#rumbelle ficlet

[darklybound]

What the Fuck? - A Rumbelle Ficlet 

****

This is a Rumbelle fictlet I wrote and decided to post as I'm still working on my longer nsfw fanfic.

It is also the first piece of writing I have posted on my ao3! You can read it there as well.

[ao3 link]

****

What the Fuck?

“What are you doing, dearie?” Rumpelstiltskin asked, staring down at his maid.

That morning, he had expected his recently acquired servant to be cowering in the shadows of his castle or frantically doing the duties he had assigned her to spare herself the Dark One's wrath. A normal reaction to giving oneself over to the most powerful magic user in the realm. This is why when Rumpelstiltskin used his authority over his domain to locate her and found her outside his castle, his stomach dropped.

Of course, she would be a runner. She was a noblewoman entrapped by the monster whom as a child she had been told would eat her if she misbehaved. No doubt she feared as much for her life as she did her maidenhood. He was the Dark One after all. Everyone left the Dark One as everyone had left the spineless spinner.

Rumpelstiltskin had magicked himself in front of where he sensed her life essence, expecting to find a terrified woman sneaking out of his castle. He had not been looking forward to wrangling her back inside nor calming down the wild woman.

Instead, he had found his maid digging in the dirt. The soil was almost camouflaged with how it blended into the brown dye of her trousers and the dark grey tunic she wore, but it stood out against her pale arms, leaving no doubt that she had been tilling the ground.

This is how Rumpelstiltskin found himself hovering over his maid, asking her what she was doing. The noblewoman jumped at his sudden appearance and looked up at her jailer with surprised yet calm eyes that were like pools of liquid sky. Eyes Rumpelstiltskin couldn’t stare at too long, or he feared he may float away to another time to a different-hued set of kind chestnut eyes.

“Why, I’m gardening, of course,” Belle answered before ignoring him to go back to tending the earth as if it was perfectly normal.

“What the fuck?!” Befuddled, Rumpelstiltskin slipped from the mannerisms he employed as the Dark One. His carefully crafted dangerous aura was replaced by his mouth opening and closing like a fish and his hands waving around frantically. For a second, the Dark One acted like a man.

Belle returned her gaze to him. The flash of annoyance at being interrupted twice at her task immediately shifted to an emotion Rumpelstiltskin hadn’t seen anyone look at him with since Bae. Amusement.  “While I was working, I noticed the abandoned garden from a window. That’s when I realized I was the only servant you had to tend to the castle, and you Rumpelstiltskin, have let your beautiful estate wither. So, I decided to do something about it.”

“Y-You…” He couldn’t believe it. He was stammering. Him! The Dark One was stuttering! All because his latest possession was not acting like she should! She was a noble! She should be weeping, wailing, clawing her way out of his hold instead of clawing in the dirt. To try and what? Make the Dark Castle lighter? Like it was an actual residence of life instead of death and rot? Flowers against the Dark Castle’s walls were like flowers upon a tombstone. The beauty distracted the living from what lay beneath. Death.

She wasn’t playing her part. She wasn’t supposed to care about the duties of her new position. She wasn’t supposed to adjust as if her family had just fallen into disgrace, and she was working diligently to save whatever honor and wealth they had left.

Rumpelstiltskin looked upon his maid with wide eyes, and for the first time in a century, he pondered if he was the one who underestimated who he had made a deal with. She gazed back with an unwavering expression that contained poorly hidden judgment on how rundown he had let his castle become and with concern that she had overstepped.

She tried to hide her reprimand, but he could see it in her exasperated huff and the slight uptick of her brow. Her unease was subtle in the way her hands twisted around the scattered blades of grass peeking out from the displaced soil and in how she bit her lip in the manner that he had seen young ladies do when anxious about a man’s reaction.

She was criticizing him instead of begging for forgiveness! Him, the Dark One! She was concerned about his reaction, not petrified at the horrors he may inflict upon her for her transgression. She was treating him as if he was a normal master and not…not a monster. The Dark One fell away completely as the old spinster’s heart started beating once again.

Too astounded to properly reply, Rumpelstiltskin whispered the only panicked thought in his head.

“What the fuck?”

[shadowedoracle]

A Fear of Needles

Happy Fluffapalooza/ Skin Deep Day Everyone!

