When they finally arrived at the shop, Rapunzel was surprisingly calm, considering how many people were already there. Merida made a beeline for her, smiling politely at people as she passed, and enveloped her best friend in a huge hug. Hiccup followed her slowly, trying to place the vaguely familiar faces of the 10 or so people already clustered around the shelves. He hugged Rapunzel too when he reached her, congratulating her, and she grinned at them both.
"I can't believe it's real!" she cried, and her joy was so infectious Hiccup could almost ignore the way Merida wouldn't meet his eyes in favour of smiling back at the blonde. She had on a pair of smart checked dungarees and a puff-shouldered shirt, and she looked just like the owner of an art shop should.
"Its honestly so amazing in here Punz," Merida said, and Hiccup nodded in agreement. She'd really pulled out all the stops with final touches, and there were even Christmas decorations hung around the room, twinkling atmospherically above their heads.
Anna popped up beside them with champagne glasses, and for a minute he basked in the glow of being surrounded by his friends. It was cut short, however, by a hand on his shoulder.
"Hiccup?" a familiar voice piped up, and he turned around to find himself face to face with Astrid. She smiled warmly, and he echoed it best I could. "So good to see you!"
She pulled him down into a quick hug, and he coughed awkwardly and wriggled free.
"How are you doing?" he asked politely, and her smile dipped shyly.
"Good! I'm actually here with someone! Hiccup, meet Heather," the girl behind Astrid stepped forward and stuck out a hand, and once he'd shaken it she wrapped an arm around the blonde's stocky frame, and his eyebrows shot up.
"Hi, uh..." he stuttered, but before he could make a fool of himself Merida swept in, all smiles and hugs for both girls. She wrapped her arm tightly around Hiccup's, and he was pulled back to the present, the shock on his face fading slightly.
"Do any of you have a bottle opener?" Heather asked politely, and Hiccup nodded as he fumbled for his keys. He leant in close to Merida as he did, checking to see if Heather and Astrid were watching first.
"Did you know?" he hissed, and she laughed silently and nodded.
"I'm honestly surprised that you didn't. She's certainly been bi for as long as I've known her."
Hiccup's brain adjusted to process this information, and as it did he produced a bottle opener keyring for Heather, who thanked him gracefully.
"Ooh, so handy!" she said to Merida with a wink, and the redhead chuckled and hugged on to him tighter.
Merida laughed, but hiccup just frowned at her, confused by her change of mood. He tugged on her sleeve and she looked up at him, the smile dipping on her face slightly. Astrid and Heather drifted off to talk to someone else, leaving the couple alone in the middle of the room.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, and pulled him down for a hug. "I wasn't being fair to you."
"But I don't get why you were so upset," he breathed into her hair, and the loose tendrils tickled his cheek. She huffed and stepped back.
"We'll talk about it later, okay?"
His stomach plummeted, and Merida must've noticed the look on his face, because she laughed and reached up to kiss him on the cheek.
"For god's sake Hiccup," she said, and stole a glance around as if to she if anyone was watching them. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I was just mad that you beat me to it. I wanted to say it first."
Merida dropped her eyes, her cheeks bright red, but Hiccup reached out to tilt her chin up. He felt like the sun was streaming in around him, and he was grinning so wide he thought his cheeks would split in half. Merida laughed and tried to nudge him playfully, but he caught her in his arms and swept her into a searing kiss that came accompanied by wolf whistles and cheers so loud he swore they'd get a noise complaint before the party had even really started.
When he eventually put her down, Merida had a beatific smile on her face, the people around them clearly forgotten. He placed a final kiss on her forehead, and tucked her under his arm as they re-joined the party.
…
It was starting to get late, and the shop was so full of people the music was barely audible from the paint-splattered radio behind her. Rapunzel hoisted herself on to a table at the back of the room, struggling to rearrange her floral maxi skirt without tripping. Kristoff chivalrously lifted a hand for her, and she laughed and managed to stand upright.
"Hi everyone!" she cried over the din, and a few cheers rose up as people turned to her, eager to hear what the new owner had to say. A swell of pride spread in her chest as she looked at the sea of smiling faces standing amongst her shop. She couldn't believe that she'd finally fulfilled one of her greatest dreams, especially after her start in life. Merida handed her up a glass of prosecco with a smile, and Rapunzel grinned down at her best friend, tears prickling her eyes.
