Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Eugene sighed as he massaged his temple. It had been a very long day filled with very boring paperwork, but to him it was a small price to pay if it meant getting to help people. Eugene was part of the CPD, or the Corona Police Department, and he loved his job, but he loathed paperwork.

Shaking his head, Eugene picked up his pen to continue working on the files when Pete stepped in

“Deputy Chief,” he greeted.

“Officer Pete.” Eugene responded

The man looked at him apprehensively, hands folded behind his back. “The Chief and Assistant Chief are busy currently and need you to investigate a thug who was recently caught robbing a convenience store. He’s being held in detainment room 1.”

Eugene sighed and fully leaned back in his chair, “Okay,” he breathed, “I’ll be there ASAP!” Pete nodded and swiftly returned to whatever work he and Stan were wrapped up in.

…

Eugene walked down the halls to the detainment room. He wondered what this ‘thug’ looked like. Was he your run of the mill type of thief or was this a different case?

Out of all the things Eugene expected, a scrawny little kid was certainly not one of them….

The kid seemed distracted so Eugene took the opportunity to observe the kid. He was definitely small with a green hoodie and black sweatpants definitely swallowing him whole. He looked to be around 14 and he was oddly pale for his age. While he looked 14, he could easily pass for 12 or younger due to his small frame. The kid also had a big messy mop of black hair on his head with one teal streak on the front.

Eugene then moved his gaze to the kid's face. He possessed a plethora of freckles on his face (which reminded him of a certain blonde). His cheeks and eyes were sunken in, Eugene didn't even want to begin imagining why. Dark circles hung under his eyes and speaking of eyes.

Terrified crystal blues were staring back at his own brown. Oh shit, the kid caught him staring! Eugene cleared his throat and glimpsed at the file he received. He thought for a moment. Screw it.

He sat down at the table in front of the kid, “What’s your name kid?” Eugene asked, trying to convey sincereness in his tone.

The kid kept his head low and his eyes down.

“Where are your parents?”

The kid flashed him an uneasy look.

Oh, Eugene understood now. One look at the kid’s file confirmed it and it was as Eugene suspected: foster kid.

Eugene took a deep breath in, “Look kid, I get it. I once sat where you sit now. I was also a kid in the system doing the exact same things you’re doing, and I was like that until I aged out. Luckily there were some good people in my life to steer me in the right direction. I can help you find those good people,” Eugene lifted his arm to give the kid a reassuring pat.

Eugene shouldn’t have been surprised when the kid flinched.

The kid yelped and jumped back at the touch, causing the older man to curse under his breath. He should’ve seen it coming. One more look at the kid’s file told him that he had been declared missing from his last foster home for nearly a month. The kid had two options: going back in the system or juvie.

Eugene knew all too well what the system did to kids, knew how neglected kids could be, and most importantly he knew that trust was a fragile thing. Eugene weighed the options in his head and ultimately came to one conclusion.

He and his wife had all the right paperwork to do what he was thinking.

Fuck it, he thought.

…

When Eugene went to work that morning, he was expecting to come home with loads of paperwork and exhaustion. Something he definitely didn’t expect to be taking home was a kid….

Raps would be okay with it…..

Maybe………..

Probably……

Chapter Text

Rapunzel always thought of herself as a strong and hopeful person.

Her crazy life started when she snuck out of her cottage in the woods at 16 with an 18 year old house thief after blackmailing him into taking her to see the city of Corona’s annual lantern lighting (that coincidentally coincided with her birthday). Her ‘mother’ had been very protective of the girl and had always kept her cooped up inside the cottage, but once Rapunzel finally explored the outside world with Flynn Rider, she discovered a few things…. One of which being that her ‘mother’ wasn’t actually her mother at all, but her kidnapper that had stolen Rapunzel as a baby to get back at the Mayor of Corona, her actual father.

Rapunzel finally had been reunited with her real parents and life looked like it would finally become normal again….

She was so wrong.

Although she had been homeschooled by Gothel most of her childhood, her parents thought it best that she finish her last two years of high school at Corona High (she excelled in art class). Suddenly she was thrust into a world she had never known and most of the time she felt overwhelmed, but after some time she got used to it. She could do anything.

She still saw Flynn (and he had told her his real name was Eugene) almost everyday. After saving Rapunzel and bringing her home, her father saw it fit to officially pardon all of Eugene’s crimes. Mayor Frederick even helped put Eugene through college. It was the least he could do since the kid brought his little girl home.

Eugene decided to join the police force and Rapunzel decided to go to college out of town to pursue a degree in the arts. Another big change.

She still visited most weekends and halfway through her college career she was hit with another big change….

…

It was the eve of her 20th birthday and she was celebrating it with her boyfriend. He had planned a special birthday celebration for the two of them. He brought the two of them into a boat in Corona’s harbor just like the two of them had been in 4 years prior.

The sun was setting over the horizon and the first lantern was just released into the now darkening sky.

Eugene brought them to the center of the harbor. They were a decent enough distance from onlookers or other boats.

When the time was right, Eugene brought out one simple looking lantern and handed it to the blonde. He also gave her a match to light the center, allowing the contraption to take flight.

But before she could do it, something sparkly caught her eye….

In the center ring there was a different kind of ring…….

Rapunzel let out a small gasp as she felt a shift in the boat. Her boyfriend was now on one knee. He gingerly took the ring and held it up.

“Rapunzel, my love, my sundrop, will you marry me?”

She nodded and allowed Eugene to slip the ring on her finger. She took a moment to admire it. It was a simple gold band with a diamond. It was modest but Rapunzel didn’t care!

As soon as the ring was on, she lunged towards Eugene to envelope him in the biggest, tightest embrace he’d ever received.

Unfortunately, she forgot they were in a dinky wooden boat.

The new imbalance caused the boat to capsize and the now engaged couple landed in the water. When they both came up for air, Rapunzel gave the man the aforementioned hug as well as the most passionate kiss either one of them had ever received.

…

Rapunzel loved that memory, but that’s not when the chaos in her life came to an end.

Rapunzel graduated college with a degree in Art and the newlyweds had moved into a house near the outskirts of the city. It was quiet and small, but it was perfect in their eyes. It was two stories with a kitchen, living room, and dinning room downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs. The whole house was decorated to the taste of the blonde, which meant paintings adorning the walls and lots of pastels.

After a while, and after seeing lots of other happy families, the pair decided that they wanted to upgrade their two to three or more. Rapunzel and Eugene wasted no time upgrading their spare guest bedroom into a nursery.

Everything was perfect, but after multiple attempts nothing was born from the fruits of their labors.

Finally, Rapunzel learned one day during her weekly lunch with her mom that she might possibly be infertile. Her mother, Ariana, was. Ariana had just barely had Rapunzel and her only daughter nearly cost her her life. Ariana proposed a visit to the doctor, which Rapunzel agreed with.

Rapunzel and Eugene both got tested and while Eugene was fine Rapunzel was in fact infertile. There was no way she could have a child.

While the couple were heartbroken, they still kept hope that maybe the doctors were wrong, maybe they could have a baby one day…..

That was when Eugene suggested the idea of adoption and/or fostering.

It made since. Eugene himself had once been a foster kid, so Rapunzel understood why his mind wandered to the idea. Rapunzel was honestly keen on the idea as well. Just because the baby wasn’t biologically hers, doesn't mean that the baby wasn’t hers in her heart (While they were set on this new idea, they never stopped trying to make a kid of their own).

So, Rapunzel and Eugene signed up for classes and hoped that one day that spare room would be filled.

Flash forward to the present, Rapunzel was just finishing up a kids class at her art studio. She cleaned up the kids' activities and was locking the door to her studio. Rapunzel had finally finally thought that the chaos in her life was beginning to calm…….

But then her phone rang……

Chapter Text

Varian wished that he never robbed that convenience store.

In retrospect, he absolutely needed to.

He had left his group home about a month ago. He just couldn’t take it anymore. It was by far the worst home he had ever been in. The woman running the home was Ms. Wilson. She was an alcoholic and she was only taking care of the children for the monthly checks. This was actually pretty normal. Varian had dealt with a few alcoholic, careless caregivers in the past…..

It was the constant beatings that were the worst…

It was Varian and two other boys in the home. Billy was 12 and James was only 10. They were far too young in Varian’s eyes. So whenever one of the boys screwed up or did something she didn’t like, Varian would take the punishment even if he hadn’t done anything wrong. He was the oldest and these little boys were so small and innocent. Varian deserved it…

Especially after what he’d done….

Varian had survived the home for a couple of months, but everything got worse after Ms. Wilson brought her new boyfriend home.

