Do You Even Go Here? @dyeghofficial - Tumblr Blog

Do You Even Go Here {Part 7 Cont.}

Author’s Note: Hello, bodyevery! Weeeeeeee’re back! Thank you so much for your patience. We are so happy that you like our story and we are doing our best to keep updating despite life’s many hurdles. You the true MVPs! ♥

~Candi

Cass frowned, watching Varian leave with his dad and friend. Her eyes saddened. “I’ll handle it later. At the very least, he’ll get to enjoy some free food and Holly’s company right now.” Her eyes flickered over to Eugene and she noticed how sad and worn down he looked. Her heart hurt for him, and for Rapunzel. This wasn’t easy for either of them, but she didn’t know what to do or even say to make the situation better. So she watched helplessly as the brunette and his best friend disappeared in the throng of people. She turned to Rapunzel and smiled for her, trying to lighten the mood. “Girl’s night? Come on.” She grabbed the blond by the wrist and tugged her towards her dorm room.

It had been far too long since they had a girl’s night. Few things were better for the soul than face masks, ice cream, and movies. Especially now that Rapunzel needed something to focus on. Things were better with Eugene, but she didn’t know if they would get back together - ever. “I don’t know, Cass,” Rapunzel sighed, taking a bite of ice cream before she went back to painting her friend’s nails. “I think it’d be good for me to go on a date, Eugene was just… he was the first, ya'know? First guy I dated, first guy I loved. I didn’t think we’d break up, but we did, and now I kinda just want to explore,” she admitted, taking care not to spill any nail polish as she angled her friend’s hand.

Cass let her hand go limp so the blond could have full control of the situation. She’d never admit it, but she liked being pampered like this. It happened so rarely. “I have to admit, as someone who has explored around, it’s fun. Well. It can be. You have to find the right dude. Or chick, whatever.” She shrugged and reached over gingerly with her spare hand to grab her can of Pepsi so she could drink. “What kind of exploration are you looking to do? I can hook you up.”

Warning: light sexual themes coming up. If you would like to skip the scene, please press ctrl+f on your computer and search the following term: bamboozled. This will jump you ahead of the scene and onto the next part.

“I’m not even sure. I love Mother and my parents–” Mother was grandmother Gothel who hated being reminded of her age, but she did look good for someone who was pushing 50. “–but they kept me really sheltered. I know they had their reasons, but I’m still pretty clueless about things. Lance had to explain what tea-bagging was to me last week.” With a grimace, she grabbed a top coat, shaking the bottle while she waited for the polish to dry.

Cass snickered. “You didn’t know- Oh, honey.” She lifted her hand up to gently blow on the paint so it could dry faster. “Okay, well… Obviously you like men or you wouldn’t have dated Fish Breath for as long as you did. If I did hook you up, would you want to just do light-hearted dating, or do you want someone to raw you?”

Rapunzel’s face went red at Cassandra’s choice of words. “I mean, light dating wouldn’t hurt. I’m not ready for anything serious but they have dating apps for that, right?” At the second option, Rapunzel bit her lip in thought. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve never been with a girl before and it sounds like a fun night to get rid of some stress.”

She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Did I just hear you correctly?” She leaned in, twisting her head slightly so her ear was facing Raps and she cupped it. “Say that again, I don’t think I heard you right.” She smirked.

“You be careful, I’m the one with the nail polish,” Rapunzel warned with a laugh. “And you heard right. It might be fun to be with a girl,” she admitted.

She laughed. “Okay, okay.” She sat back. “Honestly, I know I talk a big game, but aside from kissing Caine back at Varian’s welcome party, I’ve never been with a girl. But I do know some of the girls I work with are lesbian, so maybe I can introduce you to one?”

“I’d be alright with that. I’m a bit nervous, though. Eugene was the only person I’ve ever kissed or done anything with, so I don’t know if I’m any good. He was biased, so he never said if I was bad,” she added. Plus, who knew if Eugene was even a good kisser? He could be awful and Rapunzel would never be the wiser if she didn’t have experience.

“Well, I can at least tell you if you’re good,” she replied with a shrug. Kissing was relatively harmless, and she trusted Raps.

“Would you? I’d really appreciate that.”

“Sure. It’s just a kiss, right? No big.” She patted the space next to her on the loveseat and scooted over so she could give the girl more space.

Rapunzel grinned in response and sat next to Cassandra. After a moment of hesitation, she cupped her face before leaning in and kissed her.

Cass felt a slight tingle in her belly from the action. Maybe it was cuz it was slightly taboo. Well, maybe taboo wasn’t the right word for it. But it certainly wasn’t normal to go around casually kissing your friends. Her eyebrows contracted though. Damn thoughts. She forced her mind to shut down and she placed her hands on Rapunzel’s arms, kissing her back while pulling her closer.

When Cassandra didn’t return the kiss at first, Rapunzel was a bit worried. But then she was returning it and Rapunzel melted into her touch. “Hm,” she sighed.

Cass broke the kiss gently and pulled away, stroking a strand of hair from Rapunzel’s face. “Well, you’re not a bad kisser.”

Rapunzel hummed, a slight smile on her face. “You’re not either, but that wasn’t the point of that,” she added, sitting back as a blush coated her cheeks.

She laughed once. “Thanks for the compliment.” Her eyes softened at the blond. “How do you feel?”

“Um, a bit warm and tingly, kind of like after kissing Eugene but a bit different too,” Rapunzel contemplated, biting her lip in thought.

She had to admit to herself that she felt the same way. Out loud though, she said nothing. Instead, she patted the girl’s knee. “What do you wanna do now? Sky’s the limit.”

