A/N: If you follow me on DeviantArt (with my username now changed to TheBlueJetpack to match my username here), you'll know that my gallery is absolutely bursting with WiR fanart, as are the galleries of my fellow-artist friends. Have you seen everyone's contributions to Sugar Rush Inktober this year? Now that a ton of artwork has been checked off, it's time to focus on some writing. While I'm at work with the Adorabeezle and Jubileena story (which some of my Inktober entries helped to promote), here's something to tide you over: another Gloyd and Crumbelina story! It's mostly just more Posh and Prankster fluff. Like the others, it takes place after my 2020 story Violin's Song and 2021 story Devastated, but all you really need to know is that they're together, and he's still looking out for her as she's still recovering from the accident that nearly deleted her.

Before you read, I find it helpful to mention this again: the Sugar Rush racers are designed to be aged around 10-yrs old and will forever remain with this programmed appearance. In my view, their psychological age is closer to around teenagers since they've technically lived for many years in Litwak's arcade. They've gained a lot of experience that enables them to grow mentally, rather than physically. So while Vanellope and her friends look like kids and have kid desires, like wanting extra dessert, they're capable of also possessing the emotions and desires of older individuals, like relationship drama. Just in case you get a wee bit confused. These are kids who drive F1-esque race cars. We gotta take some creative liberty somewhere.

New chapter every Saturday!

The Extra Mile

November 16, 2023 – November 18, 2024

Chapter 1 – Bathroom

The Sugar Rush announcer intoned its automated voice over the sugary racetrack for all to hear.

"And down the final stretch the leaders come! Fighting for first place are Vanellope and Taffyta. They're sprinkle to sprinkle as they approach the finish line! Who's going to win this time, folks? But wait…what's this? It's Crumbelina! Oh my Skittles, it's like she just popped out of nowhere and she's coming in fast…squeezing in, and… I don't believe it! She just passed them both and crossed the finish line first! Ladies and gentlemen, the winner is Crumbelina DiCaramello! What a spectacular finish! One that I did not see coming! I've heard of plot-twists, folks, but this one takes the cheesecake!"

Slamming the brakes of the Tira-Missile to whip into a perfect 180-degree drifting stop, Crumbelina pumped her fists triumphantly into the air before the cheering, squealing crowd of many candy denizens. The big smile upon her face was nothing to the joy she felt inside. And why not? After all, she had won the race and this victory was hers! The other karts flew over the finish line and skidded to a stop just in front of her; Vanellope, Taffyta, and a few other racers leapt out of their seats and hoisted the winner onto their shoulders, carrying her over to the podiums.

Proudly embracing her golden Sugar Rush cup in both hands, Crumbelina performed her winning dance animation upon the #1 podium for the gamer in the arcade who had just played as her and helped secure this win. She twirled elegantly with her smile never fading for an instant.

And then suddenly, Gloyd was there on the podium with her. Without saying anything, he swung her into his arms and brought her into a dip position before leaning in to kiss her. Crumbelina melted into heaven as the crowd went wild, chanting her name over and over.

Crumbelina!

Crumbelina!

"Crumbelina? Hey, Crumbelina! You in there?"

The sound of the voice and a rather loud knocking pulled Crumbelina DiCaramello out of her fantasy cloud instantly. She removed the two green lime-flavoured Lifesavers that had been resting over her eyes and blinked in the soft lights. No longer was she surrounded by her adoring roaring public. The only thing she was surrounded by were bubbles.

"Yes, Gloyd, I'm in here," she replied.

"Oh. Well, that's good," came the voice through the door. "You alright? What 'cha doin' in there?"

The girl let out a rather annoyed sigh. "I'm having a bath, Gloyd. Or at least trying to," she said patiently, casting the Lifesavers aside to the nearby table. "Is there something you need?"

"No, not really. I just wanted to know if there's something you need."

His answer couldn't help but lift a small smile to Crumbelina's face. "I'm fine, Gloyd. But thank you."

There was a pause. "You sure? I can get you something if you need it."

