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#you idiot this was you 9 months ago! you were the smelly baby!
alibonbonn · 1 month
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Kittens season just started and I've got 2 new foster babies to raise!
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Meet the wretched beasts, Dilly and Dally
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let-it-raines · 4 years
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What a Wicked Game {13/15}
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Killian met her in a pub on a rainy night in March. Going inside was only supposed to be a way for him to avoid the rain and fight off the demons in his head. It was a place for him to pass through, not stay. But then he was charmed by a blonde woman with a quick wit who had absolutely no interest in him or who he was.
That was a first. It was also the beginning of Emma Nolan helping to bring him back to life. It was the beginning of everything.
Five years later, with their worlds crumbling around them, Killian can’t help but wonder if this is the end of the peace they have known now that his family knows about his relationship. It wouldn’t be a problem if his father wasn’t the King of England.
rating: mature
a/n: thanks to @captainswanbigbang​ for making this possible, to @resident-of-storybrooke​ for being the best cheerleader/proofreader, and to @captainsjedi​ for making me beautiful artwork and also being a wonderful cheerleader!
This is the last *official* chapter. The next two are epilogues to honor the original story and it’s epic crazy epilogue. 💕
ao3: beginning | current
tumblr: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 
-/-
November 10th, 2018
Elsa gives birth to a girl.
It happens quickly, a quarter past five on the morning on November tenth, and the text wakes Killian from his slumber to find a picture of Elsa holding a small, red-faced child named Elizabeth.
Princess Elizabeth Amelia Zara Jones.
Lizzie.
“She’s beautiful,” Emma whispers over Alex’s head as his small limbs kick into Killian’s stomach like they’ve been doing since he was dropped off last night by frenzied parents.
“She looks demonic right now.”
“Stop,” Emma hisses with a roll of her eyes. “All babies are the most gorgeous creatures on the planet. You’re not supposed to point out that they can look demonic and be unattractive.”
“If it’s not my child and I’m not saying it to the parents, I can say whatever the hell I want.”
“And if it is your child?”
Killian reaches his hand over to tug on Emma’s waist, pulling her closer to him so that her freezing feet tuck between his calves and they won’t wake Alex with their whispering. “Now, Swan, we’ve talked about this. We’re just practicing with our naked sleepovers. No babies are going to be involved.”
“I hate you.”
“You love me.”
“Not right now,” Emma huffs, but he can see her smile. “Can you believe Elsa and Liam have another baby?”
“Aye. Known it would be happening for awhile now. Elsa’s ever burgeoning stomach gave me a few clues.”
If she didn’t have a toddler between the two of them, he knows that she’d slap his shoulder over his cheekiness and maybe a little bit to get back at him for accidentally slapping her earlier. Instead she reaches across Alex and cups Killian’s cheek, thumb running across the bone.
“Do you remember the night you told me Elsa was pregnant again?”
He does. He remembers how distraught he was over thoughts of this child growing up in the same way he had. He’d shown up at the pub a complete mess and tried to get Emma into bed instead of talking through what was bothering him. But she’d known him so well, knows him so well, and made him talk about what was bothering him instead of drowning himself in her and in alcohol.
That was only six months ago, and his world has flipped on its head several times since. It’s so much that he barely knows what to do with any of it. Really, all he knows is that he’ll never have to worry about Liam treating Lizzie in a different way than how he treats Alex. Brennan will never understand or realize how awful he is and how backward his mindset can be, but that won’t truly matter. Not when Alex and Lizzie have incredible parents who aren’t going to fall into the trap that this family seems to keep falling for.
Not when they’re going to change everything about this family so that future generations will never go through what they’ve been through.
Emma. All of this is because of Emma.
She’s changed his world.
(And is changing a monarchy.)
“Yes,” Killian whispers back to her.
“So much has changed since then. Everything really. You and your family are an actual family, babe. A family with issues and that one awful relative that we’ll pretend doesn’t exist, but there’s also so much love. It’s amazing.”
“It’s all because of you, Emma.”
She laughs, so quiet so as not to disturb Alex in this hushed conversation, and he knows she’s going to brush it all off.
“I mean, I was at the root of some knock down drag out fights, so I wouldn’t say that.”
“I would.”
“Killian, if the relationship you have with Liam is better, that’s all you. You fought for what you deserved, no matter how hard it was, and I’d like to think that you’ve got a winning strategy.”
Except for with his father…
But no matter, this woman next to him with red pillow crease lines on her cheeks and tangles in his hair continues to change his life, and if it wasn’t for Alex between them and the day he knows he has ahead of him, Killian would get the engagement ring out of his shoe in the closet and ask her to marry him right now.
Having that ring made while they were broken up was the most idiotic idea, but he thinks much like Emma and her lightning bolt tattoo, a part of him knew that it would all be okay.
Best stupid decision he’s ever made.
“I love you. I think I might love you too much”
And it’s true. As sentimental and slightly vomit-inducing as it might be to some, he does love her so much that his chest pangs.
He loves her not simply because she is beautiful and a light in his life who makes him laugh even when he doesn’t know how anymore. He loves her for the way that she enjoys watching stand-up comedy even when it’s bad and stops her runs to dance along to the music playing through her speakers. He loves that she is kind to others and compassionate about those who she cares for, and he loves the energy she brings to her own life. He loves her not for what she does for him but for who she is. She’s Emma, a mess of good and bad qualities.
She’s brilliant in a multitude of ways.
And she’s here and not going anywhere. He’s not going anywhere either. It’s a constant reminder between the two of them, something they both need to hear, but Killian knows deep in his belly that they’re not going to go through another separation again.
Will they have other shit to deal with? Of course. But they’re doing it together.
