two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl

Killian had felt at a loss for a while now. His thoughts crowded, confused, conflicted. The darkness was gone, supposedly, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t feel it consuming him still. The memories were haunting, devastating and still so, so painful. The cocksure pirate could still taste the power of the Dark One. He wanted it. He had needed it. It felt…incredible. Jesus, he was starting to sound like the damn Crocodile. Shaking away those thoughts, Killian rifled through the papers in the cabin of the Jolly Roger, trying to sort through some of the crap. Maybe being back where it was familiar could help him get to grips with being back in Storybrooke. Maybe he could start pillaging and plundering again. Wouldn’t Swan just love that?!

The pieces of parchment were all a mess, and so Killian opened a draw and shoved the whole lot in. No damn point in caring now. Grabbing his jacket, the pirate headed up to the decks and shrugged the leather coat on.

The cool wind caught him, and Killian could feel the lust of the sea. Of being out on the open waves, Smee his first mate with him and a crew to boss around. After all, he was Captain Hook. Captain Hook was no pansy. He was the best damn pirate on the whole seven seas. His hook rested on the wheel, and Hook realised that maybe he needed to leave Storybrooke, to sail back to the Enchanted Forest and maybe just be a pirate again for a while.

He was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps, and turned around, raising an eyebrow, ”What the hell are you doing here?”

TAG: Rumplestiltskin

Rumple was pretty sure this was a bad idea.

Confronting Emma about what had happened had been easy- she was compassionate and filled with good will thanks to her parents. Her capacity to forgive was there, even if it was covered in a thick layer of suspicion. Hook, however, did not have the two kindest parents in the world to boost his good nature. He was... not a kind man. More than that, he had nothing but contempt for Rumple. Even before the whole 'killing him' thing, he hadn't exactly been a friend.

And for good reason- Rumple had done nothing but hurt him. He killed Milah, he used him, stole his heart, and then let his girlfriend murder him. Hardly good reasons to be forgiven. Still, if he was really going to do this 'changing for the better' thing, then he was going to need to do it properly. He just hoped he would be able to keep his composure around the pirate. It wasn't like Rumple liked HIM, either.

He stepped onto the boat, smiling faintly as Hook looked at him. "Hello, pirate," he offered in a somewhat cold voice, despite his reasons for being there, "You're looking a bit down for a man who just got a second chance at life."

He couldn't help but notice the way Hook had been musing over the ship's wheel. He had looked very forlorn. Lost. Rumple could guess why. He knew what it was like to hold great power, and then to lose it. Emma seemed fine without the powers of the Dark One, but he had to wonder about Hook.

Hook, like Rumple, was a being of darkness.

---

@captainhook

two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl

Bloody Crocodile. They had a lot of history. None of it good as far as Hook could remember - save for the Dark One being the reason he’d returned from the underworld. But to be fair, the crocodile was also the reason he’d ended up down there with Hades and all those other crooks.

Hook rolled his eyes at the other man’s tone and words. “What do you want Dark One?” He was more than a little peeved at Rumple’s appearance on his ship. What the hell did he think he was doing? Did he want a fight? Did he want an…apology? Jesus, he was an idiot if he thought the pirate was going to forgive him for anything. The crocodile had taken his hand, his love, his life - just about the only thing he hadn’t taken from him was his ship. And Killian would be damned if he let that happen.

“Yeah, and? We can’t all bounce back using dark magic, can we mate?” Hook retorted, giving Rumple a look. “Bloody Underworld.”

Yeah, that’d not been fun. Probably an understatement. Filled with so many people that Hook had screwed over, the Underworld was not a place that a former Dark One should ever be. Tormented by his misery, by the dark deeds he’d undertaken throughout his entire life, Hook couldn’t bare it.

”You know this is MY ship, right?” Hook walked around the wheel, his hook tapping on the wood as he moved. ”I’d watch your step Crocodile.”

