For those people who appreciated the last chapter, thank you! :D Suspense left you hanging? Well, here's the next chapter for you :D

About MERICCUP: I'll be posting a new story with Merida and Hiccup in it. I already decided the ending for this fic and I can't find any slits for them to slide in. I'm sorry. I promise that the new story will have MERICCUP. :D

For the guest who noted about the 'OUT OF CHARACTER-NESS' of Jack and Rapunzel: Yes, they're both a bit OC, especially Jack. I actually thought about it before starting the fanfic but I made it a bit more realistic (to my experience) that he wouldn't really be so much of a jerk to someone he's not really close to, especially with the person he likes a lot. XD But, don't worry in the future chapters, he will act like a jerk to her because of reasons. :D sorry if you feel awkward, though, towards them because of not being themselves.

So sorry for the late update. The succeeding chapters will be posted later than usual. It will take me a week or two to get one chapter done.

I do NOT own Tangled, ROTG, brands/companies or any of the like mentioned in this fic.


Chapter 14: Official and Unofficial

He stared at the ceiling, recalling what he had just done to her. The moment was only almost a picture but it kept him awake for hours now. His drowsiness left him a while ago. All he could think of was that moment and that feeling. It bothered him in a sense but he didn't want it to go. Any person who isn't able to sleep would get cranky but he didn't mind. As the memory of him so near her flashed in his mind again, a question popped up. What if I kissed her directly?, he asked. The thought of it made him swallow and partially regret he kissed her just on the corner of her lips. The feeling finally made him insane.

Jack, get a grip!, he mentally slapped himself. She's just a girl!, he tried to convince himself not to be all awkward but his conscience interrupted, Dude, she's the girl. Not just any girl., it said.

"Shut up, I don't need you right now." He muttered, a bit pissed off, and turned to face the wall.

It was quiet now. He gave a sigh and closed his eyes, hoping he would be able to sleep. He thought about himself and her, if their relationship was going to be something deeper than they have. He scoffed at himself, Why would I be in a deeper relationship with her?, he tightened his lip and he shut his eyes harder. He thought and thought about his chances, what he'd do, what he'd say to her and if he'd tell her soon about his feelings for her. Without realizing it, he fell asleep. That morning, he woke up earlier than her, despite sleeping at dawn. He took a shower, dressed himself with a plain blue long sleeved shirt, black pants and the customized shoes she gave him then, he went to eat cereals. All the while, he was still thinking about what he'd do and say. He wondered what her reaction will be if he told her his feelings. He was so absorbed in asking himself, he didn't notice her standing beside him, calling his name.

"Jack? What are you doing?"

When he heard her, he almost stood up from his seat but he managed to control himself, "Eating." He said flatly.

"But you've been staring at the bowl for two minutes now." She tilted her head, confused.

Shit, she noticed., he thought then looked up at her, "I'm still munching." He said.

She smiled, "Oh… I thought there was something wrong." She grabbed a bowl and a spoon and poured herself cereals and milk before looking at him again, "You seem to be early."

He smirked, "Thought I was a lazy bum?"

She smirked back, "I know you are! And you always sleep during vacation, sleepy head."

"I was merely concentrating."

She laughed, "Do you always snore when you concentrate?" she said and continued laughing.

He frowned but laughed seconds later. It was a bit offensive for him but it was funny at the same time. He gave her an evil smile, "At least I don't talk while sleeping." He laughed again. It made her blush madly and frown at him, "I-I do not talk while sleeping!"

"How do you know that?" he was still looking at her with an evil smile.

She was taken back a bit and blushed more, "I just do!"

He raised a brow and made a sly smile, "I heard you calling my name last night." He smirked.

I was!?, she looked horrified. "You're lying!" she cried.

"I'm not." His evil smile turned into an evil grin.

"You are!" she cried again, "I wasn't dreaming about you. I was dreaming about…" she trailed off, remembering her dream about them.

