Chapter Text
On the craziest day of his life, Hugo wakes up early.
A little voice squeaks quietly from his chest. Gods, not this early… it can’t be sunrise yet, right? The bed’s so warm, he can’t be bothered to wake up. Hugo sniffs and nearly rolls back over to hide under the sheets; he’s stopped by a sharp tug on his bangs. Ow! He knows exactly who—or rather what—it is, and why they’re being a jerk this early, but man, c’mon! He cracks his eye open and glares at the little thing sitting on his chest.
“Ow, Olivia,” he whispers. Can’t be too loud, lest he wake up his bedmate, but damn. “Do you have to pull so hard?”
Olivia squeaks again. Her little metal ears shift in time with her body movements—a small detail, but one that adds to her looking so damn alive. She really is one of the best things he’s ever made. His heart swells with affection at the sight of her, especially how her big eyes blink in the morning sun.
She’s also waking him up at the ass-crack of dawn. So maybe she’s not that great.
Hugo sinks down into the bed for one last, blessed second in the warmth. Next to him, his boyfriend sleeps soundly. Varian’s always been a heavy sleeper, something that Hugo’s thankful today—he has business to attend to, without any partners in crime. As much as he doesn’t want to get up, Hugo knows that if he tries during normal-human hours the alchemist would be suspicious, which is the last thing he needs.
Varian mumbles something and rolls over. Gods he’s so cute when he sleeps; it’s hard not to coo at the lax snores echoing through the bedroom. Hugo has to narrowly dodge wandering hands lest he gets snagged and drawn into a lazy snuggle. As much as he’d like to stick around, he can’t. Not this morning.
The blond slips from the bed on light feet. Varian quickly reorients himself in the middle of the warm spot with a sleepy noise, rolling over until he can cuddle into the sheets. Adorable.
The alchemist has always ran a little cooler, which makes him search out Hugo any time they sleep in the same bed—which is basically every night now, unless one of them is traveling. He knows he’s a bit of a furnace, something that Varian’s always appreciated. Its truly the best snuggle-to-temperature ratio.
Hugo can’t help but smile and lean down to press a long kiss to Varian’s temple. His boyfriend is a cute sleeper, soft snores whistling through buck teeth and his skin all sleep soft. He’s so cute. Especially with the way his raven hair flares out in every direction, puffing up like a rat’s nest.
He has to pull himself back before his resolve breaks and he goes back to bed. Hugo throws on his clothes quickly, trying to be as quiet as he can. He doesn’t even put on his boots until he leaves the bedroom and gets farther down the halls. Hugo’s not fucking risking it. Not today.
The castle isn’t really awake yet. It still lazes, sleepy and warm and quiet in the early morning like a slumbering beast. Hugo barely sees another soul as he leaves the great hall and pushes his way into the daylight.
The kingdom of Corona is just starting its day. It’s so early that the cobblestones under his boots are still damp with morning dew. Hugo passes the bakery, Atilla finishing his morning loaves, and then Xavier’s shop with the forge only beginning to warm. Neither are his destination today, but he still waves when they greet him.
It’s strange, isn’t it? Waving to people like a familiar neighbor… though he’s known the locals for like three years by now… Maker, he’s going soft.
He sighs and shakes his head ruefully. That’s a crisis for a later day, his apparent domestication. Eyes on the prize, dummy.
It’s almost good that he’s up this early. No one really comments on why he’s out and about, but beyond a few townsfolk there’s no one out to call him on his weird behaviour. Meaning less people who could potentially comment to Varian and blow this whole endeavor sky high.
Hugo follows the directions he’d written down on a slip of paper. They’re directly from the princess, who had insisted that she help him out. He’s not going to lie and say that it’s not appreciated.
Two lefts and a right, you can’t miss it.
And, sure enough, he doesn’t. The shop in front of him is obviously the one he’s looking for, a large window in the front showing off its wares. Which means it’s show time. Oh shit.
He doesn’t want to admit that he has to take a second, one hand on the handle, before he can muster the courage to enter the building. Eventually Hugo gets there, but it sure takes a bit. Deep breath, and just do it.
The door swings open with a happy little chime. Hugo winces as it rings through the quiet space. The shop owner, an elderly man, looks up at the noise and smiles widely when he sees who it is.
“Mister Hugo, is it?”
The blond coughs at being called out. “Uh, yessir,” he mumbles. The man doesn’t make mention of it, only waving him forward.