“Not possible,” Emma murmurs before kissing his nose. “I love you, too. I’m glad you won’t call our babies ugly even if you think they are.”
Killian laughs loud enough this time that Alex stirs between them and groggily opens his blue eyes, looking between he and Emma. He stretches his arms above his head and kicks Killian’s stomach before turning into Emma and wrapping himself into Emma like the little traitor he is.
“Emmy,” he giggles, pressing wet kisses over Emma’s face. “Emmy is here.”
“Yeah, buddy, I am. How do you feel about going to take a bath? You and Killian need one before we go visit your new sister.”
“Noooo.”
“Yes,” Emma confirms, squeezing onto Alex and scrunching up her nose. “Especially Killian. He’s smelly.”
“Oi,” Killian scoffs. Every kind thought he had about this woman has disappeared in that exact moment, but he can’t wipe the smile off his face. It’s been a good morning. A good few weeks really. “I’ll have you know I bathe quite frequently thank you very much.”
“Then you’ll have no problem taking a bath right now.”
-/-
Emma is visibly nervous when they arrive at the hospital and are surrounded by people, fans and photographers alike. Her leg tapping up and down is shaking the entire car, but she doesn’t say anything in protest to getting out. When he asks if she wants to stay inside, she shakes her head and turns in the backseat to unbuckle Alex from his car seat before exiting the car to a loud clamor of voices.
The press have a field day seeing Alex walking into the hospital holding Emma’s hand, all of them calling out questions and trying to get Alex to pose or wave for the cameras. When Emma picks him up, resting him on her hip and telling him to wave, he happily complies as long as Emma waves with him.
Good. That’s a good start.
As they’re nearing the stairs a photographer yells out, “Emma, why is Prince Alexander walking with you and not Killian?”
Killian thinks Emma won’t answer. Her relationship with the press is abysmal as best. It was like that before the accident, but ever since, she’s hated them even more. He has too. All of the ones here today may be here to celebrate the birth of a new member of his family and may not mean any harm, but it’s easy to clump them all into one category.
They could have killed the woman he loves all over a picture, and Killian will never forgive anyone for that – not the press, not August Booth, no matter any of their motivations. If the three of them were able to go inside today in a different entrance, there would be no question as to how they would enter the hospital. At least no one is asking about the bloody breakup. That’s been a constant topic every time he’s stepped out into public lately.
Small wins and all.
“To tell you the truth,” Emma begins, shifting Alex on her hip. She’s talking to the people, the ones who aren’t holding professional cameras and microphones, and that makes a bit more sense to Killian. “Alexander here is always telling me that he loves his Emmy more than he loves his Uncle Killian because I know where we keep the good cookies…I mean, biscuits. Still getting used to the change in vernacular no matter how long I’ve lived here. That one will always throw me off.”
“Biscuits,” Alex joins in, raising his hands in the air and then rubbing his belly, causing the reporters and the crowd to roar in their laughter.
“Killian can’t give them to him because we hide the biscuits from him. He’s got a bit of a sweet tooth, you know.”
“Well, that’s why I love you, darling,” Killian teases. “Because you’re so sweet.”
“He’s also apparently got a thing for cheese,” she tells the crowd, throwing a wink at him. And he should have known that she would tease him when given the opportunity. Her heart has to be hammering in her discomfort, but she’s trying her best to be a part of his world.
There are parts of him that are still so fucking livid that he doesn’t know how to function seeing the flashes and hearing the clicks of the cameras, but he knows that he can’t do anything about it. At least not now. Right now all he has to worry about is making sure that Emma and Alex are safe.
Killian leans down to give her a quick peck, making Alex cover his eyes with his hands like he does nearly every time, and he can hear the laughter mixed in with the clicks of the shutters on the cameras. Some will be mad that Emma came with him to the hospital, but those without a stick up their ass will see the moment as a simple every day, family moment. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks, and if they have something to say, every press privilege for an official will be revoked in the snap of his fingers. He’s glad she’s here. Always.
After making a few more pleasantries and waving goodbye, the three of them are ushered inside by Graham, who is almost scarily professional while working. The man is an old friend and Ruby’s boyfriend, but no one would ever know that for the job he does.
Good.
They can be mates at dinner or when he’s off duty. For now, Killian wants the assured protection for his loved ones.
“My boy,” Liam greets once they’re in the maternity ward and away from most prying eyes. “I have missed you.”
“Papa,” Alex squeals, squirming out of Emma’s arms to run to his dad and be swooped up into his arms for a bracing hug. “Emmy gave me biscuit.”
“For breakfast? That’s nutritional.”
Emma huffs and crosses her arms over her chest even as Liam walks toward her and brushes his lips over her cheek. “He had oatmeal for breakfast. We just happened to be talking about biscuits outside. How’s Elsa?”
“Tired, happy, wonderful,” Liam laughs with genuine joy, eyes reddened from lack of sleep and tears of joy. “She just woke up from a nap to feed Lizzie, and I know she’s chuffed to see you all.” Liam turns his attention to Alex now. “Are you ready to meet your new sister?”
“She’s here?” Alex gasps. “Not in tummy?”
Killian chuckles and shakes his head. They went over this on the ride here and this morning, but the concept might be too big for a toddler to understand.
“She’s here, Alex, and I know that Mummy is ready to see you again. She’s missed you.”
Liam starts to walk away, Killian walking with him, but then he notices that Emma hasn’t moved from her spot, and Killian makes some half-assed excuse about letting Liam take Alex to see the lad first and that they’ll join them later.
“Hey,” he says to Emma, cocking his head to the side, “what are you doing? Don’t you want to go see Elsa and Lizzie?”
“I just...I need a moment.”
