Chapter Eighteen
Bright white lights flooded the clearing and suddenly the sound of an engine could be heard, screaming noisily above the cacophony of jungle sounds, and Ralph and Vanellope exchanged a look of confusion.
Within a few moments, a larger motorcycle came into view, and on it was none other than their male blonde-haired racer friend.
"Rancis!" Vanellope exclaimed, running towards him as he braked and parked his vehicle. Ralph followed cautiously behind. She ran her hands along the side of the vehicle while he laughed sheepishly and stepped off of the seat. "Woooahh," she breathed, admiring the sharp lines and ferocious appearance of the jet black bike. "Where did this come from?"
"I just borrowed it from the EZ Livin' Search and Rescue team." He gestured with his arm towards the rear of the vehicle. "Come on guys, Taff and Candlehead are waiting for us. There's room for three on here...Surprisingly."
"Room for three of you, maybe," Ralph scoffed as he walked around the side of it to get a better look. He squinted carefully. "Are you sure that thing'll be able to hold me? You should've probably brought two."
"Well," Rancis sighed, "They only let us take one. So, this is as good as it gets." He himself looked towards the rear of the vehicle. "I'm sure it'll work out fine."
Ralph sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"How about you just hold Vanellope in your lap?" Rancis suggested, somewhat mischievously.
Ralph exchanged an exasperated glance with Vanellope. "Something tells me this was just another setup."
"No doubt," she muttered back. "Well," she said louder, looking playfully over at Ralph. "Whatcha waiting for?"
He climbed carefully onto the back seat of the motorcycle and pulled her up gingerly into his lap, holding her legs firmly with one hand and wrapping his other around her back and resting it gingerly on her stomach.
She stared up at him with an unreadable gaze, and gave him a small wistful smile. He smiled back at her, eyes filled with longing, and let out a small chuckle. "You know," he whispered, as Ralph climbed into the front seat. "There's part of me that really wants to kiss you right now."
It took all she had in her to suppress the laughter trying to bubble up. "Maybe we should wait until we're alone."
A toothy grin slowly spread across his face. "Are you giving me permission to kiss you again, Miss Vanellope Von Schweetz?"
She smirked and rolled her eyes playfully. "We'll see…" She paused, suddenly remembering the exact words he had said to her earlier that same day. "Maybe if you behave, I'll show you sometime."
He felt his cheeks flush and let out a boisterous laugh.
"Hang on tight," Rancis advised, revving up the engine and letting it roar back into light. "We're on our way back."
Ralph clutched onto Vanellope for dear life as Rancis slowly turned the motorcycle around, before speeding gracefully away through the jungle.
After meeting back up with Candlehead and Taffyta and returning their rescue vehicle, the five of them began their trek back up to EZ Livin's exit. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon now, and the sky was steadily growing dark. They could even see the small pixelated crescent moon rising up in the sky.
They all walked up the long trail in amiable chatter, though the events of the day had certainly taken its toll on them. They were all just about worn out, and secretly couldn't wait to get back to their games.
After teleporting back inside Litwak's laptop, they all raced clumsily back towards the train station that would take them to the station of Litwak's Office.
They climbed wearily onto the monorail, everyone eager to sit down, if only for a few minutes. Vanellope and Ralph slumped down together on the same bench, and she leaned her cheek tiredly against his arm.
He smiled down at her, amused by the fact that while sitting there, she couldn't quite reach his shoulder with her head. He watched as he eyelids slowly fell down and shut over her large brown orbs. A surge of adoration filled his chest as he observed the beautiful young woman sitting next to him.
There's no way I could ever look at her like she's a kid anymore. She's grown and blossomed so much this past week. She's so incredible, and beautiful too.
Time seemed to pass quickly, and soon enough, the monorail was pulling into the station, and he gently shook Vanellope awake before all five of them climbed sleepily off and walked through the station. By now, they were all silent, their bones thoroughly soaked in the weariness of the day.
"I could sure use a good reset," Rancis yawned, stretching his arms above his head.
