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The kid, at first glance, is not worth the time of day.
First off, he's just that—a kid, with string bean arms and a pair of goggles that are way too big for his face. Hans would be shocked if he was even into his teen years. Hans has never been a kid person—probably comes from being the youngest of so many siblings, he spent a majority of his time growing up around people who were older than him. He never had any 'peers', all of his lessons individual or with the brothers closest in age to him. He never hung out with kids, and thus never learned to tolerate all their...oddities.
And this one certainly is odd, with his big teeth and weird gloves and blue stripe in his hair. Plus, what kid is in a bar alone anyway? He's only worth a small amount of notice for that alone, but honestly, Hans doesn't see any reason to make that his business. Let the other adults present deal with the surely lost kid, Hans has bigger things to deal with.
But then the kid apparently gets his hands on an alcoholic beverage—and, honestly, who in their right mind let that happen?—and begins to talk.
And oh, what a story he tells. The Sun Kingdom overrun by black rocks. A father trapped in amber. Alchemy and inventions. Violence from all the people he knows. Kidnapping the queen. Imprisonment. Escape.
No one around him is paying his words any much mind, hearing the insane things he's saying and putting them down to a child's imagination. But Hans doesn't disregard them—he's seen magic, in his travels. He's seen wands that erase memories and demonic trees and queens turned into bears and dragons flying free and a kingdom sucked dry of all its life. Hans has traveled far and wide, searching for a place to make his own, and he has encountered all sorts of strange things.
And he knows about the Sun Princess, of course he does. Rapunzel of Corona had her coronation less than a year ago, and Hans managed to accompany his eldest brother to the event, curious about the girl who was trapped in a tower because of her magical hair. What he saw was rather exciting—a young, beautiful girl who wielded her own hair as a weapon, poised to become queen as soon as her father passed on the crown.
She was, in Hans' mind, perfect. Ripe for the taking, a plan unfolding in Hans' mind. A way to get his own kingdom, out from under the thumb of all his brothers and his sadistic father. A crown of his own. A kingship, so close he could almost taste it.
It was a bitter disappointment, to see how utterly in love the princess already was with someone else. A waste of excitement, truly, especially considering how powerful the Sun Kingdom is.
But now...this. This kid, who speaks of the weakness of Corona, and, specifically, its king. Who nearly took down the monarchy single-handed. Who, using nothing more than his brain, accomplished things full armies would have struggled to get done. That the only guard the entire kingdom really has is one teenage girl, all the rest of them are useless. How, without Rapunzel's last-minute intervention, this kid would've succeeded in breaking Corona for good.
And how now, the princess is no longer in Corona. How the kid escaped prison to find it almost as if everyone had forgotten everything that had happened, forgotten his father, and the princess and her band of misfits out on some journey. Leaving the kingdom, once again, weak.
Hans smiles, finishing his drink and flagging the bartender down for another. Once he has it, he stands up and makes his way to the table in the corner where the kid is sitting. Slumping, more like, his entire weight braced on the table, chin resting on his arms. He looks miserable, honestly, and more than a little tipsy. He's still mumbling his tales of woe, but no one's paying any attention.
All the better for Hans.
"Hi," Hans says with a kind smile, sitting down across from the kid. "Are you okay?"
The kid snaps upright, blinking at Hans with wide eyes. The goggles perched on his head slide down to thunk against his nose, and he sputters as he pushes them back up. Hans resists the urge to roll his eyes, instead letting them crinkle at the corners like he's endeared.
There's a lot growing up the youngest prince of a large family will teach you. Quite a lot of it is...rough, honestly, and not things Hans looks back on fondly in the least. But this? The fact that he learned how to lie and manipulate and obfuscate in order to get his way? Well that's a skill he'll take with him everywhere he goes. That's something that will get him far in life. While his brothers rely on brute strength, Hans will rely on his mind. It is what will make him somebody in this world. Somebody his whole family will have no choice but to respect.
"I—hi," the kid says. "Sorry, you—who are you?"
"My name is Hans," Hans says, still smiling kindly, making everything about him kind. The kid's fucking starved for it, it's obvious as anything. You only had to listen to his story for a couple minutes to know all this kid really wants, at his core, is for an adult to look at him and believe in him. Offer him care and kindness and attention and, above all, support. To keep their word to him. To make everything okay.
And, well, as long as the kid does what Hans needs him to, Hans sees no reason to not keep his word, whatever that word may be. If the kid wants his dad back, Hans will happily help make that happen—especially if it means getting to use this kid's brain for his own purposes.
"What's yours?" Hans asks, when the kid doesn't offer it in return.
"Oh, Varian," the kid says. "I'm Varian. Who are you?"
Hans blinks. Shit, maybe he was wrong. Maybe there is something wrong with the kid. "I just said. I'm—"
"Right, yeah, Hans," Varian agrees, head bobbing. "That's your name. But who are you, exactly?"
His eyes are sharp, sharper than they were while he was moping and drowning his sorrows. Hans wouldn't expect anything less from the kid who almost brought down a kingdom, if the stories he told are true. Hans is going to need that sharpness. He can taste a plan forming on his tongue, excitement beginning to rise inside of him. With this kid at his side—oh yes, he will have a kingdom in no time. A large kingdom at that.
