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"Just stay," Emma mumbled, her head resting on her boyfriend's left shoulder and her tears drying slowly. Although she had tried to deny it, the way he had his arm around her was comforting and made her feel like she was home, after all the time she'd spent searching for it.
And why wouldn't she be? Because everyone she ever loved had died? Because last night she had been deathly afraid of losing Killian just like she'd lost everyone else, and that fear made her lose control instead and snap at him?
He understood her. He had waited for her to get over the pain, he had been there to help her when she was afraid, he had made her feel better than she'd ever felt in her entire life with other people.
The little things he did for her meant a lot. Killian was like a father to her son, he always helped her up when she fell down and felt like laying there forever, he comprehended everything she felt when she was mad and even helped her see the bright side of things. He carried her stuff and made her laugh all the time. Emma was on the verge of crumbling under the pressure of being the savior, believing that she wasn't good enough, but with him she truly felt special.
He saw through the mask she tried to wear when she was hurting. Killian knew all about her fears, her dreams, her pain, her hopes. Somehow, even when she put up her walls and did her best to avoid letting him in, he could read her like an open book. Perhaps it was a side effect of caring about her for so long.
No one else was going to love her like he did. There was just something about the way he'd sauntered into the room wearing his black jacket, willing to talk when she thought he'd say goodbye instead, that made Emma love him so much.
"Always, Swan."
Killian had given her no choice but to stay. And she liked that.