an: I lost count of how many people requested that I write more, so I wrote more.
"We're home!" Emma says happily.
She steps into the apartment with her bag around her shoulder and Cocoa and Smee right on her heels. They charge into the place with excitement, eager to sniff everything and make sure it's all still here.
Killian laughs warmly as he sets his stuff down. "I'll go grab the rest."
"Kay," Emma hums.
She's already charging for the thermostat and changing the temperature to help warm things up. It's December in New York and they haven't been here in what feels like an eternity.
She begins to flip on lights and smiles when she enters the bedroom, discovering things just as they'd left them. Tidy and clean.
"Not for long," she mumbles under her breath.
Emma sets her bag down on the bed and steps out of her shoes after peeling out of her coat. She opens the bathroom door and sets her bathroom bag down on the countertop.
As she stands there in the bathroom, she meets her eyes in the mirror. It's been a weird day. Long. Crazy.
She can hardly believe she posted a public photograph insinuating her relationship with Killian Jones, but she did.
Regina's going to keep things from escalating too far, but they're going to leave it ambiguous for now. At least, until Emma can figure out a decent way to announce she's in love with her very best friend.
Emma goes out into the bedroom and finds Cocoa already eager to curl up in Emma's pillows. She smiles at the puppy and scrubs her fingers behind her ears before leaving a kiss to the top of her head.
"Are you happy to be home, Cocoa Bean?" Emma leans away and hums to herself. "I know I am."
When Emma pulls her phone out of her pocket, she has far too many notifications. She nibbles on her lip, wondering what the fans have to say about the picture she'd posted.
Curiosity gets the best of her as she's walking out into the living area, ready to prepare some hot chocolate and to turn on the fake fireplace because she can.
ekforever: YOU'RE BEING SO OBVIOUS NOW OMG (clap)
Emma stifles a laugh, tapping on the username. She discovers the page has blown up with magnified parts of the photograph. It's all she can do but crack up as she reads the speculation accompanying each post.
ekforever: What do we know? We know Emma has been spotted at Killian's concerts every night for a week and a half. (Check the previous post for the pics with fans!) Now that Killian's tour is done, he should be heading home again in time to celebrate the holidays with family. We know Emma's going to NYC- she just posted about it (I'm still DYING HELP) - and guess who lives in NYC? Killian! Aside from the obvious in the picture (*ahem* HIS DOG IN THE BACKGROUND AND HIS GUITAR AND HER HAIR?) I think the evidence has been piling up in our favor.
Emma bites on her lip as she laughs and her cheeks burn hot, because damn she's the absolute worst at keeping this a secret from people.
Killian enters the apartment then with the rest of their things and smiles at her brightly. "Alright. It's all up now, I think. I'm rather hungry. Would you like to order in?"
"Yeah," Emma smiles back at him.
She stuffs her phone away and takes a breath, scanning her surroundings for the first time. There's frost on the windows and the fridge is empty. It hardly feels like home, but at the same time, she feels more at home than ever.
Killian brings his bag toward her, heading to the bedroom, and when he reaches her, he stops, settling his hand on her side so he can kiss her. They part with smiles on their lips, Emma searching his eyes as a laugh tumbles past her lips.
"What was that for?"
Killian's eyebrows dance. "Welcome home."
"Welcome home," She grins. She watches as he goes into their bedroom for a moment and then she goes to continue fixing her hot chocolate. "Do you want Chinese?"
"Ah… yeah, sure. Should we phone David and Mary Margaret to let them know we're here in relatively one piece?"
Emma feels her phone vibrating wildly in her pocket and she wiggles it out, laughing once at the sight of Mary Margaret's name. She swipes as she says, "I think I've got that covered. Hey, Mary Margaret."
"Emma, oh my gosh, I saw the picture on Instagram," Mary Margaret says immediately, skipping all pretenses. "Are you okay? How are you doing?"
Emma laughs once. She stirs the powder and water in her favorite mug and licks her lips when the hot chocolate begins to steam. She sets the spoon in the sink after spraying what's left of the whipped cream into the mug.
