Until We Freeze

by keeparecordofthewreckage

Life has been hectic (and borderline traumatic) for Eugene and Rapunzel as of late, and they're both heavily in need of a weekend alone to reconnect… and perhaps, for Rapunzel to finally lose her virginity. Set after the Season 1 events of Queen for a Day. (Rated M) This one-shot is included in the 'My New Dream' one-shot collection, but I also wanted to post it separately.

Summary: Life has been hectic (and borderline traumatic) for Eugene and Rapunzel as of late, and they're both heavily in need of a weekend alone to reconnect… and perhaps, for Rapunzel to finally lose her virginity. Set after the Season 1 events of Queen for a Day. (Rated M)

AN: I was inspired to write this one-shot for two reasons: after hearing the song I Wouldn't Mind by He Is We (which subsequently inspired the title), and after watching the Snowball short from Tangled the Series. Especially after watching the short, I loved the idea of writing a one-shot about Eugene and Rapunzel getting away for a few days at the cabin together, so here we are (because they were definitely alone at that cabin. I don't care what anyone says. Thank you to the Tangled Talk with Team Awesome podcast for, you know, confirming that I'm not crazy for believing such a thing). Enjoy this sweet, though highly emotionally-charged, one-shot!

Until We Freeze

Forever is a long time

But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side…

The last few weeks have been difficult. Horrible, really.

But Rapunzel would never admit that, and Eugene knew it. And Rapunzel would never ask for a few days away from the kingdom, and Eugene knew it. She would ask for a little free time around the castle, sure. But she wouldn't ask to get away, her unshakeable duty to her people so endearingly strong.

So, he did.

It wasn't that Eugene believed Rapunzel to be incapable of being an efficient princess, nor did he believe that she were incapable of advocating for herself. Actually, she'd stepped into her role as princess quite naturally – especially when considering the fact that Rapunzel had been forced to cover eighteen years of ground in so little time. But recent events had quite evidently worn the young princess down, and even if no one else had noticed her silent desire to escape from the overwhelming busyness of it all, Eugene had.

He always noticed.

She'd been distant, in the way that Rapunzel would when she was trying her best to pretend that she wasn't being distant. She'd been pacing, distracted, and always appeared as though her mind were somewhere else entirely. She'd been running her fingers nervously through her hair, she'd been biting at her nailbeds, and she'd been cheery. Overly cheery.

Now, Rapunzel is a naturally joyful person; it's one of the many things that he adores about her. That girl is the human embodiment of pure sunshine, as far as Eugene Fitzherbert is biasedly concerned. But Eugene, highly adept to his bubbly girlfriend's recent shift in body language, able to hear the words which never actually fell from her mouth, had realized that Rapunzel was teetering on an anxious, dangerous edge, and that her overwhelmingly busy schedule was not helping matters.

They'd briefly discussed it, the day in which she'd been acting as queen; the day that she'd allowed him to venture into the mountains to find her parents in the midst of an unfathomably treacherous snowstorm. But she'd quickly changed the subject, plastered a bright smile onto her face, and had subsequently submerged herself headfirst into her duties ever since. It was a poor excuse for a coping mechanism, if Eugene had ever seen one. Rapunzel's coping mechanism (if it could even be fairly labeled as one) was falling apart at the very seams, and taking her right down with it.

And how could he blame her, really? Before Eugene had found her in the tower, Rapunzel had never been taught how to properly cope with anything at all. So instead, when something particularly bothered her, Rapunzel had quite the frequent tendency to simply pretend as though the problem wasn't there at all. Because no one had ever taught her any different. Actually, she'd been subtly, manipulatively encouraged to keep every negative emotion bottled deep within herself, never to see the light of day. And Eugene would be damned if Rapunzel were to feel as though she had to continue living in this way with him around.

It was entirely clear to Eugene that Rapunzel hadn't fully processed it – the fact that she'd essentially given her blessing for him to potentially venture to his death. The fact that she'd crossed a line in which she had never wanted to cross, but knew that it was quite inevitable to someday cross it: Rapunzel had been forced to place the safety of her kingdom above the individual safety of the love of her life.

She hadn't allowed herself to fully process such an act, even for a moment. Because doing so would have made the guilt too much for the inherently selfless princess to bear. For this reason alone, she was overly deserving of a break. It had become quite obvious to Eugene that Rapunzel has been in desperate need of one after nearly losing her parents and her kingdom – after nearly losing him – to a massive, unexpected snowstorm several weeks ago.

When he'd asked, Eugene had truthfully been surprised that Frederic, with little to no pushback on the matter, had agreed to allow the two of them to venture alone to the royal family's private cabin for a much-deserved long weekend. But, relatively keen to the recent stress welling in his daughter's eyes, even the king had seen the intense pressure weighing upon Rapunzel's shoulders for the last few weeks. Even the king had noticed the way that she was spreading herself far too thin in the wake of such traumatizing events.

So, Frederic had simply raised his eyebrow, sighed, agreed (albeit reluctantly), and had given Eugene a parting look which all but said, 'This is a special exception, not going to become a regular thing, and I swear, if you get my daughter pregnant, I will kill you in your sleep.'

Now, it wasn't that Eugene's thoughts regarding their getaway were impure, per say. But they weren't exactly innocent, either. Rapunzel had been distant, clearly distracted, and this had resulted in quite the sizeable decline in their physical activity in the recent weeks; and Eugene is man enough to admit that it was starting to drive him a little bit crazy. He'd missed her sneaking into his bedroom well past midnight, he'd missed the taste of her mouth, and he'd missed the feeling of her soft skin in his hands. He'd missed her, in every way that he possibly could have, despite still seeing her every day. He'd missed feeling close to her, and he'd missed her wanting him all the time.

It wasn't that Eugene needed the physical side of their relationship to be on fire with each waking moment, so long as their emotional relationship was in a good place. Besides, they hadn't even entered the point of no return yet, anyway. But it was clear to Eugene that both their physical intimacy and their emotional intimacy were both in need of some serious attention. And that's exactly what he'd intended to give Rapunzel at the cabin: his undivided attention. They'd desperately needed to reconnect, in every sense of the word, and Eugene would be lying if he were to say that his body wasn't aching for physical reconnection just as much as emotional.

And thus far, Eugene's mission to de-stress his clearly stressed out princess, is coming along rather nicely. The two of them had arrived in the mountains just this morning, and they had spent the entire afternoon together, appreciating the quiet bliss of one another's uninterrupted company. There were no duties to drag them away from one another, no expectations to abide by, and no prying eyes. He could kiss her cold cheeks as many times as he wanted, she could giggle shamelessly at his bad jokes, and they could pretend as though the rest of the world didn't exist for a few days. They could sleep beside one another without having to worry about one of her chambermaids finding them half naked in bed after a night of completely scandalous, entirely frowned upon, pre-marital activity.

The unusually bright, winter sun, having graced their faces all afternoon, is beginning to sink below the horizon now. The dwindling rays of sunlight cast an incandescent, golden glow upon the thick blanket of ivory snow, and Eugene and Rapunzel have mutually agreed that now would be a good time to retire for the evening. They've just hung their snow-covered coats on the coatrack near the door, welcomed by the skin-warming – though waning – fire, the flames having grown quite small in their absence. Eugene makes his way over to the fireplace, stoking the flames and adding several logs to them, encouraging the fire to return to its once-raging state.

"I should probably get out of this thing. Its soaking wet."

With a scrunch of the nose, Rapunzel motions down to the heavy, winter dress that she's wearing as it clings to her body. The dress drips with the heavy amount of water which it's now retaining – a direct result of their most recent snowball fight, the snow having soaked through her coat, as well. She wrestles with the zipper at the back of the dress for a long moment, huffing quietly when she's unable to quite reach it. Turning around, Rapunzel looks over her shoulder at him, an almost bashful look in her eye.

"Help me, please?"

Gladly rising from his crouched position near the fire, Eugene pads over to her, deft fingers slowly pulling the zipper down, allowing Rapunzel to step out of the heavy, bone-chilling dress. It pools around her feet on the wooden floorboards, leaving her in nothing but a thin, green slip, and he can't help but notice how very closely it matches the color of her eyes. Mesmerized at the sudden exposure of her beckoning skin, Eugene can't quite fathom how beautiful she looks in the soft, orange glow of the growing firelight. He leans forward, pressing warm lips to Rapunzel's neck, trailing slow, gentle kisses to her jawline as she subconsciously tilts her head back, their cheeks just barely brushing.

She'd braided little, white flowers into her hair earlier this morning, before they'd left for their several-hour journey to the cabin at the crack of dawn. Rapunzel's chosen hairstyle – paired with the soft, golden glow of the fire – heavily reminds Eugene of the way that she'd looked on their night surrounded by the lanterns. The night in which he'd chosen to change; to change for her, this wide-eyed girl who he'd only known for a little more than a day, then. Sometimes, that night still feels as though it had happened just yesterday, despite the quick approach of their first anniversary.

Regardless of how much time has passed since that fateful night, Eugene can't help but remember how hopelessly in love he'd fallen as the lantern light had illuminated her gorgeous face, and how fucking lucky he'd been to find her. He'd wanted her all day because of it, the nostalgia-brimmed emotions stirring up subsequent feelings of undeniable desire, churning themselves deep within his stomach. To see Rapunzel so genuinely carefree for the first time in weeks, it's doing something to him – something that's making him ache all over, in the best kind of way. After their much-needed, uninterrupted day together, she appears to be herself again, and Eugene isn't too good to take pride in this sudden shift in Rapunzel's recently-stressed demeanor.

All that he can do now, is wonder whether or not these weeks-long, pent-up feelings of deep wanting are mutual, and silently pray that they are.

"I had a lot of fun with you today." Eugene breathes into her ear as he continues to kiss at the soft skin of her jawline, keenly aware of the shiver which his lips elicit from her; though, it could simply be that Rapunzel is still recovering from their jovial day spent in the cold.

And I'm kind of hoping that we can still have fun…

Alright, cool it, Eugene. That might not be what's even on her mind right now.

The unthawing princess turns in place to look up at him, bouncing slightly on her heels, and a bright smile spreads across Rapunzel's face in response to her love's low-voiced compliment.

