Chapter Text
Hugo chuckled as he watched his son run around the house excitedly. It was Elio’s first Hallow’s Eve and to say he was excited was an understatement.
“Daddy! Daddy! I’m a bat!” The toddler giggled, flapping the bat wings on the back of his costume. Chuckling, Hugo picked up the boy and spun him around, making him fly. Elio shrieked with delighted laughter as Varian came around the corner.
“Papa, look! I’m flying!” Varian smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I see that. Hugo, don’t drop him.” The alchemist warned, shaking his head fondly. Hugo feigned offense.
“I would never drop our precious boy!” He exclaimed, hugging Elio to his chest tightly.
“Daddy! Too tight!” The 4 year old grunted, wriggling in Hugo’s arms. Hugo loosened his grip and kissed Elio on the cheek.
“Sorry, baby.” The toddler scrunched up his nose at Hugo.
“Daddy, m’a big boy!” Varian snickered at the appalled look on Hugo’s face.
“Noooo! You are forever my little baby boy.” The spectacled man argued. Elio giggled and kissed his daddy’s nose.
“Silly daddy.”
“Silly Elio.” Varian felt his heart melt as he watched his two favorite boys together.
“Are you boys ready to go pick up Cassie and Flynn so we can go to the Hallow’s Eve festival?” Varian asked after a few more moments of endearing smiles. Since Rapunzel was very pregnant with her third child, she didn’t feel up to facing crowds, so Hugo and Varian had offered to take their niece and nephew with them. Elio beamed and nodded, squirming to get out of Hugo’s arms.
“Yeah! Come on Daddy! Come on!” Hugo laughed at his son’s excitement and held his hand so he wouldn’t run off.
“I’m coming, Els. Goodness, you’re going to run circles around me tonight.” He said, shaking his head in wonder at how Elio had seemingly endless energy. Varian laughed,
“Don’t forget about the twins. We’ll have three mini tornadoes of energy to keep up with tonight.” He said as they followed Elio outside. Hugo groaned.
“I’m getting too old for this.”
Laughing, Varian took his hand.
“You are not old. You’re as handsome as the day we met.” Varian rolled his eyes.
“And you are as adorable as when we met.” He teased, flicking his husband lightly on the nose before kissing him. The romantic moment was quickly ruined by Elio making some very loud and exaggerated gagging sounds.
“Eeeewwww! Daddy and Papa no kissing!!” Squealed the toddler covering his eyes. Hugo gasped playfully and snatched him up and started tickling him.
“How dare you interrupt a moment between us!” He cried dramatically over Elio shrieking with laughter.
“Papa help!” Elio screeched, writhing in his dad’s arms. Chuckling, Varian scooped Elio from Hugo’s arms and spun him.
“I’ll keep you safe.” He declared, as Elio caught his breath.
“Thank you, Papa.” He said, hugging Varian tightly, still giggling from Hugo the Tickle Monster’s attack. Hugo smiled fondly and ruffled Elios’ curly hair gently.
“We both will.” He promised, kissing Elio’s nose. Elio beamed, feeling completely safe knowing his dads would always be there for him.
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About 20 minutes later the little family stood at the doorway to the castle waiting for Rapunzel. Elio was wriggling with delight in Hugo’s arms, clearly excited. The doors opened and a very winded looking Rapunzel stood facing them.
“Oh, hello! Are you here to pick up the twins?” She asked, cradling her baby bump.
“We are, but are you okay, Raps?” Varian asked, grabbing her arm and leading her back inside. The queen smiled.
“Perfectly fine, Varian. Just very, very pregnant. This little pumpkin is heavy.” She grunted softly as she settled back into her chair.
“Eugene is getting the kids ready. They’ll be down shortly.” She said, rubbing her stomach as her baby kicked.
“Ah, little pumpkin is active this evening.” She remarked. Elio gasped and ran over excited.
“Auntie, can I please feel the baby?” He asked eagerly. Ever since Rapunzel had announced her pregnancy, Elio had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of his new cousin. Giggling, Rapunzel nodded.
