~FLYNN~

A wicked part of me is glad that Hans, the guy who assaulted my friend, is currently kidnapped, but the good in me feels super guilty, and the fear in me doesn't want to be a part of it. That wickedness though...it kind of makes me feel like a hero, like I'm doing something good right now. Like I'm killing the dragon or witch in a fairytale or something. All of me though, is heavily confused. Because why?

Why do the Stabbington Brothers want him? How do they even know him?

Theses questions played themselves back and forth throughout the entire drive to the location I'm headed to, which just so happens to be another crusty, musty old motel, worse than the one Hans was at before.

I park the van and as soon as I do, I whirl around, so fast I should have gotten whiplash, and frantically say before either brother could move: "Okay, what the hell is going on?! I deserve to know! We just kidnapped someone for God's sake! Someone I know. I go to school with this asshole, so how the hell do you know him? Why do you even want him?"

Patchy ignores me and slides open the van door, and at first I thought he wasn't going to answer me at all, but once he's out of the vehicle and reaches for Hans, he says, "Let's just say this classmate of yours is a relative of ours, and our boss wants to see him."

And honestly I didn't know which piece of information shocked me more. "Wait, hold up. Relative?!" I looked at Hans, then at the brothers, and my jaw fell.

Red hair, though they're different shades, the sideburns, green eyes..."Oh my god, Hans is your cousin?!"

Sideburns scowls, "No, idiot, he's our younger brother."

"Brother?!" No fucking way. "But he's..." Way more beautiful then those two. "Never mind. Why does Mr. Big Boss want him?"

Fun fact, I've never met the Big Guy who I work for. I've met other superiors of mine, but not the main guy who controls those guys. The Stab Brothers have met him obviously, they've been in the business for years, but as far as I'm aware it was only ever them. Hans was never in the picture. I've never seen or heard of him, but then again, I don't know every "coworker" of mine, nor do I know all the background information to the ones I do know.

Which makes me wonder how many other people that I know work with me. I mean hell...I went to school with Maui's cousin, and apparently with the Stab Bro's younger brother. Let's not forget the oh so charming Eret. Is Jack part of this criminal empire too? Bunny? Shit everyone knows the majority of the rich are corrupt...are my favorite sisters and their cousin in on all this as well?

No. There's no way that Elsa, Anna, and Rapunzel would be a part of this life. They're just...too nice and pure.

"Does he work for him?" I went on. "What did he do?"

"Let's just say," Patchy starts as he easily throws his younger brother's body over his shoulder.

"That Hans hurt someone that belongs to our boss," Sideburns finishes. "And he's gonna get what's coming to him." Both brothers chuckle at this and it made my insides tighten.

I don't know who else Hans hurt that "belongs" to the Boss, but he does deserve punishment for hurting Elsa, so this is his karma.

So why do I feel so guilty?

It's not guilt that you feel, says my inner voice. It's just the fact that you're involved when you don't want to be. You don't want to be one of the reasons why he ends up dead.

And honestly, my inner voice is right. I don't feel guilty that this is happening to him. He hurt a close friend of mine, and that is no bueno. However, I do feel guilty for not feeling guilty. Make sense? It kind of makes me feel...not human. I feel guilty that...I'm just thinking about myself again.

It's justified this time though.

Right?

"Who was it that he hurt?" I ask, knowing I wouldn't get an answer, but asking anyway just in case.

"None of your concern," says Patchy. "Now get out of the van and go back to that Orphanage of yours." And then he slams the van door shut.

I sigh, tired and bummed out that I have to walk all the way back to the only place I see as home. "I know the routine," I mumble, annoyed and still trying to process everything.

I get out of the van and immediately start walking away. I never look back when I leave heists, but the urge to look latched onto me like a leech. I fought as hard as I could, but I gave in, looking back just in time to see the brothers walk through a random motel room.

Hans's limp body over his brother's shoulder was the last thing I saw before the door shut completely, and it was the only thing I saw as I made my way back.

~RAPUNZEL~

A loud thud wakes me from my slumber and when my eyes flutter open, I see from across my room a tall, masked figure, obviously male, on my balcony. I should have screamed, and bolted for the door, but instead my body worked on it's own, instinct taking over, fight over flight, and I'm reaching for the pan under my pillow.

