A/N: This is my take on the classic teacher/student trope. I hope you like it :)
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Tell me, teach me, make me
"God damn it, Ruby," Emma hissed as she tugged on her skirt for the 20th time, "Couldn't you just pay attention? For once in your life?"
"I'm real sorry, Em, I just wanted to help..."
"Well, yeah, you've definitely helped me find something to do tonight, as I'm sure to end up in detention for my "inappropriate attire," Emma went on, adding air-quotation marks.
"Maybe you should just tell everybody what happened. And I'll buy you a new uniform today and problem solved," Ruby said with an overly cheery smile. "Plus you could look at the bright side. Your legs look great. Really."
Emma found it best not to say anything to that.
Some days the universe just conspires against you. For Emma, it was definitely one of those days. If there was anything that Mrs. Moore, her old, grumpy Maths teacher hated more than scantily clad (read: wearing anything other than their frumpy uniform) girls, it was tardiness. And now, as Emma watched her bus speed away, she felt she'd never dreaded that class this much.
Emma took a deep breath, smoothing down her skirt and her hair for the last time, before grabbing the door handle. "Like ripping off a Band-Aid," she thought and pushed the door open.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Moore," she said, not even looking up, hoping to get to her seat as soon as possible.
Laughter erupted.
Emma looked up and found herself looking into a pair of deep blue eyes, definitely not belonging to anyone she knew. She whipped her head around, searching for her classmates. So she actually was in the right classroom.
"Have a seat, lass. I'm afraid I don't know your name," Blue Eyes Guy said and Emma quickly plopped down in her usual one.
"So as I was saying, Mrs. Moore has been hospitalized and I've been asked to teach her classes until she's able to return. My contact info is up here." he pointed to 2 beautifully written lines in the corner of the blackboard."
Emma jotted down his e-mail – lieutenantjones, really? - and dug into her bag to retrieve her textbook, only to be scared half to death when she felt a sharp poke in her ribs.
"Elsa! Don't do that again!"
"Sorry!" her neighbour whispered. "Can you believe this guy teaches Maths? Like even the fact that he's a teacher?"
And this was when Emma, for the first time, really looked at Killian Jones.
She had to agree with Elsa. With his mussed hair, handsome face and lean body, he didn't look a bit like a teacher, let alone one of such a boring, dry subject.
"...so I suggest that you brush up on these topics, so we can get a head start." - the voice of said person snapped her back into reality and Emma realized she hadn't written down anything he'd said. She craned her head to get a look at Elsa's notes, but found hers equally useless. She turned to the girl on her other side.
"Mary Margaret, can I please copy that?"
"Sure," she whispered back with a helpful smile and slid her paper towards her.
Emma scribbled "coordinate geometry, trigonometry, functions, group theory" in the back of her notebook and then tried to focus on the lesson.
He was not supposed to stare at her. He was here to teach, to help out a family friend, not to ogle young girls. But when Emma Swan entered that classroom, he momentarily forgot where he was. He drank in the sight: her shiny hair, bright eyes, cheeks tinged pink from running, narrow waist...and those legs. The skirt she wore did nothing to hide them (or the curve of her butt, for that matter). Mentally shaking his head, he motioned for her to sit down and tried very hard not to look at her once again during class.
"You've got a girlfriend, you idiot," he thought to himself. "You don't even know her."
"Screw this shit!" Emma swore loudly as she slammed her textbook on the table. She'd come to the library in hopes of figuring out how to solve her Maths homework, but 45 minutes had gone by, and she was still stuck on a couple of them. Sighing, she crossed out the last page and wrote the equations down again.
"So if z=√3+4i and w=6+√2i, then z*w is..."
"You need help with that, lass?" a voice interrupted her thoughts.
Emma looked up and found herself face to face with the last person she'd wanted to see her struggling with these – her own teacher.
"No! I mean, yes, maybe...I don't know what I'm doing wrong...maybe I'm just not smart enough for this..." Emma blabbered, gesturing helplessly at her notebook.
"Let me see." he took a seat next to her. His eyes scanned over the hastily written lines. Then he smiled.
