This is the second chapter that was uploaded today, in the event that you missed the first one :)
Happy anniversary, WiR fandom!
Much to Tamora Calhoun's dismay, there was a total of three games infected in the arcade: Fix-It Felix Jr., Frogger, and Street Fighter II. She had hoped that the only ones carrying the virus were the characters of Niceland, but so wasn't the case.
It was bad enough that there was one at all.
Following their inspections and various tests, the soldiers returned to Hero's Duty and began their analysis of the collected samples. Since she wasn't a doctor, all the sergeant could do was stand around and wait while the scientists went to work figuring out what exactly they were dealing with.
The answer came sometime later when it was revealed that the virus was a strain they'd never seen before. It wasn't curable, and it wasn't preventable.
The bad news had her slamming her fist into the nearest wall - an act that bruised her knuckles beneath her gloves. Though the situation looked hopeless, she knew that those who worked in the lab wouldn't give up. They'd keep trying until they secured an antidote, or at least a method to get rid of the virus altogether.
With the verdict now clear in her mind, she returned to her husband's game a few hours short of sunrise. She didn't bother changing out of her armour, since she planned to relay the news and nothing more. She wasn't in the mood for talking, or goofing around, or even being remotely affectionate.
Relying on her cruiser for transport, she entered Fix-It Felix Jr. and headed for their home. Though, in order to get there she needed to pass Ralph's place, and upon doing that she was able to see the very individual she was looking for sitting outside.
Well, that made things easier.
Felix noticed the familiar humming of his wife's cruiser echoing through the tunnel long before it was visible. He looked towards the entrance with cautious curiosity, but when it was confirmed to be Tamora he immediately tensed and straightened up. He brought his head down towards his shoulders in apprehension. His hands gripped his knees nervously as she approached, and when she eventually glided to a stop and stepped off of her cruiser, he bit his lip and forced himself to look up at her. He still had no idea what he was supposed to say to her.
Her boots slid over the grassy earth as she approached the small hero on the porch. She had managed to calm down slightly from her earlier agitation, but she couldn't quite stop her voice from coming out as stern as it did.
"This virus isn't like any we've seen," she began. "It adapts based on its host, so anyone infected will experience similar symptoms up until it reaches its full potential." Tamora wasn't quite sure what would happen after that, since it was different for everyone. "I've got my men still working on it in the lab, but as of right now…" She paused, clenching her sore fist. "We're at a standstill."
On top of everything he had been worried about, that had not reassured him in the least.
Like nothing they had seen? At a standstill?
That only translated into one thing in his mind, and that was that they didn't know how to fix this mess.
It took him a moment to finally find his words.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it sooner." He told her, rubbing his knees. "The last thing I'd want to do is upset you..." His nervousness picked up at that moment, and he found himself struggling not to stumble over his own words as he tried to explain himself. "That's why I – I mean, I meant to tell you, but I couldn't do it by myself - so, I wanted to get Ralph first." He had promised to tell her, after all; and he had betrayed her trust, as far as he was concerned. "I can't tell ya how sorry I am."
No matter what way Tamora looked at it, Fix-It was a mess. It took years of training to be able to remain indifferent when a soldier suffered an emotional confession of any kind, but watching someone she loved do it, and with such genuine regret…well, it would have been a lie to say that it didn't chew her up a little on the inside.
Still, her face was a perfect picture of seriousness, in spite of the cold, unpleasant feeling she felt lingering in her chest.
She knew Felix well, which meant that she knew how terrible he felt about keeping her in the dark. Her former mentality regarding the brief visit began to change, in spite of her desire to remain on schedule.
She might have been stronger if their friends were around, but since it was just him, looking sadder than a lost puppy, she felt her iron defences beginning to break. Exhaling, she stepped up and then sat down beside him.
He'd made her soft. So ridiculously soft.
Her armoured arm wrapped around him, pressing his small body into her side. He wasted no time in returning the gesture with both arms, hugging onto her as if his life depended on it. "You can't keep a virus under wraps, Fix-It," she said, keeping her gaze on the scenery in front of them. "And while that's a serious violation of my code, I know that you meant well." He always did, no matter what the circumstance was. "You, Wreck-It, Schweetz… I'm looking out for you guys. In order for me to do my duty, you have to do yours as well."