Ever since I knocked Flynn out at Eret's party, I've kept a frying pan in my room, preparing myself for a moment like this. When you're a rich heiress who lives in a mansion, there's always going to be people who might break into your house to rob you. Therefore, secret weapon!

I was inspired by Astrid, who sleeps with her axe and knives under her pillows, and she approved of the pan idea.

"I'm more of a stabbing kind of girl," she had said, "but if bashing skulls is your thing then you do you, Sunshine."

And while the possibility of being robbed was always high, I never actually believed that it would happen to my family. And that the thief would be coming in through my room. Out of all the rooms to break into, why did it have to be mine? Maybe I should get rid of the balcony and the very easy to climb vines.

I quickly and quietly as I possibly could, hide behind my dress form mannequin near my bed, and thanked every star in the sky for not being heard or seen. I held my breath as the person on my balcony peeks inside my room, and upon not seeing one inside, decides to open the balcony doors.

My already tense body tenses up some more and I could feel my heart in my throat. My gosh this is a horrible way to wake up. Wait, maybe I'm dreaming? Oh my gosh, is this just a lucid nightmare?

The man is in my room before another thought could go through my mind and with every step he took toward my bed, it felt as though time would become slower and slower. I knew what I had to do, but I didn't know when I was going to do it...until I did it. Just like when my body had reached for the frying pan under my pillow, it had reacted again, instinct taking over, and wacked the man across the head as soon as he walked past me, knocking him out with one hard hit.

A cry of pain escapes his mouth before silence takes him and his body falls onto my bed face-first.

So many emotions run though me as I stare at the stranger in my bed.

Fear, anger, excitement, and pride.

Fear because, who the hell is this? Anger because I know his purpose for being here is to steal from my family. Excitement because this is so thrilling! Nothing like this has ever happened to me before-well except for that time with Flynn-but not in my own home with a stranger! And pride because I defended myself!

I know many think I can't and I just proved them wrong!

"Ha!" I say, triumphantly. "Take that haters. I'm not just some weak, blonde after all." I swung the pan around proudly but ended up hitting my forehead, causing me to groan in pain.

"Ow, son of a-" something shiny catches my eye and cuts me off.

The object came from inside the man's purse, wait no, satchel, and from what I could make out, it looked like a gem...a very familiar gem.

Wait a second...is that my...

I hesitantly reach for the bag, the adrenaline and fear making me shake violently. And of course, like a mouse, I couldn't help but squeak when I grabbed the bag, the action of getting too close to him and the thought of him suddenly waking up like a jump scare, wrecking my nerves.

I step away quickly, eyeing the man one more time to make sure he's really out of it, then proceed to flip open the satchel, gasping at the object inside.

My crown!

This asshole has my crown!

How?! Why?!

Or...maybe he stole it back from the person who did?

Why else would he come to my house with my crown?

But how? And why?!

Who even is this guy?

I felt eyes on me and when I look up, towards the other side of my bed where my pet chameleon was at inside his cage, I see him looking straight at me with curious eyes. Pascal has always been a lively pet, so full of personality. I swear he understands me too. The same goes for my horse Maximus.

"What do you think Pascal? Should I..." But I let the thought trail off because it's crazy. I should not be thinking about unmasking this man. I should run out of here and get my parents. We should call the police. I should do the opposite of what 'dumb blondes' do.

And yet...something...Fate, Destiny...intuition...whatever the heck it is, something was telling me not to. Something was telling me to...to tie him up, unmask him, wake him up, and get some answers. And I won't be able to get those answers first hand if I run to my parents.

So I take a deep breath in, mustered up some courage, set the pan and satchel aside, and put my hands on the man.

And man, is he heavy.

I was completely out of breathe by the time I finally had him sitting up against the pillar of my bed, and when I couldn't find anything nearby to tie him up with, I went with the next best thing...

My hair.

Its super long length is long enough for me to tie his hands behind the bed pillar AND for me to still be able to sit across from him at a good distance. And yes, while that may be odd, what I found to be even more peculiar, were his hands.

I've seen these hands before. They look an awful lot like...

My eyes go wide and, once more, before I could control my actions, my body takes over again, and I'm yanking off the black three hole ski-mask.