“Don’t be so surprised, it’s not every day the princess asks me for a favor. I haven’t opened this early in decades!” He chortles to himself at his own joke. “But I guess you’re on a bit of a secret mission this time, hm?”
Hugo feels heat deep in his face. “Yeah.” He can’t even deny it. Hugo knows that if he’d gotten here before now Varian surely would have discovered what he’s after.
It’s not that his boyfriend is nosy, it’s just that he’s totally fucking nosy and would sniff Hugo out in under a day. If Hugo tried to hide it, there’s no way they would have gotten to today, to The Day.
“Don’t you worry son,” the shop owner says, “old Filibert will take good care of you. We’ll find exactly what you’re looking for. Now, if you come over here, I’ve got a wonderful selection from you to choose from—”
Hugo swallows thickly past the lump in his throat. He knew what he was getting into here, but… to see it actually happening? Damn.
But he chokes back the nerves and follows Filibert to the display case. It’s now or never, after all. And he’d prefer the now.
He’s been waiting long enough.
——— ✧ ———
Rapunzel looks nearly ready to shake out of her skin. For the fiftieth time Hugo wonders if he should have included her—should have included any of these deranged fucks— in his plan, but it’s too late to go back now.
His mission had been successful; he’d gotten exactly what he’d wanted, and the feather-light weight is slowly burning a hole in his pocket the longer it stays there. Part of Hugo just wants to chuck it into the gutter and pretend it never existed. The rest of him would rather throw himself in instead.
“Oh, Hugo,” Rapunzel coos when he shows her his prize, “it’s perfect!”
Fitzherbert peeks over his wife’s shoulder with an appraising expression. “Hm, yeah,” he says, “I guess it’ll work.” His face can’t mask the slight pride in his voice, not from Hugo. It’s strange to hear it from the man, but not unwelcome; here he thought Eugene hated his guts. Maybe Hugo’s finally growing on him.
Lance elbows Eugene then, chiding him for being quote-unquote salty. Rapunzel sighs as the two men devolve into playful wrestling and sidesteps them as they topple into the grass. Hugo scowls and tucks the source of all this back into his pocket—good Maker, imagine if he lost the fucking thing.
They’re out waiting for Varian, the last of their weird little group to arrive. Rapunzel had been adamant that the lot of them head out to a nearby picnic spot, one that’s a known secret between royals and supposedly the best in all the land. Hugo’s got his doubts, but hey, she’d offered to provide the food so he can’t get too upset.
Lance and Eugene roll a few more times, nearly knocking into the cart. Max lets out an angry whinny and stomps his hooves. Hugo winces when it stirs up a cloud of dust that covers the two men. Eugene immediately wails, his hands flying up to pat at his hair.
“Oh c’mon!” he whines, “I need to look good for today! What’s your problem, horse?”
Max’s answering huff sounds a bit too amused with himself to be apologetic. Lance laughs from his place on the ground, flat on his back and obviously not about to move. Hugo’s foot taps, already sick of this. His nerves are already shot and it’s barely the start of the day.
“When’s Varian supposed to be here?” he asks Rapunzel. She smiles and shrugs before carefully dusting Eugene’s coat off for him. It does nothing to ease Hugo’s apprehension. “I just would like to get going, you know? It’s supposed to be nice out but what if it rains? You never know—”
“Hey,” Rapunzel’s voice is soft. “It’ll be okay. Don’t worry about a thing, we’ll make sure everything will go off without a hitch!”
That’s not comforting, even if she means it that way. The last time this particular motley crew tried to plan something it had ended in sixteen hyped up gophers running amok through the castle, as well as a fire large enough to put half the building at risk. So no, no her words do nothing to chase away the sickening, twisting nerves that wrap around his stomach and squeeze, and have been doing so for the past week.
“Sure.” Hugo manages to bite out. “Without a hitch. Got it.”
His hands clench around nothing. This is going to end so badly, he’ll be the laughing stock of the kingdom for months, he should just give up now before he can make an ass of himself—
“Hugo, it’ll be okay.”
Eugene returns to the conversation. “Yeah, kid,” he offers, “we’ve got your back on this one. No worries at all!”
Hugo has to keep himself from scoffing. “Right. Because you of all people want this to go well.”
That gets a laugh. Eugene reaches over and ruffles his hair, making Hugo squawk in protest. “Hey I may yank your chain but I wouldn’t dream of messing this up. Not for Varian, or for you.”