"Oh, and I had so much fun with you, Eugene! I'm so glad that you convinced me to get away for a few days. I've really needed it." Rapunzel leans forward to wrap her arms around his middle, nuzzling his nose endearingly with her own, voice dropping to a whisper as their lips brush. "Thank you."

A rush of warmth spreads through Eugene's body as their mouths silently beckon for one another. He swallows hard, trying his best to retain some of his typical, smooth-mouthed control, settling for tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear; instead of capturing her mouth as he so desperately yearns to.

"No need to thank me, Blondie. I've needed this just as much as you have."

I've needed you…

"But everything's so… wet." Rapunzel suddenly pulls away from their hug and from his snow-soaked clothes, a visible chill shooting through her body at the contact, causing Eugene's arms to miss her immediately. "You should probably get out of them before you catch a cold."

Disappointed by the loss of close proximity (but never one to deny her of taking his clothes off), Eugene quickly works on ridding himself of his shirt, kicking his boots away as he unbuttons the front of it. Rapunzel leans forward to help him, returning the favor, undoing the button on his pants so that he can wiggle his way out of them. She giggles when the thick pants make a loud, sloshing noise as they hit the wooden floorboards, retaining no less water than her heavy dress.

"Well, Blondie," Eugene chuckles himself, leaning in to press a brief kiss to her nose. "You did tackle me into the snow a few times, and I simply delivered the payback that was due."

Adorably scrunching her pink-from-the-cold nose at the contact of his warm lips, Rapunzel tries her best to defend herself, playfully poking Eugene in the now-bare chest.

"In my defense, you threw the first snowball."

"I suppose I did." He responds with another laugh, taking full responsibility for the initiation of their full-blown, sunset snowball war.

Registering the subtle quake of Rapunzel's body and the involuntary chattering of her teeth, Eugene strides to the bed which has been pushed into the far corner of the cabin. In one, swift motion, he pulls the mattress from the wooden bedframe, dragging it across the cabin floor to rest it just in front of the now-raging fireplace.

"Here, why don't you lay down and warm up by the fire. I'll make us some hot chocolate, and we can talk for a while." And maybe, if I'm lucky, we can do a little more than talk. "Or we can always just go to bed, if you want. You know, if you're tired. We've had a long day, after all."

He tries to shrug it off, this aching feeling deep within his stomach, though Eugene immediately regrets suggesting such a thing as soon as the words leave his mouth. He silently prays that sleepiness isn't what Rapunzel is feeling in the present moment; because it's surely not what he's feeling.

The princess considers this, Eugene's nonchalant suggestion. It's late enough in the evening now to justify going to sleep, though Rapunzel doesn't quite feel tired, despite their activity-packed day. Aside from their recently-surrendered snowball war, the two of them had gone sledding together, had built a militia of snowmen large enough to rival Corona's army itself, and had made snow angels galore.

It had been entirely refreshing to spend such bountiful alone time with Eugene, and Rapunzel is thankful that his snow-despising self is more than willing to spend a few days in the cold with her; so long as she could receive a much-needed break from her overbearing duties as crown princess.

For a few, blissful days, she can simply be Rapunzel. And it'll be heavenly, because she hasn't felt like 'Just Rapunzel' since – well, since the day that she and Eugene had left the tower for the last time. That day, everything had changed. The vast change in itself had been altogether exciting, because Rapunzel was finally home. She was with her family, her real family; a family who truly loves her. Not for her hair, but for her. And for that, Rapunzel had never complained, because she couldn't bear to come across as even slightly ungrateful for her newfound home.

But that happily-reunited family did not come with strings unattached. It was equally as exhausting to always have to be Princess Rapunzel, and entirely stressful to lack the free time (and the freedom) to truly grasp what being a princess would mean where the rest of her life was concerned. The thought of being inside of the castle forever was completely terrifying, what with her being trapped in a tower for eighteen years. But Rapunzel simply swallowed her fears down, because her father had made it deafeningly clear that she was not entirely ready for the world quite yet.

As if she hadn't heard that enough times before.

Still, in spite of her and Eugene's adventure-filled afternoon, the young princess is feeling rather wide awake; and thankfully, rather rejuvenated, this weekend away being exactly what she's needed lately. She's also feeling rather lost in her own thoughts, now that the sun has gone down; now that everything has gone peacefully quiet around them.

Not that Rapunzel minds. Pure silence is more comfortable with Eugene than lively conversation is with anyone else.

Rapunzel sinks down onto the large, soft mattress, sighing contentedly as the nearby fire warms her chilled skin, pulling her hair out of its thick braid so that it's able to dry more quickly. It had been a wonderful day spent with Eugene, really. But despite their much-needed alone time, something is… something is still off between them, somehow. Something is seemingly – oddly – missing, just as it has been for several weeks now. As Rapunzel watches Eugene prepare their warm drinks in the cabin's small kitchenette, she registers a particular ache in her stomach – an altogether familiar one.

It's a familiar ache that, truthfully, Rapunzel has been trying her very best to ignore lately, out of fear that she doesn't deserve to feel it.

Watching him now, his bare back facing her, she realizes that she wants him – bad. But, self-loathingly, Rapunzel worries that Eugene doesn't want her. The past few weeks have been lacking in their usual, easy connection, to say the least, and she knows why. Rapunzel knows why, and it's her own doing, really. If she would just talk to him, the issue could be quelled in the slightest of ease, resolved by one of the deep heart-to-hearts which the two of them are so infamous for. Eugene would understand; she knows that he would. But Rapunzel has been too afraid to verbally acknowledge the internal misery which she suffers from now, so her wanting shall resume in silence.

Because if she fully allows herself to acknowledge the deep-set guilt which has been eating away at her, it'll mean that what she feels guilty for had actually happened, and Rapunzel really doesn't want to think about that. Especially not tonight, when they should guiltlessly be enjoying this peaceful night together, and not spending their precious alone time rehashing the past – the past which cannot be changed.

But it's so much easier to tell yourself not to think about something, than it is to truly keep yourself from obsessing over it exclusively.

So, in spite of herself, when Eugene returns to the mattress with their warm, chocolatey drinks, the tears have already stained themselves upon Rapunzel's chilled cheeks, salty pathways of weeks-long liability and shame traveling their way down her neck and to her chest.

"Sweetheart…" Surprised, Eugene sets their mugs onto the floorboards beside the mattress, immediately crouching down so that he can get a full view of her downcast face, though Rapunzel tries not to look at him. Eugene takes her hands into his own, his tone turned gentle and pleading. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Hey… can you tell me what's going on?"

She's seemed fine all day... did I miss something? Did I say something wrong, did I do something to upset her? She was so happy, no more than a few minutes ago when we first came inside…

To Eugene's dismay, Rapunzel only shakes her head in response, clearly embarrassed by her sudden, tearful display of emotion. She's utterly frustrated with herself for not doing a better job at keeping her selfish feelings locked inside, because she's always been so good at it. She's so good at keeping her deepest fears deep within herself, protecting them with sheer determination and an unnatural amount of bubbliness.

But tonight, it seems, Rapunzel simply can't help herself. She can't help but release these pent-up feelings of guilt which have haunted her ruthlessly for weeks now. And she so desperately hadn't wanted to ruin this perfect weekend alone together! She hadn't wanted to worry him. But the guilt has creeped up on Rapunzel like a bad dream in the middle of a peaceful night's sleep, and there's no waking up now. There is no avoiding it any longer, because he's sitting right here, staring at her, waiting patiently for her to explain the sudden outburst. But she hadn't wanted to make Eugene feel bad, hadn't wanted to make this weekend all about herself. Hadn't wanted to bring it up at all.

Honestly, Rapunzel had fully intended to forget about the whole thing a long time ago. She'd intended to forget about it, just as Eugene had urged her to. Because, according to him, it was 'No big deal, because he would do anything for her.' Like die. And now, weeks later, Rapunzel still can't quite bring herself to forget about it. She just can't, because forgetting is so very hard where Eugene is concerned, and because he has put his life on the line for her sake one-too-many times.

"Rapunzel," Sure to keep his patience about him, Eugene tries again to urge Rapunzel to explain her unexpected sadness, though his voice is a bit more stern this time as he reaches up to gently cup the side of her face in his hand. "Tell me what's wrong. Please."

"Eugene, I'm..." Rapunzel sucks a shaky breath into her lungs, unable to look at him as she cries ugly tears of self-deprecation, forcing herself to push the watery truth from her chest before she loses her nerve completely.

He'll understand, he always does, and he'll know what to do –

"I'm so, so sorry about what happened the other week. I can't believe that I let you go —"

"Hey, hey... you're still worried about that?" Holding the side of her neck gently, Eugene's face softens as she finally looks to him with tear-stained cheeks. "We've already talked about this, Rapunzel. I volunteered. I wanted to go."

Not wanting to hear any of this, Rapunzel shakes her head, pulling away from his consoling touch; not because she doesn't yearn for it, but because she isn't entirely sure that she's deserving of it anymore.

"But I let you go. How could I do that? I love you so much, and I... something could've happened to you!" She rises onto her knees, looking down at him with the most endearing, heartbreaking tears welling at the corners of her big, green eyes. "I don't know what I would've done if something would've happened to you that day. I can't lose you, Eugene, not ever again. Once was more than enough."

Momentarily, Eugene rises himself, joining her. He sinks onto his knees on the mattress, kneeling before her and placing a calloused hand to her cheek, brushing a gentle thumb over Rapunzel's tear-inhabited cheekbone.

"Oh, Blondie... you could never lose me. Not ever! You're kind of stuck with me now, you know." With a guiding touch, Eugene brings their faces together, gently resting his forehead to hers, whispering against her lips as he regains a serious tone. "I'm never going to leave you, Rapunzel. That was… the tower, that day –"

He sighs heavily, not entirely in the mindset to rehash such a traumatic experience, but desperate to console her in any way that he can.

"That's never going to happen again, okay? I promise."

Much to the former thief's dismay, Rapunzel pulls slightly away from him again, shaking her head rapidly, looking to Eugene with sorrowful eyes. The broken look on her beautiful, fire-lit face absolutely kills him; mostly because he isn't entirely sure how to fix this for her, despite how badly he wants to.

