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kazoosandfannypacks · 1 year

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"Open to Interpretation" by kazoosandfannypacks

Chapter 8/16: Change in Plans Pairing: CaptainSwan Rating: General Word Count: (1.6K/24K) Summary: Emma Swan is appalled at works by modern artist Killian Jones- until a handsome stranger convinces her otherwise- and after introducing himself as the artist in question, he invites her out on a date. As their relationship develops, they find that they might not be as different from each other as originally thought. Chapter Summary: After a phone call with his dad reveals he can't skip out on his younger brother's graduation, Killian calls Emma to see if they can reschedule their date. Tags: au, fluff, captain swan, modern au Author's notes: n/a Taglist: @zahara @kmomof4 @jonesfandomfanatic @booksteaandtoomuchtv @jrob64 @tiganasummertree @anmylica @teamhook @undercaffinatednightmare @gingerchangeling @lonelyspectator @caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @cs-rylie @pirateprincessofpizza @lfh1226-linda @pawshapedheart [if you'd like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!]

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Killian felt like driving ninety miles an hour, windows open, music cranked up to a hundred (when in reality, he only went five miles over the speed limit, only cracked the window open a little, and played the music only barely above a recommended level.) The benefit dinner had been a success, his date with Emma had gone better than he'd expected, and he'd even scored a second date with her, next week.

Next week. Liam's graduation.

Killian tried as best as he could not to resent his step brother. Liam was just a teenager; it wasn't his fault their dad gave him all the attention.

Still, it was hard to see how much his dad cared about Liam's high school graduation of all things, especially after he'd taken a vacation with his shiny new family the week of Killian's art school graduation and neglected to attend. Since then, his father had also declined invitations to all of his gallery showings and even the grand opening of his wing at the Nolan Blanchard Art Museum last month, coming up with another excuse every time. So now to require Killian to come to Liam's graduation, after blowing off every invitation Killian had sent them- it felt like a punch in the gut and a slap in the face all at once.

But maybe if Killian could come up with a good enough excuse he could get out of attending. His dad was always complaining about, among other things, Killian needing to "get back out there" and "find someone new," so he couldn't object to Killian having a date that weekend, right? Sure, things with Emma weren't serious enough to warrant missing his step brother's graduation, but it was as good an excuse as he was gonna get.

Killian tried to think about something less stressful, and naturally found himself thinking about Emma instead.

He didn't need an artist's appreciation for beauty to be enraptured by the very thought of the wave of her hair or the brush of her hand- or the tantalizing taste her lips left on his. As quickly as it'd come and gone, her kiss had been the first stroke in a masterpiece, one he'd envisioned in his mind for years, one that was now coming to reality right before his eyes. Maybe he and Emma would really hit it off, and maybe before too long the night wouldn't end with just a quick kiss. He could already feel something starten to awaken, some dream, some hope, some vision.

Emma had been right when they first met- a lot of his more recent paintings had been rubbish, a poor attempt at remembering emotions long forgotten. But every time he thought of Emma, some new idea came into his mind, a new painting, a new creation that would drive him insane until he got it out of his mind and onto the canvas, a new feeling he wanted to portray for all the world to see. He wanted to capture her sharp wit whose genuinity was a comfort, her red dress standing starkly against the night, her smile like a beacon when he'd stood onstage that evening, the fireworks he felt every time any part of them touched, the magic she had about her.

He couldn't wait to get back to his apartment and start painting.

The first rule of being an artist is to never paint a portrait of someone you're romantically involved with. The last thing you want is to run the risk that your most famous work is a painting of your ex.

That didn't stop Killian from a painting inspired by Emma though. Surely, even if things did go sour, he wouldn't object to one of his beloved masterpieces being a painting of a lighthouse in a stormy sea, colors based on her green eyes, light yellow hair, and the muted blue shirt she'd worn when they first met.

Whenever Killian was painting, he lost himself in his work. It had become a form of escapism for him- whenever the world got too hard for him, he could leave it all behind for a few hours, get lost and found all over again along each brushstroke's path, leave all his pain behind for a few hours.

But he was quickly brought back to earth as his phone started ringing. He'd tried to call his dad that morning before he started his project, but had to leave a voicemail instead asking for him to call back when he got the chance.

