Quality Time - Madhook
“Don’t forget your hat,” Jefferson said as he made sure his daughter’s ears were well covered by her pink ear flaps attached to the hat.
“Papa, it’s fine,” Grace said with a giggle. “I’m very warm.”
“Well, the woods are cold. I don’t want you to catch a chill,” Jefferson said.
“She’ll be fine, love,” Killian said, draping his arm over Jefferson’s shoulders.
“Yes, listen to him, Papa. I’ll be fine,” Grace said. She gave her father a smile and stood on her tip toes to press a kiss to his cheek.
“I know, I know,” Jefferson said. He picked up Grace’s backpack and helped slide it onto her shoulders. “Now go, before you miss the bus. Say hi to Ms. Blanchard for us.”
“I will,” Grace said. “Bye Papa! Bye Killian!”
Jefferson and Killian watched her jog across the schoolyard to join her classmates and board the bus. Their class camping trip was this weekend and Jefferson was feeling a little anxious about Grace being out in the woods.
“She will be fine, Jefferson. She’s smart, she’s with her friends, and Mary Margaret will watch after her,” Killian said.
Jefferson nodded and let out a long sigh. He watched as Grace’s bus pulled out of the school parking lot and headed down the road towards the woods.
“Love, look at me,” Killian said. He took Jefferson’s chin in his good hand and made the hatter look him right in the eyes. “This is the first time that you and I have been alone for an entire weekend. Do you want to spend this time worrying about Grace, who you know will be fine, or do you want to have a romantic evening with your favorite pirate?”
Jefferson averted his eyes to the ground but there was a shy smile on his lips.
“I think my time would be better spent focusing on you, hmm?” Jefferson admitted, looking back up at Killian.
“Aye, I would agree,” Killian said and pressed a soft kiss to Jefferson’s lips.
Jefferson linked his fingers with Killian’s and gently tugged him towards the sidewalk so that they could start to walk home.
The large house that used to seem haunted to Jefferson, despite him being the only one in it, now seemed more like a home. A home where his family lived, happily, and all together. Opening the front door didn’t give him a sense of solitude anymore. Now there was a comfort and a warmth that spread through him when he took his first step onto the soft white carpet.
Killian shrugged off his leather jacket and hung it on the peg near the door. Jefferson followed his lead, but left his scarf on as they both walked into the living room. Killian plopped down on the couch and tugged on Jefferson’s sleeve until he fell into the pirate’s lap. Jefferson chuckled and tucked his head underneath Killian’s jaw.
“What would you like to do this weekend?” Killian asked.
“What would you--,”
“No, no, love,” Killian interrupted. “I asked what you would like to do. Besides, I think you know what I’d want to do. I know you’re fond of your scarf, so that would be all you would be wearing.”
Jefferson closed his eyes and smiled, so Killian took the opportunity to press soft kisses across his face, taking his time around Jefferson’s eyes.
“I could just stay here all weekend,” Jefferson admitted with a content sigh.
“We don’t get much time to do this, do we?” Killian asked.
“No, we don’t,” Jefferson said. “It’s relaxing.”
“Aye,” Killian said. He began to run his fingers through Jefferson’s hair, a gesture he knew always relaxed Jefferson, so he wanted to keep the comforting up.
“I’m going to fall asleep,” Jefferson said with a chuckle. He opened his eyes and looked up at Killian.
“You can if you want--,”
“No, I want to spend time with you,” Jefferson said and grabbed onto Killian’s vest. He sounded like a petulant child who was trying to extend his bedtime.
“Then what shall we do, love?” Killian asked.
Jefferson turned his head to look out the window near the front of the house. The leaves blowing past the window told him that the wind had picked up a little bit. But the little white flurries blowing along with the leaves are what caught Jefferson’s interest.
“What about ice skating?” Jefferson suggested, looking back at Killian.
“Ice skating?” Killian asked.
“Yes. You know, where you put skates on your feet and glide around on frozen water?” Jefferson teased.
“I know what it is, smart ass,” Killian said, nudging Jefferson with his hook.
“Have you never done it?” Jefferson asked.
“No, actually I haven’t. Any water I’ve been on has been beneath my ship,” Killian said.
“Then we should go,” Jefferson said, standing up from Killian’s lap. “It’ll be fun.”
Killian looked skeptical but stood up nonetheless.
“I don’t own skates,” Killian said.
