castles made of sand.

i thought i was so lucky, it almost wasn't fair.

[flynnstopher]

get to know horace dark. euguene fitzherbert. flynn rider :

It was almost as if Flynn had been destined to a life of deceit. Or at least it would seem that way if he knew the whole story of his early years. All that Flynn was ever told was that he was left at the orphanage being only about a year old, with no name or way of tracing where he may have come from. Renamed Eugene Fitzherbert, that is where he believes his story to begin - but oh is there so much more to it than he may ever know.

The truth is - Flynn is far more than just some nobody orphan. He was born Horace Dark, the son of a Duke and Duchess in a counrty at once stood near Echo Isle. The country had been plagued with a war lasting for decades until it finally came to an end twenty-five years ago. In the last days of the war, the young boy’s mother saw the way the tides were turning and did the only thing she could think to do - she fled to closest sancuratry she could find with her baby in tow, to Echo Isle. Torn between her responsibilities as a mother and her duty to her people back home - she left her child on the doorsteps of the local orphanage and returned to her country with the intention of getting as many people out as she could before returning for Horace. There was no time to explain and it was too risky to leave behind any information regarding his birthright, so the boy was left with nothing. No name, no family - nothing but the love of a mother and the hope that she would soon return. Only… she never did. And she never made it back to her husband to tell him where she had taken their son. Young Horace was officially gone and forgotten to the world, leaving behind Eugene Fitzherbert in his wake.

The next rebirth that this boy would go through is one he’d actually remember. While the life of Horace was put to rest without his say or control - killing off Eugene Fitzherbert and becoming Flynn Rider was a decision that he would make and own for the rest of his life. It wasn’t anything serious - no official change or anything (he was far too broke for that) - but it was a moment when a young boy decided to take it upon himself to create his own future and life. It may not have been one that many people would approve of, going into thievery and conning, but it was a life that he decided for himself. It was one that did him good, that got him everything he wanted with only a few minor setbacks (and one major one… but he doesn’t like to think about that night with Lance if he can help it), so fuck what anyone else had to say. He had no problems being who he was and living how he did… until he met Rapunzel.

Or more accurately, it wasn’t until he started to really get to know Rapunzel that things began to change. Flynn started questioning some of the things he did… not enough to stop completely… but enough for him to begin cutting back. It may not seem like much, but it’s far more of a straight and narrow life than Flynn ever thought himself capable of having. He has a real job as a bartender at the snuggly duckling, he’s secretly working on getting his GED, and he’s auditioning for local roles here and there whenever something catches his attention - slowly pursuing one of the dreams he always had but never thought he’d actually be able to achieve.

Flynn started off stealing with just simple things - swiping food from another kid at the orphanage when he was hungry himself and there wasn’t enough to go around. But it wasn’t until Lance came into the picture that he started to get really good about it. The two taught themselves everything they could and began stealing from far more than just a few fellow orphans.

Dropped out of school when he was fifteen - that’s when he and Lance ran away from the orphanage and found their place behind the snuggly duckling. They paid their way with free labor, washing dishes and working as busboys when needed, and when that wasn’t enough to cover rent they always managed to scrape the rest up through a few con jobs or pickpocketing moments.

That lasted for a few years, until the night that everything went to shit. They were behind on rent. Way behind. Further behind than they’d ever been because business was slowing down at the snuggly duckling and their free labor wasn’t needed as much. So Flynn and Lance needed cash. Quick cash. More than just stealing a few wallets type of cash. Which was why they decided to rob the little gas station down the street. It should have been fine. An easy and quick job. But the man working the cash register that night had a gun and things got messy. With Lance’s encouragement - Flynn ran, thinking his buddy would be soon behind him. Only before the older boy could get out, the cops arrived. Lance was arrested and Flynn was officially on his own again. Without the second person around to pick up shifts and help with the thievery, Flynn was kicked out of his home. He quite literally lost everything because of that night.

Or at least - most everything. He still had his girlfriend, Stalyan. Who he ended up moving in with after being evicted - she had a small apartment, paid for by her father’s own life of crime. The two had only been dating for a few months and it was far quicker of a commitment than Flynn would have ever made under any other circumstance… but he needed a place to stay. And things with Stalyan were fun. So that lasted for a few years, reaching a peak on Flynn’s twentieth birthday when he drunkenly proposed to her and the two made arrangements to meet the next morning at the courthouse and elope - separating for the night to have last minute bachelor and bachelorette parties. Missing the wedding had been a complete accident, in all honesty, Flynn had simply overslept… but when he woke up and realized what he’d done, he freaked out. Marriage wasn’t for him. Especially not right now. And definitely not with Stalyan. So before the girl could track him down, Flynn packed up all his shit that mattered to him (which wasn’t much) and hightailed it out of that apartment, ending the relationship without so much as a note goodbye. A blowup fight came a day later, one that left him with a close to broken nose, and Stalyan was gone - leaving Echo Isle to return to live with her father. Flynn has yet to hear from her ever since that day - but he’s not dumb enough to think that things will stay that way forever.

