Chapter 1: 1
Summary:
What would happen if Varaian were kidnapped with Rapunzel, and Hugo were thieving partners with Eugene?
Notes:
This was supposed to have colored texts, but I can't figure out how to do that on AO3, sorry.
This work was inspired by the darkness that exists to make light truly count by Aquaquadrant on AO3. Please read it since my fanfiction will use a lot of the same elements and story points. This was also inspired by Tangled AU: The Sun and The Moon by Sekarsari19 on Wattpad. Go check them both out!''
I will update this every Friday if I can, just know that there won't be a new chapter next week since I'm at a camp where I don't have my phone.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
This is the story of how I died.
Don’t worry, he’s being dramatic. This is actually a very fun story. And it isn’t even his.
This is the story of a girl named Rapunzel.
And it starts with the sun.
Once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens, and from this drop of sun grew a beautiful, golden, magic flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured.
Oh, you see that old woman over there? You might wanna remember her. She’s kind of important.
Well, centuries passed, and a hop, skip, and a boat ride away, there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved king and queen. And the queen, well, she was about to have a baby, but she got sick.
Really sick.
She was running out of time. And that’s when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic golden flower.
Ah! I told you she’d be important. You see, instead of sharing the sun’s gift, this woman, Mother Gothel, hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years. And all she had to do was sing a special song.
Flower, gleam, and glow.
Let your power shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine.
Alright, you get the gist. She sings to it, she turns young. Creepy, right?
“We found it!” A guard exclaimed.
The magic of the golden flower healed the queen.
A healthy baby girl, a princess was born, with beautiful golden hair.
I’ll give you a hint, that’s Rapunzel.
That’s not a hint if you give them the answer.
Shut it, Hugo, I’m telling a story. Now, where was I, oh, right!
To celebrate her birth, the king and queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. And for that one moment, everything was perfect. And then that moment ended.
Flower, gleam, and glow
Let your power shine
Make the clock re-
Gothel broke into the castle, stole the child, and just like that, gone!
The kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the princess. For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Gothel raised the child as her own.
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine
Gothel had found her new magic flower, but this time, she was determined to keep it hidden.
“Why can’t I go outside?” A young Rapunzel questioned.
“The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people. You must stay here, where you’re safe. Do you understand, flower?” Gothel responded.
“Yes, Mommy.”
But the walls of that tower could not hide everything.
Each year on her birthday, the king and queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky, in hope that one day their lost princess would return.
But this is also the story of a boy named Varian.
And it starts with the moon.
At the same time the sundrop fell, a drop of the moon fell as well. It sprouted a beautiful blue flower just outside of Old Corona.
That woman, Gothel, is also important in this story. She had found the moon drop a while after finding the sundrop. Inside the flower, instead of an anther, was a beautiful blue opal.
Around four years after the princess was kidnapped, a couple found themselves expecting. Quirin and Ulla were so excited to be having a child. But near the due date, Ulla fell ill. Quirin had heard about the queen being healed by a magic flower and set out to find a cure for his wife.
He found herbs outside the village and hoped they could help. That was until he saw the blue flower. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. He picked the flower and rushed home.
He crushed up the stone and flower petals and gave them to his wife.
A week later, a beautiful, healthy baby boy was born. A blue hairstripe contrasting with his raven black hair.
But unfortunately, Ulla didn’t survive.
I’ll give you a hint like Flynn did, though, that boy was Varian.
Quirin was left widowed with a newborn, but was determined to keep him safe.
Unfortunately, Gothel knew of the moonstone's new host. She broke into the house late one night and found the nursery where the baby was being kept.
Wither and decay
End this destiny
Break these earthly chains
And set the spirit free
The spirit free
The song activated the boy's powers, and his hair began to glow a bright blue. The incantion left everyone nearby drained and weak, so they couldn’t follow her.
She stole the baby boy as well and brought him back to her tower.
“Rapunzel, dear, I have a surprise for you!” Mother Gothel called.
A four-year-old Rapunzel came down the stairs, her golden hair dragging behind her.
“Rapunzel, this is Varian, he’s going to be your little brother from now on,” Gothel said, showing Rapunzel the baby.
“Hi, Varian.” She said to the sleeping baby.
The two kids grew up together in the tower, both unaware of their situation.
And this is where the real story begins!
Notes:
Leave a comment! Constructive criticism is always welcome! Have a good day or night!
Chapter 2: 2
Summary:
We meet Flynn and Hugo. Rapunzel wants to ask Mother about the floating lights.
Notes:
I am so sorry for updating this late. I was going to get this out last Friday, but a bunch of things happened, and then I got sick for a couple of days. Still low-key sick. But anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and also, please let me know if this writing style is boring or annoying. On with the chaos!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Rapunzel's 18th birthday was approaching fast, and Varian still didn’t know what to get her. He wanted to give her something special, but couldn’t come up with anything in the tower. Currently, he was in his room, sketching out different things to make.
“Varian!” Rapunzel called from upstairs. He quickly set down his quill and went up the ladder to the main floor.
“What?” He asked.
“Does this look okay? I’m having second thoughts on some of the colors.” She said, showing him her newest mural on the wall. This one was a picture of her and Varian sitting atop a tree while looking at the floating lights.
“Rapunzel, that’s amazing.” The boy gasped.
“Really? I think it looks kind of rushed.” Rapunzel shrugged, landing back on the floor. She walked over to the kitchen and retrieved a few items.
“So, uhm, Rapunzel. What would you want for your birthday?” Varian asked, sitting down in a chair.
