Warning: There is a bit of sexiness in this chapter.

Sugar and Spice

Felix needed a drink.

Those were words that didn't usually pass through his mind, or his mouth. Not even at Ralph's insistence. But very recently, it seemed like the appropriate way to feel with the ongoing ruckus that took place at his house.

The following morning, he was getting everything ready for a nutritious meal, which he assumed none of those fifteen sugar-addicts ever had in their lives. A bowl of fruit along with some good, thick oatmeal.

A hand smoothed over his backside.

"Hey, hot stuff, you're up pretty early this morning." Tamora said in a sly tone. He'd have been up two hours before the arcade opened at nine. It was just barely five o'clock right now. He couldn't get sufficient enough sleep the night before. The events of the past few days were truly more stressful than anything else this arcade had encountered.

Felix blushed. "Heh. Guess I've always been a bit of an early-riser."

She spun him around and gave him a passionate kiss, not even caring that his face was covered in a bit of cinnamon and sugar. A bit of it sprinkled onto her face. "Hope you've saved some of that sugary sweetness for later tonight."

His face went from slightly rosy to as red as these strawberries he sprinkled atop of each bowl. She walked away from the kitchen, swaying her hips slightly as she did, and Felix couldn't help but watch.

...

The kids were all impatiently tapping their shoes, waiting for their meals.

"I'm starving!" One of them whined.

"I haven't eaten in twelve hours!"

"I'm going to die!"

Felix put on a smile despite how tired he felt for all of them. "Almost ready, you loveable scamps."

They all settled down for at least five seconds at the table, each one bumbling with excitement. Felix listened to the sound of their cheerful chatter, but it all went sour as soon as he passed each of them a bowl.

"What's this stuff?" Taffyta asked in the nastiest tone Felix had ever heard from a child.

Felix scratched the back of his head. "It's... hot oatmeal."

The racer with minty-green hair - Sticky was her name - plucked a strawberry out of the bowl. "This doesn't look like candy."

"You're absolutely right!" Felix said, pointedly with his hands on his hips. "Why, you kids have had fresh fruit before, haven't you?"

Taffyta rolled her eyes and slapped the spoon in her hand hard against the table. "Whatever. We're candy-vores, Fix-It. We feed on artificial sugars and tangy goodness." She pushed the bowl off the edge of the table and it shattered onto the floor. "Oops."

Felix backed up into the wall, unsure of what to do. He wasn't too keen on shouting at others, and even less so with children who didn't know any better. He ran a hand through his hair and listened to the wild racers bounce up and down on their chairs and throw pieces of fruit at each other.

Tamora emerged from their bedroom, clad in her armor, and clapped her hands together loud enough to drown out the sound of their high-pitched voices. "Enough! In this house we only have one option when it comes to eating: take it or leave it!" She crossed her arms. "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit! Am I clear?"

They all nodded and silently began eating except for the one headstrong pink racer. She stood and pushed her chair away. "Are we seriously going to take orders from those two?"

"Taffyta," the green-haired girl called Candlehead said. "Shut up!"

Gloyd looked up from his bowl. "Yeah, Taffyta, if we're all living in this house, we have to obey the rules. And that means you do, too."

Taffyta crossed her arms. "I don't have to do anything!" She pointed towards herself with her thumb. "I'm a racer, for crying out loud. I listen to my own rules."

"Taffyta," Tamora began. "If that's really how you feel, then feel free to walk out of here right now. You can go make your own rules out in the real world."

"Tammy..." Felix said, softly.

Tamora once again stopped him mid-sentence. "We open our home and our hearts to you and this is how you repay us? The least you can do is listen to what we have to say."

The entire room had gone silent, with Felix nervously twiddling his thumbs and awaiting the next words that would come from the tiny racer. He hated that Tamora was always bailing him out. He knew he wasn't getting a handle on these children right away, but having his wife always come to his rescue felt like he was being unfair to her. And it was slightly humiliating.

"What's it going to be, Taffyta?" Tamora asked again.

The bleach blonde girl furiously stomped her food against the ground and stormed off down the hall.

"I hate it here!"

