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Well this was just great.
Hugo was being dragged by two of Corona’s Royal Guard to spend a week in the dungeon. He just had to get distracted on his way to meet a client and steal a silver necklace with an emerald encrusted in the center. To be fair, it was a really nice necklace. It really would have brought out his eyes.
He looked around him to see if there were any possible routes for escape, but everything seemed desolate and frankly depressing. He tore his gaze away from his surroundings when they reached a wooden door with bars covering the little window in the center.
One of the guards knocked on the door twice. They waited for the signal that they could come in. Once they heard it, they marched in with Hugo. Hugo tried to slow down his pace to prevent the inevitable. That only did so much when the guards tightened their grip around him and made him walk faster.
They walked through the prison’s dark hallways. Hugo looked to the cells and stared at the prisoners who stared back with disgust written on their faces.
After walking for what felt like forever, they seemed to reach the back of the prison. They stopped in front of one of the very last cells. Inside the cell was a figure huddled in the corner.
Hugo bit his lip to suppress a groan. Great, now he was going to be stuck with a weirdo. He just hoped he wasn’t one of those insane old guys who tried to convince everyone of things that weren't scientifically possible. If he was, then this was going to be a long week.
One of the guards knocked on the bars of the cell while the other kept a firm grip on Hugo. The noise led the figure to lift his head up. Hugo’s eyes widened slightly now that he got a good look at the person’s face. He looked to be around Hugo’s age, maybe a year or two younger.
The kid’s hair was disheveled and he had dark bags under his eyes. He wore a blue-gray long-sleeved shirt with a noticeable bright teal patch sewn onto the right sleeve. He had on some simple brown trousers and dark brown shoes.
The kid stared at the guards with furrowed brows and then moved his attention to Hugo. The door to the cell unlocked and the guard restraining Hugo shoved him in. Hugo managed to catch himself so he didn’t faceplant on the floor. The door was then shut and locked.
“Looks like you got some company for a while, kid. Don’t do anything stupid.”
With that, the two guards left, leaving the two boys alone. Hugo brushed off some imaginary dirt and looked at the kid. The kid looked him over before scooting himself in the corner of his cot and staring at the wall.
“So what’re you in here for?” Hugo asked.
The kid looked over with a bit of surprise on his face. It came as quickly as it went before he scoffed.
“What am I not in here for,” he said flatly.
Hugo chuckled. “I doubt a cute thing like you could do anything that bad. What’d you do, steal candy or something?” Hugo teased.
Varian’s jaw tensed as he curled into himself.
Hugo observed the shift with curiosity. He moved over to his own cot and took a seat.
“Well since we’re stuck in each other’s company for a bit, I’m curious to know about the mystery that is you, Hairstripe,” Hugo said with a grin.
The kid flinched slightly at the nickname. He looked over at Hugo with a glare.
“Don’t call me that.”
Hugo raised a brow. “Why not?”
“It doesn’t matter, just don’t call me that.”
Hugo laid down on his cot and put his hand behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
“Kind of hard not to when I don’t even know your name, Freckles,” Hugo said.
The kid narrowed his eyes as he looked at Hugo. He studied Hugo’s face as if trying to decide whether or not he was messing with him. After a few moments, he let out a breath and turned around to sit facing Hugo.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” he asked.
Hugo laughed. “Wow, is it that obvious? I mean it’s not every day you see a handsome gentleman like myself around these parts,” Hugo said as he sat back up and faced the other.
Varian hummed in response. Hugo thought that would be the end of the conversation. He looked at the cell door and wondered what the guards’ shifts were. He still had the lockpick in his boot. The idiots forgot to pat him down. Once things settled down after a day or two he could bust out of here. In the meantime, he was quite curious about his cellmate now that he was stuck with him. Hugo was taken out of his thoughts when the kid spoke.
“Varian.”
Hugo looked over with a questioning glance. “What?”
Varian sighed. “Varian. That’s my name.”
Hugo's eyes widened in understanding before a grin spread across his face.
“Cute,” he said playfully.
Varian glared at him. “Shut up.”
