to him, of all people, for some advice.
"Well…" Henry started nervously. "You see, there's this girl in my class…" He didn't have to end his sentence as Hook immediately understood what Henry wanted advice for.
"Ah does the young master fancy a lady?" Hook said with a wink, causing Henry to turn beet red.
"Um yeah…. maybe…" Henry replied stuttering, keeping his eyes trained on the ground.
"Well, lad, You have come to the right man for advice." Killian said patting Henry's shoulder. "Tell me, what is the name of the fair maiden that caught your eye?" He sat down on some crates and motioned Henry to join him.
Henry took a deep breath, clearly relieved that Killian was willing to help and sat down next to him. "Her name is Grace and she is my best friend, but I don't know if she likes me as much as I like her."
"With women it is often difficult to tell what they truly feel, aye." Killian said thoughtful. "I had the same challenge with your mother, it took me quite a while to win her heart and for her to admit to her feelings."
"Yeah, I know." Henry said grinning. "I think everyone knew what she was feeling, before she even knew it herself. But what I like to know is how you accomplished it? What is the secret in winning a girls hart?"
"Ah yes, the secret in winning a girls heart." Killian pondered the question for a bit. "Well first, you must make her feel special, compliment her.."
"So I have to say I like her eyes or something?" Henry interrupted Killian.
"For example, but any compliment will do, the important part is that it has to be sincere. Women appreciate it if you are being truthful. Secondly, always be a gentleman. Open doors for her, pull out the chair for her, stand up when she leaves the table. All women secretly like to be treated like a princess."
"Except my mom." Henry said smirking. "She hates it if she is treated like the princess she actually is."
"Aye, your mother isn't that fond of her royal title." Killian chuckled. "But even she secretly likes it if I treat her like a princess, even though she won't ever admit that out loud." He added with a wink. Henry chuckled at that, because it was true, his mom would never admit that out loud, she'd rather face an ogre or fight a dragon.
"Okay, so I have to compliment her, be a gentleman and treat her like a princess. Anything else?"
"Hmm… Let me think." Killian scratched behind his ear pensively. "Ah, yes. Always be attentive."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you have to pay attention to the small details, and show her that you care for her and her needs. Also try to be romantic, if you plan on courting her, make it special, you want your first date to be memorable. Have you given it a thought yet on where you want to take her?"
"I was thinking about taking her to the movies or hanging out at granny's." Henry said shrugging his shoulders, looking at Killian out of the corner of his eyes.
"Aye, that would work." Killian said, nodding in approval. "Just remember what I told you and make it as special as you can. Always ask yourself what you want your love story to be like, you are the writer, it lies in your own hands to make it memorable."
Henry pondered his words for moment before standing up. Killian stood up to and followed Henry towards the plank.
"Thanks, Captain." Henry said grateful, shaking his hand. "I think with your advice I will definitely charm her, now I only need to find the courage to actually ask her out.." He said chuckling nervously.
"Don't worry lad." Killian said, looking at the boy fondly. "It's okay to be nervous. You should have seen me around your mother when I actually started courting her." He thought back on the day when his swan finally agreed on letting him court her, remembering how nervous he had initially been, when given the opportunity to win her heart for real.
"Oh, and Henry." He said, the boy in question turned back to Killian . "One last piece of advice. The most important thing is to be yourself. Grace likes you for who you are and there is only one Henry Mills, you're unique. Remember that you're the son of the saviour and the former Evil Queen, the grandson of Snow White, Prince Charming and Rumplestiltskin, and you are one of the bravest lads I've ever met. So be confident, believe in yourself, if you do so, I'm sure that you will win Grace's heart."
Henry was silent for a moment, touched by Killian's heartfelt speech, but then rushed back up the plank and surprised Killian by hugging him tightly around his waist. "Thanks, Killian, for everything."
"It's, alright lad." Killian said ruffling Henry's hair. "If you're ever in need of some more advise, I will always be there for you. Now go charm your lady!" He added with a wink, patting the young boy on his shoulders. Henry smiled at him grateful one more time, before turning around and heading for the town. Killian looked at his retreating form, shaking his head fondly. He really cared for the boy.
~CSSV~
"Your lad and I had a really interesting conversation this afternoon." Killian said, playing with a strand of Emma's hair. They were curled up together on the couch, watching 'The Princess Bride', one of Emma's favourite movies. (And his too, especially after learning the meaning behind the phrasing 'As you wish'.)
"Yeah?" Emma asked curiously. "What did you talk about?"
"Apparently a young lady has caught his eye." Killian chuckled fondly. "He came to me for advice on how to win a girls heart."
Emma turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised. "Really? And he came to you for advice?"
"You wound me love." Killian chuckled. "Don't you think I would give great advice on this subject? I was after all successful in winning you over, and that was quite a challenge." He added with a wink.
"Please, you never had to win my heart." Emma scoffed, and when Killian looked at her with his eyebrows raised she continued. "You didn't need to win my heart, because ever since we climbed that damned beanstalk it has belonged to you. It just took me a while to figure that out."
"Well, love, it was still a challenge to get you to the point where you could finally admit it." he replied, leaning down to kiss her. "It's a good thing I don't give up easily."
"Yeah, well that is one of the reasons why I love you." Emma said, deepening the kiss.
"And your stubbornness is one of the reasons I love you." Killian murmured against her lips, and it really was. From the moment they met, Emma had been stubbornly refusing the attraction between the both of them, putting up walls that were mile high. And it had made an interesting challenge to break down those walls of her. He once said that he was in it for the long haul, and It took a war against a wicked witch and him almost dying when protecting Henry from a spell, before she finally admitted that she loved him, that she couldn't live without him. But in the end it had all been worth it. With Emma he finally found a place where he belonged, he had found a home. And that was a welcome change after being lost for many years.
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