#gonna fix formatting later im in the car rn oopsie

[softgreysentences]

(Finally got tunglr to work for me that was a MISSION anyway) uuuh gimme in the snow with New Dream you decide how angsty and/or fluffy you wanna make it given Eugene's feelings re: snow

2. in the snow

"I'm sorry...what."

Rapunzel laughed sheepishly, crouching down to bury her bare hands in the snow like some kind of monster. "I've never made a snowman before!" She called to him over the light wind and the sound of the kids laughing, her voice teasing. "Of all the things to surprise you..."

Eugene grabbed her hands before abruptly letting them go, shivering and capturing her wrists to brush the leftover snow off her palms. Then he took her hands and pulled her further from the castle's shadow, out into the grey light of the day. "We'll just have to fix that," he muttered. "Remember I'm braving the cold and the horrible, horrible snow to provide you with a comprehensive education."

"Oh you poor thing," Rapunzel reached up to squish his cheeks playfully, fingers biting cold, and he yelped. Moments like this convinced him she wanted to see him suffer. "Whatever would I do without you to show me?"

"I'd be in the nice, comforting warmth and you'd be out here getting chased by Lance's horde." In the distance, Kiera took Varian out with a flying tackle. The poor kid oomphed and landed facefirst in the snow, laying still until she kicked him aggressively in the knee. Eugene turned away from the screeching and wrestling, eyebrows raised. "You're welcome."

Rapunzel turned from watching Lance swing Catalina around by her ankles to shoot him a look. "I think it's sweet," she chided, before looping an arm through his. "Now what's the first step?"

"There is absolutely nothing about this that could go wrong!" Rapunzel hollered from the top of the hill. "Varian says it's okay!"

***

"I- sunshine, please-"

"Oh, so if he says it's okay it's full steam ahead but if I dare to show an ounce of concern, guess who's a killjoy," Eugene muttered.

"WHAT?"

"NOTHING. I LOVE AND SUPPORT YOU."

"AWW, EUGENE-" Varian rolled his eyes and elbowed her. She exchanged words with him that Eugene couldn't overhear - probably for the best - and turned back to stare down the very tall, very snowy hill. "Incoming!"

It was that love and support that motivated him to graciously not rib them (too hard) after their crash landing at the bottom of the hill. Neither looked daunted, giggling together in a drift and throwing snow at each other until he stepped in. "While I've gotta give you points for creativity, trying to harness a snowball and sled it down the hill just isn't as stable as hand-rolling it- hey!"

Rapunzel grinned over him, holding his hands against the ground using the same grip on his wrists she'd yanked him into the snow with. "Sorry, did you say something? Got distracted watching you talk."

Eugene didn't do flustered. But she leaned further over him, brown hair backlit with pale sunlight, eyes sparkling, nose and cheeks a fierce red under her freckles from the cold, and his heart perhaps stuttered a beat. Innocent until proven guilty. He grinned and flipped them, hands at her waist. "Then I'll keep talking," he replied, voice lowered.

"Eew." Varian stuck his tongue out, breaking the moment and scrambling back to his feet with all the grace of a baby deer. "I'm going back to Lance and the girls. Gross. Good luck on the snowman without me."

"Try not to lose too hard!" Eugene yelled after him, snickering at the rude hand gesture waved back. "Now. Snowman?"

"Snowman," she agreed. "Hand rolled."

"Good, you're learning!" He definitely deserved the scarf shoved in his face.

***

"Like this?" She held a small snowball above the two they'd already stacked. Eugene frowned and waved his fingers. She shuffled a half-step.

"Little more." She tilted it slightly. "Perfect. Right there."

"I'm gonna name him Snowy Man," she proclaimed proudly. Eugene groaned.

"Just. You know what. Mr. Man has my utmost respect. Time for the carrot." He plodded through the snow, drawing the vegetable from his pocket with a flourish. "Ready?"

Rapunzel took it, squinting at the snowman's head to position it correctly. Eugene leaned back slightly - seeing her safe and happy like this, learning all the fun little things in life for the first time, brows furrowed and tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth in concentration - it was a pull he couldn't resist. It was a warmth that would hold him even here, braving the cold all day long. It was everything he'd ever dreamed of. It was-

"I think it's off balance." She looked back at him with a small frown. "What do you think?"

Eugene moved closer and placed his hands over hers, adjusting them slightly. She hummed and leaned back into him, the two of them pressed flush. "Beautiful," he murmured, and her frustration melted to confusion before she realized his eyes were fixed on her.

"Was teaching me worth standing out in the snow all day?" Rapunzel spun in his arms, and he closed them around her and held her close.

"I'm never cold when I'm with you," Eugene grinned. She suppressed a smile, looking up at him with her chin against his chest. "My sunshine."

"Dumb." He shugged, unapologetic, and they fell into a quiet moment - it was home, holding her, being held by her. "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too, Rapunzel."

#tangled the series #tts #tts fic #rapunzel #eugene fitzherbert #my fic #requests #asks #gonna fix formatting later im in the car rn oopsie #varian #kiera #catalina #lance #new dream #im not used to tagging things as ship i completely forgot