Forget {Varian x Reader}

-Chapter Thirteen- Where We Belong

He looked down, embarrassed, but smiling at her "assistant" comment. "I don't faint every time." he grumbled. Y/n raised an eyebrow, and he sighed. "Okay."

Y/n smiled and gave him one more hug, squeezing him tightly as he hugged her back. She pulled slightly away and raised one hand to the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair.

"See you soon, Goggles." she said with a smirk, and walked away, pulling her coat around herself and leaving Varian flustered in the middle of his lab.

Some things never changed.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

Y/n's smile faded as she left Varian's house. She had decided not to take (H/n), as anyone who saw her would know that Y/n was back. Not that they'd care, anyway.

So here she was, walking through the streets of Old Corona. While it would take hours to reach the palace on foot, as opposed to a much shorter ride on horseback, it wasn't worth the risk.

The villagers had all fled their homes. Y/n assumed that they were staying elsewhere in Corona to avoid the rocks, and she could see why.

Black rocks stuck out from every single surface Y/n could see. They jutted out the sides of buildings, raised homes into the air, and speared objects anywhere they struck.

Y/n still found them beautiful. The allure of the rocks was undeniable- and yet she couldn't look at them in the same way after seeing the amber. Regardless, she was drawn to them still, and couldn't help but wonder what else they could do.

She sighed and pulled her coat tighter, running her fingers over the (f/c) lining. She wasn't worried about sneaking into the palace. Y/n knew all of the secret passageways- save for the tunnels under the castle, which she still couldn't find a way into- and she had always been stealthy. Especially now that her bright sister had returned, the kingdom had no reason to search the shadows for its forgotten princess. Why would they, when they had an heir of lanterns and lights instead? Why try to see by moonlight when the sun was shining?

No, Y/n wasn't worried about being seen. What she was worried about was that she may not find anything useful.

She wasn't sure if Varian could take it if they determined that his father could not be freed. She was scared for him- that he'd lose his faith, lose his mind. Y/n couldn't bear to see him break in the ways she had.

And, considering that Varian was the only person Y/n could truthfully say that she cared about, if he broke...

Y/n was afraid of what she might become. She was scared of what she might do.

Both Y/n and Varian had grown angrier and more bitter in the days since the amber had grown. For Varian, this was sudden- he had trusted Rapunzel before she abandoned him, so these angry feelings were striking much faster than hers. For Y/n, though, it was the opposite. Her hatred had been buried inside her for a long time, and she had refused to let it manifest. Even when Rapunzel took everything she cared about, Y/n had kept it buried. But now? Now that Rapunzel had found the only person Y/n cared for, and managed to hurt him as well?

That hatred was breaking free.

She exhaled deeply, running her hand through her (h/l) hair as her boots clicked on the stone streets. Y/n wasn't stupid. She could see both herself and Varian deteriorating over this issue- but she wasn't going to stop. She couldn't.

Rapunzel had taken everything from Y/n. Everything. And yet, against all odds, Y/n had managed to find Varian- maybe the only person who could make her happy.