#to declare your flame means confess your love in french

[r-aindr0p]

This guy approaches you and offers you flowers, you feel dizzy and weak.

Is this love ?…..

WRONG !!!!!!!! Fire lotus !!!!!!!!!

[geminiwritten]

heatwave ; bucky barnes

fandom: marvel

pairing: bucky x reader

summary: you’re not a huge fan of the hot weather until a certain super soldier finally gets his arse out of bed and gives you a reason to love it

notes: i wrote this over quite a few days so i’m really sorry if its disjointed, and i’m so sorry if its repetitive of my last piece! i’m still trying to get through a bit of writer’s block, so i hope y’all enjoy!

word count: 3359

The heat seemed to wash over you in waves. Pulses of warmth rolling through your body and stealing your breath. Every inch of your skin glistened with a thin sheen of sweat, drawing all the hydration from your body and draining any energy you might have possessed if it wasn’t for the heatwave currently sweeping through New York City.

“Ugh,” you groaned, your head lulling to the side where Natasha laid, “I think I’m dying.”

She let out a breathy laugh, “You’re not dying.”

“I might be.”

“Oh, come on you two,” Sam hollered from the pool a little way across the balcony, “have some fun for once in your lives!”

Natasha propped herself up on her elbows and squinted over the top of her sunglasses, “With you idiots? No thanks.”

“Why are you always such a killjoy, Romanoff?”

“Why are you always such a pain in the ass, Wilson?” you called back, mimicking Natasha on your elbows.

He scoffed, “That’s rich coming from the whiniest member of the team.”

Your frown deepened, this time out of anger and not because of the bright glare from the sun.

“Watch it, Wilson,” a voice called out from behind you, “or she’ll come over there and kick your ass.”

Both you and Natasha whipped around to find Bucky. He had probably only just woken, his mop of hair tied up into a loose bun with escaped tendrils sticking to the hot skin of his neck and forehead. This time, it wasn’t the heat that knocked the air from your lungs.

“Nice to see you’re alive, Buck,” Steve chuckled as he waded through the pool toward where Sam was leaning against the edge.

Bucky rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to say something smart but having his breath stolen as he stepped out of the shade and into the sun. “Holy shit,” he gasped, “it’s hot.”

“Sharp observation skills, Einstein,” Natasha quipped.

“At least Barnes will get in the pool unlike you two party poopers,” Sam said, before copping a volleyball to the back of the head thanks to Bruce’s poor aim.

He spun around quickly, ball in hand and ready to hurl it back at his attacker.

“Well then,” Bucky sighed, now standing beside you, “I guess it’s time for a swim.”

He looked down at you sprawled across your towel, one arm draped over your eyes to shield from the sun and the other resting on your bare stomach. You suddenly felt exposed, nervous under the gaze of his pale blue eyes.

“Want to join me?”

Your pulse thudded in your ears, and you wanted nothing more than to get in the water with him, but the sound of shouts and spraying water reminded you of the rest of the team.

“I���m sorry, Buck, I’ll have to pass,” you replied.

He pushed his bottom lip forward, “It’s your loss, doll, this heat is a killer.”

Your limbs turned to jelly at the sound of that pet name rolling off his tongue.

“Ugh,” Natasha scoffed beside you, “you two are sickening.”

You wanted to turn around and bite back at her, but what happened next had you paralysed. Every nerve in your body ignited, goosebumps rising across every inch of your skin in spite of the steamy weather. Bucky’s fingers curled under the hem of his shirt, tugging it up and over his head to reveal his sculpted body beneath. His abs rolled and tensed as he rid himself of the material and discarded it on the ground, making your mouth water and your head spin with a thousand different unholy thoughts.

A shriek from the red headed woman beside you broke you out of your trance, and only then did you notice the spray of pool water that had washed over you and most of the balcony.

“You’re an arse, Barnes!” Natasha yelled, standing and angrily snatching up her towel.