Killian arches a brow, but she doesn’t see it. Instead, she closes her eyes and leans back against the wall, her chest visibly heaving.
“Tomorrow or in a few hours or at some point in time,” Emma whispers, eyes still closed, “Elsa is going to walk out that door in heels and a pretty dress with a newborn in her arms and be photographed within an inch of her life. She’s still going to be wearing a damn diaper under a five-thousand-dollar dress, and I...I…shit. The people don’t scare me, but the press does. I flinch at the sounds of the cameras, am constantly worried that someone else is going to chase me or want something from me and I - ”
Emma opens her eyes, the green watery. He’s got no idea what’s happening, and he feels like he should.
He knew she was nervous when they were in the car, that it was a big deal for her to come with them today, but he foolishly thought she’d made it through the experience unscathed.
“I know that it’s an adjustment,” she continues, “and I’m only just learning, but I...if we have kids, I don’t want them on display like that. I don’t want myself on display. I don’t want to disrespect your customs and traditions, but I also want to respect myself and our kids. They shouldn’t have to be terrified of the click of a camera like I am right now.”
“Emma - ”
“I’m fine,” she sniffles, wiping her eyes. “I really am. That was just a lot outside, and I’m tired and I wanted to let you know how I’m feeling because that’s something we’re working on. I - ”
Killian steps forward and tucks her hair behind her ears, swiping his thumb across her cheeks to wipe away the little flecks of mascara. “It’s a process, my love, and if you think I’m not still fucking angry over what happened to you, you’re wrong. I’m livid. It’s not going to be something either of us get over in a blink of an eye or possibly ever, but I will do everything in my power to protect you and these hypothetical children and dogs or cats or even lizards.”
“Lizards?”
“They’ll get their own security guard too.” Emma laughs and leans forward into him until her face is buried in his shoulder. “I’d go to the end of the world for you. Every damn day.”
“That’s dramatic.”
“I try.” Killian rubs his hand over her back and kisses the side of her head. “Thank you for sharing what was going through that head of yours.”
“Thank you for not making me feel like I’m crazy.”
“I’ve given you a pass on that for today.” Emma huffs into his shoulder, and he kisses her hair again. “Are you ready to go into the hospital room now or do you need more time?”
“I think I can handle going to see that ugly baby you were talking about earlier.”
“Please don’t tell them I said that. I did not call Lizzie ugly.”
“It was implied.”
Emma gasps when Killian lightly taps her ass, but he doesn’t get to see the look on her face since he’s quickly walking ahead of her toward Elsa’s hospital room. She catches up, slapping his shoulder before hooking her arm around his and holding onto his elbow.
When they walk into the hospital room, Elsa is sitting in the bed wrapped up in a robe with her hair in a bun, and she’s holding both Lizzie and Alex while Liam sits at the edge and quietly talks to all of them. Killian feels like they’re intruding on a moment, like this isn’t meant for him and Emma.
His brother is a good but broken man, and Killian is happy for him. For all of them.
“They look so happy,” Emma whispers in his ear before placing her head on his shoulder.
“Aye,” he agrees. “I think they are.”
“Would either of you like to hold her?” Elsa asks them, waving them into the room even though Killian thinks they might need to slink away to give them privacy.
“Can I?” Emma asks, voice small as if she wasn’t just directly asked.
“Of course you can,” Elsa answers, motioning for Emma to come closer. She carefully hands Elizabeth over to Emma, the both of them cradling Lizzie’s head. “She’s wavering in and out of sleep.”
“Oh, she’s so beautiful, Elsa,” Emma compliments, running her finger over the covered swaddle of Elizabeth, before tacking on, “and Liam. I guess you possibly had something to do with this, though I think she’s likely to get all of her good looks from other members of the family.”
Liam laughs, actually laughs at Emma’s tease, white teeth flashing in an exuberant smile that Killian has rarely seen in his life.
Well, he’s seen it lately. A lot actually. But he’s not accustomed to any of this yet.
His brother is his friend and is capable of joking with Emma. It’s pretty much some kind of miracle even if he knows it’s through a hell of a lot of hard work and tough conversations.
If he looks back too quickly, Killian will get whiplash.
“I think that sounds about right,” Liam chuckles, moving over to stand next to Killian and throwing his arm over Killian’s shoulder. “You best hope your children get their looks from you and not this one here.”
Emma’s face flushes red, but she doesn’t say anything back, just shoots Killian a timid smile and mouths “he’s right” to Killian. She throws in a wink just for extra emphasis. Killian is hit with a sense of want – want to have children, want to have those children with Emma, and want for those children to look just like her – that he has to stifle, just winking right back in response.
They’re not ready. They can talk all about future plans and wants for that time, but they’re not ready. They’re still so young, and they have all of the time in the world to figure things out. They’ve just gotten back, and he doesn’t want to rush anything.
But it’s undeniable how incredibly, stupidly jealous he feels of Liam for getting all of this.
Is it possible to be genuinely thrilled for someone and jealous all the same?
Elizabeth starts fussing in Emma’s arm, a slow cry that’s only going to get bigger, and he watches Emma hand the baby back to Elsa and sit down on the bed to talk to Alex, who is absolutely enraptured with his sister. Killian wonders just how long that’s going to last before Alex is absolutely cross with all of the attention Lizzie will be getting.
“She’s doing so well,” Liam says suddenly, arm falling from Killian’s shoulder.
“Elsa? Yeah, she seems to be doing great, the tough lass she is. I’ve never quite understood how women are able to give birth.”
Liam just chuckles, shaking his head. “Brother, when a man loves a woman - ”
Killian gently slaps his brother’s shoulder. “You know what I mean.”