"But you can't promise these things, Eugene! We don't…" She takes in another deep, shaky breath, the guilt pounding against her ribcage, threatening to consume the princess completely. "We can't control them. And I can't knowingly put you in danger again, and I hate myself for –"

Defeatedly, Eugene drops his head into his hands, rubbing at his forehead and releasing a deep, frustrated sigh which unmeaningly cuts her off.

"Rapunzel, please don't say that. You know that I don't hold it against you, what happened that day. Not in the tower, and not when you were acting as queen." He lifts his pleading gaze, begging her to understand. "I wanted to help your parents. I wanted to help you. You were under so much stress, and I just wanted to help, and I knew that I could find your parents. I knew that I could, and you trusted me. And there's nothing to feel sorry for in that!"

Despite his pleading, Rapunzel can't quite look at him, clearly drowning herself in guilt and shame, her head absolutely swimming with it.

"Sweetheart… look at me. Please."

After a long, agonizing moment, she finally obliges, staring up at him with trembling lips and watery eyes. Eugene continues then, caressing Rapunzel's face as he speaks softly to her.

"Rapunzel, you are going to be queen someday. And I'm always going to be there to help you through everything, no matter what. I'm always going to respect and support the decisions that you make! Even the hard ones."

Eugene sighs – not because he's frustrated with her, but frustrated with their circumstance – recalling that eventful day which took place only a few weeks ago; the day which has so obviously been haunting Rapunzel, creaking across the floorboards of her mind like a groaning ghost that clearly won't leave her the hell alone.

"Especially the hard ones. And sometimes, yes. You are going to have to put the safety of this kingdom before mine, and I understand that. I don't always want to, but I understand what I signed up for when I decided to stay here with you, when I decided…" Eugene pauses, wanting to ensure that he's wording this right, desperate not to upset her any further. "When I decided to stay here and love you. When I made that decision, I understood that I was going to have to love not only you, but every part of you. And that includes loving Princess Rapunzel, just as much as I love Rapunzel! I understand that you cannot sacrifice the wellbeing on an entire kingdom for just one person, and I wouldn't expect you to."

Reaching forward to tenderly caress her face, Eugene prays to the heavens that he's able to console her anxious thoughts, desperate to let Rapunzel know that he's not even the slightest bit angry with her for allowing him to go into the storm after her parents; desperate to let her know that it had been his decision.

"I understand that you have a responsibility to your people, and that you always will."

Much to Eugene's dismay, Rapunzel pushes his consoling hand away; more out of frustration with herself, than frustration with him.

"But I don't want to, Eugene! I don't want to put anyone before you, I don't want to put you and your safety after an entire kingdom!" The overwhelmed princess cries out as she shakes her head in rapid succession, the very thought of ever putting anything before him again, being just enough to make her feel physically sick. "That's too many people to put before you! How can I possibly live with myself for willingly putting the man that I love in danger like that? How can I do this, any of this?"

Rapunzel's face falls into her hands in heart-shattering defeat, the tears in the corners of her eyes threatening to spill into her palms, staining her fingertips with her own sadness as Eugene's hands reach for her again, aching to hold her as she shakily rambles on.

"How am I… how am I possibly going to be queen? I could barely handle it for a day, let alone for the rest of my life! I mean, everything went so horribly wrong, and I don't… I don't know what I'm doing!"

Unable to sit still in the midst of her bubbling anxiety, Rapunzel lifts her head from her hands now, rapidly running her fingers through the loose, golden hair framing her face, weeks-worth of uneasiness threatening to spill over once and for all.

"Sometimes… sometimes I feel like I don't know what I even want anymore! I don't know if I want to be a princess, I definitely don't know if I want to be queen someday, and I –"

"And you don't know if you want to be with me?" Eugene winces tentatively, hoping that isn't the path in which Rapunzel intends to take with her much-needed venting.

Much to his relief, Rapunzel rushes closer to him from her place on the mattress, shaking her head violently as her eyebrows draw together in worry, completely mortified that she'd pushed him to even so much as consider such a thing.

"Oh, of course not, Eugene! Why… why would you say that, why would you even think that? Please, please don't think that. You're the only thing that I'm completely sure of, every single day." The distraught princess brings their faces close, voice dropping to a stern whisper as she looks Eugene directly in the eye, needing him to hear the words which her heart is begging to scream out. "I will always want you, even when nothing else in the whole world makes sense."

Rapunzel once again rises up onto her knees on the mattress, wearing nothing but her underwear now, having stripped herself clean of her thin, damp slip when he'd still been preparing their hot chocolate. She stares lovingly at Eugene as she bears her entire soul to him, eyes misted over as she gingerly cups each side of his jaw with trembling hands.

"I love you so much, Eugene. You are the only thing that makes sense to me right now."

In response to her emotional testimony, feeling as though his own words couldn't even begin to compete with her loving confession, Eugene softly tucks his hand behind Rapunzel's neck – entirely reminiscent of the way that he'd slowly pulled them into their first (would-be) kiss on the boat – gently pulling Rapunzel in for a passionate kiss, tongue immediately entangling itself with hers.

How can I possibly make this better for her? How can I rid her of this unfair guilt, of this unnecessary – yet completely understandable – stress? Can I kiss it away, can I love it away? Is my love enough to help her get through this? Am I enough to help her get through this?

With slow-moving, tentative hands, Eugene pulls away from the heated kiss, palming at her bare breasts gently, trying his best to be completely comforting in his touch.

"You're so perfect, sweetheart." He whispers, willing his own eyes not to mist over at the sight of her.

So vulnerable, and so in love with him, her eyes filled with more adoration than he'd ever thought himself capable of deserving before meeting her.

"You're so perfect, and I hate that you feel this way. What can I do?" Eugene pleads with his teary-eyed princess, needing to know. "Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it."

Rapunzel bites back a desperate moan as the pads of his thumbs – soft as a ghost – brush past each of her nipples, his large hands gently wrapping themselves around her petite ribcage in order to massage them slowly.

"You're perfect..." She moans quietly, returning the tender compliment with a breathy, shaking tone, eyes fluttering shut as Rapunzel loses herself in his familiar, giving touch. "And I really don't know… Eugene, I don't know what I'd do without you here with me."

The princess's head lolls to the side unconsciously as his fingers brush against her sensitive breasts again, a bit more deftly this time, providing his tongue with the chance to teasingly explore the inviting column of her neck. When Rapunzel looks to him again, Eugene's deep, brown eyes reflect the same bottomless lust which has overtaken her own heavy-eyed vision.

"Just… just love me, please. All that I need you to do is love me."

"Done." Eugene breathes against her mouth, dragging Rapunzel to him, glad to have some sort of spoken direction; aching to make her feel better, so badly wanting to ease her own ache.

It feels as though they haven't kissed — truly kissed — in weeks. And maybe, what with everything that's been going on lately, they haven't. So when their lips finally meet again, Rapunzel can't help but moan quietly into his mouth; a sound which sends a shiver down Eugene's spine, despite the radiating warmth of the raging fire beside them. His right hand travels upward to catch her cheekbone, the other traveling further back to bury itself into the hair at the base of Rapunzel's head with the intention of pulling her closer, yearning to feel her bare skin against his.

One hand now rests at the side of her neck as Eugene kisses his way down the soft skin there, holding her in place, the other hand dipping itself inside of her underwear. The teasing touch forces a shallow gasp from Rapunzel's lungs as he brushes against her, gauging exactly how wet she already is for him. What he finds there makes him shiver with excitement once more, because Eugene will never be fully used to being able to want – will never fully be used to being wanted by – someone as achingly beautiful as her.

"Eugene…" Rapunzel's shaky voice is weak, nose pressed against his neck as his fingers continue to toy with the most aching part of her, seeing just how far he's able to push her. So weak in fact, that her voice alone, pleading his name in that way, is enough to make Eugene's knees meld into jelly at the very sound of it.

Rapunzel sinks down onto her weakened knees then, altogether lacking the strength to remain upright any longer (no thanks to his teasing fingers), and he follows her all the way down. Guiding her to lie back on the mattress, Eugene releases her just-captured lips in favor of kissing his way further down her neck, retracting his hand from her underwear as Rapunzel moans pitifully at the sudden loss of his yearned-for touch.

"I want these off of you." Eugene confesses hotly against her ribs as his tongue follows the soft path of her underwear while they slip past Rapunzel's thighs and calves, leaving her body painfully slow. Hooked in Eugene's fingers as his mouth finds the soft insides of her thighs, he throws the underwear over his shoulder and gently guides her legs farther apart; wanting nothing more than to taste her, but wanting to hear her beg for it first.

"Eugene…" Rapunzel whimpers weakly, propping herself up on her elbows to look at him fully, one hand twisted in his hair in aching anticipation of his expert mouth; a mouth which has brought her to – and pushed her over – the edge so many times now. "Eugene?"

He looks up at her from the newfound place between her legs, and Rapunzel swears that she can feel her chest hollowing out by way of the simple look in his eyes, thighs shaking at the low tenderness of his quiet voice and the almost-mocking slowness of his tongue. She loves his voice, and she loves the mouth which holds it, and she loves the desperate feeling of needing him in this way, and she loves him.

"I'm listening, sweetheart." He reassures her, rubbing soft circles into Rapunzel's trembling thigh with a feather-light touch – which makes her feel a little more relieved, and a little better —

Wait, no. Worse?

Rapunzel can't quite tell, because his gentle touch only makes her want more of it.

"It's just that... I just..." She pants quietly as she runs her hands through his hair, needing some sort of purchase to grasp onto, struggling to get the words out properly. "I want you. Eugene, I want you, I've never wanted... I've never wanted you as badly as I do right now."

"Oh, don't you worry, Sunshine. You'll have me. But tonight, I want to take things very... very... slowly."

Eugene smiles evilly as she quietly groans at him, finally lowering his head to effectively devour the skin at the inside of the princess's thighs, entirely satisfied with her special brand of begging.