Crumbelina sighed again and swirled her fingers in her bubble tea bath, the soft melody of soothing violin strings drifting out of the bathroom's in-built stereo system. She picked a small chocolate bonbon from an open box on the table and chewed on it slowly.

Stretching out luxuriously in the warm liquid, the Italian-dessert-themed racer glanced over at the closed graham cracker door standing a few feet away from her bathtub, knowing the owner of the voice was standing on the other side. She preferred to soak in her bubble bath in peace, but if Gloyd was going to play 20-Questions, then she wanted to talk to him properly. She hated addressing people without seeing their face.

She finally reached over for the remote on the table and turned off the music, breaking the tranquil mood that had been engulfing her. Slouching deeper so her shoulders disappeared beneath all the thick foamy lather that surrounded her, she gathered as many bubbles as she could up to her neck. "The door's unlocked, Gloyd. Could you come in here, please?" she asked.

There was a long pause before the door opened to reveal Gloyd Orangeboar. His signature Halloween-orange jacket and pumpkin hat mingled vibrantly in the gleam from the softly-dimmed lights of Crumbelina's highly-polished Italian master bathroom. His blushing face was just as orange as his attire.

Slow shuffling feet brought him to the giant Baiocchi cookie that served as the raised platform right at the centre of the bathroom. On this platform stood a bathtub with a size passable for a mini swimming pool, complete with gilded taps and golden fixtures. Faint wisps of steam rose lazily up from the hot tea to the chandelier above, numerous stray bubbles drifted about carefree before popping with barely audible pops and a sweet-smelling aroma of lilac and coconut filled the room. A dozen scented candles stood perfectly spaced apart like tiny glowing soldiers along the tub's flat edges while the small table carried numerous bottles of all sizes, the remote for the music system, and the small box of bonbons. To complete this picture, a yellow chocolate Quax Yummy Ducky bobbed care-free among the mounds of bubbles.

Gloyd stole a quick glance at the girl occupying the tub before looking away. Crumbelina's head rested upon a soft éclair cushion, and with the exception of her neck, the rest of her was completely submerged beneath the sea of frothy-fluffy white suds in her bubble tea bath. The bubbles stacked high to create a fortress of foam around her. Her tired face was speckled with tea droplets and her dark brown hair, normally arranged in her signature twin cinnamon buns with a golden swirl courtesy of her two golden streaks, was instead piled in a one single bun with stray locks that fell down her face, framing her beautiful profile. A few stray suds were clinging to her hair.

Kneeling down to her level, Gloyd kept his eyes pointed down. "Did you need something?" he asked the floor. Despite being the surface of a giant cookie, its icing was so spotless that he could see his own blushing reflection staring right back at him.

"No," Crumbelina replied in her slight Italian accent. "But I won't talk to someone unless I can see their face. And since you're so insistent on making sure I have all that I need, you shall stay right here until I think of something."

"I'm not invading your privacy, am I?" Gloyd asked, now staring up at the crystallized-sugar chandelier hanging over them with its dim glittering lights.

Crumbelina rolled her eyes. "Considering that you won't leave me alone for more than a few minutes, I'd say my privacy is out the window by this point," she sneered.

"Sorry," he mumbled to the foggy bathroom mirror. "Didn't mean to make you mad."

"Who says I'm mad?" she asked, giving him a small smile to let him know she was comfortable having him here, thought it had little effect since he wasn't looking at her. "You're lucky that I quite enjoy your orange-faced presence."

"I think I better go," he told the towel draped over a golden rack.

"Oh no, you're don't. You entered my bathroom, so you're staying. Now sit down and keep me company," she ordered firmly.

Gloyd blushed deeper, now clearly wishing he had just left her alone. He sat down on the fuzzy bathmat laid out next to the tub, very much aware that he was mere inches away from a stark-naked Crumbelina with just the tub wall and frothy bubble tea standing between them. A few quiet minutes followed save for the splish-splashing of Crumbelina gently scrubbing her arm with a hand-sized sponge cake, the sounds of rolling fabric as Gloyd fidgeted with the collar of his shirt, and the soft popping of bubbles at random intervals.

