Ralph, feeling miserable, lumbered around the race track, searching. The girls had all mentioned some racer in blue... Spotting a flash of turquoise and brown, he turns and finds the one. "Hey, umm... Are you ...Cottlin Candysomething?"
The young man turned, and Ralph was mildly bewildered. He didn't know what to expect when it came to the racers' themes, but he certainly didn't expect a throw back to the Doo-wop age of the 1950's. The little boy had the biggest blue eyes Ralph had ever seen, his swirled, slicked pompadour matching the aquamarine hues of not just his eyes, but his motorcycle jacket and jeans. The young fair haired boy turned on his toes and looked the giant up and down. His eyebrows flew up in sudden recognition, and a smile spread across his face. "Ah you Wreck-It Ralph?" he piped.
"Uh...yeah." He was surprised that the racer would have heard of him, despite having helped save the game last year. "Listen... this is incredibly awkward for me, but I need your help. Could we talk somewhere more private?" The wrecker glanced around track, anxiously watching to see if Vanellope noticed anything. So far, the president's attention was on setting up the next Random Roster Race, which wouldn't begin for another half hour. "Maybe somewhere close. You know, where no one can see-"
The moment he could, Cottlin butted in, knees bending as he does a double fist-pump. "Oh man! Ah am so cranked ta meetcha dude!" He thrust his palm forward, shockingly similar to how Vanellope had done the day they met. "Name's Cottlin! Cottlin Candyspun!"
"Oh, uh, great. Nice to meet you too," he said, uncharacteristically quiet as he shook the offered hand. Ralph's gaze shot up again, afraid that the noise would have attracted her attention, but Vanellope was speaking with Sour Bill and facing away. "Look, we really need to get somewhere... That's... Away from here, before-" Seeing Vanellope stand, he dropped to his stomach, trying to unsuccessfully hide behind Cottlin's kart. Luckily, Vanellope walked around in the opposite direction to examine some charts Taffyta was holding, and did not notice him.
"Alright Big Daddy, Ah can see you're in a jam. Let's bounce before dey spot us." Side trotting around Ralph, he gestured to hurry and turned to dart between two sets of stands. His anxiety alleviated, Ralph hurried to follow, breathing a sigh of relief as he entered the bleachers' shadow.
"Oh, thank you. I don't want her to see me..." He plopped down on the ground, leaning against the sugary purple side of the structure and burying his face in his hands. "I just didn't know what else to do."
"What's on your mind, Smalls?" asked Cottlin, "Didn't know you was on da run."
"I'm not 'on the run'," he responded grumpily. "It's just... you know, Vanellope and I have gotten very close over the last few months. Very close. Really, REALLY close. " He gave Cottlin a meaningful look, silently begging him to hear what he was trying to say and couldn't. "And now... I think she's starting to lose interest."
Cottlin's eyes widened understandingly, before crumpling with sympathy. "Oh man, Smalls, ain't that a bite?"
"You said it. And you know, I think based on what she's told me, that it's our ... er... limitations." Face burning, Ralph forced himself to continue. "You know, there's only so many things we can do that don't pose a danger to her if I were to get too excited." He shook his head. "I can't believe I'm telling you this! But I don't have any friends who could understand or help."
Cottlin gave the wrecker a lop-sided, adoring grin. "Ya got me, Big Daddy. And I'm willin' ta help out a girl and her best man," he elbowed the back of Ralph's hand and winked at the giant. "Now, what's dis favor?"
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It was finally closing time, and with the Random Roster Race finished, President von Schweetz was finally able to meet Ralph. She still liked spending time with him, but it did seem like some of the spark had gone out of their relationship. He was so careful and delicate with her, and she could feel his restraint making the whole thing boring now, instead of romantic.
Vanellope skipped as she rounded the corner into the main cavern of Diet Cola Mountain, coming to a halt suddenly at the sight of a blue-haired racer before her. "Cottlin?" she asked, sounding confused but pleased. "What are you doing here? Where's Mr. Stink Brain?"