Andrew was just like Ms. Wilson, if not worse. He was also a major alcoholic. He was supremely muscular with tanned skin. He had a black man bun and a beard to match.

The boys swiftly learned to avoid Andrew when he was drunk because if you caught him angry, it never ended well. This left Varian to again take the brunt of the beatings, but the last time was the final straw….

…

Varian knew he was in for it as soon as he walked into the house. The smell of alcohol assaulted his nostrils, which told him he needed to beeline to the boy’s shared room. All he had to do was walk through the den without making noise or direct eye contact.

The air tonight felt different though, there was a hint of tension.

After waiting a moment, Varian finally worked up the courage to walk to his room. Eyes ahead! He thought. He had almost made it through, until he caught something in his peripheral vision.

Then he heard the smack….

Varian snapped his head into the direction of the noise.

The sight made his heart stop.

Andrew had smacked Billy right in the face. The boy had also been covered in fresh bruises.

This was Varian’s fault. If only he had been home earlier and didn’t stop by his chemistry teacher’s room to chat and work on a personal project! Varian was an incredibly gifted kid when it came to science, especially chemistry. His teacher had been one of his only friends, but none of that mattered right now because Varian was only seeing red.

“What are you looking at?” Andrew spat, walking over to Varian.

Varian looked at Billy again. No matter what the kid did, it definitely didn’t warrant this punishment.

Without thinking Varian lunged at the man, punching him in the face. This caught Andrew off guard because he fell to the ground.

Ms. Wilson gasped as Andrew stood up nursing a now bloody nose. He wiped the blood onto his hand. He inspected it and then Varian heard the most evil chuckle of his life.

“I’m gonna kill you!” Andrew shouted. He darted to Varian and started using him as a human punching bag.

Ms. Wilson, in a moment of sobriety, tried desperately to pull Andrew off of the 14 year old. She succeeded for a second and managed to push the man off of Varian.

“Run!” was all she managed to get out before Andrew turned on her.

Varian ran from the house, the fastest he’s ever ran in his life. He was not athletic by any means, but pure adrenaline drove him forward. It’s a good thing he still had his backpack on. The boy was always prepared, so everyday when he packed for school, he also packed some spare clothes and snacks he’d managed to sneak. He also never left the house without his dad’s watch (which he wore), his mother’s goggles (which were in his backpack), and a picture he had of the two of them.

Varian ran from the town of Saporia to the next town over Corona.

That was a month ago….

…

Varian needed food now.

He hadn’t eaten in weeks and he was growing weaker by the day.

Luckily Corona was full of public water fountains so he never went thirsty. At night he often slept on any bench he could find. He didn’t know what his plan was, but hunger has a way of manipulating your decision making.

Varian was a smart kid……. Hopefully that would come in handy when robbing a convenience store.

The plan was simple. All he needed to do was hide in the store and emerge once the store was closed at 5.

He squeezed in between a shelf and the wall and waited. Once the lights turned off Varian got to work. He grabbed all the food he could see that was sustainable. He stuffed a ton of it into his hoodie pocket and sweatpant pockets.

Unfortunately when coming up with this plan he had not foreseen a couple of things.

One of those things being an alarm that was set up if the door was opened, even if it was from the inside.

Varian jumped in surprise and ran, but unfortunately for him his weakness and fatigue slowed him down immensely. He barely made it a couple feet before a cop car drove up beside him.

A cop stepped out of the passenger door, he was big and burly with a brown mustache. Varian was screwed. He had no choice. He simply raised his arms in defeat.

“Pete! The cuffs!” He heard the man yell. Another man, Pete, emerged with cuffs and bound Varian’s arms behind his back.

…

Varian was led into a room with a table and two chairs. The cuffs were now off, but the room was locked so there was no point in trying to escape.

Varian’s stomach growled, God it’s painful!

Suddenly the door opened and Varian’s heart rate sped up significantly.

A man in a cop uniform came in. He looked to be in his early 30’s. He was a muscular man with brown hair, brown eyes, and a stubble on his chin.

The man was staring at him inquisitively…

…

“Do you have anywhere to stay?” The man asked. Varian shook his head.

The man pinched the bridge of his nose, “Well you're not staying here tonight!”

What!

The man knelt down on one knee in front of Varian who was still seated, “I want to help you kid, but I can’t do that until I know your name. Will you tell me?”

Varian fidgeted with his hands for a moment. Could he trust this guy? He seemed genuine. Maybe he could help.

After a moment, “V-Varian.” He said.

Eugene felt a pang of sadness in his heart. The kid sounded so small and weak. That solidified the decision in his head.

“Well Varian, I’m Eugene Fitzherbert. How would you feel about staying the night at my house with me and my wife? I’m going to sort this whole mess out tomorrow, but for tonight you need a place to stay and a warm meal! What’d ya say?”

Food sounded good, so good in fact that the kid’s stomach decided to growl loudly. Varian blushed profusely. Eugene chuckled softly, “I’ll take that as a yes kid. Wait right here while I get my stuff and then we’ll head out!”

Varian nodded and Eugene left the room.

As soon as Eugene was hearing distance away, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The phone rang once before the receiver picked up.

“Hey love, you heading home?” Rapunzel greeted.

“About,” Eugene responded, “Hey Blondie, how would you feel if we had a house guest tonight?”

Silence. He could hear her thinking.

“I wouldn’t mind, why? What’s going on?”

Eugene explained the situation to his wife and waited for her to respond.

“Eugene! He’s 14? And he was living on the streets for a month?!”

“Yes, so can he stay with us Raps? He seems like a good kid just caught in a bad situation.”

“Absolutely, I’m heading home right now. I’ll set up the guest bedroom.”

“Thanks Rapunzel.” He said fondly.

“Oh, and I’m making tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner!” She added.

“Sounds perfect! I’ll be home soon!”

…

Eugene led the kid to his car and helped him get into the passenger seat. The drive to their house was about 20 minutes.
It was nearing 7 as they reached the house. Eugene pulled into the garage and led the kid inside.

“Honey, we’re home!” Eugene exclaimed, putting his keys on the key holder and setting his coat on the coat hook.

Eugene led Varian to the kitchen where Varian smelled the most delicious aroma he’d ever experienced in his life. The smell of tomato and herbs invaded his nostrils making his stomach growl tenfold!

Eugene’s wife, much like Eugene, chuckled, except her’s was much more airy and soft, like an angel.

“That’s a sound I like to hear!” She exclaimed, “I’m Rapunzel,” she said, moving to face Varian. She bent over placing her hands on her knees.

Varian inspected her, she was pale and freckly, much like himself, and she was wearing a light purple dress that went to her knees. The sleeves were puffed and she wore a cooking apron on top that had a sun insignia on it. Varian noted that she wasn’t wearing shoes… Strange.

Varian’s gaze moved to her face, she had the most bright, warm smile he had ever seen in his life. The feeling it gave him was akin to the feeling of the warm sun shining on your skin. This woman was the embodiment of sunshine. She also had the brightest green eyes he had ever seen. Finally Varian noticed her hair. It was in a braid that went down to her mid back. He couldn’t imagine how long it would be naturally. Her hair was a golden blonde, but he assumed that she dyed it because her roots were slightly darker.

“I’m Rapunzel!” She greeted, “We’re happy to have you here Varian!”

He was shocked, they were happy? No one was ever happy to have him around! He always caused trouble.

“Th-thank you.” He stuttered, not reaching her eyes.

“You’re very welcome!” She responded, giving him a soft smile.

“Woah, someone’s suddenly a chatterbox!” Eugene sarcastically said. He tried to convey a light-hearted tone so that the kid wouldn’t shut down.

Rapunzel giggled and elbowed him, this got a giggle out of Varian. “Why don’t you two go get ready for dinner. It’ll be done soon.”

“Alright your highness,” he faux bowed, “C'mon kid,” he said, patting Varian on the back. “The bathroom’s this way! I’ll change while you wash your hands!”

Varian nodded and followed the older man.

Chapter Text

It had been a while since Varian had seen himself in the mirror and let’s just say he didn’t like what he saw in the mirror.

It was not the same kid he had seen just months or even a year prior.

This kid was sad and pathetic and generally looked like shit. Varian’s breathing quickly picked up before he inevitably calmed himself down.

He shook his head and proceeded to wash his hands. He also took a towel and briefly washed his face if only to look more presentable. He also found a comb and brushed it through his messy hair. Once he decided he was pleased with himself, Varian walked out of the bathroom ready to walk down the stairs back to the kitchen.

He wasn’t sure what to do.

Rapunzel was standing there pouring tomato soup into the prettiest bowl Varian had ever seen. They were hand painted much like most of the decor of the house.

He watched finally as she plated grilled cheese sandwiches on similarly painted plates.

