A/N: So I realized sometime while writing this, that at the end of the movie, during Calhoun and Felix's wedding, Vanellope was there. Meaning she has already been outside of Sugar Rush and apparently into Hero's Duty. Buuttt, for the sake of this story, let's just try and overlook that fact, mkay? 'xD
Thanks lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! (Also reviews would be appreciated xD I would love to hear any ideas/feedback. If you even have suggestions about what you think would make it more interesting or how I could better my writing, I'm open to hear it! :D ) ~
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Wreck It Ralph or any of the involved franchises. Thank you!
Chapter Three
As the small rickety carts pulled slowly into the stop at Fix It Felix, Jr., Vanellope was practically hopping up and down. With a sigh, Ralph pulled himself out of his cart and helped her do the same.
"Wow, Ralph," she cooed in wonder. "This place is so. Cool!" She let out a small squeal and started running circles around the large wrecker. He rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips in an exasperated manner, but letting a small smile grace his lips.
"Nah, you're just saying that cause this is the first game you've seen outside of your own," he chuffed, "Besides, we've barely even set foot inside! Come on, runt, let's go." He picked Vanellope up gently by her hood and held her comfortably in the crook of his elbow.
The pair walked away from the station and towards the small neighborhood of houses that Ralph, Felix, and the Nicelanders had put together for him and the unplugged gamers. "So, kiddo, where you wanna go first? My house, or-"
Vanellope eagerly cut him off, "Ooh, ooh! Your house, your house!" She smirked with a snicker and looked up at him lovingly. "I wanna see where this big lug of a wrecker rests his head."
Ralph shook his head at her and smiled back. "Fine, fine, my house it is." He veered off the road that led to the Nicelander building, and set his feet on the course to his abode. It was the first house they came upon, situated at the front of the line of homes on the left. He gestured to it broadly with the hand he wasn't carrying her in. "Not too shabby, eh? Built it myself." He then gestured his thumb to his chest in a joking manner.
"Did you, really?" Vanellope sneered, narrowing her eyes playfully.
"No," Ralph scoffed. "Have you seen me? Felix did all this. My product is over there." He pointed over to Qbert's small shack-like place. "Not the prettiest, I know. But at least it's structurally sound- er, I think."
Vanellope smiled and her gaze softened as she looked at Ralph's handiwork. "Hey, I like it," she told him earnestly, turning her stare back up to him with a toothy smile.
He shrugged bashfully and smiled. "Well, thanks kid, but it's nothing really." He turned back towards his own house. "Anyway, wanna see my place or what?" Vanellope grinned and nodded eagerly as he continued approaching his front door.
She noticed it must have been built with Ralph specifically in mind. It looked a bit bigger than the rest of the houses lined up, particularly the doorway. He opened up the mahogany stained door, and entered the house, the tips of his messy auburn hair just barely scraping against the top of the arch. He reached over to the left and flicked a light switch on the wall.
As the warm lights filled his cozy home with a soft glow, he set Vanellope down on the ground beside him. He approached the rounded window to their left and pulled apart the curtains to allow more natural light to filter into the room. "Well," he asked, "What do you think?"
The cozy living room had deep brown hardwood floors that appeared slightly distressed and the walls were painted a deep, royal blue. Two cozy loveseats and one armchair of a subdued lime green shade were settled around an unlit fireplace and a rectangular rug of the same color. Vanellope smiled at the comfy looking room she stood in. "It's really nice, Ralph," she complimented. She made her way over to one of the sofas and climbed up into it, relaxing against its back. Closing her eyes, she let out a satisfied sigh. "This is soooooo comfy."
He smirked and traipsed over to where she sat, looking down at her. "You tired, Miss Schweetz?"
She opened one eye and grinned up at him. "Of course not, Stinkbrain. When am I ever tired?"
He scoffed and shook his head before walking away towards the archway that led out to the kitchen and dining area. These rooms, which were side by side, also held lovely hues of dark blue and green, with the same hardwood flooring and charming lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The kitchen had sleek, steel appliances and the kitchen countertops were made from dark gray granite. He moseyed over to the fridge and rummaged through its contents before pulling out a carton of orange juice. Carefully, he found two glasses, setting them down on the counter beside the carton before realizing with a huff he had nothing but Ralph-sized drinkware. Maybe I should get some things from the Niceland building to bring over here, he pondered. Oh well. He shrugged and poured a glass of the cold beverage for him and Vanellope each.
