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Disturbance (Chapter 2 - Miscommunication)

Chapter below the cut; alternate links: Ao3 || FF

Welcome back! It's been a while, but I believe this chapter is finally done to my satisfaction and I appreciate my readers' patience. Felix and Tamora are both in for something a bit different than they expected.

In the aftermath, silence surrounded her. The battle had ended but everything hurt. Even her armor was gone; she couldn't remember why, only that it was of no help against the injuries she'd sustained. 

She lay facedown and naked in a dimly-lit but familiar room, her head on her arms, and the silhouettes of distant furniture at the edges of her vision. At first she thought the cuts and scrapes were solely to blame for the irritation flaring across her back, but the feeling of sharp, wet drops intensified from a trickle to a stream within seconds. From somewhere above that she couldn't see, a hot, stinging liquid then poured down over her entire body like a warm bath, seeping into every open wound and scar. She twisted around in pain but felt no temptation to escape, and made no sound as the burning touch permeated her skin. 

The solution flowed off of her onto the floor, and as it passed her line of sight she could faintly see it carrying away dirt, blood, and grime until it ran clear. Her skin still burned, but an invigorating tingling replaced the painful sear as though the wounds had been thoroughly cleaned. The hot fluid filled the cracks of the scars, and when she looked up she could see a reflection—the patterns on her body now glowed like stars against the ceiling, illuminating the room. 

—

Tamora awoke in confusion at the light coming in through the blinds, and the unusual softness of...her cot? No, this was Felix's bed. Why wasn't he here? Why was her head pounding? How did she...

As soon as she noticed the items on the nightstand and the scent of breakfast wafting from somewhere else in the apartment, the clarity—as much of it as she could have in her state—clotheslined her. A long night at Tapper's. Stumbling along the walls of GCS until she found her boyfriend's game. Vomiting in the grass after getting out of the tram car. Taking the elevator to the correct floor on muscle memory, falling into his room, and—

In a flash of panic, Tamora flung back the sheets. No blood. No evidence of anything sexual. She still wore her undersuit, and her armor lay in a neat pile at the foot of the bed. 

It didn't matter. Whatever happened here, he'd still seen all of it. She couldn't face him now. If she put her cruiser out the window she could make a pretty clean getaway, it was a straight shot from the fire escape and—

She threw open the curtains and immediately recoiled when the rectangle of light pouring in from the screen outside beamed directly into her eyes. The ache in her head pulsed to her stomach as soon as she looked down at the ten-story drop, and she swayed on her feet. Nope. Not steady enough yet for that. She scrambled for the bowl on the nightstand and heaved out what was left in her from the previous night. 

Of course Felix had refilled the water. With a sigh of relief she took a drink and collapsed back onto the bed. 

Catching her breath, Tamora noticed for the first time that a plate with three generously-sized slices of toast and a scrambled egg hid behind the large bowl. No wonder the smell was so strong; the food was still warm. He must've just been in here while she was still out cold. 

Without a second thought she dove into the meal, that spark of vitality already returning from having something other than alcohol in her system. It was pretty hard to mess up toast and eggs, but Felix was a fantastic cook, and even this routine breakfast had been made just right—crispy toast with a soft center, and fluffy eggs with just the right amount of salt and chives. He'd even made them fairly plainly, probably to avoid exacerbating her condition. The thought intensified the guilt already stabbing her from the inside. 

She couldn't leave. 

He could be back anytime and it wouldn't be fair to leave a mess anyway. 

He was going to be upset. 

This was all her fault, and she couldn't count on it having a simple solution. 

Tamora had to redeem herself somehow. After finishing the last forkful of eggs and making a concerted effort to ignore the throbbing behind her eyes, she pulled the sheets off the bed and piled them up as neatly as she could. Thankful that she kept a few changes of clothes at the apartment, she removed and tossed her undersuit into the pile, and raided her footlocker for a clean set of clothing. 

Pulling on a fresh T-shirt and sweatpants and with some sense of direction as to what she needed to do, her thoughts calmed enough that she registered for the first time the lack of kitchen-fussing noises from the other side of the door. Felix had probably been summoned to another repair job; the Nicelanders were always looking for excuses to hang out with him. For once this worked in her favor, giving her access to the rest of the apartment. 

Tamora had to fix this somehow. 

—

After coaxing one of Norwood's cats down from his drapes long enough to repair the claw marks, Felix finally found himself returning to his own apartment. Grateful that the Nicelander had ultimately decided to handle the cat himself (following many unsuccessful attempts at herding the creature into the bathroom without upsetting her other feline housemates), the handyman made quicker work of the shredded upholstery than the cat had made of her guardian's shirt. 

Tamora had slept in so far, and at least Felix could take comfort in knowing she was safe. She hadn't made a sound or asked him for anything all morning, and hadn't moved from her spot when he'd brought her breakfast. He couldn't shake the growing uneasiness that had hung over him since the previous night, some kind of fast-approaching impact he could feel but not see. It was all he could do to make sure she at least got the best sleep and meal he'd figured she'd had in days, and maybe he could find out what was bothering her if he was lucky. The hand kiss, the words she'd chosen when struggling to communicate with him...it had to mean something. Maybe she just needed a day with no expectations, nothing to worry about so she could reset and get her thoughts together. He had some board games in a cabinet somewhere, the refrigerator was stocked, he could put the Nicelanders on hold for the rest of the day while he gave his Lady Love some time. That could work.

He unlocked the door and opened it to find everything tidied. The makeshift bed he'd put together on the couch, the pans and plates he'd used to cook breakfast, the toaster he'd pulled towards the edge of the counter to keep an eye on it while scrambling the eggs...everything was clean and back in its original place. For a moment he fumbled through his short-term memory trying to figure out when he'd had the time to clean up before leaving, but it quickly became obvious that Tamora had taken care of it. Felix's chest tightened at the thought of her cleaning up after him in the undoubtedly painful state she was in, and his hands began to sweat as he moved to open the bedroom door. 

He found her sitting on the edge of the bare mattress, bent over with her face in her hands, legs tensing slightly at the sound of the door creaking open. She'd gotten dressed, and piled the bedsheets into the hamper. The water had been consumed and the bowl washed after its use. 

Felix stood in the doorway, waiting for Tamora to give any indication that she had something to say. The absence of any response proved too stifling for him to endure after ten seconds of silence. 

"Mornin', love. How're you feeling?" His voice wavered. "Thank you for cleaning up but you really didn't hav—" 

"I want you to tell me what I did last night. Don't sugarcoat it."

"Well—" he noticed her fingers twitch and continued in a whisper. "You left a big gash in the hallway from your armor, but it's nothin' my hammer can't fix. And you couldn't stand or walk that well, so you fell into the room and scared me half to death. I tried to get you ready for bed but you thought we were—" he blushed "—tryin' to, uhh...make love."

At the mention of the last item her head snapped up, fully at attention after a wince and rub of her neck. He almost jumped out of his skin, between seeing her suddenly move so quickly and the uncanny panic in her eyes that bore straight through him.

He placed a hand on her knee. "Nothing really intrusive happened. You kissed me a bit and went for my shirt. I couldn't push you off, but I pulled myself out from under you and told you we weren't about to do that when you weren't in your right mind. You looked like you understood, and rolled off me."

She exhaled sharply and nodded for him to continue. 

"Then..." he blushed again. "You kissed my hand and told me you were sorry...and I think you went 'n fell asleep afterwards. I took the rest of your armor and tucked you in." 

She shook her head and held out one arm, her eyes squeezed shut. 

"Tam?" 

He placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned in. She wrapped her arm around him at a cautious pace usually reserved for picking up an injured comrade, pausing every few seconds as though in fear of hurting him.��

"I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am," she rasped out.

Returning the hug, Felix could feel her heartbeat pounding through his entire torso. He rubbed his thumb against her shoulder. 

"I'm okay. Tamora Jean, I know you. You wouldn't do something like that to me."

"I almost did. And if I had, you wouldn't have been able to knock me off." 

"Honeybadger, you could hardly sit up or crawl. You couldn't even get the buttons undone on my pajamas. I get the feelin' you would've passed out on me in a few more minutes anyway. Why don’t you just take it easy today, and let me know what you—" 

He felt Tamora's arms tense, and he looked up at her. 

"Are you alright?" 

She released him and backed away. 

"Felix, this isn't a joke. I never should've gotten to that point—look at us! If I didn't get your message then what did you plan on doing? I could've seriously..." she turned away and cursed in frustration. 

"Tammy, I worry about you when you're out on duty, or when you barely make it home like last night. And...and it did scare me a bit when you jumped on me like that. But I was afraid that you wouldn't understand me that way, that something was wrong. Not that you'd do it on purpose." 

"I don't know whether you're justifying this to me or to yourself but think of what could've happened! Look—" She made a loop around his wrist by touching her thumb to her middle finger and lightly shook it back and forth. There was enough room for his arm to rattle around slightly in the empty space. 

When he gave no response but a confused look, Tamora stood up and paced the room, her voice increasing in volume. 

"What if I'd jumped on you too hard and broken something? Forget movin' me, how would you even get away? Or if I'd gotten your clothes off? How could you ever trust me again?" 

Felix had seen all manner of fury in Tamora's face before; with her life circumstances he didn't blame her. But for all the indications to the contrary, it wasn't anger, not as far as he could tell. For the first time he'd ever seen it in her waking state...it looked like fear. 

"Darlin' I—" 

"What do you get for putting up with this? If it ever happens again I want you to swing and swing hard, I've been in plenty of fistfights and I can take—" 

"No! That's just awful, why would you think I should ever go and do that to you?" His face twisted into an expression of pure horror. He wouldn’t have looked more hurt if she’d struck him herself, and the intrusive thought caused Tamora to falter before she found words once again.

"Wh...why do I think that? Why don't you have any sense of self-preservation? You're not taking this seriously! You're more scandalized at the thought of protecting yourself than about what I did!" 

"You've given me no reason not to trust you! Maybe it took you a bit but as soon as you got a good look at me you stopped—!" 

A pounding noise echoed through the room from the floor below. Tamora shook her head and sighed. 

"The first thing you ever did when we met was pull a loaded weapon right over your chest. I should've known better." 

She ran a hand up her face and groaned in frustration. 

"We're not getting anywhere. You think the sun shines right out my ass. Whatever it is you see in me doesn't exist. I don't know where you got this idea of me from but you don't have to worry about it anymore." She stormed out of the bedroom and he followed her to the main living space of the apartment. 

