Chapter 3: Aftermath

A/N: I really hope you guys are enjoying this story. I'm trying not to worry about the stats because I like writing this A/U, but I pay too much attention to it ): Whoever is continuing reading, please tell me if anything is wrong with it! I'll take criticism so I can make it better. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

As always, review, favorite and follow!

I don't own Tangled… yet :)

Rapunzel felt a throbbing in her head. She felt parched. She felt a little grip on her hand. She felt someone's slow breathing on her face. Rapunzel blinked slowly a couple times, trying to get rid of the headache, but it just didn't worry. Opening her eyes, she saw a face right in front of her. Leaned up against the bed, laying his head down was Flynn. She was a little surprised, trying to recall everything that happened. She must have thought too hard, because her head throbbed even worse now.

What happened? Did I do something wrong? Where am I? Lots and lots of questions flooded her mind. She looked down to her hand, seeing Eugene grip it a bit. She smiled slightly, with a bit of crimson appearing on her face. Well, as long as we didn't do anything too bad. She wanted to get up, but decided not to, laying her head down and just looking at Flynn. She laid there for what felt for hours, until he finally opened his eyes.

He smacked his mouth a little before speaking. "Mornin' Blondie, admiring the face?" he smirked at her. She didn't know what to say, she was caught looking at him. She felt so embarrassed, hiding herself under the blanket. Her face was so warm, all the blood rushing there. Flynn let out a good laugh before flinging the blanket off of her. She let out a small yelp, and laid there innocently. She put her hands over her face, trying her best to cover her shame.

"I wasn't doing anything," she meekly said, turning herself the other way from him.

"Yeah I know," Flynn replied. He sat down next to her and rubbed her back. "How ya feeling? A little hungover?"

"Is that when I have a terrible headache and ache all over?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Then I think I'm very hungover," Rapunzel complained.

"I would think so, after all, you're so small and you drank something very heavy," Flynn laughed a bit, picking up a water bottle on his night stand. "Here, drink this, it'll help a little."

Rapunzel took the bottle and sat up, then began sipping on it slowly. "Thanks… again." The two sat there in silence again. "So… what exactly happened yesterday?" Rapunzel asked, wanting some closure.

"Nothing too bad, we just had a drink or two, danced, came over to my place and talked about…" Flynn paused.

"Talked about what?" She tilted her head. Flynn looked into her eyes, and at her shoulders.

"We talked about your past problems," he finally said after looking at her for a while. An "o" formed on her face, like she just realized she had let something slip she shouldn't have.

"Well… you don't have to worry about me Flynn, I'll be fine," she tried to say confidently, but failed miserably. Locks of hair fell over her face, covering her beautiful emerald eyes.

Flynn pushed the hair out off her face, and cupped her cheek. "Hey, I will worry about you, even if you tell me not to. You're someone I just want to…" he paused, "Someone I want to protect." This caused Rapunzel to blush once again, except deeper this time.

Is this some sort of proposal? I've read about these in fairytales Rapunzel's mind was running with thoughts.

What did you just say idiot? That's so embarrassing Flynn cursed at himself. They were sitting there awkwardly. Flynn's eyes wandered to the clock, realizing the time. "Oh shit Blondie, we got class soon!"

"Wait what?!" She called out, trying to get out of bed fast. A sharp pain hit her head and she stumbled forward into Flynn. Surprised by the sudden hit from the back, the two fell to the ground, Rapunzel on top of Flynn's back. Flynn groaned and looked back at her.

"Yes, we have school today. You wanna take a shower?" He asked with a smile.

"I would like to, but how much time do we have left?" She was worried she'd be late on her second day.

"Got like twenty minutes or so," he guessed.

"I guess I can take a quick shower," she stood up slowly from his back, and Flynn followed in suit. She walked towards the door to get to the restroom

"Wait Blondie," Rapunzel looked back to him "Here." He tossed a towel and some clothes. He gave her a baggy shirt that had a Duckling on it and some baggy grey sweatpants. "I know they won't fit too well, but it's better than being in alcohol smelling clothes.

