His dark heart dares to seize, pulse erratically gushing with feeling, while Belle stares in wonderment at all of Storybrooke. A warm, drawn out sigh deflates his aching chest at her lamplit beauty. While he finds this leisurely nighttime stroll of theirs nothing short of lovely, the local shop windows and signs have charmed her into a constant state of disturbing curiosity.
His reliance on his cane becomes heavier with every innocent question of hers, each one a painfully fresh reminder of her indelible imprisonment. He's patient with his explanations, making sure each answer is thorough so that she doesn't end up even more confused than before. They're down and back the main street of the town in the time that it takes for him to cover the basics of automobiles and why the people of Storybrooke would need the services of Marine's Garage. Yes, he owns one. Yes, he'll let her ride shotgun sometime. (The ensuing explanation of the mechanics of an actual shotgun did not last even half the trek that of cars had — it was a messy topic and he didn't mind being brief about it. Belle, it turned out, didn't mind either. No point in drawing out a grave mood during such a 'pleasant date,' as she put it.)
A bell chimes as Rumple opens the entrance to Granny's Diner and, if heads don't turn, eyes certainly shift in their direction. With a slight wave of his cane, he motions for Belle to clear the doorway before him. Turned bright red by the nipping chill of the night, her lips tug into a kind smile at the gesture. Her clear blue gaze doesn't waver from his until her side brushes against the front of him, the slight framework only offering a snug pass by. Feeling her body flush against his, even for a mere moment and despite their winter layers, had been enough to cause her eyes to downcast and cheeks to collect a sudden rush of blood. Despite her slightly flustered feelings, she hadn't missed his amused grin or the likeliness that it wasn't simply in response to her kind smile from earlier.
By the time she's about to settle into a vacant seat placed at a distant corner table, she's practically baking in her woolen coat. Nodding across the room to Ruby, who's tending to rowdy drinkers at the bar, in acknowledgement, he reaches Belle just as she's starting to shrug her coat off. Coming up behind her, he helps drag the bulky outerwear down her arms and drapes it across the back of her seat. Glancing up at him from over her shoulder, she offers him a smile that's more playful than her last. "Why, thank you Rumple."
Her eyes smolder through a dark fringe of lashes and he has to swallow before he attempts to reply.
"It's no chore, sweetheart." Once he's finally seated opposite of her does the grip on his cane loosen altogether.
When Ruby is able to break away from the bunch at the bar and hand out menus, she pauses at their table for more than drink orders. "I like seeing the two of you out together." Directing a playful wink Gold's way, she lightly squeezes Belle's shoulder before leaving to fetch their drinks. "It helps with business."
"I never thought Granny's would have financial troubles," Belle mused as she spread out her menu before her. Biting her lips, which were starting to become chapped, she poured over all the dinner options. After trying the odd dish of burger and delighting in its taste and the impropriety of eating it by hand, she was eager to try something new. The complete disregard for utensils, let alone a full set, was a pleasing new custom to her.
"I've been getting out more as of late, is all."
Feeling his eyes on her, she spares him a glance and gives pause to perusing her dining options. "Oh?"
"You may have something to do with that," he teases lightly. That casual air thickens when suddenly he's thinking she needs to stop licking her lips like that or so help— oh.
Rummaging through his coat pockets, Rumpelstiltskin manages to pull out a lightly used tube of chapstick. Holding it out to her, he watches as Belle carefully takes the balm from him. "What is it?" she inquires while running her fingers over the label. Noticing the cap, she pops it off with an experimental tug only to give the soothing salve a skeptical look. "You keep cosmetics on you, Rumple?"
Giving a light chuckle, his fingers interlace as he rests them under his chin, elbows propped against the tabletop. "It's lip balm, dear. Beeswax."
"Really?" Smoothing the balm over her lips, she nearly sighs at the instant relief it brings. "You're right," she nearly whispers in awe while replacing its cap. "Thank you. May I keep it for the night?"
"Consider it yours," he tells her before finally looking down at his menu and considering his meal. Ruby was coming their way with drinks and neither had a clue as to what to order, if Belle's constant flipping back and forth between the laminated pages was any indication. Seeing her like that reminded him of when she would scour the sheets held by the spine of her beloved books, restless in her constant hunger for knowledge.
With their iced beverages served up, it took Ruby a mere glance between the two to tell that waiting on their table was going to give her a run for her night shift. Date nights typically did.
Figuring Gold wouldn't mind the extra charge (and that it would bump up her tip a bit... and that it would be kind of sweet to see happen), she offered the couple a suggestion.
"Have you ever tried a milkshake, Belle?"
A/N: So, I'm not quite sure where this little one-shot would fit in with the storyline of OUAT. I've seen season one, half of season two, and have caught a few episodes from season three, so I'm not completely in the loop. All I know is that I'm completely charmed by this couple and felt the burning need to write something for them. With the insane amount of time Belle had been locked away and the short period she was given to adjust to a "normal" life in Storybrooke, I figured she would miss out on some things.
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