"It's just a forgotten minus sign." he pointed to the number in question. "Then it's all good."
Emma mentally slapped herself for making such a basic mistake and not having noticed it for 20 minutes.
"Erm, thank you, Mr. Jones."
He rolled his eyes.
"I've told you, it's Killian. ' Mr. Jones ' makes me feel about 300 years old."
"Then thank you...Killian. I have to go now." Emma stood up, eager to get out of this awkward situation.
"One more thing, Emma." she turned back to look at him. "Never think that you're not smart enough. Truthfully, you're one of the most talented pupils here."
Emma felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks.
"Thank you. " she repeated herself, and exited the library as quickly as she could.
"Hey babe," Neal smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her lips.
"Hi yourself," Emma smiled back. "Where are we going today?"
"You'll see."
They ended up in a pub, a place quite popular with high school students. Neal led her to a table, where two guys were sitting.
"Guys, this is Emma, my girlfriend. Emma, meet August and Graham."
Emma's heart fluttered at hearing him introduce her as his girlfriend. Not that she had any doubts about what they were, but still, it felt good, making it all public.
"Hi guys," she said with her warmest smile.
August muttered a "Hello.", while Graham stood up and shook her hand.
Emma soon found that she got on well with both of them, although she found Graham a bit more open and easier to talk to, but figured that August would eventually warm to her as well. She didn't even mind their company opposed to some private time with her boyfriend.
"So Emma, are you coming to Tink's party as well?" Graham asked her towards the end of their evening.
"Uhm, I didn't even know she was having a party." Emma furrowed her brows. "When is it?"
"Wait, I'll check." Graham whipped out his phone. "It says here that it's 2 weeks from now. November 16th."
"Oh damn. I'd go, but I'm helping out at the animal shelter that day. It's Adoption Night, so I'll be working 'til late," Emma said apologetically.
"Aw babe, surely you could ditch a couple of animals for a great party," Neal spoke up. "Come on, it's gonna be awesome."
"You know I can't. They are kinda short on staff and really need me, with my experience and stuff..."
"Oh, well, okay." Neal shrugged and left it at that.
"Maybe you could pop in, if they let you off earlier, or something," Graham suggested.
"Yeah, maybe." Emma appreciated the fact that Graham seemed to understand that volunteering was important to her.
Emma dropped the giant bag of groceries on the kitchen table.
"Ruby!" she called. "You could help me unpack, you know? Or I'll just eat everything by myself."
A very tired looking Ruby appeared in the doorway.
"Were you up all night again, chatting with Victor?"
"How did you -yawn- know that?"
"I know you." Emma smirked to herself. "And the look on your face screams "I'm so in love that it's almost disgusting.""
"Ha ha, Humor Queen. Not that you're one to talk, you have the same look."
"Oh, well." Emma shrugged, smiling. "Neal introduced me to 2 of his friends today."
Ruby frowned.
"You mean he invited 2 guys to your "date"?"
"Um, yeah?" Emma quirked an eyebrow. "What's your problem with that?"
"Maybe the fact that he hasn't taken you out on a real date in like, forever?"
"He wanted me to meet his friends. That means I'm a significant part of his life. And I think that's great."
"Whatever Emma, I don't have a good feeling about this, but you know your stuff."
Earphones and iPod in hand, Emma leaned back in her bus seat. At least she could relax on the way home, after this monstrosity of a day. She was barely through the first track, when she felt the neighboring seat dip. She opened her eyes to see a familiar face.
"Oh, hello Emma."
" ...I mean Killian. Hi."
God, could this be any more awkward? She sincerely hoped that the conversation would end there.
"So, do you live nearby?"
Well, shit.
"Um, not so much, I live near the sports center."
"What a surprise, that's where I get off as well."
Just great. That's 12 more stops.
"But I don't live there. I just need to get a workout in, before I get home," he went on. "You know, my brother Liam and his wife just had a baby and I'm helping them out. With babysitting and such."
"That's pretty nice of you. Kind of gentlemanly."
"I'm always a gentleman." he quirked a suggestive eyebrow. Emma snorted.
