Something About Love Being Hard Work

by keeparecordofthewreckage

Love is hard work. Or so she's been told. - Part Three in the 'Until We Freeze' series; recently titled the 'Two Is Better Than One Series.' (Rated M)

AN: This one-shot is the third part in the Until We Freeze series; more accurately, the recently named Two Is Better Than One Series (thank you to theawkwardmissy over on Tumblr for suggesting this series title)!

This part takes place immediately after the events of the episode 'Something About Hook Foot.' I couldn't start this series and not include a fic about the island storyline, now could I? Additionally, I want to send a shoutout to alleywayart on Tumblr for their art piece of New Dream on the island, which ended up being the visual reference for this fic.

Bad Intentions by Niykee Heaton is our featured song for today. It fits the vibe of a moonlit, lagoon setting really well, I think. Enjoy, and please, let me know what you think of this new installment!

Something About Love Being Hard Work

'I can see forever from here…'

Love is hard work. Or so she's been told.

Eugene had said something about love being 'hard work' earlier that day, and it's been bothering Rapunzel ever since. Such a strange concept has been nagging upon the young princess's mind from the second that the words had left her lover's lips, stewing there below the surface from the very moment that Eugene had suggested the very foreign notion.

In Rapunzel's unjaded mind, love isn't hard. Actually, it's the furthest thing from. When it's true, there's nothing hard about it. As Rapunzel has quickly come to learn since leaving the tower, real love isn't about deceit, or constantly fighting for the upper hand, or keeping up on appearances. It's not laced with backhanded compliments and it's not about keeping someone under your thumb, simply because 'you love them' and want to 'protect them.' It's not about protecting that person for the sake of selfish, personal gain; it's about protecting that person, because their freedom is somehow worth even more than your own.

Eugene had taught her that.

Real love is about finding the security to always be the truest, most childlike version of yourself, melting away masks and breaking down walls. Real love is about flinging yourself from the edge of a steep, bottomless cliff, praying to the heavens that the person who you trust will always be there at the bottom to catch you – just in case you overestimate yourself, and your wings aren't ready for flight quite yet. Real love, though, never discourages a person from spreading their wings, either. Actually, real love does quite the opposite. Real love encourages, and trusts, and sets free.

Sure, the occasional argument may flare up between love-induced couples (as was showcased today), and sure, some people find that they simply aren't a compatible pair at all. Naïve as she can be at times, Rapunzel isn't naïve enough to believe that all couples are destined to be together forever, nor does she believe that every relationship is as freeing as her own. She'd gotten incredibly lucky in that way: the first man that she'd ever met had been absolutely perfect for her. In a matter of two days, loving him would prove to be the easiest thing that Rapunzel would ever do, and Eugene feels the very same way about her.

Or so she'd thought.

Staring blankly into the crackling fire – the sounds of the sea lapping peacefully against the island's sandy shore, the quiet buzz of her snoring friends around her – Rapunzel contemplates in a slightly bitter, entirely worrisome silence just what Eugene could've meant when he'd stated that love is, in fact, hard work. The statement, as much as she doesn't want to admit it, had caught Rapunzel completely off guard.

Naïve as she may be for it, Rapunzel has always firmly believed that everything was so easy between them, her and Eugene. She'd never expected anything less than comforting conversation, and safe vulnerability, and a warmth between them that burned brighter than the light of ten thousand lanterns. Their first two days together had set the precedence for the tightknit relationship which would soon follow. Sure, they've had their fair share of traumatic experiences together, but things between them have always been so… natural. While their circumstances may have been hard, their love surely has not.

If anything, it's been freeing for Rapunzel to love Eugene. To love Eugene was like being shoved from a tall precipice, anticipating the dreaded bone crush with eyes squeezed shut, only to open them halfway down and know that he would always be there to catch her at the bottom, even if her wings were to give out. There has always been an understanding – a trust – between them that is so very natural.

Easy, even.

But tonight, Eugene's words ring desperately loud in Rapunzel's ears, begging to be heard. Begging to be heard, and swallowed, and choked on, and she just can't seem to let them go. And really, Rapunzel doesn't even quite understand why she's allowing Eugene's quick-witted words to bother her so deeply. She knows – without a shadow of a doubt – that Eugene loves her with a love that is genuine and true, knows that he would do anything in the entire world for her. She knows that he would move heaven and earth to protect her, knows that he would quite literally die for her and for her freedom.

Anything for her. That's what Eugene would do.

And yet, there is still a prodding insecurity poking at the back of Rapunzel's mind like a hot needle, delivered in the voice of the woman who had raised her for eighteen years; the woman who had led Rapunzel to believe that she would never truly be good enough for anyone. Not even Eugene.

Gothel, in the deepest throes of her mental manipulation, had even attempted to convince Rapunzel that it were highly unlikely – no, that it were impossible – for Eugene to ever fall in love with her. And even though Rapunzel has made so much progress in recovering from – in understanding – her trauma since escaping from the tower, there is only so far that a person can run before that trauma inevitably catches up with them once more. Despite knowing that her mind sometimes likes to play tricks on her, Rapunzel has never completely been able to escape from the small, prodding insecurity in the back of her mind, nagging at her to the tune of Gothel's shrill, condescending voice:

'Why would he like you? Come on now, really. Look at you. You think that he's impressed?'

Of course he is. Eugene has told her only one million times how much he adores, respects, and loves her. He's worshipped her body with his mouth and with his hands, has whispered sweet nothings into her ear while they make love, and has told her in casual, passing conversation that she looks absolutely beautiful today. He's healed her heart and taped back together every piece of her, and people just don't do that for people they don't like.

Rapunzel's intimacy with Eugene – physical or not – is not something worth calling into question.

Despite knowing this, that nagging insecurity – which had been mercilessly uprooted when she and Eugene had been preparing Hook Foot for his date – just won't go away. It won't go away, because Rapunzel understands now that it is possible to create boundaries where love is concerned. It is possible to stay with someone because of what they can do for you, not because you truly love them.

Gothel had taught her that.

Before leaving the tower, Rapunzel had never realized that boundaries were even possible in love; neither in platonic relationships, nor romantic. In Tower Rapunzel's head, her love was meant to be boundless and endless on the giving end, but possessively controlled on the receiving end. That was all she knew: selfishness, and control, and being used.

But in the time which has passed since leaving the tower, she understands now that boundaries can be set, and set hard. Rapunzel knows now that it is possible to love someone, but not really like them. It is possible to love someone, yet still find them incredibly exhausting to be around. It is possible to love someone so much, that even though you know that you probably deserve far better – that you deserve to be free – you stay anyway.

Is that what their love feels like to Eugene? To him, is their love knowing that being with someone else would be easier, but staying out of simple loyalty to her? Does he stay because of the lifestyle which being with her offers to him? After all, he's always wanted the plush life of living in a castle. Is that why he's still here, humoring her? Is that why he bothers with her, if love is as hard as he claims it to be?

Is loving her… is loving her hard? Is it hard, sometimes, for him to be with her?

Of course loving her would be hard. How couldn't it be? She never sits still, and she's only been out in the real world for a little over a year now (and even then, the majority of that time was spent being entrapped inside of Corona's walls), and in some ways, they're so incredibly… different, she and Eugene. Eugene is so worldly and clever, and knows enough to be jaded when it matters, and so very enchanting in every possible way. He's so easy to want and even easier to love.

And what is she? She is a mess of a human and far too curious for her own good. She's always got paint splattered all over her, and she's always asking far too many questions, and she's more emotional than she is not. She gets overwhelmed so easily, but then she shoves those emotions down – deep down – because she was never taught to do anything else with them.

And when Rapunzel shoves her emotions deep down, she ends up hurting him by hiding what she truly feels. Like Eugene's failed attempts to marry her, for example. He's always chasing after her, always having to make sure that she doesn't get into trouble or get herself hurt, and she's always denying his freaking marriage proposals. She's always making him question what she even feels for him, if she even sees a future with him at all! She's always making him question if she even wants to marry him someday, which of course she does. She does, just… not right now.

But even then, she can't blame Eugene for believing that loving her is hard. Now that Rapunzel is thinking about it – really thinking about it – she's given him every reason to believe that. She's so incredibly selfish in that way, isn't she? She's so selfish to deny Eugene – this perfect, doting, loving man – of the one thing that he wants so very badly. The only thing that he's ever truly asked of her.

Now that Rapunzel is isolated here by the fire, digging her feet into the cool sand and overthinking all alone beneath the gleaming moon, she's not quite sure why Eugene puts up with her in the selfless way that he does. It makes sense now, why he believes so strongly that love requires constant, hard work. Being with her must be all kinds of hard. Gothel had told her as much, over and over again. She mumbles, and she nags, and she's certainly not very pretty. And while she so desperately doesn't want to, Rapunzel finds herself falling headfirst into that dreaded hole once more: the hole which deems Gothel's opinion as the end-all, be-all of opinions; at least where Rapunzel's level of teetering self-esteem is concerned.

This is ridiculous. Rapunzel sorely attempts to reassure herself, curling her knees up to her chest and digging her toes deeper into the cool sand, trying to find some comfort in wrapping her arms tightly around herself. Absolutely ridiculous. Eugene loves me, and it's ridiculous to sit here and question that just because of a tiny, stupid disagreement.

Isn't it?

If Rapunzel were to find Eugene right now, march up to him and ask him just what the hell he'd meant by his slightly confusing and entirely frustrating statement from earlier in the evening, he would quickly reassure her in every way that he knows how (with his smooth words, and velvet tongue, and undying love for her), that she's worrying far too much over nothing.

She's surely worrying over nothing, because Eugene wouldn't protect her so fiercely if he didn't really like her, he wouldn't bury himself between her legs if he didn't find her impressive, and he definitely would not be here on this strange island with her – having left behind their plush, easygoing lifestyle in the castle for a haphazard life on the road, chasing a destiny which could very well get the both of them killed before they find out exactly what that destiny is – if he didn't truly love her.

Eugene Fitzherbert, Rapunzel has come to learn, doesn't do much of what he doesn't want to do. He does the things that he does – makes the difficult choices that he makes – from the kindness of his golden heart. From his true, unconditional love for her.

So, if all of that were true, why is she still worrying so much? Why are there hot tears pricking behind Rapunzel's eyelids, burning her irises and making them water like the fire's waning smoke? Why is this worrisome insecurity all-consuming, and voiced by Gothel herself, and –

"Hey, Blondie."

