Mr. Gold is Gay?!
By RockAndAHardPlace
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time, much as I wish otherwise!
Synopsis: Storybrooke gets the idea that Mr. Gold is gay. Belle decides to set things straight. RumBelle. Rated T for sexual humour and innuendo.
A.N.: This story is a stand alone piece, but it follows my other story " Mr. Gold Likes Musicals?!". Basically, all you need to know from that story is that Mr. Gold likes musicals (obviously) and rents them from Ruby and Granny.
In this world, like Jefferson, Belle still has her fairytale memories (because Regina is a bitch and likes tormenting people). Nobody else has regained their memories. Belle and Gold are in a relationship.
Ashley sat at the bar of Granny's, carefully watching Alexandra to make sure she stayed asleep. The sky was blue, the sun was bright, the baby was quiet, and an engagement ring glittered on her finger. She could tell it was going to be a great day.
Turning to talk to Emma (chugging her usual hot chocolate with cinnamon), Mary Margaret (talking about her class field trip) and Ruby (leaning over the counter in a way that caught the attention of every man in the room), Ashley saw the door open and groaned. There went her good day.
" Good morning", said Mr. Gold to the room in general. He limped up to the counter, and Ashley automatically moved to Alexandra, scooping the child up in her arms and shielding her from this unwelcome intrusion. Mr. Gold gave her a fake smile.
" Hello Ashley. How's Alexandra?" He asked. Ashley gave him a death glare and didn't bother answering. Unperturbed, Gold continued to the counter.
" Hi Mr. Gold", said Ruby, her usual cheerfulness dampened. " Rent or musicals?"
" Musicals", he answered, holding out a DVD case. " I finished " Oklahoma", do you have any new ones?"
Ruby took the DVD and went to a new bookshelf in the corner of the store. Her and Granny had recently begun renting out movies to customers. Thanks to Mr. Gold, the musical section was fairly substantial.
" We have " The King and I" and " My Fair Lady", Ruby replied. " Which one do you want?"
" I'll take them both", Gold replied. Ruby wrapped up the DVDs and took the money Gold offered her. She also gave him his usual coffee, which Gold took to a seat in the corner.
Ashley turned to Ruby, her eyes wide. " He likes musicals?" The blonde girl whispered.
" He's our best customer for the movie rental thing", laughed Ruby. " It's the darndest thing!"
" You hadn't heard about him and his musicals before?" asked Emma. " It's been going on for a while".
" I guess I'm a bit out of the loop", replied Ashley. The usual resentment welled up in her, for missing out on the casual life of others her age. As usual, however, she stifled the emotion. She was lucky to have Alexandra; the man sipping his coffee in the corner would have been all too happy to take her child.
She still didn't entirely understand that…
" Why do you suppose Mr. Gold wanted my baby?" asked Ashley.
" That was random", said Ruby, looking at her in surprise.
" Sorry", said Ashley. " But I've been wondering, and I just can't think of the reason. He doesn't seem to particularly like children".
" Probably wanted to bake her into a pie", said Emma matter-of-factly. Ruby giggled, and Mary Margaret shushed her, making a subtle gesture at Gold.
" Don't you think he might have simply been lonely?" asked Mary Margaret.
" Well if he'd stop being such a bastard, he wouldn't get lonely", retorted Ashely.
" Shh!" hissed Mary Margaret as Gold walked past.
" Have a good day, ladies", he said calmly, making for the door. At the same time, August Booth entered. August stiffened as he entered and bent over, grasping at his leg.
" You alright, August?" asked Emma.
" Leg cramp", he replied tensely.
Gold stared down at the other man's bent over figure.
" You're blocking the door, Booth", he snapped.
" Oh!" said August. " Sorry". He straightened up and moved to the counter. Gold exited the shop, and collective sigh of relief was heard.
August greeted everyone at the counter, then turned to Ashley.
" Hi Ashley. How's the baby?"