He laid down on his cot and turned to face the wall. Hugo watched as he realized he wasn’t going to get any more out of Varian today. He laid back down on his own cot as well. Hugo closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Hugo tried to learn a bit more about Varian. He asked question after question, but would only be answered with silence, glares, and the occasional ‘leave me alone.’ Hugo was many things, but a quitter wasn’t one of them. He’d find out what he wanted to know; he just had to play the long game.
The next day went a bit better. Hugo managed to get a few bits of conversation out of the other. As the guards made their rounds to check on them and bring them food, Hugo and Varian talked. Well, mainly Hugo, but a few words were better than nothing.
After they finished eating, Hugo thought Varian would ignore him for the rest of the day like he did the day prior. He was certainly surprised when Varian initiated a conversation with him.
“What are you in for?” Varian asked.
“Well Blue, I was a man who was severely wronged and I’m being forced to serve this sentence because of a simple misunderstanding. There was a lovely little necklace that was begging for a home. And with me being the kind soul that I am, I decided to have pity on it. So I grabbed the little beauty and those morons saw me and I ended up in here with a lovely thing like you,” Hugo said as he batted his eyelashes.
Varian snorted. “Why am I not surprised that you can turn a simple little theft into a full-on story with dramatics and everything.”
Hugo gasped. “How dare you? Me, dramatic? As if,” Hugo feigned offense.
Varian rolled his eyes playfully. “My mistake, your grace.”
“Now that’s more like it,” Hugo teased.
Varian smiled at that. They both looked at each other and started laughing. Varian was the first to break out of his laughing fit as he furrowed his brows and his eyes turned tired. Before Hugo could ask what was wrong, Varian laid down and faced the wall. Baby steps. Hugo thought.
The third day was met with silence from Varian. He refused to look at Hugo. But when Varian would shift to get in a more comfortable position, Hugo caught a glimpse of the exhaustion and sadness painted all over his face. Hugo’s brows furrowed but chose to leave him alone.
The fourth day they seemed to be getting along. They shared food when the guards brought it to them and they talked for a while. Once the guards had done their rounds again, Hugo glanced over at Varian and gave him a cheeky look. Varian raised an eyebrow in question.
“What’s that look for?” Varian asked skeptically.
Hugo shrugged. “Whatever do you mean, Blue?”
Varian gave a flat look. “You know what I mean.”
Hugo hummed in response. “Hey, you want to see something cool?” Hugo asked.
Varian looked at him with wary curiosity. He nodded to signal for Hugo to continue. Hugo reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small piece of metal. Varian got off his own cot and moved over to Hugo’s. As he got closer, he realized that the piece of metal resembled a mouse.
He looked up and saw Hugo watching him with a soft smile. Before Varian could say anything, a small squeak filled the cell and Varian immediately looked down. The mouse had silver eyes and scurried along Hugo’s arm until she went down to Hugo’s knee. She tilted her head to the side as she looked at Varian.
Varian’s eyes widened in shock at the creation. Varian looked at Hugo. He silently asked if it was okay for him to come closer. Hugo nodded and Varian took a seat, beside Hugo on the cot.
“Did you make this?” Varian asked softly as he watched the little mouse.
“Yeah, I did. Her name is Olivia,” Hugo said as he let his gaze drift to Varian.
Hugo noticed how Varian’s shoulders began to relax and his pupils began to expand. A smile overtook Varian’s face as he met Hugo’s gaze. He felt his heartbeat quicken.
“She’s beautiful,” Varian said with awe.
“You uh—you wanna hold her?” Hugo asked as he tried to steady his heartbeat.
Varian’s face somehow managed to soften even more at the question. He gave a hesitant nod. Hugo smiled. He looked down at Varian’s hand and up at Varian to ask if it was okay for him to touch him. Varian followed his gaze and nodded.
Hugo gently took Varian’s hand and guided it onto his knee where Olivia was. As soon as Varian’s hand brushed against Hugo’s knee, Olivia jumped onto Varian’s hand. Hugo let go and watched as Varian carefully moved his hand up to his face. His eyes shone like the cool waves of the sea. So breathtaking that Hugo could risk getting pulled in and lost in them. Varian used his other hand and rubbed a finger on top of Olivia’s head.
They sat in a comfortable silence with each other. As Varian watched Olivia with fascination, Hugo’s gaze lingered on Varian. This was the first time he had seen Varian look truly happy during their time together. He felt his pride soar at knowing he was the cause of the other’s happiness. His face warmed a bit as Varian giggled at Olivia scratching her own ear. Hugo wasn’t sure when he started to care about the other, but all he knew was that he wanted to hear that laugh again.