His voice makes her jump. Usually, it soothes her, or makes her laugh, or even makes her want him. But this time, it makes her jump, dragging Rapunzel from the depths of her self-deprecating thoughts and planting her firmly back into reality.

He looks beautiful. Somehow, he always looks beautiful. How is that so? How can a person – even after battling a group of nasty sea creatures – look so beautiful? With his deep-cut, white shirt, perfectly-sculpted face, and soft smile, the contours of his face so familiar there in the orange glow of the firelight, it's not lost on Rapunzel how incredibly lucky she is that Eugene – out of everyone in the whole world – had been the person to find her in her tower. She's incredibly lucky that he was the person to fall in love with her; as hard as she'd fallen in love with him. He's absolutely gorgeous, and anyone would want him, and he's so easy to love.

He's so easy to love, and she feels like a fool for it. She feels like a fool, because apparently, loving her is not as easy for Eugene as loving him is for Rapunzel. Not as easy, at least, as he's always made it seem.

Rapunzel looks away from Eugene for just a moment long enough to quickly blink away the evidence of her self-inflicted pity party by the smoldering campfire. Before turning back to him, she slaps a bright, mostly-fake smile onto her face (mostly-fake, because she really is glad to see him), releasing her legs from their rigid, curled place against her fast-beating chest, stretching them out before her to instead warm her toes.

"Oh. Hi, Eugene!" Rapunzel tries her very best to keep the forced smile on her face. Really, she does. "I thought I'd lost you."

I pray that I never do, now that I know how you really feel about us…

"Never." Eugene responds easily, reaching down to caresses the top of her head endearingly, his expression so fond and enthralling in the dancing firelight. "I just went for a little walk, that's all. Thought I'd secure the area and make sure none of those weird sea creatures are still lurking around."

Rapunzel stays quiet at that, because mention of the sea creatures reminds her of Seraphina, and Seraphina reminds her of Hook Foot, and Hook Foot reminds her of helping Hook Foot with preparing for his first date. And helping Hook Foot with preparing for his first date reminds her that people who go on dates often times love one another, and people loving one another reminds Rapunzel that love is very hard work.

Supposedly.

"But what I really wanted to see was…" Eugene grins a little; a grin which wordlessly suggests pure love and bad intentions, all at once. "If there's any chance that you'd be up for a late-night swim?"

In response to the altogether tempting question, Rapunzel glances over to a snoring Cassandra, Lance, and Hook Foot – all of which are snuggled up close on the other side of the simmering fire – having fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep in the cool sand after a long, whirlwind of an evening spent fighting strange sea creatures. And while she's feeling incredibly downcast tonight, and maybe even a bit insecure, alone time with Eugene is something that Rapunzel has never been able to turn down; something that she's definitely been yearning for lately. After all, alone time with Eugene always reassures her of the important things: of their love, of their connection. Of the easy nature of their relationship.

Maybe all they really need to do, is reconnect! It could truly be that easy!

Besides, going swimming – just the two of them – implies potential nakedness. And when he gets her naked, without fail, Rapunzel somehow always ends up feeling very reassured – in every possible way that reassurance could be received – no matter what was on her mind before the nakedness occurred.

Though, if Eugene really does find her to be as hard to love as he so claims, sex is probably out of the question for tonight, anyway. Regardless, she misses him, and she misses the physical high which he so often brings her to, and she can't help but yearn for that, too. Rapunzel can't help but yearn for him in that way (especially when he looks the way that he does), even if it makes her feel a little pathetic right now, what with Eugene's jarring 'love is hard work' comment.

"Sure." Rapunzel tries to sound sure of herself – tries to sound excited – because she is excited to spend time alone with Eugene. She always is. But Rapunzel doesn't sound quite as sure of herself as she'd hoped she would, because there's an undetectable catch in her throat from the thick tears that she hasn't fully blinked away quite yet, and she silently prays that Eugene won't notice. Though, this is entirely wishful thinking, because Eugene notices everything. "Why not?"

'Why not?' No, 'I'd love to, Eugene!'?

Something seems off about her.

Something has seemed off about his beloved princess all night, and Eugene is every kind of hell-bent on figuring out why that is. He's always been able to read her so well, and his ability to see right through Rapunzel isn't failing him tonight. He'd suspected that something was off between them, but Rapunzel's voice catches in her throat now – as though she'd been crying, all alone there by the fire – and Eugene just knows that something is up. Something is wrong.

She's been unnaturally quiet. A little distant with him, perhaps. It doesn't appear as though she's angry with him, per say, just very… reserved. Emotionally removed, somehow. Her smile is too tight, it doesn't quite reach her gorgeous eyes in the way that it usually does, she's doing that thing where her voice gets a little too high when she's hiding what she's really thinking, and something just feels off between them.

Which is all kinds of strange, because things are very rarely off between them, and Eugene can't think of a good enough reason for things to be off between them tonight.

Things between them are always so warm, and full of love, and dare he say… easy.

"Great! It's a date then." Eugene beams, trying to remain nonchalant in spite of the excited jump of his heart at the thought of finally spending some time alone with her (which has been few and far between lately). The firelight dances against Eugene's amber eyes as he offers Rapunzel a hand to help her up, catching the way that her forced smile flickers curiously at the word date. "I stumbled upon this cool, secluded lagoon. I thought that maybe I could show it to you."

Secluded lagoon? That sounds like the definition of heaven on earth, as far as Rapunzel is concerned. After all, it's been difficult to find any true alone time together since they'd left Corona. Sure, there was that one night they'd spent just the two of them – in the forest on the outskirts of Vardaros – after Eugene had almost gotten married to another woman. And sure, they've made a point of making a few date nights of their own out on the road. But it wasn't quite the same, and perhaps some time alone with Eugene in a hidden lagoon, away from the others, is exactly what Rapunzel needs to lift her drenched spirits.

Besides, who would she be to say no to such an alluring request?

"That sounds really nice, actually." Rapunzel admits sheepishly, gratefully taking the hand which Eugene offers to her and allowing him to pull her from her comfortable spot in the moon-illuminated sand. "Is it far from here?"

Eugene immediately takes the opportunity to link their fingers together, having missed the feeling of her warm, small hand in his all evening.

"Not really." Eugene looks to her then, and the knowing, smirked expression on his face and wiggled eyebrow makes Rapunzel's heart absolutely stop, because the gesture implies something which she hadn't exactly expected it to imply. "Far enough, though."

Far enough for… what?

Far enough for what she thinks he's implying that it's far enough away for?

Don't get ahead of yourself, Rapunzel. He's probably not even thinking about that. Don't you know that alone time doesn't automatically have to mean sex, too?

But it sure would be nice if it did. Alone time – that kind of alone time – has been more difficult to obtain on the road, too.

For Rapunzel, following Eugene has never been hard. She's followed him to the lanterns, she's followed him through hardship after hardship, and she's following him now: following him trustingly as they approach the dark, dense jungle line on this strange, whimsical island. It's never been hard to follow Eugene – not even blindly, when she'd barely even known him – because she trusts him so completely. She always has.

The pair leaves the moonlit beach and sets off into the thick palms, ever-quiet as they go, their steps sneaky and sure not to wake the others. The trek to the hidden lagoon really isn't very long, nor is the terrain particularly difficult to maneuver. Regardless, Rapunzel holds tightly to Eugene's trustworthy hand as it guides her along, seeking out any kind of reassurance that she can find, so badly wanting that reassurance to come from him alone.

After no more than five minutes of trekking through the humid jungle, Eugene veers to the right suddenly, leading Rapunzel away from the beaten path and pulling back a thick curtain of hanging vines. There, a romantic, moonlit lagoon is revealed to them, the light of a billion stars reflecting upon the calm, electric blue water. For the second time in only a short while, Rapunzel's voice catches harshly in her throat, but for an entirely different reason than it had when he'd first arrived at her lonely spot by the fire.

"Wow." Rapunzel breathes, letting go of Eugene's hand to step forward tentatively as he allows the thick curtain of vines to fall once he's stepped through them, too, properly concealing the two of them from the rest of the world. "Eugene, it's… it's beautiful."

Rapunzel can't quite decide which the better setting may be: a concealed, moonlit lagoon, or a hidden meadow buzzing with fireflies. But she decides, rather quickly, that she wants to know.

She wants to know which is better to make love in.

Would either be better than the other? Or just different? And does he even want that tonight? Does he even want her? If loving her is so hard…

"I thought you might think so." Eugene murmurs fondly, always awestruck whenever she has that beautiful, awestruck look on her face, though he pulls his gaze away from Rapunzel just long enough to pull his shirt over his head. "It's still so humid here at night, even though the sun has gone down. How about that swim, Blondie?"

Rapunzel turns to see Eugene pulling his shirt swiftly over his head, making his way toward the inviting water, and she freezes. She freezes, because she's seen him shirtless countless times before. And yet, each time that she sees Eugene like this, it feels as though it's the very first time. Heavens, it's so easy to love him. It's so very easy. He's got that strong body, and perfect face, and hands that make heaven feel like a little piece of mortal earth when they're touching her. He's so easy to love; every single piece of him.

He's so easy to want.

Somehow, Rapunzel looks even more awestruck by him than she had when she'd first seen the glimmering, moonlit lagoon when he pulls his shirt over his head, and Eugene can't help but feel a swell of pride in that; a swell of pride in knowing how easy it always is to get her to want him. He chuckles slightly at her yearning stare, waiting for a playful comment to leave Rapunzel's lips, as would typically happen in a situation as potentially suggestive as this.

"You okay there, Sunshine?" Over his shoulder, Eugene quirks an eyebrow questioningly at her, slowing his decent across the small, sandy beach which lines the lagoon and giving her the chance to catch up. "You're being awfully quiet tonight."

"Yeah, I just…" Rapunzel blinks – hard – forcing herself back into reality and forcing herself to look Eugene in the eyes, rather than staring at his unclothed top half like a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl with an uncontrollable crush.

It's silly. You're worrying over nothing… and he was so sweet to bring you here… don't ruin that!

Rapunzel forces a bright smile in Eugene's direction as he inches closer to the lagoon. Despite her wide smile, though, Eugene doesn't miss the way that Rapunzel pulls her thick braid over her shoulder, caressing it gently. She only does that when she's nervous about something, Eugene has come to learn.

