A/N: Just want to let you all know that I am home from Phoenix Comicon - for everyone that saw me, took pictures with me/us, or were still too painfully shy to come up to me, just want to say one huge thank you for even noticing me! I also am so glad I got to reconvene with some old friends, that was a lot of fun! This year's con was SO much fun, and I am very pleased to say, that I have my hotel room booked for Phoenix Comicon 2016! SO EXCITED.
We also have confirmed with each other that we will be cosplaying from Defying Code next year! I will be going as Tessa, my boyfriend will be going as Zed, and Michaela has kindly agreed to go as Penny! Hopefully that will be a thing we invest in (and my hair will be long enough by then xD ) we're very excited for next year!
If you want to see all my crazy comicon pictures and such, check out my Instagram - my username is Vyntastic - I posted all weekend long, lots of good and funny pictures of us in our cosplays! ENJOY!
I'm back on my regular uploading schedule as of now - Sit tight, cause shit's gunna get good! :D
*Chapter 60*
At the head of the group, Tessa and zed walked hand in hand through sugar rush's warm, winding wires. Tessa gripped her hand in his and inhaled the sweet, tender smells of the rushing wind that eagerly entered the wires they traveled down, as if it were the first thing sugar rush wanted it's visitors to experience. As they neared the entrance, she lightly looked down to hers and zed's feet; he was dressed casually, a tattered pair of jeans and a lazy tank was what he usually sported. Tessa was dressed in her comfy black sweats and a light t-shirt, the typical comfort for a lazy, Friday afternoon school day. She furrowed her eyebrows lightly and merely glanced at Zed; he looked as if he was overflowing with thoughts of all kinds, rushing ideas and uncertainties. Tessa lightly smiled and tuned her attention to her family behind her; they were busy chattering about Lickity as they kept their distance.
"Talk to me," Tessa eased to Zed as she squeezed his hand. He briefly looked at her through inquisitive eyes and wrinkled a bashful smile.
"Sorry, love," Zed breathed as the two eased into the massive dome of sugar rush's entrance. He inhaled the glorious, crisp air of Tessa's future kingdom. Through an exhale, he continued, "It's... It's weird being around everyone, as Zed. Now that everyone knows, it's sort of freeing... Really, if it weren't for me meeting Emery, and hanging out with Tammy, I would have never met you... I would have never felt comfortable revealing who I really am."
"How old was I when we met?" Tessa wrinkled her nose in curiosity and smiled as the two slowed to a stop and continued to face Sugar Rush head on.
"User," Zed smiled in a nostalgic way and shook his head lightly; the breeze whisked their hair about, "I think you were about eight months old. Er, eight 'years' old... I only saw you once, briefly, when you were a baby."
"Big turn off, eh?" Tessa teased; Zed rolled his eyes.
"I'd count your blessings," Zed smiled into her eyes and lightly faced her, "Not every gamer has the pleasure of living a user-like lifestyle. Lovingly being raised, going off to school when you're ready... Arcade at your feet."
"Lived vicariously through Zane?" Tessa smiled lightly and dared to slip her other hand in his as he gently pushed farther into her presence.
"Guess you could say that," Zed said softly as he looked down to their feet. He opened his mouth to continue on, though Oliver broke their tender moment.
"So, what's on the agenda, tonight? It IS a Friday night, after all," Oliver beamed his father's smile as Tammy, Penny, Emery and Lickity easily gathered around.
"I think mom said something about dinner, and then s'mores on the far side of the castle, tonight," Penny chimed lightly, "Under the sky gazebo."
"What's that?" Zed inquired lightly as Tessa uttered a reply of excitement.
"You'll see," Tammy smiled as she gently pat Zed's shoulder, "It's beautiful. Looks over Rancis's garden."
"Lickity's favorite spot," Oliver gently ran his large hand over Lickity's snout, in which she eagerly leaned into.
"You doin' okay, there?" Tammy wondered, he gentle pat Zed's shoulder and squeezed it, "ZED?"
"I'm still mind boggled," Emery said with a kind smile and a gentle shrug. Zed smiled into each of his friends' eyes before gluing his final gaze to Tessa's.
"I'm great," Zed said softly, though he pushed his inquisitive gaze farther into Tessa's soul, "I-I've always wanted a family..."
"Well, look no farther," Penny chimed in a dull, sarcastic tone, "There are a billion of us and enough sass until the year 2091."
"True story," Tessa's mouth curled into a shy, though cheeky smile as everyone crippled into gentle laughter. Zed beamed and looked down to the ground lightly, though he furrowed his eyebrows.
"I owe you guys," Zed eased gently, though everyone uttered their own little notions of kind disagreeing.
"C'mon," Tessa lightly gestured her head towards her future kingdom, though her eyes remained glued to Zed's in overflowing welcoming.