After a few hours, the cell started to get dark. Varian handed Olivia back to Hugo. As Varian got up to walk back to his own cot, he hesitated. He glanced at Hugo who was watching him.
“Hey, Hugo?”
Hugo raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for today. I’m really glad you got stuck with me here,” Varian said with a soft smile as he turned away.
Hugo felt his face heat up as a blush overtook his face at the honesty. He watched Varian climb back into his cot and close his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. A gentle smile wormed its way on Hugo’s face at the sight before him.
“Me too, Freckles. Me too.”
As Hugo laid down on his own cot, he turned to face Varian. His eyes felt heavy as the day’s events began to weigh on him. The last thing he saw before he succumbed to sleep was the smile still lingering on Varian’s face.
On the fifth day, the two had roughly gotten up at the same time. Hugo went over to Varian’s cot and they sat down and talked. They hardly noticed when the guards came with their food. Things were going well until it wasn’t.
The two were talking about some of their interests. Hugo mainly did the talking while Varian listened with rapt attention. Hugo talked about his engineering feats and some of his inventions back home. It wasn’t until Hugo mentioned his interest in alchemy that he noticed the shift in Varian’s demeanor.
Hugo looked at him with concern. He saw the exhaustion that overtook Varian’s features, along with something else. Guilt. Why would he feel guilty?
“Hey, you okay Blue?” Hugo asked gently.
Varian snapped out of his trance and looked at Hugo. They stared at each other's eyes before Varian glanced away and stared at the floor.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking,” Varian said.
Hugo knew he would be pushing the other’s boundaries, but a part of him wanted to know what was wrong. He wanted to help Varian and give him some comfort that he never got to have himself.
“About?”
Varian glanced at him before slowly scooting away from the other. He wrapped his arms around his body to give him some comfort as the memories flooded in.
“About before I was in here,” Varian whispered.
Hugo watched the other and placed a gentle hand on the other’s knee. Varian’s head snapped up and looked at the other. They made eye contact as blush appeared on both of their faces. Both of them scooted a bit further away from each other.
After a few moments in silence, Hugo let out a breath and glanced at Varian.
“You want to talk about it?” Hugo asked.
He snuck a glance at Hugo. Hugo was looking at him softly and there was obvious concern in his eyes as he observed Varian. Concern for me.
Varian bit his lip and looked down in thought. A few minutes passed by before Varian let out a shaky exhale. He locked eyes with Hugo who was still watching him.
“Yes and no,” Varian admitted.
Hugo gave him a soft smile. “I’m not gonna make you tell me anything if you're not comfortable. But, if you want to talk about it, I’ll be willing to listen.”
Varian’s eyes widened and he felt his face warm up at the sincerity in his tone. Hugo took the silence as he wasn’t ready yet. He got up and was about to walk back to his cot when a hand wrapped around his wrist and held him in place.
Hugo looked over at Varian. Varian stared at him with wide eyes as he seemed to be contemplating over his thoughts. After a moment, Varian let go of Hugo’s wrist.
“Can you um—can you stay here with me, just for a little while?” Varian asked.
Hugo nodded and sat down next to Varian. Hugo was determined to be there for Varian even if he wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. He would be his anchor. Just as he thought they would sit in comfortable silence, Varian managed to surprise Hugo again.
“Can I take you up on your offer?” Varian asked as the corners of his eyebrows drew inward.
He nodded in agreement and Varian let out a sigh.
“Before I was arrested, I was really into alchemy. I had a lab in my basement where I would perform experiments. Most of the village kids thought I was a bit weird, but I didn't care since I was doing something I loved,” Varian said with fondness in his voice.
Then he closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Hugo took notice of that and placed his own hand over one of Varian’s shaking fists. Varian looked up and gave him a small smile before continuing.
“One day, these black rocks started sprouting around the village. My dad and I went to the King to ask for help. My dad had me wait outside the throne room, but I managed to sneak in and listen. I was already familiar with the rock’s presence. I wanted to make sure my dad told the King correctly about their rapid growth rate. My dad lied about the rocks destroying our village. Instead, he asked for more land. The King agreed and that was that. When my dad left the throne room, I confronted him about it. He brushed me off and left the castle. Then the Princess came and asked what happened. We were…we were friends at the time. She had this connection with them, so I thought that she might have a way to help.”
