Am I the only one who remembers RC comparing the clutch magic has over Rumple to a drug? Cause ya'll, we've all slept on this holy shit. Rumple desperately trying to ween off magic, shaking and vomiting in the bathroom, while Belle holds a cool flannel to his head and tells him it'll be worth it, just a few more days of this. Rumple's chronic pain in his ankle growing worse from how tense his body is as it craves the magic it so achingly needs. Rumple being disoriented and hazy, not knowing what day or what time it is. Rumple itching to relapse but the thought of feeling like that again sending nausea down his spine. Rumple throwing away his potion vials and spell books because they're too tempting. Rumple's anxiety spiking as he uses magic less, and him having to go to Archie more. Rumple celebrating a week, a month, a year being clean. Rumple helping others (Emma, Regina, fuck, even Snow) to be clean too, because he knows how hard it is. Rumple hating himself for Gideon inheriting his addictive gene, and having to watch his son struggle with it too. Magic being a drug, guys,,,, he was using it for 300+ years,,, guys,,,
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Summary: You and your father come back to the hovel after the market and find Baelfire alone with Milah no where in sight. You comfort Bae while Rumple goes to find your guys' mother.
Warnings: Child left alone?
A/n: Reader is mid teens, so 14-16 and Bae is around 4. This is set during a different time than when Rumple came back and found Milah with Killian at the bar. But if you want to read it for that scene, then you can, who am I to stop you? <3
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You carry the basket filled with the left over wool your father and you were selling at the market in the village. He walks beside you with his walking stick gripped in his hand, creating small quiet picketing sounds against the ground.
"We did pretty good, right Papa?" You look up him, in a small question. "Yes, my dear. We made out better than other times" He smiles softly at you as you guys make it to the front of the hovel.
He pushes open the door, and let's you walk in first before going in himself, closing the door behind him. You set the basket down on the ground close to his spinning wheel where it's always kept before looking around with scrunched eyebrows.
Usually your mother would be in one of the chairs or in the small kitchen when you and your father returned. But she's no where to be seen. Rumple comes over, his brows furrowing as well as he calls out for Milah.
In response though, it's not Milah, instead it is just a tiny voice coming from the other side of the hovel, "Papa? Y/n/n?" You guys turn to see Bae curled up on himself on his small bed.
Rumple is the first to move, going over to his son, his walking stick clicking against the old, withering, wooden flooring. You stay back in your spot, confused as to why your mother would ever leave Bae alone. You know your baby brother, and other than it being dangerous to leave a child by themselves, Baelfire doesn't like to be alone. He likes to be close to at least someone.
"Bae? Where's Mama?" Rumple asks the young boy gently. Instead of speaking, the four year old points to the door. The gesture letting Rumple and you know that Milah had left. And leaving the child all alone at that. "
"I can go find her." You speak up, taking the first couple steps to the door. "No, it's dark. I'll go search for your mother. You stay with Bae, aye?" He stops you before you can make it to the door.
You stop walking with a sigh but nod. "Okay. be safe, Papa" You tell him and walk over to him and Bae. The man nods with a soft smile, trying to hide his hurt and anger towards Milah from you and Bae. But you always know what he's feeling, it's something you've been able to do since you were little.
"You'll be okay with Y/n, son?" He looks down at Bae, who nods, his eyes flickering up to you. Rumple lets out a soft sigh before heading to the door of the hovel and waving bye to you and Bae. He leaves, off on his way to find his wife who's probably at least half drunk.
After your father leaves, you shrug your cloak off and sit on the small bed next to Bae. His eyes follow your movements before they settle looking up into yours. His are big and brown and vulnerable. "Hey, it's alright, Bae. I'm here now and Papa and Mama will be back soon." You assure him, hiding your own disappointment in your guys' mother.
"You want a hug?" You ask, seeing as he still doesn't move or say anything, just continues to look up at you with scared big eyes. He nods almost immediately. This makes him move so he's kneeling up in front of you on the bed to be able to wrap his tiny arms around your neck.
You wrap your arms tightly around the boy's back in return and lead him to sit in your lap so he'll be more comfortable. Bae nuzzles his face into your tunic clad chest. Not long after, you feel a dampness through the material on your chest as well as a small sniffle coming from the boy.
Squeezing him tighter and running your hand in circles on his back, you try to comfort your baby brother. "It's going to be okay. You're not alone anymore. I'm with you, I'm here." You speak in a soft and gentle tone to make Bae feel safe.
"I'll always be here for you. Even when you're big and strong." You rest your chin on the top of his rustled wavy hair. His crying subsides after being held and comforted by you until he pulls away only partly, just to look up at you.
Smiling softly, you bring one of your hands up, the other still on his back to keep him secure and not fall, and wipe away the tears from his cheeks delicately. "There we go, no more tears" You flash him a small smile.
This makes Bae's face light up a little, his sadness withering away slowly. "No more.. 'ears" He repeats, his pronunciation improving compared to other times. "That's right, good job, Bae." You ruffle his floppy brown hair.
The gesture makes the child let out a small giggle before leaning forward on you again, his cheek flushed against your chest from the crying he did.
"'ove.. you, Y/n/n" his eyes are wide, but this time with content and happiness, as a boy his age should feel. Even with the ogre wars taking place and the dangers of the enchanted forest surrounding you guys.
A brow raises in surprise for you, but a smile is splayed on your face as well. "I love you too, Bae. Very much." You run your finger through his hair calmingly.
And that's how you sit there with your baby brother wrapped in your arms in the quiet hovel until your parents return.
Thinking about how 14 year old Baelfire wanted to fight in the Ogre Wars because no matter what happened, it would mean a better life for him and his father.
