Ralph smiled as he watched the jumbotron from Vanellope's raised personal seating, seeing Vanellope zip by Snowanna as they made it to the halfway mark of the Random Roster Race's sprawling track. Despite what many would like to think, the candy president never actually used her glitch during the Random Roster Races. She wanted to play fair with her fellow racers after hours, mainly because, as she told the wrecker, she didn't want to be Turbo 2.0.
The thought made the wrecker frown lightly, as he remembered catching Vanellope one night having ditched her game and hiding out in his stump in the junkyard. She said she had a bad glitching fit between play sessions that one morning, with flashes of a mangled and nightmarish Turbo flashing in her vision. She was left shaken, and didn't think any more racing was a good idea for that day.
Ralph's frown deepened as the memory of that night played out, but as the crowd let out a loud and excited cheer, he was snapped out of his thoughts and looked back up at the jumbotron with his full attention. Swizzle was leading the race a good distance ahead, with Gloyd and Jubileena fighting for second place. Vanellope was around seventh place, which honestly was pretty average for her if she failed to get an early lead.
Because she never wanted to glitch, she was usually battered around a lot as she lacked the reaction time to avoid most of the items. The wrecker smiled as he blamed that on the Mario Kart tournaments that were held in the Rec Room, because there Vanellope was very much unable to deal with a spam of items set to throw her into last place. It was comical, watching the usually confident racer sputter and become flustered.
But when she was here in Sugar Rush, she kept a level head even when losing. It was pretty admirable, and Ralph made sure to praise her on her maturity. She always said she's just waiting for the right moment to strike, but the wrecker knew that being around other more calmer people helped her mellow out.
The wrecker smiled as the racers left the ice cream mountains and raced their way through the final stretch of the race. It was a straighter run, but even still Ralph felt a twinge of guilt inside of him. He still remembers the geysers of Cy-Bugs exploding out off the ground from either side of the track.
Moments after Turbo was revealed to the world.
The memory still haunted Ralph, as he remembered seeing down dark Sugar Rush became, and how the swarms of Cy-Bugs flying about in the sky.
As the racers blasted over the finish line, Vanellope just barely missing ninth place, the wrecker was slowly brought out of his flashbacks and memories thanks to the roaring cheer of the crowd. He blinked, shook his head, and looked down at all the racers, who were all hopping out of their karts to congratulate each other.
Ralph smiled and turned around, heading down the staircase so he could be amongst the action and hopefully distract himself from all these messy thoughts. Leaving through the bottom of the tower and greeting donut cops Wynchel and Duncan before standing before the gaggle of excitable racers.
"Oh. Em. Ge!" Candlehead squealed. "That was probably the most fun I've had since the last race!"
Gloyd gave her a weird look. "You mean… yesterday?"
The dizt blinked vacantly, then looked at him with a wide-eyed look. "Oh yeah…"
Taffyta rolled her eyes, then smirked at Vanellope. "What about you, Prez? You kinda fell behind a bit at the end there."
Vanellope smirked back with a shrug. "Just playing even, Taff, that's all. If I wanted to, I'd just glitch my way to first place. But where's the fun in that?"
Rancis nodded as Snowanna pointed at her with a happy look. "Yes, exactly! I was talking about this with Sticky earlier, but where's the fun if you always come in first? So I'm so glad you think so too!"
"Oh yeah, definitely", Swizzle said as Torvald and Jubileena flanked his sides. "As awesome as it is, it can get kinda boring after a while. I need action and chaos!"
"Same", Minty said as she pulled both her recolours next to her. "It just makes it more… I don't know, fun?"
As all the racers began to spark up similar agreements, which made Ralph bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. He could tell what led to this, and from the vindictive look on Vanny's face, it made it even more clear.
"That's right gang!" The spunky candy president shouted, silencing all the racers as they looked at her. "It's never fun to just always win first, and I bet there are SOME certain people who could be humbled by losing their constant win streak."