"I'm fine, Mary Margaret," Emma insists. She carries the hot chocolate with her into the bedroom and sits down on the edge of the bed, watching as Killian makes quick work of moving himself back in.
"You should see the gossip websites," Mary Margaret sighs. "I even saw E News was running a story. You're friends with them! I thought they were better than this!"
Emma has a sip of her beverage and Killian gives her a look, silently requesting a sip. She rolls her eyes and holds it out for him. He grabs it in an instant and has a sip, leaving whipped cream on his upper lip that makes her laugh.
"I'm friends with Ariel, Mary Margaret. Not the whole company." Emma takes her hot chocolate back and sets it down on her nightstand as she gets comfortable on Killian's side of the bed.
"Still." Mary Margaret says disapprovingly. "I can't believe they'd-"
"It's okay," Emma tells her close friend. "I'm fine with the gossip. I'm getting kind of tired of having to keep things a secret."
Killian steps into the closet to grab the laundry hamper. He emerges and stuffs his dirty clothes into it before doing the same with her clothes.
Mary Margaret sighs into the phone. "Well, as long as you're okay, then I guess it's fine."
"It really is."
Emma watches as Killian grabs his phone from the bed and at the same time, he grins at Cocoa. The puppy sprawls out on her side, exposing her belly for Killian's warm hand.
"How was the flight?" Mary Margaret asks.
"It was good," Emma replies. "Not too long. We got stopped two times at the airport when people recognized me, but it was fine."
"Well, this is good to hear," Mary Margaret's clearly smiling. "Do you want to get together tomorrow, maybe? We need to catch up."
Emma hums. "Yeah, we really do. Do you want to do lunch?"
"Sure!" Mary Margaret says, then starts prattling off ideas she has, but Emma's only focus is on the way Killian hauls their laundry out of the room.
Emma slings her legs around the edge of the bed and starts walking out of the room.
"I'll text you." Emma says to Mary Margaret after confirming the details of their meal tomorrow. She bites down on her lip and wanders into the living area.
Killian's ordering food now while he loads the washing machine and she finds that this is something she wholeheartedly adores.
He turns to her after he finishes ordering and loading, her multitasking dream man, and he shows her his teeth with a smile.
"Alright, we've got laundry in and food on the way," Killian announces. "All that's left is… an engagement ring for my beautiful fiancée."
Emma rolls her eyes. She settles her hands on his chest. "I don't need an engagement ring-"
"Don't give me that," Killian chastises her. "I know you. And I know myself. I've always wanted to have a proper engagement, so I hope you'll be able to live with it."
She can't contain her smile. "I think I'll be able to."
"Well, that's good, because I've got one."
Emma's jaw falls open and she blinks dumbly. "What?"
Killian just grins and slips away from her. He jogs into the bedroom and then emerges, holding a black leather ring box in his hand.
"I've been waiting on it for a while. I didn't think the time would come so soon." Killian pulls his lower lip between his teeth, tugging at it. He pauses before her and smiles wryly as he drops to his knee. "Emma Swan, you are the love of my life and my very best friend. Will you marry me?"
The sight of him on the floor holding a ring in his hand is about enough to make her emotional- tears welling up in her eyes as if she hadn't ever expected this even though she absolutely had.
Emma's smile is weak at first, quickly spreading as she nods. "Yes. Of course I will, you goof."
Killian beams at her and they work together to get the ring on her finger. He bounces up onto his feet and his arms go around her as hers do the same. She digs her fingers into his hair and kisses him soundly, a laugh buzzing on her lips.
"What's so funny?" he asks, laughing between kisses.
Emma shakes her head and looks at Killian. "Nothing." She grins wide. "We're engaged."
"That we are."
..
One of Emma's token tricks to being an A-List celebrity is, while maintaining a calm and cool demeanor, not being filmed at seven thirty in the morning while she's still waking up.
Killian, being the way he is, likes to stretch the boundaries of her tricks.