Felix released a sigh and hung his head. That conversation went about as well as he expected. He could see that this entire parenting business was affecting Tamora more than she would let it show because she left without saying another word to him, and slammed the door as she did.

He couldn't blame her; he was sharing the same level of stress.

Later that night, Felix couldn't bring himself to come home and he was now sitting on a bar stool at Tapper's taking large gulps of a root beer sitting right in front of him. He had to keep reminding himself that the racers were in good hands - the best, actually, if Tammy was there with them. It was uncharacteristically selfish of him, he knew, but after what'd he'd been through, he felt that it was completely justified.

Felix went to the bar thinking that he would just have one drink, but after a while, there were three empty mugs scattered around him.

His head laid on the surface of the table, his face was red and warm, and his head wasn't entirely present with his body. It was a nice counter compared to the pent-up anxiety he had earlier that morning.

It was hard enough covering for Ralph; this felt like he was reaching his limit. His code wasn't built for this. He was supposed to fix windows and enjoy his blissful marriage. Not cater to fifteen spoiled, rotten candy-hoarders that wouldn't even show a hint of gratitude.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else, Felix?" Tapper said as he was cleaning a mug.

Felix rested his chin against the table. "I can't go back there, yet! Just one more."

He reached for another mug that was filled to the brim but Tapper snatched it away. "I think you've had enough of this for one night."

"But Tapper, you don't know what it's like!" He clasped his hands over his head. "Having all those scamps wrecking everything I own, destroying my sanity!" He sighed and recomposed himself as best as he could. "Life was so much easier when it was just the two of us..."

"I hear you, buddy." Tapper responded, nonchalantly.

Felix raised his brow. "You mean, you have kids, too?"

Tapper swiftly turned his head. "No, what, are you kidding?" He gestured towards the patrons, half of whom were passed out and the others were aggressively arguing about pointless topics. "After the arcade closes, I go from being a bartender to a full-time babysitter. Since Sugar Rush's been unplugged, my business has been booming. Not like there's another Tapper to take care of 'em."

Felix flattened his palms on the table. "Oh. So, I guess I should be thankful this is only temporary."

The bartender shrugged. "I don't know about that. If I'm being honest, I think you should probably be preparing for that game's permanent exile."

"What?" The handyman gripped the side of the bar. "You mean, you don't think it'll get restored?"

"It'll take a whole lot more than just plain luck, my friend."

Felix didn't want to believe it. "But... Ralph's on his way to get that steering wheel part. Once he brings it back, then Mr. Litwak will find a reason to keep that game going!"

Tapper turned his full attention from the mug he was cleaning to Felix. "Listen, bud, I know it's not my story to tell, but Ralph's been talking about Vanellope wanting..." He turned his eyes up to the ceiling as he tried to find the right words. "... more in life. I think she means she wants to leave her game and seek out something more exciting."

"WHAT?" Felix squeaked, catching the attention of the others. "But she's the most beloved character in the game! Those players won't want to play if their favorite little gal is gone."

Tapper sighed. "I'm only just repeating what I heard."

Felix's face slapped against the table. "Can I take that drink now?"

Tapper was hesitant but he pushed the fresh root beer towards the handyman. "Knock yourself out. Actually, don't. Last thing I want is to have to drag a passed out Mr. Goody Two-Shoes back to his own game."

Felix hoped that everything he just heard was just a result of a sugar-induced dream state. He definitely felt woozy and like he couldn't keep up with his own steps as he wobbled on home.

He knew Tamora would be furious and he was prepared for the worst. She was one he could handle more than the others.

The apartment was much less messy than when he left it, still with several broken things scattered here and there. The television was on and showing a static sign off. The curtains were patched up and the couch cushions were tossed to the side.

Felix assumed Tamora already went to bed after deciding she was much too tired and frustrated to care about the state of the apartment. She probably thought it wasn't worth it to clean something that was already going to become messy again the next day.

He felt defeated, exhausted from constantly picking up after everyone, and more than a little drunk. Those were all things he hadn't experienced in a very long time.

He walked passed the mess and into his room, kicking off his boots and tossing his cap on the floor. He took off his work shirt and the tank top underneath, which were both damp with sweat. He was being as quiet as he possibly could as to not wake up his sleeping lady.