Just like I did with the crown, I gasp at the sight, and put a hand over my mouth to silence myself from making anymore noise.

My crush, the flirtatious and mysterious and self-absorbed Flynn Rider, sat across from me, unconscious and still dangerously handsome.

"Flynn?!" I say out loud, voicing my thoughts. "But...what? This...this doesn't make any sense. Why..." I look back over at Pascal, whose eyes seemed to go wide just as mine. "This must be a dream, right? I've got to be dreaming!"

But I knew better.

I'm a certified dreamer, and this...this right here is definitely reality, though it feels so unreal.

And the only way to understand is to wake him up.

But how?

Little did I know until I actually did it, that a good old slap to the face would actually work. At first I didn't slap him hard enough, not wanting to hurt him, but eventually I got frustrated and even a little scared, so I went for the kill. Flynn shot up with a shout, one that made me squeak and jump back, and I prayed over and over that no one heard.

"What the hell-Wait, Rapunzel?!"

"Sshh!" I violently hiss. "If you don't want my father to kill you, you got to be quiet."

He gives me a curt nod. "Okay but-" It's in this moment here, when he tries to move, that he realizes he's tied. "What the hell? Am I tied up? Why am I tied up? And is this your hair?! Jesus, did it get longer?!"

"Shut up!" I snap, not meaning to, but too on edge to really control myself or care. "You're in no place to ask questions. Why are you here? Why do you have my crown? How did you get past all the security alarms we have? Just-" I take in a shuddering breath, "what the hell is going on, Flynn?"

The moonlight gleaming through the balcony doors and the nightlight plugged into the wall nearby are my only sources of light, but they're enough for me to see the nervousness in his eyes and the movement of his throat when he gulps.

"I..." He starts, but stops and looks away shamefully. The struggle he's going through is apparent, and as much as I wanted to urge him to answer me, I knew that the right thing to do as his friend is to give him time.

Even though, ya know, he broke into my room with my stolen crown.

"I guess," he continues, "since you've so easily caught me that I have no choice but to tell you the truth now."

"All of it," I add, my tone to firmest I've ever heard it before, "Every last detail." I narrow my eyebrows into a glare, hoping he can see me as clearly as I can see him in the dim lighting and know that I'm not playing. "I'm serious, Flynn. No lies or omitting some of the truth. I'm your friend, you can trust me. You told me on the Farris Wheel at the Fair that you belonged in prison. That I don't know you at all. I asked you then if you're doing anything illegal, which, now that I realize it, I never got an answer to. So I'm going to ask again. So please for the love of god, tell me. I've known you for years because of our relationship with Jack and it's only been this year that we actually started to grow close. Plus, you broke into my room. I deserve to know. So-"

"If you'd stop rambling," Flynn interrupts, tiredly, "I'll tell you everything you want to know."

My face heats up in embarrassment. "Oh...sorry. You can't blame me for being nervous."

He grimaces at that. "Yeah, I'm...I'm sorry. God this whole thing is a mess."

"Well," I grab my pillow and put it in my lap to hold on to, leaning my back against my bed frame. "Maybe I can help clean it up. Start talking."

And so he does. He tells me about him being a thief from a young age, pickpocketing at first, which later turned to home robberies. He tells me of how he aligned himself with a pair of brothers who got him into the criminal empire he's in now. He told me that Maui and Eret are also apart of it, how Eret's dad is a big boss but not the main boss and how Maui faked his death and is now a free man. He told me that the only reason why he stole my crown is because he wanted to pay off his debts, but that his guilt got to him too badly tonight and that he couldn't handle it anymore.

So he came back, to right a wrong.

"Thank you," I say when he finishes. "For not only returning it, but for also telling me all the rest. Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell a soul. I promise."

He nods, but something still seemed to plague his mind. Nervousness perhaps. But still I asked: "Are you okay?"

Flynn shakes his head. "No. Partially because I never wanted you to know any of that. Partially because I am very uncomfortable right now being tied up in your hair. And partially because..."

A moment goes by. "Because what?" I ask.

The internal struggle I saw in his eyes was worse than before. "Because...there's more."

