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idristardis · 11 months ago

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And So We Meet Again

OUAT/Captain Swan - Rated very mild T

A/N: Okay, so after four years (literally) and more than a few false starts and rewrites, I have at long last finished this Captain Swan fic. I received a prompt for a fic based on an "accidental hug" around four years ago, quickly wrote the first section of this fic and then, just...nothing. Somehow a month or so ago, I got inspired again, dusted it off, and wrote (and rewrote) sections two and three...and....voila! I'm both inspired that I could do it, and afraid that I've forgotten how to write...but here goes nothin'!!

I think I tagged everyone who asked - apologies if I missed you!!

Word Count: 3,669

Read it on: AO3

“Heeeeey, hiiiiii!” The cheery shout was all the warning Killian had before a blur of red leather and long blonde hair barreled into him, knocking him back a few steps and forcing most of the air from his lungs.

(He managed to hang onto the bag containing Liam’s birthday present as her momentum spun them nearly all the way around in a circle - but only just).

“Er, hello,” he croaked, fumbling to find his footing and regain his breath. “I think you might have the wrong person, lass. I’m new to the area and I don’t believe we’ve met.”

The unknown woman looked up at him, and Killian promptly lost his newly restored ability to speak. She was…well, there was no word for it other than stunning. Wide, jade-colored eyes set under strong brows, a gloriously riotous golden tumble of hair spilling down over her shoulders, and soft pink lips that were stretched into a mischievous grin.

“I know we haven’t,” she replied, laughter coloring her tone. She didn’t seem phased in the slightest to be standing as they were, still pressed closely together. His arm had gone around her when they’d first collided - an instinct, purely to prevent her from toppling over, of course - and his free hand was pressed to the small of her back to steady her. One of her hands was braced on his shoulder, the other on his chest - as happenstance would have it, right over his heart. The warmth of her palms seemed to sink right into his muscles where she touched him, though her words put a bit of a damper on the situation. “And I've definitely got the wrong person."

“Oi! That’s not fair, lass. We barely know each other - you didn’t have to agree that quickly,” he teased, feigning a slightly offended tone. “You’d give a lesser man a complex.”

She raised her eyebrows before executing an impressive eyeroll and Killian found himself unexpectedly captivated and charmed. "I meant you weren't who I was intending to hug.” She shrugged slightly without ever stepping away from his arms. “It wasn’t a comment on the general state of your...uh...rightness.”

He chuckled. "I was only teasing - I’d gathered as much,” he murmured, smiling down at her. “Though I have to ask why, if it was an accident, is it...uh…still going on?” He tilted his head inquiringly and continued. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

She looked up and their gazes met and locked. Her eyes bored unblinkingly into his, searching for something - perhaps trying to gauge the sincerity of his words. She must have found what she was looking for, because after a long moment her shoulders relaxed and she huffed out a wry chuckle. “It’s kind of an embarrassing story.”

Killian simply looked at her patiently. “I’m sure it can’t be that bad. Why don’t you let me decide?” He tilted his head expectantly, silently prompting her and hoping that she’d continue.

She hesitated for a moment and he smiled encouragingly. “I don’t even know your name,” she mused, but he could tell from her tone that she’d already decided to share the story with him. For some reason he couldn’t quite put his finger on, Killian was very glad that she had - he’d only just met her, and all he knew was that he wasn’t ready for her to slip back into the throngs of shoppers packing the mall on this drizzly Saturday afternoon and disappear.

“Killian Jones,” he murmured with a wink, and a slight wiggle of his eyebrows. “At your service.”

She rolled her eyes again at his antics, but this time she also smiled back at him, something warm softening her gaze as they continued to stand close, inhabiting each other’s space. Without turning around, she tilted her head and jerked it pointedly a couple of times until Killian realized she wanted him to look in the direction she was indicating. “See that guy over there in the leather jacket? About two stores back and to my right?”

Killian scanned the modest crowd milling about in the nearby section of the mall’s main concourse. It took him a moment, but then sure enough, right in front of the bookstore, he spotted the man his new acquaintance must be referring to. He was tall, with warm brown hair that curled gently and a short beard. He was wearing a leather bomber jacket and dark jeans. Once he’d gotten a good look, Killian nodded. “Yes. Your intended hug-target, I assume?”

She sighed, though it didn’t sound sad so much as resigned. “Yep. That’s my ex. He’s...look, I’m probably about to overshare, but it’s the only way to explain, well, how we,” she gestured between them for a moment before returning her hand to his shoulder, “got here.”

Killian shrugged slightly. “I’m not judging you, lass.”

