Chapter II

Felix sighed as he opened his eyes and turned to glance at the sleeping figure next to him. He hated himself greatly for even daring to think about his old flame with his fiancée sleeping right next to him. It was absolutely shameful, he knew, but then again, how exactly was he supposed to just forget his past now that someone new was in his life? He didn't think Tamora would ever expect such a thing from him, but when it involved Turbo of all people, he wasn't so sure she would be so understanding.

As he gazed at the woman sleeping soundly, he realized then that he had fallen in love with her for much of the same reasons he had fallen in love with Turbo. Sure, when he had first laid eyes on her, he immediately saw her for the beauty that she was, there was no questioning that. But the more time he spent with her, the more he was drawn to the type of person she was. She was a strong, capable, no nonsense kind of woman, and it was these traits that immediately sealed the deal for the little Good Guy. It had been no different with Turbo.

"Why can't I just forget you?" the handyman whispered to himself. There were rare moments when the Good Guy wished he knew how to hack into his game's codes. Maybe then he could erase all memories of the racer and put an end to his suffering. But even if he could do such a thing, he didn't think he would. He cherished those memories, painful as they were.

Much like in his dream, the hero just could not keep still another moment, and so he swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his pants. He needed to get up and walk around, and he needed to think, and he needed to do it without the threat of disturbing his partner.

He made his way down to the lobby and promptly stepped outside. He had a seat on the top step of the building and rested his chin in his hand. He sat there, deep in thought for some time. He knew Tamora was bound to wake up at any moment and discover the hero missing. In fact, when he heard the door open behind him, he was certain it was her who had come to ask why he was up, but the voice he heard surprised him, along with the question that was asked of him.

"You really do miss him, don't you?"

Felix turned sharply to face the plump little NPC.

"Mary?"

The tiny character smiled, her eyes soft with sympathy.

"I…Who? I don't know what you're talking about," the Good Guy lied.

"Oh, stop it, Felix, I know. I've always known."

"But….how?"

"I saw you two together one day. I came up to the penthouse to bring you one of my desserts and I couldn't get you to come to the door. I'm ashamed to say I just walked right in without an invite. I saw the two of you lying in bed together."

Felix's blushed a deep red and immediately averted his gaze. "You must have been horrified."

"Oh, heaven's no," Mary laughed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I was a bit surprised at first, but honestly, the two of you looked pretty adorable snuggled up together like that."

"All this time, you knew and you never said anything to anyone?"

"Of course not. It wouldn't have been right to do such a thing." The woman frowned suddenly. "That party was mostly Gene's idea, by the way. I tried to talk him out of it, believe me, because I knew what it'd do to you. But there was only so much I could say without giving anything away. I know the things people say aren't easy to hear."

Felix nodded slowly. "It's okay, Mary. It's not like people don't have a right to hate him."

"But you still love him, don't you?"

Felix turned away from the NPC and stared down at the ground in shame. "Yes. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"My goodness, no!" Mary gasped. "Why would you think such a thing?"

"Because upstairs, lying in my bed, is a woman who I intend to marry and devote my life to! And here I am, still pining over someone who I shouldn't be pining over!"

"You can't erase your past, Felix. Turbo was a part of your life, and that can't be forgotten."

The Good Guy rubbed at his temples. "Oh, Mary, I know that, but it's more than that, don't you see? There's someone else in my life now! It's not fair to her to still be in love with another person."

"Dear, how we feel is how we feel."

Felix stilled at those words. It seemed like only yesterday that he had spoken those exact words to Turbo.

"You two were still an item when Turbo's game was unplugged," Mary continued. "It's not like you two drifted apart and fell out of love. You were in love with him that day and it never went away. You can't change that, Felix. Feelings are not a subject of will."

Felix was taken aback by the wisdom of her words. He knew she was right, but that did little to extinguish the guilt that plagued him.

"I wish I knew what to do, Mary."

The little woman smiled softly and took a step forward, placing her hand on the hero's shoulder. "I think what you need more than anything is closure."

Felix looked up at her with curious eyes.

"It certainly won't change how you feel about him," Mary pointed out, "but I think part of what you're going through stems from the fact that you never had a chance to say goodbye. I know there's a lot of things you would have liked to say to him."

Felix gave a solemn nod. "But how?"

"You'll figure it out, dear."

After patting the Good Guy's shoulder, Mary turned and went to reenter the building, leaving Felix alone to contemplate his feelings once again. Yes, there were many things Felix wanted to say to the racer, things he had wanted to say since the day his game had been unplugged. And while he knew he could never say them directly to the former Good Guy, he still felt like just saying them out loud, even if it was only to himself, would give him peace of mind. And he would need to do it in a place where he was isolated and where there was little chance of anyone hearing him.