Or when she's really, really upset.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course." Rapunzel quickly reassures him, though her quiet giggle comes out sounding much more like bundled-up nerves than genuine reassurance. "Everything's totally fine! Why wouldn't it be?"

Eugene sighs, making his way back over to her and taking Rapunzel gently by the wrists, pulling her worrisome hands from her comforting, golden hair. He leans down slightly so that he's at eye level with her, wanting Rapunzel to understand that his full attention belongs to her, whatever may be on her mind.

"I know you too well to believe you."

"I…" Rapunzel really wants to avoid talking about this altogether, but then her bottom lip is trembling, and those annoying, hot tears are pricking at the corners of her eyes again. She really doesn't want to ruin this beautiful moment, and why does she have to be like this? She doesn't want to ruin this infrequent chance to spend some real alone time with Eugene, but she's already blurting the dreaded question before she loses her nerve – tongue moving even quicker than her anxious mind, somehow – because she has to know. She has to. "Is… is it hard for you to love me?"

As though he were offended, Eugene pulls back slightly, eyebrows knit together in momentary confusion. He maintains the soft hold around her wrists, though, making sure that Rapunzel doesn't pull away from him in favor of bottling up her emotions and sending them out to sea.

"What? Why on earth would you think something like that, Sunshine?"

She shouldn't have said anything. Really, she shouldn't have. She should've just kept this silly misunderstanding locked deep inside, because that would've been for the best. But the tears are really flowing now, shimmering upon her skin in the bright moonlight, and there's simply no stopping them.

"Because you said it! You said that, Eugene! You said that love is 'hard work!' You said that you have to keep up on appearances, and that you have to worry about looking good, which – which is ridiculous, because you always look good!" Rapunzel takes a deep, shuddering breath, not too proud to allow her salty tears to travel rapidly down her cheeks, completely oblivious to the way that his lips quirk at that last comment, and even more oblivious to her own rambling. "You said that. You said something about love being hard work. And now… well, now I'm just wondering if love is hard with me specifically! If loving me is hard for you. I mean, I know that I can be a handful sometimes, but I just love you so much, and I don't ever, ever want to lose you, and I get so terrified that someday –"

"Whoa… whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up there, Blondie. Just slow down for a second, okay?" Eugene pulls her gently by the wrists, tugging Rapunzel down and into the cool sand, pulling her onto his lap once he's settled there himself. "Look at me. I love you, too, so much. So very much. And loving you? It's the furthest thing from hard. It is hands down the easiest thing that I have ever done in my entire life."

His eyes are so full of warm truth, his words so genuine. But does he really mean them? Or is he just saying that because she sounds so pathetic? Is he just… humoring her?

Rapunzel sniffles then, rubbing at her runny nose, clearly still distraught by his careless comment. It's a silly, after-thought comment which Eugene heavily regrets stating now; now that he knows how much it's been bothering her since then. Now that he knows why she's been so quiet all evening, the gears in her head so clearly working overtime. Eugene had just been trying to help Hook Foot score on his first date with the mermaid! He really hadn't… he really hadn't meant anything deep by it!

He'd just meant that love can be… hard. Because sometimes, it can!

Okay, Eugene can see now why Rapunzel might've taken his brash comment the wrong way. But… but he's not entirely wrong! It is! Sometimes, love is hard! He's felt it when love was hard; he's been there. Not with Rapunzel, of course. But he's been there, nonetheless. He's been in the thick of it, when love was much harder than it needed to be. When he wanted to be in love, but something just didn't feel right.

Because she was always out there, waiting for him. That's why it didn't feel right then.

"Then why did you say it? If it's not true for us, why did you say that it's hard to be in love?" Rapunzel shrugs hopelessly, feeling even more pathetic than before, what with the salty tears streaming down her face and the heavy dose of self-deprecation dripping from her tongue. "It's not hard for me."

"Rapunzel, I didn't mean it like –"

How did he mean it?

Eugene's explanation falls flat on his tongue, because he quickly realizes that he doesn't really have one. He'd blurted the phrase before really thinking it through; before thinking about what it really meant to him. Before thinking about what it might mean to her. In the passion of the moment, he'd said it before thinking about how seriously Rapunzel might take it. And while they always joke with and tease one another – and while Rapunzel is an entirely capable young woman – more often than not, she still looks to him for guidance and wisdom. She trusts his word, and she trusts his opinion. And for a moment – in the throes of a stupid, little disagreement about dating approaches, of all things – Eugene had forgotten that.

"Sweetheart, I only meant that relationships aren't always all sunshine and rainbows, ya know?" Eugene looks down at Rapunzel's hands, notes how perfectly they fit into the center of his palms, all wrapped up together. "If they were, it would be really difficult to have a genuine, deep connection with someone. A connection like the one that we have. Experiencing hard times is what brings two people so close together. That's true for us, don't you think?"

Pushing her eyebrows together in deep, furrowed thought, Rapunzel recalls her final day in the tower: the day that Eugene had died in her arms. It had been so traumatic for the both of them, the way that he'd taken his last breath after sacrificing himself for her in the way that he had. He'd had nothing to live for before Rapunzel. And when Eugene finally found her, he'd chosen to die for her, and Rapunzel fully understands the magnitude of said sacrifice. It had left Rapunzel with horrific nightmares, and had her screaming in the middle of the night for months, absolutely terrified that she might wake up to a dead or missing Eugene. She'd fist the sheets in pure anxiety, she'd shake with the fear of losing him again, and she'd tiptoe to his bedroom, if only to feel his heartbeat beneath her palm: strong, and true, and there.

Because, for a nightmarish moment in time, it hadn't been.

That trauma – horrible as it was – is definitely the ultimate reason for their incredibly tightknit relationship. Despite how difficult it had been, the series of events which had brought them together, Rapunzel wouldn't rewrite their love story for the world. If they hadn't experienced the things that they had, not only would they not be as close as they are now, but they potentially never would've met at all.

"I guess so." Rapunzel wipes at her runny nose again, her head starting to hurt from trying so miserably to hold back her tears, looking away from Eugene sheepishly and trying hard to fake a smile. "I'm sorry. This is dumb. I probably just took what you said the wrong way, and now I'm freaking out over nothing. We can just… go swimming now."

Rapunzel wiggles in his arms, suddenly feeling restless and hot, despite the cool sad beneath their feet.

"Hey, no. Wait a second. I really think we should talk about this." Grabbing her gently by the hips, Eugene eases her back into his lap as Rapunzel attempts to pull away, hugging her softly from behind. "I said something that clearly bothered you. I don't want that. I don't ever want you to feel like you have to suffer alone in silence. We can always talk about anything. You know that."

Rapunzel looks down to the sand, taking a handful of it and watching as it runs so fleetingly through her parted fingers. She's not entirely sure if she can look directly at Eugene in the tense moment, because she feels incredibly silly for even bringing the whole thing up.

"I know."

Eugene shifts a bit, attempting to get more comfortable in the sand and trying to get ahold of his bearings before trudging forward, praying to the heavens that he won't offend her any further with his explanation.

"I just meant that… I just meant that we aren't perfect people, Rapunzel. No one is. I can only imagine that I'm not always easy to love." Eugene places his index finger below her chin, guiding Rapunzel to turn in his lap and look fully at him. "I mean, I have this horrible past, and I had a lot of changes to make before I felt like I was truly worthy of being with you. I'm not going to lie to you and say that, some days, I didn't struggle to make some of those changes. I did it. I changed. But some days, it was hard. It took a lot of hard work to become the man that I am today. To undo over a decade of bad habits, to make sure that you'd be proud of me. And I still have work to do. Despite all of that, I knew that you were worth giving anything up for. Including my life. But it was hard sometimes."

Eugene reaches down to caress her cheek adoringly with the back of his hand, and his guilt for making her worry is obvious – if not for his tenderness, then for the sad look in his eyes. Though, his eyes quickly brighten once more, and he smiles warmly at her, making Rapunzel feel a bit warmer on the inside.

"Thankfully, I had you there to help me. To remind me that you would always believe in me, and that all that hard work would always be worth it, if it meant that I could have you. I would quite literally do anything to have you, Rapunzel. To protect you. You know that, don't you?"

Oh, his sweet, reassuring words! What did I ever do to deserve him? What did I do to deserve this man; this man who I dared to doubt, if only for a moment?

"I do know that. And you are easy to love." Rapunzel smiles then, too; a small smile. An understanding smile. "But I know what you're trying to say. When you're going on your first date with someone… you just want to impress them. You want to make a good impression. It's okay to want to make a good first impression. I know that. And you were just trying to let Hook Foot know that it's okay for him to want that, too."

She shrugs, her smile turning sheepish once more, a soft blush creeping upon her cheeks.

"I wanted to impress you on our first date together." Rapunzel admits with a gentle laugh, recalling the fond memory. "Though, it was so magical that it would've been hard not to impress anyone, I think."

"And I wanted to impress you." Eugene responds, tickling at Rapunzel's side, delighting in the adorable giggles which the sudden tickling elicits from her. "I made sure that you had the best seat in the house to see those lanterns, after all. I wasn't just doing it to be nice. I was doing it because I liked you."

"Yes, you did." Rapunzel leans in to kiss his cheek endearingly, wordlessly expressing her soft sentiment for the memory of her eighteenth birthday; a day which neither of them would soon forget. "And I am forever grateful for it, how special you made that day for me."

She sighs contentedly then, allowing herself to be wrapped up in the warm familiarity of Eugene's arms, pressing her back to his chest as she settles between his open legs, wrapping her hands around his forearms as they shelter her comfortably.

"That was the best day of my entire life." Rapunzel murmurs, staring up at the gigantic moon overhead. She imagines herself dancing in the kingdom square, flowers in her hair, laughter bubbling in her chest, and the feeling of real freedom in her heart for the first time; freedom that tasted like him.

Freedom that she was given because he'd allowed her to be brave enough to finally, truly reach for it.

"It was the best day of my life, too. Trust me." Eugene leans forward to kiss her cheek in return, ultimately resting his chin upon Rapunzel's shoulder with a contented sigh of his own. "I really meant no disrespect to our relationship with what I said earlier, Blondie. Like I said before, loving you is the easiest thing that I've ever done. I mean that."

"I know, Eugene." Rapunzel reassures him, feeling a little foolish for allowing herself to become so bothered about an argument so small. "I don't even know why it made me so upset. It's kind of silly, looking back now."

