A Gentleman and His Man

"That little crumb-snatcher couldn't have gone far." Ralph grumbled while he stomped ahead of the path. Felix - who hadn't stepped out of his game for longer than a few minutes until now - was taking in the scenery.

The mountains looked like individual chocolates, with a few dark and white ones further away. It was a unique setting, to say the least. Far away, he spotted mountains made of what he assumed to be ice cream, and white clouds touching the peaks. They were coated with white snow, possibly French Vanilla flavor.

He hoped their journey wouldn't lead them over those mountains. He was lactose intolerant.

"If we weren't in such a hurry, I'd really liked to explore the place."

Ralph almost didn't hear him. He was too busy thinking back to what the little girl said.

"Can't believe that little thief thought we were on a date."

And Felix initially didn't give it too much thought, even though it did make him blush.

"I know, right?" Felix laughed nervously. "This is an important mission for us. We're just two buddies that have... similar interests."

"Right, yeah." Ralph shared the same chuckle.

"Because we're friends."

"That's exactly it." Felix's tone was as insincere as it was when he "invited" Ralph to the anniversary party, making Ralph wonder what was actually going on in that little head of his.

Underneath that hat with his initials patched on it.

Ralph's face was more serious as he asked his next question.

"Uh, Felix?"

"Shh, wait." Felix said as he turned his head every which way. They'd been walking along a yellow brick road, where different-colored lollipop trees decorated the sides of it. There were green ones, pink ones, red ones, and yellow ones.

"What is it?" Ralph focused his hearing, but couldn't pick up on the noise.

"Oh, I guess I was just hearing things."

A few more meters ahead, they came across a crossroads with a sign that would finally point them in the correct direction. It felt as if they'd been wandering aimlessly for hours.

"Okay, what have we got here?" Ralph said as he stretched out his legs and his back. One sign pointed towards the castle, which looked almost as big as the ice cream mountains from where they stood, and another pointed towards the racetracks. There were two other places called "Sweetener Swamps" and "Rock Candy Caves", but as of right now, both of them were interested in following the direction of the racetracks.

"Well, she said she was going to go win a race." Felix said. "I think our best bet is going to the tracks."

"You're the boss." Ralph said and trudged forward.

Throughout this journey, they both kept looking at each corner they walked past. Neither of them said it, but they both had this instinctual feeling that they weren't alone on this path.

True, there were probably a few wild animals roaming around the area, but neither of them had seen a single living creature. Maybe there were more spoiled children hiding in the shadows.

Suddenly, the game felt a lot less safe than before.

"So," Felix began, trying to stave off his paranoia. "What were you going to ask me a moment ago?"

"Huh? Oh! That, well..." The wrecker bit his lower lip. "... I mean, if we don't get out of this adventure alive... not that I don't think we will! B-Because, you know, I totally agree with you that we're the perfect team! A-And we can handle anything life has to throw at us! Like those bug things, and... and... almost falling to our death! And crashing a ship into a whole new world!"

For Atari's sake, he was rambling again.

Felix chuckled at the wrecker's bumbling monologue.

Ralph sighed. "Alright, I'm boring you."

"No, no, that's not it at all! I like hearing you talk, Ralph."

The big man was silent as he processed the compliment.

"Thanks. Well, I'm just going to get this off my chest." He knelt down in front of the fixer and kept his eyes on the brick road. "Felix, do you... uh...?"

Felix's ears perked up. "There it is, again."

The wrecker was both grateful and annoyed at the convenient rustling in the trees that caught Felix's attention.

"I can actually hear it this time."

It was coming from the left side of the road behind the green lollipop trees. Ralph and Felix shared a look with each other and stepped closer. They were preparing for the worst, but when they actually saw what was behind, Felix breathed a sigh of relief.

It was an elegant large horse with a horn right above its eyes. A candy corn horn, to be exact. It was a uni-candy-corn. It's eyes were large enough to see from a long distance away. Its mane was black with purple and white streaks, pulled back into a long braid. It looked like something out of a children's storybook, or a cartoon.

