pascal

Peyton Pascal (Jeremy Shada)

Character Description:

Peyton is fiercely protective over the people he loves. Sometimes to a fault. A lot of this comes from losing his mother when he was young. Because of this he often finds himself slow to trust, but once someone has fallen in his good graces he loves them fiercely and will do anything for them. Peyton’s current goal is to find out more about himself. So much of his focus was spent on surviving and protecting those who needed it, figuring out his goals fell to the wayside.

Headcannons:

*Peyton doesn’t talk much. He prefers listening. But once he gets going it’s incredibly difficult for him to stop and most of the time, his expressions give away his thoughts anyway.

*He loves music, it’s important to him. Whenever he visited Rapunzel he’d request a song and tell her about all the music he had heard around lately. He’d often camouflage and sit below the windows of the people in town who had music playing in their house, just to listen. 

*It took him a while to adjust to the idea of having the power of camouflage. At first he tried not to use it at all. There were times he tried to stand up to various thugs and hunters he ran into, but he’d end up in the dirt. After that he used it more and more. 

*After losing his mother, it’s been difficult to go by Peyton. Growing up she was usually the only one to call him Peyton and he loved the way it sounded when she called for him. Some called him Pip, which he HATED,  but most everyone referred to him by his last name. The name he shared with her.

*Pascal hates that he had to steal to survive and will buy food for anyone he sees begging on the street, no questions asked. In a way he sees it as a redemption from those he stole from, but the guilt still lingers. 

Favorite song? Marjorie by Taylor Swift

Sexuality? Questioning

Pronouns? He/him, questioning 

When Cass walked into the room Pascal realized that he hadn’t talked to her since Ella had moved in. They actually hadn’t seen much of Cass recently- at all. He called out to her from his spot on the living room floor, back leaning against the couch. “Cass! I don’t see you for ONE second and our whole world has changed!” They jump up from the floor and jog over to the kitchen. “Maybe we should do a sparring lesson soon. Get out this bad energy.” Pascal finds himself at a loss of what to say to Cass. It’s been too long since he talked to her, but he second guessed himself before asking if she’s been alright. What if he oversteps? Then she never talks to him and is banned from the apartment, indefinitely. He blinks himself out of his thoughts and smiles warmly at Cass. “Or... we play a game. We take turns asking each other a question. Yes or no answers only.” 

who: @shoulderslug​ where: rapunzel/flynn/cass’ house​

He was the person most people would’ve expected would move in, not Ella but as they sat in the living room drinking tea it was not the case. The last place she’d expected her life to go was farther from Kit’s home. A week ago she never would’ve known it would all come crashing down. She was doing her best to hold together the pieces of her life she had left, her friends being the majority of that. Hopefully she’d be able to find a job quick enough so she wasn’t only taking out of savings and perhaps a more permanent place to stay. Not that she wasn’t enjoying staying here but she didn’t want to overstay her welcome. Pascal had originally come over to see Rapunzel but once she left to go run an errand he stayed back to keep helping Ella look for places to apply. “Do you think I could find a job at a bakery somewhere without any prior bakery experience? Does home cook count as experience?” She let out a soft laugh, still getting used to applying to jobs now that she was out of the Tremaine’s and on her own. 

-

Pascal was really tired of watching the brightest people in his life be brought down like this. “There’s a bright side to all this, if you squint really hard. You’re going to be seeing a lot more of me.” He was thrilled to have an excuse to have her here. They didn’t have the opportunity to see each other as much as he would want them to. “All my favorite people...” Pascal pauses and thinks about Flynn before continuing, “No, all my favorite girls here in one place. That’s convenience.” Pascal leans back and crosses his legs, cradling his tea. “Home cook? We can work with that. I’ve been going to a lot of parties, maybe I can find something.” As the favorite member of the house, Pascal felt it their obligation to welcome the new addition.  “Okay, we’re best friends. Let’s talk shit.” 