Varian let out another shaky exhale while Hugo squeezed his hand in comfort.
“She told me that we would figure it out together. I believed her and then I went back home. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the rocks completely demolished my village. So I took things into my own hands.”
Varian’s eyes began watering and he shut them tight to prevent the tears from spilling out. His breath hitched as he continued.
“I—things went wrong. I ended up hurting someone I really cared about. I begged the Princess for help, she was the key to all of this. She turned me down and left me to deal with it on my own. I felt betrayed. I was so hurt that someone I trusted ended up refusing to help me when I needed them the most. After that, I went down a bad path. I did things and hurt so many people. In the end, everything I did was for nothing. I wasn’t able to save the person I loved the most.”
Varian rubbed his eyes from the tears spilling out. Then his shoulders tensed and jaw clenched so tight it looked like his teeth might shatter.
“Now I’m stuck in here while everyone else is moving on happily. Everyone gets their happily ever after and I’m here thinking about if I’ll ever get to see my dad again.”
His breath hitched and he was too fatigued to keep the tears at bay. The tears poured out as he sobbed. His chest hurt, he felt like an empty void. It was his fault. This was because of him.
Hugo’s eyes widened and he pulled Varian into a hug. Varian curled into Hugo and continued to sob. Hugo held Varian’s head protectively with one hand while the other rubbed soothing circles on Varian’s back.
Hugo wasn’t sure how long they stayed like this, but once Varian’s breath began to even out he pulled away.
Varian rubbed his red puffy eyes to wipe away the last of his tears. He let out a dry, humorless chuckle.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump that on you,” Varian said, looking down at the floor.
“Varian.”
Varian slowly lifted his head. They locked eyes for what felt like forever until Hugo spoke.
“You have nothing to apologize for. You were hurting and you were betrayed by someone you cared about. If anything they should be sorry for hurting you,” Hugo said.
Varian’s eyes began to water again. He launched himself at Hugo and pulled him into a hug. Hugo was taken aback by the action but immediately returned it.
“Thank you,” Varian whispered.
Hugo’s gaze softened as he closed his eyes. “Anything for you, Blue.”
They sat there for a while before they both laid down together and drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.
The next morning a loud BOOM reverberated off the prison’s walls. The two jumped up at the sound. Hugo jumped off the cot and rushed over to the bars. He looked down the hall and he could see guards running about. They were yelling orders at each other as they went to the other side of the prison. Hugo’s grin widened. This was exactly what he had been waiting for.
Hugo sat down on the floor and took off his boot while Varian watched him with confusion painted on his face.
“What are you doing?” Varian asked.
Hugo shoved his hand in his shoe and took out a lockpick.
“Getting us out,” Hugo grinned as he showed Varian the lockpick.
Varian’s eyes widened as he watched Hugo shove his boot back on and stuck his arm out of the cell. He jiggled the lockpick in the hole and waited for the tell-tale click. Hugo's smile grew wider as he took out the lockpick and shoved the door open.
Hugo turned to face Varian. “We don’t have a lot of time before they notice we’re out. Let’s go,” Hugo said as he grabbed Varian’s hand and tried to run.
He turned around and noticed Varian wasn’t moving. Hugo gave him a confused look as he looked back at the open cell and then back to Varian.
“What are you doing? This is our ticket out of here, let's go,” Hugo said as he tugged Varian forward.
Varian shook his head. He looked at the cell door and then back to Hugo.
“I can’t,” Varian said as he closed his eyes.
Hugo’s brows knitted in confusion. He placed his hands on Varian’s shoulders.
“What do you mean? Yes, you can,” Hugo said with confusion.
“They won’t stop until they catch me, Hugo. And when they find me, they’ll find you too. I can’t,” Varian said with sorrow in his eyes.
Guards’ footsteps echoed through the tunnel as Hugo glanced back at the cell door with panic. He looked back at Varian with a pleading look. Hugo saw how Varian wasn’t intent on moving.
“Varian, I—I have to go. I’ll come back for you. I’ll find a way to get you out. I promise.”
