#highlight so far was when he wasn’t happy w the sound so unplugged it and rearranged cables for five minutes while we watched in silence

[grimmlinn]

i can only wish to be as zen as the old italian man sitting at the control board for the beer garden football screen smoking a cigarette and staring into the setting sun

[the-girl-in-the-band-tshirt]

Rum and Cupcakes (Epilogue- Part 3)

Well, this is it. The last chapter of Rum and Cupcakes is upon us. I can’t believe this is coming to an end. I hope you love how I ended our time with Emma and Killian. <3 @a-city-dove

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Epilogue: Part 1  Part 2

Ao3

Emma stood behind her sink in the bathroom connected to the bedroom she shared with Killian. She was finishing curling her hair in front of the mirror. Looking up at her reflection and deciding her hair was properly curled, she unplugged the curling iron and worked her slightly-curled and still warm blonde hair into a classy-looking but still casual updo. Emma dropped her hands when she decided she looked decent enough to go to a wedding, and she walked out of the bathroom to where Killian was wrestling with the cuffs of the white button-down shirt that was hugging his torso deliciously.

“Need a hand?” Killian’s neck craned to the side to look at his girlfriend. His mouth parted at the sight; her red dress (Ruby’s choice of color for her bridesmaids) framed her figure beautifully. Emma crossed her bare arms insecurely, and her cheeks changed color to match her dress. All frustration Killian had with his own shirt was banished immediately as he stared, completely in awe, at Emma.

“Swan.” He was near-breathless. “You look...” He struggled to find the right word. “Stunning.” She tried to hide the grin his words brought out, but he glimpsed it, even as she looked to the floor.

“Umm, here. Let me help you with that.” She avoided the compliment as she reached out and folded the ends of his shirt sleeves up. Emma said nothing as she grabbed the bowtie he had abandoned on the bed. She reached up, wrapping the fabric around his neck before tying it. She adjusted the ends of the bow until she thought it looked presentable. His eyebrow only made it halfway up his forehead before she answered the question on his mind. “David. I kinda picked it up one day. If he didn’t have Mary Margaret, I’d probably still be fixing his bowties for him.” Killian refused to take his eyes off Emma as he grabbed his suit jacket from where it rested on the bed next to him. She chewed on her bottom lip as he pulled on the jacket. Her eyes scanned him when he was fully dressed. “Wow. You look-”

“I know.” He grinned smugly as she rolled her eyes.

“Thanks for being my plus one.” The carpeted floor really wasn’t as interesting as she was making it out to be.

“Of course. I’m honored you asked me.”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes again. “Who else was I going to ask?”

“You didn’t have to invite anyone. I’m honored you decided I was worthy.” He took a step toward her.

“You ready?”

“Are you?”

“Yeah.” Killian’s arm found its way around her waist as they left their apartment together.

The ride to the wedding was quiet. The only sounds were the soft roaring of the car as it accelerated, and Killian’s soft humming as he picked up the tune of whatever pop song came on the radio. Killian’s speaking voice was so jarring in the quiet of the car Emma almost jumped at the sound.

“You alright, love?”

“What? Oh. Yeah. Just thinking.” She slouched back in the passenger’s seat and stared out the window. “I can’t believe Ruby of all people is getting married.”

“And before you?” Emma jerked up and shook her head.

“Not what I meant.”

“But you were thinking it.” Emma didn’t answer; he wasn’t wrong. She hated herself for the thought. She was becoming one of those girlfriends who sits around waiting for and daydreaming about their boyfriend finally proposing. She was never one of those girls, and then Killian came along. Her hand darted to the necklace around her neck; she still wore the swan cupcake every day. She figured not thinking about her own relationship was the best course of action.

“I’m proud of Ruby for settling down. She deserves it.”

“The lass did seem rather enthused when she first told you about the lady Dorothy.”

“Dorothy’s good for her. I didn’t think Ruby would ever have a big, fancy wedding though.” She considered the thought. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. She loves a good celebration.”

“Just try to enjoy yourself tonight.” Emma opened her mouth to defend herself, but Killian knew her too well. “I know you, Swan.” She crossed her arms.

“Maybe.”

“Promise me you’ll at least try to have a good time.” She didn’t respond. “Come on now, Swan.”

She huffed out a breath in defeat. “Fine. I’ll try.” He seemed pleased with himself. “But no promises.”

