Authors note: My second fic! An AU where Ralph and Felix work in an arcade owned by king candy. Stay tuned for more, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! This is a Ralph/Felix story btw, but there will be a storyline and feature the other characters all well.
Felix was pushed from his door, out into the warm summer air. "Pops! Why did you do that?" He called back to his father, whom had become known around town as 'fix it Felix sr.'.
His father appeared in the doorway, staring his son down sternly. Their blue eyes met each-others, and he ran a gloved hand through his graying hair. "Listen Felix; I know you just love staying inside and playing your video games all day, but if you don;t want to go to school to carry on the carpenter tradition in this family, you'll need to get a job." He said with a stern face, throwing his son a newspaper.
Felix fumbled with it in his hands clumsily, "C'mon pops!" he said, putting on his most award winning smile as he approached his father "I mean, I have plenty of time to become a master carpenter! Can't I at least have the summer off?"
His father shook his head, shutting the door behind him. He pushed past his son and opened the door to his work van, "Son, you'll never inherit the Golden Hammer repair company if you keep up that slacker attitude" He straightened his hat and smiled to himself "Besides; you're a fix it man. Made to bring joy and swift repairs to everyone in need!" He said, grabbing his toolbox proudly "Besides; you wouldn't want to end up like your uncle Gene would you?"
Yeesh, he had to bring up Felix's tawdry uncle. "Oh sir, I'd never stoop to such levels!" He exclaimed, picturing his drunken uncle sitting in his living room all day barking out at anyone who walked near him. No siree; Felix most certainly did not want to become one of THOSE men.
"Good." Said his father, shutting the door and starting his engine. "I marked a few prime job offers for you on that there newspaper...and hey, Jr." He said, motioning to his son.
"Yes papa?" asked a timid Felix.
"I know you can do it!" Said his father, before peeling out of his driveway and driving off to wherever he was needed. He was an intense but kind man.
The younger Fix-it sat down on his front porch in front of Niceland condominiums; The building where him and most of his family lived. It was situated in the suburbs of a sprawling city; known for its multibillion dollar hotel industries and bustling business area. Felix however cared nothing for this. He was a simple young man, just out of highschool, trying to find a way in life to help as many people as possible.
He sighed, an looked through his bedroom window. He could still see his old NES system turned on in front of his TV; he didn't care how old it got; everytime it broke he just fixed it and kept on playing...It was his favorite console, after all.
But playing video games wouldn't help him out of this situation. "Well- looks like I finally have to get crackin on this whole thing..." He said, as he forced himself up and straightened his collar. He took one last deep breath of the woodsy air that blew in from the niceland forest that surrounded his apartment, thankful that they weren't burning garbage in the nearby landfill today. The sweet smell gave him the confidence he needed, and with a swift hop, he bounced off the steps of his porch and raced down the streets to find a career,
7:39 PM; and no luck so far. Felix had been here, there, everywhere looking for work.
He rested on a park bench, burying his face into his hands. "Jiminy jaminy, I'm a failure! What's poppop going to think of me when i go back home unemployed and empty pocketed."
He glared at the newspaper his father had given him; he had gone to every single location on the list, and at every one been told every position was filled. He huffed and tightened his fist around the newspaper, standing up to throw it to the ground...then stopped.
Felix rolled his eyes and sighed, opening the newspaper again and straightening it neatly and setting it back down "Sorry little guy..." he whispered. Felix hated showing any signs of aggression, and felt intense guilt whenever he mistreated anyone- or anything for that matter (yes, even newspapers)
He stared at the help wanted section again, making sure he had exhausted every possible option. Nope; not a job in sight. But he still couldn't go home empty handed, so he opened up his cell phone and began dialing the one person he was never really in a particular mood to talk to;
His ex girlfriend.
"What's your status, soldier?" She said, bellowing over the phone
Felix chuckled a little "Oh, Tamora...always so serious about your army motif..."
She barked back "This is no motif civilian... Now state your business, before i cut this line."
