"Brother, Emma made you something," Killian said as Liam walked into the house. He whispered as to not wake Emma up. Her head was on Killian's lap while her feet was on Neal's lap.
"It smells good in here. What was she up to?" Liam asked as he took off his coat and hung it up on the coat rack.
"Just go in the kitchen and see."
Liam chuckled and nodded, going into the kitchen like his little brother told him to. He came back out with a sugar cookie in his hand. "She made Mum's sugar cookies?"
Neal nodded, "and they're pretty good too."
"They are exactly like the ones she used to make." Liam pointed at the still sleeping Emma. "She is a wonderful girl."
"I know," Neal and Killian said in unison. They glared at each other and the door opened a second or so later.
"Ruby!" Liam said excitedly, but was shortly followed by two "shh's" after. "What are you doing here, love?"
"She came to visit me," Killian said, winking at Ruby, which was followed by an eye roll by both Liam and the older woman.
"I wanted to visit my boyfriend," she said, wrapping her arms around Liam's neck and giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"What? No kiss for me?" Killian asked with a fake pout.
Ruby laughed and went over to Killian. She kissed her fingers then roughly, but playfully tapped them to his cheek. She ruffled his hair. "It's good to see you again, Killian." She reached over and fist bumped Neal. "You too, Neal."
"How long has Emma been asleep?" Liam asked.
"About an hour," Neal replied. "She fell asleep right after finishing the cookies."
"Aye, we would have helped her, but someone made a mess in the kitchen. After that, she forced us out of there," Killian explained, glaring at Neal.
"If you would have let go of the bowl and gave me the spoon, there wouldn't have been a mess to clean up in the first place."
"Stop fighting!" Liam scolded. "Emma doesn't like being woken up, so I suggest you stop before she smacks you both." Both boys nodded and went back to their video game. "I'll order a pizza, and once it gets here, then you can wake her up." Liam grabbed Ruby's hand and they went into the kitchen.
"I don't want Emma's decision, or this stupid deal to come between our friendship, Killian," Neal confessed quietly.
"I don't either. We are really good friends when Emma isn't the subject of our conversation," Killian agreed. He stroked her blonde curls out of her face and let them fall over her shoulder. "I will accept whatever decision she makes, and I promise not to get in the way of that."
"I promise too."
Killian and Neal bumped their fists together and continued to play their video game. It was about another hour before the pizza came. Liam grabbed the two boxes and took them in the kitchen, leaving Killian and Neal to wake Emma up.
"Love? It's time to wake up," Killian said softly, petting her face.
"Is the world about to end?" She asked with a groan.
"No-"
"Then let me sleep!"" She whined, hugging Killian's stomach and nuzzling her head in it.
Both boys chuckled. "We have pizza," Neal said, making one of Emma's eyes open. "Your favorite."
She got up and rubbed her eyes with a yawn. Killian laughed and rubbed her back, "sleepy Swan."
She nodded and stood up, then went into the kitchen. "Good morning, sleepyhead," Ruby said, pulling Emma into a side hug.
"Hi, Ruby," Emma greeted her.
"Emma, the cookies were amazing. Just like my mum used to make. How'd you do it?" Liam asked.
"I just followed the recipe exactly. It was pretty easy after I got these two idiots out of the kitchen. They spilled sugar and flour everywhere."
"Sorry?" Neal apologized through a mouthful of pizza. Emma squinted her eyes in a vain attempt to her a closer look at the teenager when she saw the redness that she had seen frequently. "What?"
"Nothing," she said, taking a bite of her pizza. "I'm going to take this in there."
"What was that about?" Ruby asked, looking between the men. When none of them had an answer, she put her plate down and followed Emma into the living room to find the blonde on her phone. "You okay, Emma?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I just feel like Killian and Neal are keeping something from me. I don't know what it is either, but it's worrying me."
"I don't know, Emma. All I can tell you is to ask them and see what they say about it."
"If they didn't tell me before, why would they tell me if I asked?" Emma sighed and sat down on the couch. "I kissed them both."
"Do you think that's why they are acting strange?"
