Response to the challenge on Once Upon a Time challenge forum in
Prompt was a quote: "Hold me"
Rating: M (Self harm)
Pairing: Rumpel/Red
AN: mistakes are mine only since I don't have a beta and english is not my first language. Feel free to correct them.
Disclaimer: if owned once upon a time I would not write fanfictions about it
update: Lots of thanks to the incredible slackerband who betaed this story. Thank you!
—
Demons
A RumpelRed fanfiction
by heymiickey
"When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide"
(Imagine Dragons , Demons)
Red ran until the only thing she could hear was her own heart, beating like a drum. She stopped suddenly and crumpled to the ground. She was deep in the forest, deeper than she had ever been, and she was sure Granny wouldn't find her. Nor would the hunters.
She hugged knees to her chest and tried to hold back the scream she could feel bubbling up inside. She could still taste Peter's blood in her mouth. She couldn't cry, because she was still in shock. That was her fairytale? Her story? Being the wolf and killing her first love. Now she could never come back to her village, or have a family. She would probably have to live in the forest. Would children be afraid of her? She let out a little animal cry.
And then it hit her. The little silver knife she carried with her was still in her cloak.
She knew what she had to do to protect her village, to protect herself from future harm. She knew she couldn't survive another event like this. She couldn't handle her heart being broken again.
Killing herself was the only solution, she knew it. Granny would be fine eventually. And there was no one to mourn for her since Peter was dead.
The beating of her heart faded into silence, and the only thing she could hear was her short, sharp, gasping breaths. With a trembling hand, she drew the knife from the lining of her cloak, not daring to look. She touched it to the thin skin of her shaking wrist, and steeled herself for what was about to come.
"Red?"
She whipped her head around, terrified. Was it Granny? But she relaxed somewhat as she saw that it was a virtual stranger.
Well, not quite a stranger. She'd seen him a few times before. Always lurking in the shadows, a man no one trusted, everyone feared. Well, now she knew what that was like. She knew it all too well.
"Who are you?"
"My name... is Rumpelstiltskin."
"Well, nice to meet you, sir. Now could you leave? I was in the middle of something here." She flashed him a bright, wide smile, but the tear tracks down her pale cheeks told him all he needed to know.
He sat down in front of her.
"I can't. You see, dearie, I came here to stop you from doing this." His voice was soft and calm, so different from what she had imagined. He took hold of her hand and drew the knife from her limp grasp.
"Why do you care? You never wanted to talk to me, why now?" Her voice hitched a little. "Don't you know what I am? I- I'm a beast! I should die." Tears filled her eyes but her voice lacked the conviction she had felt just moment ago.
"I disagree with you. Maybe I'm being selfish but I can't let you die. You're important to me. You have your cloak, and you can live normally."
He thought was better to hide the fact that he wanted her to live with him. He thought it would be weird. How could he let her die? Since the first time he saw her, he knew she was the one for him.
Their eyes met for the first time. The admiration, love and worry in his eyes made Red realize he wasn't lying.
"Hold me... Please..."
Red had no idea if she was asking simply for a hug, or for a promise. All she wanted was to feel safe. And wrapped in his arms, she felt safe.
To be continued... Someday.
