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thegreatbigfourmain · 3 years ago

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Dancing With Dragons

He knew something was wrong the moment he came to his senses. His entire body trembled with pain as he was forced to awaken from his blissful and painfully unaware sleeping state. The sound of beeping monitors and the soft echo of shoes tapping on hard floors rose once his eyes opened. Moments later, a doctor was there to greet him and inform him they were at the hospital, yet still on base. The battered-up brunet saw a glimpse of himself in a mirror given by a nurse. His hair was matted and dirty, his body stitched and bandaged.

It took the doctor a moment before telling him that not only was he being sent home on an honorable discharge, he also had a terrible accident. It wasn’t losing his men or killing civilians, as one would assume. The tragic loss was the left stump that was now his leg, bleeding through the bandages. His green eyes widened at the sight. No words left his lips as his entire body shut down. As a result, the doctor pumped his IV with morphine to cause the soldier to rest. However, the shock never truly left him.

In all honesty, he wasn't too proud of going off to the Marines like he had. He thought that if he left his art scholarship and went to the army, his dad might actually be proud of him. And for a moment, the old man was. With his buzz cut and high rankings through bomb tech and military tacticians, he had been put in the hand of his squad. His father was proud of him every day.

Yet, it only took a single bomb to set back everything. He came home taller with lean ropes of muscle, a haircut and a foot gone. The looks of sympathy were worse than the disapproval. He spent months in the hospital and physical therapy, though it did nothing to help his mental state. His hair grew out back to the long length it had once been and he could actually walk in a straight line with his prosthetic, yet he still felt as weak as he was all those years ago. Even as a twenty-seven-year-old man, he still looked to his father for approval and now only saw that same disappointment.

There wasn’t anything he could do to change that’s man mind.

***

Today, Hiccup Haddock the Third found himself outside a small dance studio recommended by his redheaded, Scottish doctor. To say he was nervous would be an understatement.

The brunette sighed, looking down at the floor of the car.

“You ready?” his best friend asked from the driver’s side.

The man grumbled, “No. Take me home.”

Jack scoffed and turned off the car as to not waste the gas. Hiccup knew what that meant; a lecture from good ole’ Jack Frost.

“Doc said it was going to help your coordination and that this girl was a good friend of hers. She’s not even going to charge you! What’s the worse that could happen?” the white hair male asked.

Hiccup gave him a look, “I fox trot myself into falling on my ass?”

Jack narrowed his eyes, “Get out of the car and go get better or so help me I will pull you out myself.”

The brunet rolled his green eyes before opening the door and lifting his legs awkwardly out of the vehicle. He slowly stood up, only to bend down and look back at his buddy.

“Two o’ clock right?”

“I’ll be here. I promise,” Jack said with a smile. The veteran closed the door and with a sigh, wobbled his way toward the dance studio. He was still slow in his walk and looked stiff. He refused to use a cane as it only furthered his disappointment and loss of his normality. Besides, it was mostly the pain that bothered him rather than his appearance.

Everything inside him screamed that this was a bad idea.

His father had ingrained in him that real men don’t need help. Then again, he wanted a lot out of his fishbone of a son that didn't have much to give in the first place.

Hiccup walked up to the door as the colorful fall leaves crunched under his boots. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a button up dark green shirt with a warm leather jacket over it. Now that his hair was long, he used a ponytail to tie it back. It showed off more of his sharp jawline and many, many freckles.

He hesitantly knocked on the door.

Many thoughts swirled in his mind at the moment. Dr. DunBroch could have at least showed him a picture of her friend to ease his nerves. If she was cute, then this would most definitely end badly. If she wasn’t attractive to him, then it still probably end with him falling on his ass.

With an awkward turn on his good foot, he only waited a second before heading back to the sidewalk. Hiccup was at the ready to pull out his phone to call Jack to turn around.

Hiccup dialed Jack's number as the autumn wind tried to penetrate through his thick jacket. He hated the cold. The worst part of being out in the desert was the nights. It was always freezing.

He brought the phone up to his ear, his other hand in his jacket pocket.

As the phone rang, he heard the door behind him open.

“Hi, I’m Rapunzel. Are you Hiccup?”

He turned to see who called his name. The person before him made his eyes widened. Oh this is bad. This is very, very bad.

She was beautiful.

She was a petite woman who wore a strapped rose pink dress that brought out the pink of her cheeks and the spring green of her doe eyes. Her hair was held up in a messy bun of golden strands. There was no makeup on her face to taint the natural beauty she possessed. Her lips were in a natural pout as she waited for him to answer.

He gulped, ignoring the voice that yelled at him on the other end of the phone line.

He decided this was much worse than what his imagination concocted in his head. The last thing he wanted was to be exposing his flaws and handicap by falling all over the place in front of a beautiful woman. Warmth flooded his cheeks to the tips of his ears. He gave her an awkward smile, hanging up the phone and putting it in his pocket. Hiccup took a couple of careful steps towards the door, though he still wobbled a bit.

The brunet stopped to take a deep breath, his smile gone from what he was about to say. His green eyes filled with a bit a self-loathing, but mostly embarrassment.

“Umm, hi. Yeah, I’m Hiccup. Dr. DunBroch referred me here, but I think it would be best to continue going back to physical therapy. This dancing thing isn't for me. I was never coordinated, even before my accident. I'm sorry if I wasted your time.”

He could see her face fall when he told her that he wouldn’t be taking her class. It seemed like she was almost looking forward to it. No, it couldn't be that. Injured veterans are charity cases. She was probably just trying to validate herself through some civic duty to a soldier. Just another person to pity him.

These emotions made Hiccup turn around. He couldn’t take looking at her hurt face any longer. He closed his eyes tightly at how stupid he must have sounded. He took out his phone again while walking stiffly towards the sidewalk once more.

All he heard was a soft “Oh, of course. No worries” from her before the door closed behind him, leaving him out in the autumn wind.

Haddock you asshole, he thought to himself.

He called Jack again.

“What?”

“I’m ready to go home.”

“You didn’t even go to the class, did you?”

“This is stupid. I want to go home.”

“Your doctor said this was the best chance you have to walk normally that’s faster than therapy. You can’t just walk away because you’re uncomfortable!”

“I can figure it out myself. And I’m not walking away. It just isn’t for me.”

“I’m not picking you up.”

“Then I’ll walk.”

“Are you crazy? You can barely walk as it is! No offense.”

“How is that not offensive?”

Hiccup was about to utter something to his supposed best friend when he felt a small tap on his shoulder. It made him turn around, his phone still up to his ear with Jack barraging him.

The petite blonde stood behind him, out in the cold with her dance outfit on.

She smiled at him and handed him her card. “Here. It’s my business card,” she explained.

“I know you may not want to now, or ever. But if you ever do want to have a session in the future, I just wanted you to know you have other options. I may not be a licensed physical therapist, but I do know a few things about dance,” she joked, letting out the most melodious giggle Hiccup’s ever heard.

Her words were almost lost on him because he found himself looking into her green eyes now that they were closer. They were green like summer grass. He felt like he was getting lost in all that was simple about her. That’s what it was. She was simple, uncomplicated and without drama. His whole life had been a series of problems and complications. Hell, his name was Hiccup: he was a mistake and a problem within itself. Even his own occupation was full of bomb techs, guns, drills, training and war mechanics. When he got home it was hospitals and surgeries, family issues and planning. She seemed so simple.

Hiccup reached for the card and, in doing so, gently brushed his fingertips with hers. That short contact caused jolts of electricity to run up his arm, followed by a bright crimson blush flustering his face.

“Oh, th-thank you,” he muttered out. She gave him one more heart-stopping smile before spinning around in a dancer’s fashion and going back into the building.

“Hiccup? Hic who was that?” Jack’s voice finally registering into the memorized brunet.

“Th-that was my instructor. Sorry Jack, I gotta go. See you at 2,” Hiccup rapidly uttered before stuffing his phone once again into his pocket and following the direction of where the blonde beauty went.

When he did catch up to her, she was beginning to put her speaker away and looked like she was closing up shop. Hiccup cleared his throat before knocking on the open door and entering.

The blonde glanced towards him, tilting her head to the side a bit like an adorable curious puppy.

“Hiccup?”

He chuckled at that, whether it be to hide his incredibly nervous emotions or because the way she said his name was on the rapidly growing list of what he enjoyed hearing from her; her giggle being the first.

“I, I’m sorry about before... This is all so foreign to me,” he started.

She placed the speaker aside and began to walk towards him, Hiccup doing the same until the pair met in the center of the room with only their reflections in from the ballet mirrors to accompany them.

“Well, If you’re up for it, I don’t mind helping you get un-foreign to it,” she grinned, her smile never failing to clench the inside of Hiccup’s chest.

What was this girl doing to me?

“What the heck, let’s do it.”

What did he just get himself into?

#dancing with dragons #drabble #another old thread with #choasatitsfinest #rewrite #hiccunzel #not the best in terms of grammar but fuck it I'll worry about that in my research papers

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tintinwrites · 5 years ago

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what kind of fool am i | Poe Dameron x Reader | Part Two

A/N: NOW YOU CAN ALL LEAVE ME ALONE. Nah I’m kidding I loved the response to this story but I am glad I kept you guys waiting to allow myself to write something I kind of like.

Rating: T

Warning: Naughty words. Mentions of sexual assault. Hints of PTSD. Lots of general dark emotions here, friends.

Word count: 2,888, apparently!!

Summary: You and Poe are safe now, but perhaps not okay. You won’t even talk to each other until Finn decides to step in.

Part One

GIF credit: I have no idea, but it isn’t mine.

Tags: @the-omni-princess @depresseddarth66 @ginger-swag-rapunzel @lcandothisallday

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Poe tore a muscle in his right shoulder and broke two of his ribs on that side, but he didn't notice it at all.

He watched you on the bed next to him in the med bay, watched you cling to Finn's side as a med droid tried its hardest to analyze your injuries.

You needed to be heavily sedated and he hated himself for it.

It wasn't only the initials on your hip or the injuries to your face that turned you into a terrified mess; it was what he almost let them do to you that broke you.

Everyone was curious to know what you two had witnessed, asking mostly Poe what happened to you, and Leia snapped at them to leave you both alone.

But there was going to be a debriefing.

Poe knew that he would need to tell everything that happened.

He woke the next morning with pain searing in his shoulder and he didn't think he had the right to be taking medicine when you were scarred — physically and also mentally — but Leia ordered for him to come for the debriefing.

It wasn't possible for him to think let alone talk with his muscle burning.

There was a container of pain-relieving capsules on the end table in his quarters and he spilled half of them in his desperate attempts to open it, muttering kriff and downing two of them.

The pain dulled some and he didn't even dare take off the sling on his arm to change clothes, walking to the command center in the shirt he'd fitfully slept in.

His eyes scanned the room for you, but you were nowhere to be seen.

Finn was there, though. And Rey.

He didn't want to say all this in front of Rey, considering her to still be innocent in some aspects that didn't involve the war.

He considered Finn innocent as well, but he knew enough.

The gentle conversations in the command center hushed the moment he stepped into the room, everyone staring at him in ways he hated.

Rey's gaze was soft, like she could cry at any moment.

Finn's knowing, which was why he was not the first of people Poe was hesitant to debrief in front of.

Leia looked to be rather calm, but her eyes held the pity of a mother in them.

And then Jess— fucking Jess who'd punch his injuries and tell him to walk it off was looking at him with pity.

He wanted to walk the hell out, but he was more courageous than this.

His eyes landed on a toggle switch on one of the consoles as Leia began the meeting, only paying attention when she gently asked him to tell her everything.

In what galaxy was he ever courageous? He was an idiot. That's why he was able to fly any ship, and fight, and sass his enemies, and show off. He was never brave.

"We were laying low on the planet and everything was fine," Did his voice sound as flat to them as it did to him? "Me and Y/N were eating dinner when we noticed some commotion in the village...this group of guys were rounding everyone up and threatening to kill them if they didn't tell them where we were. Their leader saw Y/N and I revealed myself to save her, but...but the guy knew..."

He needed to pause, staring hard at that little toggle switch instead of daring to see the expressions of his friends.

"These really huge guys took me into a house they'd set up camp in and tied me up, and then Ric...the lead guy...he brought Y/N in. He grabbed her face real tight, and, um...he asked her name...said we'd have fun..." His brow was furrowed in his attempts not to tear up.

"He punched me when I said it'd be fun to bash his face, and then he...he knew I was trying to protect her and he cut open her shirt with this dagger. He slapped her when she tried to talk and told her she couldn't speak unless she was spoken to, like she was some— a fucking thing for him to play with or something. Then he started hurting her every time I said something he didn't like and he said...he told her that I want more than friendship with her and that she owed me, and he'd give me something fun to 'tighten my pants'. That's when he used the dagger to carve my—" His voice cracked then, the switch blurring in his vision as he wasn't really staring at it and tears entered his eyes.

“—my initials on one of her hips. And I’m an idiot and I insulted him, and he hit her and she—she was knocked out for a second, but he woke her up to...he asked if I wanted to kiss her and he was going to choke her if I didn’t answer him, and I did want to kiss her and he...he woke her up and he kissed her, then he kissed me.”

He chanced a glance at his friends to discover that tears were steadily streaming down Rey’s cheek, Finn’s gaze was entranced by a non-existent speck on his shoes, Leia’s lips were pulled into a frown, and Jess wouldn’t look at him. “He threatened to make her, uh...pleasure me.” He, a man who’d never really been shy when it came to conversations of a sexual nature, stumbled over the mere idea that you might’ve been forced to do that for him. “Then he asked if I wanted to have sex with her and I said no.”

He paused. Smiled bitterly. “I’ve always been a shit liar, you know? Because I did want to fuck her and he knew, and he and his buddy took her into another room to do it for me. That’s when Finn came.”

A weight lifted off his shoulders at his part of the debriefing being over, switching over to Finn.

The smallest weight there’d ever been; he would’ve sank to his knees were the weight he still carried physically on his shoulders.

“I stayed hidden when they took them and tried my best to get to them, but the rest of the men were...killing all the villagers. By the time I found them, one of the guys was on top of her in a bed and....I shot them both.”

“Thank you, Finn. Y/N will probably be waking up from her sedation soon and I’m sure you might be needed.”

You were sedated then. Too terrified and sedated.

Finn looked at Poe with sympathy, then turned to walk out of the room.

And Poe moved to walk out when everyone else was dismissed, but turned when Leia softly called his name.

He thought she might slap him when he moved to stand in front of her and all she did was look at him with a gentle gaze.

“Don’t blame yourself for what they did, Poe.”

“It is my fault.”

“Did you want them to force her to pleasure you?”

“No.”

“Did you want them to hurt her?”

“Hell no.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“But you don’t understand.” His voice cracked again, the tears he kept at bay starting to fall from his eyes.

Leia tried to touch his good arm and he yanked away, finding himself unworthy of a caring touch.

“I didn’t stop them! They were doing it to her because of me! He kissed her because I wanted her and they were going to fuck her since I wanted to fuck her.” He emphasized the derogatory word as if it might convince the general that he was truly a depraved person.

“Poe—”

“My initials are going to be scarred on her skin for the rest of her life and you know what? I don’t even fucking blame her if she hates me. Let her hate me.”

“Poe.”

His breaths were quickening until Leia managed to put her hands on either side of his face, making him look down into her sympathetic eyes.

Part of him wanted to fall into her arms right there.

“I want you to calm down and get cleaned up, alright? You’re frightened and you’re very tired.”

“I— okay.” He mumbled in defeat, if only at the idea that getting cleaned up sounded nice.

He went to the refresher in his quarters and turned the sanisteam on, caring very little that the water was even colder than usual since a warm steam was a comfort that you needed and not him.

Washing his body and hair was completely mechanical this time around as his thoughts were centered on everything else.

Those initials.

Every time he closed his eyes, he could see them etched into your skin.

He could hear your screaming and weeping.

And he could only imagine your tears as you were reminded any time you changed your clothes or washed yourself; the implication that you belonged to Poe Dameron.

He despised himself when his mind floated to what would happen if you had sex, if your partner asked what the letters meant and if you’d tell them.

Your entire life was ruined thanks to his desire for you being discovered.

The two of you and Finn were blacklisted from missions for the time being, and Poe was half-grateful and half-itching to get in his ship and do something other than walk around wondering about you.

You started appearing outside of Finn’s quarters — though still close to his side — a few days later and he wanted to go fly somewhere even more than before.

Leaving the room to keep you from seeing him and remembering all he’d done to you didn’t seem to be enough, and he wanted to be on another planet to save you the trauma of his very existence.

But he was grounded until further notice and all he could do was make his way carefully through the base to be sure you didn’t see each other.

He didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep one night without sneaking out to get food from the dining hall when he knew you wouldn’t be walking around until he jolted awake to a knock on his door.

Confused at first that he’d been sleeping, it took him a moment to realize that there really had been a knock on the door and he rolled onto his feet at the second one, blinking to clear his vision to press the button.

Finn was standing there, looking contemplative and then relieved when his eyes met Poe’s.

“What’s up?”

“Y/N asked for you.”

“Asked for me to do what? Crash into the worst planet nearby? Where the inhabitants will kill me if I don’t die from the impact?”

“Uh...she asked to talk to you?”

Poe shook his head at Finn’s dumbfounded look. “She doesn’t want to talk to me and she doesn’t want to see me. She’s probably talking in her sleep.”

And Finn shoved his hand between the doors to trigger the sensor when Poe tried to shut them in his face. “She asked for you!”

“I’m guessing Leia told you to do this?”

Poe let out a rather undignified yelp as Finn grabbed him by the collar and turned to push him against the wall.

“What the hell, Finn—”

“Look, Poe, I get it, okay? You witnessed some pretty intense shit and I understand that, and I have been doing my best to help Y/N through it, but you’re the only person here who actually understands what they did to her. Do you know what she said to me when she mentioned wanting to talk to you? Why I had to come over here to be the messenger for her?”

“Finn—”

“She said you wouldn’t talk to her because you hate her now.”

The fear in Poe’s eyes at his often gentle friend’s outburst slowly faded into something far more painful at the information that you thought he hated you.

He didn’t want you to have to look into his eyes when he’d let everything happen to you, but he couldn’t let you walk around thinking that he hated you.

Finn released him when he muttered a soft and reluctant okay, brushing off his shirt and sling almost as if he was apologizing for losing his temper. “I didn’t hurt your shoulder, right?”

Poe shook his head and watched as Finn left the room to find you.

He sat on the foot of his bed, planning in his head exactly what he could say to you.

I’m sorry I let them carve my— no. I don’t hate you, I hate myself for nearly letting them assaul— no. I shouldn’t have let them touch— no. It’s my fault for being attracted to you like this, I didn’t want them to make you pleasure— no.

There were a lot of words and moments he didn’t want to hurt you with by mentioning them and upon crossing out all of those words and moments, he was left with quite a short and possibly ineffective speech: I’m sorry.

When the door opened and he lifted his head from where it was laying sullenly in his hands, anything either of you might have said died on your lips.

An awkward tension pulled taut between you upon seeing each other for the first time since you’d been out of your mind being checked by a med droid.

You walked to the bed like you wanted to leave instead and sat next to him, and he gripped onto the edges of the mattress to keep from moving away and hurting your feelings.

It was probably only a minute that passed by in tense silence, but Poe would’ve believed you if you told him it was a year.

“Why would I ever hate you?” He finally asked softly, almost too quiet for you to hear.

“—everything that you saw. The initials...the kiss...what they were going to do to me.”

“You mean what I let them do. If anybody should be hating somebody, you should hate me. I didn’t stop them.”

“You were tied up.”

Poe scoffed, looking away.

You tilted your head and furrowed your brow in concern for him, reaching out to touch his hand only to draw back at the last second. “I don’t hate you. I don’t blame you.”

“You should.”

“Why?”

“I already told you.”

“And I disagreed already.”

“That’s because you’re a good person.”

“No, Poe, it’s because you were there with me! You screamed for me! You pleaded for me. You offered to let yourself be hurt for me. They hurt you too...and you sat there and were forced to watch as they tried to do unspeakable things to me. I thought you would hate to be around me with all you’d seen.” You didn’t realize you were crying until you saw a tear fall from Poe’s eye yet wetness on your own face.

“I should’ve protected you.”

“You did your best. I saw you try. And...and Finn has been really sweet to me, but I need you. I have these dreams where they...kill you and…”

Now your hand did slide over his and his grip loosened on the mattress. “All I wanted to do was make sure you were okay, but you left the room whenever you saw me and I was terrified that you couldn’t bear to look at me anymore.”

He looked at you with his eyes teary and sparkling at once. “I could look at you for hours.”

It wasn’t intended to come out as flirtatious and you didn’t take it like that anyway, moving a little closer.

You hesitantly slipped your hand under his to intertwine your fingers.

“I didn’t want to come here. I was too scared you wouldn’t want to talk to me. But Finn...he told me how much he loved me and that he didn’t mind helping me, but that you and I needed each other to heal. And I...I’m not too sure about you, but I haven’t healed one bit. And I would like to try with you. Maybe we could try? Even though I think you should hate me and you blame yourself, we could learn to heal from that.”

“I’d be lying if I said it wouldn’t help to have you around when my thoughts are too much, someone who can understand what I mean when I need to talk about what hurts.”

“And it might be nice to wake up and find you’re perfectly fine.”

“Not perfectly. We’ll try.”

Even though you couldn’t believe Poe was squeezing your hand instead of refusing to touch you.

Even though Poe couldn’t believe you didn’t view him as a monster who didn’t protect you.

You needed each other.

Sulking alone was never going to heal you from what you’d been through together.

As Poe looked down at your trusting gaze, he almost kissed you; but he did not earn such a privilege from someone he failed, and images of the kiss he could still taste flashed through his mind.

But he pressed a light, uncertain kiss on the top of your head, and that was definitely a start.

#poe dameron imagine #poe dameron x reader #star wars imagine #poe dameron fic

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indestinatus · 4 years ago

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Falling For You

TIVATOBER 2020 // DAY 18

↳ prompt: Hayride - rated T (1,860 words)

summary: In which Tony just isn’t able to contain whatever he is "feeling".

A/N: To be completely honest, I had no idea what ‘hayride’ meant, so this is my take on a story surrounding an awful lot of hay haha oops features some confusing feelings and unfair libidos.

read it on AO3 💘

It wasn’t jealousy. It wasn’t. Maybe it was this annoying, almost familiar pang at the pit of his stomach, but if he lied to himself long enough, he could blame the barbecue sandwich he had for lunch and leave it be.

Tony looked down from the first floor of the barn to study the man again.

With his broad shoulders and sculpted arms, the farmer looked idly bored as he waited for them to search through the piles of hay, slouching against one of the pillars as he chewed on a straw. It had been a couple of hours since they were trying to find a missing slug that had accidentally pierced through one of the walls, its trajectory coming from another farmhouse miles away. So far, no luck.