“Well, I’d like to do it again.” Then she realized the implications of her words and laughed nervously, “I meant with like, a girl in general. For now, I’m gonna put a top coat on your nails.”

Cass laughed as well. Her next words surprised her, though. “Well once that’s done, I wouldn’t mind a round two.” Her eyes widened slightly and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she cleared her throat. “I mean, uh….” She trailed off nervously.

Rapunzel bit her lip and glanced at Cassandra, picking out the right bottle of polish. “Maybe after we’re done with your nails?”

She gulped, her breath quickening. She didn’t trust her voice not to come out shaky so she nodded instead, giving the blond her unfinished hand.

Rapunzel smiled, setting to work on finishing Cassandra’s left hand before letting it dry. Once the polish was secure, Rapunzel bit her lip. “So, um,” she trailed off before leaning forward, abruptly kissing Cassandra so her nerves wouldn’t get the better of her.

Cass made a small sound of surprise but she willingly reciprocated the motion, sliding her hands up the girl’s back to hold her in place. She moved their lips together in a delicate dance, feeling bolder with each passing second. Her own lips parted and she slid her tongue out to silently ask for entrance into Rapunzel’s mouth.

Rapunzel let out a hum of appreciation as her hands curled into Cassandra’s hair, pulling her closer. She moved in sync with Cassandra, parting her own lips and letting her eyes fall shut. It was undeniably hot, though Rapunzel knew there wasn’t that spark like when she kissed Eugene.

She pulled away gingerly, planting one last kiss on the girl’s nose as she stroked a strand of hair out of her face. “That was um… Hotter than I expected.” She giggled.

“Definitely,” Rapunzel agreed with a laugh, leaning over to grab the two cans of soda from the table, handing one to Cassandra. “And I mean this in the best possible way, I just don’t think you’re my type.”

She snorted. “Ow, my ego.” She took the can and cracked it open. “Fair enough, though. You’re a good kisser but there was no spark.”

Rapunzel smiled then tilted her head in thought. “I’m not normally the person for this, but what are your thoughts on petty revenge?”

Cass blinked, her eyebrows contracting. “I’m always up for revenge, petty or not. But you? What’s on your mind?”

“Tomorrow we’re celebrating Lance’s birthday, we know that there’s nothing between us. Eugene doesn’t.”

She blinked, realization dawning and she grinned evilly. “Wanna go the whole nine yards?” Admittedly she’d hesitated for a split second before remembering Varian wouldn’t be there. She hadn’t forgotten about his crush on her and even though she didn’t know if he still felt that way, she didn’t want to take the chance of hurting his feelings like that.

“Let’s do it. Should we get Lance in on it too? He’s always down for some mischief.”

She tapped her lips with her fingertips as she thinks. “No, he’ll give it away. Let’s just keep this to ourselves.” She grinned for yawned a moment later. “Bed time?”

“Bed time,” Rapunzel agreed, moving to put away the snacks and nail polish. Petty revenge was oddly exciting, she thought to herself as she dozed off.

___________________________________________

bamboozled - congrats, you’ve been jumped ahead!

In the meantime, Quirin drove Varian and Holly to the closest steakhouse, listening placidly to her singing along under her breath with the oldies that came on the radio and chattering excitedly with Varian about the events of the science expo. He ushered them both inside and ordered his food once they sat down and had a chance to look at the menu, letting Holly control the flow of the conversation. When she declared that she had to go to the bathroom and left, he sighed softly and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Can I talk to you–Oh.” He stopped when he registered that Varian was trying to talk. “Sorry. Yes?”

There was a bit of an awkward pause following the two of them trying to speak simultaneously. “Uh…no…you go ahead,” Varian relented, playing with the straw wrapper in his hands mostly to give said hands something to do. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted to ask, anyway. He just…wanted. He wanted his dad’s approval, he wanted to have one normal week at school that didn’t involve someone being hospitalized or the looming terror of the rocks (something that still caused him anxiety, despite he and Rapunzel’s combined, seemingly successful efforts to keep them at bay), he wanted Eugene and Rapunzel to stop beating around the bush and pushing their relationship issues onto everyone else and just talk out their problems already and get back together, he wanted to turn off the way he felt about Cassie. But most of all-he yawned loudly-he just wanted to sleep.

Holly returned shortly and slipped into the booth beside Varian, watching about a dozen emotions flit across the teen’s face before he finally settled on exhaustion. She bit her lip in concern; the poor guy looked like he was about to pass out. She was fighting a yawn herself, and she couldn’t tell if it was the reflexive, sympathetic kind or if too was born of pure sleepiness. After three failed attempts to suppress it, she let a large one rip through her, and decided on the latter; after all, it had been a long day for everyone. She couldn’t let him fall asleep just yet, though- he and his father had so few opportunities to talk these days. She flagged down a waitress and whispered something in her ear, and the woman nodded and came back a few moments later with two very hot coffees, one in a mug, one in a portable container. Not missing this, Varian looked at her in confusion. She winked. “I gotta go take care of some homework before I call it a day,” she told him. “But thanks for the adventure, friend. Never a dull moment with you around.” Varian’s resulting flush was one of mixed embarrassment and pride. “Er…thanks,” he replied, smiling a little awkwardly. “See you around?”

“Definitely,” Holly responded, grinning and grabbing the portable cup. “You still have to help me with my dorm’s security system.”

Varian scoffed. “Yeah, like mine worked so well.”

Holly shrugged. “Every system has bugs. But we live and learn. See ya.”

