-JXYLINE  WARNING : SLIGHTLY EROTIC KISSING SCENE AT THE END.

MODERN AU : Cassandra is the daughter of a top rank Police officer, and the best friend of Rapunzel, whose father is the Mayor of the town. Varian is Eugene's cousin, and has been living in Corona for some months now. (Literally all of my Modern AU is going to have him as Eugene's cousin, because I stan Team Awesome and why not.) Varian is 21, and Cassandra is 29.

A little backdrop to the story:

Rapuzel had slowly started to notice how uncomfortable Varian would get near Cassandra. At first Rapunzel thought that it was because he was scared of Cassandra, her piercing gaze from her expressionless, sharp eyes, which was enough to send a chill down the spine of even the strongest person. But no, as Rapunzel started observing her friend's behaviour more and more, she was proved otherwise. Varian loved Cassandra. He would intently listen to her conversations, he would involuntarily smile when she smiled and laughed, and he rolled his eyes when Eugene called her an Ice lady, or other such nicknames that he had come up for her.
Speaking of nicknames, Varian even started calling her Cassie, the last to do so was Andrew, with whom Cass had a terrible breakup. She forbade anyone to call her by that nickname, but there was something in the sparkling blue eyes of the boy, in his voice, that she had relented, just to him. Rapunzel tried her best to notice how Cassandra behaved when she was with Varian, but her expression was too stoic to be noticed by Rapunzel what she had been feeling. Rapunzel almost came to the conclusion of Varian's love for Cassandra being hopeless, if it hadn't been for one particular occasion :

They were hanging out in their favourite Cafe, the Snuggly Duckling, as always. Cassandra was sitting beside Varian, while Rapunzel was sitting in front of her and beside her boyfriend Eugene. They were playing Truth and Dare, and it was Cassandra's turn.

"Dare." She said.

"Ah. Finally got a chance to be even with you, Ice lady." Eugene smirked.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Do what you wanna do, I am not backing down." Eugene's look was enough to let her know that he was challenging her, and Cassandra was the one who could never resist a challenge.

"Well...." He closed his one eye and put a finger on his chin, expressing a mock thoughtful look. Suddenly he jerked up, and grinned at her. "What you say about joining me and Rapunzel in the couple dance happening over there?" Eugene said, pointing at the dance happening in front of him. Cassandra turned her head to see what he was indicating at, and then looked at Eugene with a raised eyebrow. She had never, ever danced in front of them, or anyone, and suddenly she felt insecure about it. "Hey, you shouldn't do if you dont want to, but that would mean backing down." Though Eugene said the the first half sincerely, the second half was more mocking. And this annoyed Cassandra to no end.

"I never said I didn't want to. But who will I dance with?"

"Well, we have Varian!" Eugene said, looking admiringly at his cousin, who suddenly jerked his head up, looked at Eugene with wide eyes, as a whole shade of covered his cheeks.

Rapunzel, who knew what was up with the poor boy, looked at him sympathetically, and touched Eugene's shoulder as she spoke, "Eugene, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course Sunshine, it will be great to see how the Ice Lady is going to perform. Only, if she wants to win the game." Eugene winked in her direction, and Cassandra gritted her teeth.

"Oh, you are so going to regret this." Cassandra looked angrily at Eugene, who already was leading his girlfriend to the dance floor. She grabbed Varian's hand without even looking at him, and lead him to the dance floor. Cassandra put her hands on his shoulder, and Varian shyly put his arms around her waist. "Varian, you know how to dance, right?"