His face alone – his knowing expression, his low-set voice, how utterly handsome that he always looks, everything about him – it's all making Rapunzel ache so pathetically for him; even with a lack of consideration for the way in which he's touching her. The slow, sensual way that his hands are gliding across her skin all by itself – let alone the slow, sensual way that his soft mouth is teasing her now – is enough to make Rapunzel want to scream; pleading with him not to lead her on, asking him not to force her to suffer in this satisfying way that's always so painfully good.

And she could. She could scream his name, if she really wanted to. Because they're not in the castle anymore; no one is here, in the middle of this peaceful nowhere, to stop them. No one is here to deplore them of their rights and wrongs. No one is here to remind them that what they're doing is objectively illicit, or improper, or not what's expected of her as princess and sole heir to the throne. For as long as his head stays right between her legs, none of it matters – not tradition, not royal values – and she can finally, blissfully, be Just Rapunzel for a little while.

"Eugene?"

"Hmm?"

Rapunzel runs a gentle finger along his stubble-hinted jaw, watching Eugene closely as his eyes lift once more to gaze lovingly up at her, waiting intently for whatever she has to say, always so willing to worship everything about her; always so ready to do whatever is being asked of him, if she's the one requesting it.

You have the most perfect face, especially when it's right here… especially when we're doing things that we shouldn't be, things that only you've taught me. Things that I could only ever dream of doing with you…

His mouth presses to the inside of her thigh once more when Rapunzel doesn't say anything right away, the words falling dead on her tongue at the look on his face, and she feels her legs beginning to shake even harder in the pure anticipation of him.

She loves it, she loves this. She loves when his head is between her legs, loves the painfully beautiful, throbbing suspense of it all. It always feels so… intimate, this position, allowing her to run her fingers through his hair as he kisses his way up the inside of her thighs, evoking breathy, little moans from her.

"You're the most handsome man that I've ever, ever seen." Rapunzel quickly pushes the tender compliment from her lungs, afraid that it'll be snatched away just as fast as it had come. She finally trusts herself enough to speak without collapsing completely beneath Eugene's lips, her legs trembling violently as his tongue flicks against her clit teasingly. "You're so beautiful, and perfect, and… and you're perfect."

Rapunzel feels him laugh against her, his hot, humming breath making her shiver and arch up into him just slightly.

"Shouldn't I be the one complimenting you right now, Blondie?"

"I think you're just a little busy…" She giggles quietly, breathless, shifting her hips a bit in order to get more comfortable against him as he finally laps at her wetness fully. The yearned-for action forces the giggle to immediately be sucked from Rapunzel's throat, replaced with a pathetically forlorn moan as she runs her fingers through his hair. "I… I love you. I love how you make me feel, I love how… I love how much you make me want you."

"I love you, too…" Whispering against her, his words mostly being received by the part of her that wants him most, Eugene pauses just long enough to return Rapunzel's endearing, rambled confession before gently lapping at her again, fully intending to edge her along until she can't take his slow teasing any longer. "More than you'll ever know."

Unconsciously, overtaken by his soft, wet tongue and even softer, more loving words, Rapunzel grinds her hips against his mouth as she moans at the simple feeling of Eugene's voice humming against her, his lips growing soaked with her dripping desire.

This shouldn't be all about me, though. I want to make you feel the same way that you always make me feel. I've been so distant lately, and you haven't deserved it, and I just want to take it all back and make you feel so good…

"Stand, please." The princess pants, only partially reluctant to draw herself away from his giving mouth. Her aching center immediately misses the feeling of him, but the last thing that Rapunzel wants tonight, is to be selfish in the receiving of pleasure. "Please, right now."

Albeit a bit confused, having fully believed that Rapunzel was thoroughly enjoying herself (but not wanting to ignore her sure demand), Eugene does just as he's told, always more than willing to do whatever she could possibly ask of him. Rapunzel rises onto her knees once more, dragging Eugene down for another kiss as he stands before her, back to the blazing, hot fire.

They'd been heavily fooling around for a few months now; long enough for the quick-learning, ever-curious princess to know exactly how to receive head, and exactly how to give it, too. Breaking the kiss, Rapunzel begins to place scattered, warm-mouthed kisses to Eugene's neck and chest, running her hands down his body to ultimately push his underwear down, taking him gently into her soft hand.

"I love you, Blondie." Just barely able to speak coherently, Eugene repeats himself as Rapunzel bends her head and envelopes his dick with her warm mouth – completely breathless and needing her to know – smiling softly as she moans quietly around him. "I love you so, so much…"

Fuck… it's been so long since – it's been so long since any of this has happened, it seems, and I would give anything for this to last all night long…

Mesmerized, he watches contently from above as Rapunzel continually bobs her head up and down around him, kneeling before Eugene on the mattress. She simply hums in response, and Eugene can feel her smiling around him; she's always been so appreciative to hear any declarations of his love, no matter how casual or how passionate. Rapunzel looks up at him then, huge green eyes boring into him as her curious, recently-practiced tongue strokes him. Eugene lets her go on like that for a while, guiding the back of her head with a hand, enjoying the view until he simply can't stop himself from dragging Rapunzel back to his needy mouth, her loving, lustful gaze too much to bear gracefully.

"Come here." Eugene locks his fingers gently into her hair, pulling her up his body. "Come here, now."

"What?" Giggling chastely at his sudden desperation, Rapunzel wraps her arms around Eugene's neck, pressing herself flush against him, always pleased with her natural ability to drive him absolutely crazy. "What's wrong?"

"If I don't kiss you, I'm going to die."

"You're horribly dramatic, Eugene Fitzherbert." Rapunzel rolls her eyes playfully at him, smiling against his mouth as she leans in to grant the begged request. The mischievous princess allows Eugene a short-lived, passionate kiss before pulling away again, wanting him to feel as beautifully miserable for more as she does.

"God, I love you." He whispers to her lips, such warm fondness in his eyes that it's almost unbearable, rambling now as her mouth travels its way down his neck, leaving small, loving pecks there. "I've needed this so badly. I've needed you. Time with you, time to be alone. I love it when I can just be alone with you."

It truthfully hadn't occurred very often as of late, this desired alone time. Really, it hadn't happened as much as they would both like since they'd first moved into the castle, Rapunzel's duties as princess becoming completely overbearing at times. Not to mention, she'd intentionally busied herself so overwhelmingly with her responsibilities lately – which Rapunzel feels horribly guilty for now, made keenly aware of just how much Eugene has been missing her company these past few weeks.

In all honesty, Rapunzel had only thrown herself headfirst into her duties recently because she'd so desperately yearned for a distraction from the deep-settling guilt of allowing him to go out into that raging blizzard. It was a nasty guilt; a guilt which because of, this tranquil weekend will be the first time in weeks that they've had true, uninterrupted, alone time together.

Entirely flattered by his adorable, adoring rambling, Rapunzel takes Eugene gently by the back of the neck, wordlessly pulling him down to rejoin her on the mattress with a heated kiss, allowing him to settle himself between her legs, wrapping them around his waist. Both of them being fully naked now, she feels the very tip of him brush against her wetness, causing Rapunzel to break the passionate kiss in a desperate moan, eyebrows drawn up in obvious frustration and clear, insatiable desire.

"Eugene… Eugene, I want – "

Butterflies erupting in the pit of her stomach and between her legs, Rapunzel can feel his chest heaving against her own. She can hear the equally as desperate, equally as hesitant strain in Eugene's voice as she softly grinds herself against him, wordlessly letting him know that it's okay to want more. Rapunzel is completely sure that she's going to lose her mind if she doesn't learn exactly what it means to lose the precious virginity which every etiquette teacher in the castle has all but begged her to keep a steady hold of until she's standing at the altar in a white dress.

"Blondie… Blondie, we should really… we should slow down. I mean, we really, really need to slow down before –"

They'd found themselves at this very dangerous, painfully dead-ended point with one another before. Only a few times, wrapped up in her sheets in the middle of the night, guards pounding their way down the hallway on their early morning rounds, none the wiser to the hushed, hand-over-mouth moans which would inevitably escape the both of them; none the wiser to the way in which they were becoming more and more lost in one another as the days passed.

Admittedly (well, to Lance), Eugene had seen her naked before tonight. Despite this, he hadn't taken Rapunzel far enough into the world of lost innocence for her to experience everything; he'd kept a steady grasp on his control, even then. Inevitably, dangerously pushing the boundaries (while simultaneously trying not to cross the Everything Line), was enough to make the both of them want more – a lot more.

It was enough when they'd crossed the threshold of making out and going down on one another no longer being enough to fully satisfy; both of which always managed to leave the two of them feeling entirely more miserable and far more uncomfortable than they'd started. It was enough to make him fall even more deeply in love with her, when the thought of somehow loving her more had seemed altogether impossible. It was enough to make him realize just how much he wanted every single piece of her.

It was enough to make it very, very hard to stop.

And sometimes, Eugene isn't entirely sure why he's always stopping them, why he's depriving her of this. They're utterly in love, aren't they? 'A little rebellion, a little adventure, that's good. Healthy, even.' He'd said so himself. That being said, Eugene can't completely explain why he's always been so intent on keeping Rapunzel's precious virtue protected, even in the moments when he'd been desperate to ruin it.

But he has. He's protected her virtue from himself. He always has, because she hadn't been ready then, anyway. Eugene has always kept himself from loving her in that way, despite how badly he wants to, because he loves her so much. Those nights in which they'd walked the line, tangled up in the sheets in her bed, Rapunzel hadn't been quite ready yet to cross the Everything Line. Not when everything in the newly-returned princess's life had still been so overwhelmingly new to her.

But things are different now…

And that was perfectly fine with him. Because Eugene would much rather wait, preferring the sometimes-painful anticipation over the thought of ever pushing Rapunzel into doing anything that she isn't completely ready for. But now, tonight, completely naked against him and completely desperate beneath him, several ruthless words that are bound to kill him are about to fall from his princess's mouth; words which tell Eugene just how ready she is. And in their unforgiving hands, Eugene is about to fall apart at the very seams because of these words, ready to throw all caution to the wind and bury himself deep in –

"I want you. I want you inside of me." Rapunzel rambles, trying hard to catch her breath as she rubs herself against the part of him that's aching for her most – the part of Eugene which makes his brain do some really stupid shit – causing his breathing to quicken right along with hers.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"I need you… I need you inside of me. Tonight. Right now." Wrapping a leg more tightly around Eugene's waist, she pulls him even closer, grinding herself ever-so-gently – but oh-so-deliberately – against him; though her movements are just a bit harder than they were before, matching the growing desperation in her voice. "Now, now, now."