"Tamora…"

The sergeant whipped around, and froze him on the spot with a stare that looked to contain all the fight she had left in her.

"Don't tell me you were never afraid of what I was doing. Then or before." 

An unpleasant heat prickled through his whole body under her stare and he averted his eyes. At the door sat their boots side-by-side, hers dwarfing his. Behind him on the bedroom floor laid a pile of armor heavier than he was. A half-disassembled rifle's pieces spread out across their guest table; the weapon in its totality was too large for him to lift for more than a few seconds. He hung his head and chanced a look at her again. The stare had been replaced with an expression of exhausted pity. 

"I don't blame you. If you knew the half of it you'd never have agreed to this." She clenched her jaw, swallowed, and the flicker of vulnerability in her voice hid itself again. "I'm going out." 

"Wait! Are you—" 

She snatched her boots, pulled the door shut behind her, and the sound of her footsteps faded off in the direction of the elevator.

—

Tagging some of my WIR buddies: @ask-icancraft-it @ashleybenlove @sgtcalhouns @coneygoil @kittysfigurines24 @fix-it-feesh @shitpost-it-tristan @make-it-mavis @datamining-your-heart @nijimarii @scarfboyxiv @secretsocietyofgamejumpers @juanitascribbles @wreckitralphrestart

Let me know if you would like your name added to or removed from the tags for future fics!

[ask-icancraft-it]

Tiny Flame

(( Helloooo everybody! Firstly, thank you for your patience as I've taken a break from 'Love's Retribution' and recovering from writer's block in general. I've been able to start chipping away at that story once more, thanks to this fic that you are about to read, which does take place in the Western setting, but with Ralph/Felix instead! Very spicy/NSFW under the Readmore, I hope you enjoy!

Tagging some Pals: @shitpost-it-tristan @sgtcalhouns @bashfulgnome ))

---

Sitting on a stool by the furnace, Ralph struck a match. A tiny flame sparked to life, and he brought it close to the cigarette in his mouth, then paused. 

Felix didn’t like the smell of cigarette smoke.

With a sigh, the large man shook the match out and placed the roll of tobacco back in his case. Closing the tin and stuffing it back into his jacket pocket, he glanced at the kid tucked into the straw bed behind him. 

Quietly, he stood up and walked to a nearby window, moving a curtain to peek outside. Beyond the fortifying boards and heavy snowfall, Ralph could see the handyman’s home, still lit.

He chewed on his tongue a moment, then approached the sleeping girl. Tucking a loose strand of her raven hair behind her ear was enough to cause a stir.

“R-ralph?” Vanellope mumbled. “What is it?”

“Hey kid,” he replied softly. “I’m gonna check in on Felix, maybe chat for a while. Just wanted you to know in case you woke up and I’m not here.”

“Okay.” 

“Remember to stay put till I’m back. You’ll get blown away if you go outside alone.”

Ralph made the girl giggle with a tickle to her stomach.

“I’m gonna stay r-right here where it's w-w-warm,” Vanellope snuggled back under her blanket. “Can you thank him again for letting us stay for me?”

“Sure, kid,” the giant smiled. “Sleep tight.” Ralph’s face instantly stung when he exited the workshop, the frigid wind pelting him with snow. With one hand on the clothing line tied between the handyman’s home and workshop, he slowly made his way to the other side. Stepping up on the small porch, he rapped his cold knuckles on the door, which opened soon after.

“Ralph!” Felix exclaimed as he saw the giant's silhouette in his doorframe. “Quick, get in.”

The handyman promptly closed the door after his friend, locking it back in place with a board.

“Land sakes, Ralph, what possessed you to go out in all that?” the small man huffed as he dusted snowflakes from his hair and clothes.

“You,” Ralph answered simply, only realizing how it sounded when the handyman stopped to stare. “I-I mean, I wanted to check on you. Storm hasn’t let up for a few days, so I wanted to ensure you were alright.”

“Oh, well, I appreciate that,” Felix said, genuinely touched. “And I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t worried about you two either. Do you and Vanellope have everything you need over there?” 

“We do, much thanks to you.”

The pair exchanged companionable smiles before the handyman gestured to a rack by the fireplace.

“Go on and place your wet clothes by the fire to dry. Would you like some tea?”

“Sure.” 

Ralph knelt by the hearth, removing his soggy boots before hanging his coat on a peg. And while Felix busied himself at the stove, Ralph checked that his shirt was tucked in nicely, smoothing the wrinkles with his large hands. Approaching the kitchen table, he took the cup that had been poured for him. 

“Thank you,” he said, sitting down alongside his gracious host. 

“I sure hope this lets up soon,” Felix sighed as his home rattled when the wind hit it just right. 

Ralph took in the handyman’s worried expression. “You think this and the workshop will hold?” 

“They’ll hold,” Felix answered confidently. “I’m more concerned about the older homes along the outskirts of town…We’ll be mighty busy clearing snow off roofs soon, that’s for certain.”

Ralph nodded and sipped his tea, surprised by the unfamiliar yet almost wintergreen flavor. 

“That’s good stuff,” he said, licking his lips. “What is it?”

“Birch,” Felix smiled. “Once winter starts to set in, I gather some twigs and let them steep in a jar.” 

“Huh…ya learn somethin’ new every day,” Ralph chuckled. It seemed the handyman had many tricks up his sleeve like that, which made him all the more grateful for their current arrangement.

They continued their conversations well past when the tea was emptied from their cups, sharing knowledge and swapping stories. Ralph enjoyed making his companion laugh with the many misadventures he and Vanellope had together on the road. 

“—So yeah, guess I’m still livin’ up to my nickname,” he chuckled, tying one last story in a bow. 

“It seems you two have gotten yourselves in trouble just about everywhere,” Felix smiled, leaning on the table. A measure of admiration in his blue eyes made Ralph’s heart skip a beat.  

“Yeah…” he replied, his face suddenly feeling warm. The conversation lulled, only adding to his nerves as he thought of the best way to bring up what he’d wanted to all evening. 

“Hey, uh—Can I ask you a personal question?” he finally managed after clearing his throat.

The smaller man across from him shrugged. “Sure.”

“Have you ever been with a woman before?”

Felix’s eyebrows arched upward. 

“As in—” he laced his fingers together symbolically, his face flushing when Ralph nodded. “Ah…No. No, I haven’t.” 

“Then…I’m guessing you haven’t been with any men either.” 

The handyman’s eyes grew wide. “That’s an option?” he said just above a whisper.

His genuine awe made Ralph chuckle. “For some, it is.”

Felix nodded, not seeming to realize why the giant was asking these questions in the first place. “Have you been with men?”

“I have,” Ralph swallowed. “Does…does that bother you?”

“Why would it?”  

The giant smiled. And not wanting to taint the handyman’s virtue with an answer, he simply offered a shrug. 

“Were you worried I would mind?” Felix asked softly. 

Ralph's expression turned sheepish. “A little,” he admitted.

“Then…why tell me at all?”

“I don’t know. For honesty’s sake?” Ralph scratched behind his ear. “And well…I thought… maybe there was a chance you might have had the same inclination.”

“Oh. Ooh—” the handyman’s eyes widened again after the gears turned. “W-well, I don’t rightly know…”

“I-it’s alright,” Ralph shot up from his chair. “I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I-I’ll see myself out.”

“Wait!” Felix followed, grasping his friend's arm. “I didn’t mean it like that. H-how would I know what I don’t know?” 

Ralph blinked, looking into the handyman’s eyes.

“If I had the same inclination…how would I know?” he rephrased. His soft tone and serious expression gave Ralph all the indication that Felix was sincere in his curiosity. And perhaps deep down, he already knew the answer.

The room was silent as the two regarded each other, save for the soft crackle of the fireplace. Wordlessly, Ralph moved one of his large hands to the smaller man’s jaw, caressing and gently lifting it. Felix gulped but didn’t shy away at the touch, his breath hitching as the giant leaned down to capture his lips. 

The connection lingered only briefly before Ralph pulled away to gauge reaction. He was amused by how the handyman’s eyes remained closed after, his small frame swooning ever so slightly.

“How’d that feel?” Felix’s eyes fluttered open at the question, as though he’d been dreaming.

“Warm,” he replied with a grin. “Like the sun. Did you feel that too?”

“I did,” Ralph chuckled.

“And my heart—” Felix took a deep breath. “Oh, my heart is racing! Could we do that again?”

Relieved, Ralph was happy to oblige, indulging in a few more seconds this time. Felix requested a couple more, the warm feeling growing hotter with each kiss. And by their fourth, want became need, causing an indescribable ache when they broke apart for air. “Ralph…” The handyman spoke softly, his voice trembling. “I think I’m inclined.”

The large man holding him laughed. “I gathered that much,” he said.

“But I…How do we—how does this work?” Felix knew the basic functions between a man and a woman, but something didn’t quite add up where two gentlemen were concerned. 

“E-oh boy,” Ralph said, suddenly reminded that the handyman was completely and utterly new to this. “Maybe we should sit back down a moment.”

“Did I say something wrong?” Felix fidgeted as he dipped back into his seat. 

“No, no… I just want to make sure that you really want to—” Ralph put his fingers together in that gestural way the handyman used earlier. “To be with me like that. Y’know, for your first time.” 

Felix nodded in understanding, but the poor man soon looked on the verge of tears.

“I’m not a stranger to affection,” he explained. “I’ve had it placed upon my cheeks and lips by a few women through the years. But none of them have given me elation like yours has. I always thought maybe something was wrong with me. In a town full of people I care deeply for, I’ve always felt so lonely…I’m only just realizing why.”

Ralph placed a comforting hand on the smaller man’s knee, rubbing with his thumb. “It’s okay if you need time.” 

“I want to know it,” Felix resolved after some quiet consideration. “If you are truly willing to share...I want to know what intimacy of that nature is like. It seemed right; I felt safe in your arms. Anything you would normally do, I want to try.” 

Ralph was stunned by the handyman’s admission, his heart pounding in his chest.

“We can start slow,” he responded. “You…you’ve indulged yourself before?”

Felix nodded bashfully. “Good,” the giant smiled. “We can do things similar to that. But, um— to answer your question from earlier. There is a place down south which both men and women share.” 

The handyman’s face was nearly priceless when the thought clicked.

“There?” he gaped.