“I can’t believe the apartment finally get another roommate and it’s not me, the golden child of the household.” Pascal stops pacing around and sighs dramatically, with a glance at his best friend. “The house has replaced me.” Pascal smiles. “You’re lucky it’s Ella. I can’t be mad at her.” He opens a cupboard and takes out a bag of veggie straws hidden in the back. “When can we have a girl’s night?”

“You still really didn’t have to do that,” she said stubbornly before sighing. It was almost jarring how much this person’s motives were as similiar as her own, but she wasn’t going to outright and say that. She looked pathetic enough right now, she didn’t have to slap the word on her forehead. She could at least give him her name though. “Coraline, and go for it,” she said, giving her best smile back despite her exauhstion. When the drinks did arrive she knew morally she should turn it down, but she was so desperate to escape her head that she took it, sipping at it lightly. “Thank you….I mean, I am going to have to hunt you down now to pay you back, but I’m grateful.”

*

Pascal laughed as he slid onto the seat next to her. “Good luck, I’ve been told that I can be hard to track down.” They look over at their new companion and wink. “Master of disguise and all that.” Pascal turns fully towards Coraline and smiles at her. “So, what brings you to Peyton the Fantastic Listener today? That’s what my grandma calls me at least.” He pauses and quickly gulps half of his drink. “They are on me tonight. Consider it a thank you for the company.” 

"That's why you have me. There's no faking here, not with us." Pascal takes Rapunzel in his arms. He hopes the hug will communicate how he feels about her, he often does when his words come up short. They start to mindlessly play with her hair as they hold her. "Rapunzel, you are... the best person I know." Pascal releases her and looks down at the floor. "Sometimes these shitty awful things happen to people that don't deserve it. You don't deserve it. But watching you handle all of this amazes me. You are so strong, even when you don't have to be." They finally look up and meet their best friend's eyes. "I'm here to help you carry that."

Pascal went on to lecture him again. Flynn was starting to get used to it, but all of the good talk never really penetrated him, simply because he knew he wasn’t good. What was the point of proving his honesty towards them when he couldn’t accept the same honesty towards himself? He never really considered himself a good guy, and though he liked Rapunzel for her kind soul, he knew for a fact that he wasn’t good for her. Perhaps that was the reason she was drawn to Kit. Flynn wasn’t someone noble and rich like that white boy. He was a con artist who liked to steal from the rich out of pure fun. He does things selfishly and has always lived with himself. Everything Pascal said to him, though he treated the other person as a kin, became a blur. “You’re always hard on me, Pascal. I care about Rapunzel. This is just… I’m having a hard time. I really want to change but.. stealing is all I’ve known and now… I don’t know. It feels like I’ve lost myself.” Flynn widened his eyes as the words came out of his mouth. Did he really just open up to him all of a sudden? He couldn’t quite believe it. “You’ve got magic on you, Pascal!” He was so in disbelief that he pointed his fingers at him. “Admit it!” He teased.

Flynn almost complained as Pascal took some drinks, but with his mouth open, he was immediately shushed by his comeback. “Well, wow!” He shrugged his shoulders, no longer in the mood to annoy his newfound partner. “This is neat. How’d you get here?” Flynn asked, but he didn’t even bother to wait for his reply when his feet already paved its way back to the buffet table with a little less guilt at hand.

*

Pascal started to soften as they listened to Flynn. They actually understood where he was coming from- for once. “You aren’t the only one around here with charm, Flynn.” They stopped and bit into a macaroon. “Wow. Maybe these are worth stealing,” he said with a laugh. “Okay, this doesn’t leave this gaudy ballroom or... whatever it is. I don’t need people thinking I’m soft.” Pascal followed him back to the snack table as they continued. “I kind of lost a lot when my mother died. I may have conned a few people to survive. The hosts here think I’m someone of a little higher status. I help them plan events to repay them for how they helped me in the past. I try to give back to those that were there for me back then. I’m not proud of some of the things I had to do.” They grabbed a plate and piled it with a variety of fancy cheese. “What I’m trying to say is, I get it. I know what it’s like to want to stop and not know how. Please don’t think that I’m trying to act better than you, that isn’t what this is.” 