“Well, I was going to try to tell Mother tonight, but I want to see the floating lights this year, even if just for a few minutes.” She answered.
“Well, you have my full support. Even if she says no.” Varian said, giving her a thumbs up.
“Thank you, Varian.”
~*~
Elsewhere in Corona, a group of four thieves was scaling the rooftops. A brunette man with a goatee, a young boy with blond hair and glasses, and two red-haired twins, one with an eyepatch and the other with sideburns.
The brunette man stood on top of one of the buildings, looking out over the kingdom. “Wow, I could get used to a view like this.” He gasped.
“Flynn, c’mon. You’re going to get us caught.” The blonde boy called.
“Relax, Hugo, no one thinks to look towards the sky.” Flynn Rider explained, walking back over. “I think I want a castle of my own.”
“We do this job, you and Hugo can buy your castles.” Sideburns said, getting a rope ready.
And that’s what led them to run from the royal guard with a stolen crown.
“All the things we’ve seen-” Eugene started while they ran.
“And it’s only 8:00 in the morning. Not bad.” Hugo cut him off.
“Gentlemen, this is a very big day!” Hugo rolled his eyes at Eugene’s overconfidence.
~*~
“This is it, this is a huge day,” Rapunzel said to herself, “I’m finally gonna do it, I’m gonna ask her.”
Let’s just hope Mother doesn’t react badly, Varian thought.
“Rapunzel! Varian!” They heard Mother call. “Let down your hair, Rapunzel!”
Rapunzel let down her hair for Mother to grab onto and started to pull her up, with Varian helping.
“Welcome home, Mother.” They said in unison.
“Rapunzel, how do you manage to do that every single day without fail? It looks exhausting.” Mother said, taking off her cloak.
You could just use that secret exit. You used it before her hair was long enough. Varian thought but didn’t dare speak it.
Mother walked over to the mirror and started admiring herself in it.
“Alright,” Rapunzel began, “So, as you know, tomorrow is a very big day-”
“Rapunzel, look in that mirror.” Mother cut her off. “You know what I see? I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady.”
I wish she would pay attention to me like that, the boy thought while already turning to head back down to his room.
Rapunzel kept trying to talk to Mother about tomorrow, but she cut her off again. “Rapunzel, Mother’s feeling a little run-down. Would you sing for me, dear? Then we’ll talk.”
“Oh! Of course Mother!” Rapunzel quickly grabbed a chair and a brush and speed-sang the healing incantation.
“Rapunzel-”
“So Mother!” Rapunzel interrupted. Varian tried to stifle a laugh.
“So I’m just gonna tell you, tomorrow’s my birthday!” The girl exclaimed.
“No, no. That can’t be. I distinctly remember, your birthday was last year.” Mother responded.
“They’re kinda an annual thing,” Varian said.
“Mother, I’m turning 18, and I wanted to ask for this birthday, well actually what I wanted for quite a few birthdays now…” Rapunzel mumbled, playing with her hair.
“Rapunzel, please stop it with the mumbling. You know how much I hate it.” Mother interjected.
Rapunzel sighs, looking over at Varian, who gives her an encouraging nod. “I want to see the floating lights!” She blurts out.
“What?” Mother said, confused. “Oh! You mean the stars.”
“Stars don’t appear only once a year like these do. Not to mention with how close they are to the earth, they look man-made.” Varian pointed out.
“And, they only appear on my birthday. I can’t help but feel that they're… meant for me. And I need to see them for myself.”
“Oh, you want to go outside? Rapunzel, you do know that the outside world is too dangerous for you, right? People would use you for your hair, and they would kill Varian for his powers.” Mother said, stroking Rapunzel’s hair.
“I know but-”
“Rapunzel. Mother knows best. You are never leaving this tower. Neither of you.” She stated, leaving no room for question. Mother grabbed her cloak and headed to the window. “I’ll see you in a bit, my flower and moonshard.”
And with that, the two siblings were left back at the tower like they always were.
~*~
Back in the forest, the group of thieves stopped in front of a tree with their wanted posters on it.
“No, no, no. This is bad...” Flynn said, grabbing his wanted poster.
“What is?” Hugo asked.
Flynn showed him the poster. “They just can’t get my nose right.”
Hugo rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Flynn? Who even cares?” He crossed his arms.
“Easy for you to say. The rest of you look amazing.”
They continued running and made it to a ledge that they couldn’t quite reach. They had built a human ladder with Hugo on the top since he was the smallest. The blonde pulled up Flynn Rider, who had secretly stolen the satchel back.
“Now help us up, pretty boy.” Sideburns demanded.
“Sorry, my hands are full.” The two ran off, leaving the Stabbington Brothers to get caught by the royal guard.
And that’s how they got into the weirdest situation yet. They were being chased down by a surprisingly agile horse.
Eventually, they found a secret passageway hidden behind a bunch of vines. The vines led through to a small valley with a tower in the middle of it, which they headed towards.
“Now, I’m gonna climb up there and give you the all-clear signal for you to do the same, got it?” Flynn explained, readying some arrows to climb up the stone walls with.
“Oh, c’mon, Flynn. I’m not a little kid. I can handle going up there with you.” Hugo protested.
“You’re 15.” The brunette retorted.
“Fine.” Hugo sighed.
Flynn Rider climbed up the stone walls of the tower and went through the window inside. He looked around the dark tower and was about to turn back to the window to give Hugo the all-clear sign. Suddenly, there was a loud clang, and everything went dark.