“Mhm,” Ralph chuckled. 

“And it feels…good?” 

“When done right, very,” Ralph smirked as the handyman mulled things over. “We don’t have to. Just know you’d be in good hands.”

Felix couldn’t help the blush lighting up his face. “I’ll think about it,” he squeaked. 

The giant's shoulders shook with a soft rumbling of laughter. And standing up, Ralph leaned over the smaller man’s frame and held out his hand. 

Staring upwards, Felix accepted Ralph’s assistance, the glow on his cheeks deepening as they stood close. He tilted his chin upward as his companion bowed his head, welcoming the affection placed on his lips wholeheartedly.

Quicker than last time, things grew hot inside the handyman’s stomach. Breathing heavily, he allowed Ralph’s hands and lips to explore. And little by little, he relaxed in the giant’s arms, melting into each wonderful touch.

“Ah—!” Felix gasped when a large hand goosed his rear, laughing at his friend's mischievous smile from above. 

With a satisfied hum, Ralph’s smile softened. His thick fingers traced the bottom edge of Felix’s belt, close to where he wanted to touch next. Receiving a nod, he cupped the front of the handyman’s jeans in his palm, rubbing gently.

Felix’s knees nearly gave out from the sensation, and he was thankful Ralph still had a good hold on him from behind should they fail him completely. As Ralph continued, Felix latched onto his broad shoulders, shuddering.

Every whimper, every suppressed moan, Ralph delighted in them all. Feeling the handyman grow hard under his careful fondling, he guided them towards the bed. The mattress was small, but he could make do. 

Perching on its edge, Ralph turned Felix around and steered the smaller man by the hips to sit between his legs. With the handyman’s back leaning on his chest, Ralph continued stroking him from behind with one hand, while the other worked to undo his belt and fly. Felix took a shaky breath as Ralph paused to moisten his fingers with some spit, jumping at the following unobstructed contact.

“Am I going too fast?” the giant eased off. 

Felix gulped. The way Ralph’s voice rumbled in his ear made him shiver. “I-It’s just all so…overwhelming.”

“Do you want to stop?”

“No,” Felix pleaded, gripping the larger man’s knee. “It’s the good kind of overwhelming.”

Ralph smiled; that’s all he needed to hear. 

Reaching again below the handyman’s underdrawers, he toyed with his slickened fingers. And only when Felix had fully hardened under his touch did he push aside the cloth to reveal the erection in full. 

“Look at you.”

Felix peered down along with the man straddling his hips, his face growing hot at the sight of his arousal in the giant’s gentle grip. Ralph placed a kiss on his temple, letting a few moments sink in before pumping. 

“Oh—” Felix’s torso curled forward before returning to press against the giant's chest, and his hands reflexively grasped Ralph’s thighs beside him. “Oh my land…”

While Felix had indeed indulged himself before, it never felt quite like this. And receiving this kind of pleasure at the hands of someone else only added to the excitement buzzing in his chest.

Ralph adjusted their positions slightly, pulling the handyman more flush against his groin, and Felix could feel a bulge rubbing against his rear in tandem with the giant’s hand.

“Fuck,” the man behind him huffed, keeping his rhythm steady. 

A searing heat took hold in Felix’s abdomen, and he closed his eyes, unable to stop the soft moans while he anticipated release. “Ralph!” he gasped as he was on the edge.

Hearing his name uttered that way brought the giant great satisfaction, and the way the handyman unravelled soon after was the cherry on top. When Felix finally went slack against his chest, Ralph kissed the top of his golden brown hair. Taking in the afterglow, Felix’s fingers grazed Ralph’s knees as he regulated his breathing.

“You good?” Ralph inquired, leaning to get a clearer view of his friend’s face.

Felix peered back at Ralph from the corners of his eyes. A smile broke across his cheeks as he laughed softly. 

“Yes,” he said, much to the giant’s relief. “H-here, let me get you a rag.”

Felix stood up from the bed, leaving Ralph's lap empty. He timidly cleaned himself off, then handed a fresh cloth to his companion. 

Ralph smirked, wiping the sticky mess from his hand. He couldn’t help but stare at the handyman, practically glowing in the firelight. Felix stared back, looking as if he wanted to say something, but was too shy.

“How was that for you?” Ralph broke the ice for him. 

“It was good,” Felix blushed. “Real good.”

“Good,” the giant smiled, trying to quell the ache for Felix to be right back where he was between his thighs. It would appear that his companion was apprehensive about continuing...

“Ralph,” The petite man tangled his fingers. “Could I—can we kiss again?”

“Absolutely,” Ralph beamed. “As much as you want.”

Felix approached the bedside, gently holding either side of the giant's face. Standing, he looked deep into Ralph's amber eyes before closing the remaining gap. 

When they parted, the handyman looked again, taking in every bit of the face he held so amorously. 

“You’re a handsome man, ‘Wreck-It’ Ralph.” 

A blush formed on the giant’s cheeks, and a part of him felt like a sap for doing so. But something in the way Felix said them made him hang on every word. It wasn’t often that people appreciated his physicality, let alone expressed it in such a kindhearted way.

Ralph was all the more eager to seize the handyman’s lips a second time, his large hands reeling Felix in by the hips. Panting between passionate kisses, Felix knelt on the mattress to straddle Ralph’s lap. 

“Ah—” Ralph was quick to maximize their contact, far more desperate for the handyman than he imagined. His right hand cupping Felix’s rear, his central fingers curled downward to add a pleasurable pressure that made the man on top of him sigh.

“You like that?” Ralph inquired, smirking when the handyman nodded. “Well…do you want to know what it feels like when I’m inside you?” 

Felix gulped, his face red all over. “You’ve done this before?” he asked.

“A bunch.”

“And the fellows you’ve done it with; they’ve liked it?”

“Every single one,” Ralph kept rubbing with his fingers, making the handyman groan.

“...D-does it hurt at all?”

Ralph paused, gingerly touching his friend’s timid face.

“There may be times where it can feel uncomfortable since it’d be your first,” he answered truthfully. “The trick is to take our ease, and if you don’t like it, we’ll stop. I don’t want to hurt you, Felix.” 

As he considered things, the handyman draped his arms around Ralph's wide shoulders. Closing his eyes, he soaked in the gentle way the giant held him, how tenderly and honestly he spoke. Again, Felix felt nothing but safe. 

“Okay,” he nodded. “W-what do we need to do?”

Ralph chuckled at the handyman’s pragmatic approach. “Well, for starters, we could take off these clothes,” he suggested.

Felix blushed, his arms retracting to begin unbuttoning his blue top. Ralph helped him shuck it away, caressing his bare torso with admiration. The handyman then began to undo Ralph’s red flannel, marveling at how much hair covered the brawny chest underneath.

“Go on,” the giant laughed, as if reading his friend's mind.

Shyly, Felix placed his hands just below Ralph’s collarbone, his fingers tangling in the soft brown hairs. His eyes and hands slowly drifted downward, following the trail to Ralph’s belt. And despite his nerves, Felix uncoiled the piece of leather from its silver buckle.

Ralph sighed, the tightness in his jeans finally relieved. He watched the handyman undoing his button and fly, wondering how far he would go.

“Oh goodness—” Felix shied away after a brief feel, his face burning. How would that even begin to fit?

It took all Ralph had in him not to laugh—Felix was an excitable little thing.

Gathering back up his courage, the handyman reached down again, moving the band of Ralph’s underdrawers out of the way. Gently, unsurely, Felix moved his palm along the length of his friend’s member. 

Ralph groaned, bucking his hips for more contact. “You are driving me crazy,” he thought aloud.

“S-sorry!” Felix panicked.

“No, it’s okay,” Ralph was quick to reassure. “I just need to keep reminding myself you’re new. Please, keep doing what you’re doing. Just know you can be a lot firmer.”

Felix’s mouth opened with a silent ‘oh,’ and he pressed his palm harder against Ralph’s shaft while continuing the up and down motion. And before long, the man underneath him was a sweaty mess, grunting like a bear. 

“Fuck,” Ralph’s grip on the handyman’s hips tightened as his pleasure quickly rose. “Just like that.”

Felix watched the giant’s face with awe, pure bliss forcing his amber eyes closed with brows knitted together. 

Holding his breath, Ralph assisted with a few more desperate movements before letting it all out with a deep guttural sound. Felix felt the giant shudder, and warm spurts of cum covered his hand.

Ralph laughed between breaths when he saw the handyman’s look of astonishment. “Thank you,” he sighed after riding out his pleasure. 

“It was that good?” Felix queried, unsure what to do with his dirtied hand. “I feel like I barely did anything.”

“As I said, you were driving me crazy,” Ralph grinned. Standing, he placed the handyman on his feet, and grabbing the rag from earlier, he held it out.

“I think I’m going to use the wash for this,” Felix tittered. Stepping to the cabinet, he poured water into the basin and cleaned his hands with soap. 

While the handyman scrubbed away, Ralph shrugged, wiping himself off with the cloth before peeling off his jeans and underdrawers. Sitting back on the mattress, he waited patiently, taking the moment to admire Felix’s backside. And as the smaller man dried his hands, a thought came to mind.

“Could you bring that over here?” Ralph asked, pulling a stool by the fireplace near the bedside. 

“Sure,” the handyman picked up the basin and brought it to the spot as requested. 

Ralph took the cloth that Felix had used and placed it on the lip of the basin before reaching for the top hem of the handyman’s jeans.

“May I?” 

Felix nodded softly, gulping as Ralph unclothed him completely. Kicking the fabric from his feet, the handyman blushed. Compared to his companion’s muscular physique, he felt the view he provided was nothing much.

“Beautiful,” Ralph said after drinking him in, which darkened the red hue on Felix’s face. Wetting the rag in the soapy basin, the giant wrung it out before coaxing the handyman to turn.

“What are you doing?” Felix flinched slightly when the cold, wet cloth touched his rear.

“Makin’ sure you’re nice and clean,” Ralph answered, wiping carefully. “Thought you might like that.”

Felix indeed appreciated the gesture, allowing his friend to continue with a nod. Once done, Ralph wrung out the cloth and set it aside.

“Here, lie down,” the giant said, patting the mattress. And as Felix lay on his back, Ralph walked to his jacket by the fireplace and pulled the special gun oil he kept for occasions like this from its pocket.

Returning to the bedside, he put the natural oil on his fingers. “I’m going to start with my hands,” Ralph explained. With a small gulp, Felix acknowledged.