TAG: Rumplestiltskin

Rumple smiled. "Does it sting calling me that again? Do you miss it?" He asked rather sharply. NO, that was a bad Rumple. He was suppose to be attempting to be NICE to Hook, not mock him for losing his Dark One powers. He cleared his throat, attempting to let those less-than-friendly thoughts go. He could have easily teased Hook for losing the powers. For losing a fight with a completely powerless man, and then losing all his dark magic to that very same person.

He only chuckled as Hook continued to look absolutely furious that Rumple was on his ship. It was amusing that he thought he could still threaten the Dark One, considering his standing. But then, that was something Hook had always done- he had never been afraid of the darkness Rumple was able to wield.

Perhaps it was a good sign- at least he was getting back to normal.

"Oh, yes, I'm quite sure your threats hold a lot of weight, pirate," Rumple shot back quickly, "by all means- if you have some measure of harming me, you're more than welcome to take a stab at it. But don't think even that poison is going to hurt me as I am right now." He spread his arms slightly, indicating that Hook was welcome to attack if he really thought it would do him some good.

"But I'm not here to engage in all our old rivalries. I want to bury the hatchet. I think we've done enough to one another over the years."

---

@captainhook

two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl

”What’s that supposed to mean Crocodile?” Killian bit back hard. Jesus, it was like he was in his head again. If it hadn’t been enough to have memories of the Dark One destroying his life, having him as an apparition when he’d been the Dark One had been more horrible than he could have imagined. Having the man he hated the most attempting to teach him to give into his dark side had been exactly as it sounds. It had been only too easy for Hook to fall, to give into the temptation of using those powers, those dark powers that he still could feel, that he could taste. He was so powerless now, and he only knew that too well.

Hook’s eyes narrowed at Rumplestiltskin, his hook still tapping on the wood of the wheel. “I would challenge you to a duel, but we both know you’re too much of a coward to fight fair.” He spat at the other man. ”I don’t care how much you’re hurting, mate. You bloody tricked all of us. You’re never going to be a hero, no matter how hard you try.”

Perhaps, the same could be said for him, but at the very least Hook was giving into that now. He’d seen how dark his heart was when Emma had given him all of the power of the Dark One, and really it felt like there was no going back at this point. ”You think I want to forgive you? After your plan ended with Swan killing me? Yeah, think again mate.”

TAG: Rumplestiltskin

Rumple smiled as he watched Hook get all worked up. The man probably wanted to fight him more than anything- just the chance to rip his throat out, even if it wouldn't actually kill him. Rumple couldn't deny that he had his own growing desire to knock Hook into next Thursday. Why had he thought that this was going to be a good idea?

"Too much of a coward? As I recall, you fought me with your Dark One powers, and it was only because I managed to get the sword from you that I even managed to survive that fight. I see nothing different between then and if I were to let you challenge me now, except I'm not willing to think so little of you that I'd attack you using my own dagger." That had been a foolish move on Hook's part, but he supposed it had worked out for him, in the end.

Sort of.

He knew Hook was trying to bait him by saying he wouldn't be a hero, but that didn't mean it wasn't working. He felt his feathers ruffle at the comment, the Dark One sucking in a deep breath to relax himself again.

"I don't care if you want to forgive, Hook," he replied, "It's not like I want to go collecting seashells on the beach with you. But dark things are coming- things that make me look harmless. Emma is already willing to forgive me, and you, at least, need to be willing to work with me when the time comes. Otherwise, you're just going to end up back in the Underworld, and I won't be able to ensure a path for you to come back a second time. You don't seem to understand that the only reason you're even here, sharing a heart with Emma, is because of me."

---

@captainhook

two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl

There’d always been a rivalry here between these two. Hook did not want Rumple to have the upper hand once more, but now he had the Dark One’s powers again he was on top. However, Hook would always remember the cowardly way Rumple had refused to fight him before and then come back with his magic and destroyed Hook through killing Milah. Betrayer. Coward. Dark One. And yet, Hook could understand the lure of the magic - it had felt like it was calling to him too. He knew why Rumple couldn’t give it up, but he’d not had that choice as the other man had. And he was glad of it because he wasn’t sure he would have been able to give it up.

