Welcome to chapter three, wherein the sap gets so sticky you could probably taste it on your computer! (That's a joke, btw; DO NOT lick your computer LOL)
There's a lot of physical contact in this chapter because I'm a bit of a touchy-feely person, probably 'cause I watch so much anime.
Oh, one thing I forgot to mention: Calhoun came up with Revolution as a fun way for her men to cope with their PTSD.
Another thing I forgot to mention: At the time I came up with this story, I was watching Chobits over and over again, specifically the episode where Shimizu-sensei gets drunk and stays over at Hideki's apartment (and then gets even more drunk), so there's that influence as well.
There's also some adorable female bonding between Calhoun and Vanellope here, and as I was writing I started to figure out just how much they really have in common! You'll see what I mean!
"We're both looking for something we've been afraid to find." – Lifehouse, First Time
Chapter 3: Hands & Hair
Ralph took his and Felix's bags and hoisted them into the new Niceland dumpster.
"Well, that was fun!" he said brightly, "It's about time the four of us got together like this."
"I know, right?" Felix piped, "I hope we can do this more often. Thanks again for coming over, Ralph. I owe you big time for this." They started walking back to the main building.
"Hey, I'm happy to do it." Ralph gently patted him on the back. "It's a good thing, too. One look at you and Calhoun and I can tell you're completely stuck on each other."
Felix went red as a cherry.
"You really think she's stuck on me?" he almost squeaked like a middle schooler with his first crush. Ralph stopped.
"Are you serious right now?" he looked flatly at him, "Did you or did you not tell me about the goo-goo eyes in the Nesquiksand?"
"Well, yeah…" he fidgeted with his hands.
"And how she kissed you on the Rainbow Bridge?"
"Yeah…" he smiled and blushed again.
"And need I mention the fact that she hasn't been more than a few feet away from you all evening?" he pointed out, "Like, she purposely sits next to you of her own free will?"
"Well, of course I noticed that!" said Felix, "Pardon my French, but I'd have to be a real cotton-headed ninnymuggins not to notice something like that."
"Easy there, tiger," Ralph joked as they resumed their walk.
"So what's up with you and Felix? You like each other or something?"
Calhoun's visible eye caught Vanellope's from between her bangs, which Vanellope was currently braiding while her nails dried.
"Are you just now noticing or just now asking?" she enquired.
"Well, I haven't had much of a chance to hang out lately," the child answered, "What with racing and building my administration and all, but I think it's pretty obvious there's something going on between you guys. So spill it, sister!"
"What's to spill?" she smirked, "You just said it yourself."
"Yeah, but I want to hear you say it!" the child insisted, "I mean, you wouldn't kiss him if you didn't like him, right?"
Now the tough-as-nails heroine was smiling for real and Vanellope loved the soft pink brushstroke blush spreading across her nose and cheeks. It looked very becoming of a grown-up lady.
"D'aw!" she patted the woman's face and baby-talked at her, "Big bad Sergeant Calhoun's got the Honeyglow in her cheeks!" Calhoun couldn't help but laugh at how adorable she was.
"You've got kitten paw hands, you know that, kid?" she chuckled and held the child's face. Vanellope rubbed her hands with her own.
"And you've got smooth Hi-Def skin," she said appreciatively, "How do you keep it like this under those gloves?"
"Programming, I guess," Calhoun shrugged, "And to answer your question, yes: I do like Felix."
"See?" she said, "That wasn't so hard, was it?" She stood up and continued braiding. "Incidentally, why do you like him? Isn't he a little out of your league?"
"Do you even know what that means?" Calhoun said suspiciously.
"Okay, you got me. I don't know what that means," Vanellope rolled her eyes, "It's just that you're tall and cool and he's…short and dorky." Calhoun chuckled. "I mean, what's the deal, huh?"
"It's a lot of things," she said after a moment, "but one of them is that…in a different sort of way…he does for me what Ralph does for you."
Vanellope looked confused for a minute, then it clicked and she looked sadly surprised.
"Oh," she said softly and knelt, "You're alone too, huh?" Calhoun smiled again and moved the girl's bangs out of her face. They made eye contact.
"Not anymore," she said warmly. Vanellope returned the smile and jumped to hug her. As Calhoun held her small body in one arm, she felt herself being wrapped tightly around her tiny little finger…specifically, her pinky…with vanilla-scented white lace stitched with hearts. It was a weird yet more than welcome feeling.
"Enjoy the show, boys?" she raised her voice a bit. Vanellope pulled back looking confused and saw the two It-Men standing in the doorway, all smiles.
"Just look at our little ladies, Ralph," Felix said adoringly, "Aren't they precious?"
"Well, one of 'em is," Ralph shrugged.
"What took you guys so long?" said Vanellope, "It's time for the pillow fight!"
"Shift gears pretty quick, don't you, kid?" said Calhoun. Her only answer was a pillow to the face and she happily retaliated. More than once she caught Felix watching her smile or laugh and then she'd smile brighter just for him.