“Aye, I do. I can’t quite understand it myself. I think they might be magical. And Elsa is incredible, bloody amazing really. I’m forever in awe of her. It’s just that I was talking about Emma. It takes a strong woman to stay with the two of us despite our lives, and we’ve found some of the good ones. I’m sorry for everything before. I can’t say that enough.”
Killian doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know how to deal with hearing everything he’s ever wanted to hear from his brother yet again, so he redirects the conversation. “So a little lass, huh?”
“I’m already out of my league.”
“You’ve been batting out of your league for your entire life, brother.”
Liam barks out another laugh. “Was that a baseball term? Have you ever seen a baseball game?”
“I’m dating an American whose father is obsessed with baseball, so I think you can fill in the blanks.”
Killian doesn’t want to intrude on Liam and Elsa, knowing just how exhausted Elsa has to be and how special this time is, but then Liam is asking if Killian and Emma would like to stay with her while he takes Alex home to be with his nanny and to keep his schedule from deviating too much. They insist that they can watch him for the day, but Liam and Elsa both would rather him be home and don’t want to burden the two of them.
It’s not a burden at all.
But that’s how Killian ends up holding Lizzie as she sleeps, little sputtering noises escaping her lips. She doesn’t at all look like a little red demon now, and he was wrong to have said that earlier. He thinks they’ll be rather good mates.
“I think she likes you,” Emma whispers, trying not to wake Lizzie or Elsa.
“Well, I’ve been told that the hair all over my body makes me comfortable to sleep on.”
“Whoever said that is brilliant.”
“Aye, I think so.”
“Do you think we should put her in the bassinet?”
“I’m scared that if I move it’ll disturb her.”
“It won’t,” Elsa mumbles, still mostly asleep.
He and Emma both quietly snicker, and carefully, Killian stands from the couch and walks to the small rolling bassinet, placing Lizzie down. She doesn’t startle or wake up, and he takes it as a win.
“I’m going to go get some tea or coffee, love. Do you want something?”
“Coffee. See if you can charm a nurse to get you the good stuff instead of the ones at those stations outside.”
Killian winks. “I’ll try.”
When he walks outside the hospital room door, he nods his head in acknowledgment to Elsa’s security and his own, telling Graham that he’s going in search for coffee, and Graham directs him to a small coffee and tea station around the corner. It’s exactly the bitter stuff he didn’t want, but since he doesn’t see any nurses or doctors to charm into letting him use the good pots in their lounges, this will likely have to do.
He got so little sleep last night that he’ll take anything with caffeine to bring a little life back into his eyes and his body.
Just as Emma’s disposable cup is filling with bitter coffee he knows she won’t drink without copious amounts of creamer, there’s the sound of doors opening and the loud clatter of footsteps moving down the hall.
It’s his parents and their security.
Shit.
He didn’t think they’d come for a few more hours.
“Killian,” Allison blushes, her smile growing in size as she scurries through the hallway to embrace him, her frame so small in his. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“Aye, Emma and I brought Alexander to see his sister and mum a few hours ago and have been keeping Elsa company while Liam takes Alex home.”
“Well, that is a wonderful surprise. We knew Alex and Liam had gone home for a bit, but I didn’t know you were here. I can’t wait to see my new grandchild.”
Killian pats his mum’s back before pulling back and kissing her cheek. “She can’t wait to see you. Why don’t you go on to the room? I want to speak to Dad for a moment.” Allison raises her brows. “I’ll be fine. Go meet your new granddaughter.”
Allison nods and steps away from him, and Brennan begins to do the same until Killian places his hand on his chest and keeps him from walking down the hallway.
“Do you need something?”
Killian swallows and sets his shoulders back before directly looking in his father’s eyes, ones he’s never seen show kindness to him, ones he doesn’t expect to.
At this point, he doesn’t want that. He doesn’t need that. He’s not looking for the approval of this man.
“I’m going to say this one last time,” Killian begins, clenching his jaw to keep himself as steady as possible, “and if you don’t listen, I will go through with every word  I’ve ever said about exposing you and ruining that pretty image you like to keep up.”
Brennan’s jaw clenches, but his age shows on his face instead of his anger. “You’re my son. I don’t have to listen to you.”
“There are hundreds of people out there, each of them with a camera on their phone. That doesn’t even take into account the news outlets. In less than two minutes, I can ruin you. Do you understand that?”
Brennan blinks and looks away before turning back to face Killian, no emotion on his face. It must be from years of practicing or possibly years of uncaring. “Go on then.”
“I’m marrying Emma. I don’t know when, but I am. When that time comes, you will sign every necessary piece of paper and approve every detail of the wedding. You will lie and say that you’re happy for me because it’s good for your image, and you will not fight with us behind the scenes. You don’t have to like me or Emma, but you will not continue to cut her down. I won’t let you, Liam won’t let you, and I can guarantee that Mum won’t have it anymore.”
“Anything else you’d like to command of me today or are you done asking for things I don’t have to grant you?”
Bastard.
His father is a bastard, but Killian is in this now. He’s not backing out now.
He’s not losing Emma again.
“Emma will get a full team of security protection under your personal pay until we’re married and she can legally have the same arrangements as the rest of us, you’ll agree to cut off any press from official events if they try to slander or attack her again, and you will release statements to have her protected so she doesn’t almost fucking die again. She could have died because people wanted a picture of her, and I will not stand for that again. These aren’t negotiations. These are demands. Any kind of protection Elsa has, Emma will have as well, whether we’re married or not.”
“How do you - ”
“No negotiations,” Killian repeats, refusing to back away from his father. “I’m happy to help set all of this in motion for you if you need me to. I’ve been working on a few things. I’ll send them to your office tomorrow.”
