Rapunzel ♡| Male AU! — Revamp

The climb had been sheer madness, a desperate gamble to escape the royal guards and find a place to hide. Your muscles burned as you finally hauled yourself over the last stone ledge and into the surprisingly spacious top of the secluded tower. You collapsed onto the floor for a moment, chest heaving, before pushing yourself up to survey your temporary refuge.

And then you froze.

It wasn't the strange, homely clutter that stopped you, nor the vibrant murals covering every wall. It was the boy.

He stood in the center of the room, bathed in a shaft of sunlight, his golden hair seeming to glow. He was clutching a cast-iron frying pan like a lifeline, his knuckles white. Wide, green-amber eyes, filled with a mixture of sheer terror and undeniable curiosity, were locked on you. He looked like a startled deer, poised to flee.

For a long moment, the only sound was your ragged breathing. Then, his voice, soft and trembling with a strange, melodic quality, broke the silence.

"...You're not supposed to be here."