Suitors of Rapunzel

by MiraNova23

(What if we ripped the communication out of New Dream?) It's been 11 months since Eugene returned Rapunzel safely to her true parents. She claimed her title as the Lost Princess. He refused his reward. Now he works odd jobs around the castle, while she must reluctantly choose a Prince to marry from the multitude of suitors. Mutual "unrequited" pining. Movie-verse. AAANGST! - ACTIVE

5. Ch5: Day 307

A/N: Tags have expanded! Dates have been fixed! Gold updated!

For FFN, that means - Say hello to Bi-gene.

Edited as of: March 30, 2022 to reflect corrections, additions, and general changes since publishing Ch9; & expanded a bit in the 2nd to last section, cuz I wanted to do bette justice to that Bi-gene part. ;)

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Suitors of Rapunzel

Ch5 □ Day 307 ⌧

playlist on YouTube as SoR - Ch5 - Day 307

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Eugene gripped the sink's edge and dared to look up to the mirror. He stared himself straight in the eye as grimace took him over. They're both so much younger- but she's soon to be married herself anyway. I'm too old for any of this, but yeah, married? I should have a family by now. I want that. I finally can. And I don't wanna wait any longer!

He sighed. Work and worry and heartache and pure time had already begun showing their marks. He would not say wrinkles, but lines had just barely started forming where there had been none on an 18-year-old Flynn Rider. Corners of the eyes, laugh lines, fine creases from how his forehead always scrunched in concern or cocking those brows over and over. Elsewhere, knuckles had become more defined, the slightest change of skin on his hands only he could perceive. Even a single stray gray hair every so often. He knew they were not marks of an 'old man,' but of a grown man- who should still be doing even better than he was. Not sneaking around with a not-even-19 year old princess, or still working on an engagement ring. He sighed again.

He ran a rough hand up through the side of his face and into his hair, where he could sometimes find one of the grey aliens hiding around his sideburns. Next, his precious goatee, which had seen a couple casualties mercilessly plucked. Even his light chest hair had been betrayed by a completely colorless one before. Hm, nothing today.

He rubbed around his eyes- where he did a double-take. Did I sleep that well? The ever-present darker circles were gone. No… As were the deepening lines around his lids. It can't be... He played with raising and swirling his brow around, then looked his open hands over. The healed scrape mark left behind on his left palm was completely gone, and not even the helpful callouses from axe and shovel handles remained. Did she...?! He had seen this once before. Ugh, no no no no no this is baaad. I hate this!

He looked back up to the mirror, finally waking up fully. Oh, duh- my nose?! It was perfect once again. No swelling, no discoloration, no tenderness. She really fuckin' DID. But how?!

As soon as he opened the bathroom door again, he called out, loud but politely, annoyed but friendly. "RAPUNZEL?" Straight up the stairs, still only in pants, he headed right in past the curtain.

She was still sound asleep.

"Rapunzel," he announced gruffly, "Wake up."

She stirred towards his voice, but was not awake yet.

"Rapunzel," he shook her shoulder. "Get up."

"Hm?" She awoke, a bit startled at his urgent tone, and struggled with rubbing and focusing her eyes as she slowly shifted to vertical. "What?"

"Rapunzel, did you heal me?"

Her heart jumped. She was awake now. And staring at him wide-eyed as he still held her shoulder.

"I thought- you said that tear was a one-time last-drop deal."

She bit her lip and leaned away.

"You did heal me, didn't you? And you knew?" He shook his head at her, all sorts of emotionallyhurt over this physical healing.

She looked away, guilty.

He began pacing around as he pieced things together. "You told me you couldn't do this anymore."

"...I can..." she mumbled.

He scowled, gasping, "You lied to me? About this?! Even then?"

"No-"

He switched to disappointed offense as he thought a step further. "What did you think I was gonna do? That you couldn't tell me?! ME!" his voice whined so high. "You first told me when all you knew was that I was a thief! Why then wouldn't you-?!"

"Eugene," she urged in all seriousness. "I promise, I didn't lie to you! Not reall-"

"Then how-?!"

"When we tried, it didn't work! I don't know why but it just didn't work. And then one day, a few months later, I was crying and sang it again just to make myself feel better, and then it worked! It just suddenly did work. I don't know how or why, and it actually only works sometimes, and yes I know I hadn't told you yet even this week, but I did not lie back then. I… I have no reason to keep this from you, I just… It wasn't important and I didn't know how to bring it up because of all the…" She groaned out and sighed. "It's so complicated…"

"Because it's a complicated thing between us?"

She nodded.

He sighed out, calming down, but still whined. "I look like I'm 18 again!"

"Sorry," she cringed.

"Rapunzel..."

"It- it won't last forever- it's just one more time, and time still catches up-"

"I KNOW," he snapped. "Just, ugh I didn't..." He stopped his pacing and ran his hands down over his face, trying to calm his tone. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he quickly mumbled. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning his head on his hands. His back was noticeably no longer stiff or sore anywhere, his shoulders perfectly loose. "Thank you, I guess."

"I just wanted to try to fix what I did," she rushed the words out while she could. There was no telling how long this truce would last.

His mind was preoccupied with trying to reconcile his feelings about his actual age with the age he now looked, and how, in the coming weeks, he would watch himself age through his early twenties all over again. Only this time would be more quickly than nature intended. Again. "But I didn't want this. You know I don't want this. You know," his throat choked up, "I don't want this from you. At all."

Rapunzel knelt on the bed behind him, sullen. "I do know… But it..." She had to clear her throat of whatever was choking back her courage. "It happened before, when I healed your hand and when you- later, too. I remember you said you looked a bit younger for a while after that, but really, I don't see a difference."

"The first time, I didn't know what was going to happen. And you didn't know any better, either, the subtle changes it would give even me. The second, of course I'm not going to object to you literally bringing me back to life. But..." He hung his head. "I brought you back to the kingdom, later the castle, looking not as much older than you, than I really am. Then reality started hitting us, and on top of everything, my real age started showing again more quickly than the 8 years good ol' fashioned nature took to do it. And I know, I know, it's just small things that probably only I'd notice on myself, but still. That's how I know I don't want to go through that again, not unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Eugene," she ventured a hand to his shoulder, "I just thought, I could..."

He sighed, and turned to her, as he forced his voice back to tender kindness. "Just thought you could what?"

She smiled back shyly. "I wanted to do something nice for you, and to finally tell you I do still have this. Out of everyone, you've had the most of my secrets, and, well, now you have them all again."

Undeniably touched by that trust again, he smiled slightly.

"I just didn't expect you to get so upset about it, I'm sorry, but I figured, I mean- It's better than a bruised nose, isn't it?"

"It's oookay, I guess," he soothed, though he kept his eyes in his lap. "I… appreciate the thought. And the perfect nose again, of course." Finally, he smirked.

She giggled and bounced up closer to him on the bed. "Well, you're welcome then. And thank you, for appreciating it."

He turned that smirk at her, meaning that her thanks was not necessary.

Yet she cringed, "But I'll try not to do it again…"

Another thought occurred to him, that had been stewing in the bottom of his mind all these months, now fully aware of itself and wondering. "Rapunzel, um, just curious, I have a question for you..."

"Hm?"

"Well, I've been wondering, are you going to stay young-looking forever? I mean, do you know?"

She was caught off guard, but put on a thoughtful face to try to answer. "Um, well, I really am 18, and I suppose I look 18. And with Gothel, she explained to me that she kept being restored to 'the prime of her life,' or close to it, at least. But she was hundreds of years old, so..."

"So, you don't know yet? Because you're still so young?"

"I mean I guess I could, but I don't know yet if it'll just come naturally or if I'll have to sing for it. For you, time will eventually catch up, but the, uh, three times I've healed you now should naturally extend you some time, I suppose. But weeks, months, or years? I'm not sure..." She looked down, not wanting to think about quantifying his life so coldly.

He shrugged it off. "I was just curious… 'Cause I know the magic in you is what's keeping me alive at all."

She nodded solemnly.

"If anything happened to you-"

"I know," she snapped, not wanting to think about it..

He took a deep breath. Finally they could talk candidly and get these simple logistics and concerns out in the air. "Not that that's why I- I mean I've never wante-"

Rapunzel closed her eyes with a small smile tugging at her. "Eugene… I know."

Then, his mind took it one step farther to the dark side. In a 100 years, we could still be as we are now. Her parents, everyone else, dead. Then could we-?! No, he pulled himself back. 100 years, though waiting 100 years for her could feel but a day, 100 years won't change that she's royalty, that I'm not enough, and if she didn't love me after helping save her, after dying for her, why would she ever... And what, like she wouldn't want to heal her parents if she could?

He sighed again, but fell into a chuckle. "Well I guess we're talking again."

She smiled fully, "I hope so? And, I really am sorry for hurting you at all. I have, never, ever, really wanted to hurt you... I was just so angry and- I was hurting so much, too, that I wasn't thinking. I didn't even realize, like, what I did to you, til you showed me. And I would never mean to do that to you. So, I am sooo sorry..."

"I wasn't holding you there to hurt you. I just wanted you to hear me out..."

"No, I know. I did know that. And you didn't hurt me, but I… lashed out… Because I saw what you almost did to that painting."

He paled; blood ran cold. His jaw fell weak, but he tried to speak, "I just…"

That hurt bubbled up in her again, up through her chest and sinuses. "Do you wish it never happened?"

Caught off guard, that same hurt lodged itself in his throat again. "No," he whispered. "I thought I did- that's why I almost… But no, I could never wish that…"

"And I don't wanna fight with you," she whimpered.

A sobby chuckle broke out from him. "It's exhausting. Fighting with you is exhausting."

"Yeah," she sadly but humorously agreed. "You, too."

He shook his head. "I'm just trying to protect my heart… I was healing before you dragged me out here."

"Eugene," she began very seriously. "I know I'm difficult; I always have been. And I know you were only trying to get me to listen to you, and you were frustrated and angry… But, then, I've been thinking about what you said." She took his hand in both of hers, shocking him, "Will you listen to me for a minute?"

Stunned and confused, he gulped and nodded.

"The day you found me here, I- when I first knocked you out, I was surprised to see how beautiful you were. Then…" She took a deep breath and groaned at her tightening throat. "Please, just keep listening, please don't freak out."

"Okay…" he mumbled, genuinely calmed from her holding that hand here. Again.

"I did, PLAN on only using you as my guide and bodyguard. But ya know, I know you didn't really like me at first, either."

Little smirks popped up on both of them.

"You were crazy-weird and annoyingly obnoxious," he chuckled out in good humor. "And just in the way of me cashing out."

She giggled back. "You were a brooding and deceptive jerk."

He shrugged, still smirking.

"So I," she continued, "I thought the only way I could get you to help me was to force you. I didn't even really know any other way, but I knew I did need someone to help me. I was scared, and thought I knew enough that I figured it was the worst idea to go alone. I know, I was just using you at first. But, Eugene…" She looked up to his chest at least, not making it to his eyes. "Then we became friends."

He sucked in a sharp deep breath. Lil more than 'friends,' any way ya slice it. "But what about now? You want me to have sex with you, yeah 'cause you're scared again but this time you know you can really trust me - but, B- but, Rapunzel, that's still back to-"

"I thought maybe more like a favor?"

He clicked his tongue and rolled his head away.

"Or in exchange for something?"

He looked back to her, shocked and appalled. "I am most certainly not going to be a prostitute for you. And when you asked me to be your 'escort,' that meaning was the farthest thing from my mind."

She rolled her eyes. "Like I'm not being auctioned off."

He balked. "You're not, though?"

She scoffed. "So I get to choose from the highest bidders. Only from the highest bidders."

"Yes, you still get to choose-"

"And choose? I'm down to two. It's Barkole, or some other guy I haven't even met! And not just for sex, but my whole life. So if I have to endure them ever after, why can't I at least have this one thing?"

During her rant, Eugene turned away to lean his forehead against her bedpost. Hidden from her beside his leg, his fingers dug into his palm in a tight clenched fist. It was supposed to be US. That was supposed to be ME! Slow, deep breaths. But we can't, and she doesn't actually love me… But I still want her… It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

"So what about just because you care about me? And you don't want anyone else to hurt me?"

That poked a twinge in his heart. YES- but no! You're so close to what I want, to how I want it, but I know you never will. And even besides that, we can't have a future but mine is well on its way, so in that respect too, it doesn't matter! And 'hurt you?' "Barkole didn't seem bad at all. But whether it's him, or the next, or you call another one back - they're not gonna hurt you."

"Why do you keep saying that? You know-"

He turned back toward her. "Because I'm not the only good man in the world, Rapunzel. And you are getting to pick from any of them that you want. I trust your judgement that you're not gonna pick someone who doesn't treat you right."

But you're the only one I want. She sighed. "Anyway then, I just wanted to apologize, and clarify. I was just using you at first, but I really did come to, really like you. And that's why, for everything else. If it had been anyone else, I honestly don't know what I would've done or what would've happened, but it wasn't anyone else. It was you. And it is for who you are as a person- that's why I do care about you..."

He took a deep breath, and nodded. "Well," he cleared his throat, "Thank you then."

"I know you were very hurt yesterday, both inside and out, and you were right to be angry at me, but… I mean, think about it- I was ready to give up my freedom for your life," she chuckled pathetically. "I used Flynn Rider; I wasn't using Eugene…"

He bit his lips and nodded, sniffling. "Yeah, yeah I know. And, yes I was, so hurt… I'm sorry I got so angry; none of this is really your intentional fault. Not your fault you're a princess, or for anyone's feelings, not your fault that you did need help breaking free of this place and her…" He looked away, hiding how torn his face was. "I don't wanna fight you… I- I wish we could be friends- I know I said we could, but actually, I don't think I can. But I know that it feels even worse to be fighting with you…"

She knelt up, crawled behind him, and hugged him from behind. With her face over his shoulder, she pecked his cheek.

