#besides that amazing tidbit it's just a great movie in general

[bluescluesposting]

TFW you can hear your brother watching School of Rock from his room and you're trying your hardest not to come in with "Did you know Sidetable Drawer and Orange Kitten from Blue's Clues are in this movie?"

[ziracona]

Do you have any post ilm Myer sibs (Quentin counts too 👀) hcs? I live for your Myers sib content and it is so gooooood I loved the little tidbits at the end of ilm :)

Sure! I love them so muc TuT. I’ve posted some before, but I can’t remember off the top of my head always which things I have and haven’t said already when it comes to post-ILM headcanons, so apologies if I repeat myself a little.

Michael takes a while to be comfortable around other people in general, but gets there pretty well eventually, and becomes a normal part of the gang. Philip is especially helpful (both to him and all the other past-killers) in working out ways to get through that past.

His cat almost dies the first year he has it, but Claudette is visiting the day it happens and saves it, and he and the cat both love her after that.

Michael has a really weird relationship with Nancy bc her introduction to him was not as The Shape but as “Oh this is Laurie’s weird brother,” but somehow they turned that weirdness into a really great mechanic and vibe well together.

Since Michael thinks Quentin is biologically his brother, then half-brother after he meets Alan Smith, he considers Alan kind of a weird step-father and Anna kind of a weird step-mother. Luckily for everyone involved, he doesn’t think about this much.

Laurie and Michael go mma on each other sometimes after the first few years just for old time’s sake and it’s kind of amazing to watch.

Everybody in the group gets pretty fluent in sign language after a while to communicate with Michael easily. It’s much appreciated by Laurie.

Michael is successfully able to learn how to read and write at adult levels after a few years with Laurie’s help and she is unbelievably proud of him and not afraid to show it, which he finds both embarrassing and enjoys.

Both of them come to stay with Quentin a lot, and it’s really nice for all of them. Alan does a very impressive job of being welcoming to the two murderers his kid has made part of his personal life 🤣 (poor Alan, without context getting Michael and Anna—thank God he has his kid who will give him the world’s most in-depth and sympathetic explanations). Michael gets interested in art by the stuff Nancy keeps/makes out in the shed, and she talks him into trying his hand a little. Sometimes they go do that together, or talk Quentin & Laurie into joining and do a group drawing party while talking or listening to music.

The headphones were a good gift, and listening to music/tuning things out is very helpful to Michael sometimes he finds, when dealing with psychosis symptoms. Sometimes if he’s having a rough time, he will go sit out on the porch in silence and listen to music, and Quentin started going to join him when that happened if he was visiting, and would just sit beside him in silence, listening to his own headphones as a move of solidarity. One time a month or so later, Quentin was having a really bad week and couldn’t sleep, and got up and was just chilling downstairs on the couch, listening to headphones, and Michael came over wearing his and sat with him. Now they regularly both do it as a solidarity act together if either of them needs a break from life. They never really talk about it—just go sit on the porch together and listen to their own music—but they don’t have to. They know. :’-]

Laurie & Quentin have both physically attacked strangers more than one for stuff they said to Michael.

Quentin takes Laurie (and Michael, if it’s a kind he could enjoy, which is unfortunately rareish) to concerts, and does insist to her dismay on bankrolling stuff for her whenever he can once he’s eventually a doctor. Laurie gets this with both barrels, because David constantly does this too, and she appreciates it, but is also low-key stressed sometimes.

Laurie: I’m gonna grab a smoothie real—

David&Quentin, shoving handfuls of money her way: “Here, for the”—“I’ll pay”

Laurie: O_O

Its a little weird for Michale when David & Laurie start dating, and he feels threatened because the man had less than nothing in the entire world before his sister and he worked things out, and he does not want things to change back, but he is assured by both Laurie and David that nothing will change, and after experiencing that/seeing it is true for a few weeks/months, he calms down about it. Eventually kind of likes the idea of having a 2nd brother, as Quentin puts it to him. Already liked David pretty well and gets to know him even better, now that he has a level of personal interest in him, and they get along pretty well. It’s weird, because they are incredibly awkward @ each other, but that gets better and all four of them (sibs + David) have a lot of fun doing things as a group.

Michael got to see like, none of the world at all most of his life, so he greatly enjoys travel/sightseeing, and is interested by most of what is out there to see. The first time he went boating was a really great day for him, and kind of a fantastic experience. David took them out on a lake (p early on, year 2) and it was one of the best feelings he’d experienced. Since age 6, all he’s really gotten to see or do was walk around and stab people in small realm cages, or sit still in a white room from age 6-21, and the world couldn’t be a lot more full of wonder. Laurie takes to casually explaining how things work a lot out loud when they go places as little fun “did you know?” Kinds of facts, so that in case he doesn’t know, he won’t have to ask or feel embarrassed about it. Several of the others start doing this too after a bit.

Laurie plays piano, and Michael is fascinated by that, so Laurie teaches him how to do that too. Sometimes he and Quentin, who is still learning guitar, will practice together. Laurie tries to pretend she doesn’t love listening as much as she does but it kills her w happiness when they do.

