#aswanthief

aswanthief

"Oy, sweetheart, getting tanned?" Emma asked sarcastically when she spotted him; one second after that, she realized that something was wrong and rushed to his side, knelt down in front of him, ignoring the rain, and placed her hands on his cheeks, "Killian? What’s wrong?" she murmured, before running a hand through his soaked hair, feeling responsible for no reason but the fact that she was her. “Do I have to kill someone? I’ll kill ‘em.”

Even in the middle of the night, when the rest of his crew was asleep, Killian should've known she wouldn't be. Not with her sleep schedule and her uncanny ability to know he needed her before he even realised it.

He hoped the rain would hide the fact he was outright sobbing but it apparently wasn't enough to get past the thief. No surprise there. After the cave and the events in the days after, the two found themselves much more attuned to one another.

Red rimmed eyes stared at Emma, instinctively leaning into her hold. His gaze was void of the usual air of self assurance and pride, replaced with an almost empty look, lost and very much hurting. He'd nightmare after nightmare that evening, each one worse than the previous.

"They're already dead," he whispered, only marginally aware he was speaking. The first dream had been of Liam and his death, repeated over and over again until it melted away into images of the Crocodile ripping his Milah's heart out. That one continued near two dozen times, each one the bastard grew more and more maniacal until his heart could barely handle it.

aswanthief I think you just broke Killy with that last reply

His gaze stayed on the clear sky above them, silently naming off the various constellations that Liam had taught him so long ago. Only once her fingers found their way into her hair did he look down at her, a small smile appearing.

"No, I can’t  pretend anything." 

Even if she knew that it was probably the wisest thing to keep her mouth shut and keep leaving, she had promised herself to be honest with him, so she spoke once again without slowing her steps. “And I never said I didn’t.” 

He knew it was futile to ask, even if the words seemed to slip free before he could stop them. Apparently he couldn't keep his thoughts from her on the subject, as much as he might've wanted to.

I never said I didn't.

aswanthief

In ten years, the only time she had heard those words directed to her was when talking to Henry, so obviously it gave her pause - and made her feel happy, warm, terrified, confused, unworthy, hopeful - and after a moment thinking that she could afford caring for him now that she had nothing left to lose, and that she had no choice but to accept that he cared for her too because he was her friend even if he knew she’d die, and that she had to stop having weird thoughts about the different meanings of those words, she opened her mouth to speak and then hesitated again.  Because she couldn’t stop the weird, unwanted thoughts about the word love coming from him even if she had just ordered herself to push them away and she knew she wouldn’t even later unless she asked about it to him directly. "We are… still speaking… in a friendly fashion, correct?" 

The words had slipped out. He'd been enjoying his rum a little too much that night, but she didn't need to know that. The words were still truth. Ever since the incident in the cave where she nearly died and he came to the realization that he was in love with the thief, he was only waiting to see how long he could go before he slipped up.

Less than a week, apparently.

They'd ended up staying in the damn cave for the night, Killian deciding it was best they stay so the blonde could just let go for the night and not have to worry about getting anywhere else.

He'd apparently woken before Emma and, to pass the time as well as keep himself from growing bored, started quietly singing sea shanties to himself. Smiling as the thief's presence eventually joined him, he continued through to the end of the song, falling silent as he studied her. "As you wish, love."