"Looks like dad's finally made time in his busy schedule for his own son." Killian thought, rolling his eyes as he answered the phone.

"Killian?"

"Hey, dad." Killian said.

"Will you be able to make it to the graduation?" his dad asked.

"Ah," Killian paused, then thought of Emma, knowing if he couldn't get out of this graduation, he wouldn't be able to take her out next week, "unfortunately, something else did come up."

"What could be more important than your brother's graduation?"

"My step brother's graduation." Killian corrected in his mind.

"I've a date this weekend."

"Really?" his dad asked, "you couldn't've picked a different weekend to finally get your life together?"

"She's a really sweet girl," Killian defended, "I'd hate to let her down."

"Then why not bring her up here with you?" his dad said, "The more the merrier."

"There's no way I'm bringing Emma to meet my disaster of a 'family,'" Killian thought, "for heaven's sake, I want her to like me."

"I'd hardly say Emma and I are serious enough…."

"Then you're not serious enough to miss Liam's graduation for her," his dad interrupted, "you can come without her, or you can come with her."

"But…."

"Let me know what you decide," his dad said, "and don't forget the potato salad."

With that, his dad hung up, leaving Killian in a major funk.

He'd hate to have to cancel on Emma- things seemed to be going pretty well last night, and he didn't want to throw a wrench in things already. But there was also no way he'd bring her to meet his family. Sure, his step mom and Liam were alright, except for the fact he hardly knew them at all, but his dad had his own way of making him feel so small.

Maybe there was a chance Emma could reschedule- his schedule was clear Thursday night; maybe hers would be too.

He decided it couldn't hurt to call her up and ask, so he did, smiling as he saw their picture together on her contact photo, his heart skipping a beat as he heard her answer the call with a simple and beautiful "hey."

"Hey," Killain smiled a little, "how are you?"

"Pretty good," Emma said, "just getting ready for work. What're you up to?"

"Oh, you know," he chuckled to himself as he thought of his next phrase, "just painting one masterpiece while calling up another."

He thought he heard her giggle over the phone, and if that didn't make his heart skip, nothing would.

"So, uh," he said, "about next week."

"Yeah?"

"Uh, is there a chance we can do Thursday instead?"

"Thursday?" Emma asked, "can't. I've got an evening shift that night. Why?"

He hung his head back a little, forgetting that not everyone had as flexible a work schedule as him, "I can't do Friday. My little step brother's graduation is that weekend."

"It's alright; I get it." Emma said. Even over the phone speaker, he could hear the barely masked disappointment in her voice.

"I really did try to get out of it," Killian said, wishing he didn't have to let her down, "I told my dad I had a date that night with a really sweet girl who I'd hate to let down."

"Sure."

"And he said if she's all that important, I could bring her home for the weekend with me."

"Am I that important?" Emma asked.

She didn't know the can of worms she was opening.

"Of course you're important to me, Emma," he said, "I just didn't want to drag you into all this drama."

"Drama?"

Killian shook his head, "If my options were going home for the weekend or seventeen more charity benefit dinners, I'd choose the latter."

"Really?" Emma asked.

He didn't know what Emma's stance on family was, but if she held parental relationships in any regard, he'd've just blown any chance he had with her.

"Yeah."

"Then I guess it's my duty to join you." Emma said.

"I- what?"

"Didn't you say your weekend would be eighty times better if I'm there with you?" Emma asked.

"Well, yeah," he shook his head.

"Then maybe your weekend will be at least mostly bearable if I join you."

"I can't ask you do that." Killian said.

"Do you want me to come?" Emma asked.

"Of course," he said, "I want to spend every moment possible with you, love."

"Then I'm coming." Emma said.

"Alright."

"Just promise me this."

"Anything."

"If it's worse than last night, you're making up for it big time."

"I'm sure I could come up with something," Killian smiled at the possibilities of a date with Emma so perfect that it'd make up for a weekend with his parents.

"I'll see you Friday then?" Emma asked.

"Aye," he said, "I can't wait."

And as nervous as he was about how downhill it'd go, as Killian thought about spending a whole weekend with Emma, he realized he was telling the truth when he said he couldn't wait for it. Once again, Friday couldn't come again fast enough.

#captain swan #once upon a time #killian jones #emma swan #ouat #cs ff #cs fanfiction #cs au #once upon a time season 6

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