After moving out of Stalyan’s - he started crashing with the Stabbingtons, which is how he got entangled with them and their higher levels of crime. He wouldn’t call them friends per say, certainly not family the way that Lance was, so the spur of the moment decision to betray them wasn’t a hard one to make. It’s still not something he’s ever really felt guilt over - except for perhaps in the few moments he’s ever mentioned them to Rapunzel.

Speaking of Rapunzel…. THATS HIS BEST FRIEND. And he’s also lowkey in love with her but in complete denial because… she’s far too good for him and he is absolutely aware of that. Plus she’s got enough going on and needs to have a chance to find a life for herself. She doesn’t need him making her life any more complicated with dumb, stupid feelings.

Uhhmmm he likes country music. Yeah.

Bisexual as fuck. We don’t know straights in this house.

He’s an idiot.

[punzieeeee]

It was about the exact reaction she’d expected out of her boyfriend: the panic that quickly filled his eyes matched her own. Rapunzel felt her limbs wobble as she patiently awaited the final drink to be poured so they could get out of the bar as fast as they could. As much as she considered the bar one of her safe spaces, somewhere no one could really hurt her so long as Flynn was there and the regulars knew who she was, it had strangely become somewhere she felt she now had to avoid. Between healing Meg in the alley, and Gothel showing up unannounced, Rapunzel was beginning to think it was safer to stay locked up in her home, which, coincidentally, was exactly what her caretaker had insisted was the safest thing to do back when she was a child. While she still thought Gothel was wrong, and didn’t want to live her life in fear, she was beginning to think it was the only choice to ensure she’d be safe, at least for the near future.

With the truck doors locked and just Flynn by her side, Rapunzel finally felt the tears well in her eyes. She’d stayed strong, and would never let Gothel see her cry, but it was beside him that the tears she’d been holding back began to flow. “Can we just get home first?” she asked quietly. “I’m not hurt, I promise,” Rapunzel added in an answer, knowing it was the only one of his questions that needed an immediate answer before he was willing to hit the road. She remained paralyzed as he drove, simply waiting with held breath until she saw the sight of their house, and no one outside looking to take her again. “She said she just wanted to talk,” she explained as he parked, still unconvinced of Gothel’s motive, even now. “She said she was released on good behavior. I don’t know how long she was there, it felt like … like ages, but you were on your break when she arrived, and I went to you the moment she left.”

[flynnstopher]

There was a part of him that wanted to deny her request, one of the few times he’s ever felt like telling her no since the day they fatefully first met. He needed answers, wanted to start preparing for how they were going to deal with this new potential threat - waiting until they got home felt like it would be impossible when there was such a heavy weight of stress bubbling up in his chest at the mere thought of Gothel coming anywhere near the blonde. But once glance over in Rapunzel’s direction was enough to shut him up before he could vocalize any of that. He didn’t even have a chance to try insisting that she needed to start telling him everything right now, because the sight of her tears was enough that Flynn would never push her. So instead he simply nodded and reached with his right hand to take hers as he drove them home.

It was a quiet and tense ride back, but as soon as they were in the driveway and his car was placed in park it seemed there was enough space between them and the bar for Rapunzel to feel comfortable explaining, even before they made it into the house. Not that Flynn was going to complain, he wanted all of these answers as soon as possible and would sit in his truck letting her retell every detail all night long if that was what it took to get them. “To talk,” he parrots back, frowning at the words he didn’t for one second believe. “Did she threaten you? What all did she say?” The line about being released for good behavior was an obvious lie, one he saw right through in an instant. For all he thankfully managed to avoid any real prison or jail time in his life, he knew enough guys that had were still serving time for far lesser crimes than Gothel and were nowhere near close enough to being released - not even if they behaved like mother fucking teresa. “We’ll dig up what we can. Find out how she actually got out, where she’s staying, all of that. We’ll get a restraining order, I’ll take less breaks or bring you with me on them – we’re gonna figure this out. She’s not going to come near you again.” It was a promise he couldn’t actually be certain would come true, but he was ready to do his damndest to make it happen.

[punzieeeee]

~time skip to Gothel coming back~

Rapunzel felt the ice in her veins melt as she fell back into the booth she'd leaned against while confronted by her mother. Her eyes welled with tears, and all she could wish was that it had all been a bad dream she could wake from. The worst case scenario she'd ever considered had come true, with Gothel somehow broken out of hail for good behavior, or whatever kind of strings she'd pulled to get herself a ticket to freedom. It made no sense, but there she'd been, standing before her like hardly any time had passed at all. The voice she'd been hearing still throughout the years had spoken to her again, placing the same doubts she'd worked every day to silence.

With the only person who knew just how dire her situation was back on his break, Rapunzel wasn't even sure if Flynn had seen her. They had to get out of the bar, now, before Gothel could decide to come back. With all the strength she could gather, Rapunzel found her feet, making a beeline for the bar where she found Flynn back behind it. "We have to go," she insisted, tears in her eyes as she locked with his gaze. "She--she's back. Gothel," Rapunzel explained shortly, the name leaving her lips in a whisper as she looked to either side of her. "Here. She was here. We need to go home, now."

