Well, sorry about the long hiatus for those of you who care. It was mostly a combination of me being lazy, and school being craz— chaotic.

Anyway…

I can tolerate Eugene being caricatured for comic relief in some situations, but "greatest fear" is literally one of the most stereotypical things to think about when it comes to characterization, and I was unhappy with his fear in Be Very Afraid. We know he's deeper than that. I also took the opportunity to write out some playful banter because if I don't practice, I won't get better.

Also, if you want to share, I'd love to hear your ideas on what Eugene's greatest fear would be.

Lunging forward, Eugene swung his sword downward at Varian. Varian blocked it neatly with a clash of metal on metal.

"Nice!" Lance called from where he stood watching.

Eugene dodged back out of range with a grin. "You're getting pretty good at this."

"Thanks." Varian was panting, but he still managed to smile back. "That means a lot coming from you." He swished his sword dramatically. "Flynn Rider, fearless swashbuckler."

Eugene rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, you do realize—"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Not that Flynn Rider." Varian grinned. "But you're still pretty cool."

"Oh, stop. You're making me blush," Eugene said, definitely not blushing.

Lance chimed in. "I would like to add that along with not being Flynn Rider, Eugene is also not fearless." He chuckled. "Remember the red rocks, Eugene?"

Eugene widened his eyes in exasperation. "Really? This again?"

"Hey, Lance. Cut it out." Varian tried to suppress a smile. "The memories of that cowlick are still too traumatic for him."

"Our heroic friend's greatest fear." Lance swooned theatrically. "A bad hair day."

Eugene held up his hands defensively. "Hey, your greatest fear was a clown spider that wanted you to sing in public."

"That is a legitimate phobia." Lance crossed his arms.

Eugene gestured as if trying to gather a comeback out of thin air. "Look, Rapunzel was standing right there! Would you want the love of your life to see you when you're not looking your best?"

Lance came over and patted Eugene on the back. "Oh, Eugene, it is not possible for me to look anything other than absolutely stunning."

Varian looked up, caught on something Eugene had said. "So, Eugene, when Rapunzel wasn't standing right there, after she left… Did the rocks still make you see the same thing?"

Eugene froze. "Oh, umm…"

"Ooh." Lance grinned. "Something even better than a cowlick?"

"Uh, no, actually." Eugene shifted his feet. "Something a little more serious."

"Well, come on. Tell us," Lance said. He and Varian looked at Eugene expectantly.

"I'd rather not," Eugene said, biting his lip. "It's, you know, not fun to talk about."

"You know what the rocks made me see," Lance prodded.

"And you know what I saw too," Varian added somberly. He held eye contact with Eugene for a moment.

"You two are going to keep pestering me about it until I tell you, aren't you?" Eugene sighed. "Okay. Fine. But only if you both agree to keep it between us and to never bring up the cowlick again."

"Will do," Lance replied.

"Agreed." Varian was eager to hear this. He hadn't liked to think that Eugene was really so shallow that some stray hair was his biggest fear.

Eugene stared down at the ground. "So, uh, after Rapunzel left, and I couldn't see her for real anymore, well, I started seeing her in chains, being dragged away. I couldn't tell who was taking her or where, but I knew she would never be free again, and I would never see her again, and I had this feeling that all of it was my fault." Eugene stared off into space. After a moment's pause, he suddenly shook himself. "Wooh, that was a real downer. You guys asked for it." He put on a smile and hefted his sword. "Ready to get back to practice?"

Varian blinked. "Oh, uh, sure." He lifted his own sword. "Thanks for telling us."

"Oh, yeah. No problem."

Varian grinned. "Now you better get ready to be demolished."

Eugene smiled back. "Oh, you are on."