#rumbellefluff

[writerartistdreamer]

New fanfic alert!

Title: Musings

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Characters: Belle, Rumplestiltskin

Summary: Belle happens upon Rumplestiltskin as he spins in the Enchanted Forest and admires him for a while- Belle's inner monologue regarding Rumplestiltskin and her growing feelings towards him

Around the hallways of the Dark Castle, the only sounds that could be heard were the creaking of Rumplestiltskin's wheel as he spun his thoughts away, fingers nimbly moving to catch the gold and let it gracefully fall to the floor, and the sound of Belle's heels as she walked around and dusted off whatever cabinet she could find, trying to make herself busy. It was a peaceful day in the estate, no desperate souls calling for deals and no trespassers trying to interrupt their day.

As Belle finished dusting in yet another chamber, she headed towards the Great Hall in order to catch a small break from the chores she had assigned herself for the day (since Rumplestiltskin had barely given her anything to do for the past few weeks). Perhaps she could even have a small conversation with the sorcerer, if he was ever so inclined. The girl rounded the corner and arrived at the large doors of the Great Hall, then carefully let herself in and closed the door behind her. Just as she was about to purposefully strut to the long mahogany table, where some of her usual conversations with her sorcerer took place, her eyes landed on Rumplestiltskin, sat on his stool in front of his wheel. His focus was solely on the straw he was spinning turning into gold and pooling at his feet and he hadn't seemed to notice her walking into the room. She took a couple of steps forward, yet remained on her side of the room, content with simply watching him, if only for a little while.

As Belle watched Rumplestiltskin so lost in the motions of his spinning wheel, her focus was on his fingers nimbly moving around, on his gaze so determinedly focused on the process, his teeth occasionally catching his lip. She had to admit she was strangely fascinated by the man, by everything he was and by everything he was not. He was not, as other people would say, a cruel monster who skinned children for their pelt for the fun of it, rather he rescued children and would almost never let them pay the price for a deal they would be striking. He was not heartless, as most of the stories had established him to be, rather he was often a grump, or a little awkward when he was at a loss for words (which, strangely enough, only seemed to happen when she was around), yet that could be justified by the stress and pressure the deals brought on him. Still, his grumpiness seemed to mostly be a part of the complex façade he was putting on in front of others, a way for him to let nobody see who he truly was- yet she was grateful for the occasional moments in which he did let her in and he acted like the man instead of the mask of the Dark One.

And she had to admit it- she found Rumplestiltskin to be handsome. The way his skin turned gold and shone in the sunlight, his amber eyes with such soul behind them, one could get lost for days in his gaze, his deft fingers, his soft curls and his silks and leathers were all incredibly fascinating to her. The thought of capturing his essence on a canvas struck her as a good idea, but then she thought that no painting could ever do her darling sorcerer justice.

Her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat as she kept on admiring him from a distance. Belle did not understand this sudden flurry of emotions bursting within, taking root in her heart. Her hands came to rest against her heart if only for a moment, at a loss for words. Yes, Rumplestiltskin was her friend, a very dear friend at that, yet she didn't think she had ever felt this way towards anyone else she had ever considered amicable. She was thankful that he still hadn't noticed her presence in the room, for she might have just burst out in flames if he turned around to acknowledge her in that moment.

Belle's hand reached for her necklace as she instantly started fidgeting with the pendant, a little motion that always managed to soothe her when she was nervous, or, in this case, when she had no clue what to do with herself or her emotions. Rumplestiltskin was indeed her friend, a friend she deeply cared about, for whom she would do anything in order to make him happy. Still, when the maid watched him, she was not sure her emotions were of a nature that she had ever related to a friend before. Perhaps it was time to delve into the library and try to understand what it was that was going on inside her mind or within her heart, what it might be that led to her breath catching in her throat whenever she so much as caught a glimpse of the sorcerer around the castle.

After what felt like an eternity of standing in the Great Hall, Belle made for the exit, ready to walk away and occupy her time with anything else, yet the spinning wheel came to a stop. As she made to exit the chamber, Rumplestiltskin stopped spinning altogether and turned to gaze upon her, finally noticing she was in the same room as him. "And you say I appear out of nowhere, dearie? When did you come in here?", Rumplestiltskin addressed her with his usual teasing smirk, his tone softer than the one he would generally be using around others.

Belle turned around to meet his gaze and walked closer to him, hoping her blazing cheeks would go unnoticed. "Not too long, I had just come in a minute ago, yet someone seemed too lost to even offer a greeting", Belle teased him right back as she was now standing right next to him.

"Right, well...I believe a cup of tea is in order, now isn't it?", Rumplestiltskin spoke as he stood up from his stool and waved his hand, making a tea tray appear on the mahogany table behind them. He offered her his arm with a small smile and she gracefully took it, ignoring the feeling of the butterflies racing in the pit of her stomach as they headed towards their respective seats to spend their next few hours in each other's company.

"I suppose it is"

[delintthedarkone]

....EPILOGUE!! The sweater did indeed get swiped and got all stretched out. I leave the rest to your imaginationssss <3

Merry Belated RumbelleFluff-mas and slightly early YuuNears for @0ceanofdarkness