A/N: Back when we first got that teaser/reveal clip of Baby Moana playing around with the seashell and ocean, my husband was like, instantly in actual tears, at how cute she is, and how he so wants a baby asap. It also happened to be around the time I saw some clip of Zachary Levi talking about how he admired Tom Hanks' performance near the end of Forrest Gump, when he first meets his son. (NerdHQ 2016 I guess.) And maybe even around the time of an influx of dad!Eugene art? So, this popped out.
And I dug it back out thanks to the Tangled WIP posts going around tumblr lately. Short one-shot. More notes at the end.
Someone's Waiting for You
Eugene turned down a hallway, toward the throne room. He had lost track of Rapunzel earlier in the day, but expected he might find her there, greeting visitors as was usual around this time. He had just finished some meetings of his own, and hoped to join her. After all, he knew that visitors were often just as curious about him, but he really just wanted to be with her.
He was barely a third of the way down the lengthy corridor, when lo and behold, at the other end, Rapunzel rounded the corner. His face lit up before he knew it. Although, Rapunzel was stooped over as she walked, holding the hand of a little girl. She looked down at her as she quietly but excitedly spoke to her about where they were going. Something about Prince Eugene.
Eugene paused. "Ah-." He stood up straight, hands behind his back, til he was noticed.
Rapunzel looked up at the noise he had made. Her face lit up as well. "Oh, look! Here he is now!"
He grinned widely, and continued toward them. Oddly enough, he noticed the little girl take a tiny step back and clutch Rapunzel's skirts in one hand, while still holding her hand in the other, pressed up to her pouty lips. Even so, he could see how cute the little girl was, if a little shy. Her short dark brown hair curled in cowlicks all over, complementing her dark tan complexion. A daisy chain necklace lay atop her homespun dress of tans and soft coral, plain in style but patterned with swirls. Her big brown eyes stayed locked on Eugene.
He simply assumed she was either starstruck in meeting the celebrities they had become, or perhaps fixated on the way the gold thread and satin of his purple doublet shimmered in the bright sunlight from the soaring windows lining this hall as he walked past them. He shot Rapunzel a dashing smirk with cocked brows, sparking a blush fire from her as well, before he finally knelt in front of the little girl.
"Hey there, Little Princess!" he cooed sweetly. "What's your name?"
"Angelica," she mumbled automatically, as if she'd been grilled too much about it already recently.
"Angelica, hm? Aw, wow, I've never met a real live angel before!"
She blushed and scrunched her face up in a huge grin. She pulled Rapunzel's skirts in both hands now, holding the fabric up like a curtain, but peeping her eyes out.
Rapunzel and Eugene both giggled at her antics.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"Four…" she answered, routinely again.
"Four?! You gonna be starting school soon?"
She shook her head, looking embarrassed or disappointed herself.
"No?" Eugene fell back to easier, happier questions. "Well and so I see you've already met Princess Rapunzel."
She nodded.
"Isn't she sweet?"
She nodded again, with a small glance up at Rapunzel.
"And do you know my name?" Eugene pointed to his chest.
She turned sad and shook her head this time.
Eugene chuckled. "It's alright. My name is Eugene." He held his hand out for hers, which she gave, and they shook. "Nice to meet you!"
"Hello, um, Mr. Eugene."
He laughed a little, then, with a rehearsed face, he tugged her hand towards himself, centering her anxious attention fully on him. "Oh, but didn't the Princess tell you?" he smirked mischievously, "I used to be the notorious thief, Flynn Rider!" At that, he snatched her nose with his other hand, to presumably hold up in front of her, enclosed in his fist. "Hah-HAH!" he mock-gloated.
She gasped in shock, as both hands flew to cover where her nose had been. When she felt it still there, however, she looked down at her hands, still confused. Then, something else dawned on her. "Oh!" She looked back to Eugene and pointed. "You're Prince Flynn!"
Eugene held his smile, but his brow furrowed. "Prince Flynn? Not quite," he chuckled, "But I-"
"Mommy used to talk about you!"
"Your mommy?" Eugene repeated, genuinely baffled. He glanced up to Rapunzel for an explanation, but she only returned a sad and concerned look. Eugene gulped and looked back to Angelica, who was now staring at the floor, sullen. "Oh, Angelica, I'm sorry-"
"Eugene," Rapunzel interrupted, then with a deep breath, shakily continued. "Angelica, 'Prince Flynn' here, is actually soon-to-be-Prince Eugene. And he's your daddy."
Both sets of brown eyes darted to Rapunzel, then back to each other. Angelica just waited, patient, not knowing what to expect, but seemingly expecting nothing.
Eugene's heart thudded as a chill washed over him. Suddenly, this adorable little girl was not merely cute. She was the most beautifully perfect child he had ever laid eyes on. Simply the most exquisite, precious being ever. Just like that, her wide eyes and uncertain frown, took over his heart, and his world.