He knew just the place.

0ooooooo0

He knew it wouldn't be easy. It would be very painful, in fact, as this was where the racer perished, but it was that very reason that he felt this was the most appropriate place. Such a gruesome way to die, Felix thought, and he was probably the only one in the entire arcade who felt he didn't deserve it.

Stepping inside the large, cola bottle-shaped mountain, Felix inhaled deeply as a lump began to form in his throat. Though Vanellope had once spent a large portion of her life here, he didn't fear her walking in on him, as the little girl had mentioned that this place represented a low point in her life. As he trudged along through the dark structure, the handyman had to shutter at the thought of the little girl spending so many years here all alone, but soon his mind refocused itself as he laid eyes on the bubbling cola spring. He looked up and saw the hundreds of mentos suspended from the mountains cap, completely restored after the game's resetting.

"I really don't know where to begin," the Good Guy said softly, eyes falling back to the springs. "I really thought I knew you," he began calmly. "But I can honestly say that I never would have expected you to do what you did. I always knew you could be arrogant, Turbo, but my land, I didn't think you could do something so crazy! The jealousy I can understand! I'm not upset about that! What upsets me is the fact that you could be so careless and just disregard the lives of people around you! Why, Turbo? Why?! Was it really worth it?"

Felix really didn't realize just how upset he was until he reached down to grab a chunk of broken chocolate and chucked it at one of the lower hanging mentos. The white mint detached and fell to the bubbling springs below, prompting the fizzy soda to rise into the air with a loud hiss. "What about me?" the repairman shouted, reaching down for another piece of chocolate. "Was I not good enough?!" He hurled the hunk of chocolate and watched as the mentos plummeted to the boiling soda, triggering another geyser. "It wouldn't have mattered to me, Turbo! Your game could have been the most unpopular game in the entire arcade and I wouldn't have cared! I told you it didn't matter! Why didn't you listen? Why were the kids more important to you?! Why was the fame more important?!"

The Good Guy grit his teeth and chucked another piece of chocolate with a loud growl. "And that's not even the worst of it! All this time, you were alive and I never knew! I was left to grieve and mourn your loss and you weren't even dead! You could have come to me! I could have helped you! But then you…you terrorize an innocent little girl and take everything away from her! How, Turbo? How could you do that?! Did you ever once rethink any of it?! Did you ever question yourself? I don't even know who you are anymore!"

Felix paused for a moment to catch his breath, his cheeks burning and eyes brimming with tears. "But the craziest part of all this is the fact that I still love you. In spite of everything you've done, I still love you!" Felix scooped up another piece of chocolate. "But I don't want to love you anymore!" Felix drew his arm back, preparing to throw the sugary rock. "You're not the Turbo I used to know! You're just a selfish…a selfish…"

"Bastard?" a voice spoke softly, almost sadly.

The handyman froze, the candy still clutched tightly in his raised fist. He slowly let his arm drop and he turned to gaze at the source of the voice, his legs nearly buckling as he looked upon the racer. "T-Turbo…" he whispered, the piece of chocolate slipping from his grasp and falling to the ground. "You…You're…"

"I'm here, yes."

Felix took a few nervous steps towards the racer, feeling almost certain that he would wake up at any moment and find himself back in the penthouse. But dream or no dream, the little hero let his anger resurface as he drew back a hand with a sharp intake of air, fully intending to strike the other male across the cheek, but the racer didn't flinch. He just stood there, waiting for the blow as he looked straight into the Good Guy's eyes. His hand lingered in that position for the longest time before he slowly let it fall upon the protagonist's cheek. Felix then raised his other hand and firmly grasped the racer's face in both hands. He suddenly found himself looking over the racer from top to bottom, remembering his nightmare. "Are you hurt?" he asked, much like an overprotective parent to his child.

"I'm fine."

Felix continued looking him over. "I just…I kept having this nightmare where you came to my home and you were burned so badly. It was horrible."

"Really, Felix, I'm all right."

The Good Guy looked up to meet his gaze, troubled by his tone. He remembered Turbo as always being upbeat and a little sarcastic at times, but now he just sounded lifeless.

"You've been here this whole time?"

Turbo nodded.

"I still don't understand how this is possible."

"I had to program myself into this game, Felix, otherwise I would have been killed off years ago. I might be the greatest racer, but even the great ones can have a nasty crash, especially if you're at the mercy of some kid who doesn't know what they're doing. I was able to regenerate as my King Candy avatar, but once the game was reset, that disguise was history. And to add insult to injury…"

Felix jumped back with a yelp as red static erupted around the racer.

