Being out at sea for so long was starting to take a toll on Emma's emotional wellbeing. She couldn't find an outlet when she just needed time to think; with the cramped quarters there wasn't any space to be alone. And, as that was the case, she found herself milling about the top deck on most days, letting the fresh sea breeze catch her hair while in taking the smell of the salt water. She quickly realized, the longer she was out on the Jolly Roger, that her comfort was found while leaning against the railing and letting her thoughts fall away best she could. But, to her dismay, on most days those thoughts were interrupted by Hook in one way or another. It didn't matter how; whether it was him physically pulling her from her relaxing mind set with a brush of his hand lower on her backside than it should be or a quick glance in his direction that caught his gaze. All of them were equally as distracting and because of it, her ever running thoughts stayed agitated most days.
Sometimes she would catch herself quietly watching him as he stood behind the helm, manning the ship himself with an ever present smile spread beamingly across his face. She quickly noticed how happy he really was in this element; he was a man of the sea, and this was his home, his comfort zone. He looked so care free; and with the constant worries lingering in her mind, she wished she could say the same.
One day in particular she found herself watching him more fervently, noting how effortlessly the ship would turn for him with no question. How someone could have such a bond with a ship still baffled her, but with everything she had come to experience in the past few months she wasn't too surprised. Their eyes soon met and they held the other's stares, until a smirk spread across Hook's face and he nodded his head at her, gesturing her over to him. She gave him a look, that look, but still found herself stalking towards him, up the stairs, to stand next to him as he stood behind the wheel.
"Afternoon Swan," he said while never taking his eyes off the sea in front of him.
"What do you want?" Her tone came out more annoyed than she had hoped and he side-eyed her, letting out a small chuckle.
"Aye, I've noticed you've seemed quite mesmerized in watching me the past few days-" She opened her mouth to object, her eyes widening in surprise, but he raised his hand towards her, cutting her off from interrupting him. "And was curious if you would like to try your hand at the helm?" he asked with a raised brow, challenging her and questioning her all with the tone in his voice.
She eyed him cautiously; the Jolly Roger was his girl, his pride and joy, and the initial shock from his request rendered her momentarily speechless. She searched his face, trying to see if he was joking. He wasn't. "Um… I wouldn't really know what do."
"Aye, it's easy once you get the hang of it. Come here lass," he offered his hand to her and she hesitantly took it, ignoring the slight spark that shot through her body when their hands came in contact. He pulled her over, positioning her behind the wheel and kept a gracious distance between the two of them as took his stance behind her. "First you'll need to know your bearings. Are you familiar with port and starboard?"
"Starboard is right and port is left?" Emma replied, pointing the directions respectively, asking if she was correct with the slight influx in her tone. The smile that spread across his face gave her the answer right away.
"Aye, love, that's correct. See, you already know more than you thought." She smiled silently to herself, a burning feeling of excitement flowing through her as he took a few steps in her direction, standing only inches from her back. "Now grab the pegs here and here," he brought his hand gently over top of hers and led her hand to where it needed to go, simultaneously doing the same with his hook that cupped her other wrist. Emma grasped the helm tightly once he freed her hands and he sent out a mix of a gasp and a slight laugh. "Gently, lass, no need to strain her."
She loosened her grip and let her tense body relax, taking in the moment, finding an odd amount of comfort in being behind the helm. The thoughts in her head that wouldn't stop had suddenly begun to fade away, to her initial pleasant surprise. "That's a good girl," he whispered against her hair. Emma felt her heart flutter with anticipation at the small nods of praise he was giving her, as well as the way his breath danced across her neck when he spoke, nearly sighing when she felt him back up from her. "Now, turn her two notches port."
Emma did as she was asked, letting herself get the feel for the way the Jolly Roger eased into the turn, unconsciously whirling around and beaming up at Hook. "Bloody brilliant. You're a natural lass." He hadn't realized that he had closed the space between the again, or how his hand had subconsciously found his way to the curve of her hip, feeling her back nearly flush against his chest. Emma's breath hitched in her throat once the heat of his body engulfed her, but she let it out quickly once the realization of the situation hit him and he backed away while clearing of his throat. "Now, uh, three pegs starboard."
Once again the Jolly Roger turned effortlessly, cutting through the waves quietly and Hook felt himself smile proudly down at the blonde haired firecracker behind the helm of his ship, letting out a quiet chuckle.
"What?" she asked while shooting him a questioning glance, her eyebrow rising when she saw the look on his face.
"I always knew you'd make one hell of a pirate. You've got the sea in your blood, love."
She turned away from him quickly, feeling her cheeks flush red in embarrassment from this new form of adoration from him. It was flattering to the say the least, but she wasn't about to admit that to him. "It's really nothing, I'm just turning a wheel."
"But she's listening to you," he neared her, lifting his hand outward to cup her shoulder, softly massaging her skin. "It's been many years since she's had someone else steer her."
As the sentence left his lip, memories of Baelfire flashed across his thoughts, a guilty feeling beginning to pool in his gut. He tried to recover from the way his face had dropped momentarily, but not before Emma had already caught on, her face quickly paralleling the concern in his.
"Hook… what's wrong?"
He sighed heavily and removed his hand from her arm, fiddling with the tip of his hook; a nervous habit he had picked up in his prior years in Neverland. "It's nothing, lass. Nothing we're to talk about today."
"Hook-"
"I said not today lass," he snapped at her, immediately biting his lip in regret. This wasn't the man he was anymore, especially not to her. He painfully stood in front of her, an unnerving silence taking over the two of them. "Emma, I'm sorry it's just-"
"No, it's fine Hook. I'm not going to force you into telling me anything. But just know that you can talk to me, okay?"
And she genuinely meant it; the look in her eyes telling him just that. He nodded once and looked up at her from under his lashes. "Because we understand each other?"
She didn't stop the smile that tugged on her lips, but resisted the laugh that threatened to escape. "Exactly." Emma took a step backwards, gesturing to the helm as she caught his gaze. "I think that she misses her Captain. But thank you for the lesson, it was a nice escape for a while." She watched as he took a few steps forward, naturally falling into place behind the wheel; where he always belonged, where he found his peace. Emma gave him one last small smile before turning and walking towards her quarters, silently excusing herself.
"Thank you lass."
He caught her off guard then, and she turned to face him while eyeing him carefully. "For?"
"For letting me be a part of something."
The glint in his eyes and the thankful tone in his voice absolutely took her aback, she wasn't anticipating that from him, but she quickly recovered and nodded. "It's no problem at all."
They shared an understanding look, falling into the silence and letting the sound of the waves overtake them. She quickly turned away, the butterflies in her stomach threatening to show in the look on her face if she stayed longer. He had managed to surprise her in more ways than one in the past few days, and she couldn't help but feel like there was a change in the wind, a change in its direction; it now all blowing straight to him.