Ashley did not reply. Here eyes were fixed on the door where Gold had just left.
" No way", she whispered.
" Um, earth to Ashley", said Ruby, laughing. " What's up?"
Ashley turned back to the group, her eyes wide.
" Did you guys see that?" she asked.
" See what?" demanded Mary Margaret.
" Mr. Gold just checked August out!" Ashley exclaimed.
There was a long pause.
Emma began to laugh. " Ash, there is no possible way-"
" He was staring at August's butt when he bent over!"
August looked a bit green. " Ashley, there is no possible way. I'm pretty sure Mr. Gold hates my guts".
" Yeah, I've never gotten that impression from him", replied Mary Margaret.
" Just think about it! It makes perfect sense!" Ashley was on a roll. " He likes musicals. How many straight guys like musicals? He wanted my baby because he can't have any of his own. He just checked August out! Also, he was wearing a purple shirt", Ashley added as an afterthought.
Emma, Mary Margaret and August were hesitant. Ruby, however, spoke up.
" You know, Mr. Gold has never once checked me out", she said. " You could be on to something, Ashley!"
" Just because a guy doesn't check you out, doesn't mean he's gay!" exclaimed Emma.
" Name a straight guy who doesn't", retorted the waitress.
" David", said Mary Margaret.
" Sean", said Ashley.
" Nope, try again", said Ruby, smirking. Both women exchanged horrified glances. Ashley resolved to have a talk with Sean later.
" Archie!" exclaimed Emma triumphantly. Ruby pouted.
" Archie probably checks me out. He's just more subtle about it".
" You just don't want to admit I'm right!" said the sheriff, with the obstinacy of a child.
" There's an easy way to solve this", said Emma. " Hey, Archie!"
The therapist, seated near the window, looked up from his newspaper.
" Yes?" he asked.
" Do you check Ruby out?" Emma demanded, smirking.
" U-Uh…" Archie faltered. Under the interested glances of everyone in the room and Ruby's tense expression, his face turned a brilliant shade of red.
" No! No, I wouldn't… disrespect… um…" Ruby's face had fallen. " Uh, I mean, that is, I think you're pretty, Ruby!"
The waitress's head snapped up, her expression hopeful. " You do?"
" Yes! Beautiful, actually-".
Ruby beamed, and Archie's face flushed even redder.
" Guys, this doesn't prove anything", said Mary Margaret, returning them to the conversation.
" You have to admit, there's a lot of evidence", replied Ashley.
" Do you really think he checked me out?" asked August.
" He was totally staring at you", she told him.
" Well, regardless of Mr. Gold's sexuality, I think we should all agree not to spread any rumours about it", said Mary Margaret. " It's not fair to bring attention to something that we're not sure about, and isn't our business anyway".
" Lia, you will never guess what I just learned about Mr. Gold", said a woman, talking on her cell phone as she exited the diner.
The group turned back to face each other with identical guilty faces.
" Maybe it won't spread too far?" asked Ruby hopefully.
/
" Thanks so much for your help, Miss French", said Mrs. Gardener, setting down the stack of books that Belle had helped her pick out on the counter.
" Of course, any time", said Belle, Storybrooke's new librarian. She began bagging the various books on home renovation.
" Say, did you hear about Mr. Gold?" asked Mrs. Gardener, leaning in slyly. Belle froze. How could they possibly have found out…?
" Um, no, I don't know what you're talking about", she replied.
" You know, it's surprising, but it makes a funny kind of sense", continued the woman. " He does like musicals, of all things…"
" Mrs. Gardener, you haven't explained what you're talking about", said Belle.
" Oh! Mr. Gold is gay! Can you believe it?" asked the older woman. " I was so shocked when Harry told me about it!"
Belle's eyes were wide with shock.
" Gay?" she asked. Mrs. Gardener nodded. Belle burst out laughing, her mind filled with pleasant images of how she and Mr. Gold had spent their time last night.