When Brennan doesn’t say anything and doesn’t move from his sport, Killian raises his brows and inches closer. “Do you understand? Stepping out of line will have repercussions for you, and threatening me will do you no good. I’m willing to step away from the cushions of this life. I’m not dependent on the coin purse and the good publicity. You are.”
“None of this is going to be pretty for you. The public will continue to despise her and think that everything she does is wrong. Every misstep will be magnified, and your popularity will plummet.”
Killian scoffs and shakes his head. This man is never going to get it. “The beauty of the whole thing is that I don’t fucking care about any of that. I am going to choose Emma every time. I’ve never loved this lifestyle or craved the approval of the press like you. I’ve never wanted any of this. I respect the history of our family, and I can guarantee that Emma and I will do our best to honor that. However, we’re forging our own path with our own family, and if I end up having to leave this family later for Emma’s well-being, there won’t be a second thought to it. Now go greet your new granddaughter. I hope she never has to know what a bastard you are.”
Brennan nods his head before quickly stepping away and storming down the hallway, the swinging doors quickly closing behind him with his security following after him. Killian needs a moment to breathe, to calm himself, because there’s a pretty good chance he could vomit right now.
That has to work.
That has to be the final time. That has to be the nail in the coffin and the thing that gets them moving forward. He can’t move backwards. He can’t.
They can’t.
Moving forward and moving on to something real and concrete is what he needs, what Emma needs too, and that has to work. Getting knocked down on his ass again isn’t an option.
Emma getting hurt again isn’t an option.
May his father have one modicum of decency. Or really, may he be so damn scared of losing public favor that he complies. That’s Killian’s ace up his sleeve, and God, he hopes it works.
(It’s going to.)
“You having trouble working the coffee machine?”
Killian huffs and turns his head to look down the hallway to see Emma walking toward him. “No, I think I’ve got it figured out, but I believe the coffee I made for you may be cold by now.”
“Guess you’ll have to make me a new one then.”
“Guess I will.” Killian opens his arms, and Emma walks right into them until she’s nuzzled into his chest and his chin is resting on her head. “Did you see my Father?”
“I did.”
“Did he speak to you?”
“There was a slight nod.”
“Of course,” Killian scoffs, rubbing his hands up and down her back as she does the same to him. “I just gave him an ultimatum, finally, and God, Emma, I hope that it works.”
“Me too. We’re going to be okay. I don’t know how, exactly...I just know, okay?”
“Yeah,” he whispers, kissing the top of her head, I know that too.”
They only linger in the hallways long enough to fix one new cup of coffee before a nurse rounds the corner and offers to take them to the lounge where they have the good coffee and tea. He didn’t even have to charm someone to get the stuff that wasn’t going to be acid in his stomach, and he’s thankful for small miracles.
He’s also thankful for Emma. She has every right to be angry or closed off or even nervous as hell when they go back to the hospital room where his parents are. She’s not making some herculean effort to make conversation with his dad, but she’s also not letting him push her into a corner where she can’t enjoy being around people she loves.
Killian’s been learning to do that his entire life. Emma has nearly perfected it in a few months.
Emma nudges his shoulder, and he looks down to see a napkin in his lap. God, he’s missed passing napkin scribblings back and forth with each other. He’s got a box full of them somewhere in his apartment.
Your mom has been looking over at us with “please fuck and give me grandchildren” eyes for the past ten minutes.
He snickers and leans in to whisper in Emma’s ear. “I’m sure there’s somewhere around her where we could get that done.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“You’re the one who said my mum was thinking about us fucking.” Killian brushes his lips over the shell of Emma’s ear, flicking his tongue so that goosebumps rise over her skin. “Would you like to go home now?”
“I would.”
Killian tucks the napkin in his back pocket and stands from the couch, holding his hand out to Emma behind him. They say their goodbyes, both of them kissing Elsa’s cheeks and running their finger over Lizzie’s stomach, before telling his mum not to hog the baby for too long. It takes far longer than it should for them to take their leave, but eventually they’re walking back to the entrance of the hospital with Graham in front of them.
“Every time this door opens for the next two days, all of these people are going to think it’s Elsa stepping out. There’s going to be shouting and photographers. Can you handle that?”
“I know,” Emma tells him. “And I can.”
Emma threads her fingers between his, her palm as warm and soft as always, Killian sucks in a deep breath, and he hears Emma do the same. “You ready to go, my love?”
She squeezes his hand, the tightness lingering a second too long, and answers, “I’m ready.”
-/-
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mizufae · 3 years
Note
4, 9, 21, 30, 48, 68
SO MANY ASKS, MY BOREDOM RECEDES
4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?
ugh. I was the super smart but smelly kid, basically. I got placed in a GT core program in 4th grade (gifted and talented) and even there I was immediately shuffled to the second to last rung on the social ladder, I was the most normal one of the kids who ate erasers and were obviously autistic. Like also, I guess I was described as “an old soul” and “rude” because I used bad words. Before the GT program I was a bookworm and before that I was “extremely shy” but in 2nd grade I woke up one morning and was suddenly obnoxious. I suspect that my teachers didn’t know what the hell to do with me most of the time, but I always got really good grades despite refusing to do a lot of homework so it was kind of hard to crack my nut, I guess. One time in fifth grade I was called “tactless”.
9. favorite smell in the summer?
Honeysuckle on a warm clear night.