The wrecker let out a laugh as the other racers all called out shouts of agreement.
"Gotta say, Vanny", Taffyta said as she twirled her lollipop around. "That was pretty wise. What, getting trashed by those kids constantly a few weeks back still stick with you?"
"That", Vanellope responded with a bit of a strained smile, "and I have a CERTAIN friend who shall not be named that really loves to just completely leave me and a lot of others in the dust."
All the racers looked up at the still laughing Ralph with accusatory looks and glares, although all the wrecker could do was wheeze with laughter.
"And no, it isn't Ralph."
They all looked back at her for a moment, then shrugged and split off. With the race over, it was time to enjoy their remaining time before work. Vanellope watched them all leave with a smile, before skipping over to her nine foot tall friend.
Ralph wiped a tear from his eye as his laughing fit finally died down. "Did ya' have to throw Caleb under the bus like that?" He asked in a whisper.
Vanellope shot the wrecker a grin. "Yes. Winning only gets you so far, so the next time I see him I'm gonna tell him that." There was a lull in the conversation for a moment. "Alright, let's go and join up with the others. Mama wants to break it down on the dance floor!"
Taffyta, Rancis and Candlehead, who didn't head off, looked at her in intrigue. "You two are going to Just Dance?" The green haired dizt said in curiosity.
"Yep!" Ralph bellowed with a smile. "It's our friendship anniversary, so we're gonna be doing everything we can during the weekend. And Felix was kind enough to invite the two of us to Just Dance with himself and Calhoun."
"Awwww, that sounds awesome!" Rancis said happily. "And I'm pretty jealous, because Just Dance is sooooo haaaaard to get into! It's always so busy!"
Vanellope gave them a look, then smiled. "If you three wanna tag along, you can! As your gracious president, I will be more than willing to let you three tag along with us! Whatcha' think, chumbo?"
Ralph looked down at the candy president, a thoughtful look on his face. As he thought over the idea, he glanced at the other three racers who were looking up at him with innocent eyes. Rancis and Candlehead were more pleading, while Taffyta seemed more indifferent. After a moment longer, he smiled and shrugged.
"Ah, sure, I don't see why not! C'mon kids!" The mountain man turned around and began to make his way towards the exit of the game, with the four racers cheering and following after him. He smiled as he led them forward, almost feeling like a mother duck and her ducklings. It probably was an adorable sight.
And kinda endearing, as with the others he was always delighted as the sort of babysitter. Maybe it was the imagery, his gentle nature, or a combination of the two, but Ralph was always the one who attracted all the kids.
Or just the small gremlins in general…
~
Ralph yawned as he walked down the hallway, enjoying his morning coffee in its sturdy thermos as he headed down to the balcony. An early morning walk was always nice, especially with how hectic things got. But this time around, he had a little train behind him.
Vanellope, Hilda, Twig, Bubbles, Barranco, Ruby, Iris, Dave, Flowey and Maple all trailed behind him, all still dressed in their sleepwear but looking bright and ready for the day.
As he passed the open door that led into Steve's room, the crafter poked his head out and watched the train make their way down the hall. He smiled at the adorable sight, then chuckled. The sound made Ralph turn to face his friend, as all the little munchkins behind him stopped dead in their tracks.
"What?" The wrecker asked tiredly.
Steve's chuckling died down a bit, and he gave the tired man a warm look. "Just enjoying the show of the mother duck and her ducklings."
The wrecker looked down at all who were following him, and as they all looked up at him with wide-eyes, he gave them a tired smile.
"Ah, I don't mind", Ralph said as he looked at Steve again. "They like following me around, and who am I to stop them?"
Steve gave him an even more warmer smile as the wrecker continued along his way, his little train of munchkins following close behind. The crafter chuckled and shook his head, retreating down the hall in the opposite direction.
