It Started Out with a Kiss

Gene and the other Nicelanders made it abundantly clear that Ralph was not invited to any crowd gatherings in this game. Felix had known this fact for as long as he'd existed.

But he didn't actually believe that Ralph was meant to be an outcast. All the attempts he made to keep Ralph away were just to please the other Nicelanders, he thought. They were afraid of him just because of his code. Because of his job title. Well, Ralph didn't have to be bad on account of his job. Maybe there was a chance that after tonight's anniversary party, Ralph would be just as admired as the handyman hero.

Felix had always seen potential in Ralph. He was probably the only man who did. He could see from Ralph's attempts at interacting with the Nicelanders that he wasn't bad on the inside.

And though they were enemies by code, Felix never saw Ralph as his enemy. The handyman saw him as a lonely fellow who needed a little encouragement. Felix thought about the many times he wanted desperately to reach out to the big man. But felt too afraid to. He figured if he could just talk to the Bad Guy, he would be able to show the hidden goodness.

"Ah, Felix," Gene said as he stepped down the glass steps to the penthouse. Felix had been helping with setting up things for the anniversary party. "Glad I caught ya before anyone else could."

"Oh, hello, friend," The handyman said, setting the tablecloth down on the snack table. "Something on your mind?"

"Well, yes, actually," Gene placed his empty shot glass on the table. "It's about Ralph."

Felix's smile faded.

"Did he do something wrong?"

Gene shook his head. "Not necessarily, but I overheard you two talking last night and I know you told him about tonight's little get together after we all specifically agreed to keep it under the rug."

"Ah, sorry about that, Gene. I felt kind of bad about leaving him out."

"No harm done, my good man," Gene responded. "I know you're a good guy and you just wanted him to have a good time. But we can't have him around if all he does is wreck everything in his path."

Felix was about to protest, but he could see that Gene wasn't about to lift those restrictions, and all he answered with was a resounding, "Okay."

Gene grinned. "Alright, then. Carry on."

There's no way that Ralph was about to head over to this party dressed in his worn-out overalls and raggedy shirt. He needed something good to wear. And so while he was at Bad-Anon, he turned to Zangief and asked if he had something flashy or festive to wear in his size.

"Dear friend, why would you need flashy outfit?" Zangief questioned.

"Let's just say I'm feeling a little celebratory tonight." Ralph had a real grin on his face and his hands on his hips. "Tonight's the thirtieth anniversary of my game. I wanna look my best!"

...

Thirty minutes later, he was wearing a red silk button-up with a black vest that was barely held together by the buttons, and a pair of black slacks that he'd intentionally torn at the ankles. He felt like he looked ridiculous. As if he'd walked into the water with this outfit on and it shrunk while he was drying off. But it was the best he could find at the last minute.

His hair was still a wild mess and he probably still wreaked of a heaping pile of garbage. All he needed to do was douse himself with a little bit of Zangief's cologne and he'd be good as gold. Or maybe a lot.

He could hear the festivities going on on the other side of the penthouse door. His hands were sweating and he rocked back and forth on his heels. He took in a deep breath and released. "Here goes nothing."

Unfortunately, it was Gene who answered the door. And before Ralph could say anything else, the door slammed in his face.

"Huh. Well, that's a real nice way to greet someone." Ralph folded his arms across his chest.

Felix opened the door slowly, stepped out, and closed it behind him. "Ralph! You made it!"

"Hey, Felix!" Ralph said. "Gene didn't really take it too well that you invited me, did he?"

The handyman scratched the back of his neck. "Heh, you could say that."

Ralph stretched his arms out. "Well, here I am! And Gene's gonna have to deal with it tonight because I'm staying."

"Yeah... about that..."

The big man frowned. "Did no one else want me to be at this party?"

Felix sighed and nodded sadly.

Ralph knew it was too good to be true. "It's alright, I know when I'm not wanted."

And he turned around to leave but the little handyman latched onto the big man's arm, once again making Ralph feel all the confusing feelings he did the night before. "Wait!"

Ralph turned around and looked down at the shorter man.

"Listen, we don't have to go back in there. Why don't we, uh... climb up to the roof? I'll bring you a slice of cake and a few bottles of Coke and we'll have our own little side celebration?"