[flynnstopher]

The back alley behind the Snuggly Duckling was always the best place for taking his late night breaks, the air cooler outside than in the usual packed bar and a few moments of peace and quiet could be found only out here. Not even the employee break room could offer that, given the fact that Shorty practically lived in there nowadays. And there were enough people inside of the establishment that cared for his girlfriend enough to look after her that Flynn felt it was fine for him to take a breather away from the chaos. Apparently he had been wrong in that though, for he’s only halfway through making his first drink back from his break when Rapunzel comes rushing up to him, clearly upset.

Before he has a chance to ask what happened, she’s explaining all that she needs to say. Gothel is back. How the fuck this is happening and why they hadn’t heard of her escaping until now are two questions he’ll be screaming at the prison’s security team the next morning - but right now the answers hardly matter. What matters is getting Rapunzel out of here, getting her home and figuring out what the hell they’re going to do about all this. Finishing shaking the drink he had in his hands, Flynn poured it out and handed it to the stranger that had ordered it, stating that it was on the house before making his way out from behind the bar and over towards his girlfriend.

“Let’s go. I’ve got you,” he promises, taking her hand in his and beginning to navigate them out of the building. He’d send a text to his manager when he got home and given the circumstances and how much the whole staff loved the blonde, it should all be fine. But even if it wasn’t and they had any issue with his sudden departure, it wasn’t like he really needed this job anyway now that his acting career was starting to take off. This moment right now, protecting and helping Rapunzel was worth the risk of getting fired, he was hardly concerned about it in the slightest. It wasn’t until they were at his truck, safely inside with the engine started that Flynn felt brave enough to finally speak. “Did she hurt you? What did she do? How long was she there for? Did anyone else see her?” They call came spilling out as he threw the car in reverse and backed out of his spot to start heading towards the road that would take them home.

[punzieeeee]

As much as she wanted to believe his sentiment, it was a hard pill to swallow, that she could've effectively erased everything they'd been working toward in terms of keeping her powers safe. Now, there was someone even more powerful than she was out there knowing what she possessed, and Rapunzel feared she would be answering to him for the rest of her life. As gentle as he'd been for a kidnapper, he seemed like the kind of man who would turn violent in a snap if she didn't do what he asked of her. While all of this might not exactly warrant the need for an apology to her boyfriend, Flynn and Cassandra had been the ones keeping her safe for so long, and she'd thrown all their progress down the drain.

Still, Rapunzel knew he was right about one thing: she had to save Meg. She couldn't have just left one of their friends bleeding out in the alleyway out of fear of being discovered. She'd even done so in practical plain sight for Peter last year. "I know," she acknowledged, even quieter than his voice had been. "I guess we just have to wait now. Whoever that man was, he knows where we live--I'm sure he won't hesitate to do the same thing again. I just wish I knew who he was." Rapunzel still had endless questions for him, even if she likely wouldn't be getting any answers from him, given how avoidant he'd been before. "Should I go stay with my parents for a while? I don't want to put them in danger, but maybe he doesn't know where they live."

[flynnstopher]

It was a bit of a terrifying thought, this man knowing where they live and what Rapunzel can do - but there was no changing it, no going back. This had always been one of his biggest fears when it came to settling down - though he had always thought it would be himself putting them in danger, a past enemy or friend he had done wrong, out to get revenge. But as it was they just had to deal with the hand they had been dealt. And they could do it, together. Between the three of them, they could handle this. It was going to be fine. Or at least that’s what Flynn had to keep telling himself. Right now what mattered was comforting his girlfriend - logistics of what they’re going to do about this all could be figured out later.

Giving her a tiny squeeze, he kisses the top of the blonde’s head with a small sigh. “We’ll figure it out,” he promises, repeating aloud what he kept telling himself in his head. “We’ll figure out who he was or what he actually wants. And then we’ll deal with it together.” The thought of Rapunzel leaving now, where he couldn’t easily know exactly where she was at all times was terrifying. He didn’t care if staying here meant adding a hundred extra threats to his own back, he wasn’t about to let her go anywhere else. “No. Unless that’s what you really want to do. But with a guy like this - finding your parents place won’t be any problem. He probably already knows it by now, honestly. You going to stay somewhere else is an obvious move, one that he’s already accounted for, I’d bet.” All of what he was saying was true, but none of it really covered the real reason Flynn wasn’t willing to easily let her go. But now wasn’t the time to be getting into his own fears and worries, he needed to be comforting the girl in his arms who just went through yet another traumatic experience.