Varian really wanted the food. It smelled delicious, but he didn’t approach.

He couldn’t…

“You ready kid?” Eugene emerged from his and Rapunzel’s shared bedroom and stood right behind Varian.

Varian jumped, startled by the sudden noise; which Eugene noticed. Varian hated that he jumped like that. To cover up he gave a quick nod.

Eugene decided not to ask about the flinch. “Alright then,” he said as he led the kid to the already set dining table.

Varian sat down next to Eugene as Rapunzel walked over with three bowls. Varian watched in awe as she had one in each hand and precariously balanced one on her head. Then she came with the three plates of grilled cheese.

Eugene, and subsequently Varian, waited til the blonde was seated before eating. “Dig in!” She exclaimed, once she was sat.

Varian’s stomach rumbled. He scooped up a tiny spoonful of the soup and brought it to his mouth.

It

Was

Amazing!

Varian, overtaken by his hunger, dug into the soup, consuming it at a rapid pace. God he was so hungry! When was the last time he had a decent home cooked meal?

The adults giggled at the child who was downing the soup at a record pace. Next he attacked the grilled cheese and practically swallowed it whole.

“Hey hair-stripe slow down!” Eugene chuckled.

Varian blushed at the nickname as well as the warning. He knew Eugene was only joking and that there was no heat to the statement.

“Oh leave him be, love!” Rapunzel retorted, play-hitting the brunette, “Do you want some more Varian?” She asked.

“Am I allowed?” He asked, seconds were normally reserved for the adults or the real children of the adults.

Rapunzel laughed as if that wasn’t even a problem, “Of course you are silly! Why would I ask if you weren’t?”

Varian had a hint of a smile, “I guess that was silly to ask.” He admitted. Rapunzel poured him more soup and gave him another sandwich, which he consumed twice as fast as the first time.

“So Varian, what do you like? Got any interests?” Euegene asked.

Varian sat dumbfounded, when was the last time an adult asked him about his hobbies?

It was a beat before he spoke, “Science.” He blurted out rather quickly. “I-I like Science a lot!” He restated, making sure to enunciate and to speak slower.

“Ooo!” Rapunzel said.

“What science specifically?” Eugene asked, “I know there are a lot of fields!”

“Chemistry!” He said, rather excitedly. He was completely different from the kid that Eugene met merly hours ago.

“That’s fun!” Rapunzel said, “Anything else?”

Varian brought his hand to his chin in thought. What else?….
Then it came to him, “I like the Tales of Flynnigan Rider book series!”

“No way!” Eugene exclaimed.

Varian and Eugene stared at each other for a second, both smiling.

“You know Flynnigan Rider too!” They both spoke in unison.

“Wait wait wait! Which book is your favorite?” Varian asked

Eugene scoffed, “Obviously the first! It’s the original and it sets up all the other books!”

Varian gasped, “No way, me too!”

“Hey you wanna see something cool?”

“Yes!” Varian exclaimed, there were practically stars in his eyes.

Eugene led Varian to a wooden bookshelf in the living room (it was also painted on the sides) and pointed to the bottom shelf, “The complete collection!” Eugene smirked.

Varian gazed in awe at the full collection. Four, five, six, wait…

“There are more than six books in the series?!” Varian shouted, pulling at his hair. He looked to be having a mini crisis over this.

Eugene gasped, “You haven’t read the rest?” He shook his head and handed Varian book seven. “You better get reading kid. There’s an important plot point that happens in this one.”

Varian was stunned as he held the book in his hands, “Thank you, Mr. Eugene.” He said, genuinely touched.

Eugene patted Varian on the shoulder, “Don’t mention it kid! And just Eugene is fine!” He said as he walked to the kitchen to clean the dishes.

Varian stared at the book for another second before getting up to help clean the dishes, which Rapunzel promptly stopped him from doing.

“You’re our guest tonight!” She said, “Sit on the couch, Eugene will take care of it!” She herself got relaxed on the couch, busying herself with knitting. Varian sat down fully engrossing himself in the book.

Varian wasn’t sure how much time had passed but when he looked up next, Eugene had sat down with Rapunzel and his backpack had been brought in from Eugene’s car. Varian checked the clock which read 9:30.

Rapunzel stretched, “It’s probably time to get ready for bed,” she stifled a yawn, “We both have work in the morning and you need to get to bed!”

Varian groaned, “One more chapter?” He begged. He wasn’t even tired!

He yawned…

His body had betrayed him….

Eugene chuckled, “The book’s not going anywhere bud. You can finish it later!”

“C’mon, I’ll show you your room” Rapunzel said, motioning for Varian to follow her upstairs. He grabbed his backpack and joined her.

She flicked on the light to reveal a decent sized room. The walls were light blue with dark blue curtains covering the window. The room was barely furnished other than a comfy-looking bed, some drawers, and a bedside table. The bed had a handmade quilt as the main comforter.

Eugene came in with some pajama pants and an old t-shirt. “I thought these might fit!” He said, “If they’re too big just let us know!” He handed the folded clothes to Varian and placed his arm around his wife.

“The bathroom’s right there,” Rapunzel pointed, “If you want to use the shower!” She looked around, “I think that’s it! Let us know if you need anything!” She said as the couple left the room.

“Night kid,” Eugene said as he shut the door behind him.

Varian was left there by himself. He sat on the bed which led to him practically melting against it. It was so comfy! Once he had the willpower to get back up, he decided a shower was a good idea.

…

“He’s really sweet,” Rapunzel said, lifting her gaze from her book and onto her husband who was in the bathroom still getting ready for bed.

“Hey Blondie I know what you're thinking, but nothing can be settled until I can get in touch with his social worker hopefully tomorrow.” He said, spitting the toothpaste in his mouth into the sink and walking over to the bed.

“I know,” she said, placing down her book, “but we do have our foster licenses and we were discussing the idea of it.”

Eugene got under the covers, “You know I have a soft spot for foster kids, especially ones with great book taste, but again nothing can be settled until I can get in contact with his social worker. What if his old foster parents want him back or some relative mysteriously appears?”

“It felt nice having a kid in the house, didn’t it?” She said, snuggling up against her husband.

Eugene sighed fondly, “It did,” a pause, “and from what I can tell, he’s a good kid. He’s just been through a lot.”

Rapunzel knew Eugene’s heart was aching for the kid. Varian’s situation was similar to Eugene’s after all.

“Well,” she said, “We can only hope for the best!” She kissed him on the cheek, “Goodnight love.”

“Goodnight.” He returned, as they both fell asleep.

…

Varian never felt more relaxed after that shower. A month of dirty finally clean. Plus the pajamas Mr. Eugene lended him were very comfortable. It was nice to be out of his green hoodie and sweatpants.

After he got into the bed it was not very long before he fell asleep. As he lost consciousness, a single thought echoed in his mind. I really like it here.

Chapter Text

Fitzherbert must’ve been out of his fucking mind…..

Cassandra groaned and facepalmed

What was he thinking, taking home a kid?! Especially since there was no record present of said kid!!

Cassandra sighed. That was a really dangerous thing to do: bringing some random kid home. Especially since Rapunzel was the mayor’s daughter.

When Rapunzel was found and acclimated back to normal life, the mayor saw it fit to give her some sort of body guard. The girl was still in high school and while a normal body guard would’ve been too conspicuous, the mayor still wanted some sort of protection for his ‘fragile’ daughter.

Enter Cassandra who was the daughter of the Chief of Police in Corona and who luckily was still in high school.

Yes Cass was a grade older than the girl and yes they wouldn’t be in all the same classes, but if her father asked her to do something Cassandra would deliver.

So Cass dutifully watched over Rapunzel until she graduated. The two became the best of friends in the process.

Cassandra eventually became the assistant Chief of Police below her father and she was still close friends with Rapunzel. She even, reluctantly, became close friends with her boyfriend-turned-husband, Eugene. The two were even chosen to be partners as they both were police officers and worked well together, if they were getting along that day.

Cassandra loved the couple as if they were her family and they loved her back.

So it’s with that love that she wonders what the fuck they were thinking

…

Varian woke up very peacefully. The soft light filtered into the room from the windows as he sat up, yawned, and stretched.

Man, when was the last time he slept so good? He certainly didn’t remember!

The bed was so comfy. Varian didn’t ever want to get up from the warm comforter, but his stomach was telling him it was time to get some food. Hesitantly, he got up and ventured outside of the room.

He walked down the stairs as a delicious aroma permeated the air around him. He nearly drooled as he followed the smell to its source.

Varian meekly stood by the staircase. He didn’t really know why, nothing was stopping him.

Rapunzel noticed him from where she stood in the kitchen, “Good morning, sleepy-head!” She exclaimed in a sing-song voice.

