Rise of the Brave Tangle Dragons Project

Title: Rapunzel on the Rebound

Warning: If you are not familiar with Pitch Perfect and New Girl, you might get confuse while reading this.

Summary: a RotBTD version of New Girl pilot episode. Jack, Merida and Hiccup get a new roommate when Rapunzel moves out of her ex's apartment after breaking up with him. Living in the same quarters with a heartbroken girl? How hard could it be?

Author's Note: I just realized Rapunzel's so girly and Merida is like one of the guys, how could Jack, Hiccup and Merida deal with someone as optimistic and sensitive as Rapunzel? Plus this just came out of my head and I thought, "Why not?"

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I claim to own nothing.

"Yes! Did you hear that, Pascal? We got a new home!"

A redheaded girl and two guys watch the bouncing, jubilant blonde as she talks to her stuffed chameleon. Rapunzel stops bouncing for a moment and leans forward at them with sparkling green eyes.

"You won't regret this, I promise!"

But then her shoulders slump, her eyes dimming a little. "Oh, and I just broke up with my boyfriend so I would be watching Pitch Perfect for at least three times a day."

XOXOXO

Jack, Hiccup and Merida stare at the sobbing heap of blonde hair that have stationed at the couch.

Rapunzel lies curled up in her sweatpants clutching on Pascal like a child while she watches Pitch Perfect for more than the sixth time that day. A large pint of hazel chocolate ice cream sat on the coffee table, half-empty and for now, forgotten.

She was at least thankfully neat with where she put her used tissues.

They look at each other helplessly when "Since You've Been Gone" suddenly starts to play making her bawl louder.

Merida holds up a hand at them, "I got this."

The Scottish girl sits on the other end of the couch. Rapunzel stops crying long enough to look at her.

Merida gestures at her in a reasoning manner with an exasperated face, "Lass, it's been three days!"

The blonde stares at her blankly. Then her watery eyes tear more and with a wail she slumps lower on the couch, sobbing hysterically.

Merida looks at her like an amateur who tried to fix an oven and it blows up instead. "Uh… guys?"

Without another word, Hiccup pulls her away ("I thought girls know more abou- ow!") and Jack replaces her. He places a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder.

"Punzie, c'mon, sit up."

The blonde girl looks at him uncertainly with red eyes. Jack offers her a small gentle smile as she hesitantly pushes herself up.

"Now breathe." Rapunzel inhaled and let out a deep calming breath.

"Wipe those tears away." Using the sleeve of her sweatshirt, she hurriedly wipes them off and blew her nose on a tissue for a good measure.

"Good. Okay, smile." She really doesn't feel like smiling but she is able to give him a small crooked one.

Jack spreads his hands to her as he gives him a grin of his own. "See? You're not a bad-looking gal. Tell you what," his blue contact lenses couldn't hide the spark when his mind lit up with an idea, "It's time you get yourself a rebound."

Rapunzel looks at him confusedly. "What's that?"

They look at her with surprise before remembering that she only had one boyfriend that had started since high school until they just broke up hence the one-woman sobfest marathon.

"It's when you go out there and meet new people after a break-up," Hiccup explains.

"Single and ready to mingle," Merida adds.

Jack nods, looking at Rapunzel, "Yeah, just go out there and have fun instead! We can go to the bar." He looks at Hiccup and Merida's faces and he knows they are all in.

Rapunzel went silent. "Yeah… you're right. Why am I the one crying in here?"

They all went quiet, afraid to break her insight. Merida nods at her encouragingly.

The blonde girl straightens up and squares her shoulders, "Why am I the one acting like I suffered a loss?"

Jack and Hiccup give her a thumbs-up. Merida pumps her fist, "Yeah!"

Rapunzel stood up and the spark in her once bright eyes returns, "Why am I here being miserable when I should be out there, enjoying myself- he's the one who cheated on me!"

Then her eyes went watery again, "He chea-"

Merida grabs her and hurriedly pushes her inside her room to prepare. "Bar! We're going to the bar, lass!"

XOXOXOXO

Indeed, Rapunzel was able to get herself a date that night. His name is Richard and even if Merida didn't like him at first glance, she was satisfied that he's just practice grounds for Rapunzel to get back to the dating game.

