When they arrive in the lobby there is already a small group gathered on the chic couches. Emma is looking for Killian's dark head when Ruby squeals.
"Belle!" she rushes over and embraces a short brunette that had detached herself from the group.
Ruby turns her arm still casually slung over her friends shoulders. "Emma. This is Belle she does-"
"Book reviews! I love your channel. You are the reason I gave "Mansfield Park" a chance."
Belle grins up at her "Thank you! Knowing I converted even one person to Fanny Price makes it all worth it! I love your videos too. The one you did about standing up for yourself changed my life." Emma blushes at the compliment.
"God Belle quit being such a fangirl" Ruby mock rolled her eyes as Belle gave her a playful shove."Come on. Let me introduce you to everyone else." Ruby gestures to the group and they walk over.
In quick succession Emma meets Victor, Will, Aurora, Robin, Ella, and August. She smiles and nods but has difficulty retaining any of the details Ruby is excitedly giving. Her mind is too full of dark hair, blue eyes and the words "I know." She positions herself so she can see the elevator doors and every time they open she feels her stomach flip. It feels like only a few minutes before Ruby is checking her phone with a small frown. "Well. We better get going or we will miss our reservation."
Emma checks her phone and realizes that Killian is twenty minutes late. Which could only mean one thing-he wasn't coming. The wave of dejection that sweeps over her takes her by surprise. How could she possibly be this disappointed about not seeing him? She doesn't have time to analyze her feelings as the group heads out into the warm July evening. She looks back one last time at the elevators before completely giving up hope. As they walk to the restaurant Belle falls into step with Emma and returns to the topic of "Mansfield Park". Emma is grateful for the distraction but can't really get into the conversation.
They take over a large table in a relatively quiet corner of a trendy sushi restaurant and Emma ends up next to Will and Aurora and is immediately pulled into a conversation about the pros and cons of viral videos. Usually this is the kind of shop talk that Emma loves having at VidCon and she makes a sincere attempt to participate.
Aurora's channel was about beauty and fashion and she had a small but loyal following that allowed her to keep her channel going. Will's channel was mostly prank and "man on the street" comedy and he bemoaned the lack of consistency in his earnings.
"I basically live off the money from my few viral videos. But I don't bloody know when a video will take off." His thick British accent is a needless reminder of a certain other British vlogger. Emma finds her mind wandering again and loosing the thread of the conversation.
"What do you think?" Aurora asks.
"Sorry what?" Emma shakes her head and shoots the redhead an apologetic smile.
"I was just wondering when you knew you were ready to do Youtube full time?"
"Well actually I am still in school; finishing my Masters in Criminology. Before Youtube the plan was to go into law enforcement. I wanted to help people. But now" Emma shrugs. "With the last Project for Awesome I was able to raise a lot of money for a local woman's shelter and there is just so much potential to help people through my channel and the Youtube community."
"Being selfless is all very lovely but we all got to eat." Will interjected with an eye roll. "I think she was asking how many banknotes were you pulling in when Youtube became your job." The arrival of the waitress prevents Emma from answering and when he leaves Emma is pulled into a conversation with Victor about her format for self-defense videos. He is a health and wellness vlogger but was contemplating adding some instructional exercise videos.
When the food arrives Emma pulls out her phone and surreptitiously checks Twitter. She wanted to properly examine Ruby's invite, she had only spared it a quick glance before. She doesn't know what she is hoping to find as she goes to his feed. She bites her lip at his picture; him grinning into the camera holding up his finger with a heart shaped blister. His latest tweet is a retweet of the photo from the elevator but he added "great meeting you! We should hang out sometime!" Emma guesses that this must have sparked Ruby's invitation. He seemed eager to make friends so why had he not come? She looks at Ruby's tweet again and realizes that she had tagged UglyDuckling. Emma feels the stab of an insidious thought. Had he not come because he knew Emma would be there? She tries to push the thought away and focus on enjoying her California roll. But the idea slowly takes hold and by the time they are ordering dessert she has convinced herself that Killian didn't come because of her. When dinner ends Emma is desperate to be alone with her thoughts.
She begs off joining them at the bar. "I'm just really tired. And I have an early panel in the morning."
It takes some convincing that she is fine on her own and eventually Emma is waving goodbye to everyone on the street. As she walks the short distance back to the hotel Emma feels the burn of tears threatening to spill over. She mentally scolds herself for letting a man she has never met get so throughly under her skin but that doesn't stop a few tears from traitorously escaping.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
It's the ringing of his hotel phone that wakes Killian. With a growl he rolls over and yanks the phone off the hook.
"What?" he grumbles.
"MORNING little brother!" Liam yells, the distance of a continent and an ocean doing little to temper his volume. Killian squints, the lights of the room burning his retinas, and looks at the clock.
"Liam it's nine o'clock at night."
"But five am here!" Liam's cheerfulness in the morning was one of his more disgusting traits. "From the sound of it you arrived safe but jet lagged."