Just as he picked them up, Vanellope finally ambled into the dining room. He looked over at her and brought the glasses to the table. It was made of mahogany stained wood much like the front door and the accents throughout the house, with a simple green tablecloth draped down the center. Vanellope eagerly glitched herself up onto the chair where Ralph had set the glass then stared at the cup in shock. "Uhm, Ralph, how exactly do you expect me to drink from this?" Nevertheless, she climbed up onto the table itself and contemplated how she would drink from something nearly the size of her.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly before having a sudden realization, which was that he really was an idiot. "I'll get you a straw," he mumbled, turning away and going back to the kitchen to rummage around for one.
When he returned, she stared at him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, swinging her legs out in front of her as she still sat on top of the table. Ralph frowned, sticking the straw into her drink. "People eat on there, you know."
"People?" Vanellope questioned. "Or just you?"
"Hey," he protested, "I have other friends too, y'know."
She snickered before taking the straw in her mouth and drinking a large gulp of orange juice. Ralph sat down at the table across from her and drank his own glass. They sat in relative silence, comfortable for once with the lack of words. Well, Ralph reckoned he was always comfortable with the silence.
After a few minutes of drinking their juice and making small chatter here and there, Ralph heard a set of soft, polite knocks at his front door. "Who could that be?" He wondered aloud, standing up somewhat clumsily and heading to the door. He opened it up to reveal Felix and Calhoun, the latter of which had her fist poised to knock on the door again - her knocking would not likely sound so polite.
"Woah, woah, there Calhoun," Ralph said, holding his hands up. "Don't hit me, now." She brought her hand back down to her side somewhat sheepishly. Ralph looked down to his brother. "What's up, Felix?"
"Oh, not much, really," he replied, his voice cheery and friendly. "We just wanted to know if you wanted to come hang out with us over at the Niceland building."
Ralph smiled. "Sure. Hang on, I've got Vanellope with me too. It's her first time outside her game. I'm sure she'd like that."
Felix grinned and nodded. "That's great Ralph, we'd love to have her join us!"
Ralph retreated into the dining room, where Vanellope had just finished up her orange juice. "You know, I still never saw your bedroom!" She chimed, practically leaping off the table. Ralph flinched, wondering how she could so effortlessly jump down from such a height without getting hurt.
"Well, I don't think that's necessary, kid," Ralph chuckled. "Come on, let's go over to the Niceland building. Felix and Calhoun are here."
Vanellope's eyes brightened. "Really?" Over the course of the past few months, she had grown very fond of the two other gamers; she particularly had a sort of admiration for Calhoun herself. The way she held herself with pride and dignity and kept a no-nonsense sort of attitude inspired her. Yet those rare moments she let her guard down around her friends, especially Felix, were nice too.
The four gamers made their way away from Ralph's cozy home and wandered over to the Niceland Building itself. "You know," Calhoun started, glancing at Vanellope as they walked through the glass front doors. "You could come pay a visit to Hero's Duty one of these days. We could all hang out over at my place. Although, I admit, even I don't care to spend too much time around there."
Her, Felix, and Ralph all chuckled while Vanellope looked around at the three, confused. "Why's that? What's so wrong with Hero's Duty?" She snorted and exchanged a knowing look with Ralph. "Besides the name, that is."
Calhoun rolled her eyes at the racer's antics. The four crammed themselves into the building's elevator, Ralph having to bend over slightly. "Why didn't we just take the stairs," he mumbled underneath his breath. Vanellope looked at him with a giggle and he shook his head exasperatedly.
"Well," Calhoun began in response to her question. "Let's just say it doesn't exactly have the most pleasant atmosphere. I'm sure you remember those filthy Cybugs, right?"
Vanellope seemed to suddenly realize the implications."Ohhhh," she vocalized. "Those bugs came from your game!"
"That's right, soldier," Calhoun validated. The elevator finally beeped, letting them know they reached the top floor. They all shuffled carefully out and stepping into the penthouse.
"This place is pretty neat," Vanellope cooed in adoration. "Hey, these stools are a little more me-sized," she noticed with a goofy smirk. She bounded over to the bar and jumped up into a seat.
