Chapter Three:
Over the next few weeks, Jack learned as much as he could about Rapunzel Corona. Which wasn't a lot.
She and her parents had just moved to Burgess. She didn't tell him why, but the family were very adamant about a 'new start'. She liked painting and other arts, but hadn't painted since the move. She was a little shy and awkward, and had a few nervous ticks, which were mostly solved by twirling a bit of her hair in her fingers.
She was quiet, didn't participate a lot in class, and didn't like to make a lot of friends. Sometimes Jack thought that maybe she wanted to, but others he let her be.
She was also fast. Jack had been on the track team until he'd had to quit last year, but Rapunzel could outrun everyone. When he had introduced her to Hiccup and Merida, the girls had gotten in a race. Rapunzel had won, although not by a lot.
As shy as Rapunzel was, she couldn't help but hang out with Jack and the others. He knew that the girl probably found it awkward, but Hiccup and Merida were likable, and knew when to stop pushing boundaries.
Jack finally found himself loosening up with Rapunzel. Because she was so quiet and soft spoken, Jack took the lead in a lot of conversations, and had really started to become the bubbly person he'd used to be. Sometimes it hurt, like a nagging feeling in his chest that chanted 'liar, liar, liar'. Jack did his best not to listen, but sometimes it was so draining that he collapsed into bed at home, ignoring whatever dinner his sisters had made.
But for the most part, he was happier.
"Want to go out to the woods again?" Jack asked, shrugging on his jacket. Rapunzel looked at him and gaped. She grabbed her woolen hat and crammed it over her brown hair.
"Jack it's freezing," She muttered, gesturing towards the front doors, where a consistent stream of cold air was blown into the halls. "I'm not even used to Burgess weather yet!"
"Right," Jack snickered. "Where'd you live before, Utah?"
"Arizona," Rapunzel corrected. "Phoenix, Arizona,"
"Land of endless sun?"
Rapunzel scrunched up her nose.
"Sure," She muttered, looking down at her hands. "Something like that,"
"We could go to Arendelles," Jack suggested. "Meri and Hiccup might be up for it too,"
"No, no, I'm… not up for that much… interaction," Rapunzel muttered. "And it's in public, and I don't know the way around town yet, and my phone died and Frederick said he couldn't pick me up today… and my hair!"
"What's wrong with your hair?" Jack asked. Rapunzel blinked at him and pulled off her beanie. She pointed at her roots, where instead of the normal chocolate brown, was a light golden blonde color.
"My roots are coming in, and I haven't gotten a chance to fix it!" Rapunzel muttered, then nervously glanced out at the front doors.
"You dye your hair?" Jack asked. "It looks so natural!"
Rapunzel smiled shyly. "You really think so?"
"Of course!"
"T-thanks," Rapunzel said, and put her hat back on. "Nobody has ever told me that before,"
"I wish I could dye my hair," Jack said. "Its too much upkeep though,"
"I-I could teach you?" Rapunzel whispered. "If you wanted?"
"Really?!" Jack cried. "You mean it?!"
"Sure," Rapunzel said. "Here, we'll swing by the drugstore and get supplies, and do it this weekend?"
"Oh yeah!" Jack yelped, jumping and hitting the door of the doorframe. Rapunzel giggled a bit. Jack landed and spun around, grinning widely.
The two teens ducked into a small drugstore by the school, where Rapunzel gathered up the necessary supplies she needed for her own hair. Once she'd done that, she turned back to Jack, who'd grabbed two packs of M&Ms to share with his siblings.
"What color do you want?" She asked, gesturing at the variety.
"Hmmm…" Jack muttered, pushing past the normal colors and looking for the weirder ones. "Any suggestions?"
Rapunzel laughed a bit.
"Here," She said, leaning past Jack to grab a box. "You look like you can pull this off,"
"White hair dye?" Jack asked, looking at the box. Rapunzel nodded, and Jack saw a glimpse of a personality he'd only heard about. The artist.
"Oh yeah," Rapunzel said. "This is perfect for you,"
The next Saturday, Jack could hardly sit still. To MJ and Katherine's surprise, he cleaned the house twice over, played games with Sophie, helped both Jamie and Emma with their homework, and made lunch.
MJ tried to check his temperature at one point, insisting that he must be sick for him to have done so much work, but Jack only laughed it off.
"It's his girlfriend," Katherine snickered at one point. MJ whirled around the look at him while Jack's cheeks flamed. "IT IS!"
"What girlfriend?" MJ yelled, grabbing her brother by the arms.
"It's that brunette girl he's always hanging out with now!" Katherine laughed from her spot on the couch. Jack scowled at her, but the older girl laughed harder. "Nightlight saw you!"