He grinned but winced at that. Because, he knew, if he tackled her back to the bed that very moment, and kissed her all the way to paradise, she would let him. She wanted that.

And he knew, because in a different light, in blue shadows of wee hours, she had comforted the phantom pain of his nightmares just like this. And he had thanked her just like that. They had already played out those very same motions, in a different time, a different place.

My feelings are the same, but she doesn't love me… He sighed, and patted her arm, but let his hand hang on her there.

"Ya know, you weren't using me whenever I've healed you. So just because you've helped me, or, like that I've asked for help with things, doesn't mean I'm using you, either…" Where her arms crossed his bare chest, she gripped his shoulders.

He gulped hard, imagining indeed giving her what she wanted from him, feeling his willpower battle it out with his own wants and worries. Just one time- she'd feel better about the whole thing and no one would ever find out. But WE would always know. I trust her not to tell, but the heartache and guilt would eat me alive. I'd be giving her my love - again - when she only wants the experience. "This thing still feels like it to me, though, so please… Please stop asking me." ...before I say yes and regret it for life.

"I'm not trying to just use you-"

"Rapunzel," he choked out harshly, "I'm on the verge of a new life here. AGAIN. Respectably this time. It's everything I've wanted. Life, love, family- And I don't wanna lose this chance because of you again. You 'ruined' my life for the better last year, and yes, of course, thank you, so much, for that, but this time it's different."

She squeezed him tighter. "I know," she whispered, "And I'm not trying to destroy what you've built up this past year."

"Bl-gh..." he choked again, then, even with a deep breath, continued croaking out, "You said I have all your secrets again?"

"You do," she urged sweetly.

"Then mine…" He drew in another deep shaky breath and let it back out. "I'm getting married." This time, somehow, it felt like he was saying it brokenheartedly.

WHAT-... He still looked and felt as familiar as he did a moment ago, but somehow it now seemed like she really was touching something that suddenly belonged to someone else. That she had no right to at all. She slowly released him and sat back. "O-oh…" She had not had such a freezing shock and cold panic since the night he had left to begin with. I really have, completely, lost… I've lost ALL of him. Forever… -but he will be happy! He's alive! With a future! A real future! He's loved! ...I just thought… but I wanted to… be the one to give him those things…

"Guess you didn't read that in my diary after all, huh… Brenna wants me to propose, and I want to. I'm going to. It was actually when I ran into her on Monday that she brought it up. I was gonna save up for a ring from my pay, but I can take it from-…" From my reward for saving you… "From the rest… and get it right away."

When we were told about 'being married within the year,' I thought it would be us - but not separately like this! She sighed, hands back in her lap. "So, um, Bre-" her voice gave out at first, "Breakfast?"

He nodded, relieved at the topic change. "Then can we go hang out at the Duckling or someplace afterwards?" Someplace public. So it's not just us two staring at each other and in all likelihood failing to keep our hands and mouths to ourselves again.

She at least brightened on that thought. "Yeah," she cleared her throat, "Yeah, that sounds nice…"

He tried checking her face, while avoiding her eyes, which were avoiding him anyway. "Are you okay?" You may not want me how I want you to want me - but you have been terribly possessive. Is it, if she can't have me, does she not want anyone else to have me either?

"Yeah!" she jarringly chirped. "Why wouldn't I be?" Her fake smile vanished before she finished speaking.

So, no. He took her hand and sighed. "We're both gonna be alright." I hope...

His reassurance brought a genuine, though small, smile back. I hope… Still, she stared down at how he held her hand, and she could swear she saw them glowing in a rosy golden light; a cool bay breeze through their single heated touch. But when she blinked again, they were just in her dim and drab bedroom, in the stifling humid air of the tower. The only glimmer came from her father's shackle already on her ring finger. She drew her hand back. At least one of us gets to be truly happy. With her most sunshiney face, she sprang up and bounced to the door. "Alright then! Let's go eat!"

Eugene narrowed his eyes toward her. You know I know you-

So she promptly twirled away out the door, pretending to not notice.

He huffed where he sat, trying to calm all his nerves, particularly his hormones. And not even a fake congratulations? -eh, she doesn't know about these things… But she's also acting like nothing's ever happened? He trudged after her.

---

During breakfast, they both finally did not mind making it known that they did notice each other's strident attempts to be as friendly and helpful as possible, each also gladly accepting. But then again, still trying not to end up touching too much, or getting too close, or looking at each other and smiling for too long.

They dressed again, fully armed again, ready to set out to the Snuggly Duckling.

The pink of her dress today was earnestly bright. Iridescence of blue streaked through her pink skirt in the right light. For her bold pink bodice, blue iridescent trim outlined the top and down the front-lacing edges. Her sleeveless yellow shift beneath was lightweight and otherwise loose; so thin it was see-through, it rolled over to cap the very tip of her shoulders in a wide V. With only this sheer fabric rising out from and above her corset, it seemed to show much more of her chest and shoulders than usual.

With how unbearable the heat and immovable the humidity front remained, even Eugene did not wear any more leather than his black boots, with loose and lightweight grey pants. Vivid deep blue saturated his tunic-style short sleeve shirt. Subtle gold-colored and black trim decorated around the sleeves, bottom, and deep V-neck, which plunged halfway down his chest. With this shirt, his larger belt went over it, and the loose shorter sleeves sat above his elbow, where they showcased a sliver more bicep definition than usual.

They both took an extra moment to begin functioning again once they saw each other. He had emerged from having changed in the bathroom, and she stood above on the top landing of the stairs right outside her bedroom.

His crooked smile tugged on his cheek, and he finally allowed it to go. "Pretty hot, huh?"

Her brow raised, but her grin was clearly amused. "'Hot?'" she laughed.

He laughed back, nodding. "The weather too, I suppose."

She came down the stairs playing with swishing her skirt back and forth, nose raised high in the air. "And, I don't know, I think I look pretty good myself," she teased.

His smile puckered and eyes narrowed, also amused, as if he had just been being narcissistic, but just shook his head at her joke. I DID mean you, Cutie.

She giggled as she saw he got it. "Um, thank you," she finally blushed, dipping her head, and the swoop of her hair fell from behind her ear to in front of her eye.

Eugene automatically reached for it, but realized it soon enough to change trajectory. He instead lifted his arm all the way up, letting the loose sleeve pool on his shoulder, to scratch at the back of his own head. "Do you, ah, have like, a ribbon or something? To tie your hair back? 'Cause, hah, ya know... this humidity…" He trailed off as he noticed her staring, frozen, bright green eyes wide open.

Not only had she noticed his old reflex to fix her hair, that stubborn lock they both knew never stayed where it belonged, but she had her own issue. She was staring at his raised arm, on full display: the strong lean muscle that had brought him up here in the first place. Though he had been shirtless around her plenty, even this week, somehow only seeing that toned arm while he was wearing a shirt, just hit differently. She could see every curve of tricep, bicep, and forearm, her artist eye taking in the golden proportions, how the light and shadow wrapped themselves around, gripping ahold of her attention - leaving him hanging.

"Rapunzel?" he chuckled, as he lowered his arm.

Her eyes finally snapped back to his face. "Wha-?"

He smirked, motioning back upstairs with his head. "Go find another ribbon to tie your hair back."

"Right-" She shook her head, finally fully registering what he had asked, and only then did she perk up with putting her cheery just-friendly veneer back on. "Right!"

This time he watched as the colors in the tulle of her skirt changed in the light, sometimes showing more bits of bright blue, but always pink, as she ran back up the stairs. Her super short dark hair bounced with her bare feet. He could not object to the wide open expanse of upper chest exposed by the sheer that slid over her shoulders. Like this he could clearly see all the little specks of freckles dancing across her delicate clavicle, how they trailed here and there around her neck and across her back. Usually he could only see those ones in her 'new' nightgown.

He turned away from the direction of her door, working on a deep steadying breath. His face raised to the heavens as he closed his eyes.

---

On the way there, they were able to amicably chat again, keeping everything neutral and light. And again keeping even their eyes off each other, neither trusting themselves to not get lost again.

They were much less of a shock at the Snuggly Duckling this time. They were, however, surprised themselves to see Hookhand on the piano, as well as several other pub thugs and others with instruments. The crowd was larger, noticeably more mixed; no longer a sausage fest. And many couples in the crowd were dancing to their jaunty music, where the center of the room had been cleared of tables to create a dancefloor.

Their faces lit up with natural joy and immediate relief; more people and a more structured activity meant they would not be left only to each other's devices.

"Oh-ho, sweet!" Eugene exclaimed.

Rapunzel chuckled, "What's all this for?"

"It's Friday!" he called over his shoulder happily, as he passed her, grabbing her hand as he did. He held on to direct her to follow him through the crowd to a table - only trembling for a moment. Well, I gotta just- so she doesn't lose me!

She giggled from pure joy, tripping after him as she tried to look all around instead of where they were going. After all, he was taking care of that part, so she just had to follow where he led.

He stopped at an empty table in the back, surprising himself with how honestly happy he was to have a pleasant day ahead of them. "Here." He unloaded his crossbow under the table, and she left the pan atop it, still distracted watching their friends playing all their varied, and some makeshift, instruments. He looked between her and them, lingering on her. "Hey," he called through the loudness though she stood right next to him, as he took her hand back.

She looked back at their hands, then up to his face, darting away from his eyes to settle on anything else. "What?"

He smiled, full of hope, that they could both learn to successfully channel all their leftover energy. He pulled her hand up to his chest, pulling her close, and leaned down closer for her to hear him. "Friends?"

She gasped, full of an opposing hope, especially as his cologne on his showing clavicle made her head spin and go a little fuzzy already. Friends… Suddenly, she felt super-aware of his hand holding hers there between them, and this whole proximity, this friendliness. The alternative to 'friends,' for them, was apparently separation, alienation, silence, like neither of them even existed to the other. As that binary, it was a simple choice. She chuckled out the frog in her throat as she nodded. "Friends. Yeah."

He smiled down at her, his pupils entirely too engorged on the sight of her, his smirk so soft it looked seductive, betraying this one big lie he was otherwise trying to make true.

In the warm dim light, she gasped, believing it was only her own mind seeing right through him through time. She smiled back naturally enough, but this time she leaned away drastically. "Well, we should, um… We should go get something to eat!"

He followed this time as she pulled him over to the bar, where Attila had taken over while Hookhand played. They took whatever quick and greasy combination they had prepared for the expected larger crowd today.

Back at the table, as they dug in, Rapunzel narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "So. What kinds of things do 'friends' do?"

He looked back at her while still chewing, then fell into a chuckle at her question. He snatched one of her fries, popped it in his mouth, and bounced his eyebrows at her. "Well, they share fries."

She cocked her head at him, giggling. "That's a lie."

He snickered at being instantly caught. "Naw, naw!"

"Yeah-huh, I knooow youuu," she drew out, with the biggest smile.

"Oh yeah?" He snatched another one.

"You have the same fries!"

"Yours taste better."

"They are the same."

"They're like, royal fries now." He snatched another.

"Stop stealing my fries!" She giggled uncontrollably even as she chastised him for no real reason.

He only laughed more.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Why wouldn't friends share fries, though?"

"Ahhh," he leaned in, "The intricacies of social interactions concerning fries..."

"You can't be serious."

"I am, actually. I dunno. It's just a thing. That like, close friends share fries…" He gave her his too-soft look again.

She pffted to the side, then looked back at him the same. "You're ridiculous."

He shrugged. "I like teasing you."

She looked down, smiling sweetly, "I… actually do really appreciate that…"

He quirked his face at her, questioning.

"It makes me feel normal. And more importantly, you always end up making me laugh, too."

That he pouted at, fully understanding the tower of baggage behind such simple statements.

"Ya know what I mean-"

"I, know exactly what you mean." He shrugged. "And anyone who doesn't… Well they can just fuck off."

She giggled at his extreme solution. "That's exactly what I've been telling them- well, more or less!"

He giggled at the thought of her outright cursing her suitors out. "And yeah, I tease you to make us both laugh, not to make you feel bad. And I knowww-…" he hesitated, not wanting to sour the mood. He shrugged and nodded instead of naming the ghost. "I know."

She found something else within herself, finally able to put it into words, finally back in these comfortable conversations with him, always truly deeper than they would sound to anyone else. "I've missed this! This is why I wanna stay friends with you. You understand all that. In a way no one else ever could. So I've gotta, at very least, like, keep you in my life - somehow. I just wanna, still be able to talk with you."

He nodded, reluctantly agreeing. He knew he would always be unique in her life in that way, in that way that nothing could ever change or replicate. "That I can do." Then he nonchalantly looked down at their food again. "For a price." He stole another fry.

"Eugeeene!" she waved at his hands to shoo them away, while squealing in laughter.

He ended up chewing with his mouth open as he was laughing too hard as well. "Oh come on, you'll never beat my sleight of hand!"

A nasally voice came down from above them. "Good to see you two are back together!"

In perfect unison, with all their hands gripping each other's wrists and fingers to hold them back from the food, as they were turning to look up to their interrupter, they recited, "No, we were never together."

"Oh," Eugene perked up first, "It's just you."

"Hi!" Rapunzel smiled cheerfully, and released Eugene's hands, where she had had the more definitive hold.

Big Nose was shifting the table beside theirs over to be adjacent, motioning for Rapunzel to move to sit beside Eugene, so he and his girlfriend could sit side by side where she had been.

Rapunzel and Eugene locked eyes, wary and exasperated, yet commiserating, as he moved to make room for her, and she sat beside him, sure to keep a sliver of air between their thighs. With a deep breath, he pointedly crossed his arms atop the table. Rapunzel noticed, surely to mean this would not be like when they used to tease or hold hands under other finer tables. She focused on shifting their food around. At last, though, she smirked again.