On the balcony, Ralph went over to one of the many chairs and let out a relaxed sigh. His little group of followers, much to his surprise, all huddled up around him and sat on the floor. Ruby and Iris leaned against his left leg, Dave leaned against his right, Bubbles and Maple cuddled up on his lap, Flowey planted himself right on his head, and Vanellope, Hilda and Twig all took their spots on his shoulders.
Ralph smiled as he carefully took another sip of his coffee, enjoying the company completely. Looking out towards the courtyard, he smiled as the warm sunrise broke through and over the city beside them. It was a beautiful sight.
~
As he and the four racers began to scale up the rainbow bridge to the game's exit, the memory faded from Ralph's head. It was always one that stuck with him, and made him feel pretty protective over the little ones. But it was never to the point he was basically a helicopter as they played.
He knew they'd all still be safe.
But a lot of it was mostly because of how Caleb had his… moments. Moments where he would say nothing, cry suddenly without warning, act almost like a child, or all of them at once. The few times it has happened so far since they all came together… It was distressing.
But they all did what they could.
As the group of five headed into the tunnel to climb aboard the train, Ralph was snapped out of his thoughts and took a deep breath. All this reminiscing was distracting him from all the upcoming fun times ahead. So he shook his head, and smiled down at the four racers.
"You four ready to get going?" He asked with a warm smile.
Vanellope grinned and nodded rapidly. "You know it, Stinkbrain!" She faced the others. "You guys ready to flex the dance we've been practising?"
The wrecker shot them a curious look as they boarded the train. Taffyta nodded, grinning like she just lapped everyone in a race. "You know it, Prez! Made sure Candlehead isn't tripping over her own feet."
"I'm getting better", the birthday cake racer defended weakly.
Rancis pat her back reassuringly. "Don't worry, Candlehead, you're getting better. Just keep practising."
As the five all took their seats on the train, Ralph gave his best friend a questioning look. "Whatcha' mean about a dance you've been practising?"
Vanellope beamed. "Just a little something we've been doing when we do one of the battle modes or a team race. If we four get grouped up, we've got a special little dance to show our dominance!"
The wrecker snorted, rolling his eyes with a smile. "Well now I'm really looking forward to seeing how that turns out!"
Vanny pouted and crossed her arms. "Sure, laugh it up, Stinkbrain, but you'll be eating those words when we get to Just Dance!"
"I'll take you up on that." Vanellope shot him one last pointed look, before running off to presumably plan the dance with the others.
He smiled, but when his gaze looked out the train window, his smile fell into a more melancholy feeling. He didn't know why, but there was this sense of dread that was bubbling within him, and he didn't know why. Well, he did kinda know. But the issue was he was too uncertain…
As the train stopped at Game Central, the group of five all left. The racers ran ahead towards Just Dance's entrance, but Ralph lagged behind as he looked over at the entrance to the WiFi. Police tape still blocked the entrance, only it looked more uniform. Surge Protector paced the front, making small talk with some other game characters who seemed to be overtly curious about the blocked off entrance,
Looking up at the LED displaying the destination, Ralph frowned more. It was just… too coincidental. And remembering the racers talking about some mysterious kid who was eyeing Sugar Rush during the morning… It made him feel very uneasy. But when he heard Vanellope call out to him, he picked up the pace and ran after her, careful to not disturb anyone. But even as he neared the Just Dance entrance, he swore an ominous droning was coming from the WiFi's entrance.
He knew that something was coming… he just didn't know what.
~X~
Just Dance was basically the arcade's own rave, only stretched throughout a multi-story building. With the music, multicoloured neon lights and plenty of food and drink, this place was just an endless rave that showed no signs of stopping.
Ralph and the racers exited the train and moved right up to the railing that let them overlook the whole plaza, seeing all the characters dancing about. It was usually hard to get into this game and have fun actually dancing, as reservations disappear quickly and there's only so many dance floors. Usually, whenever Ralph went, he could only be part of the audience that watched the dancing from the sidelines.
