Work Text:
Rumpelstiltskin wasn't jealous.
For months, he had readied himself for the fact that he soon would be losing his wife's attention in favor of a cuddly small baby that mewled every few hours, asking for more milk. However, in these musings, it had been their child that Belle fussed over, not this four-legged furry beast that was now purring against her chest, lifting its little head only enough to glare at him when Rumpelstiltskin came closer.
"He likes you," Belle said, smiling down adorably at the kitten, rubbing between its tiny ears.
Rumpelstiltskin raised an skeptical eyebrow, but didn't argue. It was useless to point out to Belle that other people - and cats, apparently - had good reason not to be as fond of her husband as she herself had grown to be.
The kitten even had the right of it. Were it up to Rumpelstiltskin, he would have already packed the little intruder in the first bag at hand and driven him to the animal shelter.
No wonder the smart creature had made a beeline for Belle.
"Darling, we can't...."
Blue eyes stared at him, happily ignoring his purpose.
"The baby," he started, telling himself that the safety of their child would surely break Belle through her wish for a new pet.
"Oh, you're right!" she said, but she was smiling. Added to the way she cuddled the kitten up higher and how she tilted her head to rub her cheek against its nose, it meant that his usually perceptive wife has decided to perceive the world as it befitted her whim. "The two of them will grow up together!"
He was shaking his head, but Belle was pressing up to him, threading her free arm around his neck as she peppered his jaw with grateful kisses. "You're so smart, Rumple!" she told him giddily.
And Rumpelstiltskin, who found it impossible to be mad at her even when the kitten was doing its best to escape its place between them by clawing through his chest, just sighed and gave in with a smile. "I'm glad you agree, my love."
The End
06/11/16