"I grew up in a terrible home," she began, and the room fell quiet. "My mother was not kind, and not very creative, so I learnt to amuse myself, and I found art. And through art I found shops, hidden down alleyways in the village where I grew up, where the shopkeepers were kind, and would help me conceal my supplies in my apron when I returned home."
"And when I made it into school, I never forgot the kindness of those strangers, who saw a small girl who thought that buttons counted as pennies and decided to help fuel her dreams. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I'd do it someday. And there's been distractions, and new countries, and ups and downs, but it's lead us here. And I am so happy that you're all here to welcome in the brand-new Sunshine Art Shop and Studio. So here's to this, and all of you for helping me get here!
A cheer rang around the room as everyone pointed their glasses to the sky, and Rapunzel's eyes misted over at the sight. She dabbed at her tears, careful not to smudge her mascara, and Merida reached up to help her slide off the table.
Just as she was stepping down, however, Merida's hand disappeared, and instead her voice rang out clear and angry.
"Go away, you shouldn't be here," she hissed, and a male laugh responded. Rapunzel blinked back her tears and laughed at the sight of tiny Merida squaring up to Flynn's lanky figure.
Rapunzel's good mood slipped a little at the sight of him, and she grinned through gritted teeth, swooping past Merida to grab the tall boy's arm and guide him through the crowd to the front door. Elsa was chatting to some of Merida's hockey friends on the windowsill, and she looked up in alarm, her dark lined eyes full of concern, but Rapunzel shook her head and pushed Flynn out into the cold, then stepped out after him, letting the door fall shut. She noticed that Elsa was holding the curtain open just enough that she could keep an eye on them, and Rapunzel smiled in relief at her friend's good idea.
"Hey, its fucking freezing out here Rapunzel, whats the deal?" Flynn whined, and she rolled her eyes back to him. He was right, and her black turtleneck and long skirt wasn't doing much to keep out the falling snow that had already drowned the city in a thick layer of white. Her tan boots were already dark where they'd sunk into the fresh powder underfoot.
"Alright then, I'll make this quick. Go away."
Flynn snorted in response and crossed his arms, and Rapunzel wanted to laugh.
"Flynn, come on. You were a big help here, I understand that, but we aren't a couple anymore, I don't think we ever were. You hit on my friend and then threatened me whilst we were together, and I don't think that's really a great excuse to gate crash my opening night.
He huffed again, and she flicked her blonde hair back over her shoulder, staring him down as his eyes danced nervously with the snowflakes.
"You're not coming back in."
He caught her eyes, finally, and pursed his lips.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he muttered, and Rapunzel's eyebrows shot up. "I was unforgivably rude to you and all of your friends. I know we weren't much of a couple, and I'm not trying to impose that on you I just…felt bad."
Rapunzel smiled softly, and pulled him in for a hug. Poor lamb, he did have a conscious. Thank goodness.
"I forgive you," she said with a smile, and Flynn smiled genuinely, and stopped to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm sorry, you cant come back in though. Merida might kill you."
He laughed and nodded.
"That's okay, I get it. I'll pop by sometime to say hi,"
She grinned up at him, and he smiled as he backed away, and then, with a final wave, turned and headed into the snow, nearly bumping into someone walking the opposite way. She laughed and walked back to her store, where else was grinning through the window at her.
Indoors it was much warmer than she remembered, and she stomped her feet to shake the loose snow off of her body, and sat down on the sill next to Elsa.
"Oh, honey, you look freezing!" Astrid's girlfriend gasped, reached out to cup her hands in hers, trying to disperse heat. Rapunzel laughed and allowed the girl to rob some heat back into her fingers, and turned to smile at Elsa, who was still glancing out of the window.
"It's fine, he left," she said, and Elsa looked at her in surprise, which confused Rapunzel.
"Oh, okay," she said. "I just thought I saw someone out there looking in."
Rapunzel shifted around as best she could from Heather's grip to squint into the snow, but all she could see was the figure Flynn had passed moving underneath the streetlight. For a fleeting second, Rapunzel had a burst of recognition, but she brushed it aside as ridiculous. They had on a thick navy ski jacket and a black knit cap, there was no way of identifying them at all.
"Probably just wondering what all the noise was," she said distractedly, her eyes following the figure into the shadows.