You pushed your sunglasses further up your nose as you let your gaze settle on the giggling men in the pool. Bucky’s now wet, broad shoulders glistened under the sunlight, his alabaster skin taught across the landscape of muscle.

“Do you want some lunch or are you just going to keep staring like a creep?” Natasha asked as she stood over you.

Your gaze hardly wavered, “I’m not hungry.”

“Are you sure?” she pressed, her lips curling into a smirk, “because I think you’ve got a little bit of drool on your chin there.”

If Bucky wasn’t pulling himself out of the water right at the moment, you might have turned around to poke your tongue at her, but instead you opted for flipping her the bird while your eyes remained trained on the pool area.

The rest of the steamy day went by far too quickly. Despite your hate for the heat, you stayed out on the balcony until the sun began to set. Only when Bucky and Sam wrapped themselves in towels and declared that it was time for dinner did you finally put your book away, not that you had managed to read even a single page of it.

“Is it supposed to be this hot again tomorrow?” Sam asked as the three of you stepped inside.

“Yeah,” you replied, “and the day after.”

“I bet you’re happy about that,” he chuckled, watching disappointment sweep across your face as Bucky pulled his shirt over his head

“Shut up.”

He chuckled at your feeble attempt to jab his side, easily evading your attack.

“Alright, children,” Tony called from the kitchen, “dinner’s ready.”

Like moths to a flame, the rest of the team gathered around the kitchen bench where Natasha and Tony had laid out the pre-cut ingredients for everyone to make their own burgers.

“I’m going to have a shower before eating,” Bucky said, to no one in particular as he draped his damp towel over his forearm.

“Do you need any help?” Sam asked, his grin evil, “Because I’m sure Y/N would love-”

“Sam!” you snapped.

Thankfully, Bucky remained oblivious, his brows knit into an adorable frown.

“Never mind, Buck,” you said, “I’ll make sure they save you some food.”

His face broke into that familiar smile that melted your heart, “Thanks, doll.”

Once again, your legs wobbled like jelly and you had to steady yourself on the back of the lounge.

“Ugh,” Sam groaned, “I can’t wait until they day you two finally fu-”

“Language,” Steve interrupted with a disapproving glare at Sam.

You poked your tongue out before turning toward the array of burger ingredients, your empty stomach rumbling at the sight.

The next day rolled around just as the weather forecast had predicted. The air was thick with humidity and the sun blared down just as it had yesterday. Once again you found yourself on a towel beside the pool, half of the team splashing around while the other half laid languidly in the shade.

“Still not getting in today?” Steve asked as he approached the bar fridge near where you had placed your towel.

You shook your head, “I’d rather not get caught in the crossfire of an overly aggressive game of chicken.”

“I mean, you could play the game with us, maybe even get to climb onto Bucky’s shoulders.”

You whipped around, your glare lethal, “What the fuck, Rogers?”

He chuckled, “Sorry, Sam told me to.”

“You are the last person I would expect to stoop to his level,” you said, crossing your arms indignantly.

He shrugged, “Well, no one has told Buck, if that makes up for anything.”

“I’m guessing everyone else knows, though.”

He didn’t respond, only smiled sheepishly.

“Ugh,” you sighed.

“In my own defence, Natasha told me about your crush months ago and I haven’t let it slip once. It’s been-”

“Sam,” you interrupted him, “I know.”

He took a generous sip of water before crouching beside you, “For what it’s worth, I think you should tell him how you feel.”

“Yeah, right,” you scoffed.

Steve knew he couldn’t say anymore. He knew nothing he said would convince you to tell Bucky how you felt, and he knew he couldn’t betray his best friend’s trust by divulging the fact that Bucky really had confessed his feelings for you before. He decided to let you be, gathering three more bottles of water before heading back to the pool.

The day passed almost identically to the one before it, and so did the next. It wasn’t until two o’clock in the morning on the third night of the heatwave that you felt a sudden change. You awoke abruptly, a shiver running down your spine as cool air blew through the open window and brushed across your bare skin. You frowned at the night sky before tiredly pulling your duvet up to your chin and falling back asleep.