It usually didn’t bother him. How some guys were more ripped than him, that was. It only meant that Tony was dedicated to his job, otherwise, he would’ve had the free time to bulk up as much as they did.

Though he had had the time to drive to the other side of town to get Sally’s special barbecue sandwich that morning but… It was worth it. That had been a hell of a finger-licking sandwich.

The guy glanced upwards again, and Tony puffed up his chest. He didn’t look away, and when a smirk started to twitch at the corner of his mouth, Tony made sure to put his hands on his hips, accidentally displaying his badge as he did so. He could show off his calendar figure all he wanted, but Tony was still the authority there. They both knew that.

The younger man was the first one to call off the staring match, and Tony felt a flicker of pride.

That’s right, cowboy. No one messes with a federal agent, and especially not with his girl.

Girl? Where did that come from? Gun, he meant gun.

Tony glanced at Ziva, scared that for a moment she could’ve read his mind. Half hoping that she had actually done, he suddenly felt like an idiot, because she continued to search for the missing slug, completely oblivious to the peacock fight happening right next to her.

The familiar discomfort flickered again inside his chest. It wasn’t annoyance, it wasn’t excitement, it was… nervousness? Worry, perhaps? But worry about what, exactly? He knew Ziva for years now, it shouldn’t matter what she thought of him by then. She was his coworker, and that was as far as they could go, and why was he even thinking about it? It wasn’t as if she would break any rules for him.

That woman was more dedicated to the job than anything, and their bickering was just how they communicated. It meant nothing. Yes, it was fun, and it had always felt strangely natural, but that was all it was. A game. Mindless banter just to pass the time, and he knew that. She didn’t really think about it, and he also knew that.

It confused him so much Tony had decided for some time now it was better to ignore it, whatever it was that she made him feel.

He eyed the farmer again, wondering what she had seen in him to respond so openly to his flirting earlier. Of course, Ziva had always been skilled in flirting with men - especially ones that could easily be intimidated by her - but it bugged him for some reason. Tony didn’t know exactly why, but with every guy she did that, he just wanted to punch them in the face.

It wasn’t jealousy. It wasn’t.

“It might not be too smart to use it here.”

Tony jumped a little, his heart beating faster as he turned to face her. He prayed that the heat he was feeling on his cheeks wasn’t visible. Then Ziva gave him an amused look, arching an eyebrow, and his heart did that weird thing when it went still and then started racing, tattooing the inside of his ribs.

“Use what?” asked Tony, clearing his throat.

Ziva cast him a sly smile. “Your laser vision,” she teased, motioning with her chin to the ground floor, “This is a haystack. It might catch fire while we’re still inside.”

“Ha-ha,” Tony returned the tight smile. “The air is too damp for that.”

Tony looked downwards again to eye the man with suspicion, narrowing his eyes when he caught him ogling Ziva again. “It’s always reasonable to assess the competition,” he said more to himself than to her.

“I like fall,” she stated, and he wondered if she had listened to what he’d said. “Sweater weather, yes?”

Ziva motioned vaguely in his direction, and Tony remembered he was wearing a gray sweater today. Did that mean she had liked his sweater? Oh, she would most definitely look good in it… real good.

Tony shook his head, tightening his jaw as he tried to calm down his confused libido. She was just talking about the weather, it was only small talk. His mind was putting words in her mouth, and suddenly Tony felt really frustrated. Couldn’t things be black and white, at least for once? A habit of speaking in riddles really screwed up his brain sometimes.

“What’s the point?” Tony whined. “It would only be good if money did grow on trees.”

Ziva frowned. “Why would money grow on trees?”

Tony glared at her. Not quite believing how oblivious she was, he huffed, “Sometimes I—”

His words were cut short when Ziva let out a strangled cry, and Tony turned just in time to see her disappearing down below, falling from the rather high first floor of the barn.

Rushing towards her, relief flooded him the same time something resembling anger started to boil inside his chest.

She looked a bit disheveled and wide-eyed in the arms of the young farmer, as if not quite believing she had fallen from so high and managed to get away with it. The man smiled broadly towards her, clearly proud of having caught her. Tony was certain now the heat in his cheeks was visible. He felt his whole face burn for that matter - the guy had no business holding her so tightly like that.

“Woah,” said the farmer. “I guess…” his smile widened, “You’re falling for me.”

“Oh, for God’s—” Tony wondered how long someone would take to discover a body there because right at that moment, he really wanted to kill the guy. That was already a crime scene anyway, it would make no difference.

Feeling his blood boil, Tony hastily took the stairs down, stomping his feet. “What?” he barked when both of them glared pointedly at his storming entrance. “No ‘Rapunzel, let down your hair!’ for me?”

Ziva sent the farmer an apologetic look as if to say thank you and then turned to him, her eyebrows shooting upwards to the barn’s roof. Tony didn’t miss how her hand had stayed for far too long on the guy’s chest, nor how they’d shared smirks between them when he’d let her to the ground. This was getting ridiculous, and even if he hated the color of the navy yard walls, Tony would pay a lot just to be there instead.

“Tony,” Ziva said with narrowing eyes, then gave up and sighed, “Don’t be too harsh on him. Johnny was just trying to help.”

“Johnny?” Tony huffed a perplexed laugh, “I thought you’d be calling him ‘dear’ by now.”

Ziva watched him for a moment, and any comeback he was expecting didn’t happen when she smiled to herself and started looking for the bullet again, going through the piles of hay.

The ache in Tony’s chest increased a thousandfold. Was she laughing at him? Could this woman be more confusing than she already was?

Then he remembered she had actually fallen from the first floor, and the fact that she was walking was a miracle by itself.

“You okay?” He tried to meet her eye but couldn’t, busing himself to search for that missing piece of evidence instead.

“Yes,” was her quiet reply.

The sirens inside his head started blaring. Had he done something wrong? He needed to learn how to control his reactions more. Was she actually okay? Or was she lying about what she felt like they were used to do? He wished he was the one who’d caught her instead. What was he thinking? He knew she knew how to take care of herself, but it was his job to have her back. And he failed once again, however minimum that had been.

“It would take less time finding a needle around here,” Tony tried to clear the air, hoping Ziva would forget the jealous incident.

Jealousy? No, not jealousy. More of a brotherly type of protection. Yes, that’s what that was.

“I thought we were meant to find a bullet,” she replied, glancing at him with a soft smile from where she was crouched down. A weight he didn’t know he was carrying disappeared, his chest hurting a little less. She seemed alright, considering.

“Sometimes I really envy your brain, David.” Tony offered a weak laugh, glancing at her with caution.

“At least I have one.”

“You think Dear John’s cowboy hat is big enough to fit his?”

Damn, it was amazing how sometimes his filter could fail him. As soon as the words left Tony’s mouth, he winced, cursing to himself. His brain felt like scrambled eggs, confusion making it impossible to block his own unconscious.

“He was right, though,” she said. “About falling.”

Tony’s heart fell, insecurities bringing a bitter taste to his tongue. Of course, she would make advances on the guy. Of course. It was too easy of a target and Ziva would be a fool not to enjoy that. Sure, he was known for having more dates than most, but he hadn’t had one in what felt like forever. He didn’t know what he was waiting for, but she sure wasn’t doing the same.

“For him?” asked Tony, a bit annoyed, trying to hide his disappointment. He just wanted to go home.

“In love.”

He frowned.

What?

Tony looked at her, finding Ziva already watching him. It was a different kind of look, cautious, almost curious. He wondered what she was thinking. If she had really meant what he was thinking she had… Damn, he knew exactly what that tingle in his stomach was about.

“And what… What do you mean by—” Tony stuttered, the way his heart was racing feeling really unfair.

She smiled, the butterflies inside his chest fluttering again at how her eyes sparkled.

“We should go,” Ziva said, showing the palm of her hand. “I found it.”

The missing slug felt like a Christmas present in mid-October, and when she stepped forward to press a soft kiss to his right cheek, Tony felt like it was really December.

Money didn’t grow on trees, but maybe this Fall wouldn’t be so bad.

Ziva bid the farmer goodbye and they left the barn behind, Tony managing to reach the car before a grin stretched across his face.

#tiva fanfiction #tivatober2020 #once upon a halloween #my fics #<333

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minniemixe · 5 years ago

Text

Beauty And The Beast

Gangster AU

Stray Kids Fanfic

Chan x Reader

Other Appearances: GOT7 BTS

Genre: Smut, Fluff, Angst

Warnings: Violence, Mentions of stabbing, torture, making out

Beauty and the Beast Masterlist

Chapter 5

(A/N: Bold is what’s happening on Stray kids’ side and Italic is what’s going on Moon’s side)

““Mark?” “Yeah, what are you doing here?” he asked helping her stand up “Ow” she hissed grabbing his arm to balance herself “What happened?” “Hyunjin what’s the update?” Chan asked “I don’t know I fled” he answered “I think I twisted my foot” “What were you doing here in the middle of the night” he asked examining her foot “What do you mean you fled? Where’s Moon?” Bree exclaimed “I don’t know. We saw Mark at the entrance and she knew him, she hurt herself and slipped out of the rock an- “YOU LEFT HER UNARMED AND INJURED?!?!?!?!” Chan shouted “I didn’t know what to do, the moment she slipped out , she took out her earpiece and destroyed it” “I wa-” “What’s going on here?” another voice asked. They both looked towards the source. “Who are you?” asked the man looking at Moon up and down “I was lost and saw some lights and started walking towards it” Moon answered “Felix, Minho, Changbin, what’s the status? Any visuals on Moon?” Chan asked the three “Negative, we can’t find a way in” Changbin answered “Chan something doesn’t seem right. The moment she saw Mark, she somehow twisted her foot and when I asked to look she slipped out of the hideout. Then when Mark is coming towards her, she destroys the earpiece” Hyunjin spoke “What were you doing walking on the highway at midnight. Seems suspicious” spoke the man looking around in the grass “There’s no houses or even hotels at least a mile from here” Mark stated “And?” Moon questioned “And, it seems weird you’d be here, this isn’t exactly a neighborhood where you’d take a walk and get lost” Mark answered “I was sta-” Moon started “Look what I found” the man said, holding a destroyed earpiece in his hand. Mark took it from him to inspect it, “Care to explain?” Mark asked Moon looking at her “What do you mean? That’s not mine.” Moon answered “I don’t think so. Let’s go” the man said grabbing her arm “No, I told you. Mark?” she looked at him “I planted a bug in her hair earlier, Seungmin, connect us” Lee Know said He looked at her with a sorry look before reaching forward and grabbing her, Moon tried fighting back but both men had her in a lockhold, Moon let out a scream trying to get the attention of any of her members but to no avail. “LET ME GO” she shouted, she kicked Mark’s knee and tried running away, but the other man was quicker, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards him "HEL-HHHMMPPHHH" he covered her nose and mouth with a damp cloth, she tried fighting back but it was all too useless and a few seconds later she passed out. "I have visual, Moon's unconscious and they're taking her in" Woojin spoke "Shoot the men. Get her out" Bree said "NO! Wait, we can't expose ourselves yet, the trade hasn't taken place. We still need to stop it" Hyunjin said "Hurry and decide, I've got one shot, they'll disappear in 2 minutes max" Woojin asked "Shoot, they can't take her inside" El exclaimed "Chan?" Woojin asked “Hold your fire. Changbin,Felix and Minho, the three of you get her out. Everyone else continue with the mission” Chan ordered “Hyunjin, if something happens to her, I swear I’m gonna kill you” Bree spoke through gritted teeth “Why are you coming at me? Does no one find it suspicious that she knew him? On top of that she destroyed her earpiece without hesitation” he asked “Use your brain idiot, just because she knew him doesn’t mean she was with him" El said “But what about the earpiece?” “So she doesn’t get caught” Seungmin answered “How the hell doe-” “You fucking dumbass, no one knows she joined Stray Kids. As far as other gangs know, we only have 13 members. Even if they saw her, they wouldn’t suspect us. Her taking the earpiece out was for her to get out undetected.” Bree cut Hyunjin off “Congrats Hwang, you did it again, except this time, she may not even get out alive” J.One spoke “Shut up Jisung. No one asked for your opinion” Hyunjin spat “Stop it both of you. And Hyunjin, he’s not wrong” Chan said “The building is sealed from all sides and the entrance is guarded. Do you want us to break in?” Changbin asked “If we break in, we’ll need back up, there are too many of them” Freckles said “Felix is right, we can’t go in from the front” Lee Know spoke “Minho, where are you?”Changbin asked “I was circling the building. I’m at the back, I found a way in, but I don’t think I can fit in. Felix, you might be able to get in from here” He answered “I’m on my way” Felix said “Seungmin, track Moon, check which floor she's on and send the coordinates to Felix” Chan ordered “Copy that. Jeongin, take over the drones” Seungmin spoke “Felix are you in?” Changbin asked “Not yet” he replied

Moon jolted awake as someone splashed cold water on her face. She tried to move but as she looked down she saw that she was tied to a chair. “What the hell?” she stared at Mark who was standing in front of her with an empty water bottle “Please don’t make this harder for me” Mark pleaded “I’m the one tied to a chair, how is it hard for you” she asked “Just tell me who you’re here with and you won’t get hurt” he said “You’re going to hurt me?” she looked at him with a broken expression “He touches her and I swear I’ll break every bone in his body” Chan gritted “Felix I sent the coordinates, how far is she” Seungmin asked “Fuck! She’s on the top floor” Felix cursed “Snipers, what are your positions?” Chan asked “Jisung and I are on the ground, Bree and Woojin found two trees on opposite corners of the building” El answered “I won’t but someone else will. So cooperate” Mark said “I told you, I got lost, saw the lights and started walking towards it.” she answered “IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, WHAT WERE YOU DOING WALKING ON A HIGHWAY. FOR FUCKS SAKE JUST TELL ME THE TRUTH” he shouted shaking her shoulders “I AM TELL-” she started when the door opened and the man from before walked in “She’s not going to talk like that” he spoke “Give me some time, I’ll get her to talk” Mark said “And do what with that time, you have to get physical in order for her to talk, you should know that better than me” the man said “Woojin, Bree, can either of you see Moon?” Chan questioned “Negative. No visual from here” Woojin answered “I see a window, but it’s covered. Thermal aim is picking up something, but there are too many people inside” Bree told “Felix what is your status?” ��I’m by the stairs, there are at least 2 men stationed at each floor. I need another person” he answered “I’m coming” Chan said “There’s no use of you coming Chan, the entrance is too small for you to fit in” Felix said “I’ll go” Anna spoke. Chan looked at her before sighing and agreeing “Minho are you still at the back?” Anna asked “Yeah I’m here. Come on I’ll help you in” Minho answered “We’re not even sure if she’s a spy, I’m not hitting an innocent person” Mark answered “We found a communication device from beside her, she’s not innocent” Moon suddenly laughed, causing both men to look her way “What’s so funny bitch” the man asked “No wonder you’re in a gang. Must’ve been too dumb to graduate highschool so you decided to become an outlaw” she spoke “Was that supposed to be an insult for all of us or just the two who are with her?” Hyunjin laughed “Not sure about all of us but definitely for you” Jisung snorted “Just you wait Han” Hyunjin said “This is an abandoned building you dumbass. I may not know how this gang shit works but I’m sure plenty of gangs use this place. That device could’ve belonged to anyone who used it before.” “This woman is not afraid of anything is she.” Liv said “No wonder Chan likes her” Minho butted in “This isn’t a moment for jokes” Chan said “He’s right. This is a serious situation, his girlfriend is in danger” Woojin said, making everyone laugh, even causing Chan to chuckle “Chan look on the bright side, you don’t have competition anymore” Bree laughed “What competition?” he asked confused “See, Mark is her childhood crush, and seeing how he’s not helping her. She’ll hate him after this” Bree answered “When did you find out so much about her?” Chan asked “Wait Chan she has a point. If you save her right now, you’d be her hero” Jisung spoke “What is this? A Disney film?” Chan said sarcastically “It may not be a Disney film, but it could be your Disney moment” Seungmin laughed “Tangled” Hyunjin said abruptly “Dude! Tangled? Have you even watched the movie?” Jisung exclaimed “Yeah I have seen the movie. And I’m just saying. It makes sense. Flyn Rider was a criminal, but he still saved Rapunzel.” Hyunjin explained “He didn’t save her, she wanted to- just stop talking Hwang, you’re not making any sense” Jisung replied “Watch your mouth little bitch” the man said grabbing her jaw “Let her go, I’ll talk to her” Mark said moving forward “Oh no Mark, you’ve done your talking, it’s time for her to talk” the man said slapping Moon across the face. Moon started struggling against the restraints “I FUCKING TOLD YOU, IT’S NOT MINE” she shouted “Wrong answer!” he said punching her this time “Mark!!! Help me. Are you just going to watch him beat me up” Moon asked with tears running down her cheeks “Just tell him the truth, please” Mark pleaded “Fucking bastard. Is he really not going to do anything???” Chan shouted in frustration “Guys, we have a problem.” Anna said “What’s going on?" El asked “We’re on the third floor. And the fourth floor is swarming with guards” she answered “Where’s Felix?” Chanbin and El asked at the same time “He’s looking for a way past them” “No luck, we have to hide. They’re coming our way” Felix said grabbing Anna’s hand and dragging her away “Which floor is Moon on?” Chan asked “7th, 5th room on the left” Seungmin answered “Woojin, Bree, any way in from outside?” "No, all windows are sealed from the outside. Even if one of us were to reach the window, they'd shoot before we'd have the chance to get inside" Woojin answered The man took out a pocket knife before speaking "you see this, with every wrong answer I'll peel one nail off from your finger". Moon looked at Mark silently asking for help. Mark clenched his jaw thinking about his next move "Stop it" he said "If you can't watch then feel free to leave" the man answered "You've already hit her so much, and she keeps saying the same thing. Just let it go, I'll take care of her" Mark spoke "One more try, let's see what she has to say." The man laughed like a maniac "Put the knife away, you've hurt her enough" said Mark "Don't go all soft just because you have an attachment" he said before turning back to Moon "Now sweetheart, I suggest you tell me who you're here with or there are going to be consequences" he said stabbing the knife in her hand. Moon screamed in pain, struggling against the restraints "STOP IT. STOP IT" she kept on screaming. Mark shoved the man away from her "What the hell" he shouted "I told you, if you can't watch, just leave" the man said, pushing him away. "Start talking" the man gritted, grabbing Moon's jaw and squeezing it, she let out a muffled scream. "Fuck this. I'm going in. God knows what they're doing to her right now" Chan said walking towards the building. Liv grabbed on to his arm trying to pull him back. "Stop thinking irrationally. You'll blow the entire mission" she said "It doesn't matter. I have to get her out" "Chan stop. She's right, you can't go in. The mission may not be important right now, but the only choice we have is to wait out here" Woojin spoke "FUCK FUCK FUCK" Chan shouted in frustration "There's a small hotel, few miles or I don't know maybe km from here. I was staying with a friend there-" she sniffed trying to calm her breathing down "-we were talking about something and then suddenly we had a disagreement and we started fighting. I got really angry and ran out. I kept running and when I stopped I was in the middle of the highway. I didn't really know where I was so I kept walking. I don't know how long I was walking for until I saw the building, as I got nearer to the building I saw lights, I was about to shout for help when I slipped and sprained my ankle, that's when Mark saw me" Moon finished looking at the man "Why the hell isn't she telling the truth?" El said repeatedly hitting her head on the ground "A month back when she got her tattoo made, she asked me if she was fit to be in stray kids. If we think of her as worthy. She's not going to tell, even if she doesn't know we can hear her, she's not going to" Bree answered "I guess no need for phase 4” Hyunjin said "I fucking told you. She's not the type to be involved in such shit" Mark gritted at the man. The man laughed at his face before moving towards Moon. “But too bad for you, you’ve seen us. So we can’t just let you go.” he said “Leave that to me, I’ll take care of it” Mark said. The man caressed her face as she tried to back away from his touch. Suddenly another man came inside “they’re here” he said “You’re not all bad to look at, I’m sure my dealer’s going to love you. Darek, put her with the others” the moment those words left his mouth, Darek moved forward as Moon’s and Mark’s eyes went wide. “This was a fucking weapon trade” Mark said “Get her out. NOW!!!” El screamed Mark lunged forward and attacked Darek. The two men fought as Moon kept screaming for help while struggling against restraints, she grabbed the knife with her teeth slowly pulling it out of her hand, groaning in pain, she successfully pulled the knife out. While the two men were busy fighting each other, Moon tried using the knife between her teeth to cut the duct tape around her uninjured hand. After a few attempts she released her hand from the restraint. Taking the knife in her hand now, she released herself. Stumbling towards the two men, she stabbed the knife in Darek’s side who fell groaning. Mark took the opportunity and took the knife out from his side and stabbed his neck, killing him. “Felix, Anna, what’s your status?” Chan asked “Still hiding, more people are coming inside” Anna answered “Stay back” Moon said crawling away from Mark who was trying to get near her “Hey, hey, calm down I’m not going to hurt you” he said extending his hand. “I don’t believe you, please, just please” she said curling into a ball in the corner “Look at me” he said kneeling down in front of her “Please kill me” she whispered “What?!” Mark exclaimed grabbing her shoulders “I SAID KILL ME. JUST FUCKING KILL ME ALREADY” she sobbed pushing him away “B-” he started “NO. I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT. NOBODY BELIEVES ME, NO MATTER WHAT I SAY. IT’S NOTHING BUT TORTURE. IT’S ALL JUST STABBING ME, HITTING ME AND NEVER BELIEVING WHAT I SAY. PLEASE, PLEASE JUST END IT, I’M BEGGING YOU. I DON’T WANT TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE. NOBODY WANTS ME ANYWAY, YOU’LL BE DOING THE WORLD A FAVOR.” she screamed thrashing around, the pain in her wounds long forgotten. Mark grabbed her forcefully and hugged her trying to calm her down, she struggled against him but he didn’t budge. After several tries she gave up and buried her head in his chest, crying loudly. He gently stroked her back holding her close whispering a gentle “I’m sorry” every now and then. “So now he cares” Chan spoke sarcastically “At least we know he won’t hurt her” I.N said “Yeah but they’re outnumbered. Moon’s injured and he’s just one person, how many people is he going to fight off. We have to move now” Chan said “I don’t know the whole situation, but my guess is that the trade was supposed to be between 3 gangs. And Mark was one of the representatives from his gang, but he didn’t know this was sex trafficking. Apart from Mark I caught one more familiar face, he’s the one who arrived a few minutes ago. He’s a member of Bad Boys” Seungmin told (A/N: So much for originality but I couldn’t think of another gang name) “That makes so much sense now. Bad Boys are known for sex and drug traficking. In the past they've been doing their drug trades with the Yakuza through us due to their broken connections. Last time, they asked us if we could smuggle women, I refused. We never intervened with their trade but it was busted anyway and a lot of their men were jailed. They must’ve thought it was us, that’s why they’re trying to get us” Chan deduced “Seungmin send me the picture of this guy” El said. “Chan that’s not the only reason they’re after us” El said looking at the picture “What do you mean?” Woojin asked “Because he’s the same guy from 5 years ago” she answered "Bity, look at me" Mark said gently stroking her arms, Moon just shook her head and snuggled closer into his chest. "C'mon, what happened to the Bity I know, the one who's always sassing around, the one who always has something smart and witty to say" Mark asked kissing the top of her head. "Stop acting like you care" she said glaring at him "Bity I do ca-" "Don't call me that" Moon said sharply "I know you don’t trust me right now, and you have every right to. But plea-" "Please what Mark? You just threw away a 20 years of relationship over a mere suspicion. You of all people should have believed me". Moon kept throwing insults at him and he just listened knowing he deserved it. "Bity, Bity please, please just listen to me" Mark pleaded, taking her hands in his own. Moon looked at him with pure sorrow. "I know I deserve every word you're saying right now. But please, please don't say you hate me, or that this is the last time I'll ever see you. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, and I know saying sorry will never be enough. Hit me, shout and scream at me but please don't say you'll leave, I'll never forgive myself if I lose you. I'll do anything, just don't say that" his voice cracking as he said that. "God, I wanna hate you, I wanna hate you so bad" she said repeatedly punching his chest causing him to let out a small chuckle. "Let's get outta here" he said picking her up "What are you doing, put me down" Moon said "You're injured, you can't get out of here on foot" he simply shrugged "And you plan to fight every guard out there while carrying me. Sounds like a plan" she said sarcastically. "They're bringing out the women" Bree said "Shoot the men, kill every single one. No one gets out alive, they can't know we were here" Chan ordered "We're going in" Changbin said "Me too" Hyunjin added, running towards the building. Woojin and Bree started firing at the men who were bringing out the women as Hyunjin, Changbin and Minho entered the building. "Felix, Anna. How close are you?" Changbin asked "4th floor. Where are you guys?" Felix answered "3rd, almost there" Minho said, shooting the men coming at them "We have to come up wi-" Mark stopped mid sentence hearing the gunshots outside. "We have a problem. Stay here, I'll go check" Mark said cracking open the door to check. Seeing Felix and Hyunjin he immediately closed the door, locking it.

