Rapunzel was immersed in cutting pieces out of her latest snowflake when the door creaked open and a presence let itself in and sat in front of her.
"Punz?"
She looked up into Hiccup's steady brown eyes, blinking out from behind his oversized glasses. It was a moment before she recognized who it was.
"Hi, Hiccup."
"So...how are you?" he said anxiously.
"I'm okay," was all she said, and returned to her snowflake. A sinking feeling started in Hiccup's gut. God, she is so far gone.
The door opened again, and Anna, Elsa and Merida peered their faces in. Anna grinned awkwardly. "Can we come in?"
Hiccup sighed with relief, and Rapunzel looked up, surprised. "Where did you guys come from?"
"From outside!" said Merida. "Where you should be."
"We brought you tea," Elsa said helpfully, passing a can of tea leaves to Rapunzel. She hugged it to her chest, confused.
"What are you doing here?" she said.
"We didn't want you to be alone," Merida said. "If you're not going to come out, we thought, Heck, might as well bring the party to you."
"These are beautiful, Rapunzel," Anna said, examining the paper snowflakes. She immediately sat down next to her. "Show me how to make one. Please?"
Elsa and Merida smiled at each other knowingly. Let Anna work her magic.
"Me too," Hiccup said, scooting closer to them. "How do you do it?"
Rapunzel looked from one friend to the other. "Um, okay." She tucked a blonde strand out of her face. "First you, uh, fold this corner down..."
When Hazel opened the door to Rapunzel's room later on, she found her surrounded by the other teenagers, all making paper snowflakes—and laughing. Really, truly laughing, just like they did before the accident that had killed Jack. The color was coming back to Rapunzel's cheeks and her green eyes were now bright with fun.
"Hey, guys," Hazel said.
"Hi, Hazel!" Rapunzel's voice was back to its usual cheerful note—perhaps softer and more subdued than before, but cheerful all the same. It made Hazel smile.
Anna held up a pair of scissors. "Do you wanna make a snowflake?"
I ask her friends to get her to come outside and this is what they end up doing? Sometimes Hazel didn't understand her brother and his offbeat, flower-crown-wearing, indie-music-playing, mostly-female buddies. But she just shrugged. "Okay." She sat down near Elsa. "So are you guys excited for the new cafe opening on the other side of the park?"
"Ooh, yes," said Anna. "We better make it our spot before it gets overrun by tourists."
"And let's hope they know what a flat white actually is," Hiccup said.
Rapunzel blinked. "There's going to be a new cafe?"
Merida chuckled. "A lot can happen in three days if you don't keep a pulse on the energy, lass." She sobered, touching her friend's shoulder. "Do you think maybe you're ready to go out now?"
Rapunzel frowned. "I don't know. Too much of this town reminds me of Jack. And I don't like how people look at me now. I don't want to be treated any different because my boyfriend is gone."
"Hey," said Elsa, taking Rapunzel's hand. "Listen, Punzie. Don't let what other people think stop you from living your life. Jack may be dead, but guess what, sweetie?" Her blue eyes locked with Rapunzel's green ones. "You're still alive. So when you're ready, get out there and own it."
Rapunzel hugged the older girl gratefully. "Thank you."
"Of course," smiled Elsa. "We're here for you. I know you're processing grief and all that, but you don't need to do it alone. Really." She tucked a lock of hair behind Rapunzel's ear, ever the big sister. "And I know because I did that when my parents died. It took a while for me to bounce back."
"So what helped?" Rapunzel said, like a child asking for more of a bedtime story.
Elsa smiled again. "Jack did. And I was better than ever."
Rapunzel looked around. "I'm not quite sure. I mean...the snowflakes, that was always something Jack and I wanted to finish together. I figured I'd finish making a thousand snowflakes and then, you know, move on like everyone else." She frowned. "Is that healthy?"
"Not if you plan to stay in here until you hit your goal," Hiccup said impatiently. "Screw it, Punzie, Elsa's right. You don't have to do this alone." He grabbed another sheet of paper. "We're gonna help you."
"You will?" Rapunzel said, eyes wide.
"A thousand snowflakes," said Anna, passing Hiccup a pair of scissors, "or bust."
***
They finished the thousand paper snowflakes one week later. And true to her word, Rapunzel came out of her room- through the window, no less. Going to school and around town still carried some pain, as nearly every street corner and park bench reminded her of Jack. But every day she found it easier and easier, to look past the pitying gazes people gave her and put one foot in front of the other.
A couple of weeks later, Rapunzel cut her hair herself. She sheared off the shiny blonde and emerged with a messy, carefree bob which she decided to dye brown, just for the shits n' giggles.
"Well, how do I look?"
"Beautiful!" Anna said, just as Merida chortled '"Just like Hiccup...almost."
Hiccup made a sarcastic face. "Great, now I gotta change my look before it gets too mainstream."
Three months later, on what would have been Jack's nineteenth birthday, they hung the paper snowflakes all over town- on the swings in the park, from lamp-posts on the street, on the mailbox outside his house, the windows of his favorite thrift shop, the old oak tree by the lake, and finally on the walls of the Snuggly Duckling. The proprietor promised them he would never take them off.
Joined by her friends, Rapunzel walked out of the Snuggly Duckling, and into the cool spring air. They paused for a moment by the lake; the lake that had changed everything.
"Oaken says town council's working out a plan for safer skating regulations," Anna said.
Hazel nodded. "That's going to save a lot of lives."
The lake was now completely thawed out, surface glossy and dark. One by one the others walked away, continuing down the road.
Rapunzel stayed, and Hiccup stayed with her.
"That wasn't bad for a first kiss."
"No, absolutely not."
His lips met hers again, under the string of yellow lights that adorned the eaves of the Snuggly Duckling, as not too far away Hiccup passed a cigarette around to Merida, Anna and Olaf. Rapunzel's fingers curled on Jack's shoulders, digging into the soft blue fabric, as he tangled his fingers in her long yellow hair. He tasted like whiskey. They both did.
"Jack?!"
The pair broke away as Elsa stood in the doorway, surprised. They chuckled, embarrassed.
"What, Sis, surprised that your little bro actually got some action?" Jack teased.
Elsa shook her head. "Oh no. Just wondering where you went. By all means...carry on." But Rapunzel could see her smiling.
Soft white flakes began to fall from the sky, landing on their eyelashes.
"It's starting to snow," Jack said.
"Yeah," said Rapunzel, as she leaned in to kiss him again.
"I'm never going to not miss him," Rapunzel said.
"I know," said Hiccup. "Me, too." They gazed out over the lake for a few more seconds. The wind scattered a pile of fallen leaves, like a playful child, and broke the clouds overhead to smoky wisps.
Rapunzel adjusted her hat. "Okay," she said at last, "Let's go."
