have a night light

She felt something soft poke at her nose and jumped in surprise. With a bite of the lip and a nervous laugh, she shifted herself in her chair until she was directly facing the table and away from his scrutiny. But mainly to hide her blushing face because there was no way she could let him in on that tidbit in her head.

Jack pulled back and took his prodding pencil with him. He tilted his head. “How was Gagaland? Felt like you disappeared for a whole five hours.”

Rapunzel flushed. “It was not five hours.”

He shrugged. “Felt like it.” He tilted his head, lips pulling out into a toothy although incredibly snarky grin. “What were you thinking about? Flynn?”

“Shut up,” she hissed. “It wasn’t Flynn. Anyway, let’s get back to work.”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one in Gagaland dreaming of a prince to take me to a far away land,” he retorted. “I was working pretty diligently, and then you distracted me—”

“How was me daydreaming distracting you?” she asked with a raised brow.

He leaned back on his chair, letting the legs dangle in the air. “Because you were sitting there looking all cu—” Jack stopped talking immediately, his eyes widening at the sound of his words. “Ah, I meant—” he started to correct himself, but before he could, flew to the floor when the legs of his chair tipped over with a clack. “Goddammit.”

Rapunzel giggled before tilting her head to the side. “Okay, that one was definitely all you.”

He glared at her from his spot on the floor. “No kidding.”

She combed a strand of stray hair behind her ear before reaching out to help pull him up. Rapunzel looked at him curiously as she tugged on his hand, “Anyway, what were you saying earlier?”

“Um—nothing.” Jack’s cheeks flushed as he dusted himself off from the ground and settled the chair back into place.

“But you were explaining how I was a distraction,” she said with narrowed eyes.

“You’re not. I mean—you are, but—just stop,” he stammered, sitting down in his seat and averting his gaze.

“Stop?”

He gestured at her. “Yeah. Just stop. Doing. That.”

“Doing what? Daydreaming?”

“Sure. I don’t know. Stop… all this,” he said heatedly, turning his head towards her, his hands moving wildly in her direction. His face was flushed hot, and she wondered for a minute if Jack was feeling ill. But tossed that idea in the trash as soon as he momentarily closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then proceeded to pick up his pencil and turn to his work.

“You just… gestured to all of me,” she said slowly. But it was too late. He was already tuning her out. Rapunzel looked down at herself and wondered, well… if she would ever… could ever catch his attention. But maybe he was offended by her. Disgusted by her?

Oh, hell. She was pathetic, really. But it’s not like she didn’t know that. Her mother had told her that pretty much every week, if not every day. Not that she was with her mother anymore, but, really, it was hard to get rid of such a consuming mentality, and… Pathetic. Disgusting. Really. No wonder she had such difficulty making friends.

She felt tears form in the crevice of her eyes and bit her lip tightly to stop herself from feeling so ridiculous.

“Anyway,” he said lazily as he scooted his chair closer to hers, “let’s get back to work.”

Then he looked up.

“Oh, fuck,” he blurted, blood draining from his face. “Are you crying? You’re crying. Why are you crying?”

She was crying. A little, anyway. She shouldn’t have been crying though. Rapunzel shook her head. “No, it’s nothing. Um—allergies?”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “Allergies? What the? Cut the bullshit. Did I say something?”

She shook her head. “No–”

“I did. I had to have. You wouldn’t be crying for no reason.” His face softened, his elbow leaning forward on the table.  “Rapunzel? Come on, talk to me.”

She sniffed. “Um. It’s really stupid.”

“Okay, I can do stupid,” he joked. “Have you not seen my lit grade? I can do beyond stupid.”

She laughed weakly before huffing a breath. “It’s just…  um…”

Jack carefully placed his hand over hers. “Hey, you can trust me, Rapunzel. I hope you know that.”

She nodded slowly. Then blurted, “Do you think I’m pathetic?”

Jack scrunched his face. “Pathetic? Why would I think that? If anything, I’m the pathetic one. I can’t even understand doth the works of Shakespeare–did I doeth that word right?”

She almost grinned. Almost. “Seriously, Jack.”

His expression sobered. “I am being serious. Why would you think that–” Understanding seemed to dawn on his face, as he replayed his earlier words. “Is this about what I said? To stop… being you?”

She bit her lip. “Well, only a little–”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said gently.

She flushed. “I know, I know. I think. I don’t know why it just felt a little… personal. I mean, I know you were joking, but my mom would say things like that…” Rapunzel trailed off when she realized she felt a little too vulnerable for her own comfort, which was not at all comfortable in any sort of way. She had mentioned bits and parts about her mother to Jack before, and he had listened very carefully without any sort of judgment, and she was really grateful for that.  

Jack squinted his eyes at her and opened his mouth as if he wanted to comment or make some kind of remark but then decided against it. He simply squeezed her hand and gave her a tight smile. “This is going to sound silly but… I was going to say you… just you in general, are a really big distraction—”

“I’m a bother,” she muttered.

“No. Because you’re cute, Rapunzel.” Jack flushed and averted his gaze for a split second before forcing himself to meet her in the eyes. “God, has no one ever told you that before? That you seriously turn heads everywhere you go, and I swear to God, the whole soccer team has an unrequited crush on you! It’s a wonder why Flynn hasn’t peed on you yet! Seriously! It makes me mad just thinking about it—”

“You really think I’m cute?” she asked shyly. Was he really saying that? To her?

“I know I wasn’t supposed to say that because it makes things sound confusing, but guys can call girls cute without being attracted to them, okay?” he huffed. She suddenly felt everything inside of her deflate. “So don’t freak out. I know the details of our promise, and I swear, one of these days, Flynn is going to bump his head against something and get an epiphany because how could someone not fall for someone like you? I promised I’d get him to take you out on one date. And I never break a promise.”

“Right,” she murmured. “Flynn.”

Jack didn’t hear her. He nudged at her so that she looked up at him, her big bright yet terribly sullen eyes meeting his. “So don’t worry, okay, Rapunzel? You’re honestly perfect exactly as you are. Don’t let hurtful people from your past tell you otherwise. You’re not pathetic or whatever else your mother said. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend.”

Rapunzel nodded slowly.

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks!” Jack exclaimed dramatically before pulling back and grinning toothily. “Did I use it right? Please tell me I’m getting somewhere with this Shakespeare crap.”

Rapunzel scrunched up her face. “Sort of,” she laughed. “If used in the modern context. But in Shakespearean language, we would use protest to mean a vow–like a promise of some sort. A lady who doth protest too much makes too many promises.”

Jack’s face fell, grumbling, “I doth hateth Shakespeare very mucheth.”

She cocked her head to the side and smiled. 

He cradled his head in one hand and grinned at her. “Thank God. You’re smiling.”

Her cheeks pinked. Seriously. It sucked to be in love with a boy and know absolutely no idea what to do about it.

Absolutely no idea.

—

Really, Jack wanted to punch the living daylights out of Flynn.

How could such a flirt and brute of a guy have someone as perfect and as kind and as beautiful as Rapunzel pine for someone like… like him? Maybe that was going a bit far. Flynn was a nice guy and a great teammate, but Jack fucking hated his guts. If only because Rapunzel was choosing Flynn over him.

Okay. So he was jealous. There. He said it. Thought it. He really shouldn’t have to put a name to his feeling, but there it was.

God. He hated feeling jealous.

Jack grunted roughly as he punted the soccer ball into the net with full force, watching as it rounded the edges and swooshed against the strings. He imagined it to be Flynn’s face. Goal.

