Set in an indiscriminate time before they were an official couple. Call it "canon divergence".
Also have any of you ever let your characters get away from you? I was writing this with no intention of it going remotely sexual and then suddenly there is it. This is why I can't write real books. It would be like "Oh ho ho? Chapter 2? Time for sex!"
I didn't let it get *too* smutty.
ps if anyone has any ideas for more "bed sharing trope" prompts, let me know! I love writing them just as much as I love reading them
Emma lay tense in the cold room and unable to see anything in the darkness. She could feel the press of an equally stiff shoulder against hers. She was curled under thin blankets on this bed trying to will the situation to be less awkward. Apparently she wasn't getting much sleep tonight now that she had to lay next to a certain Captain Hook in this run down hotel. When the lady at the front desk had said there were no double bedrooms left Emma hadn't given it a thought. She had shared beds platonically with plenty of people over the years and its not supposed to be a big deal. But somehow as soon as they climbed between the sheets together the tension fell around them like a dark curtain.
She wished he would say something. His usual bantering and flirtatious nature had dropped off completely as soon as they had stepped inside. Suddenly she wondered what he thought of this. She supposed the Enchanted Forest didn't exactly encourage platonic bed sharing between unmarried couples. He probably hasn't just slept with someone in over 300 years. I'm an idiot. I should have asked his opinion on this and gave him an out. She was mentally kicking herself when he shifted and inadvertently brushed his leg against hers. "Sorry," he said, a hint of tension coloring his voice.
"Killian, im sorry. I should have asked you what you thought of this arrangement." Actually, she should have known he would react this way. Emma knew of his feelings for her and now she felt forcing him to share a bed with her with no warning was cruel. He was probably extremely confused by this and didn't want to overstep his 'good form' by asking her what the hell is going on. This was clearly her fault.
"I'm fine," he said. Alright then. She decided not to push him any further and pulled the blanket up closer to her face to keep the heat in. She forced her eyes shut believing that maybe if one of them falls asleep fast enough it'll get less weird. They lay in complete silence for what felt like hours but was probably closer to 10 minutes.
"Emma, is this normal?" Killian suddenly spoke, his voice a bit strained. Emma almost laughed but she bit her tongue.
"Yeah mostly. In this world, its not uncommon. Unattached men and women can share beds for trips if necessary. Usually its slightly awkward at first but its not the end of the world and its not particularly scandalous." Emma wondered if she was telling him the complete truth. This is a bit further than it usually goes because they are alone. And the bed is so small they have to touch and the hotel so shady it didn't even have working heat. Really she must have been delirious at the front desk from driving all day to accept this. "We should have just driven onto the next hotel though. I shouldn't have forced you in here with me."
"Ah." he said, as if he wasn't sure what else to say. "I'm not complaining, love." The tension broke just slightly. She kept her eyes closed and tried to clear her head of worries again. Slowly, she felt herself start to drift away, lulled by the sound of his breathing. Her last thought was about the nice heat emanating from him beneath the covers..
—
She woke with a start, suddenly feeling a hand reaching around her as if embracing her in a hug. Her entire body went rigid again and she turned microscopically to look up at his face. Killian's eyes were closed and his breathing was soft and regulated. Still asleep, he laid on his side with his head facing hers on the pillow. Damnit… what now? She was about to wake him up to tell him to move away from her when she made out the expression on his face in the darkness. He was frowning and looked a bit pained. He must be having a bad dream, she thought. Emma's heart panged and she felt she should make some effort to comfort him since he had reached out to her in his sleep. She raised a hand and brought it to his face as if touching a priceless painting. His hair was sticking every direction and she brushed some of it away from his eyes. Emma then ghosted her fingers over his lips and trailed along his jawline back to his ear. There she ran her hand through his hair in slow, lopsided circles. She had never felt hair so soft and she loved touching it. He sighed in relaxation and almost leaned into her touch and she withdrew quickly. He already looked more peaceful. Now she definitely didn't want to wake him up.
Killian's hand was draped over her chest and his bare legs were already threatening to tangle with hers. His breath tickled the top of her hair because he was so close to her. He was still providing comforting warmth even though the room seemed to have chilled more in the few hours they had slept. She lay considering her options before finally, in her own sleep deprived state, she decided she would simply move even closer to him. For the heat of course. Emma tried not to think about her other reasons for wanting to feel him against her in the chilly room. She angled her body so she was facing him just a bit more and brought her legs between his, trying not to make any quick movements. She hoped something as silly as her cold feet wouldn't wake him. She shifted her torso closer to his and laid her own hand on his ribs. He stirred and instinctively pulled Emma against his chest, winding his arm completely around her and tilting his head down to rest his chin in her hair. She held her breath for a few moments fearing he was awake, but his own breathing remained steady.
God this is nice. He had enveloped her in his embrace and it was everything she could do to keep herself from moaning contentedly into his chest. She inhaled and even in the soft white shirt he wore, he smelled like leather mixed with something musky and masculine. It was sexy as hell and she felt comforted by it. She leaned into him and let her eyes fall shut again. She could already feel herself relaxing; all the stress from their journey was melting away. She was so safe here, in his arms, that she wondered why she had ever rejected his advances at all. In the morning, she was going to talk to him.. for now she just wanted to sleep..
