AU: For a while now I have been offering a Fic service on Tumblr. It's simple, you can request to be in a short ficlet-drabble featuring Rumplestiltskin. It started as a reblog challenge but proved to be so much fun that I offered to write more. If you'd like one of these stories for yourself you should visit my Tumblr (same username as here) and post a request. I am not always accepting, only when time and health permits. The reason I decided to post these stories here is purely selfish: I want to have them stored somewhere. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rumplestiltskin or OUAT, or any of you who have offered to pose in these short fics. I do however own the continuation between these stories, because although posted as separate ficlets they often refer to one another. I find it fun to do such odd things, allow me.
Rumple's Midnight Encounters: For thestorieswesay
In the black of the night the golden man sat behind his desk and tried to put the last pieces together to complete his spell. Nay, Curse he should call it. He bared his teeth, brown and golden and unkempt, and fixated his overly large eyes on those last few ingredients. He'd almost done it; he'd almost finished the curse to end all curses. Almost.
"Excuse me?"
The imp jumped and turned. Confused snake-like eyes settled upon a five feet tall lady who had come to appear behind him and looked rather shyly around. Apparently she wasn't aware of where she was and how she'd gotten here or else she would have reacted less timidly. Rumplestiltskin could tell by the look in her eyes that she thought this all to be a dream.
"Could you pinch me?"
At this odd request the golden man rubbed the bridge of his nose and frowned at her. "Of course," he replied, ever so polite, "for a price."
THESTORIESWESAY peered at him from behind her glasses, her hand run through her bobbed brown hair as her face contorted in one of the most bizarre facial expressions Rumplestiltskin had ever seen. 'How fascinating', he thought amused, and slowly rose from his seat. His eyes traced down her form as he circled around her, studying the way she was dressed before he finished his circle and came to stand in front of her again with a scrutinizing look upon his face.
"And this is your usual attire?"
THESTORIESWESAY gazed at him pensively before she replied. "I realize I look a bit like my granny, with the whole dress and stockings and such."
Rumplestiltskin humphed but vouched no reply. He pensively stroked his chin.
"Well, will you pinch me or not?" THESTORIESWESAY loudly said.
"If you'll give me in return something I want." That charming smile of his made it hard to object.
"Fine, what is it."
Rumplestiltskin swirled on his feet and pensively stroked his chin. A low humming escaped him until a giggle left his lips and he pointed at the air. "I want a drawing of a dinosaur."
"Alright." THESTORIESWESAY coolly said. "But this might take a while. If you could be so kind as to give me something to drink, anything would be fine."
"I'd need something else in return for that, dearie." He was a tough one to bargain with.
"Fine, whatever you want."
"A story written down about me, but one with a happy ending." He watched her intently as she uttered some unknown words to him. He cocked his head and handed her a piece of parchment and charcoal. She pushed her glasses back in place and hastily set to work. The lines she drew were all over the parchment in front of her in an attempt to recreate a dino made of charcoal.
He studied her as she worked. Left-handed, how quaint.
"Here you are," He said, handing her the drink he had prepared. She took a sip, then drained half the glass, but set it aside to create another line. Rumplestiltskin set himself behind his desk again and continued working on his spell. He checked to see if all the bottles were there and smiled smugly.
After a moment of toying with the bottle of despair he could hear sounds coming from his vistitor and looked up in surprise. "There, I'm done." THESTORIESWESAY said, handing him the parchment with a smile. The drink next to her side was empty.
"Ah, splendid." Rumplestiltskin replied while clapping his hands in joy as he suppressed a giggle. He took the drawing and admired it. "I'll hang it on one of these walls. It'll make the room look nice."
THESTORIESWESAY watched, not sure what to say about it.
"And the story?" She finally asked after Rumplestiltskin took ages to admire the piece of parchment pinned to the wall. She had no parchment left and thus nothing to write on.
"Ah, yes." The golden imp piped and then turned to face her. "Now that is a deal you may fulfill once you're at home again." His eyes twinkled as he led her away from the wall.
"Home?" THESTORIESWESAY asked, suddenly realizing perhaps this wasn't all a dream at all.
"Yes, dearie." His words faded and he groaned. THESTORIESWESAY had dissolved under his touch and he growled in annoyance. "I should fix that teleporter." He kicked said magical attribute with his high boot and then set himself behind his desk again. This was all Rush's fault, he had handed him that thing as a Christmas present. "Now, where was I?"
His snake-eyes studied the desk until they fell upon one of the empty flasks.
He groaned in agony.
"She drank the love potion."
Now he needed to start all over again.