Maybe he was going a bit far in his head with Flynn. He was a great guy. And he’d never had negative feelings towards the guy before this whole… thing with Rapunzel. Christ, just the other day, Flynn had asked to borrow a towel, and though Jack had three clean ones in his locker, he had simply pointed the guy in Hiccup’s direction. Love was making him a petty bitch. 

He had been 100% her supporter up until… Well, up until he fell in love with her.

Then any living and breathing being was a rival to him.

He wished he could just tell her he was done with this stupid promise, and he didn’t care if he passed or failed literature (okay, he did a little bit), but please for the love of God, don’t go on the date with Flynn because he’d rather fail that damn class than see her date the guy.

Although it was a bit too late now considering he had gotten Flynn to agree on the date, and it was going on right now, and he was actually really almost passing literature because of her, and he couldn’t take away the one thing he promised her. A date with Flynn. A promise was a promise, and he never broke a promise.

How much he hated himself right now was more than he could comprehend. He was in the worst situation he could have put himself in. 

What would Rapunzel say? “The worst is not, so long as we can say, ‘This is the worst.’” And yet, somehow, he did not believe that was true in the slightest. It really was the worst. 

He needed another ball to kick.

“Dude. What’s gotten up your ass?” he heard a snarky voice behind him say as he slammed another ball into the net. “Looks like you’re trying to kill the ball. What did it ever do to you?”

Jack wiped the sweat off his face with his shirt before turning to face his friend. “Get off my dick.”

Hiccup raised both hands. “Was never on it. Though you should know.”

Jack scowled. “Shut up.”

Hiccup shrugged in response. “I’m a worried best friend. What can I say?” His voice grew somber as he nodded at the ball. “Is this about Flynn and Rapunzel?”

Jack grit his teeth. His best friend knew him too well. “I don’t want to talk about it. Why are you here, Hic?”

“I wanted to get some practice in.”

“You never practice here on Saturdays. You have that special field you do laps at with your dog,” Jack said, wriggling his nose at the thought of Toothless. “What do you want?”

Hiccup’s expression softened as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Just wanted to check up on you, man. The whole thing with Rapunzel has been really getting to you. You seemed down at morning practice earlier. And by down, I mean cranky and angry and kind of ugly.”

“Shut up.” Jack shook his head before letting out an exhausted breath. He wiped his face off with his shirt before collapsing on the ground. Hiccup crouched to his level, offering a bottle of water.

Jack took it graciously and watched as Hiccup sat down next to him, his knees cradling his arms. The boy didn’t say anything, merely let the silence push Jack to get it all off his chest.

“I just hate feeling like this. If I had known… If I had known this would have happened, I never would have agreed to this.” Jack took a swig of the bottle before closing his eyes. “He doesn’t deserve her. And the thing is… I hate thinking that. It’s this vicious demon called Jealousy rearing its ugly head.

‘It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on–”

“Did you just quote Shakespeare on me?” Hiccup snorted. “This is how you know you’ve been sucked into her world.” 

Jack turned to glare at him although Hiccup was only being honest, and he was absolutely right. “Anyway, what I’m trying to get at is… I hate feeling… jealous. Because Flynn is a great guy, and they’re old childhood friends, and I know he’ll treat her well, and it makes her happy, but I…

“I know her, you know? I know her, and I love her. She just… She makes me better. I don’t deserve her, but I know I’d treat her better than any other breathing soul in the goddamn world. Flynn included. And I just hate that I can’t do anything about it because… she’s in love with him.” Jack pulled himself up so that he was sitting side by side with Hiccup. He let out a huff of a breath. “I hate that I hate him. It’s not even Flynn’s fault.”

Hiccup was quiet in response and didn’t try to offer words of condolences, because face it, love sucks, and Jack’s situation sucked, and he wasn’t going to try to pretend it didn’t. What good would that do anyway? So he got up and went to retrieve the ball from the net, nudging it in Jack’s direction until it softly rolled at his feet.

Jack looked up.

“Let’s play.”

—

Rapunzel really did like hanging out with Flynn. He was her childhood friend for God’s sake. Kind of like… like an older brother. And usually when they hung out, there would be lots of laughter and nudging, but there had always been a line drawn between them. And she had never found it in herself to cross that line because the last thing she wanted was to lose Flynn.

And now she realized she didn’t really want to. She was pretty content just being old friends.

Because Flynn really didn’t know her. Not the current her. Just the eight-year-old child with hair too long for her little body and the quite often bullied twelve-year-old pre-teen who he’d have to swoop in to help her save her own day and the fourteen-year old who had to deal with self issues when her mother left. But that was then, and this was now, and he didn’t really know her now. Not really.

But it was Flynn. And she had thought she liked him, even loved him. She had been dreaming of going on an actual date with him in… well… forever.

But she was just so, so wrong. She just wished she had said something instead of being a wimp and chickening out. She should have told Jack.

Not like he was interested. But she shouldn’t have let him set up the date between her and Flynn, and she definitely shouldn’t have agreed to said date.

“I really didn’t think you’d be interested in going on a date with me,” Flynn piped up from the other side of the table. He raised a brow at her. “And I thought it would be a little weird, but… it’s… not too bad.”

“Right,” she found herself saying. She felt so lost in thought, wondering… why in the hell was she on a date with Flynn and not Jack?

“You okay there, Blondie?”

Rapunzel snapped her thoughts back to the date. “Yes. Of course. Why?”

He frowned. “You seem pretty out of it.”

She stabbed at her pasta and plastered a smile on her face. “I’m fine. Couldn’t be better.”

Flynn stared at her for a moment, tilting his head just slightly from side to side as he gauged her. She took a bite of her pasta, hoping to just chew away the awkward silence. Finally, he put his silverware down and leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. “I knew it.”

She swallowed. “Knew what?”

“That this would be hella fucking weird and not right.”

She blinked furiously. “But you just said…”

“Yeah, well… I was lying. A bit. I’m a people pleaser, sue me.” He leaned forward until his elbows were pressed upon the table. “Look, I honestly wasn’t going to go through with this, but Frost said–”

Her eyes widened, her grip on her fork tightening. “What about Jack?”

He rolled his eyes, his words slowing. “Frost said this would make you happy. And you know, Blondie, we’ve been friends for forever. I think there’s a picture of us in a bathtub together, for God’s sake, and I’m pretty sure your hair swallowed up the space of that tub–“

She flushed, “My hair was not that long.”

“Yes,” he countered, “it was. Besides the point. Ever since we started high school, you’ve… I don’t know. Seemed a little… a lot… down. Like really in the dumps, and I’ve been really worried about you, man. Especially with your mother leaving, and… well, we’re about to graduate, and I feel like you being down was also kind of my fault. Because I’ve been your friend for forever, and for some reason, I couldn’t pull you out of it for four fucking years. You know?

“And ever since you’ve started hanging out with Frost, you seem… a lot better. Happier, maybe. But he said this would make you really happy. And I wanted to make you happy. Call it guilt or whatever, I just…” Flynn sighed before tilting his head so that he met her eyes very carefully. “I haven’t been the best friend for the past four years–”

She sniffled. “No, you’re wrong. You’ve been a great friend. You always let me tag along to your soccer practices because I didn’t really know where to go, and you always went out of your way to check up on me during lunch, and if I needed a ride home, you’d give me a ride home–”

“But…” he faltered, “I didn’t really sit with you at lunch. I just said hi and went on my way even though you were sitting alone. I did a lot of stupid, terrible things as your friend. But I care a lot about you. You’re like a little sister to me, and I know that this date isn’t right. It’s like an outing. With my little sister! And Frost said you’d be happy, but you’re not, and I can tell! And I know you’re feeling that weird vibe because ever since I picked you up, you’ve been all quiet and mopey–”

She sniffed. “I wasn’t.”