Two hours later they were all on the couch watching a TV movie. Calhoun sat on the floor with Vanellope braiding more of her hair from behind and Felix sitting next to her on her left, staring at her just like he had in the shuttle. Ralph wasn't really paying attention to the movie; he was just enjoying the family vibe.
Before too long, though, he noticed she was nodding off on Calhoun's head.
"I love your hair," she murmured sleepily, "It's soft and smells like flowers. I could roll around in it like a hayloft."
"Me, too," Felix sighed. Calhoun gave him The Eyebrow and glanced back at Ralph.
"I got it," he nodded and stood up, "C'mon, Princess Pukeface. Time to hit the hay, and I don't mean the Sergeant's hair." He gently plucked her up by her hoodie.
"I'm not tired," she mumbled as he put her over his shoulder.
"I know," he chuckled as he carried her off.
"Good night, you guys," she softly called with a feeble wave and a sleepy smile. The two adults waved back and wished her "sleep tight" and "sweet dreams," then shared an awkward glance. Calhoun chuckled a bit and started undoing her braids.
"She's cute." She couldn't think of anything else to say and the no-longer-dormant romantic tension was getting to her. It didn't help that Felix was now standing in front of her, helping her with her hair. He had a light touch, which was surprising since those same hands had pulled her entire weight, plus armor, out of a pit of chocolate death. Gentle strength—it was kind of a turn-on.
"What's this?" he asked curiously and took one of her hands before she could hide it.
"The kid did it," she muttered in pink-faced embarrassment. She'd rather have died than admit that she picked the color herself. He looked at it for a moment, then at her.
"It's pretty," he smiled, "It brings out your eyes." He laid a deep, chaste kiss right on top of her hand that shot through her code and made her face turn blood red. If there was a truly proper way to kiss a lady's hand, Felix had found it. Heck, he probably invented it for all she knew! It was smooth and gallant, firm but tender, and he'd held it with both hands instead of just one. Mr. Darcy couldn't have done better.
"I thought you weren't making any moves," she smirked.
"Oh, I'm not," he teased, "A move would be if I pointed out how you even look pretty with the TV and kitchen lights shining on you…or how having you here with me has made me deliriously happy. A move would be something like this." He delicately moved her soft hair out of her eyes and took her warm face in his bare hands. After running his thumb over her cheek, he slowly went in with his eyes asking permission to kiss her just once and her eyes hesitantly answering "yes."
This was a different kiss than the one they'd shared in Sugar Rush. That had been Calhoun saying "I'm sorry, I forgive you and thank you." Now it was his turn to talk and this was him saying "I want to be with you" and "Please let me into your heart." She kissed him back as if to say "Me, too" and "You're already in." His left hand found its way behind her head; he couldn't believe how soft her hair was! How did it stay like this in Hero's Duty?
Felix didn't pull back very far and Calhoun waited a bit before opening her eyes. They were dancing and his breath caught; how did they manage to sparkle without starlight? She half-smiled at him.
"Awfully bold of you, Fix-It," she said, "What happened to the jittery 8-bit handyman I almost shot two days ago?"
"He met the most dynamite gal and turned into a real man," he said.
"You're already a man, Fix-It," she replied and smoothed his hair back, "You got something to say, Wreck-It?"
Felix straightened up and turned to see Ralph in the hallway looking somewhat serious.
"Sorry to sound negative," he said, "but isn't this what we were trying to avoid?" He pointed back and forth at them. "Is this gonna be a problem?"
"There's no problem, Wreck-It," Calhoun rolled her eyes, "We were just having a moment."
"Trust us, Ralph, everything's all right," said Felix, "Having you and Vanellope here is a huge help."
"Believe it or not, we know how to control ourselves," Calhoun added sourly, "By the way, I'm taking the couch." She socked Ralph in the arm on her way to the bathroom, where she immediately splashed cold water on her face, trying hard to break the fever Felix had somehow stirred up in her.
"Felix, are you sure you can do this?" Ralph asked in the kitchen, "I didn't mean to watch you, but I couldn't really help it and you two were giving off a vibe like you wouldn't believe. I'm still feeling it; it's weird."
"Believe me, it's fine, brother," Felix smiled, "You and Vanellope have it well balanced out; Miss Calhoun knows that."
"Well, all right, then," Ralph conceded, "I gotta admit, she's pretty fun when she loosens up."
"Ain't she just?" Felix sighed.
Author's Review:
I'm sorry I've basically turned Ralph into a chaperone, but that's kinda what he's there for in the first place. I hope I haven't departed from his character (at least, not TOO much).
So, yeah—super-romantic, right? Just like I promised! If there's one thing I love to write, it's a good old-fashioned romance scene!
I hope you liked Vanellope and her adorableness! I sure did! She's too cute to handle! Questions, comments, concerns, y'all know what to do! See you next chapter, in which we find out that Felix is a Tennyson fan! ;)