Butterflies - or rather, bread and butterflies - flittered around it as it was happily grazing at the lollipop grass. On its behind, a symbol of a sparkle captured the glow of the sunshine.

"Oh, it's just an ugly horse." Ralph joked. His light tone wasn't supposed to be taken seriously, but Felix looked up at him with his mouth hanging open.

"Ralph! Don't be rude! He's darling!" Felix gazed at it with wide, curious eyes.

He was about to wander closer to it, but Ralph cut off his path with his large hand.

"Wait, don't go near it. It may look friendly, but it's probably rabid and hostile."

"What? Just look at him, Ralph! How could such a pretty little thing be dangerous?"

Although it wasn't very dignified, Ralph picked up Felix by the back of his shirt and prevented him from approaching the animal.

"Listen, little man, it's my job to make sure you get out of this place completely unharmed. And I'm not about to take any risks."

Felix crossed his arms.

"But, Ralph, I'm not helpless! How much trouble can one little creature cause?"

Ralph raised his brow at him. And Felix seemed to remember the little black-haired child that stole Ralph's hard-earned property.

Felix lowered his arms and head in defeat.

"Okay, Ralph, I get the picture."

Ralph put him down.

"Great, now let's get out of here before we-"

He wasn't looking where he was going and ran straight into a branch that was protruding outward.

"Mothing Hubbard!"

"Are you okay?"

Ralph was rubbing his eye after it had just been poked.

"It's like I'm wearing a sign that says 'hit me' everywhere I go!"

Felix looked behind his shoulder and his eyes were bulging and his hands were shaking.

"Uh, Ralph? I think you were right about that thing not being as friendly as it looks!"

Ralph blinked his injured eye several times and his vision corrected itself. The uni-candy-corn that was peacefully far away from them was now much too close, and dangerously pointing its horn towards the two.

It's big eyes were now furiously leering at them and its candy corn teeth were snarling. A drop of foam fell from the corner of its mouth.

Ralph pushed Felix back. "Let me handle this."

He attempted to do what he did best. But the uni-candy-corn didn't flinch. It retaliated by jabbing at Ralph's fist with its horn.

"Yeowch!" Ralph shook off the pain. "Who designed this thing?!"

The creature roared loud enough to shake the ground below them.

"I-I supposed you can't turn this one back into an egg?!" Ralph said as they backed away.

"No, sirree!"

"Right. Run for it!"

They ran as fast as they could, without a clue where they were going this time. The uni-candy-corn ruthlessly smashed through trees, tiny hills, and scraped its horn against the brick road.

As soon as Ralph saw an opportunity to split off from its path, he grabbed Felix's hand and swerved left. The uni-candy-corn had been traveling so fast that it wasn't able to stop itself from ramming its horn into a gum drop.

Ralph slid across the ground to a stop.

"It's stuck!"

Felix adjusted his hat and looked up at the giant chocolate mountain that had a funny shape in front of them.

"We should hide!" He whispered in a raspy voice.

"Oh, good idea!"

They slipped beneath a few lollipop trees that were purple colored and crossed together in an "X" formation. Felix's back was pressed against a chocolate wall and he had to keep himself from yelping in surprise at the animalistic growl he heard.

It was on the move again.

"Where to next?" Felix asked.

"Uh..."

Ralph sidestepped further away and tried to pinpoint the next point of cover.

"Okay, Felix, when I say 'go', we head for the closest-"

The little handyman disappeared.

"Felix?"

How could he have been right next to Ralph in one second and then gone in the next?

Ralph smoothed his hands over the chocolate surface of the strange mountain.

"Felix?"

A tiny hand reached out from the wall and grabbed him. He was yanked back behind the digital surface and into a stuffy, hot space that was much darker than the outside.

Ralph stumbled on his feet and balanced himself. Felix was looking at him with his little hands up like he was trying to catch Ralph if he fell. Ralph didn't want to see how that would have worked.