He swallowed hard, she was so intense and intimidating...especially since the breakup...but he knew she had connections; everyone in the city loved her and her family for forming a neighborhood watch. Ever since the Calhouns took Niceland by storm; the crimerate had dropped 50%.
"Listen, Tamora..." He began.
"That's SERGEANT to you." She said, commandingly.
"O-Ok... Sergeant Calhoun...I was wondering if perhaps you could, oh, I don't know, say, use some of your connections to help me get a job?" He begged, stuttering and stammering the entire way through the sentence.
"hmm." She paused, and took a deep breath "That would be a negatory, soldier."
Felix gasped, practically dropping the phone "P-Please don't be that way! Listen. Tamora...I know we have our differences but...Oh, I just can't have papa seeing me as a failure... Come on, this is my one chance to show him that his high hopes for me aren't in vain!"
"My services don't come free.." She coo'd through the phone.
"That's fine!" Felix squeaked, knowing he didn't have any money to give her, he decided he would try to fib his way through it. "What's your price?"
She chuckled, "50 dollars. And don't think you can weasel your way out of it, soldier, I will be on you like white on rice at very paycheck you get..." Her voice deepened. "So we got ourselves a deal?"
Practically ripping out his hair, Felix sighed "Yes, yes! of course! Thank you so much Tammy..." He said.
"Don't talk to your superior that way!" She commanded. "Now, listen close soldier... There's only one job I know that'd take a tiddly wink like you...You know that big hotel at the center of town?"
"Oh no, you don't mean Sugar rush, do you?" Felix shuddered, that place was huge and noisy, the biggest building for miles. Not only was it a hotel, it was also a 5 star restaurant, an amusement park, a racetrack, and last but most certainly not least; the prized arcade of the city. Now, this wasn't what daunted Felix, it was the man who managed the entire building, The richest man in Niceland; Mr. Candy. But everyone in this town just called him 'the king'.
"You still there Felix?" demanded a bored voice from the other end.
"Yes ma'am...and thank you for the tip. I owe you one." He said, relieved.
"No, you owe me 50 big ones. And don't think this is me trying to get on the good side of you again, I'm a woman with standards..."
"Don't worry, sergeant...That's the last thing on my mind..." Felix said, before hanging up. He rolled his blue eyes at the thought of dating her again, Don't get him wrong, he loved her...Just not in that way. More like in a...Owner-Pet kind of way. As mean as she was she would always still take him out on some of her wilder escapades (Which he usually spent most of his time hiding during) and in exchange, he would repair her broken weaponry. They really were quite a pair of friends.
But now wasn't the time to be talking to himself; he had a job to get.
He stood in front of the doors to the brightly lit super hotel, swallowing hard. It smelled like burnt candy and liquor, and for a second Felix even considered turning around. But the bus back to his neck of the woods wouldn't be coming for another 40 minutes anyways; and like fun he'd show up back home with no job. "We can do this Felix...Just take a deep breath, and-" he said, before being interrupted by the door slamming open and pushing him back.
"Excuse you, my loyal subject" Said the king in an airy, lithpy voice, frowning up at the young man who had just bumped into him.
Felix's eyes widened, it was the kind himself. He was...much different than he had expected him to look like, to say the least! This man was barely 5 feet off the ground, had two tufts of grey hair at either side of his head, and had, excise his language, the absolute GAUDIEST sense of fashion felix had ever seen in a man. He wore a crown and puffy pants, and had a collar brimmed with the kind of lace you'd see on a doily. But Felix knew this wasn't a man he should be criticizing so he bowed and said "I am SO sorry your highness!" The king seemed to enjoy being called highness, as he smiled, tapping his scepter thoughtfully on the ground. "I- I'm fix it felix junior, sir! and I would love it if you would employ me at your lovely hotel!"
The king laughed, waving his wrist limply at Felix "Which one?" he said before breaking out into a roar of laughter.
Felix chuckled along, trying his hardest to smile.
After his gigglefit ended, the king straightened his bow and stood up straight. "I'm going to be frank with you kid, we only had one position, but it's a bit of a...hassle!" He said, laughing again.