"I wish we were in Game Central Station already," Taffyta groaned, as she stepped onto yet another monorail. "I am so sick of stupid monorails."
Vanellope chuckled softly, leaning into Ralph for support as he helped her up the steps. "Up we go," he announced semi-cheerfully. The sleepy racer stumbled clumsily in front of him, and he gently placed a hand on the small of her back to direct her.
"I'm...so...tiiirrreeeddd," she moaned, reaching for the railing and using it to pull herself up. They finally made it onto the monorail and into the seats.
"You know," Ralph began as she sprawled herself out on the bench, resting the back of her head against his leg. "I remember just last week, the first time I took you out of the game, you were so excited you refused to even sit."
"Yeah, well," she let out a tired yawn. "Back then I was like...ten years old. I had much more sugar running through my code, it seems." She pulled her legs up closer to her body and twisted so she could rest her cheek on top of his leg. "You're comfy, Stinkbrain," she whispered.
He let out a soft chuckle. "Who knew I would be level-headed one while tired?" He asked rhetorically, letting out a long, low yawn and gently stroking his fingers through her hair.
Meanwhile, Taffyta and Rancis sat across the aisle from them. She too was dozing off, resting her head unknowingly on the other blonde's shoulder. He shared an amused look with Ralph and shrugged with a sheepish smile. Candlehead was laying down on the bench, her head in Taffyta's lap.
After a little while, the monorail slowly pulled into Game Central Station, and all of them were hurrying themselves off, filled with new anticipation at the thought of reaching their comfortable beds.
They wandered towards Sugar Rush's outlet, and the five of them stopped uncertainly just outside.
Ralph looked longingly down at Vanellope as she sleepily clung on to him and rubbed her eyes. He then looked back up at Rancis and the others. "You guys'll look after her from here?"
Rancis gave him a firm nod and a smile. "Don't worry, bud, we've got it covered."
Just as he was about to say goodnight and walk away, Vanellope pulled insistently on his shirt. He bent down slightly to look into her eyes. "Don't go," she protested, staring up at him intently. "I want you to walk with me to the castle. You can stay in the guest wing if you want. Just please...don't go yet."
He sighed, then shot a look up at the other races. Taffyta snorted in amusement. "She's the President," she teased, "I guess you gotta listen to her."
He shook his head and smiled down at the tired brunette. "Alright, alright," he sighed. "I'll go with you."
She grinned widely and clasped her hand firmly into his. "Thanks, Ralph," she drawled, her voice low and somewhat raspy. It reminded him of that characteristic raspiness it used to always hold.
"You're welcome, shortstop," he prodded lovingly.
'
About halfway through their walk to the castle, Vanellope and Ralph parted from the other three and they went their separate ways. Rancis, Taffyta, and Candlehead walked off towards the racers' village and Vanellope and Ralph began their trek towards the castle.
As soon as they reached the entrance, she ungracefully unlocked the doors - after dropping and picking up the keys twice - and they piled themselves into the entry room.
"Let's go up to my room," Vanellope yawned. "I'm ready to sleep."
Ralph chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Alrighty," he replied, "Let's get you to bed." He helped her through the kitchen, down the hallway to her wing, and up the stairs towards her bedroom. Upon finally reaching her room, they walked inside and she stumbled towards her bed.
"Wait, wait," he said, grabbing her arm gently. "You've gotta get dressed," he advised with a soft chuckle. "I bet your wet, sandy bathing suit wouldn't be very comfortable to sleep in." She let out a grunt before walking over to her dresser, pulling out some pajamas, and walking into the bathroom, but not before nearly crashing into the door.
He shook his head and looked briefly around the room. A flash of memory reminded him of the last time he had been in there, and he felt his face flush a deep scarlet. He gulped, trying to drive out the images of that morning out of his head.
Meanwhile, Vanellope stumbled around her bathroom, turning the lights on and staring at her reflection in the mirror.
The events of that day all of a sudden seemed to come crashing down on her, and her mind was filled with images of her and Ralph's shared kiss. She watched her cheeks darken and she let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.