Despite her unease at the beginning, they fell into an easy conversation, which Emma actually enjoyed. He told her about his family, his hobbies (sailing did sound cool to Emma), entertained her with his embarrassing stories (he had so many) and let her talk just as much as he did. He waved goodbye to her at the bus stop and she walked home smiling.
A week later, Emma cornered Ruby with a huge tub of ice cream.
"Look, Ruby, it's your favorite."
Ruby dug in with glee. Then she narrowed her eyes.
"There's a favor involved, isn't there?"
Emma sighed.
"Yeah. Can you pick me up tomorrow after school? I need to take several bags of dog&cat food to the shelter and can't even carry them for 5 feet. Pretty please?"
"Okay, fine."
"Thanks Ruby!" Emma high-fived her.
"Anything for you. Or ice cream."
Last class was Maths and Emma couldn't have been happier to get out of school. She threw her pencilcase into her bag, but had forgotten to zip it before, consequently she sent dozens of pens flying.
By the time she'd collected them all, she was the only one left in the classroom, except for Killian. She said a hasty goodbye and was halfway out the door when his voice stopped her.
"Emma?"
"Yes?" she turned around.
"I forgot to say it during class, can you please tell everyone that the test has been moved from Wednesday to Friday?"
"Sure."
"Thanks, Emma."
Emma exited the classroom and found a not too happy looking Ruby.
"I'm sorry, I was held up. By my own clumsiness."
"Yeah, I saw. But here's a more important topic. Why do you even study Maths anymore? You've completely wooed Mr.I'm-too-good-looking-for-a-teacher. He'd give you an A for writing your name on the test.
"What? I haven't!"
"Emma, I have eyes. He's smitten with you.
Emma rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. Let's get the car."
He couldn't believe it. Going back. She was going back to him. He tried to wrap his head around the fact that his Milah, his girlfriend would go back to that prick. That abusive bastard. Their divorce had been almost finalized.
"But why?" he'd asked her.
"Because I love him, Killian. In a way that I could never love you."
He let her go. Milah was a stubborn woman, he knew that well. All he could do was wish her happiness. (And try not to drown his sorrow in rum.)
"Aaand, there you go. Adoption papers, the vet's number, and most importantly, your new friend." Emma smiled at the middle-aged woman as she handed her the tiny ball of fur. "Call us, if there's any trouble."
"Thank you." She left the shelter with a small wave and Emma sighed. She'd been worried that she wouldn't find a match for her, but the Labrador seemed to be a good choice.
"Wonderful job, Emma." Ruth, the owner of the shelter, stuck her head out from her office. "I don't think we've ever managed to give this many animals a new home in one night. I hope Ashley will do just as well..."
Emma furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Ruth, I told you, I can stay until midnight, I don't need anyone to take over for me..."
"Emma, you've been here for 10 hours, I won't let you work another 5," Ruth stated. "You are going home right now. Ashley will be here in a sec."
Emma shrugged, knowing that arguing wouldn't get her anywhere and grabbed her coat from the chair she'd carelessly thrown it over.
Saying goodbye to Ruth, she stepped out onto the cold street, pulling her scarf up to protect her from the wind. She didn't really feel like going home, still high on the joy of her success at the shelter. She contemplated her options. Going home and trying to sleep. Or watching Netflix. Or drinking alone somewhere. A car whizzed past her, techno blasting from its speakers and she suddenly remembered. Tink' s party. She could go and surprise Neal. Yes, this is it, she thought to herself, smiling.
An hour later, she knocked on the door of Tink's enormous house, and was greeted by the owner herself, in a slightly intoxicated state.
"Hi, Emma," Tink said with a goofy smile, waving in her general direction.