[punzieeeee]

The last thing Rapunzel could remember was the same man who she'd seen before she'd been knocked out the first time inserting a needle into her arm. Thus, her boyfriend's face was a welcomed sight when she woke, followed by their roommate beside him. Rapunzel had woken up in her own house, far different from where she'd been left before the world had gone dark. She told Cass and Flynn the story of her night before she could forget what had happened to her, fearful that the longer she'd waited, the more details she'd miss. If they were going to have any hope of finding who it'd been who'd taken her, Rapunzel would have to be accurate in her retelling, including every defining feature of the man with whom she'd spoke and the room in which they'd been. She watched as both of her roommates' faces turned to horror and anger, Cassandra only lasting a short while before deciding she needed to get a start on figuring out who had been behind taking Rapunzel. It wasn't all that surprising, given that protecting the blonde was her job, but Rapunzel couldn't help but feel like simply being around her was creating problems for the people in her life.

It was with her boyfriend now that Rapunzel finally felt her breath release, the tension of retelling her story correctly broken once Cassandra had gone. "I'm sorry you were scared," she apologized quietly, despite knowing it wasn't exactly her fault. As much as she always tried to be strong for him, and everyone around her, the expressed permission to share how she was really feeling was about all she needed to confess what she'd been holding in for hours. "I'm scared I've messed it all up," Rapunzel admitted as she embarrassedly hid her face in his chest. "Everything, all this time we've been so careful, and now ... I don't know what's going to happen. They know where we live now, and what I can do, and--I don't think there's any way we can go back."

[flynnstopher]

Hearing Rapunzel apologize, as if she had any control whatsoever over what had just happened, practically breaks his heart for a moment. Especially knowing how sincere she was in it, likely truly somehow finding a way to place blame on herself for what had happened. When in reality - if anyone of them was to be blamed, it was Flynn himself. For not checking in with her again, for letting her leave the Duckling alone, for saying they didn’t need to be on high alert this time around. There were so many things he would have done differently if he had known any of this had even had the slightest possibility of happening. “Hey, no. No sorries. You have nothing to apologize for,” he reminds her, placing a kiss on the top of his head at the end of his words.

As she buried her head into his chest, Flynn’s hands came up to automatically begin rubbing small circles on her back in hopes of offering at least some kind of comfort. He wanted to take all this pain away, to absorb it into his own body so she never had to deal with it again. He wanted to go back in time and take her place instead, let the men kidnap and question him instead. He wanted to do anything, absolutely anything he could, just to make her feel even a fraction better. But none of that was possible. All he could do was just be here. To support her and protect her moving forward. There was no undoing what had already happened, but he was determined as hell to ensure it never occurred again. “You haven’t messed anything up,” he promises, his own voice far quieter than he normally ever talks. “You did the right thing, saving Meg. You couldn’t just let her bleed out. And we’ll just… we’ll deal with whatever else gets thrown at us. We’ll figure something out. It’ll be alright. I promise.” It wasn’t really a guarantee he could actually ensure, but Flynn already knew he was going to do absolutely everything in his power to keep this promise. Even if it meant giving his own life, he’d done it once for the blonde and he’d happily do it again - if it meant keeping Rapunzel safe.

[flynnstopher]

closed starter for @punzieeeee location: their house, after being returned from hades

If he had thought coming home to find his girlfriend missing had been a stressful situation, it absolutely paled in comparison to the horrifying and gut twisting experience of finding her passed out on their front lawn as if she’d never left in the first place. The near hour that passed as he and Cassandra waited for their roommate to regain consciousness was hands down the worst sixty minutes of his life - and that included the time that he had legitimately been dead for a minute or two. Hearing Rapunzel recount everything that had happened to her while she was gone - from the man that had approached her and quite literally choked her out to the other potentially all powerful one that had arranged the whole thing and seemed to know more about her powers than even Gothel had - it made his blood run cold. Now wasn’t the time for spiraling down a rabbit hole of guilt and self deprecation, that could come later when he was alone and knew with a hundred percent certainty that the blonde was alright. For now, Flynn’s entire focus was on her and doing anything and everything he could to reassure her that things would be alright, even if he wasn’t entirely confident in that fact anymore.

They stayed together, all three of them, for a bit of time before Cass finally broke, leaving to likely begin the research they all knew she would be doing to try to find these men that had taken Rapunzel. It was only once she was gone that Flynn finally moved in closer, lifting the blonde up ever so gently and placing her in his lap as his arms wrapped protectively around her. “You know, you don’t have to be so strong about this. It’s okay to be scared and freaked the fuck out. I sure as hell was,” he admits, knowing that retelling the tale of her night had to have been far more difficult than she had let on. Leave it to Rapunzel to always put on the brave face for the sake of her friends. It was one of the things he loved the most about her, but he knew how hard it likely was at times like this, to constantly act as if everything would be fine in the end. And he didn’t want her to ever feel like she had to put on any kind of show or act around him. Whatever she was feeling, really and truly feeling, he was going to be there to listen and help her work through.

