Prompt: "Constantly fighting for the best seat in the library/coffee shop/whatever" au.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

College was normally pretty good, according to Emma Swan.
The work was hard and there was a lot of it, yet she enjoyed her time at Misthaven working towards her degree and spending any free time she had with her friends Ruby, Regina, Belle and Mary-Margaret.
So yes, college was pretty good.

However; college also sucked.
College sucked huge hairy balls, and never more so did it suck, than during exams.

During exam season, college students went from relatively pleasant people, to downright rude, selfish and vicious.
There was only so much time that one could spend studying within your own room before going completely crazy, naturally, everyone had the same thought; so the battles would begin across campus for the best studying spots.
Empty rooms, under trees, coffee shops, cafes, diners and libraries become battle grounds of choice.

Emma Swan, fortunately, was a veteran.
She had learnt to fight or die in her first year when it came to securing a space to study; by her second year she had figured out a routine of rotation so that, by now, in her third year of studying at Misthaven; she had identified the number one study spot on the entirety of campus.

Such gold-dust came in the form of one specific desk in the library.

It was big enough for two people to share, but unless you like that individual a lot, it's easy enough to fend off stragglers by spreading enough things across the surface and glaring with just the amount of murder eyes to warn them that you will not be sharing. There's no gum stuck to the bottom, and no graffiti on the top. Beside a window which doesn't stick, so there's a good breeze in summer and to the right of a radiator to keep things toasty in winter. There's a nearby plug with which to charge a phone or set up a laptop, thus preventing any need to dash across to the computers which will almost certainly be unavailable. It's far away enough from the door to not be constantly disturbed by people entering, but close enough in case you end up forgetting the time and needing to make a mad dash.

The desk was Emma's studying safe haven. She knew exactly what time she would have to arrive at the library to secure it for either a morning, afternoon or evening session; her phone alarm had never failed her yet and as such, she strode calmly confident up the stairs and through the doors only to be stopped short.

There was a head of messy, dark hair, leaned over a textbook, headphones in, fingers of his left hand tapping, while the right, scribbled down notes on a legal pad.
ON. HER. DESK.

Recovering from the momentary shock, Emma checked her phone; she was bang on time, how the hell had this guy got to her desk.
Pushing back her shoulders, and hiking up the strap on her bag, she marched over prepared to give this guy a piece of her mind.

Stopping just short of the table top, Emma cleared her throat.
No response.
"Headphones," she hissed to herself, before reaching out and rapping sharply on the wood. The guy started, dropping his pen and looking up in confusion.

Goddammit.

That was the first thought to enter Emma's mind as her gaze locked with a dazzling pair of blue eyes.

Of course the guy who was ruining her study time and who she was going to have to lay into was stupidly attractive. The whole wild hair, innocent gaze, broad-shoulders, five o'clock shadow on a strong jawline was really doing it for her, but she couldn't be distracted.
He pulled the buds from his ears, a slight smile tipping up the corner of his mouth, "Can I help you love?"

GODDAMMIT

An accent...really? Of course he had a smooth accent that sent a shudder down her spine to add to his general deliciousness.
"Lass?"
His voice broke through her thoughts and Emma realised she'd been staring dumbfounded at this stranger for at least a minute or so.

Shaking herself off, she fixed him with her most unimpressed stare.
"Yeah, sorry but you need to move," she said, folding her arms across her chest.
"Move?" he asked, a frown marring his ridiculously good looking face.
"This is my desk and you need to move so I can study."
The stranger looked a touch hacked off now, leaning back into his seat and mirroring her position of folded arms.
"Forgive me love, but I think you'll find that there are no assigned desks in this library so I don't have to move."

So that's how he was going to play it.
"Firstly," Emma spat, "I am not your love, secondly, I always use this desk, the whole of campus probably knows it, so it's mine and you need to go."
"Well forgive me love, but seemingly the whole of campus doesn't know, and seeing as you can't reserve desks I think I'll stay right here. There is still plenty of other places you can sit."
With that, he pointedly stuck his headphones back into his ear, and began writing away again.

Emma stood stunned for a moment, the nerve of this guy.
With a huff, she shouldered her bag and stalked away to a sticky, graffiti covered desk far from a window and too close to the door.
She would have her desk back, and Mr. Accented Blue Eyes would just have to suck it up.

~E&K~

The next day Emma changed her alarm and forewent putting on any makeup, choosing to half jog over to the library, taking the steps two at a time and bursting through the entrance.
She was the first one there, her desk was empty, but she quickly rectified that problem unloading every book and stack of notes that she had, covering each inch until the wooden surface could hardly be seen. Sitting herself down, Emma got straight to work, half an eye on the door until five minutes later, Mr. Tall, Dark and Irritating came walking in.

His eyes instantly zeroed in on her where she pretended to be working, trying exceptionally hard to keep the smug smile off of her face. Her body seemed to become more alert as he approached until she could feel him looming over her, his fingers brushing across the top of some of her notes.
"You're starting a fight you can't win, Emma Swan."

Her head shot up as he smirked and walked away without a backwards glance.
She searched across the table until her eyes landed on the crooked page of notes he'd touched when he first arrived...the one with her name scrawled across the top.
"You-" she spun around.
"Killian Jones," he called over his shoulder, settling on the same desk she had sat at yesterday, putting in his music with an amused smile.

~E&K~

The war between Emma Swan and Killian Jones went back and forth day by day; each winning battles and each losing in their own share. Whereas Emma hated it, she got the feeling Killian was quite enjoying himself every day.

His tactics became more imaginative with each passing interaction.
He'd pretended to see Ruby as he came up the steps behind her, faked injury so she hovered and then sprinted off, at one point he'd lobbed his pencil case over her head which somehow landed flat on the desk rather than skidding off like Emma had willed it too.

