A/N~
Hey guys! I'm sorry it's taken me a while to get this new chapter uploaded. I didn't work on it for a while, so I didn't end up getting it done until tonight. I'll try to keep to my more regular schedule in the future! Anyways, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy!
As the Sugar Rush racers finished up the roster race and gathered around their carts at the finish line, Vanellope hastily dusted off the chocolate crumbs and candy pieces from her clothing and eagerly trotted over to her friends. Rancis, Candlehead, Taffyta, and Azalea all stood in a tightly knit circle, chatting softly as they rested from the days racing.
She slipped her goggles off of her head and wiped the lenses, tucking herself into the midsts of the other four racers and grinning broadly.
"Hey Van," Candlehead greeted with a small wave. She had a shy smile on her face, although her eyes glinted with uncertainty. Taffyta looked at her hesitantly, her arms crossed over her chest. She could see the hurt still flickering in her gaze, and knew she would need to put in a lot of effort later to repair what was injured in their friendship.
Rancis also seemed a little bit bothered, though his expression spoke more so of patient questioning, rather than anger or sorrow. Azalea simply leaned against her cart, looking between the group in a bemused way. She tucked a strand of pale green hair behind her ear and looked down at the dirt.
"A few of us were talking about maybe hanging out after game day," Candlehead continued. "We wanted to know if you wanted to come with us. Maybe we could hang out at the castle or something."
"Sorry guys," Vanellope responded sheepishly. "I've actually got plans with Ralph already. He's gonna pick me up from our game." Her eyes seemed to suddenly brighten. "He said he has something to show me," she remembered aloud. "I've actually gotta hurry up and get ready, so I better go!" She was already starting to run backwards away from them, an open mouthed grin stretching across her face. "Catchya guys later!"
She turned around and ran off towards her cart, while the four other racers left behind looked at each other in amusement. Taffyta sighed and rolled her eyes. "It seems like it's been ages since she hung out with us," she complained, looking at Candlehead.
The emerald haired racer crossed her arms and frowned. "I know," she conceded. "Just give her some time. Her and Ralph's new relationship is just starting to blossom. And they seem so happy together."
This seemed to help Taffyta to perk up. "That's right!" She proclaimed. "I completely forgot to ask her about last night!" She face palmed with a groan and exchanged looks with Candlehead and Rancis. A sly smirk began to fill her cheeks. "I wonder what those two lovebirds got up to exactly while they were lost."
"Lost?" Azalea chimed in, green eyes brimming with curiosity. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Well," Rancis piped up, eagerly looking at Taffyta with a smile. "Yesterday when we went to EZ Living, we came up with a plan to get them alone; the two have been giving each other goo-goo eyes for too long now. We decided they needed a little push. So we managed to get them lost together in the jungles and left them there a couple of hours. By the time I found them, they looked pretty cozy to me."
Candlehead chuckled and shared a knowing look with Taffyta, who simply shook her head with a smirk. "We need to have a girls' night soon, so we can get all those details out of her," the blonde racer decided.
"Hey!" Rancis protested with a laugh, throwing his hands up jokingly. "What about me? Am I just chopped liver now?"
"Don't worry," she teased, patting his arms with her hand. "We'll make sure to fill you in afterwards."
"Fine, fine," He conceded with a smirk as he crossed his arms playfully. "But you better make sure you don't forget."
Meanwhile, a certain brunette racer was pulling her car into the castle's garage. She quickly shifted it into park and hefted herself out of the vehicle. Practically glowing with excitement, she sprinted out of the garage and up the small set of stairs leading inside.
She hurriedly zoomed through the halls and into her wing before climbing quickly up the staircase into her bedroom. She dug quickly through her dresser for some clean comfortable clothes and practically leapt into the shower in her bathroom. She only washed for about ten minutes before she stepped out and brushed and dried her hair.
After not too long, she was dressed in a comfortable pair of mint green leggings and a long flowy cream colored tank top. She pulled her silky black hair into a low ponytail before sliding into an unzipped green hoodie and slipping on some sneakers. As soon as she finished, she hurried out the door and down into her living room.
I'm sure Ralph'll be here any minute.
She lounged comfortably on one of the long sofas, her legs pulled up in front of her. She looked around herself and gazed at the empty, colorful room. Large glass doors led outside to a gorgeous patio, which was beautifully decorated with flowers and other Sugar Rush greenery. There was also a decent sized pool, and she could just barely see its bright blue waters sparkling and dancing in the sunlight. She smiled as she gazed outside. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, and it cast its orange and pink rays over all of her beautiful kingdom.