Notes:
So uh yeah. That's what's happening. I can't promise that every chapter is gonna be as long as the last two have been. I'm really bad at writing long chapters. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!
Chapter 3: 3
Summary:
Everyone finally meets. A deal is made.
Notes:
So there’s some artwork in here by me. It is definitely not my best work. My iPad broke so I had to draw it on my phone which I’m not the best at. Anyways, hope you enjoy!
Heres art I drew for it:
https://www.tumblr.com/boredwithhyperfixations/788789774476591104/made-this-for-a-fanfic-i-wrote?source=share
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“We just killed someone. We killed a man, Rapunzel!” Varian was freaking out. How were they going to hide a dead body from Mother?
“Varian, wait. He’s breathing. He’s not dead.” Rapunzel assured, trying to keep her little brother calm. She took hold of the pan's handle and looked at the man's teeth. Huh, not pointy like Mother says, she thought.
“Flynn!” They heard another voice call from the bottom of the tower. “Flynn, I’m coming up!”
Rapunzel and Varian quickly covered the man with a random blanket and hid back in the shadows. Varian readied himself to use the black rocks if needed. He wasn’t good at controlling them and had barely ever used them (Mother would get mad at the holes they made in the floor), but if they could do some damage, that’s all he needed.
Another stranger climbed up into the tower, this one notably younger than the other man. He had blond hair and glasses. “Flynn? Where are you?” The strange boy said, walking around and inspecting the place. “Hey, this isn’t funny. Where are you?” The boy noticed a blanket in the middle of the room, seemingly something underneath it. As he moved closer to the hidden object, Rapunzel snuck around behind him and hit him over the head with the frying pan. The blond boy crumpled to the ground like his companion.
“Is this going to be a recurring theme for today?” Varian sighs.
~*~
“Okay, we’ve got one person in our closet, and one person in my room. How exactly are we going to explain this to Mother?” Varian asked, pacing the floor.
“Uhm, we’ll just tell her. Maybe it will show her that we can take care of ourselves.” Rapunzel responded, trying to think of something positive.
“Rapunzel, let down your hair!” Mother called. The siblings quickly lifted her into the tower. “I have a big surprise!” She exclaimed, holding a basket.
“So do we!” Rapunzel replied enthusiastically.
“Oh, I bet mine is bigger.”
“I seriously doubt it.” Varian mumbles.
“I brought back parsnips! I’m making hazelnut soup for dinner. Your old favorite Rapunzel.” Mother says, showing the basket.
“Uhm, Mother, we can’t. Varian’s allergic, remember? That’s why we haven’t had it in a long time.” Rapunzel reminds while Varian takes a small step back from the basket.
Mother sighs, “Yes, that’s right. Well, then I went all the way to get these for nothing.”
“Sorry,” Varian mutters, looking down.
“Varian, stop it with the mumbling. I already told Rapunzel today. How many times do I need to remind you two?”
Varian just nods, stealing glances at the closet and the door to his room.
“Well, Mother,” Rapunzel says cheerily, trying to break the tension. “There’s something we wanted to show you.”
“Oh, Rapunzel, you know I hate to leave you two after a fight, especially after I’ve done nothing wrong.” Varian rolls his eyes at that.
“Okay, well, I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said earlier.” Rapunzel continues.
“I hope you're not still talking about the stars.” Mother says, taking things from the basket and setting them on the counter.
“Floating lights, and yes, I’m leading up to that,” Rapunzel says, heading towards the closet.
“Rapunzel, I thought I made it clear about this issue. Besides, you know you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there. And what about Varian? If they find out what he can do, they’ll kill him.” Mother reminds.
“But, Mother, if you just-”
“Rapunzel, we’re done talking about this.” Varian flinches slightly at her tone.
“But trust me, I-”
“Rapunzel,”
“Know that I’m-”
“Rapunzel, enough! You are not leaving this tower ever! Neither of you will ever leave this tower!” Mother snaps. Both Varian and Rapunzel freeze.
“Oh, great. Now I’m the bad guy.” Mother says, rolling her eyes and sitting down in the rocking chair.
“A-All I was gonna say, Mother, is that I know what I want for my birthday now.” Rapunzel stammered, moving away from the closet.
“And what is that?”
“New paint. The paint was made from the white shells you once brought me.” She said shyly.
“Well, that’s a very long trip. Almost three days.” Mother sighs.
“I-I just thought it was a better idea than the…stars…”
“Are you sure you two will be alright on your own?”
“We’ll be fine, as long as we stay here,” Varian says quietly.
“I’ll be back in three days. I love you two very much.” Mother says, grabbing her cloak and heading to the window.
“We love you more,” Rapunzel replies.
“I love you most.” And with that, Mother left the two siblings on their own.
~*~
As they were gathering the strangers, Rapunzel looked inside the satchel the man had. It held an interesting object.
“Hey Varian, what do you think this is?” She asked.
The boy looked it over, studying it. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t think guys like them would have something like this. Maybe it’s jewelry like Mother gets you sometimes.” He said, handing it back to her.
Rapunzel headed to the mirror and tried putting it on a couple of different ways. None seemed right until she placed it on her head.
“That looks correct. I don’t know why someone would wear something like that on their head, though. Seems kind of inconvenient and unnecessary.” Varian pondered.
Rapunzel put the item back in the satchel and put it in a hidden compartment on the stairs.
~*~
Rapunzel and Varian gathered the two criminals and tied them back to back with Rapunzel's hair. Varian looked at both of them curiously, especially the blond boy who seemed not that much older than him.