[waitingward]

"Get out of the way, Rider." It was a sentiment she'd said before, nowhere nearly as aggressive as right now but the whole situation had her as tense as she could be. The last thing she needed was something getting in her way, and as no surprise to her, it would be Flynn in this case. It didn't matter how well meaning he wanted to be, she already told him the plan so to Cassandra, there was nothing more to discuss. "Sitting here and waiting is all you're capable of doing." An untrue statement, even she knew that but her aggression had a way of sneaking past her in times of crisis. And also quite literally any time she was around Flynn Rider but most of that was done purposely.

"Do not call her parents, I've got this handled. This is what I've been trained to do, unlike you." The reliance everyone had kept on Cass to make sure she wouldn't mess up was too great for her to just accept the loss of it so easily. Had Rapunzel's parents or her own father found out Punz was missing, she would never be allowed to work as a protector again, all those years of training would go down the drain along with her confidence, determination, and sense of self. It was a lot to bear, which only made her that much more set on finding her friend, so that none of these theoretical what-ifs had to play out. Cassandra was going to find her, there wasn't a question about it. It was just a matter of getting to work but an obstacle came in the way and while it was quite tempting to already start the bloodshed on behalf of work, she had to restrain herself. Not for any reason of warming up to the guy but because she just knows she wouldn't hear the end of it once Punz was back with them if she had gone through with stabbing a very enticing target. "You are the biggest pain—Fine! Come along then but hurry up and grab whatever you need. If you are not in the car in 30 seconds, I'm driving off without you."

[flynnstopher]

“Fuck you,” is the automatic response that leaves his mouth at the implication that he couldn’t handle doing more to help find his girlfriend. He wants to remind her that he was the one that got her out of the tower, that faced off with Gothel and helped Rapunzel finally find freedom - not Cassandra - but now isn’t the time or place for a fight like that. Not while Blondie was still out there somewhere, potentially needing their help. Arguments and insults could be thrown around later, when she was home and safe. Despite the obvious threat the brunette was making and the clear anger burning in her eyes, Flynn didn’t move a muscle or flinch in the slightest, standing his ground right in front of the door frame so that she had no choice but to listen to him.

“No, fuck that. You aren’t some one woman powershow that can do it all. You don’t have shit handled and you know it. We need to tell everyone. The more people we have out there looking for her, the better our chances are of finding her,” he points out, refusing to back down on this. Even when Cass finally agrees that he can come along, he’s not ready to give up on the fact that they need more than just the two of them. Stepping aside, he allows her to blow past him before following behind. “Cassandra, I’m serious. We can’t fucking do this alone.” If it were any other type of mission, if any other person in his life had been taken, maybe Flynn would have said they’d be fine handling it just the two of them. But he couldn’t take the risk of that not being true. Not when it was Rapunzel in potential danger here. No, for this he was going to demand all hands be on deck.

[henrypratt]

[waitingward]

Hide and seek, that's what this had to be. Punz liked to play it every so often even when Cass had figured out all her hiding spots. But as she checked the usual sites, it became increasingly clear that this wasn't the case. She didn't feel mistaken, the app showed that she had to have been there somewhere, but even when Cassandra demanded that the game was over, she couldn't hear her friend anywhere. The faint ringing of her phone sounded when she called it and the noise only got louder as she approached the outside. Seeing the cell haphazardly in the middle of the street with its screen cracked only affirmed the worse of her growing fears. It switched on the grim side of her, an immediate rush into what her training had prepared her for. She only needed the proper equipment at the ready which is where the other roommate had found her. Her face was as solemn as could be when she opened the door before she returned to her packing. "I can't find her," she admitted, something neither of them ever wanted to hear or say.

"Someone had to have taken her, her phone was outside her car and she's nowhere in this stupid apartment," her fist collided with whatever was nearby. Some form of anger being let out was good but it wasn't enough, she felt like she could strangle someone. She even felt like she could strangle herself for letting this happen but that could wait until after she found her friend. Clearly, it had all gone to shit and Cass only had herself to blame for it happening. She had become too relaxed with her watch over the blonde, letting her go off on her own for trivial tasks and stupidly believing an app would be the most trusting in knowing where she was. Her breathing becoming heavier wasn't good, it only meant she was due for another outburst and she was hoping to let out all that steam on whoever it was that took her. "I have to go search, she could be out in the woods or at some of the shady spots in town. God - I don't even want to think about what could be happening to her, I just.. I have to go." She tossed the blonde's phone to Flynn, "You stay here, in case she comes back. Give me updates, see if she tries calling her phone or tries calling you. Let me know if anything happens, got it?"

[flynnstopher]

As the door opens, it only takes a moment, one singular instant for Flynn to realize something is amiss. Rather than finding two girls laughing and joking amongst themselves, there is only Cassandra, surrounded by weapons laying out throughout the room and obviously upset about something. It wouldn’t take a genius to piece together what must be happening, even before she admits that she can’t find Rapunzel, he knows she’s gone. Before he has a chance to actually ask any questions, the brunette is answering them all. Rapunzel was gone. Her phone was here, she had made it home safely as he already knew, but now she was nowhere to be found. She was gone. With no way of tracking or contacting her to figure out where the hell she might be.

