Hi, everyone, MarcellusMiro66 here! This is a Wreck-It Ralph (2012) story with a superhero/romantic dramedy twist. This serves as a prequel to the film's events, which will undergo a slight reworking without completely abandoning that core premise. Think My Fair Lady (1964) and Annie Hall (1977) Meet Lost In Translation (2003) and Super (2010).

The story first takes place in 1997, 15 years before the events of Wreck-It Ralph took place. Rancis meets Vanellope (when she was still a glitch) outside his house and, feeling sympathy for her, decides to take her in. Of course, because he did, this act of heroism is considered "harboring a fugitive" under King Candy's rule. However, he also decides to keep an eye on her for the time being and begins to fall in love with her in the process, despite his best intentions.

Because there is a 15-year gap, I'm willing to extend the chapters to 20+ in order to further flesh out the romance between Vanellope and Rancis. One chapter may take a full year (Chapter 1 is 1997, Chapter 2 is 1998, etc.) while short standalone stories (called "sidesteps") will also be published; it may also be presented in a nonlinear fashion, flashbacking and flashforwarding between the past and the present. Finally, these chapter titles may be references to 1990s/2000s culture (or one preceding the 1990's).

Enjoy! If you can...

Chapter 1: "Sugar Rush Beauty" (1997)

Part 1: "Alone" (by The Bee Gees)

(June 1997)
(7:00 PM)

Rancis Fluggerbutter would not be the first person you'd normally associated with kindness and generosity. In fact, we're not sure either of those two fit with him in the same sentence if one were to mention him. True, while he did have his rare moments, he was written off as primarily vain and narcissistic, despite his protests to state otherwise. If you were one of the many spectators overseeing one of the many races in Sugar Rush, you can catch a brief yet plain glimpse of one blonde racer taking notice of his upward cowlick in his kart mirror whilst prepping for the race at hand. In recent times, he learned to live and roll with it.

What was also true was that he was close friends with Gloyd Orangeboar, Swizzle Malarkey, Taffyta Muttonfudge, and Candlehead. The former two because, besides being boys, they shared personal interests; the latter two because, besides being boundless, they shared professional interests. He, Taffyta, and Candlehead were all specifically chosen by King Candy for a very secret mission: keeping a mysterious threat against the game known simply as "The Glitch" from racing, a means that allowed the game to be destroyed. As a result, they took their jobs seriously – as in "Seriously, what were you guys thinking?" – and did the one thing the King told them specifically not to do. To put it mildly, Candlehead suggested to the both of them that they would need help to make the job easier. Being the more grounded and level-headed one of the trio, you would expect Taffyta to explain to her the dangers of involving citizens in the line of duty. Instead, because the citizens in question were their best friends, she could merely agree with (and even congratulate) her as they left the castle. Even with his self-proclaimed self-centeredness, Rancis couldn't help but feel appalled by his friend's rather out-of-character moment.

And so, here he was, preparing for bed after a long day of game-destruction-preventing work. Honestly, Rancis looked worse, but not this worse. His eyes had bags hanging out, his mouth had remnants of dried drool, and his hair had a significant lack of his signature cowlick. That last detail spurred him into action, prompting to do whatever he could to bring it back. When he did on the third try, he was in the midst of the process's perfection when a noise from outside caught his attention. Fear immediately overcame him as he descended downstairs to investigate, snatching a pipe wrench on the way down. Turning around to hear the same noise coming from the backyard, he opened the door to find no signs of property destruction...yet. An electronic *Bloop* followed by a flash of blue light sped from one trash bin to another, Rancis jumping and yelping in fright as it occurred.

"W-who's there?" Rancis called out in a questioning manner, the pipe wrench being clutched by his side. The intruder's voice called out to him in return:

"Please...don't hurt me. I was just...looking for food."

It was a girl. A girl with a high-pitched voice was close to cries. Rancis softened in response and hid his melee weapon behind his back.

"Just come out. I'm not going to hurt you."

