hey there everyone! it feels like years since I've posted a fic, and it feels weird to publish this. For the past 8 months or so I haven't posted any new fic or updated my WIP Sparks, and I feel really bad but I've just really haven't felt inspired even though I really wanted to write, added to the fact that my current and new (well it's been 8 months it's not totally new but who cares) job that takes most of my time and energy.

I've been wanting to get back to writing but since i have zero inspiration, my dear friend phiralovesloki gave me some good advice to help me get back into it, which led me to try and rewrite an old story of mine. I decided to rewrite one of the first fics I've written three years ago (the writing was aaaaaawful, seriously it's dreadful). I'm improving the story and I'll probably end up changing a few (a lot?) of things, and let me reassure you, my writing got a lot better since! I still hope you'll enjoy it. Now I'll shut up and let you read it.

Thanks to ultraluckycatnd for editing the story!

The evening had been busy and hectic, which made Emma appreciate the soft gust of wind as she walked out of the dinner. Monday nights at Granny's were usually calm, which gave her some time to study in between clients. Maybe it was the nice warm weather that spring brought after a very cold winter that made people want to go out and have a meal outside of their houses. She was grateful for the tips; she usually didn't make much on Monday's, but the downside was that she was starting her week exhausted.

Emma debated with herself for a moment, pondering on whether she hailed for a cab or if she took the bus back to her apartment. Walking was out of the question, because her feet were killing her. The cab was quite tempting since she would be home in no time, but it meant spending some of the extra money she made tonight. With the financial strain that her and her brother had been going through, spending that extra money wouldn't be wise. Emma sighed as she tried to muster some of the energy she had left and did the wise thing as she walked towards the bus stop. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to wait too long for the bus to arrive.

After what felt like hours (it was really fifteen minutes, but her tired state was playing tricks on her mind), Emma finally arrived at her apartment complex and slowly climbed the stairs up to her floor. Once she entered her apartment, she dropped her bag as she freed her feet from the pressure of her shoes and walked directly to the living room. She fell next to her brother on the couch and sighed with relief as she let her aching muscles finally relax. Her head slowly rolled to the side when David groaned as he closed his laptop, and she noticed that he looked tense.

"What's wrong?" David looked at her discouraged as he nodded to his computer screen.

"I was looking at my bank account and trying to figure out how I will be able to pay all of our upcoming bills, and I really don't know how I'll do it."

"You know I would love to be able to help you, but I'm as broke as you. If it wasn't for the unexpected busy evening, I wouldn't have been able to pay our upcoming bills either."

David groaned once again as his head fell back, making a light thud when it hit the wall behind him.

"Oh, you could ask Mom to lend you some money. You know she would lend you some in a heartbeat."

"Are you crazy? Asking Mom isn't an option. And why would you even propose that? You know that I would never ask Mom for money for the same reasons you don't ask her either when you're broke."

"I was just trying to help you out." She replied as she lifted her hands in surrender. "Well, what are you going to do?"

"Well, I've been thinking about some options that could help us out. I mean, this month I'm the one struggling with bills, but sometimes it's you too." David paused and Emma didn't like the way this was going. Whenever her brother paused and took his time telling her something, it's because he knew that she might not like the news or the idea. She raised her eyebrows and nodded impatiently to encourage David to just tell her his idea already.

"We could get a roommate." Emma couldn't stop herself from laughing, either because she was extremely tired, or because his idea was way too ridiculous. Or probably both. When David didn't laugh and kept looking at her with a serious look, she stopped and felt herself panic.

"You're not kidding."

"I'm not. It is really my only solution to our financial problems. If we have a roommate,we split all of our bills and it will let us breathe a bit and stop stressing over money so we can focus on our studies." David really was enthusiastic with the idea, which made Emma wonder how long he had been thinking about that.

"Yeah I get that, but you know how I feel about the whole having a roommate. It's why I live with my brother and not a stranger or a friend that would end up annoying me. What if we have someone living with us that is an inconsiderate asshole, that doesn't respect our boundaries, or even worse that robs us! And where would they have a room?"

"We wouldn't have a random person live here with us, believe me I will interview them and I'll make sure not to have a creep live with us. And I was thinking that we could empty the office we never use. We're always studying either in our rooms or in the kitchen table, it's not as if we'll miss that room."

"I don't know David, you know how I feel about this." She sighed as she tried to consider her brother's idea.

"Look Emma, if we do this, I'll make sure that we don't have a freak living with us. If it makes you feel better, give me a list of criterias and I'll make sure that our future roommate checks them." Emma groaned as she let her head fall to the back of the couch.

