This is my CS Valentine fic for tragicallyhipsterinvancouver over on Tumblr! (mine is emmaswanskillian- in case you're curious)
Enjoy the fluff!
Emma Swan absolutely loathes Valentine's Day.
She's had a certain level of distaste for the holiday for as long as she can remember, and while it would make sense that it be tied to some big heartbreak related to the day or major tragedy occurring on it, it isn't. Instead, a never ending list of minor details come to mind, each just as crucial to her disdain as the rest.
She hates it because she's spent more of them alone than she has with someone who cares about her. Besides, the times she wasn't alone, the people probably didn't really care about her anyway. She's never really celebrated it because the foster homes certainly didn't advertise the fourteenth of February as anything different than the average day. There were no valentines, no candy, no paper hearts strung up everywhere. She frowns at the idea even more now, because while her parents stroll down a forest pathway and bask in the wonders of their endless true love and impending second child, Emma is trying to figure out how she feels about that damn pirate. He'd been by her side unconditionally for the past few weeks as they fought against the newest threat to keep the kingdom safe.
Her kingdom.
She's still getting used to that.
It means more to her than she could ever say, but she's never been good with words and she's much too terrified of jumping into something headfirst, anyway. She just hopes that he doesn't give up in the process, because that would truly break her heart.
"Morning, Swan," a voice from behind her says, breaking her out of her thoughts. A second later Killian is sitting beside her on the dock at a comfortable enough distance. His leg brushes against her bare knee, and she briefly is glad the weather has warmed up enough to wear shorts. She kicks herself mentally, hating that just his presence makes her feel so off balance.
She used to be so much more in control.
"Hey," she offers in response, giving him a smile that he easily returns. Her stomach flips at the sight and she's berating herself again for feeling so much like a teenager with a crush. Her mind screams at her how stupid all of this is, because there's no way she can like him. There's no way in hell she can love him.
Except she kind of does.
"What brings you all of the way out here, princess?" He shoots her a smirk and a side glance at the last word and she shoves his shoulder a little, trying not to let him see the blush that creeps into her cheeks. The way the word fell from his lips echoes in her mind, and she does her best to shake it. It feels much too weird.
"It's quiet here," she says simply, shrugging a little. The statement rings with honesty. "I like it."
"Have I rubbed off on you, love?" He's still grinning playfully, and she briefly wonders how much of a push it would take to immerse him in the shallow waters just beneath her toes.
"No," she says, narrowing her eyes at him.
He's smiling now, and damn him, his eyes have a mischievous glint in them that she finds much too attractive to tear her eyes from. "If you insist, princess."
Refraining from punching him, she gives him a sickly sweet smile. "Killian, don't call me that."
There's a flash of affection in his eyes as his name falls from her lips, as if he still isn't used to hearing it, and then it's gone just as quickly. Amusement replaces it, coloring his features. Damn it. "And why, princess, should I refrain from speaking such of her royal highness?"
He's teasing in full force now, and she knows it well enough to not get mad. Instead, she raises an eyebrow and quickly gives his shoulders a push, watching in satisfaction as he lands in the sea water. Some splashes on her and she yelps because the water is freezing even though the air around them is warm. He's laughing, though, and he gives her a devilish grin before reaching for her hand to help him up, only to pull her into the water as well.
She really should have seen that coming.
The water is shallow, so her feet touch, but Killian's arm still slips around her waist as she steadies herself. She tries not to automatically lean into the half embrace. She feels like punching herself when she fails.
Her heart almost stops when she realizes that he definitely noticed her slip up.
He's giving her that look now. She still hasn't gotten accustomed to someone looking at her the way he does, with an admiration that would put the entire forest to shame. He smiles a little, but the teasing glint has disappeared. This smile is reserved only for her, and knowing that makes her shiver.
She lies to herself and says that it's because of the cold water.
"Emma?"
Apparently, the two had shifted closer to each other, because they jump apart at David's voice like two teenagers that just got caught with the bedroom door closed. Emma laughs at her father's bemused expression, though the sound is a little forced because of the predicament. David takes her hand and pulls her back onto the dock and this time when Emma offers her own hand to Killian, he doesn't pull her in. He fixes her with a wicked smile, the previous one gone in the presence of company, and there's a glint of mischief in his eyes that gives her a weird feeling.