" No, I'm pretty sure he's straight", replied the librarian. " Where on earth did you hear that?"
" From my husband Harry, who heard it at work! Just think about it, dear! He likes musicals, and apparently he checked out some fellow at Granny's today".
" Checked out…?" Belle asked. She was struggling to hold in her laughter.
" Oh yes! Everyone's talking about it!" Mrs. Gardener continued to rattle on about Gold's sexuality. Belle, however, had ceased to listen to her. All she could think was:
What on earth is Rumple going to say when he hears about this?
/
That same evening Gold sat in a booth at Granny's, sipping a glass of scotch and watching the time carefully. Why did Belle's work go until six o'clock anyway? Nobody went to the library on a Friday night.
Nine minutes until she was done, and he could pick her up and take her home and help her out of that blue dress and-
" So", said Regina, her eyes sparkling as she slid into the seat opposite his. " I heard about you and your latest news".
" Hasn't everybody?" replied Gold, refusing to be antagonized. His love of musicals was old news. Couldn't the damn mayor go away? Every time he saw her his buried homicidal instincts returned with a vengeance.
" And you're alright with them knowing?" asked Regina loudly.
" Doesn't bother me", said Gold. " We've all got our quirks".
" Ah, but yours is a bit more… flamboyant", answered Regina. " People can be quick to judge".
" Well, thank you for your concern dearie, but I'm perfectly capable of handling their opinions. In this life, sometimes you end up on the top, sometimes you end up on the bottom. I'm adaptable".
" That's your position on the matter, then?"
" I'm sure there are many positions available, but I know what I like, and I'm not going to change that".
Gold wondered why people were making choking sounds. His attention was, however, captured once again by Regina's reply.
" Well, it sounds like you're doing just fine", she answered, an evil smirk on her face. " I'll let you get on with your day, Mr. Gold".
" That'd be just grand", Gold answered, eyes narrowed. She seemed… almost victorious, but he certainly hadn't lost that particular verbal debate. Had he missed something? Regina's shoulders were shaking as she left the diner. With laughter?
Gold frowned. How strange.
Eight minutes and counting…
/
The next day, Emma approached the front door of Mr. Gold's house with trepidation. She wanted to stay as far away as possible from the pawnbroker, ever since she had been a part of the group that started that rumour about him. However, she needed some information about a case, and was at her wit's end. He was the only one who might know anything about it.
Emma knocked on the door. To her surprise, it flew open immediately, revealing Belle French, the town's librarian.
Wearing sheer pink lingerie.
" Did you get-" Belle began, then froze when she saw Emma.
" Oh, shit!" exclaimed the librarian. She snatched up a coat and held it defensively in front of her.
" Oh my god. Oh my god. Why are you in Mr. Gold's house wearing lingerie?" demanded Emma.
" Why do you think?" asked Belle, blushing furiously. " I'm so sorry, I thought you were Ru- Richard".
" He's making you sleep with him?" Emma exclaimed. " I thought he was gay!"
" He's not gay! Where did that rumour come from anyway?"
Emma ignored the question. " He's making you sleep with him?" she demanded again, and saw red. " That bastard, I am going to fucking kill him-"
" He's not making me! I like it!" Belle uttered quickly. Emma turned back to her, eyebrows raised.
" Uh, I mean, it's my own decision, he's not making me do anything! He's my boyfriend, but we thought if things went public people would get the wrong idea".
" You don't say", remarked Emma, running a hand through her long blonde hair. Wow, this was awkward. " Do you always answer the door dressed like that?"
" No, Richard was just here but he forgot something at his shop, so he went back for it. I thought you were him", replied Belle. It appeared that her blush was becoming permanent.
" Sheriff Swan, what's going on?" asked an unmistakable voice from behind Emma. The sheriff whirled around to see the very man in question.
" Mr. Gold, I was just coming here to talk to you when Ms. French opened the door and… um…"
" I was wearing my, um, nightclothes", said Belle.