She was far less creative, using brute strength and speed to over take him or in one case, they'd arrived at the exact same moment and she'd looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes, tucking her hair behind her ears and smiling coyly. Killian's breath had hitched and he'd frozen, allowing Emma to swan (pun very much intended) right on pass him.

It was the afternoon session and Emma knew she was late, knew that Killian would have the table on the day she wanted it most. In two days time, Emma had one of her longest and hardest exam, she needed to study and knew without her desk things wouldn't go the way she wanted.
Feeling defeated Emma, slouched into the library, noticing all the stuff laid out on her desk, but surprisingly, there was no one behind it.

Glancing around, Emma saw Killian leaning over someone else's desk towards the back of the library, completely engulfed in whatever he was saying.
She knew she shouldn't, but the opportunity was there. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, Emma piled up all of his things putting them in a large pile by one of the stacks and laying out her own stuff before slipping into the seat to work.

"Whose things are these?!"
The voice of the rather irate librarian rang out and everyone turned to look at her and the offending pile of stuff. Killian peered over looking confused.
"They're mine," he said, walking over.
"The library floor is not a place to study young man. Someone could have tripped over these and had a serious accident. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"But I-"
"Out!"
Killian stood bewildered for a moment, his eyes searching before they landed on her on the stolen desk.

For the first time, Emma shrank away from the gaze of Killian Jones.
There was a muscle ticking in his jaw and his eyes looked dark and angry.
With one last glare in her direction, he gathered up his pile and marched out of the library.

~E&K~

Emma tried not to feel guilty for the rest of the day, the memory of how he had looked at her; anger and disappointment all rolled into one, had been haunting her.
She went back the next morning, surprised that he wasn't anywhere around, in fact he never showed at all.
The next day she did the same, this time waiting for fifteen minutes doing nothing, readying herself for when he'd walk through the door, though nothing prepared her for what happened when he did.

Killian's eyes fixed on hers, but they were cold and emotionless. Emma found her back straightening as he approached and came to a stop, a good few feet away.
"Congratulations Swan," he said, his voice lacking it's usual lightness, "You win, I'm admitting defeat."
"Jones-" she started.
"Yesterday, I had the most difficult exam of my entire time table. I arrived extra early in order to get that bloody desk just so perhaps I could concentrate while working. Instead I had to go back to my room with my room-mate who has finished and was busy partying it up with his girlfriend. Quite frankly Emma, I didn't think you would ever stoop to that level, so as I said; congratulations you can have your desk and the joy of knowing that I've failed."

Having said his piece, he walked right back out of the library, leaving Emma floundering, equal parts hurt and angered.

~E&K~

"Where does he even get off saying that!" she complained loudly to Ruby later that evening, "As if I'm being held personally responsible for his failure, what an ass-hole."
"This is the guy who was sitting in your 'special spot' a couple of days ago?" questioned Ruby with a little frown.
"Yeah, Killian 'holier than thou' Jones."
"Oh Emma," her friend sighed sounding disappointed.
"What, he had it coming, if he thinks-"
"Killian Jones wasn't sitting at that stupid desk because he was at the back of the library comforting me. That was the day I had my complete meltdown. He saw me crying and came over. The only person in that whole fucking library to give a damn. Do you know why? He asked if I was your friend; he came and sat with me for fifteen minutes while I cried all over him because I happened to know you. He was really sweet and you took advantage of that."

Emma was stunned.
"How was I meant to know that's what he was doing?"
"It's not about knowing Emma, it's about not being petty and childish over a desk and having a bit of respect. You were late, he was there and you got him in trouble and don't even feel bad about it. It's obvious that he likes you, I can't think of anyone else who would have put up with that, and the way you talked about him before today, you like him too. That's why you're so pissed now, you can't handle him not flirting with you."
Emma was silent after Ruby's statement, the revelation hitting her like a freight train.

She, Emma Swan, who hadn't had a crush in two years, had a thing for Killian Jones.

Goddammit.

~E&K~

She didn't know if he would show up, didn't know if he would even talk to her if he did.
The steps of the library were warm in the morning sun, the light filtering through the leaves above her, casting shadows of those who entered the building.

Her eyes stayed trained on the concrete until a shadow seemed to falter and come to a halt.
Looking up, she met the uncertain gaze of Killian Jones, as he stood over her at the base of the steps.
"Swan," he said stiffly.
"Killian," she replied, smiling slightly at the shock as she used his name for the first time.
"Your desk will be taken by now."
"I don't care about a desk," Emma said, standing using her step to put them at eye level, "I care that you start smiling at me again, that you sigh with half-hearted exasperation, that your eyes light up every time you best me. I care about getting Killian Jones back. I like that desk; but nowhere near as much as I like you."

"Emma," he breathed, light slowly coming back into his eyes.
"I was thinking, if you don't have some urgent studying to do, that maybe we could go and get some coffee or something."
It was a question disguised as a statement and as such made that familiar smirk tilt Killian's lips.
"It would be my honour Swan," he said, turning slightly for her to lead on.
"Killian," Emma interrupted quickly.

As he rotated back, she grabbed the lapels of his jacket, pressing her lips roughly against his for a brief moment, before pulling back.
"For...uh...science," she muttered, scurrying down to lead the way, until he sidled up beside her.
Killian slipped his fingers carefully through hers,
"For the record Swan," he murmured into her ear, leaning down to brush a light kiss to the corner of her mouth, "I think we have excellent chemistry."

A/N: Ta dah, I'm on a roll. Probably won't last but enjoy it while it does.
Also, thank you to my fellow Brit reader for forgiving me.