“Right, right,” she exhaled deeply, seeming to gather her thoughts. “Okay, so...he’s a good guy, my ex, but it just didn’t work out. We dated, on and off, for about six months...ish, before deciding that we were better as friends, and then - almost before I knew what was happening, he got a job offer and packed up and moved to Portland about four months ago.”

“You stayed in touch, I take it?” Killian asked, curious as to where this story was going.

She nodded, glancing up at him again. “We’d been friends before we dated so we stayed friends after. He’s been back a couple of times to visit and whenever we see each other, I just sorta-”

“Gently tackle him?” Killian teased, prompting his still unnamed acquaintance to slap his arm lightly with the hand that rested on his shoulder.

“Basically. It was just kind of a joke, a harmless thing we did...something we always did, as long as we’ve known each other...but this time...it’s a bit complicated.”

Just then, a flash of movement in the near-distance off to the woman’s right caught Killian’s eye. A petite brunette with a kind face, wide smile, and bright blue eyes stepped out of the bookstore. She was impeccably dressed, all the way from her tidily styled hair down to the sky high heels that had looked impossible to walk in - though somehow she managed it with grace. Objectively, Killian could admit to himself that she was quite pretty - though personally he was far more captivated by the as-yet-unnamed stunner who was still wrapped in his arms.

The brunette approached the mystery woman’s ex, curling herself into his side and stretching upwards to kiss him - perhaps just a shade too passionately for the middle of the afternoon at the Storybrooke Mall, not that that really mattered to Killian.

“Ah, yep...yes. I think I see the...complication, as it were. They seem rather cozy, don’t they?”

“Uh huh...and that’s great for Graham. I’m absolutely thrilled for him - I just don’t want his new girlfriend’s first impression of me to be as a so-called jealous ex who, quite literally, can’t keep her hands to herself. Especially when I’m not actually jealous, you know?”

Killian nodded. “Makes sense to me, lass.”

“Unfortunately, Graham neglected to mention that he was bringing her on this trip...so I only found out when I spotted her for myself just as they kissed before she ducked into the bookstore a moment or two ago - but by then it was too late, I’d already-”

“Launched yourself at him?” Killian supplied with a chuckle, causing her to narrow her eyes at him and frown - though he thought he could see amusement tugging at the edges of her mouth. He raised his eyebrows at her, a wide-eyed, innocent expression settling over his face. She glared playfully at him in return - at least he hoped it was playful.

“Yeah, something like that…then had to adjust course last minute and, well, here we are,” she murmured, a sheepish grin finally breaking over her face. “Look, I’ve taken up a good chunk of your time with my nonsense, and you’ve been really great about it. But if they’ve gone, I’ve gotta go myself - Graham, or, well, I guess, they will be looking for me down by the fountain in the atrium, which was where he and I were actually supposed to meet. I’d just spotted him early and, well…you know the rest.”

Reluctantly, Killian pulled his gaze from hers and scanned the area behind her - quickly realizing that there was no sign of this mystery blonde’s ex and his current paramour anywhere. Glancing down at her, his lips involuntarily twisted in a wry grin. “Coast is clear,” he informed her, hoping that he didn’t sound as disappointed as he felt to have their brief, odd interaction coming to an end. He stepped back from her slowly, his arms receding, fingertips trailing lightly down her sides as he moved out of her space.

Maybe he was just indulging in a bit of wishful thinking, but it seemed that she was just as loath to pull away as he was, a slightly unfocused daze clouding her brilliant green eyes and making her look just a bit entranced before she shook her head to clear it. “Thanks, Killian,” she murmured with a smile. “It was nice to meet you - even if it was a surprise.”

He nodded in agreement as she stepped a bit further away. “I agree, love.” She turned and began hurrying away down the mall’s central walkway before something occurred to him. “Wait!” he called after her. “You still didn’t tell me your name!”

She turned, and though it was hard to tell with the distance now between them, he thought she winked. Her voice was decidedly mischievous as she called back to him. “You seem like a smart guy…I’m sure you’ll figure it out sooner or later!” After that, she turned away again and disappeared into the crowd of shoppers.

Killian chuckled to himself as he watched her go. “Oh, challenge accepted love….”

~*~*~*~*~

“Swan! At last…I’ve been looking all over for you!” Emma had only a moment to look up from the bakery window where she’d been moping over the empty bear claw display and turn to brace herself for impact before the owner of the voice with the smooth-as-silk British lilt (who had fueled more than a few of her recent daydreams if she were being honest) enveloped her in an embrace, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her into his side.