“Of course you may, but be gentle. Feel right here, they’re kicking.” She said, gently taking her nephew’s hand and placing it on her stomach. Elio gasped in wonder as he felt the little kicks against his hand.
“Auntie, when is my cousin gonna come out of your tummy?” He asked, tilting his head.
“Soon. Very soon, Elio. Do you want to help name them when they come?” The queen asked, smiling. Elio nodded wildly.
“Yes please!” Laughing, Rapunzel patted his head.
“Alright, then you better start thinking of some good ones.” Elio beamed and nodded before another thought came to him.
“Auntie, where do babies come from?” That question caught everyone off guard.
“Oh- ah- hmm. Let’s ask your parents that question instead.” She said, flashing Hugo and Varian an apologetic grimace. Luckily, the couple was saved from awkwardly answering the question by Cassie and Flynn sprinting downstairs in full costume followed by a harried looking Eugene. Cassie was dressed as a pirate complete with an eyepatch and fake wooden sword, while Flynn wore a black and white skeleton costume complete with face paint.
“Don’t you two look adorable.” Gushed Rapunzel, tearing up.
“Sunshine, don’t cry. Everything is okay.” Eugene said, rushing to comfort his wife.
“I’m sorry. They just look so cute and grown up.” Sniffled the queen, her lip quivering.
“Momma, it’s okay.” Flynn promised as he climbed into her lap, always a momma’s boy. Cassie tugged at Varian’s sleeve to get him to bend down.
“Momma’s been crying a lot these days. Dad says it’s because she’s gonna have a baby soon and that messes with her feelings.” She whispered into his ear. Varian nodded.
“He’s right. That’s why you and your brother are gonna come with us so she and your dad can have a little bit of peace and quiet tonight.” Cassie grinned and called her brother over.
“Let’s go!” She said, excitedly. Hugo held an arm out to stop her from bolting out the door, which she shot him a glare for.
“First, go say goodbye to your parents, alright.” He said, turning his headstrong niece around. She pouted a bit, but did as she was told, kissing Rapunzel on the cheek.
“Bye momma. Feel better.” She said. Rapunzel smiled, finally over her emotional outburst.
“Good bye, darling. Have a good time with your uncles and cousin. And behave! That goes for you Cassie” She said, smiling gratefully at Hugo and Varian.
“We will Ma! Don’t worry!” Flynn said, wandering over to stand with his sister.
“Yeah, we’ll be good!” Cassie agreed.
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep them out of trouble.” Varian promised, holding onto Elio’s hand so he wouldn’t run off. Rapunzel smiled and waved.
“Then I suppose I should let you all get going. Eat a candy apple for me.” Hugo grinned and saluted.
“Count on me for that.” He said, winking. The queen giggled and nodded, smiling as the group left, stroking her swollen belly again.
“Someday, you’ll be joining them too, pumpkin.”
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Hugo watched as Elio and the twins ran around giggling. They had just arrived at the festival and it was already buzzing with people.
“Can we go do the corn maze?”
“No, I want candy!”
“Look, a petting farm!” The twins squabbled over what they wanted to do while Elio just tried to keep up with them.
“Just stay where we can see you, please!” Varian called after the trio, as they ran to the petting farm. Hugo chuckled and held his husband's hand.
“Imagine raising the twins. How does Rapunzel do it?” He asked, keeping a close eye on the kids. Varian laughed.
“She’s a tough one. If she can handle fighting Zhan Tiri, then she can handle motherhood.” He and Hugo shared a smile.
“Let’s go get something to eat. I did promise Raps I’d eat a candy apple for her.” Varian shook his head grinning.
“You stay here and watch the kids. I’ll go get you your apple.” The royal engineer said, giving Hugo’s hand a squeeze before heading to the vendor selling candy apples. Hugo smiled and settled onto a nearby bench where he could watch his niece, nephew, and son. They were currently feeding a baby goat with a bottle and Elio looked like he was in heaven. He looked around the buzzing crowds smiling. Autumn had always been his favorite season because of the bright colors of the leaves and the perfect temperatures. When he looked back to check on the three kids however, his heart lurched with panic. Cassie and Flynn were still perfectly happy with the animals, but Elio was nowhere in sight. Standing, he walked over to the twins.
