title: When in Sherwood, Chp 1 how did we end up here
pairing: captain swan! because llliiiiffeee. although emma is a bit OOC!
author's note: i haven't seen ANY of the latest season (are we on 6 now?) bc LOL GRAD SCHOOL IS HARD (insert Leslie Knope everything hurts and i'm dying gif here) so NO SPOILERS THX. guys i have ONE DAY OF CLASSES LEFT EVER can you tell how excited i am by the randomness of this note, the excessive use of caps, and also the fact that i'm publishing this at 11 pm the night before my LAST DAY OF CLASSES EVER. also rated M for alcohol & drug use, as well as language and future sex scenes #awk
disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time, of The Wedding Date, which this is sort-of-if-you-squint based on.
"Uh, have you seen Emma?" Jefferson asked, knocking into Killian near the table they'd claimed an hour ago.
"No," Killian grunted, crushing the rest of his beer before snatching the shot of tequila Jefferson offered him. He could always count on Jefferson to be up for a round of shots. With some coaxing, David relented and grabbed one as well, and their sober ride home went out the window. Killian quickly attempted to calculate how many people could fit into his and Jefferson's apartment.
"Ok, well I'm kind of worried about her," Jefferson said, after they choked down the burn. "Have you noticed she's been acting weird tonight?"
"Yeah," Killian mused, glancing around the bar in an attempt to spot the blonde. He knew that Emma knew how to party; it had never occurred to him that she'd been holding back in the past. Tonight, it seemed, she was in a dangerous mode - Emma had already been buzzed off a bottle of wine when she arrived, she'd taken several hits from the bong passed around their apartment, slammed a shot or three when they arrived at the bar, and had now disappeared.
Emma was usually a loud, happy drunk who went around talking to everyone - but she'd been withdrawn and grouchy that night. Several times, Killian had attempted to engage her in their usual sarcastic banter, but she'd only throw out a comment or two before retreating back into herself, eventually disappearing when they got to the bar.
It bothered him more than he realized, and that bothered him even more. It wasn't like he had feelings for the feisty blonde. She was just fun to be around, always up for a good time, and occasionally they'd end up in bed together. But no, tonight he was actually concerned for her; Jefferson and David were the only other ones to pick up on how sad Emma seemed.
Sad Emma freaked everybody out.
"Well, I'd be acting weird if I was in her position," David slurred. Oh man, the married dude could no longer keep up with the rest of them. Two beers and a shot later, and he was already feeling it.
"What do you mean?" Killian asked.
"You mean you don't know?"
"If I knew, why would I ask," Killian grunted, irritated.
"Keep it together, dude!" Jefferson shouted, punching David in the arm. David was closer with Emma than the rest of them were; Killian had only been brought into the closer circle of small town Storybrooke friends because he had been David's roommate in college, and many a party had been thrown at their apartment. They were all well into their 20s now, graduated scattered around the country, but managing to stay in touch. David was something of a big brother to Emma; she probably felt like she could confide in him because there had never, ever been any question of anything slightly romantic between them.
"She broke up with that kid from Boston. What's his face - Walsh?"
"Emma is not the type to let a break up ruin a night with her friends that she never sees," of that, Killian was confident.
"Well yeah, obviously, but I guess the guy cheated on her," David said. For a second, Killian was dead sober - someone cheated on Emma? Who the fuck could ever cheat on Emma? She was practically the whole package and had a heart of gold. Jefferson was babbling things along the same line, before David interrupted, "No, it's even worse. They were supposed to go to Sherwood next week for her best friend's wedding. I guess everything had already been bought and paid for, but then he cheated on her last week."
Killian let out a low whistle. That was, indeed, brutal. He had never met Regina, but he'd heard stories, and anyone who claimed the title of Emma's best friend had to be rather ferocious.
"Is she ok?" Jefferson asked.
"No one is okay after being cheated on," Killian said, crushing the rest of the beer to escape an old wound.
David shrugged, "You know how she is. She has this on-to-the-next mindset. Or, she tries too. Nobody parties as hard as she has tonight without wanting to escape something. In her mind, he hurt her, so he should be worthless, and she shouldn't care. She told me about it earlier. She didn't cry or anything, she just told the story. Apparently, he sort of blamed her, said something like she'd been too busy to pay attention to him lately."
Killian felt the desire to punch something that was probably shaped like this asshole. "Wow, fuck that guy, what a douche."
"Abso-fucking-lutely," Jefferson agreed. "Where is she? I want to tell I'll kill that guy for her."
Just then, a couple of arms and fists pounded Killian on the back, everyone shouting and hollering about something. God, his friends were annoying when they were drunk.
"Dude, your girl is wild tonight," Graham joked, nudging Killian in the ribs.
"What do you mean?"
"I saw her taking shots with some guys I don't know, and then they bought her a bunch of whiskey sours."
Killian tried to fight the protective, jealous urge that reared up in his stomach. David had a distressed look on his face upon hearing this news, and Jefferson looked equally puzzled by this.
"When did you last see her?" David asked, so Killian didn't have to. Graham's answer to the question was cut off as the lights in the bar suddenly went out, strobe lights came on, and the music abruptly changed.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Killian groaned, as everyone started hollering, laughing, and running to the dance floor.