She waved cheerfully, bid Quirin goodbye and thank you, and was on her way. Varian’s gaze followed her all the way out before he grabbed his own coffee, raised it to his lips, and took a long, life giving sip. Instantly, he felt a little better. “That is some good Joe,” he commented as he put it down.

Quirin frowned. “You’re leaving? But you haven’t–uh. Okay.” He blinked in a slightly affronted manner before smoothing out his expression. He turned his attention back to Varian and nodded. “I’m sure.” He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very awkward. "You look… Bedraggled. Is school getting to be too much again?“

"Today was just a little to eventful for my taste, that’s all,” Varian replied. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the entire truth either. “And Holly didn’t leave to be rude.” He swallowed hard. “She left because she knew we’d sit here and screw around and not talk about what we really need to talk about otherwise.” It was a bold statement, but one he knew his father wouldn’t be able to back out of without looking like a total asshole. It was time.

Quirin sighed tiredly. Varian was right, damn him. And if a third party who’d never met him before could tell he was avoiding the subject, he’d let it go on for too long. He gave his son a long look, mulling over his words. “I… owe you… an apology,” he said slowly. “It was wrong of me to sic Penelope on you when I should have just trusted you to take care of yourself. I just… You don’t take care of yourself, especially when you get hyperfocused and I–” Can’t lose you, too. He cleared his throat. “You’re my son,” he finished simply.

Varian’s eyes wavered for a moment as what his father was saying sank in, and hit him hard. “You did it…because you were worried about me?” he asked slowly.

Quirin gulped hard and looked away, nodding tersely.

Varian wasn’t quite sure what to add to this, so he smiled softly and looked out the window at the setting sun. “Do you remember that time when Mom decided she was going to save time by baking my birthday cake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes and she caused the oven to explode?”

Quirin breathed out a silent laugh and shook his head. “Yeah, it was a brand new oven, too. There was also the time she tried to mop using a floor cleaner she’d invented and burned a hole through the tile.” He laughed heartily at the memory. “She was mortified. I was livid.”

“I remember,” Varian replied with a soft little smile. He bit his lip. “Dad…” Come on…say it. Just say it. It’s not that hard, a little voice in the back of his head,the one that spurred him to invent and try crazy things and take wild risks rang out. Tell him what you need from him. When are you going to get another chance like this? He swallowed. “Dad…all my life, I…” But the words died in his throat. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to admit he’d been hungrily seeking his approval like a moth to a flame for fear of ruining whatever pride his dad had had in him that evening. “Nevermind,” he said, finishing his coffee and looking out the window. “How’s everything back home?”

Quirin gulped hard, feeling dread pool in his stomach. This was it, Varian was finally going to tell him he’d been a shitty father. Regret flooded his senses and he inhaled sharply…. only to have his welling emotions pop like a pricked balloon. He deflated instantly and sighed. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or even more sad. “I…” His jaw locked. No, damn it. He wouldn’t keep letting them avoid the topic. Now or never Quirin. “Things are fine. Blaire’s recovering and Adira is as wild and unpredictable as ever.” He paused. “Varian… I…” He inhaled sharply again. “I owe you an apology.” His hands balled into fists around his fork and knife so tightly they began to bend. “I know I haven’t been… available to you, and I– This isn’t easy for me. I’m–”

“Dad, stop,” Varian replied, turning his gaze away from the window to look at him. “You don’t have to crucify yourself.” It was true; Quirin had been a lot more distant than Varian would have liked, and this had caused a rift between them for years, but despite his insecurities about himself and his dad’s view of him, he didn’t want this to be the way they went about solving it. He didn’t want his father to dissolve over it or think he was a bad dad. “I’m not–” He raked a hand through his hair. It was all or nothing time. “All my life, all I’ve wanted…” There was a long, pregnant pause. One could cut the tension in the air with a butter knife. Varian closed his eyes and thought of his friends, the ones that would be there for him no matter how this turned out, and as soon as he did he could feel strength ballooning inside his chest. He opened his eyes and met his father’s gaze. “I thought what I wanted more than anything was for you to be proud of me,” he finally admitted, his voice heavy with emotion. “And while that’s still something I desire, I guess what I was really chasing all these years is a little bit of self esteem. I thought I would finally start to like myself if I heard those five little words, if you just said ‘I’m proud of you son’, but that was just me projecting my insecurities onto you.” He looked down at his hands, and they clenched and unclenched for sheer nerves. “Ever since Mom died, I’ve blamed myself. I can’t seem to get my crap together, things are always blowing up in my face, and everyone thinks I’m dangerous and strange.” His chest was seizing, and he could feel tears burning at the back of his eyes. “And every time you looked at me and shook your head in disapproval it was a nail in the coffin. It wasn’t your fault, but it didn’t help.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. Movies always made these sorts of confessions look easy; they were anything but. “But now I have friends who love me because of my disastrous and awkward idiocy, not in spite of it, and I think…I think I’m starting to realize that all I really wanted was to be okay with being me. And I am … Or I’m starting to be?” As soon as the courage had come, it began to fade, and after letting all of that baggage spill onto the table, he just felt small and tired. “I’m just trying to find my way,” he said quietly. “And if you want to be a part of it, maybe we should just…stop avoiding each other. As father and son, we should have each other’s backs, you know?”

