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100fandomhellTitle: Adventures in the Married Life
Author: Apache Firecat
Rating: PG-13/T
Fandom: Tangled
Wordcount or Timestamp: 1,167
"Do you ever regret it?" he asks softly when it's at last only the two of them and they lay still beside each other in their bed.
There's never been a time when he hasn't been wowed by her big, blue eyes, and tonight is no different. Even as exhausted as they both are, when she looks up into his eyes with wonder, love, and joy filling her own, he feels something move both further down his body and deep within his chest. He knows he loves this woman, and would do anything for her, but still he has to wonder. He remembers well when everything was still so new to her, and he knows that the duties they are struggling to take on is a lot. "If you ever regret it," he continues, chastely kissing her forehead, "all you have to do is say the word, and I'll find a way to get us out of here."
But Rapunzel shakes her head. "Regret what?" she asks, her brow furrowing.
"Regret..." He pauses, searching for the words. "...all this," he finishes lamely, waving a hand around at their fancy bedroom. It's far bigger than the two of them will ever need, bigger even than they would need for a cabin of their own, and filled with such exquisite tastes that he knows doesn't quite fit either of them.
"Of course not, silly!" she exclaims, taking his hand in hers. "Why would I regret anything?"
He gazes at her, awed once more at how innocent she still manages to be. "It's just..." Again he fumbles for words. "I know it's a lot."
"Of course it is! Rebuilding anything always takes a lot of hard work, and here we are, building on the next generation, building on our love and marriage, and rebuilding -- "
She pauses suddenly and starts to chew her bottom lip, clearly in deep thought, and now it's his turn to ask and prod her for answers. "Rebuilding what?"
Finally she just shrugs, shakes her head a little, and looks up at him. "Everything!" she concludes. "Flynn, before you, I..." She shakes her head again. "I didn't really have a life. Sure there were good days, there were days that were better than others, but I was always lonely. I never wanted to be stuck in that tower."
"It did keep you safe," he ventures for he's considered doing the same to their own daughter, especially if she turns out to be nearly as curious as her mother.
"It kept me from living!" Rapunzel exclaims, sitting bolt upright in their bed. "It kept me from having a life! It kept me in a cage! You can't keep somebody safe by keeping them locked up! It's not right! It's -- It's -- " She struggled for words and finally threw her hands up in defeat. "It's worse than inhumane!"
"I don't regret a single thing," she says, fervently shaking her head. "I don't know who's put that into your head, but get that nonsense out! I don't regret leaving that place! I don't regret standing up to her! I don't even regret that she's dead now!"
His mouth opens, but she continues before he can get a word in, "I don't regret it, because even if she had not been harming me, she would have found another child to hurt! Another child to trap!"
"But... Your hair...?" he manages to get in, his fingers twirling in the shortened ends of her now dark brown hair.
"Was an EXCUSE!" Rapunzel almost shouted. She did shout the last word and instantly clapped her hands over her mouth. She cast big eyes at the door for a moment, but it stayed firmly shut and no voices rang out from beyond it. "Was an excuse," she says again, hissing as she fights to keep her passion from again raising her tone. "She didn't love me! She never loved me! That woman is not capable of love!"
"But here we are, actually loving each other and forging a life together! Yeah, I know it's hard. There's a lot of stuff we have to learn with our royal duties, and something new is still popping up every day that I have to get used to! It's not easy going from a tiny tower to having a thousand plus people looking at you and expecting you to lead them every day of your life!"
She finally hushed again and blew at her bangs. It seemed like only then did she realize how startled he was by her passionate outcry. "Honestly, Flynn, I know it's a lot, but I love every moment of it." She grabbed his other hand and squeezed both his hands in hers. "I love every moment with you." Clearly giving her words some more thought, she added, "And, honestly, as much as it is for me, I know it's got to be even more for you."
He tilted his head slightly to the side as he studied her. "How do you mean?" he asked at length.
"You're the one who's used to being free," she told him, point blank. "You're the one who's used to being able to roam wherever he wants to go and take whatever he wants to take. You're the one who's not accustomed to being tied down, and especially not to responsibilities and duties tying you down and, well, holding you back," she admitted with a tiny shrug, "from all those grand adventures you used to have."
"You mean living day to day trying to figure out what I was going to eat and how I was going to do so while not being arrested? Nah, I'm good." He grinned at her, but then his wide, trademark grin took on a more humbled, touched expression. "Besides, I've got you," he added, kissing her cheek, "so come what may, even if we have to one day start being the actual royal monarchs of this place and give up having all fun, I'm good. As long as I've got you, I'm good."
She squeezed his hands again. "It's the same for me," she said, gazing lovingly into his eyes. "As long as I've got you, I'm good. No matter what we're doing, no matter what headaches or adventures we're having or not having, as long as I've got you, I'm more than good." Her fingers entwined with his, she leaned forward and kissed him, long and deep.
When her lips slowly began to lift from his, he murmured against her mouth, "You know, Missus Rider, I know of another adventure we can have right here without ever leaving our room or even our bed."
She raised a single eyebrow and smirked at him. "Oh, really? What's that?"
"Come here, I'll show you." His words turned to almost a purr as his arms shot around her, lowered her back into their bed, and pulled the covers over them just in case any Knight might get the wise idea to look through the keyhole.