The town I moved to when I was seven years old has a big festival every year with craft booths and outdoor concerts and lots of food and carnival stuff and they have fireworks! It was within walking distance of our house, so every summer we’d walk there in the afternoon and spend a couple evenings there. This was how I saw Carbonleaf for free about a month before they made it really big! Anyway, here is the memory:
Walking home at night, sticky leather sandals on my feet. My friend met up with me while at the festival and she peels off to get to her neighborhood a few blocks along. My mom and dad are meandering about half a block ahead of me. I have a cracked glowstick around my neck, it’s a soft green and pink. The firework smoke has mostly cleared and the nearly full moon washes the dark streets with enough light to navigate without the flashlight my mom had tucked in her purse. The streets on this block don’t have sidewalks so we have to be careful, but everyone is walking home around this time so it’s not too dangerous. The breeze passes through and any lingering smoke is blown away, replaced with a floral waft. I don’t understand what it is until I bump into my parents who have stopped. My dad is picking at a bush that’s grown over a chainlink fence. “What are you doing?”
“Eating honeysuckle,” my dad responds. I make an incredulous noise. “You can eat it, see? You pick a flower, like this, without any leaves on the bottom, and then pinch off the bottom. The stamen will come through and pull the nectar down... Then you suck it like the bottom of an ice cream cone. It’s sweet. Here, try it.”
After I try one and mangle it, my dad prepares one for me. I’m surprised. I’d only eaten pansies before, and those tasted like mint and parsley had a baby, not sweet at all. “Can you eat the petals?”
“Yeah, but they don’t taste like anything. Here, you want more?”
“I can do it this time.”
“Okay, be careful though, don’t pick any too low down, dogs can pee on it.”
“Ew, Dad!”
At this point my mother chides us on back home, but I pulled off a big tendril to pick at the rest of the way.
21. obsession from childhood?
When I was little I was terrified of most things, but a big thing that really freaked me out was clowns and also people in mascot costumes. As an adult I have made some uh... progress on this (am I a furry? am I a clownfucker? I not NOT those things...) but anyway in an attempt to get me to maintain my chill if I accidentally found a clown or mascot at one of a million children friendly places where such characters appear without warning (the zoo, a baseball game, the mommy and daughter beauty pageant my mom idiotically signed us up for when I was like, three... every halloween ever... the library...) they rented this movie that was like, a behind the scenes clown circus documentary.
I have spent a solid 20 minutes trying to look it up just now and it is ungoogleable because of all the trendy murderous clown bullshit these days, thanks a lot stephen king, but anyway. My older brother had to watch it with me the first time but it was like... the clown showed how he went from just a guy through every step of putting on the makeup and costume, and some juggling stuff and some other tricks, and what makes a funny physical joke, and some other circus things... And then he took off the clown outfit and became a regular guy again. I WAS OBSESSED. Apparently, I requested we rent this movie from blockbuster EVERY TIME for MONTHS to the point where blockbuster offered to sell us the VHS. I still remained scared of clowns for years after this but it helped me out a lot and also it’s connected to my whole thing about practical effects. I also watched the jim hensons secrets of the muppets thing about twenty bajillion times, it all exists in the same space in my brain.
30. places that you find sacred?
Gazebos and thresholds, mostly. Also I once had a religious experience staring at a Van Gogh in the National Gallery of London. It was Wheatfield with Crows. I don’t think I saw god, because I dont particularly believe in god much, but I do feel like... some part of me cracked open and was able to connect with some part of a person who had painted it a hundred years ago. I only learned that it was possibly the last thing he ever painted like, a year later. I was in London visiting a friend who had moved there a year before, we were in our senior year of high school, I was 17 and applying to art schools at the time, so maybe it was just a thing about, like, the right time and mental space for it, but also... me and Vincent are like... yeah. This is what I hope I see when I die, etc.
48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?
I hope that I would be an apricot but that’s just cuz I really like them. Maybe I am a coconut, hairy on the outside and a hard nut to crack.
When I started to grow boobs, my mom told me a funny story about how in college she walked in on her roommate standing in front of the mirror in just her underwear, cupping her breasts. And when my mom was like “uh... what are you... doing?” her roommate was like “sigh... do you think I have oranges? Or are they more like tangerines... I wish I had grapefruits like you!” and from then on the citrus system of breast classification was set. Hippies, amirite?
Anyway my boobs kept growing and growing and growing. I am currently a K cup??? But anyway one day as a teenager I was in the grocery store and they had these fruits that were EVEN BIGGER than a grapefruit. They were pale green and smelled really nice! And when we sliced it open it had SO MUCH PITH, but the fruit inside was a pretty pink... It’s a pomelo! The precursor to grapefruits. My breasts are now bigger than even pomelos, but whenever I see them in the market I’m like “my boob fruit!”
68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?
I try my best to taste foods I’ve disliked over and over again throughout the years to get myself to become okay with them because I find the enjoyment of food to be vitally important to my willingness to continue existing. But one thing I will NEVER force myself to eat again is natto. I tried it about four different times, once the cheap conbini kind, once at an extremely swanky japanese hotel breakfast, one in a really nice sustainable sushi restaurant with my favorite fish mackerel, once from a friend’s fridge, and UGH, every time, I just wanna spit it back out immediately. Sorry, fam.
In terms of things that come in different flavors I think the grossest soda is the grapefuit favorito which is like drinking bubbly soap.
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elizabethsharmon · 7 years
Text
One down, five to go
Skam Month: week three, day five (fredag) ⇾ free choice
↳ When Yousef and Sana's first baby is born, he decides to take things in his hands. But his actions may have some unexpected effects... 
Read on AO3
“Dude, what are you doing here?” Elias stormed at Yousef once he went out of the room. “Why aren’t you inside?”
“Yousef, is everything alright?” Mr. Bakkoush asked approaching them.
“Yousef, man, what’s going on?” Elias kept on asking but Yousef just stared blankly at them.
Finally he said:
“She kicked me out.”
“What???” Elias asked confused.