After quite a few years, Laurie tries out teaching literature, history, and philosophy at a local high school. She’s incredibly nervous. Technically she doesn’t have a college education and is using forged documents, and just has private study and some courses in those areas specifically out of love for the topics/interest, and she’s afraid she won’t be good at it. Her friends try to talk her up and reassure her. Quentin and David throw a celebration for her first day when she gets back, and all her friends/the realm fam & extended family (Nancy, Alan, etc) come. The biggest help is Michael, though, who just goes and stands outside all day near the school where she can see him through the window—which should be horrifying, all things considered, but actually helps. It’s just incredibly funny to her, because it’s visually so similar and contextually couldn’t be more different from the last time he stalked her at a school, so she chills out and gets through the day fine. Runs outside and hugs him at the end of it. Michael is very proud of himself. Then Laurie has an amazing surprise party when she gets home.

Laurie does not stay a high school teacher for that long, but she really enjoys it while she does it.

While Quentin is at school with Nancy and Claudette and Philip, Laurie and Michael come to visit quite frequently, and sometimes the whole group of six has game or movie or book nights, or goes off on a mini trip or night out.

After a couple years of their tradition with Judith, Michael and Laurie start to invite Quentin along too and he is both touched and nervous, but goes, and comes to quite a few of the picnics regularly, because he’s a sibling of the family too. Michael is excited to introduce him to her. :’-]

[thejacketandthehook]

Breaking Dawn 6/?

Title: Before Dawn

Author: thejacketandthehook (aka everystareverywhere)

Summary:  Emma Swan and Killian Jones only had one thing in common: Emma’s best friend and Killian’s brother were dating. But Emma and Killian could not get along. That was, until the day they had to work together through a tragedy that no one saw coming.

Rating: General (but that will change to Mature in later chapters)

Word Count: 22,955

Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing.

Author’s Notes:  So, I’ve been in the mist of writing this particular story for almost two years. And I’m hoping that if I have support, I’ll be more motivated to finish it. So my story is based off of the movie “Life As We Know It” starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. And below is the first chapter. I hope you enjoy.

You can also read it here: A03

@searchingwardrobes

When you lived with someone, it became easier and easier to learn the little things about them. Things that no one else was privy too, or was even aware of. And there were things about Killian Jones that Emma came to realize. And most of them were actually good things, even though she couldn't believe that. For instance, she was surprised to learn that unlike her, Killian was actually a morning person. Which was a good thing, considering that he worked on the docks and often had to be there just as the sun was rising. He was also up by the time Henry started to stir, so that also was a major plus for him. Also, that he never drank coffee. Not that he was much of a tea person, but coffee was something that just "tasted disgusting." Emma almost dropped her coffee mug when he proclaimed that one morning. Also, he was exceptionally neat. Everything had its place, and it just made sense to keep it all organized.

And he could cook. Not just heat up some spaghetti and meatballs cook, but actually cook. She was stunned when one day she came from home work to the house smelling like meat, garlic, and onions. Emma almost floated to the kitchen, her nose her guide as she took in that magnificent smell. For someone who basically lived off of ramen noodles, the smell coming from the kitchen might as well have been from heaven. Her mouth watered, her stomached growled (she didn't even realize she was hungry) and her mind could think of nothing but what was making that wonderful smell. She was expecting to see Mary Margaret in the kitchen - as sexist as that sounded, Emma was certain that Mary Margaret could cook like a master chef; she just had that look. So she was stunned when she saw Killian actually putting a huge pan of something into the oven and look over his shoulder as he closed it. "Ah," he said, either ignoring Emma's jaw that hit the floor, or not noticing it. "Dinner should be ready in about a half hour. The mashed potatoes have to turn a slight golden color."

"What are you--" There was so much moisture in Emma's mouth, it was almost embarrassing. She was acting like Pavlovs' freaking dogs! "What are you making?"

"Sheppard Pie. A classic back in England." He wiped his hands on the towel beside the stove before working on the dishes that piled up in the sink.

Emma dropped her bag on the table and said, "I got it. I'll do the dishes. After all, you made dinner."

He smiled. "I can live with that." He stepped aside and wiped his hands again.

But the surprises just kept on coming.

"Wait, you can play the guitar?" Emma asked dumbly almost a month after Mrs. Gold's appearance. She watched Killian take a guitar out of the case and put the strap for it around his body.

He raised an eyebrow and looked up at her from under his hooded brows. He looked back down as he started to tune it. "See how I'm holding a guitar and currently tuning it, that could give you some indication."

"Just because I know how to turn an engine on doesn't mean I'm a racecar driver," she responded, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.

He chuckled light. "Touché."

Or the fact that he knew how to sail a boat. And not a little motorboat, no, but an actual boat, with sails and such. He's talked about bringing Henry out onto the water with him, but that Emma put her foot down. She's sure that he's great at sailing, but doing so with a baby a little over a year old? No. That she would not agree to.

"Why don't you come too?" he would ask.

