Price To Pay (Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold x Reader)

Chapter 32

The room was spacious, with two king size beds and a pull-out couch. There was a kitchenette and large bathroom. It was really nice, especially for a little motel such as this one.

You were tired by nine and plugged your phone into its charger before snuggling up on the trundle bed. Cruella and Ursula were sharing one of the huge beds and Rumple took the other, leaving you with the half-couch, half-bed. It was comfortable enough though.

"Goodnight, darling," Cruella said, kissing your cheek.

You smiled. "Night, Cruella, Ursula. Goodnight, Rumple."

"Goodnight, dearie," he said quietly. His voice was strained. You pretended not to notice, but... What had he meant that you would understand?

You rode through the forest on a bicycle made for two. The man in front of you was dressed in leather. It didn't take long for you to realize that you weren't even pedaling - the bike was propelled by some kind of magic.

"Adam?" you asked hopefully.

The man looked over his shoulder and grinned. His skin was scaly, with huge dragon-like eyes. You gasped and tried to let go of the handle bars, but you couldn't. He twisted around and leaned closer to you.

"Almost."

You sat up from the couch and put your hand over your chest. Your heart was beating from the vividness of the dream. You'd had that dream before. You'd also had worse, and you'd had better. But they were always vivid, always hitting to close to home. And when the Scaled Man was in your dreams... You couldn't help but feel that you knew him.

You crawled from the bed and walked to the window, staring out over the city lights. Everything was calm and peaceful. You heart was beating a little normally again just looking out the window.

"(Y/N)?"

You turned around. Rumple was sitting up in bed, pulling the blankets around his shoulders and bare chest. "Oh... Um, sorry, Rumple. D-Did I wake you?"

"No."

"I, um... I couldn't sleep," you explained.

"Why ever not?"

"Uh... Nightmares." He cocked his head, like he was waiting for you to go on. "I've had them since I left my old home."

He looked shocked. "That long?"

"What...?"

"N-Never mind." He hesitated. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"No... N-Not really."

"Well... Is there something that helps with them?"

You shrugged and tried to ignore the thought that wouldn't leave you alone: Adam used to hold you until you fell back asleep when you'd had nightmares or couldn't sleep otherwise.

"I'm guessing... You're... Lonely," he said quietly.

"What?"

"My... Lover - " He said it cautiously, as if testing out the word. " - Used to be the same. She didn't like to sleep alone."

"What happened to her?" you asked.

He looked down. "She left town. It... It was my fault. I couldn't protect her."

You felt something flutter inside of you - something more than romance, something almost familiar. De ja vu, that's what they called it. The way his head was dipped and the light turned his hair silver made your stomach feel half its size.

"Maybe there was more to it," you said quietly.

He looked up and smiled bitterly. "See, dearie, I tend to have a special knack for chasing away the good in my life. You could almost say... I have more than my share of darkness in my heart."

You swallowed, your throat tight. Adam had said the exact same thing, when you were still getting to know him. But the words were comforting, something familiar in a world of uncertainties.

You stepped towards the bed and stopped next to him. His eyes were probing, trying to read something that you weren't even sure of. What was it you felt towards him? He was older than you, yes, but he was also so... So Adam. But that could never be right.

He reached out and put his hand on your waist. Part of you considered moving away, but the other half either wouldn't let you or didn't want you to. You lifted your hand to brush hair from his face.

This was wrong. This was right. He was old and you were young. But you felt something, something that you'd felt only once in your life - with Adam. Perhaps this was the same emotion. Love? It was new, it was familiar. It was calming, it was exhilarating. Maybe it was even passionate.

You sunk onto the bed next to him, moving your lips closer and closer to his. His hands moved up your back and drew you closer to him. You found your hands moving to his chest and neck, trembling slightly, still ultimately unsure and confused. He let out a quiet sigh as the tips of his lips brushed yours. Just the slight notion made your heart leap.

Rustling in the bed next to that one made you stop. He turned his head towards where Cruella was shifting, mumbling something about dogs in her sleep. You licked your lips and pulled away from him.

"I don't understand," you said quietly. "I don't understand this."

He took your hand and ran his thumb over the ring. "You will."

You hesitated for a moment, then crawled over him and tucked yourself under the covers. He laid back down and let out a heavy sigh, one more burdensome than you would think to expect. His back was to Cruella and Ursula, your back to him. It was incredibly comforting to be so close to someone again, as if they cared for you the way you wanted to care for someone else. You smiled and drew your arms against your chest, realizing that you were shivering. Rumple spread another blanket over you. When he settled back down, his legs were against yours. You snuggled closer to him, and he laid an arm across your shoulder. Slowly, you fell into a dreamless, comfortable sleep. The first one in what felt like eons.