“He’s going to cry,” Lance adds from his place on the floor. “Just you watch, he’ll be a wreck once it happens.”
“Thank you for the contribution Lance,” Eugene snaps. His face is bright red already, ha.
Rapunzel sighs before leaving the men to their bickering. “Hey.”
Hugo doesn’t look at her. The box in his pocket feels like it weighs a million tonnes, like it’ll pull him down into the earth, letting the dirt swallow him whole.
The princess tries again. “Hugo.”
“Hm?”
“It’ll be alright, you know that? You and Varian have talked about this before, right?”
“Yeah.” Countless times by now, soft whispers in the dead of night. What if, what if.
“Then you know what his answer will be. Besides, we’re here for you. You’ll have your family by your side to watch your back!”
That throws Hugo for a loop. “F—what?”
“Aw, Sunshine, I think you broke him.”
“Shh, Eugene.” It’s not even angry, more endeared. Hugo’s brain is too busy snapping in half to pay attention as Rapunzel offers him a slightly shy smile. “Hugo, you’ve been with us for three years. You and Varian are about as close as you can get—and that makes you a part of this family… if you’ll have us. I don’t want to push it on you, but we love you and we’ll be there for you.”
Something silly in Hugo wants to fucking cry. “I—I don’t…”
Rapunzel smiles. She must be reading his mind because she says: “You don’t have to say anything. Just know that we’re here. No matter what happens—even though nothing will go wrong—you’ll be okay.”
Hugo swallows thickly. He doesn’t—he hadn’t—
“C’mon sunshine,” Eugene chides softly, “you’re gunna break his brain.” But he still winks at Hugo and offers a smile. “But she’s right.”
He’s going to throw up—or maybe just have a heart attack. Maybe both! Getting a bomb like that dropped on him this early in the day, on The Day, the day that’s either going to be the start or the end of his life, throws him for a hell of a loop.
Thankfully his thoughts get a jump-start with the ring of a new voice. A familiar voice.
“Hey guys!” Varian calls. He’s walking toward the group from the castle, one arm up in a wave. “Sorry I’m late, just had to wrap something up in the lab. Were you waiting long?”
“Not at all!” Rapunzel’s serious demeanor vanishes like clouds on a sunny day. “We were just talking about what kinds of games we might want to set up after lunch. I’m thinking charades!”
“No one wants to play charades except for you,” Varian says with a wry grin. “I can promise that already.”
“Excuse me,” Lance pipes up. “I’ll have you know I was the charade king six years in a row.”
Eugene’s voice is offended. “Since when?”
“You don’t know my life.”
Varian rolls his eyes at his family. Hugo can only smile, shrugging and praying to the Maker that he doesn’t seem weird. He can keep up an act for today, right? Right?! Oh Maker help him he’s going to fuck it up, isn’t he?
Rapunzel claps her hands and gestures to the cart. “Okay everyone!” she calls. “Let’s stop the arguments and have a nice. Calm. Day. Alright?”
Eugene and Lance look properly chided. Hugo refuses to acknowledge it for a whole of three seconds before Varian’s elbow jabs itself into his guts.
“Be nice,” Varian chides. Hugo snickers and opts to instead throw an arm over his boyfriend’s shoulders.
“I’ve never been nice a day in my life.”
Varian bites at his lip and arches a doubtful brow. “Mh-hm.”
Hugo’s about to make a snappy comeback when Rapunzel clears her throat. She gestures to the cart and everyone begins to pile in.
The box in Hugo’s pocket continues to weight on him. It’s almost show time. Maker help him, he’s doomed. He takes a seat in the cart and forces a smile when Varian plops down next to him with a grunt.
Max whinnies before starting off. Everyone else begins to chatter, mostly simple things like the weather and castle gossip, but Hugo tunes them out. His foot begins to tap against the wooden floor.
At least he’ll be humiliated around everyone who’d grown so important to him. Maybe they’d have the decency to kill him right before everything goes to shit—right before he can make the biggest ass of himself there is.
But… he wants this. So badly. And if he wants it, it’s time for him to act.
So he sucks in a deep breath and loops an arm around Varian’s shoulders. His boyfriend leans into the contact with a grin, and together they start to snark with Varian’s… with their family.
Maybe he does like the sound of that, after all.