By morning, the heat was well and truly gone. Clouds blanketed New York City, threatening to rain as they rolled angrily across the grey sky.

“I guess it’s back to work today, Avengers,” Tony said from behind his tablet.

Almost everyone was awake, crowded around the kitchen bench awaiting Clint’s famous French toast.

“What work?” Peter asked.

“Homework for you, kid,” Steve replied, earning an indignant frown from Peter.

You couldn’t help but giggle into your mug of coffee, before almost spraying it back out at the sight that then exited the elevator.

Bucky. Shirtless. Again.

You began to wonder what you had done to be so lucky, your heart thrumming against your rib cage so hard you worried that someone might hear it.

“Oh, my, Barnes,” Tony gasped, “you know it’s still in the A.M., right?”

Bucky simply rolled his tired eyes before slumping onto the lounge, mumbling, “Hungry.”

It wasn’t long before Clint served breakfast, everyone scoffing their food as if they hadn’t eaten in days, and soon after that, Peter dismissed himself for school and Tony and Bruce made their way to the lab.

“I think I need to get back into the gym today,” Clint sighed, stretching his arms above his head.

You sighed, “Same.”

“Bucky and I were planning on heading down there in the afternoon actually, we could do a group training session,” Steve said as he filled the sink, ready to wash everyone’s dishes.

“I’m in,” Natasha replied, “I was going to head into town for some groceries this morning, so the afternoon is better for me.”

“Yeah, alright,” Clint added, “Count me in.”

“Me too,” Sam said through his last mouthful of toast, “and obviously Y/N will be there too.”

You turned to him quickly, a frown already etched between your brows, “What the hell does that mean?”

He chuckled, “Steve said that he and Bucky were planning it, so obviously you-”

You elbowed him sharply in the gut before standing from your seat at the dining table and stomping over to the kitchen.

Natasha sighed, “You better be careful, Wilson, you’re playing with fire.”

“But it’s so obvious that they both like each other, why can’t they just fuck already.”

Steve’s ears turned red and Natasha laughed, but neither of them seemed to notice as Bucky finally made his way over from the living area.

“Who needs to fuck already?” he asked, brows knit.

“No one,” Steve answered quickly, “Tony wants help moving a new delivery, I said we’d help him out. Come on.”

He ushered the confused Bucky out of the room, but not before shooting daggers at Sam.

After breakfast you decided to go with Natasha into town. The compound was running low on a few things that Tony always forgot to add to the weekly grocery delivery, so you took your time shopping and chatting. It was nice to simply enjoy the feeling of not having sweat drip from every inch of your skin, though you couldn’t help mourning the sticky weather that would encourage Bucky to constantly walk around shirtless.

It was almost four o’clock when you finally changed into your workout gear and headed for the gym. Most of the team were already in there, and those that weren’t had kindly declined the offer of a group training session.

Steve, Sam, Tony, and Bucky were gathered around the sparring mats each taking turns at attacking the training dummy, while Clint was over by the weights alone. You quickly found Wanda and Natasha on the treadmills and decided to start there.

“Afternoon,” Wanda greeted you, her smile sweet as she swiped the sweat from her brow.

You grinned back, “Fancy seeing you out of your room.”

“I don’t do heat,” she said, “but Nat has just been telling me about how much you’ve been enjoying it.”

You tossed your gym towel at her, gasping, “Oh, shut up!”

The two red heads giggled, thankfully too amused to notice the way your eyes drifted across the gym to where Bucky was training.

After almost an hour on the treadmill, chatting idly about nothing in particular with Nat and Wanda, Steve called the team to attention. Everyone moved in from around the gym, forming a misshapen circle around the sparring mats that he and Clint had just hauled from the storage room.

“It’s a bit stuffy in here,” Sam said as he plopped down on the floor and began stretching his legs out in front of him, “is the air on, Tony?”