Varian flinched at the word. Promise. He looked back at Hugo and his gaze softened. He rubbed Hugo’s hand and gave him a soft look.
“Okay.”
Hugo’s eyes softened. He grabbed Varian’s hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it before he ran out of the cell and down the hall. Varian stood there and watched as the guards ran past the cell chasing Hugo. One of the guards looked Varian up and down before slamming the cell door shut and locking him inside.
Varian closed his eyes and let out a breath. Now all he had to do was wait for Hugo. It wouldn’t be like last time. Hugo wouldn’t leave him. He wouldn’t.
Days passed by as Varian waited for Hugo. Night turned into day and day turned into night. Varian waited and waited.
At first, Varian listened to the footsteps echoing off the walls of the prison. He listened and hoped one of them could be Hugo coming back for him. Eventually as time passed, he gave up on looking up as footsteps passed by his cell.
Soon enough, Varian got a new cellmate. The new cellmate introduced himself as Andrew. Andrew talked to Varian and managed to make him feel that he was right in the way he was feeling. He knew what Varian did and he tried to defend him. Andrew made him feel safe. He said he would help him with his dad, but first Varian had to help him with something.
Varian agreed. A few days later, another prison break happened. Varian and Andrew freed the other Saporians and managed to take over the kingdom. They had managed to wipe the memories of the King and Queen.
Andrew set up a lab for Varian to work in. He wanted Varian to create some of his compounds to use on the kingdom. Varian hesitated but caved to Andrew’s request as long as it didn’t hurt anyone. Andrew agreed.
While Varian worked tirelessly on perfecting the formula, Andrew would visit him from time to time. As Varian worked in his lab, his thoughts would often drift to Hugo. He promised he was coming back. It just wasn’t the time yet. It’s not like he knows that I’m free now. He’ll come back. Varian thought.
As the days passed by, Rapunzel and the gang came back from their little adventure. Varian helped Rapunzel put a stop to the Saporians, who threatened to destroy the kingdom. Afterwards, Varian was pardoned for his crimes and soon he became the Royal Engineer.
Varian did his best to bury the memory of Hugo as time passed. He didn’t want to remember their sweet vulnerable moments with each other, the lingering gazes, the honesty. It was all a ruse. He knew the promise Hugo made was just words of comfort. He never had any intention of keeping it. He never cared.
Two years passed by and Varian arrived in Bayangor. Three weeks prior, he was given his mother’s journal and was now on a journey to complete the Seven Trials of Demanitus to reach the Eternal Library.
While he stopped in Bayangor, he met a young kid named Yong. Yong had shown him to the entrance of the first trial. They had managed to complete the first trial and were headed through a narrow pass. As they made it through the pass, they saw a pedestal holding the totem in the distance. They both started to walk forward and stopped in their tracks when they saw a figure grab the totem.
Varian looked at the figure and his eyes widened in recognition.
After taking his gaze from the totem, the figure looked over at the two and froze as he locked eyes with Varian. Time felt like it stopped right then and there.
Hugo took a cautious step forward while Varian tightened his grip on his staff. Hugo stopped and looked at him. He let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.
“Varian—I—” Hugo started to say before he was cut off by Varian.
Varian scoffed. “Some promise you kept,” he said bitterly.
Hugo's shoulders tensed at the tone.
“It wasn’t like that. Things happened and I couldn’t come back,” Hugo admitted.
Varian let out a humorless laugh. He narrowed his eyes on Hugo. His eyes were filled with fury but most of all hurt.
“I honestly don’t want to hear any of your excuses. Hand me the totem, Hugo, and you’ll never have to see me again,” Varian said sternly.
Hugo stared down at the floor in shame. He closed his eyes and shook his head in refusal.
“I wish I could, Goggles. But I have a schedule to keep,” Hugo said as he locked eyes with Varian.
He took out a small orb and his gaze softened. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry.”
With that, Hugo slammed the orb on the floor. The glass smashed on impact and a blue smoke filled the room. As the smoke dissipated, Hugo was gone. Varian turned around and started to walk the way they came with Yong following behind him. They walked in silence down the corridor. Yong glanced at Varian and managed to catch the last thing he said before Varian’s gaze hardened on the floor.
“As if sorry could fix anything,” Varian muttered.