A/N: so I totally lied about getting this done quickly. but, BUT, I finished it a month faster than i did with last chapter. plus, it's 4.3k words of fluff, so ENJOY.

It's...well, it's a lot. Things grow and things change, and they've grown and changed for the better. Living the dream of being a musician and singer is one thing, but meeting the love of your life and wanting to spend the rest of said life with them is another.

The album, well, that blows up a few music charts, but mostly the ones in the United States. Killian and the rest isn't all that surprised of their songs being a few hits, but he never thought it would be as much as it is, having songs on the Billboard Top 40. That's a big achievement, something he wishes his mother could have witnessed (perhaps she's seen from where she is now). But, at the least, his brother and sister-in-law is still there to see his success.

And Emma, God, Emma. She's been an absolute perfect supporter through everything. It still surprises him whenever she's waiting on him from radio and video interviews, still surprised that she's willing to go through all of this, to endure the popularity and bombardment and lack of privacy, all for him. He knows how difficult it was for her, yet she's so open now, so willing, and it's been essentially a year since he's met her.

The tour is almost about to start; so much preparation is being thrown into things, and it's been a mess of busy schedules, meetings, rehearsals, and more.

It's just that he almost feels guilty for ripping Emma away from her life back in Boston to come here, to be with him. It sometimes feels like he's forced her to make it an obligation of hers to support him, but then when he begins to self-loathe back at home, she frowns and furrow her brows, shaking her head and insisting she agreed to it and she couldn't ask to be anywhere else. Christ, he's the luckiest man on this planet to have someone like her by his side every day.

.~.

The touring is clearly a new experience to her.

Robin and Will can't stand it though. It's not because of the constant traveling or anything like that, in fact, it has nothing to do with the tour at all...it just has to do a lot with Killian spending time with Emma. Innocent time, if he's being frank, but of course the fact of sharing a cramped bed means otherwise.

(They have four beds on this bus, but -

Why sleep in another bed?)

"You're lucky we love you, Emma," Robin says, leaning back and taking a sip from his beer. "Otherwise we would've kicked you and Killian off this bus."

Killian glares at him but Emma laughs and he turns his head to look at her. "You find that funny, don't you, love?"

"Yeah, I mean, I laughed," she responds, leaning against his side more.

This lounging area fits the four of them easily.

(He remembers arguing with David all about having Emma in the same bus as them as if it were yesterday. Damn he doesn't regret a thing.)

He hums softly, his fingers brushing her shoulder. "It's surprising that Will hasn't decided to drink himself into oblivion yet because of us."

"Oh, I'm on the verge to do so, mate," Will grumbles, looking at them both. Then he turns his head and looks at Robin, who seems just as amused as everybody else is. "Can't keep their hands off each other, don't you think, Locksley?"

Robin freezes from taking a drink from his beer, narrowing his eyes. "I know it's a tad unbearable, but they're a couple, Will. Get bloody used to it, because I'm about used to it now."

"You'll understand one day, Scarlet," Killian says with a smirk, tilting his head to the side while she squeezes Emma's shoulder.

Love is like poetry. It can follow a pattern and rhythm or it can be as free as it wants to, but the poem itself is beautiful regardless, and that's how he sees his love with Emma. There are the good and the bad times, but they get through it. Emma's grown from when he first met her, guarded and scared of loving, to someone who now loves with her entire heart so openly. Killian, he's grown, too, mostly learning how much he's willing to fight for this relationship with her, no matter how difficult things get.

Glancing behind him, he sees all the things that pass by. Mostly other cars, but there's the sky, and it seems to be a lovely blue sky.

"Where are we heading toward?"

Killian turns his head back to Emma, looking down at her with a smile on his lips. "Boston, love."

.~.

It doesn't feel like home as much as it once used to. After traveling for so long with Killian, she admits to him that she doesn't feel as nostalgic returning here, even though it's only been just a while.

He smiles widely at her nonetheless. "So you mean to say you've found your home with me?"

Emma purses her lips, staring at him, but then her lips split into a smile, too, and she nods.