"Do you just want to switch fries?" she snarked back to Eugene.

He finally chuckled again. "Yeah, gimme all the royal fries, heh-heh…" he ended with a mock-villainous laugh, making both girls giggle. After just one more, though, he stared Big Nose down til he got his attention, then spoke over both the music and the girls' happy chatting now. "I told you, we're not getting back together. We're just hanging out."

Big Nose gave him a faithless smirk.

"Nothing is goooing onnn!" Eugene chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "Besides, uh? Hey! Did I tell you Brenna wants me to propose?!"

That got him excited. "Oh yeah, Hook told us!"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed back with a big excited grin. However, he then slipped right into listening with careful interest to Rapunzel explaining how she had constructed some specific piece of the dress she was wearing. He remembered some of the sewing terms she had taught him, but by the third unknown term, he finally interrupted her to ask, giving away just how closely he was indeed listening.

She noticed, but merely smirked a little bit more than usual as she explained. It was an unexpected reminder, but she was not entirely surprised.

All four spent quite some time catching up, for better or worse tension, but eventually, Big Nose and his girlfriend had broken off into their own little world.

Eugene bounced his brow at them, clicking his tongue, as he wrote them off as a lost cause for them as a group. He looked around everywhere else for some other distraction, everywhere except right by his side.

Rapunzel likewise realized they had fallen out of the conversation, and returned to watching what had been distracting her from time to time all along: the dancing. She sighed out, longing to join in with that freedom and leave this troublesome situation behind.

At a loss, Eugene finally turned back to her for ideas, and he saw it in her expression right away. He sighed. The last time we danced… Her homecoming celebration, before we knew any better. Was it better to leave their only times dancing as happy memories? Or was it better to seize this opportunity while they had the chance? Possibly their last chance? ...and if they did, how would it go? Only one way to find out. He sighed again, shifted his leg against hers, and lowered his hands under the table, pointedly staring at her.

She watched him, unsure. What? Is he really…? Keeping a cautious eye between his hands and his face, in case she was interpreting this entirely wrong, she sat back and also dropped her hands under the table.

His smirk and nod toward the dancefloor was all they needed. Immediately excited, the brightest grin shone on her. They grabbed for each other's hands. He led the way this time, as she followed in tow, overjoyed.

They bounded up to the edge of the crowd.

He twisted how their hands held each other, as he stepped up face to face with her, his other hand going to her side. Friends. Friends. Friends. He gulped, but then… One look at her freckley face, with the chipmunk cheeks and those soft but smartass lips - and a smiley smirk popped up on him. Fuck.

She was beaming up at him, so close that he was completely intoxicating again. She tried keeping her eyes lower, off his face, but anything else was just as difficult: his goatee, his Adam's apple, his clavicles, the top of his chest through where he refused to pull the laces on his shirt together the least bit. Not to mention the mere scent of him, his cologne again, and then his hands on her, where she had to hold his bare forearm, and how they were completely pressed together. It was both completely comfortable, and terrifyingly tense. Was her grip too tight? Or too light? Could he tell she was thinking of how she had once been so welcome touching that same arm so sensually, and while they were much more horizontal, in the dark?

But dancing was no time to be thinking anyway, and so both willfully stopped. They let pure carefree joy sweep them off to join in with the pulsating crowd to the lively beat, easily slipping back into moving as one without even realizing it. Spinning themselves round, circling round the dancefloor, they laughed and yelled out, contentedly getting lost, not knowing nor caring where they were going. Wherever they ended up, they knew they were safe here, together, hidden away under the thick crowd of friends and acquaintances, all of them accomplices to this new secret they were creating together without qualm.

In time with clapping, he watched her up close now, how radiant she shined while in her element here. In how she moved, he felt how confident she had become. How easily he ceded to Fate and Destiny again, so long as he felt them telling him that, one way or another, they had been made for each other. She already agreed they had to take every chance to be who they were both born to be, forever interlinked. They belonged here, together. Right now neither would deny it.

It was too much playful fun, carouseling each other all around, jumping to the beats, whirling in place with arms linked. No fancy footwork was necessary here, as long as they stepped to the tune, with everyone else, moving them all in turn.

They mixed it up from song to song, handing leading off and back again. Sometimes in a group dance, but always finding each other again, sometimes even opting to sit a group one out together, or do their own thing off to the side.

Here, neither had to say any words at all to be heard. They already spoke each other's facial and body language so fluently. But they could only hope they were both getting closer to understanding each other, or at least something, anything. The only feeling they dared to believe was that they were both enjoying themselves.

Swirling, sashaying, and skipping. He would shift his hold to lift her up whenever she wanted, swinging her around til she felt so weightless and airy, even once back on the ground spinning under their raised hands.

The entire time, they were all smiles and smirks, bursting into laughter and cheer. Breathless, they kept going and going, til all the exertion and tension, stuffed inside this small cramped pub in the summer heat and humidity, left them sweating. Somewhere along the way, she lost the ribbon from her hair.

They came to an abrupt stop on the last beat of one song, captured by the anxious moment in particular. Now that they had stopped moving, they could tell just how much they were both shaking from the excitement, and underlying nervousness. Suddenly stuck there. Frozen in space. That they had seen before. Like two paintings of the same place, different light. Somehow finding it had not been a miracle, but a phenomena, a pattern in their very nature. Like a butterfly landing on your nose, it was rare; but it was always possible it could happen again. In the right place. At the right time. To be captured again.

Her eyes… His own could only see her big green ones, seemingly taking up his entire field of vision. The past flashed before him, but her eyes remained constant, even as the world around them changed. Every instance of them catching him off guard, every trap waiting for him to fall into them, every cherished time he was able to so easily choose to gaze openly into them. 'Your eyes…' As the multitude of memories flashed by, he always landed back in the town square…

And hers were staring right back into his stunned browns. Oh- he-... Shyer and more easily overwhelmed, she could hardly ever stare straight back into his eyes before she blushed away or opted for another form of such intimacy, like diving into his chest or a kiss. But when she did stare, it was like now: when he was so entranced, she could tell he was not even able to think. That honey brown was the warmest shade she had ever seen. And it had been forever since they were this close, this calm, in the light, where she could see the flecks of gold that lit them up, letting that earthy brown sparkle from within. But the time that she kept coming back to- was in the town square...

Needy chests still heaved for air against each other, this time already intimately acquainted, familiar with gasping in sync together, rather than just newly introduced. So close their deep breaths blew into each other; forever-known scents they welcomed sweetly yet again. Even the exact height difference was not a shocking discovery, but the usual space where they knew to look to find one another. Oblivious smiles bloomed upon facing the sun of the other's face.

"Hi..." The memory came out of his mouth aloud.

"Hi," she repeated just the same again, a small chuckle in her grin. But then she suddenly remembered the next part- her uncertainty would cause him to pull away. Whatever other reason they currently had for pulling away, she was at least very certain this time that she did not want that part to replay. Her hands tightened on him.

He noticed. His hand in turn gripped hers tighter, fingers clenched at her bodice, and his own breathing hitched. But he knew this meant they had diverged from the memory track. This was now uncharted territory. What happens now? I don't know.

What happens now? I don't know.

I remember… wanting to… His face began to drift closer ever so slowly, the slightest bit.

She noticed, and her eyes flicked to his lips, parted and luscious, waiting.

Neither had noticed the music had not picked back up yet. Time had frozen for them hours ago, never realizing how late it had gotten, on a Friday no less. That world around them did not exist in their moment, but that was not why it had fallen silent.

"So the rumors were true after all..."

The familiar voice made every hair on both their necks stand on end. Eugene whipped his head toward it, not even thinking of letting go of Rapunzel. Sure enough, it was her. "Brenna..." he gasped. –Friday!

On the verge of tears, she turned right back out the door she had just entered.

"Brenna, wait!" Eugene jumped one step toward her, but still did not let go. Terrified, he looked down to her in his arms.

"Go!" Rapunzel strained, just as worried, and pushed his arms away.

He nodded to her as he bolted away.

Rapunzel clutched herself as she turned away, but then looked back over her shoulder. She sighed.

---

"NO! Brenna, wait! WAIT! Please!" Eugene ran in front of her horse, which she was already mounted upon. He flailed as he tried to block the beast from continuing towards the road. "No, please! Babe, I can explain!"

"Sure, ya can!" she yelled, "You're 'Flynn Rider,' always got a story!" She still managed to sneer at him as she tried to regain control of her braying horse.

"What?" he gasped, shocked she would resort to such an insult for him. His voice dipped lower for a moment, "No! Don't-!" Don't fuckin call me that! DON'T YOU FUCKIN CALL ME THAT! He finally succeeded in grabbing the protesting horse's bridle. "Wait, wait! Please wait!"

"Let go!" She tugged back against him.

"NO, listen to me!" he pleaded desperately, as his mind raced involunarily. "Brenna, please! You can't-" You can't go back and tell everyone who can kick me even farther away from her! Or destroy my livelihood for our future! He blinked fast and shook his head, resigning himself to the part he had to play, and the fact he had to play it as a part for once. It had always been so genuine before. Now... He let the pain on his face act as though only for her. "I know what this looks like. I know what the rumors were last year. But Honey. Nothing. Is going on. We're friends! That's why those rumors started in the first place! You can't think that I -"

A few of the thugs had finally wandered outside, to watch the scene.

Brenna pulled back on the reins haphazardly, jerking him forward in the tug of war. "Eugene, stop it! I don't wanna hear it!" she cried, her voice rising higher in despair.

"Nuhr- n-No! Babe, please just listen to me!" Eugene reached out to pet the mare's neck as she calmed down finally, a tight grip still on that bridle. "Please, it's not like that! I'm only here for work – I'm just escorting her – The princess, she wanted – she ordered me to – ohhh, you know I still do guard duty sometimes!" Ohhh lying reflexes COME ON! It's been too long since I had to come up with a whole story on the spot- and now I fucking CARE- just pick a direction!

Brenna huffed but sat back in the saddle. "'Guard duty.'" She smiled sarcastically, then snapped, "For how many days?"

"Wha..." Fuck. "Just the week! Didn't Tom tell you?"

"He told me a line about how it was some vague mysterious 'business!' With-" She groaned and barely lifted her hand toward Rapunzel, the last to emerge, standing at the front door. A few more breaths to control her breathing, and she finally more clearly accused, "Pretty convenient timing, wouldn't you think? As soon as I bring that up, you- you go and-"

Eugene's eyes widened as his voice warbled out weakly in terrified defense. "Nooooo, nooooo- I do want that! You know I want that! I do!"

"Then what are you doing here?! Like this?!"

"I- we were just taking a break, and-"

"A break? Like that? From what?! Because what I saw looked like quite an exhausting 'break,'" she cried. "Is this why you won't tell me where you live?! Where have you even been?"

Those old reflexes finally kicked in to help. "Stefan's kingdom. I got moved again, kinda. Another assignment. And it's hardly a bachelor pad- I'm just not wastin' money I could be saving for us- and we've been on the road, in the woods! So it was nice to be back in civilization!" He could only pray that their friends standing around would not correct him. Let alone the princess, her 'friend' status still questionable at the moment, who could give all their secrets away.

"The Princess," She sneered again, sarcastically, and looked around incredulously. "Went to Stefan's kingdom - on horseback?"

Eugene gulped, pulse throbbing in his ears, not that it showed. "This princess did! She likes riding with Maximus."

"To Stefan's kingdom."

"Ye~es!" He drew out with a smile. Perhaps this WILL work? "Ya know, I mean, I tried to tell her it was a stupid idea. You see how long it's taken. My ass is killing me!" He forced a chuckle.

Brenna glared him down.

He cleared his throat and fell solemn. "Brenna, Honey," he moved closer to her and rested a hand on her knee, still holding onto the bridle with the other. "I love you," he cried out. "Please, don't do this. I know what that looked like, but it wasn't anything, I swear," he licked his lips again as his mouth dried out. "Trust me, I am so sorry I couldn't be with you this week- I couldn't control this- You know I wanted to be with you! Just goofin' off in the gardens or in the kitchens, the stables? Come on… You know me. No lies here, no secrets between us." -this is at least only the first real big one… well, besides the other big one we've been telling to everybody… and- oh mannn!

"Mr. Fitzherbert," Rapunzel's call interrupted the couple in question, commanding their attention. She made sure to stand tall, and tried to look merely intrigued, but not too invested. "Would you please, uh, bring her in," she pointed back to the door.

"What?" Eugene gasped as he looked back, confused. One, I've never actually arrested anyone, and two, Blondie!? I can't just-?! This is NOT gonna solve our problem!

"In- uh, inside. Bring her inside," she stuttered. "Please. I'd just like to have a word with her."

Oh. He looked up to Brenna apologetically, then bowed his head as he held his hand out to help her dismount. "If you don't mind?"

She tried looking him in the eyes, but the ambiguous anxiety in them only strengthened her suspicions. She let him help her down, but withdrew her hand as he tried to kiss it.

"Don't let anyone else back inside til we're finished," Rapunzel continued ordering him.

He never lifted his eyes from the ground, but nodded, following behind Brenna, but then he remained outside in front of the closed door.

---

"You were right. He was lying," Rapunzel announced. She had climbed up onto a table, in the otherwise empty pub, and sat at the edge there with her legs crossed, dirty bare feet resting on a stool below. "But not about that."

Brenna stood opposite her, with her strongest scorn on and arms crossed, but shaking, about to burst into tears. "So you two...?"