—
Killian woke up first, the first cracks of light from around the curtain enough to rouse him. The first sensation he registered was that he was not cold. He was so warm. He wondered if the hotel had somehow fixed the heating in the night and opened his eyes just a crack. His eyes shot completely open and he could scarcely believe what was happening. He was completely wrapped around Emma. Emma's face was against his chest and his arms were around her back, keeping her form pressed to him. Even their bare legs were entwined. One of her arms was snaked delicately around his side and the other was fisted into his shirt by her face. If he didn't know better he would swear she had the ghost of a smile on her lips. She twitched and then actually snuggled into him even more, moving her leg further between his thighs.
At this point panic was creeping at the edge of his thoughts. She was either going to be angry at him when she woke up or she would be scared of her own reaction and withdraw even further from him. Killian had slowly been resigning himself to the fact that she was not interested in a relationship with him. After all, if she really believed they could share a bed like 'unattached friends', she did not see him romantically. But he still didn't want to lose what he had with her by scaring her with his advances.
He tried to restart his brain and work on moving away from her. He lifted his hand from her back and tried to lean away. Of course though, she suddenly frowned and scrunched up her nose, tightening her grip on his shirt. Bloody perfect. Why did she torture him like this? He should have insisted on the floor. This scene was like out of his best dreams. Emma, curled against his chest, unable to let him go even in her sleep. It almost broke his heart because he so desperately wanted to just hug her and go back to sleep wrapped together. If she were awake now she would be far on the other side of the bed, withdrawn from him.
He gritted his teeth and moved his hand to the one that was gripping his shirt. He slowly tried to loosen her fingers, praying that she wouldn't wake. The gods were not on his side though, because her eyes fluttered open without warning and looked up directly into his own. He froze, feeling her gaze and knowing he probably looked quite nervous. She went rigid along her entire body and he braced himself for her to jerk away. Instead, she softened again after just seconds. Her expression relaxed and he was shocked to see a sheepish smile appear on her face.
He opened his mouth to apologize for the current situation when she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. It was chaste and still. Every thought left his head save one. Emma Swan just kissed me. She pulled back and now her eyes searched his own, looking at him with an edge of hope. Killian felt as if he was about to burst. Is this what I think it is…? He looked down at her still half expecting her to jump up and run away from him again. She raised an eyebrow at him, sensing his worries. Shes not going anywhere. They still hadn't spoken but he felt like they were having a very important conversation. So instead of answering her with words, he leaned down again to take her lips with his own, pouring all his happiness into the kiss. This time she brought her arms up to wrap around his neck and he had his hand in her blonde hair dragging her against him.
They were still completely tangled and the kiss rapidly increased in intensity. Her leg was moving between his knees and her breasts were pushed into his chest separated only by thin shirts as they pulled each other ever closer. He fought a moan when she nipped at his lower lip and slid her tongue into his mouth. Her hands were wandering his back and twisting in his hair and he could already feel his body reacting to her. Craving her. He rolled them so his body was now covering hers and finally broke the kiss to look at her. They were already breathing heavy. Emma Swan wants me. He looked right into her beautiful eyes and she flushed and god help him he felt his bones turn to jelly.
—
When he broke the kiss, he became very still and his expression changed into one of adoration. He hovered over her on his elbows, his body solid and soft against her. His eyes were so blue and so shining she could look at them forever. The way he was looking at her was the most intensely emotional look she had ever experienced. She could feel the satisfaction and relief rolling off him. When she woke up to find him staring wide-eyed at her like she was a dangerous animal in his bed, she had almost lost her nerve. Instead of trying with words though, she had the brilliant urge to kiss him. Emma had never been good with words. Now though, under his gaze, she blushed when their actions caught up with her mind. She had never felt so loved and desired in her entire life.
"Good morning, Killian" she tried, unsure of how to start. He chuckled before responding.
"Good morning, Emma." His voice was softer than she had ever heard it. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He cocked his head, probably very confused, since just last night she had been calling their 'relationship' platonic. His striking blue eyes had her gaze locked with his.
"I decided I give up. I want you, Killian." She knew he needed to hear this. "I am willing to try this. Us." Part of her felt like an alien had taken residence in her brain. It was like a switch had been flicked. The dam finally broke inside her sometime last night apparently and allowed her to finally admit what she had been denying for months. When he didn't say anything immediately, she bit her lip and added, "If you still want me, of course."
"I always want you, Swan." Killian looked choked for words. He finally gave up on words again and brought his lips down to hers again to seal them into another kiss.
In that moment she knew she believed him and she smiled against his mouth before once again inviting his tongue to slide against hers. This time when they kissed it was a bit more than passionate. Heat was shooting through her veins at his touch, lighting up her whole body. This is love. This was inevitable from their very first meeting. They were going to get through everything together. Captain Hook and the Savior. She wrapped her legs around his waist and tugged on his hair, their kiss still unbroken. When he moaned in undisguised desire and ground his hips down against hers she no longer had any thoughts. For now, she felt they might not ever leave this dingy hotel room ever again.