Turquoise eyes widen when Merida heard a thud.

"Punz?" she asks through the blonde's bedroom door. Turning the knob, she opened the door to find Rapunzel flat on the floor.

Rapunzel regards her from the wooden boards. "I trip on my own hair."

Merida looked at her dryly. "You know, if don't have this-" she points at her own wild, curly hair "-I would have thought you're crazy."

The redheaded girl helped her up. Before Rapunzel knew it, Merida has guided her on a seat and has grabbed plugged the curling iron.

"You really don't have to do this," Rapunzel says, "I can-"

Merida catches her eyes through her reflection, gesturing with the curling iron.

"When was the last time you styled your own hair?"

The blonde cringes. "Not since…"

"Right," Merida says. "Don't worry. Me' mom tried a lot to tame mine and I sorta learned."

They become silent for a moment.

"Ya know," Merida says. "You're not the only one who's still going through a break-up."

Rapunzel's eyes perk with interest. "Really?"

Merida nodded. "Hiccup's ex broke up with her about half a year ago. We have to keep him away from his phone every time he gets drunk."

The blonde racks her brains, trying to imagine a drunken Hiccup from the usually calm, shy guy.

"Do I want to know?"

The Scottish girl suppresses a grin. "It all depends on which stage of the Hiccupin' Hiccup he is on."

Rapunzel looked down on her hands. "But they're still friends, right?" she asks, wondering if such a thing is possible.

She felt a slight breeze on her warm hair when Merida lightly snorts. "They are."

The redheaded girl catches her eyes on the mirror again.

"But know this. There are two reasons a guy and a girl would be friends again after ending a relationship."

She resumes twirling Rapunzel's blond hair on the curling iron. "It's either there was no love to begin with or the other one is still in love."

Merida gives a dry laugh. "In their case, it's both."

XOXOXO

Jack looks up when Hiccup walks in to the living room. "Seriously? You're going to wear that to the party?"

Hiccup looks down on what he's wearing: black jeans and a green unbuttoned long-sleeved polo over a brown shirt. "What? The flyer said costume or civvies. It's a Halloween party for adults, Jack."

Plus, the dragon costume he made last time was too bulky. He glances at his friend who had dyed his hair silvery-white. "And who are you supposed to be cosplaying right now? Grandpa?"

With his blue contact lenses that match the blue hooded cloak, Jack holds a staff on one hand. He puts the staff on his shoulder with unaffected ease, "I'm my own character."

Rapunzel's bedroom door creaked open and Merida steps out in a punk-biker outfit. Jack gave a snarky grin, "Nice of you to wear your costume- like you do every day."

Merida made a face at him. "The lass got a little trouble with her hair." She lifted her chin proudly with a satisfied smile, "It took a while before we sorted it out."

The door opens wider and Rapunzel steps out hesitantly. "Um… guys? Do I look okay?"

Jack's grip went slack and the staff lands on Hiccup's real foot. Hiccup didn't even flinch.

Rapunzel's wearing a pink and purple cocktail dress with strappy heels, her long blonde hair loose in an elegant wavy fashion. The flawless skin and large eyes seem to have a glow of their own, her full lips tinted with the lightest shade of lipstick. Aside from the little pearl earrings and apple green purse, no other accessories can be seen for it's more than enough.

Silence envelops them as they stare at her. Hiccup breaks it first.

"Rapunzel?" Hiccup's forehead wrinkles in confusion. "Is your ex also a PWD (Person With Disability)?"

"No, why?"

He shakes his head at whoever the idiot was, "Because he must have been blind."

"Or brain-damaged," Jack adds still looking at Rapunzel with awe.

Merida rolls her eyes, "Flattery isn't going to get us to the party." She grabs both guys on the ears and walks them to the door. She winks at Rapunzel, "Let's go, hotstuff. Your restaurant's the other way." The guys wriggle out of Merida's grasp, Jack shoving her humorously.

Hiccup looks at Rapunzel as they got into the elevator, "How are you feeling?"