"Me." He said when she didn't speak. Then he placed his chin on his palm and stared at her. She turned really red when he said the word.

"About camping!" she glared at him, "Oh, you're so full of air!" she pouted.

He arched a brow and smirked, "So full that I was able to blow you away." He said teasingly.

Her jaw shut close and her lips tightened but she didn't frown. She just stood there, looking blankly through him. He, on the other hand, arched a brow and stared right into her. He couldn't read her emotions through her eyes because she was feeling so many things at a time—mixed emotions of ups and downs.

"You won this round!" she grinned with determination and pointed at him accusingly then turned for the stairs, "I'll go take a shower now." She said and hummed her way upstairs.

It was weird for him to see her like that. He didn't know if it was a side she hasn't shown him yet or if it was really weird for her to act like that. His eyes followed her figure and looked at her bowl of cereals. He frowned a bit. But she hasn't even eaten yet, he thought.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel pressed her back against the bathroom door while looking at the tiled floor. She could hear herself breathing through her mouth and felt her heartbeat up to her hands. What he said was true. He did blow her away. Just hearing him say that almost made her melt. The way he said it—when his voice lowered at the end. It was just so enticing! Her body wanted to break down and melt but she maintained control of herself. He must have known by now that I haven't eaten, she thought. Then she heard him knock.

"Hey, you haven't eaten yet!" he said.

She placed her bathrobe on the towel rack, "I will after I finish taking a shower!" she replied.

She took a shower and stared at the soap go down the drain as she thought of what she was going to tell him and how was she going to act all normal around him. Ever since they met, she stammered a lot, which she doesn't normally do. Sure, she was the same happy Rapunzel the rest of her friends knew but she didn't do most of the stuff she does with him to them. She was childish at times but she didn't feel interested in almost everything she sees, unlike with Jack. When she's with him, she thought everything was new to her and that the things around them and the places surrounding them should be discovered more. She turned the shower knob and got her towel and wrapped it around her hair and wore her bathrobe.

She sighed, "I like him… a lot." She confessed to herself. With that, she sighed again and opened the door.

Even up until wearing her clothes, she was preoccupied with her thoughts. She wanted to tell him how she felt but what worries her was their friendship. She thought he might not like her if she told her but, her conscience knocked on her head.

Why would he do that? He's a nice guy!, her conscience told her.

"What if he does? What am I going to do then?"

You don't know that, Punz.

"Just a what if! What if he really will?" she asked herself loudly then she sighed at herself, "If he does, I won't take it likely…" she said, whispering to herself. "I think I love him…"

She finished dressing up and went down to eat her breakfast. Jack was in the living room so she had more time to think about her feelings about him. At one point, she growled. Whenever she finds comfort about not knowing a reason why she should be nervous, her conscience shoves a few reasons in her head and it almost made her insane. When she finished, she decided to call him so they'll go to school. The entire trip was silent. She thought of things to say but when she finally had the courage to say something, they were already in CU. She wondered if he found it odd for her not to be her bubbly and talkative self and if he thought that she was mad at him or anything. Even up until they went to the ninth floor, they were silent.

Jack held the knob of his classroom door and was about to turn but Rapunzel grabbed the sleeves of his jacket. He looked at her and saw she was bowing her head down. He couldn't help but worry but he didn't show it. After a few seconds of thinking, he decided to place his hand over her hand that was clutching on his sleeves. He was going to ask if anything was bothering her but he decided not to ask anyway. It would be stupid to ask her that, he thought. She's obviously not okay, his mind added so, he held her hand firmly and looked away when she glanced up at him.

"Let's talk about it later when you're fine." He said.

Her brows furrowed together in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

He tightened his lips, "You're obviously not okay." He rolled his eyes to look at her, still not facing her, "Just… tell me about it okay?" he said, trying to sound not too concerned but the care was there. She stared at him but her expression changed from confusion to blankly-staring-at-you kind of expression. He immediately looked away again, "Look, I'm not good at this stuff. Just tell me later. I need to go inside." He said, a bit of panic in his voice and twisted the knob but the sound of her chuckle made him halt.