Quirin listened patiently, his face devoid of emotion while his son declared his true feelings. Pride bubbled in his chest. This was the Varian he knew. This was his son- no holds barred, no doubt and fear. It felt bittersweet. His little boy wasn’t so little anymore. Slowly, he put down his now curved utensils and nodded. “I’m so proud of you, Varian.” He looked Varian straight in the face. “You’ve come so far, and I could not imagine a better son.” A wad of emotion built in his chest but he forced it down, unwilling to let himself tear up in public.

Varian had told himself he’d remain composed, that he didn’t need to hear those words anymore, that he would be a man and not cry.

All lies.

His wide, shocked blue eyes spilled over involuntarily and he quickly made to pretend like it was due to allergies or something, coughing a bit and wiping his eyes hurriedly on his sleeve. “Ahem…pesky dust,” was all he said, but inside he was glowing. He felt so bright it was almost as if he could see it. Wait. He could see it. He blinked and looked at his reflection in the window, gasping loudly when he saw what was looking back at him. His hair and eyes, even his freckles, were all glowing bright, iridescent blue. He was trying to think of some excuse, some way to get rid of it, but it faded as quickly as it had come. Turning back to his father, a nervous laugh escaped his lips. “Uhm…”

Quirin smirked knowingly before looking down at his plate to cut a piece off of his steak to pop into his mouth. He was halfway through lifting his fork up to his lips when his eyes fell on the iridescent blue in front of him. He barely registered the clattering of the fork as it fell to the table and the sound of the wooden legs of the chair as they scraped against the floor when he stood up. “Someone call 9-1-1, my son is radioactive!” He immediately shrugged off his coat and threw it on the teen. “Nobody touch him! He’s cancerous!”

“Dad, no–” Varian said as his father’s expression devolved. He could see the freak out coming before it actually happened, and he tried to explain, but Quirin was having none of it. He deadpanned as the coat was thrown over him and his dad started yelling to the whole restaurant about his supposed affliction. “Dad…”

Quirin ignored the stares and amused giggling as he ushered Varian to the restaurant lobby so he could pay, simultaneously on the phone with an emergency dispatcher so he could get his son to the hospital. It was a whirlwind of events, but it wasn’t long before he was sitting on a chair in an exam room with Varian on the bed. He was rigid, his face hard as he waited for the doctor to step in. “Explain.”

Everything was happening so fast that Varian wasn’t sure what to say or how to react. He tried stopping his father several times, but the man was stubborn as all hell. He looked around the dingy hospital room and attempted to process everything. Opening and closing his mouth several times, he floundered before he found his voice again. “Dad, I’ve been trying to tell you…none of this is necessary. I’m fine. Can we just go home?” He slipped off the bed and made for the door.

Just then a small-figured nurse with bright red hair stepped in and she cried out in surprise. “Oh!” Recognition dawned on her. “Varian?”

Varian’s eyes lit up and a strange sensation made his heartbeat pick up and his cheeks suddenly flood with color. “Red!” he exclaimed. “…hi.”

She returned his blush with one of her own and she shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What are you doing here? N-not that I’m not happy to see you…” Quirin groaned outwardly before he could stop himself and her eyes flickered over to him, embarrassment flooding her core. “O-oh, I didn’t realize–”

Varian smiled for her. “It’s good to see you too, but this is a huge misunderstanding. I was just trying to explain to my father–” He shot Quirin a dirty look. “–That I don’t need to be here.”

Quirin was unphased. “Varian, you glowed blue. Tell me again how that’s a perfectly normal thing to happen.” Red’s eyes widened slightly. “You were glowing?”

Varian sighed. He was exhausted. It had been a long day full of twisted shenanigans and wild goose chases and drama and all he wanted was to go back to his dorm, flop face first onto his bed, and fall asleep. He really didn’t feel like divulging the entire story about the rocks and what they had done to him and Rapunzel, mostly because he didn’t want his dad or anyone else to worry, and partly because he wasn’t sure the rocks were done with them. He shivered. Sure, he and Rapunzel had done away with them for the moment, but he had a sneaking suspicion they’d be back. He didn’t want to involve anyone else in all that. So much damage had been done with just he and his friends knowing. He swallowed. He didn’t want to lie but it looked like the only reasonable option at this point. Usually it irritated him that no one seemed to understand his enthusiastic scientific terminology, but at times like this, it has its benefits. Putting on his best casual smile, he shrugged and said in an extremely nonchalant way, “Glowing? Oh. Oh yeah! Heh. Yeah, that was nothing to worry about. Dad, I’ve been trying to tell you, it was just an experiment I’ve been working on, with uh…” He grasped at straws for a moment, then carefully recovered. “With bioluminescence. It’s the same stuff that makes jellyfish and other animals glow. I coated myself in it and I didn’t think it worked but I guess I was wrong.” There was a silence, in which his words sort of hung in the air, and he added what he hoped was a confident laugh. “Silly me.”

Quirin’s eyes narrowed suspiciously but before he could respond, Red piped up. “Oh, wow! That’s so cool! Where did you extract it from? How did you preserve it? How long did the effects–” As she rapidly fired off her questions, she looked Varian in the eyes and noticed how absolutely exhausted he looked, making her stop in her tracks. She cleared her throat, hugging her clipboard to her chest. “Well, I suppose those can all be answered later. I’ll um. I’ll get the doctor so he can discharge you.” She smiled up at him and subtly reached down to graze her hand over his before exiting the room. Quirin, unaware, sighed tiredly. “Well, I’m glad it wasn’t anything more uh… Dangerous. Luminescence in humans?” His eyes twinkled. “Nice.”