“–and you’ve been somewhere else all night. And I’m guessing,” he paused as he looked at her. And she really felt it, that phrase–if looks could kill–because she felt it right now, Flynn’s gaze right down to her bones, “it has a little something to do with my friend, Jack Frost.”

Rapunzel’s cheeks tinged pink.

“I knew it.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“It’s written all over your face, Blondie, and believe me, your face is like an open book. Has been since we were kids. You were always bad at lying. That’s why I lied for the both of us. What I can’t believe is that Jack couldn’t even tell you were lying,” he snorted.

“I never lied to him, I just… didn’t know what to tell him,” she said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“We… we made a deal. I’d help him pass lit class, and he’d help me land a date with you because I thought I had a big crush on you. Before I knew it, I… didn’t want to go on a date with you, and I wanted to go on a date with him.” She turned her head, watching her hands fiddle in her lap. “I just didn’t know how to tell him that. So now I’m here. And he’s… well, he’s almost passing literature.”

“Blondie… it breaks my heart to say this because giving you advice to date someone is like encouraging my little sister to get her heart broken, and really–that doesn’t sound at all good for my soul, but,” he stopped dramatically, “you really just need to go out there and get ‘em. The boy’s head over heels for you. I was honestly shocked he asked me to go on a date with you because I swore you guys had a thing. But he just told me to shut up and leave it alone, and now it all kind of makes sense. Frost is head over heels for you, but he doesn’t want to break your promise. Because he wants to make you happy.

“So just talk to him. It’ll work out, I swear. Listen to your big brother.”

Rapunzel really didn’t know what to say. He was right. She did need to talk to Jack and just… she needed to talk to Jack. To clear up the air. And tell him she loved him and not Flynn. Whether he rejected her or not. “I need to talk to Jack,” she said aloud, confirming both Flynn’s own thoughts and hers. “I really… really need to talk to him.”

Flynn stood up and placed a wad of cash on the table.

“Your chariot awaits.”

“Flynn, stop being ridiculous.”

—

After playing ball with Hiccup, Jack’s urge to crush Flynn’s head was a little bit less if not wholly gone. Sort of, anyway. But ultimately, he decided that doing this… thing with Rapunzel wasn’t quite worth the pain he felt, and even if he hadn’t quite passed literature just yet, he really needed the whole thing to end.

Because every time he thought of the two of them together, he felt his chest churn, and it was a terrible feeling. Rapunzel would probably still be around, cheering the team on–ahem–her boyfriend on from the bleachers but… he could manage the rest of the season and force himself to see their relationship from the field as Flynn’s teammate. But just as that.

He couldn’t do the whole tutor slash friendly relationship thing anymore.

It just hurt too much.

Which was how he found himself sitting on Rapunzel’s relatives’ doorstep. He hoped her uncle wouldn’t come out and drive him away because that would end in an embarrassing disaster. 

“Jack?”

Jack glanced up at the sound of his name and saw her squinting at him from afar, her body making a silhouette in the driveway. He could see Flynn in the car, the engine humming as it waited. Rapunzel turned to him briefly before the boy gave her two thumbs up and drove away. What an odd way to tell your girlfriend goodbye.

“Hey,” he managed to get out as he stood up. He shoved his hands into his pockets, and he just really wanted to get all of it off his chest and then get the fuck out of there. “Look, I–”

“Have you been here the whole time?” she asked softly, interrupting his thoughts as she neared him. God, fuck. She looked… so fucking beautiful. He really, really saw her, more than anyone could ever see her. And he wished, hoped, that Flynn would too.

“Um–Well, I was playing soccer with Hiccup earlier, but after that…” he trailed off before shaking his head. “Yeah. Sorry. I’ve been here since then. Anyway–”

“I’ve been looking for you,” she said with a strange look in her eyes. “I checked the field you always play at and then your house, and…”

“Well, I was here,” he said nervously. He needed her to stop interrupting him so that he could dive into his little speech. Then he ran her words through his head one more time. He looked up, his face scrunching in confusion. “You were looking for me?”

“Um…” she looked incredibly nervous, and he wondered if she had the same news that he did. That now that she had had her date with Flynn, and now that it was successful–that that was it. Game over. Goodbye. Great. “Yeah. I wanted to talk about something.”

“Me too.”

Rapunzel bit her lip. “You first.”

“About our promise,” he blurted, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. Goddammit, he had reached the end, and there was nowhere else to even shove them. He licked his lip and took in a deep breath before continuing on, “About… about the deal. I… I think it’d be better now that… you’ve had your date with Flynn, that we should… that we should stop being friends.”

He heard her suck in a breath, and he rushed to continue before she said anything that might pierce through his heart, “I just… think it’d be for the best. You don’t even have to continue tutoring me, and I know you said you hate breaking promises so… I um… release you from the promise.  You got your date. And… I got… I got to do something that made you happy. So that’s good enough for me. So. Yeah. There’s that. Let’s just… It’d be easier if we just didn’t really talk to each other anymore–”

She sniffed.

Oh. Fuck.

She was crying. Jack swore under his breath. Why was he always making her cry? Okay, to be fair, she was a little sensitive, but not in a bad way, and he liked that sensitive side about her. Hell, it was something he had always quite lacked and didn’t want to lack.

“Sorry,” she sniffed. “I hate it when I cry. It’s just… It just happens without warning sometimes, and I don’t really mean to, but… um…” her voice took a pitch, “you… don’t want to be friends anymore?”

So he wasn’t quite expecting that response. He hurried to say something, “I mean–I do, but… I don’t think I can–”

“Of course you can–”

“No, I really can’t, which is why it’s only fair now that I’ve held up my end of the bargain–“

“But you’re not even passing lit yet–”

He fumbled for words and without meaning to, found himself standing right in front of her so that he was gently cradling her shoulders. “Yeah, but it’s okay. I’ll be fine. Promise released, remember? It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. You don’t need me–I’m just jokester Jack, remember? It’d be the best–“

“Best for who?” she asked in a shaky voice as she took a step back. “For me or for you? Because you didn’t even ask me how I felt about this. I want to be friends with you, and this doesn’t benefit anyone, and it’s not best for anyone–”

“It’s best for me!” he said loudly, almost cringing at the anger releasing in his voice. And before he could stop, all these thoughts and feelings that he had felt when he was playing soccer by himself began to tumble out of his mouth. “Why are you making this so fucking hard for me? Look, it really hurts, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? That I’m head over heels for you and have no fucking clue what to do about it because you’re in love with someone else?

“I didn’t want to say anything because I don’t want you to have to think about that poor sod who’s going through the biggest, stupidest heartbreak of his life, and I really…” he let out a long, deep exhale, “I really can’t… I can’t be friends with you. I’m just not good at being friends with someone that I want to be more than friends with. I can’t do it, and I want to, but I really don’t know how.

“Look, I got you your date with Flynn, and now that you’re happily a couple, I just don’t want to be around all that… happiness, and it’ll be okay because I’ll find a way to pass literature without you, so just don’t worry about the damn promise–“

And then a miracle happened. He thinks. 