Emma would shake her head no, with no explanation, and leave the room.

Of course, though there were things about Killian that made her raise an eyebrow. He had traits that continually got under her skin.

His language was something that Emma had to continually tell him to watch, especially since Henry should be saying his first coherent word any day now. Emma would die if his first coherent word was "bloody."

He also kept forgetting that he wasn't living in a bachelor pad anymore. He would hog the television for hours, watching a soccer match after soccer match. Emma had no idea how he could stand to watch people running around after a ball and call that entertainment.

What drove her crazy, in all honestly, was how freaking amazing he was with Henry. Sometimes, just a few times, Emma watched Killian with Henry and in the back of her mind she could see why Elsa thought she and him would have been good together. He loves Henry, that's a no brainer. And he doesn't mind being silly, if it makes the baby laugh. Killian's favorite thing to do was to blow on Henry's tummy, make him squeal and laugh at the same time. And in moments like that, Emma smiled because she forgot that her best friend was gone and she was suddenly taking care of their house, their child, what should have been their future. When she saw Killian with Henry, she almost wanted to turn around and tell Elsa that maybe he wasn't so bad. She would never admit that she liked him, but she could say that she more than tolerated him.

Emma wasn't the only one who was surprised at learning the little things about Killian. The man himself was shocked to learn the little tidbits that made up Emma Swan. Like how she was not a morning person. Get her up before seven, and you might as well be asking for a suicide mission. One morning, when Henry was crying nonstop while Killian was in the shower, she had gotten up to take care of him. Killian was surprised when he walked into the kitchen, rubbing his wet head with a towel, to find Emma still in her pajamas (a baggy shirt and boxer shorts that made his heart speed up in a way he really didn't like), her hair a huge mess and black circles under her eyes while Henry was nipping at the pieces of bagel as he sat in his highchair. When she saw Killian, she muttered, "Yours" as she passed him, presumably going back up to bed. For reasons he didn't know, he couldn't stop thinking about that morning for weeks.

Or that she was messy. She left dirty cups in the sink and it seemed like her supply of shoes just kept multiplying. Though he didn't really like going into what they called her bedroom (which at one time was the guest room), he had to once to put jewelry back in her room before Henry got it. Though the bed was made, the rest of the room liked like a bomb exploded; clothes everywhere, shoes that he was sure she stepped on continuously, and a garbage can overflowing with trash.

She also ate like she was in high school. If Emma had her way, they would eat nothing but grilled cheese sandwiches and onion rings. While Killian agreed that both of those things were amazing, neither one of them could (or should) eat that every day. When he inquired what she did with Walsh, she simply shrugged and said, "We discuss what take-out we're going to get. Neither of us cook."

But he also noticed how, when she got home from the work, the first thing she did was go over to kiss Henry on the head. Whether he was sleeping, watching television, or just babbling to himself, she always kissed him on the head. Or that at least once a week, she needed to have a glass wine at dinner. Or she was always ordering stuff for Henry through Amazon. He didn't know why he liked knowing these things about her; he just did. It almost tickled him to know that he was probably the only person who knew that Emma cried whenever that commercial about the two people falling in love over gum came on. Okay, maybe "cried" was the wrong word; more like she teared up. Point being that she was a woman who had a lot of walls up and she didn't like to show too much emotion. So when she did around him, he felt honored. Like he was being rewarded for good behavior or something. He liked it.

What he didn't like was the Walsh probably knew what she looked like first thing in the morning too. Or that she was messy. Or that she licked Nutella off of a spoon when she was stressed. She watches The Princess Bride (and had the whole movie memorized) when she's upset. He knew he was the only one who saw her get emotional, because he knew what she was like around other people. But when you live with someone, you can't put your walls up 24/7. And he liked that. He liked that he saw her tear up, show emotions.

He just couldn't understand why he didn't like Walsh knowing things about her too. It was like he wanted to keep her a secret or something. He didn't want other people knowing things about her. It was stupid, idiotic. He told himself that constantly. But that didn't stop the pang of something deep in his gut when he saw her stumbling into the kitchen and automatically going to the coffee maker. Because Walsh, he was sure, has seen her like that. And he didn't like it. Not one bit.

He told Robin about his problems, during one of his nights off that he got. Emma and he kept pretty close to their schedules, which helped trying to balance their once normal lives for what they were living now.

Robin, however, was useless. He just simply chuckled and told Killian that Emma was getting under his skin. "Better watch it, mate," he said, gulping his beer. "You might find yourself falling for her."

"Not bloody likely," he said, gulping his drink as well.

~*~

Emma forgot it could get this hot.

It was a muggy and humid 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and it only day two of what to seemed to be the week literally from Hell.

"Good Lord, I didn't think Maine could get this hot," Killian said one late evening. He stood in front of the small fan that they found in the basement, trying to cool himself off.

"I can't believe they didn't have central air," Emma commented, bouncing Henry on her lap, though how he kept laughing was beyond her. Her lap was all sweaty, and he himself had small sweat beads along his forehead. When she noticed that, she quickly wiped at it with a damn towel before giving him his bottle filled with water.