A typical kid would detest baths. Crumbelina wasn't a typical kid. Most of the other racers hated even the idea of washing their hair. They hailed from Sugar Rush after all, where everything from programmed to always stay fresh, including its citizens. The candies and pastries had no expiry date. And cavities, bad breath, and stenches simply did not exist. You could get dirty by rolling around in the chocolate mud, but just shake that stuff off and return to your default state in a matter of seconds. But just like in the human world, video game characters can still feel exhaustion. Hours of answering quarter-alerts for non-stop gameplay is enough to give any virtual being the craving for a relaxing escape. For Minty Zaki, this meant a relaxing workout in her basement gym. For Adorabeezle Winterpop, the ice cream mountains called for long free-style ski runs. For Crumbelina DiCaramello, a deep soak in a tub of piping-hot bubble tea. Here in Sugar Rush, where ordinary water mainly existed as a baking ingredient and most folks chose to wash in soda if at all, bubble tea was considered a valuable commodity. Crumbelina took pride that her mansion's pipes were connected to such a resource.

Thus, the posh racer devoted at least one night a week for her cleansing ritual. This was her way of entering her own little slice of heaven, a prolonged period of blissful peace unlocked as the hot bubble tea worked a magical massaging spell upon every pixel of her body. She loved to fill her tub with as many bubbles as could possibly fit and add just a touch of a fragrant (and very expensive) blend of sugar crystals and cinnamonwood for a truly glowing rejuvenation. She felt like a goddess surrounded by sparkly aromatic bubbles floating around her as if they were mere planets of the universe for her to control. This massive tub was her personal ship that would take her far, far away from her troubles. Not to mention this bathroom could easily be mistaken for a luxury hotel spa. From the gleaming walls adorned with candied mosaics upon their sparkling sugar cube-tiles to the soft golden lights that were ever so inviting, it practically begged its wealthy owner to indulge in such perks. So why resist? Her bubble baths always helped her unwind and the kept her virtual skin fresh at the same time. It was a win-win deal. Following her bath would be a mandatory pamper routine involving an array of organic beauty products and giving her hair a thorough brushing.

Things were a little different now with Gloyd here. But Crumbelina felt bothered for other reasons: here she was with Gloyd whom she had ordered into her bathroom and now they weren't talking to each other. She couldn't even see him from her position, which made her unhappy. She always wanted to see her company's face and all that she could see beside her over the edge of the tub was the top of his pumpkin hat. What was she to do now? Relaxing in solitude was certainly out of the question. Requesting him in here while she was in her most vulnerable state didn't make sense in hindsight, but Crumbelina tried not to let her error be known. She folded herself inward and hugged her knees beneath the bubbles, trying to devise a way to save her evening.

"Holy Cow Tales, it's like a sauna in here. How can you stand this?"

Gloyd's remark pulled Crumbelina from her thoughts again. "Do you expect me to relax in a cold bath, darling?" she asked indignantly.

The boy wiped his sleeve along his sweating forehead. "Hey, don't knock it till ya try it," he piped up with a dopey grin, staring pointedly ahead at the standing hook near the tub where Crumbelina's bathrobe hung waiting. "Might be nice if you really think about it. I've always wondered what those Peachy Penguins find so great about swimming in iced cola up at Soft-Serve Speedway. Personally, I think it'd be cool to be a penguin for a day."

Crumbelina's mouth twisted; she squeezed the sponge in her hand, making foam ooze between her fingers.

Gloyd chuckled at his own joke. "Get it? Cool? Penguin? I gotta remember that one. You got a pen on ya? Oh…maybe not."

The Italian girl dropped her sponge into the caddy hanging off the side of the tub. She had had enough. "Gloyd, get up here," she huffed. "I can't see you."