"Angelica," he said again, carefully, breathlessly. "That's beautiful." He reached out for her shoulders, to pull her close. "C'mere, it's okay," he whispered.
She caved in and fell into his embrace, hiding her face again on one side of his chest.
He winced as he clutched her. With closed eyes, he ran a hand through her curly hair, pressing her to him. "It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay, Don't you worry." He lifted his head back to Rapunzel to quietly question. "She's my-...?" He did not want it to be true; did not want this poor child to be stuck with no mother and him as a father.
Rapunzel smiled again, choking a little herself, and nodded. "She's your daughter. When her mother passed, she was brought to the orphanage, then the sisters brought her here, just now. When they told me, I cancelled everything else."
He gulped, her future that almost had been running through his mind, so frightfully similar to what his own had already been. He closed his eyes, and tears were immediately pressed out. He sniffled, but pulled her away, holding her entire upper arms in his large hands, to look her in the eye as he swore to her. "Don't you worry about school, or anything, okay? I know you must miss your mommy, but I promise you, Angelica, I will take care of you. Okay? I'll take care of you. No matter what."
Angelica avoided his intense gaze, but nodded, a little sad, but still pretty closed off.
"We will take care of you," Rapunzel added pointedly.
"Blondie," Eugene gasped, hopelessly.
"Angelica," Rapunzel bent down to address her. "Why don't you take Pascal over to the windows down there? You can see around the corner better and see the town and sea from there!"
She carefully accepted Pascal, and slowly tottered down the hall, to climb up on a bench to see out the window.
Rapunzel stood up first, while Eugene hung his head a moment longer before joining her. He turned to watch her, unable to take his eyes off her. "I was 23… I had no idea- she never… Well, I guess I never saw her again-..." He bit his lips, guiltily embarrassed.
"Eugene," Rapunzel sympathized, taking his arm.
But he jerked away and faced her. "Rapunzel, you can't do this. I can't put this on your family. We're not married yet- I can just take her and go. No one has to know, and you can just-"
"EUgene," Rapunzel grabbed his shoulders to shake him. "You, and that sweet girl, are not going anywhere. Do you hear me?"
He locked his terrified, floundering eyes with her determinedly set ones. "I- I don't even remember who…" he confessed with another sob.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is she's here now." She tried to hold his crossed arms.
"No," he backed away again, throwing a finger down to point. "I should have been there."
"You're the one always telling me I can't change the past-"
"But I could have helped- I could have- done something…"
"Eugene. There is nothing you could've done. She died of TB, caught in the winter. They had a good home-" She reached again.
Again he backed up, pointing at himself, tears and rage and guilt choking him. "And I could have been a good father."
Rapunzel finally retreated to cocking her hips with her hands on them, scowling at him. "And what would Flynn Rider have done? On the run with a child?"
He paused, then finally shook his head and shrugged.
Rapunzel changed her tone back again. She snatched his left hand in hers, which he finally allowed and even squeezed back, then she wiped his hot tear-streaked cheek with her other hand. "Now what can Prince Eugene do for her?"
He sighed heavily, catching his breath and calming down. His eyes fell to his boots. "What about your parents? They're basically adopting me. I'm already- 'Kingdom's Greatest Thief, next in line!' What about when they find out I already have a kid?"
Rapunzel listened, but was rather bemused. "My parents also missed out on my whole childhood. Don't you think they'd love having a little granddaughter already?"
They both looked back to her.
Eugene smiled again, and shrugged. "How could you not love her?"
Angelica and Pascal were comparing tongue sizes, with Pascal being a really good sport.
They both chuckled at the sight.
Eugene took Rapunzel's hands in his and looked back to her alone. "And what about you?"
She smiled brightly again. "I think she's wonderf-"
"I mean," he paused while he wet his lips and thought, hesitating. "It was me and another woman…" He stared deep into her eyes, offering his own up for judgement.
"Eugene," Rapunzel switched from solemn to smirking. "Four years ago, I was 15. We hadn't met yet. If Flynn Rider hadn't tried to hide in my tower, we may never have found each other. And even if she were still here," she thumbed over his fingers, "I know you love me."
He pulled her into a tight embrace. "I do. I love you so much. And thank you."
She pulled down on his shoulders, grounding him there. "I love you, too. And I've always believed you'll make a wonderful father." Still in each other's arms, they turned back towards her again.
Eugene leaned his forehead down on Rapunzel's as they watched her. "And we'll both love her."
A/N: Sooo… I had never even bothered typing this up out of my notebook before, because, while I know I kept her looking the same, and clearly it's NOT ACTUALLY a Moana crossover, just mainly based on her - I worried that it might still count as whitewashing ½ her parentage? And I just don't want to upset anyone. But I really don't know. This is just the couple I love writing trouble for, and then just fell in love with this baby character reveal.
Although, with it brought to my attention again yesterday, I started thinking back to the IRL thing that just was in the news again with the British Royal Family, so I figured, yeah, this is probably better than it is worse.
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