A/N: Hey guys, just a heads up, I know Zed's brothers have already sort of been 'introduced' in this story, half the story back, but they are finally reintroduced in this chapter - if you need a refresher on what they look like, I've drawn all 6 of Dead Zed's racer-brothers. It's on my deviantART gallery titled 'Dead Zed Racers' - username Vyntresser :D
Song Listened To : Something Better by Audien Ft. Lady Antebellum
Woodlands by Ben Prunty
*Chapter 147*
Tessa held her breath, though she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. She largely stuck her pinky into her ear, wiggled it about, coughed a little and shook her head before she eagerly peered to Lickity in hard surprise.
"Come again?" Tessa uttered curiously.
"You know how hard it was to contain myself?" Lickity suddenly said, loudly. Her voice was strangely sweet, coated with a bite of a raspy, boyish attitude, "I've literally been with you for no more than five minutes and I already blew my cover."
Tessa began to shake in nervousness as she fumbled to dismount Zed's bike. She pushed the button, to get it to unravel, though as the baton swirled and messily fell to the cold tiles underneath, Tessa just barely took a faltering step away. She kept her bewildered gaze to Lickity. She knew she had that one nightmare about Lickity gaining the ability to speak, though now she was uncertain where she was.
"It'd be a fun game, too...! One day, while you all are yucking it up, you'd crack a joke about me and say 'ah well, good thing Lickity can't talk'" Lickity mocked in a deep voice, clearly pretending to be Zed. She sprawled her wings just barely and bounced on her feet in a fit of wild excitement. She smiled and bared her sharp teeth in the process, "Then, BAM! I CAN talk! Joke's on you."
"H-how...?" Tessa stammered, she felt as if her brain had turned to goo at this point.
"I have no clue!" Lickity ogled in hard surprise, her ears sat perched taut above her head as she peered hard into Tessa's eyes, "After mine and Orion's swap, I just...! Started TALKING! He wanted nothing to do with me after that. Typical male."
"Y-you gained the ability to talk because of Orion!" Tessa laughed as she gestured her arms out, "You can TALK!"
"I'm a real boy!" Lickity yelled playfully as she shifted on all four of her feet and flapped her wings lazily. Tessa heaved a hard laugh and waved her hand slightly.
"User, what will everyone think?! I can't wait to show Penny this!" Tessa laughed, though she sharply raised her eyebrows and, as if she hated herself for even suggesting something like that, both girls froze.
Tessa slumped her shoulders and gave Lickity a bewildered look of forgotten sorrows. Her eyes welled with tears, which cued Lickity to sag her existence as well.
"Tess, why're you doin' this to yourself," Lickity's voice gained the softest warmth, though she opened her arm for Tessa, to cue her invitation for a hug.
"I'm so scared, Lickity," Tessa argued as she softly moved into Lickity's arm and chest. She shivered with the feel of Lickity's warm, powerful arm sink tight around Tessa's back, "I can't believe this is all happening."
"Yeah, kind of a lot to take in, I guess," Lickity uttered quietly as she rested her chin atop Tessa's head, "I was teleported to the entrance of Sugar Rush about half an hour ago... Not even I can get in."
"What are we going to do?" Tessa uttered through tears as she softly peeled herself out of Lickity's scaly arm. Lickity bowed her head gently and flattened her ears.
"Something I surely don't want to do," Lickity muttered as she darkly looked away, "I'd give anything not to see that jerk, again..."
"That jerk is going to be the uncle of this baby," Tessa dared in defense; Lickity held onto her attitude, though her facial expression softened as she glanced at Tessa's stomach, "We don't have a choice... You don't have to like it, or even speak to Orph, but-"
"Who said anything about speaking to him?" Lickity suddenly smiled, her sharp teeth peeked through her scales and fur, "This stays between us."
"I'm not allowed to tell anyone you can talk?" Tessa argued, she grew disgruntled.
"Oh y'can tell them!" Lickity lifted her head, tucked her wings close and gave Tessa a sly side eye, "Whose to say they'll believe you?"
"That's cruel," Tessa muttered as she finally bent down and retrieved Zed's light cycle baton, "Why don't you want anyone else to know that you can talk?"
"I don't know, I'm not used to it," Lickity urged as she softly then lapped her long, black tongue over her bat-like snout. She smacked her lips and gave Tessa an incredulous look of worry, "It'll just be our thing. Who knows. Maybe one day I'll open up to everyone. I enjoyed just sitting and only listening, anyhow."
"Yeah, until it came to killing people to speak your mind," Tessa retorted; Lickity harshly flattened her ears.
