Title: To Be Young And To Feel Love's Keen Sting
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~2,900
Characters: Jack/Rapunzel
Summary: Hogwarts AU. There're rumors about her using her good graces with the staff and her position as Head Girl to get Jack out of punishments, which is… Well, okay, it's kind of true.
A/N: Happy Holidays, finnickel! I hope you enjoy the fic. It's my first time, ever, writing for this fandom and pairing, and it's shorter than I thought it'd be, but regardless, I hope you still enjoy it, flaws and all. And if not, say the word and I'll definitely write you another one to make up for it!
To Be Young And To Feel Love's Keen Sting
Rapunzel wouldn't even know where to begin to describe her relationship with Jack. Mostly because she doesn't like having to justify it in the first place, because Jack is actually very sweet and sometimes she wishes he'd just let people (aka: their professors) know that more often.
The frequent trips to the headmaster's office don't help.
It's not even that he's in Slytherin, though, no, Rapunzel isn't under the impression that his house has nothing to do with his reputation and why most adults can't trust him. He's sneaky and a prankster and always has been, but like, he never bullies anyone or anything like that. He mostly gets in trouble with professors, because their classmates actually love him. He's always up to something grand that everyone goes crazy for, like the fireworks during dinner their third year or the time he animated snowmen in the courtyard to start a spectacular snowball fight during a stressful week of essays and final exams before winter break. That was definitely what everyone needed to push through those last few days.
Not that their professors saw things the same way, hence him getting two weeks of detention with Professor Pitch when they came back in January.
She knows people question her legitimacy as Head Girl because one of her best friends is such a notorious troublemaker, too, and there're rumors about her using her good graces with the staff and her position of authority to get Jack out of punishments, which is…
Well, okay, it's kind of true, but not because he asks for her help. She just doesn't like it when he's in trouble.
Like right now.
She was studying at her favorite spot in the courtyard when Astrid came to tell her that Jack was in the infirmary, and no matter how many times she finds herself making the trek up to the hospital wing to find out that he'd be perfectly fine, she always has that lingering worry. She wants him to learn a lesson, but she doesn't want him to get hurt, either.
Madame Elinor smiles kind of sadly in understanding as soon as she sees Rapunzel and then nods towards the far corner of the room.
(It's more or less Jack's corner now, he's up here often enough.)
At least he has the sense to look guilty and even a little nervous – or, well, as nervous as Jack ever gets.
Rapunzel tosses her bag onto the foot of his bed and judging by the way he winces slightly, it probably landed on his feet, but whatever. She'll feel bad about that later. Right now, she knows from Astrid that he'll be healed and perfectly fine by tomorrow night the latest, so she's allowed to be upset.
"Don't be mad," he says.
"You got into a fight!" she cries.
"It's not that bad."
"You fell off your broom and broke bones over an argument." She crosses her arms. "What was so important that you decided to pick a fight?"
His smile falters at this, eyes dropping to stare at his quidditch uniform, which is covered in grass stains and faded with dirt, and it doesn't take much for Rapunzel to catch on. Jack is hot-tempered, but there are very few things that he'd pick a physical fight for, let alone one on broomsticks some dozens of feet or so above the ground and with his own teammates. Usually he'll wait it out, find some sort of revenge later on than acting hastily on the spot just because he's pissed off. But if it has anything to do with her, he'll throw a hex or punch without even hesitating. It's been like that for as long as she's known him. Before then, actually, because Jack standing up for her is how they became best friends in the first place.
Glancing to the other end of the hospital wing, Rapunzel sees the only other patient in bed – Tuffnut, by the looks of it. She lets out a little sigh, turns to walk over to the side of Jack's bed, and he shifts to make room for her. She stretches her legs out beside his and leans into his side, tucking herself under his arm. He's kind of sweaty and dirty, but whatever.
She always does this when she visits him in the infirmary.
"What did he say?" she asks softly.
"Nothing," Jack says. She tilts her head to give him a look. "Honestly," he insists. "It was worth the fight but not worth repeating."
"Is it really that hard to just walk away? Or at least wait until you're on solid ground first?"
He chuckles, pushing his fingers idly through her long, blonde hair. "Okay, maybe I could've waited until we got onto the ground," he considers. "But I wasn't about to walk away when the guy was making inappropriate comments about my best friend, who has the entire castle pining after her." She scoffs. "Seriously, Rapunzel, you could try to look less pretty."
"We're not having this argument again. I like the way I look."
"I do, too," he says simply. She bites her lower lip, smiling. "But the way you look makes hormonal guys say stupid things and then I have to do something about it."