"That's because the Nicelanders are a bit more you-sized," Ralph teased, walking over to the counter with Felix and Calhoun. "You know, you'd think by now we could make this place a little bigger. Some things in here, like the ceiling, you know? They need to be a little more Ralph-sized."
The group of friends continued to make easy conversation and Vanellope chatted with them about all the new things she was experiencing in her game; she talked about how the racers were treating her now and what it was like running the kingdom.
"Sour Bill helps me out a lot with the duties," she admitted, though stealing another glance towards Ralph at her choice of words. "But I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. It doesn't take much," she said humbly. "Mostly I just give these speeches at the beginning of roster races, and I deal with some of the issues the candy citizens bring up to me. But other than that, I"ve just got to do weekly checkups in the code room to make sure everything is running okay and there are no viruses."
Even though Ralph knew she was very capable, considering it was all programmed into her code, he still marvelled a little bit sometimes at how such a young and naive gamer could hold such huge responsibility and still manage to keep a cool outlook. He knew if he was thrusted into such a position after living the kind of life she did, he would not be able to handle it.
The four of them continued to chat in a lively manner, and hung out together in the penthouse for a couple of hours before Vanellope started pestering Ralph to take her somewhere new. Finally, he gave in and asked her where she wanted to go.
"Well," she told him, looking a little bashful. "Can I see the place you used to live? You know, before all this?" He blinked in surprise and looked down at her curiously.
"Sure," he said slowly, "I guess. There's not much to really see though."
Her face brightened. "That's okay. Come on, Ralph, let's go." She grabbed onto his large hand and tried pulling him towards the door. "Seeya later guys!" She called out as Ralph hurried after her.
Felix and Calhoun watched the spectacle, slightly amused.
"Well, jimminy jamminy," he said to his wife as the two exited. "I'd say that young girl has-"
"A crush on Ralph?" Calhoun finished sharply, locking eyes with her husband with a knowing glance.
"Well, I mean…" Felix trailed off, trying to look for another way to put it. "I was going to say, well, I don't know what I was going to say."
"Poor Ralph," Calhoun chortled, taking another sip from her frosted glass of water. "Once he figures it out, things are going to get reaaall interesting."
"Real awkward, more like it," Felix added with a furrowed brow, staring at the counter as he clutched his drink in both hands.
"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine Fix it," Calhoun soothed with an oddly soft voice. "It's probably nothing more than a girly little crush. She just looks up to him, and he is her first and best friend after all. It'll go away sooner or later."
Ralph and Vanellope stood at the bottom of the old pile of bricks he used to call home. A good chunk of them, at least half, were gone now after using them to put together the community of houses below. He explained this to her carefully as he watched her eagerly gaze over the still tall mound of bricks and wreckage. Of course, after three months of gaming and wrecking probably more than ever, the pile was slowly building back up to what it used to be. He figured they should probably find something to do with all the bricks.
"Alright now," he told her. "Let me carry you up from here. The way up is pretty difficult." She opened her mouth as if she was about to protest, but when he gave her a stern look, she closed it again and nodded. He picked the young girl up and lifted her up into the crook of his arm.
Slowly and carefully, he climbed his way up the hill of bricks, clutching Vanellope tightly in his arm. "Hey!" She lightly protested with a cough. "Don't suffocate me!" She squirmed a little to try and situate herself more comfortably. Ralph just grunted in response.
He finally made it to the top of his old mound. There it was - the infamous stump, still in tact. In fact, there was still a Ralph-shaped indent in the bricks where he used to sleep. Vanellope glitched herself out of his grip and walked slowly over to said indent. He noticed her shoulders hunch over slightly as she examined his old home.
He walked up behind her sheepishly, scratching the back of his head and averting his eyes.
"Ralph," she said softly. "I can't believe they used to make you sleep here." She turned around and looked up at him, her eyes tender and slightly moist. He chuckled softly in response and finally moved his eyes to meet hers. "This is ridiculous!" She said, her voice getting a little louder as she gestured wildly around her. "You don't deserve to be treated like this! You may be a Stinkbrain, but you're the s-sweetest, most honest and open-hearted Stinkbrain I've ever seen!"