But she was already awake and sat up in bed. "There you are. I was beginning to think you were trying to skip out on me."

"Oh, Tammy!" Felix stood up straight and a massive head rush came to him. "I was... I mean, I was trying to-!"

Tamora turned on the lamp light and crossed her arms. "I know where you were, Felix. Your buzzed-looking face is a dead giveaway."

Felix hung his head. "I'm sorry, Lady Love. I just couldn't bring myself to return home right after work." His left hand grasped his right forearm. "I don't know if there's any other way for me to cope."

Tamora sighed heavily. "I guess I can't blame you. Still, I don't want you to think you can just leave those rascals for me to deal with. I may only look like I've got them under control, but I need some help too, you know. There's only so much one gal can do with more than a dozen hyperactive kids."

Felix nodded. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't do it again."

"It's alright, soldier." Then she decided to change the mood of this whole setting by crawling on her hands and knees towards the edge of the bed, and saying to him in a very sensual tone, "If you want, you can show me just how sorry you are."

His eyes went wide and he swallowed the lump that had been lingering in his throat as he took the walk of shame back to his residence. His face turned the deepest shade of honey-glow it possibly could have.

"Uh... what do you want me to do, my lady?" He said, stupidly he realized.

Tamora rolled her eyes and slid on the edge of the bed, wearing only a pair of boxer briefs and a sports bra. "Come here and give me some of that sugar you promised."

Felix took a step forward and Tamora yanked him into another deep kiss. He wasn't sure if she would appreciate the taste of a sugary carbonated drink, but apparently, she couldn't get enough of it.

Her hands automatically went to his belt and as she removed it in a slow, taunting matter, his hand slid down to her boxer briefs. Her palms smoothed over his bare chest and she broke their kiss to slip out of her top garment.

His jaw dropped slightly as he caught sight of her unclothed form, making a small laugh escape her.

"You've seen the sights before you a hundred times, Fix-It." She mentioned in a giddy voice.

Felix smiled wide. "And they are just as beautiful as the first time I laid eyes on them, my honeybunch."

Just as Tamora pulled him on top of her and was about to take things further, a small knock rapped against the door. Both of them turned their heads towards it and Felix immediately climbed off of her and slid underneath the covers. Tamora did the same.

"Hello?" A small voice said.

Tamora hurried and redressed herself.

"What is it?" She asked in a calm voice.

"Can I come in?"

Felix waited until Tamora was covered and cleared his throat. "Uh... sure."

The door opened and the little girl with messy brown hair that was normally done up in two neat little buns was standing with a pained look on her face. She was dragging a pillow almost as big as herself behind her.

Felix used the blanket to shield his chest from her view. "Everything okay, little lady?"

"I couldn't sleep." The girl named Crumbelina said. "I had a bad dream." She shifted her eyes to the ground and asked in a very sheepish tone, "Can I sleep with you guys?"

The adults shared a look with each other.

Tamora spoke first, "Sure, you can."

Crumbelina crawled towards them and slid underneath the covers. She placed her pillow right in between the others and stretched her arms. "There's a lot more room in here than in our bed." She held her hands behind her head and looked up at both Felix and Tamora. "Are you guys okay? You look like you've been struck across the face."

"We're fine, little lady." Felix responded. "Just... very sleepy is all."

"Oh, okay." The little girl yawned. "Goodnight."

She fell asleep instantly, but the adults stayed awake for a while longer, fascinated by how quickly the child was able to shut off her mind for the night. Until eventually Tamora shut off the lamp and turned on her side. "Well, I'm beat. Goodnight, darling."

Felix glanced at her and couldn't see her expression because she was turned away from him. "Goodnight."

He laid awake for a while longer, however, thinking over and over again about the words he'd just heard about Vanellope potentially leaving her game for good even after the efforts Ralph would put into getting her game back.

Dear Lord, he prayed. Please watch over Ralph and Vanellope as they make their way through the dark hole of the Internet. And please, please bring them both back home, safely.

AN: Can someone please explain to me how the hell Felix can cover for Ralph while Ralph is in limbo?