I can't believe it's all mine.
She stood up from the couch and wandered slowly over to the doors, pressing her hands up against them and staring outside. She smiled as she gazed at the patio, before slowly reaching for the handle and pulling the door timidly open. She then stepped out onto the concrete and took a few steps forward.
Beyond the patio, there was a large, sprawling lawn. The ground was made of pretty swirls of different flavored pastry dough; across the whole yard spanned patterns of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry sections. There were a few candy cane trees dotted at the edges of the yard, along with some cotton candy bushes and bright lollipop flowers
She breathed in a deep breath and closed her eyes, happily sighing her held breath back out and stuck her small hands into her jacket pockets. With a grunt of mild frustration, she leant down and pulled off her sneakers before tossing them away behind her. She sunk her toes into the soft, pliable ground, rocking idly back and forth back on her heels.
"Hey!" She heard a male voice softly proclaim behind her. "Watch it there!" She whirled around on her feet and beamed when she came face to face with the owner of her favorite gap-toothed smile. She looked up at her loveable wrecker, who grinned playfully down at her with his hands on his hips. She glanced down to see her sneakers lying crookedly at his large feet.
She felt a faint blush sprawl across her cheeks and looked up at him bashfully. "Sorry 'bout that, Ralph," she teased gently, averting her eyes as she could feel her heart flutter enthusiastically in her chest. Never before had the sight of her dear best friend invoked such feelings of shy and bewildered excitement in her code. She could feel her palms begin to sweat slightly as she stared at her toes sheepishly. She could hear her heart beat louder and louder, booming inside her head as a sudden swell of nervousness.
"Hey," he eased softly, stepping forward and gently tilting her chin up with one finger. He tenderly pulled her face up to look into his eyes and she finally accepted his stare. Her wide hazel eyes glimmered innocently up at him. Inside, a stirring of dewy longing seemed to beckon him in closer; he smiled down at her slowly. "Is something wrong?" he asked, his eyes full of kindness.
She smiled shyly back. "N-no," she assured him. "Nothing's wrong. It's just-I-I…" she trailed off, then bit her lip before glancing away. "I don't know," she suddenly blurted. "It's just s-so hard, trying to wrap my code around all these...these confusing feelings."
He let out a breathy chuckle before smoothly sliding his finger out from under her chin and pulling her gently into a tender hug. She eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck and let him pull her up into his warm chest. "It's okay," he murmured into her ear. "Believe it or not, it's a lot for me to adjust to too."
She pulled herself back enough to look into his eyes. "I-Is it okay if we just maybe take things a little slower from now on?" She asked nervously, gazing searchingly into his brown eyes.
He let out a quiet sigh. "Of course, Vanny," he assured her, sweetly brushing his fingers across her face. "I'm sorry that things got so...out of hand last night. I didn't mean to rush you into anything. I...I guess my emotions sort of got the better of me, and…" he trailed off, his cheeks starting to flush with color. "I guess thirty years of being alone might do that to a guy. And you know me, most of my feelings are pretty, uh...dramatic."
She let out a soft girly giggle and shook her head quickly. "No, Ralphie," she teased, her voice sincere. "Don't worry, it isn't your fault. Besides," she sheepishly fiddled with the collar of his shirt. "I'm the one who kind of egged it on to begin with."
He rolled his eyes and smiled back at her. "That's okay," he breathed. "But I do agree we should take things a little slower. How about this," he paused and took in a nervous breath. "Let's go on a real date. Just you and me. That is, i-if you'll have me."
"Of course I will," Stinkbrain," she replied, leaning her face against his chest with a satisfied smile. She closed her eyes and breathed in his familiar scent. He smelled of bricks, wood, and also a little bit like grass. She loved the feeling of his warm arms around her, and the way his scent seemed to surround her whole body. He pressed a gently kiss into the top of her head and rubbed his hands up and down her back.
For a few minutes, they stood silently in this position, soaking in the presence of one another and the warm light of the setting sun.
"Come on," he said, finally breaking the silence. They pulled apart and she looked up at him questioningly. "I've still got things to show you," he said with a grin.
Not long after, the two found themselves strolling through a lively Game Central Station. Gamers from all over the arcade were casually milling about, chatting and filling the air with the buzz of happy conversation.
"Soooo," Vanellope pestered, clasping her hands behind her back and gazing up at Ralph in curiosity. "Where exactly are we going?" She asked.
He rolled his eyes and laughed. "I'm not telling you yet," he barked, a playful smirk lit up his features. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see."