Not that he really cared, as all he would usually come for is the free food.
But now they were all here to dance, and he looked around. Luckily, it didn't take long for him to spot some of the Nicelanders and Hero's Duty soldiers standing in front of one of the private dance rooms. Ralph began to make his way over, gesturing for the others to follow.
The racers all quickly chased after him, keeping close as they made their way around. As they walked, Ralph let his gaze wander to all the other arcade denizens as they enjoyed the atmosphere. Some waved at the wrecker, who waved back with a smile, others didn't acknowledge him, or shot him with pointed looks. Those in the last bit made him internally cringe.
Because, yeah, even though nearly everyone forgave him for what happened during his game's 30th anniversary, some people still decided to make it their mission to remind him every day they had a chance to. Of course, he didn't really care, but it was slowly getting to him. Especially because it felt like more and more people were getting roped up into that sort of misery.
As they neared their destination, the wrecker slowed his pace a bit, which let the racers get ahead a bit. He bit a quiet greeting to Mary and Markouski, and entered the private dance room. Felix and Calhoun were sitting at the table off to the side making small talk and flirting, while everyone else slowly entered the room. Ralph looked around, feeling somewhat on the spot at that moment before quickly making his way over to an empty table.
As he sat down, Felix and Calhoun made their way to the centre of the off dance floor.
"Well golly", the handyman said happily, tipping his hat up a bit. "I gotta say it's amazing to have you all here! Me and Tammy are so grateful you all could join us."
"Right you are, Fix-It", Calhoun said with a smirk, looking down at her husband. "Now, enough dilly-dallying! We've got all night to have fun, so let's get this started!"
Everyone cheered at different volumes, although Ralph just clapped as the music started up and the dance floor lit up in a rhythmic pattern. From his spot, the wrecker watched as Felix and Calhoun started up their dance. Ralph smiled as he watched, but didn't feel up to getting onto the dance floor. He didn't fully know why, so he just sat and watched.
As the married couple moved aside a bit so others could join them on the dance floor, Vanellope and the other racers instantly took up the opportunity and rushed on. After a moment, they started what Ralph assumed was meant to be their victory dance. It was very well put together, with them all doing an odd fusion of disco and… what he assumed was whatever K-Pop singers did.
He smiled, half not wanting to burst out laughing, half genuinely impressed at the choreography. But as the time ticked on, his good mood fell into a more dower one. Even with the peppy pop music, he just felt off. So much so that at some point he slipped outside the room and back into the centre plaza. Letting out a tired sigh, he walked over to the railing and leaned against it, looking up at the skylight above. It was a space-like skybox with stars shaped like the game's arrows.
Ralph closed his eyes, and all the noise was slowly fading out. It was becoming more muffled and quieter, and he felt like he was almost drowning.
"Ralph!"
The wrecker jumped and clutched his chest at the sudden fright, looking down at the now there Vanellope.
"What's going on with you, Ham-Hands?" The racer asked.
Ralph shook off his shock and took a deep breath. "Just getting some fresh air, that's all, kid."
"Okay… Well it's your turn on the dance floor, chumbo. So c'mon, the others are waiting for ya'!" She grabbed his hand and began to pull him forward, making the wrecker chuckle. As they reentered the room, Ralph broke away from his best friend and walked onto the dance floor. Some of the Nicelanders and Hero's Duty soldiers were dancing sporadically on the floor, with Q-Bert tearing it up despite his lack of arms.
The wrecker's smile grew as he walked onto the multicoloured floor, and after doing some simple stretches, spun around and started to break it down. The Hero's Duty soldiers cheered as the wrecker began to do the exact dance he imagined himself doing when he got that medal all that time ago. Only this time it was inter-spliced with moves he learned from his other friends. It made all the Nicelanders, even Gene, watch him with wide eyes.
