Tamora stared at the hot pink flyer intensely, almost as if she could set it on fire with her mind if she looked at it long enough.
"Come celebrate Dance Dance Revolution X2's 2nd Anniversary with us!" it read in bold black letters.
Earlier that evening, just after the arcade had closed, Fix-It Felix hopped into 'Hero's Duty' to invite her to come with him. It was a little over two weeks ago that the two of them decided to become a couple, and this would be their third "official" date.
If she had accepted his invitation, that is.
Tamora didn't really see herself as much of a dancer, or even a partygoer for that matter, and made the excuse that she had to do a lengthily perimeter check due to "unusual Cybug activity." The handyman had frowned, but he understood. Still, he left with her the flyer and a small peck on the cheek, hopeful that she would join him when she was done.
"Thinking about going?" the blond heard from behind her. She turned to find Kohut leaning against the doorway of the indoor shooting range.
"Nah," She tossed the flyer on the table beside her, "It's not really my thing."
"You know, I talked to that little fellow you've been seeing on his way out today."
"Yeah?" Tamora replied absentmindedly as she loaded a pistol and positioned herself in front of a target.
"Yeah, he's a really nice guy. Said he was sorry that we had to work after hours, but he hoped he'd be able to see you when you were done with your business."
Tamora put down her gun and turned around.
"He's really taken with you T.J., the least you could do is be honest. Besides, you might even enjoy it," the sergeant looked at him incredulously. "Just sayin.'"
Tamora frowned, peering at the paper once more.
"C'mon, I know your curious," Kohut smiled.
"About what?" Tamora said coolly.
"About how a little guy like him 's gonna dance with a tall woman like you," Kohut emphasized his point by holding his hand parallel to his side, just about to where he imagined the top of Felix's head would come compared to his height. He chuckled, when Tamora cracked a smile.
"Hey," she said smiling slyly "are you making fun of my boyfriend?"
"No ma'am."
"Good, otherwise I would have had to give you one of these," the blonde curled her hand into a fist and punched the Corporal square in the chest.
Tamora let out a deep breath as she stepped off of the transit into Dance Dance Revolution. Following a few other stragglers into the double doors leading into the game itself, her senses were instantly assaulted by loud music. The party had started two hours ago and there were tons of characters still here ready to dance the night away, their bodies brushing against hers at every turn. The Sergeant was close to turning around and going back to Hero's Duty before she heard two familiar voices calling to her over the crowd.
Sitting at a table in a less populated corner of the room she found Felix's colleague, Wreck-It Ralph, and Vanellope waving at her frantically.
"Hey! Sergeant Smiles!" the young girl called out enthusiastically as she approached them. "You just missed it! Mario challenged Felix to a dance off! And Felix won!"
"Didn't expect to see you here!" Ralph shouted over the music. "He's still out on the dance floor somewhere if you wanted to go find him."
"I think I'll stay here for a while if that's alright with you," Tamora pulled up a chair and sat beside Vanellope, watching the racer down an entire chocolate shake in one go.
"Course you can! There's always room for one more at the "cool table,"" Vannie pulled down a pair of neon green shades (which were, no doubt, party favors) she previously had on the top of her head and grinned. Tamora and Ralph shared a glance, but all he could muster was a shrug. The three of them chatted for a while there at the table, and little by little, Tamora was starting to feel better about coming.
"Raaaalph," Vanellope whined, holding her glass upside down.
The large man rolled his eyes. "Excuse us, I have to take her president-ness to the soda fountain," he said, scooping up the girl and setting her on his shoulder before walking away.
To occupy herself, Tamora scanned the dance floor to see if she could get a glimpse of the little handyman, and sure enough, she did. Dressing in all blue made him easy to find.
He was a little off to the side, talking with the Mario Brothers and Sonic and sharing laughs. She smiled as she watched him, wondering when he'd notice. While the men continued their conversation, Tamora observed as a woman about Felix's height with long curly brown hair and a red dress, approached. She gingerly touched Felix's shoulder and he paused mid-sentence to look at her. He smiled and they greeted each other like old friends before she leaned in to say something into his ear.
"Want to dance with me?" Tamora read her lips; a skill she had picked up in the corps. The sergeant cocked an eyebrow; it was clear that the woman was very interested in him. The men in Felix's group looked at each other and waggled their eyebrows, but Tamora knew better. Her little handy man simply smiled and shook his head.
"I already have a dance partner," he replied.
Tamora grinned.
