A New Mistake

Outside

"VARIAN!"
The princess called out to him, and panic clutched at him for a moment, and he felt the armour creep further past his shoulders.
"Heyy, Princess! How's it going?"
"It's alright and- you're a lot worse than you were yesterday, what happened?" She couldn't hide her grimace.
"Ah well, just cleaning up in here. It's a bit frustrating when your entire works for the last few months are crushed, and your lab is unstable due to a recent screw up so much so that I probably shouldn't be in here. Just, ordinary things." He gave a fake smile.
"Right... Anyways, want to come to town with me and Eugene?"
"Sorry what?"
"Well, you held yourself in here for over a month, then when you finally came out, you were practically locked up in the library for the last week, until my father said it was okay that you came back down here, and I know you didn't go to bed last night, meaning you stayed down here. I just think you should get some fresh air, and maybe seeing people will do some good!"
"Rapunzel. I can't go into town." He held his arms out and gestured to himself. "If the towns folk see me with Cass's armour, and blue hair, they'll know somethings up."
"You could wear a jacket, and say your hair is because of an experiment?"
"Okay, sure but what if I panic, and my armour grows more, or my hair decides to turn more blue? And someone notices? They aren't dumb. I wouldn't be able to hide that, would I?"
"Yeah but-"
"I can't. I can't leave the castle grounds, someone, like Xavier," he rolled his eyes at saying Xaviers name. "Will notice." He made his point final by dropping his arms to his sides, and turning away.
"Fine. At least go into the gardens? Everyone in the castle knows about you, so it'll be fine. Please?"
"If I go to the gardens will it make you happy?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll go."

***

Varian sat huddled to himself on a bench, watching Rudigger run around. It was a bright day, and as much as he hated to admit it, the warm sun felt nice, and it did make him happier being around the flowers, and seeing Rudigger so happy. The Queen made a round of the garden, giving him a fond smile and a wave, which he returned. No need to be rude to her. Especially since he still felt a bit guilty...and with her being so nice to him...

