Chapter Six- Chocolate Cake and Ginger Snaps
~Prior to all the insanity….AGAIN.~
After excusing himself from the penthouse, Norwood strolled back to his apartment on the lower floor, humming a tune as he did so.
"Wreck it, Wreck-it Ralph as fast as ya can! Ya know ya can do it, with your colossal hands!"
Hey, the song did have a ring to it.
Opening his door, the man ducked to make sure he didn't hit his head on the low doorframe, still getting used to his new five and a half foot tall height adjustment. To his delight, all his cats didn't seem to notice the outward change of their master's appearance, running up to him as usual and purring in content as he petted them on the head.
"Hey, nice ta know that YOU guys are alright!" the man chuckled, going to his study, picking up Sassy and carrying her in his arms. The cat was so much smaller now that he was larger, almost the size of a chubby kitten "Awww, ya haven't been this small to me since ya were a lil thing, Sassy-girl!"
The cat purred happily as Norwood held her, her stubby tail curling.
Arriving in his study room the red-head looked for his pipe, the item in its usual place. He inspected it for a moment; the scaling was a bit off, the pipe a might too small for his larger hand and longer fingers but he shrugged. Even though there was a bit of an imbalance that didn't mean he still couldn't smoke it.
"Eh, might as well!"
He packed the pipe with tobacco and struck a match, puffing in a few times and blowing out some smoke rings.
Perfection.
"Ah, nice." The man sighed peacefully as he leaned back in his chair, his feet propped up on his desk and his hands behind his head. Even with everything that was going on, Norwood was so relaxed about everything that he didn't mind being stuck in this so-called BLISSED form for a while. Granted, he was never one to really complain about being a Nicelander in the first place but he was mighty impressed with the way he looked now in a more HUMAN form.
It was such a new experience to be taller, to be more detailed and animated. He was still chubby, just like everyone else, but being one of the taller males it all evened out.
After all, he wasn't a SHORT, big blueberry like GENE.
And then there was his hair; all of that GLORIOUS red hair.
Seeing his reflection in a nearby picture frame, the Nicelander let out a smug laughing and he struck a pose, his pipe still clenched in his teeth.
"Heh, who could say NO to this piece of Nicelander pie?"
NEL COULD.
Norwood quickly remembered how angry Nel was when she stormed off from the penthouse but then again, she would always storm off when he took things a wee too far.
Everyone in the apartment knew the drill; Norwood would tease Nel, Nel would say something sassy back, the two would spare off, and then it would all come down to which would give the final blow. If Norwood won, Nel would always comeback with a small punch to the gut or just walk off.
If Nel won….
Well, Norwood would turn even REDDER than he already was.
The man blew out a smoke ring from his pipe, regretting that he had let himself get TOO playful around the woman. It was a pity just the same, considering he had wanted to say something nice to her to cheer her up but once more, that juvenile part of his tiny brain got the better of him.
"Yeah. Smooth move, butt-monster…." The man grumbled to himself as he felt a bit of shame coming over him.
He knew what he had to do.
He had to apologize.
His pipe still in his mouth, Norwood walked all the way back up to the top floor, Felix still in his spot by the penthouse doors. The repairman took one look at the Nicelander but didn't say a word, instead shaking his head as if to warn Norwood about the encroaching storm should he try to face Nel now.
He had to do this though, otherwise who knew when Nel would ever speak to the man again.
And if that happened….
Yeah, then Norwood WOULD be alone with his cats.
The red-head shook his head, pointing at the door frame before taping it lightly with his knuckles.
"Ms. Nel?"
No reply.
The two men looked at each other, waiting on baited breath for something to happen. Norwood knocked again, a little harder this time.
"Ms. NE-!"
"I KNOW IT'S YOU RED, GO AWAY." shouted the woman from the other side of the door.
Norwood jumped back a bit, surprised at the sound outburst "Aw but baby!"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"
"Fine, but NEEEEEL!" Norwood whined in playful tone "I just came by to say I was sorry!"