Eugene shrugs against her, considering this for a long, thoughtful moment, looking to the stars for an answer worthy of her.

"It's not silly. You were always taught that love is a one-sided transaction. That, instead of being a mutual give-and-take as it should be, loving someone meant that you would give and the other person would take. And take and take. The 'love' that you experienced before was never balanced. You did all of the giving, because you were never taught any different. That's what you thought was normal. And that giving comes so easily to you, because that's just the kind of person that you are."

Eugene sighs deeply then, hugging her even tighter to his chest, immediately feeling guilty for what he'd said earlier that evening, and even a little protective of Rapunzel at the sheer thought of Gothel and her time in the tower with the old witch. He'd probably reminded Rapunzel today, in a very roundabout way, of how Gothel would've treated her growing up. Rapunzel had taken what Eugene had said, and she'd twisted it into something altogether worrisome, because that's what Gothel would've wanted her to do; she would've wanted to play such mind games, making Rapunzel question herself over and over again.

Rapunzel had overthought herself into this insecure place tonight because, in a way, she still doesn't know any better. In a way, she's still expecting everyone to see the worst in her; to see her for her hair and nothing more.

Though Rapunzel has grown so much and in every possible way since leaving the tower, she still experiences small inklings of Gothel's condescending voice in the back of her mind, pulling her deepest insecurities out of her like an untethered string of gold-painted lies. And as much as Eugene hates it, there's only so much that he can do about it. No matter how much she heals from it, her time in the tower is something that Rapunzel will likely always carry with her, even a little. Selfish as she was, Gothel had always taught Rapunzel that she was a burden, that she was hard to love, and that no one else would ever 'love her' with the depth that Gothel had; that her value stopped where her hair did.

And in Rapunzel's mind, he'd only confirmed those deep, hidden fears today.

And now, Eugene is kicking himself profusely because of it. He'd been so quick to put his foot in his mouth, he hadn't realized that what he'd said might take Rapunzel back to that horrible, unfair place. A place which she'd never deserved to be in, anyway.

A place which he'd initially sworn she would never have to go back to, so long as she's with him.

"It's not silly, Blondie. I am sorry for what I said. I really didn't mean it in the way that you took it. But no matter what you think, how you feel isn't silly. I said something that bothered you. Those feelings are completely valid, and you should never be afraid to call me out when I say something completely dickish." Eugene again lifts his head to kiss at her cheek and then at her neck, peppering little kisses all over Rapunzel's exposed shoulder. "But you should know that you're so precious to me. And sure, we're going to face even more difficult times in our life together. That much is true. But loving you will always be the easy part."

"Thanks, Eugene. I think I needed to hear that." Rapunzel sighs, toying absently at the green hem of her skirt. "I don't… I don't want you to feel like you have to walk around on eggshells for me. But sometimes… sometimes my mind just plays tricks on me, you know? I can still… hear her, sometimes. I don't want to. But sometimes, I just can't help it."

Rapunzel allows her face to fall into her hands momentarily, only to shake her head and push her hair back out of her eyes, ultimately resting her chin on her hands as she stares blankly up at the star-filled sky.

"Sometimes it feels like she's just… lurking there. Like she's waiting for someone to say something to remind me of what she would've said. It's like she still has this… this hold on me. And no matter how hard I try to escape it, her voice still lingers."

Like a ghost. She lingers like a ghost, and I'm not sure when she'll completely stop haunting me. If ever.

Rapunzel shakes her head again, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, because it's been over a year now since she'd linked her fingers with Eugene's, said goodbye to the tower one last time, and never looked back. Shouldn't she have moved on by now? Shouldn't Gothel's voice cease to live in her mind? Eugene shouldn't have to watch what he says around her, shouldn't always have to walk on eggshells and hope that something he does won't remind her of something that Gothel would've done. That's not fair to him.

Healing, Rapunzel must learn the hard way, is not an entirely linear process.

"For years, she made me doubt myself. My judgment. My confidence. She made me doubt what I thought I wanted. I bent and I bent for her, until I broke. She made me doubt everything. She always did." Fresh tears – the previous ones having just dried on her cheeks – begin to form in the corners of Rapunzel's eyes once more. "Her voice in my head tonight… it made me doubt you, Eugene, even after everything we've been through together. Even after everything you've done for me. And I'm sorry for that. I hate that she made me doubt you! Even if it wasn't real."

"I know, I know. And hey, I'm the only one who should be sorry. What I said today… that triggered her voice inside of you. That's my fault, not yours. But I'll do whatever I can to make sure you don't ever believe that voice inside your head." Eugene loosens his grip of Rapunzel in his arms, guiding her to turn around in the sand to face him, still positioned between his legs as he cups each side of her face in his hands, catching her tears on the pads of his thumbs. "Do you promise that you won't worry about this anymore? That you'll at least try to remember how much I love you?"

"I promise." Rapunzel sniffles with a small grin, thankful that the easygoing nature of their relationship has returned once more; thankful that Eugene is so understanding, and thankful that he's always so willing to talk these things out with her, even if she does feel a little silly for worrying after all. "I really love you, Eugene."

"I love you, too. So much." Eugene responds with the ease of a person who really means it, taking Rapunzel by the wrists again, gently pulling her up from their spot in the sand. "Now, I believe that I promised you a late-night swim. What do you say, pretty girl?"

"Hmm… that is why you dragged me out here, isn't it?" Rapunzel teases, grabbing at the belt around her waist, sliding her skirt down and letting it pool at her ankles before stepping out of it altogether. "It would be wrong of you not to fulfill a promise."

"Promises, after all," Eugene plays along with a grin of his own, dropping his voice just slightly. "Are a bit of a sacred thing between us, aren't they?"

For a blushing moment, Rapunzel pictures his face when they'd first met; pictures herself bent over him, Eugene tied up to a chair with her hair, panting from the sudden shock of being tilted so much closer to her, the chair brought off of its hind legs entirely. In real time, Eugene steps closer to her, fingers falling from his own pants which he'd just been about to pull down, fingering the soft material of her top instead.

"I love this outfit on you, you know."

"You do?" Rapunzel beams dumbly (as if she doesn't already know how Eugene feels about her in this green, slightly-more-revealing ensemble), glad for the compliment after a night filled with sorry self-deprecation. Compliments from Eugene, after all, are her very favorite kind. "Huh. Well, I can't imagine why."

"Uh huh…" Eugene leans down to kiss at Rapunzel's bare shoulder, dragging his lips – agonizingly slow – up to her neck. "I like that the sleeves fall off your shoulders sometimes. Not to mention, you always just look so pretty in green. Brings out those gorgeous eyes of yours. And I can just… I can see so much more of you in it."

"Of course you'd like that part." Rapunzel rolls her gorgeous eyes teasingly, pointing to the deep-cut shirt which he's been sporting lately, which had found its way to the ground when they'd first arrived at the lagoon. "To be fair, I like your outfit, too."

"Can't imagine why." Eugene mimics her playful sentiment, eyes twinkling as that half-hidden, knowing smirk from earlier returns to his mischievous face.

His grin! Oh, his knee-weakening grin, and his flirtatious words, and the look in his eye as he slides out of his pants, letting them fall to the awaiting sand. This is so easy! It's not hard for him to love her. It never has been! He loves her so easily – so deeply – and Rapunzel can see it in Eugene's every movement, in his every word, and in his every look. It's so easy to love him, too, and so easy to want him when he's acting like this. When he's toying with her, and teasing her, and flirting with her. She likes it so much when they flirt, even though they've been together for over a year now! Even though she should be immune to his charms, but she's not. He's so funny, and so alluring, and so easy to be herself with!

"Is it fine if we…?" Rapunzel trails off tentatively, unsure of Eugene's promiscuity. "I mean…"

Is it fine if we completely take our clothes off? Is it fine if you reassure me in the best way that you know how, even though your words alone were so sweet?

Eugene raises a roguish eyebrow, smirking more openly at Rapunzel's timid, open-ended question.

"You know, if you want to see me naked, Blondie, all you have to do is ask."

"I want to see you naked." Rapunzel blurts then, wringing her wrists together nervously, hoping that Eugene won't laugh at her for being so forward (not that he's ever done anything of the sort). "I mean, that is… well, only if you want to?"

He does chuckle at that, but the laugh isn't even the slightest bit demeaning or condescending, and Rapunzel doesn't feel as though Eugene is making fun of her in any way. Rather, she feels like they can laugh together again, and she likes it. She likes it when things feel easy between them like this.

"Has there ever been a time when I haven't wanted to see you naked?" Eugene questions eagerly, hoping to let Rapunzel know that she's not alone in her held-back, tentative desires.

Eugene pulls down his pants the rest of the way, quickly followed by his underwear. And once again, Rapunzel is completely mesmerized. She's in awe of him beyond the way that she was in awe of the lanterns, even, and she'd spent the majority of her life wanting them. He's the most beautiful man that she's ever laid eyes on, and while she understands that she's deeply biased – and while her attraction to Eugene goes far beyond just the physical aspects of their relationship – Rapunzel knows that it's true. She knows that nothing has ever mesmerized her as much as Eugene does each day. She's seen many men since leaving her tower and Eugene, by far, is the most gorgeous of them all.

Though, his objective gorgeousness could very well have everything to do with her being utterly in love with him. But even if she wasn't in love with him at all, Rapunzel firmly believes that Eugene would still be the most striking man in all of Corona. In all of the world, really.

It wouldn't take a genius – nor a girl in love – to see that. He's too perfect to not see it.

And then, there's her. Rapunzel pulls her top from her shoulders, shimmying it down her legs before tossing it to the side where it joins her skirt in the sand, mounted in a small heap of green material. Abashedly, she rips her gaze from Eugene's strong, bare chest to steal a quick glance down at her own. Her breasts are small – smaller than any of the woman that he's ever been with, probably – and for a pitiful moment, Gothel's voice echoes once more in the back of Rapunzel's recently-recovered mind.

'Horrible men use women for their bodies. But you will always be safe here. Anyway, your breasts are so small, so you really have nothing to worry about, Flower.'

Has it ever bothered Eugene that her breasts are so small? He's probably had many other women before her. Women with much more voluptuous bodies…

But he loves me. That is the difference. He loves me. He loves all of me, for exactly who I am. He didn't love those other women, more interesting as their bodies may have been. They didn't have magical tears that saved his life, now did they?