Ralph pondered on this idea. "Well, I'd hate to pull the main hero away from his own party."

"Hey," Felix's gaze was sharp. "It's our party, Ralph. 'Sides, it's getting hotter and more stuffy in there than my kitchen after I'd just baked a fresh pie."

It felt strange that Felix was now giving more attention to the wrecker than the rest of the people, but Felix didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, his eyes were saying to Ralph that he was once again not about to take "no" for an answer.

"You're on, Fix-It." Ralph finally said. "Let's blow this joint."

"Alrighty!"

...

The party could be heard from the top side of the roof. Ralph sometimes came here to think about life outside of the game console, and how different his experience could be if he decided to game-jump. To go Turbo. To go to a place where people would stop looking down at him as a villain and start treating him like a person. He shook his head wildly.

Where would he even go? To Pac-Man's game, where all he would do is try and stop the hero once again? That game already had a Good Guy in it. Ralph would just be an unnecessary asset.

What about Street Fighter? He could blend in with that game pretty nicely.

Everyone from the 80s talked about how dangerous it was to go Turbo. And selfish. That wasn't the first time someone game-jumped and ended up putting a game out of order. But it was the start of it all, and every superstition about it.

But lately, Ralph had been thinking about leaving this place to pursue something better for him. It wasn't as if anyone would miss him, even if he was a central character to the game. If he could only leave Fix-It Felix, Jr. for one day and see how much more respect he could get from somewhere else.

That Sugar Rush game across the way didn't seem like it had any bad guys or good guys. Maybe it was the place to go if he wanted to feel like less of a Bad Guy and more of a Guy.

"Here you go, brother!"

Felix appeared at the big man's side and presented him with a big piece of cake.

"Saved the top part for ya!"

Ralph could see a small figure of himself placed atop of it. And he could clearly see that the figurine wasn't there originally. Felix placed it on there just for him.

"Thanks."

Felix had a small chunk of his own favorite flavor in his hands. He took the bottle of Coke and popped the metal cap off. Raising his glass, he said, "To thirty years of working together!"

Ralph had a hard time getting the cap off his bottle, so he raised his unopened glass and clinked the two together. Felix tilted the glass bottle up and drank half of it in one second.

But the question still remained and Ralph had to ask it before it passed him. "You still didn't tell me why you invited me there in the first place."

"Well, I didn't think it was fair to not have you take part in our festivities." The little man sat beside the wrecker.

Ralph set down the already empty plate of the baked good. "C'mon, Felix, cut it out with the cheeky chatter. Just give it to me straight."

The handyman raised his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Ralph turned to him. "I've never been welcome to those 'friendly get togethers' before in thirty years. And now you've decided I'm worthy to even think about being invited. I can't help but feel a little weirded out by that."

The big man just found it hard to believe that anyone could show an act of kindness towards him without wanting something in return. Felix looked guiltily in response to the suggestion Ralph just presented, and the sight of a saddened Felix was even more hurtful than being thrown off this apartment complex.

It didn't bring him joy to make Felix feel bad.

"I hate seeing you there by yourself, Ralph. All alone in that dump without a friend in the world. I reckon if it were me, I'd want someone to pull me out of that rut, too."

"But why did it take you thirty years to realize that?"

Ralph wasn't trying to be cross with his questions, but after three decades of pent-up rage, loneliness, and neglect, he didn't want to keep his anger to himself anymore.

Felix lowered his gaze. "I don't know, brother. But... I wish I'd realized it before."

Ralph accepted that answer, not too comfortable with continuing this conversation. Charity case or not, that cake was the best thing he's ever tasted and he owed it to Felix for going out of his way to get it to him.

Felix downed the last of his Coke bottle and placed it behind him. "What do ya suppose life is like in that candy-themed go-kart game over there?"

"Probably sweet." Ralph said. "Pun intended."

A small chuckle escaped Felix and Ralph suddenly realized he really liked the way it sounded. It was nice and soft, like smooth butter. He wanted to draw it out of him again and again, until Felix was laughing uncontrollably.

"Wouldn't it be neat if we visited other games?" Felix asked, dreamily.

"You talking about going Turbo? Now the world really has turned upside down."