"Woah." Ralph turned his head up and saw several spikes hanging from the ceiling made out of peanut brittle. The surface and walls were made of the same material. "What is this place?"

"I'm not sure." Felix walked around the area. "It's toasty in here."

"It's like over a hundred degrees."

Felix caught a small tiny detail at the corner of his eye.

"Ralph, look."

He led the big man to where he saw a little makeshift shack made with a few pretzel sticks and a giant sponge cake. Several candy wrappers were laying on the ground. There was a little doll on a small shelf with a few gummi bears and a tiny replica of a go-kart.

"I think someone lives here." Felix said.

Ralph looked around him. "Who would live in a place like this?"

"I don't know."

The big man decided that he'd already seen all that he needed to.

"Well, time's a-wasting, my friend. Let's get out there and-"

Felix hopped in front of him. "No way, Ralph. We can't go out there! Not when that adorable, scary creature is still waiting for us!"

"Felix, the longer we wait, the longer I go without getting my medal back, and then-"

"Ralph," Felix sighed and closed his eyes. "Let's just take a breather. I'm feeling a little woozy from running around so much. Please."

The wrecker was about to protest, but he nodded after he realized how sore and tired he actually was.

"Alright, shortstop. I guess I could use a break from carrying you all over the place."

The little man looked at him. "What? But you haven't been-" He smiled. "Oh, heh, you were saying a joke, weren't you?"

Ralph nodded. "Now you're starting to get it."

...

Though Felix didn't feel like it was very neighborly of him to trespass on someone else's property, but if the person who claimed residency came back, he figured he could use his superb negotiating skills.

That was another one of his talents.

They wandered through the mountain, looking at the lanterns that were placed against the peanut brittle walls. There was moisture dripping from the spikes on the underside of the cave and Ralph felt a small drop fall onto his head as he walked.

It actually seemed like an upgrade to Ralph's old home. It may have been an actual cave without any easily accessible resources, but at least it was warm. And secluded. He wouldn't have to watch other people enjoy their lives while he sat in a pile of bricks with his misery.

And now he was telling himself that if things were to go downhill for him back in Niceland, this was a place he could seek refuge. This could be a new home for him.

But Ralph wasn't about to tell that to Felix.

"Okay," Felix said, dusting the dirt off his hands. "I've scouted through the whole area, and there are no other entrances besides the one we know about."

"Okay, that's good, I guess."

Ralph flopped on his back and sprawled his arms outward.

"I'm beat.

Felix came over and laid down right next to him.

"I hear you, buddy."

They both stared up at the tiny white spots in the ceiling and tried to count each and every one of them, like they were counting the stars underneath a night sky.

"So, what was it you were going to tell me before we were chased over here?" Felix asked.

Ralph's content smile faded and his chest sparked with those electrical currents again.

"Oh, right, uh..." Ralph rested his hands on his stomach. "Well, I just wanted to know what it was like being a hero every day. You know, if I'm going to try and act like a hero, I should probably learn what it all means."

Felix wasn't expecting that answer.

"Oh, well, okay then."

He'd been working at it long enough that it was automatic. He didn't have to think about his job while he did it. Neither did Ralph, he assumed. And it was hard to create an explanation for something that didn't require a lot of thought.

"I honestly don't know how to explain it. It's just something I do."

Ralph didn't understand. "Wait, do you do it because it's something you do on your own, or because it's in your code?"

"Both? I mean, I always try to do the right thing whenever I get the chance."

"But how do you know what the right thing is?"

"Well," Felix began. "If someone was trapped in the apartment complex, and it was on fire, wouldn't you try to save them?"

Ralph considered it. Even if it was a person he really, really disliked, he knew the answer to this question.

"Yeah, I guess I would."

Felix turned on his side and propped up his head with his elbow. "Then, there you go. You can do something heroic, too."

When Ralph turned his head, he realized Felix was laying very close to him. And the handyman was looking down at him with dreamy, half-lidded eyes.