Emma was technically one of Ruby’s bridesmaids, but Ruby chose to let Emma sit with Killian during the ceremony. Ruby was still celebrating Emma and Killian’s relationship, and she was going to take advantage of her position as one of the brides. Emma would never let on, but she was actually glad Ruby forced her into a seat. For one thing, her heels were killing her. Ruby insisted Emma wear the freakishly tall red heels that she claimed “made her legs look hot,” but Emma’s legs and feet protested the choice of footwear the second she slipped them on. And then there was the fact that Emma loved every second she spent with Killian. She happily took her seat beside him when the ceremony began. Ruby looked fabulous, which was no surprise, and Dorothy was absolutely beautiful. The brides couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Emma slipped her left hand into Killian’s lap as she listened to Ruby recite her vows, which were romantic and laced with the perfect amount of humor and innuendo; even Dorothy couldn’t take the wolf out of Ruby. Killian’s right hand grasped Emma’s left mere moments after he felt the back of her hand on his thigh. He kept his palm tight against hers as he ran his fingers over her knuckles. Not long after, Emma’s head came to rest against his bicep, almost on his shoulder. She separated their hands only to wrap her left arm around his right one, which she was leaning on for support. When he felt her still, he took her hand in his once more. He unconsciously took two of his fingers and traced her ring finger. Neither Killian nor Emma made the connection.

Emma and Killian sat at their assigned seats at a table close to the one at which the brides, who were now sharing their first dance, had previously been seated.

“That really was a lovely ceremony.” Both Emma and Killian watched the newly married couple move gracefully along the entire length of the dance floor.

“It really was. I’ve never seen Ruby so happy.” Emma tore her eyes from the dancing couple as the song ended. She looked at Killian, whose eyes were still transfixed on the dancers. He let his eyes drift to his girlfriend as the song changed; Emma’s light emerald green eyes were focused on him. He moved his baby blue eyes to meet her gaze.

“Love?”

She ripped her eyes from his. “Sorry about that. Just-”

“Thinking?” He finished her sentence for her.

“Yeah.” The two sat in silence; Killian’s hand went to that spot behind his ear as he stood up. “Where are you-”

“Let’s dance.” The scratching ceased as he held out his hand for her. Emma stared blankly at him. “Come on, Swan. It’ll be fun.” She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. “It’s going to be a long night if you’re planning on just sitting there.” No answer. “Please,” he pouted, sticking his lower lip out just about as far as it would stretch. Emma sighed and leaned over to remove her heels.

“I can’t slow dance,” she stated as she stood up. He chuckled and closed his hand around hers.

“No worries, love. There’s only one rule in dancing.” She raised an eyebrow in silent question. “Pick a partner who knows what he’s doing.” He positioned their joined hands and snaked his other arm around her so the palm of his hand rested against her back.

“Are you telling me you know how to do whatever this is?” Her free hand gestured to the other dancing couples. He responded by pulling her closer to him and gently lifting her so her bare feet rested atop his shoe-clad ones. He swayed back and forth to the music while Emma stared at him in disbelief. He winked at her before he started moving his feet, hers moving with his by default. She gave in and rested her free hand on Killian’s shoulder.

He always read her mind. “Liam. He had to learn to dance for the royal galas he would attend as part of the royal navy.” Killian’s cheeks tinged pink as he thought of his next statement. “Liam needed someone to practice with.” The smile spreading across Emma’s face was worth the embarrassment.

“You slow danced with Liam?”

“Aye.”

“You’re such a good little brother.” She couldn’t quite hide the amusement in her voice.

“Younger brother,” he corrected.

“Younger. Sorry.” Emma’s smile still hadn’t faded. Keeping her grin steady, she rested her head against his chest and moved her hand from his shoulder to his back. She leaned into him as he continued swaying them tenderly and stepping lightly.

She stepped off his feet halfway through the next song, but she didn’t move any of the rest of her body from where it was pressed against him.

“You alright, Swan?”

“Yeah. I just - I just can’t believe I’m dancing. With you. At Ruby’s wedding.” Killian paused their dancing. “No, don’t -” He nodded and began dancing again, picking up right where he left off. “This is my life now.”

“I do hope that’s a good thing, love.”

“It is.” Killian grinned and removed his hand from her back. Before the look of confusion could fully form on her face, he raised their intertwined hands and twirled Emma. She laughed a wonderful, genuine laugh as her red dress highlighted her movements. When she stopped spinning, she pulled Killian in for a hug, her nose and cheek nuzzling against the top of his dress shirt where the buttons would be undone, exposing an unfair amount of chest hair, if it were a different occasion. Emma almost groaned against his chest when the song changed again, this time from a slow song to a faster one. She and Killian separated their bodies, but neither of them ventured away from their little corner of the dance floor. “Killian?”