"Yeah, you're right." Elsa said decidedly, and prised Heather off of Rapunzel's hands with a laugh. Surprisingly, they felt much warmer. Her pale blue trousers swished around her legs as she stood up, pulling the now warm girl with her, and the pair headed towards the drinks table where Hiccup and Merida were leant together, staring adoringly at each other.
Rapunzel couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest at the pair looking so happy together, and she thought back to Flynn. Maybe she should have given him a second chance. She was sure they'd all come around eventually. And it would have been nice to have someone by her side unconditionally, to dote on her and shower her in affection. She'd only experienced it for a few months of bliss, but it was enough to miss it now it was absent from her life. She tried hard not to think about the boy that had come with it.
"Is that rat gone?" Merida asked haughtily, spinning away from Hiccup like she'd seen them approaching. Hiccup's hands followed her, and once she'd stilled he pulled her against him protectively and rested his chin on her head.
Rapunzel laughed and nodded, and reached for a beer, tipping it down her throat quickly. No room for melancholy tonight, not when she was surrounded by her closest friends in her favourite place.
The night quickly descended, thanks to Merida, into silly games that involved lots of shouting and drink. The crowd thinned slightly as it got later, and Rapunzel hugged people as they headed for the door. When Elsa finally staggered to her feet, groaning about a 9am shift and a threatening hangover, the clock was brushing midnight, and only 20 or so people still remained. She hopped to her feet to walk the platinum blonde to the door, chatting excitedly about their Christmas plans. Rapunzel had tried not to get as drunk as some of the others, in order to keep an eye on her shop and lock up safely when they all left.
They stepped over Kristoff's prone figure, asleep against the front window with an empty bottle of wine cradled in his arms. Anna had tucked his jacket over his shoulders and promptly abandoned him in favour of a particularly noisy round of the name game with Merida and Astrid, with Hiccup mediating the best he could as Astrid tried to take yet another selfie to look at her forehead, which read "Heather" in smudged red lipstick.
Elsa tipped Kristoff aside gently to retrieve her fluffy white coat from underneath him, and he smiled up at her in his sleep.
"Bye big sis," he muttered, and she ruffled his hair in response and pulled the white material tight around her body.
"I'm so proud of you Rapunzel, this place is amazing," she said earnestly, and not for the first time that night the honey-blonde's eyes watered.
"Thank you," she murmured, and pulled the older girl into a tight embrace.
Elsa hauled open the door and immediately hissed as a gust of cold wind blew in a flurry of snowflakes, nipping both of their noses and swirling into their hair.
"God, I hate the cold!" she cried, and stepped out then immediately stopped, squinting through the flurries. "Hey, don't call me crazy, but isn't that the guy from like 4 hours ago that we saw out the window?"
Rapunzel strained to look through the thick flakes, but it was impossible to make out any distinctive shapes through the downpour.
"I can't see!" she groaned, and stepped back a bit into the warmth.
"Crazy weather!" Elsa cried, and spun her arms wide, immediately covered in snow. "Scotland I love you!"
Rapunzel whooped at that, and was about to shut the door again when a flash of blue in a streetlight across the road caught her eye. There was definitely someone over there.
"Hey!" she called, and her voice echoed in the quiet street. Elsa echoed her call from where she was walking towards the bus stop down the hill, but didn't turn around. The figure stepped forward, and for a split second the orange streetlight illuminated them fully, glinting off of their coat and catching the fuzzy outline of their hat. They were moving quickly, and Rapunzel's confidence immediately faltered.
"Oh, shit, shit, nope," she gasped, and slammed the door shut. Kristoff was startled awake beside her, and looked out the window with lidded eyes.
"Sack!" he cried, holding his empty bottle aloft, and immediately slumped again.
"Hiccup…" Rapunzel called, and he looked up immediately at the tone of her voice. He didn't seem to inebriated either, judging by the way he managed to step over the escalating guessing game occurring on the floor, and then the remaining hockey girls, who were performing henna tattoos on each other with a sharpie they'd found on Rapunzel's desk. Mavis and her awkward-looking boyfriend were making out in the shadows beside them, oblivious as Hiccup gently pushed past.
"What's happened?" he gasped, and she looked back towards the door nervously.
"Me and Elsa shouted at a stranger lurking outside and now they're headedrighttowardsus," she blurted out, loudly enough that Anna's head popped up above the head, sporting an impressively misspelt version of Lindsay Lohan's name on her forehead.