Okay, it wasn't completely true, but if the intruder was a girl, he couldn't bear to hit her. After a few moments, the intruder stepped out from behind the bins and his face fell even further. It was a young girl with fair skin, rosy cheeks and hazel eyes; her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail by an equally black licorice scrunchie and decorated with a various assortment of small candies. She wore a dark pink hoodie with strawberry bootlace tassels, a dark blue skirt that was close to tattered, matching leggings that were striped with red and white, and plain black boots. Her hazel eyes were stained with dry tears becoming wet again.

'Whoa...she's cute. Why haven't I seen her before?' Rancis mentally chastised himself for thinking such thoughts before returning to the task beforehand. The girl sniffled and wiped her nose, never giving a clue to her real identity. Taking notice of her current appearance (and the fact that her hands were waving weirdly), the realization suddenly hit Rancis.

"Are you...the Glitch that King Candy informed us about?"

The girl's expression suddenly soured and huffed in frustration, tears still flowing from behind those hazel eyes. "Great. Not only have I been branded a fugitive against my own will, but the King actually had the nerve to come up with a demeaning nickname for me." She then remembered where she was and who he was, turning away out of shame.

"Wait." Rancis carfully approached the girl. "So what you're saying is...you're innocent? You don't want to hurt anyone or destroy games?"

The girl shot Rancis a cross between an appalled and apologetic look. "Of course not. Why would I want to hurt someone? Everything King Candy told you...is a lie."

'A lie? But how? He's the ruler of Sugar Rush, she's a lowlife criminal! Then again... King Candy seemed a little too eager to get rid of the Glitch as soon as possible.'

"I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me. I don't know what he's really planning, but I know it's not good."

Rancis thought it over for a moment before shaking and subsequently nodding in agreement. "It's not crazy. I believe you."

The girl was taken aback, but in a good way. "You do?"

"Yeah. Honestly, the King has been acting a little off. Plus, he doesn't seem like one to give up without a fight when it came to something he wanted." Rancis gently placed the pipe wrench as he approached the girl. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You can trust me." He then held out a hand for her to grab.

"My name is Rancis Fluggerbutter."

And grab it she did. Pulling her up and unintentionally getting a much better look at her ('Whoa, she's seriously cute...'), Rancis was distracted by her beauty to the point he almost missed her name.

"Vanellope. Vanellope von Schweetz."

'Vanellope...von Schweetz? Huh. It sounds like she can be royalty despite her appearance.' Vanellope's stomach grumbled, reminding her and Rancis why she was here.

"You hungry?" A weary Vanellope sheepishly nodded in response. Rancis could only smile as he led her inside his house.

15 Years Later. . .

Rancis gazed at his reflection in the mirror as he straightened his bowtie. What are you doing?

"What are you doing?"

Turning find to find Gloyd leaning in the doorway, Rancis huffed in frustration. "I don't know what to do, Gloyd."

"Look, it's not that difficult; it's like pulling teeth. You just say 'I Love You' and wait for the reply."

"That's what I'm worried about. What if she doesn't? And if she does, it's 'I'm sorry, but I don't love you back'?"

"Dude, you two have known for at least five years. I'm pretty sure she's got the hots for you as well. Even when she was a Glitch, you still found her appealing. Honestly, what's there to worry about?"

... Oh, crud. I didn't tell anyone of my friends the truth. Not even Gloyd. Even so, Rancis flashed a smile and chuckled (whether or not it was out of nervousness, he did not know). "You're right. There shouldn't be anything to worry about. Thanks, Gloyd."

"Hey, I'm your wingman. Who else would be there to give you life advice?" As Gloyd swung an arm over Rancis's shoulder, the latter's chuckles increased.

"Don't say that. I like you and all, but...you're the worst wingman in the history of wingmen."

"Well, I could've been worse," Gloyd retorted as he and Rancis left for Game Central Station.

A/N: This was originally going to be a little longer (up to 2k words), but it's bedtime. Seriously, I had one job: to not suffer from sleep loss.

• Captain Alaska: His stories "Mercy" and "As Long As I Have You" are the basis for my story. (I love both of those stories by the way!)

• sweetprincess900045: Her stories are a major influences as well. (BTW, I read your stories "True Love's Destiny" and "Dance With Me"; I also think they're great!)