She presses her cheek against his chest, her arms sliding around his waist, and he grins even wider if that's possible, wrapping his arms around in response, hand rubbing up and down her back as he drops a kiss to the top of her head.

"I've found home with you, too, Emma," he murmurs.

.~.

It's lovely to have her at the front row, right in the middle, where he can see her when he sings. Whether he's jumping along to an energetic song, or if he's sitting on a stool, strumming the guitar as he lets the words fall out of his mouth slowly.

It's awkward, at the most, when a few of the fans ask him about his relationship with Emma, but he manages easily. He's in love with her, that's not a surprise, after all.

Overtime, it gets easier to discuss so publicly when their bond strengthens. He never says too much, though, that it would break any of their privacy. He consults her when he feels the need to, and Emma is still just as awful with words as ever, but he doesn't care.

It's a flaw of hers, but he loves every part of her - flaws included.

And though he knows that he loves whenever she's there in the crowd with him, sometimes she's not. Sometimes she stays on the bus, or stays backstage. Sometimes it's too much for her, the surroundings of hundreds or thousands of fans, and even though he only has his eyes on her, he realizes she's not so much of an extrovert.

Emma's the type to be laidback, and being at a concert, such a huge event with so much people, obviously drains her energy. Which, of course, he understands. Killian greets her later into the nights after the concerts, meet and greets, signings, and whatever else is on their plan according to David and Mary Margaret.

Oftentimes, he doesn't even speak when he greets her after an exhausting night. He just kisses her and hugs her close, pressing his face in between her shoulder and neck, and often hearing a complaint of how he smells...which just causes him to burst out into a fit of laughter, that she soon follows into.

Gods above, he's so in love with her.

.~.

It's a particularly humid day, the weather warm and sticky. The others are out at some diner turned bar because they refused to stay in the bus for any longer. Killian said no, and Emma was much more interested in reading a book of hers.

They're in the middle of nowhere, on their way to Florida, so it's no surprise they're all sweating like hell.

Killian watches her as she reads. She's lounging so casually on the couch, her feet tucked underneath as she flips the page.

Her eyes meet his over the book, and he grins at her.

"What?"

He just quirks a brow in response. "I can't watch you read?"

"It's weird."

"Would you prefer I leave?"

"No!" she exclaims. "You don't need to leave. You're the one who insisted on staying."

Killian chuckles softly, shifting closer to her and then laying down, resting his head on her lap. "I insisted on staying because you decided you wanted to stay."

"Killian," she groans, "if you're staying just because of me, don't do that. Have fun with your friends."

Humming softly, he looks at her between her book. "I want to stay with you."

"You know how cheesy you sound?"

He grins. Of course he knows how cheesy he sounds. He can't help it when it comes to her - his cheesy levels just evolve to the strongest form.

.~.

That same night, it's awful in bed. They're sleeping in the same bed, his front to her back, his arm loosely over her waist, but the heat is killing them both.

Next time, they need some bloody air conditioning that runs when the bus isn't.

Emma tries to carefully and quietly slip out, but he refuses, not wanting to let her go. It may be disgusting and sticky, but he loves her and he sleeps his best when he's got her by his side. It's dumb, probably, but he gets the best rests with her.

"Don't go," he says softly, his breath brushing the back of her neck.

She sighs. "It's hot."

"I know," he murmurs.

"You're the worst."

He grins against the back of her neck, kissing her there before he barely whispers, "I know."

.~.

He's gotten himself addicted to Instagram, and he honestly doesn't hear the end of it.

Killian just thinks it's probably a phase of his, but even time he takes a photo that he finds captures a great memory that he wants to definitely remember and reflect back on, he snaps a picture. And Emma, she's not the fond one for photographs, but he finds that he manages to coax her into them here and there,

There are photos from every city they travel to around to. There are, however, more photos in relation with his love compared to anything else. He does love her smile, after all, and he loves capturing that. He loves their quiet moments. Sometimes he grabs himself a photo of her reading, nose in a book, or sometimes it's her napping on the couch in the lounge, captioning it with 'I think I fall in love with her a little more every day'.