"Hi, Tink." Emma squeezed herself through the throngs of people and headed for the kitchen to get herself something to drink. She grabbed a Coke (she wasn't planning on drinking, at least not too much, as she still had schoolwork to do), and casually walked around, looking for Neal. After wandering through almost the entire house (seriously, how big was that house?), she finally caught a flash of a brown-and-green sweater, which she identified as Neal's. Emma fluffed up her hair and put on her brightest smile. It didn't last for more than a few seconds, because Neal shifted a little to the side, giving Emma a clear view of the leggy brunette (Tamara, was it?) clinging onto him. Emma held her breath. Neal leaned down and kissed her. Emma thought about screaming. Making a scene. Walking up there and confronting him, kicking him in the nuts. Or slapping him. Or both. They all sounded very good to her in that moment. But in reality, she did nothing but stand there, feeling the burn of tears threatening to fall. Wordlessly, she turned around, and again, headed for the kitchen. Screw her plans of not getting drunk tonight.
She didn't know anything anymore. The only thing reverberating through her head was the fact that Neal had cheated on her. The thought was more bitter than the rum on her tongue. How could he? Why wasn't she enough? What had she done wrong?
The room was spinning slightly and the warmth of the air felt suffocating. Emma suddenly felt an urge to fall asleep, there and then. Maybe this would turn out to be a measly nightmare and nothing else. Looking around, she saw that nobody was paying attention to her. She could slip away.
The walk home had never seemed this long. Emma felt like having climbed the Mount Everest and she was only halfway. The dress was making her itch, the shoes were probably carving the maker's initials into her skin based on how much her feet hurt in them, and yet, that couldn't be compared to the pain in her heart. She'd trusted him, for God's sake! She thought about the time he first told her he loved her. At that damn concert, when he'd drawn her close and whispered it in her ear. She touched her swan necklace. "You're beautiful, like a swan. And this necklace is yours, just as you're mine."
She let her tears fall this time.
She stepped into the garden, careful not to wake anybody. She sat down on the porch, not feeling like sleeping anymore. Her thoughts would keep her awake anyway. Burying her face in her hands, she sat there for God knows how long.
"Emma?"
She looked up, surprised. The voice seemed familiar and there was a hint of worry in it.
Emma got up from her seat, only to recognize Killian.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed you..."
"No, no, it's fine," Emma cut in. "I'm fine."
"Well, you don't look fine to me. Unless you dressed as a panda for some themed party."
Emma rubbed under her eyes and could feel that her eyeliner had run.
"Oh, great."
"Can I help you somehow, love?"
It wasn't his fault, really. But that endearment set off something inside her.
"I'm not your love, okay?! I'm not anybody's love! I used to be. But of course, he had to go and screw me over to get with some bimbo. And I...I just want to be loved. For real, for once." She wiped her eyes with her hand. And then realization dawned on her. She'd just yelled at her Maths teacher. But Killian seemed to be unfazed by this, as he only smiled at her, one of his kindest smiles and guided her to sit back on the porch, before taking a place himself as well.
"Hey, it's okay. Wanna tell me the whole story?"
And for some reason, Emma did. From their very first meeting, their first kiss, the "I love you-s", their stupid traditions. And Killian listened intently, not taking his eyes off her for a second.
"And I just can't believe it, you know? I thought that he was for real. That our love was real."
"I know, Emma." He gently wiped her tears with his thumb. "I understand you."
"And I feel like so worthless..."
"Emma." He raised his voice slightly. "You can't think that. You are one of the most beautiful, smart, sweet, intriguing people I know. If Neal couldn't appreciate you, he was a fool. He doesn't deserve you. One day, you'll find someone, who loves and cherishes you the way you should be loved and cherished."
His confession surprised him too. He knew that he felt something for her, that there was something that drew him to her, like light and mosquitoes. But he'd basically told her he loved her. And yet, he couldn't find it in himself to regret saying that. It was the truth. He'd meant every word. Emma seemed to sense this as well, as she sat quietly for a while.
"Thank you," she whispered and slid closer to him. He fought the urge to hug her, to hold her close and never let her go. As if she could read his mind, Emma lay her head on his shoulder, snuggling into his side. He breathed in her scent. Sweet and feminine, but not too sugary. Just perfect.
Emma wasn't sure how she ended up in his arms. But his embrace made her feel safe, and her brain was still foggy from the drinks, and she didn't really feel like moving anyway.
"Killian?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you," Emma mumbled into his chest.
"Didn't hear that."
Emma reluctantly raised her head.
"I said thank you. Really. For everything."
He smiled.