It's not really his goal to film her, which makes it less of a situation, but still, she's caught in the crosshairs of his muddled brain and enthusiasm for the day.
It's a Facebook livestream that he's filming, showing off his breakfast as he's cooking.
"I'm making breakfast," he says. "Eggs and bacon and perhaps some toast if I'm feeling adventurous. We'll see."
His phone camera is boosted up against the sugar container just far enough away so it exposes Killian and the stove, but also far back enough that it shows the kitchen behind him, including the coffee machine.
This is something Emma doesn't realize until she's in the frame of the video, staring at the phone with a confused tilt of her head.
"And I thought I'd share a quick thought about-" He turns to her then, a smile filling his lips. "Morning."
Emma grumbles a response and grabs the coffee on the counter beside him.
"That's mine, love."
"Don't care," Emma replies, suffering through a hearty sip of the straight black coffee.
Killian snickers at the camera. "She's not quite a morning person, I don't think. Hanging about my apartment like some sort of bum."
Killian clicks his tongue against his cheek, playing coy and loving every minute of it.
Emma can practically see the comments now: ARE YOU GUYS TOGETHER OR NOT?
She hides a smile behind the rim of Killian's coffee mug and sits down at the table with her newspaper and Cocoa, who curls up on top of her feet like she does every morning.
"Anyway, I thought I'd share a quick thought about the holiday season, since it's upon us and this is, in fact, Vlogmas, or Livestream-mas? Who knows what we decided it was called." Killian flashes the camera a grin.
Emma listens as the pan sizzles. It makes her stomach gurgle hungrily and she hopes he's making enough for her too.
She sips on the coffee and checks her phone for messages, finding a bunch of texts from Mary Margaret and a few from Regina, checking to make sure she got some sides for an audition.
"When I was a teenager, my older brother, Liam, used to tell me that for Christmas, we should always give to those less fortunate even if we feel like we've got nothing, because one day we might be in that position. You just never know." Killian pauses. "So that's my thought of the day. Do with it what you will. I'm trying to decide where to donate to this year, so if you've any suggestions, I'd love to hear them."
Killian flips the switch for the flame on the stove to turn off. He turns toward Emma, flashing the camera a quick glimpse of her.
"Everybody say 'hi to Emma!' Emma, say 'hi to everyone!'."
Emma wants to groan, but she just manages a soft smile as she sips some coffee. "Hi to everyone."
Killian beams at the camera and waves. "Alright, bye! I'll talk with you lot tomorrow."
She watches as he turns the livestream off. He drags his head over his face and then scratches behind his ear.
"I apologize, darling," he says, going straight to the table. He lowers a kiss to the top of her head. "I've been doing this… livestream thing as a sort of thank you to the fans in the days leading up till Christmas." He shakes his head. "I didn't think you'd get up this early."
Emma smiles at him. "It's alright. I just missed you so I came looking."
He hums and his eyebrows dance. "I see."
They stare at one another for a few moments. Obviously, he's hesitant still about the livestream including her.
Emma shrugs her shoulders. "It's okay. We're together. We're just being us."
Killian smiles easily. "Aye. That's right."
"Did you make enough food for me too?"
Her fiancé starts to laugh happily. "I did, as a matter of fact. Want toast?"
"I'm feeling adventurous. Yeah. Why not?"
..
Emma is knee-deep in wedding plans when the first real public and intentional interaction with she and Killian comes up.
It's the red carpet event for a movie she played a small part in, and she knows there'll be cameras and reporters wondering the juicy scoop on her relationship status, especially with all of the small things seeming to come to light on more credible websites and magazines.
Every week, it seems she sees something about some silly thing sources have told them about Emma and Killian's relationship. There are a lot of pictures exposing Emma's engagement ring- her own fault for going to see a Broadway show with friends and announcing it online for the whole world to know.
Regina's remained quiet about the relationship to publications, meaning it's a mystery to the world if Emma is indeed engaged to Killian, or if she's just wearing a pretty ring and hanging around him a lot.
"Hey, Killian?" Emma asks as she enters Killian's music room.
