(Even before I met you) I was far from indifferent to you (1/1)
Hello all! This is my submission for @csseptembersunshine.
From this prompt: Au where Liam and Emma are roommates and Killian and Belle are roommates. Since neither Jones brother has a date for the family Christmas party, they bring Emma and Belle.The fun starts when Liam lays eyes on Belle and Killian sees Emma and their jaws hit the floor. Cue both brothers whispering furiously to the other âWhy didnât you tell me your roommate was that gorgeous?âÂ
There seems to be an awful lot of interest here! I for one would love Killian always hearing about Liamâs roommate in very general terms, thinking he was just another guy from the Boston PD, until he finally meets her and Bloody hellâŚ
Thank you @profdanglaisstuff for being my beta and making sure my tenses are all correct, because apparently thatâs a problem I have :p
Killian is forced to bring a date to his parents Christmas party and is shocked that Liam is bring his homicide detective partner, Swan, who as far Killian knows, is a man.Â
In his many years on earth, Killian Jones had always been a ladies man. When he began the eighth grade at the age of 13 he noticed how the girls flocked to him. His perpetual bedhead was now considered attractive. His deep blue eyes and long lashes no longer feminine, but alluring. His British accent that had once been a source of mockery from his classmates now pleasing to the ear. He had never had so many girls want to be his partner for class projects or labs.
When Killian turned 16, the body hair went full blast. Thick, luscious chest hair that the girls liked to touch and run their fingers through. His brunette locks full of body and styled carefully to look like he woke up with that hair, but not enough product so the girls who wanted to run their fingers through it would get it stuck. He still wasnât able to grow a beard or mustache yet, but he knew that would come in time. He tended to have several girls asking him to the Sadie Hawkins dance each year.
In college the facial hair came. Killian thought it looked best with a few days growth, and kept it trimmed and neat. The ladies flocked to him and he had several teaching assistants who seemed to think his grades could improve if he would take them out. He was taught good form by his older brother, Liam, so no funny business. But there was nothing wrong with taking a slightly older woman out for a good time and possibly getting a higher grade in his engineering courses because of it.
And Killian enjoyed the ladies. He would usually carouse the bars and share a bed with one for a night every other weekend, maybe once a month. While he did have a reputation for being a ladies man, he really didnât want to be that guy, the single guy who canât be in a monogamous relationship. And so, at the age of 25, he stopped picking up women at bars just to sleep with them and actually tried to get to know them. Some scoffed that the pretty boy would want anything more than just a one-nighter, some he honestly did try with, but they didnât share any common interests. Killian was a reader, and women who would rather watch the newest bad reality television program rather than read a good book just didnât interest him. Maybe he needed to start picking up women in places other than his local bar.
And then he met Milah. Killian knew the moment he laid eyes on her that she had to be his. Unfortunately, she was married to his boss. Fortunately, they were separated when she attacked his lips in the supply closet sheâd pulled him into after a few weeks of intense flirting on both sides. She was everything heâd been looking for. Intelligent, well-read, and beautiful. And the sex. Killian had never imagined that monogamous sex could be so satisfying. But getting to know your loverâs body and vice versa just made it so much better than with random hookups. All the fumbling and bad rhythms were gone after the first few times and Killian could just worship Milah like the amazing goddess that she was.
Which was why he was heartbroken when Milah broke up with him after two years. It was completely amicable, although it still hurt like a bitch. They were just at different places in their lives. She was finally out from her ex-husbandâs thumb and she wanted to travel and see the world. Killian wanted to get married, but she didnât want to so soon after her divorce. Killian couldnât just take off whenever he wanted to, he had to work for a living.
Which is why when Killianâs parents told him that because of some really good investments, they now had the means to help support Killian and Liam in anyway they would like, Killian thought that he would cry. Milah had left him six months earlier, right after the new year, precisely because he couldnât just travel anywhere on a whim, and now all he had to do was ask his parents for money and he could do it. But what was done was done. He knew Milah was touring South America and was pretty much unreachable. So, instead of wallowing about it, he decided on a career change.Â
Killian loved engineering, but he didnât want to stay working under Milahâs ex-husband, so he asked his parents to loan him money to open a bookstore, something heâd always dreamed of but had never had the means to do. He contacted his best friend, Belle, a fellow bibliophile and local librarian and asked her if sheâd like to co-manage the shop with him. He and Belle had met in college when friends of theirs had set them up on a blind date. With the exception of their love of books, they didnât have much in common. But because of their love of books, they forged a good friendship. They always recommended books to one another and had great in depth discussions about them. Which was why he knew she would perfect for helping him when he decided to open his bookshop. In fact, the name of the shop was inspired by his love of pirates and her love of flowers (her father owned a flower shop). So the Jolly Rose was born, and with it, a new sense of purpose for Killian.
Liam, on the other hand, despite being just as good looking as Killian (or so Killian thought), never seemed to be as lucky with the ladies. Heâd been gangly and awkward and didnât really grow into his body until after high school. Because they didnât have much money growing up, Liam had taken on getting a job to help support his parents and Killian as soon as he was old enough, which left little time for dating or any other extracurriculars. While Killian relied on scholarships and financial aid for college, Liam had joined the Navy, sending most of his pay to his parents and leaving just enough for his own living expenses. The Navy, besides giving him a muscular build that should have helped him rein in the ladies, also helped him get his degree in Criminal Justice. Liam had recently been promoted to detective in the homicide unit. He didnât want his parentsâ money, but he did let them give him money towards an apartment in a much nicer part of town than where he had been living.
But Killian always felt that Liam was lonely. Yes, he and Liam met once a week for drinks, and Killian knew that he hung out with his fellow detectives on occasion, but Liam (who was five years older than Killian), had never had a serious relationship as far as Killian knew.
It really should not have surprised Killian at all then, since both he and his brother were single, that when his parents decided to throw the most ostentatious party for Christmas that year, that Alice Jones was requiring them to bring dates.