“Swan?”

“Dance with me?”

“Of course.” Emma took both his hands and swung her hips to the beat of the music. He bobbed his head, taking immense pleasure in watching Emma lose herself to the music. Her own head joined her hips in rhythmic movement, and she moved their entwined hands up and down with her shoulders. She even closed her eyes and let her head fall back as she danced. Killian was completely enamored at the sight. “Hey, Swan.” Her eyes shot open. “You appear to be a natural.” He kissed the blush from her cheeks as it appeared. Emma hesitated, but began dancing again. Killian danced with her as much as he could manage to a fast song; he spun her around before sliding his hands from hers to rest at her waist. He pressed his forehead to hers and they both smiled. Killian’s eyes shifted to Ruby and Dorothy; Emma followed his gaze. “That’ll be us. One day.” Emma let out a hum of agreement. “We can have all this.” He shifted to stand behind her as they watched the guests dancing to some pop song Emma vaguely remembered hearing on the radio once or twice before. Killian pressed a kiss to the crown of Emma’s head and rested his chin there, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Is this what you want? One day?”

“I don’t know.” They kept their position. “I think - maybe?” Emma thought about it, shaking her head despite Killian’s chin pressing into her scalp. “Killian, I - ” she spun around in his arms, “I don’t need any of this,” she gestured to the reception. “All I know is that I want to spend my life with you.” Killian didn’t want to risk stopping her confession by speaking. “I don’t care how it happens. I don’t need a big party, in fact, I’m not sure I want one. I just want you.” Killian let her talk. “This wedding stuff just scared me. But then I realized I didn’t need to be afraid of all this stuff anymore because I - I freaking love you. More than anything in the world. And I do want this, not the party, but the happily ever after. And I want it with you. Because I love you, Killian Jones.” He saw the tears threatening to spill from her now-sparkling eyes as he laced his fingers through her hair, thoroughly wrecking the hairstyle she had adorned all day, and pulled her face to his. He captured her upper lip between both of his and kissed her. He kissed her furiously and passionately until he felt wetness on his cheek and realized those tears he had previously seen broke through their barrier. They were both shaky as they pulled away, their lips sticking to each others’ until the last possible second, trying their hardest not to separate. He wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb and kept his face as close to hers as possible.

“I love you too, Emma Swan.” She laughed as she wiped her eyes with the back of her wrist.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” She knew her hair and makeup had to be total messes at this point. “Fancy a walk outside?” She nodded and followed him out of the building. Neither of them looked up or spoke again until they were safely outside.

“Wait, Killian, I need to fix all this.” She pulled the pins and hair ties from her hair.

“You look gorgeous, Emma. As always.” He took a tissue from his pocket and dried her eyes. “Back to perfect.” Killian led them over to a bench where they sat in silence for a few minutes. Emma curled up in Killian’s lap and undid his bowtie and the top three buttons, skimming her fingers over the newly revealed chest hair.

“Better,” she mumbled against his chest. He kissed her head and rubbed soothing circles on her back. When they both felt normal again, they built up the strength to stand up.

“What do you say we head home a bit early?” His hand was still moving on her back.

“I think that would be a good idea.” They went back inside to bid farewell and congratulations to the newly married couple before climbing into Killian’s car and making their way home. They were both exhausted from the long day, and emotionally exhausted when they arrived back at their apartment. Both of them drifted to sleep almost immediately upon crawling into bed and tangling their limbs.

A month after the wedding, Emma brought a box of Nutella cupcakes to her date night with Killian. He insisted on a romantic evening out after they both had extremely busy weeks at work. She worked diligently to make a special batch of cupcakes for him, trying not to overthink her plans. She agreed to a candlelight picnic on The Rolly Joger as Killian captained them out to sea. They were going to meet at the docks immediately after work. She changed into a slim black dress while her cupcakes cooled, and she frosted them extremely carefully so she didn’t get Nutella over her date night outfit. She left her hair down; he loved the slight wave it had naturally, and she knew how much he liked playing with the ends of it as it fell over her shoulders. He was waiting for her when she arrived. He wore black pants and a black vest. The new leather jacket that she had gotten him for his birthday made the look complete.

“Good evening, Swan.” He kissed her cheek as he embraced her.

“Hi, Killian. I brought you a little something.” A look of delight danced across his face; he already knew what was in the box.

“Thank you, love.” He led her onto the boat where he had already prepared a blanket, two lit candles, and two glasses of rum. “You look incredible.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” She sat on the blanket as he got the boat moving. He sat across from her when he was confident they wouldn’t drift too far or capsize. “This is really nice.”

