3. a song I can't get out

A/N: Pure fluff. Somewhere during happier times post-underworld.

She'd noticed, but hadn't spoken to him about it yet.

For weeks now, Killian had been singing in the shower, clearly unaware of the fact that the water wasn't quite as loud as he probably thought it was. She could still hear his voice softly through the patter of the drops. She wasn't always able to make out the lyrics, but that didn't matter that much to her. She greatly enjoyed hearing it every morning, without exception. She actually found herself feeling genuinely disappointed whenever he'd take a shorter shower than usual.

He was always up earlier than she was, a habit undoubtedly developed during the centuries of living on ships where one had to be up at the crack of dawn. She hadn't succeeded in breaking this tradition of his just yet, despite her best and usually very effective efforts at making him stay in bed a little longer. Her most often used tactic was to slowly inch closer, followed by sleepy pleas for "just five more minutes", a leg around his torso and soon her body practically on top of his.

It would work just long enough to satisfy their daily need for cuddling, but eventually he'd get up, unknowingly leaving Emma to enjoy his singing while she was either making breakfast or lounging in bed for a little longer.

She loved those mornings and deeply cherished every single minute of them.

However, she did wonder why he never talked to her about it. She'd assumed it was one of the few things he could actually be a little shy about. There was really no reason to, though. Killian's voice was warm and clear, and all of the songs were slow, beautiful and incredibly soothing. Based on the lyrics she could make out through the noise of the shower, and the music he had started listening to on the radio, he seemed to have developed a particular interest in The Paper Kites, Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam.

The reason Emma hadn't brought it up yet was because she was afraid he'd stop if he knew she could hear him singing every day. But one evening, she quite suddenly couldn't take it anymore. They were laying on the couch after a fun but rather exhausting sailing trip with Henry on the Jolly Roger. The boy was, according to Killian, turning into "quite a fine sailor".

Their fingers were intertwined, both their hands resting on her stomach and her head propped up against his shoulder. She was holding the remote control in her other hand, aimlessly zapping through the unusually boring programs.

Suddenly and without much of a second thought, she posed the question that had been on her mind for a while now.

"Killian, will you sing to me?"

He was evidently just as surprised by her impulsive question as she was. She threw her head back to look up at him with bright green eyes, clearly waiting for an answer. After a couple of seconds he let out a soft chuckle, breaking their gaze by looking down in the way he always did on the relatively rare occasion when he couldn't handle a compliment.

"You heard that?"

Emma turned off the tv and put the remote control down next to the two empty mugs on the coffee table. She turned around in his arms, slinging her right arm around his neck. A soft and sweet touch of their lips, followed by a tiny smile for him.

"Please?"

"As you wish, my love." He'd returned to locking their gaze, speaking in a low voice which bordered on a whisper.

Her stomach jumped, and the fact that he still managed to make her feel so giddy made the corners of her mouth curl up even further. They were on their feet in a matter of seconds, not for a second abandoning each others' vicinity.

Killian took her hand in his, gently settling his hook on her hip. She put her right hand on his shoulder, grinning at the fact that they were both in their pajamas in their own living room. Usually when they danced it tended to involve fancy dresses and ball rooms.

In the morning when I wake

And the sun is coming through,

Oh, you fill my lungs with sweetness,

And you fill my head with you.

They'd started moving around slowly. Killian's cheek brushing against hers, as he had started to sing the first verse of the song. She recognized it, as she'd heard it a couple of times before -both on the radio and during the morning showers- but nothing could compare to the way he sang it, so close and so soft against her ear.

Shall I write it in a letter?

Shall I try to get it down?

Oh, you fill my head with pieces

Of a song I can't get out.

Their bare feet moved gracefully on the soft carpet. The warmth of the moment was physically tangible in between their tightly interlocked fingers. The only sound in the house was the sound of his voice, meant just for her. She moved her hand further up to run her fingers through strands of his dark hair, his face still beside her own.

Can I be close to you?

Ooh-oo-oo-ooh, ooh

Can I be close to you?

Ooh, ooh.

Killian's ocean blue eyes were looking at her now, as he tenderly pulled her waist closer to him. His confidence was visibly increasing as he saw how much she was enjoying this. They were taking up more space now, dancing and spinning through the room with the grace and poise of a king and queen.

Can I take it to a morning

Where the fields are painted gold

And the trees are filled with memories

Of the feelings never told?

They moved closer to each other again, as he pressed feather light kisses to her cheek and the side of her neck, after which she readily returned the favor. Emma's thumb stroked his hand and rings in a steady rhythm as she pulled back to look at him. His lips were captivating, fascinating to watch as they produced such a lovely tune.

When the evening pulls the sun down,

And the day is almost through,

Oh, the whole world is sleeping,

And my world is you.

Their foreheads were touching as their movements gradually slowed. Her eyelashes fluttered, alternating her fixed look between his eyes and his lips. The warmth between them became almost too much to bear, in the best way imaginable. The lyrics so easily described the beautifully simple emotion of this very instant.

Can I be close to you?

Ooh-oo-oo-ooh, ooh

Can I be close to you?

Ooh, ooh.

She caught herself humming along to the last verse, thoroughly enjoying the smile it brought to his face while at the same time dreading the nearing end of the song. Both his hand and his hook were positioned on her waist now, her own hands resting on his chest. Their lips touched in a seemingly long awaited kiss, the last notes echoing as a moan in the air between them.

"Cherish this, Swan, because it won't be happening again anytime soon." he teased lightly, opening his eyes with an adoring gaze in their blue depths.

Emma merely responded with a breathless chuckle, her super power telling her exactly just how big of a lie that was.