"It's an old house, Swan. The cost of that would have been outrageous. Plus, who knew it could ever have such a long heat wave in Maine?"

"The meteorologists say we've broken a new record,"

"Well, I will always remember where I was the week we had a heat wave that broke a record," he said, moving away from the fan before clasping in the chair. His shirt was undeniably soaked through, and Emma most certainly was glad he didn't take it off. Because she didn't need to see him with his hair chest glory. Not that she knew what he looked like without a shirt--Wait, no. That wasn't actually true. There was that one summer that Liam and Elsa took Killian and Emma to the beach once. They only did it once because Emma and Killian fought so much, no one really could enjoy themselves. She even commented when he took his shirt off that no one wanted to see that. He gave a remark that made her roll her eyes and stick her tongue out at him.

"I'm sorry," Elsa had remarked after she watched their exchange. Liam and Killian were walking over to the water, and Emma was so happy to have a few minutes of quiet. However, she could tell from Elsa's tone that what she was about to say would not be a genuine apology, but rather a comment. "But are you two twelve-years-old?"

Suffice to say, neither Emma nor Killian went with them to the beach again.

Killian continued with his rant. "I was in a house with no air conditioner, sweating my --"

"Killian," Emma said sternly before purposely looking down at Henry who was watching his uncle with the upmost fascination.

He changed paths. "Sweating profusely."

"There is an air conditioner," Emma finally remembered.

"What? Where?"

She took a deep breath. "In the Master."

Killian's eyes looked up towards the stairs. "Oh."

They were silent. It had been four months since....the funerals, and neither of them have stepped foot inside of that room.

Henry started munching at his hands, getting them all wet. "Oh, he's biting his hands again." Killian got up and went to the freezer to get him his teething toy.

Killian gave him the toy, and Henry started happily biting at it. "We have to do it, Swan."

"I know."

"For Henry's sake."

"Of course."

Killian walked over to the stairs. Emma picked Henry up and held him against her hip. "We can do this," she told him, as well as herself.

"I know. It's just..."

She took his hand in her empty one and squeezed before dropping it. "I know."

He nodded. She did know. That's why doing this with her, just going into this room...She knows what that means. No one else would truly understand, but she gets it.

They went upstairs and walked down the hallway together. When they got to the room, Killian took a deep breath before opening the door. It creaked and slowly opened. Emma straighten Henry on her hip before fixing her shoulders and walked into the room.

She almost wanted to walk right back out.

Here's the thing with unexpected deaths: everything looks normal on the surface. And that's what killed Emma. Because everything looks normal. Elsa's make-up table was waiting for her to come back. In fact, her little stool was pushed back just enough, probably from the last time she sat in it. Liam's shoes were lined up in front of the closet, waiting for him to come back and pick one to wear. The remotes for the television and Amazon Fire were sitting on top of each other on the nightstand, next to the book Liam was reading, a bookmark poking out of it. The pillows were crooked and Elsa's dresser had clothes sticking out of it and it was just a little too much. Because this room....This was Elsa and Liam's private place. Of course Emma was in here before, and Killian was too. Just usually with either Elsa or Liam.

Killian walked in next to Emma and took her hand. "We can do this," he reminded her. "For Henry."

The little boy in Emma's arms had no idea what was going on around him, and kept munching on the ice in his hand. Emma rubbed the back of his head as Killian stepped further into the room and over to the air conditioner. It took Killian a few seconds to figure out why it wasn't turning on ("Plugging it in usually helps." "Shut up, Swan.") but then the machine started making the sounds of turning back on and suddenly the place was finally going to cool down.

Emma sat down with Henry on the bed, the little boy dropping his ice before getting up and jumping on the bed. He was falling more than he was standing up, but he was laughing.

"Careful lad," Killian insisted before walking over to him. He held Henry's hands, who now more stable, jumped even more.

Emma couldn't relax, and instead walked over to Elsa's vanity. Elsa loved her make-up, and had more brushes that Emma had ever used in a lifetime. Though make-up was never high on Emma's list of needs, she knew how foundation worked, and mascara, and eye shadow and such. But when you get into highlighter and eyelash curler, Emma shook her head.  She had no idea how those things worked, and honestly didn't care at this point. Oh, she wouldn't care if Elsa put it on her, in fact she loved those nights when Elsa wanted to test a new product on someone and Emma was a willing subject. She herself just had no idea how to use it.

"Oh, I forgot they had Netflix in here," Killian said, sitting on the bed as Henry cuddled up next to him. "What do you want to watch, lad? Mickey Mouse?"

Emma smiled over at them before going and sitting next to Henry on the bed. Henry started sucking his thumb and within minutes of watching Killian try to find something that would entertain him, he was tight asleep.

Emma leaned back on the bed, prompting herself up on the pillows. Killian then leaned back as well, and noticing that Henry was sleeping, whispered to Emma, "Want to watch anything on Netflix?"

"Are we going to Netflix and chill?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Emma wished for them to come back in. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, certain that Killian was going to make some comment. After all, she opened the door to it.