Just as the woman and Felix said their goodbyes, Ralph and Vanellope had returned and were sitting back down at the table.
"Like what you see?" Vanellope couldn't help but notice that the Sergeant was staring at the fixer from afar. "HEY FELIX!" Boy, did that girl have lungs.
The handyman looked over and immediately his eyes met Tamora's. He gaped, and then gave her one of the brightest smiles she'd ever seen. Excusing himself from his group (who were waggling their eyebrows once more), Felix hopped over to their table.
"You made it! You look wonderful," he blushed, as this was the first time he'd seen her out of her armor and in more casual wear.
"You clean up pretty nicely yourself, Short-stack," she fiddled with the collar of his long sleeved shirt that he wore under a navy vest. The handyman let out a dreamy sigh as he looked into her icy blue eyes. She couldn't help buck stare back, albeit in a less goofy manner. A new song started playing over the speakers and Felix perked up.
"Oh! I love this song!" he held out his hand. "Care to dance?"
"Oh I—I don't really dance," Tamora explained.
"That's alright, neither does Mario!" Felix winked at the plumber walking by, who replied with a good-natured shove.
"Next week: Rematch!" Mario pointed at Felix before waving goodbye to the couple.
Felix giggled, "Come on, Tammy, it'll be fun!" he gingerly took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.
For a moment, Tamora looked to Ralph and Vanellope, almost as if Felix was some cute stranger whisking her away from her clique. Ralph chuckled under his breath while the little racer signed the sergeant with huge sweeping motions with her arms, mouthing for her to "GO!"
The blonde smiled and got up from her seat, "alright, I guess I'll give it a shot."
In a flash, the couple hit the dance floor, Felix taking the sergeants hands in his, and staring with a simple swaying motion. Tamora had to bend over in order comfortably keep a hold of the fixer's hands, and as they began to dance, she couldn't help but feel a little awkward. Perhaps Kohut's teasing wasn't unfounded…but looking down at the little handyman, it was clear that their height difference didn't faze him at all. He had thought this through.
Felix felt the initial tenseness from Tamora fade away as they continued, and he couldn't help but feel giddy. He'd wanted to take her dancing since they first started dating, and was ecstatic that she could make it tonight. Biting his lower lip, the handyman lifted Tamora's arm, just enough for him to twirl under it. He giggled as she rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same.
"Your turn, Tammy Jean," he spoke over the music.
"Ohh no, I don't think so," she replied.
"Here comes your queue!"
Before she could say anything else, Felix hopped upwards with a 'Boing!' and twirled her around before hitting the ground. And despite herself, Tamora laughed. She had such a wonderful laugh, and the fact that he was the cause of it made the little 8-Bit's heart soar.
Opening up, Tamora let go of Felix's hands and started pumping her arms in the air, index fingers pointed upward, while simultaneously swaying her hips. As the handyman watched, he could hardly contain himself, cupping his hands over his mouth as he giggled.
"Got a problem with the way I dance, Soldier?" Tamora asked with a sly smile, bringing her hands to her hips.
"Not at all, ma'am," he chuckled "I love it. I love everything about you."
The sergeant felt a blush creep onto her features at his sincerity, and she was about to reach down to dance with him again until she felt a strange set of hands grab hers and pull her away.
"Mind if I cut in?"
Tamora blinked, and looked upon the chiseled features of a man clad in a beige trench coat and slicked back hair.
"Yes, actually," Tamora said, yanking her arms from the man's grip. She looked around to find Felix, but there was a wall of characters surrounding her, blocking her view.
A bright light shone on her face, and she looked forwards to find the man in the trench coat facing away from her, a spotlight having manifested over his head.
"She was a live wire," she heard him say to no one in particular. "A bombshell blond with legs up to here, and curves in all the right places. She spelt "trouble," but I couldn't resist touching those captivating features."
"Excuse me?" Tamora reached out to grab him by the collar, but a little blue blur hopped in her path. She managed to put on the brakes fast enough to not trample her date.
"Try not to mind Mr. Agent over there," Felix explained as he coaxed the sergeant away. "He can't help his outer monologues, poor guy."
"Yeah, poor guy," she repeated with a huff.
The handyman resigned, and they began to dance once more; both of them hoping they wouldn't have any more interruptions.
"I'm so thrilled you could make it tonight, Tammy. Between you and me, DDR throws the best anniversary parties," Felix practically shouted up to her, a new, and even louder song playing over the speakers. "I'm guessing the perimeter check went smoothly?"
