Content warning: dead body and homophobia

Cass inspected me closely, making me turn one full circle for her with my arms sticking out. "Hmm… you're taller than me so this is a little short on you. But nothing terribly indecent."

"Are you sure it's alright for me to borrow your dress? And your shoes?" I asked again, putting my arms down. I stood in a pair of smart black shoes which sported the tiniest of heels. Anything taller and I was sure to fall over. The dress itself was fairly plain with a lacy trim at the hem and shoulders. There was a slit that came up to my mid thigh.

"Yes, of course. You need to wear black for this sort of stuff for a wake, all black. Jeans wouldn't cut it." Cass was wearing a similar black dress, just of a different cut which made her look slightly more modest. "Oh, here. I have one more thing for you. Sit down." She sat me down in front of her vanity, my short hair in the mirror still freaking me out a little. Her fingers were nimble as she smoothed out my hair with a comb, pinning it back in places to make it look a little neater. Finally, she placed a black hairband in my hair, complete with a black flower made of lace. Her hands rested on my shoulders as she admired her handiwork in the mirror. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I replied, a blush spreading across my cheeks. "That's the first time anyone's said that."

Knock knock.

"Come in!" Cass called, smoothing out her dress as her bedroom door creaked open. Tadashi and Hiro came in wearing matching black trousers, black button down shirts and black dress shoes. Boy, didn't we look like such a cheery bunch?

"Ready to go?" Tadashi asked. I nodded wordlessly, getting up and making my way past them, towards Cass' car. They followed behind me and I sat myself in the backseat, immediately fixing my gaze on some far off point to avoid eye contact with them. Was I really doing this? Going to see the woman who caused me so much pain and hurt? Shake it off, Rapunzel. What's the worst that could happen?

No one said a word the entire journey. Looking back, it must have been hard for them to go to another wake, after what happened to Cass' sister and brother-in-law. These things are never easy, I guess. For me, my stomach felt like a knot of rope, my throat felt scratchy, my palms were sweaty. The only thing that kept me grounded was the knowledge that I wasn't alone.

Cass parked in front of some funeral parlor, the name long forgotten somewhere in a distant memory. Through the winding corridors we ventured until we came across a plain wooden door, with a photograph of Aunt Gothel on it. It read "In loving memory of Gothel Corona." Suddenly, I felt a warm presence enveloping my hand. Cass had taken my hand in hers, intertwining our fingers and squeezing gently. On my other end, Tadashi put a hand on my shoulder, steadying me as I felt like I could topple over at any moment. "We'll be right here with you," he said, giving me a look of determination. Taking a deep breath, I reached forward and pushed open the door.

Every step took nearly all the energy out of me. The casket seemed to grow with every passing second. Though, I suppose it did as I was walking closer to it. Then I saw her.

Like that night at the apartment, it looked like she was sleeping. No. It was made to look like she was sleeping. That same black hair fanned out in a strange halo around her head, but her face was different. I knew they put layers and layers of makeup on her to hide the pale rotting flesh beneath. I knew perfumes and flowers worked to hide the smell. I knew some poor soul chipped away at her for hours into the night to make her look… alive. But she was dead. She wasn't coming back. We stood in silence, hand in hand, all of us, for the briefest of moments.

"Ah, Gothel." We were suddenly brought to the realisation that we weren't alone. With us, there was an older looking plump woman, whose light grey hair was pointed skywards. There was a large mole below the right corner of her mouth and her skin was almost yellow with age. Her gaze fell on us, squinting at me through her pointed spectacle frames. "The name's Roz. And you are?"

"...I'm her niece," I murmured. Cass squeezed my hand a little tighter.

"Her niece…" Roz's voice sounded nasally, as if someone was always pinching her nose while she spoke. She brought a spindly finger to her chin, drawing upon some long forgotten memory. "Ah… you must be Frederic's child. Shame, that boy was trouble, always up to something. I was their neighbour growing up. They were just tots when their parents moved in. Mind you, I was a fair bit older, but saw Gothel as my little sister, may God bless her soul." None of us really knew where she was going with this. It seemed like she had been there a while, waiting to ramble to the first hopeless passerby.

