A/N: So I realize that these first couple of chapters are kinda filler-y and really fluffy and sappy, but I hope you'll just bear with me because right now I'm using it to sort of develop the plot and the setting a little bit and get a handle of the direction I'm taking this in, as well as some character development and background. Don't worry, there'll be more action-y and stuff and drama around the corner! Thanks for reading lol, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Wreck It Ralph or any involved franchises. Thank you!
Chapter Two
After Ralph finished off his generous stack of pancakes, Vanellope started cleaning up her mess. Ralph stood and followed her around to the other side of the counter. He lifted her up to reach the sink and she quickly washed and dried the few dishes she had used. As she stepped onto the stool she set there previously, she reached for the bag of flour, suddenly conceiving a mischievous idea.
Ralph stared at her with a furrowed brow as a smirk quickly developed on the tiny racer's face. She reached slyly for the bag of flour, seemingly to put it away. He realized all too late that this definitely was not her real intention.
"Think fast!" She screeched, thrusting her hand deep into the paper bag and flinging a clump of soft powder all over Ralph. She dropped the bag on the counter and dove off of her stool, ready for swift retaliation.
Ralph coughed and sputtered as white powder rained down on him, covering his face and smattering all over his clothing. He shook his hands, trying to rid himself of the uncomfortable substance, to no avail.
"You dirty-haired brat!" He exclaimed, though she giggled softly from underneath the counter at his playful reaction. After hastily wiping the powder from his eyes and opening them, he grabbed the bag of powder and bent down to look Vanellope square in the eye.
"Ahck!" She screamed, scrambling out from underneath the counter and racing through the kitchen.
"Oh no you don't!" He hollered after her as he took off in pursuit of the dark-haired smartie. He chased her through the kitchen and down the long hallway towards the North wing, flour bag still clutched tightly in his hand.
She quickly skidded around a corner, and he followed, noisily bumping his hand against the wall in attempts to keep up. These sharp turns are definitely not my forte, he thought with a grunt as he rubbed the side of his head. Nevertheless, he continued after her, and they eventually came upon the sitting room of her wing. He had never actually been past the kitchen area before.
Everything in the castle gleamed a putrid, obnoxious pink shade; sure, there was an obvious variation in the hue, but it was definitely all pink.
He lost sight of her all of a sudden, and stopped in the center of the room, scratching his head as he looked around curiously. Four long couches surrounded him, looking soft and inviting despite their horrid color. The hideous rug felt comfortable and fluffy beneath his bare feet, and the giant glass sliding doors that opened up to a beautiful garden/pool area let in a copious amount of Sugar Rush's gleaming golden rays of sunlight.
Just as he was about to venture into another room to go look for Vanellope, he heard soft giggling coming from somewhere behind him. He turned around and looked down at the sofa he was now facing. "Hey Stinkbrain!" He heard her whisper; yep, it was definitely coming from behind that couch.
Placing his hands on his hips, he stared at the sofa with a small smirk and raised one of his eyebrows. After waiting there a few moments, he began moving towards it. The giggling grew gradually more noticeable as he quietly approached her from the other side of the couch. Finally, he grew close enough to see over it, and just as he predicted, she sat curled up against it's back, trying to muffle her laughter with her hand.
"Gotcha!" He exclaimed, swiftly shooting his hand out and grabbing her by the collar of her green hoodie. He held her out in front of him, smirking victoriously.
"Hey," she giggled, "That's not fair!"
"Oh, yes, it is totally fair," he responded, holding back a chuckle. "You got flour all over my nice, presentable clothes. I deserve some form of retribution."
"Presentable?" She snorted. "Haven't I told you already that you're dressed like a hobo?"
"Well, that's just the last straw," he gasped in mock offense. "Time to taste your own medicine." In one fast movement, he dumped the entire contents of the flour bag over the top of her head.
She struggled against his grip, laughing still, as chunks of flour came crumbling down on her and covering her entire body in its contents. "Hey, isn't that a little overkill?" She sputtered through a mouthful of powder. "I barely even got any on you!"