Cottlin smiled at her. "I went by Crumbelina's earlier today and one uh her neighbors had baked a whole buncha caramel brownies." He held up a small basket. "I got a hold a some if ya like," he offered, cocking a smarmy eyebrow he knew would make her melt.
"Oh," she said, more quietly than usual as her cheeks reddened at his attention. "Ah... sure, I suppose a few brownies couldn't hurt. You gonna hangout with me and the Big Guy today then?" she invited casually.
"Yeh yeh, of course! He's gonna meet up wid us later. But they's plenty, we can go ahead and start eatin'."
"Thanks!" She eagerly took one of the brownies and downed half of it in one bite. "Oh, wow!" she said around her mouthful, eyes widening. "These taste amazing! You should try one!"
"Oh I know, right?" He asked, his eyes widening endearingly. "Dey're hip."
Vanellope was eagerly eating her second brownie as she sat on the edge of her bed when Ralph came into the cave proper, looking more concerned than the president thought was normal. "Hey, Ralph," she exclaimed excitedly, "look who's joining us!"
Trying to smile, the large man turned to Cottlin. "Hi, there. How are things... going?"
"Ooo, Ralph! Try one of these brownies!" Vanellope urged. She was starting on a third herself.
"Cool it Cherry," Cottlin eased on her, placing his hand on the back of hers to still it. "I haven't even finish my first yet," he laughed, finishing said brownie and looking to Ralph. "And we gotta save a couple, at least, for Big Daddy here."
Ralph took the offering and ate it in one bite. "Hey, those are really good. Did you make them, Cottlin?" As far as Ralph knew, making brownies for a girl wasn't necessarily a part of the process when trying to charm her, but it certainly seemed to be doing the trick with this one.
"Nah," Cottlin said as he oh-so-casually reached over to gently wipe away a small crumb of the brownie from Vanellope's lip. "I picked 'em up on the way over."
"Oh." That puzzled him a bit, but he found himself watching transfixed as the boy's finger brushed Vanellope's mouth. She seemed interested too, as she was blushing so brightly. "Well, thanks. Have you two talked about... anything?" He knew he was terrible at this sort of thing, and trying to be vague like this was probably about as effective as blurting the whole plan out, but Vanellope seemed distracted.
"Not much, Big Daddy." He patted the edge of the cake-bed. "Have a seat."
He was sabotaging this himself, he could tell, but he did as Cottlin asked, sitting on Vanellope's other side.
Looking around, seemingly in a daze, Vanellope leaned over onto him, plopping her legs up on Cottlin's lap. "Wow, look how pretty all that bubbling cola is," she said happily, running her hands up and down her arms slowly.
Cottlin chuckled and smiled down at her. "Feelin' good, Cherry?" he asked.
"Yes!" She smiled brightly. Her hands moved down her sides and upper thighs, and she kicked her shoes off onto the floor, alternately stroking her foot up her own leg and Cottlin's, and turning her head into Ralph's warmth. "I feel amazing!"
Ralph looked down in alarm. "Hey, you okay, kid?"
Sighing contentedly, she sighed. "Oh, yeah." She gazed up at him, then at Cottlin, who she was still occasionally brushing with her foot.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I'm goin' eat dem toes," he played, taking hold of her big and little toe in his hands and pretending to nibble at them.
As Vanellope giggled and tried to pull her foot back, Ralph found himself staring. They looked good together, he thought. His brain was going a little foggy, and instead of feeling embarrassed or pained as he imagined what this could end up like, he found he could think of it calmly now. "So, Vanellope," he began, before she quickly interrupted him.
Vanellope crawled back on the bed suddenly, trying to pull Ralph with her by the hand.
"Ralph, come on, I need you," she said breathlessly.
Cottlin's eyebrows flew up again. "Need 'im?" he asked.
"Well, I... uh... That is..." he stuttered, suddenly flustered again.
Ralph was beginning to suspect there had been something in the brownies Cottlin had provided, especially as Vanellope threw all inhibitions to the wind, announcing, "I'm tired of playing around, Stink Brain." She took her hood off, running her hands up her arms, over her shoulders and down her chest. "I want you, for real. NOW."