“Why, thank you. I thought we were in need of a night of romance.” He lifted her chin to maintain their eye contact when she looked down in embarrassment. “I know I see you every morning and every night, but I still missed you.”

“Me too.” She took a sip of her rum and tried to calm herself.

“Just thinking?”

“Something like that.”

“Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“It’s not like that. I’m fine. I promise.” He nodded and moved to sit next to her, coiling his arm around her and pulling her close.

“It’s a lovely night for a sail.” They gazed at the sunset, then the constellations together as he brought out homemade dish after homemade dish. Emma had no idea how he pulled that off without her knowing. She sat back against him the entire night, not letting her back move from his torso for even a second. She twisted around to face him as he grabbed the box of cupcakes. She bit her bottom lip as he peered inside. “Swan?”

Her response was a soft whisper. “Yeah?”

“What’s this?” He picked up the center cupcake and held it closer to the candlelight.

“About that, uh…” She gestured for him to give her the cupcake. She curled her legs under her and sat up straight. He got up on his knees across from her. “Killian, the first few times I met you, I never thought we’d get along. Ever. But you refused to fight me, and you were a friend despite my grudge. You fought every wall I put up, and you broke them all down, even the ones I tried desperately to reinforce. You were - still are- my best friend, and I honestly don’t know what I ever do without you. And I don’t want to know. So, Killian Jones, would you marry me?”

“Isn’t this a bit backwards?” Killian was beaming, his smile spreading from ear to ear.

“I got tired of waiting.”

“Well when you put it that way,” Killian stood up and scooped Emma up into his arms. “I’d be honored to marry you.”

“Yes?”

“Absolutely.” She wasted no time craning her neck so she could attach their lips. The kiss was romantic and full of promises- promises of a future together: of many more breakfasts, literary quotes, movie nights, late night sails, and infinite Nutella cupcakes. He put her down only so she could clean the frosting from the silver band she bought him before she slipped it onto his finger, she noticed the emotion flash across his face as the silver band skated over his scars. He composed himself momentarily and got down on one knee. “Now, it wouldn’t be fair for the lady to be deprived a proper engagement ring, but you rather beat me to the punch, Swan. Nonetheless,” he fiddled around in his jacket pocket before displaying a diamond ring. The ring was simple, a silver band with a single diamond in the center, but it was everything she ever wanted.

“Yes!” He didn’t even properly ask her yet, but she was already crying tears of joy.

“I haven’t asked you anything yet, my love,” he chuckled.

“You don’t have to. It’s a yes. It’ll always be a yes.”

“You’re depriving me of a dashing proposal, dear.” Her eyes pleaded with him to just skip the speech, put the ring on her finger, and kiss her senseless. He sighed as he placed a kiss to her left hand. “Alright.” He slid the ring onto her finger and kissed the spot where the ring met her knuckle. She pulled him to his feet and jumped into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist. He leaned up into the kiss, Emma’s head now above his with the way he lifted her. Their lips made a loud sound in protest as they pulled away to breathe.

“I love you, Killian.”

“I love you too.” Killian put Emma down so they could lie together on the ground and cuddle under the stars. Emma unconsciously played with the cold metal on her finger. She went through most of her life thinking no one wanted her, and then Killian came along, and he cared for her so deeply, it terrified her. But Killian’s support and feelings for her never wavered, not once, and she had finally found someone who loved her, damaged and all. Killian ran his fingertips over the smooth of the band on his finger, a sharp contrast to the rough bumpy scars from his burns. He fought back tears as he switched between the textures, one reminding him of a dark past he wanted nothing more than to forget, the other reminding him that he found love with Emma, who could overlook his hard past and promise him a future. Both of them were broken when they met, and the more they learned about the other person and the closer they got, they put each other back together.

It was late when they got back to shore after hours of celebrating their engagement out on the water. They had a small, seaside wedding with only their closest friends and family in attendance, and, true to Emma’s promise, Roland was the ring-bearer. Killian’s vows had been eloquent and full of romantic quotes from classic literature. Emma was pretty sure every single person there was moved to tears, but she couldn’t say for sure because her vision was blurry with her own crying. Emma tried to keep the mood slightly lighter. She incorporated humor as much as possible, the guests loving her short anecdotes from when she couldn’t stand the thought of Killian Jones. She detailed their relationship development from enemies to best friends to lovers. Thinking back, it really did make a wonderful story. And to think, it all started with rum and cupcakes.