Midwinter Prompt #12: Love (over)Rider (Tangled)
Title: Love (over)Rider
Author: JMetropolis
Prompt: Not-So-Bleak Midwinter Prompt #12 (Love Ridden)
Fandom: Tangled
Characters & Pairings: Flynn Rider
Rating & Warnings: T
Word Count: 396
Summary: Flynn Rider has it all figured out, or so he thinks.
Love (over)Rider
Flynn Rider purposely discouraged repeat companions. He was a thief, not a lothario. The ladies, as he saw it, were more of an occupational hazard. They came with the territory of being a handsome, dashing, young rogue.
Still it was inevitable that there would be a few hanger-ons. He avoided inexperienced women for this very reason. They tended to misconstrue the situation. They tended to see and feel things that weren't there. Sometimes this happened with experienced women too.
His job was his first line of defense. "Listen, babe (it was always some generic moniker, Flynn didn't bother with given names). It's been swell but I've got a bounty on my head so I gotta run." He'd give them a wink and a smile for good measure but by then, they were all but forgotten. The more persistent ones insisted on coming with him. When that happened, he had to abruptly put things in perspective for them. He had to be brutally honest and explain that to him the whole situation had been more like a even exchange - they both got what they came for and so it was time to part ways. These activities were meant to be mutually gratifying but they weren't meant to be fulfilling, to hold any meaning.
It was not in his nature to be intentionally callous. Sure, his thieving caused people harm in the sense that the unlucky target was relieved of one or quite a few things of value, but he considered that collateral damage. He stole from people who had more than they could account for, more than anyone ever deserved to possess, or so he thought. It may have been a nuance perhaps, but it helped him sleep at night.
Flynn wasn't a coldhearted person. It was just that over the years he had grown tired and indifferent. He had grown bored. He had grown bored of people, not things. He'd never grow bored of things. Things didn't disappoint him, things didn't have expectations. Things didn't see him a certain way and treat him accordingly. And so, Flynn decided it was time to retire. He'd pull off one more grand heist -- the biggest heist of his distinguished and illustrious career. Then he would get his island, surround himself with money and enjoy some well-earned solitude. Yes, Flynn Rider would finally get his dream.