She chuckles to herself a little, shaking her head. "Before, you used to get into fights because boys would pick on me. Now you still get into fights because of me." She tilts her head back again to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."
He kisses the top of her hair, says, "It's not trouble if it's you," and she leans her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.
... ...
"Is Jack going to be alright?" Merida asks as they're walking to Ancient Runes. Rapunzel hardly got to see Merida as it was because they're in two different houses, but now they only have this class together and, as Head Girl, she has less free time to spend. That's why she always looks forward to their weekend Hogsmeade trips, like the one they have tomorrow.
"He'll be back by dinner," Rapunzel reassures. "Honestly, as sweet as it is, I wish he'd learn to just walk away from fights, even if they're about me."
"The fight was because of you?" Merida asks. Rapunzel nods. "Well, that makes a lot more sense."
"Why?"
Merida laughs, elbowing Rapunzel's arm. "You may be a bookworm, Punz, but you're quite daft when it comes to this stuff!" Rapunzel huffs, sticking her lip out in a pout. "Oh, don't give me that face. You know I know a bit more about relationships than you do."
"But you've never had a boyfriend."
"Yes, and neither have you. The difference is that I'm much more observant."
Rapunzel frowns. "And what have you been observing?"
"Jack has been there for you since you first transferred to Hogwarts and students were treating you weirdly for it." Rapunzel sighs and nods. Yes, she knows this. "Well, before then, Jack never really hung out with anyone. He wasn't a loner or anything, but he didn't like attachments. Then you come along and he sticks to you like glue. Isn't that strange?"
She shrugs a little, hugging her books closer to her chest. "We're best friends."
"I know you are," Merida says. "But you don't think he wants anything more than that?"
Rapunzel spends all of Ancient Runes thinking way too hard about that.
... ...
She's late to dinner.
She had to find the Head Boy to talk about what they wanted to do with the paperwork they're supposed to hand in by Sunday since Hogsmeade is this weekend and they're both going. Except Hiccup isn't at their Head tower or in the courtyard or library where he usually might be, and when she catches Astrid in the hallway and asks where he could be, she tells her that he's visiting his dad – Stoic, Hogwarts's groundskeeper, who also happens to live in this little hut at the bottom of the hill. So she bites back a sigh and heads down there.
Stoic is… Well, she's always liked Stoic. He's kind of rough on the outside but a total sweetheart and actually a bit of a doting father, which makes him even sweeter. She knows not everyone's fond of him, especially since he keeps dragons around the grounds, but he means well.
His face lights up when he opens the door, and he greets her, "Ah, Rapunzel! It's good to see you, dearie!" in his deep, booming voice, arms wide open with his exclamation.
It's kind of hard not to smile at that welcoming.
"Hi, Stoic," she says, letting herself in when he steps aside for her. She spots Hiccup sitting at the table and waves. "Hi, Hiccup."
"Hey," he greets, though the word's barely out of his mouth before she feels something hitting her from the side and suddenly she's stumbling back against the wall, bearing a weight as something licks her face. "Toothless!" Hiccup cries.
"Don't worry, Hiccup," she says quickly, giggling as she runs her hand over Toothless's scaly skin. "How's my favorite dragon been?"
"He should be really happy now that he's gotten so many visitors," Hiccup says with a laugh, walking over to them and scratching underneath Toothless's chin. Rapunzel arches an eyebrow. "Astrid came here with me earlier, and then Merida and her little brothers came," he explains. "Oh, and Jack stopped by with Elsa. They left a few minutes ago, actually."
Rapunzel tenses.
"Jack was here… with Elsa?" she asks.
Hiccup nods. "He said they're going by the lake or something. Apparently she came to see him as Madame Elinor released him from the infirmary."
"Oh," Rapunzel says softly, her voice sounding distant to her own ears.
She doesn't know why she feels… weird.
It's not like this is the first time he's been alone with a girl other than her before. She's been there since his first girlfriend at the end of the third year and for every other girl that came after. He didn't go out with every single girl that asked – since there were, and still are, a lot of girls that like him – but it definitely felt that way for a while. Almost every one of them didn't like Rapunzel, either, because they were upset that Jack's first loyalty always seemed to be her. He would choose her over them every time, and eventually he just gave up dating altogether. A small part of her always questioned if Jack ever really liked any of those girls to begin with, because if he did, wouldn't he have tried harder to stay with them?
Rapunzel likes Elsa, though. They're housemates and met in their second year and honestly, she considers Elsa one of her best friends. She's sweet and kind and caring and acts like a big sister to her most of the time, and more than once she's told Rapunzel that she reminds her of her actual little sister, Anna, a Hufflepuff in her fourth year.