She hastily changed out of her bathing suit and into her selected pajamas, ran a brush quickly through her long hair to neaten it just a little, and splashed some cold water into her face.
Just a few minutes later, Vanellope came out of her bathroom, seeming a little more put together than before, and slightly less tired. "What about you?" She asked with no context. "What are you going to sleep in?"
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly before shrugging. "This is fine," he responded. "My swimming trunks are dry now anyway and they're pretty similar to normal shorts."
He momentarily took mental note of the cute and comfy looking outfit she was now clothed in. She was wearing a loose fitting gray tank-top with the official Sugar Rush logo written on it in teal and a matching pair of teal shorts that reached about mid-thigh. He tore his eyes forcefully away from her legs and looked up to meet her gaze.
She shrugged and walked over to her bed, climbing towards the pillows and propping them up to lean her back against them. She gathered the soft billowy blankets over her legs and patted the space in her bed next to her for Ralph to join her.
Hesitantly, he climbed slowly onto the bed next to her, somewhat surprised when it didn't creak or bow beneath his weight.
"Don't worry," she assured him with a smile. "These castle beds are pretty sturdy."
He smiled back at her and climbed in beside her, slipping his rather large legs under the blanket. "Wow," he murmured, shaking his head in disbelief, "I never realized until now just how big this bed is. You really are royalty, aren't you?"
She shook her head sleepily and yawned through her words, "No, silly I'm the President." She rested her head against him and smiled. "This is nice. Hey Ralph, could you turn out the light?"
He glanced over to the only lamp that was on, which was located on the end table closest to him. "Don't I need to go find that other room you were talking about?"
"No," she mumbled tiredly. "Stay."
It didn't take any more encouragement than this. He could feel the tiredness finally settling into his weary bones, and thus his resolve was little to nothing. He reached over towards the nightstand and gently flicked the switch on the lamp, quickly flooding the room in darkness.
"Hey, Ralph," Vanellope said, her sweet voice poking out in the darkness.
"Yeah?" he asked, as he subconsciously began to run his fingers through her silky hair.
"Today was amazing...promise me we'll have lots more days like that together?"
He silently grinned, and gently kissed the top of her head. "I promise, Vanellope."
"Good," she whispered, smiling bashfully. "You're my favorite person."
"You're my favorite too, sleepyhead."
"Hey Ralph...we're alone now."
Suddenly, he felt all the blood rush up to his head, and he could feel his heart pound insistently inside of his chest. "Yeah?"
"Well...I think you've behaved." She lifted up her head to look at him, a small mischievous glint in her eyes. "I think you've earned that permission."
"Are you sure that isn't just the tiredness speaking? I don't want to do something you wouldn't be comfortable with when you wake up."
"No," she pressed, sitting up and suddenly more alert. He inhaled sharply as she climbed over his legs and pressed her hands against his chest. Her eyes stared searchingly into his own, and he could see a strange unreadable expression clouding them. "I'm sure," she breathed, her breath mingling with his as their faces drifted merely inches apart.
Without further comment, he pressed his lips carefully yet hungrily into hers. She gasped as his hands slid up to her waist, slipping underneath her tank top and caressing her soft bare skin.
He deepened the open-mouthed kiss, capturing her lower lip between both of his and moving his mouth rhythmically against hers. His whole body heated up intensely. It felt like he was about to have a heatstroke, yet there was no sunlight beating down on him, and each and every one of his pixels seemed to vibrate with a deep desire just ready to burst at the seams.
The two melted together as if their bodies resembled pieces of a puzzle; their codes buzzed with indescribable yearning as his hands ventured curiously across her bare skin. His face heated up as his fingers brushed against her back, and the thoughts inside his head whirred around in a frenzied mass of confusion.
He had never felt anything like this before; he could feel his heart swell inside his chest, as his binary veins exploded into fireworks that pumped throughout his entire body. He could feel his chest grow tighter and tighter with each passing moment, as he carefully held the woman he loved tenderly in his arms.