As far as princesses go, Rapunzel is a breathless, gasping mess. Somehow, she's losing her mind even more than Eugene is. She's a mess, absolute putty in his hands, and she doesn't even care. Fuck expectations, fuck doing what's socially acceptable, and fuck being a princess. Fuck it all, just for tonight.

Rapunzel can't keep herself together, can't keep herself from wanting this so badly. Not right now, not with him, and not after the snowstorm incident. She can't keep herself together; not when he's right here, handsome face hovering over her, and not with the guilt eating away at her. Not when she just knows that finally feeling him inside of her – no matter how frowned upon it may be – would feel so incredibly good.

And the truth is, she doesn't want to. Right now, Rapunzel doesn't want to do the 'right' thing, she doesn't want to do what's expected of her, and she doesn't want to keep herself together anymore. Just for tonight, she wants to throw all caution to the wind, if only to belong to him fully. Just for tonight, she doesn't want to be the princess. She wants him; nothing more, nothing less. Just him.

Eugene is all that she's ever wanted, really. Practically from the day that she'd first met him, Eugene has trumped every other dream that Rapunzel possibly could've chased after. She would give all of it up, if only to have him.

And he would give all of it up, if only to have her. And Rapunzel's low, whispered begging is almost enough to get him off right on the spot; almost, but not quite. Eugene still has some of his wits about him (though they're waning fast, all thanks to her 'I need you inside of me' comment), and he's hell-bent on using them. Not because he doesn't feel the same, desperate, lustful way that she's clearly feeling right now; he does. But because he doesn't want to do something that she's going to regret in the morning.

Something that she's potentially not quite ready for yet, and something that would probably get her into big trouble. Something that they haven't discussed for a while now.

"Rapunzel, we've talked about this, you can't — oh, God..." Eugene trails off then, his rapidly-moving train of thought running itself right off the rails at the feeling of her soft hand as she reaches between them, stroking him gently, drawing him closer to the dripping, inviting place between her legs. "You ca… you can't… we can't –"

"I can't what?" Rapunzel breathes, looking up at him with wide, ever-curious eyes; not consciously trying to tease him, per say, but more so completely mesmerized by Eugene's reaction to her simple touch, loving the way that she can make him fall apart in her hands so easily.

"You can't… you can't say things like that, Sunshine." Eugene whimpers weakly, heavy eyes falling shut, trying his very best to focus on nothing but the feeling of her fingers pumping themselves around him as his head starts to spin dangerously fast.

Not good, not good, really not good. You're losing your head! She's making you lose all sense of doing the right thing. And that's never good, because you've been so great at doing the right thing lately –

"Why not?" Rapunzel questions quietly, genuinely curious.

"Because if you do, I'm going to do something stupid." He whispers back, opening his eyes to stare down at her, wanting to gauge her honest reaction.

Eugene tries so very hard to ignore how purely breathtaking she looks in the dancing firelight – all wide-eyed and trusting beneath him – a river of golden hair trailing off the bed, circling the mattress around them. The orange-ish light falls upon Rapunzel's face in the softest of hues, altogether reminiscent of the night in which he'd first fallen in love with her as she'd watched the lanterns circling all around their boat; she'd been completely awestruck by their light, while he'd been completely awestruck by hers.

And I could never, ever regret this. I could never not be ready for this with you. But maybe you will, and maybe you're not ready, and I don't want to fuck this up with you. I really don't want to fuck this up –

"I want you to do something stupid." The desperate princess quickly reassures him with a quick kiss, absolutely aching for him. "I want you. I want you, right now. Please. Eugene, please –"

Anchoring a steady hand above her head, Eugene attempts not to instinctually rock into her hand, not wanting to egg Rapunzel on (but more truthfully, really wanting to egg her on in spite of himself) as her tender fingers continue to stroke him softly.

"Rapunzel, I just don't know if you're ready yet. And I really feel like we should talk about this before we just —"

"Don't you want me?" She pulls away from him slightly then, suddenly unable to look at him, releasing her fingers from around him with an almost crestfallen look welling in the princess's eyes.

"Oh, of course I do! Of course I want you, Rapunzel." Eugene reassures her frantically, taking her hand in his and guiding Rapunzel's fingers to gently stroke him once more, as if to wordlessly prove exactly how hard he is for her. "I want you so bad, you have no idea. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life. I love you more than anything that I've ever loved! I do."

Sighing deeply, trying to swallow the burning ache in his chest, Eugene attempts to explain his concerns on the topic of lovemaking as delicately as possible, disheartened by (and wishing that he could slap himself for) the dejected look on her sweet, once-so-eager face.

"But Rapunzel... this really isn't stupid. Actually, this is a big deal, a very big deal! And I have to be sure that you're completely ready before —"

"I'm ready! Really, I am!"

She desperately grabs at his shoulder, arching her back ever-so-slightly in her state of desperation, pressing her yielding body tightly against his. Drawn forward by the sudden movement, the tip of his dick grazes at her wet center once more, and Eugene must bite back a pathetic moan, forcing himself to focus on the soft sound of Rapunzel's voice before he does something completely irrational and irreversible.

"Please, Eugene. I'm ready now, I promise! I promise that I am." And I never break my promises, ever. "You know that I would never say it if I didn't mean it!"

I know you wouldn't, but… I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to do something that you're not really ready for yet! I don't want to push you…

"Blondie, I just… I really think that we should talk about this –"

"We are talking about it. And I'm telling you that, if you're ready... I'm ready, too." Rapunzel tenderly runs her fingers through his fallen bang, lust-filled eyes pleading with him, the pure torture in her voice almost too much for the former thief to bear. "I'm ready. I want... Eugene, I want to feel this with you. I want to know everything. I want to show you how much I love you!"

"I already know how much you love me. I don't need to have sex with you in order for you to prove that to me." Eugene reasons, trying his damn hardest to keep his voice steady and believable; trying his best not to sway her decision one way or the other, trying not to give himself away completely. "You already have proven that, time and time again."

Rapunzel pouts her bottom lip at Eugene's unsatisfactory response, not entirely appreciating the insinuation hanging from his own lips as he presses his thumb to her mouth, trying to will the pout away, not wanting her to be angry with him. But it's too late, because she's already shooing his hand away, pleading with him all the more now.

"Neither do I. But that doesn't mean that I'm not ready now! It doesn't mean that I don't want to know what it's like to feel this with you, because I do." Scoffing with a slight shake of her head, Eugene registers the look in Rapunzel's eyes; the look that she gets when someone has wrongly underestimated her. "You know, just because I was in a tower for eighteen years, doesn't mean that I'm unable to understand my own desires! I want this, Eugene!"

He backpedals then, terrified that he's deeply offended her.

"Rapunzel, I never said that. That's not what I meant, and you know it. I just don't want to push you – "

"Well, it sure sounded that way." The young princess huffs, green eyes narrowed slightly at him as she stares Eugene down with the look of a woman who is determined to get what she wants. "I wish you would just believe me when I say that I'm ready."

"I do! I just… are you sure, Rapunzel? Because honestly, I can wait. We probably should —"

"I can't!" Rapunzel exclaims with a heavy, labored sigh, clearly frustrated with her unfruitful attempts to explain her scattered, overwhelming feelings in a way that will make sense to him, and even more frustrated by the growing, bottomless ache in her stomach. "I can't wait."

Eugene stares back at her in the midst of her outburst, his heart breaking a little at the sight as Rapunzel's bottom lip quivers pitifully, tears brimming her thick lashes as she looks up at him with such unconditional love in her eyes. Drenched in the passion of the moment, Eugene isn't quite sure how he's even come to deserve all of the love that she has to offer him. And he never wants to do anything to upset that love, to damage it forever, and doing this before she's completely ready very well could –

"Eugene, I almost lost you to that snowstorm a few weeks ago, and it's been eating me alive! I can't… I can't help it! I love you, I want you, and I want to prove to you how much you mean to me. I can't wait anymore. I just can't bear it." She pulls him down for a deep, passionate kiss, eyes lidded with a strange mixture of desire and sadness when Rapunzel pulls away to look at him again, her voice dropping to a shaky whisper. "Make love to me. Make me yours forever. I need to be yours forever, Eugene."

"Okay. Okay, Blondie. I hear you…" Overtaken by her emotional testimony, Eugene leans down, wrapping her up in his arms as if to shelter her from the rest of the cruel world, his head pounding from trying to hold back tears of his own. "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry that you've been so stressed out lately, I'm sorry that I went after your parents that day. I'm sorry. But I just wanted to help! And if I would've known that you would still feel this way, that it would still bother you this much, I never would've… I would've –"

You would've what? Stood by and done nothing? Allowed her to become a sad orphan, just like you?

But if I would've known that it would still be hurting her so much now, weeks later, maybe I shouldn't have been the one to go –

"I know! I know, I know… You just wanted to help me, I know that." Rapunzel reassures him, sobbing into Eugene's neck as she hugs him back even tighter, clinging shakily to his shoulders and running her fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I let you go! I'm so sorry for putting so much before you lately, for not making more time for you. It… it won't happen anymore, I promise."

Eugene pulls away so that he can look her in the eye, gently tracing the delicate curve of Rapunzel's jaw, though trying his best to keep his voice stern so that she knows how unnecessary her deep-seated guilt is.

"Hey… it's not your fault. You were just doing your job. I would never ask you to change that."

She looks away then, salty tears streaming down her cheeks, that pesky guilt reflecting back at him in the dancing firelight.

"Sometimes… sometimes I hate my job."

"Hey, it's all going to be okay." Eugene cups her face, tilting her chin slightly back, prompting Rapunzel to look him in the eye again.

The way that he looks at her now – almost like he's stunned, as though he's seeing her for the very first time – is enough to make the emotional princess want to cry even harder, moved by the pure love in Eugene's eyes, overtaken by the raw emotion in his quiet voice.