He gently set her down and finally allowed himself to laugh boisterously at the charming sight. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, not opening her eyes in fear of getting the powder in them. "Hey, stop laughing at me! I can't even see anything cause of all this stupid flour!"
He wiped away a tear before straightening up and smiling down at her. "Alright, come on dork, let's get you cleaned up." He pulled her up onto his shoulder and moseyed back into the kitchen.
After throwing away the now empty bag of flour (To which she commented, "Hey, you owe me a bag of flour now, dumbo!"), he set Vanellope down on the counter and dampened a plain rag. Gently, he lifted it towards her, cleaning the powder from her eyes first before wiping it off the rest of her face. She glared at him, pretending to be upset, though her hazel eyes held a playful glint.
"Alright now," she barked, swatting his hand away with a grin, "Now I have to go shake out these clothes because of you. I'll be back, ya big stupid idiot."
Ralph rolled his eyes and let out a snort as he backed away to let her leap off the counter and watched her bolt right out of the room.
Vanellope hurried upstairs into her bedroom, heart racing slightly. She couldn't help but doubt that it was only her running that caused it. Maybe Taffyta and them are right, she wondered, a soft blush arising to the skin on her cheeks. Maybe I have got it bad. She let out a sigh, closing the door to her room and retiring to her bathroom.
She just barely came up to the top of the counter, meaning she had to glitch herself up to sit down on it and look at herself in the mirror. She frowned at what she saw, and it wasn't the flour coating her clothes, though she wasn't happy about that either. She let out a soft sigh, suddenly finding herself wishing she was older.
I need to get these ridiculous ooey-gooey crush feelings out of my brain. Anything between me and Ralph would be plain wrong - disgusting, even. I'm just a child.
She let her out of its ponytail and rinsed the flour out in the sink. It's just a harmless crush, nothing more. I don't even understand fully what a crush is, she mused in her head, trying to quickly wash all of the powder from her silky black hair. He's my best friend, the first person to ever show some care towards me; of course I'm so attached. It's probably nothing.
Yet she found herself sighing again. She ran her hands through her hair and gathered it back up into it's usual high pony.
Then she went through the process of taking off all her clothes and vigorously shaking them over the sink to attempt getting rid of all the flour. When she had gotten most of it off, she dusted the stubborn bits remaining and redressed herself. She took another long look in the mirror, beginning to feel slightly nervous and deflated. After a few moments, she tore her stare away and leapt off the counter. Come on, Vanellope, you're being ridiculous, she thought. Slower than she had entered her room, she carefully walked back down the staircase, a sudden and new queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Ralph was waiting for Vanellope in the kitchen when she came traipsing in. She looked much more subdued than normal, and when he looked at her she seemed to avoid eye contact. He wondered just what was eating away at the small gamer.
"Hey, kid," he said gently. She looked up at him as she came to a halt in front of him. "Why the long face all of a sudden? What's up?"
She looked away, warmth spreading involuntarily across her cheeks. "Uh, it's nothing, Ralph. I'm just tired I guess. And still not used to all these new surroundings," she fibbed. Well, it's not entirely a lie. From the relieved look on his face, he apparently believed her.
"Alright, well, come on. I'm sure a trip outside Sugar Rush will cheer you up," he said, giving her a small smile. Suddenly, she perked up and met his gaze, beaming up at him.
"You got it, Stinkbrain," she said, wrinkling her nose and skipping off ahead of him.
He shook his head almost disbelievingly at the silly mood swings of this crazy gamer. He followed her quickly towards the great hall and found her already waiting impatiently for him at the doors. "Could you walk any slower, meathead?" She teased, putting a hand on her hip as the other gripped the door handle.
Ralph rolled his eyes at her snarky comment and decided not to retaliate as he approached her. Her playful sneer turned into a grin as she opened up the door and glitched herself in a whirl of blue pixels and code on top of Ralph's shoulder. He looked at her with a smile from the corner of his eye and the two exited the castle.