But when she heard nothing but the sound of the air conditioner, she opened her eyes and saw him just looking at her with a small grin.

"Did you just position me? Because --"

"Oh, shut up," she muttered as she fidgeted.

Surprisingly, he stopped talking. She gave him a small glance (he was still grinning) before looking back at the screen. Killian was clicking through the choices before --

"That one!" she said.

He stopped before looking at her. With a raised eyebrow he asked, "Lucifer?"

She shrugged. She didn't want to admit that she had a small crush on Tom Ellis, from watching him in a British show that she had stumbled across a year ago named Miranda. She especially didn't want to point out that Tom Ellis was British, with dark hair, and (from what she saw in interviews on Youtube) was a total dork. She especially didn't want to point that out because if Tom Ellis had blue eyes, it would sound like she was describing the man sitting next to her.

"I heard it was good," was her only defense.

Killian looked at her before pressing the play button. "Let's see if you're right, Swan."

~*~

They watched the first three episodes before falling asleep during the fourth. They tried to stay awake, but the heat and a one-year-old will do that to you.

~*~

It was a Tuesday night, which meant that Emma was blessedly free. However, Mary Margaret wasn't picking up her phone and Emma really didn't feel like making small talk with Regina, so she was kind of just hanging out in her bedroom. She should go out. Go to a club for a while. Or a bar, at least. Maybe see a movie. It was weird seeing a movie by yourself, but Emma read somewhere that it was actually a wonderful experience. Or she could call Walsh and spend some time with him. She saw him on Sunday, but for some reason she just didn't want to spend another night hanging out in his apartment or going to some restaurant. She was so sick of eating out. Killian made such wonderful meals, she was actually getting spoiled.

She was thinking of maybe reading a book when she could hear the sounds of someone (hopefully Killian) running up the stairs and towards her room. Without knocking, he slammed opened the door and before she could yell at him about privacy or ask him if Henry was alright, he said, "Mary Margaret's in labor."

Emma jumped off her bed before asking, "How do you--?"

"I just saw David bringing her to the car. He said her water broke."

"Oh, they must be so thrilled! They're gonna keep us updated?"

"I asked David to do so, but I bet he's gonna be really busy."

"Right of course. We should go see them, when the baby arrives."

He nodded. "I was thinking that too. We should bring flowers. Or something."

"Maybe food. Don't women want regular food after they give birth?"

He raised an eyebrow. "How would I bloody know?"

"I just meant--I don't know either, but I'm sure that that would be a good idea."

"Whatever you say, love. I'll keep you updated."

"Yes, please."  

Hours had passed and they still hadn't heard a word. Neither were too concerned, though. Emma, especially, remembered Elsa's delivery with Henry. Though Emma had been patiently waiting in the lobby for any update, she was told later by Liam that Elsa yelled insults at him that would have made a sailor blush. "But," he smiled down at his boy, "twenty hours of labor was worth it for this fellow."

"I don't see you pushing a baby out of your body," a slightly drugged up Elsa retorted.

"Nor will you ever see that." Liam then leaned down and lightly kissed his wife's forehead. "You're bloody amazing, though."

Emma was actually at work the next day,  trying not to roll her eyes at Graham as he once again missed the bullseye badly, when her phone rang.

"Killian?"

"Yeah, David said she had the baby."

Emma practically bounced in her seat. "And...?"

"And what?"

"Killian!"

He chuckled. "A boy. Mummy and baby are fine."

Emma smiled wistfully. "A boy. Does he have a name?"

"No, not yet. When is your lunch break? I'll come by and pick you up."

"On what, your motorcycle?"

"No, love, the...Liam's car. I found the keys."

"Oh. I get off in--" she looked down at her watch "-half an hour."

"I'll be there."

When she hung up, Graham was looking over at her. "What?"

"Nothing. Just sounded so...domestic."

"Shut up. You try living with someone for three months and not sound domestic from time to time."

"It's not a bad thing, Emma. I'm actually quite proud of you."

"Proud?"

"Yeah. You are living a, dare I say it? Normal life with a man you can barely tolerate. I'm proud of you."

"Shut up, Graham."

Sure enough, a half hour later, Killian pulled up in Liam's CRV. Emma jumped into the passenger's seat before taking a deep breath. "Did you stop at Granny's?" She said, referring to the diner that both Killian and Emma have considered to be their second home. Which is ironic, considering that was where their first date was held.

"Aye. I got Mary Margaret a turkey sandwich, unsure if she would want to eat anything more than that. But I also got you a grilled cheese."

Emma reached behind her to pull out her sandwich as Killian backed up and pulled out of the parking lot. "Oh, my God, thank you! I've been craving one all day." As she opened the container she asked, "Henry's at day care?"

Killian gasped before saying, "Damn it! I knew I forgot something!"

Emma almost dropped her sandwich, ready to turn this car around and go back home before he chuckled. "I'm kidding, love. Aye, Henry's at daycare."

She shook her head before muttering, "I hate you."

Killian smiled, knowing that she was just saying that.