Ralph stared down at the now angry smartie in humble surprise. "It's okay Vanellope," he urged. "It's all in the past. Besides, it wasn't as bad as it looks. I just, covered myself up with bricks when it got cold." Her brow furrowed and he realized that didn't exactly make anything sound better. "Everything that happened," he continued, his voice firmer, "Doesn't matter anymore. The Nicelanders accept me, and I have friends. And a house. So don't you worry about me." He knelt down in front of her and tenderly brushed a tear that escaped down her cheek. She sniffled and looked up at him earnestly. "I can take care of myself just fine. Just as long as I don't go wrecking my own home."
Vanellope smiled up at him through watery eyes and sniffed, wiping her nose unceremoniously on her sleeve. "Okay, Stinkbrain." She paused, taking in a deep breath. "But just like I offered before, if anyone gives you trouble, you're always welcome in Sugar Rush. You could have your very own wing." She looked down at the ground bashfully before saying the next part. "It gets a little lonely in there sometimes."
Ralph chuckled softly and smiled at the adorable kid in front of him. "I'm sorry, Vanellope, but my game needs me. And I'll be just fine. Nobody treats me like they used to. And besides, I'm sure you could have one of your racer friends stay up at the castle with you."
"I thought you didn't like them," Vanellope teased with a smirk.
"I don't," he conceded. "I still haven't seen them prove themselves."
"Well, maybe you should hang out with them sometime. They really have changed, you know," she replied earnestly. "Now you understand how I feel about you staying here."
He sighed and looked down. "I guess so. I just don't know how eager I am to hang out with a bunch of shorties."
"Hey you hang out with Felix," she kidded back. "Though Felix is definitely more mature than the Sugar Rush gang."
"Well he's also not a child," Ralph shooted back playfully.
"Hey!" Vanellope giggled, swatting him lightly on his head. "Now come on, no more sap. We've still got more exploring to do."
He rolled his eyes with a gap-toothed grin and stood up, allowing her to climb back into his elbow. "Fine, kid. Let's go."
After exiting Fix It Felix, Jr., the two headed over to the next place Ralph could think of: Tapper's. On the walk there through Grand Central Station, Vanellope looked just as mystified and amazed as the first time. Ralph watched her curiously as she shamelessly ogled everything and everyone they passed by. He worried that if he let her off his shoulders she would get lost in the sea of gamers.
Once they set foot in Tapper's, the strong scent of root beer and other alcoholic beverages immediately hit their senses. For a moment Ralph wondered at his logic of taking a little kid to a place like this.
He moseyed over to the counter where Tapper was standing, cleaning off one of the empty mugs as usual. With a smile and small wave, he sat down in front of him and Vanellope eagerly bounced down onto the counter.
"Hey Ralph," Tapper greeted in a friendly manner. He looked at Vanellope. "President Vanellope, I assume? Ralph's told me a lot about you," he said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Oh really?" Vanellope asked slyly with a grin. She held out a hand to shake and Tapper firmly grasped it. "Mr. Tapper, I assume?" Ralph rolled his eyes at the sight and chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed.
After they exchanged some small chit-chat, he asked them what they'd like to drink and Ralph ordered two root beers. Of course, they got them in practically a moment's time and Vanellope eagerly started sipping away at her drink.
"Wow!" She exclaimed. "We don't have anything like this in Sugar Rush!"
Ralph chortled. "I bet you don't!"
The two shared a playful glance and returned to drinking their root beers. Tapper left to serve some of his other customers, and they continued making idle talk as Vanellope took in the relaxing atmosphere.
Smooth jazz played in the background on an old jukebox machine. When Vanellope noticed the music, she visibly perked up and strained to listen to it. "Much different from the music in your game, I reckon," Ralph teased.
"Yeeeaahh," she said slowly, a smile spreading across her face. "I like it!" Ralph bit back a playful laugh and shook his head in bewilderment. It was somewhat refreshing to watch her absorb all these new surroundings. It kinda gave him a newfound appreciation for them.
She sat back down on the counter and continued sipping her drink as they remained in contemplative silence. Finally, she interrupted the lack of sound and gazed up at him earnestly. "Thanks for all this, Ralph."
He chuckled. "Oh, it's really nothing, kid. I'm sure you'll get used to it in no time."
Vanellope furrowed her brow. "Don't get me wrong," she continued, "I love my game. But...I've never been able to leave before, and...it's been really fun being able to see all this. I really appreciate it."
Ralph raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously before smiling warmly. "You're welcome, kid."