Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled. Sadly. And I do not own Flynn Ryder, which would be the best thing ever. Besides maybe owning Aladdin. Or Hiccup.

A/N: So, I've been reading, well, all of the fiction for this story. And I love it all, really. I think the fluff department has it covered, I don't need to help out. They're just so cute together that it happens no matter what. I, like I usually do, would like to take a super cute and happy story that ended nicely, and twist it into angst and abuse and hurt. Among other things. For some reason, it's just what likes to come out of my head. :)

Inimical

Once upon a time, there was a man named Flynn Ryder.

Once upon a time before that time, there was a boy named Eugene Fitzherbert.

Flynn Ryder was dashing. He was a heart breaker, a ruthless, conniving, scandalous, willful man. He was strong. He was bold and brash and cunning. And best of all, he was free.

Eugene Fitzherbert was loving. He was kind, a caring, brave, loyal, warm, and mindful boy. He was sweet. He was intelligent and inspired and dreaming. But free? That he was not.

Chapter One

Rapunzel

"Eugene?" Rapunzel mumbled, sensing his restlessness, her lips brushing against the skin of his bare shoulder, and he started in surprise, his breath ragged in his chest. Her head shot up, big green eyes searching his face, her brows furrowed in concern and confusion. "Eugene?" she asked once more, sounding almost urgent, "Eugene what's wrong?"

His eyes stretched wide, the dark sienna hues almost indiscernible from the darkness of the room. His gaze flickered to her quickly and then away once more, just as fast. He turned his face from her.

"What is it?" she pressed, sitting up and feeling the sheets slip away from her figure. She shivered in the new cold of the night, wishing she had more than her veil of a nightgown. She looked at him fearfully, unsure of what to do, of what could possibly be wrong. She had never had to comfort anyone before, recently Eugene had been doing so for her, but she wasn't sure she knew how to do the same.

She placed a steady hand on his cheek, pulling him to face her, an action he had performed with a distressed Rapunzel many times in the past. It seemed to work well enough on him as well, as he hesitantly set his sights on her roving eyes. Something was definitely wrong. Eugene was never hesitant. "What's the matter?"

He swallowed, his breath was still coming fast, as if he were terrified, "It's nothing," he hastily replied, sounding breathless and guilty, most likely over the alarmed state that he had put her in, "I just had a nightmare."

Rapunzel had never had a nightmare until she left her tower. The first night, when Gothel had appeared and had given her the crown, assuring her that mother knows best and that Flynn would leave her, that was her first night of troubled sleep. Dreams had always been filled with wonderful, joyous things for her, and she had been appalled upon waking with a start, images of Flynn's retreating back fresh in her mind. She had not even known that dreams could be just as horrible as they could be lovely. It was a horrible realization.

She had had many night terror since then. Dreams of Eugene, bleeding out on the floor of a tower, and her, helpless against the situation, her hair turned brown and dead on the floor. Dreams of Gothel, of "I love you, I love you more, I love you most."'s. Where her "mother" would reach out for her, and before she could get to Rapunzel she would waste away, grow old and sickly and crumble into dust before fading away into eternity.

She had never really thought about Eugene having nightmares too.

"What was it about?" she asked, scooting closer to im and placing her chin delicately upon his broad chest, pulling the covers once more to encase her chilling shoulders. She recalled her retellings to him previously, and how much better it had felt to let it out of her frenzied mind.

He tensed up instantly, muscles suddenly twitching alert beneath the pads of her fingertips. She looked curiously up at him once more, concern spread across her petite features.

"It was just a dream, I don't even remember it now," he admitted after a long moment, relaxing, but only slightly, and his arms tightened around her.

"Okay," she said, not thinking anything of it. She often forgot her dreams upon waking. She slid herself up his body, giving him a lazy, languid meeting of her lips against his, trying to reassure him even more that he was okay. He did not return her kiss immediately, but when he did it was passionate, his lips pushing against hers as if he would never kiss her again. His hands raising up to her head to frame her face, holding her securely to himself. There was desperation in his kiss, and she didn't understand it.

When they broke apart she buried her head into the crook of his neck, inhaling him deeply and feeling slightly winded. When she had collected her thoughts, she placed a soft kiss on the column of his long throat and turned her head, laying her ear upon his heartbeat.

"What was that about?" she whispered in question.

But he was already asleep.

She smiled, and placed another swift kiss of his lips, before tucking herself into the crook of his arm and drifting off herself.

A/N: A quick one to start it off. Hope you enjoyed this, I've never really strayed from Fullmetal Alchemist much before, but I hope Tangled will take to my presence.