a/n: based on a tumblr post and a Sterek fic, which I unfortunately can't link here. Go to my tumblr oncestifer to find the post - I've linked them in this fic there.

Emma sighed in a highly painful way when she sat down in the lecture hall – choosing a place in the middle of it all so she'd have a clear view of the presentation, but also hoping she'd blend in and her professor wouldn't notice her starting at him. Not that that was something she did on a regular basis. Only when she caught a glimpse of his smirk. Or when he scratched his ear innocently when he didn't know the answer to a question or was embarassed. Or just mainly whenever he breathed the same air as she did.

But she was nota stalker. She'd only spent three hours on a Friday night searching for him on Facebook (in vain), and the double amount trying to find out where he lived (for research purposes only, of course) but that did not make her a stalker. Much.

Thus the painful sigh that came after more than a million you-can-look-but-you-can't-touch moments every time she saw him. His lectures had quickly become the highlight of her week but she always left feeling emptier than when she came. Not because he was rude or anything like that, rather the opposite, but because she felt so ridiculous for crushing so hard on a professor. A very fine professor, yes, but still a professor in one of her classes. (There was hardly any age difference between them, though, which was something at least.)

It did not take more than ten seconds after she'd sat down until Neal approached her.

"Hey, Emma," he breathed out, heaving himself onto her fold-up table and coming way closer than she was comfortable with. They'd gone on a date last year, but Emma hadn't really felt a spark between them so they'd remained friends. He still liked to try once in a while, especially after having a horrible date. "Doing anything tonight?"

"Neal," she shook her head, trying to lean back and away as casual as she could. "How did the date with Tamara go?"

He huffed, his bottom lip pouting a little.

"Besides," she continued. "I thought you had a date with Rose tonight?"

At that, he brightened up again. "Right, I forgot about that. Sweet." He slid down further in his seat, a grin on his face.

A few moments later, Ruby plopped down on Emma's other side. "Any sight of Mr. Hottie yet?"

Emma grimaced. "No."

"Don't you think it's about time you did something about your thing for Captain Sexy?"

"Ruby!" The blush crept up on Emma's face slowly but she could feel the unpleasant warmth spreading all over, and after checking to see nobody had heard, she fixed her eyes hard on her so-called friend. "I do not have a thing," she hissed back.

"Sure you don't," Ruby rolled her eyes, patting Emma's arm. "I want to spice things up a bit. Interested in a bet?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not stupid enough to agree to a bet with you."

"Please, you need this. You need to get laid and the batteries need to rest at some point." She paused to let the words sink in, and when they did Emma blushed even harder than she'd had before.

"You are the absolute worst human being ever and I have no idea why I hang out with you."

"You love me," Ruby shrugged. "So, about this bet…"

Emma tried to ignore Ruby as best as she could, but her curiosity soon took the better of her, and with a grunt she turned to face her friend. "Just tell me."

Delighted, Ruby clapped her hands together but to Emma it looked more like some sort of evil plan falling into place. It scared her.

"If I can ask Marty McYummie a question he can't answer to correctly, you have to ask him out." Since Mr. Jones – or Killian that he insisted everyone would call him – had made three references to Back to the future in one lecture, there had been an ongoing joke about Killian being Marty McFly. And Ruby just took every opportunity she could to let the world know she saw their professor as the hottest creature to ever walk the face of the earth – right after her boyfriend Victor of six years that was. Not that she was wrong. On some days, especially those when he came into class wearing a cardigan, hair ruffled from the wind after running to get to class on time, Emma was convinced he had to be breaking some kind of law just by looking like that.

Emma's crush wasn't entirely based on the hotness-factor on him, though, but it sure didn't hurt. The classes he taught were 'Poetry and love – The same thing?' and something called 'Sailors lost at sea – An introductory to the seafaring industry', which had turned out to be a million times more fun than the name suggested. (The only reason she'd picked it had been because she needed another class to fill her schedule and there was nothing interesting to choose from, so she picked a random class from one of the professor's she'd already chosen.)

The first time she saw Killian Jones was the first Monday of her semester, and while she'd still been trying to keep her mouth closed and get her breathing under control, Killian had opened the class by reading the most famous love poems and letters ever written.

Safe to say, by the time he came to Beethoven's "Immortal beloved" Emma had been a puddle on the floor. (And the way his lips shaped the words "Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours" as his eyes scanned the classroom hadto have been illegal.) It wasn't enough that he looked better than all the men Emma had ever seen in her entire life combined, but he were also emotional, loved poems and had a special place in his heart for sailing. Jesus.

Now, she tilted her head and tried to figure out what Ruby's plan was. "What kind of question?"

"You will find out if you agree."

"What if he can answer it correctly then?"

She paused for a few seconds, tapping a finger on her lips before she said, "I'll streak across the campus."

Not able to resist, Emma grinned. "Deal."

Five minutes later, at exactly nine o'clock, Killian Jones entered the room and Emma's stomach did a flip-flop when their eyes met. What if –

No, no ridiculous ideas, she thought. Of course he's not interested; you're just another person in his class that finds him insanely attractive.

He hadn't even finished fiddling with his papers when Ruby raised her hand and did a polite cough to get his attention; he lifted his head, eyes meeting Emma's again for a blissful second, before darting over to Ruby.

"Aye?"

Oh, right. His accent. His freaking perfect accent that Emma managed to block out after his classes ended and that always hit her like a brick wall whenever he started speaking. She could listen to him talk forever. (Not in a cheesy way. Emma didn't do cheesy. Absolutely not.)

"Can I ask you a question, not related to this subject?"

Emma tried to kick Ruby under the table, but Ruby managed to move away. Sneaky as a wolf, that one.

He blinked at her a couple of times, obviously confused. "Nothing too unbefitting, I hope."

Everyone laughed at that except Emma, who was cursing Ruby.

"No, of course not," Ruby agreed. "I was just wondering, is Emma here going on a date with him tonight?" She pointed at Neal who immediately grinned approvingly, and Emma wanted to die of embarrassment.

"No," Killian replied easily, seemingly not even having to think about it. "Was that all?"

"Yes," Ruby smiled happily. "Thank you."

After that, Emma had some kind of out of body experience where she had actually sunk down in a hole in the ground and died, because how could this be her life? Not only had Ruby asked a professor about a stupid date that wasn't even happening, but he had also thought it to be a ludicrous idea that she'd go on a date with someone. Freaking Ruby, who she was not speaking to again, ever.

She missed everything that was said in that lecture, but figured Ruby owed it to her to give her the notes, and only came back to reality when Ruby poked her on the shoulder.

"I'm not talking to you," Emma said when she saw who it was.

"A deal's a deal. Class is over, go and fulfill your end of the bargain missy!" She pointed over at the large desk where Killian had sat down, writing.

Emma gritted her teeth, but figured it was better to get it over with as quick as possible since Ruby would go on and on about it forever otherwise; on shaky legs she approached him.

As if he could feel her presence, he looked up to meet her eyes and she chickened out, figured she could lie to Ruby that she'd asked him out and he had said no.

"No?" was the only thing Emma could get out, and she applauded her brain for choosing this particular moment to abandon her.

He lifted an eyebrow, an amused expression on his face.

"I mean – um – why did you say I wouldn't go on a date with Neal tonight?"

He lifted a hand to scratch his ear, giving her a smirk. "Because you're having dinner with me, lass."

(Emma may or may not have teased Ruby as much as she could about the fact that he had answered the question correctly; two days later, Ruby ran across campus wearing nothing but shoes, Victor cheering loudest of them all.)