"Sorry won't cut it this time, BUCK-O!" retorted Nel.
Norwood gave Felix another glance, almost as if he were desperate for the repairman on how to FIX this situation. Felix lounged back in his chair, giving his neighbor a rather haughty look.
"Sorry. This is somethihn' YOU'RE gonna hafta fix on your own! Hammer not included!"
The red-head moaned as he leaned on the door, trying his best to sound as serious as he could.
"Look….Nel? I'm sorry okay. I didn't mean to bother you like that."
"Bother?" the woman said, finally cracking open the door to glare up at Norwood "Bother isn't the word I would use for WHAT happened back there."
"Then what would suit it more?"
"ANNOYING. Does that work?" Nel huffed.
Norwood gave a chuckle as he leaned a bit on the door, forcing it open with his weight "Heh, I would have chosen ASININE but hey! It was your choice!"
"See, there ya go again!" Nel pointed "Ya ALWAYS do this!"
"Just tryin' ta lighten the mood, that's all!" Norwood smile but it was easy to see the nervous look in his eyes, the man backing away a bit but there was no escape. Nel THREW open her door and marched right up to the man, an evil smile on her face as she reached up and GRABBED the man by his tie.
"Ya wanna lighten the mood?" Nel said in a low voice "Fine….an' I know JUST tha way for ya to do it!"
With one strong TUG Norwood went FLYING into the apartment, his pipe falling onto the floor with a clatter.
"HOWAAAARGH!"
*SLAM!*
Felix said not a word as the door closed quickly behind the two, walking slowly over to the Nicelander's pipe and picking it up off the floor.
"Geeze, hope Ms. Nel doesn't do too much damage to him!"
Too much damage INDEED.
As soon as the door shut behind him, Norwood was FLUNG onto the couch and landed with such force on the small thing that he nearly bounced off the inner springs.
"DANG, Nel! Ya tryin' to break me in half or somethin'?!"
Nel said nothing, instead looking down at the man with a sly smile on her face and her arms crossed against her chest.
GOTCHA.
Nel had been playing the man the entire time.
"Silly red-head, it so cute to see you squirm!"
The man felt his cheeks burning with blush as Nel dove atop him, getting so close to the man that their noses bumped.
"N-Nel, what is this?!"
"It's just me gettin' ya where I want to for a change…" the woman laughed as she fluffed up Norwood's hair, making it poof out even more than normal "Seriously though, your little act in the penthouse was terrible but c'mon, ya know I wouldn't stay angry at ya for long!"
Well, that was a relief. The man was glad that Nel was no longer upset with him but her sudden turn was what had him in a spin. Sure, there had been a few times where Norwood would manage to get in a nice, warm hug or two in but nothing that went this far THIS FAST! The man could feel his heart racing as Nel adjusted her seating, sitting right atop the man's lap as her little legs dangled over his.
"So what do ya think of all of this. The Bliss I mean?" the woman acted so casually that Norwood had no idea how to answer.
"W-Wait, what?"
Nel reached in with the speed of a striking snake, grabbing Norwood's cheeks and squishing them.
"Mmmmm, like two warm squishy buns, sprinkled with cinnamon an' sugar!" the woman laughed warmly as she rubbed her nose against Norwood's.
One could only imagine the bells that were going off inside the man's head at the moment.
This was his dream come true. Nel was FINALLY with him but at the same time he was still lost for words. Why in the arcade was she suddenly acting so friendly to the man when all other times she would always try to knock him upside the head.
It then dawned on him.
Alone.
She had gotten him ALONE.
Whenever the two would share tea and pie with each other, Nel always acted a bit more open towards the man, allowing herself to flirt lightly and sometimes do and say things she would NEVER allow the others to see and hear.
Had Nel actually been holding back on herself for so long because she had other worries going on, like what the others would think?
The man took the small woman by her arms, pulling her away a bit.
"Whoa, slow down Sassy-pants!" the man chuckled "As much as I love someone who PRAISES mah…."
The man stopped, arching a brow.