That pumpkin hat rose up ever so slowly to reveal Gloyd's still-blushing face as he kneeled right beside her, gripping on to the tub's edge with both hands and finally meeting her honey-amber eyes.

"That's better," Crumbelina said with satisfaction.

Now face-to-face, Gloyd's blush intensified. He wasn't alone though, because her cheeks had become quite tinted too. Crumbelina suddenly felt both her annoyance and her nervousness dissipate in exchange for a flighty, fluttery feeling in her code that made her smile very sweetly (and just a little shyly given her current position) at the sight of Gloyd's face with his chestnut-brown eyes. She knew those eyes very well.

"Hello, Pumpkin Pie," she cooed as if this was her first time seeing him today.

Slowly, Gloyd matched her smile, playing along. "Hi, Lina."

And right away, Crumbelina knew her evening didn't need saving. It hadn't been endangered to begin with.

Ever since the night of her accident, they had been together. And in between that time and now, Crumbelina was discovering more and more just how much she loved this dorky, round-faced, orange-cheeked, blunt-speaking, fact-stating, fashion-backwards, goofy, adorable boy with the silly pumpkin hat. What solidified her happiness was the knowledge that her strong feelings were mutual on his end. There are some things in a virtual game life that can't help but bring the hearts of two characters closer, and a very near-miss with a permanent death due to a faulty code is one of them.

"You're all wet," Gloyd informed her with a lopsided grin.

Crumbelina raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Thank you, Captain Obvious-boar."

"Just sayin'," he shrugged.

Now Crumbelina smirked. His quirky habit of stating the clear obvious was never not endearing. "I do enjoy it when you do that."

"Do what?"

"Nothing."

Gloyd frowned with confusion before shaking his head. "So," he said, "how was your first day back racing?"

"Oh, it was lovely," she simmered. "Being back on my wheels felt amazing. You never know what you have until it's gone."

Gloyd lowered his eyes to the miniature candy cane that leaned against the tub. "Yeah. I know what that's like."

The girl lifted a sudsy hand out of bubbles and rinsed it off before resting it upon one of his hands. "I will admit though, it took everything I had in me just to finish all 3 laps. It wiped out a lot of my energy," she murmured. "That's why I like my bubble baths. They completely delete the muscle pain. Like hitting my own reset button, you know?"

The boy stole a quick peek. "Pfft, no kidding. This is way too many bubbles for one bath," he observed, gazing up at the mountains of foam that looked ready to spill out of the tub at any moment.

"Just the way I like it. Life is better with bubbles," she replied simply. As if to prove her point, she used her other hand to scoop a handful and daintily blow the rosy bubbles up into the air. They floated away freely before popping one-by-one. Pop. Pop. Pop.

Gloyd blinked as a bubble popped right in front of his face. He eyed the little yellow Yummy Ducky that had just floated up to them. "Hey, mind if I eat that? I'm starving."

Her unimpressed look made him chuckle nervously. "Just kidding!"

Being the type who liked to demonstrate how she could always be the one to provide for him (not through much effort given her immense wealth), Crumbelina instead passed him the box of bonbons. Gloyd accepted it eagerly with his free hand.

A comfortable silence settled between them as the two kids just looked at each other. Crumbelina lay hidden beneath all the lather, while her head – still resting upon the éclair cushion – was turned to its side to face Gloyd and one hand placed atop his. She could see anxiousness and concern in his eyes, but also relief. It made her feel warm inside knowing he was here and she was pleased now that they were no longer exchanging pointless small-talk.

She eyed the beads of sweat along his forehead beneath his messy bangs, probably due to wearing a racing jacket and heavy pumpkin hat in this steamy bathroom. Or perhaps he was nervous. Crumbelina sat up a little and picked up her golden washcloth from the caddy. Gloyd tensed slightly as she began mopping his forehead, her hand still atop of his.

"There," she hummed upon finishing. "Clean face."

Gloyd blushed. "Um…thanks," he said, looking more confused than anything.

She gave him a lovely smile. "Looks like I'm not the only one who needs to clean up."