"Sorry, I can't hear you from down there," Tamora lied. She didn't want to talk about the excuse she made up to avoid coming. She didn't want the handyman finding out, not only because it might hurt his feelings, but also because she regretted not agreeing to come in the first place. She was enjoying herself far more than she thought she would.
The 8-bit chuckled and gestured for her to bend down closer to him, she obliged.
"I'm just glad you're here," he spoke lowly into her ear, and she felt that blush creeping onto her features again. But before she could make any sort of reply, a large figure collided with Felix, causing him to fly and disappear into the vast sea of people on the dance floor.
Tamora looked up at the figure, a man in a yellow suit jacket and black fedora, with fire in her eyes.
"Hey there, wanna dance with me?" he said.
"No," Tamora said curtly, walking off in search for Felix, ignoring the stranger's objections. If that man hurt Felix, then by Litwak's Nana, she would come back and split his Modforsaken head open.
As Felix stumbled, he collided with another figure, face-to-face, before landing square on his back in the middle of the dance floor, groaning.
"Well hey there, tiger." A familiar figure stood over him (undoubtedly the one he had also just run into). Once his head stopped spinning, he realized who it was.
"Hi, Pauline." He said weakly as she helped him up. "Sorry about that."
"Honestly, if you wanted to dance with me that badly, you should have just said so when I asked." The woman winked, wrapping her arms around his neck and swaying softly.
"I already told you, Pauline. I'm here with someone else," he politely removed her hands.
"I was just playing with you, Feenie. No need to get so serious," The brunette chuckled. "I saw the two of you dancing earlier. She's a beautiful woman, I am very happy for you!"
"Thank you," Felix smiled. "I've got to get back to her and let her know I'm OK."
"Oh we can help you with that," Pauline turned around. "Donkey Kong~" she said in a singsong voice. The ape standing near her smiled, and surveyed the crowd. He spotted Calhoun not too far away. She was once again, being asked to dance by the man in the yellow jacket, and was getting dangerously close to punching him into the next week.
"Good job, Donkey! I think you know what to do," Pauline patted the ape on the arm affectionately and he set to work. He happily pulled out a banana, ate it, and threw the peel across the room.
"Try and hold onto her this time, Feenie. Good luck!" Pauline gave Felix a quick peck on the cheek, and Donkey Kong quickly grabbed him around his middle and lifted the fixer over his head.
"No, wait!" Felix panicked and yelped as Donkey Kong threw him.
The handyman continued to scream until he felt his feet hit the floor. He opened his eyes, and looked up to find a bewildered Tammy.
"Was that you?" the sergeant pointed to the floor, where a crumpled banana lay, its victim having fallen on his face not too far away.
"Uhh," Felix began to shake his head 'no', but resolved to nodding sheepishly, eliciting a chuckle from the blonde.
"Well color me surprised," she said. She had no idea Felix had such a retaliatory side. "Are you alright?"
"Oh I'm fine, are you?"
"Better now," Tamora said conclusively, giving Felix what he called "the honey-glows" something fierce.
"Out of the way pipsqueak," a large, half man, half boar stepped in between them, and began pushing Calhoun away. Felix recognized him as a monster from that new fantasy hack 'n' slash, and as the little handyman regained his footing, he angrily adjusted his cap and marched forward.
"Listen creep, leave me alone or else," Tamora threatened. She'd just about had it with these clowns ruining her date.
"C'mon, I just wanna dance," said the boarman.
"Excuse me!" Both Tamora and the boarman looked down at Felix, who looked more comical than threatening when angry. " I believe Miss Calhoun already told you that she isn't interested," he scolded the boarman. Tamora cocked an eyebrow, admiring the handyman's guts.
"I said 'out of the way,' shrimp," the boarman leaned over Felix menacingly. "She's mine." The pushed Felix against the chest and snickered, turning back around.
"Then I must say, sir, that you are a pig in more ways than one!" the little 8-bit countered.
"What?" the boarman whirled around, his large, hairy hand grasping Felix's throat and lifting him into the air. "You dare?"
Characters around them quickly became aware of what was happening. Someone screamed, and Princess Peach shouted at Sonic to get the bouncer. The hedgehog was gone in a flash.
The pain was so intense, Felix screwed his eyes shut as he clawed and kicked to get free. He could hear the boarman's laugh get interrupted by a familiar, whirring sound. The handyman's eyes snapped open and he saw the barrel of a gun pointed right at his attackers head.
"Put him down. NOW!" Tamora shouted. "Or I'll shove his blaster down your throat so hard you'll be shitting plasma for weeks!"