~*~

           They walked quickly into the hospital, smiling from ear to ear. Emma barely remembers even asking the nurse for Mary Margaret's room number, but luckily Killian caught the number and lead her down the hallway.

           Knocking gently, Emma slowly opened the door to reveal an exhausted looking Mary Margaret on the bed and David standing by the windows, gently bouncing a buddle of blankets in his arms.

           "Can we come in?" she asked.

           "Of course! Of course!" Mary Margaret insisted as she gestured for them to come further into the room.

"Congratulations you guys," Emma commented before going over to Mary Margaret. On sudden impulse, Emma leaned down and quickly gave the new mother a quick peck on the cheek. Mary Margaret looked surprised by this, but other than giving a small smile said nothing.

"Yes, congrats to you both," Killian said before placing the bag from Granny's on the small table in front of Mary Margaret. "We brought this, thinking you might actually want food instead of flowers."

"Oh, that's a lovely thought," Mary Margaret replied, tears gathering in her eyes. "Sorry, sorry. I'm an emotional rollercoaster right now." She reached over for a tissue before wiping her eyes and giving a small laugh. "You're gonna have to excuse me."

"Of course love," Killian said with a small smile.

"Is that him?" Emma asked as she walked over to David.

David smiled down at his son. "Yes. May I introduce you two to Mr. Leo Nolan."

Emma leaned over David, gently holding onto his shoulder. "Hello Leo. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hi Leo," Killian said, also smiling over at the boy. He looked back over at Mary Margaret. "And how are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Probably as good as I look."

"You look bloody amazing."

"That's what I told her!" David insisted.

Mary Margaret scoffed. "He lies and you swear to it," she said as she shook her head.

"Do you want to hold him?" David asked Emma.

"Sure!" she exclaimed before dropping her purse on the chair and holding her arms out for the newborn. She remembers the first time she held Henry, and is once again surprised by the weight of the baby. Or rather, the lack of one. "God, how can babies be so light?" she remembered asking Liam and Elsa. "I've held books heavier than him."

"Hi Leo," she said now to the baby in her arms. "It's so very nice to meet you."

"Can I hold him?" Killian asked.

"Of course," Mary Margaret said as David squeezed in next to her on the bed.

Emma handed Leo over to Killian, who gently took him in his arms. He began very gently bouncing Leo, and Emma tried very hard not to smile at the imagine.

When she looked over at the couple on the bed, she noticed David watching Killian with a small smile that new fathers can never seem to get rid of, but saw Mary Margaret looking straight at her with a smile of her own.

"What?" Emma asked, but Mary Margaret simply shook her head and looked over at Killian.

~*~

Emma and Killian were walking down the hallway talking about Leo and leading back towards the lobby when Emma turned her head to the left. It wasn't like she saw something out of the corner of her eye, or even that a voice in her head said to turn left. She just did. And she saw the hallway. The hallway that only a few months ago she, Killian, and Walsh ran down to get to the stairs. The hallway that would lead her to the biggest change in her life (and for her, that was a pretty big deal).

"Swan!?"

Emma quickly looked in front of her to see Killian about four feet ahead. He walked back, his eyebrows knitted together, concern all over his face. "Swan? Are you okay? I called you a couple of times, and you just stopped walking."

"Yeah, no. No, I'm fine. I am. I just..." She looked back down the hallway. Just like in movies, she could almost see three ghosts running down the hallway, heading towards the stairs. She wanted to burst into tears. How could she be so happy just minutes ago, so happy about a life coming into this world, when her best friend and her husband died in this very building just months ago? How could she walk into this hospital and not even pause for a moment to remember them?

Was she forgetting them?

Emma almost had to stop the gasp of breath from leaving her mouth, but knew that she couldn't stop the tears gathering up in her eyes. She was moments away from losing it, she just knew it.

Killian gently touched her arm. "Emma? Love, what is it? What's going on?"

Emma simply nodded her head towards the hallway. She knew that Killian understood, because a moment later he just simply went, "Oh."

So gently, Emma almost didn't even realize it at first, Killian put his arm around her shoulder and guided her to the exit. They said nothing, both holding back tears as they walked to the car.

When Killian unlocked the car, Emma ran towards the passenger's seat and opened the door as quickly as she could. The door hadn't even shut before she let out a loud gasp and the tears that had been threatening to fall, came quickly down her face. She took a loud breath as Killian got into the car and shut the door, his head falling back onto the head rest.

"I didn't even think about them!" she sobbed. "How could I not remember them when we got here?"

"Because of the baby," he said quietly, though she was sure that his voice was shaking. She couldn't see through the tears in her eyes, but she was certain that he was crying too.

"But I didn't give them one thought, Killian! Not one thought! What kind of friend am I?"

Killian gave no response. Or maybe he did and she didn't hear it. She was sobbing so hard, her head pounding from the lack of oxygen and how hard she was crying.

She didn't know how long she was crying in the car, whether it was a few minutes, or more like thirty, but when she calmed down enough to take deep breathes, she noticed that Killian was holding out napkins.