This is a short little ficlet that came to me at about 6:30AM when I was trying to grab a few hours sleep after getting my CCA ballot done. Since, apparently, when I desperately need sleep I actually wonder about whether/ how much the population of Storybrooke is vaccinated... Then this came to me.

Not sure It's exactly what I was creating as I was falling asleep but it's close enough. I've only done a very basic proofread so if there are any typos/ obvious errors let me know.

***

“I still don’t see why I need to do this.” Rumple muttered to his wife as they sat in the doctor’s waiting room. “I’m the Dark One, I don’t get sick.”

Belle shook her head, wishing she could roll her eyes as perfectly as her husband could as he returned to what he clearly thought was his winning argument.

“We’ve been over this already Rumple. You might not get sick like the rest of us. But we don’t know for sure that you can’t transmit a disease to someone else.”

“I’ve never done so in over two hundred years as the Dark One.” Her husband said huffily.

She looked at him levelly. “And for most of those years you lived alone. So that’s not as strong a point as it sounds on face value -- and you know it.”

“Humph, perhaps. But we lived in a world rife with disease and no prophylactic treatments such as vaccinations. You’d have thought if I was a carrier there’d have been some evidence of it.”

“Perhaps. But the data we have is just insufficient to be sure Rumple. And we need to be sure.” She laid her hand on his leg which was twitching slightly, a sure sign of his nerves. “I know you wouldn’t want to be the source of any harm to Gideon, if you could prevent it. Neither of us do. So by getting vaccinated we’re taking an important step towards ensuring we don’t harm our son, even indirectly.”

Rumple deflated.“I know.” He sighed. “I know.”

She knew he did know. They’d had this conversation before, multiple times now, and despite all of Rumple’s arguments she knew that ultimately she had the winning one: Rumple could never countenance being the source of any harm coming to their son, no matter how small the probability.

“Mr Gold?” Doc’s voice called through the waiting room.

They stood up and followed him into his office. After Doc had checked Rumple’s appointment details and medical record details-- well Mr. Gold’s medical records, so the age was made up since the computer system wouldn’t permit ages above 150, apparently -- he busied himself preparing the syringe.

Rumple looked at the needle with wide eyes, then his eyes darted to the door then to Belle. “Even if I agree this is necessary. Why are we doing this here? Why not go to Portland or Boston or New York? Somewhere with real doctors. Not a bunch of people who got there medical knowledge from a curse.”

“Hey!” Doc said. “We've spent over 28 years practising medicine in this land. We’re hardly new to things like injections.”

“I seriously doubt repeating the same day over and over gave you as much medical knowledge as you claim.” Rumple sneered.

“Enough Rumple,” said Belle. “We’ve discussed this before. It’s safer doing this here where you have magic, just in case either your body or your magic, reacts badly to the vaccinations.”

“Still doesn’t mean, I think allowing an inexperienced, non-formally trained doctor to stab me with a needle is a good idea.”

“I’m right here you know!” cried Doc.

“I’m sorry Doc.” Belle said knowing Rumple wouldn’t apologize for his remarks and wanting to reassure the dwarf. “I know you know what you’re doing. You’ve vaccinated most of the town by now, including Henry and Gideon.”

Rumple quietened at the reminder that both his son and grandson had been vaccinated by Doc. But as Doc swabbed his arm and picked up the syringe, he started fidgeting again.

Belle shook her head mentally. Who would ever believe the Dark One was afraid of needles? Time to break out the big guns. She put her hand on his thigh and leaned in so close that her lips brushed his ear. She made sure her voice was so low that Doc wouldn’t be able hear. “Rumplestiltskin, if you sit still and behave yourself from now on, I promise that tonight, once Gideon’s asleep, I’ll reward you in any way you desire.”

Rumple turned his head and softly brushed his lips against hers then whispered back, “deal Mrs Gold."

[thisbluespirit]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold Characters: Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold Additional Tags: Ficlet, Prompt Fill, Flash Fic, Dancing, Missing Scene, Kissing, Episode: s04e01 A Tale of Two Sisters (Once Upon a Time), Temptation Summary:

Rumple/Belle, kiss desperately.

[ace-of-spaders]

They sleep out on the observation deck, huddled in the corner where they can watch the magnificent colors of FTL Destiny is rushing through but can't be seen - at least, right away - if someone walks in, perhaps, having come to the same conclusion they did, that the deck is the most suitable place for spending one's night.

