First Date
"I gotta say ma'am, I was flying high when you said you wanted to see me again," Felix said, nursing a mug of Root Beer. He bashfully looked to the beautiful, blond haired woman that sat beside him, who seemed amused at his words.
"Of course I did, you're a nice guy...Plus that was one hell of a victory kiss," she remarked with a sly grin and the handyman blushed heavily.
"It sure was ma'am..."
"My name's Tamora, by the way. Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun," as she finished, the blonde took a big swig from her own mug.
"Tammy Jean... that's a wonderful name!"
Tamora had to stop and cover her mouth as she nearly choked on the sugary liquid. Nobody in her programmed lifetime had ever said her name that way, and it took her completely by surprise. But the tough-as-nails marine had to admit that her name sounded downright adorable when the little 8-bit said it, especially with that southern inflection he had.
"Are you alright?" Felix set down his pint as she coughed.
"Yea," she croaked. "Just went down the wrong tube."
"You don't mind me callin' you Tammy, do you?" he feared he might have crossed a line; again.
"No," one last cough, "No, it's fine, Fix-it, really." Tamora took in a deep breath and leaned an elbow on the counter in front of them. "I kind of like it actually."
Felix beamed, relieved. "Oh good...For a moment I was afraid I-" his voice hitched and he rubbed his thumb against the handle of his mug idly. "Well, I was afraid I had upset you again."
"Again? What are you-oh..." the memory of it nearly hit her like a ton of bricks.
Poor Felix had said those two words; those two Mod-forsaken words, and she lost it. She felt like an ass for the way she reacted and tossed the little handyman out the way she did, but everything was just too much in that moment.
"Look, Felix, about that... I'm the one that needs to apologize, its just..." Tamora sighed. She didn't know how to explain it to him, or even if she should.
The both of them were silent; the small clamor of the crowd at Tapper's cutting between them. They sat at the far back corner of the restaurant so they could be relatively by themselves. Just as she was about to speak again, Tamora felt the leather of Felix's work gloves brush against her digits as he moved to lay his hand over hers on the counter.
"Does it have to do with your back-story?" as soon as those words left his mouth, he regretted them, and he winced, removing his hand from hers as her body tensed. Oh, now he'd done it.
"How do you know about that?" she asked, more surprised than angry.
The handyman shrank back with a gulp. "The marine that was with us at the entrance to 'Sugar Rush,' told me, ma'am. Right before we went in." Felix took off his cap and wrung it nervously in his hands. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
"Kohut," she hissed, hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand. "What did he tell you?"
Felix continued to fiddle with his hat, trying to keep himself calm. "Well...He mentioned a-a wedding that didn't go as well as was planned..."
Just as she thought...Well this date was off to a bumpy start. She figured this would have come up eventually anyway, but still, it hurt. Tamora covered her face with her hands. It was all getting to be too much again.
"Tammy," she heard Felix say softly; she felt a warm hand place itself on her knee. She didn't respond, but she was listening. "Do you need to leave?" she nodded and removed her hands from her face, revealing eyes brimming with tears.
"I know a place that's very nice and quiet. Would you like to go there?" he spoke soothingly.
Tamora knew if she denied his offer and went home as she was right now, all she would do the rest of the evening was sit by herself in her quarters staring at pictures of Brad, or reading his journal, or thumbing his dog tags; all activities that she remembers doing numerous times before, and she was tired of it. Tired of the pain, tired of being alone. 'Hero's Duty' was plugged in only last week, but to Tamora, it felt like she had been this way for years. She needed a change in her life, and maybe Felix was her answer.
"Where do you have in mind?" she asked him.
The small train to 'Fix -It Felix Jr.' made a sharp ring as it pulled into the station and Tamora looked around. Everything was much less detailed and blockier than she was used to. It was...minimal, and she kind of liked it. It was nighttime, but the warm light of the street lamps, and the lights strung in the 8-bit oak trees gave the place a soothing glow. Felix watched her, smiling as she observed the place, and hopped out of the train. Turning around, he offered his hand to her and, like a gentleman, helped her out of the car she had sat in.
"Nice place you got here, Short-stack," Tamora said, her usual, sly tone back in her voice.
"Thank you, miss!" it was obvious that Felix was very proud of his home, and their hands remained intact as he showed her around.
"...And this is where I like to come after an especially hard day at work," Felix led Tamora onto a small dirt path that branched off of the brick walkway. They walked through the woods and came upon an opening that looked out onto a lake. By the waters edge was a wooden bench in the shadow of a tall, 8-bit version of a Weeping Willow. "You're welcome to come here whenever you'd like, Tammy."
At least, Felix hoped she would like to come back, even after what unfolded at Tapper's. He looked up to her, admiring how her eyes sparkled as she watched the moons reflection dance on the water. She blinked and looked down to their hands, which after all this time, were still intertwined, and smiled.
"I'd like that," she said, leaning down towards him, a smirk creeping onto her features. Felix met her halfway, straightening his posture and tilting his head upwards to capture her lips, his free hand cupping the nape of her neck.
Tamora absolutely loved it; the way he touched her when they kissed. She had leaned into his sweet touch in 'Sugar Rush,' and she couldn't resist the feel of his gloved fingers tangled in her short hair now. To reciprocate, she gave the handyman a small taste of her tongue, gliding the tip of it across his upper lip before breaking away. She chuckled to find that his face had gone completely red.
"Jiminy," Felix said dreamily as he took off his cap and fanned himself with it.
"Brad Scott," he heard the sergeant say.
"Pardon?"
"My late fiancé. His name was Brad Scott," she repeated. Honestly, Felix was surprised that she still wanted to talk about her back-story. He was going to leave it for another day, but if she was ready now, he would be more than happy to listen.
She told him just about everything. How Brad started out as a toy maker until he developed an ever-evolving toy that the government wanted to weaponize. How he had stayed to protect the few remaining scientists when everything backfired. How they met, how they fell in love, how he died.
Tamora had made up her mind that she was going to tell Felix about Brad on the train ride here, and she was filled with anxiety just thinking about it. But now, as she spoke, with Felix looking and listening to her so intently, she felt lighter.
"He sounds like he was a wonderful man," Felix said when she was finished.
Tammy shook her head, "But he was never real. He's just some...Programmed memory. He never existed like you or I do. I keep telling myself that, but it just-"
"It feels like he was real?" She nodded, and they were both silent for a moment.
"Can that hammer of yours fix broken hearts?" Tamora said with a small laugh. "I'm sorry, that was a really sappy and awkward question. Forget I ever said it."
"I'm not so sure it can, ma'am," Felix replied. "A tool can only do so much, even if it is magic. But-" he took her hands in his. "It might take a while, but maybe we could fix it together."
"You're willing to commit to that, Soldier?"
"Yes...Are you?" he asked her; it took two to tango after all.
The both of them would have to work together for their relationship to grow, and Felix had just planted the seed. After taking a moment to think, Tamora tucked it gently under the soil.
"Yes," she said, almost in a whisper. Felix smiled, and she did too. They would tackle this together.
They kissed again, and this time, it was Felix doing the teasing.
"Oh, you want to play that game, Fix-It?" Oh, she'd play that game and win it.
And she did.