Kneeling on the mattress, Ralph used his un-oiled hand to place light erotic touches on the handyman, starting from the neck and down to his pelvis. He could feel Felix tense underneath him as he ventured even lower. 

“Try to relax,” Ralph murmured, kissing the handyman’s quivering knee. 

Closing his eyes, Felix drew in a breath and slowly let it out of his nose, trying to focus on the present moment rather than the anticipation. Smiling, Ralph continued, caressing the handyman’s flacid cock. 

Felix hummed, enjoying the familiar strokes before Ralph introduced the newer sensation. The handyman felt that strange yet pleasurable pressure as Ralph teased with the pad of his finger. 

“Unh—” Felix flinched as the digit penetrated slightly. Ralph retracted, continuing the soft teasing until he received a soft nod. Pushing in again, he went slightly further, waiting some time before retracting again. 

Taking pauses to apply more gun oil, the pair slowly made progress. And as they went on, Felix knew more about what to expect, allowing him to relax more easily. 

With a proud smile, Ralph pressed in a final time, his finger extended inside the handyman’s rectum. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss upon Felix’s lips. “How do you feel?” he asked. 

“Full,” the handyman answered after another mindful breath. 

Ralph leaned further, propping on his elbow at Felix’s side. Slowly, he pulled his finger out most of the way before pushing back in, repeating the steady motion until a soft moan met his ears. That sound— it was like the sweetest music. Craving more, Ralph pressed in halfway and curled his finger upward. 

Felix gasped, his back arching reflexively, and when the giant made the same motion, he choked back another moan.

“There’s a howlin’ storm outside. The only person who’s gonna hear you is me,” Ralph mumbled, curling his digit again to rub that sweet spot. “I wanna hear you…”

His pleasure rising with each press, Felix could hardly contain his voice even if he wanted to. He let out a loud whimper as an electric wave shot through him.

“That’s it,” the giant chuckled, quickening his pace. 

The handyman squirmed beneath him, panting. “R-ralph!” he cried out with elation. Soon after, an overwhelming pleasure made him lose his senses, a sharp cry escaping his throat as intense waves crashed against him over and over...

His breath ragged, Felix felt like he was slowly returning to his body, unsure of where he had gone. Blinking away the spots in his eyes, he stared into the face of the man beside him. 

“Well Goddamn,” Ralph seemed about as surprised as he was. Impressed even. 

All Felix could do was laugh. Starting soft and raspy, they grew until genuine tears filled his eyes.

“Lands…I didn’t know,” the handyman sniffed. “I didn’t know a person could feel like that.”

“You’re gonna have to tell me,” Ralph grinned. “'Cause I haven’t seen a reaction quite that strong.” 

“Really?”

“You were screaming, sweetheart.”

“I was?” Felix felt like he was burning.

“Oh yeah,” Ralph chuckled, pecking the handyman’s mortified face. “Now, don’t go and be embarrassed; I loved it— asked for it.”

The giant continued placing his affections, effectively reducing Felix’s embarrassment.

“It felt like—” the handyman paused to think about it. “Gosh, I don’t even know where to begin…You haven’t felt it before?”

“Not in a long while. I like givin’ too much,” Ralph grinned. “Seeing you like that—enjoying yourself— that’s what makes me feel good.”

Felix gave a bashful smile, his fingers coming together again to fidget. “I did enjoy myself,” he said. 

“Well…I’ve a lot more to give if you want it.” 

“Yes,” the handyman uttered with a nod.

His heart fluttering, Ralph captured the handyman’s lips. With one arm wrapped around Felix’s back, he moved them so that he could stand at the edge of the bedside between the smaller man’s legs. It was a beautiful sight to behold as Ralph looked down at Felix’s naked, aroused body.

“Start nice and slow, like before,” the small man requested. 

“I will,” Ralph leaned down for one more kiss before lubricating himself with the gun oil.

Primed and ready, the giant lightly bent his knees to align himself with Felix’s entrance, teasing with his head before pushing forward. Ralph had gotten just the tip in before the handyman quickly pressed a hand to his abdomen. 

“Did that hurt?” the giant asked after slowly pulling out. 

Felix had to think for a moment. While Ralph’s finger was thick, his penis was moreso, and the stretching the handyman felt was more intense than he’d anticipated.

Shaking his head, Felix removed his hand from Ralph's torso.

“I started feeling pressure and got scared that it was going to hurt,” he explained. “You’re just so…big.”

Ralph nodded, moving a hand along the smaller man’s thigh in a soothing motion.

 “What can I do to help you stay calm?”

Felix reached out his arms, and Ralph took the hint. Propping one knee on the mattress, he engulfed the handyman’s tiny frame.

“Kiss me,” Felix sighed, his arms wrapping around the giant’s shoulders. Ralph obliged, introducing some tongue.

“I’m going to try again, okay?” he said after some proper necking.

Felix nodded, closing his eyes and melting into the large hand that caressed his face. After another tender kiss, the handyman felt that same pressure from before, making him clutch the giant’s shoulders. Ralph stopped, staying where he was until Felix’s fingers relaxed. 

Comforted by Ralph’s closeness, Felix was able to keep his breath steady and his nerves relatively at bay. And before long, he could feel the giant’s pelvis become flush with the back of his thighs.

“You alright?” Ralph checked in, remaining still so the handyman could acclimate.

“Mhm,” Felix nodded after another breath. 

“Hardest parts over,” Ralph pecked his cheek. “You did so well.”

The handyman blushed at the praise, soaking in Ralph’s size before he pulled out slowly. Felix pouted inwardly at how empty he felt once his partner withdrew completely. He must have made a face, given how the giant chuckled with a soft “Hang on,” as he reapplied lubricant. 

Lining himself up again, Ralph felt the handyman’s muscles welcome him in, allowing him to slide up to the hilt with ease. Letting out a soft groan, he voiced his pleasure. 

“God, you feel incredible.”

The giant slowly began to move his hips back and forth as he stood off the side of the bed, keeping a close eye on his partner’s reactions. 

His mouth slightly agape, Felix’s eyes had visibly darkened since Ralph had begun his shallow movements. And after a minute of slow and steady thrusting, he clutched at the sheets with a soft whimper. This encouraged the giant to keep going, gradually building his pace. But getting lost in his bliss, Ralph skipped a beat, unconsciously making up for it with a quicker and deeper lunge. 

“Shit, sorry,” He halted altogether when he heard the man below him gasp. “Did I hurt you?”

Felix’s face was hard to read, but he appeared stunned as he stared back up at the giant.

“Do that again.” 

Those words took Ralph aback for a moment, but he fulfilled the request. He got the same reaction as before, but could now see the sparkle in his friend’s eyes.

“Keep doing that,” the handyman instructed, much to Ralph’s pleasant surprise. It seemed Felix wasn’t quite as fragile as he looked. 

Holding his tiny waist firmly in his hands, Ralph thrusted into Felix with more power behind them. The adjustment had an immediate effect, making the handyman moan louder, with a rosy hue breaking out on his chest.

Each time the giant drove into him, Felix felt that same overwhelming pleasure he’d gotten when Ralph used his finger. It began in his core and radiated outward, making his skin tingle. It was as if he was being touched all over in the best possible ways at once, and he needed more.

“Harder,” he panted. 

Ralph was amazed. Most of the men he’d had sex with were sturdily built like he was, yet none were quite so willing to take a pounding. Somehow, this tiny man was able to handle all of him so effortlessly, giving Ralph the confidence to let loose completely.

Grunting, the giant gladly did what was asked, the bedframe banging against the adjacent wall in sync with the rocking of his hips. Sensing his climax coming, Ralph slowed to a halt, breathing heavily. Peering down, he marveled at the hot mess of a man below him. Felix's skin was glistening in a soft wash of pink, with thin fingers mussing his golden-brown hair.

“You’re like a dream,” the giant huffed, clasping a hand to Felix’s rear with a hearty ‘smack.’ The handyman flinched, but let out a ragged moan after. “I wanna fill you up, give you all I have…”

Ralph emphasized his point with a sharp thrust, enjoying the pure bliss on Felix's face as he took it.

“Please,” the handyman begged.

“You want that?” 

“Yes!” Felix gasped as Ralph slammed into him again. 

Grinning, the giant wrapped one hand around the handyman’s erection, while the other stayed clamped to his backside. Beginning to thrust again, Ralph pumped his fist in tandem, making the smaller man writhe. 

Felix could feel the proverbial coil tightening in his stomach, quickly followed by a burst of euphoric energy as he saw stars.

Ralph basked in Felix’s sounds of exhilaration, watching the small man tremble as he rode out his pleasure. And with a few more primal thrusts, the giant achieved his release, filling the handyman with his warmth. Groaning, Ralph kept up his deep pelvic movements until he was finally emptied.

With a satisfied sigh, Ralph leaned down to press his lips to Felix’s forehead and envelop him in a comforting presence. The handyman lazily wrapped his arms around his thick neck in return, curiously not making a peep as Ralph continued his doting.

“Falling asleep?” the giant chuckled. 

“Nh-hn,” Felix shook his head softly. “Just peaceful…Did I scream again?”

“You did,” the handyman let out a defeated sigh at his answer. “Hey, you were incredible.”

Ralph pecked the small man’s lips, eliciting a smile.

“So were you. Thank you.” 

“My pleasure,” Ralph smiled, pushing himself upwards. “This next bit might feel odd.”

Scootching Felix’s lower half a bit further off the mattress, the giant gently pulled out. Following Ralph’s length, the handyman felt cum dripping from his hole, giving him goosebumps.

Ralph reached toward the basin at the bedside and wetted the rag resting on its lip. Starting with the cute little spurts dotting his partner’s chest and stomach, he worked his way down. Rinsing the cloth a few times, he made sure to get all the excess oil and mess off of themselves.

“More might come out later,” the giant warned with one last wipe along Felix’s rear. “It’s normal.”

The handyman nodded, sitting up on the mattress as Ralph began to redress. With some hesitation, he picked up his garments as well.

Buttoning his jeans, Ralph did a double-take at his friend's dejected face. “Hey…” he said, lifting the handyman’s chin with a finger.

“I know you gotta get back to your girl,” Felix’s eyes glistened in the firelight. “But…what does tomorrow mean? Do we just pretend like all this didn’t happen?”