I sigh, a little frustrated. "Okay. Then tell me. No omitting any of the truth, remember?"

Flynn shakes his head again. "I don't know, Rapunzel. This one...it's personal. For you. Shit, I shouldn't have even brought it up. God damn it."

And I don't know which surprised me more. The fact that he called me by my name and not a nickname of his, or the fact that this other thing is somehow tied in with me.

"Well," I shrug off my discomfort, "You stole my crown. It's already been personal. Spit it out."

And once again, another moment of silent goes by. His eyes staring into mine, neither of us looking away, and I must say it was definitely...intimidating.

"I helped kidnap someone tonight," he blurts out, causing me to stop breathing. "It was Hans."

"What?!" I exclaim, only for him to shush me.

"I'd rather your parents not come in and kill me, so please be quiet," he begs, which I find to be a bit ironic since he's the one tied up.

"You kidnapped Hans?!" I frantically say. "No wonder the police haven't found him yet-"

"Well, we actually just kidnapped him tonight so-"

"Well, how did you find him? Where was he? Why did you kidnap him? Why didn't you take him to the police-"

"Well for one, I didn't know I was going to be kidnapping someone. I was just told to drive. Two, I would rather not answer their questions as to how or why I unintentionally kidnapped someone. Three, he's the Stab Bros younger brother who our big boss guy wants for some reason."

"And that reason is?"

"I don't know. All I was told was that Hans hurt someone that belongs to Mr. Boss Guy."

And the only person who I could think of is my cousin. "Wait, Elsa?!" I say with a gasp.

"I doubt that," Flynn assures me. "Unless Elsa is working with him, which we both know she's not. And if she is...holy hell is this a small world. Really though, if Hans is able to hurt Elsa then he's able to hurt others. It was most definitely someone else."

And he had a point there. "Okay," I get to my feet and start pacing back and forth in front of him, trying to wake my bare feet up since I felt them going numb, as well as trying to process everything. "So...you kidnapped the guy who hurt my cousin and who the police are looking for. And...I have to stay silent or else risk you going to jail for your crimes."

Flynn shrugs. "Honestly, if you ratted me out, you'd probably be doing me a favor. I think I might actually enjoy jail."

"But..." I could feel my heart aching, "I don't want you to go there."

"And now that you know all that I've done, I don't want you to keep it a secret, but I know you will. That alone is a crime." He then cusses and leans his head back. "Shit, it's why I never wanted to tell you anything, and I especially should have kept that last part a secret. God, Rapunzel, I'm so sorry. I'm such an idiot."

"Then...then why did you tell me?" Because he's right, I'm not going to say anything. I'm not going to risk losing him. And I know he wouldn't abuse that. He would never have me commit my first crime, which is staying silent.

So why did he tell me everything?

Flynn's chuckle takes me by surprise. "Well, it's like I said...I'm an idiot. One who doesn't know how to say no to you. I'm at the point in our relationship where I'd do anything you'd ask of me. Even if it means risking myself getting caught. I just should have put more thought into how it would effect you, but...you wanted to know...I'm sorry."

But the only thing I got out of all of that was..."R-Relationship?"

"Yeah," he looks away, sheepishly. "Our friendship. We are friends right?"

OH.

"Duh!" I say, laughing nervously. "Don't be stupid."

"Too late."

We both laugh lightly at this then fall into an awkward silence until he breaks it.

"So...uh...now what?"

"I really don't know." I answer, wishing that this all really was a dream.

"Are you going to tell?"

"You know I'm not. And if it means I'll get in trouble later on down the line then...so be it. I'm just...I'm glad he's found at least."

"You can't tell Elsa and Anna. You know that right? The less people who know, the better. Keep them safe. I wish I could have continued to do that with you, but alas...I messed that up."

"Only because I asked you to."

"Still. If I had just sent you your crown instead of bringing it to you in person, then none of this-"

"Don't dwell on what could have happened. What's done is done."

"Ugh I hate this. I never wanted to get you involved. I'm sorry."

An idea suddenly pops into my head.

"Ya know," I grin mischievously. "There is a way for you to make it up to me."

He raises an eyebrow in question. "Oh? And what's that?"