"I will gladly accept whatever you give me, sir!"
With half lidded eyes, the king smirked. "Rise, my new subject, rise! Oh, and call me King Candy from now on." He said, bouncing up and down.
Felix beamed "So..I'm Hired?!"
Another limp wristed wave came form King Candy "Yes, yes... You'll be working in the arcade, passing out soda to the kids! If that's okay with you?"
"Yes sir! I love old style video games! Why in fact, I was just playing one thi-" He was interrupted however by a gloved finger over his lips.
"Yeah yeah kid, whatever. Now! I will be leaving, but please allow my butler to give you the grand tour. OH BILL! SOUR BILL!" Screamed the little man.
Within seconds, a small man with a greenish complexion stepped out of the building, he was no taller than the King had been, but wore a frown to combat his master's never ending smile.
"Give this man here the grand tour...his name is...what's your name, son?"
The wannabe carpenter stood up straight, trying to sound as prideful as possible "Fix it Felix Jr. Sir!"
"uh huh...Now; give our new employee the grand tour! He'll be working in the arcade." Motioned the king, wrapping an arm around his servant.
Sour Bill sighed. "Right this way, sir..." He said, motioning for the young man to follow him inside.
Felix was about to turn around to thank his new boss, but the little man had already jumped into his limo and sped off. The fast pace of the situation was starting to make Felix's stomach turn, but he wouldn't dare turn down the only job opportunity in town...Heck, jobs were scarce enough as they were.
Sour Bill had led him into the grand lobby of the Sugar Rush, and Felix had to squint from all the bright lights attacking his eyes. Solid creme colored walls spattered with glitter in every color were what kept this building up, the support beams and furniture were all painted salmon, broken only by the presence of one golden elevator, sitting next to a typical pink one.
"Where's that fancy elevator lead, Sour Bill?" Chuckled Felix.
"Please don't call me that. And it leads to the King's private quarters; go near it and you'll be fired, just like that" He said, flatly.
Felix was beginning to sweat, it really was all work and no play here...and he hadn't even gotten to his post yet! He relaxed a little as they entered a dim room, soft neon lights lined the area and a grand silver entrance could be seen at the end of the room.
"This is where you'll be working." Mumbled the butler
Felix paused, shocked. "All...Alone?"
Bill scoffed. "No. You get the pleasure of working with...Ralph. He will continue the remainder of your tour; mainly because I have better things to do. Goodbye."
The young man held out his hand to try and get Bill to stop, but he raced away. Jeepers... This job was sounding more and more shifty by the minute. He turned towards the doors and gulped, not sure of what he would find.
Another slow day. Ralph sat down at the main counter in the arcade, resting his chin on his hand and sighing. There were never really any customers on Mondays, which made the days even worse, believe it or not. He could handle dealing with kids all day; heck, he even kind of enjoyed it. What he DIDN'T enjoy was how on slow days, King Candy would come in there and bark orders at him, making him move everything around in the arcade by hand. It wasn't really a hassle, Ralph was 7 feet tall and weighed over 300 pounds, but it was just the idea behind it all. Ever since he had started working here after he graduated a year or two ago, the boss enjoyed walking in on a bi-daily basis and treating him and the other employees like shit. It was a wonder Ralph hadn't been fired already, considering he'd broken most of the glasses in here from frustration. But oh well. At least the day was almost over...
"Hello? Is anyone in here..." Called a dainty voice from the entrance. Ralph brightened up, hey, a kid must've come in here late at night, finally some action to his day. He got up from his spot behind the soda bar and walked over to the source of the sound, only to find out it was coming from a short skinny little guy with a worried look on his face. Ralph frowned when he noticed the guy's eyes widen and his jaw drop when he saw Ralph. Even he had to admit though, he did have a pretty intimidating physique.
"Whatta ya want?" He said, crossing his arms.
Felix stood there, stammering, a red glow creeping over his face. "I-I'm Felix...I'm your new co worker!" He said, bouncing up with a smile.