Varain, whose feet finally decided to move, walked over silently to the older woman. “Good morning,” he returned, finally finding his voice.

He sat on top of one of the stools by the kitchen island. “Hope you're hungry,” she said as she turned to face him, “because I accidentally made a lot of pancakes and I can’t eat them all by myself!”

She placed a plate in front of him and offered a smile warmer than the morning sun.

Varian noticed a patch of green in Rapunzel’s hair, “What’s that?” He asked rather loudly. He immediately clamped his mouth shut anxiously. He was never supposed to be that impolite to an adult….

Andrew viewed that as insolence and insolence normally led to punishment…

Surprisingly to Varian, Rapunzel chuckled and grabbed the green thing from her unstyled hair. She revealed to Varian a small animal that Varian recognized.

“A chameleon!” Varian said in awe, “I recognize it from my old biology textbook!” He said, geeking out at the science.

“That’s right!” Rapunzel said, “I’m impressed! When Eugene first saw him, he thought it was a frog!” She said, giggling at the memory.

“He?”

“That’s right! Varian, meet Pascal,” she said as she brought the chameleon to his face, “Pascal, meet Varian!”

Varian gazed at the small creature in utter amazement, “Hi Pascal,” he said delicately. He looked at Rapunzel with a sense of childlike timidness, “Can I hold him?” He asked.

“What’d ya think Pascal?” The chameleon nodded at the blonde and crept up into Varian’s outstretched palms.

“Woah,” Varian gasped as the chameleon changed color to match his skin. Varian grinned ear to ear and Pascal was eating up the attention. Rapunzel could tell they would get along swimmingly.

She reached out and Pascal returned to her shoulder, “Alright that’s enough,” she giggled, “You need to eat!”

Varian conceded and the two both silently ate their breakfast. Halfway through Varian had a thought, “Where’s Mr. Eugene?” He asked.

“He’s at work! You were supposed to go with him, but you were still asleep when he needed to leave so we decided to let you sleep! We decided that I would take you to him on the way to my work.”

Varían nervously nodded. Oh yeah, he forgot that this wasn’t permanent. They needed to get in contact with his social worker and then who knows what.

He could end up back with Andrew….

He shook the thought. No, Mr. Eugene and Mrs. Rapunzel wouldn’t let that happen!

Would they?

“Varian!” Rapunzel called, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Sorry what?” He asked, hopefully he wouldn’t be in trouble for spacing out.

“I was just saying that you can borrow some of Eugene’s old clothes to meet up with him. I’ll set them out!” She said, “Is there something bothering you?” She asked sympathetically.

Oh no, she noticed his panic! “N-nope!” He said, “All good!”

…

Eugene was going up to the coffee machine for his second cup that morning when he got the text from Rapunzel that she had arrived with Varian.

Abandoning his coffee, he walked up to the front door of the station while a casually dressed Varian got out of his wife’s light purple car.

He went up to the driver window, “Hello love,” he said, stealing a quick kiss from his wife.

“Hey,” she greeted.

“About to head to work?” He asked, fully aware that that’s where she’s heading.

“Yep!” she said, quickly glancing at Varian. Her smile faded, “Be gentle with him,” she whispered, “He’s been very nervous this morning.”

“Alright,” he said, kissing her on the cheek, “I love you!”

“I love you too!” She returned.

As Rapunzel drove off, Eugene turned to Varian. “Hey bud!” He said, “How’d ya sleep?”

“Good!” Varian responded, fidgeting with his hands. A nervous tick Eugene guessed.

“Well let’s walk in and I’ll introduce you to some people.” He said, leading Varian into the building.

…

Cassandra was still wondering what the fuck they were thinking.

When her father told her about it this morning she was dumbfounded!

She’s still dumbfounded!

Then she saw the kid and it all made sense.

“Hey Cassie!” Eugene greeted his partner in his normal,
chipper tone.

“Fitzherbert,” she greeted, still slightly mad at the man.

“Why the cold shoulder Cass? Geez!”

She saw a kid peeking out behind the man, “Who’s the kid?” She asked, changing the subject.

Piercing blue eyes met green.

“Cassandra, this is Varian!”

Varian stared at the taller woman, “You’re pretty.” He said abruptly. He immediately blushed. Oh crap!

Eugene full out laughed as Cassandra stared bewildered. They swiftly brushed the comment aside.

“Alright,” he said, wiping a tear from his eye. “We need to get in contact with Varian’s social worker so we can sort this situation out. Let’s go hairstripe!” He said, gingerly nudging Varian’s shoulder.

Cassandra stared at the boy as they walked to Eugene and Cass’ shared office. She hoped he wasn’t a bad kid. He seemed like he was genuinely sweet, calling her pretty in all.

What caught her the most off guard was how comfortable Eugene and the kid were with each other. They had just met not twenty-four hours ago. She assumed he similarly clicked with Rapunzel.

While she was still skeptical, Cass hoped for the best. Rapunzel and Eugene had always wanted a kid.

Maybe he would be it.

Chapter Text

The trio walked into Eugene’s personal office, “So, Varian!” Eugene paused, “What’s you're social worker's name?”

“Mrs. Megan Mills.” Varian responded. He remembered the woman. She was always nice to Varian and up until recently, she was the nicest person he knew.

Varian was sitting in a chair across from Eugene’s and in front of his desk. Cass was leaning against the wall near the door, surveying the two of them.

“And she works in Saporia, correct?”

Varian nodded.

“Great, so I’ll contact the Saporian Social Services Center and ask for her!” Eugene said, clacking information into his computer. Once he was done he began to search for the Center’s number online and dialed the number.

“Hello,” a pause, “Yes, this is Deputy Chief Eugene Fitzherbert of the Corona Police department. Could I speak to a Mrs. Megan Mills?”

Varian waited anxiously as Eugene was on the phone. Every pause felt like an eternity.

“Hello Mrs. Mills, this is Deputy Chief Eugene Fitzherbert. I’m from the Corona Police Department and I’d like to ask you some questions about one of your missing kids. We found one.”

“Hello Mr. Fitzherbert!” She responded chiperly, “What do you need to know?”

“I’d like to ask about a kid named Varian.”

“Varian?!” Mills exclaimed.

“Yes, what about him?” Eugene responded, suspicion invading his words.

“His foster parents have been looking for him for a month!”

Varian froze….

Foster parents?!

Eugene caught his sudden tension and continued cautiously. “What are his foster parents' names?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Haine.” She responded.

If Varian thought he froze earlier then now he must paralyzed… Mr. Haine? That could only mean one thing…..

“M-Mr. Haine?” Varian asked.

“Could you give me their full names for informational purposes?” Eugene asked, a lump forming in his stomach.

“Mrs. Karla Wilson Haine and Mr. Andrew Haine.”

Andrew Haine?!!

Varian’s breathing picked up, ‘And-Andrew?!’ He thought. “No!” He yelped. “No no no no no no!” Varian fell from his seat and began to curl in on himself.

Eugene muted the call, “Kid?” He called. Cassandra bolted into action, pulling Varian’s arms away from him so he wouldn’t hurt himself. Varian yelped, pushing Cass away and hiding himself in the corner.

“I’m sorry, I’m gonna have to call you back!” Eugene said, ending the call.

Eugene looked at Cass signaling he could handle it. He approached Varian slowly, carefully. He held up his hands, “Hey bud,” he said quietly, “I-We are not going to hurt you.” Eugene got closer. He carefully reached out to the small child and gingerly placed his hands on Varian’s elbows, leading him to the ground. Eugene wanted to make sure he wouldn’t collapse.

…

Varian’s vision blurred

Was this what dying felt like?

His chest felt heavy….

He couldn’t breathe!

Why couldn’t he breathe?

He needed air!

Well, at least if he was dying then he wouldn’t be in pain anymore…..

“Var-“ A voice called.

“-ian”

“Varian!”

Suddenly he felt a warm sensation on his palms.

“Breathe!”

Varian tried to follow the instructions. He felt a steady thump-thump.

“In and out”

In and out Varian repeated, his breathing steadily slowing down.

“Good.” The voice said, “Keep going!”

After a couple of seconds Varian’s breathing was steady again and his vision cleared. He lifted his head and looked at the source of the voice.

Eugene!

“There we go!” He said. Varian suddenly realized his arms were on the older man’s chest. He blushed slightly from embarrassment when a blanket was suddenly draped around his shoulders.

He looked up to see Cassandra was the source of the blanket. She looked at him worryingly before immediately trying to hide her concern. It was too late….. Eugene saw it.

“They’re supposed to help with anxiety.” She said, looking slightly shaken herself.