Someone tapped Pascal on the shoulder and they turned to share a quick greeting. Once they left he turned back to Flynn and watched him for a moment. Maybe they could get a long. He never realized how much they had in common before. Pascal has always tried to see the best in people but he never gave Flynn the chance. “I can help you Flynn if you want me to. Just know that if you do anything to hurt Punz, it’s over.”

open starter location: a bar (idc where)

Coraline couldn’t sleep. This wasn’t a shocking revolation really since she hardly ever did, but this time….it felt worse than normal. Her eyes were so heavy she yawned every other minute it felt like to keep her body awake, all while her mind was running free. It had started the other day at a cafe. She was just sitting and trying to enjoy her coffee when she looked up and saw a person with button eyes. She blinked and their eyes were back to normal and then it happened again at her job later in that day. Ever since the first two times, it happpened more and more. Button eyes were following her to the point wher eshe had to think it was real. If this was a dream it was a really shitty one and she was tired of feeling so trapped in her past. 

So she went on a walk. A really late one so that she didn’t have to see anyone but of course that didn’t stop her mind from conjuring up button eyes on the billboards with people on it or any other kind of thing with a face. She was spiraling hard and so she did what she could and entered the first bar that she could. She went straight up to the counter and started digging in her bag, cursing to herself when she realized her wallet was at home. “I….shit sorry, nevermind…” she muttered before just sinking onto the stool and glumly asking for a water. She had noticed she was being looked at and she gave them a sarcastic grin. “Sorry, there’s no grand ending to that interaction. Just a hopeless girl dreaming of whiskey and recieving a water.”

*

Pascal didn’t come to the bar a lot. Or as far as his friends knew, he didn’t come to the bar a lot. Sometimes he just didn’t want to be at home or bugging his friends in their apartment. He wasn’t a burden in the bar. There weren’t many people in here right now, which was just the way he liked it. If only he liked alcohol more than he did. He found himself being pulled out of his thoughts by a voice a couple stools away. Pascal nods in her direction in reply and beckons for the bartender. “A whiskey for her. On the rocks?” he asks, looking to her for confirmation. “And something so unbearably sweet that you’d have no idea it’s ever touched alcohol. Please.” He turns to the girl next to him and gives a soft smile. “I swear I’m buying you this with no ulterior motive. Except, maybe a conversation to get me out of my thought spiral. I’m Peyton.” He gestures to the seat next to her, “May I?”

Bentley nearly forgot about how easily they could fall into their unspoken… thing between them, the more than friendly touches and soft glances. It’s a very fragile thing, how they toe the line between friends and something more, and he’s all too aware of not only the temptations of just finally crossing the line, but also how much he could lose if he were to. “I’ve missed you too,” he admits, letting his hand brush against Pascal’s. A booming laugh in the distance startles him out of his trance, reminding him of where they are and he clears his throat before asking, “You wanna go for a walk then? It’s kinda too loud to hear anything.” 

*

“A walk sounds perfect.” Pascal immediately missed the feeling of Bentley’s hand brushing against his. “Here, I can’t see crap in the dark,” he says as he slowly grabs Bentley’s hand. He’s terrified of crossing a boundary so he gives Bentley plenty of time to pull away. “Do you mind?” They lead them away from the noise and people. Peace and quiet never sounded better than it did right now. “It’s been hard for me to keep up with people lately. I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel like I don’t care or didn’t miss you.” Pascal stays silent for a moment and continues, “I know we’ve hung out. I just- I’ve been in my head a lot.” A sudden embarrassment fills them. There’s no way Bentley wants to hear any of this, it he’s even following. “I’m sorry. Never mind. How have you been?” They slow down when they can hear the ocean instead of the party. “You want to stop and sit?”