He nodded almost immediately.
"I know. I will."
No more keeping things from her. Even though he didn't want her to worry, he had to remind himself that not telling her might actually hinder an opportunity they had to learn more about the virus. It was tough, but if he did happen to get worse, he'd have to swallow his apprehension and be the bearer of bad news. As much as he didn't want to.
A great source of her anger, she knew, was born not from a poor choice of action on her husband's part, but from her own worry. She'd lost someone to the physical embodiment of a virus once before. She wouldn't endure that again. Perhaps it was this dark delving into her past that had her suddenly gripping onto Felix; she pulled him onto her lap and held onto his form, cradling him against the front of her suit with both of her arms.
She couldn't lose him too.
Felix couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face at this action. She really had forgiven him. He once again found his hands moving forward to intertwine with hers, allowing himself to relax a little. "I love you, Tammy."
Even if this day just seemed to be one bad thing after another - at least this had worked out.
But it wasn't fair. She shouldn't have felt better when he grabbed onto or hand, or especially when he said those three little words that had her heart thundering beneath her chest plate. Though they were married and had been for a while now, she didn't think she'd ever get used to hearing him say that to her - half because she'd managed to convince herself that she didn't need someone's love, half because it made her so stupidly happy she didn't know what to do with herself.
Her voice was a shade softer when she replied. "I know you do, Fix-It."
She didn't repeat the statement back, but it wasn't because she didn't feel the same. Instead, she conveyed her love with a firm kiss that she pressed against his cheek. She would have preferred to do so on his mouth, where such an action belonged, but with a virus going around it was best not to risk contamination, even if it only seemed that the older games were the ones prone to it.
As if suddenly just realizing where they were, she looked back over her shoulder and glanced at the door. Things were awfully quiet behind them - at least if Schweetz was involved. Then it occurred to her. "They're sleeping like a couple of babies, aren't they?"
"That they are, ma'am." He said, a smile on his face. He couldn't get a good view of the door from his current position, so he just took to leaning back against Tamora's armour and looking towards the nearby apartment. "They couldn't keep their eyes open." He recalled with a chuckle. "Busy day, I guess."
"Not busy enough if you're still hanging in there," Tamora replied, removing one of her arms from around his tiny waist.
She then reached up and took off his cap, so as to idly stroke her gloved fingers through his sandy-brown hair. How the strands stayed so neat and perfect all the time was beyond her, since he was inarguably active on a daily basis. Maybe it just came with the whole 'good guy' package. Yeah, that must have been it.
"You could probably use some shuteye yourself, soldier."
If Felix was being honest, he had grown increasingly tired as the day wore on. Not so much that it had affected his performance at all, but it had started to catch up to him around the same time Ralph had dozed off. He'd had too much on his mind to even consider trying to get some shut-eye back then. But now, the idea seemed a lot more inviting.
"I probably could." He agreed, letting his head rest against her armour and allowing his eyes to close. The calming effect of her fingers stroking through his hair and the relief that came with them making up made him realize at that moment just how tired he really was. "I bet you could too..." He told her lazily.
Sleep never once crossed Tamora's mind. She knew that it was required at some point, because even the toughest of characters needed rest, but she'd been far too distracted to even bother closing her eyes, let alone taking a second to conk out. Such luxuries were meant for civilians and not the soldiers that protected them.
A few minutes later, she realized that Felix had fallen asleep.
Protectively, she cradled him against her. Then, grabbing his hat in her free hand, she stood up and began to head to their home.
His size made transportation easy, since he didn't weigh very much at all. She was careful as she hopped aboard her cruiser and took him the remaining distance. As much as she wanted to, the sergeant wouldn't be able to spend the night with him, due to her presence being required back in Hero's Duty.
As she deposited Felix onto the bed, she leaned over and kissed his forehead as gingerly as her lips were able to. "Rest up, Fix-It. You've got a busy day ahead of you." She stood back up and turned to make her exit, though not before adding. "We all do."