She grinned at him when he looked at her, "It's nothing. I'm fine, really!" she chuckled again and gave him a pat on the arm, "I need to go now." She said and walked as normally as she could.

Class for her was really quiet. Even her classmates noticed her unusual silence. Whenever a teacher asks something, she would normally answer it. Most of the time she was the first one to greet the professor but now, she was just copying notes quietly. None of her classmates wanted to bother her. Her teachers noticed it too but they acted normally and continued the lesson. They decided to tell Ms. Claire because they knew the woman was the closest professor to Rapunzel. Ms. Claire decided to talk to her when they got dismissed. She waited for her to come out.

Ms. Claire saw Rapunzel get out of the classroom and noticed that she was looking at the ground. She gave a small sigh and thought that the teachers were right about her having a problem. She placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, "Hey," she called. Rapunzel turned and smiled when she saw her. Ms. Claire saw that her smile had a hint of something out of the place but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"Hi miss." She greeted, not to cheery.

The woman frowned, "Your professors told me you weren't reciting like you usually do. Is anything wrong?"

She didn't speak and her expression turned to confusion. It was enough for Ms. Claire to confirm there really was something wrong with her and carefully pulled her to the side of the hallway. "Punz, what's bothering you?" she asked. Rapunzel only shook her head and said it was nothing but the woman knew better and asked her again, "What's the matter? Did someone hurt you?"

Finally, the girl spoke, "…No, miss." She looked at the floor.

"Then what is it?" Ms. Claire bent down a bit to see her face.

"I… don't really know…" Rapunzel said, almost a whisper.

The woman straightened up and held her shoulder, "Come on. Let's go to the cafeteria." She said and they went. The place was almost empty because the next classes have already started. Neither of them bought anything and decided to sit down near the wall-sized window. Rapunzel stared outside and looked at the city outline. Their cafeteria was at the twelfth floor and one side of the place was an entire window that showed the outline of one part of the city.

Ms. Claire placed her hands on the table and clasped it together, "Is it about family, Punz?"

Rapunzel looked back at the table and shook her head. She was at the verge of tears and she was fighting the tears back.

The woman inhaled and looked at her seriously, "A boy?"

She didn't do anything or say anything. She just stared at the table still. Ms. Claire knew she was correct. "Is he in school?"

The blond finally broke down, "I don't know what to do, Miss." She said, her voice faltering, "I'm afraid, confused, nervous and hopeless." She continued. The woman clearly knew what she was talking about. If there was anything that would make a girl feel confused and hopeless, it would be love. She didn't speak so the young blond would continue, "I want to tell him what I feel, show him what I feel. I want to be with him but at the same time, I don't." she said in-between tears, "I want to tell him but at the same time, I don't want to."

"Why?"

Rapunzel looked at her, tears streaming down her eyes, "Because I'm afraid he'll go." She said in a hushed tone. Ms. Claire kept quiet and let her continue. "A part of me says he wouldn't but another part says he will. I'm afraid that the side of me that says he will is right. I don't want the only person that spends the entire day with me, making me happy by only sitting beside me, to go."

The woman looked at her straight in the eyes. She knew who she was talking about. "It's Jack, isn't it?" she asked and the girl quietly nodded.

"Did he ever show signs he'll leave you?"

She shook her head, "I don't know…"

Ms. Claire smiled gently, "I think you should tell him." She said and it made Rapunzel look at her. "Don't let your doubts get hold of you from telling him how you feel about him. You'll never know what he really feels about you, unless you tell him what you feel about him or ask what he feels about you."

"But boys won't easily tell their feelings to a girl—even if it's someone else they like."

"That's why you need to tell him your feelings so, he'll tell you what he feels about you."

Rapunzel looked at the table again and, with her eyes, looked at the professor, "What if he doesn't feel the same?"

