Sigh... when will I get over Tangled. Eugene is so swoon worthy. The perfect combo of rugged and pretty boy.

This O/S is set when they went into the kingdom, just before the scene where they're reading.

O*O*O*O

Goldie's hand felt so warm in mine. And I couldn't help but think that I was going soft, getting so caught up with this girl, but maybe that wasn't a bad thing. I'd always thought I was happy – as happy as possible considering my circumstances – but when Rapunzel smiled at me, it felt...

different.

She put up a tough show, and the bumps on my head were an unneeded reminder that she knew how to wield a frying pan ― and to be truthful, the glowing hair thing was still freaking me out. But watching her step into the village for the first time, I was starting to rethink things. She was childish and wide eyed, enthralled with everything that I usually took for granted. She was... adorable. And I don't use that word frequently.

"Eugene, look!" she called, pointing towards a book shop, flashing me a full, excited grin.

If it was anyone else, I probably would have cringed at my birth name, but from her lips it felt oddly warm. Comforting.

"Don't tell me you've never seen books," I begged, raising my eyebrows.

She flushed. "Well, I had three of them. One about plants, and another about cooking―"

"Three!" I gasped, throwing my hands in the air. "You haven't seen anything yet, Goldie."

"I haven't?" She pressed her lips together quizzically, watching me with those green, curious eyes. "There are more books?"

I grabbed her hand again and pulled her towards the shop. "There are books about everything." I was getting worked up, thinking of my days in the orphanage. Reading had always been something I valued. I looked at those stories and promised myself I would have adventures like Flynnegan Rider. When did I decide to actually be Flynn? I shook my head to myself. What was I saying? "You can read about daring escapes and foreign lands and heroes and―"

"Thieves?" she interrupted, delighted.

I laughed. "Yeah, I bet. Anything you can think of."

"Really?"

To think, she'd been locked in that tower for so long, she didn't even know about books. What kind of crazy mother did she have? The way Rapunzel talked about her, there was obviously love there. And I got it, I did. Blondie's hair needed to be protected. If I hadn't gotten a chance to known her first, I may have been a bit intrigued with her powers myself. Not that I'd ever go so far as to try and covet her abilities. I don't think even I, a lowly thief, could stoop that low.

She sucked in a heavy breath as we entered the store. There were rows of shelves in every direction.

"Oh, wow!" she gasped.

She smiled at me, her cheeks all flushed and her eyes wide and excited. Her first time in a bookstore... This was insane. How could someone never leave a tower? I could barely stay in the same town for a few days without growing restless.

My thoughts went back to yesterday, when we had been trapped in that cave and the water was leaking in. I'd been pretty certain at the time that we'd been done for. I'd been calm enough – I mean, I always knew something would have to do me in eventually. But Blondie, she'd barely begun to live. She hadn't seen anything yet.

And then, when we were sitting there, waiting to die, all I could think about was how glad I was to be next to her. Ridiculous, considering I knew I would have done anything to get her out of there, even if it meant leaving me behind. Selflessness – it wasn't usually my style. But even as the water got higher and higher, all I wanted to do was make sure she wasn't crying. So I told her my name. That was pretty much guaranteed to make anyone laugh.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

I shook my head, startled at my own thoughts. "Nothing." I hadn't been staring dumbly at her with a goofy smile. Nope. Not at all.

I felt her grab onto my hand and pull. "Whoa, slow down, Goldie, we've got plenty of time," I said as she dragged me between the tall shelves.

"I can't believe this!" she said, turning herself around in a circle to take in the contents of the shelves in either side of us.

I reached blindly at the first book I saw, one with a dark red spine, and pulled it out. "Here."

She grabbed it from me eagerly, turning it back and forth. "What is it about?"

I reached out for it again, and my fingers rushed over hers. Oh boy... Clearing my throat, I turned the book so it was face up in her hands. I tapped a finger against the title. "Mythology."

She stared at the book with wonder. "What? Monogamy...?"

I tried to hide a snort, but it ended up sounding like a sneeze coming out of my nose. Rapunzel raised her eyebrows innocently.

I exhaled, taking the book again and opening it up to a random page. I recognized the first drawing I saw, a woman draped in a sheet with a swan curled beside her. "Mythology. Uh," I searched for a definition, "Old stories. That's Leda and the Swan."

"What's is about?" She furrowed her eyebrows at the picture.

"Um, the swan was actually a God in disguise, and he came to that woman, Leda, to..." Well, how do you explain this to a girl who had never seen a man until yesterday? Oh, that's right. You don't. "Play checkers. Him and Leda played a lot of checkers."

"Oh." She nodded, as if that answer actually made sense.

"Let's go to another page," I begged.

She flipped the page. Oh, great. Naked women.

She slammed the book closed, air actually whooshing at our faces. Looking up, I smirked at her beat red face.

"Don't worry, Blondie, it's nothing I haven't se―uh," I slowed my sentence to a pause as I took in her expression. Maybe Flynn Rider could brag about his past exploits, but Eugene didn't... Not to her. "Never mind. Next book?"

"Next book," she agreed, her blush fading. She turned to the shelves and grabbed one at random. Opening the pages, she pursed her lips in confusion. "There are no words. What is this?"

I peeked over her shoulder. "An atlas. You know, maps."

"Oh." She traced her fingers over a blue line. "What's this?"

"The Yellow River. It separates Corona from Shihab, the next kingdom over."

She looked up at me, that tantalizing smile on her lips again. "You've been there?"

"Yep." I leaned against the shelf and crossed my arms, very Flynn-like. "Camped out there one night when I was being followed by a few palace guards." I flashed her a devilish grin.

She barely noticed. She'd started plucking every book she could find from the shelves and piling them in her arms. She leaned back, trying to balance them all as her load got heavier and heavier.

"Take it easy, Goldie," I warned, holding onto her shoulder and forcing her to a stop. I took a few of the books from the top of her pile. "I think these are enough."

She was already skipping past me to the back of the isle. "Come on, Eugene!" She dropped onto the floor and spread her pile out around her.

"Ahem." I turned and saw the face of the old store owner peaking into the isle at us. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, my body going taut. He glared at me for a second before walking on.

I sighed, thankful he hadn't recognized me. Being a wanted thief and walking around a crowded city where my posters were tacked all over the place... not the best idea. Why was I putting myself through this again?

Oh, right.

"Coming."

O*O*O*O

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