"Raaaaalllpphhh," she drawled, playfully complaining. She gently swatted at his arm with an exaggerated pout. He laughed down at her as she gave him a dramatic stink-eye. "No fair."
"Oookay," he said suddenly, stopping and holding his arm out to halt her as well. "Time to cover your eyes. Don't want you figuring out what game we're about to waltz into."
She let out a soft sight of defeat before reluctantly succumbing and allowing him to very gently place one large hand over her bright hazel eyes. He began to carefully lead her towards the outlet of Hero's Duty, a knowing smirk lighting up on his face. He guided her with his other hand, placing it on her back and proceeding towards the outlet. They passed through without alerting Surge, thank User, and came upon the shiny, sleek black monorail.
Without a moment's hesitation, he lifted her up into the air, one arm sliding under her legs whilst keeping his other hand trained loosely over her face. She let out a surprised giggle as he lifted her into the air and beamed broadly. He stepped up onto the monorail with her carefully perched in his arm and quickly found a seat for them to sit down in.
"Okay," he told her, "We're on the monorail, about to head off."
"Well, then can I see now?" She asked, her voice somewhat whiny.
"Nope," he responded, beaming open-mouthed and clutching her more closely to his body. He lovingly tucked her up against his chest and pressed a small kiss against her forehead. He could see her mouth twist upwards into a timid smile.
"I really like it when you do that," she admitted, her voice soft and uncertain.
He grinned even wider, amused by her bashful openness, and humbly flattered. It used to be a rare sight to see his feisty little racer so shy and soft spoken, but it had become more of a common occurence the past few days. It felt intensely gratifying and honoring to be able to step into her small bubble of trust. He felt like her walls were coming down more and more, in totally unexpected ways. He loved seeing this new side of her, and he felt a sudden surge of longing to keep her safe and loved inside his care.
He pressed another, even softer kiss against her skin, this time leaving his lips pressed there lightly. "I really like you," he murmured, "And I really like when you're so open with me."
She felt her face burn darker, and brought her hands up to cling onto his orange polo. "Thank you," she whispered. She felt her code budge and twitch uncomfortably just beneath her skin, and glitched slightly in place. She could feel a large amount of tension knot up in her stomach. The underlying fear and insecurity of being rejected was rearing its ugly head deep down inside her, but she mustered all of her willpower to push it back down in its place. It felt so weird to let herself feel so vulnerable and pour out her thoughts so easily, yet at the same time it felt subtly natural when in the arms of her strong wrecker.
She leaned her head down against his shoulder and allowed herself to sink into his body. She let out a long breath, feeling the tension begin to unknot and release as she simply let herself be comfortable in his presence.
Soon, the sleek black monorail eased its way into the station of Hero's Duty. Ralph lovingly scooped Vanellope closer to his chest and kept his hand gently rested over her eyes. He carefully tread his way down the steps of the train and began to make his way to the entrance. He came upon Calhoun, who was standing in front of the gigantic mechanical doors which opened up to the area which, during Game Day, was crawling with hideous, dangerous cybugs.
The short-haired blonde crossed her arms as Ralph stopped in front of her and gave him a small, bemused smirk. "You're lucky Felix got me to agree to this, Wreck-It," she barked, before sighing and pressing the button on her remote which opened up the doors.
"Calhoun?" Vanellope asked, wriggling slightly in Ralph's grip as she curiously tried to peer between his fingers.
"You've got two hours," Calhoun stated. Ralph looked around her to see one of the shiny escape pods sitting in wait just outside the doors. "And don't forget what I taught you. One scratch on that thing, and you're done," she huffed, though her voice held a hint of friendly teasing.
He flashed her a big, toothy grin and gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Calhoun, I'll take extra care of it. And thank you." She rolled her eyes and gave him a small smile before he eagerly bounded through the doors and inside. He turned around to watch the large doors slowly shut behind them.
"Raaallpphh," Vanellope complained, continuously growing restless in his arms. "Can I finally come down now? I think I've waited long enough."
He chuckled before gently removing his hand from her face and setting her down on her feet.
"Woah," she gasped, staring around her in wonder at the dark, dreary environment. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and certainly was vastly different from any of the locations inside Sugar Rush. "Where are we?" She asked, looking up at Ralph with barely concealed excitement.
He gave her a gap-toothed grin and met her gaze bashfully. "Welcome to Hero's Duty, Van."
"This is Hero's Duty?" She asked, somewhat incredulously, as she furrowed her brow. She continued to gaze around them. Everything surrounding them was dark, cold, and foreboding. "This is where Calhoun lives?"