For a brief moment, she was so lulled by the very tempting smells of leather, salt, and his deeply spicy cologne as it wrapped around her that she didn’t react much to being tugged against him. She enjoyed their close proximity for a moment, taking the opportunity to sneak an inhale of his amazing scent before giving herself a mental shake and pulling back slightly. Arching an eyebrow at him, she replied teasingly. “I see you managed to figure out my name after all - I have to admit, I’m kinda impressed.”

“Ah, I’d like to think I’m fairly resourceful, Swan,” he murmured, glancing back over his shoulder briefly before turning back to her. “But not to diminish my own skills…this is a very small town. It didn’t take too long to figure out that the sheriff likes to come into Granny’s diner a few times a week for lunch, or that you,” he tapped the badge fixed to her belt with the index finger of his free hand, “were said sheriff.”

“Well done, Jones,” she smiled at him again. “Although, I do have to ask…what’s up with, uh, this?” she swept her hand back and forth between them in a gesture that encompassed where the two of them were nestled together. “It seems we’ve found ourselves in a familiar position.”

As she indicated the lack of space between them, Killian sighed heavily and turned them so that they were facing the wide picture window on the front of All You Knead, but he wasn’t looking down at the remaining pastries the bakery had to offer. Instead, his eyes flickered up and to their left. He tilted his head closer to her, murmuring softly. “D’you see the two women across the street and down by the clothing shop?”

Emma forced away the cascade of goosebumps that started to skitter down her arm at the sensation of his breath washing over her ear and neck - get a grip, Emma! - and focused on the women he’d indicated. They were a bit far away, a couple of blocks or so, but the perfectly-arranged, designer black hat perched atop an artfully upswept tangle of red curls was unmistakable, as were the jagged, black-and-white asymmetrical locks that passed for an avant garde hairstyle in sleepy Storybrooke. “Oh…I see. You’ve met some members of our so-called local coven, have you?” she joked, a grin pulling at the corner of her mouth. “Zelena Mills and Cruella DeVille - and yes, if you can believe it, those are their real names.”

In turn, his lips pulled into a frustrated scowl. That should not be so sexy - stop it, stop it, Emma! “Bloody hell,” he muttered, “are they always so…so…”

“Invasive? Pushy? Disturbingly thirsty?” Emma supplied, her grin growing wider as she watched a pink flush spread down Killian’s neck and disappear beneath the collar of his button down.

“Yes, yes, and bloody damn-it-all, yes.” He shot a look at her out of the corner of his eye before returning his gaze to the window and keeping an eye on the other women in the glass. “I’ve run into them once or twice since my brother Liam and I moved here…usually when I’m in Granny’s or somewhere where there were more people about, but today…well,” he hesitated, “...they were a bit more…overt than they’ve ever been before.”

Emma tilted her head inquisitively and caught his eye in their window reflection. She wanted to return the favor of the kindness he’d shown her a few months ago when she’d gotten into a silly predicament with Graham and his new girlfriend. Echoing what Killian had said to her then, she nodded at him to continue. “I promise, you can tell me and I won’t judge.”

Killian glanced again at the women’s progress in the window and turned a bit, moving Emma along with him and starting to walk slowly down the street away from them. “I was in the clothing shop just a bit ago…looking for a few new shirts, mainly. Well, I was in the changing room and…” he trailed off for a moment and swallowed hard before continuing, “...the changing room walls are unfortunately very thin and sound carries rather easily from the main sales floor, which I suspect they might have known. They were not making any effort to hide what they were saying - and most of it was about me. Let’s just say that I’ve caught their attention in a way I never sought to, and their, er, carnal imaginations are rather vivid.”

“Oh my God, that is….well, that’s just awful.” Emma involuntarily shuddered a bit as she sympathized with Killian’s discomfort, but was still a bit puzzled as to how that led to her sharing the current moment with him. “But then why did you come sweep me up like you did?”

He chuckled slightly, and his free hand reached up and scratched at a spot just behind his right ear. “Well, that is both a happy accident and a bit embarrassing,” he said, looking down at her as they walked. “Er, I was so eager to get out of the shop and away from where those women were lying in wait that I just, well I guess you could say I bolted and headed right out the door. You just happened to be in my eyeline as soon as I left the shop…luckily for me. But honestly, Swan, I’d been hoping to run into you again for a while, so I was very glad it was you.”

“Well, I’m glad I could return the favor and help you out of a jam, even if it is a kinda ridiculous one,” she said with enough of a smile to let him know she was teasing. But then something caught her eye and she stopped in her tracks. “Uh, Killian, did you say that you ran out of the shop immediately?”

“Yes, why?” he shot her a confused look.