"What's going on?" Moon asked. "It's stray kids" he replied "Another gang?" She pretended "I'm not gonna let them hurt you" he smiled at her pulling out his gun. Her eyes widened, seeing the gun. 'He's gonna hurt them' she thought. "Do you really have to use a gun? Maybe we can quietly wait in here. I don't wanna see any more dead bodies. One is enough for tonight, or a lifetime" she tried to stall him. Suddenly a bullet shot through the door handle "shit" she cursed. "Stay behind me" Mark instructed. The door opened to reveal Hyunjin, Changbin and Felix, Mark raised his gun towards Hyunjin who had his weapon drawn at Mark. The second Mark pulled the trigger Moon pushed his arm, causing the bullet to hit the wall. Hyunjin ran right towards Moon and pulled her in his embrace surprising Moon, "What's this?" She asked confused "An apology. I'm so so sorry for leaving you like that. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions" he whispered in her hair "Well that's a first, HH apologizing to me" she said still shook "It's Hyunjin" he said tightening his hold "Woah there big guy, I'm not a weakling, I'm fine and I'm not dying that easily" she said patting his back "Really? Because 10 minutes ago you were screaming at Mark to kill you" he said pulling away "How'd you kno-what are you doing?" She asked as he was patting her head repeatedly "There it is" he said pulling out the little device "I'm not even gonna ask" she said taking the bug from his hand "So you lied to me?" Mark said looking at the two "Not really. You asked me about the device and I said it wasn't mine, which was true. I first threw mine in the grass but then realized I could get caught so I picked it up and put it in my pocket. The device you found was actually not mine" she said taking out the crushed earpiece from her back pocket and showing it to him "What about the whole fight with the friend story?" "In my defense I wasn't talking to you, so it doesn't really count as lying to you" she defended herself "Oh, so were you also pretending with the whole 'kill me' act as well?" He said raising his voice "Oh no, I was very serious about that, I didn't think anyone was going to come for me and I was- actually still am mad at you for what happened" she screamed back at him "Guys as much as I'd like to watch the two of you argue, we’re not alone, we need to leave quickly" Felix interrupted the two. "How bad is your foot?" Changbin asked Moon "Not too bad, I can walk but I can't run" she answered "Felix, take her to the back where you came in from and get her out, we'll clear the way" Hyunjin said looking at the shorter male "She can't get out on her own, not with her injured like that, it's a small tunnel under the building leading outside and someone will have to pull her out from the outside, otherwise she'll get stuck there. Even if I push her from behind there is only a little possibility of her getting out" Felix explained "And my foot isn't the only thing injured, my hand hurts like hell as well, so I think I should wait here" she said raising her bleeding hand "Let me see" Changbin moved forward grabbing her hand to examine it "How bad is it?" Hyunjin asked "She needs to get treated right now or it'll get infected" Changbin answered "Minho, I need you to go to the back entrance" Changbin spoke into his earpiece "I'm a little busy here, I'll need a few minutes" he groaned back "I'll come" Chan told Changbin "Perfect" he answered "Okay here's the plan. Mark and Hyunjin you're with me, we'll be clearing the path. Felix, you stay behind us with Moon, and as soon as we get to the ground floor, take her to the back, Chan is waiting on the other side, he'll pull her out. Moon, here take this" Changbin explained handing Moon a gun. "Moon?" Mark raised his brow "Long story, will explain later. Let's go" she said, stumbling towards Felix. He grabbed on to her waist “Ready?” he asked looking at her, “Yeah” she replied sucking in a sharp breath. “Wait, Moon put this on your hand for now” Hyunjin said, taking off his leather glove and handing it to her. “Thanks” she said, taking it from him and putting it on slowly, groaning in pain. Luckily there wasn’t anyone on the floor they were on. “Get on my back, it’ll take too much time otherwise” Felix said kneeling in front of her when they reached the stairs. Doing as told Moon wrapped her legs around Felix’s waist and arms around his shoulders. “Hold tight” he said running down the stairs. “Alright, you’ll have to crawl in. I know your hand hurts but you’ll have to bear it for just a little longer, Chan is on the other side, he’ll pull you out. You’ll be safe with him, I promise” Felix told putting Moon down. Moon slowly got in, flinching due to the pain when she put pressure on her hand. “Ahh I’m stuck” she shouted lying on her stomach. “You have to push a little more, your legs aren’t in” Felix said from behind “Just a bit more princess and then grab my hand” Chan said reaching his hand inside. Moon tried reaching for it but she wasn’t near enough. She inhaled sharply and pushed forward, screaming in pain. Reaching forward with her uninjured hand she grabbed Chan’s hand “That’s it” he said slowly pulling her towards himself. With much effort he successfully pulled her out, falling on his back with her on top. “It’s okay. I got you” he whispered, one arm around her waist, the hand caressing her head. Moon took a deep breath, his scent calming her down. “Let’s get you back” he said, sitting up, with her straddling his waist. Moon nodded her head, too overwhelmed by the events to speak. Reaching the van, Chan opened the van door and put Moon inside, “Jeongin, Elivia, one of you treat her wound, I’m going back to them, you all wait here” Chan instructed and took off after closing the van door. Liv moved beside Moon with the First aid kit and took her hand to treat it. “Jeongin, could you please check her foot” she said, removing the glove from Moon’s hand. Jeongin moved in front of Moon and took her leg to inspect it . “It’s nothing major, you just have to rest and let it heal, try not to walk too much for a while. We’ll put some ice on it when we get back” Jeongin said gently twisting her foot right to left to check her movements. “Felix is your brother right?" Moon asked Elivia trying to strike a conversation "Yep that would be correct, Felix and Elexana are my older siblings" she answered "Elexana?" Moon asked confused "El. Short for Elexana" the younger answered "And Liv, short for Elivia" Moon asked "Ding ding ding" Elivia laughed "But no one really uses real names around that much, maybe in serious situations" Seungmin said "So like you all use code names all the time" Moon questioned "Not really, we have nicknames for each other, like my name is Jeongin but most of the time everyone calls me Innie" Jeongin answered "Oh I see" Moon said "Can I hug you?" Liv suddenly asked "Pretty random, but sure" Moon laughed. The younger girl leaped at her and wrapped her arms tightly around her. Moon hugged her back smiling, thinking about her sister. "I'm so glad you're okay" Liv said pulling back "You guys were really worried huh" Moon smiled "If Minho hadn't planted that bug in your hair, it would've taken twice the time to find you and would've been more dangerous" Seungmin said "I guess you guys still didn't trust me" Moon said awkwardly "Not really, it was probably so that if you ran away we'd find you" Jeongin said teasingly looking at Liv who was glaring at him. Moon looked between the two, confusion laced on her face "I was 15 when I joined, more like, had to join, and I often tried to run away. Seeing you took your father's place, we often thought that you'd run away to be with your family. That's why he planted the bug" Liv explained "I'm not really mad though, it's quite understandable" Moon shrugged "I think they're here." Seungmin said looking out the window. A few seconds later the van door opened revealing all the boys and Mark with cuts and blood all over. "So? What happened" Liv asked "What happened is, two people got away. Two most problematic ones" Jisung answered. "Oh my God, we were worried sick about you" El said, throwing herself at Moon, hugging her tightly, Moon just grinned sheepishly at her and did a peace sign when the two pulled apart. Bree went straight to Mark and punched him right in the face. "What was that for?" He asked, holding his jaw. "You should know that" she simply replied, moving to Moon and hugging her next. "I'm fine guys, alive and breathing, no need to get all worked up" Moon laughed "You were just tortured!!" Woojin exclaimed "Eh, nothing out of the ordinary" she shrugged "Are you real?" Jisung asked "I grew up in an abusive household, this wasn't something new. Not gonna lie though, the knife in the hand caught me off guard, but I figured this wasn't something I should make a big deal about, considering I was held by a gangster" she explained "You were crying the whole time" Mark said "Emotional pain. I couldn't believe the fact that you just stood there while he did as he pleased" she answered looking straight into his eyes. Mark hung his head low, sighing deeply "I'm really sorry, I know no matter how many times I say that, it's not going to be enough and there are no excuses for my actions because what I did was very low" he said. Moon stood up from her seat and stumbled towards him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest. The sudden move surprised him but nonetheless he hugged back. "I'm still mad at you. But I forgive you. It'll take time for me to trust you again but I'll try" she told him "I know, and I'll do anything to gain it" he replied, kissing the top of her head. Chan's heart felt uneasy looking at the whole interaction, he felt jealous and touched at the same time. Jealous that he might never have what Mark has with her and touched about how she forgave him so easily, knowing that if it was him in her place, he would've chosen differently. "Are you going to come with us?" Woojin asked Mark, who was helping Moon back in her seat. "Thank you for the offer, but I've called Jinyoung, he'll be here in a while" Mark answered "Please tell me you don't tell him about me" Moon said, eyes wide "Too bad for you Bity, you have a lot of explaining to do" he said patting her head. Moon groaned burying her head in her palms "I'm so dead" "How'd she get the nickname Bity?" Anna asked "Well for me, I've known her since the day she was born, and we used to play a lot hide and seek until she was 13, it was her favourite game, since she could win easily seeing how tiny she was and could fit everywhere. I once found her in a storage drawer" he said, making everyone laugh "And so I started calling her Itsy Bitsy first and as we grew older she'd always complain that the name was childish, but since she is still very tiny I call her Bity, we all do" Mark explained pinching Moon's cheeks. "I'll break off your arm" she said swatting his hand away, causing everyone to laugh. Chan couldn't help but feel tense at the interaction between the two. After 30 minutes of conversing with each other, a car pulled up behind the two vans. Two guys came out of it and Moon's color drained out of her face "Great, he brought Jaebum" she groaned "I never knew you were afraid of someone" Hyunjin nudged her "That's mom and dad right there and this right here is my older brother, now watch the two go at me. This is going to be so embarrassing" Moon said "Good luck" Mark said Before Moon could say anything Jinyoung lunged forward and punched Mark. Moon screamed getting up to stop the two but Jaebum grabbed her arm and pulled her back “Let them” he said “But he’s gonna kill him. MARK WHY AREN’T YOU DEFENDING YOURSELF” Moon screamed “Because he knows he deserves it.” Jinyoung answered, attacking Mark. “Let me go!” Moon forcefully removed herself from Jaebum’s hold and ran between the two. She stood in front of Mark shielding him, Jinyoung’s fist stopped mid air, “Move, I don’t want to hurt you” Jinyoung gritted. “No, he’s hurt enough, he’s learned his lesson. He may not have helped me but if it weren’t for him I may not even be standing here. So please stop. You know how much I hate it when someone fights because of me” Moon looked at Jinyoung with a stern yet soft expression. He lowered his fist and sighed deeply. “You have shitload of explaining to do as well young lady” Jaebum spoke “There it is” Moon mumbled “What?” Jinyoung asked “Nothing” she said looking at him innocently “Doing a job huh? Related to computers huh?” Jaebum said “Hey! I didn’t lie, it is a job and I am the tech person” Moon defended herself “Tech person is supposed to be in the van, why were you outside?” Jinyoung questioned “Van is too boring, wanted some action so decided why not try the field, tonight was supposed to be my training” she shrugged “You will never learn, will you?” Jaebum shook his head “We can’t stop you, but, please be careful, next time you may not get lucky” Jinyoung said sighing. Jaebum turned towards Stray Kids who were just awkwardly watching the whole interaction. “You’re the leader right?” he asked pointing towards Chan “Yeah” Chan answered “You take care of her alright.” Jaebum said “I sure will” Chan answered “Thanks Dad, but don’t worry, I’m in good hands” Moon spoke sarcastically

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been two weeks since the event, Moon’s bruises had almost faded out. Over this time she had gotten a lot closer to all the members. Moon was currently roaming the mansion, bored with nothing to do. Having nothing better to do, she decided to watch television. Grabbing herself some snacks from the kitchen Moon got comfortable on the couch. As she was scrolling through the channels El came and sat down beside her, “Watchu watching?” she asked “Nothing, there’s nothing good” Moon replied turning off the television and turned towards El “Gosh I’m so bored, any recommendation on what I should do, I’m this close to pulling my hair out due to boredom” Moon said, showing her her fingers almost touching. “I’d say get a boyfriend, they’re good entertainment, trust me, I’m speaking from experience” El winked at the younger girl “Well, since I don’t have a boyfriend, any other suggestions” Moon asked “What about Chan? You’ve been eyeing him lately” El wiggled her brows. Moon just threw a cushion at her hiding her red face. “What are you girls talking about?” Chan spoke, suddenly taking a seat beside Moon. “I was ju-” El started “She was just telling me about how she and Woojin got together” Moon said glaring at the older girl “Come to the infirmary when she’s done, I’ll treat your ears when they start bleeding” Chan laughed getting up, El took the same cushion and threw it at Chan who caught it with ease and stuck his tongue out. “Reminds you too much of your single life” El called out to Chan’s disappearing figure “I can’t hear you” he shouted back waving his hands “Honestly, just ask him to be your boyfriend already, you’d be having mercy on his poor soul” El laughed “Can I ask you a question? It’s been bothering me for a while now” Moon asked changing the topic “Go for it” El said “Who was the guy, the one you said from 5 years ago. When we were coming back 2 weeks ago, Jisung was saying something about a guy who got away and you said he was the same one from 5 years ago” Moon questioned “It’s a long story. You sure you're up for it?” El asked “Yeah, I haven’t got anything to do so why not” Moon shrugged “6 years back, Elivia and I moved back from Australia. Felix had already been here before us and had joined a gang. I didn’t know that, and when I found out, I gave him a good piece of my mind, especially because he had told our parents that he got a stable job here as a manager at a company. Anyways long story short he promised not to get the two of us involved, mainly because Elivia was only 14. I wasn’t involved with any of their activities or anything, but I did meet up with them. I started working at a cafe so I could afford an apartment of my own. My parents were already sending a lot of money for us sisters and I wanted to make things easier for them. Felix often came to visit the cafe time to time, sometimes alone, sometimes with one of the members. Everything was going pretty smoothly until someone found out about me. I asked Felix to stop visiting for a while for Elivia's safety. But that didn’t work. Felix asked me to join the gang, but I didn’t want to put Elivia through that so I refused and the inevitable happened. I was working late one night and I asked Elivia to stay with me as I didn't want her to be alone at night. When I was closing up, a few men came out of nowhere and attacked, since we were alone and couldn’t fight back, they took us. I didn’t see anyone’s face except one’s, and that was the same guy who was at the trade 2 weeks ago” El explained “Oh, so you and Liv joined the gang after Felix got you out” Moon said “It was for the best, our parents still don’t know” El answered “What about your mom? What does she know and do you have any siblings?” El asked “I have a younger sister, we’re two years apart. My mom thinks one of my clients offered me a job and I’m doing that” Moon answered “What about your sister?” she asked “She knows the same as my mom. But since she owns her own clothing line, she’s away most of the time so I didn’t really have to worry about explaining to her” Moon answered “Do you miss them?” “Yeah I do.” “Even you’re dad?” “It’s quite complicated, but yeah I do” Moon answered “Where are you going?” El asked Chan who was all dressed up walking towards the door “Just some work” he answered and walked away only to stop midway “Moon you wanna come with me? You can meet your parents while I run my errand. I’m going to that area” Chan asked walking back to the girls “Really?” Moon asked, her face lit up with excitement. Chan’s heart softened at the sight “Of Course. It’s been so long, hasn’t it” Chan said “Please just wait two minutes, I’ll just change my shirt and be back quickly.” Moon said, jumping up from the couch and running to her room. “She’s so pure, I love her” El smiled “I know” Chan said, reciprocating the smile Moon came running back in a white tee and black skinnies with her hair up in a high ponytail. “Let’s go” she said

"Do you miss your parents?" Moon asked, trying to strike a conversation as Chan drove silently. In all honesty, she was just trying to distract herself from the handsome man sitting in the driver's seat beside her. With his hands on the steering wheel, the veins in his arms popped out. His jaw was tight as he focused on the road ahead, making him look absolutely hot. Moon was practically drooling over the sight. “Yeah I do. But knowing that they’re safe now, it’s a lot easier to deal with being away from them” he answered “Safe now?” Moon questioned “Well, the Gang originally belonged to my grandfather, maybe went generations back” Chan answered “So you basically inherited the gang” Moon stated “Technically yes and no at the same time” Chan said “What’s that supposed to mean?” she laughed “Boy you ask a lot of questions” Chan smiled at her “Sorry” she sheepishly grinned “When my grandfather was managing the gang, from the stories I’ve heard, things used to be very violent and gruesome. My dad didn’t like it and he wanted to leave, he often tried to run away, but connections were very strong so he never succeeded. Dad met mom during an important trade, she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. The other gang members wanted to kill her because she was a witness. But my dad didn’t want to hurt an innocent. So he told the others that he’d kill her and took her away. He hid her away and told everyone he killed her and disposed of the body so no one would question it. Time to time he’d visit her to check up on her, and in that time they fell in love, it was inevitable to be honest. They had a court marriage and ran away, claimed asylum in Australia and started their life there. Dad became a swimming instructor for special people and opened his own swimming club and mom helped dad with all the work. They had me and Anessa and things were going good until my brother was born. I was 15, Anessa was 9 and my brother was 3 years old when the gang members attacked our house. No one died, but dad was badly injured. Things had gone downhill for the gang and my grandfather thought that my father had something to do with it so they attacked him. My dad tried telling him that he had nothing to do with it but his father didn’t believe him, especially seeing that my mother was the woman my dad had claimed to have killed years ago. Eventually, my dad made a deal to go back to the gang given that his family stayed safe. My grandfather agreed on the terms that we all left Australia and went back with him. A year after that, my grandfather passed away and the gang was in my dad’s hand. My dad had the chance of leaving but it wasn’t easy. Slowly one by one, he started asking the members to leave, many of them declined and tried to kill my father, others my dad paid, so they left quietly. By this time, Anessa and I had started going to school and started our life. I met the boys in high school. Jisung and Seungmin were family friends, seeing that their older brothers were also in a gang. I turned 18 and dad was almost done finishing the gang, but life is funny and he had made a lot of enemies so he couldn’t leave again. So I intervened, told him that I could take over and he could leave and live his life the way he wanted. It was hard to convince him but eventually he agreed. From there, I asked the boys if they were willing to join and one by one, they came by. Took me a year to build up the reputation. It wasn't easy. I had to kill a lot of people, buy I was taught to never hurt an innocent, so I tracked down people who ploted against my father and killed them. Any potential threath I had that could harm my family or the ones I love, I started removing them. To the world I’m a monster who ruthlessly kills anything in my way, and I like it that way. That way people know not to mess with the ones I love. Now my parents are happily living in Australia without having to worry about anyone attacking them.” Chan told his story as he drove on the busy roads. “And I thought I had it rough” Moon whispered “It’s okay to think that, you said it yourself, everyone has a story” Chan said smiling softly at her “So to the world you’re the beast when in reality you’re just a prince looking out for his kingdom” Moon said “What’s with everyone comparing life to disney movies lately” Chan laughed “No I was just saying, kinda makes sense tho. Don’t you think?” she replied “If I’m the beast, does that make you my Beauty?” he asked smirking “Wh-why-what?” she stuttered “Because it makes sense. Ironic though, how you came looking for your father and in order to save him you took his place” he said “Let’s go” He said stopping in front of a bakery “Where are we?” she asked confused “Are you going to meet your parents after a year empty handed?” he asked getting off the car Moon looked at him weirdly before exiting and following him inside the bakery.

Parking the car in front of Moon's house, Chan took out his phone to check the time. "Alright, that's my que to leave" he said "When will you pick me up" Moon asked, fixing her hair. Chan looked at her mesmerized. Instead of answering, he unbuckled his seat belt and pulled Moon towards him. Putting a hand on her cheek he slowly leaned in "Can I?" He whispered, their lips only centimeters apart. Moon slowly nodded her head giving him consent. Chan leaned forward and removed the space between them, gently working his mouth on hers, his hands made their way to her waist and held her tight. One of Moon's hand went to his head and her fingers threaded in his soft locks, gently pulling on them, evoking a deep groan from him,her other hand on his neck pulling him closer. A few moments later Chan pulled back to catch his breath, both their faces red and lips swollen. "I'll be back in two to three hours." He whispered, pecking her lips again. Moon nodded her head, not trusting her voice and exited the car taking with her the cake she bought for her parents. Feeling light headed and giddy she started walking towards her house to surprise her parents

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kingreywrites · 5 years ago

Text

Unravelling

Words count: 5978

Eugene Appreciation Week Day Four: AU

AU: The Snap from Avengers: Infinity War (but not a crossover, so no Thanos!)

