Chapter Five- Confession

Day 5

As the Nicelanders were getting ready for their daily jobs, Mary had her mind on something else. The little woman made her way through her kitchen, preparing a breakfast of eggs, blueberry muffins and strong coffee; all of Gene's favorites.

The smell soon reached the sleeping Mayor's nose and he awoke with a start, at first panicking that someone had broken into HIS apartment and was tiddling away with his food.

"GAH! WHOEVER YOU ARE! I'M ARMED!"

This was a lie of course, though who knew what a man could do with a few bottles of liquor aimed at someone's skull.

In his panic, the mayor tumbled off the couch and fell on the floor. After a moment or two, it soon hit him that the rose colored paint on the walls wasn't something he had picked out and he was instead in Mary's apartment. He pulled himself up, looking a might embarrassed as he had once again made himself look the fool in front of the woman. To his shock, and his relief, Mary didn't seem to mind, having laid out the spread for the mayor on the table.

"Good morning." The woman said gently as she waved a hand towards one of the seats.

Gene looked at the table and the looked back his beloved Mary, a look of guilt coming on his face.

"You know, you didn't have to do this for me…."

"What better way to pay back someone who spent all night cleaning my apartment?" the woman said with a chortle.

Gene looked over towards the counter, noticing that there seemed to be an extra helping of breakfast wrapped up.

"Who is that for?"

Mary blinked, turning her head slightly "I need to meet with someone today. Just for a chat."

"Dear, who is it? Is something wrong?" Gene asked, a little surprised.

"Oh, no, no, no! Everything is fine! I just need to…to clear some business!"

"Are you sure you don't need me to go wi-?!"

"Gene, sit down and eat. You've been through so much this week that a little relaxation is just what you need!" the woman cut in, forcing Gene into his seat and putting a knife and fork into his hands.

"But I-!"

"No more talk! Just eat before your breakfast gets cold!" Mary said "I'll be right back."

Gene blushed brighter than ever as he watched Mary go out the door; he couldn't help but worry what exactly was going on.

"Hopefully I didn't drag her into this mess…" the man said to himself, digging into his breakfast.

"Well, time for another round…" Ralph said as he pulled up his tattered overalls.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Be right there in a sec!" the wrecker said as he lumbered his way to the door. At first he was expecting to be greeted by Felix so it was only expected that the man be shocked to find Mary standing before him, the wrapped breakfast still in her hands.

"Good morning Ralph."

"Oh! Miss Mary, what a surprise!" Ralph said cheerfully, showing her the way in "What brings you all the way over to the brick pile?"

Without saying a word, Mary set the breakfast down on Ralph's dining table "Just thought you would like something good to start the day."

"Well…." Ralph replied, unsure of what to think of the gift and a little nervous due to the tone in Mary's voice "Th-thank ya!"

Mary nodded as she sat down but being so small, her legs couldn't reach the ground and her head barely made it to the top of the table.

"Here, lemme get that…." Ralph said, bringing some books over to elevate Mary.

The little gave the wrecker a nod, her eyes not leaving him as he prepared to eat the breakfast that she had prepared for him. With her eyes going into him, Ralph felt a chill go down his spine, the same type of chill one gets when they know something bad is about to happen.

And when you're in trouble with Nicelander Mary, of all people, you know you're in trouble!

Ralph couldn't even eat his breakfast, knowing her eyes were still on him. He HAD to say something.

"Ms. Mary? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, at least I don't THINK you did…." Mary replied, still looking right at Ralph.

"Then, there HAS to be a reason why you're hear and brought me this…" the wrecker replied.

"Oh, come, come young man. You know I would have brought you breakfast regardless if anything was happening…."

"But I can tell something is up. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to feel your gaze trying to destroy the very foundation of my coding!" the big man tried to joke, a poor attempt to hide that Mary's eyes were in fact creeping him out a little.

Mary sighed as she finally looked away, becoming a bit more worried at this point.