"I... can't..." The denial cost him. He fell to his knees next to the bed, looking tortured. "You'd be hurt, and I..." He looked to Cottlin for help, unable to continue.
He gave Ralph a quick sympathetic look before turning to Vanellope. "Cherry," he said, taking her hand. "Why don'.. You and I... Put on a little show for Ralph, here?" he asked.
"A show?" she said dreamily, with a soft smile. Her idle hands had dropped to her skirt, inching it up over her thighs as she considered the offer. "That sounds so nice. Would you like to watch, Ralph?"
Ralph nodded hastily. "Yeah, yes, that'd be- That's what I want." It wasn't completely a lie, and the truth would hurt too much. Besides, he was starting to be interested in what could happen here.
Cottlin gave Vanellope a sultry look. "When you're ready, Cherry," he smiled, offering her his lap.
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As she calmed, moving over to lay between the two men, she sighed happily. Ralph kissed her gently as she caught her breath, then, surprising her, he leaned over to lightly kiss Cottlin too. He looked a little shy as he pulled back, possibly scared he had overstepped some invisible boundary. "Uh.. Sorry... if you didn't...?" he trailed off, suddenly looking unsure.
Cottlin waved a dismissive had at him. "You worry too much," he said, grinning slightly. "But you're a good kisser," he said teasingly, batting his eyelashes at the wrecker.
Blushing furiously, Ralph slid his arm under both of their heads, watching Vanellope yawn widely. "Tired, sweetheart?"
The girl nodded, turning into him and snuggling close. "You two Dumbos wore me out!" she complained happily.
Cottlin watched them for a moment, the way Vanellope seemed to fit perfectly in Ralph's arms, the way he smiled as she cuddled against him, how they seemed to need no one else but themselves. Slowly, politely, Cottlin turned away from the couple to slide off the edge of the bed, bending to retrieve his clothing.
"Hey," Ralph called quietly. It appeared Vanellope was asleep already, so he struggled before softly saying. "I don't... I mean, thank you. You dont have to go, if you don't want to."
"Oh, dat's okay," he said, giving Ralph a very believable reassuring smile. "Ya wouldn't want me around anyways, I'd just.. Take up space," he murmured, scratching the back of his hand, his melancholy eyes glued to them. "Ya gotcha Cherry, and.. Well, who wants a little kid around when dey're trying ya sleep, uh?" He met Ralph's eyes again, the same look shining in his expression toward the man, albeit his attempt to conceal it.
He shimmied into his bright jeans an dark shirt as he spoke, the contrast in color making him look taller, masculine for his age, Ralph thought.
Still self conscious, Ralph didn't protest again, watching him get dressed sadly. "Well, we'll be seeing you around, I suppose..." he said lamely, suddenly uncomfortable where he had been completely at ease minutes before. He pulled the comforter over himself and Vanellope. "I'd like to, anyway."
"Yeah," Cottlin replied, "If she's up for it, I mean," he motioned to Vanellope.
Ralph nodded and finally settled next to Vanellope, closing his eyes. He wasn't asleep, listening. "Thanks, again," he mumbled, feeling it was inadequate.
A short pause followed before Cottlin's quiet, small voice. "May ah have a hug..?"
Ralph cracked his eyes back open and slid carefully to sit on the edge of the bed, the blanket still over him. His huge hand pulled Cottlin up into his lap, where he held the boy tenderly. He leaned down to kiss his forehead, inhaling the sweet scent of spun sugar.
He could feel the small little bundle chuckle against his chest in silent laughter as they embraced, and as Cottlin relaxed against him, he could feel his tiny fingertips gripping his shirt, as if trying to pull him closer, or reluctant to let go.
"Bye," Cottlin whispered against Ralph's chest before finally slipping off his lap and taking off, grabbing up his jacket as he went. Ears burning, Ralph watched Cottlin leave, wishing he could call him back. After a moment, he crawled back next to Vanellope. He felt confused, like he'd just lost something he didn't really have yet to begin with.
Sleep was a long time coming.
Fin
