Okay, a little late, but at least this isn't like six months late like usual.

This is based sometime after the Final Battle, probably like two years after, so Henry's about 15 or 16. Probably.

Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!

Mess

"Henry, lad, I need you to get off your video game and clean the living room, please. Your mother has had a long day. I don't want her worrying about anything when she gets home."

Henry nodded, his eyes glued on the TV screen that sat above their fireplace. "Got it."

Killian went back to his own duties—dinner. Emma had gone to work several hours before her already early shift when David called her requesting back up because the dwarves had gotten into a fight with some munchkins at the Rabbit Hole. He hadn't even realized there were any munchkins in Storybrooke.

When Killian had visited Emma at lunch, she'd been exhausted, barely able to stay awake as she filled out paperwork for the dwarf incident. He knew that when she had days like this, she liked to come home and head straight to the shower to relax. Then she'd come out for dinner before collapsing on the couch for a movie. She did not like coming home to a mess. She was nowhere near a neat freak, as she liked to call him, but when her days were stressful, anything out of order could trigger her.

Henry's friends had come over right after school to play video games. They'd eaten pizza, drank soda, and just made a mess of things. When they'd left, Henry had assured Killian he'd get everything cleaned up before Emma got home. That was thirty minutes ago and Emma was due home in another twenty.

Killian stirred the chili in the crock pot—an invention he'd been delighted to learn about. He grabbed the packaged garlic bread his wife was so fond of and slid it into the oven. The one time he had made homemade garlic bread, she'd done a terrible job at hiding her disappointment that it wasn't store bought.

At 5:50, Killian glanced up to check if Henry had started cleaning yet. He sighed when he saw him engrossed in his game.

"Henry," he said, walking into the living room. "Your mother is going to be here in ten minutes."

Henry nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm almost done. I clean quickly. I swear."

"All right. As long as this is clean before she gets home, I don't care if you get it done now or in five minutes."

"Thanks, Killian."

He headed upstairs in order to make sure their bedroom was in order. Emma had left in a rush this morning, so her dresser drawers were open with clothes thrown haphazardly to the side as she'd tried to find a shirt that wouldn't stain if she'd got beer spilled on it. He quickly refolded the misshapen clothes and closed the drawers. He grabbed the pajamas he knew she'd want to change into and set them on the bed for her.

The bathroom was usually always clean, just like their bedroom. Killian couldn't stand a mess. On the Jolly Roger, there'd been too little room to allow them. He retrieved a couple fresh towels from the dryer and replaced the ones hanging in the bathroom. Emma loved the smell of freshly dried towels, so he always made sure to have some ready on days like this.

He heard Emma's car pull into the driveway and rushed down the stairs, eager to see his wife. He froze when he got down the stairs and saw Henry in the same position, the mess around him still present.

"Henry," he said, trying not to snap. "She's here."

"She won't notice right away. She always takes a shower before doing anything else. I'll clean it when she's upstairs."

Killian sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He didn't like getting mad at Henry. He felt like it wasn't his place.

The front door opened and Emma walked in, her hair in a messy ponytail.

"Hey," Killian greeted softly, forgetting his irritation. He walked over to her as she kicked her shoes off.

"Hi," she replied, giving him a tired smile and kiss.

He ran his hand down her arm. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. Just exhausted." She breathed in through her nose and let out a satisfied sigh, her shoulders relaxing as she did. "It smells so good in here. What's for dinner?"

"Chili and garlic bread."

"Mmmm. Do you mind if I take a quick shower? Will it be cold?"

He shook his head and kissed hers. "I timed it so it would be ready at 6:30."

Her body relaxed even more. "You're the best." She kissed him again. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

She kissed him once more and then stepped past him. "Hey, kid." She stopped when she got to the couch. Her eyes widened at the mess and her body tensed up again. She shook her head and walked up the stairs.

Killian's heart tugged. He hated when she was stressed like this. That was why he always did his best to make sure everything was in order when she returned. Henry, however, apparently had a hard time grasping that.