Varian nodded, “Thanks,” he mumbled, his voice quiet. He wrapped the blanket around himself, hugging it for comfort.

“What happened kid?” Eugene asked.

Varian shuddered, the thought of that man was too much. It was a few seconds before Varian had the strength to speak.
“A-And-Andrew!” He said, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

“Andrew?” Eugene asked.

“Yes,” Varian nodded.

There was a saddeness to Eugene’s expression, “Kid,” he paused, “did he, or they, hurt you?”

Varian’s eyes widened. He looked down at his hands and hugged himself.

All he could do was nod solemnly.

Suddenly Varian was enveloped in warm, except this time it was more of an embrace.

A hug?

Varian was being hugged by Eugene.

The embrace sent a message of understanding. It was enough to create a crack in Varian’s walls and the flood gates opened.

Varian sobbed into Eugene’s chest and the man only hugged him tighter. He knew the pain all too well.

Eugene comforted the kid as best as he could whispering sweet-nothings into his ear as he held him. Varian squeezed Eugene, holding him like a life-line. Eugene combed his hand through Varian’s messy hair. A gesture completely foreign to Varian. It reminded him of……

Reminded him of-

Varian let out a choked sob.

Of his dad….

Varian cried himself to sleep in Eugene’s arms. His eyes, puffy and tear tracks still on his face. Eugene let out a tired sigh. The kid looked so peaceful in his sleep.

At that moment he swore he would never let anyone hurt this kid again!

Eugene picked up the kid and stood up. He laid him on the couch in his office and draped the weighted blanket over him. Taking one last look at the kid, he brushed a stray strand of hair from his face.

He turned towards Cass, “Can you watch him for a minute while I call the social worker back?” He asked. His eyes pleading at her.

“I’m the assistant to the Chief. I am your superior!” She whisper-yelled, but there was no heat to her words. She rolled her eyes and smiled, “Of course, idiot!” She said as she punched him lightly.

He took one more look at Varian before leaving the room to walk outside. He had a call to make…..

Well maybe two.

…

“So you see Mrs. Mills, I think we have a case of child neglect and abuse in our hands.” Eugene said after explaining all that has transpired.

There was silence on the other side of the line. “If you’re right Mr. Fitzherbert, then action must be taken. Can I come tomorrow afternoon so that I may talk to Varian myself, not that I don’t believe you, I just wish to make sure he’s okay!”

“Of course! Eugene responded, “See you then!” He said, hanging up. He sighed and rubbed his temples. One more call to make.

…

Rapunzel’s heart sank, “That’s horrible!” She gasped as her husband explained the events that had transpired for a second time.

“I know!” Eugene said, “and his social worker is coming up tomorrow so that we can take action.”

“That’s good.” She said, “ and also… no fair that he hugged you first!”

Eugene chuckled at his wife. He could practically see her pouty face. Then an idea struck him.

“We should get Varian new clothes,” he said, “he could be staying with us for a while.”

“I have one last class in five minutes. I could close early and meet you at the Green Hills mall in an hour!”

Eugene glanced at his watch. It was 11:00 “That’s a great idea Blondie! We could get lunch there too!”

“Okay love, see you in an hour!” Rapunzel said.

“Bye honey.” Eugene said as Rapunzel hung up. The plan was good! It would give Varian another hour to sleep. The poor kid needed it desperately.

Eugene walked back to his office. The kid was still asleep, good. “Thanks for watching him, Cass. You can go.”

She walked towards him and stopped, “He’s a good kid Fitzherbert,” she said, a sad look on her face, “take care of him.” She walked away.

Eugene knew this hurt her too, Cass also being an orphan. Although she was adopted rather early, it still hurt.

Eugene walked to a chair near the couch and sat down. He set an alarm on his phone and shut his eyes.

He may need a quick nap too.

Chapter Text

The clock struck twelve and the boys were off. Eugene explained to Varian what the plan was and the kid was excited?

Nervous?

Maybe a mix of both?

As Eugene began to start the car, he furrowed his eyebrows. An idea formed in his head. With a smirk that can only be described as mischievous, he quickly sent Rapunzel a text of his impromptu change of plans. The blonde, who immediately responded, sent an enthusiastic yes and Eugene could practically see his eager princess beaming at the text.

After all, it was their favorite restaurant.

…

“I thought you said we were going to a mall?” Varian asked, looking questioningly at the building he and Eugene were parked in front of.

“We still are!” Eugene said getting out of the car with Varian following, “We just decided on a different place for lunch!” He said with a smirk.

They stood there until they saw a familiar blonde walk up. Eugene went to her and gave her lips a peck. Then he gently rested his hand on her waist.

“Kid,” he said, gaining Varian’s attention, “Welcome to……. The Snuggly Duckling Diner!” He said with Rapunzel doing little jazz hands.

“The Snuggly Duckling Diner?” Varian questioned, sounding out every word as if it was a different language or missing pieces of a puzzle.

“Yep!” Rapunzel said. Her excited smile was infectious to everyone around her. No wonder Eugene called her Sunshine!

“This place used to be a bar,” Eugene explained as they began to walk inside, “but then the two owners, they’re brothers, converted this place into a family friendly diner!”

Varian paused at that……

Family?

He hadn’t heard that word in a positive way in a long time. Normally the word had foster tagged to the front of it.

Family……

“Three please,” Rapunzel said to the hostess. They were led to a corner booth and Eugene continued his spiel. “Hookhand, the older brother-“

Eugene was interrupted by a chuckling Varian, “His name is Hookhand?!”

“Yes,” Eugene smiled. It was nice hearing the kid laugh. “You should wait till you hear his brother's name!” He said, his eyebrow raised. “Anyways, Hookhand is a musician and he and his band play here almost every night! His younger brother,” Eugene smirked, “Hookfoot,”

By this point Varian was cackling. These names were so absurd!! “Do they have real names? Does anyone know?!!” Varian said, practically crying from laughing.

Rapunzel and Eugene looked at each other and then looked at Varian. They both simply shook their heads, which sent Varian into another cackling fit. Rapunzel and Eugene couldn’t help but chuckle with the kid. One because it was funny, but also because his laugh was so precious!

“Anyways, Hookfoot manages the restaurant most of the time, although sometimes he goes and visits his girlfriend, Seraphina, on the coast and Hookhand will take over.”

Varian nodded in understanding with a bit of mirth still on his face.

Their waitress approached the table. “Hi, I’m Annabelle, and welcome to the Snuggling Duckling Diner! Is this your first time with us?” She asked.

“We’re regulars,” Eugene said.

“We’re close to the owners!” Rapunzel cut in. She looked at Varian, “We actually had our first date here as teenagers!” She said, nostalgia filling her tone.

“What can I get you to drink?” Annabelle asked.

Rapunzel decided on sweet tea and Eugene got a Diet Coke. Rapunzel turned to Varian, “Get whatever you want!” She told him. Varian thought about it. What did he want? He didn’t know. “Um… I’ll try Diet Coke!” He said decidedly.

Eugene elbowed him lightly, “Good choice!” He said.

“So what else do you know about this place?” Varian was genuinely intrigued at this point. He also liked listening to them talk.

“There’s not much else.” Eugene said, pondering the kid’s question. “Ooo!” Rapunzel cut in, “They do karaoke! Oh my gosh! And family game nights!” Rapunzel had always wanted to get in on those.

But then there was that word again……

Family……

Something about that word in this context sent butterflies in Varian’s stomach. He wasn’t sure why…..

The waitress came back with their drinks, “Y’all ready to order?” She asked.

“Varian, are you ready?” Rapunzel asked, sliding her hand onto Varian’s. He whispered to her, “Could you just order for me?” He asked earnestly. Eugene heard this interaction and nodded. He placed his hand on Varian’s shoulder, “I gotcha bud!” Varian looked up at him and smiled ‘thank you’ he mouthed.

“The kid and I will both have a cheeseburger and fries!” Eugene said to the waitress Annabelle. “And I’ll have a veggie-burger with fries!” Rapunzel said.

Once the waitress had left, Varian turned to Rapunzel, “A veggie-burger?” He questioned. “Oh, I haven’t told you yet?” She asked, “Well, I’m pescatarian!”

“Pescatarian?”

“She only eats fish!” Eugene explained, “I could never do it though…” he said, including a dramatic beat, “I love meat too much!”

Varian giggled at the older man’s antics, “That’s cool Mrs. Rapunzel! Why’d you do it?” Varian asked, he immediately cringed at the question though… Adults hated questions. He covered his mouth with his hands, “‘M sorry…”

“Hey hey hey…” Rapunzel said, her hand again finding the spot on top of Varian’s, “Never be afraid to ask questions!” Rapunzel said, her face dead serious. “I love animals too much and that’s why I decided to be a pescatarian.”