Tony, who was chugging half a bottle of water, simply shrugged and waved haphazardly at the control panel by the main entry doors.

“I’ll check it,” you offered before turning on your heel.

You tapped the screen and it came to life, but the display wasn’t the same as the one in your room. It had more options and dials for more variables than just the temperature, but on the top right of the screen was a little green button that you assumed meant it was on. You chose the dial that looked like it controlled the fan speed and turned it all the way up.

“All good, Y/N?” Steve called.

You nodded before hurrying back to the group, bending your right leg up to your buttocks in a quick stretch. Steve and Nat then took their positions in the middle of the circle and began demonstrating the fight sequences that they wanted the team to practice.

“Now partner up, pick a mat, and practice until you can do it as fast as you can,” Steve said, before looking directly at Sam, “without hurting each other.”

Sam sighed with exasperation as he turned to his partner, Bucky. You turned to Wanda while Nat joined Clint on a mat and Tony stepped up to where Steve was. Each pair started slowly mimicking the moves that had just been demonstrated.

“It is hot in here,” Wanda said, her breath heavy as she ducked your fist.

You simply nodded, too focused on your movements to be able to speak.

Grunts, huffs, and the thud of heavy feet on the vinyl mats echoed throughout the gym for fifteen minutes before Steve called a break. You practically dove for your water bottle, only to choke on the first mouthful of water when Bucky yanked his sweat-soaked shirt over his head. Wanda caught your eye, giggling as you spluttered.

“I thought the heatwave was over,” Clint said.

Tony nodded, “It is, I think the air-con is playing up.”

“It’s broken?” Wanda gasped.

He shrugged, opening his mouth to respond but stopping when Steve spoke first, “Alright, enough chatting, let’s get back into it.”

Over the next thirty minutes, Wanda’s fist made contact with your shoulder, your abdomen, and almost your jaw if she hadn’t quickly noticed that you were too distracted to block her swing. Her foot then collided with your hip twice before she finally gave in on trying to get your attention.

Your eyes were glossed over and glued to the super soldier duelling Sam. His exposed skin glistened with sweat, muscles rippling under taught, alabaster skin. His stare was hard, eyes almost grey as they narrowed on every move that Sam made. Your palms began to sweat, knees wobbling as you watched his tongue swipe quickly across his pink lips.

“Y/N!” Wanda snapped, her fingers gripping your chin and forcing you to face her, “focus.”

“Shit, sorry,” you muttered.

You raised your shaky hands, trying to block out the shirtless man still in your peripheral vision.

By the time Steve called the training session to an end, the air was almost as dense as the storm clouds outside. Everyone was soaked in their own sweat, hair clinging to sticky skin and muscles beneath burning from use.

“I swear to God, Tony,” Wanda said as she draped her towel over her shoulder, “if the air-con is broken, I’m not going to let you sleep until it’s fixed.”

He chuckled, fingers already moving swiftly across the tablet in his lap, “It’s not broken.”

“Then what the fuck is this?” Sam exclaimed, arms gesturing wildly toward the gym’s huge windows that were completely veiled in condensation.

Tony nodded toward you, “Y/N turned the temperature up instead of down.”

Heat blossomed in your chest, crawling up your neck and to the tips of your ears. Every pair of eyes landed on you, a mixture of irritation and amusement etched across the faces of your teammates.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, “I got confused.”

Most of the group simply chuckled or shrugged, collecting their things and heading for the door, but Sam took his time. The devilish smirk adorning his lips made your pulse begin to race.

“Far out, Y/N,” he said, “you didn’t have to torture all of us just to get Barnes to take his clothes off.”

Your eyes went wide, brows shooting up toward your hairline as every coherent thought left your head. Your heart pounded deafeningly in your ears.

The team was suddenly silent, those closest to the door hurrying out and the rest quickly rushing after them. Wanda stuck her elbow into Sam’s side before dragging him out by his shirt collar.