Summary: At first, Eugene thought that they had won. One second, he was laying on the ground, weak and drained, and the next, he was getting up suddenly, seeing the other Coronans do the same. He tried to find Rapunzel, because surely, she was responsible for the victory, but his eyes landed instead on Zhan Tiri, towering above them all and cackling.

Warnings: Temporary character death

Read on ao3

@fishskiin

At first, Eugene thought that they had won. One second, he was laying on the ground, weak and drained, and the next, he was getting up suddenly, seeing the other Coronans do the same. He tried to find Rapunzel, because surely, she was responsible for the victory, but his eyes landed instead on Zhan Tiri, towering above them all and cackling.

"Don't you see, Rapunzel?" It said, its voice chilling Eugene to his very core even as he scrambled to his feet. "Now that I have the sundrop and the moonstone, I hold the universe in my palm. I can hurt, I can heal, the world is listening to my every whims!"

A shape appeared behind the demon's head but it grabbed her - it was Cassandra, who had tried and failed to knock Zhan Tiri out and was now hanging upside down in its tentacle, as Eugene had done earlier. He got a glimpse of Rapunzel as she screamed Cassandra's name, and ran toward the stairs, trying desperately to get to her, taking notice of her long but brown hair.

"You know what else I can do?" Zhan Tiri continued gleefully. "I could wipe life off the face of Earth with only a snap of my fingers… But where would be the fun in that, if no one is there to suffer from it?" It laughed just as Eugene was close enough to see the horror mirrored on both Rapunzel's and Cassandra's eyes.

Zhan Tiri raised its arm, letting Cassandra down harshly, an awful smile cutting through its face.

"Let's only do half of it," Zhan Tiri grinned and snapped its fingers, releasing a wave of energy that brought everyone to their knees.

Eugene coughed and, when he opened his eyes, Zhan Tiri wasn't here anymore. He got up again and ran to Rapunzel, who seemed to be frozen in place.

"Sunshine? Are you alright?" he asked frantically, his hands going to her shoulders.

"Eugene," was all she could choke out, her eyes going to the crowd under the balcony.

Despite his worry, Eugene also turned his eyes toward them when he heard worried exclamations - just in time to see Quirin trying desperately to reach Varian as the kid disappeared into dust.

Eugene choked out Varian's name, his heart beating in his head loudly as Zhan Tiri's word echoed in the wind. Let's only do half of it.

Right before their eyes, friends and family were disappearing, but they were both frozen to the spot. Rapunzel was trembling under his hands but Eugene felt too much like he was floating, unable to wrap his head around this horror, to be capable of comfort.

"Eugene," Rapunzel whispered again, something so wrong and fragile in her voice that his eyes automatically went to her. "I- I don't feel so good."

She collapsed against him and, as he lowered her to the ground, Eugene felt like he was being strangled.

"No, no, no, no Sunshine," he pleaded, taking in her pale skin with burning eyes, "don't do that to me, please, Rapunzel-"

"Eugene, I'm sorry," she choked, her hand going to cup his face like he had done to her a long time ago - and, if he thought he was reassuring her at the time, he now knew that it was the opposite. Her hand was cold and weak on his cheek and he hated it, hated the contact, hated the meaning she was putting into this because she couldn't leave, not like that, she couldn't-

Her hand disappeared from his cheek and he watched numbly the dust, realising that he hated it even more. His tears were falling down on her now, inhibited, but he wasn't like her - he didn't have any last minute miracle, any lingering super power, he was just Eugene. Plain old Eugene, who couldn't save her.

"Rapunzel," he begged as she smiled, something sad and resigned in her eyes that he hated.

"You're my dream, Eugene Fitzherbert," she said, present tense, but it still sounded like a goodbye.

"You're mine," he sobbed back, but there was only dust under his tears now.

------

The kingdom was in shambles. Zhan Tiri was on the run, armed with infinite powers and the capacity to hide where time and space didn't exist, making any search pretty difficult.

King Frederick was gone. Princess Rapunzel was gone. Queen Arianna now reigned alone, Eugene acting as Captain of the Guard, right hand man, next in line and a shit ton of other jobs that he focused on as long as he could ignore his emotions on the current situation.

Ah, and he was now King of the Dark Kingdom. (He hadn't even known his father a year, but like everything else, he took that thought and shoved it far away in his mind, right in a little box where he couldn't see it. The box was overflowing.)

"We need the manpower to track down Zhan Tiri," he argued, frustrated as Arianna stayed carefully blank in front of him, seated alone on the throne.

"We need the manpower to rebuild Corona," she answered firmly.

"We can rebuild when we've brought everyone back! Which is why finding Zhan Tiri comes first!"

The problem, when you were constantly faced with global magical threat, was that it was difficult to accept something as final. Turning into dust? Please, they nearly turned into birds and were fine; Eugene just had to find Zhan Tiri, kick its calamari ass and everything will be fine, as it always was! And for that, he needed all the help he could get, if only Arianna would listen to him. Her face was hard and sunken with grief.

"Eugene, our kingdom needs to be protected and our citizens need to have their homes rebuilt. I will not send the few men we have left on a wild goose chase-"

"So that's it?! You've lost faith already?!"

"Captain," Arianna growled, something he never heard her do, "do not question my faith."

Eugene gulped, and closed his eyes. A flash of Rapunzel crumbling into dust before him made him open them again quickly, and he tightened his fists so hard that, without his gloves, his nails would have pierced through his skin. The silence between them was heavy, until Arianna sighed, looking smaller and older on the throne.

"You can have a small team working on it, but the priority is reconstruction, alright?" she proposed and the weary hope in her eyes was enough to make him crumble a little inside.

"Yeah," he breathed, shoulders slumping, "thank you, Arianna."

She smiled, a tiny, fake, entirely unconvincing smile, and he gave her the same in return, both of them not okay but with too much responsibility to truly let it through.

------

"Come on in," Eugene called absently as he poured through old documents concerning anything to do with the moonstone, the sundrop, Zhan Tiri or anything, really, that could matter right now. The moon was high in the sky, and he had been doing this well into the night, but he had too much to do the day and too many nightmares to escape anyway.

The door to this office opened and closed, and he heard an anxious intake of breath but, instead of saying anything, this person waited. Eugene sighed and raised his head, his eyes widening when he met Cassandra's (which were back to normal and, in a way, that was destabilizing).

"I've been told you wanted to see me," she finally said, squaring her shoulders.

"Yeah, tomorrow morning, not at whatever hour this is," he answered without too much heat, closing the useless book he held.

"You're not sleeping."

"Are you?"

She didn't answer. He didn't break the eye contact.

"Why did you want to see me?" she asked, lowering her gaze to watch her feet. She wasn't as confident as he remembered her but, clearly, the situation could excuse some of the differences.

"I'm making a team to chase Zhan Tiri down, and you'll be part of it," he announced, his Captain tone accepting no contradiction. Cassandra stiffened at the order, clearly uncomfortable, and Eugene felt guilty because he knew Rapunzel would be angry at him. After the whole moonstone debacle, his Sunshine would insist on making Cass the most comfortable possible, encouraging her to be herself and follow her dreams or something. And, honestly, when Rapunzel had faith in someone, Eugene never managed to stay angry for long - he had missed Cassandra and, while he couldn't excuse everything, he could move past it if Rapunzel did.

Rapunzel was not here, however. He was, this situation was and he needed Cassandra as the soldier he knew she could be.

"I- I'm not sure… Me?" she mumbled, her right hand going to cradle the other.

"Don't," Eugene warned, sensing immediately where her mind was going. He walked to her, too close for both of their comfort, his face hard as he poked her shoulder. "This guilt you're feeling? Shove it. Or better yet, turn it into anger or whatever fuels you to be stronger. You," he poked again, satisfied to see a dangerous look flash through her eyes, "you are one of Corona's strongest asset right now so, if you want forgiveness, work for it and help me bring everyone back."

She pushed his hand away and nodded, immediately raising herself to her full height to glare at him. He'd have smiled, if he didn't feel like there was a hole in his soul. In some part of his mind, he realised that burying their feelings until they exploded must be unhealthy but, for all their griefs, Cassandra and him were scarily similar when dealing with serious situations. They'd break later.

"Alright, Captain," she nodded, the word foreign on her tongue when it concerned Eugene. She swallowed against the lump in her throat to no avail. "Let's bring everyone back."

She went to sit and opened one of the books in the pile. Eugene wished Rapunzel could see it, could see how Cassandra was willing to listen to him even as it went against every of her instincts, because she wanted to save her - and he realized that Rapunzel would see it once he brought her back. He sat down too, and took another book.

------

It was weird going out into town to see that, as much as everyone wished it didn't, time was still passing. Some families were luckier than other - it was true both of those who lost no one, and those that lost everyone in one go - but all of the Coronans were just that, Coronans. They raised up when life brought them down and, right now, there were collective efforts to rebuild effectively.

Eugene was still surprised to see the genuine concern they held for him, now that Rapunzel was gone and that this whole fiasco happened at the start of his career as Captain of the Guard. They didn't resent him, apparently, when they had every reasons to, and Eugene was incredibly grateful for it.

It had been two weeks since the Snap. They were now used to see him travel into town to help them, Eugene being careful of what he agreed with Arianna - and she was right, he could see. Corona couldn't wait for a still unknown miracle, the subjects needed help now. And, after all, he didn't want to sleep much anyway, so it was a win-win.

Today, he wasn't stopping to help, however; he had a clear destination in mind.

He got down from Maximus, petting him gently because he had been the greatest horse and friend a man could ask for - and Eugene could see how sad he had been, having too lost his closest friends. Pascal was gone, too.

He went to knock and the door opened immediately.

"Hello, Quirin," Eugene smiled feebly, seeing in the shadows under his eyes a mirror of his own grief and exhaustion. "Sorry for not coming earlier."

"Ah, don't worry Captain," Quirin sighed. "We went through a lot of- of Varian's notes, and we found a lot of interesting material to find Zhan Tiri," he announced as Eugene went inside, barely stumbling over his son's name anymore, but not able to hide the deep-seated grief he held.

As awful as the comparison was, father and son had a very different way to deal with loss. Quirin was a quiet and efficient kind of devastated, though his red-rimmed eyes betrayed the way he spent his nights. Varian had been angry and loud, ready to destroy everything if it meant getting his dad back. Though, Eugene saw in Quirin's determination that they were lucky he didn't think Corona was responsible for the situation; something told him that he would stop at nothing to get his son back either.

They walked toward the lab, and Eugene felt a bittersweet kind of ache at seeing Angry pouring so silently over some papers. Catalina was gone, but she wasn't. At the very beginning, when Eugene realised that she was alone, that even Lance was gone - and that was its own can of worm he didn't want to open because Lance had been the only constant in his life since he was a kid and now, he wasn't here anymore - he had proposed that she sleep at the Castle. He wasn't sure it was a good solution, because the castle was huge, empty, and half-destroyed, but Angry needed help and he cared about her too much to let her go somewhere he didn't trust.

Thankfully, Quirin had come forward, tears still in his eyes, and asked if she would prefer to come to his own home.

"You already visited a lot of time," he explained, talking directly with her instead of Eugene which he knew the girl would appreciate, "and you're my son's friend, you're always welcome in our home."

So that was how this arrangement came to be. Angry raised her head at the noise and looked carefully at Eugene - he had been by but he hadn't stopped here in four days, so he understood some of the worry she displayed, especially now that everyone she cared about left her. Unwillingly, but to an orphan with abandonment issues, it was the same devastating feeling anyway - Eugene knew something about it.

"Hey, Angry," he smiled, going to put his hand lightly on her shoulder and she let him. "Quirin tells me you've found useful things?"

She looked up to him, looking so mature now, as if it wasn't two weeks but two years that had gone - and it certainly felt like it. But her little hand brushed against Eugene's for a second, before she launched herself in a explanation, and perhaps they weren't okay, but at least Eugen knew they'll manage. For now.

------

Faced with the doors to Rapunzel's room, Eugene felt sick. It was one thing to convince himself that he could fix this; another to be in front of the reality of her absence. He could practically hear her laugh inside, talking to Pascal about one thing or the other; could practically see her painting inside, with paint she didn't notice on her nose, so beautiful and bright that she made him light up inside each time. His hands hovered above the handles, trembling, and Eugene nearly turned back.

But he was here because he knew he would find her here.

Slowly, he pushed the door open, Rapunzel's bedroom more somber and grey than he had ever seen it. On her bed, her back to him and hunched on herself, was Queen Arianna.

Eugene swallowed harshly at the sight, unsure if confronting her here was the best idea. Her shoulders were shaking and, in her hands, he could see clearly Rapunzel's journal - for a moment, he wanted to cry too, but he didn't allow himself this privilege. He had to fix this, and Arianna was avoiding him, so here he was.

"Hello Eugene," she said quietly, her voice breaking.

"Hello Arianna," he breathed, guilt churning inside his stomach.

"I won't be able to avoid this conversation forever, will I?" Arianna laughed, but it was an empty sound. Still not looking at him, she put Rapunzel's journal carefully on the bed, and brushed her tears. When she met his eyes, the determination in her green one was so much like Rapunzel that Eugene felt like he was choking. He was still standing stiffly, but he had left the Captain uniform for this conversation.

"I- Cassandra found the device we needed in Demanitus' lair and, thanks to Xavier and Varian's notes, we managed to make it work," he reported carefully, before taking a big breath. "We can find Zhan Tiri."

The announcement didn't bring joy, because joy was something they both lacked these days. Arianna was still looking at him, every bit of the Queen she was, but with something of Rapunzel he couldn't face. Eugene closed his eyes tightly, before coming out with it.

"James - the ex-Captain of the Guard - agreed to take charge once again considering the situation. Cassandra will be going with me, and that's all, so Corona will still have all the manpower it needs but-"

"You're leaving," Arianna finished gently, her hand going to fiddle with her necklace. "Well, chasing after this monster, in any case."

"Yes," Eugene croaked, "I am."

She got up and suddenly, Eugene found himself wishing that she would scream at him. Scream that he was abandoning her, abandoning the kingdom he had swore to protect when he became Captain, scream that he should have saved Rapunzel when he had the occasion, not nearly one month later - scream at him all the things he already thought about himself, all the reproaches he wanted someone to throw at him. He wished for someone to blame him at least half as much as he blamed himself, because, then, he wouldn't feel so empty all the time.

It was unfair to expect that from Arianna. Grief was an old friend to her, and anger had never been her refuge.

She walked toward him, the purple sky illuminating her features and Eugene had to force himself not to take a step back when faced with the tangible emotion she exuded.

"I've lost a lot, Eugene. The world lost a lot. The kingdom, my kingdom is suffering, and I need to be strong for everyone, but I was wrong to think that I could stop you in your endeavour."

She raised her hand when he seemed about to protest, and got closer to him. He was taller than her, but didn't feel like it right now, not when she seemed to hold the universe on her shoulders.

"I've lost my husband. I've lost my daughter, for the second time." Her voice broke and tears gathered in her eyes while Eugene stood helplessly, unsure of the point she was trying to make even as he wished fervently he could do anything to ease her pain. She had done so much for him, and now he was helpless to comfort her. Arianna composed herself, her hand going to cup his cheek gently. "Don't make me lose you too."

Eugene exhaled all the air in his lungs with a "oh", his eyes warm and tingling as he realised that, in the middle of the worst loss of her life, Arianna was worried about him, wanted to protect him - was, to him, the only mother he ever knew. He was trembling, or she was trembling, he wasn't sure, because he abandoned all pretenses and swiped her in a crushing hug that she returned desperately.

For the first time since the Snap, Eugene cried.

------

As much as he wanted to just up and go, it took nearly a week for Eugene to be able to leave. Mostly because he helped the reinstated Captain of the Guard with the strategy the kingdom should adopt given the current situations, and also because they still needed more information before being able to. As surprising as it may sound, the Captain and him worked really well together, and Cassandra's help had too been invaluable.

"Fitzherbert," the Captain had called after him, a few minutes before their departure.

"Yes?"

"This," he gestured to the uniform Eugene had worn not too long ago, "is not permanent. I'm not un-retiring, we clear?"

Eugene could only nod, his throat dry, because he hadn't even thought they would want him back, considering the absolute disasters that happened during his short time. He was grateful, more than they could imagine because he had liked being Captain - he had liked the trust they were giving him and he had liked to be useful. He was glad it wasn't over yet.

As he told Arianna, only Cassandra and him went or, more precisely, both of them plus Max and Fidella. Eugene had worried about taking Maximus with him, considering this horse was the best guard in all Corona, but the same Maximus had decided for them that he would go with, and Eugene had never won a single argument with him.

They took the balloon for the long distances and that was the start of their search for Zhan Tiri.

The Demanitus’ device they managed to activate thanks to Varian's work was a radar that allowed them to get an idea on where Zhan Tiri was hiding thanks to the sheer energy the demon emitted, now that it possessed the powers of both the sundrop and the moonstone - but they soon realised that Zhan Tiri was playing with them. It lured them from places to places, appearing long enough for them to know that it worked, before disappearing - or worse.

"You’ve got to stop doing this," Cassandra muttered, tightening the bandage around his arm painfully. Eugene grunted, but didn’t bother answering, the pain a good distraction from the glare she was throwing him.

He yelped when she hit shin hard with her boot, before scowling at her as he took his arm from her hands. It was bandaged enough, anyway, and he didn’t have to justify his actions when she was the one he protected with this move.

"Eugene," she had said when he mumbled that he would go get something to eat, "you can't save them if you're dead."

He didn't answer, again, but that didn't stop her words from hitting their mark. He knew he had to do better.

Time passed quickly, and too slowly at the same time, until Eugene realised that it had been three months since the Snap and that he was still expecting Rapunzel to appear from time to time. Or Lance, or Catalina, or his Dad, or each and every person that he lost at the same time - his mind couldn't wrap itself over it so he just… didn't. Denial was his middle name, these days.

He had, quite ironically, started a journal, where he detailed precisely moments of their travels so he could tell everything to Rapunzel when he saw her. He knew she would appreciate it. Sometimes, it wasn't so much descriptions as it was letters, to them, the ones he lost - most often to Rapunzel. Sometimes, he only wrote "I'm sorry", because saying anything else would break him and he couldn't be weak - he couldn't let them down again.

Cassandra and him talked, a lot more than he expected. At first, he had asked of her that she recount to him every moment she spent with Zhan Tiri, a desperate attempt to find some kind of clue about what it could want. From there, she was the one who went into more personal territory, telling him about her choices and her regrets. He couldn't find it in himself to extend the same trust, because he couldn't conjure the force to talk about their lost friends except as if they had all went on an unexpected trip.

But he did try, with Cassandra. He told her about the things he had trouble forgiving her. Then, he told her about things he had trouble forgiving himself for. Little things, but that was better than nothing.

On Rapunzel's birthday, he said nothing. Not a word, not a joke, he barely made any noise at all. Thankfully, Cassandra left him relatively alone - something that Rapunzel would have never allowed, but that he wouldn't allow from anyone but her. On her birthday, he wrote about the proposal he had been imagining since his own real birthday - since he found out Rapunzel had a ring for him. He wrote about taking her on a boat, and putting the ring in a cupcake for Pascal to reveal. He wrote about how he imagined she would shut him down, if she still wasn't ready, and he wrote about how he imagined she would accept, if she was. He wrote about how much he loved her, but not how much he missed her, because there were already tears running down his cheeks and he didn't think he could stay silent if he did.

He remembered telling her that they should stop doing their birthday tradition of being put in mortal danger, but now he wished for these moments back because, at least, in the end he knew she was alright.

He shut the journal down.

Thankfully, Rapunzel's birthday only lasted a day. Lance's birthday too. Edmund's too. Catalina's, Frederick's, Varian's… He hated birthdays again, now.

It had been a year, since they went after Zhan Tiri. They had come back to Corona once or twice, the balloon a good mode of transportation and owl a great message carrier, but despite all of their efforts, each time they found Zhan Tiri - nearly once every three days - the demon easily knocked them down and disappeared again. It was playing with them, and Eugene still couldn't see what was the point of it all.

No one in Corona dared to tell Eugene that maybe it was hopeless, but he could see in their eyes that it was what most thought - one of the reason they didn't come back more often. Cassandra understood. They argued, but, in the end, they were made of the same stuff, and they had the same goal.

Eugene still missed Rapunzel so much it felt like a missing limb, but he was clinging to this pain, clinging to his grief as if it was new, because he refused to mourn. Mourning was giving up, and he couldn't. He couldn't understand how Arianna and Frederick lived eighteen years through this, eighteen tears thinking that Rapunzel might be dead but never giving up hope. Each day made him quite aware that he wouldn't last eighteen years - not when only one broke him this much. Soon, there wouldn't be any pieces of him that could be picked up.

Finally, they found the solution in their beginning: the eclipse. Exactly one year after the Snap, some kind of poetic irony Eugene didn't want to think about.

Whatever Zhan Tiri did to get away each time, whatever great power it possessed - the day of the eclipse, Zhan Tiri was weakened. Once that Eugene and Cassandra understood that they needed the sundrop and the moonstone in its arms to touch, it was scarily quick to defeat this demon that took so much from them.

One year. One year of pain and grief, for it to be over in less than an hour. Eugene would have laughed, if his heart wasn't beating so loudly inside his ears as he watched the glowing stone floating in front of them, a beautiful mix of the moon and the sun's powers.

It wasn't over yet.

Maximus neighed worriedly but Eugene ignored him as he got to his feet, ready to take this stone and turn everything back as it should be. It was a hand, however, that stopped him.

"Eugene, this- This could kill you," Cassandra said, a question she couldn't ask between these words.

"We didn't come this far just to turn back now," he answered plainly, no doubts lingering in his mind. "And if I can't bring them back…"

He didn't finish the thought, but Cassandra heard it loud and clear. This was their last chance, their last hope; if this didn't work, then… They had one year of grief to catch up on. She didn't think she could survive it, and she definitely knew he wouldn't. She had seen him unravelling, more than anyone. He had a journal full of stories dedicated to ghosts he couldn't let go of.

"Then, let's do it together," she announced firmly, her own decision taken. Maybe, at least, they wouldn't die - maybe she could save Eugene, even if she couldn't save anyone else. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but she was tired of losing people because of her mistakes.

He looked about to protest, but nodded in the end. They approached the stone, pushing against the ring of energy encircling it, her hand gripping his sleeve. Eugene wondered what Rapunzel would think, now that both of her favourite people in the world got along - she would be overjoyed, he knew, and he couldn't help but smile at the idea that he would see her soon...

One way or another.

They grabbed the stone, together. They looked at each other but couldn't really see, blinded by the energy coursing through their veins. Eugene was the first one to talk - he sang the healing incantation, and Cassandra followed suit.

Flower, gleam and glow

Let your power shine

Make the clock reverse

Bring back what once was mine

The words were heavy and clumsy on his tongue, nothing of the grace he remembered Rapunzel having. He thought back to this night, at the campfire, when she healed his hand - thought back to this day, this smile, this woman who changed his life forever.