"You're doing what you've always been destined to do." He stares at her with such adoration gleaming in his gaze, and Rapunzel feels as though she may fall apart at the sound of Eugene's much-needed, soft reassurance. "It's okay. It's okay if that destiny means that I can't always come first. I love you for who you are, Princess. Not in spite of it."

"You really think so?" Rapunzel sniffs, wiping at her guilt-dripping nose, gratefully receiving the soft smile which he offers to her. "You really think that I'm destined to do this?"

"Are you kidding? I know so. You're the best princess there is!" Eugene smiles wider then, kissing Rapunzel's delicate nose and running a loving hand through her hair. "You were a princess worth waiting for. And I know that it's hard sometimes. I know that, if you choose to be queen, you're going to have to make decisions that you don't want to make. But I choose you, Rapunzel. I love you, and… and I want you. I want you so, so much."

Tears well in his own eyes as Eugene brushes away the crystal-like tears which have fallen to her soft cheeks, his heart breaking at the sight of Rapunzel's distraught face, wishing that he'd realized sooner just how much that day in which she'd been acting as queen has been eating away at her.

"I just… I don't want you to want this just because you feel guilty for letting me go that day. I wanted to go, you have to know that. I wanted to be useful, for you."

"I understand that. But Eugene…" Rapunzel breathes, shaking her head as though she were stunned herself by his loving response, returning his caress as she traces his jaw with a gentle hand. "That's just not true! I mean, sure, that day helped me to realize that I'm definitely ready for this, but…"

She leans up, kissing at his neck, the warm breath of her whispers causing Eugene's eyes to fall shut as she quietly explains herself between kisses.

"But I don't want this just because I almost lost you. I want this because I love you. Because I know you're the man that I'm going to love forever."

Rapunzel pulls away suddenly, abandoning his neck in favor of staring into Eugene's deep, brown eyes, her own eyes once again misting over with fresh tears, her heart threatening to swell and simply burst at the sight of his utterly handsome face in the golden firelight; his face, so achingly reminiscent of how he'd looked in the lantern light on their very first adventure together.

"Because I love you more than I've ever loved anything."

Eugene quickly brushes at her cheeks again with the pads of his thumbs, shaking his head as he stares into her eyes with such abundant affection.

"Hey, hey. No more tears, my sweet girl. You're here, and I'm here, and I'm okay. We're okay…" He whispers, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead with a shaky breath. "And if you're ready… if you're truly ready… then I'm ready, too. I love you, so much. And you love me, and…"

And I need to trust your word and your judgement just as much as you've always so faithfully trusted mine.

"And I'm more than ready. But only if you are."

"Really?" Rapunzel looks up at him, the guilt-laden despair in her eyes replaced with something much less burdened; something altogether hopeful.

"Really." Kissing Rapunzel's nose softly, Eugene grins down at her, hoping to lighten the dampened mood; not at all minding if their first time is emotional (as it rightfully should be), but not wanting it to be sodden with solemn feelings of guilt and shame, either. "I've wanted you for pretty much as long as I've known you, Princess. But I'm willing to wait for you, as long as it takes, and I need you to know that."

Giggling then, Rapunzel shakes her head slightly at Eugene's sudden seriousness, trying her best to playfully one-up him.

"I do know that. And I wanted you before I truly understood what it meant to want you."

With a jokingly egotistical tone, Eugene leans his head down, dragging his tongue softly across her exposed collarbone, latching his lips lewdly to her pulse point, feeling her hot need for him rushing there.

"Well, that's just because I'm so incredibly irresistible."

"So incredibly humble, too." Rapunzel teasingly rolls her eyes, lifting herself onto her elbows in order to more closely press her bare skin against his, her voice dropping to a whisper as she stares at Eugene's kissable lips once he's pulled them away from her neck. "And so incredibly perfect."

Unable to rip her eyes from his, Rapunzel doesn't realize that his fingers have found themselves between her thighs once more. One of them gently pushes itself inside of her, pushing Rapunzel to release a quiet moan as her gaze refuses to leave his face.

"Perfect is definitely number one on my list of qualities." Eugene toys with her, smile crooked, finger gently pumping inside of her as Rapunzel opens her mouth to playfully respond, assuming that he's keeping up their familiar banter. But his face grows entirely serious as he pulls the finger slowly from between her legs – watching her as she watches him – the look on her face letting Eugene know that she's completely mesmerized as he sucks his finger clean. "My list of your qualities, Sunshine."

Her face drops to the same level of seriousness and stark desire of his own, mouth left slightly ajar as Rapunzel watches him lick her taste from his finger.

"You didn't think I was talking about myself, did you?"

Rapunzel laughs breathlessly, amused by him. Though the laugh is short-lived, quickly replaced by a look of unintentional lust which simply can't be ignored, and Eugene just can't keep himself away from her any longer. He leans forward once more, this time capturing her lips, easing them into a slow, deep kiss. The princess can't help herself from moaning into his mouth, feeling almost touch-starved after several weeks of strange emotional and physical distance. Rapunzel gently tugs at the hair at the nape of his neck as Eugene holds one side of her own neck, keeping her steady beneath him. Eugene's fingers once again slip between her legs, one of them returning itself inside of her, hoping to determine her level of readiness for him. The passionate kiss breaks then, a panting, wide-eyed princess staring up at him, that same look of desperation from earlier in the evening crossing her beautiful face again.

"Now?" She inquires weakly, and Eugene honestly feels a little guilty for bringing her to beg; for forcing her to prove that she's ready when, clearly, she is (though a large part of him – a bad part of him – likes to hear the begged request as it falls languidly from her mouth).

"Please say yes."

Please tell me now. Tell me that you want me now, tell me that I don't have to wait anymore. Tell me that you can't wait anymore, either. Tell me that I'm old enough, and that I've been out of the tower long enough, and that I'm ready… that you love me enough for this…

Let me give all of myself to you.

Eugene reaches forward to gently brush away the hair that's fallen into Rapunzel's face, leaning in to kiss at her lips, her cheeks, her jaw, and slowly making his way to her ear, speaking into it low and gentle.

"I'm ready now. Are you ready now?"

"Y-yes…" His voice, it's too much… I want him so badly! I've always wanted him! "Yes. Yes, I'm ready."

She pathetically whimpers into his mouth as he pulls her in for another heated kiss, positioning himself more comfortably between her legs, preparing himself to surely intertwine their hearts for the rest of their lives – if they weren't already unbearably intertwined anyway, the physical aspect of their relationship aside.

Eugene feels her sudden, unignorable rush of nervousness as Rapunzel tenses against him, clinging to his shoulders as though he were a life preserver, she the rocking boat that were about to sink to the bottom of the raging sea. He stares at her for a long time, trying hard to ignore the ache in his dick, trying to put aside his own desires long enough to effectively gauge hers.

"Are you sure about this, Rapunzel?"

"I'm sure, Eugene. I've never been surer of anything." Rapunzel quickly reassures him with a chaste kiss on the lips, an undetectable look overtaking her expression. "I'm just… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm just a little…" She looks up at him with immensely curious, lust-filled, nervous eyes, and he would die for her in a heartbeat; he would die for that look, over and over again if he had to. "Scared."

"Hey, don't say sorry." Eugene demands of her sternly, lovingly pushing fallen strands of hair behind Rapunzel's ear. "Don't say sorry for that. It's okay to be scared. We'll just… we'll go slow. We're going to take things really slowly, okay? I'll be gentle."

"I know. I know, I'm sorry." Don't say sorry. "I'm sorry… ugh! I'm sorry for saying sorry!"

Eugene pulls back, staring at her closely, trying to gauge Rapunzel's emotions as well as he can through the lustful fog; always better at reading her than anyone else, so keenly aware of her anxious ticks.

"We don't have to do this, Rapunzel. Really, we don't. I can wait. We should wait." He rambles on, absolutely terrified that he's pushed her beyond what she's ready for. "Waiting would be the right thing to do. Yes. We should wait until we're married, or at least until you're a little older, and then —"

The always-determined princess's eyes narrow at the notion of 'when you're older', though her face immediately softens, understanding where he's coming from; understanding that Eugene doesn't mean to be condescending in any way. He simply doesn't want to push her too fast. Rapunzel knows that, and she loves that about him. She always has.

But I don't want to be older! I've been told 'when you're older, you'll understand' for my entire life… I want to understand this now, with him! I want to understand because of him!

"No! No, I'm ready… please. Please, Eugene, I'm ready tonight. I want you so badly. I love you. I'm just..." She caresses her hair — a horribly nervous habit of hers – unable to look him directly in the eye, seemingly very embarrassed about something suddenly. "I just know that it's supposed to hurt the first time, and I just... I'm just a little afraid about that part, I guess. I don't really know what to expect."

Tentatively (not afraid that he might laugh at her, but afraid that she might be wrong), Rapunzel looks to Eugene once more, a curious mixture of nerves and trust boring deeply into him.

"But I'm not afraid of doing this with you, or afraid that I'm not ready. I know that I am."

Eugene gives her a reassuring smile, slowly reaching for Rapunzel's fingers, not wanting to startle her.

"Here. Take my hand, Blondie. Don't you let go of my hand, okay?" Rapunzel watches as he intertwines their fingers together, squeezing her palm within his own, wanting nothing more than to console the fearful look in her eyes. "It's okay to be scared."

A serious expression etched across his face, Eugene's voice drops to a shaky whisper as they stare at one another – hard – the sexual tension and unconditional love between them so painfully powerful.

"I'm scared."

Rapunzel's eyebrows shoot up at this, completely surprised, and she leans forward to caress his face gently. The intimacy of the moment is almost too much for the both of them to bear, because they fully understand that she never has (and never again will) experienced this deep level of intimacy with anyone else; they fully understand that he hasn't either, and never again will. Not after her.

"Why are you scared?"

I didn't think that you were afraid of anything. You've done this before, you know what to expect, you –

"Because it's going to absolutely kill me to hurt you, and I never cared about things like that before you." Eugene reasons honestly, wanting to let her know that she isn't alone in her feeling completely excited for this, yet also completely terrified at the same time. "But I know that everything is going to be okay, because I have you here with me. And you have me, always. I really don't want to hurt you, but I have to, just a little. Only if you're completely sure that you're ready for this."