"Ralph…..is there something going on between you and Gene?"

Ralph nearly bit off the tip of his fork; had he been found out?

"W-what? Of course not! I mean….I, er." Ralph stuttered, trying his best to avert his eyes away from the woman and instead went back to eating his breakfast.

Mary shook her head as her expression changed, becoming more miffed than anything else.

"Raaaalph, you know how I feel about fibbing." the woman said "I hate when my friends fib and right now, I can tell you're lying through your teeth. There IS something going on, isn't there?"

Ralph couldn't take the guilt any longer, especially with the way that Mary was looking at him. The man rubbed the back of his neck, trying his best to figure out a way to explain the bet to the Nicelander but he knew that any way he went about it, he was in trouble.

Might as well bite the bullet now.

The man sighed heavily, slouching a bit in his seat, "Y-yeah. There is somethin' goin' on….but it's not bad, I assure you!"

"Oh? Then care to explain why bad things have been happening to Gene all week?" Mary retorted, her voice a little gruff.

"That….well…." Ralph paused again, feeling a lump form in his throat "Ya see, Gene an' I made this bet."

"A bet?"

"Y-yeah. See, he's not supposed to get angry all week an' if he wins, then…then, well we can't say that he DOESN'T have the ability to not get angry!"

"And what if YOU win?" Mary asked, leaning forward and folding her hands together.

"If I won, Gene would give me some of his gummie bear vodka, that's it!"

"Oh? That's it? Well, RALPH. From what has been happening, it doesn't seem like that's it at all!"

"Um…."

"First, there was that taffy web that caused Gene to lose all his clothing, then there was those HORRIBLE pictures of him in the Arcade papers! And yesterday?! The exploding pies?! Do you mind explaining THAT?!"

Ralph rubbed the bridge of his nose; he had a feeling some of those tricks that he played would come back to bite him in the butt and they had done so in the form of a three foot woman with a purple dress. On any other given day, Ralph might not have felt bad about playing a trick or two on Gene but considering how upset Mary was getting, it was obvious that perhaps he and Vanellope had gone too far.

"Y-yeah….That was me an' Vanellope…."

"VANELLOPE WAS IN ON THIS?! WHY WOULD SHE-?!"

"Look, Ms. Mary! Please don't get mad at the kid!" Ralph cut in, putting his hands up "I dragged her into this! She wouldn't have known anything about the bet had I not opened my big mouth about it!"

"But she still went along with you and she still-!"

"SHE'S SORRY TOO!" Ralph blurted, wanting to protect his friend as much as he could "We both talked to Gene yesterday and-!"

"Wait….he knows?" the woman blurted, looking even more surprised.

Ralph nodded again, hoping that Mary would believe him this time.

If Gene had known that Ralph and Vanellope were tricking him the entire time, why didn't he say anything about it? Why didn't he TELL her? Why didn't he tell ANYONE?

"I think…I think from the start, Gene knew it was us but to save face, he didn't say anything. But because he DIDN'T, Nelly an' I just kept goin' an' goin' an'….we let it get go to our heads."

Mary frowned, something that Ralph didn't see too much and was rather taken aback by. But there was something else in her eyes.

He could tell that she was hurt but trying her very best to hide it. Seeing this only made Ralph feel even worse for what he had done.

"Y-Yes, you did!" Mary said, her voice breaking a bit "And I hope….I HOPE you two at least give Gene the benefit of the doubt and stop trying to egg him into anger. Think about it Ralph, if the tables were FLIPPED. If Gene bet YOU not to get angry, do you think HE would try to break you by pulling stunts?!"

Ralph thought for a second; sure, Gene might have SNARKED him throughout the entire ordeal, much to his nature, but playing pranks? Gene wasn't the cheating type!

Snappy and hot-headed, yes. But a CHEATER? No.

The giant man groaned as he leaned back, rubbing his temples, "I got ya Mary…..it was a stupid move on my part an' I apologize for that."