I scoot closer to him, suddenly very excited. "Every summer, always starting on my birthday, there's a lantern festival. I've been wanting to go for years, but it's also a drinking festival. Like Octoberfest, so the participants have to be 21 or older to attend-"

"That's lame-"

"Right! Like lanterns should be enjoyed by everyone. It's wrong for them to only accept drinking-age adults. But anyway, I'll be turning 18 this coming June, so I was thinking. If you want to make it up to me, make us some fake IDs and take me."

And the shock on his face would have made our whole friend group laugh so hard that they died.

"Blondie," he says, appalled. "I...I am in literal shock right now. Have you always been this rebellious? I mean a little rebellion is good, healthy even, but this is just...so extreme for you. You could get in some serious trouble."

"I could get in trouble keeping your secrets too, ya know."

"Yeah, but there's a bigger chance of you getting caught with the fake IDs than-"

"Are you going to take me or not, Flynn? Pleeeaaasssee. You owe me."

"Your birthday is months from now. It's November and your birthday is in June. That's like seven months-"

"Pleeeaaassseee!" And that one word I kept on repeat. "Please, please, please, please, please-" Until eventually he gives in.

"Okay, okay! I'll do it!"

I squeal in excitement and hug him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I pull back and my whole demeanor changes when I realized how close his lips are from mine and that he's still tied up.

I real back some more and nervously laugh again. "Um...I should probably untie you now, huh?"

Flynn laughs. "Yeah, that would be great. Also," he tugs at his bound arms, "Your hair truly is a wonder. I can't believe you actually tied me up with it. Also can't believe you knocked me out again." He glances at the pan on the bed. "With another freaking pan."

My smile is wide when I reply. "Well right now, there's a lot I can't believe."

And so, I untangle my hair from him, and lead him to the balcony. The whole setting, of us standing under the stars and moon, felt way too romantic for me, and it sent my face blushing, which was cooled down by the crisp and cold night air.

"I really am sorry for everything," Flynn says as he grabs hold of one of the vines against the aging stone of my house. "And I'm sorry that you now have the burden of keeping these secrets-"

"Trust me," I quickly interrupt before he could continue to melt my heart, and give him a smile. "I am no stranger to that."

"Still though," I hear him mumble, but his demeanor quickly changes to a positive one. "But alas, I won't linger any longer and keep you from your beauty sleep. Not that you need it. See ya tomorrow, Blondie."

And then he's on the railing of my balcony, one hand holding on tightly to the strong vines, and then he's swinging himself over, which makes my whole body tense with worry.

"Be careful, Flynn," I say to him as loudly and quietly as I could, and watch as he slowly climbs his way down.

He glances up at me and smirks. "Aw, are you worried about me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I say with the roll of my eyes. "You're so blind."

"Only because," I could hear him struggling a bit, "You're my sun, and I can't stop looking at you."

The snort that came out of me sounded like one of Merida's very ugly ones. "Oh come on, is that the best you got?"

His offended scoff nearly made me laugh out loud. "Well excuse me, but I do believe you need to cut me some slack. You're not the one struggling the climb down some sketchy vines."

"Ah but you see," I add in, biting my lip slightly to stop my ever growing smile, "I'm not the one who stole my friend's crown and then later broke into her house to return it."

This gets a laugh out of him. "Okay, you got me there."

I giggle in response and say nothing more as I continued to watch him. When he's safe on the ground, he waves at me, which I do in return before heading back to my room.

My crown is back in my possession. Flynn stole it. He's been a thief for years and unintentionally kidnapped Hans. All of which, I have to keep a secret. It feels wrong to keep my cousins out of the loop since Hans is Elsa assaulter and Anna's ex-boyfriend but...I got to keep Flynn safe. They would understand.

Elsa would understand especially.

And now...I understand her, and why she kept the night of the accident a secret from Anna for so long. I knew it was to protect her, I always understood that, but now I actually know how Elsa felt. It's...overwhelming.

Which is why I can't let her know. She needs a break from keeping secrets, and Anna...she's already endured enough pain. They both have.

And one thing is for certain...

I am definitely not getting any sleep tonight.

.

.

.

Author's Note: Our story is set in November now, which means holiday chapters are to come! And next month is November, which means holiday inspiration to write these chapters! I'm so excited :D See you next time!