"Someone who wants to help," Hans says, affecting a concerned expression. "Everyone else in here might be ignoring you, but I heard the things you said—you've been through so much."
Varian swallows, pain flashing across his expression. Despite the vulnerability, his eyes narrow in suspicion. "Why would you want to help? If you were actually listening then you know what I did."
Kidnapped the queen. Blackmailed the king. Nearly killed them all. Stole from the palace. Drugged an entire city. Oh yes, Hans was listening. Hans can feel his heartbeat picking up just imagining it all, imagining the power the kid wielded. Amazing.
"You did what you had to," Hans says firmly, frowning like he actually gives a shit about what this kid's been through. "They gave you no other choice. And I don't care about them—I want to know how you're doing, with all of this. Run out of your home, imprisoned for trying to save people, and everything with your dad..."
Varian's eyes drop to the table, his expression troubled. His hands are shaking slightly. "They threw me in jail with a bunch of adults, can you believe that? I was half their size...I got a literal terrorist for a cellmate. How could they do that? I was trying to fix everything! They were the ones breaking the kingdom!"
"You're right," Hans says, impassioned, feeding the kid's fire. Blue eyes lock onto his, wild and desperate. So fucking desperate for someone to be on his side. "From what you said, the king was destroying his own kingdom. You were the only one trying to save people, and you were the one who paid the price for it."
"I just wanted to help," Varian says, leaning forward, beseeching even if he doesn't realize what he's doing. "And then my dad...and they didn't care."
"They threw you away," Hans says. "Like you were nothing. Like your dad was nothing."
Anger sparks in Varian's eyes, a deep sort of rage, and Hans barely keeps himself from smiling. Got him. Fuck if kids aren't goddamn easy.
"I made them hear me," Varian says dangerously, hands curling into fists. "And I...I'll do it again. Rapunzel's gone. I could go back, I could fix it all this time. I'll make them pay attention."
"You can do it," Hans agrees softly. "It wouldn't be hard, would it? You could get justice for everyone in your town, hell, everyone in your whole kingdom. You could save your dad."
"I could save my dad," Varian echoes, with such a terrible longing that Hans actually pities the kid. It's pathetic.
"You'd need to take the king down first," Hans says, keeping his tone soft. "You'd need to remove him from power, if you were to stand any chance of having the time you'd need to accomplish all your goals. You'd need to find an ally to put on the throne, just to keep control while you used that big brain of yours to fix everything. To save everyone. To show them just how right you really are, no matter how they all spat on you."
"He had me confined to my home," Varian snarls. "He had his guards hunt me. And then he threw me in jail like I was nothing more than an irritating animal."
Oh, that beautiful, beautiful hatred. Maybe under other hands, Varian would be able to let go of that. Would be able to move on from everything that happened to him, and make amends for the shit he did to his country.
Hans would rather stoke this fire into a blazing inferno. He'd rather wind the kid up and then set him loose.
Hey, if he wasn't supposed to do it, then maybe it shouldn't be so goddamn easy.
"He sees you that way," Hans says. He reaches his hand out, putting it on the table next to Varian's own, making the kid's eyes snap up to look at him. "But I don't, Varian. I think you're brilliant. I think you're right. And I want to help you achieve all your goals."
That longing rises in Varian's expression again, and then he visibly works to lock it down, gaze suspicious. "Why?" he demands, but doesn't pull back from how close Hans is to holding his hand. "Why do you care? What does it matter to you?"
Hans considers his answer. Varian has been through too much, has been betrayed by too many people, to believe in someone doing something out of the goodness of their heart. He can't trust in that anymore, so Hans can't say just because "it's the right thing to do" or some shit like that. He needs something logical, something that the kid can count on. Something he can understand.
"I have twelve older brothers," Hans says. "All of them see me as less than useless. They don't care that I'm smarter than all of them combined—they just see me as small and unimportant compared to them. My father has certainly never respected all that I can do, because it's different from what he can do."
Varian's gaze flashes with pain, Hans' words hitting close to home. Hans continues speaking.
"In my home, I've never been able to get justice for myself or for the people my father and brothers have hurt—but maybe I can help you fix everything in your kingdom. I know what it's like to feel what you're feeling. And, more than that, I abhor bullies. This king of yours is nothing more than a bully, and one who is letting his kingdom get destroyed for his own pride. I want to stop it. I want to get justice for you, for your dad, for your people. I want to put an end to this tyranny. So will you let me help you? Because I believe in you, Varian."
The magic words.
Varian pulls in a ragged breath, eyes wide and wet. He nods rapidly. "Yeah, that—that sounds really, really nice. You...you're really on board? You really want to help me?"
"Absolutely," Hans says fiercely. "Anything you need—I have resources. Just you watch, Varian. Together, we could do great things."
When Hans puts his hand over Varian's and squeezes, Varian holds on tight, clinging to him with all the desperation of a child being offered a lifeline.
Hans smiles.
Got him.