They sleep sitting up, leaning against each other - both seeking and providing support at the same time - arms linked, wrapped in the blanket Chloe had the foresight to bring with her.

Chloe's head is pillowed on Rush's shoulder, her free hand holding onto his forearm as if he's the only thing that keeps her from drifting away - she nodded off first and the same nightmares that have been plaguing them both since their... stay at the blue aliens' ship must have tried to surface again because before long her breathing sped up and she clutched onto his arm with strength that might have actually left bruises, effectively drawing Nick's attention away from the calculations he'd been trying to work on. He watched her face contort with a grimace that was part confusion, part fear and - last but not least - pain and, though the very thought of those aliens terrified him out of his mind under any other circumstances, this time he just squeezed her hand lightly to let her know she was not alone and murmured into her hair, his voice tranquil on the surface but fierce with determination within: "It's alright. They're not gonna hurt you. I won't let them." Her features smoothed out then, no longer afraid, and with a sigh and a slight shift - an attempt to snuggle into his side even more than she already was - she finally fell into a deep and blissfully dreamless sleep.

Rush's temple is resting against the top of Chloe's head, his free hand still holding onto his notebook as he fell asleep, for the first time in forever ( if you count out the times he simply passed out because he'd been running on too little hours of sleep and too much stress - those could not be considered as healthy sleep he was in desperate need of by any stretch of imagination, no matter how stubborn the lead scientist was ), without noticing it - Chloe's warmth and weight against his side providing just enough comfort to soothe his overthinking mind and quench the nearly constant terror of falling again into the aliens' clutches so that he can rest.

They sleep, huddled under one blanket, leaning against supporting each other, their arms linked and hands intertwined, and for the first time in days, weeks, months - what feels like eternity, really - both Chloe and Rush sleep through the whole night, with no nightmares to terrorize them.

[fluffapalooza]

It's that time of year again, time to -- *am knocked aside by Leroy running down your dash shouting at the top of his lungs*

IT'S COMING, IT'S COMING, FLUFFAPALOOZA IS COMING! LISTEN UP, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THERE'S A LOT OF EVIL IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, AND WHAT'S THE BEST DEFENSE AGAINST EVIL? IT'S LOVE! AND FLUFF! AND ON FEBRUARY 12 WE CELEBRATE THE FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY OF RUMBELLE, THE SHIP THAT FOUND EACH OTHER AND SURVIVED AGAINST ALL ODDS! SO DO THE BRAVE THING! POST FIC AND ART AND POLLS AND POETRY AND FILKS AND WHATEVER ELSE MAKES YOU HAPPY!

*Leroy takes a deep breath* Also, Astrid and I will be selling Miner's Day Rumbelleversary Day candles, the money goes for a good cause, and light is always good in dark times.

Thank you, Leroy, for your enthusiasm! You heard the Dwarf, folks! Put your thinking caps on and decide what you want to do to recapture the magic that we all felt that first time we watched Skin Deep. If you're not the creative sort, look back in your archives and reblog all those old Rumbelle posts that we enjoyed so much the first time around!

I'll be posting suggestions of things you can do most days leading up to the event to get you started, and your first prompt is:

Belle didn't live out the first Curse in the hospital asylum, she was turned into a miniature French poodle.

Write a ficlet, draw it, photoshop it, just discuss the idea in a post, do whatever you like with it. Post it on February 12. The more fills the better! All new posts tagged #fluffapalooza will be reblogged here.

[ace-cf-cups]

For Your Consideration 2024 (@the-chipped-cup-awards)

As with 2023, I started 2024 off with great ambitions regarding writing and gifing and editing:

I ended up posting [in 2023] only a handful of gifsets, three ficlets, two of which I wrote for Rumbelle Showdown (shoutout to @jackabelle73 for hosting this wonderful event last year, by the way), and 0 fanvids/edits. I'm not particularly proud of it, and I really, really wanna make much more content this year.

(c) my FYC post from last year

And, as with 2023, I ended up posting only a handful of little things, a couple of moodboards and gifsets and a couple of tiny ficlets. Honestly? I'm a little baffled as to how it happened (it feels like only yesterday I was writing that post and looked forward to creating much more Rumbelle and Anyelle content in 2024... where did the time go? 😅) and more than a little ashamed, especially considering 2024 was the year I really got into Anyelle.