Because Rapunzel kissed him. Wait, no, she was still kissing him. And it felt really, really fucking good, and he started kissing her back because her lips were so soft–but then he thought of Flynn and then of Flynn and Rapunzel, and–

“Rapunzel, stop–”

She shook her head before cradling his face between her two palms. She was crying. Sort of. But she was also smiling softly as she cocked her head to the side, biting her lip. God, she was cute. “Flynn and I aren’t dating.”

“Well, maybe not yet–“

“No, never. We’re not dating. We’re never going to date. And it’s never going to be a thing, ever, because… because… I’m a little bit more than head over heels for you.”

“You… what?” He was at a loss for words.

“I’ve been head over heels for you for months,” she continued, pursing her lips, and puffing her cheeks, “but I lost the courage to tell you, and I didn’t know how to tell you that I didn’t want to go on a date with Flynn anymore, I just… wanted to go on a date with you. Before I knew it, you had already set up a date for me with Flynn, and I didn’t know how to tell you otherwise because I’m a pathetic coward, and I was just… scared of rejection, and I… I’m sorry. For not telling you sooner.”

Jack merely blinked at her before sinking to the ground so that the two were crouching against their heels on the concrete pavement. He narrowed his eyes. Did he hear her right? “Come again? I need to hear it again.”

“Jack–” she sighed.

“I’m stupid, remember? You’re tutoring a stupid boy.”

She shook her head at him but flushed pink and smiled tenderly. “You are not stupid, and… I love you,” she said softly.

“And Flynn and you are not dating,” he repeated.

“No. In fact, we established that it was weird because we were practically siblings, and that if you ever broke my heart, he’d bust your balls,” she smiled. 

“Meaning, I secured you a date with Flynn for no reason except to make me feel like I ripped my own heart out.”

“Something like that.”

“And I came over here and made that speech for practically no reason. And made a complete fool out of myself.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’ve made a complete fool out of myself for months,” she offered.

He tilted his head side to side, as if to carefully think it over, before finally grinning. “Sure. I’ll take it.” He paused before continuing, “So just to be extra clear–“

“Jack, what was already not clear?”

“–you love me.” He watched her nod between her knees. “And I love you. And that makes us–“

“A couple.”

“Two stupid fools in love, but, yes, also a couple. Great,” he grinned satisfactorily as he leaned back on his heels. “When do we start?”

Rapunzel laughed and shoved him so that he fell to the pavement. “Jack.”

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, dusting himself off. Then he sat down on the doorsteps and tugged her hand so that she was just slightly toppling over him. His hands snaked around her, one bringing her neck closer so that her lips were just barely touching his. “I’ve been waiting to do this for way too fucking long, so I guess we can start now. ‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’”

“Stop quoting Shakespeare, and kiss me.”

“'Tempt not a desperate man.’”

“Jack.”

-

She was scared at first--of their team, life, the world. 

It was obvious in her body language, in her eyes and her careful speech. She flinched with touch and stammered when forced to talk to others and the only person she responded well to was Jack. She followed him around like a lost puppy dog, unsure of where to go or how to go about it. But he treated her kindly and carefully, teaching her how to live a life she had never really known much about before. 

She soon began to warm up to both Merida and Hiccup as well. Not before long, she managed to convince the whole team that art theft for greed was wrong, that theft, in general, was wrong. Art, in its purest form, was something created out of passion and heart, and it hurt her to see their lack of appreciation for it. And that if they were going to steal art, it should be for the greater good.

“You aren’t seriously going to listen to her,” Merida had complained. “She’s a confused little soul who doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Of course she’d prefer to choose art over money--she’s an artist!”

“I mean, she is right--theft is wrong. Re-stealing wouldn’t be quite as wrong,” Hiccup suggested.

“Yeah, like a heist team really cares about legal issues,” Merida hissed. “For God’s sake--we almost kidnapped a girl!”

“Well, we technically did,” Hiccup began, shrugging.

“We didn’t,” Jack cut him off. “Rapunzel came willingly, and the job with Gothel was dropped almost immediately. We’re going to go with her plan, okay? End of story.”

“You can’t be serious. Why? Don’t tell me you’re letting your emotions get the better of you--”

“Because,” Jack said, his voice soft, his eyes sharp, “because she’s part of our team now. And if this is what gives her purpose, if this is what makes her feel at home, then I want to do it.”

No one questioned Jack after that. 

Eventually, they reformed the Black Cat to only take on clients who asked them to re-steal art--usually for heirloom and family purposes--and replace it with a fake. They still earned money, but rather than sell the artworks in the black market, they would return lost goods to their rightful owner. Jack had always been the main executor, Merida had always been the planner, and Hiccup, the tech guy. But now Rapunzel had a place too, using her talents to differentiate fakes between masterpieces and create perfect replicas.

“I told you I would find you the perfect home,” he had said gently to her one day.

She had flushed, a small smile traipsing her lips. “Thanks for listening to me, Jack.”

“Of course. Isn’t that what I’m here for?”

But that didn’t mean she didn’t still feel lost. Because she did.

He lost her one time, the first time. It was right before their first real case, the most important one they had ever had in a while, and they needed her to talk to the family and speculate the details of the painting to case how the heist could be planned. But when they were about to leave, she had been nowhere to be found.

He had to call the family to postpone their meeting and spent the entire day searching for her. She had left without a message, without even a warning, and now her phone was off or without signal, and he couldn’t, for the life of him, get into contact with her. He was furious--but moreover, he was scared she would run off and kill herself, and he couldn’t bear it if she killed herself.

He found her later that night wandering a park. She wasn’t doing much at all, just walking--the light color of her skin and her clothes almost making her seem like a ghost in the woods, and he hated that. He had hurried over and engulfed her in a hug, his body trembling, his heart pounding. 

“Are you okay?” was the first thing he asked. 

She nodded, but before she could get anything out, he was quick to cut in.

“Why--why would you think it’s okay to leave like that?” he asked angrily, his hands clenching around her shoulders as he pulled back to meet her gaze. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? I was scared to death, Rapunzel. How could you just disappear like that? You were gone all day too, I thought...”

She looked shocked. Her eyes were wide, her body stiff. He didn’t think she’d ever seen him react so angrily or seen anyone react to her disappearance with such worry before. She lifted her hand until her fingers grazed his cheeks, and she could feel how much he was trembling under her touch. 

She narrowed her eyes in confusion, “You were scared?”

“Yes!” he snapped. “You can’t just disappear for almost a whole day without saying anything. I was scared--I was scared you...” he trailed off, his voice hitching. 

He didn’t need to finish. She knew what he meant.

“We’re a family, Rapunzel. You can’t just go off without telling anyone. You made everyone worry.” He lifted his head. “What’s going on? If you need to talk, talk to me. I’m here for you. You know that.”

Her throat was dry, but she managed to croak, “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m sorry that I did something irresponsible, but...” she pulled her arms in, cradling her body, “I don’t know. I felt confused. I thought... It felt weird. Last night, when you all were... talking about the future. It looked so bright. It felt like I didn’t belong, and I freaked out last night when I went to bed. I...”

When she looked up, his eyes had softened, but she could tell he was still angry. She could tell in the way his lips tightened, in his firm grip.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He immediately pulled her into a hug, burying his head in the crook of her neck, his hand cradling the back of her head. She couldn’t help but think how strange it was to have someone put so much heart and emotion into simply worrying about her. It was something she was still getting adjusted to. 