Ralph let out a loud snort. "Yep, it sure is. What kind of place did you expect those awful cybugs to come from?"
"I-I don't know," she stammered, her gaze mystified as she looked around the dark and gloomy place. "I guess this place is pretty fitting." She looked back at him and smiled."Thanks for taking me," she said, her voice soft. A pale rosy flush filled her cheeks as she took in the fact that the two of them were finally completely alone.
He drew in closer to her and tenderly wrapped his large hands around her small ones. She rested them on top of his, her fingers and palms dwarfed when pressed against his own. She gave him a goofy, open-mouthed smile, her dewy hazel eyes gleaming up at him with girly glee. He smiled back down at her. "You're welcome," he responded, his brown eyes glued into her hazel depths.
After a few moments, he gestured out at the large aerial vehicle parked not far from them. "Calhoun's letting me take you out for a spin on this thing," he told her. "Though, to be honest, I'm not that spectacular at driving it." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
She smirked up at him and looked over at the powerful looking escape pod. It appeared to be larger than the small one seater Ralph had crashed himself in back in Sugar Rush all that time ago. It seemed like it could comfortably sit both her and Ralph.
"Well," she started, her voice sly, "You could always let me drive it. After all," her eyes sparkled with mischief, "Driving is in my code."
He smirked and rolled his eyes, though they were filled with uncertainty. "I don't know, Van," he chuckled slowly. "If Calhoun knew I let you drive it, without her showing you how, I'm sure she wouldn't be too happy."
"Oh, come on, Ralph," she whined, grinning eagerly as she clutched his hands. "Noone has to find out. Besides, you can show me how, right?"
He let out a deep sigh before staring reluctantly over at the waiting vehicle. "Ooookay," he spoke reluctantly, though before the word was completely out of his mouth, she turned and pelted over the to driver's side door, practically launching herself inside. "Hey!" He called, laughing softly before shaking his head and moseying over to the other side. "Slow down there, you don't even have the key!"
He hurriedly climbed in, shutting the passenger door closed behind him as he nervously buckled himself in. He watched as she quickly strapped her own seatbelt down and held her hand out for the key. He sighed and carefully placed it in her palm. She carefully slid it into the ignition and turned, turning the engine over until the large, intimidating vehicle roared powerfully to life. She could feel the thrum of its code beneath her, and it made her own blue binary buzz with eager ferocity. She smirked, and gripped the steering controls securely in her confident hands.
She felt as if the circuitry rooted deep inside her and the plane she was about to drive were beginning to connect and combine, tangling themselves together in a delightful whir of companionable code. She felt herself become one with the rumbling automobile, and before Ralph could even give her any instructions, she felt the coded racer within her fully rise to the surface as instinct began to take over. She thrust the vehicle into drive and they slowly began to ascend from the ground.
"Whoa!" Ralph exclaimed, clutching onto the side of the door beside him and feeling his face flush with amazement. "How did you just know what to do like that?!"
She shrugged and let a broad grin float across her features. "I dunno," she said, "I guess my code just kinda took over." She began to propel them forward, and before they knew it, they were soaring across the dark threatening skies of Hero's Duty.
Meanwhile, back in Sugar Rush, a few of the racers were gathered inside Candlehead's small, cozy home. They were all sitting in her living room, which was decorated in lively shades of pink and turquoise, except for a certain two blonde-haired racers, who were both standing in the kitchen.
Taffyta and Rancis were both seated at the counter, full mugs of coffee set down in front of them. Taffyta picked hers up, clutching it tightly in her hands, and sipped delicately from the smooth, frothy liquid. Unbeknownst to her, Rancis was eyeing her curiously as she drank. She turned to look at him, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks as she set the coffee back down. "W-What is it?" She asked, frowning back at him as he smiled at her. "Do I have something on my face?"
"No," he sighed, rolling his eyes and letting out a small chuckle. "Hey," he started slowly, "Do you wanna get out of here?"
"What?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"Do you wanna go hang out somewhere?" He prodded, "Just you and me?"
Her face heated up even darker. "And where exactly would we go?" She teased, her tone somewhat sassy. She placed a hand on her hip as her blues eyes glinted with girly eagerness.
"I was thinking we could go to your favorite spot," he responded, "You know, the ledge overlooking the chocolate lake, down past the castle, where you can watch the sunset?"
She smiled disbelievingly back at him. "You remember," she stated, her voice suddenly soft and warm.
"Of course," he scoffed, "What kind of a friend do you think I am?"
She rolled her eyes and pushed her hand against his shoulder. "Alright, come on," she conceded, "Let's go."