We've already seen how this promises go, but I really really really do hope I'll have enough time and spoons and inspiration to write and edit and gif and put together much much more things on this blog and in this fandom. Guess we'll see next year how well it went?)

As for now, I offer to your consideration what little I wrote and made in the years 2023 and 2024.

Fanfics

Premonition - a ficlet written for the 1st Round of Rumbelle Showdown 2023, for the prompts ""; EF!Rumbelle hurt/comfort

Belle and Rumple are slowly growing closer as they spend evenings in each other's company in the Dark Castle.

Then, when one day Rumplestiltskin is called away for a deal in the middle of their conversation and doesn't return for an hour, Belle begins to worry.

Possible nominations: Best Comfort, Best One-Shot, Best Short Fic, Best Dark Castle, Best Drama, Best Trope (sickfic), Best English Language, Best Belle, Best Dark One Rumple

His ray of light - a ficlet written for the 2nd Round of Rumbelle Showdown 2023, for the prompts ""; human AU, major character injury, possible MCD

Alan Gold is in a happy, healthy relationship for the first time in what might be his whole life.

But when one day a figure from his past unexpectedly shows up at his beloved's doorstep, it might mean the end not only of his happiness, but life itself.

Possible nominations: Best Death, Best Hurts So Good, Best One Shot, Best Short Fic, Best Storybrooke, Best Drama, Best AU - Original, Best English Language, Best Mr Gold

Sacred promise - originally written as a starter for my rp partner, I also decided to post it as a ficlet; season 6 fix-it without all the breakup bullsh*t

Belle's and Rumple's baby boy has kicked for the first time.

Rumple has major feelings about it.

Possible nominations: Best Family, Best Fix-it, Best One Shot, Best Short Fic, Best Storybrooke, Best AU – Based on Once Upon A Time, Best Trope (kiss to the baby bump), Best English Language, Best Mr Gold

Say the word - a David Russell/Lacey French ficlet

David confronts Lacey about the prick that's been pestering her.

Possible nominations: Best Romance, Best One-Shot, Best Crossover Fic, Best English as Second Language Fic, Best Trope (I will kill for you), Best Lacey, BEST ANYEM FIC

A lie (might be better than the real thing) - a David Russell/Hiero ficlet I wrote while trying out this fun writing site

David ponders his developing relationship with Hiero, its dangers and attraction.

Possible nominations: Best One-Shot, Best Crossover Fic, Best English ad Second Language Fic, BEST ANYEM FIC

Welcome home - a Renard/Belle French tiny ficlet

Belle welcomes Victor home.

Possible nominations: Best Romance, Best One-Shot, Best Crossover Fic, Best English as Second Language Fic, BEST ANYELLE FIC

Gifsets

this "happy ending at the end of realms" set

Possible nominations: Best Fan Art, Best Graphic Art, Best Fluff Art, Best Use of Color

this silly little Woven Beauty set

Possible nominations: Best Fan Art, Best Graphic Set, Best AU in Art

this David Russell/Belle French gif set

Possible Nominations: Best Fan Art, Best Graphic Art, Best AU in Art

this Golden Lace (in)correct quote

Possible Nominations: Best Fan Art, Best Graphic Art, Best AU in Art, Best Smutty Art

this "Belle tells Rumple she is pregnant" set (what do you mean it's not how it went?)

Possible Nominations: Best Fan Art, Best Graphic Art, Best AU in Art, Best Fluff Art

Moodboards

this hiero moodboard

Possible Nominations: Best Fan Art, Best Graphic Art, Best Use Of Color

this hiero x weaver moodboard

Possible Nominations: Best Fan Art, Best Graphic Art, Best AU in Art

this bellish AU moodboard

Possible Nominations: Best Fan Art, Best Graphic Art, Best AU in Art, Best Angsty Art

[abovethemists]

What’s a fic trope, plot bunny, or character variation that you want someone to write for Rumbelle, but no one ever has?

I am a simple woman with simple needs. Enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, mutual pining, these are my bread and butter and there is thankfully plenty to go around in the Rumbelle fandom. Rumbelle has also tackled pretty much everything so anything I say probably has been done, I just haven't had a chance to read it yet.

I do wish someone would finish my Lady Belle hires Spinner Rumple to impregnate her after her husband unexpectedly dies and she's left in a precarious position with no heir fic because I'd rather read it than write it. So, if anyone wants to take a stab at that one! I also don't think there were a lot of Belle is pregnant and has a baby in the missing year fics. (I remember some ficlets but not a long fic). And there was a sad lack of season 5 woobie Rumple with no powers smut. Okay, I could probably think of a lot more if I had the time...

