what have they got to tell, huh? what story do they even have anymore? nothing. they have been reduced to kissing partners. booooooorrriiiiing!
As upset as I am with the writers for a whole host of things, Rumbelle will always be more than that. Their current storyline, for example, is nothing to do with “kissing.” It’s about lying and Rumple’s inability to not use magic as an end when he feels hurt and betrayed. It’s about old habits dying hard. And it’s about whether or not Belle can forgive and whether or not Rumple can change. Neal is a part of Rumple’s story, and he’s a part of Rumbelle in the sense that he’s 1/3 of the Floof Family, but he was never the most important part to the Rumbelle ‘ship. And I say that as someone who loved Neal more than a whole heck of a lot of people. Rumbelle is, essentially, Beauty and the Beast. A story where there is no lost son and no grieving father. Neal is the writers own invention for the sake of Rumple (and Emma and Henry) backstory and development.
And given that their wedding kiss was like the first real legit Rumbelle moment the entire season (bypassing the somewhat-of-a-let-down proposal) then they haven’t been reduced to anything.