"Okay fine. But give me some time to think of some criteria before making the ad."

"Don't worry, you won't be disappointed." David smiled at her as he leaned in for a hug.

"Good, I trust you with this." She told him as she got up from the couch. "I'm off to bed, I have a lot to do tomorrow."

As she got ready for bed, Emma couldn't stop thinking about this roommate thing. She knew that she was maybe overreacting with this whole situation, but she had valid concerns and David knew about them. Before being adopted by Ruth, she had her share of foster families and in a sense, her share of roommates, that made her life a living hell. Living with David was safe and she likes it. Adding someone else to their little family could really fuck things up.

By the time she finished with her nightly routine, she was so exhausted from her day and from her conversation with her brother that the moment her head hit her pillow, she was already half asleep.

Two weeks went by and David was still looking for the perfect roommate. He was true to his word. He was being thorough in his search and he was really keeping in mind the list she gave him. He was interviewing each prospect, and Emma had a feeling that he wasn't only doing that for her, but putting his profiling skills to the test. She knew she was being difficult but she really didn't want to end up feeling uncomfortable in her own apartment.

Near the end of the week, she received a text from her brother while she was on her break at the restaurant.

David: I found us a roommate! He'll be moving in tomorrow.

Emma: Okay. Do you know when tomorrow? I'm going to be out most of the day.

David: Don't worry, I'll be here to greet him.

Emma: Good. If he turns out to be a total ass I am kicking your butt.

They were really doing this. Emma took a deep breath and tucked her phone in her apron and headed back to work, feeling the nerves of this new living situation kicking in.

-/-

Killian really needed to find a place to live. It had been a few weeks now that he has been crashing on Graham's couch. He was grateful that his friend was kind enough to let him stay in his loft, but he really needed to find himself somewhere to live. His belongings were still in the storage unit he had rented after he and Milah broke up, and he really needed to get his stuff out of there before it ate all of his money away.

Not wanting to abuse his friend's hospitality, Killian finally gathered the courage to start looking for apartments; or at least somewhere where he could have a space that he could call his. He had found an interesting ad; it was a room to rent and he would be living with two other people. He wasn't the roommate type of guy but after a nasty break-up, living alone probably wasn't the best idea. Knowing himself, if he was living alone, it would be endless night of him and a bottle rum. Maybe having roommates would help him not to feel too alone and miserable.

Deciding to take a chance, he decided to call the number on the ad. He ended up having an appointment to visit the apartment later that afternoon. A tall, fair haired man greeted him and introduced himself as David, one of the tenants. He made him visit every room of the apartment, spending a bit more time in the spare room which would be his if he decided to move in with them. Killian also found out that the other person living there was actually David's sister. He didn't know how he felt about that, living with siblings, but so far, there wasn't a weird vibe coming from the man next to him. He thought it was quite particular the amount of questions David was asking him, but in a sense he understood. They were letting a stranger live in their space.

Almost an hour went by and Killian found himself still talking to David, not talking about the living arrangements but actually having a conversation on their common interests. As he kept the conversation going, he thought to himself how easy it was talking to David and that in a short amount of time, he actually got along with him. By the end of their appointment, he informed David that he was interested in renting the room. To his surprise, David didn't waste time on giving him his answer. They end up making moving arrangements for the next day.

On his way back to Graham's apartment, Killian felt lighter knowing that starting tomorrow, he'll have a space that he'll be able to call his; finally starting the process of moving on. He still felt wary about this whole thing. It's a big change, and he won't deny that the fact that he'll be moving in an apartment shared by siblings could be awkward. Worst case scenario, he'll find another place to live; it's not as if he was signing a lease.

Graham was happy to hear the news that he found himself a place to live other than his couch, and he's happy to be able to be out of his friend's hair. Graham offered to help go get his belongings in the storage unit the next day to help him with his move. They decide to spend their last evening together with a pack of beer and pizza.

"I think this will be good for you. A new beginning." Graham told him as he got up from the couch to go fetch them another beer.

"Thanks. It's definitely a new beginning. I'm really hoping that I'm not making a mistake moving in with siblings, but I really can't stay here any longer."

"You know I don't mind Killian. You've been through a tough break-up; the least I could do was to let you stay here. And who knows, maybe this Emma girl will help you forget Milah." Killian couldn't help himself but laugh at his friend's absurd comment.