"Thanks," she muttered before taking them and blowing her nose in a completely unladylike manor. Then she rubbed her eyes and when she looked at the napkin, it was all smudged from her mascara. Great, she thought, I probably look like a raccoon.

She kept rubbing her eyes, reminding herself to breath as she did so. When she finally calmed down enough, she looked over at Killian. And then she wanted to break down again. Because he was not unaffected by her outburst. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was all red, probably from crying and then rubbing his face with the rough napkins.

"We're not forgetting them, Emma," he said when they both calmed down. "You're not...You're not a bad friend."

She sniffed, but said nothing.

Reaching over, he gently took her hand in his as he said, "I read...I read a quote once...'Babies remind us that time moves on.' And it's true. That's all that happened here, Emma. Leo...Leo is the future. Henry is the future. But Liam and Elsa...they are never far from my mind, and I know that Elsa is never far from yours. So, no, you're not a bad friend. You're just thinking about the future. As we all should be. And you know," he squeezed her hand as he continued, "you know that Elsa would kick your ass right now. And Liam would kick mine. We just saw a newborn baby, Emma. And that's a beautiful moment."

She nodded before doing something she never in a million years thought she would do.

She leaned over and kiss him on the cheek.

When she pulled back, she simply whispered, "Thank you." He gave her a small nod before letting go of her hand and turning on the engine.

[daesungindistress]

1.Hi, I came across this post (daesungindistress(.)tumblr(.)com/post/161838867627/i-used-to-love-todae-too-but-then-realized-theyre) but unfortunately I deleted my tumblr some time ago and can't reply on it so here is something that came to mind while reading through it. This might get a little long. Bare with me :) .. I actually started liking BB not long ago through Dae and his amazing voice and started looking at some videos and concerts and such and one thing that struck me was SH and Dae

Besides the fact that he is literally the other half of Dae in every Dae related show out there. Their relationship is something that sticks out from the group although it is the one they Seung Hyung and mostly Dae goes out to put little focus on. If they did the whole GD+Ri and GD+Top that Ri and GD does then they will blow them all out in terms of “fanservice”. Something they barely do.

I enjoyed reading through both your thoughts and like I said, I haven’t been listening or paying attention to them for long, a couple of months at most. I do agree with both your posts. From what I’ve seen of Seung Hyun, he is more impulsive as far as his emotions goes and he says and does things that some times makes you go what the hell is you doing baby. I remember seeing one interview where I think it was PSY who diverted from the whole mess he was digging himself into.

He is not someone who hides things or goes out of his way to really hide it. You give him the opportunity to talk about something that he doesn’t mind talking about without any backlash and he will tell it all. And then you have Dae who is more “calculating” on how much he lets out. Something I’ve noticed is that during interviews he mostly says the same thing where he either takes something out and add something new or shift it a little. And he makes it so funny that most are like awww and

and then goes so funny like you said the smiling angel until the times comes where things like Seung Hyun talking about calling him whenever he is feeling down and then people goes oh, that was serious. I’ve been watching k-dramas and such for almost a decade so I know the K-Entertainment is brutal and sometimes how you conduct yourself can come back and bite you in the ass. I do have artists that I like but in general I stay far far away from the K-Pop/music world.

In Daes case by being “closed”up, there isn’t much people can use against him in any case that isn’t made up situations. Also as an introverted person he charges his energy by being with himself and I get that, after having too much conferences within a week I tend to not want to see anyone during the weekend to recharge. I think they balance each other out, his “need” to always be there for Seung Hyun forces him out of his comfort zone.

They are so silly whenever they are on screen together I question how they are considered adults lol. And that’s like one part of their relationship the part that they can show without showing too much. If their situation was a drowning person and one saving I believe both would have drowned by now. Seeing how even more serious Seung Hyun situation seems to be, there is only so much holding above water you can do before you drown yourself or let go.

Normally when people are in a low place, they go to their therapist and try to work through things or do things you normally do that helps you. And so for him to call Dae in such a situation means he knows he is someone who can help him tip the balance back into his life. I think what Dae does, is to be constantly be there for him in order to make sure he doesn’t get to that low point but that can’t be always the case since they also have a life out there.

There is this translation of I think it was the final concert they did and Dae mentioned always wanting to be there for him and give him strength but not doing enough because he easily gets embarrassed. I found that quote interesting. I think they are so low key with their friendship in the public eye that even meeting in private is something the rest of the world with never know, until they decide it is time to do so. But I get why some times people will be like oh maybe they aren’t that

close because they don’t get “caught” or didn’t post about it. Regarding SeungRi’s mess, from what I’ve read, he has been dropping enough hints about those two relationship. It was interesting how Dae got pissed at him for even dropping the fact that Seung Hyun called him. Like really Dae, it’s not that deep. Which also shows, if it was up to him there will be less shown to the rest of the world about how deep their relationship is.