"Killian, maybe. But, Neal has been acting weird all week. His eyes have been red and glassy and he just seems hungrier then usual. He can't be pregnant because of reasons, but I don't know what could be wrong with him."
"I think the best thing you can do is to ask them what is making them seem stranger then normal. But, it's completely up to you if you don't want to do that, Emma." Ruby patted Emma's shoulder and went back into the kitchen.
Emma took another bite of her pizza and sighed. The music from Killian and Neal's video game played, even as it was paused. She heard footsteps coming into the room to see Neal. He sat down beside her and gave her a warm smile. "I know that look, Emma," he said seriously. "You don't need to worry about me."
"I'm your best friend and you are mine. I have to worry about you. It's kinda like my job."
"Your job is to be you and worry about yourself. Not me. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."
She chuckled and nodded. "Okay, Neal."
"Hey," he squeezed her arm gently, and that made her turn to him. She looked into his brown eyes that twinkled in the light. "I'll always be here for you. No matter what. And I won't get mad at you either. Don't ever think that you have to spare my feelings even if you want something else, okay?"
"What are you up to?"
"Nothing."
"Cmon, you know you can't lie to me. What is really going on with you? With Killian? There is something you boys aren't telling me and it's starting to worry me."
Neal opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Killian. "Mate, we need your help.... Finding the pizza cutter. Liam lost it again."
Neal nodded. "Duty calls, Emma." He saluted her then went back into the kitchen.
Emma got up off the couch and went up to her room. She grabbed her jacket and phone, then slipped outside. She had snuck out of more foster homes then she could count. Ran away from only two. She was good at getting out unnoticed and untouched. She jammed her hands in her pockets and sighed audibly as she walked down the road. The road always took her to the same place. The docks. Her best thinking place. She sat down at the bench and crossed her legs, then looked out at ocean water. There was a small family of swans floating in the water near the ships and she smiled. She wished she knew what it was like to have a family who actually wanted her since birth. She still had her doubts about Mary Margaret and David from time to time, but they were a nice couple. They had treated her as if she were their own. She had her doubts that Killian and Neal wanted to be friends with her. That they were only doing it out of pity. That's why it was hard to think that they would have crushes on her. It just didn't make sense.
Footsteps along the dock made her look up. Killian was walking down the wood, looking at her the entire time. She looked down at her phone to see that it was forty-five minutes after she had left the house. Killian sat down next to her and she looked down at her hands in her lap instead of at him.
"I thought I would find you here," he stated simply.
"How?"
"I notice more than you think I do, love." Killian put his hand under her chin and moved her head towards him so she was looking at him. "There are those beautiful eyes of yours."
She blushed and looked back down at her hands in her lap, avoiding his eyes once again. "Stop that."
"Stop what? Saying how beautiful you are? Looking at you every time you aren't looking at me? Making you blush? I don't think I could if I tried."
"What are you doing?"
He shook his head, "nothing, darling. Just admiring the beauty in front of me."
She weakly punched his arm. "Quit it."
Killian nudged her back with a dorky smile on his face. One of the dorky smiles she loved. "No."
She looked up into his bright blue eyes and he looked into her green ones. Sapphires looking at emeralds. The ocean looking at the forest. Before either of them had time to stop it, their lips connected in a slow kiss. Again, Emma felt sparks. She felt a heat between them that she couldn't explain, or wanted to for that matter. Killian wound his fingers in her hair, pushing her ever so slightly towards him. He licked her bottom lip, asking for entrance which she gladly provided. Their tongues roamed each other's mouths. They made out for several minutes before Emma pulled away to breathe. Killian however, wasn't ready to let go of her just yet. He trailed kisses down her jaw and neck. She moaned as he sucked at her sweet spot.
"Killian," she moaned. "You have to stop."
He pressed a single kiss to her neck before moving back up to her lips and pecking them once. "But it's so much fun," he whispered huskily. He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "I apologize. That wasn't like me. I just lose my head when I'm around you, Emma. You have no idea."
"I uh," she cut herself off to clear her throat. "I have to go." She got up and ran away from the docks as fast as she could.