“I have plenty,” Jefferson said with a wink.
Jefferson walked off down the hall to fetch the skates. Killian took a deep breath and looked around the room. He didn’t know why he felt so nervous. So he had never ice skated before, big deal. Killian could take down a band of rival pirates all by himself, with only one hand, but ice skating was making him nervous?
“Found a pair that look your size,” Jefferson said as he came back into the room with two pairs of black ice skates in his hands.
Jefferson hung one pair on Killian’s hook by the tied laces, and walked over to the coat pegs by the front door to grab their jackets.
“Ready to go?” Jefferson asked as he shrugged his coat on.
“Ready, love,” Killian said as he walked towards him.
Jefferson put his hat on his head and opened the door. The pair walked out and Killian slipped his jacket on as he walked with Jefferson to the small pond behind the mansion. The water had been freezing over for the past few days, and the pond wasn’t very deep so it wouldn’t take long. Jefferson sat on a bench and laced his skates up on his feet. Killian slipped his on as well and Jefferson helped him lace them up. Killian stood up and wobbled a little. Jefferson took his arm to help him get his balance before he led him over to the patch of the ice a few feet away.
Jefferson placed one skate on the ice, let go of Killian’s arm, and pushed off with his other foot. He took a lap around the small rink and came to a stop in front of his partner.
“Come skate with me,” Jefferson said.
Killian nodded and took a hesitant step on the ice. He pushed off with the other foot just like Jefferson did but couldn’t keep his balance as well as the hatter could. Killian stumbled forward but Jefferson was able to catch Killian’s shoulders before he could fall down.
“Do you want me to teach you?” Jefferson asked.
“I think I can get the hang of it,” Killian said.
Jefferson fondly rolled his eyes but let go of Killian’s shoulders. Jefferson knew his pirate by now. He knew that he was incredibly stubborn and determined to do things on his own.
Killian tried gliding along the pond without taking his feet off of the ice. Jefferson bit his lip to keep from smiling as he watched. Killian reminded him of Grace when she was just learning to walk as a baby. The way his legs barely moved, like he was afraid that he would fall at any moment. But in Killian’s case, he didn’t have a cushy diaper to soften the fall if he fell backwards.
“Sweetie, I think you better turn or you’re going to skate right into the grass,” Jefferson said, trying not to sound like he was telling him what to do.
“I’ve got it,” Killian said as he tried to maneuver his feet to the side. Unfortunately, he did it too abruptly and it forced his feet to a halt on the ice. The jolt cause Killian to fall to the ice, right on his hip.
“Killian!” Jefferson skated over next to the fallen man and got on his knees next to him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Killian said as he pushed himself into a sitting position. “I’m fine, love.”
“Oh, Killian,” Jefferson frowned. “You’ve cut yourself.”
Jefferson ran his thumb lightly under the cut on Killian’s cheek bone.
“My hook must’ve caught it,” Killian grumbled as he tried to stand up.
“Let’s go into the house. I’ll clean it up,” Jefferson said, standing up as well.
“Not yet,” Killian said. He took Jefferson’s hand tightly in his own. “First, will you teach me to skate?”
Jefferson smiled and pressed a kiss to Killian’s uninjured cheek.
“I would love to,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson started slowly skating backwards, tugging Killian along with him gently.
“How do I move my feet?” Killian asked.
“Just watch my feet. In and out,” Jefferson said.
Killian watched Jefferson’s feet while keeping a tight hold on his hand.
“There you go, you’ve got it,” Jefferson said with a grin.
Killian chuckled and looked up at Jefferson.
“You sound like you’re talking to Grace,” Killian said.
“Then I guess you should call me ‘Papa’, huh?” Jefferson teased.
“I’ll call you whatever you want,” Killian said with a wink.
Jefferson’s cheeks tinged pink, and not from the cold biting at them.
“If I let go, do you think you’ve got it?” Jefferson asked.
“Let’s see, shall we?” Killian said.
Jefferson slowly let go of Killian’s hand but kept facing him as he skated backwards, holding his arms out just in case. Killian managed to keep his balance, following Jefferson along the edge of the pond. Killian bobbled as his skate hit a divot in the ice, but he managed to use his arms to keep his balance.
“Nicely done. Would you skate a lap with me?” Jefferson asked, offering his hand to Killian. Killian grinned and took his partner’s hand in his own.
“It would be my pleasure, love,” Killian said.