"Aye aye aye..." Said Ralph, massaging his temples. Great, a new guy for the boss to pick on. "How'd you get shoehorned into a crappy job like this?" He said, raising his eyebrows.
Felix face instantly drooped. "Wh-what?"
Noticing how upset he made the little man, Ralph waved it off "sorry, sorry. Its nothing. Well have fun I guess." He said, and marched back to his spot behind the bar, only about 20 minutes left to his work day. He looked at the frightened little guy observing the place, and rolled his eyes. Probably just another co worker whose going to avoid him and blame everything on him, just like the last 5.
He dropped his head onto the cold metal table, sighing heavily, when he felt a poke on his back. He looked up and was eye to eye with the new employee.
"So! What's your name friend? Mine is Felix...People call me Fix-it Felix though around these parts!" beamed the bubbly little brunette. He was smiling ear to ear and had a dumb twinkle in his pretty ocean blue eyes.
Ralph scolded himself for noticing that. "I'm Ralph. Now go away." He said, turning his back on Felix. He was persistent though, and bounded around the counter to meet his tall companion face to face.
"So...I was thinking... Maybe since you say this job is really stressful...We could work together! as friends...and maybe make the day go by a little faster!" He said, looking down and twiddling his thumbs nervously.
Ralph huffed "I don't need friends." He said as he got up and walked towards the arcade, he guessed he'd get a game in before closing time, he loved these machines anyways. One of the only perks of this job was getting free access to all these games. He turned around and noticed his co worker sulking in the bar, he almost felt guilty after seeing that look in his eyes, but he shook his head and slipped a coin into his favorite game- Repair it Roger. He was getting into it, and by the 12th level he could tell he was forming a small audience. He huffed again, turning around annoyed "Listen kid, are you gonna follow me around all day or wha-"
He paused mid sentence when he was the smile and glow in Felix's eyes, he hopped up excitedly. "Wow! I've never seen anyone get this far into this game before.. or at least, I haven't personally" He chuckled, running a hand through his perfect hair "That's really amazing though! how far have you gotten before?" asked the excited little man.
Surprised at this sudden interest in game playing, Ralph crossed his arms and smiled "Level 24." he announced proudly. In all honesty that wasn't even that impressive, but hey, it was still something.
"I've only made it to seven..." Admitted the new worker. Ouch, even most of the kids Ralph knew could get it to at least level ten.
He chuckled "So you like games?"
Felix lit up "Well yeah...Well, kind of...I really like retro games...Mostly because I'm really kind of terrible at newer games.." He sighed, recalling his recent attempt to beat super mario galaxy. "But i sure do try!" He said proudly.
Ralph laughed, he was starting to like this kid, he had some pep to him. And to be honest he couldn't really help himself from staring into those blue eyes.
Snapping back to reality, Ralph checked his watch, happy for a chance to turn away before the younger man saw him blushing. "Its 30 minutes past closing...yeesh." He said.
He jumped when he heard Felix squeak. "Oh my land! The last bus left! How am I going to get home?!" He shouted.
"What, ya dont have a ride?" Asked the larger man
Felix silently nodded no.
Ralph sighed, tapping his finger on the game next to him. "Well...you know I guess I can drive you if you live nearby or somethin" He said, quickly looking away.
"Well, I live on the edge of the Niceland forest...I don't know if that's okay..." Stammered the carpenter.
"Hey, thats fine, I live In the forest. SO yeah I guess I can give ya a ride home." Said the big guy, leaning against a game called "honey rush".
Felix jumped up and smiled, running over and wrapping his arms around Ralph. "Oh, thank you so much! I would have had to have slept on park bench...Wow, what a lifesaver!"
Ralph blushed to the touch and squirmed away before he got too comfrotable "Yeah yeah, dont mention it Felix. Now let's get to my car, OK?"
Felix nodded and bounced off ahead. Ralph watched him pause at the end of the room and call "You comin Ralph?"
"Yeah...Just lemme catch up!" He called back. Aughhhh... Why did King Candy have to hire someone so cute?