Varian’s eyes began welling up with tears. Why was he so upset over this?! It was such a simple thing, but that small act of kindness and understanding was enough to set Varian over the edge. A tear slid down his cheek and Rapunzel’s soft thumb swept across it, wiping it away. He smiled up at her. They remained like that for a minute until the waitress came with their food.

A plate was placed in front of him. It smelled glorious. He picked up the burger, sniffed it, then took a bite…..

It wasn’t much longer till his plate was clean. Well, as clean as he could since he was malnourished and was readjusting to a regular eating schedule, but tomatoe, tomahto.

They ate the rest of their meal in contented silence. Eugene and Rapunzel were just impressed with how fast Varian ate. Although they couldn’t judge him very much. They, especially Eugene, understood.

Once they had all finished the waitress came by again. “Did y’all save room for dessert?” She asked.

“Watcha say bud?” Eugene asked Varian, “Want some?”

Varian nodded. The kid looked like a deer in headlights. Eugene thought it was adorable.

Rapunzel giggled, “We’ll have the duckling family sundae!” She decided. “Good choice Blonde!” Eugene agreed. Varian was left confused.

That darn word….

Varian decided to brush it off. It was just a word…… right?

Soon enough the sundae was brought to their table. It was huge. There were chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry scoops with chocolate sauce on top of it. There were also rainbow sprinkles and a cherry on top. Finally, a little duck cookie was placed on top. Varian guessed that’s where the duckling part of the name came from.

They all dug into the sweet treat and Varian honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had had ice cream! He had always preferred chocolate, so he and Eugene did a lot of damage to the chocolate scoops.

Once they finished, Eugene paid the check and they all piled into his car. Rapunzel was going to ride with them to the mall since it was out of the way and the couple wanted to ride together. Afterwards, they would drop her back off at her car and head home.

With that, they were off to the mall!

…

It was about ten minutes until the trio pulled up to the Green Hills mall. After spending another five trying to find a spot in the parking garage, they had successfully made it inside. The mall, being an indoor mall, was a big white building with two floors and windows in the ceiling for natural light. The mall was kind of set up like a ‘Z’ in the way that the shops were set up.

Not wanting to overwhelm Varian with two many decisions, Eugene led the kid and his wife into a store he thought was age appropriate, yet still had lots of good options.

Rapunzel, being the mom that she was, went around picking some practical items like dress shirts, dress pants, etc. Varian on the other hand went around just looking at the clothes with Eugene in tow. After watching the kid walk up to something he liked and immediately flinch and walk away enough times, Eugene decided to talk to the kid about it.

The kid was admiring a graphic tee that had a joke on it that read: “What are the elements of a sense of humor?” And under it read: “SArCaSm” It was a really dorky shirt, but Eugene could tell the kid liked it, so he picked up a shirt in the kid's size and led him and Varian somewhere else. Although he’d never played this game before, he was familiar with it.

“It’s okay to get what you like!” Eugene said as they continued to walk around the store. Varian’s eyesjerk up to Eugene. Guilt seeping into his bones.

These people were being so kind to him!

Why did he always have to mess things up!

“I don’t want to be a burden.” He whispered, so low he didn’t even think Eugene heard him. Eugene had in fact heard him and was processing the information. After a beat, the man spoke up, “Buddy,” he said, holding both of Varian’s shoulders. He made sure he had the kid’s eyes on him because he was being dead serious, “You are never a burden!” And it was true, he wasn’t. If anything his presence was a blessing. Eugene was telling the kid this because he needed to hear it and it was something Eugene needed to hear when he was Varian’s age. “Do you understand?” He asked. He needed to know that the kid understood.

Varian looked down. Did he understand? He didn’t want to feel this way, but he just didn’t. He wanted to believe it though! He looked Eugene in the eyes, “I understand,” he said, a ghost of a smile on his face.

After that, shopping became a lot easier and by mid-afternoon they had a pretty good haul! Varian was walking through one last store with Raps while Eugene got the car. Rapunzel was on the other side of the store than Varian was at the moment. Naturally, Varian wasn’t paying attention. The kid was always in his own head! He was thinking about his conversation with Eugene earlier as well as that word that kept jump-scaring him everywhere he went. Varian picked up his shopping bags, shook his head, then turned to walk back to Mrs. Rapunzel.

Unfortunately Varian walked right into someone….

Bags flew around him as his face collided with someone’s chest. Next thing Varian knew he was on the ground. “Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!” He heard someone say. Varian instinctively felt his head with his hand. He looked up at the source of the mysterious voice and immediately blushed.

The boy standing over him was tall or maybe that was just because Varian was on the ground but he didn’t think that was likely. The boy had ashy-blond hair that was partially buzzed on one side. He wore a long sleeved green top with black jeans. He also wore glasses, but what caught his attention the most was the emerald eyes that pooled into his crystal blue. Varian’s breath caught in his throat.

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry,” Varian quickly stood up and started collecting his fallen bags and the handsome stranger helped, “After all, I was the one who bumped into-“ Varian and the boy’s hands both landed on the same bag. The boy’s hand landed on top of Varian’s. His hand was warm and the touch sent electricity through his hand and to the rest of his body, “-you…” Their eyes once again locked onto each other. Varian blushed harder.

After a beat, Varian reluctantly pulled his hand away. He remembered that he needed to meet back up again with Mrs. Rapunzel. “Sorry,” Varian said, “I’ve got to go meet back up with…”

“Your parents?” The boy asked.

“Yep!” Varian responded, his body and mind acting on autopilot. “Well, see you Freckles!” the boy said, handing Varian back the bag.

“Y-yeah, se-see you!” Varian said, his face was practically red at this point. He quickly ran to find Rapunzel. He would unpack all this later.

“Ready to go?” Rapunzel asked, slinging her purse around her shoulder.

Varian, whose face was still beat red, nodded. He looked like he had just run a marathon. Rapunzel shrugged it off, he’d tell her if it was important.

Eugene pulled up the car for them so they wouldn’t have to walk super far. The car was loaded up and then the trio began to head home.

Home….. huh

Another funny word….

…

The rest of the day had been slow. They relaxed in the afternoon and had dinner together. After dinner Varian settled on the couch, he wanted to finish his Flynn Ryder book sooo badly! Rapunzel was next to him and she had thrown herself into knitting. Varian saw a small green figure on her left shoulder. He assumed it was Pascal. Eugene flopped down on the opposite side of Rapunzel that Varian was on.

“Wanna watch the first Flynn Ryder movie, Varian?”

Varian beamed, “Of course I do!!” He exclaimed.

Eugene leaned over to grab the remote off of the circular coffee table. Varian noticed that it was often cluttered with whatever arts and crafts that Rapunzel was working on. There were also hand painted designs on it. Varian suspected who the culprit of that was…..

“So Varian,” Rapunzel caught his attention, “I saw you with a boy earlier! What was his name?” Varian began blushing and hid his face in his book. Rapunzel, sensing his embarrassment at the topic, began to push it further. Varian being flustered was hilarious.

“I don’t know.” Varian mumbled, “I accidentally ran into him and he was helping me pick up my things!”

“Do you think he’s cute!”

“What?!!”

“I don’t know! You were blushing so I assumed-“

“Is that okay?” Varian asked.

“You having a crush?” Rapunzel was confused.

“No, me liking boys?…”

The question hung in the air. The tension for Varian was thick.

“Of course not!” Rapunzel retorted. “There’s nothing wrong with that! I like boys too!”

“Obviously….” Eugene cut in. She glared at him. “Anyways, feel free to talk about stuff like that whenever you want to and yes we’re okay with it!” Rapunzel said.

“Okay…thanks!” Varian said, smiling at the two of them.

Eugene played the movie. Varian and Eugene were practically quoting the whole movie, which led to Rapunzel teasing them about it. Varian enjoyed watching the movie with Eugene because he was never able to talk about Flynn Ryder stuff with anyone before.

The boys critiqued the movie when it didn’t align with the book and they would praise the movie for the things it did right! All in all it was a pretty good adaptation.

Slowly, steadily throughout, Varian could feel his eyes drooping. He felt safe and warm and he continued to sink into that feeling until he let it consume him. He fell asleep and his head rested on Rapunzel’s shoulder.

Rapunzel was surprised by the sudden weight on her right shoulder. She turned to gaze upon the sleeping boy resting against her. A smile graced her lips and she readjusted herself so that her arm was around his head and she brought him closer to her. Rapunzel enveloped Varian’s sleeping form in a loose embrace so as no to disturb the sleeping child.