Bucky remained, paralysed feet still glued to the ground as he quickly tried to catch up on what had just happened.

“Sam was just joking,” you finally managed to speak, “he’s an arse.”

Bucky blinked slowly, “Yeah… such an arse.”

You nodded, mouth dry as you tried to swallow the lump in your throat, “Okay, well, I’ve got to-”

“He is an arse,” Bucky interrupted you, blue eyes wide with curiosity, “but he doesn’t usually lie.”

You didn’t know what to say, your nervous fingers tangling behind your back. His stare was heavy, pressing down on your shoulders and holding you still as he slowly stepped closer.

“Do you like me?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course I like you, Buck, you’re-”

“No,” one last step and his breath fanned the exposed skin of your neck, “do you-”

This time, it was your turn to interrupt. Every bit of pent-up tension and suppressed desire propelled you toward him, coming up onto the balls of your feet and wrapping your arms around his broad shoulders. Your lips crashed into his, so hard you might have worried about bruising them if the thought of a mark left by Bucky wasn’t so thrilling.

He hesitated only for a moment before his hands found your waist, practically lifting you off the ground and squashing your body against his. Your fingers tangled in his hair as his tongue glided across your bottom lip, begging for entry. A low, almost feral growl rumbled up from his chest once you allowed him in, tongues clashing.

You only parted when breath became absolutely necessary, your lungs burning for air. He let you back onto your own feet, though his strong arms stayed wound around your waist.

“Um, yeah,” you said between gulps of air, “I really like you, Buck.”

He chuckled, “Well, that’s a relief because I really like you too.”

He pressed his lips to yours once more before pulling away completely and wrapping his gym towel around his shoulders.

“I need a shower,” he said, taking your hand in his and tugging you toward the door, “and it’s your turn to take your clothes off now.”

END.

[prissyhalliwell]

Summary: Mr. Gold has been working for the dinner theatre company “The Enchanted Forest” for years, performing the same boring show every weekend. Nothing has ever changed, until Belle French joins the cast to play its princess.

~ Winner of Best Mr. Gold in the 2016 TEA Awards ~  

Chapter One I Chapter Two I Chapter Three I Chapter Four I Chapter Five I Chapter Six I Chapter Seven I Chapter Eight I Chapter Nine I Chapter Ten I  Chapter Eleven I Chapter Twelve I Read on AO3

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took forever! Like Gold, I was dealing with a lack of confidence, so I did a lot of editing and re-writing. Hopefully it turned out okay! As a treat for being so patient with me, see the notes at the end of the chapter ;)

Chapter Thirteen

The big night had come at last.

Belle paced in the wings, waiting for her cue to walk onstage. Her hands were shaking and she clenched them into fists at her side, trying to calm herself.

The show had gone wonderfully so far. The audience had been enthusiastically vocal in their appreciation for the new material, clapping and laughing accordingly. Considering how little time the cast had been given to prepare, it was amazing how smoothly everything had gone.

Unfortunately for Belle, the two parts of the night that she had been dreading the most were still in front of her: the kiss with Gold and her date with him after the show.

She wasn’t sure which she was more nervous about. If the kiss was anything like those she’d experienced during rehearsal, it was going to be completely underwhelming. The crowd would be disappointed and the climax of the love story would be ruined.

Equally as mortifying would be if Gold sulked his way through their double date. Not only would it humiliate her in front of Ursula, one of her dearest friends and mentors, but it would provoke Cruella into doing something just as embarrassing. Knowing Cruella as she did, Belle knew the costume designer would have no misgivings about berating Gold for his behavior - especially if she could do it in front of the rest of the cast while making lewd suggestions every other sentence.

Swallowing back a groan, Belle tried to look at the brightside. At least things couldn’t get any worse.

Then she remembered that Merlin was sitting in the audience, ready to grill them for the tiniest misstep in his review the following morning.

Her stomach churned. She felt nauseous, as if hundreds of butterflies were using her stomach as their own personal mosh pit. Glancing at the exit door, she calculated the time it would take her to run to her car in her full-length gown. If she kicked off her heels, she was pretty sure she could make it without tripping.