Vanellope showed no remaining signs of her prior momentary bout of broodiness on their long walk down the winding pathway from the castle. Her and Ralph made playful, idle chatter and teased each other relentlessly, as per the norm. She let out a few sarcastic remarks about how they should've just taken her cart, to which he told her she wasn't even doing any work, sitting perched on his shoulder.
After about twenty or so minutes of walking along the path, they finally reached the bottom and stared ahead at the long expanse of space they still had to cover before even reaching the rainbow road that led into Sugar Rush's entrance. Ralph sighed and shook his head. "Okay," he admitted reluctantly, "We should've taken your cart."
Vanellope let out a snarky, yet bright burst of laughter and comfortably settled herself into the crook between his neck and shoulder. "Sucks for you, Wreck-It."
"Okay," he grumbled, picking up his pace once again as he began the trek towards the exit. "You've spent too much time around Calhoun or something."
"I've only seen her a handful of times since the reset!" She protested with a giggle.
"Apparently a handful too much," Ralph grumbled back.
"What, you don't like being called Wreck-It, Wreck-It?" She teased as her laughter grew even heavier and she slumped further against his neck.
Ralph groaned and tossed his hands up in the air, jostling her slightly. "Hey, watch it!" She complained, re-situating herself. "You've got important cargo over here, buddy!"
"Riiiiiggghhhtt," he drawled with a snicker. "Important. I guess I can't go through with that nesquik sand plan then," he fibbed.
"Hey!" She protested, gently knocking her fist against his skull. "You better watch it, Wreck-It, it's the President of Sugar Rush you're talking to!"
"Ooh, what are you gonna do, candy-coat me?" He chortled.
The time it took to get to the top of the rainbow road seemed to go by much faster than expected, as the two kept up with their easy banter, and Vanellope hopped down from Ralph's shoulder. "I wanna be able to step outside by myself," she explained as he looked at her curiously. She watched as he effortlessly stepped outside the Sugar Rush boundary before her, then turned to witness her do the same.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and tucked her hands underneath her chin. It felt as if the whole world went silent, and time slowed down so all she could hear was the slow pounding of her own heartbeat in her ear.
Carefully, she took the few steps necessary to cross the Sugar Rush border and opened her eyes slowly. Ralph was smiling down at her intently, and she let a victorious grin slowly spread across her face.
"I did it, Ralph, can you believe it?!" She exclaimed cheerfully, bounding around him in energetic circles as she let out several excited shrieks. She grabbed a large finger on each of his hands and she came back around in front of him, tugging on them urgently. "Come on, come on slowpoke!" She rushed, as she turned back around and nearly took off running.
"Hang on a minute there," he chuckled, quickly grabbing her hood to stop her and whirl her around. "Wrong way, smartie."
Completely unphased, Vanellope smirked and took off sprinting through the exit. Ralph let out an amused sigh and followed after her. A sleek, modern looking monorail awaited them, very much unlike the rickety old thing that took him in and out of his game. Excitedly, Vanellope practically launched herself inside the vehicle, with Ralph hurriedly pushing himself in after her. He settled himself down on a comfortable seat, patting the spot next to him as a cue for her to join him. But she shook her head fiercely with a grin, instead opting to bounce up and down in place, clinging onto one of the support poles.
Ralph rolled his eyes, but found himself smiling fondly at the eager racer in front of him. He felt a sudden swell of care in his heart as he watched her eagerly gaze around the otherwise empty monorail.
As it finally started moving, he snorted softly to see the surprised and confused expression on Vanellope's face when the sudden motion lightly jolted her and caused her to sway. She quickly steadied herself, however, and clung tighter to the pole. She looked away from him, but not before he noticed a bashful glowing upon her cheeks. It was somewhat endearing to see this normally spunky and rambunctious little racer suddenly seem so bashful and reserved.
"Not quite like driving a race car, is it?" He prodded teasingly. She looked at him in alarm with widened eyes, her blush growing deeper before she faintly smiled and shook her head, clearly bewildered and out of her element in this simple, yet brand new experience.
They zoomed through the wires and Vanellope found herself staring out the windows of the fast-moving vehicle, completely mystified. She had never known a world outside of her beloved Sugar Rush; every new thing she glimpsed gave her a feeling of wonder and awe.