Rapunzel mentally shoos Gothel's deprecating voice from her head, knowing that it has no place there anymore; knowing that Eugene adores all of her: mind, body, and soul. When she turns back to him, Eugene is already wading in the shallows of the bright, electric blue water, no more than ankle-deep, patiently waiting for her to join him in the lagoon. He smiles softly back at her – an entirely yearning, completely loving look in his eye – offering a hand out to her.

A hand which – no matter what – Rapunzel knows she can always, always trust.

"Come on in, Blondie! It's like bathwater in here!"

Rapunzel hums quietly as she leaves her underwear in the sand and skips toward Eugene, gratefully taking hold of his hand and stepping without caution into the calm lagoon. It does feel like bathwater – so very warm and comforting on the skin – though still refreshing in comparison to the very sticky, very humid island air.

"You were right." Rapunzel giggles softly, allowing Eugene to guide her as they wade together into the deeper part of the lagoon, stopping once both of their shoulders are submerged completely underwater, but going no deeper than that. "It is really warm!"

"Did you think I would lie to you to get you in?" Eugene muses with a quiet laugh of his own, delighting in the happy look on her face, grateful that Rapunzel's tears have long since dried up again.

"No, of course not. I always trust your judgement and I always will." Rapunzel smiles up at him, wrapping both arms around Eugene's neck, leaning forward on the tips of her toes to kiss gently at his nose (which always makes Eugene's heart melt whenever she does it, just a little). "Wholeheartedly and forever."

She trusts you. This goddess of a princess trusts you. You could be with anyone – she could be with anyone – and she's chosen to trust you. The universe has chosen you to protect and have her, you lucky son-of-a-bitch.

"Here, lie back." Eugene whispers then, placing a guiding hand at the small of her back, prompting Rapunzel to lean back in the warm, waveless water. He presses her legs together with the other hand, directing them to point straight out, ultimately resting that hand under Rapunzel's knees to keep her steady. "What do you see?"

Rapunzel – that trust which she'd only just been talking about on full display now – allows Eugene to take her and guide her to lie down, keeping her afloat on the very top of the water.

"I think I can see forever from here." She breathes honestly, completely awestruck by the billions of stars overhead, hanging there like lost souls, dangling from the universe above and so easy to see from this new position of hers. "And I want to spend all of it with you."

"Forever is a very long time, you know." Eugene jokes with a smile of his own as he slowly drifts her around in the water; though part of him means it, because he's still feeling a bit guilty for causing Rapunzel to fall into such a worrisome, Gothel-voiced mental trap tonight. Thankfully, the moon is big and bright in the sky, and the night is still young (enough), and Eugene is hoping that he can make it up to her somehow. "Well, a long time to put up with my bullshit."

"Oh, Eugene." Rapunzel sighs, half-contentedly and half-not, understanding now why Eugene doesn't like it when she puts herself down. She doesn't like it when he does it to himself, even if she knows that he's mostly joking now. "I don't think forever is long enough."

Bringing herself upright once more, Rapunzel allows her arms to hang loosely at each of Eugene's wet shoulders, her fingers playing absently with the hair at the nape of his neck. She stares into his dark eyes for a long, quiet moment, and the mood shifts somehow; shifts to something which reaches far beyond simple playfulness and far beyond feeling guilty about a petty, little disagreement over dating approaches.

She just looks at him, words cracking with the rawest of emotion as they leave her lips so quietly – for only the two of them and the stars to hear – and Eugene swears that tears are pricking at the corners of Rapunzel's eyes once more; eyes which look terrified, and hopeful, and in love, all at once. And if Eugene's not very careful, those hot, burning tears might start pricking at his eyes, too.

"I have this horrible feeling that forever with you is going to pass me by far, far too quickly."

"Well, I suppose, if you really feel that way…" Eugene leans in to softly kiss and suck at her shoulder, neck, and jawline, whispering quietly in Rapunzel's ear as his mouth trails hotly along her skin, purposely avoiding her waiting, wanting lips. "We should do everything in our power to make the most of every single moment together."

Rapunzel's eyes flutter shut at the gentle, controlled touch of Eugene's lips to her damp skin, and her head subconsciously tilts to the side, wanting to feel his mouth on every possible inch of her. Unable to help it, she whimpers, and she feels incredibly pathetic for doing it. She feels pathetic, because he's barely even touched her yet, but she doesn't really care. She's never been afraid to let him know exactly how much she desperately wants him.

And tonight – in this beautiful, moonlit setting – there isn't going to be any exceptions.

"Kiss me." Rapunzel begs weakly, trembling just enough for him to feel it, pulling back reluctantly as Eugene kisses leisurely at her neck. Although his lips against her skin is beyond tantalizing, Rapunzel is aching to feel his mouth upon hers, to feel his tongue dancing with her tongue, and to hear the desperate sound of herself as she moans her desire into his mouth. "Kiss me, please."

"Your wish is my command, Princess." Eugene mumbles against her neck, though he takes his sweet time getting to her lips, kissing slowly down Rapunzel's jaw in the same way that he came. "Whatever you want, I'll do it."

Whatever I want? Well, at least he's as willing as I am tonight. I was worried that maybe he wouldn't want to –

Like the part-time tease that he is, Eugene hovers just far enough away from her lips to drive Rapunzel the good kind of crazy. Refusing to close the distance between them just yet, Eugene wants to know just how far he's able to push her. Perhaps – what with her unashamed begging of him to kiss her (which always turns him on so incredibly much) – he's testing her, even. He's seeing how long she can hold out, if only to make their ultimate union that much more satisfying.

"You were driving me so crazy today." Rapunzel takes a shivering breath in spite of the heavy heat in the air and inches forward slowly, speaking close enough to Eugene's mouth to let him know just how crazy he's been driving her. "You know that, right?"

And you still are driving me crazy, just in a different way…

She's referring to their differences in dating approaches, likely. Trying to help Hook Foot together had proved to be a bit of a challenge at times. They had created a bit of tension between themselves in their disagreement, after all. But the glimmer in Rapunzel's eyes now leads Eugene to believe that she's referring to a different type of tension entirely.

"The good kind of crazy, I hope?" Eugene teases – his own eyes shining like the stars – though he keeps a mostly straight face otherwise, glazed over with obvious lust as he stares at her lips in kind.

"The good kind." Rapunzel confirms breathlessly with a soft yet impatient smile, finally closing the dreaded distance between them and sinking into a deep, passionate kiss; a kiss which neither of them could've pulled away from if they wanted to, Rapunzel being unable to keep herself from moaning when she feels his tongue brushing tentatively against hers. "Definitely… the good kind…"

And Eugene certainly doesn't want to pull away, because she tastes like the salty sea and the warm sun sinking below the horizon, giving way to the bright, full moon, and the thickest lust that he's ever allowed himself to get lost in. He wants to get lost in her, wants to abandon ship with no life preserver and never, ever come back. He never wants to come back from her. He wants to sink to the bottom and get so lost.

"Blondie… I think I'm going to have to take back what I said before." Eugene grins at Rapunzel in the glow of the illuminating moonlight when the heated kiss ultimately breaks, and he smiles even wider as her eyebrows furrow together, her confused expression nothing less than adorable in his eyes. "There is one thing between us that's very hard."

"What?" Rapunzel cocks her head to the side, curious about what he could possibly be referring to. And then she realizes, a soft combination of a gasp and a laugh bubbling from deep in her chest, released into the muggy, night air between them. "Eugene! You're being… you're being very naughty!"

"So what if I am?" Eugene leans in to lick and gently bite his way up her neck, not at all minding that she tastes a little bit salty from the warm lagoon water. "Does it turn you on?"

"That depends." Rapunzel coyly reaches between them, taking that one thing that's hard between them into her hand, stroking at him softly. "On one, very important thing."

"Oh, yeah?" Eugene tries his best to keep a straight face – tries his best to milk this sexy talk for all that its worth, because she's not always brave enough to partake in it, what with it still being a fairly new concept to her – though the feeling of Rapunzel's soft fingers around his dick is enough to make him want to hang his head and moan pathetically. "And what's that, Sunshine?"

Rapunzel steps closer to him – as close as she can possibly get without pressing herself flush against Eugene quite yet – the water rippling gently around them as she pushes herself onto the tips of her toes in the silty sand at the lagoon's nearly-crystalline bottom, brushing her lips against his as she speaks.

"If I get to be naughty with you."

Oh, it's game on now.

Fuck the others, fuck them being no more than a mere five-minute hike from their campsite under the stars (they're hidden behind the curtain of thick leaves, anyway) and fuck anything that doesn't end with him being deep inside of her. They'd been dancing around the issue since they'd arrived at the freaking lagoon, both wondering how this night – how this late-night swim together – might end. Well, no more games. No more teasing or playing, no more skirting around the possibility.

Okay, maybe a little playing. If they didn't play at a time like this, it just wouldn't be them. But still, no more skirting around the issue like amateur teenagers. He is going to slide inside of her and fuck her while she moans his name to the moon, even if it's the last thing he does on this damn island.

"Why, it just wouldn't be the same without you, Blondie." Eugene murmurs, leaning in to kiss her again, not even bothering to hold out on her this time.

Nothing is the same without you. But especially not this.

"But then, things have always been easy between us, haven't they?" Eugene toys with her, a subtle smirk hanging from his lips as he pushes a single finger between Rapunzel's trembling legs, pleased with what he finds there. "Does it come easy for you, Sunshine?"

"Yes…" Rapunzel responds breathlessly, dropping her head to lean her cheek against his shoulder, trying so very hard to ground herself somehow, though she finds herself sinking slightly into the watery sand beneath her feet. "So easy. So, so easy."

Of course it does! It comes so easy between us, all of it… you make me cum so easily! And I want to –

"I'm glad you think so." Eugene chuckles, no less breathless himself, though the desperation in her yearning voice causes his smile to drop as quickly as it had come. He retracts the finger from between Rapunzel's thighs, though, earning himself an entirely unsatisfied groan. "I love you."

"I love… mmm… I love you, and…" Rapunzel shudders against his skin, making it difficult to find the words to coherently respond as Eugene pumps his finger inside of her painfully slow, ultimately pulling the finger away and making her moan in protest. "God, I love how wet you make me."

It's so easy. Everything between us is so easy! He barely has to do anything more than look at you most times, and you're always aching for him immediately, so ready to fall apart in his hands!

"Well, we are in the water, sweetheart."