Rapunzel chuckled a bit as she shook her head, bouncing her hair around. "No, no. Those are just rumors. A fantastical story of a long lost princess of legend and a mysterious rogue, 'the kingdom's greatest thief' – people like to give it a 'happily ever after' for dramatic flair." She shrugged, then shook her head. "But that's never happened." Well, a 'happily ever after' certainly never happened… based in truths, thank you again, Eugene! Just like any other day for me now. I've gotten so used to everything being a lie...

"I know- I mean, that's what he's always said…"

"But we are, more or less friends. Somewhat. Sometimes." She sighed and waved the issue away. "We actually just don't get along very often," she chuckled, "But sometimes we're fine."

"So what ARE you two doing out here, alone, together?"

Rapunzel did not flinch, merely smirked. "We're not alone."

Brenna awaited an explanation, but she did not continue. "Um, so what then-"

"I'm afraid I can't answer you any specifics, hence why he knew he couldn't. But just because he can't tell you, doesn't mean he's lying," Rapunzel mused. "I'm sorry if it seemed to be anything more. But let me assure you, Mr. Fitzherbert is here strictly on business only, and," she smirked to the side, rolling her eyes and groaning with displaced annoyance, "Reluctantly at that. We have need of his past criminal connections. A sort of, spy."

Brenna looked her over and over, completely baffled how this princess made her like her so much, even when she wanted to be furious with her. But she also could not notice any tell on her that might signal a lie. "So why are you two here, though, and not some other guard?"

She grinned. "I love puzzles. So, my parents are letting me head this one little reconnaissance expedition. I've been gradually gaining some responsibilities this past year already. And this gives me a chance to travel the countryside a bit, too, which has been sooo nice and beautiful!" she added on a tangent.

Brenna sighed a deep breath, not even sure how much she was allowed to argue with a princess.

---

Brow knotted up, shoulders dropped, slack-jawed, and eyes staring into space. Eugene stood guard outside while the two women inside discussed his fate. Two women, who, he was certain, both had to hate his guts right now. And each others'. And his were twisting around threatening to come up.

Blondie why does everything always get so tangled up with you?! Can I never escape her? I just want a normal life… I'm so close… But… He sighed out, hanging his head. I'm gonna be single forever and die alone… And that's the last thing I want anymore.

He expected to hear screeching, perhaps even some sort of blunt force making contact... But he heard nothing.

---

"Brenna," Rapunzel's voice softened to that of a young womanly friend rather than her monarch, "I know what it's like to worry if someone really loves you or not." She looked to the floor longingly as she stroked her upper arm, in lieu of her hair that had once been her comforter. "I grew up in constant doubt of that, and in the end, that turned out to be false. And I've been forced through that again here, too, what with all these suitors. Like, do they reeeally love me? Or are they just here because they're following orders, or are they just after something else? What I represent, and the power to be had..."

She sighed and looked back to her. "But you can trust me, that, Eugene," she enunciated his name carefully to sound unfamiliar with it. "He must really care about you. He is just here on orders. We may be friendly and do good teamwork, but it's you he is SO in love with!" she cooed out, admiring that love like a sentimental fangirl. And for the first time herself, realized that she was indeed proud of him, for the life he had made even without her. She giggled a bit, "It's pretty cute to watch actually, how he goes on about you, how he wants to propose and all. I won't give anything away!" she teased. "But you should be proud of him," she smiled. "He's a hero for helping us with national security like this. Again. Ya know, you're, really lucky to have a good man like that after you."

Brenna finally blushed at the compliments and reassurances.

"And, Brenna? He's told me that it's because of you, that he wants to be that good man that you deserve."

---

The door started to open, and Eugene lept away to turn and face whoever came through first.

Brenna came out first, and right up to him, with a tentatively apologetic smile.

"Haa…" Eugene stuttered, "Ah, what? So what's…?" His eyes' focus was taken automatically to the movement behind her:

Rapunzel. Signing S-P-Y.

He blinked in stunned recognition. ...you're... helping me? His confused eyes flicked back to Brenna, as a dozen other happier, more giggly correspondences flashed in front of his face.

"She explained, a bit to me," Brenna began, though she was studying him with extra scrutiny.

He watched her right back, fully aware of how hard she was searching him. But he narrowed his eyes with a smile, ready to do his part to seal this issue, moral quandary gone. "Can we talk?"

"What…" Brenna's jaw dropped in shock.

But he brought out his crooked smile and soft look. "Everything's fine, just," he took her hands, and jerked his head over to motion. Hand in hand, he led her around the side of the building, certain to check that no one followed them to eavesdrop.

---

"We've been out doing a lil spy work," he hissed lowly at her, "That's why I didn't wanna tell you, 'cause it's all sorta high level top secret dangerous recon stuff, get-killed-for-knowing-em sorta government secrets." He grinned, throwing his empty hands out, though still somewhat cringing, "So, there. Happy?"

"Ah- Oh…" She gave in, surprised the stories matched.

"It's just gathering some intel, from people only I know. People who wouldn't normally wanna talk to anyone too official, ya know?" He continued, taking her wrists to soothingly rub his thumbs over as she nodded. "Sweetie, you know me. I don't lie in my personal life anymore, but this is for actual work. They let me do this stuff because they trust me entirely now. And I can't lose you over some stupid misunderstanding 'cause of my job! But I am sorry, even just for- the dance- I didn't think anything of it- We were just having a bit of fun. I didn't think it was something you'd get so upset about."

"But with her?!" she still whined.

Eugene took a deep breath and nodded with rolling eyes, going through his usual routine of only-annoyed-by-the-assumption. "Babe, I've told you, there's nothing like that between us. Never has been." Not from her end, anyway, so… Though our literal life forces may be connected now… "We're just friends."

"And I know these men are your friends, but you've been gone for days..." She lost her composure slowly, and tears were boiling. Eugene's breathing picked up as he panicked listening to her. "And I've just missed you!"

"I've missed you too!" he happily jumped at. "How- how was work this week? Hope it wasn't too bad?"

"I was worrying myself sick that I pushed you away with bringing up anything about-"

"Oh, no-" He grabbed her in a desperate hug, clutching her to his chest, hand in her hair and mouth on her temple. "You didn't push me away. No, no, no, God, please, no… Babe, I've barely been able to think about anything else since you brought that up! Because I want that. I want that with you, too, and I've been going crazy wondering what I did to deserve such a wonderful future, with you!"

"But then..." Her voice finally cracked and she had to bite her lip to hold herself back, choking up. "But then you disappeared!"

Eugene felt a pang in his heart for seeing her so hurt. His brow pinched and his frown deepened. I at least started out only wanting to relax and hang out… Oh, but Babe, I never wanted to hurt you! "Brenna, please, listen to me." He gently ran the back of two fingers down her cheek, then cupped her jaw. He felt her tremble but then slowly calm, easing into his touch. A tear finally escaped, rolling down, only to be caught and wiped away by his thumb. "I love you. You know I do. I- I'm hating being out here, away from you." Where things make sense. "When I last saw you, I had no idea I was about to be called away at all, let alone for this long. I would've told you sooner if I could, rather than just sending the message along with Tom." Well, things made sense with Rapunzel, too... "I am so, so, sorry that I worried you, Sweetie." -MADE. Past tense. This is present. "I love you, so much."

She sniffled. "Do I?" She paused to clear her throat. "I did know that you love me. But now? I don't feel so sure- I don't know. You keep saying it, but I need to- to- to feel it. I need to feel that you love me."

Eugene took in what she was saying. Please, belieeeve me. I'm a scumbag but a part of me DOES really love you! I know how you feel, 'cause I feel the same way about Rapunzel... -shit. I... I still... But that's not going anywhere, so I can't lose you! But, I still can't bring myself to out Blondie.

He glanced down and nodded, then lovingly met her rich brown eyes again. They were no less beautiful than Rapunzel's emerald eyes, but now he only felt guilty that they did not strike such uncontrollable passion in him. But I WANT to… I wish… I can. I will. This is where I've chosen. She's JUST an infatuation. Just a crush. It'll go away, someday.

"I hear you," he finally replied. "I get that, okay? I know what you're saying." He carefully watched her sigh with a glimmer of relief, that he at least understood and cared. "And I'd do anything," he brought his other hand up to cup her other cheek, "For you to feel that love. I'm gonna make this up to you, alright? I will. I promise."

Her hands clasped onto his wrists, as a smile took over her face and more tears rolled. She simply nodded.

Eugene swooped in for a kiss, which soon became a full open-mouthed, but tender, French kiss. Ohhh, I have missed this - safety, stability, security… A chance for a real future - true freedom - my own family! His lips left so he could clutch her close to his chest. "I love you, Babe." I just don't know how to show you… Maybe? "And," he gulped, "I was going to save up for it from my pay, but I could take it out of the bank right now." He pulled her back away with a dreamy smile to lock eyes. "I- I don't know- I have no idea if this is bad form or not to tell you and I guess maybe ruin a surprise?" his crooked smile chuckled, suddenly nervously giddy anyway, "But you did tell me you wanted to-"

"What…" She gasped, gawking at him with her hand over her mouth. "Oh my-"

He melted into her reaction, seeing her happily praising him again. "I'm gonna buy that ring. I can afford a house in the city outright, no loans necessary. And your parents-"

She leapt at him, her tears suddenly for joy. "My parents love you!"

"I know," he chuckled, arms closing tightly around her, but he did have to roll his eyes to the side, "Though honestly your dad already did grill me about money the first night I came over, so he already knows I have most of it left, in the bank - and I still do."

"Oh my God, Eugene?!" she cooed, still in disbelief at his adamant plans here.

"I, uh…" he chuckled, turning nervous again, and leaned back to see her face again, "I've also kinda already told, um, some people about it? I don't really know how things like this are supposed to go, so, um…" He rubbed his neck, worried he still screwed up already.

She giggled at him, "That's alright, and, yeah- the, um, Princess even mentioned you've been talking to her about it all week."

All week? God, thank you Blondie! "Yeah," he chuckled, "I dunno, I just want as much advice about this as I can get, 'cause I have no idea what I'm doing! All I know is I wanna marry you."

She chuckled with him, both making heart eyes at each other as their giggly faces came back together.

---

"I'll see you soon," she purred.

They kissed soundly and hugged goodbye again, back over in front of the building and lingering crowd, including Rapunzel. She watched carefully, in case she needed to swoop in and save him again. But Brenna's eyes were asparkle with new admiration for him.

He was still stunned, but too relieved that the whole world was not falling down around him, yet, somehow. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, see ya." He stared up at her as she mounted again, letting himself be utterly taken in by her beauty. The wave of her raven black hair curved around to gently frame her face, with one long section falling over her shoulder, ending in a soft curl. Her lips were fuller; her nose straighter in its petite dive. Under a soft brow, those big brown eyes were deeper set and more serious, with tight cheekbones, and overall her face made a feminine oval, rather than heart-shape. He noted that she had gotten dressed in her prim, Sunday best for the ride out here; a cute but simple light blue homespun dress, with white blouse underneath and soft pink trim everywhere. Rouge tinged her cheeks, balm glossed her lips, and black lined her eyes.

To him, she always looked like she belonged more in a library or boarding school, rather than the stable, even when she was not done-up. He knew her serious, demure look intimidated others, but she was sweet and humorous and loving once one broke past her slight but harsh barriers. "Brenna," his heartfelt voice called out once more.

She looked down at him with that familiar, ready-to-disregard look that seemed her default. But then, her lips bowed into a smile, giving some volume to her cheeks, and brightening her whole face.

His toothy smile perked up. He reached up high, and brushed her hair over her ear, before trailing his fingers down her cheek to her chin. "I love you."

Her smile kissed the back of his hand without breaking eye contact. "I love you, too."

Rapunzel hung back as they all watched her ride off. When Brenna was finally out of sight, she turned to him, just as he was swinging around.

"What did you say to her?" he demanded.

Rapunzel froze, but decidedly did not answer. She just gulped and smiled bittersweetly at him. I just saved you...

"Rapunzel?" He persisted, and began stepping closer to her. "What did you do?" Suspicious, he glared at her.

She looked straight up to him towering over her. "I gave you another chance." With that, she abruptly turned and went back inside, leaving Eugene standing dumbfounded.

Another chance… How many before my luck runs out? A moment later, he clicked back to reality. "Wha..." He followed her path inside, and spotted her walking to their table at the back wall. "No," he called to her, to which she actually stopped and faced him as he marched over to her, shoving chairs aside and quickly rounding tables to make a bee line to catch up.

"'No' what?" Her eyes searched him, confused.

Eugene was wincing and shaking his head. He grabbed her shoulders, shoving her the last few steps to the nearest wall, and pinned her there.

She knew what he was doing, but before she could try to understand why, his mouth was on hers, his hands clutching the sides of her face. His tongue barged right in with him, like it belonged there, swirling around hers like any other thank-you hug.

Just as quickly, though, he leaned away, but held her head there.

"You did that for me?!"

Stunned, she gave the simple answer as her mind caught up from spinning. "So she won't leave you, and she won't tell anyone!"

"You could have just ordered her not to tell anyone!" He released her and backed away, gesturing widely. "Told her the truth and bribed her- for your sake! Paid her anything to go away. You could've just... just... Given me up!" As the cheater I am...

"You actually have something to go back to – something real! A real future, with someone who LOVES you!" She cried out to him, thinking only of the comparison of how she had to question every suitor's affections.

He however, heard different. Unlike you.

"Who can actually give you everything! A family," her voice broke into a cry, "A real life, a future! And I have never wanted to hurt you - so I would never just destroy that. I don't wanna do that to you."

He gripped her shoulders again. "But you could have! For yourself. To not have to see me with her. To punish me. To spite me. To get back at me for any tiny little slight." He waved his hand out in reference to his multitudes of transgressions, even minute ones, at least the ones he was aware of.

She looked confused and pushed him away a little. "But you love her, and why wouldn't I help you?"