“Huh. I didn’t know boys could have ponytails…” Varian mumbles, tilting his head to the side. Mother had always kept his hair short since, according to her, “Boys don’t have long hair like girls.”
He and Rapunzel hid in the shadows, waiting for the criminals to wake up. Rapunzel held her frying pan defensively, and Varian held his hand out, ready to use the black rocks.
~*~
Flynn and Hugo awoke to being tied back to back with golden hair.
“Huh? What is this?” Flynn muttered.
“Is this hair?...” Both of them trying to get out of the bindings.
“Struggling…struggling is pointless.” A feminine voice said from the shadows.
“We know why you're here. And we’re not afraid of you.” A higher, boyish voice rang.
“Who’s there?!” Hugo called out.
A young woman emerged from the shadows, long, golden blonde hair flowing behind her. She wore a pink and purple pastel dress and held a frying pan like it was a deadly weapon.
“Who are you, and how did you find us?” She interrogated.
“Huh?” Flynn said, dumbfounded.
“She said,” The second voice said, “Who are you, and how did you find us?” A second figure stepped out, a smaller boy who had black hair with a blue stripe and an outstretched gloved hand.
Flynn cleared his throat, and Hugo had to resist the urge to roll his eyes; he knew exactly what Flynn was gonna try to pull. “I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you. But may I just say…Hi,” He said flirtatiously. “How you doing? The name’s Flynn Rider, that’s Hugo. How’s your day going, huh?”
Rapunzel and Varian looked at each other, confused.
“Did you just try to…flirt with my sister?” Varian says, giving the man a strange look.
Sister? They don’t look related, Hugo thought.
“Doesn’t matter. Who else knows our location, Flynn Rider?” Rapunzel said intimidatingly, holding the frying pan closer to the criminals.
“Alright, Blondie and Hairstripe-” Hugo began.
“Rapunzel.”
“Varian.”
“Gesundheit,” Flynn said sarcastically.
“Look, we got caught in a situation in the forest and came across your tower. Wait, where’s the satchel?” Hugo questioned.
“We’ve hidden it somewhere you’ll never find it. And if you try, my little brother here will not hesitate to stop you by any means necessary.” Rapunzel deadpanned. Varian put his golved hand back up.
“So what do you want with us? Do you want to cut my hair? Kill my brother?” She interrogated, holding the frying pan, ready to strike.
“What?” Hugo asked, confused.
“Look, the only thing I want to do with your hair is get out of it, literally. And I don’t kill, Blondie.”
Rapunzel and Varian shared a look and stepped back to talk to each other quietly.
“I don’t know. Should we trust them?” Varian whispered.
“I think they’re telling the truth. Besides, this could be the only way to see the floating lights.” She responded.
“What? But Mother said we couldn’t.”
“It’ll only be one night. They take us to see the floating lights, return us, and Mother never knows we left and we’ll never leave again.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“I promise.” Rapunzel finishes, and Varian nods.
“Alright, Flynn Rider and Hugo. We have decided to make a deal with you.” She stated.
“Deal?” Flynn questioned, giving her a suspicious look.
“You take me and my brother to see the floating lights, return us to our tower, and we’ll give you back your precious satchel.” The girl said, putting the frying pan down for once.
“Floating lights? You mean that stupid lantern thing they do for the princess every year?” Hugo asked.
“I knew they weren’t stars!” Varian said excitedly before regaining his composure and putting on a serious face again.
“Yeah, no can do. We’re not exactly simpatico with the kingdom at the moment.” Flynn answered.
“Something brought you two here, call it what you will, fate, destiny.” She lowered her voice.
“A horse,” Flynn responded with a sarcastic tone.
“But we have decided to trust you two.”
“That’s a really…horrible decision.” Hugo deadpanned.
Rapunzel backed away.
“So, let me get this straight, we take you two to see the lanters, return you, and then we get our satchel back and never have to interact with you again?” Flynn recaps.
“I promise. And when I promise something, I never, ever, break that promise.” Rapunzel deadpanned.
“She’s telling the truth,” Varian spoke up.
Flynn sighs, “I didn’t want to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the ‘smolder.’” He made a really weird face.
“Ugh, seriously, Flynn?” Hugo rolled his eyes.
“Fine, we’ll take you to see the stupid lanterns.” Flynn gave in.
Rapunzel and Varian cheered in excitement.
What did we just get ourselves into? Hugo wondered.
Notes:
Things are gonna get interesting soon I swear.
Chapter 4: 4
Summary:
They finally get out of the tower. Varian and Hugo are gay?
Notes:
Sorry for the delay. Had a lot of stuff to do in life. But anyways, here's the next chapter. It's significantly shorter because I got rid of a couple of scenes, and I accidentally got my friend invested into this, so now I'm gonna try to be better about posting. The ending of this chapter is from darkness exists to make light truly count. Read it. Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hugo wondered why these siblings were so weird. For one, they didn’t wear shoes. Like, at all. And second, they acted like they had never touched grass before. When the two finally reached the bottom, they inspected every single thing. Rapunzel had sprawled out onto the grass, and Varian had stepped into the small stream nearby. And third, they seemed to be opposites in terms of emotions. Rapunzel would be manic happy, and Varian would be freaking out, then they’d switch. It happened over and over again.
Flynn had already tried to trick them into going back to the tower, but it didn’t work. Damn, these two were stubborn. Hugo thought it was hilarious that the two were so scared of a bunny. Rapunzel had climbed up onto Flynn, and Varian hid behind Hugo.