As they lurched to a stop at Game Central Station, and the doors all opened, Ralph gently guided her off. She stood in silence, staring ahead of her in contemplation. He waited patiently for her to gather courage, or readiness, or whatever it was she needed, before they slowly walked away from their ride and out through the outlet.
As they emerged into the station itself, Ralph eagerly gazed down at Vanellope to witness her reaction.
"Woah," she breathed, staring around at all the gamers milling about. She let her gaze flit wildly about as her coded tried to process all of this sudden, intense streaming of information. She stared at the neon colored games signs, the people bustling about, and even back up at Ralph.
He chuckled and gave her a gap-toothed grin. "You like?"
"Holy sprinkles, yes!" She exclaimed, running out a few feet ahead of him and stopping once again, her shiny ponytail flicking back and forth as she moved. He slowly moseyed up behind her, trying to hold back more laughter as her entire being lit up with eager anticipation. She whirled around to face him clutching both hands over her chest in an excited manner. Her eyes literally sparkled and her toothy smile stretched broader than ever. "Where are we going now?" she urged, rocking back and forth on her heels. It was like her circuit was racing with entirely new code, buzzing and twitching until she literally started glitching uncontrollably.
"Uh, I actually don't know," he admitted sheepishly. "I didn't really plan any of this out to be honest." He quickly looked around the station, not wanting to let the young gamer down. "It's pretty early, so I don't know about going to Tapper's just yet. But I can show you-"
"Ooh, Ralph, I know!" She proclaimed, cutting him off mid sentence with no restraint. He gave her a playfully annoyed look and raised an eyebrow. "I wanna see your game," she said more softly, as if she realized her terrible manners.
"If you had waited a few seconds and listened," he gently yet jokingly chided, "That's exactly what I was about to suggest."
She looked slightly embarrassed, but sheepishly grinned and nodded all the same. What's up with her and suddenly acting so...I don't know...bashful? Ralph wondered curiously. Maybe it's all in my head, but she's acting so strange.
"Alright, this way," he told her, scooping her back up and putting her back on his shoulder. He figured it would be easier than trying to herd her in the right direction. Her software seemed perfectly frazzled by all the incoming information.
He confidently ambled towards his own game's outlet, the bright lights above shining "Fix It Felix, Jr." for all to see. His stride was steady and sure. Vanellope sat eagerly, gazing at the sign and peering into the dark outlet to see if she could get any sort of glimpse at what was waiting. She couldn't.
As usual, as soon as Ralph stepped through the socket, a familiar buzzing noise sounded and Surge's blue hologram-like figure appeared before them. He stared absently at his clipboard.
"Ugh," Ralph groaned, "I guess you at least didn't stop me on my way out of Sugar Rush."
"Name, where you came from, where you're headed," Surge droned, ignoring Ralph completely.
Before Ralph had time to respond, Vanellope chimed in cheerily, her bright and bubbly voice causing Surge to actually look up. "I am President Vanellope Von Schweetz," she introduced with a flourish, bowing slightly from her perch. Surge stared up at her, dumbfounded. "And this is my trusty oaf, Ralph. We just came from my wonderful kingdom, Sugar Rush, and are headed to his...well, I don't know what it is yet, but Fix It Felix, Jr."
Ralph rolled his eyes with a smile at her dramatic and long winded explanation. Surge eyed them somewhat curiously before writing something on his clipboard and nodding. The pair made their way through the outlet and came face to face with rickety blue train cars that would take them into Ralph's game.
Vanellope glitched down from Ralph's shoulders and nearly doubled over laughing. "You mean….to tell….me," she gasped out fragments between bouts of laughter. Ralph sighed and crossed his arms, rolling his eyes at the spectacle. If I could count how many times I roll my eyes around this kid. She still continued, "While my game...has a monorail….you ride around...in this?" She finally wheezed out the last of her question.
"Yeah, yeah," he chuffed, gently pushing her into one of the carts before settling in the one behind it. "Come on, Miss Goody-Goody, finish polishing your tiara and let's go."