"Blondie!" he cried out, straining, like calling for help, as he pushed back against her hand and brought himself back close to her face - but froze as his eyes focused on her startled look. No- she's not- Not my Blondie I remember. I have to stop-

"W-what?" She gasped, but looked to his lips, her breath light as she savored being so close to him yet again. He's been calling me 'Rapunzel' all this time- why- why now?

He just glanced away and shook his head. "Nevermind."

Softly, her mouth still mere inches from his, she spoke, "Why did you just call me 'Blondie?' You haven't been-"

He stifled her question with another kiss, this one with a tiny frustrated moan. His tongue slid right in again, this time trying to steal the lovername back, but keeping it short still. Everything about you has always felt so perfectly right! Why! But... "Oh, God..." he finally whined. Instead of leaning against her again, he rolled to the side and slumped back against the wall himself. "I'm..." Awful. So hurt. A cheater. Heartbroken. Stupid, selfish, greedy… Unloved by the one I have such passion for, in hot water with the one who does love me. Will I ever stop screwing up my life? Stop letting you fuck up all my plans?

Left panting against the wall right beside him, she shook her head, trying to clear it. Why does he keep teasing me with the past- torturing me with what our future could never be?! When he says he doesn't even want any of it anymore! Wh- just because she's not here now but I am?! "You didn't mean that," she mumbled.

His attention snapped back to her, still trying to catch his breath. I can't mean anything MORE than that to you… "No," he blurted, then hung his head. "Sorry. No…" He shook his head, trying to get his screaming heart out of his ears.

With an unexpectedly staggered inhale, Rapunzel felt tears finally escape to the edge of her lids, but held them back right there.

He sunk down the wall, squatting there but wedged against it to create a seated position. His head helplessly fell forward to his hands, elbows braced on his knees, heels of his hands pressing in on his eyes. I do want her- but I want her, too-... We still have time? If I actually did-? He sighed out. I can't. Not when I can't tell her everything I wanna say- everything I feel! Of course I'd love to give you that - to truly BE the one to make sure you're alright! But not where I'd have to keep myself gagged and crush my own heart worse than ever. "I can't… I'm sorry… I can't… I wish I could. But I can't."

"Can't what?" Do this? Deny this?

"Any of this." But God I want- well- I know where I can at least relieve some of my own tension… Being nice has only hurt more. Drinking made it hurt more. Fighting hurt the worst. Not talking made me frighteningly numb bordering on hate or finally apathy I don't know but that didn't feel right either. That was scary. But maybe… Get myself taken care of, then can we be just friends? ...with the only girl to ever break my heart, who won't even let it rest. And I just want what I could never have. "Can we go back…"

"Back?" she repeated, hopefully, desperate to be offered even a pretend time travel.

"To the tower."

"Oh…" Rapunzel stepped away to the side, shoulders hunched and closing in on herself. "Eugene, I'm… I'm sorry..."

"You're 'SORRY?!'" he suddenly yelled, picking his head up.

She recoiled.

He stood to pace around. "If you're always so 'sorry' then stop doing this to me!"

She threw her arms out at him, "You're doing it, too!"

But he kept going. "If I lose Brenna, I lose everything I have built up this past year, everything I'm working towards. If she tells your father, what she thought was going on? An- And if- if- if he even just feels like it-?!" He leaned in closer toward her, but pointed away in the direction of the city. "I could lose everything. Period. I lose my job, I lose my income, I lose my horse, I lose access to- to everything! If they think it's something more, still? Who knows! I dunno! Could I lose my pardon?! Could I lose my life?!"

"Eugene," she tried to soothe, despite knowing his suggestions were ridiculous, "You're not going to get executed for anything. You know my parents would never do that- and no matter what, I would obviously never allow that."

"Rapunzel, still! If I lose everything else, I might as well!" His hand ended up on his forehead as he spun around, then gestured widely to himself, hyperventilating on the verge of tears. "I still haven't even explained to her- How am I supposed to explain that if anything ever happened to you, I may drop dead outta nowhere? But we don't even know for sure? How do I tell her I really did die for you? That she's right - the rumors ARE all true! They always have been! And she's already jealous and suspicious of you? Oh, hey, Babe, my very lifeforce is PROBABLY linked to the princess I've also been LYING about?!"

"Then- I don't know," Rapunzel sighed, "But we should talk about that then! For how much to tell her!"

"And keep lying to her?!" he cried out desperately, from the way it tortured his heart anymore. "This is what I didn't want! I don't wanna just- It's all lies again! Why are you doing this to me?!"

Rapunzel was stunned back a bit at his conclusion again, and more offended, so she countered. "We weren't even doing anything!"

He cocked his head at her with a knowing look. I was GONNA kiss you!

She huffed a sigh and pointedly looked away. Yeah, I know… "Anyway, I know how hard you've worked this past year! That's why I told her that you're here for reconnaissance, advising us with your 'past criminal connections,' as just an agent, an informant."

"Sounds like a good cover…"

"Yeah, and I've gotten really good at lying this past year."

He cringed at her for that. "Well, thank you, for all of that, and tipping me off, so I basically told her the same exact thing." He hung his head and sighed, for why they knew how to communicate like that. But he had one more crying plea. "But you still dragged me out here and opened all this up to begin with!"

"I didn't drag you to dance! And clearly neither of us have healed! We're like a mess of unsettled, loose ends, that are still all knotted up together! And I don't even know where to begin, everything's so wrapped up in everything else! But," she calmed down, "For what it's worth, I told her what a hero you are and how much you love her. That you're always talking about her."

He pursed his lips together, still finding it hard to believe what she just did for him.

"I also," she hesitated with a deep breath, somehow able to repeat it a third time to his eyes, "I told her that, you said it's because of her, that you want to be that good man she deserves."

He blinked at her, rather devastated. But that's-... "You really…?"

Her throat grew thick and her lips pressed into a tight frown. "I'm happy for you."

He had trouble speaking too, from both these issues themselves, and also her unexpected acceptance. "Thank you…"

"Eugene," her voice softened and whined for him, "Whatever else has happened or is going on, I do still want you to be happy. Even if it's not with me."

His jaw dropped at that. That's why I said… 'You were my…' With me dead, I wanted you to… go find someone else… Whether from adrenaline crashing or the memory or both, he suddenly felt dizzy. "That's… why… I…" Could she…? His stomach flipped, but he shook his head. No. No, no, no - she doesn't love me. If she did she would've said it by now. After another whole week of being together? No. If she did, she'd've said it, would've said something about it.

"Why you what?" she repeated, searching his eyes.

He fell into hers again, but gulped and turned away, only glancing back. "That's what I want for you, too."

She finally smiled easy again. "I know."

He deflated completely. Yeah, 'friends'... I have no problem being 'just friends' with girls, even attractive girls, but you? I don't think I'll ever be able to... "Let's just go…"

---

On the way back, he finally did start rambling to her about Brenna, if only to make some of those lies more true.

"I just thought I could finally make my life…" he trailed off.

"Different?" Rapunzel offered with an understanding smile.

"No. Normal."

"Oh…" She saddened, but tried to cheer up, blushing even. "She's really, really pretty, by the way..."

He huffed a chuckle, looking over at her with a smirk. You so are, too… Heh, I've seen that in you, too, before. "Thanks," he smiled, but shook his head at how right he was certain he was. Not that it matters for you, 'Princess'… He sighed out.

---

Back at the tower, Eugene headed straight to the bedroom, with Rapunzel. She took off the knife holster from under her skirt, while he lost his shirt and started pulling other clothes out instead.

"Eugene?" she asked, confused.

"I wanna change," he answered without turning around. "So, uh, if you're done, can you leave, and drop the curtain?"

Disappointed, she nodded and left him as requested.

Old brown boots. Dark brown pants, tighter than usual, especially around the waist and crotch, where they were meant to be so. Black shirt, the only three buttons near the middle still all left open and sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Teal doublet, with only bottom-most two latches done, showing how the shirt only began to connect at the bottom of his sternum, light chest hair and dewey sunkissed pectoral cleavage peeking out. All his belts, a Coronan sun badge hooked onto one, but only one knife. Thick gold braided chain necklace, matching bracelet, and a single small silver hoop earring with a sapphire stud at its base, all adorned the carnal beauty he was already intent on displaying. Black eyeliner and a fresh touch of cologne, not that he would need to try so hard to attract what he wanted, but he always wanted to be at his most attractive.

From the felt-covered inside of his wooden jewelry box on her dresser, he poked around at the precious metals and gemstones there. He grabbed three gold rings eventually: A very large, round deep-cut emerald, surrounded by a halo of small crystal-clear round melee-style zircons, and flanked on each shoulder by three zircon teardrops. The other two gold rings featured mismatched reds: a much smaller round bright ruby, making up the center of a brilliant shining sunburst etched from the surrounding gold frame, and a large square cushion-cut darker garnet, boasting gold suns on both shoulders. Fingerless black leather gloves covered up to his first knuckles, still showcasing the gold and jewels on his hands. A further reminder to all that nowadays he could indeed afford anything he wanted.

A long black leather coat draped over his arm to take separately. Last, but most importantly, he emptied his drawer of every coin and note he had on hand, filling his largest pouch.

On his way out of the bedroom, he twisted the emerald to the inside of his left palm, under the coat.

---

"I'm going out."

"What?" Surely she had heard him wrong. Rapunzel turned around from getting ready to start dinner, to see him coming down the stairs, dressed even sharper than before, even glittering in a few places. "What're you…?"

"Said I'm going out."

She walked out towards the center of the main room to meet him - between him and the moveable stone tile. "Uhhh, I'm starting dinner?"

He paused and hesitated. "Uh, thanks, but don't worry about making anything for me, I'll get something out."

"'Out?' We just came from-"

"Not there." He sighed, exasperated, looking anywhere but at her.

"Then where are you going?"

"Just, don't worry about it."

"Well, uh," she chuckled nervously on edge, "Now I'm really worried! And what are you all dressed up for?"

"Look, I don't wanna turn this into a big thing, so just let me go and-"

"Nooo-ho-ho," she laughed out with bubbling anger, "You are not just going to leave again."

He threw his head to the side with a groan, still evading her face. "I'll be back tomorrow morning."

Tears were right back on the verge of breaking through her. "So you're just gonna leave? Something almost happened today, so you're just gonna leave again?!"

He hmphed, holding his bottom lip steady in his teeth as he sneered, at last facing her. "Pfft, ya know, really… 'I left,' 'I left,' 'I left,'" he threw his hands up. "That's the whole story, huh? Big bad rogue ran out on the perfect little innocent princess."

"You DID leave!"

"Leave HOW?!"

She scoffed, "Uh, you were kinda there?! You broke up with me, then literally left! You just disappeared!"

He scoffed back. "You always make it sound like I ever wanted to leave at all. Let other people think that, sure, but don't say it like that to me. Yeah, I came to break it off, and I may have 'walked out the door,' but Rapunzel, you are one of the few people who knows your part of the story. When will you admit that I have never, ever, actually abandoned you?! Be mad at me for breaking off - whatever that was - but stop throwing 'You left' back at me like I was some heartless asshole! I know what I did, but it was not like you make it sound."

"So you came back- eventually! But what about now? Now you definitely ARE abandoning me here!"

"I said I'll be right back tomorrow morning."

Her brow flew up, not sure what to believe anymore, but still sarcastic. "Will you?!"

"All my stuff is here." He threw his hands up gesturing around the entire place.

"Nothing you wouldn't care to part with," she pointed to the large jingly pouch on his belt. "And everything else is my stuff." She shook her head, slowly, the irony and patterns taking over every other memory and feeling. She chuckled out pitifully. "But so you're gonna leave me HERE now? Just undo everything?"

"You dragged us out here. You can leave anytime," he gestured making way for her to head to the window, toward the tunnel exit, toward the castle. But then he groaned and rolled his head and shoulders around, his voice shaking with too many emotions. "And 'undo every-?' YOU- you have no idea everything I've done for you. If you just don't see it yet, then you will soon enough. But I have NEVER broken a single one of my promises to you. Cute pillow talk aside, what like 'never stop touching you' - I mean the real ones." Muttering, he added, "Though, yeah, apparently I haven't stopped that, either…"

"What…?" She looked around, trying to think of what he meant, but ended up genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?" She threw her hands out as if to lay them out before them. "Besides like, keeping our big secret, and still being able to trust you in general, and any of that stuff - You have broken... every single other one..." Her voice cracked.

He stared at her with his own harsh accusatory pained look, then merely averted his eyes, choosing silence. I still love you. I never left. I've protected you; I'm still protecting you. That's just off the top of my head in general; I know there's more still. But I know I have never truly betrayed you. And I may have made those commitments prematurely, but I have stood by them nonetheless.

"So what do you even mean? You did so-"

And you're not the only one I'm holding secrets for. But he smacked at his chest for the direction he chose to head instead. "Am I not here?! Have I not been, right here?! Yeah, I 'disappeared' on you that night - I'm a THIEF. That's one of the things I do best. I 'disappear' - and, uh, I kinda had to? But I NEVER really LEFT you. Just like earlier that day! That I don't need credit for, but you don't seem to remember THAT part either. And tonight I'm even telling you - I am just going out. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Hardly any longer than last time."

"'Last time?!' Uh, NO- 'Last time' was uh, a lil longer than just overnight!" she cried out.

He rolled only his eyes this time. "Yeah, what? 'Left' as in breaking up for 10 months so far? 'Cause that 'leaving' was permanent. But I was only gone for a few hours."

"What?" she wondered aloud, baffled again. "No- I-"

"You what? Ran out and looked for me? Yeah, I saw you. I heard you. 'Cause I was still there. You just didn't see me. But I saw you. So, yes, fine, I left- and I was back the very next morning!"