[rumbelleshowdown]

Oh my God I submitted my finished ficlet yesterday for the Showdown and now I feel that may have been a mistake.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my submission and I feel like it’s the best work I could have done for this.

It’s just the tension! The anticipation is killing me!!! 😫

I’m so excited for the fics to be posted! 😁 I wanna read some Rumbelle!

Good luck and happy writing, fellow Rumbellers! 🌹✍️

Rumplestiltskin is excited too! Belle looks a little stressed though. Delighted and stressed... that sums up the Showdown experience pretty well.

[a-rose-for-gold]

I expanded my ficlet for the 2023 Rumbelle Showdown!

[beeeinyourbonnet]

What can you share about what you are currently working on?

Ahhhhhhhhhhh thank you for your question! I am working on three things actively and editing a fourth:

By Hook or By Crook - Rumbelle fic, actively posting new chapters probably on Thursdays because Mondays have not been kind to me xD

A one-shot PWP for Covetous that has gotten Out of Hand and may never be finished due to the out-of-hand nature of it and it may end up being a chapter sequel ficlet instead of just the one chill PWP it was supposed to be xD it may, in fact, contain Themes.

The Beginning of a New Book is bellish and it's completely written so I am just editing as I post new chapters on Fridays!

And then FINALLY, i am working on a BRAND NEW CHAPTERED DEVELLE FIC that also includes Ives from Ravenous. The basic plot is that Belle has been in a bad marriage for years and in order to cut all ties from it, she is working off her estranged husband's debt to Danny. Here is a snippet:

“Oi.” Danny burst in from the club side, and Belle’s spirits perked up for a second or so before plummeting back down. “Did anyone come in here? Mr. fucking Beatty said he fucking dropped off a hundred quid and I told him he was a fucking liar.”

“He was a fucking liar,” Belle agreed. “No one dropped anything off.”

Danny muttered to himself as he stomped to his desk, a little tempest in a teacup. His ostentatiously tight suits had irked Belle when she’d first met him six months ago, but now they were as familiar as Danny himself. 

“Some good news, though.” He shuffled through some papers on his desk. “Your fucking good-for-fucking-nothing husband paid me for the first time since fucking July.”

[alphashley14]

Oh what a damn fool I am.

I started another WIP.

I’m definitely going to prioritize ‘One of Us’ (it’s only fair and I’ve come this far dammit!) But I’m definitely excited to see where this other story goes.

Also terrified.

Because I have a horrible track record of having more than one ongoing WIP at once. But still.

This is “Rags to Riches,” expanded from the ficlet of the same name that I wrote for the 2023 Rumbelle Showdown under the pseudonym Sonnenblume.

[peacehopeandrats]

Final day of fic questions challenge!

Day 30: Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!

One of my favorites is called Marble (https://archiveofourown.org/works/35438176). It was part of the Monthly Rumbelling challenge that I participated in for a full year to create little ficlets, which I then turned into a giant choose your own adventure series. Or... I'm in the process of turning into that... I still have a LONG way to go. I loved that series and that idea, but I think Marble was my favorite because of the prompt and how I came up with the magical stuff around the prompt. I liked Mountains, Streams, and Magical Things for the same reason. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/25508239/chapters/61884613) And because of the way I got one of my favorite "Rumbelle songs" and Jefferson all heavily in one fic. :)

[basicallyunicorn]

Fluffify this!: "Run, don't look back!"

Little Fluff Ficlet! "Run, don't look back!" Throwing up her hands in exasperation, Belle sighed as the scantily clad woman walked in slow steps towards her undead doom. “Every time, it’s like they want to die.”

Coughing to cover up the urge to laugh, Rumplestiltskin leaned over and whispered in her ear. “You know they can’t hear you, right?”

She shoved him away and threw a kernel of popcorn at the tv screen.  “Sush, I'm watching the movie."

Rumple smiled and leaned back against the sofa, not bothering to turn back to the cheesy horror movie when he could watch Belle instead. Her snorts of derision about dumb characters and her small squeaks when something jumped out of the shadows made the movie completely worth his brain rot.

At last, the hero of the story turned up with his shotgun blasting to rescue the screaming woman from an army of zombies. Belle snuggled against his side and kissed his cheek, her eyes soft as she looked up at him.