"I'm a glitch. I think it was caused by the reset. I've been trying to get it under control for weeks, but it's not easy."

"Oh, Turbo," Felix sighed with sympathy as he moved to approach the pale-skinned character again. Frustration flashed across his yellow eyes and the Good Guy paused.

"Oh, just say what you really think, Fix-It! Go ahead and laugh! Isn't this what I deserve? I know that's what you're thinking."

Felix knew that everyone else would have done just that. They would have taunted him and rubbed it in his face without remorse. But he just couldn't. He was never one to kick someone when they were down, no matter how much they may deserve it.

"Can you leave?" Felix asked gently.

"Probably not," Turbo quipped. "I haven't even tried. I've been staying here since my regeneration. It's the only place I'm safe." The racer turned away for a moment and crossed his arms. "I missed you," he said softly after a long pause. A barrage of angry responses lingered on his tongue, but Felix held them back as he took a step towards the former Good Guy and forced him to turn around. He kissed him without a second thought, securing his hand against the back of his neck and pulling him close. Turbo responded immediately, wrapping his arms around the brunette and holding onto him for dear life.

The moment they parted, Felix shoved him back with a venomous scowl. Okay, now he could get angry.

"If you missed me so much, why didn't you come to me? Why did you let me think you were dead?!"

Turbo looked somewhat surprised by the drastic shift in the handyman's mood, but confusion immediately transitioned into what looked like…shame?

"I was scared."

"Scared of what?" Felix snapped.

"Of what you would say."

Silence.

"I thought you'd be angry," Turbo continued. "And I thought…you'd never want to see me again after that. I just thought it'd be better if you thought I was dead."

"Do you really think that little of me?" Felix replied, a crack in his voice. "Yes, I was angry with you, but I would have never turned you away, Turbo. Never. No matter how angry I might have been, I was even sadder by the fact that I thought I had lost you. And when I thought you were killed a second time…I just didn't know what to do with myself. It made me realize that maybe there could have been a different outcome in all this if I had only known! Well…" Felix approached the racer again and grabbed his face firmly in his hands. "I'm not letting that opportunity slip away this time. I won't lose you, not again. You need my help more than ever."

"You said you didn't want to love me anymore, Fix-It," Turbo replied, attempting to pull away.

"Forget what I said!"

"You can't fix me. You can't fix this. It's already too late now."

Felix's eyes hardened at those words. It was as though Turbo was admitting to the fact that he had become corrupted.

"I'm nothing now," the racer mumbled as he tried to lower his head, but Felix's firm grasp hindered his effort. "I've lost everything and am now despised and a monster in the eyes of the entire arcade. But what right do I have to complain? I brought it on myself, right?"

Felix quickly pulled the racer into a tight embrace. "It was a mistake, Turbo," he told him soothingly, remembering his dream. "It was a horrible…horrible mistake. And it's a mistake that I can forgive."

"Why?!" Turbo asked desperately, and Felix realized immediately that the dam had finally broken and the racer had broke down into a fit of sobs, something he had never seen him do.

"Because what hope for us is there if we can't find it in our hearts to forgive?"

Turbo pulled away from him abruptly, wiping the corners of his eyes with the heel of his palm. He picked a spot on the ground several feet away, leaning his back against the chocolate contours of the mountain. He repeatedly blinked away tears, his face twisted in a scowl. "There is such a thing as being too forgiving, Fix-It," he pointed out without looking at the Good Guy.

Felix made his way over to the racer and knelt beside him, moving to swing a leg over his stomach and situating himself on his lap. Turbo blushed furiously, still avoiding the man's gaze. He closed his eyes as he saw Felix's hands reach for his head, feeling his helmet being pulled off. The handyman quickly removed his gloves and immediately ran his now bare hands through the now freed strands of dark hair, which were slightly flattened from the weight of the helmet. Turbo sighed contently, his features relaxing slightly. Eyes still closed, Turbo rolled his head back to the front, immediately feeling the other's soft lips upon his. When the Good Guy pulled away, he saw just how broken the once proud racer really was. In his eyes he saw fear, sadness, and even shame. He couldn't blame him; he had fallen hard.

"You…You won't tell them I'm here…will you?" he asked fearfully, his eyes wide and pleading. Felix sighed as he leaned forward to press his forehead against the racer's.

"No, I won't tell anyone."