Killian frowned and turned away from Rumple. Damn, Crocodile. He had it right this time. Hook had been a coward when he’d last fought Rumple. That was what being the Dark One brought upon you. ”I wasn’t myself.” He replied with a slight roll of his eyes.

”Yeah, we’re not going to be skipping through fields of flowers holding hands any time soon.” Killian sneered back. ”Yeah, that’s because Swan is the damn saviour and she’s got those two ‘I will always find you’ hopeful heroes for parents. She’s full of rainbows and flowers, and she believes that you can change. But I know you. Christ, I was the Dark One too, we’re villains, and that’s all we’re ever going to be. I’m not going to work with you.” Hook replied adamantly. ”Thanks, but no thanks. Yeah, all praise the Dark One, all praise Rumplestiltskin for saving us all from the darkness whilst bloody absorbing it all again himself.”

TAG: Rumplestiltskin

Hook was NOT making this easy. But then, he hadn't thought he would. Of any of the Storybrooke inhabitants, Hook was going to be the one who would be hardest to convince. If he could even convince him at all. By the looks of things so far, it wasn't QUITE going his way. He grunted when Hook claimed that he hadn't been himself at the time. "Oh, I see. You get a 'get out of trouble' free card because you were the Dark One at the time. I killed Milah because I was the Dark One. I took your hand when I was the Dark One. I took your heart when I was the Dark One. Where's my card, then, dearie?" He scoffed at the notion. It was very one-sided, to blame the powers for his troubles, but also to condemn Rumple for those very same powers.

Typical Hook. He only seemed to consider things from his own perspective. The bigger picture had never been on his mind at all. Probably why he had been fixated on killing one man for so much of his extended life.

"Of course I'm a villain, but that doesn't mean I can't be of some use," Rumple shot back, "my heart was purified. I have the chance to use this magic for good now. And I intend to. You were given a small taste of this power and you sought to kill everyone. I've had this power for hundreds of years, and I've never done anything so wicked. You tell me which of us is the real villain. I always told you that you can't hide from what you really are. My heart is clear, but yours is still drenched in darkness. I imagine even now, you're thinking about the power you lost. If you can get it back. I took this power because it's going to be needed. And I let Emma kill you to save you both." He took a few steps closer to the man. Though Hook was taller, he didn't mind a face-to-face confrontation.

"You might not like it, but right now, you're still the one who's the biggest threat here. The one who can't be trusted. Now that you've had this darkness in you, you'll get worse. I'm the only one who really understands that. How long before you start hurting the people you love? I wonder."

---

@captainhook

two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl

Screw it. The logic Hook had applied to the situation had fallen short, and yeah of course he knew it was double standards but he hadn’t been the Dark One anywhere near as long as Rumple had. Surely, the other should have been able to control the darkness in a way that Hook had not begun to learn. ”Fine. We’re both cowards. We’re both villains, we’re both evil. That doesn’t mean I’m at your level though, mate.”

Hook was never going to forgive him, or work with Rumple willingly. He’d grudgingly allow the other man to help the heroes and to aid the work against the Underworld, sure, they were obviously going to need the power than he wielded, but that didn’t mean he was going to join them. Besides, the darkness that was soon going to enter Storybrooke was going to be too much of a temptation for Hook. Killian knew that. He knew his fight was going to be a personal one. It was going to be keeping the half of Emma’s heart that he shared pure, and stopping himself from being consumed. Perhaps, he should leave Storybrooke all together. Run away like the coward he could be. Be as bad as Rumple had been during the Ogre Wars. What would they think of Killian Jones, nay of Captain Hook if he ran away from a fight? He was screwed either way.

”For good?” Killian scoffed. ”You wouldn’t know good if it bit you on the arse.” He laughed, shaking his head. ”Those are empty words, I’m certain you’ve sought the same with those powers of yours.” He was hitting close to home though. Rumple was only echoing the same words and fears that Killian himself had been tormenting himself with. The power, the darkness, all of it was true. He wanted it. He hated himself for it, but he wanted it.

