Ch.11
It was about a week since the return of the beloved princess, and many things have been going on in her life. Vanellope had formed a bond with the racers, and now they all hang out as friends. She had even convinced then to just call her Vanellope and to just see her as another racer, despite the fact that she's a princess and the daughter of the king of Sugar Rush. King Candy had been in such a good mood since Vanellope had returned home. In fact, he was so happy; he even threw a ball in honor of her return. But what happened to the two happy couple, Vanellope and Rancis, you ask? Well, after the ball had ended, the two shared a romantic slow dance with each other. And once that was finished, Rancis had asked out Vanellope on a date. Of course, Vanellope had agreed. This brings us to that particular day.
Vanellope was in her bed, sound asleep. She and Rancis had stayed up, talking and laughing until it was two in the morning. Vanellope had never felt this way around any boy before. So why was everything so different when she was around Rancis? Vanellope smiled in her sleep, snuggling in with her pillow.
"Rancis, you smell like chocolate," she giggled.
She rolled around for a while, until she fell off her bed, landing in a thud. Now completely awake, Vanellope rubbed her head and got up. "Well, that's a nice way to wake up," she snapped to herself, getting herself up. Brushing herself off, she walked out the door and headed downstairs for breakfast. She caught the faint scent of scrambled eggs and bacon, and followed the aromatic trail. Pushing open the doors of the dining room, she smiled at her father and slipped in her seat. "Morning, daddy," she said, putting her head on the table. King Candy smiled and took a bite from his pancake.
"Good moring, cupcakes. You look bit exhausted," he pointed out.
Vanellope shook his head and rubbed her eyes. "I sort of had trouble going to bed last night," she admitted. King Candy smiled and gently nudged her food towards her. "And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why parents advise bedtimes," he teased, looking pointedly at her. Vanellope playfully shoved her dad and began eating her food.
"It's not my fault I was trying to catch up with the news here," she protested.
King Candy smiled and looked at her warily. "Is that all you were doing? With a certain blond, blue eyed, freckled face-"
"I get it, dad! So I stayed up late to talk to Rancis! He's the first guy I ever had a crush on! Cut me some slack, okay?" she protested, biting down on her bacon. King Candy chuckled and continued eating down on his food. Vanellope sipped on her orange juice as smiled at her dad.
"Thank you for the ball last night, dad. It was really sweet of you," she said, beaming at him.
"You deserved it. I had to properly welcome my daughter back to civilization," he replied, smiling. "Remember when we danced together last night?"
Vanellope smiled looked down at her plate, trying to fight back tears. Of course she remembered it. After all, this was the first time she danced with her father in fifteen years. Would you do the same if you just reunited with her only parent after fifteen years? She closed her eyes as a flashback of that touching moment they shared last night.
*flashback*
The ballroom was packed with all the racers, dressed in their best formal attire, and all of the citizens as well, chattering and laughing with each other. Sour Bill adjusted with his black bow tie and tapped into the microphone, catching everyone's attention.
"All hail the ruler of Sugar Rush, King Candy, and alongside with him is his returning daughter, Princess Vanellope," Sour Bill.
King Candy and Vanellope entered in the ballroom, bowing and curtsying to their subject. Vanellope took the hook of his arm and walked in, waving to everyone she passed by. King Candy smiled and dropped Vanellope's hand, gesturing towards Sour Bill. "I must do a quick errand," he informed. "Stay here, sweetie. Alright?" Vanellope smiled and nodded. "Sure, dad." she replied. King Candy smiled and walked off, making his way to his diminutive advisor, leaving Vanellope alone. She bit her lips and scanned the crowd, not knowing what to do exactly, when Taffyta, Cabdlehead and Jubileena came up to her.
"Good evening, prince- I mean, Vanellope," Taffyta greeted her, stopping herself before she said "princess."
"Hey, you guys. What's up?" Vanellope asked, grabbed a chocolate cookie. "We just wanted to once again welcome you back home. It have been tough for you over the past fifteen years," Jubileena pointed out, putting her hand on her shoulder sympathetically. Vanellope smiled and nodded.
"It was tough, but… I made do. I mean, if it wasn't for Rancis, I don't know what I would've done," she admitted.
The crowd heard a soft pounding and turned to Sour Bill. "Can I have Princess Vanellope down on the dance floor to share the first dance with the king?" he asked. King Candy approached Vanellope and held out his hand. "What do you say, Vanellope? For old time's sake?" he asked. The crowd began to chant, "dance, dance" louder and louder. Vanellope giggled and took her dad's hand. King Candy led her down to the dance floor and placed his hands on her waist, slowly swaying to the music.
