70ftandcounting

...Are -- you busy?

Nnnope.

[He just lit a fresh cigar, but shh, Rapunzel doesn't need to know that.]

[DAMMIT.]

I have something for you.

[SHH HE CAN FINISH IT LATER.]

Uh, you do?

[You will get her angry face.]

Yes! Where are you?

... Inmyroom but there is smoke everywhere, so maybe we can meet somewhere else.

...Smoke? Again?

[SIGH.]

Alright. How about mine?

Yeeeah. Again.

[CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP]

Sounds good to me. What room?

[Audible sigh as she gives him the number.]

[CAN'T

STOP

WON'T

STOP]

Be there in a jiffy.

[And he is there, though in more than a jiffy. Don't worry, he left his cigar back in his room. The Once-ler double-triple checks the room number. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to go to the wrong room? Really embarrassing.

Knnnock knock knock!]

[SHE WILL JUST HUFF DISAPPROVINGLY.]

...Once-ler?

[That was faster than she'd thought. She pulls the door open and hugs hi,.]

Hey! Come in!

[IT SMELLS LIKE SUNSHINE AND FUCKING SUGAR IN HER ROOM OKAY.]

Uh, yeah, hey!

[Wow she is most definitely hugging him. That's cool, that's totally cool. No sarcasm. He loves hugs. Anyway, sorry his shirt absolutely reeks of tobacco, Rapunzel, it's hard to get the smell out.

The Once-ler steps into her room slowly. It's been a while since he's been in a girl's room. They usually go to his place.]

It smells really nice in here.

[She smiles and pulls back and turns around, and -- promptly sneezes.]

Oh um -- excuse me.

[Blush.]

Thank you! [It's just her ~*essence*~. A nice sunny day. That's what it smells like.]

[The Once-ler needs to find a way to not smell like a hookah bar whenever he hangs out with Rapunzel. That's at the top of his to-do list. Maybe he'll make a special jacket?]

Sooo... The thing? For me?

[Straight to the point!]

Oh! Yes!

[She scrambles.]

I remembered the picture we painted, and thought...you might like something to match.

[8D? It's a cover for his bed that matches -- and somehow doesn't look incredibly tacky. That's talent.]

Wow.

[Give him a second, because his heart pretty much just stopped. Someone actually took time out of their life to make him something personal. How long has Rapunzel known him - three weeks, maybe? And she...? She has to have some hidden agenda. She has to. But what if she doesn't?

Don't cry.

The Once-ler reaches out and takes the cover in his hands. This is definitely a thing that exists.]

How long did this take to make?

[He doesn't even take his eyes off it.]

Well...[She brushes a strand of brown away.]

Since...right after we painted your mural. I decided that you needed something else nice, too. To match, and maybe remind you of something that made you happy.

[Because as free as she is here, there is darkness that clouds some part of her, because of the keep. If she can help make others happy, then maybe it isn't really so bad.]

That's... Three weeks, maybe...

[Three weeks, she spent three weeks making this. For him.

Back home, the Once-ler has everything he could possibly want, literally everything. You name it and he probably has one in every color, plus metallic shades. But the Once-ler does not, and has never, had something as personal as this. Ever.

Don't cry.]

I, uh...

[He doesn't know what to say, so he puts down the cover and hugs Rapunzel. Tightly. And doesn't let go. He stoops down to her height and everything, which is quite the feat, considering he's more than a foot taller than her. This is a Real Hug, man. A Real Hug.]

[....He's -- not really saying much. For one terrifying moment she's afraid he hates it. That maybe she's done something wrong again and -- well. She starts stammering.]

I just thought -- maybe -- that it'd be nice -- since I didn't -- oh.

[Then hes hugging her, and, well -- it's okay. Isn't it? He's pleased, she's happy, and so she just hugs him back and ignores the traces of tobacco.

It's not so bad, clinging to his clothes like that, after all...]

Thank you.

[It comes out quietly, nearly a whisper. I've said it before and I'll say it again: deep, heartfelt thanks from the Once-ler is a rare occurrence these days, and he really doesn't know how to express it. So - a hug. And a whisper. He'll be sure to think of something better later on when he's not incapacitated by emotion.

Okay, just...

Just a little longer...

Alright, the Once-ler releases Rapunzel before the hug gets a little too awkward. He has a big dumb smile on his face, bigger and dumber than he's had in a long time.]

Nobody's ever done anything like this for me. Ever.

[She's used to long hugs - Kevas gives good ones and so did Flynn. So does Tammy, actually. So the length of the Once-ler's hug isn't even blinked at. Nope, it's just reciprocated, arms tight around him until he's ready to pull back.

Toeing the ground shyly, she clasps her hands.]

Well...they should have.

[Should they have? The Once-ler disagrees. He never thought he was good enough to get a home-made gift that wasn't a macaroni birthday card from Brett and Chet. But... maybe he is? He's good enough for Rapunzel, anyway. God, he doesn't know what his emotions are doing right now. Let's focus on the positives. Something thinks he's worth enough to spend three weeks making something highly personal for him, and that's what matters.]

You - I really don't think you understand how much this means to me. Not even close.

[Rapunzel thinks so.

Blushing, she gestures to her room, indicating he sit.]

...Tell me?

[She'd like to understand.]

[Tell her. Telling her means trusting her. Does he trust Rapunzel? Not entirely, but he doesn't trust anybody. He sits down on the edge of her bed, thinking. Just how much truth should he tell?]

Um, well... growing up, I didn't have a lot of friends, and my family was kind of... distant? I guess? So, heartfelt junk was pretty rare.

[She carefully sits next to him.]

Me, too. To -- all of it, really. [Friends? She had a chameleon. Family? A 'mother' who kidnapped her at birth and used her her whole life.

Yeah. It's safe to say she gets it.]

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mushy scene incoming

/squishes

aaaaafklsjfdl

8D?

8D!!!!!

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