Hooked

Ariel had managed to sleep through the night and when she woke up, she wasn’t sad and she felt well rested. She had no idea what time it was, but she knew she had been asleep for a long time. She decided that it would be a good day to stay in, bundling up in a fresh pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She brushed through her hair, attempting to untangle it and noticing that it was gritty and smelled like the sea. Normally this would comfort her, but right now it just reminded her that the ocean was no longer a safe haven for her.

She gave up brushing it and decided to jump in the shower and wash it. The more she thought about it, the more helpless she felt about the whole situation. The ocean had been her home for such a long part of her life, and now it had almost taken what was left of her life away from her. It was a hard fact to grasp that she couldn’t swim, these legs still not completely familiar to her.

It was as she was drying her hair that she started to cry. Knowing that she couldn’t swim and that the ocean was dangerous to her… It just made her feel like she had lost a loved one. When her hair was dry and she was back in her warm clothes she went straight to the kitchen and made herself a drink. She drank it quickly before pouring another one and taking it into the living room. Killian wasn’t here and she was kind of thankful for it. He put her on edge and she really just wanted to relax.

She grabbed a book from her bookcase and sat on the couch with her drink.

---

She was awoken when Killian tried to take her book from her hand.

“Where have you been?” she slurred, rubbing at her eyes.

“Just attending to some business,” he said, smiling down at her. He looked away, looking around the room before picking up Ariel’s empty glass from the coffee table. He raised it to his nose and sniffed it. “I see you’ve been drinking.”

Ariel sat up slowly, the room spinning slightly as she ran a hand carefully through her hair. She rolled her eyes as she stood up.

“You know, you roll your eyes at me quite a bit,” he said.

“Well you give me plenty of reasons to roll my eyes,” she said, taking the glass from his hand and walking to the kitchen. She finished what was left in her glass and put it in the sink. She wanted to pour another drink, but even in her current state she knew that probably wouldn’t have been a good idea.

She focused her eyes on the bottle of Captain Morgan on the counter, noting that it was getting low. She’d probably have to pick up another bottle soon.

She turned around quickly, which was a mistake, because Killian was right there and she stumbled slightly as she tried to avoid him. Killian caught her before she could fall over, though, his good hand gripping her waist while his hook rested gently on her hip.

“Easy there,” he muttered. “Don’t need you putting yourself in harm’s way again anytime soon, sweetheart.”

“Well, wouldn’t you say my being around you so much is a bit dangerous?” she asked. Killian laughed.

“I’m only dangerous when I need to be,” he said, eyes darting to her lips before returning to her gaze.

Ariel attempted to back up, but found the counter right behind her. She gasped at the impact of it, and watched Killian warily as he leaned in. He hovered there, watching for her reaction, his lips so close to hers, not touching. She could feel his hot breath there and when she saw his intentions to close the gap, she turned her head quickly, his lips grazing the corner of her mouth and stopping on her cheek. They stayed like that for a moment, Ariel slightly shocked. Killian sighed before stepping away from her. He reached behind her and grabbed the bottle of rum off the counter.

Ariel watched as he went into the living room before following him hesitantly. Killian sat on the couch, unscrewing the top off of the bottle before taking a long drink from it. Ariel moved in the direction of her bedroom quietly. She spared him one last glance before going into her room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Once she was in bed, she realized that whatever had just happened had managed to sober her up and for the first time in a while, she found she couldn’t sleep because of something else other than her haunting dreams.