"You look beautiful, Vanellope," he commented, smiling at her.
"Thanks, dad." she replied, clutching on his hand and placing her other one on his shoulder. "I'm glad that everyone's back to normal. It wouldn't be the same without you."
"It wouldn't be the same without you, either, cupcake. It was very brave of Rancis to rescue you," he responded, gesturing to Rancis with his head. Vanellope looked at Rancis and smiled. He caught her eye and waved. "Yeah… I guess I am pretty lucky." She answered. Vanellope looked at him worriedly and asked, "Do you think Turbo will come back for revenge after?" King Candy looked at her questioningly before smiling.
"I wouldn't worry about that fiend for a while, darling. All that matters is that you're home, and that's all I could ever ask for," he said.
Vanellope's eyes lit up when she heard this. "Really, dad?" she asked. King Candy nodded and cupped her face, wiping off the tears. "You're the most important thing to me in this entire arcade. And I'm proud to call you my daughter." Vanellope smiled, tears crawling down her face.
"Thanks, daddy. That means a lot to me. I love you," she said, sobbing a little.
King Candy saw this and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. "I love you, cupcake." Vanellope closed her eyes and placed her head on his shoulder, smiling. "I love you too, daddy."
*End flashback*
"It was really… something, dad." she said, wiping off the tears away before her father had seen it. Luckily, he didn't. His attention was captured by the small green gumdrop that had just walked in with a box in his hands. "Delivery for the princess," he said. Vanellope took the box and looked at to see who sent it, and giggled.
Rancis.
"Who's it from, Vanellope?" King Candy inquired, trying to act innocent.
Vanellope looked at him, pretending to be annoyed by his pestering, and walked out. "Funny. I'm going to my room!" she shouted over her shoulder. She dashed up the stairs and entered her room, locking the doors. She sat on her bed and began opening her package, curiosity getting the best of her. Flipping open the lid, she saw that it was heart shaped reese's peanut butter cups. She smiled and took a bite out of one, savoring the delicious taste of peanut butter and chocolate mixed together, and picked up a note.
"'Can't wait for tonight. See you then- Rancis.'" she read aloud.
Vanellope dropped the note on her lap and ate the last bit of her reese's cup, a smirk slowly spreading her face.
'You want to go on a date with a princess, pretty boy?" she asked herself, crawling out of bed and making her way to the closet. "Well you're gonna get it."
Rancis smiled as he paced outside the castle, thinking how he's gonna talk to Vanellope when he saw her. He promised her last night that'd he come pick her up at eight, but he was so excited that he came forty-five minutes early. He ran his hand through his perfectly combed hair and huffed.
"Okay, I can do this. I got myself this date, and I'm not going to waste this opportunity," he mumbled to himself, adjusting his jacket. Picking up the lollipop knocker, he rapped it against the door and waited patiently. It wasn't long until Sour Bill came to the door, looking at the boy with no interest.
"Yes?" he asked in his usual monotone voice.
"Uh, I'm here to pick up-"
"Right this way," Sour Bill interrupted. "Okay then," Rancis said under a low voice, following the little gumdrop. He led her down the hall where the king was waiting for him in the throne room. King Candy looked up from the book he was reading and smiled at the boy, gesturing him to enter. "Ah, Rancis, please come in. Vanellope should be down in a few minutes," he said. Rancis walked in the throne room and bowed towards the king.
"Thank you for giving me your consent that I could go out with your daughter, your majesty. It means a lot to me," Rancis started.
"Nonsense, child. If my daughter likes you, then you should be able to date her. However, there are some rules that go along to this date night," King Candy established, a stern look in glinted in his eyes. "Such as: you will return Vanellope home no later than nine-thirty; you will not try to do anything cute and funny with my daughter, and most importantly,; if you hurt her, physically, emotionally or any kind of way. I will either, send the devil dogs, call the entire guards, or I myself will hunt you down myself and see to that you will not even dare take a single glance at her. Do I make myself clear?"
"Loud and clear, sir!" Rancis answered, understanding the consequences.
"Dad, stop scaring away my date," a voice scolded at the king, sounding a bit agitated. The two (and Sour Bill) looked to see Vanellope coming down from the staircase near the foyer, a smile on her face. Rancis just eyed her, stunned, his jaw dropped. She wore a mint green dress that ended at her knees with a corset bodice with a brown sash tied at the waist, a pink shrug, and black ballet flats. Her hair was out of its ponytail and instead cascaded down her shoulders, hitting her waist. Vanellope tied a red twizzler to secure a half ponytail. Rancis thought she was absolutely beautiful. She walked down the last steps and smiled at Rancis.
