Rattle the stars.

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To be honest, Flik wasn’t even sure if Jim was fully listening, but he didn’t really mind. He was still there for him regardless, and he appreciated that. “Flying scooter, huh? You should let me check it out sometime,” he smiled at the thought. He probably wouldn’t be much help with whatever work needed to be done with it, but he still would wanna try regardless, just like he always did. His eyebrows raised curiously, wondering what it was Jim wanted to ask, and he had to hold back a laugh. He didn’t wanna make him feel bad, but gee, he’d never been asked girl advice by anyone before. In fact, no one really asked him for any sort of advice. He chuckled in return, pausing to think of the best thing he could come up with. “You’re right, it is confusing,” he agreed. “I think it just depends on the girl, honestly. Not everyone wants the same things..” He wanted to help more than that, though, not wanting to leave it so simple. 

An idea popped into his head, and he stopped walking for a second to pick up two rocks that he spotted on the ground near their feet. He handed one of them to Jim. “Here, I’ll give an example — imagine these two rocks are two different girls, alright? So this girl,” he held up the rock he was holding, “She likes big romantic gestures, you know? Chocolates, flowers. She probably watches a lot of romantic comedies and longs for the cliches.” Then he motioned to the rock he handed Jim. “But that girl, she thinks all that’s stupid. She just wants someone who … Understands her like no one else does. She doesn’t want the big gestures, she wants someone she can trust to be by her side. You follow me so far?” He was rambling again, letting out a soft sigh as if thinking of a way to wrap up his ideas. “The point is, there’s not gonna be any rules or blueprints if everyone is different. So I think the best way to figure out how to do it right, is to get to know her first, maybe start as friends so you have the chance to do so,” he shrugged, unsure if this was any help at all. “Who’s the girl, if you don’t mind me asking? If you already know some things about her, maybe I could be better help.”

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“You should. The engine fluctuates, and it frustrates me. I almost had a concussion trying it out.” Jim values the older man’s opinion. As he was an inventor himself, only Flik could truly understand Jim’s own stupid attempts to something. He wasn’t really planning on asking Flik about any love advice, however, Jim didn’t really have many options. The fact that he was an introvert with very little friends, except Morph and Silver’s crew didn’t help him much on the asking advice aspect of his life. If he ever tried to ask Silver about it, he was certain they’d laugh at his face. For Jim, Flik was the best option to ask his mundane questions.

Oh boy, here we go again. Jim widened his eyes when Flik picked up the two rocks and described them as girls with certain preferences. He didn’t really understand where he was getting at, but he nodded in response. “I don’t want to tell you, you can’t keep your mouth shut.” He chuckled, throwing the other rock away. Jim held this one particular rock in his hand. If this was her, he’d keep it close to him, make sure she was truly happy. “She’s something, that I can tell you. I’ll try that, hopefully it gets me somewhere. Break a leg?”” Jim looked at Flik with a big grin on his face. Perhaps opening up to him was a good idea. For the first time, he had buddy who somehow understood him. 

Lost Stars - [redacted] Begin Again Soundtrack

"C’mon, trust me. It'll be worth it." As the two climbed the nearest mountain to see the Chinese New Year fireworks, Jim extended his hand, a warm rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. They had the most dazzling light parade, enough to fill the whole sky with bright lights of all colors. It was a spectacle to be on top—to see the city lights against the man-made temporary stars. He held Rapunzel’s hand as the two stood in awe at the show. Jim had always been a fan of the night sky. The darkness never bothered him, and in the midst of the black canvas, he knew there were different worlds sitting on top of the white, tiny droplets in the sky. The fireworks kept on going, and Jim looked at her, seeing Rapunzel’s face light up. She had the brightest look on her face as her smile went from ear to ear. "So beautiful." He mumbled, looking at her instead. When Rapunzel seemed to have heard him, he immediately turned his head back to the sky. "Yup, beautiful indeed." He repeated, biting his lip as a warm sensation occupied his face. "Sparks. Yes, we could follow them…see where it goes." @punzgothel

"That’s because you talk too much!" Jim was frustrated, pulling the blueprint from the older boy as he nudged his elbow against Flik's side. He kept his eyes fixated on the plan, which Jim thought was a terrific idea. The only problem with Flik was that, though he was a brilliant inventor, he had a bad habit of talking over himself, allowing no one else to understand him in the process. "Give it a name. Just one, and for the love of god, one sentence description works." If Flik had one more useful invention to make, it would be a mask that would prevent him from over talking. "We could try doing this, I think I can steal from Silver’s supplies to get this done." Jim added, analyzing Flik's initial layout. @luckeyflik

