Snowflake (Jackunzel AU)

Chapter Three

Merida fell off her sofa at 11:17 at night with a loud thump, courtesy of the consistent knocking at her front door. After letting out a string of indiscernible swear words while lying on the floor, she got up with a pleasant grunt. She padded to the door and moved her wild red curls out of her face. "Who," she muttered to no one in particular, "in their right bloody mind would knock at such an ungodly hour..."

Peeking into the kitchen, the stove's digital clock confirmed it was now 11:18. Okay, so maybe eleven wasn't too ungodly, but it was still annoying to be woken up from a comfortable sleep after reruns of Vikings. She opened the door with slouched shoulders and heavily lidded eyes. "Whaddaya want at this time? I was peacefully sleep—"

She may have been covered in packing snow and bundled up from head to toe in layers that didn't prepare her for Saint-Basile's winter, but the green eyes and tufts of blonde hair poking out of her beanie gave her identity away.

Standing in front of her was, in specific terms, her uncle's second wife's first daughter, Rapunzel Corona, who Merida had grown up with since moments after they were both potty-trained. But Merida was speechless at the girl standing before her. Since she had moved to the tiny Quebecois town three years ago, she had kept in touch with Rapunzel but neither of them had much time off to see the other. The only difference between the blonde back then and the blonde right now was that she was travelling alone, and the suitcase behind her indicated she was staying for a long time. That made Merida happy.

Lights from the driveway faded out and into the distance; Rapunzel's ride must have left. "Punzie, is that really you?" Merida asked. She didn't give the girl much time to respond (or any time to respond, really) before the redhead pulled her into a tight hug that was filled with the warmth of knowing a friend has returned for a little while.

"Mer, can I hug you back inside? I'm frozen and my phone died three times on the way here."

She could hear the smile in Rapunzel's voice. She also couldn't be happier to see Rapuzel, event though she disturbed falling-asleep-during-Vikings-reruns sleep. Merida laughed, pulling her cousin inside by her wrist and grabbing her suitcase for her. She didn't even mind waiting in the cold while Rapunzel took off her boots and jacket; Merida could see her physically relaxing to the house and the familiarity of it all. As Rapunzel made her way into the kitchen, Merida asked, "So where's Pascal this time?"

Rapunzel let out a loud scoff. "Are you kidding? He would have died before I got off the train. I'm waiting on another paycheque or two before I buy his travel cage new batteries." Pascal, Rapunzel's pet chameleon, went almost everywhere with her. This Saint-Basile trip was one of the rare times he wasn't with her.

The blonde sat down at the two-person table in the kitchen, her chin resting on the backs of her interlocked fingers. "So," she said as Merida trudged into the kitchen, "how's life here?"

Merida shrugged. She moved around the kitchen, filling up her kettle with hot water. "Lemon ginger still good for you?" she asked. Rapunzel said she'd have a little, so Merida grabbed a large teapot instead of two separate mugs. "It's not too crazy," Merida continued, "but it's not downright boring. I was worried I'd get into routine in such a small place."

"You didn't?"

"Nah. I work in the next city over, so I drive there four days a week. You'll have the place to yourself between seven in the mornin' and six in the evenin' from Monday to Thursday." She turned around and grinned at Rapunzel. "They like me enough to give me Fridays off till you head home, and I like my Fridays off. So you'll get to explore the cold, barren landscape that is Saint-Basile."

Rapunzel smiled. Hearing the French town roll of a Scottish tongue reminded the blonde of how she was really here, really staying with her cousin for the next two months. She couldn't have been happier. "I think I've seen a good amount so far," she said, which led to her recounting her walk of death through the snowy streets and how she stumbled on Stardust Café. "The owner, Mari, is adorable. And I think she really liked me after we left together. She's the one that drove me home."