Why’s he so cute like this? Hugo then realized what he was thinking. Oh no. We are not going there.
Now they were on their way to a place for lunch. Hugo soon recognized the road. They were heading for The Snuggly Duckling. A place full of ruffians. Smart.
~*~
How did we end up in this situation? Varian thought. First, they had arrived at this pub full of thugs, and then all the criminals fought over who would get the reward money for Flynn and Hugo, and they lastly sang a pub song about dreams. It was honestly hard to believe. One of the thugs had come back with the guards after the song, so they hid under the bar where another thug, one named Hook-Hand, had helped them escape through a hidden exit, telling them, “Go, live your dream,” to him and Rapunzel. Now, they were walking down a tunnel to who knows where.
“I gotta say, that was pretty impressive,” Flynn stated, grabbing a torch from a dead skeleton. The number of skeletons made Varian’s skin crawl.
“I know. Soooo, where are you and Hugo from?” Rapunzel prompted.
“A little place called Nunya.” Hugo retorted, making the siblings confused.
“Nunya?” Varian perplexed.
“Nunya business.” The blond boy answered, earning an eye roll from the ravenette.
“Yeah, we don’t do backstories. But I am interested in both of yours,” Flynn prodded. “Now, I know we’re not supposed to mention the hair.”
“Nope.” The girl replied.
“Or the Mother.” Hugo continued.
“Also no,” Varian replied.
“Uh huh, well, I’ve got one question for you. If you wanted to see those floating lanterns so much, why haven’t you gone before?” Flynn urged as they reached the end of the tunnel. It emptied into a clearing with a dam and a canyon.
“Uhm, well-” Rapunzel started before catching sight of two red-haired men entering the line of sight. “Who are they?” She asked, grabbing her frying pan.
“They don’t like us,” Flynn replied, ready to fight.
A group of people in gold and red armour appeared a few seconds later. “Who’s that?!” Varian asks, backing away slightly.
“They don’t like us either,” Hugo said, ready to fight as well.
Finally, a white horse appeared. “Before you ask, let’s just assume that everyone here doesn’t like us!” Flynn states.
~*~
Rapunzel looked across the canyon while Flynn and Hugo fought against the guards. The piece of scaffolding on the other side was within reach of her hair; she just needed to get all of them over there. Suddenly, she heard a couple of yelps of surprise and turned around.
Varian had summoned the black rocks to help defend them. They were not that much taller than Flynn, but still a good defense. Rapunzel worried about him. Varian hadn’t used the black rocks since he was a little kid, when he created them by accident. They had never been this big, so she didn’t know how it would affect him.
She threw her hair across the ravine to the wooden beam. She needed to get all of them out of here and soon.
~*~
Varian threw his arms up over and over again to try and create an obstacle between them and the new enemies. This was the first time he had used his powers since he was around 7, and it was tiring. He finally finished putting up the barrier, out of breath. He turned to see that Rapunzel had gotten herself and Flynn across the canyon and swung the hair back to the two teens.
“C’mon, Hairstripe. Let’s get outta here.” Hugo said, grabbing onto the hair. Varian nodded and held onto Hugo as they jumped off and swung across. Varian looked up at Hugo to avoid the sight of the ravine below, having discovered his fear of heights when they jumped out of the tower for the first time. He felt his face heat up slightly as he looked at the other boy.
He’s cute, Varian thought as he gazed at the blond boy. He realized what he had just thought and mentally cursed himself. Don’t be stupid. Boys can’t like boys.
~*~
They were running through the chasm towards a tunnel at the end of it. The dam had burst, and now the ravine was filling with water. A tidal wave rose behind them, and Flynn knew that only a watery grave awaited them if they stopped running. A rock spire was crashing down towards them, and they just barely made it into the cave when the top part of the rock sealed them in.
Well, he and Rapunzel did.
Varian and Hugo were on the other side.
Notes:
Gay boys. Anyways, I was gonna have this longer, but I kinda wanted it to end on a cliffhanger. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and the next chapter will hopefully be on schedule, maybe.
Chapter 5: 5
Summary:
Everyone’s in love.
Notes:
Alright hi everyone! Sorry this is not on normal schedule anymore. Anyways, today’s my birthday! I’m finally turning 15. So now you know why my stories all suck, they’re written by a now fifteen year old lesbian. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“No, no, no, no, no!” Rapunzel yelled, trying to push the boulder out of the way as water slowly trickled in. Flynn was right next to her, doing the same.
“Shit! Move you shitty piece of rock!” The man demanded, punching his fist into the rock to no avail. The water was soon up to their ankles and was rising quickly. They ran to the other side of the cave to try to find another exit. The water kept rising and rising, and it was now up to their torsos.
Flynn tried to swim down, only to discover that it was completely pitch black. He tried to find an opening in the wall but ended up cutting his hand on a rock before deciding to swim back up.
“It’s no use. We can’t see down there.” He warned, trying to find an opening in the wall again.
“N-No! We have to find a way out! We need to find Varian and Hugo!” She fretted, looking back towards the boulder blocking the exit.
“Hey, hey. They’ll be okay. Hugo can take care of himself, and I know he’ll get Varian out of trouble.” Flynn tried to reassure, though he was worried as well.
“Varian can’t swim. We never learned how.” Rapunzel admits. Flynn felt his heart almost stop. He hadn’t known the siblings for that long, but he wasn’t willing to let them die. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault, Flynn.” She sobbed.
“Eugene.”
“What?”