"You did what!" she shrieked, and struggled to her feet, much less gracefully than Hiccup had, and kicked Merida in the shin. In the commotion that followed, Hiccup ran a hand through his hair nervously and peeked out the window. His face immediately clouded over, and before Rapunzel could open her mouth to question him he'd stepped out of the door and shut it behind him.
The loud bang that followed was enough to peak the interest of even Mavis and Johnny, and Merida hopped up and hurried over to her best friend's side.
"Where'd he go?" she whispered, and Rapunzel shrugged. It was impossible to hear what was going on outside – the only noise was the low bass coming from the trashy pop music Heather was in the process of loading into the speaker.
"There's a weird guy outside," Rapunzel whispered back, and Merida's eyes widened.
"No way," she gasped, and threw open the door with a similar speed that Hiccup had – too fast for Rapunzel to react. She hid slightly behind it as Merida asked Hiccup what was happening, but her voice cut off before she could get the question out.
Curiosity finally got the better of her, and Rapunzel stepped around the door, and froze on sight.
…
"Hey, Rapunzel,"
Jack stood awkwardly in the doorway of the shop, and a small part of his brain relished in the warmth coming from inside. The rest of his body was in fight or flight, he hadn't intended on coming in, he'd talked himself out of it so many times that night, and yet here he was.
His plane had been delayed an hour due to snow at Edinburgh airport, which took him by surprise, and he spent the entire time in the airport in Wisconsin wondering if it was an act of god telling him to stay in America and leave her alone. Before he's had a chance to talk himself out of it, however, they'd called for boarding, and after a gruelling fourteen hour flight he'd landed jetlagged and disorientated, in a city he adored but had never seen with this much falling snow.
He'd rushed home to change and wrap up warm, and spent a good 20 minutes in front of his open suitcase trying to decide which outfit said 'I'm sorry for abandoning you for a shit TV show' best. He'd settled for slim black jeans and a warm-looking grey knitted jumper, covered by his thick blue ski jacket, which hardly ever saw snow, and must be grateful to leave the wardrobe for once.
Jack still hadn't really decided what he was going to say when he arrived. Hiccup would still be furious with him, and assumedly so would Merida. He didn't want to think of what Rapunzel must be thinking of him, the thought made his heart wrench, and he'd hurried faster into the snow, desperate to make things right, somehow.
He'd memorised the route to the shop on his flight over, and walked there quickly, trying not to look at himself in the mirror. His Hollywood white hair was settling back into it's more natural blonde after weeks without a touch up, and his darker roots were growing in. It made him look older, but he hardly recognised himself, and ensured he shoved on a hat, for his own sake rather than for the cold.
Upon approaching the shop under the streetlights, however he'd slowed down. A man in a tan leather jacket with shaggy, dark hair was holding a woman tightly in an embrace, the snow swirling around them. His body obscured her, and he marvelled at how much it looked like a Christmas card. When he stepped back, the blonde woman smiled up at him and said something inaudible, and the man stooped to kiss her on the cheek.
Jack's blood ran cold.
He knew that girl. It had been a long time since she'd been blonde, and the length and style of her hair had thrown him, as did her fuller, healthier figure, and the way she held herself, but there was no doubt it was Rapunzel. Jack was approaching fast, and panicking so much he almost smacked straight into the man as he turned away, a small, satisfied smile on his face. Rapunzel was smiling too, and Jack tried too hard not to stare. She turned and ducked back inside, her green skirt swaying around her legs, and he stopped in the middle of the street as he watched her go.
The door clicked shut and blinked, and immediately made eye-contact with Elsa through the window. She was staring straight at him, and he turned immediately and continued down the hill, no clue where he was going.
He walked past a couple more times, grateful for the heavy snow concealing him from any more eager eyes, and eventually ducked into a pub for a break. He was relieved that nobody appeared to immediately recognise him when he sat, and so ordered a pint and pulled out his phone.
Mary answered immediately.
"How's it going?" she asked, her voice tinny and distant.
"Not great," Jack muttered, and explained his day so far. Mary laughed at him, loudly, and he rolled his eyes.
"It's not funny! I think I've made a massive mistake-"
"No!" she cut him off. "the rest of your life has been a mistake. This is important! Even if she's moved on, she wont deny you a last speech, surely."
Jack sipped on his pint and sighed loudly.