“No…Well,” Ralph's heart sank with the reality. “I would like to keep it discreet, for our sakes and the kid’s. But I certainly don’t want to act like all this was nothing; that would be cruel, and not at all how I feel.”

Felix looked into Ralph’s eyes, uncertainty etched on his face.

“It's just that—” Ralph gulped. “—most times it's me and another fellow fulfilling needs or just having some fun before I leave town and find the next job.” 

Felix nodded, eyes downcast. He understood Ralph was simply willing to slake his curiosity; that they both had things to gain from their experience. It was unfair of him to pine for anything more, yet he couldn’t help the soft pang in his heart, knowing it was over.

“Let me finish,” Ralph lifted the handyman's chin again, a doleful smile on his lips. “The truth is…you’re the first guy I’ve caught feelings for in some time, and I don’t know what to do. Any way I slice it, it’s going to sting when the inevitable happens.

“Whether it's as soon as the ground thaws, or I bungle myself out of another opportunity soon after. All I know how to do is run…You don’t want to get yourself tangled with a guy like me.”

Felix felt he was seeing a brand new side of the giant. Despite having a temper, Ralph tended to present himself as calm and collected. It was endearing to see him stumble over his words as he messily displayed his innermost feelings.

“And I was trying to play it casual ‘cause I thought it’d prevent you from getting hurt, but I already fucked that up—”

“Ralph…”

“—and that’s all I do; I ruin things. Every time, no matter how hard I try, and…I feel like I’m rambling, am I rambling?”

“Yes,” Felix tittered, his hands reaching up to hold either side of the giant’s face. Ralph gulped, his heart beating loudly in his chest as he stared down at the handyman.

“W-well, I guess long answer short…I care for you, and I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t. Especially after all that wholesomeness we just shared. I’m just…afraid.”

“It’s alright, Ralph,” Felix grinned, having heard what he needed many words ago. “I care for you too…We can take this one day at a time.”

One day at a time, Ralph liked the sound of that. A soft smile on his lips, he pressed his palm against one of the hands Felix held against his jaw.

“I can stay longer,” he offered. 

“Nah,” Felix chuckled. “I’ll be fine. You should get back to Vanellope. Storm willin’, I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow,” Ralph confirmed with a gentle peck on the handyman’s lips.

Both men finished dressing, and Ralph turned with his back to the door once he’d slipped on his coat. And exchanging gentle goodbyes, Ralph braved the weather once again to return to the workshop. 

Vanellope had slept through him coming in, and continued her slumber even as the giant tucked another strand of her hair behind her ear.

Ralph then sat on the stool beside the forge and pulled a cigarette from his case, placing it in his mouth. Once again, his thoughts were captivated by the man residing next door, now with new, beautiful images to recall in his mind.

Smiling, Ralph struck a match, a tiny flame sparking to life.

[ask-icancraft-it]

Hand in Hand

Tamora involves Felix in her evening self-care.

the bbs are fighting in the fresh start au so i hopped over to the mechanic au to fill my heart's desire for fluff. enjoy!

“How was your shower?” Felix asked.

Tamora had just emerged from her bedroom, hair still damp as she sat down beside him on the couch. 

“Good,” she answered. “Took a while, but I think I got all the grease out from under my nails.” 

With a contented sigh, he leaned into her side as she opened a small jar and swiped some of the creamy substance inside on the tip of her finger. Felix watched as she spread it over her hands and rubbed them together, slowly working it into her skin. 

“No wonder your hands are so soft,” he commented. 

She smiled softly in response. He was always making comments about how soft her skin was, especially in comparison to the rough calluses that covered his hands from years of handiwork. His hands would be just as soft as hers if he committed to using hand cream on a daily basis, but she knew he never would. Constantly busy in the service of his friends and neighbors, his hands were simply too busy for regular pampering. As she finished her task, this realization gave her an idea. 

“C’mere,” she murmured, reaching for his hand. He let her pull it into her lap with no resistance. 

Silently, Felix observed as she dipped her finger back into the jar of hand cream. But this time, she turned her attention to his hand instead of her own. His confusion lasted only a moment before it dawned on him that she was including him in this part of her nightly routine. She took her time massaging the lotion first into his palm and then slowly up each finger. Knowing how worn and weary his hands often were, she took the opportunity to gently knead her thumbs into his skin, massaging his tired muscles. 

Without warning, a rush of warmth flooded his body. This wasn’t a sweeping romantic gesture, it was simple and understated, but the simplicity was just what made it so impactful. Tamora was not outwardly emotional, expressing her feelings through action rather than telling him how she felt. As her delicate fingers showered him with affection, he realized that she saw him. She saw through the facade he presented to the world of a capable, reliable man who would drop everything to lend a hand. Someone who didn’t have needs of his own, who couldn’t be bothered with a quiet moment of self care. She saw him and she decided that if he wasn’t going to take care of himself, she was going to do it for him. 

In his chest bloomed a deep affection he wasn’t quite brave enough to name. He glanced up at her, smiling to himself at the quiet focus on her face. She often sported a similar expression at work, and his heart swelled to see it now, when her attention was on him. Her eyes flitted down to his, and she flicked her gaze toward his other hand and then back at him. Before he could think to tamp down his excitement, he nodded eagerly, and she smiled. 

Taking him by surprise, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer into her side to give her better access to his opposite hand. Felix heaved a dreamy sigh and melted into her embrace. He felt Tamora chuckle at the display, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel embarrassed by his contentment. 

“Does that feel good?” she asked in amusement. 

He hummed in response, struggling to form a more coherent response as she began massaging his other hand. There were so many feelings fluttering in his chest that he couldn’t begin to identify them all. It reminded him of the first time their hands touched; there had been something so startling about the intimacy back then, but the moment promptly upgraded his crush on Tamora to something deeper. By the time he left the garage that day, he was completely taken with her. They had come a long way in the short time since then, and he would always look back on those days fondly. 

“D’you remember when we first met, that time you ran your fingers over the palm of my hand?” he asked. “I still get shivers when I think about it.”

“You mean that time I smashed your fingers in a car hood and was checking you over for broken bones?” she replied, massaging lotion up those very same fingers. 

“That was the first time we ever held hands,” he nodded.

“I was holding an ice pack against your knuckles.”

“It still counts.”

They laughed for a moment at his ridiculous romanticization of what most would consider to be a traumatic memory. As she finished doting on his hands, she wrapped her arms around Felix and leaned against him. Thrilled that she hadn’t ended the embrace, he wrapped his arms around her middle, noticing for the first time how his hands felt with lotion on them. 

“Wow, my hands feel so soft now,” he commented. “Not as soft as yours, though.”

He leaned up to press a kiss to her cheek. 

“You know,” she teased, “they could be as soft as mine if you put lotion on every day.”

He took stock of his current circumstances: he was wrapped up in the arms of the woman he adored, feeling more cared for than anyone had ever made him feel. There wasn’t anything he wanted to change about this moment in time.

“I could,” he conceded. “But I have to be honest… I really like the way you do it.”

[ask-icancraft-it]

Happy 13th Anniversary, Wreck-It Ralph fandom!

It's another birthday for the WIR fandom! On this day in 2012 (with some allowance for timezones), the first trailer for Wreck-It Ralph debuted at E3 and we got our first sneak peek into the world of Litwak’s Arcade. This was the start of the movie’s fandom, and launched the speculation and anticipation about the film!

As is my yearly tradition, I would like to thank all of the Wreckling friends I’ve made in this fandom for their support, and for all the fun we've had thanks to the inspiration of this movie! Of course I also owe a big thanks to the cast and crew for making something so extremely special to me, which brought me together with good friends in continued appreciation of the characters, story, and world of the arcade.

It makes me very happy to see us still here, having fun with WIR and spreading the love after all this time! Here’s to us celebrating many more anniversaries together!

[ask-icancraft-it]

[ask-icancraft-it]

this actually didnt take as long as i thought it would

huh

well

[ask-icancraft-it]

[ask-icancraft-it]

Relic

a bit of arcade-centric hurt/comfort inspired by this piece of concept art. enjoy!

It had been three days since the last time Felix saw Tamora. A short time, all things considered, but the days felt torturously slow as they passed. Each day, he mustered enough hope to bring himself to the entrance of Hero's Duty, only to be turned away by the soldiers standing guard each time. Their sergeant wasn't taking any visitors.

They'd talked about her backstory before, enough that Felix truly believed he understood Tamora's plight. At least, that was his belief up until three days ago, when he had unintentionally sent their relationship into a tailspin. He knew it wasn't easy for her to enter a relationship in the first place, let alone consider a long-term future together. It was far too soon to propose, but he'd thought if he was careful enough with his words they might be able to discuss her level of interest in getting married someday. But the moment the question escaped him, he was struck by just how wrong he had been. She offered him no opportunity to explain himself or to try and take it back -- she shut down before he could even apologize, and left soon after, leaving him with even more questions than he started with.

He respected her need for space that night, but he was at her game's entrance first thing in the morning. She was an early riser, and he knew they would have plenty of time to talk things through before the arcade opened. When he was advised that Sergeant Calhoun wouldn't see him, he realized the situation was even worse than he feared. Still, he returned that night, hoping that some time apart had been enough for her to let him in. When he was once again turned away, he made it known that he wouldn't be going down without a fight. A soldier he had never spoken to before promised to let Tamora know that he had come by. By the time another night had passed, he couldn't hide his worry. It didn't surprise him when he was not allowed into Hero's Duty the next morning -- by then, he would have been content with a simple assurance that she was alright. The soldiers looked back and forth among themselves, unsure how to answer his query, which was not comforting in the slightest.

That evening, he could sense a difference in the soldiers' demeanor. They seemed to be waiting for him, and he recognized Corporal Kohut standing front and center. Felix hurried his pace, unable to hold back the pit of dread that formed in his stomach. Outlet duty was a job for recruits, not someone in a position like Kohut. He was far too important to be standing here unless Tamora had sent him personally or something had gone terribly wrong.

"How is she?" he demanded as soon as he reached the outlet.

"Still not taking visitors," Kohut replied. "But we need your help."

"Help with what?"

Kohut gestured for Felix to follow him onto the high-speed bullet train that would carry them into the game. On their short journey, the Corporal explained that Tamora had been spending an increasing amount of time in their game's archives over the last few days. There, one could view relics from the past in holographic form. It wasn't uncommon for a soldier to visit every now and again for reminders of their unique backstories, but no one had ever shut themselves inside for the length of time that Tamora had. They could only imagine the pain she was inflicting upon herself in there, as she refused to let anyone come inside.

