Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
A/N: Modern AU of Madge as Rapunzel and Gale as Flynn in Disney World
"Do I like Eugene or Flynn better?" she repeats. Madge, currently dressed in a lovely pink gown with a wig on her head and known to the entire world as Rapunzel, smiles at the little girl who's visiting. "That's easy. Eugene is much easier to handle than Flynn."
"Hey!" Flynn, or Eugene, or well Gale, protests.
They've been working this gig for the past few months. Well, working at Disney World isn't exactly a gig, it's more of a dream come true. Every morning Gale and Madge meet in the character dressing stations. He watches as Madge pulls on her thick blonde wig and wonders if it makes her top heavy and suits up into his blue vest and boots. Her readying takes a lot longer, considering she's the one playing the princess.
Today is just like every other day. They put on their act of Disney characters the best they can and considering Gale has watched Tangled about a thousand times with his younger sister Posy he thinks he's got Flynn down to the T.
"I mean of course I love Flynn," Madge/Rapunzel corrects. "They're both, well, I mean," she chews on her bottom lip. "They're sort of the same person," she whispers to the girl.
"I resent that," Gale/Flynn says, crossing his arms. "And you, girl," he gestures to the little redhead in a Merdia dress who's bouncing in front of them. "Who on earth told you my name? I bet it was Pascal, that awful lizard talking about things he has no business in."
"Oh, Flynn," Rapunzel/Madge swats his arm. "For the hundredth time, Pascal is a chameleon!"
"Flynn, Flynn!" The little girl jumps in front of Gale. "My sister has a crush on you." She gestures to the taller red head who must be about seventeen years old. "I think you should give her the smolder!"
"May I?" he asks, turning to Rapunzel.
Madge smirks, knowing this is his least favorite part of the Flynn title. "Oh, of course! You must!"
Gale steps forward to the teenager and smiles. "Are you sure you're prepared for this? Prepared for the smolder? I don't want you to faint." The girl giggles and blushes incredibly. "Alright, alright here we go." Gale does his best smolder and hears Madge giggle behind him. He opens his eyes. "Oh? You didn't faint."
"Must be having an off day," Rapunzel/Madge calls.
"I seem to be having a lot of those lately," he sighs.
There are a few more interactions back and forth between Rapunzel and Flynn and the last few in the line. Someone asks Madge where she gets her hair done and she says that the little girls who braided it have opened their own hair shop in Corona that is bustling with business. Gale has to do the smolder at least three more times. He talks about how no one ever gets his nose right. Someone asks where Madge's frying pan is, or where Pascal is, and she answers perfectly.
Sometimes Gale forgets that she's just playing a princess. She does it so well and so naturally.
Finally they're escorted away from the crowd as the sun starts to set. They hold hands just for show, but Gale has grown to like the feel of Madge's small soft hands encased in his own.
When they're out of sight they let go and Madge sighs, letting her shoulders slump.
"Long day, Blondie?" he asks. Madge shoots him a look and Gale can't help but laugh. "I thought you were going to snap when that one girl said you were too short to be Rapunzel."
"They pick me apart," she says with a sigh. "You're lucky. Not only is your face claim devishly handsome but you're not so bad yourself Hawthorne." She fiddles with her wig as they make a turn. "I'm not a typical beauty. People don't think I'm pretty enough to be a face character."
Gale wonders if Madge Undersee is insane because out of everyone, Gale thinks she best suits her character. There are people who are ungrateful to play Snow White or Cinderella and they're very fake and forced. They get lipstick on their teeth. Madge, though, is not only beautiful but deserves the coveted role of Rapunzel. She does it well.
"Who gives a shit what they think," Gale mutters. "You wouldn't have been picked if you didn't deliver."
She smiles sweetly at him. "Thanks, Gale." They reach their dressing rooms and she sinks into her chair. Gale watches in his mirror as Madge pulls off her wig and cap and lets her own wonderfully curly blonde hair fall to her shoulders. She wipes down her makeup. "Oh, Gale," she calls over her shoulder and he quickly retracts his gaze. "My schedule says I'm working alone tomorrow." She glances over at him and waits for him to turn around as well. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought I did," he says. He wipes his own makeup off, frowning at the amount of blush that comes off on the pad. "My family's coming. I get the day off to spend with them."
Madge smiles again and brushes her hair from her face. "Will Posy be here?"
He cocks an eyebrow. "Of course." He's surprised she remembers his sister's name.
"You'll have to bring her by!" Gale smirks and glances at her in the mirror again. "You talk about her all the time. I want to meet her, is all."
He smirk stretches into a smile and he dips his head. "Sure." Tangled is Posy's favorite Disney movie, Gale can only imagine how thrilled she'll be when Princess Rapunzel knows her name. Madge grins too before returning to wipe off the rest of her makeup. She does this routine where she does all of the left side of her face and then moves to the right side, making sure not to miss any. "Undersee," Gale says. She looks at him in the mirror. "What are you doing tonight?"
"I was going to go home and go to bed early," she admits, smiling sheepishly. "Why?"