"Are you going to tell GENE that or are you telling me?" Mary asked, a confused look on her face.

"Actually, to both of you…."

"W-wait, wh-?"

"Because…" Ralph turned his head and chuckled, trying his best not to smile too much as he thought about what he was going to say "Because I can tell ya care for the lil guy, that's why."

Mary blushed deeply, but she couldn't deny that what Ralph was saying was true.

"Look, the entire time I was jokin' with Gene, as much fun as it was, I was only thinkin' about HOW he was gonna suffer for it an' I didn't even think about what would happen if things went too far. I also didn't think about how YOU would react to seein' him get humiliated like that."

The look on Ralph's face became more sincere, as if to show Mary that he had nothing against either at this point.

"You've been worried sick, I can tell….an' for your sake AND his, Nelly an' I agreed that we're gonna let this bet go on its own course."

Mary didn't know what to think at this point, as her mind had zoned out once she realized that Ralph knew how she felt about Gene.

Was it really that obvious?

Of course it was!

All this time, EVERYONE in the arcade saw how Mary went about snuggling and teasing Gene. She was hopelessly infatuated with the man!

But why was it so embarrassing now? It had never gotten to her before. Perhaps it was because Ralph had finally spelt it out to her and the fact that he seemed to find the notion of the two going out adorable.

Needless to say, Ralph did see Mary blush brighter than she had ever in his thirty years of knowing her. For a moment or two, the wrecker thought he had said something to offend the woman and he quickly tried to clear up the conversation.

"I'm sorry Ms. Mary! I didn't say somethin' ta offend ya, did I?!"

Mary snapped out of her stupor and looked up at Ralph, seeing that he was clearly concerned for her. Still blushing like mad and still embarrassed, the woman waved a hand and forced a giggle.

"O-oh, no! I'm fine! Just…just a little….."

Mary knew she couldn't work her way out of this one; Ralph had already said what was on her mind so why deny it?

"Look, young man. I'm sorry if I seemed upset a few moments ago but I just don't want anything to happen to Gene. He looks like he's about to go off the edge if something else explodes in his face!"

The woman paused, wringing her hands.

"And I don't want anything to happen to someone I love…." She said in a squeak, still a little embarrassed.

Ralph smiled warmly as he put a finger under Mary's chin, lifting her head up.

"Look, I promise you that nothin' else will happen to Gene on my watch, during the bet an' after!"

Ralph smirked a bit as he rubbed his chin.

"Well, unless I'm feelin' a lil cheeky an' I think the man deserves a good prank!"

"RALPH!" Mary said with wide, scared eyes.

"Just jokin'!" the man chuckled.

Mary sighed as she hopped off the books and onto the floor, "I'm sorry if I came off as a nag this morning Ralph but…I was just concerned."

"Awww, there's no problem at all, Ms. Mary!"

The woman nodded, a small but weak smile forming on her face.

"Do you promise you'll let Gene go through this on his own? I mean, even if he doesn't win, will you just let things run its course?"

"I promise!" the man said, holding a hand to his heart.

The smile on Mary's face grew a bit, feeling a sense of safety once she saw how honest Ralph was.

"Thanks Ralph..."

"Urgh, I look AWFUL!" Gene said as he looked at himself in the mirror, his face showing off all the stress he had been under since Monday.

His eyes were a bit bloodshot and the usually rosy look in his cheeks seemed to be a bit faded. His usually combed back hair was ruffled about and his neatly groomed mustache was bushier than normal, only accented by the bit of stubble that was on his face, something that he would never let happen on his watch.

The man was just a complete MESS and the worst part about it was the fact that he knew he didn't have to let things happen like this but because of his pride, he let it pass.

The man splashed his face a few times with cold water, hoping to wake himself up a bit but as he looked into the mirror, he didn't see the Mayor Gene he was so used to seeing.

He just saw a drained, shadow of a man and it was something that scared him a bit.