"We're hoping you can get through to her," Kohut explained as they exited the train. "No one else can."

"This is all my fault," Felix shook his head. "The other night I asked her if she would ever think about getting married someday. She shut down so fast, I couldn't even try to explain myself before she was gone."

He was horrified to learn how his actions had impacted Tamora. He couldn't even bear to think about her sitting all alone, wallowing in traumatic memories from her past. As the door to the archive came into view, his guilt became overwhelming.

"You fellas don't want me to go in there. I'm the reason this happened in the first place," he said, eyes brimming with tears. "...I ruined everything."

"Look, Sarge is a tough nut to crack. I'm sure you know that by now," Kohut replied. "But one thing I know for sure is that she's happier since she met you."

Felix glanced up at the soldier who nodded in confirmation.

"I wouldn't count yourself out just yet."

The first thing Felix noticed after the door swooshed open was the blue glow in the room. There were no lights on that he could see, but the room was bathed in a dim blue haze that seemed to be coming from behind a row of shelves. The room was set up like a library, but as he got closer to the shelves, he realized there were no books here. Instead, the shelves were lined with what appeared to be memory cards, each one labeled with a date and time and a last name. He headed straight for the left side of the room, hoping he would find Tamora somewhere near the Cs.

The glow became brighter as he turned down his desired row, and as he neared the end, he noticed an empty section on the shelf. Calhoun, T. His heart sank.

“I told you I want to be left alone,” she said.

Tamora's voice was raspier than usual as she called out. She must have thought he was one of her soldiers. Felix didn't respond right away, following the sound of her voice to the end of the aisle where the room opened up to a small seating area. She was seated at the end of a bench, her back turned to him as she hunched forward with her elbows on her knees. It looked like she could barely muster the energy to keep her head upright.

He followed her gaze to the source of the blue glow: a holographic image of a wedding gown. Her wedding gown? She had never described it to him, and he had never asked. But as he examined it more closely -- the unique shapes that made up the headpiece, the fit and cut of the gown, the fingerless gloves -- he knew in his heart that each detail was a choice Tamora had once made. The sight of her sitting alone in this room while her wedding dress hung suspended in the air before her was heartbreaking. He couldn't let it continue for a moment longer.

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I just can’t do that,” Felix replied. 

The muscles in her back visibly tensed beneath her fitted tank top. He shifted nervously as he waited for her to acknowledge his presence. She didn't turn to face him.

“How did you get in here?” she murmured. Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet.

“I’ve been outside every morning and every night,” he confessed. “I was told you’re not taking visitors, but today your soldiers let me in. They're starting to worry about you.” 

Wringing his hat in his hands, he took a tentative step closer.

“I’m worried about you.” 

Tamora dropped her head but remained silent. Felix fretted, unsure what he could do to break through the wall she had built between them. Everything he had learned in the last several minutes was so heavy, he couldn't keep his thoughts straight.

"I don't want your pity."

The words were harsh as they met his ears, quiet but scathing. Her implication that he was here because he pitied her shocked him out of his own feelings long enough to form a response.

"Is that what you think this is?" he asked, unable to mask the incredulous tone of his voice. "Tammy, I'm here because you've holed yourself away for three days and I'm afraid it's all my fault."

"What?"

Her head turned slightly, but he still couldn't see her face through her curtain of bangs.

"I love you like I've never loved anyone before. Bein' with you, I can't help but get excited about what the future might hold," he explained. "I got so carried away, I didn't even think about how that conversation might impact you."

Finally, he gained the courage to carefully approach the bench where she was sitting, set his hat down on the seat, and place a gentle hand on her shoulder. He stood just behind her, ensuring that she didn't have to face him until she was ready.

"Tammy, I am so sorry," he said solemnly.

Beneath his palm, he felt the slightest bit of tension release itself. He was left more confused than ever when she suddenly chuckled. Before he could question it, she spoke up.

"It's funny, really," she said. "You're here apologizing to me when I feel like I'm the one who should be apologizing to you."

"...What?"

Now he was really confused.

Taking a deep breath, she turned herself around on the bench. He brushed his hand down her arm to interlock their fingers instead, and they both smiled when she squeezed his hand in return.

"Felix, you shouldn't have to apologize for your enthusiasm. You're allowed to be excited," she said. "I'm sorry I left the way I did. It wasn't your fault."

"I understand," he replied. "I know it's not easy for you to talk about the kind of future I had in my head."

"No, it's not," she said, turning her attention back to the hologram. He followed her gaze.

"It's a beautiful dress." He knew it was a risk, but he needed to say it. "I don't know if this makes sense, but... I can see you in every detail."

His attention snapped back to her face when he heard her exhale a shaky breath. He grasped her hand with both of his, unsure how to approach this sudden display of emotion. Tamora raised a hand to signal that she was alright.

"It's just -- I didn't remember it, but it was on one of the memory cards. Apparently I hated every dress in the store when I went dress shopping," she began to explain. "I made them Frankenstein a dress out of the top of one dress and the bottom of another to get something I liked."

Although she was slightly choked up, she laughed, and Felix was right there with her in both laughter and tears. He finally felt able to release the weight of the emotions he had been carrying since he arrived. Everything about the memory was so perfectly Tamora: unapologetic and decisive.

"Of course you did," he said, voice thick with emotion. "You wouldn't do things any other way."

When their mirth died down, he reached up to wipe away one of the tear streaks running down her cheek. Now the closest he had been to her in days, he noticed the darkened circles beneath her eyes and wondered how much sleep she had gotten in the time since they had last seen each other.

"Are you alright?" he asked, cradling her cheek in his hand. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I will be," she answered, meeting his eyes with a tired but earnest smile.

"Good," he said, matching her smile. "We don't have to plan out the future just yet. What I was tryin' to tell you before is I hope you're in it, that's all."

"I will be. You're not getting rid of me that easy."

They shared a smile before Tamora pulled him in for a tight hug. He had missed the comfort of her embrace so much, he was more than happy to melt into her arms. With the air clear between them, he couldn't help but air some of his concerns.

"Now, be honest with me," he murmured against her skin. "How much sleep have you been getting?"

Tamora rolled her eyes, but she could never truly be annoyed at his concern. No one had ever cared so much about her well-being.

"You're not gonna like the answer."

"Then how about you head to your barracks and get to bed, and I'll clean things up in here?" he suggested.

She shook her head and he pulled out of her embrace to see her smirking at him.

"Nope, new plan. You're coming with me. The mess can wait until morning."

Standing from the bench, she took him by the hand, and he smiled up at her.

"Even better."

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my taste is a literal goddess and then turbo...(make him leave he's scaring me) @randomalistic got me into WIR with their AMAZING TURBO/KING CANDY ANALYSIS VIDEO

[ask-icancraft-it]

the 1

I, I, I persist and resist the temptation to ask you If one thing had been different Would everything be different today? We were something, don't you think so? Rosé flowing with your chosen family And it would've been sweet If it could've been me In my defense, I have none For digging up the grave another time But it would've been fun If you would've been the one

here is the next chapter of the fresh start au, taking place just a little while after things settle down in the aftermath of Tamora's nightmare. when they can't get back to sleep, the two have a late-night conversation and a bit of closure. enjoy!

When Tamora rolled over in bed some time later, she was surprised to see Felix wide awake on his back, staring up at the ceiling. She recognized his contemplative expression—he must’ve been ruminating for some time now. He didn’t even seem to notice that she was awake beside him. For a moment, she considered going back to sleep to leave him in peace with his thoughts, but curiosity got the best of her. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked. 

She thought he might startle at the sound of her voice, but he didn’t move. 

“Just thinkin’.” 

“About?” 

The slight downturn of his mouth and a shrug was his reply. She wondered if it was worth the effort of trying to pull him out of his thoughts, or if she should let the issue rest. His voice broke the silence. 

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” 

“I know being long-distance was hard on both of us,” he began. “But is that really the only reason you felt like we needed to break up?”

Tamora’s heart sank.

“Felix, I told you, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know. It just feels like the sort of problem we could’ve worked through. We’d been through so much together and always came out stronger on the other side,” he replied. She could see him struggling to wrap his head around things. “I can’t help feelin’ like there must’ve been more to it.”

“Are you really telling me you would’ve been fine with all that travel back and forth just to maintain our relationship?” she asked. 

“Of course.”

His response was immediate, a knee-jerk answer that should’ve been obvious to her. She regretted asking, and she got the sense that he was somewhat offended that she would dare to question his commitment. He didn’t elaborate, but the unspoken question hung in the air: if the roles were reversed, wouldn’t you feel that the effort was worth it?

And there was the true heart of the issue. Of course she would’ve done the same for Felix. He was a good person who deserved a partner who would go to the ends of the earth for him. It felt like some sort of freak accident that she had been the one to receive such a partner. She had known from the start that she didn’t deserve him; she couldn’t even meet him halfway when it came to open expressions of love and affection. It never made sense to her that he was willing —eager, even— to put in so much work for her. 

It was silent for a long moment as they each stewed in their thoughts. Tamora rolled onto her back, matching Felix's pensive gaze at the ceiling.

“I thought about asking you to marry me when we found out we couldn’t live together on base,” he said simply.

Her mind reeled at the revelation. It shouldn’t have shocked her. It made perfect sense when she thought about it. Only married couples were allowed to cohabitate on military bases, which would have been the least expensive way for them to make the move together as they had originally hoped. 

“In a way, it seemed like the simplest solution to our problem,” he continued. “I knew I wanted to marry you someday, and we’d had a few conversations about it.”

“So why didn’t you?” she couldn’t help but ask. 

“If you said yes, our marriage would always be tied to some outdated policy. You deserve to get married because you’re in love and it’s what you want to do, not because I need a place to live,” he explained. “And I’d always be left wondering if it was really what you wanted. I guess I wanted you to want to marry me the way I wanted to marry you.” 

There was another moment of silence between them as his words settled into the space.

“Sometimes I regret not asking you. It’s hard not to wonder where we’d be now if I had.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” she replied. In her peripheral vision, she saw him turn his head to look at her, but she kept her eyes trained on the ceiling. “I don’t think I could’ve said yes. You deserve better than to get married like that. I know how important it is to you.”