"What time is it with you?" he asked instead, feeling suddenly guilty for interrupting his sister's day. The jet lag was beginning to loom over him, and he tried to work out in his head how long he'd been awake for as she answered.
"It's just gone 4," she answered, and he groaned.
"Its past 10 here, I'm going to fall asleep."
"No you're not, not until you've confessed your love to Rapunzel. Go! I want a full report!"
"Yes boss!" Jack replied snippily, then laughed in disbelief when he realised she'd already hung up. He was surprised to find that he missed Mary already, which isn't really something he'd experienced before when moving from place to place.
He stayed in the pub for a while, drinking little and keeping to himself. It got busier as the night went on, and Jack paid his tab as it was nearing midnight, and headed out into the snow again.
"One more lap," he'd muttered, and headed back towards the store.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand what the fuck you're doing here?" Merida hissed, the drink making her speech slur but her words no less venomous, and Jack rocked back to the present. Rapunzel was still frozen still, so he forced himself to smile wryly at the redhead.
"Hey, missed you Hawkeye." Merida frowned in confusion, and he pointed at the lipstick writing on her head, which she touched slowly, and Jack took her distraction as an opportunity to turn his whole body to face Rapunzel.
"Hi Jack," she managed to squeak, and he was suddenly well aware of the silence in the room behind them. Anna's face appeared in the corner of the doorway eye as she feigned checking something on the floor as she tried to work out what was happening. He gave her a small smile, and she returned it to his great relief.
"I came here, to, uhh," Jack began, but faltered on his words. He reached up and tugged off his cap, wringing it in his hands instead, and saw Rapunzel's eyes landing on his hair, then drop to catch his eye. He knew he must look crazy, with tired eyes, and skin red raw from the cold, and he wished she would invite him in.
"I sincerely hope its for apologies," Merida cut in again, placing her body between Jack and Rapunzel, and he caught her shoot pleading eyes at Hiccup, who gently coaxed the redhead away.
"It is," Jack said, shuffling his feet. "For apologies, I mean. I spoke to Hiccup there, about how I'm ridiculous and stupid, and he agreed, but he forgives me."
He smiled ruefully, and scratched the back of his neck, a nervous gesture. The blonde dropped her eyes and spoke quickly, a small slime pulling at her mouth too.
"Maybe try Merida when she'd sober," she supplied, and Jack's eyes crinkled with a smile.
"Definitely going to take some time," he admitted, and their eyes met. For a split second, it was as thought the clouds aligned in the sky, and the sun burst through the night sky overhead. The snow danced and twirled around him, and a few small pieces flew into her hair. Nobody had ever looked more beautiful.
"Rapunzel, I'm sorry," he said, and she ducked her head. He continued, undeterred. "I was selfish and wrong, and I didn't appreciate you at all."
Her gaze didn't lift from her feet, but Jack reached out and gently took her warm hands in his. His were freezing in comparison, and without a word Rapunzel enveloped them in her own. He smiled, and moved slightly closer, trying to block her from the wind.
"There were people I didn't want to disappoint on both sides of the ocean," he admitted, and she glanced up at him, her face a careful blank. "Turns out one of them was just more important than the rest. I took some time with my family, and my sister helped me realise that no fancy Hollywood career is worth giving you up."
"But you love acting," Rapunzel said finally, and when she met his eyes hers were brimming with tears. "It's not fair that you have to sacrifice your dream to stay here with me."
He freed one of his hands from hers, which were clutching to him much tighter now, and cupped her face. She sighed and leant into his hand, and Jack smiled at the once-familiar gesture.
"My new dream-" he said slowly, and almost couldn't believe the words coming from his mouth were his. "-is to live here with you, somewhere we can spend the rest of our lives together."
And right there, at midnight in the doorway of her new shop, with snow swirling around them both, Jack dropped down on to one knee.
From inside, there was a chorus of gasps and yelps, but Jack refused to tear his eyes away from Rapunzel, who was looking down at him with wide eyes and a hand pressed to her mouth.
"You…you broke my heart. Twice over," she said, her voice wavering, but Jack just gripped her hand tighter with his own.
"And I'll make it up to you for the rest of our lives." He said, looking up at her hopefully.
"What do you say? Will you marry me?"
Sorry its been a while, I'm making it up to you with ridiuculous cheesy goodness. - L xx