Heal what has been hurt

Change the Fates' design

Save what has been lost

Bring back what once was mine

He was begging at this point. Who, he didn't know, but for the first time since he hugged Arianna, he let himself feel the possibility of a world without his dad, without Lance or Varian or all his other friends - without Rapunzel, and he begged, because the pain in his heart was too great to consider even living in this reality.

What once was mine, they both finished, and the power exploded out of their hands, toward the sky, sending them both flying.

Maximus shook Eugene awake, one more second away from outright licking him - which would have disgusted them both. Eugene gasped, sat back up quickly, his eyes darting to Cassandra - seeing that, thankfully, she was also getting back up. Then, he looked around him.

There were flowers that hadn't been there before. A bird was looking around, apparently a bit dazed, before he took off - but Eugene was sure that all the birds had fled when the showdown with Zhan Tiri began. There was life, when there had only been half of it before.

Eugene flop back down, and laughed so hard he cried.

------

Getting back to Corona was the most stressful journey Eugene had ever been on. He almost started to write in his journal, until he realised that it was his way to talk to Rapunzel when she was not here - but she was now. He would see her soon, it was merely a two days journey in the balloon; he didn't need to write anymore. So he fidgeted, instead, his mind running with the best and the worst scenarios for their return. He also thought about those he had left in Corona - about Arianna, being back with her family; Quirin, finally reunited with his son; Angry, being hugged by both Catalina and Lance after a year apart. Had it been a year for them? He didn't think so, but he'd only know for sure once he was back. He wondered what Rapunzel must think, now that she surely had been briefed on the situation. Was she worried? Nobody knew where they were, exactly, or how they won against Zhan Tiri so, for all she knew, they could be hurt. All the more reason to get back as soon as possible.

Cassandra, for her part, was nervous but also worried. Half of Corona still thought of her as the crazy moonstone lady that put them in the clutch of Zhan Tiri, and she didn't want to know how they would react to her. Eugene threw her a knowing glance, but didn't think he could reassure as well as Rapunzel would surely do once they were back.

Because they would soon be back, and he would soon see her. Was he giddy or queasy? He wasn't sure.

They saw Corona well before the were above it, and Eugene popped his fingers so much Cassandra nearly worried he would break them. Then she was two busy biting her lips to make any kind of comment.

Neither of them were ready for the applause.

As the balloon got closer to the castle, they heard cheers and claps. Eugene peered over the edge of the balloon and saw that a lot of Coronans - a lot more than when he left - were gathering on the streets and cheering them on, some going as far as calling their names. Eugene smiled, and said nothing as he saw Cassandra get more emotional beside him, this acceptance more than she expected - even if it was deserved. Maximus headbutted him and Eugene petted him, a little absently because the were only moments away from landing.

Moments away from seeing them again.

In the yard, they were met by the wide-eyed stares of the guards and Eugene felt something lift in his heart when he saw that Conli, who had been turned into dust, was back. He was even more surprised when they called him Captain, before crowding him and Cassandra. The Captain - James - went to hug his daughter, but Eugene, as touched as he felt, really wanted to run to the throne room, because he felt that was where he'd find her.

He extracted himself and ran toward the stairs leading to the front door, not even having the awareness to excuse himself. They'd understand.

Eugene arrived in front of the door and, as he lifted his hand toward it, the doors were thrown open.

His eyes met Rapunzel's green ones. She hadn't changed a bit, except for her hair that was now short again and- and-

Eugene threw himself at her, bringing them both to their knees as he hugged her as tight as he could. She wasn't light, she wasn't dust, she was a sure weight against him that he knew like the back of his hand. She breathed his name, and he laughed weakly, tears making their way silently to her dress as he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

Rapunzel's right hand was tracing circles on his back as an attempt to sooth him. Eugene briefly opened his eyes and saw, from the corner of his vision, Cassandra standing awkwardly to the side, a shy but genuine smile on her lips. Eugene shifted, raised his hand to her - and she took it, nonplussed.

He pulled her into the hug. Rapunzel beamed, he could feel it on the skin of his neck, and he closed his eyes again.

Which was why he didn't see Lance get closer to them until he was hugging all three of them, his arms massive and familiar and safe. It was like a dam broke open and, suddenly, Catalina, Angry, Varian all jumped on them. Then, there was Edmund's arm settling on Eugene shoulder, and the flowery perfume Arianna always wore appearing to his left, with Frederick's rumbling laugh to accompany it. More people came, and maybe Eugene couldn't breathe, maybe there was still something in his heart that would never be completely fixed, but they would heal because they were home.

They were all home.

#Eugene Appreciation Week #It took me so long omg and I'm not totally satisfied but there it is!#angstier than angst day ahah #I'm sorry alright #but Eugene will receive a lot of hugs from years to come after this #my favourite scene was the one with Arianna so I hope you liked those!#tangled #Eugene Fitzherbert #Rapunzel #Cassandra #Queen Arianna

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sokayisaidiot · 4 years ago

Text

#Longer than Forever Au

Storyline:

Tubbo is sick since he was born. And soon he will Die. Imprisoned in a Hospital he wants to do the things he dreamed of. Tommy is bored, being a troublemaker, he wants a big adventure. He comes to visit his adopted Father Phil, who had a little accident with his other brothers Techno and Wilbur. He didn't expect to meet the sick lonely boy Tubbo.

Shocked, for that faith, that awaits Tubbo, he takes Tubbo, the credit card of his family, some of the coolest Nerfguns and his most fast bike, to do the impossible...

Characters:

Tommy:

he is a known class clown, troublemaker and fight starter in school

likes playing video games

has good grades, despite not even paying attention at school

got adopted with Wilbur and Techno when he was around 5

always has the needs to mess himself with everybody

got his necklace from Wilbur and the earring from Techno

you see him in this outfit probably every day, since he says its defining his character

has the sass from Techno

would give everything to make his small family proud

played Soccer for some years, but went off the team, when they started bickering him

Techno, Wilbur and Phil had a talk with those kids parents the next day

wanted to change the color of his hair too, but Wilbur stopped him at the last second

has a bike with a bee bell

can listen to rules, but doesn't

cuts the hair of Tubbo and gives his family old clothes to him

pizza is probably his most favorite thing to eat

knows the country like his pockets

got super protective of Tubbo

Tubbo:

has a longlasting sickness that will kill him in a week or two

has a older Brother called Clay, but Calls him Clay

always asks if someone is gay

gets the necklace of Tommy

Tommy told him it was to make sure, that they were always together

loves hugs and gives plenty

always positive, despite dying in a week or so

has a way of making friends with everybody

but still can be badass as hell

when he and Tommy get into a argument, he rans away and gets an asthma attack. He is uncioncess when Tommy finds him in Panic. Tommy took care of Tubbo and both hugged each other for good 10 minutes

since then, Tommy is always by Tubbos side and refuses to leave him for the rest of the time

when he saw Tommys earring and said, that he wanted a earring too, Tommy took his arm and went to the next piercing store

never takes the clothes of, that Tommy first gave him

went from Strangers, to good friends to best friends with Tommy

Tommy was very happy to have a “younger Brother”

thanks to Tommy, he also learned swimming, car driving and how to bake finished pizza

already met Techno, Wilbur and Philza at the hospital, when they went on a check on

was surprised to see Tommy climbing outside of his hospital window, to get him in the night

cried when he saw his first fireworks and ocean view

loves the bee on Tommys bike

Techno:

middle Brother of Wilbur and Tommy

loves his brothers to the death and went into many fights for them

but sometimes causes them

has a love for growing potatoes, so for his 16 birthday, Philza and the boys got him a little farmpot

he sometimes makes potatoes for Family dinner

Wilbur said, he can't see potatoes anymore

actually becomes a teacher

knows Dream, Eret, George and the others from High School and still has contact with them

can and WILL tease Tommy about his height and age

takes a liking to Tubbo

helps Tommy and Tubbo going on their adventure without them knowing it

goes on extra jobs, telling his high school friends to help them, packing some obvious stuff extra in Tommys Backpack to survive and taking care, that his other Family members don't get crazy

Wilbur:

was adopted at the age of 6

the oldest son, but one with the most worries and not calming thoughts, while Tommy and Tubbo are on their adventure

first tries to stop those two, but then letting those two live Tubbo´s final moments together

was adopted with Techno at the same time

he found Tommy when him and Techno went grocery shopping in the rain. They saw a boy in alley way on the age of 5. Techno and him tried to talk to him and when the boy hissed at the Techno simply picked him up, threw him over his shoulder and walked home with him. When Philza tried to greet them, he was met with a hissing and kicking boy, red and purple marks all over his body. They agreed to adopt his boy. When they first meet his parents, all of them were full of rage. But Wilbur was the first and only one to punch in that meeting

he loves music and on special holidays, he gives a little concert

has a hate-love relationship with potatoes

goes to a University to study music

was the fastest one to trust Philza

got his guitar with the age of 7 for his birthday and couldn't stop crying for an hole hour

Philza:

happy but tired dad of three chaotic demons

went to various conventions with his sons

telling other parents how much nerds his kids were, but isn't really better

is the father to watch anime

got his sons to watch Bleach completely with him, they fell asleep after a while, but Philza insisted that they watched it

goes to every parent meeting and either brags or protects his kids

makes tournaments with his sons friends

basically every friend of his sons or child he sees, he adopts it

has Dad puns ready and WILL use them

was concerned with Tommy disappearing but greatly understand the reason I´with it

still grounded Tommy with watching an Anime with him

there aren't many ways to make him angry, but when he's angry, he's angry

Supports his children in every way he can

Cried by every theater where his kids played with, even if there were just the trees or musican

has the best advice for everybody

wanted to adopt Tubbo the moment he met him

has a shop called, “24 for Philza” and he lives with the boys over on the apartment

Dream/Clay:

Tommys older brother

a police men in training with Sapnap

comes visit Tubbo every weekend with his boyfriend George

taught Tubbo, Tommy and Techno sass

he learned the sass himself from George

wears a ring as a necklace

wants to ask George to marry him

Tried to stop Tubbo and Tommy and almost went through with it

“bullies” Tommy

but has a close relationship with their family

can hunt like a wolf, but otherwise can't hurt a fly

Tommy learned through him, to take care of his precious stuff

trusts Tommy his brothers life on

is very caring and a little overprotective

killed a men one time with the help of techno, when someone tried to kill George and Tommy, while a raid in a store

you want to mess with him, you need your testament ready

rival of techno

George:

boyfriend of Dream

is a journalist

loves Tubbo and taught him to be more confident

also promised to make an article about him, when they finished their adventure

helped Tommy and Tubbo escape to their rest of the journey

knows that Dream wants to propose to him

helped Tommy and his family, when someone tried shit talking their store, when he wrote a whole article about “24 for Philza being the best store in town”

officially the “better and more intelligent” part of Dream

always visits Tommys family with Dream

they already agreed of making Tommy flower boy and lost his parents so Philza will be walking him down the aisle

when Tubbo was four and his first night alone in the hospital, George gave Tubbo a plush Bee, since then he had a love and fascination with Bees

only one to keep his boyfriend in place

Sapnap:

has a motorcycle and helped Tubbo and Tommy on a part of their journey

loves to make Tommy angry

best man to Dream next to Techno

got Tubbo to watch all the different movies and teacher him about cuss words as well as punching

also learns to be a police men

was a part of the journey group for a while

made many pictures of Tubbo and Tommy

can and will beat anyone up, who is talking shit about the Philza family

wears a bandana with the argument, that he is always ready for a fight

was the one to teach Tommy how to ride a bike

trusts everybody with their life and has some outside connections

Badboyhalo & Skeppy:

22 & 20

a couple who is married and lives on the beach

they don't tell anybody, that Tommy and Tubbo were in a guest room in there house, since they have connections to their family

know Tommy, from when he was younger

Skeppy loves to make fun and Bad scolds sometimes, but he also, is giggling

they have various pets, since they live on a farm

found Tommy and Tubbo sleeping one morning on the beach and invited them in and Tommy remembered them

Skeppy had a similar sickness to Tubbo, but survived

they were the first once to get postcards

Tommy is calling them Uncle´s lovely, even if he says, because there so old

told Tommy when they both could go and washed their clothes for them again

Eret:

just your average business man

a old friend of Wilbur

found the boys wandering in the city lost and gave them something to eat

immediately befriended Tubbo and Tommy muttered something from betrayal

gave the boys two of his sunglasses and train tickets for the rest of their journey

promised Tubbo to come with sunglasses to his funeral, which he nodded along, laughing sadly

Fundy:

boy from the village, where they went watching Fireworks

got them a place in his tree house

spent the rest three days with the two boys

showed them around in the village

wasn't by Tubbos side, when he died, since he didn't know

Extras

Tommy cut Tubbos hair, saying he didn't need to look like rapunzel

Tommy played various pranks on Tubbo, but getting angry, when Tubbo finds it nice

Tubbo and Tommy went at least 5 times to McMonalds or Gurger King for Tubbo to get the taste, what he missed out

they Day when the fireworks came, was Tubbos Birthday, when he saw them he cried. It would be one of the last things he would see in his life

when it was time, Tubbo laid in Tommys lap and looked up in the sky

Tubbos last words were:

“Thank you for this nice Birthday gift. I never could ask for more than you as my best Friend”

then he closed his eye and took his last breath. Tommy just managed a tearful grin, when he said: “Me too, thank you, Double Trouble forever”. Those were the last words Tubbo heard

he still smiled when he died

when the other villager saw Tommy and Tubbo one recognized them and the police as well as the ambulance was called

Tommy went with Tubbo on the ambulance, despite Tubbo being dead

when most of his family and friends arrived they all hugged him. All of them cried

Tommy refused to leave Tubbos body for the first four hours and just with long talking, they got him home

at home he didn't got in any problems, just a quick clap on the head and then a hug from all of them

they told how brave and die it was of him, to give Tubbo his own decisions in his life

On Tubbos funeral, everything he loved the most, was in his coffin: The white Bandana of Sapnap, the sunglasses of Eret, Fundys fox mask, their selfie of Badboyhalo, Skippy, Tommy and himself, the article George wrote about him and his journey, Dreams mask, Technos and Wilburs earring and necklace on his body, the hat of Philza and Tommys bee bell

he wore the clothes he first wore, when the adventure started

the funeral was pretty small and depressive but then came Tommy with his talk about Tommy (maybe another post, if ya wanna)

then when he came back to school, Tommy stood up for children with deadly diseases and became the next year school representation...

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sonicgetsrawed · 5 years ago

Text

Pizza and Caviar

I was doing so well working on my Dark Kingdom AU today and then I had to watch High School Musical and this was born! It’s part high school au/boarding school/bad dad Quirin au! I really hate myself for this guys lol! Also Hugo and Raps are twins because I say so! Hugo and Raps are 16, Eugene, Lance and Cass are 17, and Var is fifteen. Enjoy!

Rapunzel stepped excitedly out of the limousine. Her twin brother following albeit less excitedly. She wrapped her arm around him, pulling him close despite his protests. “Can you believe it, Hugo? We’re finally here!” She squealed, bouncing on her feet.

“Yeah, real exciting, sis.” Hugo said dryly, removing his sister’s arm from around him and hefting his bag over his shoulder. “I’m going to go find my room.”

“Oh, okay! Text me when you’re all set up and we’ll grab lunch!” She called, the only response she got was the small wave over his shoulder. She felt slightly less excited now that she was alone. Her parents had said goodbye last night as they had very important work meetings today that couldn’t be missed. She pulled her suitcase from the car, rolling it behind her as she headed to the registration table.

***********

Varian rocked back and forth on his heels, fingers digging into the straps of his small backpack. His too big pants being held up by a too big belt which was covered by a too big shirt and flannel. He smiled up at the building, his home for the next school year, his sanctuary.

“Hey, Varian.” He turned at the voice calling him, Cassandra, his neighbor, stepping out of her car. “Didn’t see you much this summer. Your Dad must’ve been pretty pissed about that B, huh?”

“Yeah.” He answered, eyes darting to the ground. They both knew his home life wasn’t the greatest, but his dad only did the things he did because he knew Varian could be better, he wanted him to be better. “He had every right to be, I should’ve tried harder.”

Cassandra gave him the same sad look she always did whenever they talked about his dad and he ignored it just like he always did. She stuffed her hands in her tight black skinny jeans, her middle showing slightly thanks to her red crop top. “Let’s just go check in. We can talk about this later.” She said, moving ahead. He followed closely, knowing there never would be a later, there never was.

***************

“This is it, Lance! We’re finally seniors! We’re practically royalty now. Can you believe it, buddy?” Eugene exclaimed excitedly, punching his best friend in the shoulder as he pulled into a parking space. He turned off the beat up car, giving it some much needed relief despite the fact they had just driven down the street.

“Oh yeah! And next year we’ll be free! Free to do our own thing without Oldie breathing down our necks.” Lance responded, pulling their bags from the car. Eugene couldn’t wait. He’d be eighteen and then it was out of the orphanage for him, he had given up on being adopted a long time ago. His eyes scanned the building, noticing a petite blonde girl struggling to pull her suitcase up the stairs. He jogged over ignoring Lance’s shouts of protest.

“Hey, Blondie, need help?” He asked. The girl looked up, her bright green eyes meeting his brown ones. She wore a purple skirt that went to the middle of her thighs, her pink t-shirt tucked into the waistband. Her golden sun pendant bounced off her collarbone as she tugged on the suitcase, her hair in an intricate braid laced with flowers.

“That would be great! My-my brother was with me but he went on ahead.” She laughed, the sound bringing a smile to his face.

“So you’re freshmen?” He asked, lifting the suitcase for her.

She laughed again. “No. We’re juniors, we transferred.”

“Oh, where from?” He questioned, leading her to registration.

“We’re homeschooled. Took a lot of convincing to get our parents to agree to this.” She explained, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“Must be sticklers. I’m Eugene, by the way.” He said, offering her his hand.

“Rapunzel.” She answered, shaking his hand rather enthusiastically.

Eugene was about to say more, but he could hear Lance calling for him in the distance. “Well see ya later, Blondie.” He skipped away, smiling to himself as she waved. Maybe this year would really shape up to be something special.

************

It had been fairly easy to find his new room, even easier to unpack without his sister hovering over his shoulder. As much as he loved Rapunzel she could be a handful sometimes, and today he just wasn’t in the mood. Their parents had always favored her. He never tried to take it out on her but sometimes that required putting distance between himself and his sister. He never told her about his feelings, however, she’d just overreact. So when he had been accepted to this boarding school it was the opportunity to branch out and be his own person without having to worry about his parents or sister overshadowing him. He didn’t expect them to agree on the terms that she also join him. She was their precious sunshine child he didn’t think they’d want to give her up like that. He agreed regardless he’d still have his space more or less. He just hoped his roommate would be tolerable. What he didn’t expect was for him to be cute. Sure the other boy was wearing clothes two sizes too big, but his blue eyes were absolutely enchanting and each freckle only seemed to highlight them more. Even his buck teeth were perfect.

“Hi, I’m Varian.” He introduced, sticking his hand out for him to shake.

“Hugo.” He said simply, shaking his hand, the movement causing Varian’s sleeve to move up a bit revealing a nasty bruise. He didn’t say anything about it, it would be rude to ask. So he picked a different topic. “I didn’t think they let freshmen room with upper class men.”

Varian rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Oh they don’t. I’m a junior. I just skipped a grade. I’m fifteen.” He added on the last bit as if for clarification. He watched as he unpacked, his items barley taking up any space in the drawers, his bed just having a blanket and no sheets, no pillow. Hugo wasn’t an idiot, the boy obviously didn’t come from much, so he tossed one of his pillows onto his bed. Varian’s eyes wide in shock at the action.

“I packed too many. It was an extra.” He said as a way of explanation, making his way to the door, not wanting to hear his protests. Part of him knew he wouldn’t get any, Varian looked at the pillow as if he’d just given him the world. He felt a bit of pity stab his chest for the other boy, calling over his shoulder. “I’m meeting my sister for lunch. You can come if you want. My treat.”

“I- thank you.” Varian answered, following him out. He knew Rapunzel wouldn’t mind the extra company. He hoped she was having a good experience with her roommate.

***************

“And then I thought maybe we could paint the walls. Do you like pink? I like pink. Or maybe a blue? Oh, we could paint a mural!” Cassandra groaned as Rapunzel went on and on about the various things she wanted to do to their shared space. It was just her luck to get paired with the peppiest girl in the school. Not that Rapunzel seemed like a bad person, she just wasn’t the kind of person she could she herself being friends with.

“I’m going to go get lunch.” She announced, pushing herself out of her bed, effectively cutting off whatever rant the girl had gone off on.

“Can I come?” Rapunzel asked. Cassandra inwardly groaned, how could she say no to those big green eyes, especially when the way her freckles framed her face reminded her so much of Varian.

“Fine.” She said, wincing as the girl squealed.

“Yay! I can already tell we’re going to be the best of friends!” And Cassandra couldn’t help think the girl was terribly mistaken.

#tangled the series #varian #Rapunzel #eugene fitzherbert #Lance Strongbow #cassandra #hugo #high school au #fanfic

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themagicalreads · 5 years ago

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Lost and Found (Mature/Prompt)

A note before you start: Tumblr took off all my italics and I didn’t want to re-read this to put them all back in lol. So, I’m sorry. But if you want to read this with, it’s up on wattpad and AO3 @/magicalreads in my book Rising Untangled!

Fridays at the joint always pulled the biggest of crowds, and tonight wasn't an exception.

"Go get em', Goldy," Tarot slipped his hand off of Rapunzel's bare shoulder so she could pull her shawl on and fix the pins holding the two rolls on top of her head. His teeth shone bright against dark skin as he smiled proudly. "Little Moonlight’s shining star!"

Rapunzel felt a rush of red flush her cheeks at the compliment. So desperate to get off the streets, Rapunzel hadn't even expected a glance from Tarot when she walked into his joint all but two years ago. She knew she was a sight for sore eyes, but time had been wearing her down to the bone, despite her young adulthood. She'd wasted too long in a blurry blast after high school was over and done with that she'd drunken herself dry—quite literally right to the pavement. Thinking about which hole she'd be in right about now hadn't it been for the Little Moonlight made her scared to bits.

"The socs are in tonight," Tarot added just before she could push the curtain aside. "Show em' a good time."

Rapunzel smiled right back. "I always do, Daddy-O," she promised. She only vaguely remembered feeling jittery her first time dancing in front of the socs, which was a tickle in itself considering she used to be a part of their crowd. She’d learned fairly quickly that their presence was something to be revelled in; They were quieter than the Moonlight’s usual customers, and their stacks of loose dough made her want to perform at the absolute tip top of her abilities.

The crowd cheered as she slowly curled against the curtain, taking her rightful place onstage as the music roared to life. Rapunzel moved seamlessly with the trumpets flaring against soft piano. Though she'd always preferred dancing the doo-wop, there was something about jazz that ignited a spark deep inside Rapunzel. It was nostalgic, a sound to get lost in, and it was perfect for a sleazy club like this one.