"Then at least you know. You won't hope, you won't expect." The woman grinned at her, "Expectations are the least you want to have for a boy, Rapunzel."

She wiped her tears away and smiled, "Thank you, Miss."

With that, they decided to leave and go their separate ways. Rapunzel went to the ninth floor where Jack's classroom was and waited for him outside. She was smiling at the door. The nervousness left her a bit but at least she had made up her mind to tell him—but not today. When the door opened, her heart skipped a bit. But when she saw it was him, she unconsciously inhaled abruptly and she felt her cheeks become warm. She gathered her strength and shook away her negative feelings.

"Jack!" she waved at him.

He looked and nodded at her "'Sup, Goldilocks." he went to her. He noticed that her eyes were puffy. "What happened to you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her, "Did someone make you cry?" he asked, examining her features for more evidence she did cry.

Rapunzel swallowed and waved her hands in front of her, denying him, "N-nothing happened!"

He frowned, "But your lashes are wet and your nose is red." He said firmly, "Who made you cry?" his frown tightened and he looked at her with high intensity.

"No one!" she said, trying to concentrate on looking at his eyes but her eyes just won't cooperate.

"Are you sure?" he asked, still frowning.

She nodded, "Yes, yes! I'm sure!" she said, forcing a wide smile.

Jack loosened his expression and smiled a bit. It shocked her when he leaned down and neared his face to hers and looked at her eyes with intensity again, "If anyone tries to hurt you, tell me." He said with protectiveness in his voice.

The entire time, she held her breath and nodded. He's so near!

He straightened up and smirked. If any asshole makes her cry, I will make him suffer hell that he'll beg me to kill him instead, he thought. Jack carried his bag over his shoulder, "Wanna go?"

She nodded, "Let's go!"

The two of them walked down the hall together and talked about how his class went. Again, Jack complained about how the girls in his class surrounded him the moment he entered the classroom. They asked him about her.

Rapunzel gulped, "What did you tell them?"

Jack had his head tilted down but his eyes were focused on their way, "I told them that you were a close friend." Then he frowned, "They accused me of lying and told me that you were really my girlfriend and I was just hiding it." His words successfully made her turn red. She didn't know how to react about it. She wanted to laugh at the hysterical accusation but a part of her wanted it to be 'somewhat' real.

"They wouldn't stop blabbering about it so I lied to them that I… was courting you." He swallowed.

Now that was something she never expected him to do. She couldn't find the reaction to show. She was so confused and nervous that it made her dizzy and look around the hallway as she breathed a bit faster and heavier than usual. What is happening!?, her mind shouted. Not that she didn't like what he said but, it was just so awkward!

He looked at her with an apologetic look, "I'm sorry I brought you into something you didn't want."

Her horrified expression turned into a forced I'm-okay look, "It's fine! If it will make them stop annoying you, I'll even act as your girlfriend. I promise."

Okay, maybe promising it is hectic.

Jack was going to say something but he was cut off by his fan girls. They turned around and saw a group of girls standing a few feet behind them. The supposed leader of his fan club had her hands on her hips and her feet were apart. He and Rapunzel gulped a bit as they saw her.

"So this is your girlfriend." The girl said.

Rapunzel looked horrified, Oh no..

End of Chapter


This chapter is called official because Punz is officially in love with him. And it's called unofficial because Punz is the 'unofficial' girlfriend of Jack~

I'm sorry I had to stop here. If I didn't, there will be nothing left exciting for chapter 15 so, yeah. I'm sorry D: I'm also sorry that I'll be updating later than usual. It might take me a week or so to update the succeeding chapters because of school work. LOADS OF DRAWINGS TO DO. D: I still have to do 180 drawings and all of it will be passed next week -_-

Hectic schedule. I'm sorry D: I promise to try my best to finish every chapter as soon as I have free time.. (like what I'm doing right now). So yeah, I hope you like this chapter. Sorry for the late update.

Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!