He's sitting at his computer, his acoustic guitar in his lap and his microphone pointed toward his lips. He grins, turning to face her. "Yes, my love?"
Emma sucks in a deep breath. Nerves tickle her belly ridiculously. "Do you want to go to the red carpet with me tonight?"
Killian lifts his eyebrow. "With you? As your date?"
Emma rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah. I mean, if you think you can handle that."
She watches as he sets his guitar down. He stands and crosses the room. His hands fall to her hips easy and he admires her with pure love in his gaze.
"Oh, darling, I assure you. I can handle it."
She laughs- she can't help it- and bites down on her lip. "Okay, then, let's get dressed up and ready to face the music."
Killian lays a kiss on her that about sweeps her off her feet. After, his nose presses against hers and Emma licks her lips, wishing he could just keep kissing her.
"Are we going to announce our engagement to the world tonight or are we playing it coy?" he asks.
Emma shrugs. She meets his eyes. "I don't know. What do you think?"
"Let's just be us."
..
"Emma, you look beautiful tonight." Ariel says, admiring the dress she has on.
Emma can't help the blush on her cheeks even though she's been told she looks beautiful dozens of times already.
"Isn't she bloody gorgeous?" Killian says from her side, poking his head into her interview.
Emma laughs, bumping her head against his where it hovers above her shoulder. "Thanks."
Killian steps around her properly so he can engage Ariel. He gives her a quick hug and a kiss to her cheek. "Hi Ariel, how are you, love?"
"I'm good," Ariel laughs. She nods at Emma. "It's good to see you both here tonight. Emma, are you excited to be here? How are you feeling?"
Emma smiles politely at Ariel. "I'm excited, yeah. I haven't seen the movie yet but I've heard it's incredible. I can't wait to see what they did with me."
Ariel chuckles. She gestures to Emma's hands, clasped together in front of her middle. "Now, you don't have to answer this, but the Internet has been abuzz for months about that shiny rock on your finger…"
Killian breaks out in the cheekiest grin she's ever seen in her life and she laughs, holding her hand up so the camera can see it.
"I don't know. Kind of looks like an engagement ring, doesn't it?" She's staring at Killian and Killian's smiling at her, and she swears this has never felt simpler.
"It kind of does," Killian says warmly. He bumps her hip gently and Emma giggles, scrunching up her nose as she rights herself and listens to Ariel's next question.
By the end of the interview, Killian has Ariel laughing and Emma's fairly certain this is going to be the thing that breaks the entire Internet, because he's standing with her and he's being totally charming- and then he decides to take her hand.
Emma smiles at Ariel in thanks and waves to the camera. "It was nice seeing you again, Ariel."
"You too! Enjoy the movie!"
"Thanks," both Emma and Killian say in unison.
Emma grins at her fiancé as they walk away from the interview hand-in-hand.
No, this has never felt simpler.
..
The interview with Ariel opens up doors and windows for Emma, who feels more confident in sharing bits and pieces of her life with her fans, and by extension Killian and his fans.
Many of their fans are the same, it's true, but there are some outsiders who crossover when Emma starts making posts about their trip to Atlanta for a guest spot she's doing on a Netflix show.
Killian decides to post their first video together to Instagram when he's bored sitting at the airport waiting for their plane to be ready for boarding. It's barely six and she's still half-asleep, holding a mug of Starbucks while she stares off into the distance.
She's sitting very close to Killian, craving his warmth and cushion-like shoulder that she rests her head upon.
"We are on our way to Atlanta," Killian says. He points his phone at the window to show the plane. "For Emma's new gig. I think we're supposed to be there a month, right, Swan?"
He lands the camera on her and she buries her face in his shoulder, mumbling, "No, don't film me, I'm cranky."
Emma wraps her free hand around his arm and snuggles close to him.
Killian leaves a kiss to the top of her head. "Oh, poor little cygnet." He leans his head against hers. "It's very early. We're both quite tired. Leave a comment suggesting good spots to eat when we land, mates."