Worst case scenario, he dies and is a hero, and his father is redeemed in the eyes of the village, meaning he can earn more.
Best case scenario, he survives and works his way up in the army, and is able to make something of himself after the war. Yet again improving him and his father’s lives 😢
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Neal/Bae's love language is the easiest to parse out in canon because it's prevalent throughout. Ever since Bae was a baby, physical touch was how Rumple expressed his love to him. In every flashback scene with Rumple and Bae, Rumple has a hand on Bae, silently supporting and protecting him.
And the show writers use this nonverbal interaction to parallel Bae and Rumple's relationship as it becomes more strained. When Rumple becomes the Dark One, his touch becomes more possessive. This continues until Bae starts rejecting Rumple's touch (as he rejects the Dark One) when Rumple tries to reach out to him in "Nasty Habits" and "Manhattan". In both "The Return" and "Manhattan", Rumple's abandonment of Bae is described as Rumple letting go of Bae's hand- a very physical action. That's why the moment when Bae grabbed Rumple's hand in "The Miller's Daughter" is so impactful- because it is the first time that Bae wholeheartedly accepts his father's touch and affection in centuries, even if he is still angry. As season 3A progresses, Bae physically distances himself from his father in Neverland when he finds out about the prophecy and feels like he can't trust him in "Nasty Habits". However, once Bae forgives his father in "Save Henry", he enthusiastically hugs him. In season 3B, Bae and Rumple literally share a body due to Rumple's love for Bae- their physical closeness once again symbolizing their repaired relationship. When Bae dies in "Quiet Minds", his hand falls out of Rumple's, representing their permanent separation. Bae no longer needs Rumple's physical touch and affection because Bae's no longer there.
Using touch to portray affection and genuine care is a theme for Bae throughout his life. In "Second Star to the Right", Bae uses physical touch to comfort Wendy. And later in "Tallahassee", Bae is more physically affectionate with Emma the more that time passes and the closer that they become. Even as early as their first "date" in "There's No Place Like Home", Bae plays with Emma's glove when he's being vulnerable to feel closer to her physically without crossing her boundaries and touching her.
Bae's need for physical affection in "Tallahassee" (especially after being touch starved in Neverland for centuries) is complemented by Emma reciprocating that physical affection despite not being a touchy person. Emma starts out being standoffish in the beginning of "Tallahassee" and "There's No Place Like Home", drawing into herself and avoiding any physical touch. However, as time passes, she gets more comfortable with being physically affectionate and even initiates it, especially when Bae is upset. One canon example is when Emma grounds Bae with physical touch when Bae is agitated about the wanted poster. When Bae starts arguing against Emma going for the watches, she swings her arm around him which seems to calm him down to the idea more.
I headcanon that Emma and Bae did a lot of hand-holding and non-verbal communication throughout their relationship. I think that they had signals to each other to make sure the other person is alright (which would have helped during heists as well) to complement Emma's innate ability to read Bae. I think that Emma realized early on that the best way to comfort Bae after nightmares was physical touch (hugs, gentle kisses). I can also see Emma sidling up to Bae whenever she sensed that something was bothering him and just quietly grabbing his hand and lacing her fingers in between his to remind Bae that he's not alone and make him relax almost instantly.
Just like physical touch is used to display the progress in Bae and Rumple's relationship, it is also used to show the progress in Bae and Emma's relationship when they reunite.
Bae has a tendency to fidget with his scarf, especially when he is vulnerable around Emma, which I think is a self-soothing technique. He longs for her physical touch, but too much has happened between them for him to reach out to her, so he physically touches his scarf to comfort himself. It isn't until the penultimate episode of season 2 after he breaks up with Tamara that he finally reaches out to Emma, hugging her when she's about to fall through the portal. This continues in season 3A when he hugs her after getting out of the cage in "Ariel" and stays beside her to support her throughout.
Emma, on the other hand, tries to be standoffish around Bae but fails miserably- just like how she tries to deny her love for Bae but fails. Since they reunite, Emma is always pictured by Bae's side (which is seen in many stills from season 2B and 3A). Not to mention that other than Henry, Emma initiates physical contact (even if it is just casual) with Bae more than anyone else in canon in the earlier seasons. In season 2B, she physically pushes him in "The Miller's Daughter" when he stops to stare at the magical chalk barrier, and she physically grabs him to stop him from going after Henry when Henry confronts Regina in "Welcome to Storybrooke". In season 3A, Emma hugs Bae in Neverland after they get him out of the cage in "Ariel", Emma sidles next to Bae to hug him after his father dies (which encourages Henry to do the same) in "Going Home", and Emma's the one who initiates the hug with Bae at the town line when they are about to be separated yet again. When Bae dies in "Quiet Minds", Emma pulls Bae into her arms and lets Bae die being physically comforted by her- being loved. And lastly, when Emma reunites with Bae briefly in the underworld in "Souls of the Departed", Emma caresses Bae's face, showing that she still loves him even though he is dead.
This behavior especially stuck out to me because in the earlier seasons, the other person usually has to initiate physical contact for Emma to return it. But with Bae, she's a lot more liberal and initiative with physical touch, even when she "hates" him.
Finally, to cement how Bae associates physical touch with love and affection, Bae is very physically affectionate with Henry. From their first meeting, Bae mimics Henry's body language and leans in close to him when talking, showing his love and interest through nonverbal communication. As they get closer, Bae is always touching Henry- ruffling his hair, patting his shoulder, carrying him, hugging him, wrestling with him in the background of "The New Neverland", etc. And Henry returns it readily, appreciating physical affection just like his father does (though probably not as desperately as Bae seems to crave it). The blatant physical affection between Henry and Bae is what makes their relationship seem so close and loving, even if they had a limited time together.