" Ah", responded Gold. There was an awkward silence.
" You know, it's crazy, I totally thought you were gay", said Emma.
" You thought what?!"
Maybe not the best way to break the awkwardness, thought Emma.
/
The rumours about his musicals had lasted two weeks. The rumours about his sexuality had lasted two months and were still going strong.
Belle watched Gold enter the house, his shoulders slumped, his face weary.
" How was work?" she asked.
" The usual", he replied. Belle handed him a steaming cup of his favourite tea, and Gold smiled wearily at her.
" It's not even so much what it is they're talking about", he said quietly, sipping at the drink. Belle sat beside him on their sofa, gently stroking his hair.
" I don't give a damn what they think about me", Gold continued. " But the fact that they need to have some sort of rumour, something to hold over me and see if it makes me vulnerable…"
He trailed off, staring moodily off into space. Belle, her concern growing more than ever, made a resolution then and there.
It was high time she put an end to this damn rumour.
/
It was Storybrooke's annual ball, held at the end of summer. The citizens were dressed up in their finest clothing, couples waltzing dreamily in each other's arms.
Gold stood glaring over the punch bowl, a sharp contrast to the carefree dancers. If another man mockingly asked him to dance, Gold might just accept. That would teach the smug bastards to laugh at him.
Where was his Belle?
Sheriff Swan came up to him a bit awkwardly.
" Hey", she said. Gold ignored her.
" How are you doing?" she asked.
" Bugger off", he snapped. Gold had heard by now that Sheriff Swan had been one of the ones who started the rumour.
" Look, if you tell me who's been giving you trouble, I can step in. If they're being homophobic-"
" They're not being homophobic", the pawnbroker cut her off curtly. " They're just being… Goldophobic".
Emma gave a snort of laughter, then her eyes were caught by something off to the side.
Gold turned, and for a moment all thoughts left his mind.
She was so beautiful…
Gold slowly approached Belle, his eyes wide.
" Where did you get this?" he asked.
" It was in the basement, hidden in a box underneath several furs and a crossbow", she replied, smiling that wonderful smile that made him go weak at the knees. " Do you like it?"
She was wearing the silk, golden dress she'd been wearing when they first met.
" You're beautiful", Gold whispered. And then suddenly his arms were full of Belle, slippery and soft in the silken dress, and his lips were pressed against hers and she smelled of roses and everything was absolutely perfect.
Gold made a noise of protest when Belle pulled away, gasping, for breath. The blue-eyed beauty laughed as he pulled her in close again.
" Can't you wait until later, Richard?" she asked, her voice low and sweet.
" Nope. Physically impossible", he answered immediately. Belle laughed.
" One dance, then we'll go", she told him. " Come on, I dressed up for a ball!"
And she pulled him towards the dance floor. Vaguely, Gold heard the sounds of conversation from around them. Among other voices were those of August, Emma, Ashley and Ruby.
" So he wasn't checking me out. That is a relief!" said August.
" Yeah", remarked Ashley. " He is definitely straight".
" I knew as much", replied Emma. " Ever since I knocked on his door and Ms. French answered it in lingerie!"
" You saw Ms. French in lingerie?" gasped Ruby, rather loudly.
" What?" exclaimed Regina.
More conversations sprang up.
" Miss Swan tried to interfere with Mr. Gold's relationship?"
" Wow, I always thought her and Mayor Mills had a thing!"
Emma's eyes were wide with horror.
" No! We're not- that's not- she's my enemy!"
Gold's eyes met those of the sheriff's, and he smirked. Let her see what it felt like, being the one gossiped about. He didn't need to worry about those silly rumours.
This was, after all, his happy ending.
A.N.: Thank you so much for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! I'm thinking of making a " rumours" series about several Storybrooke characters. It might not happen right away, but I'm considering it… If anyone has any prompts for new rumours, I'd love some ideas! Thank you!