“You belong, okay? We’re family now. All of us. This is your home now. You’re always going to belong. You’ll always have a place here. I will always make sure of that. Please don’t... don’t do it again.”

Her arms tenderly reached up around him. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“Don’t scare me like that. I thought you...” his voice trailed off, croaking, fists clenching. “You have a home, Rapunzel. And if you get lost, I will find you. Okay? I will always find you.”

--

When the fire alarm went off in the art museum, Rapunzel felt a cool shiver run down her spine, her eyes shifting through the crowd in search of his familiar hair and piercing eyes. With none in sight, she felt her body shrink. “Stay close behind me,” he had told her not only moments ago. And yet, she found herself lost without him. After joining the Black Cat, she had never really felt comfortable anywhere but by his side. So when he wasn’t there...

She shook her head.

She didn’t want to think about it and instead, forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down--like he had always told her. She already knew he’d probably be angry--ever since that one time she had disappeared on him, he was careful to make sure the two were never often separated.

“Jack?” she called out as she pushed herself against the gradient of people trying to leave. She felt a small sprinkle of water from above, making her journey to find him even more difficult. “Jack!”

“Ma’am, you must take the nearest exit. There’s no time to lose,” a security guard said when he saw her, his arm guiding her to the exit door, forcing her to turn in the opposite direction of where she was going.

“No--he’s still in there. I have to find him--”

“I’m sorry, but you have to follow protocol.”

And though she protested, she still found herself outside amongst a crowd of angry and scared civilians. Her eyes watched as people continued to spill outside of various exit doors before she closed her eyes and turned around. None of them mattered if none of them were him.

She was about to turn and push through the crowd when she felt a large hand slide around hers, pulling her with a slightly aggravated force and spinning her around until she met a pair of angry blue eyes. Her mind went blank as her thoughts began to wrap around the feeling of her hand in his, so warm and comfortable.

“Rapunzel, I told you to stay close behind,” he hissed angrily. The way his body shook, his shoulders heaving, his breathing shallow--it was obvious that he had been searching for her and searching hard.

Her eyes went wide, her body shrinking. “Jack,” she whispered. “How did you find me?”

His voice was curt. “What do you mean? I always find you.”

“I’m sorry.”

He heaved a large exhale, and she watched as his features visibly softened, his muscles slowly releasing from their tight grip. His eyes grew tender. “I was worried. Don’t disappear on me.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry,” she murmured.

He pressed his head against her shoulder, his grip on her hand tightening, an incoherent noise escaping his lips. “Just be careful next time. You’re lucky we were just casing the building and not actually going through with anything.”

“I’m sorry,” she offered again.

He lifted his head and gave her a small grin, his other hand brushing back her hair. “Stop saying sorry. Come on, let’s go.”

His hand tightened around hers as he pulled her through the crowd. She flushed and, for some reason, couldn’t keep her eyes off of the way his hand wrapped around hers, the way it enveloped and swallowed it whole.

“Jack, you don’t have to hold my hand anymore. I can follow you back to the van just fine. You can let go,” she found herself finally saying as they weaved through all sorts of people. “I won’t disappear.”

“And lose you again?” He turned and laughed. “Not a chance.”

“But--”

His grip tightened. “Let’s go.”

--

It became a habit after that. Typically, his first instinct would be to lock her hand within his in a large crowd without a word, and she pinned it to his fear of losing her. When they had an art heist to see to, his grip would tighten and only leave when he needed to use his fingers or palms.

If he ever forgot, he wouldn’t forget long. If she ever lost him in a crowd, she found his arms reaching through people to make sure she was always a step or two behind.

“You know,” she began one time, “I can make do without your guidance.”

He looked at her with a lifted brow. “I don’t think so.”

“You can trust me,” she said softly. “I’m not going to lose you.”

His gaze was steady on hers, his voice low. “I’m not afraid you’re going to lose me.”

He didn’t say anything more, but she knew what he wanted to say, the words silently hanging between them like a thin thread. I’m afraid I’m going to lose you. He turned away, and she didn’t mention it again. Instead, she allowed her tiny hands to be engulfed in his warmth as they pushed through the crowd.

His hand was like her glue--to this world, to their world, to life. Without it, she wasn’t sure where she would go, where she would belong, or even how to find her way back. She often wondered what something that meant so much to her meant to him though she lost nerve every time she tried to gather courage to ask.

But it had to mean something. Something big enough to compel him to lock his hands with hers even without a crowd to lose her in.

“Jack,” she forced herself to bring up one day. She didn’t know where they were going that day. He wouldn’t tell her, and when she had tried to pry it out of Merida and Hiccup, they, too, kept their mouths shut. It wasn’t a case, so she didn’t understand why they were weaving themselves through empty streets in the middle of the night. His fingers were carefully and tightly wrapped around hers, and she stared at it wondering why. Why, because, well, there was nowhere she could go to lose herself. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said, laughing.

Her eyes didn’t tear away from their interlocked fingers until she felt it in her to finally work up the courage to just get it out and over with. “You don’t have to hold my hand. There’s no one around us except for Merida and Hiccup. There’s nowhere for me to get lost.”

He turned and looked at her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking though. His eyes glazed over hers coolly, but the smirk on his lips told her he was well amused with her comment. “I know,” he said before turning his head back in front of him.

“You’re not going to let go?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

She didn’t see. But she figured that even if she prodded more, she wouldn’t get an answer, so she stopped asking.

Finally around fifteen minutes later, they entered upon what she could only narrow down to a clearing. Down the path was a cove and a shore crashing against gritty sand and grey stones. Along the cove were a variety of people she recognized holding floating lanterns, bright yellow against the night sky and warm along the cool beach. It was oddly familiar and comforting to step on the sand, and as she met the smiles of the few people there, she felt confusion settle in her stomach. They were all people she had met through Jack and the Black Cat throughout the year, people who had helped in cases and checked up on them when they were sick and down in the dumps.

“Where are we?”

He only smiled and shook his head, pulling her along.

She turned to Merida and Hiccup with wide eyes before tugging on his hand so that he would acknowledge her. “Why is everyone here? It’s not my birthday or anything--”

Jack stopped in the middle of the clearing before turning around to face her. He gave her a soft grin and still, he never let go of her hand. “No, it’s not your birthday. It’s... something even more important. Remember that conversation we had a year ago? In your apartment on the floor?”

Her mind rewound time, through days with the Black Cat and the people she had met along the way, through days with Jack and days of being... well anything more than before. She rewound herself exactly one year ago--to the day she had planned to commit suicide. She closed her eyes and found herself nodding slowly. “Yeah. How could I forget?”

“You told me there were a lot of things you wanted to do in life. When you weren’t lost and confused... and... planning to die,” he said softly. “But you told me, at the time, that none of it mattered anymore. Because you thought there was a better life for you after death.”

She nodded, sniffling. She could feel hot tears run down her cheeks, and she hadn’t even meant to cry. Not this hard. Not in front of everyone. Sure, she knew everyone--and they all knew her and vaguely of the day Jack found her. But she had never felt so vulnerable before. And she wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

“You told me you wanted to see the floating lanterns, so that one day, you could paint them and tell yourself you found happiness,” he whispered as he took a step closer. “You told me... that you wanted to find a home. A family.”

She nodded again. She couldn’t find the words to speak.

He grinned. “We’re here because... it’s been one year since you’ve joined ours. It’s been one year since you’ve stepped into all of our lives, and we couldn’t be happier to have you. And... we all wanted to know... if you found what you were looking for? If you’re okay... to call us family...”