Rapunzel shook her head insistently, poking the arm that laid across his face teasingly. “Nuh-uh, never a bad time to come to me about someone you like! Are you kidding me? This, like, doesn’t happen, ever.” She couldn’t even remember the last time that she’d heard about someone Peyton had his eye on, much less one that had come to the surface this quickly. “Excited when you see them … never enough time, you’re most definitely falling for them. Those are the classic signs. Sometimes, though, someone who challenges you that much, makes you ask the hard questions … that’s the kind of person who’s going to make you better. The kind of person you,” she cooed, dragging out the word as she folded back into his arms, “deserve. Besides, I could seriously use the distraction, talking about you and your crush rather than my heartbreak.”

-

“Ugh.” Pascal draped his arm over his face and covers his eyes. “I can’t like anyone. I’m not used to this.” They open their arms again as Rapunzel leans back down, taking her in his arms again. “The problem is, besides everything about this of course, is that I know them well. They’re a friend and that isn’t something I can mess with.” Pascal’s focus has always been on survival and protecting others, feelings weren’t something he had time for. It terrifies him. “Okay fine, I’ll talk about it but only because you’re my best friend.” Pascal rolls his eyes, knowing Rapunzel can’t see it but will hear it in his voice. “You know Bentley? Good friend, person that I can definitely not have a crush on because my remaining family will kill me? Yeah, might be that one.” Pascal sighs. 

“Pascal. Don’t you see? I am trying.” He said as he took a bite of the baguette and started chewing. “Have you no mercy for a recovering man who failed one day?”  Flynn failed far too many times to count. As much as Pascal and he had different viewpoints in life, Flynn had to admit that he was a good influence on Rapunzel. Unlike Cass, who actively shoves him off, Pascal was more like a gentle tug. At the end of the day, they both hated his habits, but he couldn’t care less about it. Rapunzel needed to experience life, and that’s exactly why he is here for. A life without rules is a life filled with adventure, or so he thinks. “Ooh! That butter is good!” His eyes lit up, taking a bread knife to add more butter to his bread when suddenly he got yanked again by the sleeve. Flynn’s eyes looked at the butter longingly as his body moved far away from it.

“Who says I hate it?” He shook his head, confused, before realizing that he had to keep his guilty act before him. “Oh right, yeah. I hate it too.” He nodded, his face turning into a frown. While it’s true that Rapunzel forces him to stop stealing anymore, he can’t resist it. There are just some cons that are worth the thrill, and this one wasn’t even a part of it. “I’m keeping my promise. i said, I will try to stop stealing. This is me.. trying.” He bit his lip, hoping that he’d eventually let him go because the thought of the butter on his head kept bugging him.”I’ll bring back the box of macarons. I promise.”

 *

“Listen, I know I’m hard on you. I’m not trying to talk down to you I just want to make sure you don’t hurt Rapunzel. It’s a little hard to figure you out, Flynn. Hopefully you take that as a compliment, I mean it to be.” Payton shakes his head slightly he continues, trying to figure out how to phrase the next thought. “I’ve seen her get hurt as long as I’ve known her. I’ve seen sides of her that she never wanted to come out. That also means I know how strong she is. How easily she can adapt to the situation. I trust her completely to take care of herself.” He looks down and proceeds carefully- not wanting to reveal too much while showing how serious he was. “The problem is I’ve seen enough people take advantage of the kindness she grants them. The kindness that they end up proving they don’t deserve. I don’t trust you yet Flynn. I won’t until I know for sure you’re not someone to take use up that kindness and leave her empty.”

Pascal reaches out to stop a waiter and takes two drinks, thanking him and shooting Flynn a smirk. “Before you complain, that doesn’t count as stealing.” He stops talking and hands a drink to Flynn. “I’m a guest here and now you are too. My guest.” He holds out his glass for Flynn to tap it “Let’s find a good spot to people watch and we can finish off those macaroons. I’m bored out of my mind with the company here.” Plus, he thinks, the more I know about you the better. “Cheers.”