"Saw who!" MJ howled. "Who is my little brother dating!"
"You don't bug Goosie about Nightlight!" Jack muttered.
"We've known Nightlight for years," MJ said. "We haven't met your girlfriend yet,"
Just then, the doorbell rang, saving Jack and stopping his sisters. Jack ducked under MJ's arm and ran to the front door, yanking it open to reveal Rapunzel. The brunette smiled and hoisted two plastic grocery bags.
"I held off on doing my own hair so you'd get more practice," She said, gesturing towards her roots.
"Cool!" Jack beamed. MJ nudged him expectantly and he jumped. "Oh, Punzie, these are my sisters, MJ and Goosie,"
"Emily-Jane,"
"Katherine."
"Rapunzel," The brunette said, waving awkwardly. "I didn't realize Jack had older sisters,"
"I've got two younger ones too," Jack said. "And a brother,"
"T-thats a big family," Rapunzel whispered nervously. "A-are they all going to b-be here?"
"No, we'll keep them entertained," MJ reassured. "Probably take them out to the park,"
"Are you an only child Rapunzel?" Katherine whispered back. Rapunzel nervously nodded.
"Come on, let's go upstairs," Jack said, and dragged the brunette up the stairs with him. MJ and Katherine stifled their laughs.
"Go get the littles?" Katherine asked after a minute. MJ nodded.
"We'll let the lovebirds have some time alone," She giggled.
"STAY STILL!" Rapunzel yelped, shoving Jack back down. "I'm gonna mess this up!"
Jack snickered, but let the blonde-brunette focus on her work. Rapunzel's practiced fingers worked through Jack's fluffy brown hair, bleaching it and wrapping the strands up in tinfoil to set. Her nose, freckled just a bit from her time outside, scrunched up as she read the instructions on the package.
"This is different from mine," She mumbled, before freezing a bit. "Sorry,"
"Sorry 'bout what?" Jack asked. Rapunzel just shook her head.
She'd decided to do her hair after Jack, since his needed bleached and more overall work. Jack had no idea how long the process was supposed to take, but Rapunzel was the master, so he let her do it. Jack liked Rapunzel's natural hair color, but she had insisted that the brown was better.
So Jack was sitting on the bathroom floor, head bent over the bathtub, trying not to fidget and let Rapunzel work. She'd insisted that the white would look awesome against Jack's skin tone and eyes, and he trusted her completely. She'd done nothing to prove otherwise.
Jack closed his eyes and relaxed. He was really calm, and the worries that had been pushing into his mind during the past week had faded. It was just the effect Rapunzel had on him.
"Why haven't you ever done this before?" Rapunzel asked, rubbing circles against Jack's scalp. "It looks like your sisters would help,"
Jack just shrugged.
"Never had the time before, I guess," He said. "I've always been busy caring to the twins and Sophie too,"
"I never had any siblings," Rapunzel whispered. "I wanted one when I was little though,"
"Really?" Jack asked. "I was six when the twins were born. I was the youngest and suddenly I was in the middle,"
Rapunzel laughed, and Jack grinned widely.
"I think I wanted a brother," She said. "If I had a sister, we'd probably fight a lot,"
"You?" Jack said. "Never."
Rapunzel smiled a bit.
"I don't know how to be around other girls," Rapunzel confessed. "They always seem so much… better than I am,"
"Merida is not better than you," Jack said automatically.
"Hiccup would disagree," Rapunzel giggled. "Now let me finish!"
Jack laughed again, but stayed still. Rapunzel quickly wrapped up with the bleach, and cleaned off her hands.
"Now we wait!" She proclaimed, settling down next to Jack. The two teens talked until it was time to wash the bleach out, and kept talking as Rapunzel applied and washed out the dye and toner. While they let Jack's hair dry, they kept talking, and Jack pulled up some memes he had saved. Soon, the two were rolling around on the bathroom floor, laughing hysterically.
Rapunzel was gasping for air when Jack heard the front door slam open. He sat up and looked down at Rapunzel.
"Guess MJ and Goosie are back with the others?"
The two teens headed out of the bathroom and down the stairs, where they expected to show Jack's siblings their hard work.
But it wasn't Emily-Jane and Katherine with Jamie, Emma and Sophie. It wasn't even one of them.
Jack's face paled and his jaw dropped. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the man in the doorway. The man dropped Olivia Overland on the couch and looked up at the teens.
"Hello Jack,"
Author Notes:
Ah yes, the dramatic reveal. Any guesses who Jack's bio dad is?
In my family, we call the younger kids 'littles'. I have only heard it there, but put it in anyways.
If anyones confused, I do my best to address it.