#5sfics

Time stops, and then the wind starts blowing a cold melody of shivers on the back of his head; a lamppost goes off down the street with yellow sparkles mixed with blue falling stars; Emma breathes deeply and stares at him with a cascade of emotions: fear, hope, terror, joy, desperation, rage and a final glimpse of something he has finally learned to read right.

"I do," he says, because part of him feels like he has to make it as clear as possible, under the circumstances.

Emma opens her mouth, closes it and flinches. Killian tries not to worry about that and he fuels himself with the certainty that this is the right time, that she's ready to know that he's serious about them, and that she can finally accept the whole length of his feelings for her.

When they walk into the bar, they are laughing and Tony has an arm around Steve’s shoulder. Carol tries to calm the waitresses already giggling at the sight, ordering them to keep doing their job before the boss notices that they are all staring. 

But Tony is too busy to notice anything right now: he’s whispering something in Steve’s ear, and the next moment Steve is laughing again, shaking is head and pushing Tony to sit at the nearest table.

Carol snorts and goes in their direction, without missing the way Steve’s fingers brush Tony’s knuckles (and it should be disgustingly sweet, but the truth is that they are adorable beyond comprehension, both radiant and beaming at each other as if they were at their honeymoon).

God, it was about time, she thinks, rolling her eyes before taking her notepad in one hand and the pencil in the other: “Welcome to the Happy Avenger. Can I get you something?” she asks, trying to sound as professional as she can, without laughing at the besotted expression on Tony’s face.

Steve smiles at her: “Hi Carol. Can we have a milkshake?” he turns to look at Tony. “Strawberry?” he asks and Tony nods, still staring at Steve as if he was his new gravity.

"I don’t care, I’m not going to let you do this!" Killian answers, breathing deeply to tame his anger: Emma is looking at him like she never did before, she’s looking at him with purpose, with something close to pure madness - something that Killian knows very well from his past days, when everything was galvanizing and sailing the seas was the most entertaining experience in his little, young world. 

"And I’m telling you, I’m going to make this happen. I’m going to make the biggest party I’ve ever organized, put you in the middle of it, and then laugh my ass off," Emma answers, a wild grin on her lips and a hand ready to do everything, everything because obviously his heart felt for a stubborn, powerful woman who can do what she pleases with a twirl of her hand. "And I’m going to put a candle on a enormous cake for every year." 

Killian growls, points a finger at her and tries to summon his scarier part, the one Emma never saw, the only one that maybe, maybe will help him avoid all of this. “You won’t.”

Emma doesn't know, probably can't even imagine it, but he's secretly counting every time he manages to put that expression on her face: the first time was when he bandaged her hand, and it was one of the moments he cherished the most because right there, that was the moment he thought that he cared for her, that she was interesting, challenging, and potentially adorable, with all those walls around her and her annoyed attitude with everything related to him.

He started counting from that moment, and cursed himself for being so weak when she left him chained with a bloody giant ready to eat him (except the giant didn't want to eat him, and apparently Killian was as informed about them as Emma was), but then Neverland occurred, and he was counting all over again, eager to make her smile, make her look at him and see him for what he really is, for what he can be for her, and, well, for how attractive he is because it's strange to interact with a woman that looks at him and thinks of punching him in the face, instead of making out with him on the spot.

(Except then they are kissing, and she has that wonderful expression painted all over her face, but he's pretty sure he's in far worse conditions.)

(After the Echo Cave, Dave tells him "now I understand why you looked so fuckstruck" and Killian - ignoring the smugness and the daddy-vibes from what is becoming more and more a friend - can finally name that mix of emotions that he loves seeing on Emma's visage.)

Now, with a Witch to hunt and secrets to keep, he doesn't know if he'll be able to keep counting, even though he hopes that the number of times he makes her fuckstruck will always be less than the times he makes her smile.