Cheesy, still? Yes. He certainly doesn't regret it, though.

A lot of his and the band's following is on his Instagram the moment he made his account, and he doesn't regret it. On some occasions, he'll look at some comments and grin, showing Emma, and maybe responding if he feels up to it.

Robin and Will make fun of him just as much about his new found love with Instagram, but he shoots them both glares more often than not, which gets them to shut up.

When he has over 50 photos up in just a few weeks, at like 40 of them have to do with Emma.

Too late to fix that.

.~.

One show turned to ten, ten shows turned to fifteen, fifteen turned to twenty-one, and this is now their last show.

It's a bittersweet to end the tour. They've been on a journey for quite a few months now, more than he could have ever asked for. The band blowing up to be so huge isn't something he could have ever anticipated, not when he used to be awful with performing in front of audiences.

Now he does so for stadiums full of people.

And he cannot ask for a better girlfriend and supporter among all of this. Of course, she may not be at every show, but she's there in spirit. Emma has his heart. He always knows she's around, even if she isn't technically around.

Killian closes out with a special song, a newer song, written after his inspiration of understanding how this is love, how love really feels like, at least for him.

He sings about the hardships he's been through, but how he gets through them in the end.

And, sue him, but he keeps his eyes on Emma's for most of the time.

"I want to thank everybody," he says at the very end, his eyes looking around at the large audience. "You guys, of course, my mates here and our managers," he continues, "but most of all…" He smiles brightly, connecting his gaze with hers, "I want to thank Emma."

.~.

It's obvious that she's sad it's over.

Killian drops his forehead to hers, fresh after a shower he took in the hotel washroom.

"I love you," he murmurs quietly, his nose brushing against hers, his hand resting gently on her waist, fingers curled against her.

The way she smiles is bright and beautiful, the smiles he tries to bring out of her everyday. "I love you, too," she responds.

The words warm his heart just as they always do, but it's the way she says it so softly to him, the way she looks at him, or the way she feels against him.

"It's over," he eventually says after a bit of silence. "The tour is officially over."

"Yeah," she huffs.

Killian lets out a groan, tilting his head back and squeezing his eyes shut. After countless sleepless nights due to weather, or the small arguments here and there about trivial things with the band and Emma, it's finally over. They're due to head back home soon.

Well, Emma to Boston and he to Ireland.

That makes him frown.

The ring...he has a ring. It's in one of his jackets that he hardly wears, not wanting Emma to find it. And God, he's been wanting to propose for quite a few weeks now, but he's scared that he'll chase her off. Scared that she will feel like they're rushing this.

"Hey, you okay?"

Snapping his head back, he searches her eyes, and he just smiles and nods at her. "Aye, just perfect." Killian swallows. "But, bloody hell, we're done a tour!"

Emma raises her brows but laughs. "You are. It feels good, huh?"

"It's an accomplished sort of feeling," he explains. "It's been quite a privilege."

"Your music is good."

"Just good?"

He anticipates her to roll her eyes, which she does.

All he does, though, is tackle her onto the hotel bed, which leads to them shedding clothes in the end.

It's just a tangle of limbs, skin slick against each other's as they fall asleep.

.~.

Morning comes quickly. He wakes to the sun, as usual, but Emma's still fast asleep against him. He lets out a bit sigh, his fingers brushing lightly against her hip. Killian doesn't dare want to wake her up from her slumber.

He looks over at his bag, that jacket with the ring...the sleeve is peeking out just slightly. He brought it with him just in case, and after his thoughts yesterday, he's tempted to just do it today.

Emma shifts a bit, but she doesn't wake, and his lips curl into a smile automatically.

God, he loves her so, so much. It's overwhelming, but it's a good type of overwhelming.

Slowly, he extracts himself out from beneath her, brushing a light kiss to her forehead and tucking the covers around her. Emma can sleep some more, that much he can allow her. The concert and everything after that ran for quite a while, almost all the way toward midnight.

And considering by the time they got back to the hotel, it was probably midnight...and they indulged in their activities after that.