Rapunzel hadn’t done much since she’d gotten home from seeing Kit at the Duckling. All she really wanted to do was nothing, anyway. It was a tough pill to swallow, knowing that he was finally and very completely gone, out of her life. That was what she’d thought the last time she’d seen him, too, but somehow having a second chance at goodbye was worse. She’d sat in bed and continued to sketch until night fell, only coming out of her room for the dinner that Flynn had brought back for her. Despite not wanting to eat, Cass had practically forced her to.

She hadn’t slept much during the night, either, but had finally fallen asleep at some hour of the morning, only to be awoken by someone climbing into her bed. It couldn’t have been Flynn or Cass, they weren’t ones for hugs in the morning (she’d tried), but when her eyes fluttered open to see Peyton, Rapunzel couldn’t help but put on a tired smile. She slid into the arms held wide open for her, wrapping herself in his embrace. “I love you, too. They’ll understand,” she agreed. She would’ve been perfectly content staying like this, laid beside her best friend, but then he posed a question that made her pop up from her position, eyes wide. “Peyton. You can’t just ask me something like that and not expect me to want more than that. At the very least I need some more context on this person you’re falling for and why you think you might be,” she pointed out excitedly.

*

“I wasn’t sure if I even should bring it up. I know you need support right now.” Peyton lays his arm across his face, covering his eyes. “I think I like someone. I get excited every time I see them and it feels like there’s never enough time.” He finds it hard to keep the smile out of his voice. “But liking them would complicate things. It would make me ask questions about myself that I’m not even sure I want the answers to. At least right now.” Peyton slips his arm off his face and looks at Rapunzel. “It’s a lot of pressure sitting under the surface. But we are getting... close. I think the surface might be cracking.” Pascal spreads his arms out and continues, “We can keep talking about it. As long as you get back here and tell me about you too.”

“There’s a waitress over at the diner who makes sure they make it special for me, says I’m a growing boy who needs to eat more. Feels very Hansel and Gretel to be honest, but I’m not complaining at the moment.” He’s a little bit helpless, eyes drawn in to the mess on the corner of the other’s lips that’s passed over with every swipe. Ben is a goner and he knows as such when his body’s automatic response is to melt at how endearing it is to watch Pascal try and clean up. “You and me huh?” Bentley asks, his heart skipping pathetically at that and he has to take a bite of his burrito before he says something stupid. A soft chuckle slips past his lips, reaching out with his free hand and raising a brow for permission, before cleaning off what Pascal missed. “There, not a spot on this handsome face.”

*

“Handsome,” Pascal mumbles under his breath, caught off by Bentley’s compliment. “You’re too good to me Bent,” he says while resting a hand gently against his. He lets his hand linger there for a moment, to feel the touch of Bentley’s hand on his face. Peyton smiles and lets their hands drop. “I know it hasn’t been long since we hung out last, but I’ve missed you. I’m excited to hang out with you tonight. So, I’m all yours.” They stop for a breath and smile. Why was he so nervous after that? The racing in his chest hasn’t calmed since Bentley wiped his face. “Whatever you want to do.”

He woke up on the couch. It took a moment to remember where he was and how he got here. The last traces of sleep were trying to pull him back down. Pascal stretched his arms and legs out before sitting up on the couch. Of course he went to Punz’s place. How could he not remember. Pascal missed her. Wanted to see if she was okay. They crawled in the house while everyone was asleep, settling in for sleep in the living room to avoid making any noise. It’s easy to sneak in when you can camouflage. Not that he needed to sneak in, it was just more fun that way.

Pascal immediately got up and crept towards Punz’s door. They crack it open and peek their head in, making eye contact with his best friend. Without a word they come into the room and close the door quietly behind them before climbing into bed next to her. Pascal opens his arms when he settles in, giving her the option to slide into them if she wanted. He wanted to give her everything she needs right now. “I love you and I’m sorry. I’m here now for you, as long as you need me to be. The other two can deal.” Pascal stays silent for a moment, staring off into the distance as he decides whether or not he should ask her this. If he can avoid the questions that will come after. Avoid talking more about the one Pascal keeps running from. “Punz, please don’t ask me to elaborate.” A pause. “How... how do you know if you’re uh- if you think you might be falling for someone.”