Hook stepped forwards too, his anger rising within him, the darkness and hatred beginning to take over once again. As Rumple finished his words, Hook grabbed his shirt, and put his hook to the Dark One’s throat. ”You better watch your step.” He would never hurt those he loved, would he?

TAG: Rumplestiltskin

Rumple was a little surprised when Hook grabbed his shirt, though perhaps he shouldn't have been. He knew he had been telling the man things he didn't want to hear. But that didn't make them true, and that didn't mean he wasn't still convinced that Hook was a bad guy. In fact, his reaction only proved that he was indeed dangerous- he didn't seem to have any manner of self control, like he used to. He was likely dealing with a lot of emotion, and it was making him a bit unstable.

He wanted to keep pushing- he wanted to see if Hook was going to snap or not. It was a very good indication of just how much Rumple would need to keep an eye on the guy, or if he would actually be of some use when the shit really hit the fan.

When he felt the hook against his throat, he let out a dark sort of chuckle, watching Hook with a mocking smirk. "And what do you plan on doing with that, pirate?" He chuckled, "give me a shave? You know as well as I do that you can't lay a finger on me right now. But that's not the same for everyone else, is it? I'm sure I'm not the only one you're mad at. What about Emma? It's her fault you became a Dark One- that you feel the way you do now. You can't have forgiven her so easily, right? How long before it becomes too much to stand?" He watched him carefully, wondering if he really was teetering on the edge or not. If anyone could save him, it was Emma, but Rumple did want to make sure that he really wouldn't become a threat to her.

The savior was going to be needed in the future. The pirate? Well, they could do without him if push came to shove. Emma may have saved him once, but that didn't mean he couldn't be killed a second time.

And it certainly didn't mean Rumple wasn't willing to put him back in the grave himself.

---

@captainhook

two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl

He was pushing him. Hard. And Hook did not like that. No, he did not like that at all. The stubborn pirate was not giving in to Rumple, but it was hard not to act, not to lash out. His self-control was shot, and that was a bad thing. A very bad thing when it came to a man like Killian Jones.

Oh, he knew that whatever he did to hurt the Crocodile would make no difference. The Dark One’s powers would take care of that, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t want to at least get out a little of his anger. ”I could give you a very close shave.” He muttered bitterly. Admittedly, a small part of Killian did know that he would need Rumple. Or at least Emma and the other heroes would. He was their only chance against the might of all of the darkness from the Underworld. But still Killian could not begin to trust a man who’d tricked him so many times. He couldn’t leave it all up to him to save the townspeople. But he was no hero either, he wasn’t going to save anyone.

His words cut. Of course Hook was mad at Emma, of course he hadn’t yet forgiven her, but to be reminded of that by his enemy? By the man who’d once taken everything from her. ”I would never hurt Swan.” Killian bit out. Hook drew back his hook from the Dark One’s throat, and screwed his other hand into a fist, throwing it forwards at Rumple’s face. Sure, he couldn’t hurt him, but at least it gave the pirate a little satisfaction to act.

TAG: Rumplestiltskin

Rumple had been expecting the worst from Hook- that he would show he really had given into the darkness again. Stabbing him with that hook, really attempting to kill him, would have been proof enough of that. He was quite surprised when Hook managed to calm his anger and tell him again that he wouldn't hurt Emma.

The punch, of course, had thrown Rumple off a bit, too. He stumbled back, awkwardly tripping and landing on his behind with a heavy thud. It wasn't like he had been using any magic to protect himself from the impact. Chuckling faintly, he raised a hand to the side of his mouth, brushing away a small trace of blood. As his finger moved, the injury healed, no trace remaining.

Still, he stayed where he was sitting, looking up at Hook with that same smug smirk he always wore when he was confident things were going his way.

"I see, that's good," he replied, "and I believe you. But if you really don't want to hurt Emma, than your trials have only just started. This Dark Power, it's like an addiction. You're now going to have to go through some very intense withdrawals. It may prompt you to think somewhat irrationally. I wanted to see how you would react under pressure, because I thought for sure you would crumble. Seems, though, that I was wrong. You may end up saving yourself after all."