"I-uh, what?" Jim stumbled to find words, scratching his head while the heat of his body overwhelmed his face. The boy could feel his cheeks turning red as he tried to respond but couldn't find the right words. He bit his lip, looking back at her innocent-looking eyes that were anticipating an answer from him. Maybe she had a couple of drinks in, or maybe she mistook him for someone else. Either way, this must have been a glitch, an error of some sort that he needed to figure out. "You okay, Gab? Is everything fine?" He chuckled nervously, thoroughly convinced that he might have gotten the signals all wrong. Gabriella was too special a girl for Jim to mess up. They had been talking, creating a solid friendship built on shared interests and interesting conversations. What they had was special, or so he could tell, and he was terrified that they would ruin something that they had so consciously and slowly built through the years. "I don't know where you're getting at right now." @missmontez

Jim wasn’t really able to see Rapunzel during the NYE’s party because he had work to do, though he did inform her that they could meet later on. The two were threading an unknown path, both eager to see each other, yet no one had the guts to point out what was truly happening. Were they dating? Did she like him? He didn’t know. Perhaps this is what people called a "situationship" though he wasn’t really sure. "Hey." He walked up to her, seeing her at the fancy gallery, to check out her paintings. "I’m really sorry for not being able to meet you during the party. I did try to catch up, but I met my friend Gabriella along the way. She was talking to an ex, which was interesting in itself." Jim continued to speak, sharing his excitement about how his day went, until he realized she must not have known who his friends are. The thought of "dating" once again came into his head. Was this how it felt like to slowly invite someone into his private life? "Anyway, uh, how did the party go for you?" He leaned in, curious to hear what she had to say. "Did you have fun? Who did you spend time with? I really need to make it up to you. Do you want to go out after this?" He asked her out, still a bit nervous to finally talk to Rapunzel in the manner he was doing now. 

Gabriella knew that parties could be wild and unpredictable, but she was not even a little bit prepared for Jim to interrupt her conversation with Troy. It made her blush right away and she tried to hide her face in her hands so that neither of them saw it. She felt like she was getting caught doing something messy and she didn’t want to feel like that. Their conversation was getting so deep and Gabriella had a choice to either see if it kept going anywhere or go off with Jim. She really didn’t know what the best choice was. 

At the same time…Troy was still talking to her like what they had was over. So she shouldn’t be trying to make something work that the other person didn’t want, right? She shook her head at Jim’s question, standing up and clearing her throat. “Umm..no. We were just finishing up. Hey, Jim.” She gave him a small smile. “Happy New Year to you too. I’m sorry you got stuck at work…” She gave Troy an apologetic glance before guiding Jim to walk off with her.  “I’m sorry about that….you for sure just saw me running into my ex. I…I don’t know. We were just talking about high school and things like that…Nothing major. And before you ask, I am okay. Do you wanna head into the party? There isn’t as many people there now.”

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"Oh." Jim’s eyes widened, embarrassed that he had interrupted their conversation. "I’m so sorry." He held her arm, biting his lip as he looked at her with apologetic eyes. "I didn’t know, I—, okay, I might have felt the tension." Jim could actually tell that the other guy had a different look on her, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. In fact, even as they walked away, the other boy’s eyes followed them. "Okay." He nodded when she assured him that she was fine. He looked at her, deep in her eyes, as she listened to her speak. Somehow he could tell that ‘okay’ wasn’t exactly the right word to describe her, and yet she chose to leave. Perhaps that was the better choice for now. "No, I’m actually not in the mood to party. Do you want to get some burgers nearby? It’s walking distance, and I promise you it’s good. My treat." He smiled, walking backwards while facing her.

"I wanted to tell this to you before anyone else." Jim exclaimed, biting into the burger while they sat on a bench nearby. "I’m going back to school. Well, technically, I'm not in school, but I’m taking aviation. I want to be a captain someday, and well, there are requirements." He chuckled nervously. Somehow, it felt right that he chose Gabriella to be the first one to know. Jim had been having a terrible time putting his life back together since his fall-out with Alice, but as the new year approached, Silver was finally able to beat some sense into him.  If he were to give in to pain, it would only affect those who he loved the most. "This is why I’m working on New Year’s Eve, trying to save up as much as I can. I wish I was as smart as you, Gabriella. You inspire me to do better, thank you." He placed a quick kiss on her cheek, then messed her hair with his hand. "So how’s the burger? Good right? A great midnight snack indeed."