"Thanks!" She quickly headed to the restroom. She decided to rewear her undergarments, but gave her panties a little wash before stepping into the shower. The warm water ran down her skin, and she sighed happily, enjoying the feel of it. She washed herself and stepped out, drying as fast as possible. She tried to brush and brush, and brush and brush her hair, but she was feeling her time constraints.

"Hey Blondie, I got us a couple bagels but we're gonna run late!" He called out while knocking on the door.

"T-thanks! I'll be right out," she stumbled out of the bathroom, wearing all the baggy clothing. She slipped on her crocs and grabbed a bagel and a water bottle, and the two dashed out the apartment. Her head was still throbbing a bit, but she felt a little better. Flynn drove fast, just a little over the speed limit.

The two stopped at a red light that stayed red for a while. "So, Flynn Rider. Tell me about yourself."

"What would you like to know?" He glanced at her in the mirror.

"Is there anything off limits?"

"Just my backstory, for now at least," he smiled weakly.

Rapunzel thought for a bit. "So, I heard you got held back. What does that mean?"

"It means I'm supposed to be out of school already, but here I am."

"Why are you still here then?"

"Low grades alongside some truancy. A little rebellion never hurt anyone," he replied. It sure hurt my head though Rapunzel.

"I also heard you were a player, may I ask why?"

"Nope, no can do with that one Blondie."

"Awww," Rapunzel complained, but decided to drop it. He seemed a little uncomfortable with it. "Why do you smoke cigarettes?"

"It feels nice I guess," he shrugged.

"How?! It literally felt like I was dying!" Disbelief covered her face.

"You get used to it."

"I most certainly won't," she said, shaking her head.

"Alright last question…" she got lost in deep thought, trying to find a good question. Finally, she got it. "Do you like me?"

Flynn slammed the breaks at the cross section, bolting his head towards Rapunzel. Rapunzel was a little shaken up, but returned the gaze. "Say what now?"

"Do you like me? Like how the princes like the princesses in fairytales?" She asked quietly. Flynn looked at her in disbelief. Did she really just ask that? It was so obvious she had no idea what love is. It was also so obvious she had never been outside yesterday, but he just couldn't comprehend this question.

"You know what you're asking, right?" He started driving again,

"Not really, but I have a slight idea…" She looked down. Flynn sighed, and glanced at her. Did he really like her? I mean, she's the only girl he would actually want to protect. He didn't ravish her like he did to many other girls, even though they were in a somewhat similar position, minus the abuse part. He didn't do anything, but held her hand through the night to try and comfort her. He did some many things that he just thought he wasn't capable of. He was very surprised by his own actions, from the beginning of the day, to the end. Was she the key to his heart that had been locked away

"I don't really know Blondie. You are special to me, for sure. You are someone I want to protect, someone I want to thrive in their life. You are someone to me, but I don't know if I like you." Flynn's self turmoil was showing on his face, worrying Rapunzel.

"It's okay Flynn," she said meekly "you don't have to answer if you're not comfortable." She felt a little pinching in her heart. What is this feeling? She thought, looking down.

"I'll give you an answer eventually, but let me chew on that," he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Alright." The rest of the car ride was pretty much silent. Flynn didn't bother to turn on the radio, because they both needed some quiet to think. They were both thinking about the same thing: What is the answer to that question?

They eventually arrived at school and exited his car in the lot. The two attracted a little bit of attention, seeing how Rapunzel was not only stepping out of Flynn's car, but also in his clothing. The onlookers were mumbling to one another,

"Who's that?" some asked, looking at the girl with long blonde hair.

"Is she Flynn's latest catch?" Some guys whispered amongst each other.

"She looks so young, guess he's getting more jail time," someone joked around

All kinds of comments like these spread around, starting some rumors amongst the Corona high community. The two were completely unaware of this though, as they walked through the gates together. Rapunzel felt everyone's eyes on her, wondering what they had done.

Flynn looked down to see Rapunzel looking a little nervous. "What's wrong Blondie?"

"I don't know Flynn… it feels like everyone is looking at us."

"Well, maybe it's because you're so cute," he joked, smirking at her. Rapunzel blushed, putting her head down.