"Rugged, good looks….Ya got me a bind here Nelly!"
"How so?" the woman scoffed, crossing her arms "I just wanna have some fun with ya and you're startin' ta back out? Nory, I never knew ya could be such a PRUDE!"
"PAH?! A PRUDE?!" the man shouted in shock, almost OFFENDED by the accusation "Ms. Nicelander Prunella Darling! I am MANY things! Immature, cocky, someone who steals Gene's stuff when he's not looking occasionally, but I am NOT a PRUDE as ya put it!"
"Don't call me by my real name…."
Norwood suddenly stood up but as he did, he scooped Nel into his arms, posing as if he were getting ready to go on some wondrous adventure.
"I AM, as the kids call me, MR. DR. NICELANDER NORWOOD! I HAVE A THIRST FOR LIFE THAT SHALL NOT BE SQUELCHED, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS! NO MATTER WHAT COMES MY WAY! An' even if I own a lot of cats that EVERYONE in this apartment can't stand, I shall NOT let that bring me down to PRUDISH levels!"
Nel rolled her eyes but a sly grin was still plastered on her face "Fine, fine, fine big-red, I get your point…"
"Oh, I don't think ya do…" Norwood snickered, dropping the woman back on the couch and standing over her "I dun think that Miss Nicelander Sassy-Pants gets what I am tryin' ta tell her!"
Norwood then reached down for the bottom of his sweater-vest, pulling it off as he swung it around a bit.
"Ah am not ah pruuuude…." The man sang "Ah can show ya a good tiiiiiime!"
"Oh, what fun can ya have Mr. Sweater-Vest?" Nel teased "Show me how to play with your cats! That is somethin' I MUST know!"
The man leaned down, his body nearly on top of Nel as he gave her a devilish grin.
"Heh, ya know there is one type of cat that I love above all others….a special cat YA happen ta have."
Nel wrapped her little legs around Norwood, drawing him closer "Do tell, RED."
Norwood slid his hands behind the woman's back, lifting her up a bit "I think there are better ways of showin' ya…."
And then…
Smooch.
Nel had given Norwood a few pecks on the cheek before but this was something more than that, something MUCH bigger. In the back of Norwood's mind, the man could not believe that this was happening but it wasn't as if this was something he didn't want.
WHO WOULDN'T WANT A KISS FROM NEL!?
The man had to watch Nel kiss Felix at the end of every game for thirty-years! It was about time he got some of his share!
The two pulled away, Nel looking at Norwood with her big (and devious) brown eyes.
"Tell me, Red."
"Yes?"
"What is it? What is it about ME that, well, makes ya feel this way? I mean, there are so many other wonderful ladies here so why choose me?"
In a flash, Nel saw the playful, almost impish look in Norwood's face disappear, replaced with the look of a man who looked as if his loved one had told him something that both touched and hurt his heart. The woman began to regret her question in that very second, almost worried that she had done something to upset the man.
"Nel…." Norwood began, his voice so sad "Nel, you're WONDERFUL!"
The woman blinked a bit, still unsure of what to take of the man's mood "H-How so?"
Norwood smiled as he continued to hold Nel in his arms "I can't just measure it words, short-stack! I….Ever since we were plugged in, I just felt somethin' wonderful an' LOVELY about ya!"
LOVELY.
Nel blushed at that word, hoping to the programmers that Norwood hadn't noticed.
"I guess its just when everyone was startin' ta get ta know each other. I mean, we had out backstories ta fill in all tha issues about tha past an' all an' it did say I kinda had a crush on ya as a kid."
"Oh, GOD! THAT!"
"But the more I got ta know ya, tha more I began ta realize-!"
The man stopped, his mind feverishly trying to catch up with his heart.
"You're everythin' I love an' MORE!" the man smiled "Smart, crafty, you're sharp an' feisty too!"
Nel had NEVER been as bashful as she had been at this very moment, her chocolate brown skin now red as a rose as she continued to avert her eyes away from Norwood. She then felt his fingers gently going under her chin, lifting her head up. The two then met eye-to-eye, brown meeting green.