Felix felt the protagonist sigh against his neck and he felt inclined to embrace him again, but instead he pulled away with a firm gaze, grasping the racer's chin in his hand and forcing him to look him in the eye. "But you need to understand something, Turbo. I care very much about Vanellope. I care about her and the safety of this game. You have to promise me right now that you won't ever harm her again. Because if you can't promise me that, Turbo, then…I can't promise that I'll protect you." Felix squeezed the racer's chin as his eyes welled with tears. "Please don't do that to me, Turbo. I don't want to see you get hurt, but if you can't promise me this, then I can't help you. Please promise me."

There was very little hesitation as Turbo replied, "I promise."

Felix blinked. "Really? You won't bother Vanellope again, or try to take over the arcade?"

"I never wanted to take over the arcade, Felix. It was the programming of that thing that ate me."

"The cy-bug."

"Right, cy-bug. My mind was mostly gone after that thing ate me. Between myself, my King Candy avatar and the cy-bug, there wasn't much of me left."

Felix supposed that made sense, as cy-bugs only lived to eat and destroy. It was more likely that the cy-bug had been more in control of Turbo rather than the other way around, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been compelled to fly directly into the boiling cola.

"Do you even remember any of it?"

"Bits and pieces," Turbo mumbled. "I do remember flying into that geyser, though," he added with a visible shudder, squeezing his eyes shut. "And vividly, too."

Felix squeezed his shoulder gently. "It's okay. It's all over now."

Turbo sounded as though he was fighting the urge to cry again and so Felix quickly slinked his arms around his neck.

"I don't even think flying into a boiling spring of soda can compare to the fear of living your life every day, wondering if you'll live to see another one. I mean, I don't know that those kids can do much…but if they told everyone in the arcade, then-"

"Stop thinking about it," Felix interrupted. "I told you I'd protect you."

The racer slumped against the Good Guy's frame. "I hate this," he said meekly. "I hate being trapped."

"It'll be okay."

"Don't go yet."

"I won't."

Felix knew he had dug himself into a hole, and he didn't think he'd be able to get out of it. He was engaged to marry Tamora, and here he was in the arms of someone else. He knew the right thing to do would be to tell her everything and try to explain, but he knew he couldn't do that for two reasons: he had promised Turbo he wouldn't tell anyone he was alive, and he just didn't want to lose his dynamite gal. Having Turbo in his life again didn't change the fact he loved her, and he still wanted her in his life. So maybe Turbo wasn't the only one who could be selfish.

So this was the life he had come to accept. Felix came to see Turbo whenever there was an opportunity. He couldn't just come whenever he pleased, as he had to make sure the people closest to him didn't get suspicious. Luckily, Calhoun was an incredibly busy woman. There was almost always something that she needed to tend to in her own game, so that made it easier for Felix to get away. Of course there was also the issue of Ralph and the Nicelanders, the latter being the most challenging. Felix usually waited until the wrecker was attending one of his Bad-Anon meetings before making an attempt to see Turbo, and when it came to the Nicelanders, all he could do was slip out without them noticing. He couldn't possibly tell them he was going to Sugar Rush, even if he lied about why he was going there, as he ran the risk of someone trying to follow him. If there was anyone he thought he might be able to tell, it was Mary, and he wanted to tell her, just to lessen the burden somewhat and get someone else's view of the situation, but that would mean breaking his promise to Turbo, which he wasn't going to do.

In an effort to make his living conditions at least bearable, Felix brought him blankets and pillows, along with food and water in order to give him a change from the sugary foods that surrounded him. Sometimes their visits were intimate, and other times, they spent a good deal of time just talking, which Turbo could do a lot of. The only thing that probably took away from the handyman's guilt was seeing Turbo acting like his old self again, laughing and smiling genuinely with no malicious intent that he could see.

It was wrong, he knew that. He was being dishonest and betraying the trust of the woman he loved, but it didn't matter now. Even if he was discovered, he would plant his feet firmly on the ground and make his case, even if every last person in the arcade, including his fiancée, turned against him.

You're not good with conflict, remember? a voice reminded him. You've never been able to stand up to people.

Felix's gaze became stern and determined as he laced his fingers with the racer's, who had fallen asleep against his shoulder.

"Then it's time I started," he told himself.

Author's Note: Well, that's it. For now. I'd honestly like to take this story a little further, but I haven't really figured out a way to develop this into a full-length story. There's a few scenes that have played out in my head that might extend the story for another chapter or two, but that's it. This was honestly just something I wanted to get out of my system, and I'm not particularly proud of how it turned out. But I ended it the way I did in order to leave room for continuation. But I'm not promising anything.