"You don't mean that. Mother always said I had a chubby face and attractive body. Nothing like that girl you were with last night," she said dejectedly. "She always said no one would ever like me."

"Rapunzel…" he looked at her, his heart wrenching a bit. She had been through so much. Who is her damn mother anyways? Thinking she can treat her daughter like this. "Look, you're beautiful alright? I promise you are so much better then any girl." When did you get so mushy Flynn? Can't you see what she's doing to you? The same voice crept back into his mind. She's making you actually care…

Flynn pushed that voice away and continued walking with Rapunzel. She looked so lost and sad, like she was still thinking of her mother. He reached his hand toward hers, and pulled back a bit. Did he really want to do this? Is he really good enough for her? Screw it! He thought, and gripped her hand. She flinched a bit, surprised by his sudden action. She looked up to him, with large eyes.

"Don't worry about your mother, or anything she says. Just keep your eyes on me," he said, walking with her to their first class. They got stares from everyone walking through the hallways. It was only the second day of school, and Flynn already got a new catch. Flynn was always a player, but no one thought he would go for someone so young. He always had a preference for older women.

"Who's the girl Flynn?" someone called out in the crowds of people.

"Is that Max?" He stopped with Rapunzel and looked towards the direction of the voice.

"The one and only," he said as he bit into an apple. Rapunzel returned a smile to him, catching his attention. "So, who's this fair lady?" He asked, turning to her.

"H-Hi! I'm Rapunzel," she stuttered, nervous because he was Flynn's friend.

"What an interesting name," he smiled at her.

"Right?" Flynn agreed. Rapunzel gave him a weak punch on the shoulder. "Ow Blondie, what was that for?" She looked away silently.

"You caught yourself quite the feisty one," Max laughed. He leaned closer to his ear. "So, how long are you keeping her?"

"I didn't do anything with her. She's special I guess," he whispered back. Rapunzel looked at the puzzled, trying to hear what they were saying.

"That's what I thought. I mean, you never hold hands with any girl," Max nodded, looking down at their hands.

"Who's this Flynn?" Rapunzel finally asked, looking at Max.

"This is Maximus, one of my best pals."

"Yup, we go way back," Max said.

"We've known each other for four years. Not the longest, but pretty decent still," Flynn shrugged.

"Hi Max," Rapunzel greeted. "So, how did you two meet?"

"We met in Calculus BC. When I was a freshman, Flynn was there with me. I was the only senior, and he was the only sophomore," Max explained. "At first, we hated each other. He was this "bad boy" who seemed to only do bad, and it didn't help with my sense of justice."

"But then he realized how good I actually was," Flynn snickered a bit.

"No, I realized that you just weren't as bad as you showed," Max rolled his eyes.

"What made you realize that?" Rapunzel questioned.

"Well, he would help me in class with things I didn't understand, although he did make fun of me first," Max glared at Flynn.

Flynn laughed, "He seemed so lost in the class, so I just helped him out a bit."

"Wait… why are you still in Calculus BC Flynn? If you took it so long ago," Rapunzel was confused.

"It's because he just wanted to stay in that class with Arianna. She's his favorite teacher," Max teased.

"I mean, you're not wrong," Flynn shrugged, "She's a good teacher and has a fun personality."

"Is that so?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"Yup," Flynn smiled innocently.

"Well it was nice to meet you Rapunzel, but I've gotta get to class. Catch you guys later," Max said before disappearing. The bell rang, signifying that they were late. Flynn didn't really care, and still walked with Rapunzel at a normal pace.

"He was nice," Rapunzel commented.

"Yeah, but can be a big pain in the ass sometimes," Flynn said. Rapunzel frowned. "I'm joking Bondie, I'm joking."

"Shouldn't we hurry up? Wasn't that the late bell?"

"Arianna won't mind. Anyway, it's nice to see the hallways a little empty," he observed the hallways, almost devoid of people now. The hallways were quiet, and somewhat soothing. They slowly walked through the halls, admiring all the decorations hung up for the "Back-to-School" spirit. Banners and streamers, alongside club posters and flyers. Everything felt so festive. Suddenly, a buzz came from Rapzunel's pocket. Flynn looked at her, and she pulled out her phone. Rapunzel's face drained of color. Glancing at the screen, Flynn could see that her mother had texted and called multiple times, with no reply from Rapunzel.