“My real name’s Eugene Fitzherbert. Someone might as well know before I die, well, other than Hugo.” Eugene said solemnly. When he and Hugo had first started thieving together, Flynn went by his real name before shortly changing it to Flynn. No one had called him Eugene since.
“I have magic hair that glows when I sing…” Rapunzel said with a somewhat awkward smile.
Now it was Flynn’s, or Eugene’s, turn to be surprised. “What?”
Rapunzel's face immediately lit up with hope. “I have magic hair that glows when I sing!” She took a deep breath as the water quickly reached their faces. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine,”
And they were underwater, in darkness.
Suddenly, the whole cave was lit up by a golden light emanating from the girl's hair. Flynn almost yelped in surprise before remembering where he was. They quickly tried to move the rocks out of the way to escape.
Hang tight, boys. We’re coming for you. Flynn thought as his hand hit cool outside air.
~*~
Varian had barely started running before he was swept up in the wave. The waves pushed him under and spun him around so fast he could barely comprehend what was happening.
The boy made it up to the surface to get some air, only to be pushed back under by another wave. He couldn’t figure out which way was up or down, or which way the current was moving him. It drove him back towards the floor of the canyon before jerking him back up and forcing him to all sorts of directions.
Another icy wave hit him, and he realized that he was running out of air. His lungs burned, but he couldn’t get back up to the surface. He tried to swim back up, but the unpredictable, unforgiving waves pushed him down and to the side.
He collided with the chasm's wall, cracking the back of his head against it.
Varian could feel the world begin to darken.
His limbs felt like lead.
In his peripheral vision, he could see red in the water.
He couldn’t hold his breath any longer; his lungs burned for air. But what they were given instead was water.
Ice cold water.
The last thing Varian saw before his vision went completely dark was a hand reaching for him.
~*~
Rapunzel and Flynn emerged from the water, gasping for air.
“We made it!” Rapunzel exclaimed happily.
“Her hair glows…” Flynn said, still in shock.
They got back onto dry land.
“Alright, let’s find those kids,” Rapunzel said determined. Flynn nodded.
As they began searching, his mind kept wandering back to the glowing hair. He suddenly remembered the giant rocks Varian had created. At first, Eugene thought he was losing his mind, but after seeing Rapunzel's glowing hair, it wasn’t that unbelievable anymore.
They needed to find Varian and Hugo, and they needed to do it fast.
~*~
Hugo pulled the shorter boy up out of the water and onto dry land. He laid Varian down on the ground and looked him over.
He had hit his head, and it was bleeding a little, but not too badly. He was completely soaked but otherwise looked okay.
But his chest wasn’t moving.
He wasn’t breathing.
“Shit, shit, shit…” Hugo muttered, moving to help the other boy. He quickly got to work administering CPR to the ravenette. He could feel some of the smaller boys' ribs breaking, but all that mattered was getting him breathing again.
After about a minute of resuscitation, Varian finally gasped. Little black rocks, barely an inch high, sprouted around him. Hugo helped him onto his side for Varian to cough up the water in his lungs. Once the boy was finally able to breathe again, Hugo helped him sit up.
“Hugo?...” Varian asked wearily.
“Hey there, Hairstripe.” The blonde boy said with a soft smile. He pulled Varian into a hug, minding his injuries. “Glad you’re okay.”
Neither boy noticed the other’s face turning pink.
After a couple of minutes, Hugo helped the other boy back to his feet.
“Let’s go find the others, alright?” Hugo asked.
Varian nodded. Hopefully, they’re okay.
~*~
It wasn’t long before the two groups came back together. Rapunzel had engulfed Varian in a giant hug, earning a wince from him, which she noticed. They found a small clearing and started a fire. Rapunzel healed Varian and Eugene, followed by Eugene freaking out.
“So, Eugene, huh?” Rapunzel began, catching the man's attention.
“Wow, haven’t heard that in a while,” Hugo said while Varian looked confused.
“Oh, yeah. You don’t wanna hear the sob story of poor little orphan Eugene. But Flynn Rider was a character from these books, which I used to read to the little kids in the orphanage every day. He was my idol, so I just took on the name.” Eugene explained.
“Was he also a thief?” Varian asked.
“No, actually, he had enough money to do anything he wanted. And for an orphan with nothing, I guess that life sounded better.”
“C’mon, Hairstripe. Let’s go get firewood and leave the two lovebirds to themselves.” Hugo said, pulling Varian away. Rapunzel and Eugene both blushed.
“Hugo likes Varian, doesn’t he?” Eugene asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Probably. I think Varian likes him back, but our Mother would never approve.” Rapunzel said solemnly.
“Really? I always knew Hugo liked boys, and I never really thought anything of it.” He answered.
“Well, this is our first time out of the tower, you and Hugo are the first people we’ve met.” She admits.
“Wait, you two have never been outside that tower?”
“Nope. I’m glad Varian’s enjoying the outside world, though. Mother’s a lot stricter with him.”
“Alright, now I have even more questions.”
~*~
“C’mon, Freckles, I got something to show you,” Hugo said, leading him out to a clearing and sitting under a tree. “Look up.”
Varian looked up at the sky and gasped. He could see so many constellations, nocturnal animals, and just everything.
“This is amazing.” He said, breathless from the sight.
Hugo slipped his hand into Varians as they pointed out different constellations to each other.
“Hey, Hugo?” Varian asked after they had sat silently for a while.
“What’s up?” The blonde replied.
“Is it…normal…for boys to like other boys?” Varian wondered, bringing his knees to his chest.