The fact that they haven’t beaten SeungRi with his mouth yet is funny. Dropping the fact that Seung Hyun loves Dae the most o teasing them as lovers from their recent FM. I’m actually expecting his ass to be whooped at this point lol. Did this whole mess even make sense? I didn’t type it out before and just went with what’s on my mind. Hopefully it made some sense.

So when I said this reply would take “a day or two” evidently what I really meant was over a week. So sorry! 😰

I think it’s really cool that you’ve been able to see all these things despite not being into BB for all that long (since you said you started liking them “not long ago”). The short version of this is: yes, I agree! “Literally the other half of Dae” …I love that! Aaaaand now I’m putting the rest behind a cut because… length. Yep.

About fanservice and how they’d blow the others out of the water if only they did it… I don’t think Daesung is all that into couple-y fanservice. Or shippy fanservice, I should probably say. Sad but (probably) true. In fact, he seems to make attempts to discourage it at times, and I try not to think too hard about why that is. This is in stark contrast to Seungri, who keeps up with the trends and knows what the fans want and enjoys giving it to them (us)… even if that means, yes, fanservice. And not always of the spontaneous variety; sometimes it’s pre-planned and carefully thought out.

What comes to mind first is a pretty renowned onstage GRi moment during the MADE tour that was later revealed in the MADE movie to have been a product of Seungri’s planning. He suggested it to GD well ahead of the concert and it seemed GD balked a bit at the idea. But they did it anyway, because they knew the fans would love it. I think that disappointed a lot of fans, when the truth came out, and I completely understand why. We like our shippy moments between the members to be ~real~ and ~natural~ and ~organic~ and ~heartfelt~

…or something. You know?

WHICH is why I get the sense that what we see between TOP and Daesung is rarely just fanservice, if it’s fanservice at all. I don’t think Daesung is into it, and as for TOP… I really feel like TOP just does what he wants, when he wants, cameras be damned. What we end up seeing from them… I dunno. It feels sincere. Probably part of why I’m so drawn to it, to them. Even if it sometimes leaves me feeling like a creeper, lol. 😅

Another thing: I could be wrong, but I don’t think Daesung is much for PDA (public displays of affection). Taking it further, I’m not sure he’s very handsy at all, with his friends or otherwise. You always see the other members touching and caressing and hanging all over him (except for Seungri?), but Daesung rarely reaches out and reciprocates. The only times I can recall seeing him touch the other guys of his own volition (i.e., when he’s not being instructed to for photos or whatever) is when he’s collapsing against them in laughter. You know, dropping his hands on their arms or shoulders. Safe places. No hands on knees or thighs like YB, no arm slung low around the back like TOP, no soft hugs from behind or chin hooked over a shoulder like GD.

The other times Daesung initiates touching are when he and Seungri are sharing the stage, such as in their recent dual rendition of Joyful. He gets a little rough sometimes with Ri, grabbing and pulling him in or pushing him away. But the way I see it, he’s deep into performance mode then and can be expected to play it up a bit for the crowd. (But wait, didn’t I just say he doesn’t do that kind of fanservice? God, y'all, I hate when I end up contradicting myself. I’m just gonna call it the Maknae Effect.)

Sometimes I wonder if his reticence to touch has anything to do with GD, YB, and TOP being his hyungs. Possibly he doesn’t feel it’s appropriate to touch them as freely as they do him. But then… nah. Dismiss that thought. I might be projecting a bit, not being a physically affectionate person myself– the thought to make contact never really occurs to me, and when it does? I’d rather not– but yeah, I just think Daesung tends to be more of a hands to himself kinda guy. (Of course, if we were talking about a love interest he’d surely be warmer toward them, but what I’m discussing here is in a more general sense.)

OKAY. Yikes, sorry, went off on a tangent there. Finally moving on from that. I like that you pointed out how Daesung has this tendency to repeat himself in interviews, often telling the same story over and over again but adding or taking away tidbits, just enough variation to keep it interesting and fresh. And yes, often putting a funny spin on it. Humor is not only great entertainment, it’s a good diversionary tactic. Give people that quick laugh they’re looking for and they’re satisfied, ready to move on. I mean, hey, more power to him, but this is largely why I say that Daesung’s air of openness feels a bit shallow to me at times. I’m always left feeling like we’re just scratching at the surface and getting, well… nowhere.

…Which is perfectly understandable, of course! He’s not exactly going to bare all to the public. I keep having to remind myself that because, perhaps like TOP, once I get to talking I tend to tell all (perhaps a better word is “overshare”). Now there’s one good reason to never become famous. hah!

Alright alright. As for everything else you’ve said, really, agreed 100%! I don’t know that I have anything left to add at this point– or that anything I could add would make it any better tbh. I think your observations about ToDae are on point. Thank you for taking the time to type up and send so many messages to get this to me. And now I’m finally freeing it from my inbox so others can see too.😃

*Oh! I do also like that you brought up Seungri casually throwing out a “because TOP loves Daesung the most” in that one fanmeeting. And his teasing when Daesung was asked about his relationship with TOP in another fanmeeting: “Lovers?”😂 Can’t remember if I ever shared those moments here at this blog, but I have seen them (and loooved them, of course).