"Hi, Rancis," she greeted, biting down on her lips.
"Wow, you look amazing," he said, snapping out of it. He presented her with a single chocolate rose, which she gladly accepted, and led her out. "Have fun, kids!" King Candy yelled after them. "Okay, dad! I'll see you later!" Vanellope called over her shoulder. They walked out of the castle and closed the doors behind them.
"I have to say, you're dad's pretty… strict," he said, walking towards his kart.
"Yeah, sorry about that. My dad's still a bit careful ever since I came home," she replied, sitting on his lap while he turned on the engine. "Hang on to me, for safety measure," Rancis instructed. Vanellope placed her head on his chest as he drove off, staying quiet while she listened to the fast beating of his heart.
They finally stopped at, "Bonbon Succulent", a very fancy and well-known restaurant. "After you, milady," he said, opening the door for her. She smiled and walked in, taking in the beautiful scenery. Candlehead and Taffyta came up and escorted them to their table. "Welcome, you two. Please follow us to your table," they chorused together. Rancis led Vanellope to the table that had a reserved seating. Being the gentleman he was, he pulled out a seat for her and gestured her to sit down.
"Why, thank you!" she cooed, sitting down.
Rancis smiled and took his seat as well, picking up the menu. "You're welcome, my lady," he purred softly. Vanellope smiled and brushed a strand of hair off her face. Candlehead appeared again and placed a plate of spaghetti and meatballs down in between of them. "Dinner is served!" she announced, walking off. Vanellope picked up her fork and began eating, slurping up the spaghetti. She looked up and saw Rancis staring at her and chuckled.
'If you're gonna keep staring at me, you might as well sit next to me," she said.
Rancis smiled and scooted his chair next to. Smiling at him, she picked her fork and popped the spaghetti in his mouth. He slurped the spaghetti and smirked, doing the same to her. They popped their forks and slurped up their spaghetti, not realizing that they were nibbling the same spaghetti strand and accidentally ate their way into a kiss. They looked into each other's eyes, not knowing what to say. Rancis pulled away and rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously.
"S-sorry," he apologized, his face beet red.
He jabbed his fork into the last meatball and offered it to her. Vanellope took the fork and bit the meatball off, smiling at Rancis. "Thanks," she replied, wiping some tomato sauce off her mouth. They tared at each other, slowly leaning in, when Taffyta barged in.
"Dessert is ready!" she exclaimed.
She gave Vanellope a mint green and chocolate chip ice cream sundae topped with sprinkles, and Rancis a peanut butter and chocolate ice cream sundae, covered with reese's pieces all over. "This looks, delicious, Taffyta! Thanks!" Vanellope remarked, taking a bite out of her ice cream. Taffyta smiled and walked off, leaving the two alone once again.
"I forgot to thank you for your reese's cups," Vanellope piped up. "They were delicious."
"Not as delicious as these ice cream, right?" he inquired. Vanellope giggled and shook her head towards the ground. "No, this ice cream is by far the sweetest thing I've had all night!" She looked and smiled at Rancis, a tint of red reddening her cheeks. "Well, second sweetest, I should probably say." Rancis smiled and took her hand, giving it a tender kiss. He looked up and smiled, causing her to blush an even darker shade of red.
"Hold on, what's dinner," Rancis got up and grabbed a guitar from a corner and sat back down. "Without musical entertainment?"
Vanellope smiled and softly laughed as a cute slow song played, Rancis got up and held out his hand. She smiled and took his hand, letting him lead the way. He pulled her closer and snaked his arms around her waist. Vanellope wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her forehead against his, slowly swaying to the music. They stared into each other's eyes, not even caring that Taffyta and Candlehead were watching them.
All that matters is that the two of them were together.
"You okay?" Rancis whispered.
"Mmmhmm. Why?"
"You just seem quiet."
Vanellope smiled and kissed his cheek. "How'd I end up with such a guy like you?" she wondered. Rancis smirked and twirled her around, then dropping her into a dip. "I guess you're just really lucky." He replied. Vanellope giggled and pulled him into a kiss.
