The Raccoon and His Boy - A Varian x Reader story

XXXI

A light knock sounded on the door as you huffed, twisting your arm behind your back and trying to reach the zipper of my fancy party dress. Mom had stuffed you so full of food in the past month or so, her worry about your eating habits on the trip never really going away, and you must have gained a little weight. It was your fanciest party dress however, with lightly puffed sleeves, a loose corset holding in the waist, and a deep neckline lined in rhinestones, so you were determined to wear it tonight to the ball.

"Mistress Y/N?" A short handmaiden named Lucy poked her head through the door, her voice light and airy. "Master Varian is here to see you. He says he needs help with something."

"Oh." You were a little surprised, honestly. The very reason you and him had gotten an invitation to use the palace rooms was so you could get ready for our awards ceremony without any trouble, so it seemed strange that Varian would be coming to you for help instead of turning to one of the assistants he was undoubtedly supplied with. But, to be fair, you weren't the most comfortable using the assistants either, so you couldn't really complain.

"Thank you Lucy, send him in," you finally finished, and the handmaiden nodded in understanding before slipping back out of the room. In the moment of silence you had before the door opened again, you gave yourself a once over in the mirror. While your dress was a little loose because the zipper was open, you could have passed for a princess. Then again, at a ceremony to award you for your courage and bravery in your service to the kingdom, you guess that's what was expected.

"Y/N?"

As you turned back to the door, your breath caught in my throat. Varian stood in the doorway, dressed in a shiny new black suit, his goggles gone and his hair slicked back a little, making it fancier and more stylish than ever. A purple rose was tucked in the pocket, the color complimented by the yellow sun stitched into the cuffs of the suit.

You watched Varian's face go red as you stared. "Stop," he said, rubbing at his elbow. "It doesn't look that good. Besides, this thing is super stuffy. I hate that we have to wear all these formal outfits."

After you'd returned, the compass destroyed and Clementine finally defeated, the king and queen had refused to let your efforts go unnoticed. Still, considering your mission hadn't exactly been public knowledge, they decided to merge the ceremony with Rapunzel's birthday ball, to which everyone would be invited. And so, here you were, preparing for what might be the greatest night of your lives.

You smiled a little at Varian's comment, and slowly stepped towards him. "You look amazing," you told him, taking his slightly sweaty hand and squeezing it. "But yeah, these clothes are pretty stuffy. I can barely close the zipper on this thing."

The boy looked confused until you turned a little and showed him the undone zipper in the back of your dress. Then he flushed a little, and began shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously.

"Var-Bear, what is it?" you asked, a little confused by the sudden change in mood.

"Nothing," he answered immediately, playing with the cuff of his suit. You watched as Varian slowly met your gaze again, his blue eyes shining with hope and love. "I-I was just wondering... Maybe I could help?"

Suddenly, the nervousness became clear, but you smiled and nodded. With a gentle push from Varian, your back was facing him once again, and you felt his warm fingers grab ahold of the zipper and carefully pull it up your back.

"Thanks," you said, adjusting the dress on your shoulders. It was strange how different the fabric sat on your body when it was held together more tightly. "How about you? Lucy said you needed help with something, too."

"Oh, yeah." He chuckled awkwardly, pulling a strip of cloth out of his pocket and presenting it to you. "Do you, by any chance, know how to tie this thing?"