Prompt from a guest reviewer: Killian learns about motorboats.

This was going to be smut. It was going to be wonderful captain swan smuttiness but this idea just wouldn't leave me alone, so here it is. Henry and Killian need to hash things out after the Snow Queen's curse and Henry wants to take Killian out on a motorboat instead of a sailboat to do it. Unfortunately, they get stuck out at sea for a bit so they have to talk. It's more of a heart to heart with the circumstance of modern technology than the humor of learning said tech.

Double warning since this turned out a lot longer than I was planning, and semi-drama-ier too.

You know the drill. I don't own the characters but do read, review, and leave a prompt. What 21st century wonder should Killian face next?

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Killian may have been learning about all of the technological wonders in the land without magic, but he was still a simple sailor at heart, and a superstitious one at that. And that healthily superstitious part of him still believed in heeding any signs the Universe sent (He liked to think that the gods of his realm had little influence in this land, despite any evidence to the contrary, but a piece of him still believed there were forces working beyond his control even in this world, hence, his concession to the Universe.).

Being trapped several miles off shore in a motionless, what Henry had called a motorboat, was clearly one such sign. In this case, it was a sign to finally broach a subject that both Henry and Killian had been desperate to avoid; what was said between them during the curse of shattered sight.

After the Snow Queen's curse was broken there were a lot of condolences and apologies being made around Storybrooke. Neighbors tried to forgive each other their petty and sometimes not so petty grievances, old rivalries that were revisited were reburied, and loved ones reconciled their slights.

Killian wasn't quite sure what category of grievances he fit into with Henry, though. Of the two of them, only the lad had actually been affected by the curse and so was the only one actively pursuing any sort of aggression. It was probably the only time Killian had been thankful not to be in possession of his heart since it meant a lesser chance of anyone being caused harm at his hand, err, hook.

It also meant any offenses made at his expense were less likely to make an emotional impact upon his person, at least until he actually got his heart back.

Admittedly, the boy could have been much harsher in his verbal assault against Killian (because what pirate would honestly be offended by being told he was a little dirty? It simply came with the trade. And he bathed plenty frequently now to appease his Swan thank you very much), but the lad had also claimed he never liked the pirate.

Killian hadn't thought much of the comment at the time. He'd been more elated at the fact that Emma had used the word 'together' to describe their courtship. But the words had stayed nestled in the back of the pirate's head, parasitic and growing as they slowly ate at his few mental securities. It wasn't until after Killian's heart had been returned to him that he had been able to properly think over all that the lad had said and what it meant.

If Henry never liked Killian, how then, could he stand to be around the man for so long on their sailing adventures around the coast of Storybrooke? Did Henry only ever tolerate him? Were they even friends at all? What if Henry only thought of Killian as an imposter trying to encroach on the space in the boy's life meant for Neal?

There were too many new and troubling questions that needed answering, if the lad would only help.

In the days after the curse and further still after his heart's return, Killian noticed Henry doing his best to avoid the pirate. Perhaps he realized they would need to sort out what was said during the curse and was dreading it as much as Killian was. One recent encounter between them at Granny's involved the pair arriving first for a Charming family dinner and while Killian had tried to clear the air with some light teasing Henry had only spoken in stiff, generic pleasantries until another family member arrived. In another incident Henry was slightly more dramatic and actively crossed the street to avoid walking on the same sidewalk as Killian.

Things were tense between them, but certainly not hostile. Killian supposed they would have to be on more frequent speaking terms for things to go that far.

So when Henry had sheepishly approached Killian about commandeering a boat for the day, Killian had taken it as a sign from the Universe that they would finally be talking sooner rather than never, so he agreed.

Henry had insisted on taking something other than a sailboat that day. He'd pointed instead to what looked like a run-down dinghy that would have been nothing more than a lifeboat on the Jolly Roger. It seemed to be fashioned from the same strange metal as Swan's yellow land vessel and the Prince's truck, and there was a sleek, black, and obviously foreign device attached to the stern. Killian could only assume it was this device that allowed the questionable vessel to move at all.