If Jack likes a girl, Rapunzel should be relieved that it's someone as nice and smart and compassionate and… and perfect as Elsa Arendelle.
Right?
... ...
She sees them at Hogsmeade together.
Jack was going to walk with her and Merida and Hiccup, but then he told them over breakfast that he had to take care of something first and that he'd just meet them there instead, and the fact that she could see Elsa in her peripheral as he was saying this didn't help. Obviously he wants to spend time alone with her first, right? Hogsmeade is a great place for a first date and all since it's the only other place outside the castle and school grounds they're ever allowed to go. So she smiles and nods and says that that's fine, they'll just meet up later, and walks towards her table before he can respond.
Honestly, she doesn't know what's wrong with her or why this time is any different than when he'd been dating before, but she keeps hearing Merida's words in her head and…
She's always loved having Jack as a best friend, but she'd be lying if she said she never wanted more than that. She was always a little (a lot) relieved whenever Jack broke up with his girlfriend at the time, was relieved that Jack never seemed serious about being with any of those girls, and that's absolutely horrible of her, she knows, but she really couldn't help it.
And, when she steps out of Honeydukes and sees Jack and Elsa across the way, leaving the bakery, she feels that same jealousy coming back.
Just walk away.
But as soon as she's headed in another direction, she hears him call out, "Rapunzel!"
She pretends not to hear him, walks a little faster as she hugs her paper bag of candy from Honeydukes to her chest.
"Rapunzel!" he repeats, louder this time.
She keeps walking, and there's a long enough pause following that she thinks he decided to let her be. But then she feels a hand grab her arm gently but firmly above the elbow, turning her to face him, and, in the back of her mind, she thinks that she's not even surprised how he caught up to her so quickly. He's the Seeker for Slytherin, after all.
"Hey," he says, ducking his head to meet her eyes. "Did you not hear me calling you or something?"
"What?" she asks, blinking quickly a few times and forcing a smile. "Sorry, I… I guess I was just lost in thought and all." She pulls her arm from his grip, tucking some hair behind her ear. "So… what's up?" He presses his lips together in a tight line and doesn't answer. She frowns a little. "What's the matter?"
"Oh, I'm just trying to decide what upsets me more," he tells her casually, "that you're a terrible liar or that you're even lying to me in the first place."
"I'm not lying."
"Rapunzel," he sighs.
She looks away, tugging at her hair a little. Of course he can see right through her and of course she feels even guilty about trying to lie to him in the first place, which makes her feel worse than she already does about being jealous of Elsa.
She can't really say any of this, though, so instead she asks, "Why didn't you tell me you liked Elsa?"
"Huh?"
"We're best friends. You're supposed to tell me these things."
He gives her a strange look. "What're you talking about? There's nothing to tell, because I don't like Elsa." Her eyes widened, surprised. "I mean, I like her just fine. She's a friend, and one of your best friends, too, if I remember correctly. But I don't like-like her." He narrows his eyes a little. "Is that why you've been acting strange around me since last night?"
"I was a little upset," she admits.
His expression softens. "I've been helping her out with something," he explains, even though she didn't ask. She raises her eyebrows. "Anna likes Hans – you know, the Keeper for Slytherin? – and Elsa's suspicious. She just wants me to keep an eye on him."
"Oh." She feels blood rush to her cheeks. "That's really sweet, Jack."
"I wouldn't consider stalking a person and subtly putting the fear of Merlin in him sweet, but…" She lets out a laugh and he smiles. "You thought I liked Elsa?"
"It's stupid," she says, then her eyes widen as she realizes what she said and she rushes to add, "Not the liking Elsa part! I mean, she's great. Perfectly, really, but I meant it's stupid that I thought you wouldn't have told me about it." He chuckles. "I should've known better. Of course you'd tell me, right?"
"Right." He smiles and tucks some of her hair behind her ear. "The girl a like right now—she's totally clueless about it. She's blonde, you know. They're like that sometimes."
Her breath catches. She can't even bring herself to berate him about the joke.
"I caught some guys picking on how long her hair was when we were little and after I helped her out, we've been best friends ever since. She loves freshly baked muffins," he adds, setting a bag in her hand. She hadn't even noticed he'd bought something from the bakery. "Sorry I haven't said anything about her until now. I just wasn't sure if she felt the same."
"And now?" she asks softly.
"Well, now made it pretty obvious how she feels." He shrugs a little, smirking. "For a Ravenclaw, you're pretty daft about these things."
"You sound like Merida," she laughs, and for whatever reason, she feels her eyes water.
"Want to go to Three Broomsticks? Butterbeer's on me."
She smiles. "I'd love to."