Sugar Rush's glowing castle sat poised in the late, spring, evening air. The candy blossoms and sweet flowers, that were in full bloom, coated the cool atmosphere with warm nostalgia. The castle's strong, welcoming walls housed eleven, bumbling, excitable family members, all of which were drained for a long week of game-time and Academy. As the feast of dinner came and went, everyone was eager to head outside for Sugar Rush's infamous, delectable s'mores and a hot, cozy bonfire to match. While most of the group left the kitchen, to head outside, Zed, Taffyta, Tessa, Penny and Oliver hung back to help moving the supplies for s'mores.
"This is painful to look at," Zed said through a distressed smile; he held a large platter, which was delicately and beautifully lined with an arrangement of all sorts of chocolates.
"Then don't look at it, y'dingus," Penny said in a dull tone over her shoulder; Taffyta shot her daughter an incredulous look.
"The sass, child!" Taffyta laughed as she head towards the kitchen's massive, walk in pantry.
"I learn from the best," Penny said in teasing sing-song, though Tessa waved around a short prong, in which they'd use to roast their marshmallows.
"Yeah, she's gained a spine, after forcing Orion out of the game," Tessa muttered, though Oliver shot Tessa a disturbed look, as did Taffyta, who was quick to peek her head out of the walk-in pantry she stepped into.
"What!" Taffyta beamed an annoyed smile, though Penny vigorously nodded and perked up.
"It's true," Penny chirped, "He even knows dragon shouts!"
"Shouts," Zed repeated sarcastically as he eyed Penny, she covered her mouth and scrunched her shoulders in an apologetic way.
"Orion doesn't know any dragon shouts," Taffyta laughed as she sunk back into the pantry, "You think that jerk has stepped foot into a game that even RESEMBLED Skyrim?"
"Not to mention, Orion is a chameleon, not a dragon," Oliver eased.
"Well, he knows how to break windows with one roar!" Penny quipped as she raised a finger, though she shot Zed a teasing smirk. He inhaled a deep breath and playfully let out a complaint of a grumble.
"Oh yeah!" Tessa pointed to Zed with a wrinkled, curious expression, "Did he-?"
"Yyyep," Zed quipped.
"He what?" Taffyta wondered from inside the pantry.
"He destroyed the windows of Zed's loft," Penny laughed softly.
"I'm Zed," Zed meeped.
"It was brilliant!" Penny laughed as she threw her head back.
"You're excited over Zed's home being destroyed?" Oliver furrowed his eyebrows and gave Penny a playful glare.
"She'll get excited over anything that gets destroyed," Taffyta huffed a noise as she came out of the pantry, she held a large container that was full of delicious, flaky, crisp graham crackers, "Y'shoulda seen it, Ol. Before you were born, Tessa and Penny would steal away just to destroy things."
"She did the destroying, I just watched," Penny nodded with a knowing smile, her and Tessa lightly fist-bumped.
"Good times," Tessa muttered.
"Bet that got old for Tammy, real quick," Zed eased with a knowing smile, Tessa rolled her eyes and nodded.
"And she was always so adamant about Ralph and Vanellope giving her a wrecking cousin," Taffyta largely set down the container and shook her head, "Then, once the poor girl was born, all her prayers answered, Tammy turns into a neat freak!"
"Nothing's changed!" Penny cried in annoyance; everyone easily laughed.
"C'mon, let's head out," Taffyta eased softly as she picked up the box of graham crackers, though she lightly struggled with it, "Someone explain to me why Orion was torturing Zed's house?"
"Here, I can take those," Zed softly eased, though he quickly got up from the kitchen island and moved around to Taffyta. She raised her eyebrows and gently handed over the heavy box. She gave him a kind, incredulous smile.
"Oh, thank you," Taffyta smiled as Zed easily picked up the box and moved back around the island, to head towards the exit. She put her hands on her hips and lightly eyed Tessa, in a knowing way, though she continued on, to Zed, "That's real nice of you."
"Of course," Zed smiled as he reached the kitchen's exit and patiently waited at it; Tessa held the sticks for the s'mores, Taffyta held the plate of chocolates and Oliver carried the big bag of Sugar Rush marshmallows.
"So, why was Orion forced to leave the game?" Taffyta wondered as the five head down the kitchen's corridor, which lead to the Great Hall, "That bag of nerds hasn't ever left Sugar Rush."
"I'm pretty certain, if Sugar Rush was going to be unplugged, he'd be stubborn enough to go down with the ship," Oliver laughed, everyone easily agreed.
"I don't know, I guess I'm just convincing," Penny shrugged as she crossed her arms, though she held onto a proud smile.
"Orion's always had a soft spot for you, Pens," Taffyta said in a knowing way as she nudged her daughter's arm; she shot her mom a curious smile.
"And, I had good reason," Penny chimed, though she lightly looked over her shoulder to Tessa, who trailed behind the four, "Had to get these two love birds back to talking."
"Ooh, la la," Taffyta teased; Oliver and Penny easily errupted with laughter.