“Hey, have you two seen Elio?” Cassie looked up at Hugo in confusion.
“Yeah, he’s right here-” She began pointing to where Elio had been, but frowned when she realized he was gone.
“Kids, you said you’d keep an eye on him.” Hugo said, panic creeping into his voice. Flynn and Cassie flinched at the sharpness of their uncle's tone. He had never snapped at them before.
“We’re sorry, uncle Hugo. We didn’t mean to!”
“Yeah it was an accident, we swear!” Both of them looked close to tears. Hugo bit his tongue as guilt crept into his gut. He shouldn’t have snapped at them, they were only kids.
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you guys. I’m just worried. Elio’s a lot younger than you and he’s lost and probably scared. We need to find him.” He said, kneeling so he could look Cassie and Flynn in the eyes.
“Did either of you see where he might have gone? Even which direction?” He asked, trying to remain calm. The twins looked at each other and shrugged.
“No, we didn’t. Sorry uncle Hugo.” Flynn said as his sister hung her head guiltily. Hugo sighed and ran a hand down his face, thinking.
“Okay, then we have to go searching. He’s in a bat costume so that should at least give us something to tell people when we ask if they’ve seen him.”
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Meanwhile, Elio looked around the festival. Where had Cassie and Flynn gone? He had told them to follow him. Had they not heard him? All he knew was that this part of the festival was scary and he was alone. There were people that looked like monsters and evil clowns. Papa had said sometimes older kids dressed up in scarier costumes, but they weren’t real. But still, it was really scary. Elio began to whimper and look around for his parents or his cousins so they could take him away, but all he saw were scary things. Sniffling, Elio began to cry, desperately trying to get out of the crowd and bumping into people. Some of them tried to grab him to help, but to Elio they only wanted to hurt him and he didn’t like it one bit.
Elio kept running as fast as he could until he crashed into someone. Letting out a frightened whimper he tried to get back up noticing his pants were ripped at the knees. The person he had crashed into was a girl who was maybe 16 or 17. She was wearing a vampire costume with fake blood around her mouth. Kneeling down, she tried to help Elio.
“Hey, buddy. Are you lost?” She asked gently. Elio squealed and tried to run away again, falling back down on a slippery pile of leaves.
“Stay away! Monster! Don’t hurt me please!” He cried, tears running down his freckled face. The girl frowned before realizing her makeup must have frightened him.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m not really a vampire. It’s just red face paint. See?” She used her thumb to wipe away the paint and showed him. Hiccuping, Elio looked at her thumb before back at the girl. Without the fake blood, she didn’t look very scary at all.
“You’re not gonna hurt me?” He asked nervously. The girl smiled kindly.
“Of course not. I want to help you. Are you lost?” She asked. Elio nodded sniffling as tears welled up in his eyes again.
“I can’t find my daddy and papa!” He wailed, beginning to cry again. The young lady frowned and thought.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll help you find them. My name is Nuru, by the way.” She said once she’d calmed Elio down.
Elio sniffed softly.
“That’s a pretty name.” He said, realizing Nuru could help him. She smiled.
“Thank you. Now, can you tell me what your daddy and papa’s names are?” Elio shifted a bit before speaking.
“V-Varian and Hugo are their names.” Nuru perked up.
“Hey I know them. I am a friend of theirs. I met your papa a few years ago on a special journey.” She explained, holding out a hand to help Elio up.
“They wrote me lots of letters about you. Are you Elio?” She asked. Elio blinked at her and slowly took her hand.
“Yeah, m’Elio. Are you really friends with papa and daddy?” He asked suspiciously. Nuru nodded.
“Mhm, and I bet they're very worried about you, so let's go find them.” Elio nodded and walked with Nuru deciding he could trust her.
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“What do you mean you lost Elio?” Varian cried, eyes wide with panic. The twins flinched and hid behind Hugo who held his hands up in a placating gesture. It had been nearly an hour since Elio had gone missing and now the entire family was starting to panic.