Hugo studied the other boy, a light pink dusting his cheeks. “Well, it’s not that uncommon, just no one talks about it. Most people believe it's a sickness or the devil or whatever, but there’s nothing wrong with it. I like guys. I’ve known that since I was like eleven. Do you like guys?” Hugo explained, staring up at the star-filled sky.
“I don’t know. I’ve never really had a crush on someone before. Well, I had fictional crushes, but they were both boys and girls.” The shorter alchemist admits.
“You can like both. It’s called bisexual. Or you could be something else, you don’t have to have it figured out.” He replied, giving the other boy a reassuring smile.
Varian took a deep breath and readied himself.
“Hugo, I-I think I like you,” Varian confessed, looking at the ground, his face completely red.
Hugo put his hands on top of Varians. “I think I like you too, Varian.”
And suddenly, the two boys were enveloped in a kiss.
Notes:
So that got really gay…
I projected onto Hugo heavily in the last part. Anyways, I think I my schedule now is just gonna be I post when I write. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 6: 6
Summary:
Varian and Hugo talk about their pasts. Mother Gothel is a bitch.
Notes:
I AM SO SORRY THAT I HAVE NOT UPDATED FOR A FEW MONTHS!!
Life got super busy, and I was dealing with writer's block. But I am back on track now! This will start being posted on a more regular schedule cause I want to work on other fanfics. BUT IT IS NOT ABANDONED!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Varian and Hugo walked back to the campsite, hands interlocked. Rapunzel and Eugene pretended not to notice.
“Weren’t you two supposed to get firewood?” Eugene teased.
“Uhm, maybe?” Hugo responded, remembering what he had said earlier.
“Alright, Ponytail, let’s go actually get firewood.” Eugene bantered as he and Hugo disappeared back into the forest.
“So, about you and Flynn, I mean, Eugene?” Varian asks with a smug look.
“We just talked and kept the fire going, nothing happened,” Rapunzel replied.
“Yeah, sure. You guys are totally in love.” He teased childishly.
“Well, what did you two talk about?” She retorted.
“Just stuff, I told him about my powers and stuff,” Varian answered, thinking back to their conversation.
~*~
The two boys sat against a tree, Varian leaning his head on Hugo’s shoulder.
“Hey, Hairstripe, you gonna tell me the deal about those black rocks of yours?” Hugo asked.
“Oh, well,” Varian started, “It’s kind of a long story.”
“Well, we have time.”
Varian proceeded to explain everything to Hugo. Mother brought him to her home with Rapunzel after his family died, and he was almost killed as a baby. He explained his powers and the limited control he had over the black rocks.
“So you and Rapunzel-” Hugo started
“We’re not biologically related, no,” Varian said, cutting him off.
“Wow, that’s…that’s a lot.”
“Yeah,” Varian responded, letting the silence beat for a few seconds before continuing. “So, what about you, oh mysterious Hugo, what’s your story?”
“I don’t remember my parents,” He starts, “All I can remember is the orphanage. I ran away when I was about 10, and that’s when Eugene found me. We’ve been thieving partners ever since.”
“That sounds rough, not knowing your parents and all.”
“Can’t miss what you never had.” Hugo sighs, “Okay, enough with the sob stories, let’s get back to Rapunzel and Eugene.”
~*~
“I’m happy for you,” Rapunzel says, snapping him out of his thought. She moved to sit closer to him and gave him a giant hug.
“Well, I thought he’d never leave.” An all too familiar voice said from behind. The siblings spun around, already dreading the following conversation.
“Mother?” They said in unison.
“Well, hello dears.” Mother responded in a fake sweet tone.
“How did you find us?” Varian asks. It hadn’t been three days yet; Mother should still be on her trip.
“Oh, it was easy, really. Just had to follow the sound of complete and utter betrayal.” She said, stepping closer, her face now illuminated by the firelight. “Come along. We’re going home. Now.”
“You don’t understand, Mother. We’ve had an absolutely incredible journey-” Rapunzel tried to defend, but was cut off.
“By endangering yourself and your brother?”
“But Mother, we’ve learned so much stuff. Rapunzel even met someone!” Varian responded.
“Yes, the wanted thief, I’ve heard. Now come along.” Mother said, turning back around.
“I-I’ve met someone too! His name is Hugo.”
Mother sighed, “How many times must I tell you, Varian? Boys don’t love other boys. This is why you two should never have left. These whole ‘romances’ that you’ve invented will never work.”
“No! Let us stay out here. At least until after my birthday, please, Mother.” Rapunzel begged.
“Oh, so you think you know better? Then give them this!” A brown satchel was thrown at them, having been caught by Varian—the crown inside almost falling out. “This is what they want. They’re just using you; that’s what thieves do. Since you want to be so grown up, don’t come crying when they abandon you.” Mother warns before disappearing into the night.
They stand there, shocked for a few moments before Rapunzel rushes to make sure her brother is okay. She wipes away the tears that Varian himself didn’t even know he had shed.
“W-What are we gonna do?” He asks finally.
“We’ll keep it hidden for now. Just don’t think about it, alright?” She responds, and Varian nods.
When Eugene and Hugo returned, they hid the satchel.
As the fire faded, they drifted off to sleep. Varian and Hugo cuddled up by a tree, and Rapunzel and Eugene were on the other side of the fire.
Notes:
Sorry again for this being super late. But I hope you enjoyed!
Chapter 7: 7
Summary:
Gay and angst.