"Aaah.... yes Cassie!," he blurted out, as he tightened his grip on Cassandra's waist. She sighed and they slowly started to match their steps to the rhythms of the music. They were slow, but soon caught up with everyone's rhythms, and Cassandra began to enjoy herself. She smiled and laughed, and Varian looked at her in amazement, as he had rarely heard her so. It seemed to be the best moment of his life, and he wanted to keep it that way itself. He fell in love with her a little more, and painted a mental portrait of her laughing. She looked wonderful, and the fact that it was he who made her laugh, even though his presence in it was in the tiniest bit, made his his heart flutter with joy. He forgot everything, to him it was only her, and the music seemed to be fading away. The music slowly came to an end, though Varian felt that it was too abrupt. Cassandra may not have noticed earlier how close she was to him, and when the music stopped, and she came to her senses, she noticed how his hands were tightly wrapped around her waist, how his whole body was pressed against her, that she blushed with the sudden impulse crossing her body. And this reaction couldn't go unnoticed by the few people in the Cafe who knew the girl.

"Is it just me or did the Ice Lady blushed?" Eugene asked his girlfriend, wide - eyed.

"No no, she blushed, I am sure of it." Rapunzel said, a happy smile crossing her face. She was worried about her friend's love for Cassandra, that how his heart would break if she didn't reciprocate his love, but now that tension left her body, and relief flooded in.

Varian looked at her shocked. He loved her, and he knew that she didn't, and he was okay with that, as long as nothing happened to their friendship. He was 100% sure that Cassandra didn't love him, and he had already made up his mind to be happy in whatever decision she made, but Cassandra blushing? The day might've been crazy, but not so much that he could handle this new information. Cassandra quickly looked away from him, so that he didn't notice the blush, but she was too late for that. She then slowly detached herself from his arms, and looked at him, and said him a quite,"Thank you." And that was where he lost himself.

Present Time (5 days later) :

"Sunshine, are you okay?" Eugene asked his girlfriend, whose brows were furrowed and was staring out of her window.

"Yes Eugene. It's just, I've been thinking about something..."

"What?" Eugene sat near her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Eugene, you remember the last time we went to The Snuggly Duckling?"

"When we were playing Truth and Dare? Ah yes Sunshine, but---"

He didn't have time to finish, as Rapunzel cut him off in mid sentence,"You dared Cass to dance with Varian there. And do you remember how close they were, and how she blushed after the dance?"

"Yes, yes Rapunzel, I do remember it. After all, i saw her like that for the first time in my life!"

"And do you know what does this mean?"

"Uh... no? What?"

"Cass is in love!"

"Whoa whoa Sunshine, calm down! You are saying that the Ice Lady is in love with Varian? I mean, yes, he is my cousin, and he is attractive, but... Cass? In love? This idea is alien to me. Don't you think you are rushing into things?"

"Eugene, no! I perfectly know what I am saying! I know Cass, she maybe too stoic, but she can't lie forever! She never blushed, even when she was going out with Andrew!"

Eugene sighed. He knew his girlfriend. If she made up her mind about something, she wouldn't backdown, come what may. It was just useless to argue with her, so he decided to give in. "What do you want, Sunshine?"

"Oh, I know what we want," Rapunzel exclaimed happily, "A date!!"

"And how are you going to set that up?"

"Just wait and watch." She gave Eugene a grin and winked, and he knew that his girlfriend will not fail.

A day later:

"Hey Varian! Where have you been these days?" Eugene asked him, once he entered in his lab. "We last met at the Snuggly Duckling. Are you ok?"

At the mention of Snuggly Duckling, Varian's face turned a whole new shade of red, and he wished that his cousin didn't notice it. Yes, he was in his lab, working, trying to keep his distracted mind in place after the incident. He had remembered, how she had smiled and laughed, how close they were, how his body was against her, how her hot scorching breath felt against his neck, and most importantly, how she had blushed. "Um... yeah... I am fine, it's just... you know... there was some important work that I had."

"Well buddy, you've been cooped up in here for God knows how long. It's time you take a break. Snuggly Duckling, 7:30 pm. Don't you dare miss." He said, patting him on his shoulders, marched out, without even giving the poor boy a chance to answer.

"Well, I guess I'd rather not miss it." He sighed and continued his work.

"Hey Cass!" Rapunzel knocked at her door.

"Raps? Is everything ok?" She raised an eyebrow as she let her friend in and provided her a place to sit.