So, they slept far after midnight.

Killian shakes his head, picking up his phone quietly and checking it. There's a few messages, but nothing urgent. They have the day off before they got to get back onto the bus to head back. First stop is Boston, of course, and he doesn't like the idea of leaving Emma behind yet.

Of course, he'd stay for a few days with her, but it certainly doesn't mean that he can stay forever. He'd give up music for her, but Killian's unsure of whether she'd allow that. Probably not, given how much she truly supports his passion. It'd be an awful suggestion. She'd kill him.

Not literally, but still.

Killian picks up their clothes. He finds himself a fresh pair of boxers and slips those on before he heads into the washroom, closing the door quietly behind him and flicking the lights on.

By the time he cleans himself up, slipping his way back out into the room, he finds Emma awake, rubbing her eyes. Her hair is an absolute mess, but he can blame himself for that. Killian tends to run his fingers through her hair a lot.

"Good morning, love," he greets, smiling at her.

She grunts, and he laughs.

"Too early," she says, stretching her arms, the sheets pooling down to her hips.

Raising an eyebrow, his eyes trail down her bare form. "Is it?" he questions, plunging his hand into his bag to get himself dressed into a new shirt and pants. "I woke earlier than you did, yet you're the one complaining."

"You always wake up early," she states, tugging the covers back up and sliding back under them.

He chuckles, pulling his pants on. "You've a fair point, there. I figure it's just my tour sleeping schedule."

.~.

Sooner or later, he needs to ask her. He can't possibly wait this out for so much longer…

It's when they're back in Boston, ready to drop the bus back where it came from and Emma, does he realize he really has no choice. It takes him forever to actually decide he's going to do it. It's funny how he can flirt with her so effortlessly, but when it comes down to popping this big question...he needs time to prepare.

A few hours of preparation turn to a few days, though.

They don't really leave her apartment, which makes it difficult, but he somehow manages.

The best opportunity comes when she leaves for work one day. He tells Ruby about his plan, and she's giddy over the phone, and he can't help but laugh, albeit nervously.

Killian has everything set up.

The coffee shop, the place he'd had his first 'date' with her, was emptied out (technically, she saved his bloody arse that night). The owner of the place had been a nice woman who had refused any and all sorts of payment when he tried to compensate for taking her out of an evening's business.

He left a letter for Emma back in her apartment, so all he has to do is wait.

The lights are turned off, there's a candle lit, and he has his guitar.

He's absolutely anxious that he pulls at the cuffs of his dress shirt at least thirty times.

When there's a jingle and the sound of the door opening, he smiles widely. He just gets so happy whenever he sees her. Killian purses his lips, though, and then watches as she walks forward, confused over what he's doing.

"What's this all about?"

Shrugging, he tilts his head, a motion to tell her to come closer. "Sit."

Emma furrows his brows a bit more, and he must say, she's adorable when she's all confused. He knows she's not a big one for surprises, but it's not like he can't surprise her.

When she sits, he starts to strum his guitar, and he get's down on one knee, singing her a song about his love for her. Killian sings her their story, from beginning to...where they are now. The candle is the only thing illuminating the coffee shop since all the blinds have been pulled down against the large windows. While he sings, he can see her confusion, but he can see her love, too. It warms him so much to know she loves him.

At the end of the song, he takes his guitar off while still singing the last few lyrics, but he gets back down on one knee, a nervous smile on his face, as he tugs the box out of his pocket, opening it up.

"And will you marry me?" he sings, the last few words off pitch because he's so worried about her response.

It's so quick, the way she tugs him by the open collar of his dress shirt into a kiss, him smiling so widely, almost toppling the stool behind her over.

"So, is that a yes?" he breathes against her lips, his hand tight on the box.

"Yes," she responds just as breathlessly. "Holy crap, yes."

Killian laughs, a deep rumble of his chest as he drops his forehead against hers for just a moment before he removes the ring from the box, sliding it on with shaking fingers onto her hand, which is shaking a bit as well. It's a simple ring, really, nothing fancy about it. He'd bought it during the tour, having made his decision up, but he wanted the proposal to mean something a little more than in the middle of nowhere in a city where they had no real connections to.