"Plus, you're as cute as a button."
That was it. That was the moment that all sharpness and cattiness had just been BLOWN out of the way for Nel. Unable to hold back, the woman placed her tiny hands to her cheeks, letting out a squeal of a laugh as she shuffled away from Norwood.
"R-R-Red! You're just tryin' ta fluff me up here!"
"I'm bein' honest!" the man said, moving closer to the woman "I-I just hope….I just hope that ya don't find me such a huge annoyance. I mean, I know I've gotten on your case over the past three decades but-!"
Norwood felt Nel's finger touch his lips, his words stopped right at the height. He looked down, seeing Nel giving him a wink as she shook her head.
"Oh, Nory, Nory, Nory. If I found ya ANNOYIN', I wouldn't have let ya get CLOSE ta my apartment. But guess what? Here ya are!"
The taller man moved back, clearing his throat as he pulled at his tie "Well, ya could have invited me in here ta kick my butt. There have been PLENTY a'times when ya've done THAT!"
"Hey, those were just signs of affection. An' in some cases, ways ta get ya ta shut your mouth before someone whomped on ya!"
Norwood let out a nervous chuckle as he wrung his hands together "Th-thanks darlin'."
"For what?"
"For just listenin' ta me an' takin' me seriously for once. I REALLY thought ya were gonna blow a gasket on me once I told ya how I felt but…"
"Norwood, stop…" the woman said in a calm voice "Don't think for a second I would invalidate your feelings like that. I know I get on your case from time to time but what you just told me? All of that?"
Norwood nodded "Yes?"
The small woman gave Norwood a soft smile as she moved over, embracing him a loving hug.
"That was the most loving, WONDERFUL thing anyone has ever told me."
Norwood's heart began to beat as fast as a drum again, his entire mind on cloud nine as Nel continued to hold him with such love. She looked up again, enjoying seeing him so flustered and shy. She slowly inched her way upwards, her fingers touching each and every one of the button's lining his shirt.
"An' ya wanna know somethin' else?"
"W-What?"
Nel rose up to reach Norwood's ear, her soft lips nearly touching them.
"I think we should finish what we started…."she said with a coo, kissing the man on his freckled cheek. Her arms slowly draped around his shoulders, her kisses continuing as she moved further down. Norwood placed his hands upon her and turned, his forehead resting upon hers.
"Ya really wanna do it like this?"
"Why not?" Nel said "I don't feel like waitin' an' I know ya don't either…."
The man laughed, leaning forward and starting to undo the back-bow of the woman's dress "Read my mind, chocolate cake."
Nel was carefully undoing the button's on Norwood's shirt, smiling up "Oh, I'm chocolate cake, eh?"
The man nipped playfully at the woman's shoulder "Mmmm, yes. Ya taste so sweet."
The woman was tickled by the feeling of both Norwood's lips and mustache on her skin, pressing herself closer to him.
"Heh, ginger snap." She whispered, resting atop the man's lap.
"Spicy cocoa…" the man said, going in for another kiss, his hands gripped onto Nel's wonderfully luscious hips, kneading the soft, warm flesh.
"Pumpkin pie…." she said, a little gasp at the end of her words.
"Cheeky lil bon-bon…."
The following moments were filled with nothing but pure pleasure for both Nicelanders, their minds only focused on themselves and having not a worry for the growing noise that began to surround them. Even when things were starting to shake around them, they couldn't pull away from each other.
There were some voices in the hall….
"C'MON!"
There were a few crashes and a few loud booms.
"I know this is gonna come back and bite us!"
None of that even hit their ears. By now, both Nel and Norwood were on the floor, Norwood careful not to put too much of his weight atop the smaller woman as she had both her arms and legs wrapped around him.
"You're holdin' back."
"I don't want to hurt you…." Norwood said, looking at little surprised.
"Don't worry about me…." The woman purred "Worry about YOURSELF!"
And it continued….
"HOLD HIM!"