"Everything is just fine." Rapunzel said, sitting down on the sofa, and continued, "It's been awhile since we have hung out. So, I thought why not today, since you are mostly free on weekends."

"But Raps... "

"No buts! Cass, please?" Rapunzel looked at her, and smiled.

"Ugh. Fine."

"7:30 pm, at the Snuggly Duckling." She said smiling as she got up, and went to the door. "Bye, see you! Don't be late!" And she went out.

Cassandra sighed and rolled her eyes.

7:30 pm. Snuggly Duckling :

With Eugene and Rapunzel  :

"Sunshine, are you sure that they will come?" Eugene asked Rapunzel glancing at the table that they had reserved for them from their hiding place. 

"Of course Eugene!" Her eyes sparked with joy.

Eugene sighed happily at the moment, looking at her. She was so beautiful, his Rapunzel. He gently took her hand in his and kissed the back of it, and looked into her eyes and said, "What would I ever do without you?"

Rapunzel blushed and smiled at him, "Oh Eugene!" Suddenly her eyes slid to the table, and Rapunzel silently screamed, "Eugene look! It's Cass!"

"Aah well, I was expecting her to be the first one." He rolled his eyes. "After all, She is Cass, the one with all the "discipline and punctuality" in the world." He indicated the double quotes in air.

With Cassandra :

She looked at the table where they almost everyday used to sit, and saw that it was reserved, and had a beautiful bouquet at the centre. She started to turn away from there when something suddenly caught her attention. It was a note on the table, with her name on it. She raised an eyebrow as she picked up the note and started reading it :

Cass, I know you'll probably kill me after this, but before you do anything, I plead you, please, to give it a try. Varian loves you a lot, I've observed him, and from what I saw the last time that we were here, I know you love him too. Not all boys are idiots like Andrew. Please, give him a chance, he deserves it, and he deserves your love.

Love, Rapunzel.

Her confused expression turned to a horrified one, and as she looked up from the note, she was ready to face anyone but him, standing in front of her, reading a note which was probably meant for him, with a confused expression. She wanted so badly to run, but it seemed like her leg was glued to the ground, unable to move. It was not until Varian looked up from the note to her, with the expression of the most confused person in the world, that she came to her senses. She glanced at the note, looked away, no more able look at him, and muttered, "Rapunzel. Oh, she's sooo dead." And she turned away. But suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist and turn her towards him.

"Cassie..." He breathed. "You know, actually, this would do no harm."

"Are you in this too?" Her sharp gaze was ready to pierce him.

"What? No no! I didn't know a thing about what Rapunzel and Eugene were upto, until I read this note. But as I say, this wouldn't do us any harm." And he pulled out a chair for her to sit.

She skeptically looked at him, but sat down.

"Well... heh. This is awkward." He smiled awkwardly as he sat down.

"It ought to be." She replied as she rolled her eyes. "When your friend sets up a date for you without your knowledge."

He looked at her, and immediately felt guilty of making her feel so uncomfortable. He wanted to provide her all the love, comfort and warmth when he was near her, not to make her uncomfortable. Although he wasn't really good in striking a normal conversation, he decided to give it a try. "Eugene once said that Rapunzel locked you and him up in a room one time because you two were getting on her nerves."

Cassandra looked at him and let out a small chuckle at the memory. "Well, yes. He took one of my guns without my permission to pose for a photo. And I was so angry with him that I was ready to tear him apart. Raps tried to calm us down, but to no avail. Ultimately, she decided that the best thing for us to reconcile was to lock us in a room. And trust me, it did work out. We both apologised to each other, him for taking my things without my permission, and me for being too angry with him. And the funniest part was that she tricked me the same way that time as she did now."
That was it. It reminded Cassandra of the position she was in, and she became silent once again. Uncomfortable silence once again hung between them.

The uncomfortable silence started killing Varian. He decided to sort the matter out then and there itself. He spoke up, "Cassie, hey, I don't want to make you feel so uncomfortable. Trust me, that's the last thing I want."