"I'm going to stab these into my eyes," Tessa chimed in a delightfully sarcastic chirp as she waved around the sharp s'mores sticks; Zed furrowed his eyebrows and beamed her a wide, annoyed smile over his shoulder
"I'm not that terrible to be with, am I?" Zed said through a gentle laugh, Tessa wrinkled her nose and gave him a playful smirk as she bashfully shook her head.
"I'm glad Orion did you that favor," Taffyta smiled a loving smile back towards Tessa, though she fixated her eyes on the back of Zed's head as him and Oliver lead them across the Great Hall, towards a rather hidden stairwell, just near the spiraling staircase that lead to Ralph and Vanellope's room, "It's always nice adding new faces to the castle."
"Thank User the castle is massive," Oliver chimed with a happy smile, "Just imagine once all of us faux-codes start having kids of our own."
"Sheesh," Taffyta laughed as they all gently filed into the small, dark stairwell that lead up and up, "Looks like your mom and I started a trend."
"How many people were there, in the castle, before we all came along?" Penny wondered quietly as their voices began to loudly echo throughout the stairwell.
"Honestly, it was just me, and your two aunts, Vanellope and Candlehead," Taffyta laughed gently as she hung towards the back of their single file; Oliver at the front, "After our upgrade, we sort of grew distant from Fix-It Felix and Hero's Duty. Once Ralph and Vanellope reunited, the rest went down in history."
"Tammy was the first one born, right?" Oliver gently wondered as him and Zed came to the final landing first.
"Right," Taffyta chirped, "Then Tessa, Penny and Oliver. We've sort of adopted Emery into the game, and now, well... Zed!"
"Don't forget Lickity," Tessa eased softly, though she tried to keep her heart from fluttering too wildly at the idea of Zed becoming closer to the roots of her home, and herself.
"No one can forget Lickity," Oliver laughed as everyone gently filed out of the stone archway and into Sugar Rush's gentle night air.
The five emerged on a large, sprawling walkway, hugged on each side by two feet of castle wall. The massive pathway was the top of the sturdy, massive wall that protected the castle grounds; it's beautiful, sugary swirled stones glistened underneath Sugar Rush's powerful, boasting, milky moon. Zed flinched lightly as the massive intake of information, to his brain, was almost too much to handle. He inhaled a sharp, silent breath and raised his eyebrows in dewy surprise. The game's sky practically eked gentle rays of welcoming honey; warm, sticky goodness that he wanted so badly to drown in and never leave. He slumped his shoulders gently and let his eyes crawl all the way down the speckled, sugary solid path. It lead to a massive, sprawling gazebo, held sturdy by towering stone pillars and domed with an equally as strong housing that boasted a proper skylight. Far off around the bend, hung the rest of Tessa's family. The gazebo's mini amphitheater like appearance was large enough for a gathering of fifty or more people. Perched perfectly at the center of the cave-in was a proper bon-fire; it's flames tenderly let specks of embers sail out of the gazebo's opened housing.
The game's full moon boasted Sugar Rush's tender, though sweet and gooey night life. Cinnamon fire-flies dotted Rancis's sprawling fields and gardens, far down and to the left, while the game's sprawling distance, to the right, hugged a proper amount of soft, cool, evening mist amongst a boasting view of Westwind Acres. Twinkling properly in the distance was Sugar Rush's westward city. He let his eyes soak in every single fiber, every pink petal Sugar Rush's cherry blossom trees let free by the cool breeze, every pixely sugar cube that lined the game with irresistible charm. He finally realized his feet stopped working once Penny and Taffyta slowly wormed their way around him, on the large walkway. Taffyta gave him a knowing smirk over her shoulder, as if every outsider had the same reaction when stepping into Sugar Rush's glory. He long blinked a few times, though Tessa's tender voice broke his wonder.
"Surely Dead Zed has equally as beautiful spots, no?" Tessa teased softly; Zed scoffed a gentle, bashful laugh and let his piercing blue eyes grip hers.
"Sure, but... This is different," Zed breathed as the two pushed on together, they remained close. Zed readjusted the box to his chest and let his eyes soak in everything, as if he was going to miss it by purely blinking, "Your game definitely caters to all the senses. My game is just pretty to look at."
"I love your game," Tessa said in a tone as if to suggest for him to not rag on it, "It's real. The air is free of sugary smells."
"You mean you get tired of this?" Zed wondered incredulously with a wide beam and a smile that shot straight into her heart; she easily laughed.
"Well, yes and no!" Tessa beamed, "I was born here. This is all I knew for the first eight months of my life."
"You're lucky," Zed said softly to her as they caught eyes, "You have a really awesome set up, here."
"I try to remind myself that," Tessa said kindly, though it was obvious her daily routines, and family, lightly annoyed her from time to time.
The two gently approached the warm, glowing gazebo that towered to the sky. Zed could feel his skin almost tighten to his bones as he finally realized he'd be joining Tessa's family as Zed, for the first time. He swallowed a nervous gulp and knew diving into this new situation was bound to happen sooner or later.