"No, no, I don't mean go Turbo. I mean go on an adventure!" He waved his arms in front of him across the screen of the console. "Think about it! We could travel to a game for a day! Meet some new characters and get to know other people!" Felix turned his big blue eyes to the taller man. "What do ya think?"

"I think you've lost your marbles."

There was that sweet laugh of his again. Felix turned back to look through the glass but Ralph didn't take his eyes off of him. The glow of the lights from the outside seemed to cast an almost angelic glow on his fair skin.

It almost made Ralph feel bad about throwing bricks down at Felix and trying to kill him every day. How could anyone even think about trying to hurt him, intentionally, or not.

Ralph would have been lying if he said he didn't envy Felix. The praise, the attention, the pies. Everyone always happy to see him. Any Bad Guy would be lucky to have one day of that.

"I just wish everyone would stop making me feel like I'm nothing but a bad guy." Ralph said. "I'm so much more than that. My job isn't my whole personality. There's a million things people can be outside of their codes, right?"

"Definitely." Felix rested his elbows on his thighs and gazed at the outside world.

Ralph held his head in his hands. "I want what everyone else wants. Respect."

When Felix had his palm on Ralph's arm last night, there was a feeling that Ralph was now realizing was butterflies in his chest. When Felix did the same thing to him right now, his heart was pounding away, like it was trying to revive him after he'd fainted. That small gesture that could have meant a lot of things was enough to make the big man feel as if he was frozen.

As if everything he felt he needed in life was actually right in front of him. In the form of those two blue orbs staring back at him like they were trying to see into his digital soul. Two beautiful blue orbs. How was it that this one night was the only night he noticed them? That he truly, completely noticed them, and just how much they could melt his heart.

What was this unusual sensation in his heart that he'd never experienced? It was like all he wanted to do now was never leave Felix's side. It was a spontaneous infatuation that he would have gotten if he'd seen something that brought him joy.

Or something he loved.

"I respect you, Ralph." The light voice told him, almost making him shudder.

Ralph's mouth opened slightly in awe at Felix's boldness. Out of everyone he had met, Ralph had never heard a person be so up front with him. No one had ever touched his arm like this before.

Not even his close friends at Bad-Anon.

Ralph suddenly remembered those times Felix waved to him as he passed by on his way to the game tunnel. The way he called out to him, saying "Goodnight, Ralph", and smiling down at him from the top of the apartment complex.

The way Felix grasped Ralph's huge hand and tugged him forward to his apartment. All those acknowledgements Felix gave Ralph just to make him feel like he actually existed in this town.

Now he knew what he could have called the feeling he got when Felix was with him. He was in love and he couldn't deny it.

Before he knew it, Ralph leaned in closer, making Felix lean back onto his palms. His face changed from being in a dreamy daze to being afraid.

"Uh... Ralph?"

Ralph just acted automatically, wrapping his large hand behind Felix's head and pulled him close. Ralph's eager lips were on Felix's timid ones. Felix's hands were in the air, his fingers curling and pressing into his palms. His face was beet red.

Maybe Ralph was just trying to find comfort in the one person who had been nice to him during all those years. Or maybe this night was a sudden enlightenment on just how lonely Ralph actually was.

But it had felt so right kissing the short little handyman whose very presence could be a light in anyone's life. Ralph wanted this kiss to last forever. But it was short-lived, because Ralph also came to the realization of exactly who he was kissing.

He pulled back with his eyes wide and his face so warm that he could have fried an egg off of it.

Felix scooted back away from the wrecker, his hand clasped over his mouth. "Ralph..."

"Oh, God!" Ralph couldn't believe his own actions. "I'm... I'm so sorry, I-!"

Felix got to his feet, stumbling slightly. His face looked like all the color had drained from it. He almost fell back off the edge of the building and Ralph immediately stood to grab Felix's little hand.

"Woah!" Felix screamed. He was brought back to his feet and Ralph's eyes looked at anywhere else but his shorter friend.

"Are you okay?"

Felix backed away, keeping his eyes on the wrecker like Ralph was about to hurt him if he wasn't looking.

"I... I have to go..."

And the handyman slid down the metal ladder and back to his own living space, leaving Ralph alone to contemplate what he just did.