Rapunzel nods gently, understanding, looking up at him with an overwhelming amount of trust in her eyes as Eugene intertwines their fingers even tighter and places their conjoined hands beside her head.

"I'm sure. I'm so, completely sure."

"Then it'll be just like this, just like our hands." Eugene squeezes her small hand against his palm, trying his best to reassure Rapunzel that, whatever she decides when push comes to shove, he will support her; whether she truly is ready for this or not, he will stand by her all the way through. "We'll become one, just like this. And it might hurt a little at first, but it won't feel that way forever."

We'll become one…

Rapunzel looks up at him with wide, amazed eyes, relief washing over her face, obviously having not fully considered such a thing; having been aware of the inevitable pain which would accompany losing her virginity to him, but not fully aware of how long that pain would actually last.

"Really?"

"Really, really." Eugene props himself up onto his elbows in order to look at her fully, gently brushing a stray lock of blonde hair away from her face with his free hand, tenderly tucking it behind her ear. "It won't hurt every time, not after tonight. Just for a little while, I promise. And then… well, then it'll be the best thing that you've ever felt in the entire world. It'll be like…"

He smiles a little then, a lopsided grin that he just can't help, and Eugene can't keep himself from smiling even wider at how positively soft he's gone since meeting her; and he wouldn't want it any other way.

"It'll be like we're connected forever."

"Forever…" Rapunzel breathes, liking the sound of it; liking the sound of anything that has to do with him and the rest of her life.

She looks up at Eugene nervously again, those green eyes threatening to send him straight off the deep end, treading water past the point of no return.

"But what if… I mean, what if I'm not…" With a small sigh, Rapunzel traces a finger along his chest, drawing little, invisible hearts there against his skin, as if to distract herself from her own reservations – no matter how insignificant they may seem. "What if I'm not any good at it?"

Eugene can't help but chuckle at Rapunzel's adorable expression of concern. Not because he's laughing at her, but mostly because the notion feels entirely impossible in his mind.

"You don't have to be good at it, Blondie. It's just me and you, and no one else is here to judge you. Your body will know exactly what to do. And on the off-chance that it doesn't," He leans forward to kiss her gently, hoping to quell her worrisome, self-conscious thoughts. "I'll help you. I promise that I will. We're doing this together, and I don't expect you to have it all figured out yet."

And I'm so lucky to be the one to teach you…

"Okay…"

With a lowered voice and gentle hand, Eugene caresses the inside of her thigh, nudging at her softly.

"Spread your legs for me, Sunshine. That's my girl. Just try to relax." She does, trying her best to soften her tensed body under his delicate touch. "Think you can do that for me? Just relax?"

I would do anything for you…

Nodding, Rapunzel closes her eyes, bracing herself against him with a deep, steady intake of his scent, trying her honest best to calm the anxious pounding in her chest; trying desperately to calm the butterflies rapidly spreading their wings in her stomach, over and over again.

"I think so."

"Okay. Okay." Eugene takes a deep breath as well, trying his best to quell his own nerves. "Listen, I'm going to push myself inside of you just a little, okay? And it's probably going to hurt at first, but it won't last forever, I promise. And if you want to stop at any point at all, you have to tell me. We can stop at any time. This is all about you, Sunshine." He leans forward, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "We really don't have to do this today if you're not ready. We have the rest of our lives for this stuff. Alright?"

"Alright." Rapunzel whispers, trying to focus on his gentle touch and the soft crackling of the fire beside them.

"Promise me that you'll tell me if you want to stop or if something hurts too much for you."

"I promise."

"Hey." He caresses the soft curve of her face then, watching as Rapunzel's eyes flutter open to give him her full attention as he speaks, her soft gaze falling upon him. Eugene swears that he's never seen anything so perfect in his entire life, and knows that he never will again. "It'll only hurt for a little while. But after that, it'll feel so good, for both of us. All you have to do is trust me."

Eugene leans down to press his lips to hers, once again praying that the action will calm her tense nerves.

"I trust you." Rapunzel stares up at him once the kiss breaks, her voice dropping to a shaky, raspy whisper as the anticipation of the moment becomes nearly too much to bear, her legs shaking around him. "I'll always trust you. I love you." She kisses him between each confirmation, just as desperate to make him understand her readiness and impatience as he is to calm her down. "I want you. I want you now."

And that's all that he needs to hear.

Painfully slow, Eugene pushes himself inside of her, sucking in a sharp breath as he feels her warm wetness tense impulsively around his dick.

"Oh, God." He can't help it. He can't help the expletives which fall from his mouth, because he's been dreaming about this moment for months. Eugene tries his best to keep his voice low, tucking his nose into her neck, not wanting to highlight his own pleasure when he knows that Rapunzel is likely in pain. "Fuck."

One of his arms shelters her above the head, propping him up enough to remain steady as he leans over her. The other is still entangled with hers, squeezing Rapunzel's fingers tightly in the palm of his hand, her own nose buried in his shoulder. Eugene wills himself not to give in to this perfect feeling too quickly – wills himself not to move, but rather, to stay perfectly still inside of her – not wanting to hurt Rapunzel any more than he probably already has.

But, in spite of himself, his voice comes out entirely strangled, as though he were in some sort of undetectable pain. Eugene kicks himself, because he knows that she'll worry about him, and he doesn't want that. For the first time in his entire life, he doesn't want this to be about him.

"You okay, Sunshine? Just tell me to stop and we will."

Despite his loyal promises to draw himself out of Rapunzel if she finds herself in too much pain to continue, Eugene silently prays that she isn't, because she quite literally feels like home. This is it; there's nothing that will ever come after her, and he no longer has the slightest capacity to remember anything that came before. Nowhere is ever going to feel like home for him again. Not after tonight. Because here, between her legs, everything about her… she is home. Everything that she is, its home for him, and always will be. More than any building ever was, more than any other person ever could've been.

And maybe Eugene had already known that, but tonight shall only confirm the beautiful notion. Tonight, they shall be intertwined forever, once and for all.

"I… I'm okay. I'm okay." Rapunzel reassures him as she pulls away from his shoulder, promising that she's alright in spite of the pained, twisted look on her face. Wanting to look at him, she forces her eyes open, desperate to know what he's feeling in the heightened moment. "Are you okay, Eugene?" She asks of him then, her eyebrows pushed together in selfless concern.

Rapunzel hadn't thought that men found pain in intercourse as women do, but Eugene sure looks as though he were in it now. The thought worries her deeply, causing Rapunzel to wonder if the union is at all uncomfortable for him as she tries to fight back the tears of her own pain.

"Yeah. Yeah, Blondie, I'm alright. It's just..." He hangs his head against her shoulder again, as though he's completely spent already, wrapping her up tightly in both arms. "You're so... you're just so tight, and perfect, and I love you, and you just feel so fucking good. So much better than I could've imagined, and I just…" Eugene takes a labored breath, chest heaving against hers. "I don't want to move, because I might hurt you, and I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have –"

"You can move." Rapunzel whispers in his ear to cut off his concerned rambling, tenderly caressing Eugene's face as she pulls away to look at him again, staring up at her love with such pure, overwhelming adoration in her eyes. "I'll be okay, really."

Giggling a little, Rapunzel draws a fallen part of his bang away from his face, trying her best to convince him of her readiness as Eugene looks down at her with a broken skepticism; part of him wanting to believe her – wanting to feel more of her, to give her more of himself – and part of him so desperate not to hurt her, but knowing that it's inevitable.

"I'm okay, Eugene, I promise. It just… it just pinches a little, but you can keep going. It'll only hurt for a little while." She smiles softly at him, repeating his own, consoling words back to him, though she grabs onto his bicep as he prepares himself to move inside of her. "Just… just be gentle, okay?"

Smiling back at her, Eugene caresses Rapunzel's face in kind, the look in his eyes no less adoring than the look in hers.

"I wouldn't dream of being anything else, Sunshine. I promise."

I couldn't be anything else right now, not with you… because I'm literally so in love with you that it actually hurts.

So many promises being made tonight; the kind of promises that they're both dying to keep for the rest of their lives.

Tentatively, Eugene pulls himself from her, pausing only when the tip of his dick has returned to the warmth of her inviting entrance, slowly burying himself inside of her again. He moves incredibly slow; so slow, in fact, that he can feel every inch of her pulsing around him, every soft layer of her as Rapunzel tenses against his shaking body, the slowness of it all almost too much for him to take. It's enough to make Eugene hang his head, quietly groaning into her neck. He trails his lips up Rapunzel's throat, sucking gently and leaving soft kisses there as he whispers loving words to her and buries himself deeper inside of her, just barely.

"You're so perfect… you're so, so perfect, Blondie. God, I'm so fucking lucky. I'm so… I'm so lucky that I found you."

You're literally fucking a princess, you lucky son-of-a-bitch. The princess who you stole that stupid ass, worthless crown from, and the love of your life, no less! How on earth did you even come to deserve this, any of this? You had nothing once, but now you have everything. She is everything, and –

"Some days, I still can't believe that you found me." Rapunzel breathes against his lips, dragging him down for a passionate, fiery kiss. "I'm the lucky one. You saved me. You saved me, Eugene Fitzherbert, and you're my hero."

At her sweet display of devotion, Eugene pants with a short laugh; a laugh which is promptly cut off when she purposefully rocks her hips against his.

"You saved me. Let's just get that straight. You saved me, Blondie."

Eugene quickens his pace only a little, realizing that she's completely relaxed beneath him. The once-twisted look of pain on her face having left her completely, Rapunzel wraps her legs tighter around Eugene's waist as she grinds herself against him, urging him on now.

"Are you okay?" Despite her clear shift in body language, he still wants to be entirely sure.

"Uh huh. It doesn't…" Releasing a delicate moan as Eugene tentatively pushes himself even deeper inside of her, trying his best to still remain gentle, Rapunzel reassures him of her own building pleasure. "It doesn't hurt so much anymore. It feels… it feels good. I feel good, you feel good. Mmm… you feel so, so good, Eugene. I knew that you would feel so good inside of me."