Rapunzel looked up to give a rewarding look to the table of socs sitting in the corner, impossible to miss, only to lock eyes with another man standing still in the crowd. The room erupted as Mer and Poppy strolled out behind Rapunzel, but his crystal blue eyes stayed firmly on her. The nerve of him! Showing up around her all week only to ignore her—or, worse yet, disappear—each time she’d craved from him approach her. The least he could have done was introduce himself like a proper gentleman. Then again, no proper gentleman would come here, if they weren’t hangin’ with the socs. Everyone worth a dime knew that being seen in a place like the Little Moonlight as a lone social was simply asking to be treated like a lowly greaser. Thing was, this man didn’t look like he was a part of either crowd. His attire screamed social, but his attitude yelled greaser. So which in the devil was he? Rapunzel had figured out how to woo the dough out of every kind of man who walked in here, but she couldn’t figure out how to wrap her finger around this odd ball. Hell, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to wrap her finger around him. She wasn’t even sure if…

Rapunzel practically shook her head mid-dance in realization. Enough not knowing. This was her territory, and she was in control here.

Easy as cutting a smooth slice of pie, Rapunzel tuned out the prying hey, dolly's from overly cranked men and shifted all her efforts into wooing the silver-haired one from her place on stage. She moved gracefully, long hair swishing to and fro, all the while never taking her eyes away from him for more than a second. No matter how much she hated to admit it to herself, Rapunzel didn’t want him to disappear again. There was a strange curiosity to him that she needed to figure out. He was a spark in the darkness she couldn’t help to be drawn to.

“A dreamboat that one, isn’t he?” Poppy commented over the sound, catching on to Rapunzel’s motives. Over the heads of bobbing men, she caught Merida smirking at her too. Rapunzel knew they’d be asking questions at the apartment later—no sense turning back now. And besides…

Their focus was on something else now. When Rapunzel turned to look, she was surprised to see Silver Hair moving through the crowd.

Toward the stage.

Her stomach flipped and flopped, an army of butterflies erupting through her. Cool it, Raps, she told herself. You’re being ridiculous. But her heart made no attempt to listen. She strutted toward the stranger, then crouched slightly on her heels until she found herself slightly higher than eye-level.

Something glimmered in the man’s eyes, a mixture of lust Rapunzel recognized all too well, but another she found herself completely at loss about. “Crescent Moon?” He asked, referencing to her show name. Tarot had been the one to suggest the change from her previous one once he’d deemed her the star of his joint.

“The one and only,” Rapunzel purred.

He lifted a hand, revealing a fan of dough between his fingertips. “Mind if I take you to the back?”

Rapunzel eyed him up and down. He was pretty. Scrawnier than her usual customers, wearing an unbuttoned light blue and white chemise tucked into sandy-coloured pants. His hair was lightly gelled into a trunk do, an alluring white she’d only ever seen on old folks. He was mesmerizing to watch, but that didn’t stop Rapunzel from standing right back up to her full height. She felt taller than she naturally was, and not only because of the stilettos on her feet. The socs loved getting what they wanted, and the greasers preferred a cat-and-mouse chase, so what would happen if she gave someone that was neither both?

“After the show.” She told him as she walk away. Only sparing him a single glance over her shoulder proved difficult. She’d expected him to disappear by the time the girls and she were done with their dance, and he did—or so she thought. She spotted a silver head quickly after, lurking by the back hall. “Split the tips with Mer, Popsikins." Rapunzel gave her friend a wink, thinking of the doll of a shop they lived over. She didn’t need more money than what she’d earned in between her skin and underclothes. "Get yourself those rockin' shoes you were eyeing."

Poppy squealed as Rapunzel walked away, right past Silver Hair and into the hall. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked. Neither of them said a word until she pushed through a door. The man shut it behind them, taking one, two steps toward her. He stopped just before where she sat on the arm of the sofa. “Nineteen.” Was all he said. Rapunzel expected more to come, but he simply stared at her as if she was supposed to understand what he’d meant. “Dollars or minutes?”

The man shook his head. “Your age. You can be more than nineteen.” Rapunzel shifted. “Twenty-two, actually.” It felt strange, saying that; She didn’t usually reveal her age to customers. Not that they ever asked, anywho. All they ever came for was a dance to make them forget their lousy lives outside of the club. More than a dance, if they were trusted to keep it under the table. The fuzz hadn’t caught em’ yet, and Tarot had no intention of getting a shut down. “Just a year younger than me,” the man noted. “How’d a sweet girl like you end up in a place like this?”

“A sweet girl like—?” Rapunzel bit her tongue. Tarot’s rules included no talk backs, unless our fella’s were pushin’. And this man wasn’t even coming close to pushin’. "It's a gig,” she said instead. “And I enjoy it, in all truthfulness."

“But why?”

A laugh escaped Rapunzel’s lips. “Are you writing a book?”

Silver Hair shrugged. “I guess you can say that.”

Rapunzel shook her head slightly, mesmerized by his straight tone; No added lah-dee-dah lilted his voice. “You’ve such an odd way with words,” she said. “I didn’t mean it literally, though, if you are, congratulations. You’re just askin’ too many questions, is all.” Rapunzel cleared her throat when no reply was given. She motioned to the sofa, giving the man her best heavy-lidded, green-eyed look. “So, whatcha’ waitin’ for, then? Come on, have a seat.”

But the man closed his eyes briefly and breathed a soft sort of laugh. Then, he took a step back, offering a hand out to her. “Dance with me.”

Rapunzel lifted her brows in surprise. “You’re asking for a doo-wop?”

“Something a little slower,” a playful smirk grew on the man’s lips. “With a kiss, if you’re willing.”

A flush rushed to her cheeks, thankfully hidden by the dimmed yellow lights in the room. “The Little Moonlight doesn’t do no kissin’.”

“Even with special cases?”

Rapunzel breathed a short laugh and took the hand still being offered. She found herself being pulled tight against Silver Hair’s chest. “Alright,” she decided. “Razz my berries. What makes you a special case, mister…?”

“Jackson Overland,” he was quick to answer. “But call me Jack.” Hands slipped over her waist as Rapunzel lay her arms loosely around Jack’s neck. “And let’s see… I’m handsome, you like me, and I’m leaving tonight. I’ve already been here too long.”

“Leavin’ where?”

“Are you writing a book?”

Rapunzel couldn’t help but laugh. “I see. Peggin’ my own words against me. That’s not very gentlemanly of you.”

“Who says I’m a gentleman?” Jack spun her around, dropping her into a smooth dip. He brought his head down to her until his lips were but an inch from her own. The heat curling against her mouth warmed other parts of her. He dipped down slightly more, coming closer and closer, until he suddenly pulled her right back up to their earlier swing.

Rapunzel felt breathless. “Actor,” she mumbled playfully. But all she received from Jack was a frown.

“Slang?” He guessed after a moment.

“For a show off, yeah.” Rapunzel pushed Jack down, suddenly, right onto the sofa she knew they’d moved in front of. She fell swiftly with him, landing right on his lap. “Don’t cha leave the house?”

Jack grinned, hands tightening over her hips ever so slightly. “Haven’t been home in a while, actually.”

Rapunzel shifted on his lap, earning a pleasured groan in return. “Maybe this is a good time to go back.”

Jack grinned lazily, chuckling like she’d just told a panic-and-a-half. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” Rapunzel questioned. “Everyone should enjoy being home.”

Jack was quiet for a while as she rubbed her hands soothingly over his neck and shoulders. She couldn’t understand why he felt as intoxicating as he did. “I… Got in trouble,” he said finally, glancing her down and up again. “For stealing something and using it to travel.”

Rapunzel slipped a hand up to his cheek, petting her thumb over his skin. Her voice came out soft. “Why don’t cha bring it back?”

Jack leaned into her touch, whether out of consciousness or not, Rapunzel didn’t know. “I’ll be in a lot more trouble if do.”

She brushed the curl away from Jack’s forehead as he spoke, watching as it fell back into place. “Maybe it’s not as bad as you think it is.”

“I stole the only copy they successfully made, Rapunzel. It took them a year before they could make a replica. Trust me, it’s as bad as I think.”

Rapunzel stiffened at the mention of her name. No one knew her as someone outside of Crescent Moon here, save from the crew. “How did you—?”

A flash of hurt suddenly passed in Jack’s eyes. He looked away as soon as he caught her looking. “It doesn’t matter.” He said. Except, it did. He’d known her name all along! Was it a slip up? Did he even mean to let her know he knew?

“Of course it matters!” Rapunzel exclaimed. This had never happened before. She didn’t know what to do anymore, now that she’d lost her invisibility. Rapunzel tried to step off of Jack, but his hands kept her still. “Wait!” He said. “Stay. Please. Let me… Let me explain.”

Reluctantly, she obliged. “Alrighty, then. Go on.”

Jack closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the sofa for a few seconds. He looked her right back in the eyes when he was done his thinking. “It took me years to find you again. You really don’t remember me, Punz?”

Punz. Something about the new nickname jogged at her memory, but nothing came forward.

“We met in 1951. You were seventeen; I was twenty. You were working at this diner, just about to graduate, and—When I stole the porter, it was an accident. I got myself in with the wrong gang, and I didn’t wanna go to jail. I didn’t know where to go so I… I pressed every button on the porter ended up jumping—right into that damn diner.”

Rapunzel was shaking her head now, refusing to remember. It felt the same as if a word she couldn’t pinpoint—but knew she knew—was hangin’ at the tip of her tongue. Rhona’s Diner. She never thought much about why she always took the long walk to the Little Moonlight.

“They caught us in ’64,” Jack continued. “You’d never seen the ocean, and you were finally ready to jump into the future, even if it was just by over a decade. They appeared right when we were about to—” He cut his gaze down, suddenly, red tinting his pale skin. But, despite the zorros, Rapunzel was surprised to hear how choked up his next words were getting. “We got separated, running. You didn’t know how to use the porter, so I had it.” She felt his finger play affectionately with the curls falling over her hips. He couldn’t look her in the eyes, but Rapunzel saw the pain written over him nonetheless. “I watched them take you, Punz. I watched them take you away from me.”

Rapunzel straightened in his lap as she took in a gulp of air. “If any of this is true, then what in the heaven’s am I doin’ here sittin’ in this joint?”

“They must’ve taken you in for questioning, probably about me,” Jack answered. “And then they obviously dropped you right back in your timeline like I’d hoped. Didn’t know why I was surprised to find out your memories about me were wiped. Those assholes.” He added, lost in thought.

“That’s why you weren’t approaching me all week,” Rapunzel realized. “You were waitin’ to see me run up to you all over the moon to have you back.”

Jack nodded. “I couldn’t stand talking to you like none of it ever happened.” Rapunzel realized that her heart was quickening as she looked into his crystal blue eyes. She’d felt drawn to him from the moment she’d seen him walk by, something that had never happened to her before. And then when he appeared at the club…

It dawned on her, suddenly. Those two years she’d thought she’d lost to parties and shenanigans—they weren’t a blurred mess of alcohol-induced amnesia. She’d spent them with him. Workin’ at the diner. Travelling to the past.

Falling in love.

It dawned on her just as the fuzz appeared out of thin air behind them. She only had time to twist and catch Tarot’s apologetic eye before they lifted guns flashing bright blue sparks, and forced her and Jack into bad night’s sleep.

#jackunzelfs20 #jackunzel #jackunzel fanfic #jackunzel prompt #1950s au #time travel #jackunzel au #rise of the brave tangled dragons #wattpad #jackunzel month

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and-then-there-were-n0ne · 5 years ago

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The Fairy Tales

Women live in fairy tale as magical figures, as beauty, danger, innocence, malice, and greed. In the personae of the fairy tale — the wicked witch, the beautiful princess, the heroic prince — we find what the culture would have us know about who we are. The point is that we have not formed that ancient world — it has formed us. We ingested it as children whole, had its values and consciousness imprinted on our minds as cultural absolutes long before we were in fact, men and women. We have taken the fairy tales of childhood with us into maturity, chewed but still lying in the stomach, as real identity. Between Snow-white and her heroic prince, our two great fictions, we never did have much of a chance. At some point, the Great Divide took place: they (the boys) dreamed of mounting the Great Steed and buying Snow-white from the dwarfs; we (the girls) aspired to become that object of every necrophiliac ’s lust — the innocent, victimized. Sleeping Beauty, beauteous lump of ultimate, sleeping good. Despite ourselves, sometimes unknowing, sometimes knowing, unwilling, unable to do otherwise, we act out the roles we were taught. Here is the beginning, where we learn who we must be, as well as the moral of the story.

The Mother

Snow-white’s biological mother was a passive, good queen who sat at her window and did embroidery. She pricked her finger one day — no doubt an event in her life — and 3 drops of blood fell from it onto the snow. Somehow that led her to wish for a child “as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the embroidery frame.” Soon after, she had a daughter with “skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.” Then, she died. A year later, the king married again. His new wife was beautiful, greedy, and proud. She was, in fact, ambitious and recognized that beauty was coin in the male realm, that beauty translated directly into power because it meant male admiration, male alliance, male devotion. The new queen had a magic mirror and she would ask it: “Looking-glass upon the wall, Who is fairest of us all?” And inevitably, the queen was the fairest (had there been anyone fairer we can presume that the king would have married her). One day the queen asked her mirror who the fairest was, and the mirror answered: “Queen, you are full fair, its true, But Snow-white fairer is than you.” Snow-white was 7 years old. The queen became “yellow and green with envy, and from that hour her heart turned against Snow-white, and she hated her. And envy and pride like ill weeds grew in her heart higher every day, until she had no peace…” Now, we all know what nations will do to achieve peace, and the queen was no less resourceful (she would have made an excellent head of state). She ordered a huntsman to take Snow-white to the forest, kill her, and bring back her heart. The huntsman, an uninspired good guy, could not kill the sweet young thing, so he turned her loose in the forest, killed a boar, and took its heart back to the queen. The heart was “salted and cooked, and the wicked woman ate it up, thinking that there was an end of Snow-white.” Snow-white found her way to the home of the 7 dwarfs, who told her that she could stay with them “if you will keep our house for us, and cook, and wash, and make the beds, and sew and knit, and keep everything tidy and clean.” They simply adored her. The queen, who can now be called with conviction the wicked queen, found out from her mirror that Snow-white was still alive and fairer than she. She tried several times to kill Snow-white, who fell into numerous deep sleeps but never quite died. Finally the wicked queen made a poisoned apple and induced the ever vigilant Snow-white to bite into it. Snow-white did die, or became more dead than usual, because the wicked queen’s mirror then verified that she was the fairest in the land. The dwarfs, who loved Snow-white, could not bear to bury her under the ground, so they enclosed her in a glass coffin and put the coffin on a mountaintop. The heroic prince was just passing that way, immediately fell in love with Snow-white-under-glass, and bought her (it?) from the dwarfs who loved her (it? ). As servants carried the coffin along behind the prince’s horse, the piece of poisoned apple that Snow-white had swallowed “flew out of her throat.” She soon revived fully, that is to say, not much. The prince placed her squarely in the “it” category, and marriage in its proper perspective too, when he proposed wedded bliss — “I would rather have you than anything in the world.” The wicked queen was invited to the wedding, which she attended because her mirror told her that the bride was fairer than she. At the wedding “they had ready red-hot iron shoes, in which she had to dance until she fell down dead.” Cinderella’s mother-situation was the same. Her biological mother was good, pious, passive, and soon dead. Her stepmother was greedy, ambitious, and ruthless. Her ambition dictated that her own daughters make good marriages. Cinderella meanwhile was forced to do heavy domestic work, and when her work was done, her stepmother would throw lentils into the ashes of the stove and make Cinderella separate the lentils from the ashes. The stepmother’s malice toward Cinderella was not free-floating and irrational. On the contrary, her own social validation was contingent on the marriages she made for her own daughters. Cinderella was a real threat to her. Like Snow-white’s stepmother, for whom beauty was power and to be the most beautiful was to be the most powerful, Cinderella’s stepmother knew how the social structure operated, and she was determined to succeed on its terms. Cinderella’s stepmother was presumably motivated by maternal love for her own biological offspring. Maternal love is known to be transcendent, holy, noble, and unselfish. It is coincidentally also a fundament of human (male-dominated) civilization and it is the real basis of human (male-dominated) sexuality:

[When the prince began to search for the woman whose foot would fit the golden slipper] the two sisters were very glad, because they had pretty feet. The eldest went to her room to try on the shoe, and her mother stood by. But she could not get her great toe into it, for the shoe was too small; then her mother handed her a knife, and said, “Cut the toe off, for when you are queen you will never have to go on foot.” So the girl cut her toe off, and squeezed her foot into the shoe, concealed the pain, and went down to the prince. Then he took her with him on his horse as his bride… Then the prince looked at her shoe, and saw the blood flowing. And he turned his horse round and took the false bride home again, saying that she was not the right one, and that the other sister must try on the shoe. So she went into her room to do so, and got her toes comfortably in, but her heel was too large. Then her mother handed her the knife, saying, “Cut a piece off your heel; when you are queen you will never have to go on foot.” So the girl cut a piece off her heel, and thrust her foot into the shoe, concealed the pain, and went down to the prince, who took his bride… Then the prince looked at her foot, and saw how the blood was flowing…

Cinderella’s stepmother understood correctly that her only real work in life was to marry off her daughters. Her goal was upward mobility, and her ruthlessness was consonant with the values of the marketplace. She loved her daughters the way Nixon loves the freedom of the Indochinese, and with much the same result. Love in a male-dominated society certainly is a many-splendored thing. Rapunzel ’s mother wasn’t exactly a winner either. She had a maternal instinct all right— she had “long wished for a child, but in vain.” Sometime during her wishing, she developed a craving for rampion, a vegetable which grew in the garden of her neighbor and peer, the witch. She persuaded her husband to steal rampion from the witch ’s garden, and each day she craved more. When the witch discovered the theft, she made this offer:

… you may have as much rampion as you like, on one condition — the child that will come into the world must be given to me. It shall go well with the child, and I will care for it like a mother.

Mama didn’t think twice — she traded Rapunzel for a vegetable. Rapunzel’s surrogate mother, the witch, did not do much better by her:

When she was twelve years old the witch shut her up in a tower in the midst of a wood, and it had neither steps nor door, only a small window above. When the witch wished to be let in, she would stand below and cry “Rapunzel, Rapunzel! let down your hair!”

The heroic prince, having finished with Snow-white and Cinderella, now happened upon Rapunzel. When the witch discovered the liaison, she beat up Rapunzel, cut off her hair, and cloistered her “in a waste and desert place, where she lived in great woe and misery.” The witch then confronted the prince, who fell from the tower and blinded himself on thorns. (He recovered when he found Rapunzel, and they then lived happily ever after.)

Hansel and Grethel had a mother too. She simply abandoned them:

I will tell you what, husband… We will take the children early in the morning into the forest, where it is thickest; we will make them a fire, and we will give each of them a piece of bread, then we will go to our work and leave them alone; they will never find the way home again, and we shall be quit of them.

Hungry, lost, frightened, the children find a candy house which belongs to an old lady who is kind to them, feeds them, houses them. She greets them as her children, and proves her maternal commitment by preparing to cannibalize them. These fairy-tale mothers are mythological female figures. They define for us the female character and delineate its existential possibilities. When she is good, she is soon dead. In fact, when she is good, she is so passive in life that death must be only more of the same. Here we discover the cardinal principle of sexist ontology — the only good woman is a dead woman. When she is bad she lives, or when she lives she is bad. She has one real function, motherhood. In that function, because it is active, she is characterized by overwhelming malice, devouring greed, uncontainable avarice. She is ruthless, brutal, ambitious, a danger to children and other living things. Whether called mother, queen, stepmother, or wicked witch, she is the wicked witch, the content of nightmare, the source of terror.

The Beauteous Lump of Ultimate Good

For a woman to be good, she must be dead, or as close to it as possible. Catatonia is the good woman’s most winning quality. Sleeping Beauty slept for 100 years, after pricking her finger on a spindle. The kiss of the heroic prince woke her. He fell in love with her while she was asleep, or was it because she was asleep? Snow-white was already dead when the heroic prince fell in love with her. “I beseech you,” he pleaded with the 7 dwarfs, “to give it to me, for I cannot live without looking upon Snow-white.” It awake was not readily distinguishable from it asleep. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow-white, Rapunzel — all are characterized by passivity, beauty, innocence, and victimization. They are archetypal good women — victims by definition. They never think, act, initiate, confront, resist, challenge, feel, care, or question. Sometimes they are forced to do housework. They have one scenario of passage. They are moved, as if inert, from the house of the mother to the house of the prince. First they are objects of malice, then they are objects of romantic adoration. They do nothing to warrant either. That one other figure of female good, the good fairy, appears from time to time, dispensing clothes or virtue. Her power cannot match, only occasionally moderate, the power of the wicked witch. She does have one physical activity at which she excels — she waves her wand. She is beautiful, good, and unearthly. Mostly, she disappears. These figures of female good are the heroic models available to women. And the end of the story is, it would seem, the goal of any female life. To sleep, perchance to dream?

The Moral of the Story

Pieces. The loneliest of mornings. I remember thinking, our last time: If you killed me, I would die. — Kathleen Norris

I cannot live without my life. — Emily Bronte

The lessons are simple, and we learn them well. Men and women are different, absolute opposites. The heroic prince can never be confused with Cinderella, or Snow-white, or Sleeping Beauty. She could never do what he does at all, let alone better. Men and women are different, absolute opposites. The good father can never be confused with the bad mother. Their qualities are different, polar

[…] There are two definitions of woman. There is the good woman. She is a victim. There is the bad woman. She must be destroyed. The good woman must be possessed. The bad woman must be killed, or punished. Both must be nullified. The bad woman must be punished, and if she is punished enough, she will become good. The moral of the story should, one would think, preclude a happy ending. It does not. The moral of the story is the happy ending. It tells us that happiness for a woman is to be passive, victimized, destroyed, or asleep. It tells us that happiness is for the woman who is good — inert, passive, victimized— and that a good woman is a happy woman. It tells us that the happy ending is when we are ended, when we live without our lives or not at all.

- Andrea Dworkin, Woman Hating

#andrea dworkin #woman hating #feminism #radical feminism #intersectional feminism

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lostbutterflyutau · 6 years ago

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EoA Secret Santa 2018

Feliz Navidad, Becky! (@pizzansunshine!) I’m going to be honest. I was scared when I got this assignment for the @eoa-secret-santa-2018. I mean, having to write a fic for one of the best, well-known writers in the fandom? Talk about nerve-wracking. Seriously, you’re amazing. And I can’t say enough how grateful I’ve been for your help in figuring out my Elena fanfiction. I really hope I did this Eleteo fic alright for you and that you don’t mind a sprinkle of Mirror World magic.

(And BIG shout out to my friend Lily, who, while not in the fandom, was kind enough to help edit this fic for me.)