His irritation returning, Killian stormed over to the TV and turned it off.

"Hey!" Henry jumped up from his seat. "What was that for?"

Killian gestured to the floor. "You said you'd clean up before your mother returned and you didn't. Now, she's stressed about this mess when she shouldn't be."

"I was trying to finish level fifty-six! It's almost impossible! Now all my progress is gone!"

Guilt prickled him, but he ignored it. Henry brought this on himself. "Clean up. Now."

Henry glared at him.

"Henry," Killian started, his voice growing angrier by the second. "Clean up, now, please. I want this room to be spotless when Emma gets out of the shower."

"You can't tell me what to do," Henry protested. "You're not my father."

The words were like a slap in the face. Killian thought they'd worked through this before he and Emma had gotten married. He thought they'd moved past this.

Swallowing his hurt, Killian kept his gaze hard. "I will help you clean up."

"I don't need your help, Hook," Henry snapped, snatching up an empty bag of chips.

Killian didn't know how to respond, but, mercifully, the oven went off. He left the room, fuming. He hated arguing with Henry. It didn't happen very often. The two of them tended to have a very good relationship. He treasured that and never wanted to mess it up. He knew he'd never be Henry's father, but he tried to be whatever the boy needed. Emma was usually the disciplinarian, which Killian was grateful for. However, Henry didn't normally give her cause to act as one. He rarely gave Killian reason to be one.

Killian finished dinner and set the table in silence. He could hear Henry angrily cleaning up the living room. The air was thick with tension that was almost suffocating.

When Emma came down, she relaxed when she looked in the living room and saw it clean. She padded into the kitchen with a smile on her face.

"This smells so good," she said, wrapping her arms around Killian as he put the finishing touches on the chili. She pressed her cheek against his back.

"Thank you, Swan. It's a new recipe your mother recommended." He hoped she couldn't hear the strain in his voice. He was trying to forget his irritation with Henry.

"You okay?" she asked, seeing right through him.

He stepped back from the counter and turned around to smile at her. "Aye, love. Of course." Before she could ask any further questions, he kissed her and walked to the table. "Henry, dinner's ready!"

"I know!" he barked back from down the hall.

Emma's head snapped up. "What's wrong with him?"

Killian didn't want to worry Emma with their small dispute, so he shrugged.

Emma pursed her lips and sat down at the table. Killian placed a bowl of chili in front of her, kissing her hair as he did so.

Henry walked in and yanked his chair out from under the table and sat. He didn't say anything when Killian handed him a warm bowl.

"Something wrong, kid?" Emma questioned after swallowing a spoonful of chili.

He shook his head and stuffed the food in his mouth.

Emma frowned. Killian tried to ignore it as he sat down and started to eat. "How was your day, Swan?"

She watched Henry for another moment before turning back to her food. "Long. I'm so glad to be home." She rested her head on her hand and looked at him. Killian could see the desire to sleep written clearly on her face. "What about you?"

"Well, I was on the Jolly most of the day. One of the shelves in my quarters fell down and it needed some cleaning. I got it all done, though." He sent a brief look at Henry, who quickly looked away. "Nothing too eventful."

She nodded. "Good. What about you, Henry?"

"It was fine," he replied, his words harsh.

Emma's eyebrows drew together. "Really?"

"Yep." He kept his eyes down.

Emma sat up, looking between Killian and Henry. Killian knew she realized something was going on. He cringed as she said, "What's going on? Did something happen while I was in the shower?"

Henry mumbled something.

Emma leaned toward him. "What?"

"Hook deleted the progress on my game."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Killian sighed, lifting his eyes skyward for a moment.

"I was almost done level fifty-six and he turned the TV off before I could save it."

"You did that?" Emma asked, turning her head to Killian.

Killian gave Henry a look. "Why don't you tell your mother what you were supposed to do before she got home that you refused to do?"

"I didn't refuse to do anything."

"You certainly implied it."

"No, I didn't! I was just trying to finish my level!"

"Was that more important than helping me make sure your mother wasn't more stressed than she needed to be when she got home?" He gestured to Emma next to him. "Could you not have paused it?"