Seeing the mayor of Niceland even look at him in surprise was nice, as despite everything Gene was still at the forefront of the "We Hate Ralph" club, even though all the other Nicelanders showed their appreciation and support. It was… kinda sad, knowing even someone in your own home didn't like you.
But Ralph could care less, so he just danced till his legs couldn't take it anymore, at which point he made his way over to Felix and Calhoun's table. With a tired sigh, he sat on the plushy seating and leaned back.
The sergeant shot Ralph a smirk. "You already tired, soldier? Because it looks like you came back from a war."
"Oooof, yeah", he responded, leaning forward as he let out a deep breath. "I never used my legs that much in my life!"
"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself Ralph!" Felix said happily. "It means a lot to me and Tammy that you decided to tag along."
"Ah, don't mention it Felix. You offered, I told the kid, and we both decided why not?"
"I have to say", Calhoun mentioned, "Those little bundles of energy have some good skills in the dance floor. I wouldn't be against them tagging along next time we come here."
"Why, that'd be amazing, lady love!" Felix looked at Ralph with a smile. "What do you say, brother? Up to tag along for another outing to the dance floor?"
Ralph shrugged. "Maybe. Depends on if me and the kid have plans or not. But if we're not doing anything, then sure."
The handyman nodded, and the couple went to go and get another bout of dancing. Now that he was alone, he let out a tired sigh, then looked up at a nearby wall clock. It was currently 11PM, and he had a lot of plans for him and Vanellope, so he wanted to get going soon.
Luckily, fate decided to offer a hand in the form of Vanellope running up to Ralph.
"Yo', Ralph, can we get going?" She asked. "The others are cool to stick around, and I want to spend all I can with you before the weekend is over."
"Alright, kid, let's get going."
The racer silently cheered, and the wrecker stood up to follow her back to the train. He waved goodbye to the happy couple, and followed after Vanellope as they walked all the way back to the transport. As they walked, Ralph looked around at everyone having their fun times, and it somewhat made him feel melancholy.
It wasn't until they boarded the train when Vanellope noticed her friend's contemplative face. "You okay, Ralph?"
The wrecker blinked and shook his head, looking down at the worried girl. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just… Just thinking of grown up stuff, that's all. Nothing you need to worry about."
But Vanellope wasn't going to give up that easily. "C'mon, Ham-Hands, what's bothering you? Because no amount of saying it's 'Grown-Up Things' will make me stop." She changed her position so she could face him more. "So what's going on?"
The wrecker looked into her eyes, and his resolve crumbled. "Just… A lot of stuff. How there's still people that hate me, the other racers saying they saw that weird kid, and I just can't stop thinking that the WiFi router being plugged in was just too convenient. So a lot of stuff that's all stacking up and wearing me down…"
The candy president gave her towering friend a sad look. "I'm guessing my question last night had a part in this, huh?"
The wrecker shrugged vaguely. "Maybe? I don't know, a lot's been on my mind lately…" He looked out the window, watching the copper wiring and electric sparks fly by. "Maybe after we get some Tapper's I'll feel better."
"Okay chumbo…" Vanellope fell silent and faced forward. They were both silent as the train shot down the cord, but to lift the mood a bit Ralph gently ruffled Vanellope's hair. The racer giggled and smiled, looking up at her friend with a smile.
Ralph returned it, and they both fell into a comfortable silence as the train neared Game Central. As the train slowed down and stopped, the pair climbed off and began to leave for Tapper's… Only to be caught off guard at the sight of a fairly large crowd standing before the WiFi router entrance. They all seemed to be concerned and that made the duo share a look. Jumping into action, they ran over, weaving around the confused and worried denizens before they reached the front.
Surge was pacing in front of the entrance, looking both frustrated and scared. He looked up as Ralph and Vanellope approached, and a slight look of relief flashed in his eyes.
"Boy am I glad you two showed up." Surge took off his glasses and wiped them. "The Angel Kids let their curiosity get the better of them and they dashed in before I could stop them."