“She kicked me out.” Yousef repeated. “She said that it’s all my fault and that she hates me and I don’t want her to hate me, I love her, she’s the best thing that ever happened to me, I mean not the thing, she is not a thing, she is a person, but she’s the best and I love her but she said that she doesn’t want me there and that I did it to her and she doesn’t want to see me and…” he said everything in one breath and he would probably keep on rambling if Mr. Bakkoush hadn’t put his hand on Yousef’s arm.
“Son” he said. “Everything is okay. She doesn’t hate you. She’s just going through a lot right now. So just get yourself together and go back in, okay?”
He could hear his friends standing nearby and silently laughing, clearly amused by the whole situation. He also noticed that his parents and Sana’s friends have just arrived and were going in their direction. But Yousef was just standing there completely numb, shifting his look from Mr. Bakkoush and Elias, still very confused and worried, still not sure what to do.
“Okay” he finally said. “I’m going in.”
“Yeah, bro, do that.” Elias encouraged him and patted him on the back.
Yousef took one final look at all of them and went back to the room.
Before he shut the door, they could all hear Sana screaming “WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN???” from inside.
                                                    ***
He came back to the hallway after 3 hours. Completely exhausted, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, his t-shirt stuck to his body, he leaned against the wall as everyone surrounded him, waiting with anticipation for him to say anything.
“It’s a girl.”
Everyone started cheering, hugging him and saying “congratulations!”. Elias then shouted “I’m an uncle!” and he and the rest of the boys started fighting with him that they’re her uncles, too, but Elias told them that he is the only real uncle. His parents, his father-in-law and the girls wanted to know all the details, how does she look (she looks perfect), did she take after him or after Sana (definitely after Sana, thank God), how much does she weight (2.9 kg), how tall is she (53 cm), what was her Apgar score (10/10) and other things. When they finally stopped nagging him with all these questions and left him enough space to finally breathe, he has just slid down and sat on the floor.
He was a father now.
                                                    ***
Yousef and Elias had to barricade the entrance to Sana’s room because the boys insisted on seeing the “Ballon Squad’s First Baby” (as they’ve already named her). After Mr. Bakkoush and Sana’s doctor told them that they should give the mother and the baby some time to rest, they’ve finally let go and left with the girls (although they said they’ll definitely come back the next day and this time they will go inside no matter what), while Bakkoushs and Acars went in to see the new addition to their families.
                                                    ***
After their daughter finally fell asleep, Sana kicked Yousef out and told him to go home and get some rest. He didn’t want to go, he wanted to stay with them forever, but Sana insisted that it’s already 2 a.m. and he doesn’t need to be here watching them sleep (Yousef had a different opinion about that, so to speak), but she will need him here in the morning, fresh and rested, so he finally let go, kissed the two women of his life on the forehead and went home.
He took a cold shower and went to bed. But he couldn’t fall asleep, not after such an eventful day. He couldn’t really believe that she was finally here, the past 9 months were the longest – but also the most happiest – months of his life. It seemed like it was only yesterday when Sana told him she is pregnant.
They went out to eat something with their friends and Sana was acting very strange that evening. After the dinner they all wanted to go bowling or go to the cinema but Sana was very moody and started telling them that she does not wish to support the American culture spread to Norway by seeing their clichéd films nor she wants to go and wear some smelly shoes after another person to just throw a stupid ball and pretend that she’s having “fun” and that she had enough of the “fun” for this evening (and she really did insert quotation marks when she was saying this) and that she is going back home. Without waiting for Yousef she just turned around and started walking towards the bus stop.
“You know, Sana, you could have just said you want to come back home, there was really no need for saying all those things and making them all feel bad.” he said when they came back home.
“Oh yes, because it’s always all about them, all about how OTHERS feel, isn’t it? Well, know this. In this particular moment I don’t give a damn about how they’re feeling, okay? They’ve made me feel like shit so many times before, I don’t always have to be nice to them, so stop acting like you care about them so much, okay?!” she screamed at him and he was then more confused than ever.
“Sana, what’s going on? Why are you acting like this?”
She started to look for something in her bag and finally pulled out a piece of paper which she threw at him, screaming:
“Because I’m pregnant, you idiot!” and then she turned her back and ran to the bathroom, leaving him completely dumbstruck, holding a piece of paper against his chest.
He looked at it but all he could see were just some medical names and the percents with some numbers, he didn’t understand a thing from it. He followed her to the bathroom, she was sitting on the floor, crying. When he sat next to her, she started talking, looking numbly at the wall:
“We were practicing drawing blood today at the university. From each other. And later we were doing blood tests. And Isak wanted to draw my blood again, because he said he messed something up with the previous sample, but then he did it again and the result was the same and he just let me see and… And I’m pregnant.” finally she shifted her eyesight from the wall and looked at him “Yousef, I’m pregnant.”
He was folding the blood results she gave him all the time she was talking. He could feel her eyes looking at him and he finally managed to lift his head. He was studying her face for a while, before finally his lips broke into a huge smile and he shouted quietly:
“We’re going to have a baby!”
“So you’re happy?” she asked shyly.
“Sana, are you kidding me? Am I happy? Come on, Sana, don’t make me throw you under the shower!”
Now she also started laughing. They’re going to have a baby.
They’ve decided not to tell anyone before the end of the first trimester. It was really hard for Yousef to keep his mouth shut, there were so many times he had to bite his tongue before accidentally slipping the news to the boys. Finally, they’ve decided to tell everyone during Sana’s birthday party. They thought it wouldn’t be weird to give every guest a little gift – after all not only they were the hosts of the party, but it was also Christmas Eve and even though they weren’t celebrating it, little gifts wouldn’t seem to be something unusual. So after Sana had blew out the candles, they asked everyone to open their little boxes. Inside each of them there was an ultrasound photo. They all were completely shocked and didn’t seem to be completely sure what was going on until Sana said “I’m pregnant” and Yousef added “We’re having a baby”.