Henry rolled his eyes, dropping against the back of his chair. "I was almost done."

"So you told me consistently over the course of an hour."

Henry leaned forward, eyes flashing. "You're so ridiculous—"

Emma put her hands up. "Hold on. What is going on? Why are you guys fighting?"

"Hook asked me to clean up the living room before you got home," Henry said, and Killian didn't miss the fact that he kept calling him by his moniker, "but I was in the middle of a level and knew that you'd just go straight to the shower when you got home, so I didn't see what was wrong with just cleaning up when I finished. After you got home and went upstairs, he came over to the TV and shut it off."

"How many times did he ask you to clean up?"

"I don't know. I wasn't counting."

"Hey," she said, her tone warning, "you need to calm down or you're going to be in trouble, okay?"

He rolled his eyes again and Emma sighed. She turned to Killian. "What happened?"

"Well, I knew you had a rough day. I know you don't like coming home and feeling like you still have a million things to do, so I tried to make sure you didn't. I asked Henry to clean up the mess him and his friends had made several times. He told me he would get to it before you returned, but he didn't. When you went upstairs, I decided I had to be more firm. I didn't realize that turning the video box off would erase his progress."

"It's called a TV," Henry snapped. "You've been here long enough to know that."

"Enough, Henry," Emma demanded. "Go upstairs."

His eyes widened. "But, Mom—"

Emma held her hand up. "I don't want to hear it. Go."

Henry stared at her in disbelief for a moment longer before grabbing his bowl and pushing himself away from the table. He stomped up the stairs and slammed his door shut.

Emma dropped her head in her hands, taking a deep breath.

Killian's heart ached. He rubbed her back. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't want you to have to deal with this."

She ran her hands down her face as she lifted her head. "It's not your fault. There's no break from being a parent, right?"

"I wouldn't know," he whispered, Henry's earlier words ringing through his head.

Emma's eyebrows drew together. "What do you mean?"

Killian shook his head and stood up, grabbing his glass. "Nothing."

"No, hold on." She grabbed his wrist before he walked away. "What happened? Did Henry say something to you?"

"It was nothing, Swan. He was just stating the obvious, as you'd say."

She got to her feet, putting one of her hands on his cheek. "What was he stating?"

"I told you—it was nothing."

"Killian, I won't know how to deal with him properly if I don't know the full story."

"Then leave him be." He stepped out of her arms, going to the sink. "I was out of line. It's not my job to tell him what to do. I'm not his father." He flinched as the words left his mouth.

Her voice was even softer when she spoke. "Is that what he said to you?"

Killian set down his glass, craving the burn of rum. "It doesn't matter."

"If Henry said that, it does. That was out of line, not you, Killian."

He met her eyes, his gaze hard. "Is he not correct, Emma? I am indeed not his father."

"Yes, you are." She moved toward him. "Maybe not in the traditional sense, but you're the closest thing to a father he's ever had. Even when Neal was here, he didn't have time to really be one to Henry. You do. You have. Henry knows it. He was just saying things. He was upset."

"And rightly so."

She shrugged. "Maybe, but you asked him to clean up multiple times before you turned the TV off. He should have listened to you. Whether he likes it or not, you had every right to do what you did."

Killian looked at his feet, guilt gnawing at him. "I don't think I agree."

She put her hands on his chest. "That's okay. You don't have to because I'm the one who's going to go ground him."

Killian caught her wrist as she turned away. "Swan, he already lost his game. Isn't that punishment enough?"

"I don't like punishing him anymore than you do, but he needs to know that he has to listen to you on stuff like that. To be honest, I'll probably only threaten to ground him. Regina does the real disciplining."

He sighed. "I don't want him to hate me more."

"He doesn't hate you," Emma reassured immediately, moving back to stand right in front of him. "He's just mad. That's what kids do when they're mad—say things they don't mean. Everyone does it."

"Are you certain?"

She smiled softly. "Yes."

He blew out a breath and dropped his chin to his chest.