"Well..." Ralph began, trying to hide the glow on his cheeks. "That actually wasn't what I wanted to ask you about."

He was nervous beyond control.

"Do you... like me?"

Felix blinked and sat up. "Of course I like you, Ralph. You're the best man I know."

"But," Ralph pushed himself up with his palms. "Do you... like me?"

The handyman raised his brow in response.

Ralph sighed. "Ah, forget it."

Then he laid on his side and turned away from the short man. But Felix wasn't ready to put this conversation to rest yet. He scooted over towards the wrecker and tapped on his arm.

"Ralph?"

The wrecker didn't turn over fully but he did turn his head to make eye contact with those blue orbs.

Felix sat back on his knees and twiddled his two index fingers together. "Um..." His eyes were looking down at the ground. "You know, when you kissed me... I didn't feel bad."

Ralph's eyes shot open and he sat himself up. "You didn't?"

Felix's head was down but his eyes shifted up to meet the other's.

"It actually felt kind of nice. I mean..." His cheeks burned. "I know you already said it was just the heat of the moment, but I just thought I'd tell you that I enjoyed our time together. And, well, this might sound kind of cheeky coming from me, but that night you came over, I wanted to tell you that I appreciate you."

Ralph was waiting to hear the next part of his sentence.

"Is that all?"

Felix tilted his head to the side. "Pardon?"

"Sorry, what I meant was," He took in a deep breath. "Would you want to do it again?"

It was unclear why the concept of being more than friends was difficult for Felix to grasp. Surely, he would have had some idea of what people would be feeling for each other when they kissed.

Ralph didn't realize how shy Felix was about this entire thing. He was looking more nervous than a teenage boy trying to ask a girl out to a dance. Ralph saw how Mary and the other girls acted with him. Always being so affectionate and dragging him whenever they wanted his attention.

Maybe the handyman really just saw all those girls as friends. If not, sisters.

Still, Ralph didn't understand why Felix was looking at him as if he was speaking another language. Though, Ralph wasn't exactly blurting out the words "I might be in love with you" to the handyman's face.

The wrecker would have had to drank a lot of root beer for that to happen. Or at least have some notion that the feeling was mutual.

Felix hadn't said a word in the few minutes of this stone-cold silence between them, making Ralph worry that he might have offended him. But then, Felix stood so that he was eye-level with Ralph, walked over to him, and stared into his eyes.

The look on Felix's face was serious. It made the butterflies in Ralph's stomach race against each other.

Gently, Felix's hand cupped Ralphs cheek and his thumb stroked Ralph's cheekbone.

"Does this answer your question?"

And his eyelids were closed and his lips were puckered.

Oh, God...

Felix was about to kiss him. Unforced and effortless. This was actually happening. Ralph swallowed the spontaneous knot in his throat. He waited a second to see if Felix was playing a joke on him. But he wasn't. That wasn't Felix's style. This was not something to joke about.

This was real. This was Felix being bold after hearing Ralph be so unsure of himself and his feelings. Ralph's eyelids dropped slowly and his lips pursed together as he moved in closer.

And then...

"What in the Sam Hill?! Who said you two could barge in here?!"

Both men turned their heads and Felix was knocked back on his behind in surprise.

It was the same black-haired girl that invaded their space not too long ago. Only this time, her hair was a mess, her clothing was torn and tattered with an enormous dark stain, as if she'd fallen into a chocolate puddle. Her leggings had been torn at the knee on the right side and a small cut could be seen.

Her eyes were red and her face was damp like she'd been crying, and she was holding remnants of a vehicle of some sort in her hands.

The two didn't know what she'd been through as she came over here, but they could clearly see that they weren't the only ones who had been attacked and chased.

AN: Ah, finally! I hate it when I get everything ready to write a new chapter and end up sitting in front of my laptop doing nothing for hours.

I got really excited writing this :3 (especially towards the end).

If Sugar Rush was an actual game and there was an open-world option to explore the map, I'd want to see all the cool, creative candy themed regions.