Just then, through a break in the crowd, he spotted her, the feisty blonde who had taken over his thoughts for the evening. She was moving to the music, her light hair wild around her head, another drink in her hand. She was wearing something a bit sluttier than she usually went for; a navy blue, lacey romper with a plunging neckline. Killian watched her dance for a bit, finally recognizing the Emma he knew - one who was relaxed, carefree, laughing - and returned his attention to his friends.
When he looked back to check on her a few minutes later, she was gone.
"Where the fuck did she go now?" Jefferson complained, clearly of the same mind.
Killian spotted a blonde head through the crowd, ducking out the side door. "I'm gonna go check outside. You stay here and don't get into any fights."
"Jones! Where you goin'?" a couple of his friends called after him, but Killian ignored them and headed for the door.
The fresh air was good; it helped clear his head. He was drunk as fuck, and high too, that was for sure. He couldn't count on himself to do the best thing for Emma, as a friend, at the moment. Maybe he should go back inside? Emma probably just needed a moment to herself; she was like that, and he could understand it.
Then, he spotted her. She was leaning against the corner building, talking amiably with the bouncer - she had that cool ability to just talk and joke with anyone she met - and she was smoking a cigarette. Whoa, he had never seen her smoke a cig before. She usually lectured him when he smoked them.
"There you are," Killian said gently, approaching the blonde and her new friend. She glanced up at him through muddled green eyes, and smiled lightly. It wasn't her usual big, light-filled grin, but he could take it.
"This a friend of yours?" the bouncer asked, looking up and down Killian's lanky frame.
"Oh yeah, he's good. Thank you."
The bouncer nodded to her, then to Killian, and stepped away.
"Your ruining your lungs, Killian. Your rotting your teeth, Killian. Look whose got a cigarette now," Killian teased, joining the blonde against the wall. In response, she blew smoke at him. Killian chuckled. "Where did you get that anyway?"
"My new best friend," she said, nodding to the bouncer; she took another drag, offered him the cigarette.
"Listen, Emma," Killian said, accepting. "David told me about that guy who cheated on you." Emma's expression immediately closed off. She went absolutely rigid beside him, but Killian pressed on. "I just want to say, that fucking sucks. I've been there. It's the worst."
"I know, thanks," she said, quietly, not looking at him. "I just...I thought he was a good guy. And he was, until the end. I either date fuck boys who don't want a committed relationship, or I date nice guys and I turn them into assholes."
She took the cigarette back.
"Emma..."
"Listen, just shut up, ok? I don't want to talk about it. I'm going to have to talk about it enough next week at Regina's wedding."
Killian winced, "Oh yeah, that sucks."
Emma groaned, head falling into her hands in despair. "I argued for him to be included in everything, and Regina and Robin did it for me! Like we have all this shit we have to do and she included him on everything - the bachelor party, the rehearsal dinner, the family dinners - It's all been paid for, and I have this gorgeous hotel room that I get to spend a week in alone-,"
Killian gathered her into his arms to hold her together before she shattered. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and then circled her arms around his waist. He was so tall, he could rest his head on top of hers, so they just stood there like that for a minute, until she caught her breath, and pulled away from him.
"Let's go back inside," she suggested, and he followed her into the bar, where they danced together for the rest of the night.
Hours later, when everyone had staggered home, they sat together, passing a bong back and forth, chatting amiably. After the moment with Killian, Emma had been able to relax and returned to herself for the rest of the night. At three am, she and everyone else were soundly intoxicated.
"So, does anyone have any big plans next week?" Emma asked too loudly, giving away her state. Killian shot her a confused look as the others answered in scattered phrases (Yeah, I'm getting dinner; I'm working). "No, no I mean like the entire week."
"Emma, what the hell are you talking about?" David slurred, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Guys! I have an all expenses paid trip to Sherwood," Emma laughed, the words fumbling in her mouth. "You know, 'cause I was an idiot and bought and paid for everything for a guy who ended up cheating on me - ha ha!"
"Aw, Emma," the group groaned, offering her sympathies and hugs.
"Wait," Killian said, slowly. "Are you actually saying that you have an all expenses paid trip to Sherwood?"
"Yep," Emma chirruped, sipping what everyone hoped was her last beer of the evening. "Well, actually you'd have to buy your plane ticket. But everything else - hotel, food, fun things to do - all paid for. I leave for the airport at 4 am on Sunday morning, who's in?" she chuckled.
Killian said, "I am."
Emma glanced at the time on her phone, then looked up. He wasn't going to show. People tended not to show up for her. She didn't know why she was standing outside of David's shitty Subaru waiting for Killian to not show up.
After the blue-eyed devil had convinced Emma that he wasn't kidding by showing her a purchased airline ticket, she'd stared at him for a solid three minutes. It wasn't like he could refund that ticket. But he had also been really intoxicated when he bought it - so had she. Killian was the type of person who'd bite the bullet financially rather than do something he didn't want to do.
He wasn't going to show up.
"I'm gonna run to the bathroom, and then we have to get going," Mary Margaret, fellow bridesmaid, said with a bit of pity in her eyes.
"I know, I know," Emma said, with a sigh. She began to climb into the van.
"Emma!"
Holy shit, he showed up.
[insert shrugging lady emoji here]