Felix couldn’t quite explain why her response was so comforting to him. This train of thought had chattered in his ear for years, feeding him a constant stream of regret and self-doubt. Knowing that the outcome would’ve likely been the same either way, he finally had a moment of peace and quiet. 

“Thank you for saying that.” 

“You’re a good person, Felix. You deserve better than what I put you through. I’m sorry.” 

A lump suddenly formed in his throat that he couldn’t quite explain. 

“It’s not that I didn’t think our relationship was worth the effort. I couldn’t admit it to myself, but honestly, I didn’t understand how you could ever think I was,” she admitted. “You deserve so much more than I was able to give you.”

Beside her, she heard a sharp inhale followed by a shaky exhale. A slight turn of her head revealed that Felix’s eyes were glossy with unshed tears, but he was doing an admirable job of keeping them contained. She wasn’t sure she understood his sudden display of emotion, so she chose to remain silent and turn her attention upward once more. After a couple of deep breaths, he spoke up.

“Can I be honest with you?” 

Tamora nodded. 

“I hate it when you say things like that. If any other person spoke to me that way about you, I wouldn't accept it. But when you’re the one saying it, I… I never quite know what I’m supposed to do.”

Oh. Somehow, she had never thought about it that way. 

“I wanted you in my life, but you didn’t think you belonged there. It made me feel like you didn’t trust my judgment,” he explained. “I didn’t know how to get through to you you that I can decide for myself who I think deserves a place in my life.”

Suddenly, their recent disagreements made a lot more sense.

“I loved you so much, but there were lots of times when I felt like I couldn’t tell you or show you, because you didn’t think you deserved it. And when I tried to give you my love and it kept getting rejected… it was really hard not to feel like you were rejecting me.” 

She turned her head fully then, brows furrowed and eyes wide as it sank in that she had caused him this kind of pain. In trying to protect him, she had only made him feel as though his attention was unwanted, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. He had always gone above and beyond for her, taking notice of her patterns of behavior to figure out what she needed and when. By the time she left, it seemed almost second-nature to him; he was fluent in the language of her body, the emotion in her eyes and the tension in her jaw. Sometimes it felt like he knew what she needed from him even better than she did. 

His eyes were clamped shut as he attempted to keep his emotions under control, but Tamora knew better. The hue on his cheeks was more of a tomato-red than his trademark honey glows, a sure sign of tears. She shifted to lay on her side facing him.

“Felix,” she said softly.

The moment his eyes blinked open, a few stubborn tears slipped down the side of his face. He didn’t turn to look at her, and she saw his bottom lip quiver. 

“I’m so sorry,” she continued. “I thought I was protecting you from my problems, but I had no idea it was making you feel that way.” 

He finally met her gaze, and she found herself taken aback; the redness in his cheeks made his soft blue eyes so striking she could hardly look away. 

“For the record,” he said with a sniffle, “I’m tougher than you think. I’m afraid of a lot of things, but not you.”

“I know,” she admitted with a sigh. “You’re stronger than me in a lot of ways. I should’ve given you more credit.” 

He wiped the tears from his cheeks with his sleeve.

“I will admit, it was nice always having someone around to stick up for me,” he said. “Someone who would scare the ducks away when we sat out by the pond.” 

They both laughed at that; she could remember many occasions when such services had been necessary. 

“But after we broke up, I realized I had been relying on you so much that I didn’t know how to have difficult conversations with anyone,” he admitted. “When we were together I thought I was so mature, but then you left and I had no idea how to do things like call the cable company to straighten out an issue with the bill.”

“I never minded doing those things.”

“I know. I almost got the feeling you enjoyed going to bat for me like that,” he said with a fond smile. 

“I did,” she replied with enthusiasm. “I always felt bad that I wasn’t very good at the normal relationship stuff. But I am good at fighting.”

They shared another quiet laugh before settling into a comfortable quiet. Felix hadn’t realized how badly he had needed to clear the air between them until the weight of three years of doubt was finally lifted from his shoulders. He'd thought that getting this sort of closure would make it easier to move on, but in this moment, he felt more clearly than he had in a long time that their story wasn't finished. Their conversation had only affirmed to him that their problems weren't so big that they couldn't be tackled.

Finally, he was forced to admit to himself that no amount of effort toward friendship could erase the love he had never stopped carrying for her.

[ask-icancraft-it]

Treacherous

I can't decide if it's a choice Getting swept away I hear the sound of my own voice Asking you to stay And all we are is skin and bone Trained to get along Forever going with the flow But you're friction This slope is treacherous This path is reckless This slope is treacherous I, I, I like it

hello!! here is the next installment of the fresh start au. felix and tamora are really and truly trying their best at friendship, but the universe cares not. enjoy!

Friendship was a little bit easier after that day at the mall. Facing their discomfort head-on made it easier for Felix and Tamora  to move through it. A sense of optimism seemed to emanate from the pair as they walked back to Tamora’s apartment after dinner. As they sat on her couch and reminisced, Felix truly believed that they could make this work. But the universe had a special way of throwing a wrench in their plans. 

It was well below freezing when the clouds began to form. A possible ice storm was forecast for the following day; they should have had plenty of time before they would be impacted. They hadn’t been prepared for the freezing rain to start pelting the sidewalk so early, or else Felix would’ve returned to his hotel sooner. But the moment the storm began, it was too late. Whether they liked it or not, it looked like he would be spending the night in Tamora’s apartment. 

She lent him a pair of sweatpants to sleep in, and they both laughed at how much extra fabric was bunched up on top of the elastic cuffs. He told her he would be fine sleeping in his undershirt, but she gave him a sweatshirt anyway, knowing he had a tendency to run cold at night. Before sleeping arrangements had even been discussed, he asked her for a pillow and blanket he could use on her couch. She considered telling him they would survive one night in the same bed, but ultimately decided against it. It was probably better that way. As they headed off to sleep, they both thought they hadn’t done half bad handling such a stressful situation. 

Felix always got the best sleep during storms, so it surprised him when he stirred awake in the middle of the night. He glanced over the back of her couch and the oven clock confirmed that it was past two a.m. Settling back down, he curled up in the blanket and closed his eyes, but a sound from the bedroom quickly caught his attention. He listened intently until he heard it again—the small whine had once been so familiar to him, but he hadn’t heard it in years. Tamora was having a nightmare. 

Without a second thought, he pushed the blanket back and got up from the couch. Any reservations he might have normally had about entering her bedroom while she was sleeping were long gone; the moment he saw her rigid form under the covers, he knew he had done the right thing coming to check on her. Once she was within reach, he placed his hand over one of hers. Her white-knuckle grip on the bedsheets immediately relaxed, and he knelt down beside her. 

When the crease in her worried brow didn’t subside, he frowned. A light touch was normally enough to wake her; she must have been deeply entrenched in her fears. He reflected on how he had gotten her through these in the past and couldn’t think of any action he could take now that wouldn’t cross an uncomfortable boundary. How would she react if she woke up in his arms? 

The second another dreadful whimper escaped her, his instincts overrode his doubts. He got up from the floor and sat on the edge of the bed beside her, reaching up to brush her hair away from her face. It had always pained him to see her trapped by her past in this way, but it caught him off guard how strongly he still felt that pain after all these years. Unable to watch her suffer for a moment longer, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. It had once been a foolproof method of gently waking her. He prayed it still worked. 

“It’s alright,” he cooed. “You’re not alone. I’m right here.” 

Her gasp filled the quiet bedroom as her eyes shot open. She was breathing heavily as her eyes darted around the room, and Felix recognized the slow creep of reality setting back in. When her breathing didn’t calm, he reached out to give her arm a gentle squeeze, but he quickly found himself stuttering an apology as the touch caused her to flinch. 

“Oh, Tammy, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. “It’s just me. You’re safe. I promise.” 

Overrun by old habits, his use of her old pet name didn’t even occur to him. He moved to pull his hand away, but her other hand placed a firm grip to hold him in place. 

“Okay,” he said, understanding her unspoken message. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay right here.” 

Her grip relaxed but didn’t release him. As if he would dare to move away from her now. 

“Are you alright?” he asked. “What do you need?” 

Tamora took him by surprise once again when she sat up in bed and wrapped her arms around his middle in a tight embrace. In a strange way, it was a relief that she had been the one to open the door to physical reassurance. Felix knew there was nothing he could say to banish her nightmares, but he could wrap his arms around her and ground her, serving as a physical reminder that she didn’t have to face them alone. 

As he returned her embrace, he could feel her body trembling with the last remnants of fear and adrenaline. Without a second thought, he held her closer, resting his cheek against the top of her head as he rubbed her back in an attempt to soothe her. Slowly, the shudders slowed to a stop, and he gave her a gentle squeeze. 

“Are you alright?” he murmured.

Tamara nodded against his chest. 

“Sorry,” she replied, voice hoarse. 

“Don’t apologize,” he assured her. “I’m glad I was here.” 

A long moment of silence followed, and neither of them could bring themselves to end the embrace. Once upon a time, they’d spent many nights wrapped up like this late at night in the aftermath of a nightmare. Felix had once told her he would never be the first to let go; he would hold her for as long as she needed. She wondered if it was still true. Now that she had come down from the height of her emotions, she found herself nervous to face him. A yawn wrenched its way out of her and he hummed in acknowledgment. 

“I should probably let you get some sleep.”

Reluctantly, Tamora untangled herself from him and sat up straight. She didn’t know what she had been expecting to find in his expression, but the compassion in his eyes caught her off guard. 

“You could stay,” she said without thinking. As soon as his eyebrows raised in surprise, their circumstances hit her like a pile of bricks, and she quickly tried to correct herself. “Sorry. I just meant, um…”

Her eyes dropped to her lap. The events of the night had sapped her of the energy to put up a front, especially with Felix. He had already seen her at her worst tonight; she might as well be honest. 

“It’s hard to be alone after.” 

Her admission tugged at his heartstrings; he knew how difficult it was for her to open up like this. Spending the night with her would only make make it more difficult for him to repress his feelings, he knew. He also knew that she was hurting, and she needed him, and he would do anything to make sure she was safe and happy. So, even though he knew this decision would only end up causing him pain, he reached over and took her by the hand.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll stay.”