"Flynn… what should I do?" She looked up at him with worried eyes.

"Just ignore her for now," Flynn suggested.

"But what if she comes for you?" She worried.

His heart jumped in joy. She's worried for you! Look, she's perfect! "It's alright, we'll be okay. You can just stay with me. I don't want you going back there." Especially after the way she treated you.

"But…" Rapunzel was anxious. What if her aunt called the police on him? She didn't want to cause him any trouble and worried for Aunt Gothel. Even though she abused her, she was the only person that she knew for the longest time. Rapunzel still cared about her.

"Just think it over alright? After school let's go back to my place. We can talk about it there." Rapunzel nodded her head slowly, agreeing to this.

\

They finally reached their class, walking in together. A couple whistles were blown when they walked in. All eyes were on them. One reason being that, they were late, and the other was all the rumors going. Almost everyone in the upper class knew about Flynn and his deeds, but no one expected him to settle on someone.

"You go Rider!" Some people shouted

"Are you done being a player?" A girl said, enviously looking at Rapunzel.

"You're late," Arianna frowned, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry Mrs Arianna," Rapunzel apologized and bowed. Flynn smiled at Arianna, getting a sigh from her.

"Flynn, what did you do this time?" She asked, looking at Rapunzel.

"What? I can't have a friendly relationship with a girl? Am I some sort of player?" Flynn grinned, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Okay Mister Rider, Miss Bruan, go take your seats," Arianna finally let them off the hook. They sat down where they were yesterday, and listened in to the teacher. Flynn looked bored out of his mind, playing with his keys and a pen.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention? Rapunzel whispered to him.

"I don't need to, I already know all of this. I took this class like, 4 times, Blondie."

"Why?"

"You heard Max, Arianna's a cool teacher," Flynn winked at Rapunzel.

"Can you two stop flirting and pay attention?" Arianna called them out.

"Sorry, sorry," the two said, Flynn smiling while Rapunzel frowned at him. Arianna went back to teaching.

"Don't look at me like that Blondie, you started it," he winked again. Rapunzel could not believe this man. Although, she did ask him the question first. The class went on as normal after that, and the bell finally rang.

"Flynn, Rapunzel, can you stay after class?" Arianna called out to them as they got up from their seats.

"Sure," the two said, looking at one another in confusion. As everyone left, Rapunzel and Flynn stood by Arianna's desk. They were both quiet and kept their eyes on their teacher. What could she want for us? Rapunzel thought.

"Now, you may be wondering what I want from you guys," she started as the final student left the classroom. Is she a mind reader? Rapunzel tilted her head a bit.

"You are going to give us a late note, right?" Flynn joked around.

"Yes Rider, I will. Anyways, I'd like to ask you guys a couple things. Especially you Rapunzel," the two nodded, and Arianna continued. "First of all, I'll ask Rapunzel this time, has he done anything to you?" She looked at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel blushed a bit, looking at the ground. She swirled her foot around and played with her hair. She was making it so obvious that something had happened. Arianna raised an eyebrow at Flynn, who put his hands up innocently.

"Rapunzel, just tell me if he did anything," Arianna tried to get an answer from her.

"Well… we slept next to each other, and held hands…" She confessed shyly. Arianna looked at her for a while, then cracked a smile at them.

"That's good to hear. I thought he would have done something worse,"

"Hey!" Flynn protested.

"Everyone knows how you are," Arianna teased. Flynn frowned, crossing his arms and turning away. This got Rapunzel to laugh. These two are real close, she thought, observing their interaction.

"Last question. Rapunzel, may I have a little bit of time alone with Flynn?" Arianna's tone seemed serious.

"Okay" Rapunzel went and stood outside the door, closing it behind her.

The two were alone, and looked at one another. "So Flynn, is she the one?" She asked, smirking at him.

"I don't know Ari… you know how I am," his eyes looked sad.

"I know it's hard to love someone again, but you can't keep dwelling on the past. You seem so happy with her, at least give it a chance, okay?" She comforted him, rubbing his back.