But not a bad one, she decides. Just weird.
Different.
And maybe that isn't so bad.
The morning Valentine's Day rolls around, Emma sleeps much later than she usually does, simply because she can only imagine her parents being overly endearing as they eat breakfast, more so than usual. They may not have celebrated the day in this land before, but it was a tradition they'd decided they wanted to keep.
Unfortunately for pretty much everyone.
She stretches lazily as she gets up, glancing out the window to see the sun already pretty high in the sky. It's probably about ten, she guesses, sighing before climbing out of bed, only to see a small slip of paper just in front of her door.
She rolls her eyes almost automatically, picking it up to see a map of the castle and the area surrounding it drawn out with an "x" marked in the palace gardens on the gazebo. She purses her lips as she stares at it, strongly considering not going. She doesn't like Valentine's Day, and nothing Killian does can change her mind about that.
But it is Killian.
Groaning to herself, she throws on a pair of jeans and a tank top before heading out to the gardens, feeling oddly curious as to what the pirate's done. She swears to herself that if it's something elaborate, she's going to push him in the ocean again. However, when she arrives, she sees only a bouquet of wildflowers.
That he probably picked himself.
Damn.
She picks them up, her stomach turning in knots. The flowers are pretty, of course, but she can't find it in her to really appreciate them. Something stirs inside her because they smell nice, too.
Damn him.
She hates that she's going to either have to break his heart or pretend that the holiday doesn't make her cringe. She really hates Valentine's Day, and now she wishes she'd told the pirate that she did.
Footsteps crunch in the ground behind her, and she winces, because it isn't his fault she doesn't have any love for the holiday all about love. It isn't his fault that David probably told him all about the traditions of the day when they were having a drink or whatever it is that "mates" do.
It isn't his fault that he's just trying to show her affection.
It isn't even really his fault that he loves her so much.
"Picked those this morning," she hears him say, and damn, he sounds so proud.
She turns around and almost winces again at his smile, wider than she's ever seen. "The prince told me that apparently there's this holiday where it is customary to give those you love flowers and what-not. Do you like them?"
He suddenly seems nervous in an adorable and endearing way, and she clutches the flowers tightly in her hands.
"Killian." She gives him a smile that she hopes doesn't look as condescending as it seems. "I hate Valentine's Day."
His smile falters, and her heart breaks at the sight to the point that she almost tries to take it back.
Almost.
"I didn't think anyone would actually tell you about it. I thought my parents were just going to go off for the day and nobody would ask questions. I'm sorry." She gave him an apologetic shrug. "I guess I should have told you."
He purses his lips as he recovers from her words, raising an eyebrow. "The holiday seems fine enough. What is it you don't like, love?"
She sits down on the step of the gazebo, watching him as he comes to sit beside her. "I haven't exactly had the Valentine's Days that others have had," she tells him, staring at the flowers in her hands. "I never really had someone who gave me things on it, and it wasn't... it was never celebrated in a foster home. That's for sure. I have this... this tendency already instilled in me that the Valentine's Day is... crap." She puts a hand on his knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It has nothing to do with you."
He ponders her words for a moment, his gaze lingering on her hand. "Alright, fair enough. However, I must insist that you keep the flowers, love. I did spend a good span of time picking them."
He gives her a genuine smile, and she's glad to see she hasn't shattered him by not taking his flowers with more joy. "I do have a question, though, love. If I had given you flowers on any other day, would they have been received with such distaste?"
She pictures the event in her mind, and she bites her lip to hide her smile. "Actually, probably not. I mean, they're a nice idea, and these are pretty. I've never been really sentimental, but I guess it wouldn't be so bad."
He nods, and she can see him putting that piece of information away for later use. "You still have to keep those. However, next time, I'll do better, darling. Promise."
She rolls her eyes a little, giving him a nudge with her shoulder. "Fine, but I still hate Valentine's Day."
"Noted, love." A soft smile pulls up the corners of his mouth. "How about we make a day of it anyway? We could go out on my ship for a bit. It's quite relaxing to sail when you aren't going to Neverland or running away from something."
