Read All About It: Chapter 6
Summary: Using Twitter to ask an actual princess on a date may not have been Killian’s best idea - until it was.
The credit for the wonderful banners for this story goes to @hollyethecurious and @itsfabianadocarmo. Thank you both so much!
Killian slept better that evening than he had all week. Hotel rooms were not his favourite place to spend the night, but he’d gotten used to them over the years. It helped that he’d stayed up late talking to Princess Emma - or Emma as she had insisted he call her. Getting to know a little more about her had been one of the greatest privileges of his life.
He was in a much better mood when he joined his family for breakfast the following morning. However, the tension from the previous night was still palpable around the table, and Killian sighed as he slid into his seat.
“I’m sorry,” was the first thing he said. “I was having a bad day yesterday, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you guys.”
Liam looked up from his mug of coffee at his brother’s words as a bright grin spread over his face. “It’s okay, Brother. I forgive you. Now, how about we go out tonight, just the two of us? See if we can find you someone pretty to spend some time with before you fly back to Canada?”
It was the last thing that Killian wanted to do, but he also didn’t want to offend his brother any more than he already had. So, with a reluctant smile, he told Liam, “Sure. I’d like that.”
Throughout the day, Killian made the most of the little time he had left with his family. His parents were flying home to Ireland the next day, and he’d be heading back to Vancouver the following week to begin preparations for filming. It also helped that he knew Princess Emma would be in a meeting until five pm and wouldn’t be able to respond to any of his messages.
Instead of obsessively checking his phone all day, Killian enjoyed exploring what the capital had to offer, starting with a flight on the London Eye, followed by a trip to Madame Tussauds. Liam had hours of fun watching as fangirls stood back, waiting to see if Killian was a new addition to the line-up or an actual visitor to the attraction. Needless to say, it took them far longer to get around than they had originally planned.
When they finally made it back to the hotel, it was past six, and everyone was complaining about their decision to skip lunch. Killian left his parents to order food, and Liam to find some drinks, while he excused himself to use the bathroom. Safely locked inside a cubicle once again, he pulled out his phone to check for messages.
Princess Emma hadn’t disappointed. She’d sent both a tweet and a private message to his account. Killian checked the tweet first, which simply read:
It appears Madame Tussauds has a new model, @KillianJones1
She’d attached a picture of himself with a fan, taken earlier that day, to the message, and Killian couldn’t stop himself from laughing.
@PrincessEmma The likeness is uncanny.
His response was quick, but he knew it would be effective.
In their private chat, Princess Emma had sent a much more personal message.
Good evening. How was your day at Tussauds? I’ve seen plenty of pictures of you there, so I’m guessing it was a busy one. Did you apologise to your brother yet for snapping at him? (I assume he’s the other extremely handsome devil in the pictures I found online.)
The thought of Princess Emma Googling pictures of him made Killian flush slightly. He hoped to God there wasn’t anything embarrassing on there. He’d made a point to avoid Googling himself once he’d become more famous. Killian knew how hurtful the press could be, and he really didn’t want to know what they were writing about him.
The sound of a knock on the cubicle door broke him out of his musings as his brother’s voice called out, “Are you okay, Killian? You’ve been in there a while.”
Killian schooled his features in the hopes of keeping his voice natural and replied, “Yeah. I just got distracted by a message from Robin. I’ll be right out.”
He waited for the sound of his brother’s footsteps to disappear before he tapped out a quick reply.
It was busy, but my parents seemed to enjoy themselves, and I love meeting my fans. So, all in all - a very good day. We’ve just stopped for something to eat as we skipped lunch this afternoon. And yes, I’ve apologised to him. He wants us to go out tonight and “get laid.” His suggestion, not mine. So, I guess I’m in for a late one. How was your meeting?
With his message sent, Killian silenced his phone, left the cubicle, washed his hands, and made his way back to the table his parents had chosen - which was now piled high with glasses of Guinness and plates of food.
Killian wasn’t terribly excited about his brother’s idea of a ‘good night out,’ but nonetheless, he made the effort expected of him. A pair of dark wash jeans, a black shirt, and black shoes completed his look for the night. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed a night out with his brother, so Killian intended to make the most of it - even if it would involve dodging women all night long.
He hadn’t heard from Princess Emma since her message earlier that day, but he wasn’t too worried. He knew she would be meeting with her mother for dinner that evening, so she had probably just been too busy to respond to him.
Before he left, inspiration grabbed him, and Killian stopped before the floor-length mirror on the wall in his bathroom. He’d never been a huge fan of the selfies taken in bathroom mirrors that girls posted online, but this time, he decided to make an exception. After all, Princess Emma had sent him one, so it was only fair he returned the favour. Killian sent the picture before he could talk himself out of it, along with a short message that said:
Ready to spend the night avoiding all the girls my brother thinks I should hook up with. (We really don’t have the same taste in anything. At all!)
With his message sent, Killian left the room, ready to meet his brother at the hotel’s taxi pick-up point.