"A sail-less vessel then? Am I to understand you've learned to command one of these better than you've learned with your grandfather's truck?" He gave the lad a knowing look. Surely Henry realized his adventure with the prince's truck and the mailbox was hardly a well-kept secret. As with all his latest discoveries in this realm, Killian was eager to learn, but cautious about anything that may lead to harm upon his person, or result in his being lost at sea. As such, he had his reservations about the lad leading any expeditions on such a vessel.

"It's called a motorboat, and that," He pointed to the black device on the stern, "Is the motor. And it's fine; I know what I'm doing. Besides, if it gets really bad, at least there are no mail boxes on the water."

Killian had laughed at that, and moved to help Henry set the boat off. He recognized what passed for a tiller, and a skeg (It was considerably smaller than what he was used to, but Killian was grateful that at least some things were consistent across the realms.) and patiently let Henry explain the various parts of the motor he couldn't figure out for himself. The lad explained how the motor worked much like a car engine on land. That it ran on gasoline, the strange and foul smelling fuel that seemed to power many things in this realm, which was currently being stored in a colorful vat sitting in the bottom of the boat and connected to the motor via a narrow tube. The gasoline powered the motor to turn belts and gears within the device that turned a propeller at its base, moving the vessel through the water at breathtaking speed.

He watched curiously as the lad lowered the motor fully into the water, and yanked on a string attached to it (To start the engine, he'd explained.). The motor whirred to life noisily, spitting water behind them, and they were off, with Henry steering the vessel from the stern.

It was certainly faster than any ship he'd been on. And smaller too, making it more maneuverable and easier to handle, even in the hands of someone as inexperienced as Henry, although, it also seemed to give the boy a false sense of confidence in his limited abilities. There were several close calls while leaving the harbor where Killian had wanted to reach for the tiller himself to avoid crashing into some of the much larger vessels, but Henry had swerved away from collision in the nick of time and often at break neck speed. With steering behavior like that it was no wonder the lad had run into that mailbox.

After clearing the harbor the pair traveled outward, keeping within sight of the town, but far enough from shore that the isolation of the sea was still noticeable on the edges of their awareness. Henry was tense the entire time; his knuckles squeezed white against the tiller, eyes looking through Killian straight ahead, and shoulders drawn up toward his ears. Killian had seen the same look on Emma countless times when she wanted to say something but had no idea how to start. His inclination was to let Henry start the conversation between them so he'd feel at ease, so Killian said nothing and waited for the lad to speak.

And he waited.

And waited some more.

It was almost twenty minutes after they had cast off that Killian saw Henry's shoulders sag in defeat. Twenty minutes of veering through wayward fishing vessels and white-capped swells, and the pirate thought they were finally going to address the tension between them. But Henry didn't seem to want to do that. "We should head back in. This was a bad idea," He started, eyes glued forward on the distant horizon and hands already directing the boat back to shore. "My mom's probably-"

Pop pop pop pop pop pop wheeze

There was a sudden sputtering and the motor and went lifeless. The motorboat slowed to a crawl before stopping completely, and the vessel started to drift, rocking helplessly against the whim of the ocean waves.

Henry's fingers loosened from the tiller and easily lifted the vat of gasoline from the boat floor. Brown eyes turned to Killian with a look of dread that the pirate knew must have mirrored his own face, before leaning back in realization.

"We're out of gas."

"Gasoline?" Killian's face was disbelieving. They had run out of some fuel and now they were stuck in a windless stretch of sea? Sailing vessels may have been constrained in their movements by the availability of wind but at least they needn't fear the loss of a physical resource so ridiculous as gasoline. This was one bit of technology Killian was thoroughly unimpressed with.

Henry sighed in resignation. "It's my fault. I should have checked to see if there was enough gas in the tank or if there was an extra container but I didn't and now I just feel like an idiot."

Killian's hand ran through his hair, tempted to pull the strands out in frustration. "Bloody hell. If this isn't another sign from the universe…" Killian muttered.

"A sign?" Henry asked, having just caught Killian's words.

"That we're stuck, Henry. We are literally and figuratively stuck. Have been since the last curse, maybe even longer." Henry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, eyes darting around the boat for something, anything, else to look at. Killian sighed and his tone softened. "Believe me, this isn't my first choice of conversation whilst we sit here stranded but it needs to be dealt with. We both know you asked me out here for a reason other than a pleasure cruise. We need to talk about what was said during the Snow Queen's curse."