She sighed and looked at him, and then at the note she was still holding in her hand.
Varian loves you a lot...Please, give him a chance, he deserves it, he deserves your love.
She read it over and over again. Should she? She was so broken when she found out that she was being cheated on. She had sworn to herself that it was the first and the last time she would ever love. She had cried her eyes out, and at that time there was no one to comfort her except Rapunzel. And now Rapunzel herself is suggesting her to go out with Varian. But Varian is different. He would not hurt her, he would not break her, would he? She asked to herself. She felt confused, but at the same time knew deep down what her heart said.

As Cassandra sat considering her decisions, Varian looked at her, broken. The silence in the air seemed to give him a wrong message, and he got up from his seat, and muttered softly, yet sadly, "I guess I'd better go." And started to leave, but a hand grabbed his hand, and confused, he looked up to find himself staring into the two tearful beloved eyes which he had long loved.

"Don't go, please?" She whispered, enough for him to hear.

"Cassie..." He sat down, and with his other hand, lightly squeezed hers.

She looked at their hands, interwined with each other, and slowly said, "Varian, do you... do you really love me?"

"Oh Cassie, you don't really know how much I love you. I love you so much that I can't bear to see you even in a bit of pain, and it feels that I've completed one of the greatest tasks if I make you smile or laugh. Whenever you laugh, it sounds like music to my ears, which I can play it on repeat without ever getting bored of it. I just... I just cannot describe how much I love you, Cassie."

"Oh Varian!" She cried, got up and threw herself in his arms. She sobbed, not caring who saw her. The comforting arm that stroked her back reminded her that he would be always there for her, no matter what. She looked up him and smiled as he wiped her tears away. "Shhh.., Cassie. I would say that you don't look good when you cry, but you too beautiful for me to say this. So, don't cry, please?" He looked at her, smiling.

"Oh, you are such a dork." She let out a chuckle, and kissed his cheek.

"Cassie..." Was all that he could utter as he put his hands on his cheeks. The girl of his dreams kissed him. Never in his wildest dreams he thought that it'd happen in reality, but here he was, sitting on a couch, with Cassandra in his arms, and she had just pressed a kiss on his cheek. Before he knew it, he felt Cassandra pulling him towards the dance floor.

"Come on, this is going to be fun!" Was all that he could hear her say, and she was the only thing that he could see. He let her lead the way, and soon they were on the dance floor, with the rest of the couples. She danced. She danced with him. This time is was not a dare, she is doing this willingly. She is doing this because she wanted to. And the smile, or the laughter on her face is not forced, or is not marked by tension, but there is something carefree in it. Something that's different from the Cassandra he knew, yet a part of her. The music got over soon, but the two of them stood in the same position, feeling each other's bodies against them, and smiled, regardless of the blush covering their faces. She looked up at him, and he, smiled down at her. Slowly, his hands moved from her waist to to her face, and he brought his forehead towards her, "Oh, Cassie, how much I love you..." He whispered against her.

"Don't." She said, putting her finger to his mouth to stop him from speaking, "I don't need to know." She smiled, as she leaned upwards, towards his face. He brought his face down, gently touched his lips with hers, and kissed. He gently bit her lip, due to  which she gave out soft moan, and opened her mouth. He slid his tongue in her mouth, and she answered him, slowly, but gently. No one wanted to part, but the lack of oxygen forced them to. At that moment, he cursed his need to breath. He looked at her, she was smiling at him, softly, and he couldn't help but melt. Oh, how much he loved her, he would never be tell her, but he knew that she didn't have to know.

With Eugene and Rapunzel :

"See, Eugene? I told you! She loved him! And they look so good together!" Rapunzel smiled, her face delighted.

"Well Sunshine, I don't really know how you did that, but I must say, I am proud to have a girlfriend like you." He smiled, looking at her.

"Oh, Eugene!" She looked at him, smiling, and without hesitating a moment more, kissed him.