"Come on a date with me," he says. Madge's cheeks erupt in the most brilliant pink. "We can go see the fireworks at Cinderella's castle." She's yet to respond, her eyes still wide and shocked. "Maybe get a drink, or ice cream if you don't want a hangover tomorrow."
Madge fidgets, reaching back to scratch at her neck. "You want to take me on a date?"
"I just asked, didn't I?" Gale spins to face her and Madge hesitantly turns as well. "We spend all day as characters. I just want to spend the night with you, Madge Undersee. Not Rapunzel, princess of Corona."
"I'm not very interesting," she tells him softly. "I think that might be why I'm so good at pretending to be someone else."
"Shut up," Gale frowns. "That's not true and you know it." They've been working together for months. He knows about her family, her friends back home. He knows she always gets a strawberry smoothie before she gets to work because they're her favorite and that she spends most of her weekends sleeping because of how exhausting this is. He knows she wants to go back to school and get a degree. "Don't make me beg."
There's a pause as she considers her options.
"Okay," she finally agrees. "But you're paying for ice cream."
They end up in the perfect spot to see the firework show. Gale's freehand is laced with Madge's as they eat their ice cream, silently watching the people around them instead of talking. They sink into their seats and his arm ends up around her shoulder instead of holding hers.
"You know," Madge says between licks, "there are rumors about you."
Gale chuckles into her ear and sends shivers down her spine. "Oh? What do they say?"
Madge hesitates, taking another lick of her ice cream to avoid answering. "That you've been to every kingdom."
Gale snorts. "Hate to disappoint." There was one time during his first week of training that he got really drunk and hooked up with the little mermaid, but that's about it. He had a crush on Princess Belle for a while but it never amounted to anything. "I don't really stray outside of Corona. My wife has me on a leash."
"We went to Arendelle for a coronation," Madge teases. Gale laughs again. "Maybe you're hooking up with Princess Anna."
"She has Kristoff," Gale says, waving his hand dismissively. She looks up at him and meets his eyes, a brilliant gray that always look so distant as they act. "Thanks for coming. Despite the rumors."
"Unfortunately I like you," she admits with a soft blush. "I've sort of been dreaming you'd ask me out for a while."
Gale can't help but grin. "Oh yeah?" She tilts her head into a nod. "Why'd you turn me down at first?"
"What if it wasn't everything I dreamed it would be?" she asks.
Gale rolls his eyes and says Flynn's line, "And what if it was?"
Madge bites down on her bottom lip. "Then what?"
"Well that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream."
He meets her eyes and debates leaning down to kiss her before she erupts into laughter. "Oh, God, that was so cheesy!" Madge shifts onto his chest and Gale tightens his arm around her. "I can't believe you know the movie that well. I can't believe we just quoted Tangled in an actual conversation. I can't believe you went along with it!"
Just as Gale goes to respond the firework show starts. Madge and Gale finish their ice cream in silence but his hand somehow finds its way to her waist where he rubs circles on her hip.
"Hey, Madge," he dips down and whispers into her ear. She tilts her head in his direction so his lips graze the shell of her ear but she doesn't turn to face him, mesmerized with the firework show. "You were my new dream."
"You're awful," she laughs, turning to see him. Before she can say anything else he bends down and presses his lips to hers, sweetly and steadily. Madge forgets about the fireworks and melts into the kiss, reaching up and pulling him down toward her. Gale grins and revels in the way she sighs into his mouth. "Never use that line on me again," she says as they part. "Or I'm kicking you out of Corona."
"Deal," Gale grins.
They kiss throughout the finale.
"Princess Rapunzel," Gale says, tipping his head in her direction. "Such an honor to meet you." She extends her hand and he kisses it, smirking as she blushes. He's amazed that she looks so well put together especially since she didn't leave his apartment until very early this morning.
"My, I'm honored," Madge says back. "However I'm married. I'm so sorry, sir. You might know him, his name is Flynn! He must be around here somewhere, probably off with Maximus somewhere." Gale snickers and steps aside, revealing his family. "Oh!" Madge bends down immediately to the little girl. There are two boys a bit further back but they don't look as interested. "You must be Posy. I've heard all about you. You must've traveled such a far and long time to be here!"
"You know my name," Posy gasps. She stares at Madge with wide eyes. "Gale! Rapunzel knows my name!" She tugs on his hand. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" Madge smiles brightly. "Where's Flynn now? Where's your frying pan? Where's Pascal? How is your hair so long? Is it heavy?" Posy tugs on Madge's dress and jumps up and down. "You're the prettiest Rapunzel I've ever seen!"
Madge glances up at Gale and finds him smirking. Told you so, his eyes say.
"Hey, slow down on the questions kiddo," Gale says to his sister. "I've got the princess all to myself later and can bring her around. You can ask her anything you'd like then, alright?"
"Gale," his mother swats his chest and Madge can't help but giggle. She bends down to whisper a few things to Posy. "Don't hit on Rapunzel. She's happily wed."
"I would hope so," Gale winks.