"Mmm-hmmm." Killian yawns.
"Good. Glad you are safe. Go back to sleep." Liam barks the last sentence like an order and then the line goes dead.
After a few attempts Killian manages to get the phone back on the cradle. He throws his arm over his eyes, trying to block out the lights and wondering if he can manage to fall asleep again without having to get up and turn them off. The fragments of his dream are floating just out of reach but he sees a flash of gold hair in his mind and he is reasonably certain that he dreamed of Emma.
After the elevator doors had closed he had found his room and collapsed on his bed with a groan. The first meeting had been a disaster. It had practically not even been a meeting. The only thing that had lifted his spirits was seeing the picture Ruby had posted. Killian had agonized over his response, eventually settling on something friendly but not over eager that opened the door for getting to know each other better-all in 40 characters. The last thing he remembered before jet lag pulled him into sleep was staring at the ceiling contemplating attending Emma's early panel in the morning.
Before he can drift back to sleep his stomach growls and he realizes he had slept through dinner. Conceding defeat he rolls out of the bed and heads for the bathroom. He peels of his clothes, rumpled and reeking from his flight and long nap, and jumps into the shower. The water helps wake him up but he still feels the drag of the time change and he knows that once he eats he will be heading right back to bed. He pulls on his favorite blue plaid button down and tries to tell himself he isn't dressing nice on the off chance that he might run into Emma again. He tucks his phone, wallet and key card into his jeans and heads out.
He is heading for the hotel restaurant, he doesn't have the energy to go anywhere else, when he hears his name.
"Killian!" He turns and is surprised to see Mae, better known as "Tinkerbell" waving at him from across the lobby. He walks toward her with a smile and greets her with a quick hug. Her messy high bun tickling his face.
"Tink! I didn't expect to see you here!" he says.
She shakes her head and smiles. "I told you I was staying here. Where are you off too?"
"Just grabbing some dinner in between naps." He gestures toward the restaurant with a grin.
"Oh. Mind if I join you?"
"Sure I…" Killian trails off as his eyes fall on Emma. She is standing alone just inside the doors and Killian is positive she is staring at him. For a moment he can't breath. He feels an almost physical tug toward her and he actually takes a step before their eyes meet. She has been crying and the thought that she is upset makes him frown. She looks away, lifts her chin higher than normal and strides quickly towards the elevators her hands shoved into the pockets of her leather jacket, pulling it tight around her.
He turns back to Tink. "Sorry. I'll have to take a raincheck." She gives him a surprised look but he doesn't wait to hear her answer. He turns and rushes towards the elevators just as Emma steps into one. She is pounding on the "close door" button when he slips in.
The doors close and Killian slumps against the wall with a grin; they are alone. He clears his throat and says the first thing that comes to his mind.
"So you come here often?" it's a horrible joke and not at all what he imagined his first words to her would be. She doesn't respond, doesn't even look at him. Killian glances at the flashing red numbers as they countdown the precious moments he has with her. He tries again.
"You know most people would find your silence off putting but I love a challenge."
This gets her attention and she turns to him with glittering eyes. Killian has seen enough of her angry rant videos to know that look. She opens her mouth and then closes it. tossing her head and making her curls bounce. "No. You're not worth it." she mutters and looks back at the doors.
And though the elevator is still rising Killian feels like his heart has plummeted back to the lobby. He runs a hand through his still damp hair cursing himself for thinking that she would ever see him as more than a untalented misogynist. The elevator begins to slow and Killian is seized by a sudden panic that this might be the last chance he ever has to talk to her.
The doors slide open and she steps out. He follows as far as the doorway his heart in his throat.
"Emma wait." she stops and turns which is all the encouragement he needs to continue. "I just wanted to say thank you."
"Thank you?"
He nods, pushing the elevator door back as it tries to close on him. "Yeah. For linking to my video. It's changed my life. And uh…" he scratches behind his ear "I know you don't have a high opinion of me and you weren't trying to help me but…well thank you Emma." He has avoided looking at her directly during his speech but as he says her name he locks eyes with her one last time. He feels the doors starting to close again. With nothing more to say and feeling more than a little embarrassed he steps back into the elevator and for the second time that day watches as they close on her.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Emma is rooted in place staring at the elevator doors. The way he said her name echoing in her mind; soft and gentle and a little sad.
When she had walked in to the lobby and seen him hugging 'Tinkerbell' envy had hit her hard and she had realized that there was something worse than thinking that he was avoiding her. Then he had looked at her and frowned and Emma had felt something snap. It was all too much and her anger flared building a wall and protecting her from her other emotions. She had stormed to the elevator eager to get away only to find when she turned around that he was following her. Against her will her heart had stuttered which had only made her angrier. When he had attempted to talk to her she had held on to her anger like a lifeline, stopping just short of being incredibly rude.