Rapunzel manages a nervous chuckle, "A bit apphrehensive, but still okay. It had been a long time since I dated someone else." She glances on her phone, "I really don't know what to do…"

Jack gives her a reassuring smile from behind. "Have fun and just be yourself, he'll like you," clapping her on the shoulder.

Rapunzel gives a yell of surprise and turns around with a can of mace pointed at him. She blinks at their shocked expressions as the elevator opens. "I guess I am a bit more than a little nervous," she laughs embarrassedly.

Jack chuckles as he drops down his hands that had been held up in surprise. "On second thought, don't be yourself a little bit. It adds an air of mystery."

XOXOXO

"Finally! I thought this line would never move!" Merida grouses.

What should have been a cue for Hiccup to match with a sardonic comment of his own or Jack's jest, a moment of silence meets her sentence.

Looking around, she saw Jack with his group of friends- the Australian guy, the sand artist who doesn't talk and the feather-accessorized girl who's making googoo eyes at him.

Merida rolls her eyes and starts to look for Hiccup. A tall lanky figure catches her attention and Merida could see him talking with Astrid- his ex.

She shakes her head; once again, he's trying with all of his subtlety to win her back. Since she can't find Dingwall and the rest of the biker gang, Merida opts to ride out the wait on her own.

"Hey girl, watcha doin' all by your lonesome?"

A frown starts to etch on her face and she turns around, ready to shoot down the idiot who dare to mess with her. She stops in surprise.

"Richard? What are you doing here?"

The guy looks at her, startled too. He looks at his friend beside him and shrugs, "Going to the party like everyone else."

She could feel her nails already digging down on her palms. "Shouldn't you be on a date with Rapunzel?" then she remembers the time, "Like more than an hour ago?"

Richard shifted his weight, a cocky smirk on his face. "That girl texted me like 20 times and tried to call me several times for 30 minutes before the date. Even now, she's still trying to contact me." He lets out a laugh, "Who wants to be with a girl like that?"

If looks could kill, Richard would have been dead and buried beneath Merida's feet.

XOXOXO

Hiccup looks at Astrid as she talks to him about something. All the while in the back of his mind, he wonders what went wrong.

Suddenly a sound snaps him out of his reverie.

Amidst the loud blaring party music, laughter and chitter-chatter of partygoers, he hears something. It was low, guttural- almost like a bear and barely audible in the noise.

It's Merida's growl before she'll launch a punch.

Astrid stops in the midst of her words, surprised to find Hiccup gone in an instant.

Merida's head jerks at the sensation of a familiar hand on her arm- breaking her from her moment of rage. No need to pull or grab, it would only fire her more (sometimes he wonder why nobody gets that).

Aquamarine eyes glare at forest green but Hiccup holds his ground. "What happened?"

She closes her eyes and lets out a deep breath, mirroring his cool.

"We need to find Rapunzel," she says. Merida turns her head away and shoots eye-daggers again at the lowlife who was now walking away laughing. Hiccup follows the direction of her glare. Put two and two together and you've got-

"Hey Hiccup! You coming?"

Hiccup turns to see Astrid a few paces away in her awesome-looking demon-knight armour, the party lights making a contradicting halo around her blonde hair.

His gut clenches. Astrid was his girlfriend. Right now, Rapunzel is his friend.

He shakes his head at her and look at Merida again, "We need to find Jack first."

Unbeknownst to him, Astrid saw the whole deal. Icy blue eyes linger to his hand that slid down the girl's forearm to clasp hers as he hurriedly guides her through the crowd.

XOXOXO

Even outside the partyhouse, Jack is already having a good time. Aster always got a temper that's like a cute little button to push, Sandy's a great audience despite his silence and Tiana's always fun to be with ("That's because she'll agree with anything to do with you," Merida has once retorted.).

The line moves and they all step forward. Jack lags behind a bit. That is when he sees Hiccup and Merida striding opposite the direction of the line. Jack follows them confused.

"Uh, guys the line goes there."

Merida angrily shakes her head. "Dick," she spat, "Is here. We need to go to that restaurant."

"But guys, the party's about to start!" Just in time, the bouncers open the entrance wide and everyone floods in.