The End
Author: Apache Firecat
Rating: PG-13/T
Fandom: Tangled
Wordcount or Timestamp: 1,167
"Do you ever regret it?" he asks softly when it's at last only the two of them and they lay still beside each other in their bed.
There's never been a time when he hasn't been wowed by her big, blue eyes, and tonight is no different. Even as exhausted as they both are, when she looks up into his eyes with wonder, love, and joy filling her own, he feels something move both further down his body and deep within his chest. He knows he loves this woman, and would do anything for her, but still he has to wonder. He remembers well when everything was still so new to her, and he knows that the duties they are struggling to take on is a lot. "If you ever regret it," he continues, chastely kissing her forehead, "all you have to do is say the word, and I'll find a way to get us out of here."
But Rapunzel shakes her head. "Regret what?" she asks, her brow furrowing.
"Regret..." He pauses, searching for the words. "...all this," he finishes lamely, waving a hand around at their fancy bedroom. It's far bigger than the two of them will ever need, bigger even than they would need for a cabin of their own, and filled with such exquisite tastes that he knows doesn't quite fit either of them.
"Of course not, silly!" she exclaims, taking his hand in hers. "Why would I regret anything?"
He gazes at her, awed once more at how innocent she still manages to be. "It's just..." Again he fumbles for words. "I know it's a lot."
"Of course it is! Rebuilding anything always takes a lot of hard work, and here we are, building on the next generation, building on our love and marriage, and rebuilding -- "
She pauses suddenly and starts to chew her bottom lip, clearly in deep thought, and now it's his turn to ask and prod her for answers. "Rebuilding what?"
Finally she just shrugs, shakes her head a little, and looks up at him. "Everything!" she concludes. "Flynn, before you, I..." She shakes her head again. "I didn't really have a life. Sure there were good days, there were days that were better than others, but I was always lonely. I never wanted to be stuck in that tower."
"It did keep you safe," he ventures for he's considered doing the same to their own daughter, especially if she turns out to be nearly as curious as her mother.
"It kept me from living!" Rapunzel exclaims, sitting bolt upright in their bed. "It kept me from having a life! It kept me in a cage! You can't keep somebody safe by keeping them locked up! It's not right! It's -- It's -- " She struggled for words and finally threw her hands up in defeat. "It's worse than inhumane!"
"I don't regret a single thing," she says, fervently shaking her head. "I don't know who's put that into your head, but get that nonsense out! I don't regret leaving that place! I don't regret standing up to her! I don't even regret that she's dead now!"
His mouth opens, but she continues before he can get a word in, "I don't regret it, because even if she had not been harming me, she would have found another child to hurt! Another child to trap!"
"But... Your hair...?" he manages to get in, his fingers twirling in the shortened ends of her now dark brown hair.
"Was an EXCUSE!" Rapunzel almost shouted. She did shout the last word and instantly clapped her hands over her mouth. She cast big eyes at the door for a moment, but it stayed firmly shut and no voices rang out from beyond it. "Was an excuse," she says again, hissing as she fights to keep her passion from again raising her tone. "She didn't love me! She never loved me! That woman is not capable of love!"
"But here we are, actually loving each other and forging a life together! Yeah, I know it's hard. There's a lot of stuff we have to learn with our royal duties, and something new is still popping up every day that I have to get used to! It's not easy going from a tiny tower to having a thousand plus people looking at you and expecting you to lead them every day of your life!"
She finally hushed again and blew at her bangs. It seemed like only then did she realize how startled he was by her passionate outcry. "Honestly, Flynn, I know it's a lot, but I love every moment of it." She grabbed his other hand and squeezed both his hands in hers. "I love every moment with you." Clearly giving her words some more thought, she added, "And, honestly, as much as it is for me, I know it's got to be even more for you."
He tilted his head slightly to the side as he studied her. "How do you mean?" he asked at length.
"You're the one who's used to being free," she told him, point blank. "You're the one who's used to being able to roam wherever he wants to go and take whatever he wants to take. You're the one who's not accustomed to being tied down, and especially not to responsibilities and duties tying you down and, well, holding you back," she admitted with a tiny shrug, "from all those grand adventures you used to have."
"You mean living day to day trying to figure out what I was going to eat and how I was going to do so while not being arrested? Nah, I'm good." He grinned at her, but then his wide, trademark grin took on a more humbled, touched expression. "Besides, I've got you," he added, kissing her cheek, "so come what may, even if we have to one day start being the actual royal monarchs of this place and give up having all fun, I'm good. As long as I've got you, I'm good."
She squeezed his hands again. "It's the same for me," she said, gazing lovingly into his eyes. "As long as I've got you, I'm good. No matter what we're doing, no matter what headaches or adventures we're having or not having, as long as I've got you, I'm more than good." Her fingers entwined with his, she leaned forward and kissed him, long and deep.
When her lips slowly began to lift from his, he murmured against her mouth, "You know, Missus Rider, I know of another adventure we can have right here without ever leaving our room or even our bed."
She raised a single eyebrow and smirked at him. "Oh, really? What's that?"
"Come here, I'll show you." His words turned to almost a purr as his arms shot around her, lowered her back into their bed, and pulled the covers over them just in case any Knight might get the wise idea to look through the keyhole.
The End