When the elevator stopped she had intended on walking away and never looking back but then he had called her name.
Her name. How had he learned her name?
Ruby hadn't said it and she rarely used it in her videos. But somehow he knew it and he used it to get her to stop so he could thank her. The sincere tone of his voice had reminded her of the reverent way he sung a ballad. By the time he said her name again she was no longer angry with him but she was upset with herself. Because how could she have forgotten that he had every reason to think that she disliked him? And then even though she had been nothing but rude he had expressed gratitude. Emma feels a surge of hope and she knows she needs to find him and explain.
She punches the elevator button and it slides open immediately to reveal Killian slumped against the back wall. He looks up in confusion and Emma starts speaking before she loses her nerve.
"I'm sorry Killian. That video was completely out of line. I was angry about something else, about someone else and I took it out on you and well I am sorry for everything I said." At her words the corner of his mouth ticks up in the beginning of a smile.
"So you don't think I am a 'moderately attractive guy singing mediocre covers'?"
There is a change in his inflection and Emma knows that he is quoting her. She winces. "I said that didn't I?" His eyebrows rise and he tilts his head and Emma thinks it is spooky how familiar she is with his facial expressions. "Well I take it back. Your covers are amazing. I think your 'What A Wonderful World' cover is my favorite version."
"You watch my videos." He says with a note of wonder in his voice.
Emma bites her lips and nods. He pushes away from the wall and steps towards her. The doors begin to close again.
"Bloody hell!" He shoves his arm into the gap and the doors bounce back open. Emma can't help the giddy giggle that escapes. Killian smiles back wide and happy as he exits the elevator.
"I accept your apology on one condition." his tone is playful and he bounces on the balls of his feet as he steps closer. Emma arches her eyebrows. "Have dinner with me?"
She doesn't know what she expected but it certainly wasn't an invitation and yet it feels so natural and right that she doesn't think before smiling and nodding. His eyes light up and he turns to punch the elevator button. "Where do you want to go?"
"What now?"
He turns back with a grin "Of course. Isn't your motto to seize the good moments?"
Emma can't hide the surprise from her face because it is her motto but the only way he would know that is if-"You watch my videos?"
He wiggles his eyebrows and shoots her a wink. The same wink that had melted her a hundred times from her laptop screen. In person it is much more powerful and she feels a flush creep up her neck. He steps into the elevator and she follows.
As the elevator descends she can't help casting him sidelong glances. The entire moment feels surreal and she bites her lip hard just to make sure she isn't dreaming. They step off the elevator and practically run into Tinkerbell. The woman looks between them with a sly smile. "So that's why you ran off."
Killian shrugs his shoulders and scratches behind his ear as a blushes creeps up his neck. Emma looks between them envious of their casual banter. Tinkerbell smiles at Emma. "Love your videos. I'm a big fan. Not as big a fan as Killian of course…"
"Tink!" Killian says in a low growl which only makes her laugh.
"All right I'm going." she turns to Emma with a wink. "See ya around."
As she leaves Emma forgets to be jealous; she is too intrigued by this new information. They have just been seated at the hotel restaurant when she turns and asks "So you are a fan of my videos?"
Killian shoots her a wicked smile. "Technically I'm a fan of every part of you."
And it's a simple phrase but it makes her heart race and color rise to her cheeks. She looks away unable to meet his blue eyes.
"Apologies. I probably shouldn't have said that. I know we just met. It's just... I feel like we understand each other." the concern in his voice causes her to look up. She shakes her head and she realizes that she doesn't want to hold anything back from him.
"No. Actually that sort of makes it easier for me to admit that I feel the same way. I mean being a fan and understanding each other and…" Emma feels frustrated at her inability to properly communicate how she feels. So she shows him by reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. It's warm and calloused from playing the guitar and its the first detail about him that she didn't already know from his videos and suddenly she is eager to learn everything else the screen could never teach her.
They get kicked out when the restaurant closes and Emma doesn't know where the time has gone. Their conversation had flowed so easily and seamless that Emma feels like she has known him much longer than a few hours. It's late and they both need their sleep but instead of going to their rooms they relocate to the bar. When they get kicked out of there a few hours later they finally head for the time when they get on they are holding hands and exchanging smiles.
Killian walks her to her door and Emma thanks him for dinner and smiles up at him. He brushes a lock of her hair off her shoulder as his eyes search hers. She leans into him as her hands slide up to grasp his face and pull him to her. She adds the scratch of his beard, the taste of his lips and the sound of his groans to her growing list of discoveries about him. Emma knows they are kissing good night but somehow it feels like hello. They might have kissed much longer but they are interrupted by a wolf whistle.
They break apart panting but smiling and turn to see Ruby standing in the hallway with a large grin on her face.
"Best. VidCon. Ever."
/
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Author's Note: Thanks everyone for favoriting, following, and reviewing. It has made writing this little AU so much more enjoyable! I hope the ending brought a smile to your face!