She shook her head. "Okay, so that's that night. And why would you still…? But then- no- I didn't see you for a whole week! I even checked your room! You-"

"You didn't see me. I didn't want you to. Doesn't mean I wasn't there. But I was right back to my duties on time the next morning. I didn't miss a thing. Ask your dad if you don't believe me. Ask your mom, ask the Captain, ask Tom. But so pardon me if I was just a lil upset! Like I've been upset this whole week!"

She waved those disagreements away. "So where are you even going now then?!"

"Somewhere that's no place for you."

"You can't just leave me here!"

He stuck one finger up between them. "ONE night. I'll be back tomorrow. Just, for heaven's sake, STAY PUT. You'll be fine. Or take Max and go HOME. Your real home. Whichever." He waved away at her.

She knew she was grasping at straws, but had to try everything in her arsenal. "You told my father you'd stay with me!"

"Yeah, and what if I tell him the real reason why you dragged me out here in the first place?"

"Well- what if I tell Brenna how you were all over me the second we set foot in here? And the second after she left!"

"Pfft…" He shook his head. Neither of us would ever. "Anyway it's not like you need a babysitter 24/7. Just go to bed."

"Eugene Fitzherbert," she growled at him even with her squeaking high voice and shaking fists at her sides, "I order you not to l-l-leave this tower!" She screamed through her own flashback, then fell back, stunned at herself.

"Or you'll what?" he chuckled. "What, ya gonna knock me out and tie me up? Stop me from leaving? Or why don'tchya-" He began to raise his arm up towards Gothel's room, but his breath froze and he dropped it just as hard as the sentence.

She took a moment to recover from how starkly different his reaction was from what hers had been, and luckily missed his almost-knife-allusion. "This is still Corona-"

"This place ain't on any map-"

"And I still outrank you anywhere!"

"I don't see a crown out here. Not that fuckin' royalty bullshit's ever meant anything to me and you know that - just that your family's the most rich and powerful in the kingdom, but for no goddamned reason. Your parents even trust me more n' you. You're just a girl and I'm your only guard. You got none of that power over me out here. You can't do anything to me."

She grumbled at his eternal but insightful obstinence. She had finally learned how to start wielding that royal power and privilege, but it had never had any effect on him, and apparently did not still. "At least take me with you-"

"Nyooo-uh," he sneered, "And you can't keep me here, either."

"You expect me to just stay here?!" She cried out dramatically, gesturing from all of herself down to the floor. "Here?! Keep me HERE, just stuck waiting?!"

"Really?" he huffed, cocking his brows at her incredulously. "Don't you da- like who the fuck do you think I am? I didn't want you stayin' here in the first place! You don't like it?" He jerked his arm out to the window again. "Then. LEAVE."

"No," her voice broke again, "I have no idea what your problem is, but this isn't like you. To just walk out on me? Wha-"

"Apparently you think that's all I ever did before was walk out!"

"Just- don't do this, please! I don't know, but don't just leave again-"

He threw his hands up, "'Again!' There it is again! 'Again.' 'I left you.' It's been a good cover story, an easy lie, so neither of us ever have to explain or elaborate. Let everyone who did know we were a thing, believe I don't even want to be around you - Ohhh, the poor orphan boy must have commitment issues; the princess was just another notch in the rogue's bedpost; it got hard so the criminal ran-"

"That IS what happened!"

"It IS NOT." He took one stance-affirming step towards her.

She stepped forward herself, rolling her arms out towards him. "You said it was! This was all your decision! You're the one who came to break up with me! You're the one who couldn't handle it! You're the one who said you couldn't!"

"MY decis-? You really believe that? So it's down to you-said-I-said. I'll take the public blame - it keeps us all safer and I don't care - but NONE of this is actually my fault. The only thing I regret- my only mistake, was not doing it sooner! 'Cause, God- Fuck, Rapunzel - ya know, whichever one of us you wanna blame first," his breaking voice tripped into sounding every bit as chokingly crushed as his heart, "I couldn't very well 'leave' what WASN'T even THERE!"

She took it as a surprise revelation, freezing to try to process what he meant. But I WAS there? What? -and sooner?! "EUGENE!" she seethed, "WHAT are you even so angry at me about?! Why can't I do anything right by you anymore? You said you wanted to still be friends at least! And we were having a nice day! Don't you… Don't you even care about me anymore?! Did you EVER really care?!"

He bit his lip and tilted his head back, successfully keeping tears from smearing his eyes. Stupid questions. "Of course," he looked at her again, "I care about you. You wanna tryyy to be friends? That's why I'm going out. Alone. And I'm not angry. But…" It's pain, not anger. And I know it's my own damn fault I want you too much. "I can't do this-" he waved his right hand out, absolving himself of continuing; his left hand stayed concealed where he held his coat. "I can't. There's no point arguing. I'm not doing this. I don't wanna fight you. I'm going out." He brushed past her, moved the tile aside, and headed down the ladder, all the while continuing, "Don't follow me. And don't bother waiting up. Ya want practice for a royal marriage? Get used to hearing that. I'll be back tomorrow morning, I. Promise."

---

Left alone in the tower, Rapunzel watched him from the window as he raced to disappear again, into the tunnel on Samson, black coat billowing behind them. Echoing through the tiny valley, though, was Max's obstinate but fruitless braying and snorting at him, while he remained tied in the back. She waited a few minutes, in case he really had completely left. Then she headed out herself, just as-is, to see if this was all some elaborate ruse, if he was merely waiting in the tunnel, stubbornly avoiding her. She ran to the tunnel, only to indeed find it empty of any snazzily-dressed rogues. Defeated, she hmphed back to the tower and back upstairs.

Part depressingly abandoned, part enragingly deserted, she paced around the main room, trying to figure out what to do.

"Okay… If I go out and try to find him, I'll probably definitely get lost, because it's waaay too late to just trail him," she said to herself, frustrated and frantic and all the while growing more manic, chuckling sarcastically at herself since he was not here to direct this anger towards.

"If I go out, someone else could see me - alone - and get HIM in trouble for leaving me - ho-oh, but ohhh, that is exactly what he did! So it would serve him right! Right?"

"Urgh, but then what if it's not just a guard or friend but some actual highwayman?! I could fight? I still have his other knife and the frying pan!"

But she trembled, wringing her hands up to her chest, "Ohhh, but I don't wanna even take that risk! Because if I lose, with no back-up..." She tried to block such possibilities out of her mind, but ended up only landing on the ultimate aftermath: Eugene may still care, but he would probably be mad at her all over again for even putting herself in that kind of danger. She should know better. She does know better. So there would be guilt, too.

"I could go back to the Duckling!" - but she sighed - "And risk word getting back that I was alone." - then bounced back - "And then, heh, even so, then there's the trip just to there!" - turned to moping, then switched - "But I could talk to the guys there, and if Eugene's not there, I could talk to them about him!"

She froze on that suggestion, then looked to even the flipped back of the mirror, though she was expecting to see herself. "Aaand I'm even back to talking to myself again," she lamented. "Greeeat…" She rubbed her forehead, knowing she was losing it. "Ohhh, Pascal, if you could see me now… I don't know what more I could do, for him to…" She sighed, shaking her head as she held herself, gazing around up at her old murals. "He'd never believe me, not that I even really know what..."

She pounded a fist into her opposite hand. "That's it though! That's what I'll do!"

Upstairs in her bedroom armoire full of his clothes, she found a pair of black pants. She pulled them on and fastened the extra girth with a ribbon since his belts were all gone, and would likely also be too big. His highest-collared white shirt from a uniform, she buttoned all the way up. She resecured the knife around her thigh, over the pants now, but put her own riding shoes on. Downstairs, she donned his much larger, boringly plain, and thus inconspicuous black cape, pulled the huge hood low, then grabbed the frying pan, and set off downstairs to Max.

Max was still not happy seeing her alone, and continued his protesting from when Eugene had left.

"Sorry, Max, but this isn't my fault. At least I don't think so… Well some other things may be my fault…" She groaned, shaking her head clear. "Anyway, I need you to take me back to the Duckling. I… I've gotta fix things with Eugene, at least somewhat, and I only have two days left…"

He reaffirmed his stance, digging his hooves in. He snorted again, shaking his head.

"Pleeease, Max? You know if you don't take me, I'll just go myself." She crossed her arms. "And you don't want that, do you?"

Max pouted, but finally relented.

"'at's a good boy!" She pet his snout then climbed up into the saddle. "And let's make it fast. I really don't wanna be out in the dark."

---

At the Snuggly Duckling, the door burst open; the entire pub froze in silence.

A caped silhouette stood at the threshold, backed by the sun setting the blue sky aflame with pink and yellow cloud trails. Rapunzel raised her head and flicked back her hood.

The thugs all around would have jovially greeted her, but her expression right now was too frighteningly determined.

One young man's voice exclaimed, however, with a shaky startled voice, "Rah-? ah-..."

She only registered the voice as not-Eugene, and so ignored it even when it began to say her name. She continued scanning the crowd. No Eugene. Well, he was telling the truth about that, too, at least.

From the back, behind a couple other large thugs, Tom stood up and headed toward her.

Rapunzel was already marching over to the bar, but caught sight of him and paused. "Tom?" she asked in shock, terror setting in soon after. Oh no…

"Hello, hello!" He wore a wide friendly smile as he spoke. Although, his beady eyes were investigating every inch of her, beyond suspicious; he already knew so much, and right now he could see right through her. "Fancy running into you here." His cheery tune carried an edge.

She gulped. The absolute WORST person I could've run into! Well, except maybe my dad… "What, uh-" She plastered on her own usual smile, playing the perfect little paragon. "What are you doing here?"

"Ohhh, just hangin' out," he purposely drew out; an obvious excuse, daring her to dispute it.

She tried to discreetly peer around him, where he was blocking the view between her and the table he had just come from. "Are you here with anyo-"

Through gritted teeth, he suddenly hissed, "I should be asking you those same things." Before she could respond, he grabbed her elbow, and, ignoring her gasp, shoved her around the corner, out of sight of his table full of guards. "Talk."

She agitatedly brushed him away, huffy and indignant. "So nice to see you, too!" she angrily sassed him. "You know I don't know how you get away with all this-"

He leered over her, resting an arm on the wall above her. "I 'get away with it,' because this is me still doing my job, while keeping yor secrets," he gestured to her clothes, "Cesario."

She crossed her arms and looked away.

"So tell me, where is he?"

"He left," she pouted, slouching against the wall. "Again."

Tom took a deep steadying breath, visibly dropping that thread. "Do you know where to?"

"No. That's why I came here to try to find out."

He sighed and stood up straight, hands on his hips, exasperated. "I heard you two had a run-in with Brenn'er earlier."

She deflated. "And?"

"And, so he's either gone to see her, or, at this hour, more likely someplace else."

"Gee, thanks," she dropped sarcastically. "Great detective work there."

He merely rolled his eyes at her, but sighed. "He held out longer than I ever would've expected, though. Here," he held his hand out, "Let me take you back."

Panic struck her. "N-no, no, that's okay- really. You don't need to."

He chuckled, confused by her rebuff. "Come on now, let's go, it's getting dark. You know I won't tell anyone."

"No, I'm fine, I've got Max, I've got his knife, and even, yeah look at my clothes, I'll be fine!" Still, her voice shook.

"Rapunzel," he spoke more quietly, concerned now, "It's just me? Why is it you suddenly sound so-"

"You can't. You just can't. Alright?"

His eyes narrowed, extremely confused, for, as far as he was sure he knew, he should least of all suspect the first thing jumping to mind. "Rapunzel… Why can't I take you back to Eugene's place?"

"Because… Well…" she floundered, still nervous.

"Are you alright?" he urged, suddenly extremely concerned.

Rapunzel suddenly calmed, as she sneered at him. "Yes, of course I'm 'alright.' That's Eugene you're referring to. How dare you. And anyway, do you even know where 'his place' is?"

"No, but I presume you just came from there. So why don't you want to go back?"

"No, I'm gonna go right back," she said with a forced chuckle, "I don't wanna be out after dark either, but I don't want you… to…"

"Don't want me to know where he's living?" He cocked his head, annoyed.

"It's none of your business."

"Yor two's secrets are all my business. Especially whatever mess you've been brewin' all week. Who do you think's been getting grilled the most about where you two are?"

"All the more reason I shouldn't tell you!"

"All the more reason you should tell me so I know what I'm hiding. So I at least know what lies I'm telling. Let me direct us away from you - like, we wouldn't've come here if I expected to see you here."

"If Eugene thought you should know, he would've told you by now. So no, I'm not telling his secrets."

"'His'secrets. These are all our secrets."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why have you been helping us? You know everything. If my father ever found out about us, and that you've been keeping it from him, then it's Eugene and YOU who might pay."

Tom stepped back and crossed his arms, indignant. "Fitz is my friend."

"Are you," she sassed again, with her arms crossed as well. "Then you'll respect him not wanting you to know where he lives."

He dropped his arms. "Rapunzel, seriously, just let me see you back safely."

She merely chuckled and shook her head, "No." But she did pull her hood back up. "Enjoy your evening." She smiled pertly, and went to brush past him-

But he caught her arm again, and hissed in her ear, "Why don't you trust me?"

"Because you're too nosy," she bit back.

"We all have to trust each other. And you realize my orders don't come from you."

"No, but they're about me, and I don't appreciate it."

He released her, still annoyed. "You. Are. Impossible." He sighed and shook his head. "Don't let anyone else see you."

With her back to him, she retorted, "Then don't let them."

Once he returned to his table, she overheard him explaining to the rest of the guards. "Ah, no, sorry mates. Just thought it was some little apple thief from earlier today, but it wasn't him."

