A/N: Enjoy a snippet of Wish Captain Cobra bonding 3
Henry lunged forward, nearly leaving his seat on the couch as he slammed the joystick home and button mashed to gain the last kill of the round, letting out a whoop of victory. He scrolled through the stats while his friends went for another bag of chips, pausing when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.
Pulling it free and glancing at the screen, he saw the house number pop up under his mom's name. That was weird – as far as he knew she was at work with Killian, and Hook didn't typically call him. He frowned, immediately worried. They did live in Storybrooke after all, and even though things had been peaceful since the Black Fairy, there was always that lingering worry that any day the other shoe would drop.
"Hello?" he asked, raising the phone to his ear and moving from the couch to the window, pushing aside the curtain and glancing down the quiet street to make sure there were no signs of strange colored clouds billowing.
"I'm glad you answered, lad," Hook's voice came through the speaker, his discomfort clear in the heavy exhale that followed. "I've a bit of an emergency at the house."
"Have you called Mom?" Henry was already moving back through the living room, motioning to his friends that he had to head out as he grabbed his bag and shoved his feet into his sneakers. "Are you okay?"
"Perhaps emergency was a tad overzealous, but I – I didn't want to disturb your mother or Killian at work. Is there any chance you could stop back in?"
"I'm already on my way," Henry reassured, wondering what could have gotten his...well, not his dad, and maybe not quite his stepdad yet, but Hook had certainly slipped easily into a space above 'his mom's boyfriend', and Henry knew one day he'd care for him the same way he did Killian, the man who had become a father figure to him. "Can you tell me what happened? This isn't like a curse thing or something, right? Because if it is, we should really – "
"Not unless you consider this bloody machine accursed," Hook spat on the other end of the line, several more curses that Henry was pretty sure his mom would not appreciate him hearing following alongside the sound of something clanging against metal.
"I'll be home in five minutes, okay?"
"Aye," Hook sighed, "You've my thanks, lad.
Henry nodded and smiled even though Hook couldn't see him.
"Just try to keep everything in one piece until I get there. See you in five."
Henry took the steps to the front door two at a time, the handle leaping out of his reach as Hook yanked it open, the muscle in his jaw ticking wildly as he ran his hand through his hair.
That was what made Henry notice the bubbles – clumps of frothy bubbles clinging to Hook's ear and streaks of them dissipating along the edges of his jaw and between the strands of his hair.
"The bloody washer box is possessed," Hook growled, stepping back and letting Henry inside to shoulder his bag onto the floor, his eyes widening as he took in the steady stream of suds pouring out of the laundry room and into the hallway. "I thought I'd help with some of the laundering, and I've seen your mother do it often enough – put them in the front, pour the lye into the box, push the buttons, and then they come out clean."
"Yeah," Henry hesitated, stepping gingerly across the damp floor and peeking around the corner into the laundry room. "I guess you could say that's about how it works...how much soap did you use?"
"Your mother just pours it in, so I did the same – and all seemed to be going well until I came back down to this. I've pushed every button on the bloody thing, but it won't stop."
The lights across the top of the washer were a steady blue, the drum still churning out an ungodly amount of suds that bubbled and fell from around the door seal, making their way across the floor. Stepping carefully, the tile slick beneath his sneakers, Henry made his way to the machine and held the power button, hoping that would solve the issue, but the washer ignored him, all of the lights staying stubbornly lit.
"I guess we'll have to unplug it," he grimaced, glad that the cord was at least accessible above the unit.
"Unplug it?" Hook questioned, standing in the doorway, the bottom of his jeans damp from wading through the bubbles.
"Yeah," Henry, muttered, heaving himself out of the water and entirely on top of the machine, making sure his sneakers weren't touching anything wet. "You might want to back up, so you're not in the water – and just, don't touch anything with your hook, okay?"
"Aye, that sounds simple enough," Hook agreed, glad to be relieved of the burden modern technology presented. He backed across the hall and dropped to the bench seat, hook in his lap.
Henry carefully gripped the edge of the large plug and – after a tense moment of quiet prayer that he wouldn't get shocked – the rhythmic shushing of the machine came to a sudden halt, the bubbles crackling meekly from around the door as it stopped agitating.
"Well done, lad!" Hook called, getting up from his seat and peering into the laundry room, his hand running wearily through his hair and dislodging a few more bubbles. "I was beginning to think not even magic could have ceased its destruction."
"No magic here," Henry smiled, waving the gray cord in his hand. "Machines don't work in this world without being plugged in – this thing's kind of like its heart, so when you take it out, it – "
Henry stopped as Hook's smile faltered and disappeared, his throat bobbing as he swallowed, gaze dropping to the floor and fingers tightening against his palm.
"Hook, I'm sorry," he rushed, dropping the plug to the top of the washer and sliding back to his feet, feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. It wasn't as if he didn't know Killian's history, and he knew that Hook shared almost all of it – including the thing that had cost him his hand and turned him into a revenge-obsessed pirate for hundreds of years. "I shouldn't have...that was stupid, I – "
"It's quite alright, m'boy," Hook sighed, the tension slipping away from him as quickly as Henry's words had brought it on. "I've lost many things in my life," he said, stepping forward and clapping Henry on the shoulder, "but I've gained much as well."
He couldn't help but smile at the weight of Hook's hand and the way the sadness in his eyes was tempered by joy – it was the same look he'd seen so many times in his own mom's eyes, and Killian's as well.
"We're gonna find her, I know it," he promised, lips tightening with determination. "My mom won't stop until we figure out how to fix your heart, and neither will Killian – it's kind of what our family does, we always find each other – and we've never let a curse stop us before. We are going to get her back."
"I hope so – I think you'd love Alice. She has an imagination just as big as yours, and a love for books as well, though you'll have to explain the – what are they again, video games?"
"Yup, and I bet she'll love them too. I can't wait to meet her."
Hook nodded, stepping back into the hall and surveying the mess around their feet once more.
"Well, I suppose I should see to cleaning this up, and you're free to return to your day off, lad – I can't thank you enough. Learning everything there is to know of this realm, it's not been easy, and I hate to be a burden."
"You're not, you should have seen Killian and...well, a lot of other people too when they first got here. Maybe next time just, use less soap – like way less soap."
"Aye aye, Captain," Hook saluted, eyes narrowing as he stared down the washing machine. "I certainly never imagined I would lose a battle with the bloody washing box. I think perhaps I'll leave the laundering to either Killian or your mother in the future."
"At least the floors will be clean," Henry shrugged, grinning as he headed back toward the front door, Hook's dry chuckle following him as he picked up his bag and headed back out. "I'm gonna check in with Regina, but I'll be back for dinner...it's not fish, right?"
"I think by the time I'm finished righting this mess, it's likely to be pizza."
"Perfect!" Henry called back, shutting the door and skipping down the steps.
There were no curses clouding the horizon, no Leroy running down the street screaming, no Black Fairy plotting to tear apart his family – life was good. It was better than good, and even though they'd yet to find a solution to Hook's cursed heart, Henry knew it wouldn't be long – he just believed.