"Hey Varian!" Eugene called out of nowhere, causing Varian to jump and slip backwards from the bench, into a flower bush.
"Oh, hey kid, you okay?"
"Yeah, just fine. I just fell off a bench into a thorny rose bush, as the sun burns my eyes. No big deal." Rudigger chittered a laugh beside him.
"You know Blondie, when Varian got the Moonstone, I'm sure he got some of Cassandra's sarcasm too."
"Just help me up Eugene. Please?"
His hand found Eugenes, and he was hauled back up.
"How are you feeling?" Rapunzel asked.
"I'm, eh. Can I go back inside now?"
"What? Why would you want to be inside on such a beautiful day!"
"Because I like being inside, I like my lab, it's comforting being in a familiar place, and besides, the garden staff like to whisper."
"Oh. Right. But you gotta admit, being outside feels nice, right?" She leant towards him excitedly.
"Mm, yeah." He smiled, a small one, but it was genuine.
"Oh and I have some great news! I got the letter when I was in town. Cass said she'll be home in a week!" Rapunzel was practically bouncing on her feet.
"WHAT?!" Varian, however, fell off his bench again, and let out a very audible "argh!"
Eugene leant down to pull him up again, but flinched back.
"Hey, sunshine? His armour went from barely reaching the collar on his shirt to covering his entire upper torso."
"What?"
Varian sat up on his own, and held a clenched fist to his chest, clearly in pain. "That hurt. A lot."
"Varian, do you, not want Cass to come home?"
"What? No of course I want her to come home, I just, I don't- don't- don't want to see her. Not like this." He knocked on his own chest.
"Why not?"
"Why not?! Because the last thing she ever said to me was 'do something awesome' and what have I done? Nothing but trouble! I've accidentally encased myself in Black armour, my hairs turning blue, I almost killed my best friend, I almost destroyed the Demanitus chamber, I almost killed you two! I kept a huge secret from the King and should have been put in jail again for it! She wants me to do something awesome, but all I've done for the last two months or so is be a disappointment!"
He was now pacing back and forth, as the couple watched.
"But, Varian, it's only been two months..."
"TWO MONTHS, EXACTLY! The first time I met her I was hyper boiling hundreds of litres of water like it was nothing, a couple of weeks later I made a machine that named an element after her! Two months and I've done nothing! I just make mistake, after mistake, and I- I- I can't breathe properly anymore help me please...-" he fell down at the knees, and Rapunzel caught him, and pulled him to his feet. "Deep breathes, in, and out."
He calmed down slowly.
"Varian, it's okay, you need a break from work, I think it's affecting you in a negative way..."
"Oh you're just saying that because what's gonna happen if I'm fully encased in this armour?" His anger resurfaced immediately. "We don't know! Let's find out, shall we? I'll scream all my worst fears, and every nightmare I've ever had, and it'll cover me, then what?! Who knows?! I might die!" He started laughing like a mad man, and Eugene took the reigns.
"Varian, listen to me." He continued to laugh. Eugene slapped him hard across the face, and he immediately stopped, almost like he never started in the first place.
"Varian. Work is clearly hurting you. You need a break, please. Even if you don't want Cass to see you, if she does, you can't be like this."
"I know! That's what I'm saying!"
"No, not like this," He gestured to Varian's chest. "I mean like this." He poked Varian right in between the eyes.
"Oh. Right." His bottom lip trembled a bit, and his face screwed up in the way it does when he tried not to cry.
"That's it!" His eyes widened. "When Cass comes, I'll head back home! I'll just wait there till she leaves!"
"You know she'll go looking for you."
"Then I'll lie again, I'll pretend I've gone away on my own destiny journey. OR I'll actually go on a destiny journey, somewhere far, far away, where no one knows me and I can't hurt anyone I care about ever again!" He turned out of Eugenes grasp, and started rambling. "This is perfect, I'll never hurt anyone, I'll be all alone, it's great, then dad won't have to worry about being caught by one of my STUPID experiments and he'll be just fine without having to worry about me anymore!"
"VARIAN!" Eugene spun him around again.
"It's very, very clear that you are not over what happened to your father-"
"What makes you say that? I'm done, really, not panicking at all, not breathing too fast and trying not to pass out, just fine."
"You can't lie. One, you're awful at it, and two, your armour gives it away. But seriously, you need to talk to someone. Being alone doesn't help. Please. Please talk to us."
"But it's fine, I'll fix my own problems, just like I fixed the amber, really."
"Okay Varian. How about you go back inside? Not to your lab though. Anywhere else is fine." Rapunzel stepped in again.
"Alright, I will. Being outside isn't fun anymore anyways."

"We need to get him to talk to us sunshine."
"Yeah, but we can't force him to talk, he has to open up in his own time."
"As much as I love you, and trust your judgement, I don't think he has that time to open up. His entire torso is almost completely covered after that one conversation, and that's not him even addressing the problems, just mentioning them."
"Yeah but we can't force him."
"The truth potion."
"WHAT? No that wouldn't be fair!"
"Rapunzel, look at me. I know what that's like, not opening up. I kept most things from people, more so after Lance and I got separated as teens. But after meeting you, and opening up properly, I became a better person. Varian is like that, but whereas I was a wooden door, he's a steel vault. He's not going to talk, because he believes no one wants to listen, I mean he's grown up with people thinking he's weird and crazy all because he likes science a bit too much. We have to make him talk, so that once its been said, he'll realise that we were listening, and he might open up more."
"That makes sense... but no, we can't do it, it wouldn't be fair."
"Okay. But promise me, Rapunzel, that if we need to, if it comes down to it, for Varian's sake more than anyone's, we'll do it?"
"I- Okay."

"You really care about him, huh?"
"Quirin told me that Varian looks up to me like a brother, and I don't know, it sparked something in me. I used to take care of the other kids in the orphanage until I left, so some of that resurfaced I guess.
I never had family, outside of Lance, and I didn't even get to finish growing up with him. If Varian trusts me, and cares for me like I'm his family, the least I can do is be there for him, help him finish growing up properly with someone who cares for him and is there when he needs it, because let's be honest, who does he have outside of his father and Rudigger? Practically no one but us. We need to be there, so thats what I plan to do."
"You're gonna be an amazing dad someday, Eugene."
He blushed at this. "You, you think so?"
"Yeah." She planted a kiss on his face and linked his arm as they walked inside.