She ran his hands through his hair and then pulled his head down to hers to kiss him. "I'm going to go talk to him."

Killian shook his head ever so slightly. "No, no. I should."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Aye. You should go lie down. You're exhausted."

She kissed him again. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he said playfully.

As we walked up the stairs, he thought through things he could say. He wanted to apologize. He truly wouldn't have turned off the video box if he'd known it would destroy Henry's progress. He'd just wanted everything to be in order for Emma.

Tentatively, Killian knocked on Henry's door.

"Mom, I don't really want to talk right now."

He gulped. "It's Killian."

It was silent for a moment. Then, Henry said, "Come in."

Killian opened the door slowly. Henry sat on his bed, an empty bowl on his nightstand.

"May I have a word?"

"Sure."

Killian shut the door and sat on the edge of Henry's neatly made bed. "I didn't mean to delete your progress, Henry. Had I known that turning the video b— TV off did that, I would have found another way to get your attention. I am truly sorry."

Henry stared at him for a moment and then sighed. "It's me who should be apologizing. I should have just paused it. I know Mom gets super stressed when she comes home from a day like today and the house is a mess. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

"It's all right, lad."

"And . . ." He looked at the ground. "I . . . didn't mean what I said. I mean, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. Ugh. I mean, it wasn't supposed to sound like—"

Killian reached over and squeezed his knee. He gave him a small smile. "I know."

He shook his head. "No, you don't. I haven't ever really told you, but . . . you're a good dad."

Killian's heart stopped. When it started back up again the next moment, it was at twice the speed.

Henry smiled sheepishly. "Like, I know it's not the same for you since I'm not like your biological kid or whatever, but you're always there for me and Mom, and I kind of figured that's what a dad does, so yeah."

Tears lined Killian's eyes. "Just because you are not biologically mine, does not mean I don't see you as a son."

"Really?" There was a hope in his voice that hurt Killian. Had he truly thought he didn't love him because he wasn't biologically his?

"Of course. I love you, Henry. I count myself lucky that I am able to be in your life. I'm even luckier that you see me the way you do."

A tear leaked from Henry's eye. "I love you, too, Killian."

He pulled Henry into a hug, holding him tight. They didn't normally embrace each other. It was something that happened all too rarely. He would be sure to change that.

"Let's not argue like this again," Killian said, leaning back. "I don't enjoy being upset with you."

"Me neither. It sucks. I'll do better. I promise."

"And I'll try to learn more about the television so I don't ruin your progress anymore."

Henry smiled. "Thanks. I can show you now, you know. You could help me beat level fifty-six."

Killian chuckled, getting to his feet. "I may slow you down."

"We'll fix that."

Emma leaned against the doorway to the living room, smiling at the sight in front of her.

Her son and husband—the two most important people to her—sat on the couch, game controllers in their hands. Henry was shouting instructions that Killian valiantly attempted to follow to the letter.

"Don't go in there!" Henry warned. "You'll get kil— Nevermind."

"Apologies, lad. I thought I saw a monster in there."

"There aren't monsters in this game. Just people."

"Truly? I thought I saw something that looked like a mix of a kraken and dragon."

"Why would that be in here? It isn't the Enchanted Forest."

"You can never be too careful."

Henry laughed. "I guess. Come on. You still have a few lives left."

"Brilliant!"

Emma moved into the room and dropped a kiss to both of their heads.

"Mom, stop it. I'm trying to focus."

"Aye, love. As much as I love you, you are quite distracting."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm getting the ice cream out to thaw."

"We'll be there soon," Henry called to her as she walked out.

"Be sure to get the rocky road!" Killian yelled.

It took more than promises of ice cream to get them off the game that night. She had to promise to let Henry stay up late to finish their level. When she saw them working together and laughing past midnight, she couldn't regret her decision. Instead, she headed to bed after making sure they knew that if there was a mess when she woke up, they'd both be in a world of trouble.

I hope you liked this chapter! I love Captain Cobra, and I felt like I hadn't written them in a while, so that's how this chapter was born!