The boarman faltered, and dropped the little handyman, who gasped and coughed as Princess Peach helped him sit up.
"Whoa OK, lady! Just don't shoot!" the monster raised his arms in the air, and that's when Zangief, the designated bouncer for the night, stomped in, looking from Felix, to Calhoun, then to the boarman.
"Oh thank the Mods, get this crazy bitch away from me!" the boarman pleaded.
"That man attacked Felix!" Peach pointed to the boarman, "Get him out of here!"
Zangief forcefully grabbed the boarman, pinning his hands to his back. "No one gets away with hurting friends while I am around. Especially friends of Ralph!" he said as he began to escort the monster away.
"And you," Zangief turned around in Tamora's direction. "I let you off for that just this once." He nodded to her blaster, which she then tucked away back into her inventory.
"Understood," she nodded, and Zangief began to push the boarman towards the exit, brushing past Ralph and Vanellope. They had also been alerted by Sonic of what happened, and the two of them gave the boarman the dirtiest, most threatening looks they could muster (which for Ralph, was easy).
With the threat neutralized, Tamora averted her attention to her little handyman.
"Are you alright, Soldier?" she asked as she kneeled down beside him, ignoring the onlookers around them.
"I'm f—" he coughed and cleared his throat. "Fine," he said hoarsely. Tamora frowned, he sounded pitiful, and ugly bruises were already starting to show.
"I want to take you to the medics in my game to get you checked out. Is that okay?"
Felix nodded and took her hand. The both of them stood up and walked towards the exit, Ralph and Vanellope followed.
"Hey," Ralph started as they walked. "Sonic went to get the Surge Protector. Pretty sure he's going to come in here asking people what happened. Vanellope are going to stick around and tell 'im what we know and we'll meet up with you guys later."
"Sounds good, Wreck-It. Thanks," Tamora replied. They parted ways and Tamora and Felix hopped onto the transit back to Game Central Station. As they traveled through the tunnel, they sat together quietly. The sergeant looked down, to find Felix pressing his fingers to his forehead.
"Headache?" she asked. He nodded, but pinched his fingers together to indicate to her that it was only a small one. He put a hand on her knee.
"You don't have to go through all this trouble. I can heal myself with my hammer. I'll be fine," he spoke softly, and half his words weren't coming out, but Tamora understood by reading his lips.
"Strangulation is a big deal, Fix-It. He easily could have killed out back there, and there may be damage your hammer can't heal. Let my men take a look at you, just to be safe."
Felix supposed he couldn't argue with that.
"You really shouldn't have pulled your gun on him, Tammy. It's against the rules. I don't want you getting into trouble."
"I've read the rules, Short-Stack. 'One may only use a gun outside of game play (if armed with one), if one's life is in clear and present danger,'" she recited. "And as far as I am concerned, your life is just as important as mine."
The fixer looked up at her with glassy eyes.
"Felix?"
His heart was pumping rapidly, and a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach grew. He felt this overwhelming need to kiss her right then and there, and as she inquired if he was alright once more, he cupped the back of her head with his left hand, pulling her close enough for their lips to connect. They've kissed before, multiple times, but there was something different about this one for Felix. There was fire behind it. A lust.
He caught himself and reeled himself back, breaking the kiss and blushing profusely. He heaved a sigh and looked up at his Tammy Jean. She looked almost as surprised as she had been when he first kissed her cheek in 'Sugar Rush.' He licked his lips nervously and barely squeaked out an apology before the sergeant relaxed, a sly smile playing across her lips.
"I-I'm so s-sorry Tammy. You're just so—so selfless and heroic. I couldn't—"
"So that's what gets little Fix-It Felix Jr. goin' hmm?" she teased. At this point she didn't think her boyfriend's face could get any redder. "It's OK, Short-Stack, now calm down before your die of embarrassment." She wrapped an arm around him and kissed the top of his head. They were nearly at the end of their tram ride when a flash of blue light danced over their heads and towards 'DDR.'
"There goes the Surge Protector," Felix sighed. "Well this date sure turned out to be a mess…I'm so sorry, Tammy. I really wanted this night to be perfect for you."
"It's not your fault, Fix-It. And while this date may have been a disaster, it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy dancing with you," Tamora explained s they got off the tram and walked across GCS, hand in hand, to 'Hero's Duty.' "It was fun, but next time, I think I'd prefer it in a more private setting."
"Really?" Felix beamed.
"Really." The sergeant affirmed.