"You had it comin'," Lickity playfully bared her fangs.
"So what, then, you going to just roast Orph's ass anytime he disagrees with anyone?" Tessa crossed her arms, "You realize, if we go find Zed's brothers, and we get Zed's code reset to normal... They're going to be around all the time. Including Orph."
"I'm not doing this for me," Lickity urged quietly, her demeanor grew still, which cued Tessa to ease up as well, "... This is for the benefit of yours and Zed's baby. Which I still can't really believe, by the way. How does that even work?"
"User, I don't know," Tessa complained as she covered her head and face, with both of her hands and slumped her shoulders, "Usually it takes at least a dozen times of swapping to become pregnant. W-we only did it four times, in the human world!"
"Only!" Lickity barked before she was rocketed into a loud laughing fit. She slumped her body and raised her wings a little, as if she couldn't help herself. Tessa rolled her eyes and playfully swat at Lickity's snout.
"Come off it, let's get going," Tessa argued, though her eyes scanned Lickity's spine, "...Where's your saddle?"
"I-I think I lost it," Lickity stated in confusion as she tried to collect herself; Tessa gave her a look of annoyed stupor.
"Guess I'll be the second being to ride you bare back, then?" Tessa muttered; Lickity's ears tilted lazily, though her pupils shrank with the insult.
"You're one to talk, guess Zed doesn't believe in protection?" Lickity urged through a smile.
"No fair, I guess Orion doesn't either," Tessa cackled, though she heaved a tired sigh, lazily whirled around once and caught a glimpse of Lickity's beaming facial expression, "Don't look so smug, Lickity... Getting knocked up on Prom weekend isn't exactly something to write home about."
"Ah, it's just as well," Lickity finally contained herself, inhaled a solidifying breath and the two finally began to step closer to Game Central Station, "I always thought it'd be cool to have a brood. The nice thing is, we can do it together."
"Definitely is a game changer," Tessa heaved through a hard sigh as the two stood side by side, just at the mouth of Sugar Rush's golden outlet.
Game Central Station glowed a honey warmth, a lazy Sunday afternoon riddled with dust particles that looked as if they were excited to settle for the evening. The station bustled with life, though unlike a normal game day, all kinds of gamers were nonchalant and relaxed, they chit-chat amongst groups and collected in small bubbles of warmth. Tessa softly sagged her larger hand to the side of Lickity's lower shoulder, just near where her left wing met her spine. She heaved a tired sigh and, with a teary gaze, her eyes found where Dead Zed's outlet used to hang. Before she could sulk, her eyes finally dragged to Fix It Felix Jr., and to Hero's Duty.
"Where's... Where's our game?" Lickity worried, insinuating Dead Zed's disappearance.
"Zed had to move the game to End Of Line station," Tesa mumbled, she rubbed the back of her hand to her face and sniffled softly, "I guess that outlet was on the brink of malfunctioning."
"Better safe than sorry," Lickity eased quietly, "So... Zed's in End Of Line right now? In Dead Zed?"
"Yeah, he's there," Tessa softly assured as she kept her sorrowful gaze to her beloved station, one of which she was worried she would see much less of now, "He thinks he's Zane, now, though..."
"Black hair and all?" Lickity wondered with a curious side eye, she finally bowed her head so that her and Tessa were now eye level. Tessa hesitantly nodded.
"Yep, doesn't have a single clue who any of us are," Tessa mumbled, though Lickity gave Tessa a confused look.
"User, he doesn't even know... He's about to be a father," Lickity eased quietly, though she flinched once Tessa scoffed a small laugh, put her hands on her hips and gave Lickity a snide smile.
"Nope! Not a chance," Tessa quipped, "His brothers will hear the news first."
"He'll be last to know?" Lickity lightly complained, though her ears perked in a reflex as Tessa began to step out into Game Central Station, as if to prove she was brave enough to finally leave the clutches of her comfortable home game.
"Yep," Tessa furrowed her eyebrows, and just as she stepped out, she threw her gaze back into her outlet, as if her soul wasn't prepared to leave just yet, "Well... Really, my whole entire family will be last to know."
"Ralph and Vanellope have no idea they're going to be grandparents," Lickity uttered sadly as she sagged her wings and looked over her shoulder, "... So, do you think... If they knew you were pregnant, they'd let you back in?"
"I don't care," Tessa muttered darkly, she gave Sugar Rush one last glare, "If they're going to treat me like this, then they have no place in my baby's life. It's not fair... But they'll be sorry."