Bentley just gives a quick jerk of his chin over his shoulder in the general direction the DJ’s at, sighing before shaking his head. “One, we both have pretty faces so it’d be double the attack. And two… nah it’s okay, it’s their loss and I’d rather not get rejected again.” He takes a bite of his burrito before extending it towards Bentley, in a much brighter (and apparently sharing) mood now that he’s run into his friend. “Want some? Also, where are the others?” he asks as he takes in the rest of the bonfire, trying to see if their little squad could be spotted. 

*

“It is their loss, you have fantastic music taste. They could learn from you instead of playing whatever crap this is.” Pascal leans in and takes a bite out of the burrito in front of him, accidentally smearing salsa all over his face. He tries to clean his face with his hand as he continues talking to Bentley. “Wow, where did you get that burrito? No wonder you didn’t want to share it. I’m honored, Mr. Bentley Bong.” Pascal glances around to where he was before, not recognizing anyone over there anymore. “They seemed to have abandoned us. Just you and me against the world now. Which, honestly, sounds kind of perfect.” He continues to wipe at his face before smiling at Bentley and showing them all sides of his face. “Am I salsa free now?” 

[ 𝙾𝙿𝙴𝙽 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁 ]

Burrito in hand, Bentley weaved his way around people, head whipping around every so often to see if he could find someone he knew. He had a dejected look on his face, rare for him and especially since eating always cheered him up. When he was finally questioned on what had him down in the dumps, the reminder only led him to frown even further. “I tried to get them to play Blame It On Your Love but they totally shot me down. I was willing to give them half of my burrito too!”

x

Pascal wandered through the crowd, trying to avoid bumping into as many drunk people as he could. He lit up when he saw Bentley, but dropped his smile when he saw how down they looked. Quickly weaving through the group in between them, Pascal walks up to Bentley and places a hand on his shoulder. “Bentley, we’re surrounded by festivities and you look so down in the dumps. What happened?” The idea of anyone hurting Bentley infuriated him, just the possibility made him want to fight. As Bentley explains Pascal lets out a sigh of relief. “Where is this DJ with poor taste? Let’s go convince them. With your pretty face and my irresistible charm we are an unstoppable duo.” He laughs as he eyes the burrito their friend holds, “You might not even have to share your burrito, well except with me maybe.”

//closed starter @shoulderslug​

A party ain’t a party without free food. Flynn snuck into the banquet of the rich folks and started stuffing some food inside his bag when the image of Pascal suddenly appeared before him. “Oh shit, you startled me.” He placed a hand on his chest as the other took a bite of a loaf that he took from the table. “What? This is a party? I ought to eat?!” He reasoned with him as Pascal gave him a disappointed gaze. He knew that he promised Rapunzel an honest life, but he was hungry, and the food was enticing him. It’s not like he was actually stealing. In Flynn’s defense, there was still plenty of food to go around. “Oh come on, stop looking at me with judging eyes. Here, have some.” Flynn took a set of macaroons from the neatly curated table and gave it to him. “What? You don’t want it? How about this?” He added a baguette as well.

☀

Nothing in this world brought joy to Pascal like watching Flynn struggle under his gaze. Flynn’s charm doesn’t do much for him and he has a feeling that Flynn knows it. They watch him pile up food before responding. “So, are you actually interested in improving as a person or is that only when other people are watching?” He takes the baguette from him and breaks it in half, buttering both and handing half back. “You might as well eat these, they’re going to have to toss them now if you try to return it. It’s not worth wasting food.” 

As one of the banquet guests approaches the table Pascal grabs Flynn’s sleeve and guides him away. “Listen, I know what it’s like to have to steal food, I hated it when I did it and I hate it now. That isn’t what this is about though. We both know these people don’t care how much food they throw away at the end of the night.” Pascal takes another bite of his bread and stares blankly at the party before continuing, “This is about the promise you made to my best friend.”