She cried, nodding. She didn’t have any words to say, and she didn’t know how to get anything out, but she couldn’t help but keep crying. She was sure she looked terrible with hot tears down her cheeks and a bubble in her dry throat--but maybe not so much as the first day he had found her. He laughed softly at her tears and pulled her into his arms, carefully weaving his fingers through her hair.

She could hear the entire gang laugh with him at her inability to find the right words. But it was a kind laugh. A good laugh. A familiar laugh. She wondered if afterlife would have been this happy had she died that one fateful day.

Someone walked up towards them, and she forced herself to glance up from Jack’s shoulder. It was Astrid, offering the two of them lanterns.

“Rapunzel, do you want to do the honor of flying the first lantern on your 1-year anniversary?” Astrid grinned as she handed her one before winking at Jack. “This one is special. He got it crafted just for you.”

“Special is not the right word. It’s just custom with that... that sun I noticed you paint everywhere. And it won’t go far, so that you can take it home later...” He flushed when she turned to look at him. She smiled and squeezed his hand. His features softened. “You know I’d do anything for you.”

She did know. And she’d do anything for him in return.

She took the lantern in her hand. A warm feeling enveloped in her chest, and she couldn’t help but feel fuzzy and complete. For once in her life... she felt like she belonged, like she had found her place. She had found home in the most unexpected hands. Of all places to end up in life, she had never expected to be a permanent marker in the heist society. Life was a little weird like that. 

But it was good like that.

With their help, she lit the lantern.

And she lifted it up into the sky.

Soon after, her friends followed suit, and slowly, she watched the sky light a gradient of blues and pinks. 

“Where’s yours?” she asked Jack when she found him empty-handed, watching patiently on the sand, his toes buried in their grits. She sat down next to him and lay her head on his shoulder. She felt his arm wrap itself around her before pressing a warm kiss against her forehead.

He smiled but didn’t answer. He watched as the lanterns lit up the night sky--a masterpiece on its own, one the Black Cat could never re-steal even if they tried. But it was a memory they’d lock away forever. 

It was a memory he’d lock away forever.

He turned to her, “I’m always scared, you know. That you’re going to disappear on me one day. That you’re going to come to the conclusion that... you don’t have a place where you belong. That one time I found you wandering in the park in the middle of the night... You really freaked me out, Rapunzel,” he said softly. “I didn’t know what I would do... if I had lost you.”

She reached out to grab his empty hand, her fingers interlocking with his. “I’m not going anywhere. You know that, right? You’re my family.”

He grinned toothily, his head cocking to the side. “I know that. That doesn’t mean I don’t worry.”

Rapunzel pressed her forehead into his shoulder, smiling. “Is that why you always interlock your fingers with mine? Because you’re afraid you’re going to lose me?”

He stared at her, his eyes coolly watching hers, gauging her carefully. She felt herself flush under his scrutiny. He merely smiled to himself, shaking his head. He lifted their hands, pressing a warm and sloppy kiss against her knuckles. Then with a lopsided grin, “Your hand goes in mine so that I can validate you’re here with me. That night I offered you a home with us, I told you I didn’t need anything in return. Just making sure you had a place to go to was enough. But that’s not true--not now.”

She watched as his eyes shifted from their hands, to the lanterns, and then back on her.

“I offered you a family, thinking I wouldn’t want anything or need anything from you. I didn’t think, at the time, that I would need you more than you need us.”

“That’s not true, Jack,” she said softly.

“For me, it is,” he said slowly. “The day I can’t find your hand in a crowd will be the day I lose a part of my life. You found a home in the Black Cat. But you are not the only one who gained something. We all got you in return, and we’re so lucky to have you. I’m so lucky to have you. I went to that apartment to steal a masterpiece. I came back with a very lost girl. And in turn, found out how lost I really was.”

He leaned forward until their foreheads met, grinning. She had a feeling she was crying again by the way she was sniffling. He only laughed.

“I love you. You know that, right? And sometimes... I just need to make sure that you’re here, with me. Presently, physically here.”

She pressed her empty hand against his cheek. “I’m right here. I’m always going to be right here.”

He laughs softly. “I know. And whether or not you are, I’m always, always going to find you.”

“Yeah?”

Rapunzel didn’t think she could count on both hands the number of times she had blushed within that simple hour. It probably surpassed the count of her fingers, and now she was tallying on one more, as if all she could do around this strange boy was blush. She hated herself for giving her emotions away so easily. She didn’t know what to say to that, so she didn’t say anything, only leaned forward, pulling her knees up to her chin.

Then, “So, what are you famous for?”

He shook his head and gave a small smile. “Let’s just pretend I’m not famous.”

“But you are,” she pointed out.

“But with you, I’m not,” he clarified. “Because you don’t know what I’m famous for, it’ll be easy for you to pretend that I’m not famous at all. I like not… not being famous if even just for a split second.”

She narrowed her eyes. “But I’ll know you are. Just because you’re hiding the details doesn’t mean I won’t know that you’re famous.”

He pulled a knee up, his arm encircling around it, his fingers drumming against his jeans. “But if I could choose… for this one second, not to be famous, then I think I’d choose it.”

“You don’t like being a celebrity?” she asked curiously.

“I like… acting,” he said, collecting his words carefully before proceeding further. “I love acting. It’s why I’m an actor. I don’t think I’d ever want to have a different career.”

“But?”

He looked up, turned to the side, meeting her eyes. “But I don’t like being famous. I don’t like… this fake pedestal. It’s nice when you start out—that fame and fortune and status. It’s thrilling, even. But after a certain point, you… Well, I don’t know. Maybe I’m spilling too much.”

“That’s okay,” she edged carefully, her voice soft. “You can keep talking about it if you want.”

He shook his head. Then smiled. “Let’s start over. From the beginning. Without me dragging you anywhere. Without fame and fortune and misconceiving ideas.”

“Start over? I don’t want to start over. I like learning about you—fame and fortune included. Isn’t that who you are? Taking it away would exclude a part of you. How could I talk to you knowing that?” She leaned back, closing her eyes. “Famous or not, it’s who you are. Don’t take that away about yourself.” Then she opened an eye. “But really, I’m getting curious. What are you famous for?”

“I can’t believe…” he laughed to himself, shaking his head again before rubbing both hands through his hair. “I can’t believe you’ve never heard of me.”

“Oh,” she sniffed. She wasn’t sure how to take that. “Is that arrogance, or are you just looking down on me?”

His eyes widened before he burst into another fit of laughter.

“What?”

“No—it’s just… Okay. You know that one kid’s show with all the fairy tale creatures that like to sing and dance? The one with Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy?” She shook her head, confusion written all over her face. “The one where—the one where news broke out because the Easter Bunny and the Winter Spirit got into a huge fist fight—”

“The Guardians!” Rapunzel squealed, her face lighting up. “I know what you’re talking about! My little cousin loved watching that show up until the point…”

“Until the point that two of the stars got the pap on them for getting at each other?” Jack asked, peeling his lips back into a grin before a nervous laugh escaped. “Yeah, wasn’t that something.”

Rapunzel laughed with him, nudging him in the shoulder, a sly grin tinkering on her lips. “Don’t tell me that’s what you’re famous for? A children’s show mishap?”

“Well, that, and I… well, it was the sudden transformation from that show to a more, uh, popular movie. I guess. You know—ex-children-show-star who went huge so quickly, the news barely got wind of it. That’s what I’m famous for.”