Eventually, Jim got pulled in by Morph at Sharpay’s NYE party, despite being late for hours. Morph was adamant that he come see the party despite his qualms. At this point, some people were leaving, and most were completely drunk or making out. He walked on eggshells, afraid he might step on another person if he didn’t look. He kept his hands on his pockets, a wandering eye observing the view in front of him. There was much to take in, and Morph was already so drunk that Jim found himself completely alone after a few seconds of idly standing on the corner. Morph got pulled in by the crowd before he even had the chance to see them again. Thus, he found himself sober and alone in a crowd filled with drunken people.

Jim tried to catch a glass of champagne being served by the waiter, and he took it in one swig to quench the thirst from walking around. He didn’t know what to do at this point, so he simply left the scene and went to the exit door, exhaling the fresh midnight air from the outside. He took his cigarette from his pocket and lit the end of the stick with a lighter, until someone called his name and almost made him jerk. "Oh shit." He shook his head, surprised to see the familiar face. It was Alice, his ex-girlfriend. The woman who knew the man he was before he became the man he is now. "Happy New Year, Bright Eyes." He responded, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. “Glad you’re out of work today. You needed that break.”

Jim wasn’t able to attend all the commotion from the NYE party in town. The holidays were always the busiest season for the Benbow Inn which meant he had to work overtime. It was only after midnight that he finally got the approval from his own mother that he could head out. She was grateful to him for staying, but that also meant that he had missed out on a lot of things. Morph still wanted him to come, so he might as well visit the after party and see if he could still catch up.

Jim was wearing only his usual clothes, a brown polo under his black suede jacket. He walked his way towards the party, only to realize that he stuck out like a sore thumb. Jim also won’t be donating a single thing because he has no money for it. With a sigh, he instead walked around the outskirts of the place until he saw Gabriella sitting on the bench with some other guy. Jim smiled, waving at her, and calling out her name. "Hey." He said as he approached her. "I just wish you Happy New Year. I wanted to see you before it happened, but I got stuck with work." Jim sheepishly grinned, scratching his head before realizing that the other guy seemed to mind his presence. "Oh. Am I interrupting something?"

Jim ran through the store looking for some gifts. It was the Christmas season, and though he wasn’t exactly well-off, he often saved enough money doing side gigs just to prepare himself for the holidays. Thus, he figured that instead of going for "hair items" which he assumed Rapunzel had plenty of, he should explore the world of art. Scrolling around the numerous shops in town, he happened to visit New Salem which had a number of unique and intricate items to sell. Jim stumbled upon a cool looking leather brush case that cost him quite a fortune. He had requested Rapunzel's name be delicately stamped on it, as if it were a vintage personalized item.

Truth be told, he was anxious about giving her his gift. Before him was Kit Charming, who he thought would have given her the world if he could. He kept looking at his neatly packed gift as he sat on a bench near the entrance of the art gallery he had invited her to. He waved to make her see him when he saw her approaching, and she now welcomed him with a bright, beaming smile. "Hey." He grinned at her, immediately extending his hand to present to her his gift. "I wrapped it myself, I'm not quite good at it, but there's always a first time for something." Now that he was sober, he wasn't as forward as before. He could feel the heat forming on his cheeks as he looked at her, anticipating a response. "What do you think? I also got tickets to this gallery. Shall we?"

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Anna was surprised to hear from Jim. Even if she felt she had to let everything go in the silence, she couldn’t ignore his call to see her. The time between her confession to know played in her head nearly every night before she feel asleep. The feeling of him pulling her closer, his lips against hers, it was forever burned in her memory. As she got to their place she held her breath for a moment seeing him. Truthfully she as scared to get closer to him. The words she had to stay away from him were echoing in her head in his plea to save his heart. Anna knew this was wrong. All of it was extremely wrong on a million different levels, but she always had to follow her heart one way or another. Hugging herself she made her way towards him. her lips parted but his voice rang out before she could say anything. A soft smile covered her face and she felt her shoulders relax a little as she made home beside him. “Of course I do. It’s our little corner of the world.” She stated with a soft laugh. Which is exactly what it felt like. One place they could just be without the rest of the world around them. As his arm went around her shoulders the rest of her guard crumbled down as she snuggled up into his side. Closing her eyes for a moment as she took in his warmth. As his questions hit her she just feel into him more as if he could shield her away from it all. “I’ve always been a curious person. Looking for a place I felt welcomed in without questions, and it’s all leads to your world, Jim… leads to you.” She stated softly. When he turned to her she looked up at him and just nodded softly. “Is.. is it even something you want from me? I – I you never even said it back, a-and. I know who I am, but I also know what I want.. The easy way of things is just that.. easy. But I’m more then a cookie cutter I think. If I wasn’t ready for this, didn’t want this.. do you think I’d be here right now? What do you want… it won’t be easy for you either, do you think it’ll even be worth it for you?” 