“Uh, well, I hate to tell you this, but I think we have to go back there right away,” she turned around and his arm dropped from around her waist, but she caught his hand and before she could think too hard about what she was doing, she’d laced their fingers together and gently tugged so he’d fall back in step with her.

“What? No! Swan, did you not hear the tale of my escape from perilous circumstances?” Killian protested. “You’re leading me right back towards the lion’s den, as it were,” he kept his voice low as they were once again pulling even with where Zelena and Cruella were headed towards them on the opposite side of the street.

“A bit overdramatic, huh?” Emma laughed. “Seriously though, I did hear what you said…but I also saw this,” she thumbed at a tag that she’d noticed a moment ago, pinned to the edge of the pocket of the shirt Killian had on. “I’m guessing that in your haste to escape those perilous circumstances, paying for this shirt might’ve slipped your mind?”

Killian looked down at the tag and then at her with a chagrined expression. “Shite,” was all he muttered, before nodding. “Lead on, Swan, let me rectify my accidental misdemeanor before you have to take me back to the station with you.”

“Oh buddy, if you stole something from Mabel Tuffet - even accidentally - it’s not me you have to look out for,” she smirked at Killian as he let out a pained noise. “But don’t worry - I’ll help you explain it, or at least I’ll try.”

Killian shot her a genuine grin and a gaze whose warmth was so unexpected in that moment that Emma felt her face flushing again. “Well Swan, it would seem I’m doubly in your debt. How can I ever repay you?”

Emma grinned back at him, but hers was a bit more knowing around the edges. “I’m sure I can think of something.”

~*~*~*~*~

Nearly two years later…

“Hello love, fancy meeting you here,” Killian stepped up behind Emma and slid his arms around her waist. A low, pleased hum instinctively escaped him when she immediately leaned back against him. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head and heard her sigh happily in response. “I’ve been looking for you since I finished up at the pub and handed off the dinner service to Liam.”

“Hm, I dunno,” he heard her say, her voice soft and gently teasing. “I would’ve thought this would be the first place you’d look.” She kept her face turned to the harbor as she spoke, and he could understand why. The pastel pinks and deepening purples of the twilight sky spread out before them over the pearlescent sheen of the water, boats and ships of all shapes and sizes bobbing and swaying on the slow rise and fall of the waves generated by a passing tugboat. Somewhere a dog was barking, but the sound was muted and echoed a bit, as if it were coming from further off down the shore.

It was, in a word, idyllic.

“You’re quite right, it should have been,” he murmured in her ear and pulled her closer to him. “I’m sorry t’have kept you waiting, love.”

Emma turned in his arms to face him then, smiling up at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. The waning light was just bright enough to lend a bit of luster to the rings that adorned her left hand as she slid her palms up the lapels of his jacket - that soft gleam was a sight Killian found he wasn’t yet tired of after two months. And it’s doubtful I will be after fifty years, he smiled to himself at the thought. Emma’s hands had continued up over his shoulders while he’d been lost in his musings, before anchoring themselves in the soft leather of his collar. “It’s alright…today was just a long day at the station, and waiting for you here gave me a nice chance to relax and unwind. Also, I got to thinking…”

“Oh? Should I be worried?” he teased, his own arms sliding around her waist and settling at the small of her back, feeling the cool press of his own ring against his other hand as he laced his fingers together. “Just what schemes are unfurling in that brilliant mind of yours, love?”

Instead of replying verbally, Emma smiled brilliantly at him before stretching upwards while tugging gently down on his neck, bringing their mouths together in a kiss that started out playful, but quickly turned sensuous…and definitely not appropriate for the very public Storybrooke waterfront park. Killian found he was having difficulty caring much though, particularly when Emma’s hands tugged on his hair and she nipped lightly at his bottom lip before pulling back and blinking up at him, her cheeks flushed, her hair mussed, and her eyes hazy but happy.

“...I was thinking that David has the overnight patrol and Liam’s got things covered at the pub, so you should take me home, we should turn off our phones, and, uhhm…” she fumbled her words a bit when one of his hands slipped into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled her impossibly closer, “...do a lot more of this…and perhaps a few…mmm…other things as well…” she murmured as he bent his head again, dragging his lips up the side of her neck until they were pressed against the shell of her ear.

“I have to say, love, I like the way you think.”

~*~*~*~*~ THE END ~*~*~*~*~

Tag List: @spartanguard, @hollyethecurious, @wingedlioness, @lenfaz, @shady-swan-jones, @teamhook, @bluestarburst1217, @lfh1226-linda

#ouat #captain swan #cs ff #my fic #writing again #at least a little bit #now maaaybe i might finish a couple of other things that have been kicking around in my drafts #we'll see #no promises!!#hope you all like this though

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