The Raccoon and His Boy - A Varian x Reader story

XXII

Star followed on your heels as you walked briskly through the caravan, shaking the last bit of sleep from your senses. The view when you entered the kitchen area, however, would have been enough to send anyone into a sugar coma. Towers of pancakes were scattered all across the counter space, and from the looks of it Lance still had a bit of batter to cook. Varian, Claude, Eugene, and Rapunzel were all cheering him on, their mouths all full of thin cakes.

"Woah," you sighed, stepping forward towards the table. "I think this is what heaven looks like."

"It tastes like it, too," Rapunzel said, biting down on the pancake in her hand.

"Take some before they get finished, N/N," Varian added, still focused on the stack on his plate.

You stopped in your tracks at the sound of the nickname, shocked that Varian even let it leave his mouth. He didn't really seem to notice for a while, still caught up in his food, and only when you settled down next to Claude at the table did he realize what he's said. His cheeks reddened, and he seemed unsure whether to meet your eyes or not, glancing from his food to your face again and again.

You chose to ignore the situation for the moment, helping yourself to a few of the cakes and dropping one off the table for Star. As you bit into the warm treat, you felt the buttery sweetness flood your mouth, and a small grin surfaced on your face. "Remind me why we don't make these every morning?"

"Because pleasure doesn't come for free, missy," Lance said, putting his hands on his hips. The burly man was clad in a pink and green apron splattered with pancake batter, and the stern look on his face just didn't match up. You tried not to laugh as he added, "It takes hard work and dedication."

"Not as much hard work and dedication as we'll need to crack this case," Sylvia suddenly spoke up, seated curled up with her notebook in the den. You felt the air in the room grow tense as she turned her notes to us, pointing with her pen at the words scribbled on the paper. "Based on this data, it appears our thief is heading for Saporia."

As if on cue, everyone in the room reacted at once. Eugene grumbled something to himself, Claude glared down at his pancakes in frustration, and Rapunzel and Lance seemed to be trying to recall as much information about Saporia as they could... Well, Rapunzel was recalling information; Lance just seemed to be confused as to what Saporia even was.

But despite all that, your gaze was still drawn to Varian. He'd gone extremely pale, and Ruddiger, who'd been munching on his collection of pancakes and apples, suddenly sprang up to the boy's shoulders and brushed his tail across the freckled cheeks, as if to comfort him.

You wanted to figure out what was up, but had to turn your attention back to Sylvia as she continued. "I've concluded from my maps that the closest residence is Lady Susan's Pottery Palace, which serves also as a hostel for travelers. We should reach there by noon if we get a move on soon, and hopefully Lady Susan will be able to supply us with a little more information."

"I love pottery!" Rapunzel exclaimed, clapping excitedly. "Maybe I could teach you guys."

"Sorry, Sunshine, but I'm not sure we'll have time for any of that," Eugene told her, putting a hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"I'd love to learn though, if there is time." It was still nice to see Rapunzel get so happy about your interest, even if you'd said it regardless of her statement. "I love art."

Varian's eyes were back on you, and filled with a slightly distant look. What's he thinking about? you wondered, running through any shared memories one by one. Your brain slowed to a stop when you suddenly remembered him, sitting by your table and trying to draw while you connected his freckles into constellations.