Then perhaps she could call in sick for...ever?

Lost in her plans of escape, she didn’t notice Gold until he had already walked up beside her. He gave her what she supposed was an encouraging smile, but looked a lot more like a grimace.

“Once more unto the breach,” he said, his jovial tone sounding rather strained to Belle’s ears.  

She narrowed her eyes at him. “That would sound a lot more comforting if the next line wasn’t talking about corpses.”

Gold had the decency to look embarrassed. “Ah, good point.” He glanced down at his shoes, avoiding her gaze. “So I guess we’re still on for the...um...thing later? That’ll be...fun.”

The last thing Belle wanted to deal with right now was Gold’s anxiety, especially when she had plenty of her own to distract her. She was already worried that she might forget her lines again - she didn’t need Gold to make her more flustered than she already was.

Ironically, she was much more comfortable with him onstage these days than off. Apart from the kissing, Gold was professional and easy to work with during rehearsals - it was his behavior offstage that made her so frustrated that she wanted to rip all that soft brown hair out of his head. It was almost like he had two different personalities: the confident, flamboyant Chancellor with his dramatic flourishes and the timid, shy actor who couldn’t find his voice unless he was tripping over it. She loved them both, but there was only one she wanted to strangle right now.

A terse reply was on the tip of her tongue when she looked back at Gold. He looked absolutely miserable.

Belle’s anger deflated instantly. This wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted him to come on the date because he wanted to, not because he had been tricked into it. Despite how the last few weeks had felt, they weren’t living in some melodramatic rom-com. Neither she nor Cruella could force him into doing something he didn’t want to.  

If this was ever going to work out between them, Gold needed to choose this for himself.

“Look,” Belle said, looking him squarely in the eye, “if you don’t want to go out for drinks tonight, then don’t come.”

His eyes practically bugged out of their sockets, but she didn’t wait for him to reply.

“I don’t want to force you to go on a date with me,” she said honestly. “I want you to go because you want to.”

His mouth opened but it was several moments before the words actually came out. “It’s not that I don’t want to,” he said. “It’s just - complicated.”

Her hope rose a bit. He’d admitted that he wanted to go out with her. That was a start.

“What’s holding you back? Perhaps I can help.”

His expression darkened. “Belle, I’m - I’m not who you think I am.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.  “I swear to god, if you’re about to feed me some crap about being in the Witness Protection Program...”

“No, it’s nothing like that!” Gold looked pained, as if he’d rather be anywhere else than talking to her right now. “It’s just...you don’t actually want me, Belle. You want the Chancellor, the man who inspired you to act all those years ago. I can play him for a few hours every night, but I can’t be him, not in real life. The real me would just disappoint you. It’s better if we just...leave things as they are.”

If Belle had been annoyed at him before, it was nothing to the heat that started to build within her at this confession. She may be new to acting compared to Gold, but she wasn’t naive.

“So you don’t think I’m smart enough to tell the difference between fiction and reality?”

Gold’s eyes grew large and he took an almost imperceptible step back from her as he realized his mistake.

“No, that’s not - ”

“Or perhaps you think I’m so completely clueless that I don’t know my own feelings? I know this might come as a shock to you, but we’re not actually living in medieval times. You don’t get to decide my future for me because you’re the one wearing trousers.”

Gold’s mouth was opening and closing, but no words were coming out. That suited Belle just fine. Her anger was rising by the second, all the frustration and stress of the last few weeks feeding the flames. She kept talking, not sure what she was saying until it tumbled from her mouth.

“Furthermore, this idea that I don’t know who you are is ridiculous. I think I’ve gotten to know you pretty well during the last few months. I know that you trip over your words when you’re nervous, and you’re terrible at talking about your feelings, and you’re apparently an idiot when it comes to women, but I love you despite all that and - ”

Belle stopped cold, her eyes growing wide. Gold looked just as shocked as she felt.