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Midnight Kiss

“Ugh. Why do you make everything look so good?” Carla teased as she secured the zipper on Elena’s burgundy party dress.

“Stop it,” Elena teased back. “You look amazing.”

“Hmm…I do, don’t I?” The smaller girl boasted, flipped her hair over her shoulder.

The crown princess shook her head, laughed, “Carla…”

Carla smiled at her own joke, moved to grab a bow pin off her vanity. “This goes on your left side,” She instructed. “Once you get it straight, I can do your makeup.”

Elena nodded and did as she was told, taking a moment to look over her reflection in the larger mirror while Carla rifled through her vanity, contemplating and comparing products. “Rapunzel really out did herself this time.”

“All she did was re-purpose a secondhand dress,” Carla shrugged, ordered when Elena stepped over, “Sit.”

“Speaking of Rapunzel,” Elena started, brushing past her friend as she spoke, took her place at the vanity. “I have to remember to thank her for – ”

Carla cut her off, “Close your eyes.”

‘Alright, I get it,’ Elena thought with a smile, shut both her eyes and her mouth as her friend went to work. She moved quickly but efficiently, blending products and colours with a practiced precision. When first getting to know her, Elena had been surprised to hear that Carla not only loved makeup, but that she was good at it. It had given them something to bond over, particularly in those first few weeks where they were both still feeling each other out. And now, here they were, talking and laughing and just…being girls.

“You can look now,” Carla finally said, capped the lipstick tube in her hand as she waited the other girl’s reaction, smiled when Elena’s eyes first widened in surprise and then softened.

“It’s…perfect,” She said with a smile of her own.

“No,” The smaller girl protested, hand reaching for and slyly picking up one of the perfume bottles resting alongside the mirror, a coy smile playing at her lips as she leaned in, carefully spritzed the crown princess, who jumped slightly. “Now…it’s perfect.”

“What is that?”

“Perfume.”

Elena raised a curious eyebrow, reached for the bottle that her friend held out, turned it this way and that, watching the liquid dance about within the dark-blue bottle. “Midnight Kiss?” She read aloud.

Carla explained as she sauntered across the room, “It’s some New Year’s thing. Apparently, a kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve means that you’ll have luck in love…or something. At least, that’s what the saleslady told me.”

“You don’t believe her?” The princess asked, took her coat when Carla handed it over.

“You know I don’t believe in stuff like that.”

Elena smirked, thinking as she recalled the events of the previous week’s festival, ‘Sure you don’t.’ She then opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Carla’s phone when it pinged.

“Anna and her sister are here,” Carla revealed, turned back to the vanity mirror for one last look alongside her best friend, decided, “We look good.”

They laughed together, grabbed their respective handbags before heading out the door, Carla purposely trailing behind as she eagerly worked her phone’s keyboard.

Step one, complete. How are things on your end?

Meanwhile, Rapunzel sighed as she read Carla’s message, texted back that things were, unfortunately, not working out so well on her end. They’d tried a few different pieces before finding pants that fit relatively well. With some minor hemming and a belt, they were perfect. But then there were the shirts she was currently rifling through with a frown. She didn’t have a lot of men’s clothes on hand, so how could she have lost that shirt?

“Um…Rapunzel?” Mateo asked, raised an eyebrow at her increasingly frantic movements.

“I know I have it somewhere!” The brunette girl fretted, moved from her sketching area to her sewing table, brushing aside a half-finished dress in her haste as she looked over the fabric scattered around the area, frowned and then turned her attention to under the table, unaware of the way the wizard’s eyes followed her every move curiously as he wondered what she was so worked up about.

“It’s just a shirt,” He tried. “I can just wear a different one.”

At that, she stopped, whipped around to face him. “No you can’t!” She declared, the defensiveness behind the statement startling the young wizard, who took an involuntary step back, eyes widening when, in doing so, his foot caught on a stray scarf that slipped out from underneath his sock-covered foot.

Thinking quickly, Rapunzel waved her hand, summoned up one of her sun shields, which caught Mateo before he hit the floor.

“Whoa, nice move,” Mateo complimented, delicately ran his fingers along the golden sun, a wide smile forming as he realised that he’d never actually had the chance to actually touch one of these things and get a feel for what it materialized out of.

“Thanks. I’ve been practicing,” Rapunzel admitted, gasped once she finished. “There it is!” She declared excitedly, rushing to pick up the piece that had been revealed when her magic scattered the clothes about the floor and then shoving it into his hands. “Here, put this on!”

“Um…okay,” He said, did as he was told and frowning once the magic object faded. “Do they always do that?”

Rapunzel nodded, sat to pull on her shoes after glancing at the time. “Yeah. They don’t stay for long,” She said, turned her attention back to her friend. “I knew that colour would look great! And it matches perfectly with…” She started and then quickly scolded herself, ‘He’s not supposed to know about that! Keep quiet!’

“With what?” Mateo asked.

“Oh, never mind. I’m just thinking out loud. Now, we just need to…”

She was interrupted by a hard knock at the door.

“Come on, Raps! We were supposed to be in the car five minutes ago!”

“We’re almost done, Cassandra!” Rapunzel called back, snatched up a pin from her desk and threw it to Mateo, pointing on herself to where his shirt pocket would be before reaching for her jacket.

“I didn’t know you had a sister,” He commented, fixed the black flower where she’d indicated.

“I don’t. Well, not really. Cass is like a sister. We met at last year’s party and just clicked. Her dad does security at my dad’s office. Now, where did I put your shoes?”

Mateo nodded, took his shoes when she found and handed them over, raised a curious eyebrow at the way she looked him up and down, circling around once and then back again, face breaking into a wide smile. “Yes, this works,” The brunette decided and grabbed his hand, saying as she led him out the door and down the stairs, “Now let’s go before I get an earful.”

Despite her words, once they hit the bottom of the stairs, she paused, pulled out her phone while Cassandra helped Mateo with his borrowed coat.

Phase two complete. On our way now!

“Thanks again for the ride, Elsa,” Anna said when their car stopped in front of the building, continued as she stepped out. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in?”

“I’m sure. I have some things to finish up at the shop,” Elsa explained, turned to Elena and Carla, “It’s a lot easier when Anna’s not eating the profits.”

The Avaloran girls laughed at both the comment and Anna’s pout, Elena saying once they waved Elsa off, “It’s okay Anna. I still get in trouble for sneaking in the kitchen when Abuela is making panelas!”

“And so does Esteban,” Carla pointed out as the ascended the stairs, shivered at the chill in the air.

“I can’t believe you walk to school in this,” Elena commented with a shiver of her own.

“Oh, it’s not so – ”

“There you guys are!” Moana interrupted, running up to meet them with Belle, Snow White and Isabelle.

“Moana! You did make it!” Anna exclaimed.

“Barely. We just got in last night, so it’s been kind of a mess at my house,” Moana admitted and turned to Elena, “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Carla invited me,” Elena said, wrapped an arm around the mentioned girl’s waist.

Belle looked over the group, observed, “So, we’re just missing Rapunzel?”

“She texted me that she’s on her way,” Carla informed them, “But said not to wait for her. She’ll find us when she gets here.”

Moana shrugged. “Works for me. Come on, we’ll show you where they’re collecting jackets.” She motioned for them to follow, caught them up on a bit of her recent holiday when Elena asked as they made their way first to the coat check in, and then the main room, which was alive with various company employees and their families mingling about. There wasn’t a single person who wasn’t enjoying themselves, including the caterers, who were smiling as they set out various plates of treats and finger food that Elena was immediately drawn to.

Though she laughed, Carla was weirdly grateful for her friend’s love of all things sweet. She smirked to herself, thinking was the perfect distraction as she glanced at her phone, read that Rapunzel and Mateo had just arrived.

“I’ll drop you two off here and take the car around,” Cassandra said when she stopped in front of the building.

“That’s fine. I’ll meet you inside,” Rapunzel said, eyes focused on her phone. She knew it was rude, given that she had a guest to tend to, but couldn’t help it. She knew that if she looked up at him, she’d end up giving him one of her goofy smiles. She hated the fact that that was her nervous tick. It made it hard to contain secrets, especially this one since she just kept thinking about how happy her friends would be once it all came together. She took in a breath to steady herself, said as she opened her door, “Come on, Mateo.”

He did so, eyes widening when he looked up in awe at the large building with its many floors and shining exterior. “Whoa,” He breathed.

Rapunzel sighed and reached for his arm. “Come on,” She encouraged, eagerly led him up the stairs, through the well-decorated door frame and down the hall, waving to various people along the way and letting out a sigh of relief when they finally reached the main room, which she scanned expertly, easily located her friends on the dance floor, minus Carla and Elena, who hovered by the refreshment table. She smiled to herself when a sudden idea came to mind as she looked up at the wizard, said,

“Hey, Mateo?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you do me a small favour?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Can you go see if they’ve got –” Rapunzel paused, realised she hadn’t come up with an actual item. She quickly racked her brain for an idea, spit out, “Cookies! The mint ones! They’re chocolate and have this candy on top. You can’t miss them!”

“Um, alrig -- Ah!” He started, only to be cut off by her suddenly turning him around and shoving him in the direction of the dessert table.

“Thank you!” She called after him, giggled to herself with excitement.

‘She must really like these cookies,’ Mateo thought, walked off in the direction she had turned him, maneuvering around people as he made his way across the room, wondered for a moment where Carla was. Despite the fact that she was the one who invited him, he hadn’t seen her all day. Rapunzel had met him at the school and immediately dragged him off to her house, avoiding the question when he asked, which he thought was weird, but ignored it. Figured he didn’t know her well enough to be making assumptions about her behaviour, especially after she had generously made and then fixed up a set of clothes for him.

‘I guess these aren’t so bad,’ He thought of the clothes, brushed past a group of employees. ‘I wouldn’t normally pick this colour but – ’ He stopped, both his thoughts and steps halting when he finally stepped up to the dessert table. ‘Is that? No. It can’t be. Can it?’ He asked himself, looked over the girl standing with her back to him as she glanced over the spread with a friend by her side. He looked again as the second girl turned, recognised her signature braid with a teal ribbon weaved in. Carla. And if Carla was there, that meant that the girl just had to be her. He wanted to kick himself for even doubting it. He would know that stance anywhere. She always carried herself with an air of confidence, even when doing something as simple as picking out treats. He chuckled to himself. Of course she would be at this table. He thought to step up, make his presence known, but paused upon catching the colour of her dress, eyes flicking down to his own attire.

Then, it hit him.

He – no – they had been set up.

He wanted to laugh. He’d been right about Rapunzel acting weird, realised that she wouldn’t answer his question because she was part of a plan that he now knew was probably Carla’s doing. Once a schemer, always a schemer, he thought with a smile, decided in that moment to stop lingering around. He took in a small breath, calmly stepped up behind his girlfriend.

‘They all look good,’ Elena thought, unconsciously licking her lips as she looked over the various fruit pastries. She was so focused on her choices that she didn’t register Mateo’s presence as she finally made a decision and reached for one of the pastries, stopping when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She blinked, wondering how she hadn’t heard any steps as she turned to the source of the touch, let out a gasp as her plate hit the ground.

“Mateo?” She asked with wide eyes. “How – What – I –?” She sputtered, finding herself unable to form even a word as she processed everything. This was the absolute last thing she expected. Not that she wasn’t thrilled. She was. But, she was also confused. She didn’t remember telling him about the party. She hadn’t had time since the invitation came in at the last minute. So, how did he – ?

Reading her look, Mateo smiled, “Carla invited me.”

“You’re welcome,” Carla quipped, took a bite of the cookie in her hand before sauntering off towards her girl friends, throwing the couple a knowing smile over her shoulder.

“She set us up,” Elena concluded.

“Is that a bad thing?” Mateo asked.

Elena took his hands, “No! Of course not!” She looked up, met his gaze. “I’m glad that you’re here.”

“I – ” Mateo started, mouth going dry when their eyes met and he caught the pure joy in hers. Though it had been a few months now, he was still taken aback by her eyes and the way they conveyed her feelings. They were sparkling now as she looked him over as if she couldn’t believe he was really there. He swallowed, opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again, allowed himself to finally look down and over her dress, which was the same burgundy colour as his shirt. The bodice hung off and showed off her shoulders. Delicate silver beading accented the top, matched with the elegant necklace she was wearing. At her waist sat a black sash, the bow on the left side of it the same as the one in her hair, settled where her usual flowers normally sat, the colour of both matching the second, sheer layer of the skirt, which stopped just above her knees, revealing the black fleece tights she was wearing to ward off the cold, the whole ensemble being finished with a pair of simple, black pumps. His eyes flicked back up to her face, noticed for the first time her smoky, yet sparkling eyeshadow and dark lipstick. She was stunning. Absolutely stunning. He wanted to tell her so, but the words caught in his throat.

Elena giggled when she caught the glint in his eyes, asked curiously “What are you thinking?”

“Oh! I was just – I mean, you are just – ” He tried, his grip on her hands tightening. He willed himself to pull it together, took in a breath before trying again, “That dress is -- I mean, you are beautiful. In the dress.”

She shook her head with an amused smile. He tried so hard for her, even when he didn’t have to. It was one of the things that attracted her to him. The way he gave his all whenever she was involved, saying he would always be there and continually acting upon it. She lifted her head back up, leaned in to kiss his cheek. She pulled back to looked over his attire, her smile widening when she finally realised that they matched. The burgundy colour of his shirt was the exact same as her dress and was paired with a pair of black dress slacks and a matching black belt. “You clean up nicely yourself,” She teased.

“Yeah, well…It was Rapunzel’s idea. She wanted to do something with my hair too, but – ”

“I like your hair,” Elena interrupted, finally breaking her hold on his hands as she stepped forward slightly, reached up and pushed one of his curls out of his face. She then frowned when she felt something squish underneath her shoe, suddenly remembered that her plate and its contents were still on the floor.

“I should probably pick that up,” She thought aloud, leaning down to pick up the scattered food.

“Here, let me help,” Mateo offered.

“No, I’ve got it,” Elena insisted but he leaned down anyway, the two of them working to collect all of the larger pieces, both stopping when they reached together for the same set of cookies.

“Ow!” They said when their foreheads met in the middle, both stopping to rub at their respective injuries before simply laughing at their mistake.

“Here,” He said as he handed over the cookies, set them back on the plate that she promptly took over to and dumped in a nearby bin. “Sorry about that,” He apologised when she returned to his side. “Why?” She tilted her head slightly. “It’s not your fault.”

“It kind of is. I shouldn’t have startled you like that.”

“I don’t mind, really. It was a nice surprise,” Elena admitted. She reached for his hand, led him back towards the table, gesturing to it as she declared, “Besides, there’s plenty more treats where those came from.”

Mateo laughed at her enthusiasm, followed along as she picked up another plate, this time for them to share, and led him around the table. They took their time picking out a few select treats and one drink each before settling against an out-of-the-way spot by the wall to eat and catch up. It had been a few days since they’d actually been able to just settle down and talk due to various obligations on both of their ends. Elena filled Mateo in on the happenings with the grand council, told him about the post-Navidad trip Naomi was taking with her parents, their first holiday together in a long time. He expressed happiness at the news, told her about some new information he’d uncovered in his magic books. It hadn’t been what he was looking for, but it was fascinating nonetheless. She laughed when he admitted he’d stayed up all night going through the books one evening, eventually falling asleep in his workshop and only being found when Olivia came in and woke him up for her lesson, finishing the story just as they polished off the last of the treats and then asking once they had dumped the plate,

“So…What do we do now? I’ve never been to a Mirror World party.”

“The same thing we do in Avalor! Dance!” Elena eagerly reached for his hands.

Mateo raised a curious eyebrow, “To this?” He said of the music. Mirror World music was strange to him and peppered with sounds that he wasn’t sure were even real. They almost never had live music, which made him wonder where it came from. He remembered Carla attempting to explain it, along with various other pieces of technology, when he visited the first time around. Unfortunately, the information didn’t stick and he was just left with more questions than answers.

“It’s easy,” She reassured him. “You just let the music guide you.”

“But there aren’t any specific steps?”

“Not for most of these songs, no. Sometimes at school events they’ll play line dances, but most of the time, you just improvise,” Elena explained, slowly leading him onto the dance floor in the middle of an upbeat pop tune that her friends were eagerly dancing to.

‘Um…Okay,’ Mateo thought of her words, studying the way his girlfriend moved with the music. She put her whole body into it, her improvised steps flowing together naturally. He had always enjoyed dancing with her. From the day she found out he was taught all the Avaloran dances growing up, she encouraged him to embrace his talents and often chose him as her partner at events and parties. After a few fumbled attempts, they got the hang of each other’s movements and things became more fluid and almost natural, as if they were always meant to dance together. He smiled at the thought, looked down when Elena took his hands again.

“Come on, Mateo. You can do this. Just move with me,” She encouraged.

Though he was unsure, Mateo knew to trust her. He let her take the lead, guiding him through a series of made-up steps, eyes twinkling when he stopped trying so hard, did as she said and let the music flow through him, body unconsciously following along with the beat.

“There you go!” Elena said, laughing when he twirled her. With his reservations gone, they quickly fell into step, finding their own unique rhythm alongside those around them.

With a brief glance around, Mateo noted how everyone had their own way of following the music. Elena was right. It really wasn’t that different from parties in Avalor. Aside from the strange music and different types of fashion, it was pretty much the same. People were laughing and talking together, catching up on that world’s news, enjoying the joyful atmosphere together. Then there were the tables with various food and drink laid out for the guests, all surrounded by sparkling, theme-appropriate decorations that set the stage for everything. The biggest difference was that, here, no one knew them aside from a select group of people. Here, she wasn’t Crown Princess Elena, just another teenage girl enjoying the holiday. And he wasn’t a royal wizard, just another boy on the dance floor who was completely entranced with his partner as she giddily twirled him around, giggled at the awkward motion just as the song ended.

The next song was a slower one. A soft, almost entrancing beat with lyrics about searching for the right one and chasing down a feeling. The couple exchanged a knowing smile as they instinctively came together. Figuring out this type of song was easy. Their eyes locked when she looked up, both sets twinkling with adoration as their hands settled, one of his on her waist and the other locked in hers while hers rested on his shoulder and they moved together in small, slow steps, established their own flow and rhythm, reality fading farther and farther away with each step. The only thing either saw was the other, both relishing in the moment. When they returned to Avalor, they’d be back in their roles and occasionally dodging the rumours floating about the palace. People thought they didn’t hear, but they did. Elena was quick to ignore them, so confident she was in her feelings, and he was too. There was no doubt in either of their minds regarding their connection, but Mateo would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit to having his doubts. He sometimes wondered if he was good enough to be with her. After all, Elena was not just a princess, but crown princess. She had a lot on her shoulders and a whole kingdom watching her. And him? He was just…a boy. Sure, he was the royal wizard who’d grown into his position exponentially in the past few years. And yes, he – no – they had saved the kingdom several times over. But, still. In the end, he wasn’t…

His thoughts halted when she shifted, slid her arms up and around his neck as she stepped in closer. In that moment, he realised that none of his doubts mattered, at least, not tonight and shifted his focus completely to her, both his hands settling comfortably on her waist as her head nestled into the crook of his neck and he caught the scent of her perfume. It was something new. Subtle and warm, yet powerful and, dare he think it? Womanly. It was so different from the floral scents she normally wore and he liked it. He smiled to himself, both at the fragrance and the feel of her in his arms, the two of them completely lost to the world and its wandering eyes, two of which watched closely as the owner made her way across the room.

“We did good,” Rapunzel leaned her arm on Carla, who was lingering near one of the large windows.

“Yes we did,” The smaller girl agreed, returning the high-five and knowing smile her friend gave, before they both turned their heads at the sound of someone clearing their throat, found two younger boys approaching.

“Sorry to interrupt,” One said, “But my brother and I were wondering if you ladies wanted to maybe…dance with us?”

Carla shrugged, took the hand he offered. “Why not? It is a holiday,” She declared and Rapunzel followed, both letting the boys lead them onto the floor, where their friends remained wrapped up in each other for the duration of the song and most of the evening, minus the times Elena got pulled by her friends into two different line dances she recognised from the last school event she had attended. For the third, however, Elena made it a point to drag her boyfriend into the fray, ignoring his self-doubt riddled protests and encouraging him to just go with it, soon biting back a laugh at his awkward movement as he attempted to feel out the music and pay attention to the group at the same time. It took some time, but he got the hang of it and was able to catch and keep up with the rhythm.

“Told you it wasn’t so bad,” She teased when they stepped off the floor hand in hand, headed in the direction of the drink table.

“I guess it was alright,” He teased back.

She laughed, “You’re enjoying yourself, right?”

“I am, actually,” Mateo said, Placing his other hand going for the back of his neck, he admitted, “You know, I tried to reject the invitation twice.”

“What?”

“I wasn’t sure about going to a Mirror World party, especially alone. Well, I guess I wouldn’t be alone, but still. It felt weird. And then you were here and…well…”

“You changed your mind?” Elena guessed. She picked up two flutes of sparkling juice, handed one to him.

“I guess you could say that.”

She threw him a small smile, took a sip of her drink. “So, what do – ” She started, only to be interrupted by a group of girls running past excitedly, a buzz developing as everyone else filed to one side of the room.

“What’s going on?” Mateo asked, shot his girlfriend a curious look that she shrugged at.

“They’re going to start the countdown soon!” Anna exclaimed, having caught his question on her way to join the crowd, pulling a reluctant Snow White behind her.

“Countdown? Is it that late already?” Mateo though aloud, looked towards the large clock in the room to find that they only had two minutes until midnight hit.

“Looks like it is. Let’s join them,” His girlfriend decided, untangling her hand from his so that she could link their arms together, head gently settling against him as they strode across the room, took a place near the back alongside their friends.

As the minutes ticked down, turned into seconds, Elena found Carla’s words coming back around to the front of her mind. Though she knew it had been presented as a sales pitch, most likely to grab the attention of hopeless romantics, which her friend certainly wasn’t, she couldn’t help but wonder about it. Was it really just a ruse? Or was it true? Perhaps based on some Mirror World tradition she didn’t know about? Regardless, the idea just wouldn’t leave her mind.

She glanced upwards, found herself studying Mateo’s perfect profile. Well, at least she thought he was perfect, starting with those kind eyes of his that reflected a gentle, generous soul. He was always there when she or one of their friends needed him. She loved that she could count on him, that he would be there by her side, even for small things like this. It had taken a lot for her to own up to her feelings all those weeks ago, to take the first step in changing their relationship. It was a scary thought, going from friends to lovers, but every day she found a new reason to be grateful she did.

Five.

Elena bit her lip. Her eyes shifted as she contemplated her options, knowing there wasn’t much time left. She normally wouldn’t think twice about such an opportunity, wondered what made this so different.

Four.

She shook her head, quickly decided that it didn’t matter. Nothing did, except…

Three.