——— ✧ ———
Turns out Rapunzel was right. The picnic site is beautiful. Rolling, grassy fields mixed with lush wildflowers and dotted with trees for shade. In the distance a stream feeds off a cliff, perfect for swimming—and in the center of it all, a tall willow stands at the water’s edge. The meadow is up high on a cliff, offering a stellar view of the valley and forest below.
They’d ridden in the cart for nearly two hours, well past Old Corona and so close to the border you could practically throw a stone to it. Hugo hasn’t been this far from the castle in a couple of years; the library had taken a lot of work to make into something they could use, and he and Varian had been so busy…
But it’s a lovely spot. It’s perfect for what he wants to accomplish today. It makes him all the more nervous; now if something goes wrong he can’t blame the location, or the people, just himself.
Varian hops out of the cart with a grin, only to immediately get wrangled into helping Eugene and Lance set up the blanket and other supplies from the cart. He groans but still jumps in to assist the others.
Hugo finds that his legs have turned to jelly. Oh Maker, it’s time, he’s going to fuck it up, it’s all going to end in flames—
A hand on his. His eyes snap up to meet a matching set; Rapunzel smiles at him, giving a small nod of encouragement.
“It’s going to be great,” she says. The conviction in her voice settles the fear in Hugo’s chest. It’s going to be great.
“Right. Yeah.”
She pats his hand once more before standing and hopping out of the cart as well. Hugo can hear her chiding the boys for their inability to set up a simple blanket, guys what are you even doing?
Hugo sucks in another breath before tentatively reaching into his pocket. The box in his hand is almost cool to the touch. He almost wants to pull his hand back but instead he tugs it out and gently holds it in his palm. It stares back at him, judging.
His hand shakes as he opens the box. Or, more specifically, the shining band of silver inside.
The ring is classy but understated. A simple band of silver dotted with sapphires that remind Hugo of the alchemist’s eyes. He’d gotten a matching one with emerald for himself for if… if things go according to plan.
Either way, he likes the rings. Varian wouldn’t like something over-the-top, or so Hugo thinks. Well, knows. They’d discussed this kind of thing at the same time they’d talked about the idea of what if.
And oh, what a wonderful concept what if is. Hugo had spent the last week turning it over in his mind, holding it to the light, twisting and rotating it until it felt tangible. Inspecting, looking for cracks or flaws—and then finally what if felt as real as what is.
Hugo wants to marry Varian. Wants it like the tides follow the moon or a dragon covets its hoard: reverently, and with the kind of fierce desire that threatens to consume. He’d throw himself from the tallest tower in the kingdom to hear a yes.
And that thought scares him. Hugo had thought he knew what he wants: gold, jewels, fame, fortune. But this new desire, the burning fire of it, is such a new level of want that he doesn’t know how to contain it.
It’s scary. Especially knowing that the only way to get to where he wants to be is to confront it. They may have discussed the m-word, so many times, and decided that it was a path they wanted to follow but… Hugo wants to be the one to propose.
Varian had always proved himself devoted and solid. Hugo wants to show himself to be the same; to prove to himself and Varian both that he’s here for the long haul. That he’s in for living their lives together.
Hugo knows Varian would never doubt how much Hugo loves him. As well, Hugo would never doubt how much he loves Varian. Let alone how much Varian loves Hugo. But to have it sealed like this, with a grand gesture claiming you’re the one for me, I pick you above all else… it feels like too symbolic a moment to leave to fate.
So Hugo enlisted their family, bought the ring, and dragged everyone out to this picture perfect place. And now it’s almost time.
The ring glints at him in the bright sunlight. Hugo snaps the box closed with a sigh and stands from the cart. Varian hasn’t noticed his absence yet, still snappishly ranting at Lance about optimal blanket position for maximum shade.
Hugo shoves the box back into his pocket. He jumps down to join their motley crew, immediately pitching in on Lance’s side just to watch Varian get pissed off. He puffs up like an angry cat, it’s great.
The familiarity helps to soothe his nerves. Hugo can breathe easier as everyone continues to set up, and watching how the sun plays on Varian’s freckles is a hell of a distraction.
As they sit down to start eating he finally lets himself relax. Rapunzel and Co keep the conversation flowing, and eventually Hugo manages to worm a hand into Varian’s; the warmth of the alchemist’s palm in his grounds him like nothing else can.
Varian looks at Hugo and smiles widely. His eyes sparkle. Hugo can’t help but return it, focusing entirely on the people in front of him. On his family. He barely even notices the storm clouds approaching from the distance.
None of them do.