“I umm...” Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. “Shit.”

She turned and fled, running as fast as she could further backstage. She didn’t look back, even when she heard Gold call after her.

She didn’t stop running until she was sure he hadn’t followed her. Leaning against a wall for support, she took a deep gulp of air to try and calm herself. She had mere minutes before she would have to go onstage again. She didn’t have time for the full-scale panic attack that was threatening to overwhelm her.

Taking deep breaths, she focused on her next scene. She could do this. She could go out there and fake a smile for the audience because she was a professional actress, damn it.

Yes, Belle thought determinedly. She would act the hell out of her final scene. Gold could stumble through the kiss - the scene - she didn’t care. Belle was going to show everyone just how amazing an actress she really was.

Once the play was over, she could fall apart. But she wouldn’t give Merlin the satisfaction of screwing up again, just because Gold had commitment issues and she was prone to blurting out declarations of love.  

Her evening hadn’t gotten any better, but she was determined to survive this stupid night if it was the last thing she did.

As Belle rushed away, Gold stood there dumbfounded.

She loved him.

Belle loved him and she was...running away from him as fast as her high heels could take her. All because she had blurted the fact out accidentally, and he had been too stupid to do anything but stare at her wordlessly.

If he had any sense at all, he would follow her immediately and profess his love to her in return, but he could only watch dumbly as she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

He’d always been afraid that she was blind to his many faults and would leave him the moment she realized them. But from what Belle had just confessed, she already knew all of them and loved him anyway.

His mind raced back to the previous Sunday night and their desperate attempt to save the show. Belle had said he’d always been enough for her then. He’d dismissed it as another part of the improv, but now he realized that the truth had been right in front of him all along.

How had he not seen it until now? His own insecurities had been yelling so loudly that he hadn’t been paying attention to what his own eyes and ears had been telling him. Of course Belle wasn’t blind to his faults; she wasn’t an idiot, unlike himself. She had been right to call him out on his bullshit.

Gold may never understand what she saw in him, but if he was lucky enough to have her love, he wasn’t going to squander it one minute longer.

There wasn’t time to find her and tell her now, but he knew exactly what to do. He would prove his feelings to her when they kissed at the end of the show. No more limp dishrag kisses from him! He’d pour every ounce of his love into that kiss.

Noticing the time, he made his way down to the tunnel where Ogre was waiting for him. Only the big fight stood between him and the final scene, and he was anxious to get it over with so he could make things right with Belle.

He channeled all of his frustration and enthusiasm into the fight, scaring the hell out of Killian, who had just been revealed to be the true traitor of the show.

Gold liked to think it was a sign of good luck.

He made his way up the stairs to Belle afterwards, still feeling the effects of his earlier adrenaline rush. After having lost so many bouts before, it was a heady feeling to finally win one, even if it was just part of the show.  

Reaching the balcony, it took all his self-control not to race onstage. Even then, he couldn’t keep his strides from being a bit longer and quicker than they had been in rehearsal.

Belle’s back was to him as he walked onstage. He watched as she turned around slowly, the smile on her face big enough to fool the audience, but not him. She regarded him warily and he realized, with a stab of pain, that her hands were shaking.  

There was no way they were going to make it through the scene like this. The show would have to wait. He needed to make things right with Belle now.

“You’re alive!” she exclaimed, walking up to greet him. “I was so worried - ”

He grabbed her, hauling her forward until she was flush against him and lowering his lips to meet hers.

The crowd whooped and hollered around them. A few even whistled. But all Gold cared about was the softness of Belle’s lips, the slight sigh she gave as she pressed back against him, and the rightness of being held in the arms of the woman he loved.

Belle’s eyes slowly opened as he pulled away. She swayed a bit on her feet and he steadied her.

“You - um, what was that for?” Her eyes searched his in confusion.