She grinned. “For being a children’s star to an A-List star?”

“Not A-List,” he fumbled, but she quickly cut him off.

“Either way, you’re doing what you love, right? Doesn’t matter how it happened or where you stand,” she said cheerily. “Just being able to do what you love—that’s as good as anything, right? You should be proud of your achievements. Not everyone achieves their dreams. But to be able to go so far—whether a children’s star, an A-Lister, a whatever-Lister… you still got there. And it can only get better from there if you try. ”

A silence ensued after that; the only sound following was the sound of wind bustling trees and birds singing in the background. She felt slightly embarrassed that she had made such a heartfelt speech, yet there was no visible response. She could feel his gaze on hers but didn’t dare meet his eyes for fear that they would spark up another flush of heat. But something inside of her compelled her to turn around and meet his gaze for just one second.

So she did.

The warmth she was greeted with overwhelmed her. His lips were pulled into the slightest sign of a grin, not fully wide but gradually widening. His eyes were crinkling, looking at her with such a daze that she didn’t know what to make of it. The way they sparkled was something she’d never seen. It was like gazing into sunlit water, sparkling with light and shimmering with appreciation.

“What?” she asked nervously, feeling her cheeks burn. She pressed the hilt of her sweaty palms against her skirt, wiping them clean. “Did I say something weird? You’re looking at me strangely.”

“I was just…” he paused, his voice a little strangled, his cheeks a little flushed. His eyes watched her carefully, glancing over every feature of her face before lingering on her lips. Then he cleared his throat, looking away. “That was really nice of you. Thanks.”

“Oh,” she found herself saying. For some reason, she was almost a little disappointed, like she was expecting something more, something that would explain why everything he did kept sending tingles down her spine. “You’re welcome.”

He leaned back on his elbow until his skin hit the ragged edges of rocks and soft grass. His gaze turned upwards, following the movements of the clouds against blue sky. The silence that fell between them was somewhat nice and calming. Then he opened his mouth, his voice smooth and low. “Tell me—what’s it like? Being a student.”

“Do you want to know about being a student,” she asked, cradling her chin between her knees, “or being… not famous?”

“You mean normal?” he laughed softly, turning his head.

Rapunzel smiled and tilted her head, her eyes steady on her fingers curled around her legs. “I mean, there’s no such thing as normal. Just because I’m not famous doesn’t mean I’m normal. Same goes for you. Normal is… it’s a dumb idea, a societal construct. No one’s normal. So—that being said, do you want to know what life is like as a student… or what life is like not famous?”

He paused, shifting his weight until she could feel his body heat next to hers. When she turned her head, she was surprised to see that he had scooted closer, his head now cradled in his palm, his face right next to hers. He grinned. “I just want to know what life in the shoes of Rapunzel is like. Either is fine as long as it’s you.”

She flushed, almost pulling away and losing the courage to face him. Her voice fell into the back of her throat, a little muffled by her palm as she struggled to hide her embarrassment. But she kept her body still, her eyes trained on his. “It’s not that interesting, you know. Wake up, go to class, hang out with friends. But… it’s nice. College is… nice. It’s fun, despite the stress.”

“Fun, huh,” he murmured into his jeans. He liked listening to her talk. “Can you tell me more?”

“Fun because… because it’s a kind of freedom where you can do whatever you want to do.” Her eyes sparkled. “That transition between a teen to an adult—it’s the only time in your life that you are truly given the ability to explore your options. And… well, I’ve never really had that choice growing up. So being able to figure myself out, figure out what I enjoy and what I want to do in life, figure out the people I want to surround myself with—it’s… nice.”

He smiled, gaze softening as he watched her elaborate as if he had all the time in the world and the only thing he wanted to do was listen to her for as long as he could.

Her cheeks grew hot as she caught sight of his eyes before quickly looking away. “That’s probably not what you meant, huh. Maybe you wanted to talk about college parties and Greek life and dorm living and midnight memories at the library—”

“No,” he said, his voice falling into an easy murmur. “No, what you said was exactly what I wanted to hear. If it’s fun to you, then that’s what I want to hear.”

“W-well,” she stammered, “college parties are probably more fun. I mean, I’m sure everything else is fun although I don’t have much experience in parties or Greek life to really tell you any of that. Sorry, my story isn’t that great for you to live vicariously through me—”

“Rapunzel.” His hand pressed against hers, tightening tenderly around her sweaty fingers, silencing her words. He smiled, his teeth flashing, his mouth opening in a breathless laugh. “I like your story as it is.”

Her mouth pursed into a small, “Oh.” Her body felt warm as his hand squeezed hers. “Enough to vicariously live through?”

“I don’t want to vicariously live through anyone’s story,” he said, lowering his eyelids. Though her eyes concentrated on his, all her mind could focus on was the way his thumb smoothly ran back and forth against the back of her wrist. “I didn’t ask for that reason. I just wanted to hear about the life you’re living, just you as you are. I feel like we’ve talked so much about me that I just wanted to turn the conversation to you. What else do you do at school?”

Her mind felt a little hazy, but she tried to focus on the question and away from his tender touch. His fingers began to fiddle with hers as she opened her mouth, each touch sending a tingle through her nerves. She pulled her gaze away from their twiddling hands, tried to remember what he had even asked.

“I paint and draw a lot. I double major in art and English, so I find myself alone pretty often—in a good way, of course. Just… finding an empty spot outside on campus, painting or reading. That’s… that’s probably how I spend a majority of my time. That, and sleeping.”

He laughed.

It was weird how, now that she was paying attention to all the small things he did, she could hear the throaty timber in the back of his throat and the way his eyes grew warm with each word she said, crinkling the edges of his eyes. And how she couldn’t, for the life of her, get her mind off of the way his hand palmed hers, smoothing over soft skin. And now that she was looking, she could see the stark contrast between pallid white and golden tan.

Rapunzel felt her cheeks burn the longer she thought about it. Someone once told her that when they blushed, they felt it scald their scalp and steam their ears. She had always been an easy blusher, but she had never felt it like that before, never so badly that even the tips of her body could feel the raging heat.

But right now, she could.

Dear God, she could.

He caught her staring at their intertwined hands and widened his eyes. His cheeks tinged pink as he pulled his from hers. “Sorry—I didn’t realize—”

Her fingers curled around his before he could fully retract it. She refused to look at him, but could feel his gaze on her and also, quite literally, the way steam was pouring from out of her ears.

She found herself stammering hot words, a little breathless and small, “Um—that’s… it’s okay. I like… I like the way our hands fit together…”

The air grew heavy, like it was deafening both their ears and burning both their cheeks. She refused to look him in the eye, but if she took a second to glance up, she would see Jack’s eyes lift, brightening as a smile danced across his lips.

Rapunzel chewed on her bottom lip. Embarrassment coursed through her veins and though she didn’t want to retract her hand, she wondered whether or not she should for fear that he could feel her nervous sweat press against his skin. Her mouth began to speak before her mind could really catch up, opening and closing before she had the time to think about what she wanted to say or if she wanted to say anything at all.

“Not—not that you have to hold my hand if you don’t want to hold my hand because well, I might not be in your super star, celebrity status league, and I don’t know if you’d even want to hold my hand—I… what I meant to say… What I meant to say was that it’s… it’s nice, you holding my hand, but if you don’t want to hold my hand, then you can just ignore what I just said and take your hand away—”

He cut her off with a kiss, so miniscule she barely had time to catch wind of it. Her hand tightened around his, her eyes wide as he barely pulled away. She couldn’t help but feel her neck grow hot with the proximity of his face next to hers, couldn’t help but stare at the way his eyes grew dark as his eyelids lowered to gaze at her.