When the lad refused to say a word, his mouth drawn into a tight line, Killian realized he'd have to take the plunge and go first. Bloody hell, this was going to be like Neverland's Echo Cave all over again.

"Henry, I haven't been fair to you. What you said during the curse about me and Emma together…" He trailed off, knowing Henry remembered exactly what was said that night. "I was beyond joyous that Emma told you we were together. That she'd used that word at all. I didn't even take what you'd said about your feelings toward it into consideration until well afterward, and for that I'm sorry. I should have addressed your feelings sooner and certainly not waited until we were stranded at sea to do it. You deserved better than this." Killian gestured helplessly around them, the Maine shoreline off to one side and the great blue yonder stretched out as far as the eye could see everywhere else.

Henry's brown eyes narrowed in thought, meeting the pirate's blue eyes in a steady, probing gaze that felt just a tad too severe for someone so young. Killian wondered if he'd somehow learned it from watching the Queen.

He also realized that Henry still wasn't talking and didn't seem eager to start any time soon. Truly, this was Echo Cave revisited.

"I also apologize for the way I've treated you since your arrival back from Neverland."

That had Henry tilting his head sideways in curious suspicion, a gesture he most certainly learned from the Queen.

"I apologize for not treating you as your own person. For having ever thought of you as a hurdle to be overcome in my courtship of Emma. For once looking at you as Gold did, and only seeing your father, only seeing a second chance to fix one of my many mistakes. I am sorry, Henry. Please let me say, though, I've not that of you in such a way for months, and that even though my actions were controlled by Gold's hands during the curse, he and I did share the sentiment of wanting you safe from the Snow Queen's curse."

"No." Killian's heart leapt to his throat at Henry's word of denial. Gods, how could a single word instill such fear in him? "Gold didn't want me safe. He just didn't want the guilt of leaving family behind again. I know you don't think of me like I'm my dad anymore, but Gold still does."

Killian felt his shoulders sag. He was glad to have the lad's approval in at least one part of his apology, but also sorry that Henry felt at all betrayed and hurt by his grandfather. It was yet another reason Killian did not think he would ever be able to truly forgive the Crocodile.

Despite the tension inside him, Killian offered the boy what he hoped was an encouraging smile, if only to get him talking again. Henry's gaze only softened after what felt like an eternity, and even then it was only by the slightest of margins.

"What I said during the curse about never liking you, that's not how I feel now," Henry started, rubbing his hands together nervously. "I don't think it is, anyway. I mean, maybe once, but that was back when…" He bit his lip, visibly holding himself back from saying whatever he wanted to tell the pirate. But if they were going to move forward then it needed to be said aloud.

"Henry…" The lad stiffened before bursting like a maelstrom, holding nothing back from the pirate's captive ears.

"When I really saw you for the first time it was when you were sinking your poisoned hook into my grandfather in New York. You worked with Cora, with Pan, with anyone who could get you closer to your revenge. You shot Belle, had my mom Regina captured so she'd be tortured by Greg and Tamara, and brought a giant to Storybrooke that almost destroyed the town." It was everything he'd wanted to say to the pirate, pouring out in a way it couldn't during the curse. In a way that hurt Killian more because he knew Henry hadn't needed any magical prodding to say it. But it needed saying, and Killian needed to hear it, if he wanted them to be able to move forward. So Killian would do what he did best, take the abuse and survive. And it didn't seem like Henry was slowing down any time soon.

"You were selfish and dark and every bit the cruel pirate I'd been told about all my life. Yeah, you helped get me back from Neverland and eventually stop the Wicked Witch, but you were also the one to pull my mom and me from the safe life we had in New York. You were Captain Hook, and you wanted to take me fishing? Tell me about my dad and then date my mom? What was I supposed to think about any of that?"

Killian knew Henry had to speak his mind, but if he could just defend himself… "Henry, I want to change. I am changing. Every moment I spend with your mother, with you, it makes me want to be a better man, and I've spent these last months doing more good than I ever thought I'd be capable of-"

"I never saw most of that myself." The lad was quick to interrupt. He didn't seem to want his momentum stopped, for fear he would lose his nerve. "Whenever a crisis comes the first thing people say is for me to go and hide somewhere safe. I only ever had the stories other people said about you to go on. It's only now that I'm really starting to see you as Killian Jones and not just Hook. I'm not saying you can't change or that you haven't been trying. I know you have because everyone I trust says you have been. It's just that I haven't gotten to see it like everyone else has, so it might take me a little longer to really get used to it."