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Jim pursed his lips, placing her head gently on his shoulders as the two looked at the far horizon. He wished he could get an answer from the stars above—a sign that they were about to do what was truly best for them. He could take her away from the castle, strip her of her title, and simply run away from all the responsibility that was of Anna. However, that would leave Elsa alone as the sole heir and the only one keeping things afloat. He sighed, rubbing his hand on her arm. "You know you have me. I’ll take you away from this marriage, Anna." He'd do anything to save her, but he couldn't be a hero in her story. "But I can't offer you what Hans can. I can’t get married, now right now I think… " The moment he stepped away from all of his previous affairs, it led him to a place where the only noose around his neck was alcohol and weed. Jim admittedly was trying to put himself back together, and Anna deserved so much more than a broken vessel who had fire in his eyes but ash on his hands. 

"I was never lucky in love. I mean, look at us, I wish this could have happened sooner." He chuckled slightly, finding humor in the sting on his chest. "All I know is marriage is a difficult thing. The most important decision of your life. You must find someone who you truly trust, someone you know will never leave." It was personal for Jim, who had been abandoned by his father at a young age.  He had come from a broken marriage and knew how important it was to be cautious in such sacrificial events. If all else fails, it leads to a lifetime of resentment and broken hearts. Anna deserves so much more than that. "I could save you, but I'm not sure I could stay." He admitted, his lips pursed. “So tell me, will freedom be enough for you?” 

Rapunzel had never thought about the concept of a legacy, not when she had once been convinced that she was going to live and die up in her tower. There would have been no one to see her art, her life, none of it. Now that she had a life of her own, without her mother controlling her every move, she hadn’t really thought much about it. Maybe Jim was the kind of person who would make her think about these things, the way that she hadn’t before. “What do you want your legacy to be?” she asked, raising a brow. “I haven’t thought much about my new dream, but I hope it has something to do with making a difference with my art. If my pieces can touch people, reach them at their core, that’s the kind of memory I hope people have. I do hope I’m part of your legacy, though, in any capacity,” she told him genuinely. Now that Rapunzel knew Jim, saw him to his core, she couldn’t imagine not knowing him.

“I’m sure she’s already proud of the person you are and the dreams you have. To help her stop working, though, would be wonderful. Helping the people we love is the best thing we can do.” Her thoughts went to Kit for a moment, with how she thought she’d found love, and how she thought he had, too. Rapunzel had thought she was the answer, even if the girl with the glove had always been the question. “Anna doesn’t even know abuot all of this?” she asked, in a bit of genuine shock. If there was anyone she had been sure Jim would have spooken to about this, it was her. “You’rre different than anyone I’ve met,” Rapunzel agreed, and with the courage of the night and the wine, leaned forward to kiss him.

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Rapunzel started talking about her art, and the plans she had for herself. He listened intently, hanging on to every word. "I’ve seen your art, it’s beautiful." Jim happened to notice her delicate fingers, and he held it up, toying with the tool she used to make her magic. He was fascinated by how capable she was of beauty, and yet how fragile her soft skin felt against his calloused hands. Jim was a mechanic of some sort, always tinkering with motors and odd machines. He had burns, bruises, and roughness around his hands, yet hers somehow sat perfectly against his. He hoped she didn’t mind. Maybe the girl didn’t mind; maybe she felt comfort just as much as he did. "I don’t plan on making you a part of my history." He smirked playfully, looking at her face to see her green eyes staring back at him. Jim was playing it safe, being a bit playful with his tone, and yet casually pushing the boundaries that they set upon each other. It felt like a game that made him bite his lips and tighten his chest, anticipating — feeling— the next move. "I’m glad you think that." He responded, placing the bottle back on his lips.

"I don’t think I’m—" Jim was about to argue that he wasn’t that different from the rest. He wasn’t special, or whatsoever. He simply had a heart full of his own dreams. However, the words from his mouth were cut short by her soft lips against his, and the surprise on his face suddenly turned into relief. He allowed her lips to stay, pushing his head a lot closer to match the intensity she gave him. Jim could sense a funny feeling in his stomach as his breathing became ragged. Was this real? Was she truly kissing him? He thought to himself as his hands instinctively held her face closer to him, tasting the sweet liquor in her mouth. She was pretty, and it made him red in the face to even think that he was actually kissing her. "You’re cute." He mumbled momentarily once he released her mouth to breathe. "Fucking cute." He added before leaning in again. He couldn’t help but smile as he shared her kiss. His chest was heavy with excitement and wanting from the huge crush forming in him for the blonde. "You like dark hair, right? Check." He chuckled, placing his forehead against hers.