"I'll try, but I'm not sure I'm good enough for her. She deserves someone better, after everything she's been through."

"Everything she's been through?" Arianna questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know if I can tell you, but you can try and ask her when you get the chance," he admitted.

"I understand. Alright, you're free to leave," Arianna dismissed him with a heavy conscience. What is Flynn talking about? She would have this stick in the back of her mind the whole day.

Flynn walked through the door to see Rapunzel standing off to the side, leaning up against the wall. "Hey Blondie, I'm done," he called out to her, causing her to jolt a bit. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing… I was just thinking," She weakly smiled at him.

"Your mother again?" She nodded. "Don't mind her, you're just living your life. Are you still thinking about my request from earlier?"

"I want to, but I don't have any clothes and I don't want to put a burden on you," she just didn't want to cause any problems for Flynn.

"After school we could go shopping for clothes, and you'll never be a burden to me. I've got some extra cash, we'll be fine," he assured her.

"Ok" she agreed hesitantly. Flynn rubbed her head, making her feel all warm inside. He's so kind.

"I'll bring you to class then head off on my own. Lets meet up at the courtyard later alright?" Flynn grabbed her hand. Rapunzel nodded and the two walked to her next class. Approaching the door, Pascal was waiting outside once again. He looked a little annoyed, staring at the two as they walked up.

"Hi Pascal!" Rapunzel greeted him happily.

"Hi Rapunzel," and he looked over at Flynn in disdain, "Rider."

"Friendly as ever," Flynn smiled.

"What have you done to Rapunzel?" Pascal tried to get up in Flynn's face, but the height difference was a little vast. Flynn backed up a bit, acting scared.

"Oh no, don't hurt me!" Flynn mocked. Pascal rolled his eyes. "What do you think I did?" Flynn asked.

"You probably did some lecherous things to her," he commented.

"Flynn wouldn't do that!" Razpunel retorted.

"Oh he would, you just have to give him the chance," Pascal replied.

"Look, I know we are on bad terms with one another, but I haven't done anything Pascal. We just danced and went back to my place yester-"

"Your place?!" Pascal yelled in surprise. "There's no way you didn't do something Rider," Pascal had disbelief all over his face.

"Calm down buddy, let me finish. So we just talked, ate, and slept, end of story" Flynn finished.

"It's true Pascal, please don't be mad at Flynn," Rapunzel pleaded.

"Alright, fine, I'll believe you this time. I'm sorry for assuming everything bad happened," Pascal apologized.

"Water under the bridge," Flynn shrugged, "maybe we can even be friends, who knows?"

"Maybe. Just maybe though," Pascal hesitantly agreed.

"Wait a minute… Why are you out here? Hasn't class already started," Flynn realized.

"Uh well… I was worried about Rapunzel," he blushed a bit.

"That's good," Flynn smiled and leaned towards Rapunzel's ear, "He's a good friend, make sure to cherish him." Rapunzel smiled and nodded her head. The trio exchanged their farewells and went on their way. Flynn decided to go out and get some food, skipping his next classes. Rapunzel and Pascal entered the classroom, and no one seemed to have noticed as they were watching a video. They took their seats.

"So, are you sure he didn't do anything else?" Pascal continued with the conversation.

"Well… he let me drink alcohol," she thought back to it, "it was fun"

Pascal sat there in disbelief. Not only was she underaged, but Flynn Was too. How did he even get the alcohol in the first place? Pascal calmed himself down, "And nothing else happened after you drank it?"

"No, not really. We just went to sleep after talking," she said. Pascal sighed in relief.

"Just, be careful of him okay? I don't want you getting hurt."

"He wouldn't hurt me," Rapunzel reassured him.

"I sure hope not."

End of Chapter 3

A/N: I sure hope I'm not making Flynn look too soft. I just kind of imagined him like this so hopefully it's somewhat accurate. Another reason I'm writing him like this is because I want to set it up for his backstory! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, as I enjoyed writing it. I actually love writing this Fanficiton, so I hope I can bring joy to you guys as well. Anyway, thanks for reading and leave a favorite and a follow if you liked it! Also, a review at that. See you in the next one :D