His lips hovered over hers, and she swallowed thickly as their noses touched.

“Can I… Can I keep kissing you?” he asked, his voice musty and anxious, almost like… like he was embarrassed that he was even asking. She couldn’t help but smile. He knitted his eyebrows together, his face flushed dark red. “I didn’t—I didn’t mean to just lean in like that, but you’re…” his voice trailed off into a low murmur, his voice full with humiliation as he forced out his next words, “just really… really cute when you get nervous.”

She wanted to tell him that he was cute too—the way his cheeks burned scarlet, his eyes panicky and earnest, his fingers curled around hers, sweaty just like hers. But she couldn’t find the words stuck in the back of her throat.

Instead, she said, “I’m not… I’m not in your league, you know. I’m not fit to do anything with a celebrity.”

“Who ever said anything about a league?” he laughed. “You’re great as you are. And I would hope that you would see me as just Jack.”

She smiled. “Just Jack, huh?”

He grinned shyly, brushing her hair back with his empty hand. “So, is it okay if I keep kissing you?”

She didn’t say a word, just kissed him in response. She felt the palm of his hand move from her hair to her cheek, cupping along with his eager response, lips warm and soft against her own.

“Hey, isn’t that—that’s him! Jack! Over here!” A pause. Then a hiss. “Get a picture, quick! He’s got his girlfriend with him.”

Jack’s entire body stiffened at the sound. She felt his hand tighten around hers, his spine arching as he quickly pulled away.

“Christ,” he cursed under his breath. He tugged at her hand and pulled her up. “We need to get out of here.”

“Alright,” she stammered out, her eyes widening with the sound of each click and each flash.

“Sorry to have to keep you running, Rapunzel,” Jack grimaced. He narrowed his eyes at the sound of cameras clicking and heaved a sigh. Then he pulled her alongside him as they navigated the streets together, their feet hitting the pavement both roughly and quickly. “Geez. It’s like I can’t go anywhere without them.”

“Sorry—I guess there is that part that you must really hate about being a celebrity,” she huffed out as she tried her best to catch up to his pace.

He laughed. “It does suck, but… But I wouldn’t have met you if I hadn’t been running from the pap. So there’s that.” He turned for a split second and flashed her a grin. “I’m pretty grateful that they forced me to run into you.”

Heat rose in her cheeks, and she didn’t say a single word in response. But she could clearly feel her heart pound to his words and his infectious grin. Rapunzel wished he would stop doing that, stop making her feel tingly and weird and hot and embarrassed. She cleared her throat. “Where are we going now?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he called back. “Anywhere is fine.”

“Are you… going to keep running from them all day?” she called out as they turned the corner of an old brick brownstone building. Her head turned for a split second to peek at the people supposedly following.

“What else can I do?”

“Just—” she was so out of breath. She had no idea how she was keeping up with the conversation. “Just—I don’t know. Be yourself. Do what makes you happy. If they get pictures, then… why does it matter, right? Because it’s you being you. I mean—what do you want to do right now? What is it that you want, Jack?”

Jack stopped abruptly, and she felt herself collide into his warm back. His hand didn’t let go of hers, and she didn’t know how to feel when his fingers tightened around her palm. His eyes scanned her face, and when he spoke, all he said was her name, like a soft whisper of the wind, “You, Rapunzel.”

“Sorry—did I say something wrong?”

He laughed. She didn’t understand why. He tugged at her hand until her body fell closer to his, until she could feel his warm breath against her skin. “What I want—you asked me what I want.”

“And you want…” her voice trailed off as she put two and two together, her name connected at the end of the question. She flushed and pulled back. “You’re insane. You don’t even know me.”

“No, I guess I don’t,” he said softly. “But I want to. You asked me what I want to do right now—I want to take you out on a date. I want to kiss you. I want to get to know you. And if the paparazzi see, then so be it. If you don’t want the paparazzi to see, we can keep running. It doesn’t matter where we go because in the end—in the end, I really just want to keep talking to you.”

Rapunzel didn’t know what to make of his confession. How a famous movie star could possibly end up falling for her within the span of an hour or two was beyond her. He was, for God’s sake, a movie star. She was just some broke college kid who happened to get in the way of him avoiding cameras.

She didn’t deny that she was attracted to him. He was cute, and the amount of times he had made her blush within two hours was beyond ridiculous. He was kind and understanding, witty, and quite frankly, one of few people she’d be willing to set aside an entire afternoon for.

But he was… he was an actor. He was a celebrity, and she didn’t fit in that bubble.

“You’re in over your head,” she whispered. “I’m not going to fit into your lifestyle. This is like… like a magical fairytale. When the clock strikes midnight, it’ll be game over. You’ll be a celebrity, reveling in everything you’re famous for. And I’ll go back to being a dutiful student. That’s how it works. ”

His face looked pained. “You don’t know that. You’re only assuming that. There is no such thing as having a set role. We can push whatever boundaries are thrown at us. At least let us try.”

She let silence fill in the void of space between them, hesitant about the entire thing. He was going to get tired of her. Hell, he didn’t even know her. Either way, it wouldn’t end well. She could just… she could just feel it.

“Do you like me?” he asked. “At least just a little?”

“I mean—yes,” she answered honestly. “And if you were anyone else, I wouldn’t mind—”

He pulled her closer, until their faces were only inches apart. “If I were anyone else? I’m not anyone else. You said it yourself. I’m this—everything, including the fame and the fortune and anything that comes next. If you even have the smallest inkling of attraction, if you like me even just a little bit, please let me take you out on a date as I am. I like being with you. It’s been a really, really long time since I’ve met someone I’ve liked being with as much as I like being with you, and I’m not going to miss my opportunity to ask you out.”

He pressed a kiss against her forehead, and she reveled in his touch.

“One date. And we can figure it out from there.  And if the paparazzi sees us—to hell with it. Like you said, right? All they’re getting is me being me, and currently, I’m in over my head with you. And I’m not a damn bit ashamed of that.”

Rapunzel pursed her lips. She didn’t know what worried her so much. Maybe she was afraid that he’d see how boring she really was and toss her aside in an instant. Maybe one small conversation wasn’t enough to decide if they would be compatible or not. But it was just one date.

And he was right.

She wouldn’t know if she didn’t try.

And Lord—in the span of the hour or so that they’d gotten to know other, she really, really liked him. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what days or weeks or months with him would feel like, but she hoped it was just as good, if not better.

So before she could regret anything, she wrapped her tiny hands around his cheeks and pulled him down for a kiss. He was surprised at first, stilling his entire body at her touch. But then she could feel his eager response, lips warm and soft against her own.

“One date,” she said finally, her voice hot, her cheeks burning. “One date, and I’ll see from there.”

His hand tightened around hers, and she could just hear the grin oozing from his voice. Blue eyes trailed down her face, his lips pulling into a smile so infectious that she couldn’t help but smile herself. “Sure thing.”

“And on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“I want to go to Butter Books on our first date.”

“The bookstore?”

“The very one you made me leave.”

He laughed and lifted a brow. “And if the pap follows us all the way there?”

She grinned cheekily, “We’ll just lock them out all over again. But if they do get a picture of Jack Frost and his girlfriend? At least this time, it’ll be the truth.”