Lickity frowned and glanced at Tessa before, she too, peered down Sugar Rush's dark wires. Tessa inhaled a readied breath, shook her head and turned heel.
"I saved my kingdom," Tessa eased quietly, "That's all I'm concerned about... I hope they're happy."
Deep in the jungles of Dead Zed lay an oasis, a humble gathering. A place the five racers of the game knew well; their abode. Crowned with the highest, prettiest jungle trees, in which were strung with a series of a few tree houses and comfortable nooks of homes, the five boys lazily enjoyed their Sunday afternoon. Lay relaxed on the dock of his nook of a tree home, Finn heard a loud commotion a few dozen feet beneath him, on the jungle floors below. Trailed with gorgeous, ancient carvings of rock, in which lead to a massive, circular gathering spot, Finn stretched his neck to get a good look at the ground. Once he spot three of his younger brothers, loudly bickering, he rolled his eyes and slumped back into the hammock he lounged in, as well as the digital hologram of a book he eagerly kept his nose buried in.
"Orph, I'm taller than you, just let me do it!" Jax barked, he gestured his arm outwards to what Orph was struggling with; a dragon trap he had set a few months back, and never got used.
"I made this contraption, if I let you fiddle with it, even just a little, it could like... Prematurely explode or something," Orph rushed in a mumble, he grunted as he reached for a certain dark roped pulley.
"Is that why you can't get a girl?" Jax cocked an eyebrow, Orph shot him a dirty look underneath the nook of his arm, which was largely stretched up and outward.
"Y'really think now is the best time to goad him, Jax? Amidst a dragon trap?" Tej muttered under his breath, though he messily ruffled his hair and looked away, as if to be oblivious to the steam rising off of Orph's nearly bald head, minus his prominent, silver mohawk.
"Why isn't... It... Working!" Orph grunted in hard annoyance as he began to largely tug on one of few ropes that chaotically strung upwards into the juvenile jungle tree above.
"Probably, oh I don't know, this is just an uneducated guess," Tessa kindly chimed as she strolled up and fingered her lip, "Y'need a dragon?"
All three boys whirled around in hard surprise, though with one snap of Tessa's larger fingers, Lickity slowly budged out from behind the few bushes, in which Orph's trap was nearest. With a small snap of Lickity's fangs, the thin rope easily jolted apart, which cued the whirring pulley system into action. With a swift, upward tug and a hard yelp from Orph's startled figure, he was nearly launched into the air as the ropes grappled his ankles and dangled him upside down, eye level with Tessa and his two younger brothers. Mud, leaves and other debris spewed upwards, alongside the mayhem, and splattered Orph's face and upside down figure. He grunted and coughed a few noises of discombobulation, though his arms and hands froze, as if to be scared to make any more sudden movements.
"Holy, User!" Jax laughed as him and Tej took a few hard, startled steps away from Tessa and Lickity. Orph's body dangled and swung in between the two girls; princesses who had come to kindly claim their land.
"Orph, I think the dragon caught you, this time," Tej said, though he bashfully covered his mouth, as if he didn't enjoy speaking in the presence of a stranger.
"Got any more cracks, captain obvious?!" Orph bellowed, though he stuck out his tongue a few times, in hard dismay, as mud dribbled down his chin to his mouth.
"Hey, that's a pretty good trap," Tessa said through a soft giggle, as if she knew when her prey was at it's most vulnerable, and rubbing dirt in the wound would likely set the place on fire, "I mean, hey! It works, right?"
"What do YOU want," Orph choked, he peeked one dizzy eye open to Tessa. His body softly swung to an idle sway, from his upside down position in the tree. The sturdy ropes held him taut in position.
"There are a lot of things I WANT," Tessa lulled her head to the side and looked up into the sky, her glossy eyes had already seen enough hurt for a lifetime. She brought her intelligent gaze back to Orph's disgruntled figure and dared to get closer to him. Once within arms length, she lightly steadied him and began to wipe his face free of mud, "Though, I don't think I have the luxury of 'wanting' anything, anymore."
"Just... Take my money, I don't care, just get that... That... BAT away from me," Orph spat as he wildly pointed to Lickity. She flattened her ears, in turn, and gave him a hard glare. Tessa could tell it took nearly everything inside her to keep from going ape.
"What brings you back here?" Jax wondered as he crossed his arms, "I know our... Our last encounter, with you, wasn't necessarily the prettiest."
"A lot brings me here," Tessa giggled as she drew her attention from Jax and Tej, to Orph. She put her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow, "I'll bet you think your world is turned upside down NOW, huh."