"What was that for?"

"For just being you, and being here watching this awful movie with me." 

Her sweet smile could still make him blush. “Anytime, sweetheart.” 

Pressing a kiss to her forehead as the credits rolled, Rumple couldn’t help but add. “I’m picking the next movie though.”

Her laughter filled the room and his soon followed, the house echoing with happiness.

[emospritelet]

Heatstroke

This ficlet is all the fault of the enablers in response to this post

[AO3]

x

“Dammit!”

Lacey cursed under her breath as she dropped a box of her belongings halfway up the path of her new home. The box broke open, books scattering and her bedroom lamp rolling away onto the overgrown grass. Her cat, Darcy, who had been sniffing curiously around the side of the house, jumped at the noise and shot off towards the fence, sleek black body squeezing through a hole into next door’s rear garden.

“Great!”

Lacey sighed, carrying what was left of the box to the small porch and setting it down. She would have to find Darcy. He hadn’t enjoyed the journey to Storybrooke from New York, and was already skittish. Better to get him back and lock him in the house to give him time to settle in.

“Shouldn’t have let him out of the box,” she muttered, dusting off her hands. “Should have kept him inside for a couple of days to get him used to the place. Stupid!”

Sighing to herself, she looked at the house Darcy had chosen for his refuge. It was far larger than the one she was renting, a handsome Victorian over three floors. Lacey had been surprised that her own property had been so inexpensive, and now that she saw the quality of her new neighbour’s house, she was wondering why she had managed to get such a good deal.

Maybe I got the last house in town, right next to the drug dealer’s place , she thought, snickering. Bloody typical!

She would have to get Darcy back, and so she trotted back down the path, past the battered old Toyota she had stuffed with all her worldly goods and up the path of the next house. The garden was neat, perfectly cut grass edging the path, and rose bushes in front of the porch, filling the air with their fragrance. A knock at the door yielded no answer, and Lacey hoped the occupants were out. Perhaps they were. It was the middle of Sunday afternoon, on a pleasantly warm day. They probably had much better things to do with their time than sit around the house. Which meant she would have to go searching for Darcy herself.

She made her way around the side of the house, a wide rear garden coming into view. There was a perfect square of lawn between beds of colourful flowers and more rose bushes, and in the centre of the lawn was a small wooden table next to a sun lounger and - oh!

Lacey clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. On the sun lounger was a man. A thin, perfectly nude man, arms behind his head and eyes closed. His limbs were slender, with thin ropes of muscle showing in his thighs and upper arms, his chest smooth and hairless, his body lightly tanned. He had dark hair between his legs, where the soft sac of his balls hung, and his cock had shifted to the side, thankfully in its dormant state. Lacey found that she was looking at it curiously, and covered her eyes with her hand.

“Sorry!” she said hastily. “I - I was just looking for my cat, I never meant to - uh - see you - like that.”

There was no response, and after a moment she peeked through her splayed fingers. The man was motionless, still with his eyes closed, and she realised he had headphones in. Oh, thank God, he has no idea I’m here!  

It was then that she spotted Darcy, sitting proudly on the little wooden table next to the sun lounger, squinting at her contentedly.

“You get back here!” she whispered.

Darcy yawned, pink tongue curling in his mouth. There was a glass beside him, a tall drink with three cubes of ice and a slice of lemon. He seemed to notice it at the same time she did, and lifted a paw, patting it curiously. Lacey’s eyes widened.

“No! Don’t you bloody dare!”

The glass toppled off the table, landing on the man’s belly with a splash, and he jerked upright with a shout, eyes snapping open as he was covered with cold liquid. Darcy shot away, squeezing back under the fence, and Lacey was left opening and closing her mouth as the man on the lounger stared at her wide-eyed before hurriedly clapping his hands over his groin.

“Sorry!” she said wretchedly. “Uh - it was the cat!”

Not waiting for his response, she turned tail and ran as fast as she could in the heels she was wearing. Great. First day in town and the neighbour thinks I broke into his garden to throw a drink at his crotch. Welcome to Storybrooke, Lacey.