Her smile and the inviting tone in her voice were having their usual effect on Gloyd, who smiled his crooked dorky smile at her in return. He turned his hand over so he could stroke her fingers with his thumb.

"Your skin feels really soft," he mumbled shyly. "And wet."

Crumbelina's heart fluttered from how cute Gloyd sounded whenever he tried giving her compliments. "I should hope so," she hummed. "The secret to this level of softness is the coffee and coconut body scrub. Coffee is the best exfoliator," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "It does wonders for my delicate skin. And let's not forget the cocoa buttercream blend for that extra glamorous silky sheen. It costs a pretty gold coin, but it's completely worth it. And the best part is that it's 100% organic."

Gloyd didn't understand a word she said. Pampering was never a staple in his lifestyle.

"Well, it's working for ya," he replied, intertwining their fingers together.

"Do you…not like the scent?" she asked.

"Yes. I mean no! I mean…I think you smell really good. It smells really good," he corrected hastily.

She simply smiled. Flustered Gloyd was cute Gloyd.

The Halloween racer fidgeted with the lapels of his jacket and popped a bonbon into his mouth to quell his nervousness. "I, uh, I thought you were really great out there today," he told her in a slight stammer. "You were looking like your old self again."

Crumbelina's smile faded into a frown. "I came in 15th, Gloyd," she said flatly. "That's second to last. I still have a long way to go."

"I think you're makin' great progress so far," he offered.

She ignored this. "I still get so tired so easily," she argued. "I can't even walk in a straight line without that cane. I'm still so weak."

Letting his hand go, she slumped back into her initial position, lying back the length of the tub with her head upon the cushion. An expression of unhappiness now present all over her.

"You're not weak, Lina," Gloyd immediately said. But she didn't seem to hear him. Her mind was drifting too far away.

As part of her recovery transition, Crumbelina had been taking several days off the roster to rest. The result of her crash had left her in a sporadically weakened state, meaning that one minute, she might be feeling fine, but in the next minute, suddenly needing to rest. A couple days ago, she had unexpectedly fainted in front of over a hundred pairs of eyes while walking through Game Central Station on her way to Tapper's with Gloyd. It had been a very embarrassing experience.

The best thing that both Felix and Calhoun had decided was for her to simply take it easy until she got better. The other racers all supported this decision and made sure Crumbelina had everything she needed, including finding a candy cane for her to use for walking. Vanellope even gave her access to the chocolate-frosted blimps that floated high over the tracks so she could have the best view of any race course.

Crumbelina had enjoyed her time off at first, but those feelings of pleasure were quickly wearing off. R wasn't all that it cracked up to be. She missed racing. She longed to drive her beloved Tira-Missile. She missed exchanging playful taunts and devilish grins whenever she passed her competition. She missed sharing tales of the latest race whenever one was over and they had gathered for the winner's ceremony. Most of all, she missed the players. It was never about the victorious win, the shiny trophy, or even if she was the avatar. Yes, those were all great, but seeing and hearing those elated kids at the game console was the true reward. Even when she was not picked to play as the avatar (which had been the root of her depression for the longest time until recently), knowing she was doing her part in Sugar Rush just by being one of its 16 racers was enough satisfaction for her. Now that she was unable to contribute to that, Crumbelina felt empty inside, like an essential piece of her programming had been cut away.

This was why she decided one day to have a chat with Vanellope, the only other person she knew who had gone through this exact situation…

Some time ago:

"Honestly, Van, I don't think I've ever felt closer to you. All this time away from racing keeps reminding me of how you used to be," Crumbelina mumbled as she sipped her favourite mug of steaming espresso. The light of the sunset warmed half her face while the other side that faced her mansion felt cold in the shadow of her floppy cap.

President Vanellope von Schweetz nodded, her own hands curling around another mug of the same drink – she was one of the only residents in Sugar Rush who legitimately enjoyed Crumbelina's more exquisite beverages compared to the drinks more commonly consumed like chocolate milk and strawberry cola. "Yeah, it's a major bummer alright," she said, swallowing her current intake. "You can feel that need for speed stirring up deep inside. That urge to race is there, holding your code with both hands and won't let go. You just know you gotta be on the track…but you can't."