He paused, realizing he hadn’t practiced what he would say. There was still a crowd listening to every word they said. He couldn’t exactly apologize for being an idiot or having crippling self-esteem issues.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally, hoping Belle would read between the lines. “I just couldn’t let another moment pass by without kissing you.”

Belle just stared at him. For a second, he panicked that he had screwed everything up again, until she grabbed hold of his shirt, pulling him close again.

“Don’t ever keep me waiting that long again, Chancellor.”

The joy on her face was matched only by the happiness that welled up in his chest at that moment.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, your highness.”

She yanked him down to kiss her again. He happily obliged.

Cradling the back of her head in his hands, he deepened the kiss. Her lips parted easily as his tongue stroked against them, seeking entrance to her mouth.

He barely managed to hold back a groan as his tongue met hers. She tasted incredible; why had he wasted so much time denying them both this? Cruella and Regina were both right. He was a bonafide idiot.

But no matter. He would make it up to her a thousand times over. If she’d give him another chance, he would prove himself to be worthy of her, no matter what.

“Ahem.”

He wouldn’t let her down ever again. No woman who tasted as sweet as Belle should ever have a moment’s heartache. He’d be the perfect boyfriend; he’d cook her breakfast in bed and massage her aching feet after a weekend of back-to-back shows. He’d let her hog the blankets and the remote control and -

“Ahem.”

They finally surfaced for air. Gold blinked, confused why Leopold was glaring at him.

“Stop kissing my daughter at once, you ruffian! How dare you step foot back in this castle!”

Oh yes, he remembered belatedly. They were in the middle of the show and he had just been snogging his hopefully soon-to-be girlfriend in front of an auditorium full of people.

So much for this being a family show.

“Father, you don’t understand!” Belle cried, leaping back into character and the script much faster than he was. “The Chancellor is on our side. He always has been.”

She turned to gaze at him adoringly. Gold couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride, even if her actions were only a part of the script. He contented himself by hoping that she was drawing on personal feelings for her performance.

“It’s true, my king,” he said, trying to keep his mind on the scene and not the way Belle’s eyes were shining at him in the most distracting way. “I heard rumors of a plot to overthrow you, so I pretended to befriend your enemies and spied on them to learn their plans.” He gestured down at the battlefield. “I have slain the true traitor in your name, ending the plot on your life once and for all.”

As Leopold launched into a long speech, declaring his gratitude and debt to the Chancellor, Gold let his attention wander back to Belle. Her eyes twinkled as they met his and he grew lost in the blueness of them. How had he never noticed how crystal blue they were, like clear pools of water found only in desert oases, like -

The twinkle in her eyes grew more pronounced as she tried to hold back a laugh.

Gold caught on a second later, cursing his love-soaked brain for getting distracted again. The crowd chuckled, obviously taking his lapse in attention as part of the act. After all, would the Chancellor really be paying attention to the king when he could be gazing adoringly at the princess like a lovesick puppy?

He was just playing the character realistically, that’s all.

“I would be honored, sire,” he said, scrambling to kneel in front of Leopold to receive his new title as Protector of the Realm.

When he stood, Belle moved beside him so the king could give them his blessing to marry. Holding her hands in his while Leopold wished them a long and happy life together felt as natural as breathing. He could easily imagine a future scenario where they might receive such a blessing for real.

But Gold was getting ahead of himself. They still hadn’t even had their first date yet.

A date that - less than an hour ago - he had been dreading more than anything he could remember. Now, he couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather do.

As Belle grinned at him, biting down on her lower lip in that irresistible habit of hers, Gold decided that perhaps there was one or two other things he wouldn’t mind doing as well.

Author’s Note: AHHH, IT FINALLY HAPPENED! *throws confetti* So the plan has always been to keep this story pretty PG since it took them THE ENTIRE STORY TO FREAKING KISS. However, I recently came up with a fun idea for smut and was wondering if people would be interested in a separate one-shot (involving naughty role playing onstage). I would publish it prior to the epilogue so everyone could get the link when the final chapter is posted. Sound good?