"And… You can't get them?" Ralph asked incredulously.
"I need to make sure more people don't run in", Surge defended weakly. "And considering both of yours' history, I think it'd be best if you two go get them."
The duo shared a look, then both gave Surge a shrug. "Alright, we'll do this. We've got time."
"Thank you. Just…" Surge ran over and peeled off one end of the police tape so Ralph and Vanellope could slip in without damaging it. With their path cleared, they made their way inside.
Climbing up the short flight of stairs onto the train platform, the duo were shocked to see there wasn't any train, but instead a series of moving platforms, glowing a bright green. At the tip of the empty space of the boarding platform was what looked to be a control panel of some kind, which they chose to not mess with right now.
Vanellope glitched up closer to them, and Ralph took a few careful steps closer. "This sure is… Different…" The racer said inquisitively. "I guess this is what we should expect when new games get plugged into the arcade?"
"Maybe, maybe not…" Ralph learned down so he could see through the wire as best as he could. Sadly, it curved upwards almost immediately, so he couldn't see much. "Let's just hope the twins didn't get sucked in too far."
"Yeah…" Vanellope and Ralph quickly hopped onto a single platform, stumbling a bit as they took in its movement. But they both quickly adjusted and looked upwards as the platforms raised in a uniform line.
"This is really weird", Vanny said. "This is something I'd expect Georgy or The Doc to make, but it being right here feels… surreal…"
"Yeah, you aren't wrong kid…" Ralph walked over to the edge of the platform and looked down, frowning at how far up they seemed to be. "I guess Litwack put it on top of one of the cabinets."
"During a bit of a slow moment this morning, I saw it was on top of Pac-Man. So that means… We could have a really nice view of the whole acrade if there's a window or something."
"I wouldn't mind a new spot like that for seeing the sunrise." The wrecker and racer looked up when they felt their platform start to move to the side the tiniest bit, and turned to see it bring them up into a massive, hollow room. They hopped off the platform as it slid into the floor, and they wandered around the space, taking in the somewhat unnerving atmosphere.
The room itself was completely bare, except for a platform to the left that had some odd hatch at the end and a massive wall length window to the right.
"I was kinda expecting this to just take us right into the internet…" Vanellope said in mild dejection. "But I guess that was being a bit too generous."
"Kids?" Ralph called out, his voice echoing against the cold walls and floor. "We're here to get you out. Just sound off!"
"We're here!" A scared voice called out. The duo looked over and watched as the Angel Kids dashed around the platform and ran up to them. "We were so worried because we didn't know how to get back", the boy continued.
The girl sniffled and gave the wrecker and racer duo a grateful look. "Thanks, you guys…"
"Don't mention it, kids", Ralph said warmly. He carefully picked them both up and set them on his shoulders, which helped them both calm down significantly.
"Okay, now that we got that all handled…" Vanellope began. "We just need to get back to GCS." She looked at the only exit, which was also the entrance they used. "Only problem is I don't know how to get back down…"
"Just takes a careful eye, kid", Ralph said as he walked back over, glancing out the window. When he reached the doorway, he saw a control panel much like the one in GCS and flicked the only switch that was on it.
The group watched as the platforms slowed, stopped, then started moving in the opposite direction. Ralph shot his friend a smug look, which made her groan and roll her eyes, thus earning some playful giggles from the Angel Twins. They all hopped onto a single platform, and for the whole ride down they relaxed. Ralph felt a deep sense of relief, all his worries about the router being all too convenient vanishing as they neared the bottom.
When they reached the GCS terminal at the other end, the Angel Twins darted off and returned to the arcade proper, with the duo close behind. The crowd looked relieved and began to disperse, although Surge stuck around a bit longer.
"I can't thank you two enough", he said to Ralph and Vanellope. "But, I have to know… What is in the router?"
"Just a big empty space with some weird platform off to the side", the wrecker explained.