"First of all, I am in no way ready to invest myself in another relationship, now or ever. Second of all, do you really think I am dumb enough to even think to get involved with someone I'm going to have to share an apartment with? And even worse, where her older brother is living also? I haven't even met the lass. There's a chance that she isn't even my type."

"Whatever you say, mate." Graham told him as he took a swig of his beer.

The next day around noon, Killian arrived at his new apartment complex with Graham. With the help of his new roommate, they moved his things out of the truck and into his room. He didn't have much and with the three of them, it only took them half an hour to take all of his belongings up the stairs. Once they were done, Graham congratulated him as he gave Killiam a one armed hug before heading back to work.

David gave Killian a spare key as he told him where the nearest store was in case he needed anything. He thanked him and went to unpack his things, wanting to have his room as comfortable as possible. Once he was done, he went out to the living room and saw David sitting on the couch as he was watching tv.

"Do you mind?" he asked as he gestured the seat next to him.

"Not at all. There's more beer in the fridge if you want one." David told him before he had the chance to even sit.

"Oh, I wouldn't say no to a beer on moving day."

He walked over to the kitchen so he could grab his drink. It felt weird walking around this new environment and knowing that it was now where he was going to live. Killian walked back to the living room and sat next to David, who tipped his own beer towards him.

"Cheers." David told him once he did the same. They both took a sip in silence while Killian was trying to figure out how to break the silence between them.

"I've yet to meet your sister. What does she do?"

"She's studying to become a social worker, and in between classes she works as a waitress over at Granny's."

"Wow, you two make quite the pair, one future detective and one future social worker. Helping others seems to run in the family."

"That we do. The difference between me and my sister is that she tends to forget herself. She's always so focused on helping others that she puts aside her own happiness so others can feel happy."

"That's a pity." He was curious about his other roommate that he had yet to meet. Besides what David had just told him, he knew very little about this other person that he was going to share the apartment with, and hoped that they would get along. "What about your sister? What does she think of this? You two having a roommate."

"She isn't fond of it, but we have been living with a financial strain for some time now, me more than her, and we really don't want to move. We like it here, so she agreed that if we wanted to stay here and relieve ourselves from some of the pressure, the option of a roommate wasn't that bad." David explained.

They drank a few beers as they continued to get to know each other. Eventually, Killian felt the events of the day take a toll on him and decided to take a shower before heading to bed. He wished David goodnight as he then walked towards his room to get his towel before heading for the bathroom. He noticed that the door didn't have a lock and assumed there was a way to lock it with the door knob somehow, but he couldn't seem to find the correct way to do it. He gave up and told himself that it was late enough and that the sound of the shower was enough for his roommates to know that someone was in there. He'd ask them tomorrow how to make the lock work. At this moment the only thing he wanted was to take a hot shower.

He took his time cleaning himself, enjoying how the warm water helped relaxed his tense muscles. Once he was clean, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel to dry off. As he finished wrapping the towel around his hips, the bathroom door opened before he had the chance to say anything, and found himself face to face with a woman with gorgeous green eyes and long blond hair.

"I… I… sorry" were the only words out of her mouth before she closed the door and fled.

Killian felt his cheeks go warm, embarrassed that his first encounter with his other roommate was her stumbling in on him half naked in the bathroom. He decided to finish drying himself and get dressed, putting his sweatpants on along with his t-shirt before trying to catch up with Emma and apologize and hopefully introduce himself in a less embarrassing way.

He tried the living room first, hoping on seeing her there but the room was empty. He heard some noise coming from the kitchen and decided to try there. She was standing in the kitchen, her back to the counter as she slightly leaned on it. She had a glass of water in her hands as she seemed deep in thought. Killian cleared his throat to make his presence known and instantly felt uncomfortable the moment she lifted her eyes to look at him. His nervous tick kicked in, his fingers itching to scratch the back of his ear as he tentatively walked towards her.

"I'm Killian, your new roommate." She looked at him, her face not showing any emotion whatsoever.

"Emma." she simply said.

"I, uh, didn't know how to lock the door."

"You lift the knob and give it a little push." she explained as she then proceeded to finish her glass of water.

"I'll try and remember that." He said with a light chuckle. She gave him a hint of a smile before turning her back to him so she could put her empty glass in the sink.

"Goodnight." She told him decisively as she left the kitchen.

Killian stood alone in the kitchen for a minute or two, not really knowing what to think of this brief discussion with Emma. He grabbed himself a glass of water and headed to his room as he settled himself under the covers. Tomorrow would be another day. Hopefully, they'll be able to start fresh.

Thanks for reading! :)