She felt her code begin to freak out, but tried as hard as she could to keep another glitch from happening, and instead focused on the delicious way it felt to have his strong hands resting easily on her hips. With every movement of his fingers, she felt jolts of electricity shoot up her spine and as he pressed his lips more urgently still against hers, every nerve in her body ached with immense longing.
It was as if their code was crying out to have a taste of the other's binary, and their systems were destined to tangle and mesh into a beautiful system of coded harmony.
They broke apart for air, but he didn't let a single second go to waste. He resumed his previous exploration of her neck, searching for her most sensitive spot as his warm lips hastily trailed a fiery path down her pale skin.
She let out a low moan as he pushed his lips against her collarbone now, parting his lips to let a trace of wetness touch her skin. Smirking against her flesh, he continued to kiss and lightly nibble on this one spot just above her collar.
"R-Ralph," she breathily spoke his name, quietly tremoring as an intense heat swept through her body and caused her to tremble with anticipation and desire.
He pushed another trail of kisses over to the other side of her collar bone, and slowly onward to her shoulder. He began to move them down her shoulder in a slow, teasing pace, looking up through his lashes with a smirk as he watched her breathe heavily and gasp for air.
He suddenly and quickly pushed her down onto her back. She let out a small yelp as he pinned her arms above her head, quickly tucking his mouth down back onto hers.
He slid his tongue delicately between her lips, and let it map out her mouth cautiously. She accepted this new method easily, and joined her tongue with his in a curious inquiry.
She could feel her skin crawling with sharp blue pixels as her code gently wigged out from all the sensory overload being dumped into her head. The hairs on her arms stood up as she glitched slightly for half a second, sending Ralph's red coding into a jumpy array of pixels.
She arched her back up slightly, clinging desperately with her small hands on to the sheets around her. She could feel him moan softly into the kiss, his large fingers sprawling out across her arms and gently rubbing her pale skin.
After a few moments, he slowly pulled away, his chest heaving as he struggled to take in each breath. He smirked down at her, and she stared up at him with wide brown eyes.
"I told you I knew things that could make your head spin," he teased.
She gulped. "Is this you showing me those things?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe," he responded. "It's at least part of it."
She rolled her eyes and smiled. "You jerk," she laughed.
He laughed with her. "Maybe." He lowered his face towards hers and slowly gave her lips one more kiss. He pulled away and released her arms from his grip. He used one arm to support himself above her, and used the other hand to trace random shapes softly on the skin of her neck, his touch feather-light.
She breathed in shakily, and closed her eyes. He smiled down at her, running his fingers back and forth across her skin and tracing the shape of her collar bone. His eyes scanned what he could see of her figure that was above the blanket, and he felt the sudden urge and longing to explore more of it with his hands.
In due time, Ralph, You shouldn't push her too far. Besides, User knows if you're even ready for more than this. Just enjoy where you're at and don't try to rush into things.
He moved himself from off of her and settled into the bed beside her. She turned easily and snuggled comfortable into his chest.
"Why don't you take your shirt off?" She asked him. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable?"
He felt his cheeks darken slightly and he shrugged. "I normally do sleep with it off," he reluctantly admitted. "I guess it would be more comfy." Slowly he sat up, just enough to slide the t-shirt over his head and toss it lightly over the side of the bed. He slid back down and allowed her to rest her cheek against his chest.
She brought up her hand to rest on top of his stomach, and wrapped one leg delicately across one of his. He smiled, enjoying the comforting feeling of her warmth pressed against his.
She listened to the gentle thrumming of his heartbeat in his chest, and could feel herself already drifted off into sleep. I think this is the most comfortable I've ever been. She felt his strong arms come down to wrap around her and suddenly felt more safe and secure than she ever had.
"Goodnight, Ralph," she whispered, feeling content and at peace.
He smiled and shut his eyes, loving the feeling of her warm body tucked into his own. "Goodnight, Vanellope."
"I love you, Stinkbrain."
"I love you too."