"When she was in her teens, Gothel brought home… a girl." Roz whispered it as if it was a swear word, as if it was forbidden. "Her mother showed up at my door, begged me to knock some sense into her. Gothel came to my house every day after school and I brought her towards the light. By the end of it, she knew homosexuality was a sin and would land her right in Hell." I felt sick to my stomach. "Of course, I had to teach her brother the same thing. Didn't want it to spread."

"Homosexuality isn't a disease! Nor is it a sin." I blurted out before anyone could stop me. Though, the old hag seemed to have selective hearing. Cass tightened her grip on me, rubbing her thumb over the curves of my knuckles in hopes of calming me down.

"Gothel was too good for this world. Frederic, well, he was a whole different story. Did you know that his ex-wife didn't even take the family name? Goodness, it was such a scandal!" This sparked my interest.

"What's her name?"

She looked at me confused, as if she only just remembered I was there. "Who?"

"His wife… I think her first name is Arianna."

Roz just shrugged, grabbing her walker and making her way to the door. "Didn't think to remember. The girl was much younger, of no interest to me. I heard though, that he left her because he knew she was an anomaly in the grand scheme of things. She could be dead and the world would be slightly better off." I had to bite my tongue to not scream, or throw up, or both.

"Ma'am, this doesn't seem appropriate to bring up at a wake," Cass defended, placing herself between me and the woman as she hobbled past us. Whether it was to keep her from saying more or to keep me from attacking, I'll never know.

"All I'm saying is Gothel had a good heart. She was too good for this world." My blood was boiling, bubbling inside me like a cauldron of rage. "It's a shame, the best ones are the first to leave us. Though, I'm sure she's happy in heaven, enjoying eternal life as she deserves." Her right hand was outstretched, two spindly fingers going from her forehead, to her chest, to her left shoulder then her right. Her dragging footsteps echoed until the door finally closed, leaving us alone in the room. Well, us and the corpse.

"That explains… a lot." I said matter of factly. An uncomfortable silence fell, and I could see Hiro and Tadashi fidgeting a little out of the corner of my eye.

"You can… speak to her. If you want," Cass suggested. "That's what I did at my sister's wake. It… helped."

"Do you want us to take a step back? Hiro asked. "We can wait outside."

I shook my head. "No. I want you with me." They nodded in understanding, waiting patiently for me to get this over with.

"Aunt Gothel." My voice sounded soft and uncertain. "You were the only parent I ever had. The only family I ever knew. While I appreciate you raising me rather than leaving me on the streets for dead, I don't think I can forgive you for everything. Maybe you were sick in the head. Maybe you were overprotective to the point it became toxic." I took a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry you were suppressed growing up. Forced to conform to an identity you didn't agree with. But that doesn't justify you pushing your own trauma onto me.

You've caused me so much hurt and pain, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad that you're gone. I'm not spending another second looking for answers from the likes of you. I've found a new family now, who love me for who I am, and I'm going to find my blood family soon, who will hopefully be nothing like you." My eyes were bone dry. "Good riddance."

I realised all eyes were focused on me and suddenly felt really self conscious. Here were three people who lost those closest to them and were heartbroken by it, while I showed no remorse whatsoever. "Sorry. I took it too far."

Hiro spoke up. "We back you all the way. She's done nothing good for you, you're not obligated to mourn her."

"I probably should have asked this earlier but are you all really okay with being here?" I asked nervously.

Tadashi nodded kindly. "Our parents' wake and funeral were ages ago, and though we all miss them, we've processed it. Gotten closure. We know what it's like to lose someone, whether or not they're close to you. It's never good to go through these things alone. Back then, we had each other. Now, you have us."

Cass seemed to be beaming with pride. "That's my boy," she said, patting him on the arm.

I felt my heart melt at the fact that they were all willing to be with me every step of the way. "Thanks for coming with me guys," I said gratefully. "I guess I really did need this. Come on. Let's get out of here."

XXX

"Cass?"

"Hmm?"

We were fixing dinner in the kitchen together. She put me in charge of making homemade popcorn while she whipped up a batch of wings. Every popping kernel gave me a little shock, but I got used to it over time, my startled jumps gradually mellowing out. Meanwhile, Tadashi and Hiro were working to make the den comfy and cozy, bringing in blankets and pillows from the bedrooms.