“Fuck,” he lets out as he watches his roommate slam her fist in the wall and stood there breathing heavily. His mind is already racing on all the places she could be, his imagination going to the worst of scenarios. Hadn’t he just told her days ago not to worry about whoever may have seen her healing Meg after the attack of the festival? He should have taken the potential threat more seriously - should never have let her leave the bar alone. This was his fault and if he let himself Flynn could easily spiral into a self-depreciative whirlwind. But before he has any chance of falling down that hole, Cassandra is throwing his girlfriend’s phone at him and demanding he stay put and simply wait. “What? No fucking way,” he snaps, moving to stand in her way to physically keep her from leaving without him. “I’m not just going to sit here and do nothing. I’m going looking for her too. I’ll get everyone from the Duckling out there searching. We have to call her parents. We - I can’t just fucking sit here and wait.” It wasn’t happening, no way in hell was he not going out there in the search.

[flynnstopher]

closed starter for @waitingward location: their home, a few hours after rapunzel was kidnapped

Coming home to a quiet house isn’t completely strange, especially not after Rapunzel had left the bar early because she had been starting to feel a bit tired. She’d texted that she’d made it back safe and sound, so Flynn knew he didn’t really have anything to worry about, but he still couldn’t stop himself from giving a light knock on her bedroom door just to check in. When there’s no answer from the other side, he knows she’s likely just asleep, but the deep seeded concern and minor paranoia he had when it came to keeping the people he cared about safe kicked in and he just has to check. Peeking his head in, expecting to see a bundled up little ball on his girlfriend’s bed… there’s nothing. “Blondie?” he calls out, as if maybe she’s somehow hiding somewhere that he can’t see - but there’s no reply. The worry that had been slowly building in his chest grows even stronger, but he reminds himself not to panic. Music could be heard softly playing from their other roommates room, which means the two girls are likely just hanging out together. That has to be it. There’s no reason to start freaking out. Though just to be safe, before he walks into the lion’s den that is Cassandra’s room, he checks the blonde’s location on his phone, breathing a bit easier when she sees her little dot hovering right above his.

Rolling his eyes at himself for being so worked up over nothing, he heads over towards the third room and doesn’t even bother trying to be polite as he bangs his fists against the door. He’d walk right in without any notice, but he’d long learned his lesson on just barging into Cass’s space without having permission first. “Awe come on, ladies,” he calls out as he waits patiently for one of them to either tell him to come in or just straight up open the door for him. “You know how much I hate not being included in your girls night fun. I have beautiful hair that needs to be brushed too and fingernails just dying to be painted.”

[punzieeeee]

who: rapunzel & @flynnstopher where: the snuggly duckling, back room

It could've been a ghost, or a shadow, for all she knew, but the fleeting figure Rapunzel had caught out of the corner of her eye in the alley of the Duckling wasn't something she could ignore. There was only one person in the whole bar who she could tell, who was currently pouring a dark liquor for the person she'd just risked everything for. Completely disregarding the rules, Rapunzel snuck behind the bar to find her boyfriend, giving his hand a squeeze as she attempted to tug him in the opposite direction. "Eugene," she said with wide eyes, low enough for only him to hear the name, "can you, um, can we go talk? Now?"

Only having been in the back room once before, when she had to drop off the delivery she'd helped with, Rapunzel still looked at what was once a forbidden area with fresh eyes. Any other time, she would've tried to take in every detail, but now, she was too focused on what, or who, she thought she'd seen outside. The moment she heard the door click closed, she practically vomited the confession. "Meg was hurt, and I healed her. I had to, she--she was going to bleed out," Rapunzel blurted. "But I think--I don't know, it could've been nothing, or no one, but I saw ... something."

[flynnstopher]

As if Rapunzel coming back behind the bar where she knew she wasn’t allowed hadn’t been enough to catch his attention, the use of his real name certainly would have done so. Without any questions, he set the whiskey bottle down with a nod, slid the poured glass over to Meg and gently tugged on the blonde’s hand to guide her into the back room. It was just an overstock room with a door leading to where they kept all the chilled kegs on tap. Nothing special, but private enough for whatever it is she wanted to tell him about.

Flynn didn’t even get a chance to ask what was wrong before his girlfriend was spilling the whole story - or at least as much of it as was really relevant. From the moment she admitted to healing Meg, he knew this wasn’t going anywhere positive. Not after what happened last year with Peter. They had lucked out with that turning out to be nothing, could they really pull that off again? “Fuck,” he lets the singular word out under his breath, a hand reaching up to run through his hair before he realizes if he’s this worried, Rapunzel must be out of her mind concerned. He needed to stay strong and try to remain optimistic - for her sake. Taking a deep breath, he nodded his head and dropped his hand from his hair to reach out and take hers, pulling her closer so he could wrap his arms around her. “You did the right thing, Blondie. You couldn’t just let Meg die and if… if someone happened to see you, well we’ll deal with whatever consequences there are to that when they come up. Last time we got all worried for nothing, so we don’t need to jump right into panic mode just yet.”