“Mateo?” She asked, looked up at him.

Two.

“Hm?” He turned to meet her gaze as she moved to step in front of him.

One.

Her lips met his the moment the clock struck midnight. At first, he was startled, but was quick to give in. His hands slid down to her waist while hers rested on his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt when he reciprocated. His lips molded perfectly against hers, caressing them, drawing them both into their own world, reality fading into the background. The only thing he could register was the feel of her against him, their hearts beating in time with each other.

As the kiss came to an end, she kissed him once more for good measure, pulled back just enough to look into his gentle, awestruck eyes.

“Not that I didn’t enjoy that, but why – ” He started and she interrupted, face flushing as Elena confessed,

“Apparently, kissing at midnight on New Year’s brings luck in love.”

He gave an amused laugh, lips turning up into a small smirk as he pulled her back towards him, “Who needs luck when I’ve got you?”

She gave a laugh of her own, arched up to meet his lips when he leaned in for one more kiss.

#elena of avalor #eoa secret santa 2018 #eleteo #princess elena #mateo de alva #fanfiction #gift fic #pizzansunshine #mirror world au #just a little bit though

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ravenwritesstuff · 6 years ago

Text

Best Laid Plans (4/?)

Fandom: Frozen (modern AU, no magic) Pairings: Helsa, established Kristanna, lotsa frohana Rating: T for now, M later almost for sure A/N: Oh hey I realized I had like 20k words of this story written just nothing in sequence so I was like yeah okay I should maybe actually work on this?

[ part one ] [ part two ] [ part three ]

Also on FF.net

He leaves her alone after that and somehow that is worse. Somehow the fact that he never catches her glances or the way she can hear him laugh when she passes by but never so much as acknowledges her sets her off balance even more.

She has to convince herself that this is not some ploy, some sort of reverse psychology to get her to chase him instead.

He probably just realized that she is not worth the trouble, that there are plenty of other eligible young women who can actually give him what he wants, or might want, or - whatever

She has a headache.

For most humans the only thing that means is that they should drink some more water, take a pain reliever, and wait for the pain subside. She, however, is not most humans. Tonight though she will chalk it up to the late hour (it is three in the morning, after all) and the fact that on top of all of her other duties she has been battling with keeping her focus anywhere but where he lingers in her periphery. Her headache could just be from working twenty hours straight with four more to go.

It could.

It is what she chooses to believe. She does not have the space or strength to acknowledge her other option.

She focused beyond all that, needing every fiber of will power to stay on task for this final push.

Tiana and her crew are long gone as are the band that has been replaced by a mellow DJ. The bride and groom exited at midnight beneath a Technicolor display of fireworks The bar had been replaced with a boozy smoothie and doughnuts truck for those party goers who were still going strong but even that has packed up and left. The last of the guests mill about the tent, sit scattered between tables, as Elsa and crew finish tying up the final details.

Rentals have been organized for pickup.

The crew hired to dismantle the tent and get it offsite would arrive at six AM to make way for the next day's event.

Gifts and cards had already been catalogued, packed up, and shuttled to the specified location courtesy of Rapunzel and Eugene along with sentimental items including Ariel's dress.

Final checks had been provided to all vendors for their services.

The videographer and photographers left when the bride and groom had.

The leftover cake had been boxed and sent home with guests along with bottles of Dom Pérignon.

The florals are being donated to a local hospital and all but the centerpieces have been dismantled accordingly.

The list continues and Elsa's mind mechanically checks and rechecks the boxes. She has done this so many times it is like clockwork. She hardly has to think anymore when it comes to the operations side of things. At least she normally does not, but tonight she runs through the list again and again until she is dizzy from it. She allowed her focus to slip and now she pays the price.

He is among the chosen few that still huddle in groups, laughing and chatting. He has lost his tie and suit jacket, his hair is not quite as perfectly placed as it had been as he relaxes back in his chair across the way. He seems happy, fully engaged in whatever the giggly brunette next to him was saying, and she isn't jealous. She is glad, relieved in many ways, but there is a strange twinge of sadness that twists in unbidden in her chest. It is a funny kind of mourning for something that died before it has a chance to live and it is a feeling she knows all too well and she hates it.

She will not pity herself.

She will not give into grief for all the things she will never have.

She looks away and goes over her list again.

….

The last of the guests finally throw in the towel half an hour before the tent crew shows up. They have rooms here in the winery where they stumble to, laughing and smiling, and that is all Elsa needs. These days are long, grueling, and relentless but to see smiles on the faces of the guests is enough to let the stresses fall away to nothing.

That feeling is just enough of a boost to finish the last few tasks before she goes home and falls into bed for the next few hours.

The men start the process of unstringing lights as the women dismantle the centerpieces. They blow out the few candles left burning and start separating out the flowers into respective types for the donation. It is a large tent and there are so many tables that they spread out into sections, all exhausted and ready to be done, but working dutifully. She moves robotically just trying to get this all done as quickly as possible and does not hear him approach.

“Let me help you.”

His voice catches her off guard and she squeaks. A thorn in the bunch of roses she is bundling stabs the soft skin of her palm and she drops the flowers to the table.

She had thought he had gone up with the others and maybe he had. Her head whips to the side to see him standing there, rumpled but eyes still bright, as she rubs the stinging place on her hand.

“I don’t need help.”

It is quick, a knee jerk response, and he tilts his head to look at where she is tending her sore spot.

“Looks like you might.”

She forces her hands down and chin up. “Is there something you need, Mister Westergaard? Problems with your room?”

He looks at her like he hasn’t quite figured her out but cannot wait to.

“If I didn’t know better I’d think you were offering to come up with me,” They both get the implication. “But I have the feeling that any kind of proposal of the sort would mortify you.”

He is right. Her ears heat even at the thought, at the idea that anything she said could have been construed in a way that could give him an inch. He lets it go, however, and nods towards the hand she has clenched at her side.

“That okay? I could find a bandaid or something.”

He is so sincere and she almost buys it.

“It’s nothing,” and it is. She is used to being poked and prodded. This is nothing new. “If there is nothing I can do to assist you -”

“I want to help you.”

He cuts her off and she looks for the lie. She looks for the bravado, for the arrogance she knew came with this class. She looks for the price, but she doesn’t find it. All she sees is the same earnest expression he gave when he helped her straighten the chair covers all those many hours before.

“I really don’t -”

“Please.”

And she wants to refuse. She wants to turn her back and return to her work and forget she had ever seen him before but she knows that is impossible. She knows that he will not relent until she gives in and what scares her more than anything is that she wants to. She wants to let him help. She wants to let him in, and that cannot happen.

She must keep her distance, but she knows he won’t let her go far.

There is only a few hours longer, and then he will be gone for good and she won't have to worry about this again.

She can do this.

“Sort the flowers by type. If they are too wilted we trash them. Greenery gets sorted, too. Leave the piles on the table and we’ll get them where they need to go.” She keeps it simple, direct. “You can finish this table and I’ll move to another. Feel free to stop at any time.”

She doesn't mean that last sentence as much as she wants to, her heart beating into her ears till she can hardly hear.

“Sounds good, boss.” He smiles and she hates how bright and wide it cuts across his face. He smiles like he doesn’t have a care in the world, and she wonders what that is like.

She doesn’t trust her voice, trust the words that might trip out of her mouth, so she gives a terse nod and turns on an aching heel. With trembling hands she begins to dismantle another centerpiece. She isn't sure if she can feel him staring or if that is just her exhausted paranoia. She can hardly get her mind to focus on the task at hand and she takes a deep breath.

Just a few more hours, maybe less, and he will be gone.

She doesn't know why that makes her feel so sad, but she chalks it up to exhaustion. It is easy to confuse feelings or feel things that you normally wouldn't when you are overwrought. She has seen this many times, felt it too, in all aspects of life.

You don't spend collective years of your life waiting on tests and scans and results, uncertainty ringing like an alarm in your head at all times, without knowing a thing or two about emotions creeping in where logic would better serve. She will sleep soon and the world will make more sense then. She will shower and wash every trace of his touch against her neck, his breath on her cheek, his scalding palm on her waist down the drain and forget she ever felt a thing.

She has done it before, and she will do it again.

She does not have time to feel sad for an impossibility. That road has never helped her before and she refuses to take it now, but she cannot ignore how close he is. She cannot pretend she does not notice him working in the periphery, and maintain her focus.

She grabs and armful of peonies and marches behind the bar. There are dozens of buckets set up waiting for the florals and she starts the unloading process. The rest of the crew have been creating piles on the bar according to type as instructed and this is the perfect place for her: secluded and protected behind the solid wood and marble of the outdoor bar.

She is busy assigning buckets to their floral counterparts when he approaches with an arm full of greens.

He drops them on the bar top across from her and shifts his weight. She nods in acknowledgement, hoping to keep him at a safe distance. He does not approach but he does not retreat either.

Not yet.

Not until: “I'm sorry if I came on too strong.”

Her hands falter just for a moment. Of all the things she had expected - an apology is not one of them.

She shakes her head, not looking at him as she reaches for another pile. “Let's just forget it and move on.”

He pauses before stepping away, not pressing the issue, and again that is unexpected. She does not try to deduce anything from it. Her mind too exhausted from running in circles to go any further down this spiral. Whatever game he may or may not be playing - she is done trying to determine the rules.

He is back before she has too much time to decide she isn't going to spend any more time thinking about him. This time he brings arms full of white roses and she remembers swans.That feels like a lifetime ago already.

“What if I don't want to forget it?”

Her mind blanks at his question, already moved on from her flippant statement and stuck firmly sixteen hours before.

“Excuse me?”

“You said we should just forget it, but what if I don't want to?” He shakes his head, looking the closest thing to flustered she has seen on him yet. Her heart skips when he brings her eyes back to hers. “I mean, I don't want to forget you or any part of this the time I spent with you. So what should I do about that?”

There is something deep, secret, and hidden in the way he asks - the way he looks at her. It strikes a familiar chord within her that she cannot place, does not want to try. She is too exhausted.

“I thought you were sorry for coming on too strong.” She can only recycle his words, cannot dare come up with ones of her own, cannot begin to tell the truth and bare the look of pity or disgust that comes with it.

He huffs a smile.

“You're right. I am sorry. It is something I apologize for a lot - and not just where beautiful women are concerned.”

She hums under her breath, a non-committal half answer in hopes to hide the fact that his flattery irks her. She is aware of her appearance. She knows that in many ways she is objectively beautiful which is why she takes measures to downplay it. She does not want to be noticed or appreciated and his attention only serves to show she has failed. She hates failure.

He leans into the bar, elbows resting dangerously close to the gardenias she is grabbing when he says:

“I may come on too strong, competitive nature - I guess, but I have to say you are possibly the most cagey and confusing and honestly the most frustrating human I have ever met.”

And she can't ignore him then. Blue eyes flash to green to find them watching her with that locksmith precision that leaves her breathless.

“And despite all that I swear I have never wanted to get to know someone more than you.”

His voice deepens to a whispered rush of air as if he is just as affected by her gaze as she is his.

She sucks in as much air as she can, chest rattling with effort, and she lies: “There is nothing to know. I’m just like any other girl.”

He laughs out loud at that, a deep chuckle that brightens his eyes and softens his face an errant thought wonders what it would be like to rest in that expression, in his presence, instead of fighting.

“Not any girl I’ve met.” He meets her blow for blow.

She fights back, is always fighting, is never allowed to stop fighting. “My work is my focus.” The flowers she grabs are her punctuation. “Girls like me don't have time for distractions which is probably why you don’t meet us.”

He studies her a moment, head cocked to the side just so.

She pulls her focus, uncertain if she had just been too hard. He may have apologized but she won’t. She drops a bunch of baby's breath into a bucket and reaches for more, trying to do anything but look at him. She already knows what she will see if she does: that seeking, searching human gaze that let's her in as much as it asks to be let in.

She sees him shift back off the bar and stand up straight.

“Okay,” he says.

It catches her off guard. Everything about him catches her off guard.

“Okay?” She cannot stop the question in her voice, not sure what exactly she is agreeing to.

“Okay,” he says. “I won’t distract you.”

She waits a breath for the catch, for the other shoe to drop, but it doesn’t come.

“Okay,” she replies before she can stop herself.

He looks back over his shoulder and shoves hands into his tux pants pockets. “My table is done. Anything else you want me to do, boss?”

The way he says 'boss’ really makes her feel like he means it, like he takes this seriously - her seriously, and she appreciates that. She wishes she didn't appreciate that.

She straightens and meets his eyes. His hair is a mess, shirt and pants wrinkled. His vest, jacket, and bow tie are long gone. There is something young, hopeful in the way he looks at her. He looks like someone who has time to live his life and while she envies him she also respects that her journey is hers alone. In a day’s time he will have forgotten her and go on without a second thought. She will go back to her work as long as she is able. It will all be as it should be.

So she gives him a soft smile of understanding, nods her head, and says, “That will be all, Mister Westergaard.”

He gives her a cocked smile in return, kicking his shoe against the dance floor Kristoff and Sven are dismantling for pick up. “It’s Hans.”

He doesn’t give her a chance to respond as he walks away, whistling as he goes.

It is only a few moments later she realizes the tune he chose.

What a Wonderful World sticks in her mind for the rest of the job.

[ previous ] [ next ]

#Helsa #Frozen #Raven writes stuff #Hans #Elsa #Modern AU #fanfiction #hey I write lots of stuff other than Kristanna #but this story has established Kristanna #and Rapunzel and Eugene #which is fun #Anyway #I am just writing what feels good #so here is this #BYE

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im-so-uncreative · 6 years ago

Photo

Rapunzel’s hair was so blonde it blindingly reflected the sun as it fell like silk from the window sill she sat in. My hair rivals hers in length only mine is stronger, twisted in its individual spirals and hung like beaded rope.

There is no comparing me to her, whose blue eyes reflect all that is pure, whose porcelain skin gives off the image of perfect delicacy. If I’m to be compared to anyone, I’ll find my name mixed with Medusa’s.

They ask her- beg her to let down her hair, to be graced with its beauty, and in the same breath tell me to cut off mine. At least my hair falls heavily from my head with the same weight below as it does in growth. She’ll soon have to braid her hair to keep the strands from splintering but I’ll never tell her this.

I hate her most because she doesn’t look at me but I know she knows of me, see it’s only after her suitors have climbed her mane, breaking off bits of its beauty so the blonde threads coil around their fingers, only after she whispers in their ears and send them back down that the men call out their cries of my dirt and savagery that secures my subordinate position.

So perhaps I cut my hair out of spite, or maybe I do it out of curiosity, or maybe the calls for it have become so familiar that I’ve mistaken them for my own thoughts.

When I look at what once was my hair, I feel weightless and at first I am happy, of course this was right, my hair was too heavy and only dragged me down. But when I walk, I realize I’m much too light, in fact I fear I’ll float away so I strap my ankles in ball and chain, I fastened them but I still think she put them on me.

When I walk I am slow and I feel weak because I can only go for so long before the weights drag me to the ground in the dirt where they say I belong, yes still, my bald head has not muffled the cries, in fact they ask what I’ll cut off next.

With time I’ve learned to ignore them, my ankles are still shackled with weights but I’ve mastered how to move with them. My hair has grown again and I know I was right about floating, my afro now reaches for something in the sky.

Rapunzel’s hair has lost shine and length but still her admirers sit in her discarded tresses. They find ways to scale her tower, use the vines that circle it, vines that remind me of what I once abandoned.

Her men reach her so her whispering goes unceased, and still she does not look at me.

#mine #poems #poem #hair #Dreadlocks #dreads #Rapunzel

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many-miscellaneous-musings · 8 years ago

Text

Jughead Jones x Fem!Reader- Rapunzel- Part 1

Wanted to base something off a fairytale and thus, Rapunzel came to mind and then this happened and I dunno? It’s very loosely based on the story

Warnings: Abusive parenting

Second and third person used!

Words: 1663

(Part 2)

===========================================================

Jughead Jones the third always thought he knew about everyone and everything in the little town of Riverdale. He thought he would be able to find anything he wanted about any resident of this god forsaken town.

Until he saw you. The girl in the window across the street. He was playing video games in Archie’s room and he saw you, sitting in the window. A look of bemusement on your face while you brushed your hair and watched the young children playing on the road.

He had never seen you before. And seeing you there now made him furrow his brows in confusion.

“Hey Arch, is she new?” he asked, motioning to you, and the redhead shook his head.

“No, she’s lived there since we were kids. Her mom home schools her, we don’t ask questions. She never answers them anyway,” he said and Jughead frowned deeper, but allowed the subject to drop.

That was his first sighting of the strange girl. Over months he saw her every time he went to his best friend’s house, his curiosity making him glance up to the window where she was always seated. It was puzzling, how the Andrews said she never left the house. How she never even opened her window, but she always sat there when he was passing. She seemed sad, the way she would watch the people in the streets and brush her hair. The way she sat in the same place with her nose buried in a book. The way she would sometimes be seen mouthing along to something, bobbing her head so anyone who noticed would know she was singing.

You could learn a lot about someone, by simply seeing within their window. As creepy as that sounds, it was true.

But what they couldn’t see was the hell that was within the home. The fact that you were never allowed to leave, how your mother would spin tales about how dangerous the world was. How men would steal you away from her and hurt you. How there were rapists and murderers on the loose. How she made you terrified to go outside, but long for it all the same.

You had been so close to convincing her to let you go to school, or you had thought you were, until Jason Blossom’s death. That was when it spun completely out of control and you were even more trapped than ever. She used it as proof as to why you couldn’t go out, proof that there were people out there waiting to kill you.

God you hated it.

You loved to read, and you loved to paint and you loved to sing. You knew the world couldn’t be as dangerous as your mother told you, you had access to the internet after all, and the worlds in your books showed you a different world than she portrayed. You needed it to be able to continue your home schooling now that she was constantly going away for business trips for days and sometimes weeks at a time. But you knew the world wasn’t as bad as she said it was, and yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to disobey her and leave.

You didn’t have the strength to hurt her in that way. She had constantly told you it was because she loved you that she kept you here, it was because she loved you that she protected you. That it would kill her if you left, and that she wouldn’t be able to stay sane without you. That you were the only one who loved her and that if you left she would know you didn’t really love her.

You knew it was wrong for her to say those things. You knew it wasn’t right, but the guilt she had ingrained into you kept you from leaving, and forced you to bury down the knowledge that it was wrong. Forced you to bury it down and rationalize her behavior. Forced you to remind yourself of the good she had always done, and that maybe she was right.

Until he began to chip away at that guilt.

It started when he moved into Archie’s room. What should have been your sophomore year in high school. You knew from your mother, speaking disdainfully about them bringing in strays as you had cooked her dinner.

“They are probably simply being kind mother,” you had whispered to her and immediately regretted it as she stood from the table, gripping the hair she never allowed you to cut (For this exact reason), and dragging you towards her by it.

“Did you just back talk me girl?” she asked and you looked at her with wide eyes as she tugged your hair again, forcing you to the ground where she slapped you across the face.

“You know I don’t like hurting you (Y/N),” she sighed as she shook her hand, “But you give me no choice when you are like this. All I do is protect you, take care of you, show you love. No one else is going to love you, not the way you are,” she hissed and you nodded your head, gulping at the words.

“Go to your room. I do not want to see your face until you have learned who is in charge here,” she growled and you nodded, scurrying to your room quickly, cupping your cheek. You sat down heavily on your window seat, staring out the window as you did.

It was seeing you like this on the third night he was staying with Archie that he couldn’t take it anymore. Archie and his father were out, looking at the construction site and Jughead had stayed there to write. He had been getting frustrated with the writing when he had looked up and saw you running to the window. His heart squeezed as he saw the tear tracks running down your face and he tilted his head, hesitating for just a moment before grabbing a pen and piece of paper.

“You OK Rapunzel?” he wrote in large letters so he knew you would see it and held them up to the window.

You saw the sign after only a few moments and your heart pounded, at first in fear and confusion and then in an adrenaline rush as you grabbed your own piece of paper.

“Who me?” you scribbled down and held it up. Judging from the smile on the boys face, you had been correct.

“Yes you,” he wrote back and you smiled lightly, more than you had smiled in a long time.

“I’m OK, whats your name?” you asked him, trying to hold back a grin, and trying not to freak out from being rebellious towards your mother. You weren’t just doing the forbidden in talking to someone, you were talking to a boy.

“Jughead Jones the Third,” he wrote back and you again suppressed giggles.

“That’s interesting, I like it,” you wrote back and he grinned.

“I’d ask you yours, but I kind of like Rapunzel,” he wrote back and you rolled your eyes lightly.

“It’s (Y/N), and you can call me Rpaunzel, if I can call you Prince Charming. You do already have a crown,” you wrote back and he chuckled.

“Still prefer Rapunzel,” he wrote and you almost laughed, if you hadn’t remembered your mother downstairs.

Jughead must have noticed your hesitation because he wrote another one, “You sure you’re OK?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m sure Charming,” you wrote and he looked unconvinced.

“Do you have a phone? I’d like to continue this without the whole neighborhood knowing,” he wrote, using multiple sheets of paper to do it.

“No,” was all you could bring yourself to respond. He frowned before smirking.

“Facebook? Tumblr? Any social media?” he asked and you frowned, making the decision right then and there.

“I’ll make one,” you wrote back and saw him light up in a grin. That was not the only way he would make you rebel, but it was the first step.

You created the Facebook, using the name ‘Rapunzel Jones’ with Jughead’s help, neither of you wanting your mother to find you, and in the weeks you two became very close by just texting each other. You had even added his friends on it, and found yourself becoming closer with all four of them.

But that was as far as you dared to rebel. That was as far as you dared, until the day where there were pebbles being thrown at your window. You looked down and there was your friend in the yard. If you hadn’t known your mother wouldn’t be home until the next day you would have freaked on him, but instead you opened your window, crossing your arms on the sill as you looked down at the boy.

“I would ask you to let down your hair, but I don’t think it’s long enough,” he joked and you rolled your eyes.

“Good to see you prince charming,” you teased and he smiled.

“Any chance I can come up there?” he asked and you frowned, hesitating before taking the next plunge.

“Ladder is around the side,” you said softly and laughed as he ran to grab it, setting it up and climbing up to your window.

“You’re coming with me today, you need to get out of here. I know you want to,” he said and your face immediately paled and you shook your head. You felt the familiar feeling of dread and fear as you thought about leaving, but as you looked at his hopeful face, you felt it ebbing just a bit.

“We’ll just go to Pop’s, nowhere special, but come on Rap, you need to get out of here. You can’t spend your entire life cooped up in there. So just come with me. You told me your mom won’t be home until tomorrow, we have time,” he persuaded and you sighed before nodding, grabbing his hand. He helped you down the ladder, your heart pounding and body shaking, both from excitement and terror.

But there was no turning back now.

#jughead jones #jughead jones x reader #jughead x reader #jughead jones imagine #jughead imagine #riverdale #riverdale writing #jughead

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