“Hon, we’re looking for him, I promise. I’m sure he hasn’t gone far.” The blonde said, trying to reassure his husband.
“Hugo he could be anywhere! I told you to look after him!” Varian had tears filling his eyes and he looked terrified.
“Oh, my poor baby.” He moaned, hiding his face in his hands and sinking onto a bench. Hugo sat with him and held his hand, stroking his back.
“Baby, don’t cry. He’s gonna be fine, I’m sure. He’s a good kid and very smart too.” Hugo said, doing his best to comfort Varian.
“I know, but he’s lost in this huge crowd. What if someone took him?” Varian asked, tears running down his face. Cassie and Flynn felt terrible. They never meant to lose Elio and they certainly never meant to make their uncle cry. Cassie climbed into Varian’s lap and hugged him tightly.
“I’m so sorry Uncle Varian. We never meant to lose Elio. It was an accident.” She said, hating seeing everyone so upset. Varian let out a shuddering sigh and hugged her back, smoothing her hair back.
“It’s not your fault, Princess. It shouldn’t have been on you and your brother to watch him yourselves. Let’s just hope he’s okay and found someone to help him.”
“Hey, Glasses! V! Over here!” Varian and Hugo looked up to see Nuru and holding onto her hand was-
“Elio!” Hugo leapt up and scooped his son into his arms and held him tight.
“Oh my baby, we were so worried!” He said, cradling Elio close to his chest. Varian felt himself slump with relief as he stood to join them.
“Elio, you can’t run off like that without telling anyone, we were worried sick.” He said, checking Elio over for injuries. Elio squirmed away from Varian’s fussing, lightly pushing him away.
“I’m okay Papa. Miss Nuru found me. She says she’s your friend!” The 4 year old said, wrapping his arms tightly around Hugo. Varian turned back to Nuru who waved, smiling at him.
“Hey V. Long time no see. Great kiddo you’ve got there.” She said, before Varian tackled her in a tight hug.
“Thank you so much for finding him. I was terrified something had happened to him and he was gone forever.” Nuru quickly got over her surprise and hugged her old friend back.
“It was no problem, really guys. I’m just glad he’s okay. It seems he has your talent for exploration, Varian.” Varian chuckled softly and dried the last of his tears.
“Yeah, I’m afraid he gets it from me.” He confessed, smiling as he watched Hugo and Elio.
Nuru smiled.
“You have a very lovely family. I’m glad I was in town to meet Elio, he’s a sweetheart just like you said in your letters.” Varian swelled with pride at the praise his son was getting.
“That’s my boy. Hey, how long are you in town? Maybe we could meet up later and you could get to know Elio some more.” He said.
Nuru beamed.
“I’d love that. I’m visiting for about a week, so we could set something up in the next day or so.” She said.
“Sounds perfect! I’ll let you know when we’re free!”
“Same to you. Amber’s somewhere around here, so I should go track her down. I’ll tell her you say hi.”
Varian smiled and nodded.
“See you around Nuru.” He said as she waved over her shoulder. Walking back to his family, Varian sighed, finally allowing himself to relax.
“Well, now what? Should we head home or do we want to stay for a while.”
“Papa lets stay! Please?” Elio begged, clasping his little hands. Varian laughed and looked at Hugo.
“I dunno? Hugh? What do you think?” Hugo smirked.
“You still owe me a candy apple, so we’re staying.” He said decisively. Varian rolled his eyes with a laugh.
“Deal. Everyone stay together- hang on, where’s Elio?” Everyone in the little group instantly began panicking again.
“Boo! Did I scare you?” Elio shouted, jumping out from behind a tree. Hugo and Varian let out relieved sighs.
“Yes, buddy. You are a very scary bat.” Hugo said, scooping his toddler up and kissing his cheek. Varian laughed and shook his head in amusement.
“No more heart attacks tonight please.” He said.
Elio grinned and nodded, staying close to his parents and cousins for the rest of the night. He had learned his lesson and wasn’t going to go far ever again.