Killian woke up to the slant of wooden beams overhead and a pounding in his head he was beginning to regret. He had tried to use rum to lull himself to sleep the night before, and it looked like it worked. This little cabin in the woods had been the only place he could think of coming to where Emma probably wouldn't find him. His ship was too familiar to her, and he needed his space.

He hadn't been surprised when she said their relationship wasn't working because he thought that too. But he was surprised when she didn't let him start the conversation. Emma wasn't a coward exactly but he hadn't thought she would be wiling to be the one to break things off. He knew she preferred to run away from things rather than dealing with them head on, so maybe he should count himself lucky that he had actually gotten a Talk at all.

He sat up on the dingy couch and groaned. He felt awful, now physically as well as mentally. He wasn't sure if having a broken heart was a medical ailment in this realm but he was sure that's what was ailing him. The hangover was just a cherry on top at this point.

Killian surged to his feet, regretting it a bit when his vision went black. This spectacle with Emma had been going on for more than a week now and he needed to stop pitying himself. His vision faded back and he crossed the small room to get himself a glass of water. He checked the angle of the sun out the window and decided he needed a day on the sea. It was too late in the season for him to get any real fishing done today, but he could check on the few lobster traps he still had out in the cove.

He made his way to the docks and climbed aboard his Jolly Roger. His beloved ship wasn't equipped for the lobstering life however, so he was only on board for a change of clothes. At the last moment he decided to swipe some food for lunch from the galley, before moving down the dock and climbing aboard his lobstering boat.

Killian's day on the water was the restorative he had needed. His problems didn't float away, but he did finally feel like he was in the head space to face them head on. His cages had yielded almost no lobsters of significance, as he had suspected, but he did manage to find one lobster of adequate size to bring home.

The sun was sinking behind the horizon and Killian was securing a line from his boat to the dock when he heard his name. His heart leapt for half a second before he realized that it was a male voice. Killian turned to see David coming down the dock toward him. Killian raised an eyebrow, wondering what David could be doing at the docks at this time of day.

Dave neared the gangplank and mock saluted Killian. "Captain! Permission to come aboard!"

Killian grinned, "Dave, what an impressive display of manners! Who knew you had any idea what those were?" He waved him on board and set about sorting good nets from those that needed repairs.

"Hardy har, pirate. I think we both know I am the better gentleman between the two of us."

"But Robin beats us both, right?"

David grinned at the familiar joke between them. "Of course! He would be dismayed to know we ever debated his honorable status."

They both cracked up, enjoying the easy banter between them. Killian wondered what David was doing here. He asked him as much, and David's face became a bit sheepish. It was obvious he was hoped to avoid whatever he came to talk about.

David sighed, "I came to see how you were doing. We all know about the breakup and I didn't want you think we were hovering so I waited a few days. But we're worried about you and it was decided that I would check in with you."

"Ah, so that would mean someone else is talking to Emma?" he realized. He tried to remain nonchalant as he said it but he could feel his body becoming closed off anyway.

"Yes, Mary Margaret is supposed to be talking to Emma now, but I suspect Ruby has invited herself along too."

Killian smirked half-heartedly in recognition of Ruby's meddlesome antics but he was trying too hard to not ask David how Emma was feeling. He struggled to think of some response but luckily David was also eager to get this conversation over with.

"So…how are you? We haven't seen you around in three days, which we all understand of course, but we're worried about you and we don't want you to avoid us too."

Killian stiffened a bit at that. "I'm not avoiding anyone."

David didn't sound convinced. "Well, we're sure you don't mean to but, like I said, we understand."

"Who exactly is this mysterious 'we' anyway?"

"Just me and Mary Margaret. Ruby, Granny, Leroy. Robin and Regina, of course. Henry was asking about you, too." David finished faintly, as if he wasn't sure to add Henry to the list of people Killian was supposedly ignoring.

His frustration growing, Killian huffed. "I'm not avoiding anyway," he repeated. David opened his mouth to disagree but KIllian cut him off. "I'm not, truly. But I am keeping my distance while Emma decides whether or not to accept my proposal."

"Your proposal?" David squeaked out, his alarmed tone on the verge of panic.

Killian's heart squeezed as he realized how David had interpreted his words. "Not that kind of proposal, obviously." Not anymore, he added silently. "The morning after we broke up, we ran into each other at Granny's. She was of course getting her coffee and I had forgotten she would be coming in. We said hello, but it was really, really awkward and painful and I just didn't want our lives to be reduced to a future of those kinds of interactions."

"So I proposed" Killian lingered on the word with obvious sarcasm, "that we be friends. We were friends once before, why couldn't we be friends again?"

"Because that's impossible?" David answered. "Because being friends with your ex, especially such an immediate ex is doomed to fail?"

"Emma and I were friends for a long time before we started dating. We only were able to date so long because we were friends. It's not going to be hard for us."

"I have no doubts that you two can be friends. I just think it will become impossible for you two to stay just friends. You can't just decide not to have feelings for someone anymore with enough force of will. There has to be some time to let those feelings disappear."

"But Emma and I had been growing apart as a couple for a while before the blow up. We weren't cut out to be in a romantic relationship but our friendship never had any problems."

"That's not exactly how I remember it going but I'm going to choose not to focus on that right now. You said you were waiting for Emma to accept this absurd offer of friendship?"

"I thought it would be best if she had some time to think it over, being friends again. So I told her that the ball was in her court and I would take my cue from her how things were going to be in the future. But I didn't want to force myself on her too soon and rush her into a decision; she doesn't really work well in those situations."

David barked out a laugh, having known Emma nearly her whole life. "Yeah, no, Emma acts too rashly on her own as it is. She definitely doesn't need anyone to force her hand."

Killian smiled at their shared understanding of Emma but that hurt too much to dwell on. "Right, so I'm letting either Emma come to me or until it becomes impossible to not run into her. At least that's my plan as of this moment."

David nodded his head, studying Killian he finished sorting and putting away his nets. The sun had dipped to a thin band of light by now and it was time for them both to head home. Killian saw the lone lobster he had managed to catch that day and swiftly grabbed it and offered it to David. "You know how to cook a lobster, right?"

David seemed taken aback for a moment but was able to recover quickly as he took the lobster by its middle. "Of course, I've lived in Maine my whole life."

Killian smiled, genuinely this time. "Good, tell Mary Margaret I said hi and that I'm fine and that I'm not ignoring her." They stepped down to the dock and walked together back towards the road.

David smiled back but still asked, "But how are you really?"

Killian looked at the sunset, its last rays becoming embers. "I will be fine. Probably."

A/N: Oh hello again! I didn't really mean to go on hiatus there but life tends to get in the way like that. I am back though and you can expect regular (daily-ish) updates again. I can at least promise that for this fic anyway. :)