Varian was trying his best to answer her questions when suddenly they stopped. Before she left to get the doctor, he shot her the most grateful look and turned to his dad. “Yeah it’s um…quite the find.” It is absolutely ridiculous that that worked. He caught sight of the clock, then looked back at his dad, realizing it was much later than he thought and his father looked as tired as he felt. “Do you have somewhere to stay tonight? It’s sorta late to head back home.”

He nodded, stifling a yawn. “Yeah, my hotel room came with a two beds instead of one so you can crash on the spare. It’s not too far from here.” After the doctor discharged Varian and they were on the way to the hotel, Quirin glanced over. “So, don’t think I didn’t catch that exchange with that girl. You two dating or…?”

Varian’s face turned the color of Red’s hair and he looked away hastily. “Sort of? I mean…not exactly. Not yet.” He sort of mumbled the next part: “… We’re going on a date in a couple days…”

He raised an eyebrow but fought to keep the ever-growing grin off of his face. “Look at you go, stud. College at 15 and two girlfriends in less than a year? That’s my boy. Just like your old man back in his hay day.” He stopped at a red light and clinked an arm around Varian to hook him close and noogie him. “Or should I call you a man instead of boy now?” He laughed heartily.

“Dad–! Augh, no!” He struggled away from his grip, his face turning from red to slightly puce, and tried for a moment to smooth out his hair, stopping when he realized that it was useless. His hair never behaved even on a good day. “I really don’t want to picture you like that, Dad,” he informed him in surly manner, which only served to make Quirin laugh again. “The way you say it, you make me sound like a…a player or something,” he muttered, embarrassed. “It just sort of happened…and Red isn’t my girlfriend, we’re just going on a date…”

When they got to the hotel room, Varian climbed into bed, head reeling from both the day’s events and his father’s words. Not the teasing ones he was currently slinging at him, but his words from earlier, before Varian had turned blue. He told me he was proud of me… Tears welled in his chest and he took a deep breath. “Dad? Did you–?” But before he could finish his question, something began making a scratching sound at the window.

Quirin was in the process of hanging up his coat so he could change into pajamas. “Hm?” His head turned to the scratching noise and he frowned. “What the–” He made his way to the window and peered out into the darkness. “Maybe it’s a rat. I don’t see…” He was about to close the blinds when a face popped up on the other side of the glass. Quirin’s eyes widened in shock for a split second and then he snorted. “You’re kidding me.” He pulled the window up and pried the screen open in the corner. “Incoming.”

Varian opened his mouth to ask what his dad was talking about just as Rudiger leapt through the window and skidded onto Varian’s bed, burrowing himself in beside him. “There you are!” Var exclaimed with a shaky sort of relieved laugh, putting his hand on the little bundle. The poor animal was shaking. “Hey, it’s okay, buddy. It’s okay.” A little nose peeped out and sniffed the air, followed by a pair of beady eyes. Varian turned and dug through his bag and found a few dog biscuits and offered them to his beloved pet. Rudiger sniffed them once,stared at Varian for a long time, then snatched them and scurried off to the toilet, where he rinsed them before eating them.This was met with more laughter from Varian as he settled into bed.“He always finds me,” he explained to his dad. “I don’t know how but he does.”

Quirin laughed alongside Varian and sat on the bed. “That’s dedication. You don’t find a bond like that very often these days.” He settled into his bed and turned off his lamp. “What a day, man… What a….” Snore.

Varian blinked, then shook his head, smiling softly as he settled into bed. Rudiger soon joined him, curling into a ball next to his spine, and his father’s deep, rhythmic snores began to lull him to sleep. What a day indeed… That night, he dreamt of a giggling baby, bright blue light, the smell of sulfuric acid, and red, smiling lips.

___________________________________________

Eugene was tired, much too tired to deal with this right now; he had seen Cass sneak off with Rapunzel, and he wasn’t born yesterday: even without Lance’s nudge and suggestive wink, he knew they were off to do the sort of things many girls tried at least once in college. It didn’t really bother him, not enough to make him jealous the way he was sure Rapunzel wanted it to, but it did irk him a little. Were they really stooping to childish games now? He had never really given their age difference much thought, especially when he himself didn’t always act 24, but right now the gap between them felt immense. He was done playing with fire. If she wasn’t, more power to her. The thing that bothered him most wasn’t Cass and Raps all over each other, no…it was how much her presence had been sucked out of that townhouse…how empty it felt without her particular brand of light to fill it. And now he was returning to that place, because he had to, and it was already draining him.So it was that when he opened the door to see Stalyan making herself quite at home, his only reaction was a tired, “Get out.”

Stalyan was in the process of making herself a cup of coffee and she finished stirring the sugar into it, clinking the spoon daintily against the mug before setting it aside. She raised it to her lips when she heard Eugene’s voice telling her in a dead way to leave and she raised an eyebrow. “Is that any way to treat your guests, Ryder? I thought being the host of a successful night club would have taught you better manners.”

“It’s Eugene,” he growled through gritted teeth. “What do you want, Stalyan?” He rubbed his temples; of all the headaches he’d had to suffer today–

Stalyan set her mug down and turned to face him, hopping up so she could sit on the counter island, crossing one long leg over the other. “I think the better question is 'What can you do for me, Stalyan?’” She sat back. “Couldn’t help but notice your little girlfriend is off living her best life while you’re here withering away.” She made a tsk sound. “The famous Flynn Ryder, subjected to being a shell of himself, over some girl. What happened to you, man?”

Eugene crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m doing just fine, no thanks to you. And I was about to go to sleep. It’s pretty late, you see, and I don’t really have any anti venom on me.”