He ends up kissing her again, feeling the ring press against the nape of his neck as he sighs against her mouth in contentment. All that anxiety of his disappears off his shoulders.

Resting his forehead against hers, their bodies pressed close together, he knows that there's Emma is always going to be the one for him.

.~.

There's a lot to discuss. They can't possibly do a long distance marriage.

In the end, after some long, long discussions that last late into the night with the both of them passing out at some point, he decides with moving to the US. While he hates the idea of not being close to Liam, his heart lies in Emma's hands.

He'd move across all the seas for her, if he had to.

(Plus, the band will benefit from this, too.)

The news is broken the next day, him telling the boys and the rest of the family.

For now, they keep the fans at bay. He wants to bask for a while in the engagement phase instead of everyone knowing that they're officially going to get married.

Married.

.~.

When they announce the marriage to the public, it blows up on the news. It dies down eventually, though, which he's glad for. The last thing they need to concern themselves with is the public eye on such a milestone for them.

Planning a marriage is difficult, to say at the least. They decide to go back to Ireland for this, figuring it'd be easier, there for his side of the family. Ruby and Victor get to come along, of course. David and Mary Margaret, and then there's Robin and Will, too.

It's a smaller ceremony, but official nonetheless.

After countless hours of mulling over hundreds of decisions to make from clothing to food for months, it's completely worth it when he stands there, watching her walk down the aisle with David at her side. She's a beauty, as she always is, but she looks absolutely stunning in a white dress, a smile so bright that it's like the sun on a hot day.

It feels like forever, but he says his vows about how he'll never leave or give up on her, despite her stubborn self, and that he'll always put her first, no matter how much he loves his music and the band.

She says how she knows she can be difficult, but how she'll always try her hardest, and that - that's enough. Emma states that she'll always love him, that she'll always support him, and it's good enough for him. She's good enough for him.

By the time they can finally kiss, he's swift with his actions, sliding his arms around her waist tightly and pressing his lips to hers in a desperate fashion, the sounds of cheering and clapping only in a distant volume. Being announced as husband and wife - well, he couldn't ask for anything better in the world.

.~.

After the wedding is officially over, they get two weeks to themselves.

Two entire weeks on the Jolly, away from everything and everyone besides each other. It's funny - he doesn't get sick of her presence, ever. Killian finds that she feels much the same, which is good.

The breeze out is cold, but they bundle themselves up quite a bit whenever they're up top. Often it's to gaze at the stars and the sunset, both beautiful things they're quite in love with. Not as much love as they are with each other, though.

"You know," he murmurs, staring out at the horizon, "I was petrified of the idea of you saying no."

"You thought I was gonna say no?"

He looks at her with his 'are you kidding me?' look. "Swan, we both know -"

"Yeah, yeah," she says, brushing it off. "I know. You know."

Killian just grins at her, kissing the top of her head. "Besides," he starts, "most people would be afraid of the other person saying no, no matter their circumstances."

Emma leans her head back to look up at him, and he looks down at her in response. She just smiles softly at her, and he's just so...so in awe. She turns in his arms, and he raises a brow at her, but she just pushes onto her tip-toes and brushes her lips against his, which he obviously responds to.

"I love you."

With a small smile of his own, he tightens his arms around her, his eyes darting down to the hand on his chest, the ring bright against his dark clothes.

"I love you, too, Swan," he says.

It's probably as cheesy as romance can get, but his love for her is like the billions of stars in the sky. They all shine brightly, but just for her. His love for her is like the waves as well, sometimes gentle and soothing and other times loud and raging.

a/n: So...there it is. That's the end! i hope that despite the long waits between the last few chapters, it was worth it. my muse isn't the most cooperative of them all, but to those who remained patient, thank you so, so much. this has been such a ride, and i love this universe. i'll admit that sometimes i feel like things are off here and there, but it's over now. it's complete. thank you guys all so much for coming along with me on this journey!