Title: Life Lesson
Fandom: Tangled
Characters & Pairings: Eugene/Rapunzel
Rating & Warnings: PG
Word Count: 1,140
Genre: Romance
Summary: Who knew that someone who had lived in a tower her whole life knew how to do so much?  Certainly not Eugene.
Author's Notes: Written for the awesome just_a_dram who has been epic in her encouragement to me.  Thank you, my Disney kindred spirit! :D :D


Eugene was a man on a mission. After watching Rapunzel suffer through painfully boring lectures about the history of Corona and endure stuffy etiquette lessons, he was determined to teach her something that didn’t require her to take notes or balance a book on her head as she walked across the room.

Initially, he had offered to teach her how to hide from the royal guards.

She had raised an eyebrow and reminded him that she had remained hidden in the shadows of her tower quite well, allowing her to clunk him in the head with her trusty frying pan.

Another afternoon, when the royal chef had left the kitchen unattended, Eugene had offered to teach Rapunzel how to bake.

With a smile, she had told him that she had once baked several dozen cookies before 7:15 in the morning.

After a watching a concert and seeing Rapunzel’s eyes light up at the sight of a guitar, Eugene had offered to teach her how to play the instrument (ignoring the fact that he had never picked up one in his life).

She had sauntered over to her room and emerged with a guitar. She then proceeded to teach him how to properly strum a G chord.

Being the renaissance man he was (and becoming increasingly fixated on teaching her how to do something, anything, new), he had offered to teach her how to sew.

She knew how to do that, she had told him, holding up a green dress she had sewn for Pascal.

Frustrated, Eugene let the subject drop, but the issue still plagued his subconscious.

It had been seven weeks since she had returned to Corona and Eugene was running out of options. He couldn’t explain why it was so important for him to teach her how to do something. Maybe he wanted to feel like he contributed something to her assimilation into normal life. Or maybe he wanted to be able to grin smugly when Rapunzel gratefully told the masses who taught her how to do that.

Now, he just needed to figure out what “that” was.

A frustrated breath passed through his lips as he stared at the ceiling, laying on the bed in his chambers.

Painting? Pfft, not a chance.

Chess? That was one game he never wanted to think about again.

Fishing? Nah, that wouldn’t--Wait! Fishing just might work!

He sat up as a smile spread over his lips. There was no way she could have learned how to fish living in a seventy foot tower! Eugene refrained from clapping his hands together in excitement. He caught his reflection in the mirror and winked.

“Not bad, Fitzherbert.”

*o*o*o*o*o

“What are we going?”

“To the docks, obviously,” Eugene said, leading Rapunzel down the nearly-deserted pathway. The sun was just starting to come out and most of the inhabitants of Corona were still sleeping. He saw his co-conspirator, Big Nose, standing next to a rather puny looking boat.

Size didn’t matter (or so Eugene had heard), so he reached out and took Rapunzel’s hand as they approached the Snugly Duckling patron.

“Treat her nice,” charged Big Nose.

Eugene huffed, offended. “She’s the princess. Of course I’m going to treat her nice.”

“I was talking about the boat!” Big Nose shook his head.

Eugene looked at the antiquated boat and clasped him on the shoulder. “She’ll look just as good when we come back.” Not that she could get any worse. “Come on, Blondie.”

Eugene stepped inside before turning back and facing Rapunzel. He held out a hand for her to take as she entered the boat. It rocked slightly as the two of them adjusted to the wobbly floor. He flashed her a smile as he started paddling out.

“So, why are we in the harbor at dawn?” she asked, curiosity entering into her voice.

“Patience, Blondie,” he replied as he continued rowing.

Finally, after several minutes, he reached the area of the harbor where Big Nose swore there were huge fish. Easy catches, he had assured Eugene. “We’re here.”

Rapunzel looked around, confused. “What are we doing ‘here’, Eugene?”

He reached under the seat and pulled out a fishing rod. “I’m going teach you how to fish.”

Her eyebrows pressed down. “But, I already know how to do that.”

Oh, for the love of thieving, was there anything she didn’t know how to do?

He crossed his arms, letting the rod fall to the floor of the boat. “How could you have possibly learned how to fish living in that tower?”

She bit her lip. “Mother--I mean, Gothel created a rig that we set up during the spring when the fish came to the river outside the tower.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “There was a river?”

She looked at him questioningly. “You don’t remember? By the waterfall?”

He tried to recall seeing either of them, but the mild concussion Rapunzel had given him during his first visit sort of dulled his attention to detail. “No.” He let out an annoyed sigh. “We’d better get back to shore.”

“Eugene.” Rapunzel reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze before releasing it. “What’s going on?” She pierced him with a look. Those green eyes weren’t going to relent until he spilled everything on his mind.

Why had he thought fishing would be a good idea? There was nowhere for him to escape. Well, he could jump into the water, but his hair did look particularly stunning this morning, so that was out of the question.

He shrugged. “I guess with all the new things you’ve been learning...” Here comes the Fitzherbert insecurity. “...I wanted to teach you something.”

To his surprise, she flashed him a smile before launching herself at him. Fortunately, he was able to put out a hand and stabilize the boat before it tipped over. She crawled in his lap and caressed his face. “Oh, but Eugene, you have taught me something. Something better than fishing or sewing...”

He had?

He looked at her dubiously. “And what’s that?”

She gave him That Look. The Look that made him forget about the riches he thought he wanted as Flynn Rider. The Look that made him remember that Eugene Fitzherbert was a man worth being. The Look that made his stomach flutter in excitement and his heart pound in anticipation.

“How to fall in love,” she whispered as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

She lowered her mouth to his. As her lips pressed his own, Eugene was suddenly grateful for their seclusion. He weaved his hand through her hair, deepening the kiss. Moments later, she pulled back slowly, grinning. “And you are a very good teacher.”

A wide smile spread across his lips. “I am. Aren’t I?”

Then, like the good teacher he was, he kissed her again.