Eugene, who was only slightly jealous, gave her a look of faux betrayal. Eugene was jealous. He also wanted to snuggle with little hairstripe. The jealousy passed however when he realized that Varian felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in front of them.

He looked so peaceful in his sleep. Cute even. Eugene got up and draped a blanket over the two. Varian unconsciously nuzzled closer to Rapunzel. Rapunzel, when Eugene sat back down, leaned into her husband so that he was also included into their cuddle pile.

The two continued to watch the movie as Rapunzel carded her fingers through Varian’s raven hair. Eugene looked at the two and let out a content sigh. He could get used to this.

Chapter Text

Varian, much like the morning before, woke up rather slowly. He didn’t remember falling asleep in the guest bed, so he guessed that Eugene must’ve moved him at some point last night. Varian smiled at the thought of last night. It was the first time in a while that he had felt safe. He loved the feeling.

(Varian silently wished to himself that he could stay here forever with Mrs. Rapunzel and Mr. Eugene, but he had learned rather quickly in his short life that people usually don’t stick around for very long…)

Varian quickly lost his depressing train of thought when he heard a knock at his door.

His door?

The guest room door!

No one sticks around forever…..

“Come in!” Varian hastily said, after realizing that he had made the person on the other side of the door wait for far too long! Realistically it was only a few seconds, but to Varian it had felt like an eternity.

The door opened revealing Rapunzel with a basket in her hand that contained clean, perfectly folded laundry.

Varian’s laundry…..

“Good morning!” she said in a sing-songy tune as she set the basket on the floor. “I cleaned all the stuff we bought yesterday! Would you help me put everything away?” She asked. She knew Varian would say yes, but Eugene said it was good to give kids like him some freedom.

Varian nodded and they began putting the plethora of clothing up. Rapunzel showed Varian where to put his things as well as where extra space was for everything. When they were done Rapunzel sat on Varian’s bed and let out a sigh.

“Why don’t you get changed, I’m making brunch!”

“Ok!” He replied excitedly, as Rapunzel began to walk out of the room. She had somewhat of a somber look on her face. It made Varian nervous.

“By the way,” she said, “your social worker is coming over today for lunch so that we all can talk to her!” She approached Varian, who’s face immediately lit up in panic, “but you don’t have to talk to her if you really don’t want to,” she placed a hand to his shoulder, “She just wants to know how you’re doing! Apparently you've been missing for quite some time.”

Varian didn’t want to make eye contact with Rapunzel, but he did anyway. He only hoped he didn’t look as scared as he felt. He knew Mrs. Megan wasn’t going to do anything to him. It was just that he didn’t want to go back to Andrew…

“I know,” he said, “I’ll talk to her!” He smiled, though it felt like a grimace. Rapunzel smiled one of her sunshine smiles and gently, yet firmly embraced Varian.

Varian was stunned at first by the touch, but quickly melted into it. He constantly yearned for this type of affection. It was so foreign to him, so he savored every second of it. From her lavender-scented perfume to the materials of the hand-knit sweater she wore. Her long hair tickled his face as he nuzzled his face further into her chest. It was so….Motherly..

Varian never wanted it to end, but when she eventually did pull away, she reminded him that he needed to get ready for Mrs. Megan Mills. They had to tidy the house up after all. She left the room leaving Varian by himself. There was a tightness in his chest that was unfamiliar to him. One of longing. He felt tears threatening to make themselves known, but he forced them back and got ready for the day!

…

Only after Varian had made absolutely sure that everything in the room was completely tidy, did he go downstairs.

Rapunzel was busy in the kitchen making something on the stove that smelled delicious, but no surprise there…

Varian quietly approached Rapunzel from behind and watched her as she worked. He wished he had the courage to lean his head against her or hug her again, but he didn’t want to be a burden so he stood still. The tightness came back….

Rapunzel, however, noticed him out of the corner of her eyes and playfully nudged her shoulder against his, “I’m making French toast!” She said, Varian mustered a small grin before his face fell once more. He needed to knock it off! No foster parents ever wanted a kid that was sad all the time, so he plastered on a fake smile.

Then another more daunting thought came to his mind….

What if this is my last morning here? Are they inviting my social worker just to send me away?!!

And worst of all….

Are they gonna give me back to Andrew?!!

That was silly, Mr. Eugene said he wasn’t a burden… right?

Tears pricked at his eyes once more, but once again he held back. That’s when Rapunzel, who was oblivious to his panic, spoke up. “Could you set the table, please?” She asked, “Then after that, you could read that book of yours until Mrs. Mills and Eugene get here at 10:30!”

Right! A distraction…

“Where is Mr. Eugene anyways?” Varian asked.

“You can call me and Eugene by our first names, silly! And Eugene is at work right now filling out paperwork with Mrs. Mills, but they’ll be here soon!”

Varian nodded and began to set the table. Once that was done he flopped on the couch and began to read his Flynn Rider book. Pascal, who was nearby, crept up and laid on his shoulder. Seemingly keeping the boy company.

After a while Varian heard the garage open and…. inevitably, the garage door….

Varian stood up and tensed, instead of tightness now heaviness plagued his gut. Apprehension clouded his mind.

Eugene entered first and greeted both Varian and Rapunzel, then….. then.

Well Varian could recognize her red hair from anywhere… Mrs. Megan Mills, with her pale skin, red hair, and light freckles. She wore a white blouse with a long green skirt and her hair was characteristically in an updo. Her glasses were different though, they were green instead of black.

They locked eyes immediately, with neither knowing how to approach. Mrs. Mills finally spoke up, “Varian!” It came out as a sigh, “I’ve-We’ve been looking everywhere for you! I was so worried!” She said as she cautiously approached the 14 year old.

Varian looked like a deer in headlights. He didn’t move even an inch as Mrs. Mills approached him. He then remembered that he had a voice and he should probably use it to respond; however, he didn’t know what to say. It’s like the words were caught in his throat. Then he felt the corner of his eyes burning. Dang it! Not now! He thought, but he was so scared of being given back to Mrs. Wilson and Andrew. Mrs. Mills placed a hand on his shoulder and the floodgates opened.

“DON’T MAKE ME GO BACK!” he yelled through closed eyes. “I can- I can’t- I won’t go back! Not there, not again!” The tears came loose and rapidly fell down his face.

Seemingly out of her element, Mrs. Mills didn’t know what to say, “What?” She asked.

Eugene approached the two and wrapped a surprised Varian in a hug. “That’s what we wanted to talk to you about, Mrs. Mills.” He felt Varian freeze at the hug at first and then lean into the touch. He took note of that. “Why don’t we go eat and then discuss the current issue?” He said.

Mrs. Mills looked worriedly at Varian, “I think that’s a great idea.” She smiled at Varian, who after calming down, offered a small smile back.

“Great!” Rapunzel said, clapping her hands. “I made a lot!”

…

After a few minutes of eating along with casual conversation between Rapunzel and Mrs. Mills, she finally got back to business.

“So, Deputy Fitzherbert, would you care to inform me about your concerns?”

Eugene swallowed a bite of his French toast. “We believe,” He made eye contact with Rapunzel, “that Varian was experiencing cases of child neglect and abuse and that he needs to be placed in a different home.”

“What?” Mrs. Mills' eyes widened, “Varian, is this true?” Varian nodded, not making eye contact with his social worker.

“Why have you never said anything?” She asked.

Varian didn’t know how to answer that, “I deserve it!” He said, the adults in the room felt their faces grow pale, “I deserve it after all that I’ve done…”

Varian was only ten at the time…..

It was Varian’s birthday and Varian’s dad, despite his disconcert, bought him a chemistry set. It was all Varian had been asking for for months and Quirin just wanted to make his boy happy. Especially after losing his mother a year prior…..

If there was one thing anyone knew about Varian, it was that the kid was incredibly smart. His teachers often found themselves being taught things from the kid. It was one of the things that his parents had always loved about him.

Varian would often hyper fixate on the things that he loved and one day, the little five year old had walked into the library with his father. Little Varian wandered around the building skimming through the books.

The fiction section didn’t interest him, neither did the nonfiction section, and neither did the history section…..

Finally, his little blue eyes zoned in on a little chemistry book. He picked it up and skimmed the first page, then the second, then the third, until eventually he had finished the first chapter. His father found him later curled up on a couch in the kids section. They checked out the book and went home.

Varian finished the book that night…..

Over the next year Varian had finished every book in the science section and he really wanted a chemistry set. He begged his dad for one! And his dad promised that he would get the boy the set on his 10th birthday.

The day eventually came and Varian couldn’t be happier when he opened his present to find a kid’s chemistry set! Varian spent the whole day messing with the different chemicals and such, but eventually he got bored of only doing the experiments that were in the instructions. He wanted more!