[junkyardguard]

༝༝ ✧ ༝༝ 

This night was only getting stranger and Angel was far too sober to be handling it all. If she wasn't working she would've thrown back a double shot of Jameson by now instead of staring at her ex-boyfriend with her jaw agape. His touch wasn't foreign but felt like it at the moment, causing her to reach back to remove his hand before he did something they'd both regret. "What're you doing?" The blonde asked while still scanning his features for any clue as to what had gotten into him. They were too bright for him to be wasted but that was the only explanation she could think of for his unusual behavior. A part of her almost wanted to reach out to check his pulse yet stopped herself, knowing not to close any more space between them. She made sure to keep him at bay while still close enough to observe him. "Do you hear yourself right now? Since when do you not know where Rapunzel is?" The shorter female stood up straight to look over the crowd in case she was able to find the blonde in question. "Come on, let's find her together, yeah?" She asked in an attempt to refocus him on what they both knew to be true: he loved Rapunzel and no one else.

[flynnstopher]

“I’m not doing anything,” he swears, pulling his hand away after she removed it from her back. It was an obvious rejection, which Flynn took partially to heart. Never would he force himself or push too far on anyone, certainly not someone he cared for as much as Angel, but that also didn’t mean he was about to just walk away and call this night a total loss. If he were thinking straight, if he wasn’t still tightly under the spell's influence, he would have agreed with everything the blonde was saying. But as it was right now, he couldn’t find it in himself to care at all where his actual girlfriend was. Rapunzel was still here, somewhere in the crowd of the party, and she was likely doing just fine. That was all he needed to know. “She’s fine, Heaven. Like I said, she’s a big girl, she can handle herself at one little party. She’s probably making tons of friends or off with one of her cousins. We don’t have to go find her. There’s better things we could be doing together.”

[punzieeeee]

His words brought an ease to the tension her body had been holding for hours as Rapunzel had been sick with the thought of what could possibly happen if he'd truly meant to spend the night with someone else. She felt herself deflate a bit, the ease of being with the Flynn she knew softening the stiffness in preparation for getting her heart unexpectedly broken. "Okay," she breathed out, nodding her head as she tried to wrap it around beginning to move past the past few hours. It wouldn't be fair to hold things he had no control over against him when he was swearing to her now that they hadn't been true. Even hearing an apology didn't sit right with her, when there was nothing this Flynn had to be sorry for. Whoever had been at the party was gone now, and, hopefully, would never be coming back even to apologize.

The offer of a hug was one that Rapunzel all but jumped at, her arms wrapping tightly around his stomach as she leaned into him. "I love you, too," she answered in return, turning her head on his chest to look at him as she said the words. Having to make up with him was strange, having never truly gotten into conflict since they'd started dating. In fact, the only one they'd ever experienced had led them to being able to express how they felt so freely now that Rapunzel wouldn't have taken it back. "You don't have to apologize. I'm just glad you're back. Not that I don't love Angel, but, you know, not for you," she teased as she wiped the remnants of her dried tears from under her eyes. "Is she okay? She looked so sad, like something had happened, but that was before you ... when I'd just seen her come in."

[flynnstopher]

Instantly the moment she practically threw herself into his arms, Flynn clung to her just as tightly. This whole night had been a mess, the complete opposite of what he had wanted their first valentines day to be as an official couple - and while he knew logically it wasn’t really his fault, he couldn’t stop the guilty feeling of knowing he had been the reason she’d spent most of the night close to or fully in tears. But there was nothing he could do to undo it all, so he focused on just holding the blonde and moving forward. Continuing to apologize and focus on how messed up it had all been would only make the wound deeper. It was best to put it all behind them, as best as they could. “I love Angel too, but also not for me,” he chuckles, kissing at the top of her head before he allowed himself to pull back just enough so that he could look down at his girlfriend.

The frown that was already set in his expression deepened ever so slightly as he tried to recall his interaction with Angel. Now that the spell was done, it all almost felt like a strange blur in a way. He could remember everything that was said, but it all had a haze surrounding it in his memory. All he had been focusing on was how pretty she had looked and how much he had thought he loved her, Flynn hadn’t thought to stop and check in on her emotional state. “I don’t really know,” he admits, hating himself a bit for having been so self-absorbed that he hadn’t even picked up on any of this. “I hadn’t really been thinking about that. But I do know she’s started working for Buster again… Which is never really a good sign, so there might be something going on, you’re right. We’ll have to check in on her. Tomorrow or the day after - I probably owe her an apology as well.” Oh that was going to be embarrassing. The other blonde wouldn’t be upset about it the way Rapunzel had been, but she certainly wasn’t going to make it easy on him. She never did with anything else, he highly doubted this would be the time she changed.