---

In the opposite direction of the Snuggly Duckling, and all of Corona, Eugene arrived at another busy town, Beauvoir. Here, he knew he could head straight to its most infamously disreputable 'tavern.'

At least the downstairs indeed operated as a swanky tavern, to help with the sake of appearances. The upstairs rooms were for board, but did not house any average tenants.

Eugene paused in the doorway upon entering the dimly lit but crowded establishment. He knew that management kept a close eye on anyone coming in, and knew that he in particular would catch their eye. He quickly found a table for two, and ordered some light dinner and heavy drinks from the server attending him just as quickly.

"Oh, Mister, Rider?" the cheery and finely dressed, but still rather motherly, Madam hesitated on the name as she reached for his arm, leaning down close to speak. "Come to share some more of that handsome reward with us?"

He nodded to the name, with a relieved and grateful smile already. "Ohhh, I'd like to, if you can handle it."

"Naw," she moved to sit down across the tiny table from him, still leaning close with her smile of ruthless interest. "No request of yours would be too extreme here."

A server followed right behind to pour them drinks already.

He took his to immediately take a few gulps. Then he slouched to recline back in his seat, an elbow hooked over the back, where he was already sitting sideways, and threw his foot up across his knee. He smirked with cocked brows, hooded lids, and an especially dark look for her. Two fingers he held up, flashing a couple of his rings.

"Two girls?" she asked with a look that showed her clarification was in fact on the unemphasized word.

He chuckled but nodded.

"No trouble at all," she shrugged off, then came back slyly. "Though the price will be the same, for each. Twenty gold."

"That's fine," he shrugged.

"Anything… else?" she smirked.

He bit his lip but grinned as he turned his head to look out over the crowd, both looking for a temptation to justify it, and flashing the earring that time, ensuring she really did remember what else he may want. "Eh," he dipped his head back to her with a deep breath and a certain spark to this charming smile, "Still got that big strong molly around?"

She indeed gave him a tiny knowing chuckle. "Of course."

He relaxed and chuckled back, "Alright. Lookin' to spend the night, too."

She chuckled, "Then that's by the hour, mind you."

He nodded, "I got it. So lemme see who you got around."

"I'll send some your way," she stood and bowed out to get to it.

"Ladies first," he added.

She nodded.

---

Soon after, the first woman who walked up and slinked her arms around his shoulders, had brown hair, pinned up. He cleared his throat and looked away. "Sorry, love."

"Awww, come on, I used to be your favorite," she pouted as she leaned down toward his ear.

He leaned away. "I'm over brunettes. Nothin' personal."

She stood up quickly and only slightly indignantly, but it was easy to brush him off as fast as possible and move on.

The next was blonde, who had been watching and came to take her place. He finished a long swig to empty his mug again, in time to watch her saunter up to him. "I hear you're putting together quite the party, Flynn Rider," she drew the name out sensually.

He leaned back into the seat, approving, and with a dirty grin. "I am." He watched her sit on his leg and shimmy up, gently rubbing her knee between his legs, pleased with the response she felt. He took a deep breath and sneered a pathetic excuse for a smile.

"For just a one man audience?"

"Ehhh, not quite," he smirked, "But yeah, I'm alone."

She walked her hands up the center of his bared chest as she slowly closed in on his face.

He watched her unabashedly.

She yanked on his collar, pulling him back into a kiss.

That one he winced at, and tensed, considering pulling away, but ended up melting into it.

He caught his breath for a moment. Through hooded lids, he looked her straight in the eye as he gripped her waist. He clutched her close and mouth to mouth again.

She ran her hand over his cheek and jaw, the other feeling up his back and arm. Then she slipped into the side of his already wide-open shirt for more.

He reached to run a hand through her hair, the other pulling on her ass, against him where she sat in his lap. Strangers... If he had been worried that he and Rapunzel were becoming strangers once again, that vanished. As much as he had tried to believe it and make her believe it, too, after these past few days, he had only proven that he did still know her better than anyone. And she did still know him; she knew how helpless he was in the face of wanting her, knew just how to push any of his buttons, good or bad. Yet there was still his heart she did not seem to quite understand as well as she should; as well as he used to be so sure she had at one time.

This play-pretend he could do just as fine as ever, and leave behind a bag of cash without regret in the morning. But Rapunzel? He could not imagine such an exchange between them. He knew if he gave her what she wanted, he would be giving her his love, his real true love, the only way he knew how when it came to her. But all she wanted was the cold hearted experience. Just like this. He never minded teaching her, but sex with her would be so much more, he just knew it.

He looked hard at the girl in front of him. Well at least she's only reminding me of old Rapunzel. "You got a friend?"

"I've got just the friend."

"Hey, ever been with more than one?"

"I have, she hasn't," she bit her lip sighing as she looked over towards her, "And she's, breathtaking."

He chuckled, following her gaze.

Another woman with short wavy black hair, was standing off to the side near a large fireplace in the center of the room. She watched them, intrigued and expectant.

"Yeah." But then he turned back to her, grabbing at her ass tighter to make her giggle. "So I'm your excuse?"

"Mmmyeah…" she continued giggling.

"'Mmmyeah?'" he mimicked as he chuckled. "This'll be interesting." He took another kiss, then patted her side. "Go bring her over, if she's up for it."

Soon that other girl was sitting in his lap, making out, with his hands wandering. Meanwhile the blonde stood behind, toying with his collars, as she kissed at his cheek and neck. All three of them made flirtatious small talk. Eugene pecked the blonde's cheek with a half-lidded smirk, and gripped the girl in his lap more firmly. "Ladies," he addressed them both, "This, is a very good night."

"Hey there, Pretty Boy."

Their attention was drawn up to the new deep voice; a larger blonde man who had just walked up to and leaned down on the table, pointedly stealing Eugene's attention away from where his face had been back in his drink.

His eyes widened in both recognition and renewed admiration. He slowly put his drink down as he readjusted how he sat. Oh…

"Here as a paying customer this time?" he smirked at him, then added a wink and air kiss.

Eugene glanced up to the blonde girl, then back to the man, and gulped with his own blush rising. "Ye-ah," and an involuntary crooked smile was all he could manage before clearing his throat. "Uh… Ladies?" He looked for their approval.

Both snickered.

"Oh, don't worry about us," the blonde said.

The one in his lap whispered on his ear. "He'll be more into your palliass than our muffs!"

Oh fuck… His eyes had not stopped running over and over him since he walked up. Whoa… oh fuck yes. Just what I need to get outta my mind for the night; and no sharing or competition to even hint of. "Well then," Eugene announced, "Looks like we can work this out. You got a room?"

The man nodded. "We've got just the room," he jerked his head toward the staircase.

Eugene flicked his fingers where they rested on the girls' and bowed his head a bit, motioning. "Lead the way, schatzi." But he soon grabbed the blonde girl back half a step from the others to whisper in her ear. "And now this is all my excuse."

"You know him?"

"No, but I wanted to." He smirked. They both giggled, but he smacked her ass for them to hurry and catch up to the other two.

A fellow patron they passed looked confused. A woman on his lap continued nibbling at his neck, but he watched the group pass. "What'sa matter, can't decide?" he jokingly called out to Eugene.

"Nah, don't need to." Eugene smirked. "Flynn Rider always knows exactly what he wants."

"And that's everything?" he laughed.

Eugene nodded, obviously eyeing up the likewise tight-pantsed backside of the man he was following. But he thumbed at the ring on his left hand; his heart had barely made it away from his drink back at the table. I really just want my Blondie… He should have left it at home altogether.

---

Hookhand stood at the bar, at attention waiting for her, with slightly more than his resting scowl face. "Princess," he addressed her dryly.

She hopped up to sit on a stool that gave her a couple more inches than her petite standing height, and leaned over the bar towards him. "Has Eugene been here?"

"Pteh, not since you were here together."

She quirked hard at him. "What's with that attitude? You're always so sweet to me."

Hookhand leaned on the bar, arms spread, and stared her down. "Why are you alone?"

"Eugene left and went 'out,' saying-"

"If he left you all alone, it's 'cause of something you did."

"I-" I didn't do anything though!? "I have Max with me," she balked more than defended.

Hookhand just frowned with a grimace and shook his head.

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes at him. "You know something."

He shrugged, hand and hook on his hips. "I know lots of things."

"Ugh." She hung her head a moment. "I don't have anything on me, but you know I can give you whatever you want when I get back to the castle, alright? Just tell me where he went tonight."

He nodded once. "Alright, but I don't know for sure exactly where he went. Like I said, haven't seen him since he was here with you." He motioned with his chin to where Tom had returned to his table. "Why didn't you ask him?"

She rolled her eyes. "He either doesn't know or won't tell me." She shook her head. "I don't like him. He hangs around me too much, weirds me out. But anyway, thennn," she thought on it, "Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"I do have an idea, but it's no place for you."

"That's what they both said!"

"Then it's definitely no place for you. Just head on back now before it gets dark. Or I'll set ya up in a room here. 'Cause, if he comes back, it won't be tonight."

"'If?' Hook," she turned concerned, "Where did he go?"

"Never you mind that," he snapped, determined to keep her in the dark like an innocent child. "But I mean in all likelihood, he will be back."

Rapunzel hmphed to herself, then remembered the other avenue of thought his initial comment made her wonder. "If you won't tell me about now, then will you at least tell me about back then? Last year…" Her eyes fell back down to the bar. "What happened? Why did he really leave?"

Hook's brow raised high. "That, is a conversation you need to have with him."

"Hook, please!" she whined, leaning closer. "He can't deny he walked away that night, but, he makes it sound like it was… Like it was all my fault or something…"

"From my understanding," he nodded off to the side, "It was."

"W-what…" she gasped. "But I-..." I know I couldn't say it, but he knew. He KNEW. And there's lots of things I can't do because of her and the tower and all! And he knows that! He's the only one who knows that!

"Princess," he shook his head, "I don't wanna go back and forth with he-said-she-said, when I wasn't even there. But I do know, an' I will tell you, he came in here a couple nights after, a friggen wreck. Tryin' ta drink himself into oblivion, cryin' ta everybody here."

She was moved to almost choking up at the thought: that she had indeed driven him away, driven him so far as to try to destroy himself, that dashingly handsome face wracked with tears. "An-... And Brenna?"

"What about her?"

She finally folded back in on herself. "He really loves her, doesn't he…" She gripped the tips of her hair in one hand, running her thumb over the shorn edge.

He nodded in a big sweeping motion. "He certainly does."

"Hook," she meekly cried, "Can you love two people at the same time?"

He stared at her a moment, sympathetically studying her. Then he shrugged. "You love both your parents, don't you?"

Yes, but… She bit her lips together and looked away. But then she shook her head. "There's so much more going on here than even just that, though. And I just don't know what to do…" She hung her head in her hands.

"Rapunzel," he said more soothingly, rubbing her shoulder, "Just go back. Then when he gets back, talk to him. Since when can't you two talk to each other?"

She looked back up but scoffed. "Since that night, apparently." 'I've been trying to-' She narrowed her eyes staring into space, into the past. "Or longer…"

Hookhand raised his brow again as he looked away, and turned back to what he was doing before her intrusion.

She contemplated it all just a few more moments, then slowly withdrew far back under the hood and moped back out the door.

If we can't talk… Maybe I could show him.

---

Outside was still light, but just barely as the deep pinks of dusk turned more and more purple, ushering in the bluer twilight.

Upstairs, in the best room with the largest bed, Eugene finally found himself the center of welcome, emotionally empty, physical attention. His eyes rolled back and closed, just taking it all in for a moment and mentally letting his mind just fall away from himself, from his heart, from his life, from his troubles, and just get lost in the touches and sounds and bodies of tonight.

The women each took a cheek, pecking around his lips, jaw, ears, and neck. Twice as many hands made lightning fast work of his coat, which disappeared, as he also lost track of hands already. They then slowed to take their time on his shirt, slowly massaging his pecs and abs and sides and back, often dipping between the two sides of that deep V or fiddling with his necklace.

The man squeezed his hands around his slim sides and pressed himself up against his buttcheeks, tugging him backward just a bit. Eugene fell back against him as he was moved, and threw a hand up both for balance but mainly to grope at the man's thick neck behind him. His other hand reached out aimlessly to grope at the first boob he could find. The larger chest arched up along his back, and lips, with a bit of teeth and surrounded by scruff, latched onto his sapphire studded ear from behind.

"Ha- ahhh..." Eugene's breath caught as he was finally starting to get what he wanted, and sighed with pleasure at the contrasts in lips and hands and scents swarming his senses. He could feel each set of breasts squishing against his arms and chest, as well as the man behind him hardening, though he was sure his own would be at full mast first, with all the extra stimulation he was receiving. He fully gasped as he realized his belts were being undone by the strong arms from behind, at the same time his arms were being demanded upon to give way to most of his clothing all at once. His doublet, slid off his arms and tossed out of mind. Next all went pitch black as a girl removed his shirt, temporarily separating him from the man behind him, but ultimately bringing them closer with skin on skin, at least where his vest and shirt had been open even wider than Eugene's promiscuous clothing choices. Those large arms and hands wrapped around his skinny waist, all bare now; he lounged back into muscular hold.

Delicate fingers still plucked up his gold chain to play with pulling, while other rougher ones rubbed over his pecs and nipples, and still more dainty palms followed his light trail of hair down south. Another one of his multiple belts was whipped through all the loops around him til it was gone, and he heard his change purse hit the floor, along with the plop of the rest of his top garments. Finally, he opened his eyes again, eager to put his own mouth somewhere, anywhere, everywhere.

