Rumple was running out of time. He'd had a snafu trying to get into Belle's casting class. Why in the world did they have to have a mandatory meeting for all final year students today? No matter. He and Belle had planned on meeting in the courtyard to do… something, what it was really couldn't have been all that important as long as he made it there on time. He was surprised that he had gotten there first and when she had shown up ten minutes late.
"I'm so sorry," she told him as she ran to where he was. "I had to get the notes for my class I missed and it just kept getting longer and longer. Finally I was able to break away when My book bag broke and I almost lost all my DADA homework and…"
"Belle, Sweetheart, Do you cause this much of a whirlwind everywhere you go?" he laughed.
"I, uh, I'm, uh," she sputtered out. She could have had a better reaction but he said something that threw her head for a huge spin. He'd called her sweetheart.
He hadn't called her Darling or Dearie. No, he'd called her sweetheart. A truly affectionate name. One that you called someone when friend wasn't enough. One that had meaning behind it. A meaning she'd hoped that she might be able to explore but just hadn't wanted to ruin the friendship she'd built with him if he didn't feel the same way about her. She'd liked Rumple for a long time now. Since he'd given her the sweater at lunch all those weeks ago. He was such a mystery. A puzzle that only seemed to let her get the tiniest piece every now and then. Yet somehow, it was a riddle she didn't mind letting be a riddle if he needed to be. Didn't mean she didn't want to solve it though.
"Come on, Let's take a walk around. You're always saying I need to get out more anyways," he told her as he gestured to the open plains that surrounded Hogwarts.
"Um, Yeah, Sure, Let's do it," she said quickly placing her broken book bag in a hidden corner of the courtyard before they started their walk.
Rumplestiltskin wasn't an idiot. He knew he'd let the word sweetheart escape and would regret it later but right now he needed her to be completely open with him. No matter how strangely okay it felt directed at her. Right now they were in the middle of idle chatter about their favorite potions and other small things that felt like nothing and yet something at the same time.
They were close to the spot he'd planned on them turning around at. They had moved from favorites into funny stories.
"So my father rushes at the ogres, full speed, full of pride and confidence and decimates the whole army of cardboard cutouts when he notices that the second one had accidentally snagged his pants and he'd been running around in his underwear for the past eight minutes," she laughed.
"Oh my gosh, That sounds like a nightmare," Rumple laughed along.
"Then he said, They may steal our pants but they will lose their heads for sure," Belle finished in a fit of laughter.
Both of them were laughing so hard that neither of them noticed the root that was in front of Belle until she tripped. "Whoa!"
"I gotcha," he said as he reached out and caught her in his arms. Both of their laughter had died as they stared into the other's eyes. He was now holding her bridal style with her hands interlocked behind his head. Neither one of them had expected to end up like this but here right now, neither one of them could deny those feelings that they'd bottled up or dismissed.
He brought her back to her feet but she was still so close to him. Her hands had moved to his chest and his around her waist. All he wanted to do in that moment was bring her closer but that wasn't right. This wasn't right. So why was it impossible to even tear his eyes from her's.
"Belle what are we doing?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," she told him honestly. "But I wouldn't mind finding out where it went."
"Why? Why would you even where we are right now?" He asked. He was the dark one. He was not to be loved. He was not to care. He was not to do … this. He was an angry, conniving, scheming, lying,
"You make me believe in myself. You've shown me a world of amazement and compassion and care. You cared for me when no one else would and when I didn't deserve to be loved. When I was struggling so hard, you gave me something to look forward to. Something happy, something caring, something more wonderful than I've had in a long time," she told him. "You don't think that you should be loved but you've been loved for a while not just by me but by your house. I just want to heal that final piece inside your heart."
"Belle you've always been worthy of care and love. You take care of everyone with such a kindness and gentleness that makes most everyone wonder how in the world such a precious light and love could be cast away so easily. You were meant to be treasured," he told her.
"Would you treasure me?" she asked him.
"I want to," he told her. "But all could do is break you. I'm too frail and would drop you too many times."
"Rumple the only way you would drop me right now is if you didn't kiss me right here because I am truly dying of anticipation and agony waiting for …"
He kissed her. He was kissing her. He was kissing her with a passion that blew his and Milah's whole relationship out of the water entirely. And yet, it was increased a second later when Belle kissed him back. Every single wall he had been crushed, shoved and smashed down to the pavement so he could give Belle his hand and help her through the rubble and to the remainder of his heart. They continued to kiss until they'd run out of oxygen and ended up in the same position they were before.
He took Belle back to her room and gave her one last kiss before letting her get to bed. When he closed the door he instantly regretted kissing her. Not because it wasn't good, no that was definitely not the problem, but because it wasn't pure. It was tainted with lies and deception and corruption from the very beginning. In that moment though, he'd let himself be happy for once in a long time and it was the most beautiful piece of happiness that he'd ever had. He just couldn't figure out what he was going to do once today had finished and tomorrow had begun.
I do have another Rumbelle piece if any of you are interested. It is completed, It's not Hogwarts but it is AU. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that it wasn't that cheesy. Anyways you guys are the best.