Notes:
HOLY SHIT I AM SORRY THIS IS LATE! I was going to post this earlier but I got caught up with two tech weeks back to back(if you’re a theater kid you know) and also school. Finals are soon and instead of studying I’m writing gay fanfic lol.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Will things ever be normal with these two? Hugo thought as they walked. They had woken up this morning to a very vengeful horse. Surprisingly, Rapunzel was very good with animals and convinced the guard horse not to absolutely murder them until after her birthday.
Hugo looked up as the castle came into view, Varian next to him, while Eugene and Rapunzel walked in front. Varian’s face lit up, and it took everything for Hugo not to die of cuteness.
They did run into two problems, though. First off, he and Eugene were both wanted criminals, and Rapunzel's ridiculously long hair was dragging and getting caught everywhere.
They found a group of little girls braiding each other's hair and asked them to braid Rapunzel's hair, which the girls looked delighted to do. The result was a braid that reached down to her ankles, decorated with beautiful flowers.
After that, they decided to split up and look around, Hugo going with Varian and Rapunzel with Eugene.
~*~
As they walked, Rapunzel came across a mural of the royal family. She stared at it, not being able to name the feeling she was getting.
“Blondie? You okay?” Eugene asks, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“O-oh, yeah. I’m fine, just wondering about this mural.” She responded.
“It’s a painting of the royal family and the lost princess. They say that she was kidnapped when she was a baby.” Eugene explains. Now that I see it, she looks a lot like the lost princess, he thought.
Just then, music started playing, and Rapunzel pulled people into a dance on the kingdom's symbol, engraved into the stone; she even managed to pull Eugene into the dance.
~*~
While Rapunzel and Eugene created a giant dance circle, the two teens explored the town. They stopped at shops and street vendors and eventually found themselves in a library.
Varian had never seen this many books in his life, all of different genres and sizes. Hugo pulled off a book about alchemical discoveries in the past 100 years, and they sat and read it together. Hours passed as they read book after book, occasionally kissing each other while they made their way through the massive stack of books they picked out.
“So what are you two nerds doing?” Eugene said, startling the two boys.
“J-Just reading books,” Varian replied, his face a little red.
“Well, the sun’s going down, and it’s the annual celebration of the lost princess, meaning that the lanterns will be released soon. You wanna come see them?”
“Yes!” Varian said excitedly, grabbing a very flustered blonde's hands and practically dragging him out the door. Eugene followed behind them, a knowing smile on his face.
The four of them walked to the docks, Varian and Rapunzel looking at the sky in amazement. When they arrived at the boats, Rapunzel and Eugene got in one first. Varian stared at the water.
“Hairstripe, you good?” Hugo asked, but Varian gave no response. The water was around him, in his lungs. He couldn’t breathe. He was going to die.
Hugo studied his face, suddenly realizing why he was looking at the water like that. “You two go out on the water.” He says to the two adults. Rapunzel seems hesitant, but eventually nods, and they drift farther out into the water.
Hugo takes Varians's hands, causing the shorter boy to look up at him. “We don’t have to go on the boats if you don’t want to.” He assures. A few tears start to run down the ravenette's face.
“I’m sorry. I-I don’t-” Varian began, but was cut off by Hugo.
“Shhh. It’s okay. I’ve seen the lanterns out there plenty of times.” He responds, looking around and finding a high rooftop. “If you still want to see the lanterns, we could go up there.” Varian looks up at it and nods.
The sight when they reached the top was something Varian could never have even imagined. There were thousands of lanterns of all sizes floating everywhere, lighting up the sky. He looked over the edge down at the boats and the water, which reflected the light beneath them.
https://www.tumblr.com/boredwithhyperfixations/802602825008971776/where-dreams-and-memories-collide-chapter-7(please copy the link I’m sorry the image wasn’t working)
They stayed up on the rooftop for a few hours, talking and watching the lights.
“Thank you.” The younger teen said suddenly.
“For what?”
“Everything. Seeing things that I’ve never even dreamt of, finding someone I love, just everything. I never thought I would ever leave the tower, never hoped for it. I didn’t know just how beautiful it was out here. So, thank you for everything.”
Jade eyes met baby blues, holding hands. Hugo pulled Varian into a tight hug.
“You don’t need to thank me, Goggles. I’m just glad you're happy.”
They stayed like that for a few moments before Varian broke the hug.
“Guess we should go find Rapunzel and Eugene, huh?”
“I guess so. Gotta make sure Eugene didn’t catch himself on fire or something.” Hugo sighs. They walk back down to the docks and see that the adults are nowhere to be found. “Alright, I’ll go look for Eugene, you go look for your sister.”
Varian nods, and they start looking for their respective adult. Suddenly, a large hand grabbed his wrist from behind and lifted him off the ground. The man had ginger hair and an eyepatch. An identical-looking man stood behind him with a scar. Varian tried to fight back, but it had barely any effect on the man.
“Looks like we found our little magic boy, huh?” One of the twins said. Varian closed his eyes, readying himself to use his powers if he had to. There was a loud band, and he was dropped to the ground. Varian opened his eyes to Rapunzel in front of him.
“R-Rapunzel?”
“Come along, you two.” A familiar voice said from behind.
Mother.
“M-Mother?!” He exclaimed. “Wh-Where are Eugene and Hugo?”
“Varian…I’m sorry.” Rapunzel said.
“What are you talking about?” He looked over to the water and saw it. Eugene and Hugo sailing away on a boat.
All he could do was cry.
Notes:
I was hoping to finish this before the end of 2025. Don’t think that’s gonna happens probably sometime in January. Art is by me. Anyways, have a good day or night!