[holyfuckinshitleto]

TANGLED 2010 | dir. Byron Howard & Nathan Greno 

[junkyardguard]

༝༝ ✧ ༝༝ 

What struck her as usual wasn't that he'd come to say hello but the fact he'd done it alone. After she'd met Rapunzel she'd actually grown quite fond of the girl and usually caught them together. In fact, it was typically harder to separate them than not yet here Flynn was on his own serving out complements. "Ah, thanks," she said waving her hand as if to rid the air of the comment altogether. This wasn't her big night after all, though she appreciated his kind words she felt strange taking them with the look he was giving her. Instead, the blonde stared at him with confusion creasing her features and eyebrows ruffled as she observed him. He didn't seem under the influence but she wasn't sure what else it could be. "You feelin' alright?" Angel asked, giving him another once over. After this long, she thought she'd come to read her ex quite well but this one had her stumped. It wasn't the kind of talk she'd expect from him when it came to his girlfriend and it left her cautious. "It's not like you to not know where Blondie is... Did you have too much to drink?" Her tone was serious as she observed him for signs of what was wrong. She hoped she was able to come to the conclusion before Rapunzel caught wind of his behavior.

[flynnstopher]

An eyebrow raised ever so slightly at her questioning, Flynn fairly certain that she should have realized he was practically sober. After all, she’d seen what he was really like drunk plenty of times before, couldn’t she tell the difference? “I’m great,” he promises, hand moving to rest on the small of her back instinctively as he lightly shook his head. There was a small nagging in the back of his head that said she was right, that screamed out to know where Rapunzel was at this moment - but it was overpowered by the strongest desire to remain exactly where he was, right by Angel’s side. “Eh, she’s fine. Around here somewhere.” Of that he knew for certain, considering he had been the one to drive them to the party tonight and the keys were still tucked away in his pocket. “C’mon Heaven, she’s a big girl. She can handle herself.” It was a true statement, but didn’t change the fact that the blonde had been right too - Flynn rarely ever ventured this far from his girlfriend, nor did he ever seem to care so little for her whereabouts.

[punzieeeee]

Rapunzel felt herself relax as he insisted that nothing had happened to him, at least, nothing she could help to heal. What had occurred was something she couldn't do much about besides hope that he didn't feel the same way now that he had a few hours ago. Rapunzel hadn't felt jealous of the other blonde in a while, not since she'd nearly dropped off the grid and started spending time with another boy, from what Flynn had told her. But, if there was even an inkling inside of him that wanted to be with Angel instead, then, there was nothing she could do but hope that he felt more strongly about her. Even to think that the sensation could come back made Rapunzel uneasy, envisioning herself being left alone in public again while he was whisked away by whatever had wound back Flynn's mind.

"Oh," she uttered finally, taking in the implications of what he'd said carefully. It was much more complicated than him just not wanting to be with her at the party, after all. "You still ... do you still love her? If you do, it's--I'll be okay." Rapunzel couldn't tell how true her words were when she was about ready to break again at the thought of losing him, this time for more than just one night. But, it was better to know now if he felt so strongly about another girl than to live in the possibility of Flynn figuring it out later, when they were in too deep. "It's not your fault, I'm sure it was someone trying to mess around with people." Rapunzel never understood why people used their magic like that: it was why it had such a bad reputation to begin with. "I just missed you, was all. I thought ... I don't know, maybe I'd done something, or said something, and it made you want to go be with someone else until it was time to go."

[flynnstopher]

It wasn’t surprising that after everything he just admitted Rapunzel would have doubts as to what he currently felt, but still there was pressure in his chest as she questioned whether or not he still loved the other blonde he had run off with earlier in the night. It was as if she had reached right in and tugged on his heart, attempting to rip it in pieces “No,” he’s quick to answer, his head shaking as he stares intently at his girlfriend. Reaching out to take his hand in hers, Flynn gave it a squeeze of what he hoped was reassurance. “No - no I don’t love her. I love you. Only you.” Of that he was certain. Yes, he was always going to care for Angel but it was nothing in comparison to what he felt for the girl in front of him right now.

“Blondie, there is nothing you could do that would ever make me act like that,” he promised, dismissing the idea completely that any part of this could have been her fault. While she did the same for him, Flynn struggled to fully believe that he didn’t somehow have some kind of hand in what happened. Not that he remembers doing anything and the sensations that had come and gone so suddenly did indeed make him think there had to be some kind of magic behind it all… but still, there was a guilt that he didn’t think he’d ever be able to shake off. Or at least, he wouldn’t be getting rid of it any time soon. “I would never just push you away or leave you alone like that, not while being in my right mind. You haven’t done anything wrong. And I’m so sorry that I made you feel that way.” Finally letting go of her hands for just a brief moment, he opened his arm and motioned for her to move into them. “Come here.” After everything he had done, Flynn didn’t want to push the contact onto her, which was why he waited for her to decide if she wanted the hug or not - but he knew that holding her was going to make him feel better at least, and he could only hope it’d have the same effect on the blonde.

[fitzherbertssmolder]

Eugene “don’t hurt my family” Fitzherbert