When he shuts his phone off, he kisses the top of her head again. "You look beautiful, Swan."
"Shut up." Emma hides her smile against his shoulder and meets his eyes. "Should we add it to our vows that we won't film each other when it's too early?"
Killian laughs heartily. "Well, I've no promises there, love."
Emma hums. She's overcome with love for him, so she lets it go and says, "Love you."
"I love you more."
..
The Internet all but knows the truth now, but there's some lingering doubt until the selfie Emma takes of them and their puppies laying in bed one beautiful summer morning.
They're damn cute, the four of them all snuggled together under the blankets of their bed. Killian has a tired eye cracked open while his hair is a complete mess, and Emma looks equally as sleepy, but she wants to post this picture because she's happy.
Sometimes, Emma likes to check in on ekforever just so she can smile and laugh at the compilations of facts. These days, they've started just posting crying emojis regarding each status update or photograph that comes from their professional accounts.
The first thing they have on their page is a photo taken on the carpet of an independent film Killian got to score. He's holding her tight, his smile huge while she laughs and presses her left hand against his chest, clearly showing off her engagement ring to the world.
ekforever: (loudly crying face) THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL LOOK HOW FAR WE'VE COME
The comments below are all essentially a collection of hearts, heart eyes, and a smattering of words describing their love for the photo and for them as people.
Emma discards her phone, turning to look at Killian in their bed while she snuggles Cocoa close to her chest. Smee has decidedly hopped out of bed in search of a toy since waking up.
"Hey," she whispers, a smile spreading on her face.
Killian hums. "Hey."
"Happy wedding day eve."
He laughs, crinkles finding the edges of his eyes. "Happy wedding day eve to you, Swan."
Emma scoots toward him. Thankfully, Cocoa decides to get up at that instant, leaving the bed to the humans. She wraps her arms around him and presses her knee between his. Her nose brushes against his nose and she admires the blue of his eyes for a few moments in beautiful silence.
"Are you excited?" she whispers.
"I don't think I've ever been more excited in my life, quite honestly."
Emma hums. She brushes her thumb over the scar in his cheek and closes her eyes. "We're going to be married tomorrow."
Killian sighs through his nose. "We're going to be married tomorrow."
For a few long moments, they soak in that fact.
All of the planning has amounted to this: a wedding ceremony, with only their closest friends and family to witness. Liam, Killian's older brother, is officiating, and after the exchange of vows, Emma has planned for them to share a meal and dancing on the roof of the apartment building.
It should be nice and peaceful, assuming nothing derails the affairs.
"As soon as we announce it, we're only going to get questions about when we're having a baby." Emma says, deadpan serious.
Killian bursts out laughing and his hand squeezes her side. "Bloody hell. That's true, isn't it?"
Emma giggles along with him.
Killian kisses her forehead and then the tip of her nose while he admires her. "Well, Emma Swan, I would be honored to have children with you, should the time ever come."
Emma hums. "And I'd be honored to have children with you too."
She rests with her forehead against his for a few moments until she hears Smee's tell-tale barking.
"Maybe we don't need children with Smee and Cocoa," Killian grumbles teasingly.
Emma giggles as she watches him get out of bed.
He grabs a shirt and pulls it on. "Alright! I'm on my way. Just be patient." Killian turns back to Emma and leans over the bed to award her a proper kiss good morning. "I am in over my head for you."
Emma sighs and licks her lips as he walks away just as quickly as he'd kissed her.
..
She has hundreds of photos from the wedding, thanks to Ruby, Mary Margaret's best friend who's a photographer, and she chooses one of she and Killian dancing during the reception as the first post she'll make as Killian Jones' wife.
It's an intimate shot, Emma's cheek resting against Killian's collarbone. She's smiling and everything is beautifully lit. The sun is just setting, so the glow of the light illuminates the joy on she and Killian's faces.
She takes a few minutes to think of a good description to add to it and ends up giggling into her hand while Killian's showering in their hotel room in Maui.
emmaswanofficial: #ekforever