Two months later on a lazy Sunday afternoon, Yousef was chilling on the couch, watching a basketball game. He could hear Sana coming into the room from the kitchen and out of the sudden she said:
“Stephen is kicking”
“What?” he asked, he didn’t know where’s this coming from, Stephen Curry was not playing in this game and is the verb ‘kicking’ even used in the basketball vocabulary? But she just repeated:
“Stephen is kicking”
“What?” he asked really confused and turned around to look at her.
“Stephen. Is. Kicking.” she articulated every single word very slowly and clearly, pointing to her belly.
He jumped out of the couch immediately and ran towards her, placing her hand on her tummy. He could feel it. He could feel their baby. He looked at her with pure admiration on his face and she just laughed. But soon when it hit him, he stopped smiling at her and she stopped laughing when she saw the look on his face.
“What?”
“Sana, did you seriously just called our baby Stephen? Sana our baby will not be named Stephen. We don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl.” he reminded her, they didn’t want to know, they wanted to be surprised.
“Oh, I know, but I can feel it’s a boy and Stephen is just a perfect name for him!”
“Nei, Sana. No way. We will not name our son Stephen. Over my dead body.”
“Well, we’ll see about that.”
And for the past four months she was teasing him all the time, saying things like “I’m so tired, I think Stephen and I will go and get some sleep” or “oh, I must eat some pickles, Stephen adores them”, and soon it became a running joke among their friends and family and everyone was just texting Yousef asking him “how are Sana and Stephen doing?” and things like that. But the only one who never laughed at that was Yousef.
So when few hours ago, they finally got to hold their baby for the first time and after they both said that she is beautiful and perfect and how much they love her and each other, he asked her teasingly:
“So no Stephen, huh?”
“Well, not this time.”
But now, laying in the bed at 4 a.m. in the morning Yousef decided that there won’t be another time. He won’t take any risk about that. And when he decided what he would do, he was finally able to fall asleep.
                                                     ***
It was almost 10 a.m. when he finally arrived at the hospital. When he entered Sana’s room, she was laying on the bed, holding their daughter tucked up in her arms. He kissed both of them on the forehead and sat on the edge of the bed. Only then he noticed the balloons in the corner of the room.
“Wait, have the boys came here already? I told them not to bother you until I call them that they can come!”
“No, Noora and Eva came by on their way to work. And they’ve also brought us this.” she said pointing to the book of names laying on the bedside table. “We should pick a name. Since Stephen is no longer an option, we’re left with nothing. I was looking through it and I like some of them, so I thought that maybe you would take a look at all of them today and later will do the final selection, huh? Yousef, are you even listening to me?”
He finally dared to look at Sana with a guilty look on his face.
“Sana, I have to tell you something but please don’t be mad at me.”
“Okay, I’m already getting mad when you say things like that. What have you done, Yousef?”
“I… I’ve already picked the name.” he said and Sana looked relieved.
“Ugh, thank God, I thought something worse has happened. What’s the name you like?”
“Sana, no. You misunderstood me. I’ve already registered her in the office.” as soon as he said that he could see the change on Sana’s face, she was already furious.
“You did WHAT??? You named MY DAUGHTER without telling me???” she yelled at him.
“Hey, she’s my daughter, too.” he reminded her.
“I’m not so sure about that now!”
“What do you mean?” he asked really confused. “Sana???”
“HOW COULD YOU PICK THE NAME OF MY FIRSTBORN WITHOUT TELLING ME FIRST???” she screamed and their daughter started to fidget restlessly in Sana’s arms.
“Sana, please calm down.”
She took a deep breath and with fire in her eyes, she asked him:
“What’s the name?”
“Okay, I will tell you but first you have to give me her, because I’m worried you might do something to her.”
“Yousef, tell me the name.”
“Sana, pass me the baby.”
She looked at him really angrily and finally gave him the baby. In return he took his backpack from the ground and gave it to her.
“The certificate is inside.”
He focused his eyes on his little girl, he didn’t dare to look at Sana’s face when she finds out. Soon he heard her angry sigh.
“Nei, nei, nei, nei, nei. You did not name our daughter like this.”
“What do you think?”
“About the name?” she asked and he nodded. “I hate it.”
“No, Sana, you love it.” he said and smirked, still not looking at her.
“I. Hate. It.” in that moment the baby started crying and Sana thought it must be the sign as well. “See? She hates it, too.”
“No, she loves it.” Yousef said and finally looked at Sana. “And you love it, too.”
“No, I hate it. And I hate you. Look, she’s crying since you took her, she hates you, too.”
Yousef just chuckled at that and started to make funny faces at their daughter and talking in his special “just-for-children” voice.
“No, she loves me. Yes, you do! You see, Sana, she loves me! And she loves the name. Yes, she does! And yes, your mommy loves me, too, she’s just messing around with us. Yes! Yes, oh you’re so cute.” after talking like this for about 2 minutes and looking at her with pure admiration, she finally stopped crying and Yousef turned around to triumphantly look at Sana. “See? Told you she loves it.”
But Sana was still sitting there, looking at him with her death glare.
“Pass her to me.”
He just smiled really widely and placed their daughter in her arms.
“Go to your mommy, Stephanie Sana Bakkoush Acar.” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “You secretly love it, don’t you?” he asked Sana looking her directly in her eyes.
“No, I hate it.” she said and turned her gaze, but for a millisecond he could see a little smirk passing her face.
“No, you don’t.” he said, hugging her and when she was absolutely sure he cannot see her face, she smiled really widely at her daughter. She did love the name.
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