"Her last name was Corona. I saw the sign at the funeral parlour. Does that mean…"

She looked up from the pan, her large eyes sporting a comforting expression. "Your last name probably is Corona, yes, seeing as it seems like your aunt was never married. Of course, we don't have documentation so we can't be sure. If what that woman said about your mother not taking the family name is true, it may be harder to find her than we thought..." a faint indication of a frown graced her lips before she put on her perky smile again. "But like Officer Hopps said. We're going to keep working at it."

"Thanks, Cass." I offered her a warm smile. "And I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have to live with you guys until I'm 18," I add.

Cass let out a giggle, plating up the food and helping me coat the now popped popcorn in a caramel sauce. "Yes, I suppose not."

"I wonder if I could change my last name to Hamada," I thought out loud, helping her carry the food to the den. "Corona leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. I don't want any more reminders of that woman."

"Rapunzel Hamada… you'd have to see where you are when you turn 18 but it is a possibility."

"It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Indeed it does," she chuckled, opening the door to the den for me. It was kind of in the attic, so a reverse den, but they still called it a den. I think I had to pick up my jaw as it dropped to the floor. "Holy smokes."

Tadashi and Hiro really decked the place out. There was a massive pillow fort in the centre, blankets and sheets sheltering an array of comfy looking bean bag chairs. Somewhere above the hanging blankets was a projector, projecting Netflix onto a massive screen. Cool looking light bulbs lined the perimeter of the walls, giving the room a faint retro looking glow. "You guys really went all out…" I gasp in awe.

"Come in, take a seat," Hiro said, collapsing onto one of the beanbag chairs with a loud thump.

"What're we watching tonight, boys?" Cass asked, setting the food down between us.

Tadashi passed out napkins and paper plates, dimming the lights so we could see the screen properly. "We're watching 13 Going On 30. Some mindless rom-com movie fun seems appropriate after the day we've had."

"I couldn't agree more," I sighed contently,

The movie played through while we sat huddled under bundles of blankets. Something about birthdays and getting trapped in a 30 year old body. If I'm being totally honest, I remember nothing of the plot. All I remember is Tadashi spouting ridiculous trivia about the movie's production he somehow knew, Hiro making witty remarks and Cass giggling at her nephews and their wacky antics. A familial warmth I never knew I could feel blossomed from my heart.

"Speaking of," Tadashi said, getting up as the ending credits began to roll, "when's your birthday, Rapunzel?"

I rubbed the back of my neck rather sheepishly. "Oh… um… May 12th? It's the day of the lantern festival, at least, that's what I saw from out of my window every year."

Hiro bolted up. "You're kidding. That's tomorrow!"

"Really?" One check on my phone calendar told it it was. "Huh, I guess so… Aunt Gothel never really did anything for birthdays, said there was nothing much to celebrate. Never felt a reason to keep track."

"Well, young lady, that's absolutely unacceptable," Cass huffed, crossing her arms and feigning anger. "Tomorrow, we're celebrating your birthday, and I'm going to make sure it's a birthday to top all birthdays!"

"That won't be too hard," I paused to yawn, "I'm sure anything you plan will be better than just staring out a window." My eyelids began to droop.

"We can talk about it more tomorrow," she assures me, helping me up. "You must be feeling pretty beat. The boys and I will clean up, you should go get some rest."

Another yawn. "Are you sure? I can always…"

"Not another word," she silenced me by putting a finger over my lips. "Bed." Cass tried to sound serious, but even she couldn't keep a grin off her face. Not wanting to cause any trouble, I shuffled myself to bed, burrowing myself under the covers before sleep took me.

A/N - Another day another chapter. I hope you liked this one. Although I in no way support Gothel's actions in this fic and in the movie, I did still want to make her a villain with a little more backstory/motivation rather than just being over possessive. Let me know what you think! I've been able to get chapters out twice a week and have already written up to chapter 10(?) but uploads may slow down in the coming weeks because school commitments are drowning me. Thank you all for your support and patience so far!