For the rest of the evening, the two had a blast. Rancis took her to a carnival and won her a giant stuffed teddy bear, and even took some pictures in the photo booth together. The end of the night was coming to an end. Vanellope and Rancis strolled through the Candy Cane Forest, hold each other's hand. They didn't say anything, but their presence is all they could ever want from each other.
"It's so beautiful tonight. I can't even describe it," Vanellope murmured, staring in the sky in awe.
Rancis smiled and kissed her cheek. "I only see one thing that's beautiful tonight, and I'm looking at her," he protested, smirking. Vanellope blushed at this, and smiled. She bit her lips, trying to hold back a smile. Rancis stopped a put a hand on her shoulder.
"Vanellope, wait."
Vanellope stopped in her tracks and looked at him, confused. "What is it? What's wrong?" she asked. Rancis smiled and pulled out a small pink box with a red bow on it. "I got his for you. I, um, well… j-just open it," he prompted. Vanellope took the box from his hands and slowly opened it, curiosity overcoming her. She undid the bow and took off the lid, her eyes widened in surprise as her hands flew to her mouth. Inside was a bracelet with reese's pieces resembling as beads and a mini reese's cup attached to it.
"I knew you'd like reese's peanut butter cup, so I sort of made this for you. I know-"
Rancis was interrupted when Vanellope grabbed his shirt collar and collided her lips with his. Rancis was stunned, but it wasn't until he responded and wrapped his arms around her. Vanellope's arms slithered around Rancis' neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as Rancis ran his hand through her hair. The two stood there for what it seemed like eternity to them, until the pulled apart, silently gasping for air. Rancis smiled and took the bracelet and slipped it around her left wrist. Vanellope looked at it and smiled.
"Do you really like it?"
"Why do you think I made out with you, pretty boy? Of course I love it, buttercup!"
She jumped into his arms and hugged him, giggling. Rancis smiled and twirled her around, making her shriek. The two laughed and tackled each other, until they were able to settle down. "C'mon, Nellie. I have to take you home now. It's almost time, anyways." Rancis chuckled, picking her up in his arms. Vanellope wrapped her arms around his neck and took the scent of peanut butter and chocolate.
Rancis and Vanellope drove towards the castle and got out, making their way towards the king. King Candy smiled at them.
"Hi, dad," Vanellope greeted, waving at him
"I see you're early. It's only nine-twenty five," he pointed, looking at his watch.
"I just wanted to make sure she got home safely," he explained. He turned to Vanellope and handed her back her teddy bear. "Thanks for coming along, Nellie. I had fun."
"Thanks for taking me, buttercup." She replied, taking the teddy bear from him. "I can't wait for next time."
Rancis smiled and cupped her cheek, briefly kissing her. He pulled apart and nudged her nose with his. "I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"
Vanellope nodded and kissed his cheek, then walked off to join her father, who had witnessed everything. Rancis smiled and waved goodbye. "Have a wonderful evening, King Candy, milady," he said, hopping into his kart and driving off. King Candy looked at Vanellope and smiled.
"You really like him, don't you darling?" he teased, nudging her.
Vanellope rolled her eyes and walked in. "So what if I do? And was it really necessary to send Wynnchel and Duncan to spy on my date? Really, dad? Really?"
"Just to make sure he wasn't trying anything funny, cupcake," he objected.
"Dad, I love you, but I know Rancis. He isn't like all the others. So please don't try to drive him away. I love him," she cajoled, putting on a puppy face. King Candy smiled and picked up kis daughter, kissing her forehead. "Alright, I suppose I can lay off the boy. Now, off to bed, cupcake. You need the energy for tomorrow," he said, shooing up the stairs. Vanellope raced up the stairs to her room, but stopped to look down at her dad.
"And please stop giving your big speech! Sweet mother of monkey milk!" she yelled, exasperated.
She ran up the stairs and ran into her room, closing the doors. She walked towards the window and smiled at the stars, her eyes glistening. Looking down at her bracelet, she smiled and stared at the sky, smiling and thinking about a certain someone. And not far away, Rancis was doing the same thing.
In the end, everyone was happy. Vanellope had reunited with her father after fifteen years, and Rancis received a medal for his act of bravery for rescuing the princess. And as for Vanellope and Rancis, their love for each other grew stronger and stronger each and every day. Some of the racers, mainly Swizzle, even wondered how a boy like Rancis got himself a girl like Vanellope. Rancis himself said he didn't know for sure. But he did know one thing.
He knew that his love for Vanellope was stronger and better than anything in the entire arcade.
And nothing could ever break that special bond between two lovers.
.