"You know what I mean!" The lustful moment only partially broken by his usual snarkiness, Rapunzel splashes a handful of water in Eugene's direction, scolding him for joking around in the midst of such a sensual time. "I know you do."

But really – secretly – Rapunzel has always loved that they're still able to play and tease, even in their most lustful moments. It's what makes them so close. It's what makes their sex life so much more special and intimate; they're always able to be themselves in spite of it. They're always able to joke around. And while some couples may not find any place for jokes in their sex life, Rapunzel is grateful that she and Eugene do. Especially in the beginning, it had helped with calming her nerves so very much.

"I love how much you make me want you." Rapunzel corrects herself, clarifying her darkest desires and whimpering as Eugene returns his fingers between her legs, adding a second, slow-pumping finger to the hot tension which is already rapidly building inside of her. He's winding her up, just like he always does, and Rapunzel isn't quick to complain. Actually, she likes it when Eugene does this. She likes it when he toys with her, knowingly making that want for him all the more strong and nearly-unbearable. "I want you so much, Eugene."

"I want you, too, Sunshine." Eugene returns the sentiment, voice so low that it makes Rapunzel feel weak all over.

She's a goner. Hearing such a statement in his voice – hearing his deep, lustful voice calling her Sunshine like that – it's enough to send Rapunzel all the way under, dragging her to the sparkling, sandy bottom of the lagoon. It never gets old and she never tires of hearing Eugene say such things. And when he does, she's a goner for sure.

She's an absolute goner for him; no less than he is for her.

"And I love your voice. I love your voice when you say those things." Rapunzel shakily traces his lips with the pad of her thumb as she stares up at them, unashamed of her obviously growing desire and insatiable need for him. "Have I ever told you that? How much your voice alone makes me want you?"

I wouldn't be surprised if you could make me cum by whispering horrible, dirty things into my ear with that beautiful voice of yours.

"Blondie… fuck." Eugene swallows hard as his whisper whines at her, nearly choking on her longtime nickname, completely taken by Rapunzel's sensual words and how much they make him want her in return. He moans weakly, once again taking his fingers from between her legs.

I can't wait any longer…

"Beach?"

"Beach." Rapunzel eagerly agrees when the weak word has barely even left his lips, taking Eugene by the hand and all but dragging him back to shore.

Once there, Eugene watches as Rapunzel immediately drops to her knees at the water's edge, perched there in the sand, waiting for him to join her. Eugene hesitates for only a moment, much to Rapunzel's distaste, wrinkling his nose. He really hadn't thought about how dirty this entire ordeal will probably be.

"But we're all wet, and the sand will stick to –"

We'll get it all over ourselves, and in our hair, and –!

"Who cares?" Rapunzel pants, taking Eugene roughly by the hands and tugging him down into the sand with her. "We can rinse off in the water afterwards. I want you inside of me."

She makes a good point. And besides, does it really matter how dirty they get, so long as he gets to make love to her? He wants to make love to her, wants to feel her warm, tight wetness all around him, and –

"I want to feel you. I want to make you cum." Rapunzel breathes, lying back in the cold sand, whimpering as he follows her, positioning himself between her shaking legs. "I want… oh, fuck yes…"

Overestimating his ability to maintain any sense of control with her, Eugene hangs his head on Rapunzel's shoulder as his cock slides slowly against her aching wetness, teasing her gently as he gets drunk on her expletive response. She wiggles her impatient hips against him, so eager to immediately take him inside of her. But – cruelly, in Rapunzel's eyes – Eugene leans back on his knees in the sand and takes himself into his hand, abruptly disrupting her desperate grinding.

"No…" Rapunzel whispers pathetically, clearing her throat to find her voice again, though it still cracks slightly in the humid, night air. "Come back! Fuck, Eugene, just… just come back…"

"God, you're needy tonight." Eugene muses with a bit of pride bloating his ego, raising an eyebrow at Rapunzel's unfiltered begging before reaching for her again.

"Oh, stop it!" Rapunzel whimpers, though she allows Eugene to hoist her up by the waist without protest, ultimately placing her onto her hands and knees in the sand, back to him. "You're getting off on torturing me, Mr. Fitzherbert, and you've already driven me crazy enough for one day, so I really don't appreciate –"

But then, wordlessly, he slides into her, and the scolding words fall dead on her tongue, because it feels so damn amazing. Really, even the lanterns couldn't hold a candle to him. Which, for her, is saying a lot.

"Yesssss…" Rapunzel moans her heart out, immediately pushing her hips back so that she's flush against him, swaying slightly to take him as deeply as humanly possible. "Yes, yes, yes… just like that."

"What were you saying, Princess?" Eugene goads, though he's finding it incredibly hard to breathe himself as he drags his lips up Rapunzel's spine, dipping his head to kiss at her hip and bite at the outer part of her thigh. "Something about you not appreciating this? Because I can always just… stop."

Eugene leans back just a little – as though he intends to pull out of her entirely – and Rapunzel immediately follows, pushing back harder and taking more of him in, causing herself to moan.

"No! No. Please, no. I was just…" Rapunzel grovels for some sort of recovery, groveling at the sand with her hands in the process. But then, he begins sliding himself in and out of her, fucking her slow, and once again the words fall dead on Rapunzel's lips, making her mouth a stone grave of sorts. "I was just saying that… oh, Eugene, you feel so good!"

They make love like this so often now: with her on her hands and knees, him taking her from behind. From the first time that they'd tried the position in the meadow on the outskirts of Vardaros, she's been hooked. It allows him to reach so deeply inside of her, and it's so easy to feel him everywhere in this position, and she loves that about it. She loves feeling all of him. She loves this feeling of being one with him, their hearts intertwined until the stars above them burn out, and maybe even longer than that.

"Hey… hey, Blondie?" Eugene pants, taking his eyes from her for only a moment long enough to compose himself with a very deep breath, staring up at the billions of stars hanging overhead, listening to the quiet lapping of the lagoon against the beach just behind them.

"Y…yeah?"

"I think I can see forever, too." Eugene earns another whimper from that, leaning forward to kiss at the outside of her neck, still fucking her slowly – but deeply – from behind. "And it's you. It's all you."

"Oh! You're my forever, too!" Rapunzel exclaims emotionally, so happy to hear him say that, especially after a night of feeling so insecure – silly as she feels for it now, what with him fucking her with all his heart. "You're the only one for me! The only person I could ever want for the rest of my life!"

Overtaken by the raw emotion and slow, sensual tempo of it all, Rapunzel lowers herself onto her forearms, leaning her cheek into the cool sand, reaching her hand behind her to take Eugene by the wrist, gently pulling him to follow her as she leans further down.

"Fuck me harder, faster… more. Please. Please, Eugene."

More? If that's what she wants, I can give her more. I can give her everything. Whatever she wants, I'll do it.

The sand is silty. A little muddy, even, this close to the shoreline. But it doesn't really matter, because they can clean up afterwards, and it's the only remotely sturdy thing that Rapunzel has to dig her hands into right now. And if she doesn't dig her hands into something and soon, she's going to lose all grip of herself; a grip which is already quickly waning, anyway, now that Eugene has quickened their pace. Her legs are so shaky, her arms doing a miserable job at holding up their own weight, and Rapunzel silently thanks the heavens that Eugene is there to hold her up, as well. Her knees sink slightly into the wet sand, a shallow inch of water lapping at her ankles as he fucks her hard and fast, just as she'd requested; just like she needs, after worrying so hard over nothing all evening, wondering if he'd still even want her like this.

Not want her? It's almost laughable now, with him so deep inside of her, giving all of himself to her in this way. Rapunzel should've known that would be out of the question where Eugene is concerned.

"Can I scream?" Rapunzel moans weakly, whimpering pathetically as he once again bottoms out inside of her, trying desperately to muffle her own sounds on the off chance that they might be heard by their friends. "Eugene, I want to scream for you. I need to scream your name… I can't hold it in much longer with you fucking me like that. You just feel so good, I can't… I can't –"

Her words… her words! They're going to make him spontaneously combust, for fuck's sake! And it's been so long, it seems, since she's been able to scream for him with no inhibitions attached. Between living in the castle for about a year and being on the road for a while now, it's been difficult to find any true alone time. And even when they do, they always have to be quiet!

But now, out here? Who the hell would he be to hold her back? After all, Eugene had promised himself on day one of Boyfriend of the Lost Princess Duty that he would never hold her back. He refused – refuses – to be the one to do it, after she'd been held back so unfairly and for so long. And promises, after all, are entirely sacred in every way.

She'd taught him that.

"Are we far enough away from the others?" Rapunzel questions of him when Eugene doesn't respond right away – his mouth gone dry at her whimpered begging – praying to the heavens that his answer will be yes. "Please tell me that we are."

She's basically begging. She's all but begging to scream for him.

And who the hell would he be to tell her no? She's been denied of her most natural desires for her entire life. Dramatic as it may sound, Eugene would rather die (well, die again) than be the one to continually deny her of anything. It's the ultimate turn on, really, knowing that Rapunzel has trouble with containing her passion; knowing that she can't contain her passion because of him.

Her passion for him.

"I think so." Eugene responds in quick, labored breaths, honestly not sure.

It really hadn't been that far of a walk for them to arrive at the hidden spot of this little lagoon. It hadn't been that far of a walk, but hopefully it was far enough of a walk to drown out Rapunzel's haphazard sounds in the distance between them and their unknowing friends. Besides, everyone had been asleep when they'd left the group at the fire, and her screams would be muffled by the thick, dense forest.

Right?

"Yeah. Should be fine." Eugene adds in broken, breathless sentences, nuzzling at her warm neck with his nose. "I want… to hear you. Let me hear you, Blondie. Scream for me."

He loves the pretty, passionate noises that she makes when they fuck. He's addicted to them, in a way, always seeking out her pleasure even more than his own. She always wants so badly to be vocal, wants so badly to showcase her gorgeous, undying desire for him. But between living in the castle and being on the road with their friends, they haven't been able to get loud much. Meaning, when they are able, Eugene wants Rapunzel to get as loud as she needs to be without feeling even remotely held back or judged for it.

"Mmm… yes!" Rapunzel cries loudly then, almost as though she were finally being relieved of the tension coiled so tightly inside of her, screaming her passion to the moonlit sky as he once again buries himself as deep as he can go; this time, with a particularly rough force, holding nothing back. "Eugene, I love you!"