"Suit yourself," Hiccup said as he and Merida starts to run across the sidewalk. The girl let out a frustrated sound through her teeth, "The one time Angus needs to have a paint job!"

Jack looks at the overly lit building with the loud music and hype people. He sees Tiana beckoning on him to follow.

One foot lifts up forward.

Then a memory of Rapunzel flashes inside his mind, trying to smile through her tears just because he asked her to.

The lifted foot swings a complete 180 and his feet hit the pavement, running after his friends.

He may have only known Rapunzel for three days. But he's not one to leave his friends behind.

XOXOXO

Rapunzel sighs as she fiddles with her napkin.

"Excuse me, Ma'am?"

She looks up to see the maitre d' once again in front of her. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to move, it has already been more than an hour."

Rapunzel gives him a smile that has a hint of plea, "He'll show up, just give me 15 more minutes."

The maitre d' shakes his head, "I'm sorry ma'am, we have customers waiting to be served, I'm afraid you'll have to move-"

"We're here! So sorry we're late!"

Both Rapunzel and the waiter look up to see a guy in civilian clothes, a cosplayer holding a staff and a punk biker girl gasping for breathe in front of them.

"Guys?" Rapunzel asks wonderingly.

Jack flashes the maitre d' a winning smile, "No need to move the fair lady, we're her date."

The maitre d' raises a brow at them, looking up and down at their attire that couldn't have been more inappropriate for the place, "We?"

Merida glares at him impatiently. "She's polygamous and bisexual! What do you think it is?" she asks, barrelling past the maitre d'.

The three stop in front of her across the table. Rapunzel gives them a confused look. "What's going on, guys? Have you seen Richard?"

Jack and Hiccup look at Merida. Sensing she's the only one brave enough to bear the bad news, she gives Rapunzel an angry scowl, "Punz, that guy's a jerk! If I have known that from the start, I would have beaten the-"

"SHHhhhhhhhhhhh!" the patrons around her said.

"- out of him!"

Rapunzel began to wilt. "Are you saying…?"

Hiccup winces at her expression. "He stood you up," he said quietly.

Blonde hair covers her face as she looks down. But not before they caught the trembling of her lips. "Oh…. I see." Her shoulders began to shake. It wouldn't surprise them if the vase of flowers beside her wither and die.

They look at each other in panic. Jack's thoughts began to race. No, don't cry. Don't cry. What are we going to do?

Then it hits him.

Rapunzel is clenching her fists into her hand bag when she hears something that sounds vaguely familiar.

"Too-root-too-roo-too-too-root- too-roo- too-"

Hiccup and Merida looks at him with questioning expressions for his sanity. Jack continues his nonsensical melody, pantomiming with hands as though saying, "C'mon guys, you know this song."

Merida's eyes lit up with recognition. She reluctantly looks at Rapunzel before looking up to the heavens before making up her mind.

"Ooo-ooo-oooh, ooo-ooo-oooh…?" Uncertainty etches the face of the constantly confident girl as she tries to remember the second voice or whatever it is they call it to be.

Jack keeps up his acopella-c singing, eyes never leaving Rapunzel. Green eyes widen as realization hits her, finally recognizing the tune. He knew Hiccup is now in the same line of thinking, he could feel him rolling his eyes. Still singing with his gaze to her, he whacks Hiccup at the back of his head with his staff.

Hiccup's head jerks forward along with the lyrics, "Her eyes, her eyes na-na-na-na-na-na they're not shining-"

Rapunzel lets out a laugh at his makeshift lyrics.

Hiccup grins at her with a helpless shrug, "Her hair, her hair, ba-da-ba-da-da her trying-"

Meanwhile, Merida starts to cringe at her own voice, her face flushed with embarrassment, "Aaa-aaaa-aaah, aaa-aaaa-aaahh…" She looks at them uncomfortably with her shoulders tensed as she struggles to remember how the song goes.

Jack smiles at them encouragingly. He continues with his impromptu mouthsounding background now partnered with the jingling sound of spare change inside his pocket. How many times have they heard this song whenever they passed by her monotonous movie marathon?