[thescholarlystrumpet]

Untitled ficlet inspired by this post about Belle writing smut on the train and meeting Mr. Gold - who may have been reading her screen ;-)

Pairing: Rumbelle

Rating: Teen

Belle swallowed a yawn as her laptop booted up with a familiar whir. She’d been up so late last night reading Ruby’s latest chapter, she hadn’t had a chance to work on her own. Their Nanowrimo group met at 6pm and Belle was supposed to share tonight. She’d mostly finished the chapter but there was some heavy editing needed and frankly after describing both orgasms, her attention had waned a bit. The section needed at least an attempt at denouement. 

She could already hear Aurora teasing her about how all her post-coital scenes ended the same. Belle’s mouth twisted. Her friend wasn’t wrong - cuddling was all well and good but a little actual conversation might help set up the next scene. 

The train groaned to a stop and in her peripheral, Belle noted a handful of people getting on. The seat beside her stayed blessedly unoccupied so she opened the file and started typing. 

Her interview was the better part of an hour away but she’d been out of work for nearly two months now and a spot had finally opened up at a publishing company. Her resume wasn’t a perfect match but she had to take the shot. Plus, she figured the commute would be fine as long as she had something to do, like work on her novel. 

This was actually to be the third novel in Belle’s repertoire, the first two having been more high fantasy than erotica, but this one held a special place in her heart (among other parts of her anatomy). She’d been hesitant to bring it into the group initially but Ruby had assured her that they would all be excited to share this journey with her. So far, it had proven true. Everyone had been really supportive in their own way.

Belle had been trying to shop the other two novels for some time and had nothing but a pile of rejection letters atop her desk to show for it. She’d even submitted to the publishing house she was interviewing for today, but that had been almost a year ago and she doubted they remembered her. If she thought about it too much, she just got extra nervous so she put that out of her head entirely and continued to immerse herself in her work. 

Armando moved inside her slowly, drawing out her pleasure, his mouth trailing her jaw with hot, biting kisses. Jocelyn arched into him, hips tilting to take him deeper. The hand not supporting his weight smoothed down the length of her body to her thigh, hoisting it higher over his hip. 

Belle chewed her lower lip, finger poised over the backspace. Was twice in three sentences too many times to say hip? Was there another name for that body part? A sexy name? Butt? Arse? Arse was probably the sexier option but didn’t seem to entirely fit there, anatomically... Maybe she could just take that last bit out... 

She underlined it for further consideration and moved forward. 

His name on her lips was a ragged breath, her heels digging in to urge him on. She needed more, harder, faster. His hand slid between them to tease her further, easily finding that sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex. She huffed her impatience and he chuckled warmly against her throat. 

Hmmm, apex... sex... too rhymey? She paused again and sighed aloud. Fuck this second guessing. She had no doubt Jefferson would be happy to point that one out if it was jarring. 

Finally giving in to her wordless pleading, Armando pulled out nearly to the tip then plunged forward deep and hard, pistoning his hips (agh! another hip!) in a driving rhythm. Jocelyn gasped her appreciation, one hand curling into the blankets as the other grasped his arse to hold him fast. 

Belle shifted slightly in her seat, lifting one thigh and lowering one hand subtly to measure how realistic that position might be. Well, if Jocelyn was flexible and Armando wasn’t very tall... yeah, that would work fine. Her cheeks went hot as she realized how long it had been since she’d had a real-life experience to which she could compare.  

Ok, so blah blah blah ... grasped his arse to hold him fast...  ‘arse’ was probably the best fit there, right? She just couldn’t imagine typing ‘butt’ with a straight face. God, how old was she??  

She was just pondering pulling up thesaurus.com on her mobile when the movement of train jostled her into an unexpected shoulder beside hers, her laptop sliding halfway into a stranger’s lap before she quickly pulled it back. An embarrassingly high-pitched squeak escaped her at the collision. 

How had she not even noticed a whole person there? She cringed inwardly at the thought he might have seen her screen. Not so much because she was writing porn in a public place but because it wasn’t finished, dammit! No one should see her work at less than its best unless they were in her writing group.  

A man cleared his throat and low voice murmured, “Beg pardon.” 

“No, no,” Belle stammered, tilting her laptop screen down slightly. “I bumped into you,” she looked up at the face of the stranger beside her with a polite smile. 

He was older than she was, elegantly handsome, with just a hint of silver at the temples of his long brown hair. His expensive suit and gold-tipped cane could have given him an air of stuffiness, but there was a gentle warmth to his eyes that Belle felt herself leaning toward. 