"I love you, too, Sunshine." And he does. God, he does. "So… so much."

"Fuck." Rapunzel whimpers loudly, looking as though she might cry, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and trying her best to burn into her memory the feeling of him sliding in and out of her like that. "So good. You feel so fucking good! I want you to fuck me just like this forever and ever, and… oh, please! Never stop! Please, please… never, ever stop!"

"Rapunzel, I'm coming! Just hold on!"

In the fog of their neck-deep lust, Eugene and Rapunzel both weakly snap their heads up, slowing the pace of their hips, though the desperate grinding doesn't stop entirely in their confusion.

"What…?" Rapunzel breathes, blinking hard as the leaves on the opposite end of the small beach start to shake, and the curtain of vines which hides the hidden lagoon (well, which had been hiding the lagoon), is pushed haphazardly aside, and –

In bursts Cassandra, sword drawn and ready as ever for a demon to slay.

"I'm coming, just wait – oh, my God."

"Ca… Cass! Cass!?"

"Oh, my fucking… oh, my God!" Cass quickly turns her back to them, covering her eyes with a hand, shielding herself from the indecent sight of her best friend on her hands and knees in the sand. "Oh, my God. I think I'm gonna throw up. I'm gonna throw up!"

"Cass, what're you doing here?" Rapunzel moans – not the kind of moan that Eugene wants to hear from her, either – completely horrified. "Why are you… oh, don't look! Just… just wait a second! Look away!"

"I am looking away!" Cass screams, motioning with one hand to the fingers covering her eyes. "Trust me, I am looking away!"

Shimmying herself out from underneath him – causing Eugene to slide out of her in a quick, friction-filled way which forces him to bite back a moan of his own – Rapunzel hastily grabs for her top and skirt in the sand, quickly pulling them on. Sighing – thoroughly annoyed by her presence already – Eugene glares at the back of Cass's head, grabbing for his own pants and shirt, slipping them on (though he takes his sweet, sweet time doing so).

"Okay. We're… we're good… now." Rapunzel murmurs nervously, wringing her hands together as though she's been caught with them shoved to the very bottom of the cookie jar, which only annoys Eugene more. She shouldn't have to hide this, nor should she feel this embarrassed about it. "You can look."

It's so fucking stupid that she should have to hide this so diligently, this thing that's just another part of life; of love. It's so ridiculous that she shouldn't be allowed to have this. To want this.

Tentatively, Cass turns around, peeking through her fingers before pulling them completely away from her eyes; eyes which are narrowed violently and aimed directly at him.

"Yeah." Eugene crosses his arms over his chest, standing firmly in the sand, preparing for the inevitable standoff between himself and Cass; a standoff which is sure to go down at any given moment. "Why are you here?"

"Well, Fitzherbjerk," Cass bites, unimpressed with his unbuttoned shirt and snarky attitude. "I woke up and saw that the two of you were gone, and I just wanted to make sure that nothing happened to you. Considering that, you know, we just fought huge sea creatures!"

"Clearly, we were doing just fine before you showed up." Eugene grumbles, looking away from Cassandra just long enough to recall how fine – how good – he'd been feeling no more than two or three minutes ago.

"Fitzherbert, I'm gonna kill you!" Cass steps forward, teeth bared and sword sharp.

"What? What're you going to do to me, Cass? Are you going to cut my dick off, while you're at it?" Eugene scoffs, suddenly in no mood to be patronized; not that he's ever in the mood to be patronized by Cassandra. "Because I don't know if that's such a good idea. Every royal family needs babies. You know, to keep the bloodline going and all."

"Sure, someday! But right now, her virtue needs to be protected… or whatever royal bullshit!" Cassandra points a furious finger at Rapunzel – who has remained painfully quiet for this heated exchange between the two dearest people in her life – only to point it angrily back to Eugene. "And you! What is wrong with you? What the fuck is wrong with you? She's barely nineteen!"

"She's a consenting adult, Cassandra." Eugene grinds, blowing a piece of fallen bang from his eyes before settling his own glare upon her once more. "Just because you can't get laid, doesn't mean –"

"I am going to wring your neck if you don't shut the hell up right now." Cass warns, still wielding the short sword in her hand, pointing it directly at Eugene now.

"What are you going to do with that?" Eugene laughs heartily, shaking his head, if only in an attempt to piss Cassandra off even more – simply because he's already in so deep now, that it really doesn't matter if she's mad at him. "Give me a vasectomy? Come at me, girlfriend! I have balls of ste –"

"Eugene!" Rapunzel whines, placing a hand to his chest, stepping between him and Cassandra as the lady-in-waiting takes another angry step forward, making a fury-filled noise from her chest as she continues to point the sword unwaveringly at Eugene. "Cass, really! Stop it! Put the sword down."

At Rapunzel's request, Cassandra's face falls, along with the sword (which she, reluctantly, returns to the sheath at her hip).

"How long has this been going on, Raps?" Cassandra narrows her eyes further (a defense mechanism which nicely hides her feeling hurt), quickly correcting herself. "How long has this been going on without you telling me?"

"Well…"

Cass crosses her arms, eyes trained un-movingly on an obviously-nervous Rapunzel, tapping her booted foot in the sand while she waits.

"Well?"

"Since the weekend that we went away to the cabin." Rapunzel admits quietly, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip, because she hasn't told anyone about that weekend – until now. Until now, it had been something so special, so… sacred. Meant to be a secret between just her and Eugene.

Rapunzel liked it that way. She liked knowing that it was their little secret to keep, and only theirs.

"But… but that was months ago!" Cassandra bursts, the clear hurt written all over her face.

"Yes? And?" Rapunzel sighs heavily as she places her own hands to her hips, suddenly feeling rather frustrated, because she'd really wanted to cum in peace. "I love Eugene, Cass. I'm in love with him. You know that. Everyone knows that! Did you really think this wasn't going to happen, sooner rather than later? Did you really think I was going to wait until marriage like I'm 'supposed' to? Like I'm always being preached at about? Have you met me?"

"You do like learning new things." Cass mumbles under her breath, quickly shaking the thought away. "Ugh, that's not the point! You don't even know if you want to marry him, and you're just… giving yourself away to him? You're giving yourself away, and you can't take it back. Once your virginity is gone, it's gone. You understand that, don't you, Raps?"

Rapunzel sighs even more deeply then, pinching at the bridge of her nose, because this misguided condescension is starting to feel and sound a little too familiar.

"I do understand, Cass. I'm old enough to have understood that for a while now!" Her eyes narrowed now, Rapunzel finds her footing in the sand, no longer feeling so timid. "And just because I'm not ready to get married right now, doesn't mean I'm not ever going to be ready, and Eugene is the only person that I would ever want that with. I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this! You're treating me like a child. And I really don't appreciate that!"

"Well, I'm just trying to make sure that you got all the information, because your father would probably kill me if he knew that I knew about this and didn't even try to put a stop to it!" Cassandra throws her arms into the air, laughing bitterly. "And oh, I don't know… maybe I'm trying to explain this in layman's terms, because you could get pregnant?! The last thing we need is another Fitzherbert running around!"

"Hey!" Eugene grits his teeth, using all of the remaining strength inside of himself not to send a well-aimed right hook in Cassandra's direction. She might be a girl, sure, but he really wouldn't feel that bad. Not right now, not when it's Cass. Not when she's – as Rapunzel just stated so plainly – treating the more-than-capable princess like a child. "You leave my future children out of this!"

"Seriously, Cass, this really isn't a big deal!" Rapunzel groans and rubs at her temples, frustrated.

Well, that's not entirely true. It is a big deal. A really big deal, actually. It's so good, so special. But it shouldn't be a big deal to anyone but Eugene and I!

"Rapunzel, you can't be serious!" Cassandra tries to reason, again training her gaze upon the annoyed princess. "You really don't know why I'm freaking out right now? You're not… you're not taking this seriously enough, clearly! Why do I always have to be the one to make sure you don't do something incredibly stupid? If you don't want me to treat you like a baby, maybe you should stop acting like I need to keep babysitting you! Wasn't that the entire point of coming out here?!"

Rapunzel stays horribly quiet at that, staring at Cass for a very long, awkwardly silent moment, bottom lip trembling and tears welling in those big, green eyes. Eugene holds his breath, because if Cassandra has never fucked up in her friendship with Rapunzel before… now is the moment that she finally has. And as much as he's secretly wished for Cass to mess up in the past, seeing that hurt look on Rapunzel's face reminds Eugene that Cassandra messing up at the cost of Rapunzel's joy really isn't worth it.

It's not even remotely worth it.

"There's a lot more to me than you want to see, Cass." Rapunzel grinds low and cold, quickly scampering past both Cassandra and Eugene, disappearing behind the thick curtain of leaves and leaving the hidden lagoon in a painful silence.

---

"You know, Cass… she's not a baby." Eugene murmurs quietly as he crouches down beside Cassandra as she stokes the fire, glancing over to a sleeping Rapunzel, curled up in her hair.

"I know she's not. I don't try to treat her like one. But I know you. I know…" Cass shifts uncomfortably in the sand, clearly not wanting to talk about this any more than he does. "Look, I'm not dumb and I'm not naïve, either. I know the kind of person that you used to be. I know how much that kind of person could hurt her."

"Neither is she." Eugene narrows his eyes at the 'naïve' comment, sighing defeatedly. "Look. First of all, I might've been a little bit of manwhore back in my day, as you always so elegantly like to point out to me. But I never took advantage of anyone, and I sure as hell would never take advantage of Rapunzel. You should know that by now. You, of all people, the person who claims to be her best friend, should know that."

"But I know you, Eugene. All I did was spend my teen years listening to my dad complain about the infamous, uncatchable, selfish thief named Flynn Rider. And even though I've known you, really known you, for over a year now, sometimes…" Cassandra sighs deeply, tossing a wayward stick into the fire. She hates feelings. She hates talking about them more. "I just worry about her sometimes, okay? She was taken advantage of for her entire life. And sometimes… sometimes I just worry that you're gonna break her heart."

Eugene shakes his head at that, trying so very hard not to be deeply offended. It doesn't work.

Unbelievable.

"Seriously? I'm not going anywhere, Cass. You know that. I've proven that. I've proven myself, time and time again. To you, to her parents, to an entire fucking kingdom. To her, most importantly!" Eugene bites at his lip, willing himself to keep his voice down as the others sleep on the other side of the fire. "And even if something did happen, even if we did have a kid before we were really ready to, I would never, ever leave her. I love her way too much. And it's so fucked up that you would even question that. After everything."