"But the side that faces the whole arcade is this massive window that just has a beautiful view", the racer continued. "So maybe we could set up a sort of chill spot up there."
The digital security guard hummed in thought, rubbing his chin as he gazed into the terminal. "Hmmmmmm… Maybe. But for now, this place is still off limits. At least until there's some emergency or something."
That sent an ominous chill up Ralph's spine, and his earlier worries came back full force. He shared a subtle look with Vanellope, and she seemed off put by the very foreboding yet unintentional warning. With all of that dealt with, the pair returned to their original task at hand.
As they made their way towards the entrance to Tapper's, they felt this threatening weight hang over them. Something was going to happen, and at this point they were both terrified of when it could happen and what it could be.
~X~
As the duo sat in the root beer bar, claiming a free table for themselves, they silently drank their soda.
"So… Are we just going to ignore what Surge said?" Vanellope asked quietly. "Because it almost seemed like that was targeted at us specifically…"
"It did…" Ralph said with a tired sigh. "Maybe we're just tired, and this is just us wanting the weekend to happen right now."
"Maybe, yeah…" They both fell into silence again, only the idle chit chat of the rest of the bar, the clinking of glasses and Tapper serving new customers to fill the void.
After a while, Vanellope looked up at Ralph. "What do you think could happen?"
The wrecker shrugged. "I don't know. Everything Litwak talks about that are about the state of the arcade or stuff in his office or out of earshot of the games… So honestly who knows what could happen."
"That's reassuring…" The racer sighed and pushed her finished drink away. "Hey, Ralph? I know you probably had a lot of plans for today, but all that dancing kinda… just made me want to relax. Can we head back to your place and just watch a movie?"
Ralph glanced at the clock, which read a simple 2AM. "Yeah, sure. Wait for me at the train, I'm gonna pay and wash up."
Vanellope nodded and darted away, leaving the bar with a pep in her step. When she was gone, Ralph stood up, grabbed their two empty glasses, and carried them over to the nearest bar. The instant he set them down, Tapper rushed over and took them.
"Having a nice morning, Ralph?" The bartender asked.
The wrecker shrugged somewhat vaguely. "Kinda being torn between two different feelings. Today was great, but there's a lot of uncertainty banging around inside."
Tapper hummed and began to wipe a spot on the bar. "Well, that's kinda how everyone is feeling. With the weekend coming up, everyone has been getting antsy."
"Yeah… Yeah, maybe that's all it is." He paused. "If you do hear anything, let me know."
"You got it, Ralph."
The wrecker nodded, paid the tab, and left towards the back exit. He made a quick pit stop in the bathroom to wash his hands, but he also splashed his face to try and elevate his stress. With the water dripping off his chin, he looked at his reflection in the mirror, and smiled just a tad.
He was Wreck-It Ralph, bad guy that wasn't a bad person, protector, brother…
And uncle/father figure.
With a tired sigh, he stood up straight and left the bathroom, making his way to the train. Vanellope was there waiting for him, and she smiled as he boarded and sat next to her. Even if the morning had endless amounts of uncertainty, they'd make it through.
What's the worst that could happen?
~X~
Okay, holy crap this took me a lot longer to get out than I would like to admit. But yeah, WorldWide Wreck-It is finally being worked on! This fic will be shorter than TIYCC, but I will make sure it is still pretty bulky.
Now, this chapter was more set up for the big moments later on, especially for chapter 3. I will say… because of my procrastination and shocking amount of tiredness, this chapter is a bit… Meh to me. I did my best, but idk, I just feel off.
Maybe it's because I've been doing this for almost three years, since DCT turns 2 on the 16th.
Regardless, This is the next target. I hope y'all are ready for this excursion into the world of Wreck-It Ralph. I'll try to be consistent with updates.
Up next: After all the fun, the worst happens that leaves the entire arcade scrambling for answers…
~Caleb~