"Don't thank me."
They stared at each other for what seemed like years, just smiling. And then his lips were on hers. They were softer than she had thought, but just as insistent. She let herself get lost in it, enjoyed the way her fingertips tingled, the way warmth was starting to spread within her. Damn, the man could kiss.
Her kiss seemed to erase any coherent thoughts in his mind. The feel of her lips on his was the only thing that remained, and the soft skin and silky hair beneath his fingertips, and "Gods, I love you."
He didn't say it, but he certainly thought it.
They broke apart when the lack of oxygen became a problem.
"I think I'd better be going know." Killian scratched behind his ear.
"Yeah, probably."
The air was still electric from their kiss and Emma could feel a blush creeping up on her cheeks.
"Night, Emma."
"Goodnight, Killian."
And then he was on his way, and she fell into bed, mind still reeling.
This must be the headache of the year. No, scratch that, of the eon. Emma made a coffee for herself on autopilot and swore to never drink again. Just the usual. Rummaging for a new packet of sugar, she walked past a framed picture of her and Neal, laughing on the beach. And that's when it hit her.
The party. Neal. Tamara. Crying. And Killian. Oh my god, she kissed him.
Coffee forgotten, she collapsed in the nearest chair. Oh god, how could she? He must think that she's crazy. And ridiculous. How is she going to look him in the eye on Monday?
She kept her eyes fixed on the ground as she slid into her seat. Don't look at him, she repeated in her head, don't look at him. This tactic worked very well until the lesson began and she was forced to pay attention. She tried her best to silence her thoughts about his eyes, his smile, his voice, his everything and focus on the graphs. Wanting to leave the classroom as fast as she could, she latched onto Elsa, with a random conversation topic, hoping that he wouldn't attempt to talk to her. She really didn't need to hear his speech about how it was all a mistake and he didn't want anything from her. No such luck.
"Emma, can I talk to you for a second?" he'd lightly tapped her arm when she passed his desk.
"I'm really sorry, but I need to go...to...the copier. I need to copy a couple of notes."
A ridiculous lie. He let it slide.
They fell into some sort of a routine. At first, he would try to talk to her and she would come up with something, anything, to get out of it. And eventually, Emma assumed, he stopped trying. He no longer spoke to her, outside of class. Sometimes, when she studied at the library, she saw him sitting at a table. She knew he saw her too. Sometimes, they ran into each other in the hallway. Eyes on the ground, good afternoons and hellos were mumbled. Sometimes they rode on the same bus. She always made a point of choosing the place furthest from him. It was killing her. But it was for the better, or at least that's what she thought. Little did she know, it was killing him too.
A peaceful day at the park, with a book and maybe some ice cream. Yup, that was the plan. With the sun shining bright, Emma decided to celebrate the summer's arrival with a day out. She picked out a bench and let herself be transported to another world.
A few hundred pages later, she was jolted back into reality, when she felt somebody touch her shoulder.
She looked up, ready to send the creeper away to the depths of hell, but her mouth dropped open when she saw that it was Killian.
"I'll be going now, you can have the bench..." she started packing hastily but he stopped her movements.
"Emma, don't go. Please talk to me."
"What do you want to know?"
"I want to know why you've been running from me. Ever since that night," he said sincerely.
Emma felt as if she'd swallowed a basketball. Her heartbeat sped up and she suspected her voice would tremble too.
"You wanna know why? Okay. Because you're my teacher...
"Were," he corrected.
"Whatever. So you wanna hear that it was the best kiss of my life and I've been crushing on you ever since, or maybe longer, and that I didn't want you to tell me that it was a mistake and that I didn't want to have my heart broken again, after Neal! That's what you wanted to hear? There, you have it." Emma realized that she was crying.
"Oh, Emma."
"Don't you "Oh, Emma" me! I...I..."
She never got to know what she would have said, because Killian tugged her into his embrace and kissed her. Despite all her intentions, she melted into it (to Killian's relief), tangling her fingers in his hair, pressing closer to him. He kept holding her after they broke apart and affectionately kissed her cheek.
"I love you, okay?"
Emma smiled.
"Okay."