Cassandra sets her jaw then, focusing on Eugene with a hard look in her eyes, because she knows exactly what everything means. He died for her. He took his last breath for Rapunzel's freedom, and now that he's been given a second chance, he's going to live his life protecting that freedom with all he's got.

"You don't have to leave her to break her."

Eugene scoffs then, because the thought of him breaking Rapunzel is absolutely ridiculous. He would rather die again than leave her, and would rather die again than hurt her. She could just as easily break him as he could break her. And yet, in Cassandra's biased eyes, he's always going to be the bad guy.

To her, he's always going to be the one who ruined the precious, perfect princess.

Well, fuck that. She shouldn't have to be perfect!

"She was the one who wanted to have sex, Cass!" Eugene finally bursts, not wanting to throw Rapunzel under the bus, but tired of taking the blame for everything where Cass is concerned.

"Oh, I highly doubt –"

"You said so yourself! She loves to learn new things! And why can't this be one of them? Why should she have to adhere to a million ridiculous rules for the rest of her life? Rules that only shame her for being human, when she was already shamed for what she wanted for eighteen years?"

Eugene feels himself growing overwhelmingly frustrated once more, feeling as though he's at a complete impasse with this impossibly difficult and entirely stubborn lady-in-waiting.

"I'm sorry, Cass, but I won't do it. I won't be the one to lock her up and tell her no. I won't be the one to keep her from experiencing life. Really experiencing it. I refuse to be that person in her life. I refuse." Eugene thinks back to the heartfelt conversation which he and Rapunzel had shared at the lagoon about Gothel, long before anything sexual had taken place. "And if that makes me the bad guy in your eyes, fine. I'll be the bad guy for you, so that you can feel better about not being good enough at your job. I'll be the guy who took her innocence and ruined her. But you, of all people, should know that I am going to give her the freedom that she deserves. I led her out of that tower, after all, and I will be damned before I lead her right back into it."

Cass doesn't say anything, only listens intently to his stern speech, and Eugene takes this as his cue to continue – if only because she doesn't let him actually talk very often.

"But with that freedom, I am always going to protect her, and I'm not going to let her do anything if I don't think that it's completely safe for her to do it." Eugene stokes the fire absently, finally allowing his tense shoulders to relax a bit. "And I get that your literal job is to look out for her, but she trusts me, okay? She knows that I would never hurt her. And isn't that all that really matters?"

"It was really her idea?" Cass asks lamely after a long, quiet moment, the skepticism written plainly all over her face. "The whole… thing?"

Eugene sighs, not sure how in-depth he really wants to go about his sex life with Cassandra. But if she's that worried for Rapunzel, Cass isn't going to let it rest until he reassures her that they're being safe about this, and Eugene knows that.

"When we went to the cabin that weekend, it was the first time. She begged and begged me, and I… I wanted to hold out, Cass. Really, I did. I wanted to prove to myself, to everyone, that I could. Before we took that final step, I wanted to be completely sure that she was ready. And I would've been fine with waiting. I would've been completely fine with waiting until marriage, if that's what she really wanted." Eugene shoots Cassandra a pointed look. "I have a lot more willpower and a lot more love for her than you give me credit for. I'm not as selfish as you think I am. I'm not as selfish as I used to be."

When Cass doesn't respond, just stares at him in the waning firelight, Eugene goes on.

"So, she was ready that weekend. I mean, she really was. And I hadn't gone as prepared as I probably should have, because I really didn't think that she was ready then. But she was. I made sure that she was. I gave her every opportunity to stop. I didn't pressure her in any way. And I told her over and over again that we could wait, that we should wait. But she didn't want that." Eugene can't help himself from smiling a little, recalling the special memory of that weekend in heaven at the cabin. "She was the one to persuade and corrupt that weekend, alright? Not me. And although I hadn't thought that she was ready at the time, I know that she's ready now, and we take the right precautions now, alright? I wouldn't put her in a position that she can't handle yet. Do you really think that I'm a complete idiot?"

"Well –"

"Don't respond to that." Eugene mutters, holding up a hand before dropping it with a heavy sigh. "The point is, Cass… I trusted her. I trusted her judgement, I trusted that she knows herself well enough to know if she's ready for these things or not. Just like you should be trusting her now. It's not fair to her to assume for the rest of her life that she has no proper judgement just because she grew up in the tower. It's not… God, it's not fair to her to treat her like a child! That's why I agreed to go on this damn road trip to begin with!"

Eugene shakes his head, feeling his blood starting to run a bit hot, because he'd thought that leaving Corona would mean that Rapunzel would finally have the real freedom that she's always deserved. The king sure as hell hadn't been able to give it to her, much as he loves his daughter. Leave it to Cass to treat Rapunzel like a child no less than Frederic had been before they'd left.

"How is she ever supposed to grow and heal from the tower if we treat her like she's still in the fucking tower!?"

On the other side of the fire, a sleeping Rapunzel shifts at the escalated comment, and both of their heads snap to her as Eugene lowers his voice significantly before he continues on, a bit more calmly this time.

"It's not fair to her. It's not fair to her if we never let her make her own judgements. How are we any better than Gothel then?"

Cassandra sputters, not wanting to be compared to that horrendous woman in any way, but knowing that Eugene has a point; knowing that he has a point enough to not want to let him be right.

"Don't… don't compare me to that woman! This is different! She doesn't know how to trust herself yet, Eugene! And she looks to you more than anyone else to guide her to do the right thing! You know that, and I think sometimes you use that to your advantage!" Cassandra bites out, not at all appreciative of the Gothel comment. "She's barely been out of her tower for a year. We're not holding her back so that we can use her like the fucking witch did. Sometimes, we're holding her back to protect her. Because if we didn't, who would? She would be all over the place if her parents didn't have some structure set in place for her!"

Cassandra is right, partially; right enough for Eugene to not want to let her be.

"So, you tell me, Eugene." Cass growls in a whisper so low that Eugene would be scared, if he didn't know that Rapunzel would kick some serious ass if Cassandra ever laid a finger on him. "How could she possibly know that she's ready? That she's ready for the possibility of having a child!?"

"Well, she gets treated like one enough, and you're using no better logic than Gothel had if you seriously think that you're protecting her by treating her the way that you did tonight. By keeping the world and its realities from her. Besides, Rapunzel is smart, and she has a hell of a good heart. She'd figure the whole kid thing out, if she really had to." Eugene shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest, really over this entire conversation now. "We'd figure it out. You know, you act like she doesn't know how to control herself at all, and you act like we're not, oh, I don't know… hopelessly in love!"

"But she shouldn't have to." Cass retorts stubbornly. "She shouldn't have to figure that out before she's truly ready. She's already been through enough! Not to mention, she's already busy enough with, I don't know, being a princess? The least that we could do, is make sure that she beats teen pregnancy!"

"Like I said, I've got it covered."

Cass, stone-faced and condescending as ever, only says:

"I bet you do. I bet you've got it all covered, don't you? Every base."

Eugene sighs, feeling defeated and pinching at the bridge of his nose before looking up to face Cassandra once more, frankly growing tired of her all-knowing, patronizing tone.

"I'm not going to keep her in a cage, Cass. I just won't do it." Eugene sets his jaw, trying his best to showcase that he's unwilling to back down just as much as she is. "We might disagree on things, a lot. But I think we can both agree that she's always deserved far better than to be treated like a caged bird or like an incapable child! She has so much life inside of her, so much… love. She has so much love to give, Cass. Who would we be to keep her from giving it, when that's all she's ever wanted to do?"

Eugene swallows hard, staring into the fire for so long that his eyes start to burn and go dry.

"We have sex because we love each other. Because we're in love. And as much as you might not want to hear it, or talk about it, or even know that we do it, it's the truth, and we're not going to stop on your account. It's just a part of life, sure, but it's not just sex for me, ya know? As little as you may think of me, it's not just sex."

I can't believe I'm talking about this with Cassandra, of all fucking people.

"For the first time in my life… I'm making love to someone." Eugene snaps his head to Cassandra, suddenly feeling very protective of Rapunzel and their intimacy together. "Do you get what that means, Cass? Do you get that? Because I sure as hell do. I didn't get it before, but I do now. And I would never, ever do anything to ruin that, nor would I ever use it to hurt her. You think so little of me, Cass, that you can never see what's right in front of you."

This successfully shuts Cassandra up, much to Eugene's pleasant surprise. She stares at him for a long time, soaking in everything that he's said, ultimately rising from her place in the sand beside him.

"I swear, if you knock her up before she finally agrees to marry your stupid ass, I will slit your throat. In your sleep." Despite her rough words, though, Cass pats his shoulder as she gets up to walk away, and Eugene swears that he can see a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "And I will enjoy it."

"Got it."

"I'll take first watch." Cass murmurs over her shoulder, heading out to the water's edge after nodding toward Rapunzel in the low firelight. "You watch over her, hey?"

Eugene looks over to Rapunzel, sleeping peacefully by the fire, wrapped up in her thick braid to protect herself from the bugs and the cool, late-night breeze from the nearby sea. He also stands from his place in the sand, joining her there in her comfortable sleeping spot. Eugene lies behind Rapunzel and wraps his arms snuggly around her middle, glad to feel her heartbeat there, her love pumping against his palms. Rapunzel shifts a little and cracks her eyes open just enough to see him, smiling lazily as she immediately recognizes the familiar smell and feel of him against her, patting sleepily at his arm.

"Eugene… is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, sweetheart." Eugene whispers, leaning forward to kiss her cheek softly. "Just fine. Now go back to sleep. I got you."

"Mmm… I love you." Rapunzel murmurs back before drifting once more into a deep sleep, a lazy smile still on her face. "So much. And I'm sorry for what happened earlier."

"Don't be sorry." Eugene quickly reassures, more than happy to slide into mindless sleep himself. "I love you, too."

Love is hard work sometimes, both Rapunzel and Eugene have learned.

Though, perhaps it doesn't always need to be.

AN: And with that, Part Three of this series is completed! I really hope you enjoyed it, even with the twist of Cassandra crashing their party. I'm a little evil for that one, aren't I?

Don't worry, my lovely readers. Part Four will have no such interruptions… stay tuned for Everything I Wanted!