"MPPPH!"
And it continued….
And…..
"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!"
Finally, after so many ignored cries for help, so many ignored sounds of battle, the two snapped from their trance, Nel gasping as she clutched onto Norwood. The two remained on the floor, almost as if they feared that someone else would bust their way through the door and catch them.
To their luck, it seemed that the two were undetected but that didn't mean things were less hectic OUTSIDE the door.
"Can you find him?!" said one voice.
"Mary?" Nel whispered, hoping no one would pick up on the noise.
"No! And everyone else is gone!"
That was definitely Gene but what in the world was going on? Both Nicelanders sounded PANICKED, as if something terrible had happened to them but before any further questions could be raised, the sound of running footsteps filled the halls again.
The two looked at each other before glancing over to the door.
"Should we check?" gulped Norwood.
"Per-perhaps we SHOULD!"
The door to Nel's apartment creaked open, two sets of eyes looking out into the hallway, one brown, the other green.
Nothing.
"What in the world happened here?"
*BAM! BAM! BAM!*
"Da hell is that?!" asked Norwood, nearly tripping over himself at the sudden noise.
"Sounds like it came from the penthouse!"
"The penthouse?" the man asked, getting on his feet "Ya don't think?"
Once again, the two looked at each other but this time they knew full well what had happened.
"LUCY."
The much-talked about breakout had happened and who else but Lucy should the fiasco be led by. But if Lucy and the others were gone, who was it making such a racket in the penthouse. Nel threw on Norwood's vest, the thing MUCH too big to her in her petite size as the man scrabbled to put on his dress shirt and underwear.
"I have a bad feelin' about this!"
The two then darted into the penthouse, finding that the sound was coming from one of the coat closets in the back of the area.
*BAM BAM BAM!*
"Okay, I am gonna be calm about this…" Norwood said as he reached for the door knob "But if there is a dead body in here-!"
The man PULLED the door open but a figure SHOT from the closet, causing both he and Nel to scream at the top of their lungs.
"MPPH! MMMPHHH!"
Looking down, the two saw that the one responsible for the noise…..
Was FELIX!
"FELIX?!" Nel gasped in shock as she looked down at the man, his wrist and ankles bound with what seemed to be the remnants of Meg's hair band and his mouth stuffed with party napkins.
When the Nicelanders made a break-out, they made certain that NO ONE was going to tell!
Nel rushed to her knees and freed the man, Felix coughing once his mouth was free.
"THEY! *ACK!* RAN-!"
"We know, we KNOW!" Norwood said in shock "Gene an' Mary just ran outta here ta find everyone but how did-!"
"D-don't ask!" gasped Felix, staggering to his feet "W-we need ta get the others back before somethin' else happens though!"
"Somethin' else?" said a miffed Nel "As if this isn't bad enough!"
"C'mon guys, I'm gonna need as much help as I can get!" Felix said in an exasperated voice, his face turning red "While ya two were tryin' on each other's clothes, did ya hear ANYTHIN' about where they were goin'?!"
Both Nicelanders said nothing, Felix not even noticing the look of sheer embarrassment on their faces as he turned around and thought.
"Ya know, maybe it would be best if Nel an' I stayed heeeeere…." Norwood grimaced painfully, pulling Nel out of the penthouse.
"That would be a great idea!" Felix groaned, rubbing his head "There are enough Nicelanders on tha loose as it is! I don't need ALL of ya out!"
"RIGHT." Nel replied harshly "THERE IS SO MUCH TROUBLE GOIN' ON FOR YA FELIX."
The repairman uttered not another word as he tore out of the penthouse and made his way towards the elevator.
"For the love of programmers, keep your butts HERE!" Felix said, looking back at Norwood and Nel, still ignorant to the fact of what had really happened "I'll be back as soon as I can!"
And with those final words, the elevator doors closed, Nel and Norwood alone in the silent apartment.
Were they really that lucky? Had Felix been completely oblivious? Had they not been found out.
"Um, let's go back to my apartment, okay?"
"LET'S."