Seriously, how had she not even noticed a hot guy with a cane when he plopped down beside her? Wow, Belle. Good job. This was why there was no real life Armando, right now. Not that her romantic hero could be replicated off the page in his entirety - a dashing anti-hero with a heart of gold and a penchant for snark was not something she’d yet encountered outside of a novel. But a girl could keep hoping. 

The man beside her offered her a bemused look and she realized she’d perhaps been looking at him a tad too long without actually saying anything else. 

“So, um, yeah. My apologies, that is.” Belle felt her cheeks flush. 

He inclined his head, dark eyes still carrying a flicker of amusement. “Accepted.” He opened his mouth again as though to add something then seemed to think the better of it and looked away. 

Belle looked down at her half closed laptop, glance sliding to and from the man at her side. “At least..., uh,” she started to speak and the man looked at her once more, “at least you weren’t carrying a coffee or something. We’d both be in trouble.”

He nodded and hummed his agreement. “At that point we may well have had a lawsuit on our hands....”

Belle’s eyes widened at that leap and she worried if she’d somehow read him all wrong. “I...” 

He held up a hand. “Just teasing, dear. ” A wicked grin somehow made him even handsomer and Belle felt her stomach give a little flip. “You did look a bit like a deer in headlights, there for a moment.”

She laughed sheepishly, feeling young and ridiculous but also very, very warm. “Oh, that’s just my face. I have resting deer face. Family trait.” 

He laughed back at that. “What an inheritance.” A pause as he shifted slightly in his seat, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I wouldn’t lament it much, if I were you. You, ah, wear it well.” 

Belle’s face grew even hotter and she looked down then back up. “Thank you, Mister...?” She extended a hand to shake his. 

Before he could answer, the train came to another stop. This time, Belle was prepared, grabbing the laptop with both hands and planting both feet to steady herself. 

The stranger beside her frowned as he looked at the station sign. “I’m afraid this is my stop today. I’ve an errand to run before work.” He pulled himself to standing, leaning on his cane, as people began loading onto the train car. The man’s free hand fished a card out of one suit pocket and he offered it to her.

“Please, feel free to contact me here. You, ah,” he cleared his throat as his own cheeks seemed to take on some added color, “you show promise as a writer.” 

With that, he was swallowed up by the flow of traffic and Belle was left gaping, his business card hanging limply from her fingertips. She blew out a breath and flipped the card over to examine it. 

Gold and Mills Publishing

R.M. Gold, CEO

The same Gold and Mills with whom she had an interview in two hours. The same Gold and Mills who had rejected her last two manuscripts without so much as a personalized letter.

“Well. Fuck me,” Belle muttered, earning a less than pleasant look from the elderly woman who had taken up the seat beside her. 

Today had certainly taken an interesting turn. 

[ethereal-wishes]

Roses for You

Rumpelstiltskin dismounted onto his knees, shoveling dirt around his precious rose bushes and pulling up weeds. Belle was inside the cabin, making lunch for them. He wiped sweat from his brow, dusting his hands on his work apron. He smiled to himself, cutting a fresh pink rose from the bush. He made his way back into the house, the rose tucked behind his back. He sauntered into the kitchen to find her dicing up fresh vegetables. "Rumple," she beamed warmly, acknowledging his presence. "What's for lunch?" he asked, gazing at the boiling pot on the stove. "I thought I'd whip up some vegetable stew. Nothing fancy, but I was in the mood for it," she shrugged. "I'm sure it'll taste divine," he told her, twirling the rose between his fingertips. She gazed up at him, blinking owlishly as he bowed chivalrously, handing her the bloom. "For me?" she smiled coyly, batting her eyelashes playfully. "Most certainly, I only give roses to my lady," he winked. Belle grinned, tucking the blossom behind her ear. "Roses have always been my favorite. I remember the first one you ever gave me, though it did turn out to be Gaston," she said, smiling snidely. "I'm sorry, Belle, but that bumbling oaf didn't deserve you," he remarked, his eyes darkening slightly, sending a shiver down her spine. "No, he didn't, and the rose was still lovely." Belle curved a smile, wrapping her arms loosely around his shoulders. He seared her lips, pressing himself against her. Belle moaned into his throat, the stew temporarily forgotten. Rumpelstiltskin snapped his fingers, extinguishing the burner. He hoisted her into his arms, whisking her away to their chambers where he spent the afternoon devouring her - his appetite settling on his petite wife.