With both hands, he pulled the women against himself once more, and, reluctantly tearing his ear away, dove his face in between their collective cleavage, licking and kissing all around. The lips from his ear merely moved on down his back, eliciting a tingled moan already. His hands felt their way up to the sides of the girls' necks. He picked his head back up and, in mirror-vision, smoothed their hair back before pulling them both in for one big, three-way, open-mouthed kiss. If only it were so easy, he found his brain starting to drift back to the two women in his everyday life, til a large hand slid over his pants at the crotch and pulled him back to the moment. Whoa... Suddenly everyone was down there – stroking, unbuckling, unbuttoning. He pulled away from the women, gasping as they giggled. "Ya like that, huh?"

"Yeah," the first woman answered, but her shyer friend merely nodded and blushed.

Eugene watched her carefully as she seemed to try to avert her eyes from how they were already gyrating together.

"M'likin' what I feel there," the gruffer voice came from behind him.

"Heh," Eugene gripped his wrist and held it against himself more firmly. "I'm gettin' too far ahead of everyone though. Hey," he said to the girl with the short black hair, "Why don't you see how she really tastes?" he motioned with his chin.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

The blonde girl turned to her with a sly grin, and began advancing. They joined sparking fingers, and watched each other as the bolder one slowly moved in for a gentle, tentative kiss.

The guys did not stop grinding together as they both watched the women, both as spectacle and in welcoming awe. Once they seemed to be getting comfortable locking lips, Eugene suddenly flipped onto him and shoved him to the wall beside the door, clunking his head back as he smashed their lips together hungrily. The similarities - though so different than his usual - all seared through his nerves, both tantalizing thoughts of selfish escape, and cauterizing wounds – for instance the latest heart injuries from a certain Princess. He relished the larger body, stronger lips and jaw, surrounded by a light mustache and beard, so similar to his own but mostly smooth face, save for chins bristling. He felt the deep groan from beneath him come into his mouth, and returned with his own growl.

The women startled them when they hit against the door beside them. Eugene stopped to watch them, but the man quickly resumed licking and sucking down his throat. Eugene steadied himself leaning a hand against the wall as his other squeezed at his ass, while his hands wandered around his bare chest, arms, and back. The blonde girl was on top, but both looked like they were in their glories, as her shyer friend seemed to be discovering quite a lot. Eugene smirked, then briefly turned his attention back to his own current partner; he shoved his vest off, then grabbed the bottom of his loose white shirt and pulled it off over his head, ruffling up his short dirty blonde hair. They now both stood shirtless, and breathless. Eugene ran a hand down the center of his chest, even with his short fingerless gloves still on, his mind wandering to slight jealousy at the touch more definition and certainly larger size of his pecs and whole frame. But then I wouldn't be ideal for free running. Eh, trade off. No one's ever happy. Also hitting him was seeing all at once everything that reward had bought him: ruby and garnet gold rings, emblazoned with the sigil of the King he had such favor of, new leather, even this man himself and a whole night of flesh.

Rewarded with my old dreams… Well, second life. Live it up.

He shook his head, caught his breath, then grabbed him by the waist and shoulder, and pulled him to switch places. As Eugene reclined against the wall now, reveling in this debaucherous side, one hand still gripped the top of the man's shoulders, urging him down. He gritted his teeth in a sadistic smile. In return, Eugene saw a darkness spark in his eyes, and a tiny smirk, before his hands and lips began feeling their way down.

Eugene threw his head back, watching the girls, as he felt his open pants tugged down in front just enough to free him. He reached out to grab for the black-haired girl, yanking her close to press his own lips to. She was surprised, but lost her breath to a smile as the blonde merely continued kissing her everywhere else. Finally, he felt his mouth take him in below, to which he moaned into hers, eyes rolling back, feeling another round of relief, leaving his fingers haphazardly tearing at the ribbons of the corset his hands found themselves on. By the time that hit the floor, he had her chemise yanked down as well. After some quick sucking kisses on her breasts and nipples, he turned her around, hands massaging over her breasts still, his smirking new command in her ear. "I want you to undress her."

The girls smirked to each other, giggling blushing as she set to work, while Eugene continued nibbling around her neck and groping around her front.

He was also trying hard to keep his eyes focused on the show, his pants came down farther, particularly in the back. As expected, fingers followed. "Ohhh, fuuuck…" he softly moaned out.

The girls took notice, and the blonde came back to tease around his hanging open mouth. The other girl finally allowed herself to watch the guys intensely for the intriguing new sights as well.

He came back to it enough to kiss back, quick and needy, but given up on keeping his eyes open. "I need to eat you out."

She chuckled as she leaned back, unsure who he was addressing. "Which one do you want?"

"Both," he blurted, helpless. "Here... oh fuck…" He gripped his shaggy blonde hair close as he came, barely able to keep his hips from jerking too much. He leaned into her neck, panting, as he came down and was released.

"Aw, so soon?" The other girl was settling in just fine.

"From that," Eugene answered, "Yeah. Whew…" He stood up straight, kissed him again, and finished taking off his boots and pants. "So now the night's just begun," he smirked, arms wide open, before grabbing her for a kiss as well. Then he began taking one glove off, discarded to the pile of the rest of his clothes, and dropped to his own knees in front of the other man. Those gold and jewel ringed fingers tore through the fastenings of the man's pants, and started with some orienting spit-coated pumps. He moaned as he heard the moans he was creating, licking all around, savoring it all in case this was his last chance for this flavor at all. Both hands eventually slid around to grab his bared ass, as he showed off using only his mouth.

With his lips sufficiently wetted as he slobbered all over it, he got cocky, and also wanted to test keeping up old skills. He swallowed him down to the hilt, carefully breathing through his nose and calmly keeping his throat from closing, as his goatee brushed balls. Between sitting with it deep in there, and pressurized bobbing, Eugene had his fun getting reacquainted with that particular oral fixation. Still got it! 'Cause I doubt I'll get anything like this at a Bachelor Party… It did not take long before he was ripped back off by his hair; the other man was more than ready to move on already. After another cheeky kiss, he cheered up as he remembered, Oh, wait! Well, Tom knows! Maybe?

He and the blonde girl coordinated the girls towards the head of the bed. There he could lay down to eat out either girl, who were still making out with each other, and he would be free to go back and forth between either juicy pussy he wished. Behind him, the guy pulled his hips up into position to take care of that end.

He finished explaining for the newbie. "Now by the time I got my secondwind up for you ladies, I'll be able to go longer and harder," he snarked, before putting his mouth and fingers to work for them for now. He tried his best to get genuine moans and orgasms from the girls, although his own were enjoying coming out so easily.

For the next few hours, the four of them twisted and flipped and switched and rolled around together, getting all mixed up in each other, in every configuration they could fumble into. With him usually in between the man at his back and a woman on his front, but always another mouth or other lips for his tongue. Although of course most efforts were directed toward their star customer, he reciprocated lavishly as well, til everyone was satisfied, more than once. That is, physically satisfied.

When he finally collapsed, sweaty and sticky, gasping on a drowsy high, he stared down into the pillow his face was pressed to. His heart was racing, but unmoved. Same as ever. He closed his eyes. "Fuck…"

---

Rapunzel watched all around them as Max slipped into the woods off the path, then broke into a gallop again. If anyone was following them, they would also have to be fast and lose their own stealth.

They still tried to be as quiet as possible, and she flinched at every twig they broke or underbrush they rustled. At any other sound, her head darted around, nervous.

Under the canopy of trees, it was already dark enough to have trouble seeing too far, and every shadowy blob looked like something else.

When they finally arrived at the vine-curtained cave, they paused to look around once more. No sign of anyone. They headed on through, Rapunzel slowly walking beside Max but still idly holding his reins. He picked up on her sullen mood, and tried to nuzzle her some comfort, which she appreciated.

With Max fed and settled in for the night, back up in the tower, she pulled her paints out from her room and brought them to the main area. She retrieved another large can of paint herself, from where he had tried to put the dark blue back exactly how it was, as if nothing had happened. As if the blue staining his body that night was completely normal. She heaved the bucket up to the fireplace mantel ledge beside her box of other paints, and dragged the large green chair over.

Then she took the unwashed brush, caked with the dark blue he had left behind. After a bit of a struggle between paint thinner and warm water, she cleaned it out, and was ready to begin again.

With little more than a deep breath, she climbed up to the mantel, paintbucket open beside her feet. She took one last look at the whole mural.

'That's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.'

'I'm terrified…'

She found herself surprisingly pleased and so satisfied that the real thing had been even better than she had once imagined here. Warmer, realer, brighter. The mere paint stuck on this wall in here looked dull and boring, compared to her memory of how that magical night had felt. Worst of all, there was no sign of him in this painting.

A peaceful smile came over her. Then she turned to glance back at the bannister. From up here, she noticed the stain peeking out from under the circular rug. She could also see the other broken side of the mirror; what was left of it. It was such a sad memory, but the first time she had ever felt such a strong and terribly all-encompassing, longing ache throughout her entire being, one that even the lanterns could never hold a candle to. That was a Dream who, at least for a time, had looked right back at her, wishing just the same.

'And you were mine.'

'You were my new dream…'

'YOU were My New Dream.'

"And you, are still My New Dream." She turned back to the wall, and without hesitation, began painting with large swaths to create her new background, for her new painting, for her new dream...

---

"Would you mind if I ask you something…" Eugene whispered to the blonde girl left awake with him. He played with catching the lamp light in his emerald ring, the glove on that hand the only scrap of clothing left on anyone.

"It's still your time," she quietly mused back, from where she was cuddled up under his arm.

"I mean for real," he smirked, still keeping as quiet as possible and trying to breathe evenly, for where he lay with the other man curled up in his other arm asleep with his head on his chest.

"Then, for real, no, I'm not gettin' personal," she giggled.

"Not about you, but, I…"

"You're an old pro here; what's this about now?" Careful not to disturb the other girl entwined around the rest of her, the only thing partially covering her own chest, she looked up to see his face.

"I've got these two women-"

She raised her brow and giggled.

He cracked a smile but continued, "In real life. And I don't know what to do."

She rolled her eyes, but kept on her humoring smile.

"One's an ex, who… Her father likes me well enough, but doesn't want me to marry her. The other's my girlfriend now, and her family would love to have me…"

She looked confused. "Then what's the problem?"

"The ex kinda wants me back."

"But her family won't allow it?"

"No-"

"And you have the other one, so- ohhh," she chuckled. "Which do you really want?"

He knew his answer, but hesitated actually voicing it. "Both." But a REAL life...

"Flynn Rider really does want everything, huh?"

He hummed a chuckle but it made no smile.

"And what do you mean 'kinda' wants you back?"

"She just wants sex."

She was taken aback. "And you still came here instead?"

"She's a virgin," he smirked at her.

"Ah."

"They both are. Who to marry is obvious; there's only one I can marry, but…" He bit his lip as his mouth contorted. "I still love the ex… And I'd love to do that with her, especially to be her first..."

"So? Take the ex, then marry the other girl. Easy." She shrugged.

He sighed. "My question is, the ex… As far as I've known, she doesn't love me. And I'd only wanna take her if she did love me. But now that she's back, and wants this… Is there…" He felt his throat tighten. "Is there any chance she actually does love me? Maybe only now? Or am I just foolin' myself… Like, just, as a girl, what do you think?"

She shrugged again. "Maybe she realized what she lost." But then she rolled over onto her back and reached up to stroke his cheek and play with his bangs. "But I could imagine any girl just wants you for her first time. You're nice, and really cute."

"Well thank you, but…She's never said she loves me."

"D'jya ever ask her?"

"Yeah…" he whimpered. 'Please? Just this once?'

"And what'd she say?"

His heart suddenly pounded and lip trembled. "She said she was sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"I guess breaking my heart."

"You guess?"

"I dunno…" he whined so quietly. "I don't even really know." He twirled the emerald ring around on his finger, gazing into it again. "I had to leave right after that. But we've either been ignoring each other or fighting ever since."

She watched him sympathetically, but then giggled as she pulled his hand back to her, trying to cheer him up.

He sighed, even as he reflexively smiled back. Finally focusing completely on her face again, he stroked her cheek back. "Have you ever been in love?"

Her smile faded ever so slightly and she shook her head with a thoughtful but faint whisper. "I don't know…"

He smirked. "That's what I would've said, before I met her…"

"And you've told her you love her?"

"I used to, all the time. And, the other day I kinda let it slip, so she knows I still love her."

She sighed. "I just don't know then."

He sighed back. "I don't know, either." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Thanks for the chat, though, Sweet," he chuckled lightly.

She grinned and snuggled up on his arm. "No problem."

He stroked her hair back and pecked another kiss on her temple. "Get some sleep while ya can. I got the whole night."

"Sounds like someone just doesn't wanna wake up alone."

"...No, I don't."

---

A/N: Well. I do believe this is the first for a bi-gene lemon. At least I didn't find any other when I looked. And, much like most of this fic, I first wrote the first version of that scene before we knew anything about any series characters. So short black hair was pulled out of nowhere just to be different, blonde for reminiscing nostalgia, and the guy, uh, well - how far into amv crossover slash have you ever gone… I don't get the /Hans but I was thinking /Kristoff *adds a beard*, and even considered naming him Chris or Kris, but decided to leave them without names, especially real names, so no actual reader would suddenly see their real name cuz idk that just weirds me out sometimes but I have an uncommon name… Anyway.

Monogamy? What's that?

Edit: Okay, and honestly, if you're interested…

Special Thanks to Dante Colle, Wolf Hudson, Michael Delray, & plenty of others at Biphoria.

& the tv series Harlots, which you should be able to find on Youtube under the guise of "History of London's Harlots."

Follow me as MiraNova23 on tumblr, at miranova23 dot tumblr dot com, for Tangled Fandom Resurrection, messaging, keeping up with what's going on in my life, how the writing's going, my other fanworks, lots of Chuck vs Tangled, and all-around general Disnerdiness!