"- she's so beautiful, and I tell her everyday-"

Merida finally found a familiar vein of the soundtrack and continues on with more confidence, "I was thinking about her- thinking about me-" then came the part where she hardly hears the song, "tanananana-hmmm-hmmmm-"

Jack pulls his hood over his head and began to add some beatbox sounds with his mouth on a closed fist. His other hand holds his staff in a rock-and-roll sign while hitting it on the table, chair and floor to the beat of the music.

"- Then I close my eyes na-na-na-na just a dreeaam-"

Rapunzel began to laugh at their antics as they stumble through the song. It was a clash of badly sang, badly timed and badly remembered verses with their own styles of mumbling, humming and making up for the missing words.

Too bad the inside of the restaurant is built to echo like the cathedral.

Then all three meet up to the point of the chorus they were all familiar with, confidence boosting their volume.

"When I see your face-

Rapunzel then joins in, being the most versed with the song mix, "So travel back, down that road end, wish you'd come back and no one notice-"

"-There's not a thing that I would change-"

"-It was only just a dream-"

"'Cause girl you're amazing," Jack, Merrida and Hiccup all held up their arms to her, their hands wringing like showmen. Merrida in the middle, her arms wide open and Jack and Hicccup improvising with each of them in a sideways stance, one arm pointing to the heavens and the other to the blonde girl, "Just the way you are!"

Rapunzel is positively beaming at them, arms spread as though to hug them, her eyes watery not of pity anymore, "It was only just a dreeeaaaam!"

Then they all sing as one. "And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile. 'Cause girl you're amazing, just the way you aaaaaaaaaaare!"

Then they all fell silent grinning at each other. Unfortunately, Hiccup doesn't know front and end of the song. With one finger still in his ear he sang on with his eyes closed, "When I see your fa-aa-ace!"

"Sirs! Ma'ams! I'm afraid I'll have to ask all of you to go outside!" the maitre d' suddenly appears, looking livid. They blink looking around. All the diners were quiet and staring at them.

Jack laughs. Soon, Rapunzel, Hiccup and Merida were laughing along with him. Rapunzel looks up to see him beside her, his hand extended. "C'mon Punz! We're through with this dump!"

Rapunzel gives him a blinding smile of gratitude, knowing he's not only referring to the place. They ran off, laughing as the maitre d' glares them off.

The maitre d' shakes his head, relieved that the madness has ended. Then a blur of red hair and leather jacket suddenly jump on the empty table with a loud crash.

Merida holds up both her hands in a rock and roll sign. "Yeah! Everyone can suck that!" she yells throwing her arms forcibly in front of her.

A green-sleeved arm suddenly snakes around her waist and Hiccup lifts her up and carries her off before the headwaiter could get them.

10 years later…

Kids, that night, you Aunt Rapunzel didn't get her date.

Merida was not able to beat up the said date.

I was not able to spend one night with Astrid.

Your Uncle Jack was not able to party off.

But that night felt victorious.

They all sit in the living room watching Pitch Perfect.

"You know, this movie's not so bad," Hiccup comments.

Rapunzel looks at him incredulously, "Not so bad?" Jack chortles and gives Hiccup a meaningful smirk.

"What I can't believe is you diva'ed back there."

"Shut up, Snowcap."

"I like Fat Amy," Merida said, "She's tough and got her own style."

Hiccup turns to her, "And I can't believe you blatantly told that waiter Punz is polygamous and bisexual."

Rapunzel laughs, grinning at them, "Not bad for my first rebound, huh?"

They stare at her stunned before they all burst out laughing.

Jack shakes his head, looking at her to something akin to approval, "Yup, Sunshine. Not so bad at all."

And for a moment, Rapunzel knows everything's going to be alright- just like Bob Marley said.

Author's Note: I tried to make this as platonic as possible again because I haven't thought of anything romance-worthy. But I think my mind had subconsciously implied things here and there. If you're not familiar with the song, they sang Pool Mash-up of Pitch Perfect Sound Track: Just the Way You Are/ Just A Dream. Did it made you laugh? Or did this just made you confused? This is the problem with having too many crossovers; the characters get modified to adapt the many themes.