Stalyan rolled her eyes. “Oh, get off your high horse. You and I both know she’d still be around if you’d just been honest with her.” She flashed him an angry look. “But then again, why should I be surprised? You lied to me all the time.” She slid off the counter. “Good luck solving your girl problems.” She began striding off.

Eugene opened his mouth to retort, furious, but something made him stop. He deflated, and was almost inclined to let her go, but deep down he knew that, frustratingly enough, she was right. “I get it, okay? I messed up. But she doesn’t want me anymore. I’m not about to try to beg or force her back into a relationship with me.”

Stalyan rolled her eyes. “Good God. You really are the dumbest man alive. Of course she wants you. She just doesn’t trust you. You have to show her you’re reliable. Ask her to meet in a public place and start small.”

“You’re just full of ideas, aren’t you, Stalyan?” Eugene quipped. He was tired and he wanted her out of his house. “And I suppose you’re just a good Samaritan helping me pick up the shattered pieces of my relationship out of the pure kindness of your heart?” There was no way it could be that simple. Rapunzel didn’t want him anymore, not like that. She’d made that very clear, both with her angry, tearful confession at the expo, and with the experimental lesbianism both she and Cass thought they were so clever about hiding. And there was no way Stalyan was helping him for free. Any assistance from her came with a price.

Stalyan raised an eyebrow. “Well not with that attitude, Ryder.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You gonna be nice to me, or should I leave for good and let you continue to wallow in misery?” Her eyes tightened challengingly as she stared him down. The truth was… Well, the truth didn’t matter, really. Not anymore. Clearly the mentality she’d had prior was wrong, and it wasn’t fair to make him and the tiny blond one unhappy. It was clear he didn’t want her anymore; she’d messed him up too bad for that.

Time to let you go once and for all. Her heart panged as she thought those words, but she held to her resolve.

“It’s Eugene, first of all,” he reminded her coldly. “And second, I can’t believe I’m asking this but what are you plotting?” He didn’t trust Stalyan as far as he could throw her, but he had seen something in her eyes, for the briefest of moments, that had made him stop and consider that there could actually be a human, beating heart in that ice queen chest. And more importantly, he was beginning to hope that maybe, just maybe, he had the tiniest fraction of a shadow of a chance to get Rapunzel back. His chest ached at the thought, and he realized that the dam he had carefully been constructing to hold back his emotions over the breakup was coming down. He needed to deal with this somehow, even if she didn’t want him. And not in the messed up way he had at the expo. He never wanted to be the reason Rapunzel cried like that ever again. As he was working through this, he saw pain slide over his ex girlfriend’s face, and he sighed, taking her hand and patting it gently before letting go. “I’m sorry,” he said, his tone more gentle this time, and underneath the anger he’d been using to defend himself the real Eugene began to once again shine through. “I would love some help.”

Stalyan watched him carefully, noting his every emotion and she unfolded her arms, placing a hand on the kitchen counter. She stiffened up slightly when he reached for her hand but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze before pulling out her phone. “Okay,” she said with a mischievous smile. “I have a friend who’s in one of her classes. She’s a real smooth talker- she’ll convince Blondie to go on a blind date. Except oops, blind date is gonna stand her up. But who’s gonna be there, by random coincidence, holding a meeting? You. But your meeting is gonna fall through, because lo and behold, your client is none other than Rapunzel’s blind date.” She began typing away at her phone. “You’ll apologize for the confusion, buy her a soda, and voila: Conversation initiated.” She set her phone aside and looked at him, her eyes twinkling. “Think you’re up for it?”

Eugene rubbed his goatee in thought. “That…might just be crazy enough to work.” For the first time in a long time, he let his defenses down and genuinely smiled at her. “Thank you, Stalyan.”

Stalyan’s stomach flipped slightly at his smile but she gave no notice of her underlying feelings. “Don’t mention it, Fitzherbert.” She winked at him before turning back to her phone. “Really, don’t mention it. I have a reputation to keep,” she said with a light smile. She finished sending the text to her friend, instructing her with what to relay to Rapunzel. Said friend shot the blond girl a text. [Hey, Punzie. It’s Erika from Intro to Visual Arts. It’s kinda sudden but I have an extra seat at this dinner tomorrow night. My friend had a date but she flaked out and honestly I think you’d be a much better match. Would you be interested in coming? I’ll pay.]

Rapunzel, who was about to fall asleep, glanced over at her phone when it buzzed. Well, she had been wanting to get back into the dating scene. It was an opportunity that practically landed in her lap, why not go for it. [Sure, that’d be great! When and where?]

Eugene was blissfully unaware of Stalyan’s inner turmoil, especially now that he was hyperfocused on the suddenly tangible possibility of getting Rapunzel back. It made it exceedingly difficult to try and sleep, but somehow he managed, drifting off in the early hours of the morning to the thought of Rapunzel’s smile.

Erika leaped onto her phone as soon as Rapunzel texted her back. She grinned. Success. [Tomorrow night at 6, meet us all at La Parrilla Deliciosa.] She immediately texted Stalyan back conformation that the plan was on track, making the brunette smile. Perfect. She relayed the message to Eugene, as well as where he was to sit so he was sure to catch the blond’s eye once she was stood up. “Good luck, Ryder,” she said to herself as she headed home. Cass rolled over on her bed and sat up a little, the light from Rapunzel’s phone disrupting the darkness they were in. “Dude it’s hella late. Who’s texting you at this hour?”

“Sorry,” Rapunzel whisper-shouted, putting her phone away and settling back into bed. “It’s nothing.” She didn’t want to inform Cass of the true nature of the text yet in case things fell through, and resolved to let her in on everything after she went. Then sleepiness caught hold of both young women and they drifted off rather quickly after that.