That was another reason why Crumbelina liked turning to Vanellope for a serious talk. Vanellope didn't sugarcoat her words or try to make light of the situation by ignoring the obvious problems…she addressed them as they were. And that's what they were doing right now as they sat out on Crumbelina's balcony. Vanellope was sitting in the half of the bench usually occupied by Gloyd.

"How did you do it?" the Italian girl asked desperately. "You lived like this for 15 years…and here I am moping after just six days. You must think I'm so weak."

Vanellope narrowed her eyes. "Firstly, I do not," she said firmly. "You're one of the strongest girls in our game, Crumbelina. Not everyone has the guts to open up about her insecurities like this, which is a huge upgrade for yourself. Remember?"

Crumbelina quietly recalled her previous habit of concealing her unhappiness inside and what little good that did to her.

"Secondly, I did it by always tellin' myself that I had two options," Vanellope continued, stretching back against the bench. "I could lie around feelin' sorry for my sad excuse for a life…or find ways to make the most of it. That's why I kept building karts and sneaking into the races. Even when the cops were hot-roddin' me, and King Can't-dy messing with my fun like an annoying pimple that won't pop, I just kept on going. I coulda' thrown in the towel, sure. But I pushed myself even when it all looked hopeless. It was either that or decide it really was hopeless. But I wouldn't be caught dead admitting defeat to King Buttfaced-Buttercream."

Admiring Vanellope's determination while also silently wishing she could have some of that iron will for herself, Crumbelina almost missed what her friend said next.

"Besides, Lina, your sit'ch is different than mine was. Wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"'Cuz unlike me back then, you actually have friends," Vanellope whispered. "I was completely on my own out there. Company of one, friends of none. You have so many people who care for you that you could drown in all their support!"

This was true. Vanellope had had no one to lean on while living as a displaced racer. Crumbelina had everyone. They were all so ready and willing to chip in whatever way they could to help her.

Vanellope set her mug down on the coffee cake table in front of them. "I know things are tastin' more than a Sour Patch right now," she soothed, "but no matter how bad things get, there's always a bright light comin' from somewhere. Sometimes it's a change of luck. Other times, it's Candlehead. But in your case, your code is all patched up. You just need to take it easy until you can feel your old groove inching up your back again."

Crumbelina smiled gratefully as she put her own mug down. She had a lot to think about. "You're right, Vanellope," she murmured. "Thank you for all this. I'm so happy you're back. I've missed our long talks."

"So have I," Vanellope smiled back. "And hey, it can't all be that bad. Now you're waited on 24-7. You're getting' the full royal treatment with all this attention showered on ya!"

Her face twisted into a very sly smirk. "Especially from ol' Pumpkin Head," she teased. "Must be sweet to have a boyfriend who dotes on ya the way he does."

Crumbelina blushed heavily, but secretly swelled at the thought. No matter how many times the others had done so, she had never once referred to Gloyd as her boyfriend. She wondered if that would change soon.

A/N: That's a wrap on Chapter 1. This was originally going to be a bigger story, dealing with Crumbelina being depressed from her disabled condition. She was going to have another crash resulting from her trying to race even when she still wasn't totally well. It wouldn't hurt her, but she unfairly takes out her frustrations on Gloyd, leading to them having an argument and a bit of a falling-out. But I decided to scrap that because I felt that these two have gone through so much already that I didn't like having them fight. It's a natural thing for new couples to fight as they try to figure out their relationship, but this felt like backtracking rather than progression. Besides, this was what I really wanted to write in the first place. I did manage to salvage and repurpose a bit from that earlier draft, like Vanellope's talk with Lina.

So we skip all that and instead start at what would have been the setting for their forgiveness scene. Good thing too…because this story ended up being longer than I anticipated anyway! Posh and Prankster fluff tends to naturally fly away with me.