Something tugs in her heart and she can't help grinning at him. "This isn't some ploy to get me to like Valentine's Day in order to use that to your advantage, is it?"
His smile turns devious and her stomach does a flip. "Whatever would give you that idea, darling?"
Her eyes narrow playfully, but she agrees regardless.
It isn't like she has anything better to do.
"Now, that certainly wasn't a waste of a perfectly wonderful day, was it?" Killian asks her when they have their feet back on solid ground after the sun has disappeared beneath the horizon.
Emma surprises herself, looping her arm around his own. The smile he gives her warms her entire body, and she has to break their eye contact to keep from doing something stupid. "I guess not," she says teasingly, pressing closer to him. It feels much too natural, the way her arm fits into his own, and it's accompanied by a feeling of contentment that pushes her even closer to him.
The castle looms in front of them, and she unconsciously holds him tighter as they make their way toward it. "I know I've never celebrated this Valentine's Day of yours, love," he says as they're let in to the castle. "But perhaps it isn't as bad as you think."
"Killian." She means for her voice to give a sound of warning, but he doesn't seem to catch her hint.
"You say that you never had someone to love and cherish you on the day that is supposed to be all about loving and cherishing those you care for, but perhaps if you no longer had that predicament, you could come to enjoy the day as well." He sounds so sure of himself that she can't find her voice.
"I would personally make it my mission in life to see to it that you're never left alone on another Valentine's Day if it would mean anything," he tells her overly gently, almost nervously, as if he was suddenly very afraid of what she might say.
They're at her room now, and she still can't seem to get words past her lips. She lets her arm slip from his, staring up into those deep eyes that hold so much more adoration than she's ever known before. It's more than she feels she deserves from someone who seems to love so deeply and unconditionally.
He shrugs a little, and she knows he's waiting for her to say something, anything that gives him a sign that maybe he's right, but she isn't sure she can do that.
"I don't know," she finally says honestly, looking down at their feet.
His finger is under her chin the next moment, coaxing her face up to his. She loses herself in his stare, making a quick wish to the stars that he'll kiss her.
She really wants him to all of a sudden.
Thankfully, his finger doesn't move from where it is, and when he leans down to capture her lips in his, she almost lets out a sigh of relief.
His lips are warm and inviting, and she easily relaxes into him, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist and pressing their bodies closer together. Something stirs inside of her that she thought she would never feel again, and it's such a welcome feeling that she lets out a sound akin to a whimper.
The strange thing is, she doesn't even feel the least bit embarrassed.
The hand on her chin moves to tangle in her hair as his lips move from hers only to meet them again after a breath. His other arm winds around her waist, as if she'll never be close enough to him. As if this kiss will never be long enough.
When they finally part, she's breathing a little heavier and clinging to him for dear life. Their foreheads are pressed together and she doesn't want to pull away from him. There's a pause before he kisses her once more, so soft she barely feels it.
Yet, she feels it everywhere.
In every bone of her body and every crevice she has, a warmth has settled in her that she doesn't ever want to lose. It feels invigorating, like it's all she'll ever need.
She's never felt that before and as scary as it is, she can't help but hope it never leaves her.
She wants to speak, but lack of knowing what to say prevents her from getting any words past her lips. What could one say in a moment like this, anyway? The arm around her waist tightens just a bit, as if he is just as reluctant to let go as she is. He smiles at her, his gaze piercing and full of a tenderness that steals her breath.
He's still so close that she can't think, can't conjure up a single thought in the intensity of his gaze and the gentle warmth of his touch.
"Thank you, love, for giving me the absolute honor of your company today," he whispers against her lips, making her shiver. He hesitates only briefly before pressing his lips firmly to hers once more, and she admits to herself that she could probably kiss him forever.
Happily.
He gives her one more smile before releasing her and turning on his heel to walk away.
"Hey, Killian," she calls to him, finally finding her voice once she is no longer held captive by his stare. He turns, eyebrow raised in curiosity. "I still hate Valentine's Day."
He grins, a small laugh escaping him that makes something tug in her chest, and as he turns away again, she swears she hears him whisper, "We'll see."