---

@captainhook.

two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl

Killian rubbed at his knuckles with his hook, looking at the Dark One fallen down on his deck. It seemed his tiny amount of self control had been lost in that one physical act. But, damn, did he feel good for having done it. The bitterness and darkness that he’d harboured regarding the Crocodile since the death of Milah and loss of his hand were still raging inside of him, even more so since he’d been tortured by visions of her in the Underworld. It felt only too good to enact some sort of punishment on the man who he’d wanted revenge upon for all those years.

His eyes narrowed, and he held himself back from kicking the man when he was down. Of course, it would have made little difference - the Dark One would feel nothing, it would simply be for Killian’s benefit. Part of him wanted to take the Crocodile’s hand, show him how that felt. ”My trials?” He questioned.

The withdrawals. Yes, he felt he was already beginning to go through them. The lust for that power, the energy, the feeling of being capable of anything he could have wanted - losing that oh so quickly really had made Hook feel as if he’d lost his other hand. ”Are you trying to be my sponsor?” Hook chuckled darkly, turning away. ”I’m quite capable Dark One. I don’t need those powers. After all, I’m a pirate, a survivor.”

TAG: Rumplestiltskin

Rumple chuckled to himself, getting slowly to his feet. He was feeling fine again, as though nothing had happened, and thanks to his magic he didn't have to worry about his limp, either. He still wasn't sure if the magic Hook had used as the Dark One would have been permanent or not- he had gotten his powers back before being about to test it out. Still, he wouldn't have thanked Hook one way or another. The only reason he had healed his limp in the first place was so he could make it seem like it was more fair a fight when it really didn't make a lick of difference.

Though he had managed to run Hook through in that fight, as he remembered. He supposed he had been a better sword fighter, after all.

He watched Hook, smiling confidently. "Of course. A pirate. A murderer and a monster- the exact being that flourishes under the influence of Dark Magic. You don't need the powers, but you want them. That's where you and Emma differ. She's the savior, pure of heart. You, are not. And even though you share half a heart with her now, you're still conflicted. If anything, those pure intentions of hers that might be leaking into your now are only more confusing. Making more clear the kind of devil you were before." He frowned, tilting his head slightly to the side. He knew what it was like- having his heart purified had done the same thing.

"Alone, you'll cave into your desires. But I can help you. I'm the only one who can. No one else understands, do they? We're two villains who were given great power, and now have to make different choices. You with keeping that power out, and me with using it for good. I'm not giving you a choice here, pirate. You have the power to fight it, but not alone, and I'm not interested in you hurting anyone else with what lies ahead. You'll doom us all if you slip up. So, yes, think of me as your sponsor."

---

@captainhook

two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl

As much as Hook hated to admit it, Rumple was right. He was flourishing under the dark magic, embracing it even. It had felt good to give into his dark side when he was the Dark One, and that was why he’d been fighting darkness and villainy forever. It was only too easy to give into ones desires and Killian didn’t want that, he wanted to be good, perhaps not a hero - that was a bit of a stretch, but just good would suffice.

”You could be describing yourself there Crocodile.” Hook muttered, grumpily. ”How do you know I want the powers?” He gave a frown, looking away at the ground. Bloody hell, he did want them. The emptiness he felt after losing them was unbelievable. He hated himself for wanting to give back into that darkness. Emma was good. She was completely and wholly good. She’d let the darkness taint her but now she was pure again, despite her heart being shared with him. He was going to drag her down. And he did not want that at all.

Shut up.” Killian cut, striding across to Rumple again, his hook at the ready. Hearing him talk like this was driving him mad. It wasn’t helping even slightly. ”I do not need you.” Hook bit out, his voice strained. ”I will deal with this alone, Dark One, I would never want your help. And anyway you’re wrong.” His hook once more found Rumple’s neck, and his breathing was harsh as he tried to fight the urge.

Nope, he wasn’t winning this battle. He plunged his hook forward, knowing it wouldn’t hurt the Dark One. He just needed that feeling of strength over his enemy.

TAG: Rumplestiltskin