How long was he just going to let this continue on? There was such a thing as pride but now he was just letting things happen to him for the sake of them happening and they weren't making him look any stronger. It just made him look like someone who would let people walk over him.

"Easy, Gene. Easy…."

The man then reached for some Aspirin, taking two of the tablets before attempting to regain his focus.

"Okay, you don't have that much longer to go. You can make this….you can make this….."

Even though he repeated those words to himself, he knew he was weakening. There had been so many SURPRISES blow up in his face that he just didn't know if he could take one more.

But what would everyone think once he did?

That he was some constantly irritable lout who couldn't even stay calm for a week? Ralph and Vanellope had somehow managed to take what they were given for years but he couldn't make it one WEEK?

What did that say about his character?

The more he thought, the more frustrated the mayor was becoming. He needed something to cheer him up, something to reassure him that things would be okay.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Who is it?"

"It's the lady who bakes all the pies!" Mary said jokingly from the other side of the door.

Gene rushed off to open the door, only to see a bright and cheerful Mary standing on the other side. The man was a bit startled at first but he quickly collected himself brushing his uncombed hair back as neatly as he could with his fingers.

"OH! Mary! I, er, I just wanted to let you know that the breakfast you cooked was wonderful AND you will find that I washed all the dishes and put them in their proper-!"

"Gene, must you really be like this?" the woman said, putting a hand up.

"W-what do you mean?" the man asked, a little worried.

"What I mean is….well…." Mary tried to find her words but there was just something about her smile that showed she was thinking of something. Gene of course was clueless and wanted to know what the woman found to be so funny.

"Mary? Is there something you want to tell me? There isn't anything wrong is th-?!"

Before Gene could even continue, Mary stood on her tip-toes, wrapped her arms around his chubby frame, pulled him closer….

And kissed him.

Gene was startled, his mind running faster than a speeding blue hedgehog as his lips locked with the woman he had loved.

What was this sudden kiss for? Had something happened? Gene was so confused and worried but then his mind began to relax.

For the first time in a LONG time, his mind calmed down and relaxed. He didn't even care that Mary was kissing him in the doorway in the vicinity of the rest of the apartments; he closed his eyes and drew her closer, nearly picking her up off the ground.

The two just wanted this moment to last forever.

The two pulled away, Gene looking as if his brain were a million miles away, 8-bit hearts popping and floating around his head.

"Just take care of yourself…." The Nicelander in purple finally said as she then hugged Gene again tightly, taking in all his warmth.

Gene didn't say a word; he COULDN'T say a word. A dumbfounded smile was on his face as he stood in the door, Mary's lipstick on his lips and hearts fluttering around his head.

This was the best moment of his life!

Mart pulled away, seemingly unaware that Gene was in a trance, and tapped him playfully on his pink nose.

"I'll see you when the game starts, alright?"

Mary then trotted off, her own mind and heart filled with joy. Gene meanwhile remained in the hallway and it wasn't clear whether he knew that Mary was gone or not.

He just smiled.

And smiled.

And smiled.

"Okay, see you Mary later….."

Once more, the games began. Ralph would come busting in, throw Gene, and Felix would come to the rescue. But there was just something about Gene today that caught everyone by surprise. Throughout the entire day, he seemed as if he were floating on cloud nine, his mind preoccupied by some thoughts that only he knew about.

Ralph saw it. Felix saw it. Everyone in Niceland saw it.

Even when Calhoun came by to visit her husband, she noticed something different when Gene walked around Mary, the two unable to keep little, timid smiles off their faces when they approached each other. The sergeant smirked as she looked down at Felix.

"So what's this? Days of Our Nicelanders?"

Felix looked over, catching the two tiny people from afar. Even though he couldn't hear what they were saying, he could tell by the way they were acting something wonderful was happening. The repair man tipped his hat up with his hammer, a smile on his face.

"Looks like the Mayor an' Miss Mary both have a case of' tha honey glows!"