The verbal assault ceased, and quiet came over the pair, giving Killian time to reflect on what Henry had let out.

He realized the lad was right. There were actually very few occasions where Henry had personally seen Killian acting as the hero instead of the villain. There were far more instances where he was simply expected to accept that the pirate was sitting at the dinner table with the family, or was taking his mother to dinner, or bringing him sailing, or telling him stories of the father he never truly knew. Henry had existed with Killian purely on his faith in other people who said the pirate was now trustworthy. The lad hadn't been given the opportunity to see it for himself.

Perhaps more importantly, he'd been cheated out of the chance to make that judgment for himself as an informed young man instead of being treated like a child who had to accept everything on blind faith in others.

It was downright patronizing toward Henry, and he certainly didn't deserve it, even if the others really did only have the lad's safety at heart.

Henry's voice pulled him from his musings. "You know I don't hate you, right? Regina told me how the curse brought up and amplified old feelings, and that's what made me say most of what I said. I really am grateful for everything you've done that helped my family and the town. And I know you've done so much to change and be better."

"Truly?"

"Yeah, and about the sailing lessons and stories. I didn't know my dad long enough to really know him even though I wanted to, and mom only knows so much about what he did before they met, so you teaching me all of this and telling me about him means a lot to me. I guess I never knew about my family when I was little so now that I have the chance I kind of like knowing where they come from." Henry smiled at Killian, who felt the corners of his own lips tugged upwards to match.

"Henry, thank you for telling me this. I know it's not been easy for you but I'm eternally grateful we can talk like this."

"Me too Killian."

The tension between them was less, but the relief was short-lived, when Killian remembered that they had no way of getting back to shore and were in fact stranded at sea. Perhaps the lad's phone would be able to call for help?

"Need a lift?!" A clear voice rang out over the expanse of open water and Killian swore it was the Universe that had seen fit to send an angel to the rescue.

"Swan!" "Mom!" They cried out together in relief, glad for the miraculous and well-timed aid.

"Not to sound ungrateful for the assistance love, but what are you doing out here? We've not been gone so long as to warrant a search party, have we?"

Emma laughed from the deck of the larger fishing vessel, currently being operated by Leroy and a dockworker Killian didn't recognize. "Leroy recognized the motorboat you were taking, knew it had barely any gas in the gas tank, and saw Henry almost run into a lot of other boats on your way out of the harbor, so he called me. Tie this onto the boat, we'll pull you back."

She threw down the end of a line of rope, which Killian immediately tied to the bow tip of the small vessel. The boats were pulled together and Henry and Killian climbed aboard the other vessel into Emma's waiting arms.

"But mom, there's a whole ocean to get stuck on. How'd you know we were right here?" Emma ruffled her son's hair affectionately.

"Your phone GPS kid. Storybrooke magic didn't affect it." Her lips were turned upward in a proud smirk that Killian easily recognized. Emma had once confided in Killian that for a long time she looked at being the Savior as a burden of birth, not an earned title. That who she was as an individual had no bearing on her ability to be anyone's savior and that it could have easily been Joe Schmo instead (Though who this "Joe" was, Killian had no idea.). She'd confessed it was when she got to use her hard-earned skills from a lifetime of protecting herself that she felt the title was at all appropriate for her.

The smirk she wore now was the same smirk he'd last seen in the Enchanted Forest of old, when she had deprived him of a dashing rescue by freeing herself (and Robin's wife Marian) from the Queen's prison.

She really would make a brilliant pirate.

"GPS?"

"I can tell you later," Henry offered, his mouth turned upward, welcoming and open.

Blue eyes met brown and Killian found himself mirroring Henry's expression. Could it be so easy? One afternoon and a single conversation stranded together and suddenly the air was clear between them?

No, it wasn't yet. If they were going to move past this and have a real friendship between them it would take time and patience from them both. But talking like this was a very large and essential first step. One that Killian was glad they had taken together.

Of course the next time they had an adventure together Killian hoped it might involve something other than being stranded at sea. Perhaps another gambling lesson if Swan didn't find out?