#rumple

He was forced to steal glimpses, to watch as you eyed him with something he could never place, not mistrust, hell you might have been the only person in town to not fear him. No, you looked at him with something closer to curiosity. How many times had you stopped in his shop, Gold’s heart aching as you questioned all the relics and artefacts in there, aching as you laughed and beamed at his stories. How many times had he longed to tell you of your life, to pull you into his arms and hope to hell true love’s kiss worked. 

He never did it though. Instead he endured the ache in the heart most people believed he didn’t have. He let himself forget the tragedy for just a moment, let himself smile softly as your own smile lit up his dark shop, he indulged your questions and flourished his tales just to hear your laugh, he let himself remember what it was like to be this version of himself, no harsh words, no scathing remarks, even when the two of you argued, he let his sharp edges soften for you. 

Months had passed since Emma had arrived in Storybrooke and things had changed. Gold knew people had started remembering, just snippets of a life beyond their reach but it was enough, enough to give the man something he thought no longer existed. 

Hope. 

For the first time in a very long time Rumplestiltskin had hope. 

He never knew when you were going to waltz into his shop, it was usually a daily occurrence but never a set time, though it was rare the bell alerted him that anyone was coming to see him. So whenever the soft ringing went off, Gold couldn’t stop his heart from skipping a beat, something he cursed himself for but only half heartedly. 

“Gold!” You called into the shop, he could hear the bright smile in your voice before he even turned around. 

“Hello, my dear.” Gold murmured softly, unable to stop the smile that pulled at his lips.  

You were different in this world but you had managed to keep the very things that made you you. You were still too curious for your own good, often following danger without thinking about it. So overwhelmingly positive and optimistic, such a stark contrast to that man that loved you. At first he had found it sickening and then one day he found he couldn’t live without it. 

You were already wandering around his shop, fingers dancing over the trinkets, chatting away before you paused. 

Gold heard your sharp intake of breath, watched as your eyebrows knitted together before your eyes scrunched shut. 

“Are you alright, dearie?” He asked, stepping out from behind the counter and pausing when your head shot around to look at him, eyes watery with unshed tears. 

“What’s this one?” You asked the old familiar question softly, fingers closed around one of the many items in his shop. 

Gold frowned as he stepped closer, closing the space between the two of you and taking your hand in his, watching at how you seemed to become breathless with the contact. 

He let himself enjoy the contact as he gently opened your fingers and looked down, his hand holding yours and his own breath knocked out of him as he looked down at the object in your hand. 

It was a bracelet, one made of gold spun from straw. He remembered it well, remembered taking the time to sit and craft the bracelet, a golden heart resting in the middle. He remembered how nervous he had been to give you the gift, a strange feeling for him and yet one that was not needed, not when you opened it and your smile softened as you traced the gold, looking up at Rumple with watery eyes much like you were now, pulling him into a soft kiss and murmuring how it was the most precious thing anyone had ever given you. 

“It’s a bracelet, dear.” Gold told you softly, his own voice sounding far away, even as his lips tilted into a smirk. 

“You know what I mean, Gold.” You laugh, the sound light but half hearted. “Everything in here has a story.”

“Right it does and that bracelet is no different. In fact that bracelet is a symbol of the purest love. Each detail hand crafted for the man’s beloved.” Gold explained, keeping his voice barely above a whisper. 

You looked away from Gold, tracing the bracelet again and frowning down at it like it was a puzzle you couldn’t solve. 

“It’s mine.” You murmured, eyebrows drawing further together. 

Gold felt his heart pounding against his chest, praying to any force that would listen that you would remember, that this is what you needed to break the curse on you. He looked at you, desperately waiting, hoping that when you looked up again you’d truly recognise the man before you. 

Your heart was racing as your eyes fell shut. Memories assaulted your mind, a man, Mr Gold, except it wasn’t Mr Gold, handed you a green box, you pulled the bracelet out and pulled him close, another memory of the same man, arguing back and forth with you though despite the words there was a smile on both your faces. 

Memory after memory came to you until it was all too much and you gasped for air, reaching out and clutching the man before you, finally looking up at him, the tears that had been stinging your eyes finally pouring over and falling down your cheeks.

“Rumple,” You breathe out and Rumple laughs, he laughs in complete disbelief at hearing his name fall from your lips, forgetting what his true name had sounded like when you spoke it. “Rumple!”

You choked on a sob, throwing yourself at the man who caught you with ease, your arms around his neck as you buried your face in his chest. Rumple held you back just as tightly, like he was afraid you’d forget everything if he let go, his own eyes watery as he pressed his face against your hair. 

Oh how long had he dreamed for this moment.

“My love.” He murmured into your hair, watching as you pulled away, only far enough back to cup his cheeks, thumb brushing along his cheekbone as you brought your foreheads together. 

“I remember.” You told him softly, another sob leaving you. “Rumple, how could I ever forget you?”

“I thought you’d never remember.” He admitted, his arms holding you tight. “I’ve missed you 

so much.”

“I can’t imagine…” You trailed off, realising he had spent years remembering everything, years forced to watch you come to him every day and not remember. 

“None of that matters, dear.” Rumple assured, finally closing the distance between the two of you, his lips pressed against yours, desperate and full of longing, it had been nearly three decades since he had felt your lips against his and it took his breath away. 

You kissed him back, fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him impossibly closer and feeling more and more memories come to light. You kissed Rumple, pouring years and years worth of love into the kiss, knowing there was so much lost time to make up for. 

You were both breathless by the time you pulled away, foreheads resting against each other as you just held one another. Neither of you were ready to move away, not just yet, not until you knew it was real, knew it was permanent.

The thought of forgetting Rumple again, your hands tightened around his suit jacket just at the thought and he placed a soft kiss against your forehead, keeping his lips there for a long while. 

Eventually the two of you did pull away, Rumple took the gold bracelet off you and gently fastened it onto your wrist, staring down at it with a mix of emotions on his face. 

“Took you long enough to find the bloody thing.” He finally muttered, causing a grin to spread across your face. “Picked up every other damn thing in this shop before you picked the one thing that belongs to you.”

You laughed, bright and loud, the sound filling his dark shop and Rumple couldn’t help but smile before drawing you into another breathtaking kiss, the sound something he had missed dearly but now he had forever to hear it. It sounded like a pretty good deal to him.

Thank you for reading!

Rumplestiltskin Taglist /