When his dad was busy later that evening after dinner Varian snuck around to find a candle and some matches. There was this one reaction he had read from a book that he had wanted to try, but it required an open flame. Varian had read all the procedures and lab safety protocols. He knew how to do it!

Varian found the materials he was looking for and set up the experiment in a spare room they had upstairs…..

It was going great! The chemicals Varian had had reacted exactly the way the book said they would. He was thrilled by all the discoveries he was making. It was one thing to read about it, but it was an entirely different thing to do it himself with his own two hands.

Varian had just finished the experiment when his dad called him. “Varian, it’s almost time for bed, son! Go take a shower and then I’ll put you to bed!” He called from somewhere in the house.

Eager to obey his dad, Varian jumped up and ran to his shower.

Not leaving a second thought to the mess, or the flame, he left behind……..

The evening had gone by routinely and Varian found himself falling asleep soundly in his bed. He was so happy he wondered if anything could bring him down!

Varian was later woken up by his dad. ‘What?’ He thought to himself. “Varian we need to leave now!” He said, pulling Varian out of bed and dragging him by his arm.

Varian was so confused. This was their house? Why did they need to leave? Then he took a sniff of the air and his heart sank to his stomach…..

Oh no

Fire… he smelled smoke! Which meant he forgot to put the flame out before bed. Now his dad was going to be furious with him. He knew he should’ve asked permission.

He felt himself being led down the stairs when he realized he forgot his mom……

He pulled away from his dad and ran back upstairs. He heard his father yelling behind him.

Varian felt the flames lick at him as the whole upstairs was now covered in the pyre. He felt the house was getting more and more unstable around him, but he had managed to get to his room.

He quickly ran up to his bedside table and snatched the picture of him and his parents. He also grabbed the pair of lab goggles his dad had gotten him last year.

His dad was close behind him and grabbed his shoulders, “Varian! What were you thinking?” He scolded, until he saw the picture and his expression softened. “Let’s get out of here!” He said, dragging Varian again.

This time, however, was a lot harder…..

The pair had managed to get downstairs, but now the house was about to fall apart and it was getting harder and harder to get in a good breath.

Varian saw the door and gasped. He began to run towards it, not paying attention to the ceiling above him. There was a crack and his name was called. The next thing he knew he had been pushed to the floor. All the air in his lungs was knocked out. He turned around to see his dad pinned under a pile of wooden fiery debris.

“DAD!” Varian coughed out as he walked to his dad as best as he could with the lack of oxygen. No no no this couldn't be happening! They were right in front of the door! They were so close!! He tried to get some of the debris off his unconscious father, but struggled to do anything.

Suddenly his dad coughed. “Dad?” Varian asked, voice full of hope. “Varian?” His dad croaked out. He gave his hand to Varian and the boy took it.

Varian’s eyes were filled with tears as his dad spoke. “Varian, I love you.” He said, a tear falling down his face, “I need you to walk out that door. Can you do that for me son?” Varian shook his head, “I can’t leave you!” He said, putting his dad’s hand up against his face. “You have to, Varian. Save yourself!” Varian cried and hugged his dad’s hand.

“I love you..” was the last thing Varian heard his dad say before the firefighters came in and carried him out and it was also the last thing his dad ever said…..

…

He had killed his father that day. He was the reason Quirin would never breathe again. He deserved every beating Andrew or any foster parent gave him, because he was a murder.

“I deserve it!” He said it like it was a fact as he fled from his seat. “I-I’m the reason my dad is dead! And I deserve it!” The air in the room was thick with tension after Varian revealed his story to the adults.

All of them were frozen, unsure how to process the information, until Eugene spoke. “Kid, it’s not your fault.” He said, his voice not as strong as it usually is. He stepped forward until he was right in front of Varian.

“How could it not be?” He yelled, “It was my experiment?! I started the fire!” Tears sprung to his eyes.

“Yes you forgot to blow out the candle and yes you did run back up to your room, but you didn’t kill your dad kid!” He said, taking a knee in front of Varian so they were at the same eye level. He gently placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Your dad pushed you away from the falling debris! He knew what could happen and yet he did it anyway. Your dad chose to save you instead of himself. That was his choice!”

Varian could feel as the older man gingerly brushed aside the hair in his face. Eugene quickly moved to wipe away a stray tear and cupped the boy’s face in his palm. Varian melted into the touch “You didn’t kill your dad kid, he sacrificed himself for you! And I’m sure he wouldn’t want you living with this guilt. Like you said, he loved you.”

Varian’s eyes moved to meet Eugene’s. Crystal blues poured into Eugene. Their expression, a mix of realization and grief. Varian knees buckled beneath him and Eugene quickly moved to support the weight, which was practically nothing. He hasn’t known the fourteen year old for that long, but he couldn’t help but care deeply for him.

Eugene couldn’t help but hold Varian as he cried, his head buried into the older man’s chest. He stroked the boy’s raven locks and whispered sweet-nothings into his ear as he let out years worth of emotion.

Rapunzel had found her way over to where the two were now sitting on the floor. She slowly and calculatedly sat down next to the two. One arm around her husband and the other rubbing Varian’s back in an attempt to soothe the boy. They sat like that for what felt like hours but was really only minutes.

Once Varian had settled a bit and had stopped crying so hard, Eugene lifted Varian’s head to meet his. “You did not deserve any of the abuse you have suffered.” Varian felt his eyes water as he hiccuped.

“No kid deserves that, especially not you!” Rapunzel said, carding her fingers through his hair. Varian could see tears forming in her eyes. “You’re smart and kind and so very curious” she said, smiling, “and we love you for it!” Eugene finished.

Varian’s eyes widened at that, “You love me?” He asked, as if it was a question to the couple. Rapunzel laughed wetly, “Yes!” She said, “That’s why we asked to get in touch with your social worker silly! We weren’t trying to get rid of you! We wanted to see if it was possible for us to foster you!” She exclaimed. “Yeah hairstripe,” Eugene said, ruffling Varian’s hair, “We’d like to keep you.”

Ok, Varian’s eyes were wet again. Stupid tears! But he couldn’t help it. After so many years of horrible homes and some awful foster parents, never in a million years would Varian have thought he’d find a family again, but here they were with eyes on him actually giving a crap on how he felt. He lunged forward and wrapped the two up in a strong hug. The force of which almost took them to the floor, but they never waivered, they hugged back just as strong. Varian began to cry again, but for the first time in a while, they were happy tears.

…

Varian eventually exerted himself from crying and fell into a restful, peaceful sleep for the first time in a while. Eugene carried the boy up to his room and returned back downstairs. Him and his wife had a social worker to deal with.
…

He found the two at the table chatting, “In all my years as Varian’s social worker, never have I once seen a reaction quite like that from him! He’s never been that vulnerable with anyone. Not even me!” Mrs. Mills said, “I’ll see about the paperwork, but I’m sure since you are both licensed fosters that it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll leave him with you until I get this finished and I’ll keep you in touch throughout the process.”

After Mrs. Mills finally left, Rapunzel and Eugene sat on the couch, their energy and emotions drained. “Do you really think everything will be okay? I mean, we are certified, but what if something goes wrong? What if?-“ Eugene cut her off, by placing a finger on her mouth.

“Blondie, you're spiraling.” He said.

“I know,” she said looking up at him, “I can’t help but worry! This kid does not need to be put through anymore trauma!” She looked up at him, “And- I’m ready Eugene,” she said, smiling up at him, “I’m ready to be a mother!” She admitted.

“I know you are blondie!” He said, kissing her on the lips, “I’m sure everything will be fine!” He said to reassure her.

“But how do you know?” She asked.

“I just do!” He said in response. That was good enough for her he thought, because a second later he felt the weight of her head on his shoulders.

Deep down he couldn't help but wonder if something would go wrong, but as Rapunzel fell asleep on his shoulder and with Varian sleeping soundly upstairs he realized that a little mid afternoon nap would be nice and he also realized that everything was going to be alright. They would be alright! He felt himself drift off to sleep with his wife beside him and their kid upstairs.

Chapter Text

Hey guys I know I havent updated in quite a while. No I was not hit with the ao3 author curse, I just went through a lot this year from finding myself to exploring my passions to even writing a story of my own. Anyways, I would like to let you guys know that I've become a better writer since my last chapter and that I.....

Will be continuing this story by rewritng from the begining and then continuing onwards! This story had a plan and still does, but I would like to rewrite the begining for myself. Again I would like to thank you all for your endless support. Your comments (and my friend Ash) are the reason why I am even doing this!

Thank you for following my journey and I hope we can continue where we left off! Im (hopefully) gonna start writing tomorrow!

Thanks,

--Ace--