Flattered, Eugene chuckles again at her rambling, mirroring his own desire to ramble in the emotional, ecstasy-induced moment.

"Eugene, I want…" Rapunzel pants against his lips as she rocks into him, drawing Eugene in for a series of long, hot kisses before finishing her desperate thought. "I want more. Show me more."

"Here. Why don't you ride me?" Rolling them in one, fluid motion, Eugene suggests the switch in position with a clear fondness for it in his voice. "That way, you can be the one to control how deep you want me to go."

"Ride… you want me to ride you?" Rapunzel asks as she looks down between them, confused, having never heard the lewd term until now.

Like… like how you would ride a horse? Like… like Flynn Rider? Wait a minute –

Rapunzel braces herself on her hands, palms flat against his chest, thoroughly enjoying the sensation and the feeling of… the feeling of power and control – something which she's never been given a whole lot of in her life – which comes with being on top of him like this.

Control. Its something that she's never had, something that Eugene is now handing over to her so willingly, entrusting her with his pleasure completely.

Tonight, Rapunzel is finally beginning to understand. After weeks of wanting this, she is beginning to get it. She is beginning to understand why this sex thing is such a big deal after all, and why Eugene had needed her to be completely ready. Nothing in the world is quite like this feeling of giving your whole self – your entire soul – to another person. Nothing is comparable.

"Here, I'll help you." Eugene chuckles slightly at her curious, intrigued expression, gently grasping her hips in his hands and urging them forward. "Now just… uh huh. Just like that, Blondie."

"Am I… am I doing this right?" Giggling nervously, Rapunzel pushes her hips back before mimicking the forward push that he'd guided her into only moments before.

Letting out a breathless laugh, Eugene closes his eyes momentarily, a goofy smile plastered across his face. He laughs, as if the very notion that she couldn't be doing this right is completely ridiculous to him. His amber eyes flutter open suddenly, wanting so desperately to watch her, jaw falling slack as Rapunzel adjusts the angle of her hips just slightly, boring down onto him just a little harder.

"You're a natural. You're so beautiful, and you're doing so good. You're doing… you're doing perfect, Blondie. So perfect..."

"Oh… I love you, Eugene." She half pants, half whimpers the delicate admittance of affection, caressing his jaw with ghostly thumbs, bouncing harder on his dick as he thrusts up into her, finding their rhythm together. "I love you... I love you. So much."

Her accelerated bouncing causes a low whimper to escape from his throat as well, a newfound warmth pooling between her legs at the very sound, loving that she could do that to him. Eugene's fingers wrap around Rapunzel's wrists as she caresses either side of his face, holding her hands there and pulling her gently down to him once more.

"Kiss me." He begs, voice bordering desperate, needing to feel her in every possible way with the fear that he's going to fall apart in her hands if he doesn't. "Kiss me forever."

Marry me! Marry me, and kiss me for the rest of my life.

His sudden, urgent desperation sends a new wave of desire through Rapunzel, inspiring her to seat herself fully, taking all of him inside of her, grinding as deeply as she can. She watches, mesmerized, as Eugene's head falls back onto the pillows, a low groan escaping his lips, fingers gripping her hips tight.

"Sun... oh, fuck... Sunshine..."

"Fuck." Rapunzel repeats with a tentative smile, stilling her movements. Ever-curious, and ever the good student; having heard the word from him plenty of times before, but not quite in this context.

Eugene chuckles breathlessly, looking her in the eye to confirm her correct usage of the dirty word as Rapunzel slows her deep grinding, looking curiously at him.

"Fuck." He grabs at her hips once more, pulling her forward, Rapunzel's big, green eyes staring down at him almost becoming too much for Eugene to handle, unsure of how long he's going to be able to hold out. "Me."

The princess can't help but moan herself, loving the sound of the lewd demand as it leaves his lips; loving the feeling of him inside of her as he once again guides her into an easy rhythm.

He was right! He's always right about these things, so why was I so worried? My body always knows exactly what to do with him… it always has.

Feeling a little more brave, Rapunzel smiles mischievously, rolling herself onto her back once more, pulling Eugene on top of her and giving him a dark, unmoving look.

"But I wanted you to fuck me."

Surprised at first by her courage (then remembering that she's Rapunzel, and that she never lacks courage for very long), Eugene grins himself, nuzzling her nose gently before drawing her in for a passionate, tongue-tangled kiss.

"Oh, I can fuck you, Princess." Trailing his lips along her exposed neck, Eugene promises to do just that as he finds his own rhythm again. "I can fuck you all. Night. Long."

Rapunzel releases a strangled cry at his words as their hips meet, Eugene's quickened pace bringing his dick to the deepest part of her.

"You're just so warm. Sunshine, you're so..." He wants to pull at her hair, but doesn't want to hurt her any more than he surely already has tonight. So instead, Eugene settles for the pillow resting beneath Rapunzel's head, gripping it hard. "God, you're so warm, and tight, and you're perfect, and —"

He's rambling now, and he doesn't even care. He doesn't care about self-control, he doesn't care about being suave. He doesn't care about any of it. He doesn't care about any of the pointless things that he used to care so deeply about; things like being filthy rich, all alone on an island somewhere.

And he never will care again, because he's going to marry her. He's going to marry her, and she's going to have his babies, and he's never, ever going to leave her. And that is all that Eugene Fitzherbert cares about now.

She is all that he cares about.

"And I'm yours." Rapunzel whispers against his lips, finishing his rambling for him, claiming Eugene's mouth with her own as he fucks her hard into the mattress. "I'm yours, forever."

"Forever…" He confirms, loving the feeling of the word on his tongue; mostly because it's always going to be attached to her.

Capturing Rapunzel's lips in a heated kiss once more, hands running themselves all over her body, Eugene tries desperately to reassure himself that she's real. Their skin drenched in sweat by the raging fire, she arches up into him, taking him in as deeply as she can. He reaches between them, gently rubbing at the bundle of nerves between her legs – not wanting this to end, ever – but simultaneously really wanting to see the look on Rapunzel's face when she finally falls apart in his hands; something that she's done so many times before, just not in this perfect, special way.

"Oh, Eugene… Eugene, I'm gonna... I'm gonna — oh..."

"Just let go, sweetheart." He pants, chasing her climax, as well as his own. "Cum with me."

His voice! His voice, asking me that, it's too much! I can't –

And there it is.

She falls from the edge of the cliff then, allowing herself to be pushed from the precipice of pleasure that she's been clinging onto by the very tips of her fingers. Rushing, molten desire drenches all around him, pulsing onto his dick in heated waves of mind-numbing goodness. And between the look on her face and the feeling of her tightening like a vice grip around him, it's too much for Eugene to bear himself, and he cums with her, just as he'd so badly wanted.

Rapunzel's head is tilted back, one hand gripping the hair at the nape of his neck, the other fisting the sheet which is covering the mattress until her knuckles turn white. She rides out her orgasm all the while, hips moving in sloppy circles against his, desperate to feel every inch of him inside of her as she cums.

"Eugene... Eugene! Eugene, Eugene…"

"Yeah, Sunshine?" He asks, slightly amused by her mindless rambling, and completely in love with the way that his real name sounds as it falls from her lips; completely in love with the way that no one else has ever moaned it for him before her.

The weight of that knowledge alone is almost enough to make Eugene burst into tears. But he doesn't, not wanting her to worry; not wanting Rapunzel to think that anything else has ever, ever been better than this exact moment in his entire life. Because, frankly, it hasn't.

"I'm... fuck... I'm cumming so hard right now." Rapunzel whimpers, writhing beneath him with reckless abandon, looking as though she might cry herself.

"Of course you are." Eugene smirks down at her, happy to take full credit for her infrequent use of improper, dirty words. "Did you really expect anything different?"

"Don't… be… cocky." She presses a spent finger to his chest, falling back into the pillows as her thighs tighten around him one last time, giving Eugene the perfect opportunity to lean forward, kissing at her jaw as they come down together.

A small, weak moan escapes Rapunzel's lips, chest heaving against his, legs shaking as they both pant uncontrollably.

"Seriously, though." Eugene looks to her with a stern expression, hoping to the heavens that he hadn't hurt her too much, despite her seeming to have thoroughly enjoyed herself. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… I'm okay." Rapunzel releases a breathy laugh, pulling Eugene in for a hug with tired arms, but quickly releasing him as her face lights up, as though she's only just now registering the special significance of what's happened – what's changed – between them. "I'm more than okay! I'm amazing, actually! I've never felt so happy, so… so loved –"

Eugene cuts off her adorable rambling with a well-received kiss, still feeling as though she hasn't had quite enough of him as Rapunzel responds enthusiastically to his affection.

"Well, that was my intention, sweetheart."

"So…" Rapunzel grins, tracing the strong curve of his jaw with a mischievous look shining in her eyes. "We're going to do it again tonight, right?"

Wrapping her up in his arms and rolling himself beneath her, Eugene can't help but smirk back as he reaches up to run his fingers along the sides of her perfect face, praying that they've finally moved past the clear guilt that she's been experiencing for weeks. He's quite positive now that they have, and even more positive that he's never going to want to leave this cabin.

"Whatever you want, Princess. Whatever you want."

AN: I really enjoyed writing this one-shot, and I hope that you guys enjoyed reading it. Honestly, I don't have a set in stone headcanon about when New Dream's first time together was. I assume that, if it hadn't happened before they left Corona (which it very well could have, seeing as they're so deeply in love), it perhaps had happened for the first time after the whole Stalyan debacle of Beyond the Corona Walls.

Either way, it's difficult to pinpoint when their first time was, so I enjoy taking the liberty to explore the different times and places in which it could've happened. I felt that, as far as Season 1 goes, the events following Queen for a Day seemed to be a more realistic time than any. And so, Until We Freeze was born, and I really hope that you've enjoyed it. Please let me know if you did, because your comments are so appreciated. As always, thank you so much for reading!

And to my Killing Me Slowly readers: I hope to be back with you very soon! Now that this one-shot has been completed, Chapter 25 of KMS will be my next project. Eugene needs to get on a boat and save his girl, now doesn't he?