***

Rapunzel was all that Eugene could think about for the next 24 hours as Stalyan arranged for the meeting and set things into motion. He took the time to make himself look presentable again, getting rid of the grubby, out of shape look he had acquired post breakup and regaining some semblance of his original, debonair self. He was raring to go by the time he arrived at La Parrilla Deliciosa. He had shaved his scruffy depression beard and his goatee was once again immaculate, his hair was trimmed and styled, and he was wearing jeans and a sweater, a combo that made lent him a soft, warm and approachable look and also flattered his good features while hiding his not so desirable acquired ones, and bonus: the color brought out his eyes. Despite all this, he was also a little nervous. What if after all this effort and careful planning, Rapunzel still didn’t want anything to do with him? He swallowed. Positive thinking, Eugene. Rapunzel loves…or at least loved you; even if she’s not interested she’ll be kind about it…I hope.

Rapunzel arrived early to the blind date, resisting the urge to pull her hair from its braid - she had spent far too long doing her hair, but in her defense, there was seventy feet of it. It was hard to make it look nice, but she dragged herself away from that train of thought. Seventy feet of hair was as emotionally exhausting as it was physically, another straw to go with her break up with Eugene and everything else that seemed to be going wrong lately. The blind date was a treat to herself. Even if it wasn’t a match, there was something nice about going out for dinner with someone. Except, well, her date was now running about thirty minutes late and she had gone through two iced teas. Really, just her luck. Looking up again, she spotted a familiar figure by the bar. Eugene? No, it couldn’t be…

When he saw her, his eyes lit up, then almost immediately saddened. There was so much vulnerability in her eyes. I can’t go through with this… He finished his drink and paid the tab before cautiously approaching her. “Hey, Sunshine,” he greeted her with a smile, but there was no swagger in his tone or posture. “I would ask what brings you here but I already know…”

Part of Rapunzel wanted to leave, to put down a few dollars for her drinks then run out the door. But she stayed, returning a weak smile and stirring her tea with the straw. “Hi, Eugene,” she replied, but the confusion was evident on her face when he kept talking. “What do you mean?” There was no way he was a part of this blind date…right?

He took a deep breath. Here went nothing. “The thing is…I could go along with this convoluted plan that brought you here but that would be lying and seeing as how not being honest with you was what got me into hot water in the first place…” He sighed. “Rapunzel, this whole thing was a set up by Stalyan and your friend Erika. And please don’t get angry with them, their hearts, believe it or not, are in the right place.” He looked at her for a moment, taking her in before continuing, “I know the last thing you want to do right now is talk to me. I don’t blame you. But I was so desperate to try and clear things up that I wanted to at least get you here so I could tell you how sorry I am that I hurt you…” He looked down. This next part made his heart feel like someone with icy fingers was squeezing it in their grip but he pressed on. “Rapunzel, I think you still love me…because I still love you. If there’s any part of you that is questioning this break up…please listen to it. I know I screwed up, and I’m not asking for things to automatically go back to way they were but…maybe I could earn your trust back and we could take things slow?” He looked at her, daring to hope. “I understand if you say no, I just… truthfully? I miss you. And I want to fix this.”

Rapunzel let him speak, unable to help herself as she twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. “I know you’re trying, I can tell with this right now. You choosing to tell me about the plan, to be open with me - I know that’s hard for you,” she pointed out, offering a sad smile as she reached across the table, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “I think I’m okay with taking things slow, but I mean slow. There’s a lot more going on than just us.” Rapunzel motioned to her hair with a sigh. “Varian and I are going to have to deal with the black rocks soon. It’s like the eye of the storm, things are gonna get worse again soon.” There were also the Stabbingtons on the loose, college, and Rapunzel could hardly catch a break. “Even if we try doing this and it doesn’t work out,” Rapunzel doubted that, doubted that she’d ever find someone better than Eugene, but it was still a point she had to make, “we’ll always be friends. I’ll always be there for you.”

Stalyan pulled down her sunglasses a fraction of an inch to get a better look at Rapunzel and Eugene from across the restaurant. She frowned, trying to read their lips so she could follow the conversation. Ericka, who had declared she was tagging along, leaned into Stalyan, pressing her cheek into hers. “What are they saying?” Stalyan shushed her. “I’m trying to concentrate, shut up.” Her eyes squinted and then narrowed. “He’s deviating.”

His heart was soaring. Hope was not lost. Eugene fought to keep his expression even, despite how adorable she looked twirling her hair about her finger that way and he pushed down the elation in his chest that was threatening to rise to the surface. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Rapunzel off. She was giving him a chance to prove himself, and this time, he wouldn’t let her down. He smiled for her, letting cautious optimism and relief make their way into his face, and he gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “Of course we will always be friends. You’re the best one I’ve got.”

Rapunzel smiled, small but hopeful. “I’m not really one for fancy restaurants like this, why don’t we go to the diner down the street and get some fries and shakes?” It had been too long since they had caught up with each other. Even if he was only a friend, she wanted to know how he was doing. He had shaved, at least - that was an improvement.

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “That sounds like a dream come true right now,” he replied and off they went, shoulder to shoulder, talking and laughing, not quite whole again but not so broken anymore either. So close and yet still so far… When they reached the diner, Eugene paid, more as a gesture of goodwill than anything else, and sat down opposite her, dipping a fry in his chocolate malt and taking a bite. “As if I needed the extra fat,” he joked, patting his slightly enlarged gut.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes, taking a bite of hers before she spoke. “Trust me, knowing you, you’ll be able to work it off before Christmas,” she hummed. “So what have you and Lance been up to at the Joint?” Lance was so close to Eugene that she hadn’t really gotten a chance to speak to him after the expo, despite how she had meant to.

“Oh, you know…the usual. Some customers become friends, some friends become customers. A couple fights break out each night, and we always end up having to throw at least one person out.” He smiled for her. “Just boring stuff. The expo was sure something though huh? That kid is gonna go far.” He paused, then added. “I can do without the body switch up thing though.”

“I think most people could go without. I think Rudiger had a lot of fun, though,” Rapunzel teased, taking another fry. “It’s already been a year since we’ve formed our little group.” Halloween was soon, that was something Rapunzel always enjoyed. Holidays were her favorite.

He laughed. “Fair points all around, but I think that little bugger enjoyed himself a little too much.” He saw the contemplation in her eyes as she mentioned the group’s anniversary (had it really been a year already?) and his own softened. “Time flies. What’re you thinkin about?”

“Mm, the one time that Lance dressed up as a cheerleader,” Rapunzel mused, tilting her head back as she remembered. “The costume wasn’t half bad.”

He laughed so hard at the memory that he was practically crying. “I just feel bad for the kid. He got full wind of that moon when Lance bent over.” He grinned mischievously. “Not that I would know anything about full moons.”

“Mm, I feel like I remember you and Lance ensured Varian got double full-moons while he was out to eat with his father,” Rapunzel recalled, tapping her finger against her chin. “Quirin definitely wasn’t happy.”

“Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like something I would do. Lance, definitely, but I surely I am above such tomfoolery.” Their food was nearly gone so he paid and held out his hand to help her up. “May I escort you home, beautiful?”

“Yeah, I’m down this street right here.” It was their apartment - Rapunzel wasn’t ready to share a room with Eugene again, a bed, but they had a guest room. It would work for now as they built up to what they were before. They’d be roommates for now, at least.

The street was deserted by the time they got to the townhouse. This combined with the eerie flickering of the one streetlight on the block made the air feel tense and thick. Eugene made quick work of unlocking the door and ushering them both inside before locking up again and arming his security system. In his time, he’d made plenty of enemies, and it was better to be safe than dead. Like the Stabbingtons still roaming around out there, he thought, hands clenching into fists at his sides. And after all the work me and the kid put in to put them away. He turned the kitchen light on, watching it pop and buzz for a moment before fully lighting up, and turned to Rapunzel. “Make yourself at home,” he said, somewhat awkwardly. The knowledge that this had been her home too up until recently hung silently in the air between them.He pulled out his phone, more as a distraction than anything, and then suddenly remembered he’d forgotten to thank Stalyan. As weird as it sounded and still felt, if it hadn’t been for her he and Rapunzel would still be at odds, so he shot her a quick text about how he owed her one.

Rapunzel slid off her shoes and walked into the living room, hands on her hips as she regarded the half-finished paint job in the living room. “Hey, Eugene, do you still have those cans of paint?” There was no better time to finish this than the present, after all.

“Huh?” He shoved his phone back in his pocket, taking a moment to process what she’d asked. “Oh. Yeah, they’re in the garage,” he replied, getting rid of his own shoes and following her. “Wh–” He stopped when he saw her examining the unfinished mural and shook his head, and amused expression on his face. Typical Blondie. “I’ll go get them."A few moments later he was heaving an entire rainbow of liquid color up the stairs to her. "Whew, there go the calories from the fries,” he joked, looking around for brushes.He knew she always kept one or two on hand, but she’d left some of her extras behind, and he’d stored them somewhere…ah. The armoire. He extracted them and handed them to her with a knowing grin.

Stalyan watched with hawk-like eyes as Eugene treated the blond to dinner and then escorted Rapunzel out of the restaurant. She smiled to herself. Despite the slight deviation, things had gone swimmingly. Her spirits lifted on his behalf, she ordered a round for the bar, on his tab, of course. It wouldn’t do him very well to make a lady pay, now would it? As she was walking out, her phone pinged with an alert from the man in question. She smirked as she replied with [No worries, you already did. Everyone said thanks for the drink. Have fun with your girlfriend]. She slipped her phone into her purse and looked at Erika. “Wanna go get smashed?”

“Thanks,” Rapunzel grinned, making sure to lay down a tarp so she didn’t get paint on the floor. “Come on and help me,” she added, handing him a brush. Choosing a section of the wall, she set to work on painting a forest. Later, she’d add little woodland creatures too, but she needed to paint the trees and grass first.

“C'mon, ba–buh-buh–Blondie,” he stammered, tripping over his words to correct the fact that he had almost called her babe. Old habits died hard. “You know I’m not as good as you.” He began to help her anyway, though, doing the accents for the background, and some textures for the plants. When he got Stalyan’s text, his mouth fell open. “That devious little shit,” he muttered as he put his phone away.

“It’s not a matter of being good, it’s important that you have fun with it,” Rapunzel emphasized before returning to her work. When he got grumpy after looking at his phone, Rapunzel gave him a teasing smile before giving the finishing touches on the painted rabbit. “Okay, I think this wall is done.”

Eugene stepped back with her to admire their (mostly her) handiwork. “Absolutely stunning,” he said with a grin. “No living room is complete without a forest mural in it and anyone who says otherwise is a moron.” He gave her a quick side hug and began helping her wash off the brushes. “We’d better get to bed soon, though, if we don’t want to be zombies in the morning.”

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