[ask-icancraft-it]

Sillies

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What if we kissed in the ominous fix it felix corner

[ask-icancraft-it]

Love love love characters that present themselves as emotionally open social butterflies but the more you see of them the more obvious it is that they’re the most closed off fuckers in the story. Sure, they want to help you with your personal problems and messy emotions, but if you turn that shit back on them, they’ll shut down or deflect every time. Why are you sticking your nose in their business anyway? It’s not like it matters. They’re not a person, they’re just a role being played. They’re the guy who fixes things and saves people. Please ignore the man behind the mask, he’s fine. Everything’s fine.

[ask-icancraft-it]

Touch

Tamora is feeling tense, and Felix lives to please.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ this visual has existed in my head for months and now it's in yours. sorry not sorry. this is in the mechanic au and it is absolutely nsfw. enjoy

Felix had only the most innocent of intentions when he offered Tamora a massage. When she sat between his legs on the couch and wordlessly slumped back against him, he could tell right away that her muscles were tense. He heard her sigh as his thumbs worked at her shoulders and he felt justified in taking the initiative—clearly she could use some help relaxing. 

But things took a turn when he slid his hands up underneath the hem of her sweatshirt to more effectively massage her back. Of course he noticed that there was no bra in his path, but he was perfectly capable of keeping his focus on Tamora’s needs. He could even ignore the way his fingertips brushed up against the sides of her breasts as he turned his hands to press his thumbs into her spine. But he had a harder time ignoring the way the corner of her lip curled into a smirk, almost like she was daring him to take things further. A small taunt, are you bold enough to go for it? 

The last thing he wanted was for her to feel as though he was putting his desire before her needs, and the tension continued down to her lower back, so he pressed on with his task. Once his thumbs reached the middle of her spine, it was easier to stay focused. A particularly tough knot in her lower back made him glad he’d stayed on course. As his hands finished their journey down her back, she rested against his front, and her muscles were noticeably more relaxed.

He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and set his chin in the dip of her shoulder. One of his hands had naturally fallen to her thigh, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. He felt the muscles flex slightly within his grasp. As much as he tried, he couldn’t get the challenging smirk she had given him out of his mind. That look had always done things to him. 

“Still tense?” he asked, his voice low in her ear. 

His hand rubbed her thigh and he could feel the warmth of her body through her sweatpants. Already he longed for more. 

“Maybe a little.” 

“I can fix that.” 

Shifting slightly in his grasp, Tamora turned to capture his lips in a deep kiss. With permission granted, he moved with an easy confidence as his hand slipped up the front of her sweatshirt to fondle her breast. His other hand gently pulled her leg over top of his, which gave him more room to caress his way up her thigh. She smiled against his mouth when he pressed his palm against her groin, and he was suddenly overcome with a desire to satisfy her. He broke the kiss to turn his full attention to his new task.

There was no hesitation in his touch as he focused his fingertips between her legs, rubbing in a circular motion over the layers of fabric. Just as he predicted, Tamora responded by pressing herself against his hand more firmly, an indirect request for more. He hummed with amusement at the display, already feeling the power over her pleasure wash over him. The sight of her splayed open and relaxed against him was intoxicating and arousing beyond belief, and the slight friction against the front of his jeans from the movement of her hips was starting to drive him crazy. 

Tamora’s disappointment at the absence of Felix’s hand lasted only a moment as he thrust his hand beneath the fabric to touch her directly. She hummed in surprise, and the sound combined with the feeling of his fingertips in her wet heat made him almost desperate to please her. Nothing had ever made him feel this way, almost perversely fulfilled from the act of serving another. Of course he enjoyed being helpful to his friends and neighbors, but he had never known it was possible to derive this kind of pleasure from an act of service. It made him want to dedicate all his time to satisfying her this way, knowing he would be satisfied just the same.

“Felix…”

She braced herself with a firm grip on his thighs and he knew he was nearing his goal.  He focused his touch on her clitoris, a firm but gentle motion that he hoped would increase her pleasure without ending things too abruptly. His preferred approach was to see her through the waves of a gradual release rather than race to the finish line. A quick release may be more explosive, but it hardly allowed her to luxuriate in it the way he felt she deserved. 

“Mm-hm?” he hummed, his nose nuzzling her neck. “Is this what you wanted?”

Felix wasn’t sure what had come over him—he never talked this way during sex. It usually made him feel self-conscious, but something about her being completely at his mercy as he bestowed pleasure upon her erased his doubts. 

“You came over here knowing I could make you feel good and you wouldn’t even have to ask.” 

It was becoming too much for Tamora, his desire and enthusiasm; it suddenly felt as though she might overheat. Afraid that pulling away to remove her sweatshirt would break whatever spell had overtaken him, she pulled the hem up above her breasts and held it there. He offered an appreciative hum at the sight.

“Oh, Tammy,” he murmured. “Look at you…”

His left hand, which had been somewhat lazily enjoying the soft cushion of her breast in his grasp, shifted to position her pert nipple between his fingertips. She felt so perfect in his arms and looked so enticing opened up before him, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand to wait. He was desperate for her to come undone, to bask in her orgasm and know that he alone was the cause. 

“Do you know how much I love to touch you like this?” he asked. “The way your body responds to my touch…it’s addictive.”

His lips were on her neck, leaving impassioned kisses in the gaps between words. 

“I just want to please you,” he sighed. 

There was nothing Tamora could do to form a coherent response. Felix had pushed her too close to the edge, and all her mind could fathom was the pleasure he bestowed upon her. Her body arched into his touch, chasing her release, and he seemed just as eager as he increased the pressure of his fingertips on her clitoris. His voice in her ear encouraged her to give in and let go, to allow him to push her over the edge knowing he would be there to offer her a soft place to land. Murmurs of yes, that's it solidified her belief that he wanted it just as badly as she did.

"Please," he uttered. He gave her nipple a gentle pinch as he spoke. "Let me feel you come undone."

She had barely a moment to process what he had just said before she was suddenly thrust into the all-consuming euphoria of her orgasm. Despite the slow build-up it caught her off guard, and she could feel Felix hungrily soaking up every sound she made and every throbbing pulse in her body as he slowly guided her back down. His hands were steady and firm, never wavering in their pursuit of her pleasure until it was clear she had been sated. She went slack against him, wondering if a word even existed to accurately describe the state of relaxation she was experiencing.

"How's that tension now?" Felix asked, the tiniest hint of smug satisfaction in his voice.

"Much better," she answered, choosing to ignore it. She figured he had earned a bit of self-congratulatory confidence, so long as he didn't push it.

She felt his arms wrap around her middle from behind.

"Good."

It was quiet for a moment as she allowed herself to ease into the comfort of his embrace. Suddenly she became keenly aware of his erection pressed against her lower back. Its existence seemed obvious in hindsight, but in the midst of everything else, it had escaped her notice. Shifting slightly, she reached an arm behind herself and made assertive contact with the bulge in his jeans. He gently pulled her hand away, but not before she noticed how he trembled at the touch.

"That's not what I was after. I wanted to make you feel good," he said. "Besides... after what just happened on this couch, I shouldn't have any difficulty taking care of it myself."

Tamora gasped at his confession. His cheeks went scarlet; he never could've admitted such a thing to her face, but his position behind her shielded him from the potential embarrassment.

"Oh, so you've had your fun but I don't get to have mine?" she challenged him.

It could've been her imagination, but she swore she could feel his erection grow as she spoke. What she could be certain of was that it had caught him off guard; he froze for a moment, considering all possible outcomes before he replied. Although he often didn't know how to behave when the attention was all on him, he couldn't deny that he wanted her, and the feeling appeared to be mutual...

"Well, when you put it like that..."

[ask-icancraft-it]

Hero's cutie patooties :3

[ask-icancraft-it]

Disturbance (Chapter 1 - Torment)

Fic below the cut; alternate links: Ao3 || FF

Hello everybody! Today I'd like to present to you a story that I've been chipping away at for a few years before actually writing it all down. This will be my first published multi-chapter fic—I usually tend to favor oneshots, but this one is too big for just one chapter. It's been a long time coming, since I wanted to handle what's being covered here with as much dignity as possible and didn't want to accidentally trivialize anything. For reference, this takes place when Felix and Tamora's relationship is starting to get serious.

A warning, as this is a little heavier than my normal stories: if you're sensitive to scenarios where alcohol is involved in near-sexual situations, then please use your judgment on reading this one. The scene in question is in the first chapter and will be referenced in later chapters.

Felix startled awake to what sounded like a small explosion, followed by the shattering of glass and a series of hissed profanities. In a daze, he felt around for his special lady, who was absent from her usual spot beside him in their bed.

"Tammy?!"

He grabbed his hammer off his toolbelt hanging next to the nightstand and jumped out of bed, running towards the source of the sound that had awakened him.

"Tamora?! Are you okay?"

Reaching the bathroom, he flicked on the light switch. Tamora stood behind the remains of the bathroom mirror, her right hand still balled into a fist. Blood coated most of her hand and dripped into a small puddle on the tiled floor. She blinked and stared blankly at the floor as she adjusted to the light, a glaze having just recently cleared from her eyes, watching the inky red fluid channeling into the tile grout. 

Looking over to the wall, Felix noticed an impressive fist-shaped crater where the mirror had hung.

"Here, darlin', let me help with that..." He guided her to the sink and scooped handfuls of warm water from the stream to rinse out the cuts. Tamora only moved to lean on the counter with her other arm, stone-faced and unresponsive to any apparent pain, with her injured hand completely limp.

Once the bath had cleared away the blood and stray debris, it revealed ribbons of torn skin peeling off her knuckles, flayed by the glass shards. Felix's stomach wrenched at the sight and he tapped her hand with his hammer, immediately healing her. He patted her hand dry with a towel and took it in his for a kiss where the injuries had been moments before.

"All better!" he piped, with a hesitant smile. 

The pleasant tingle of the hammer snapped her out of her statue-like state, and at the contact of his kiss she reflexively held his hand more tightly. 

She raised her other hand to her face and rubbed her eyes, getting a clear look at what once was the mirror. 

"Aw, Felix, I'm sorry." Her voice came out in a low rasp, a tinge of shame in her tone. "Guess I wasn't runnin' on full batteries. I saw movement and didn't wanna take any chances..." 

He shook his head. 

"I'll have that mirror good as new tomorrow mornin', don't you worry about it. Just watch out you don't step on the pieces." 

—

Her muscles had already tensed when she woke up. The one reassurance she offered herself was that at least she hadn't accidentally clocked her poor little guy in the face or tossed him off the bed in the waning hallucinations of the nightmare. 

Too overwhelmed to scream, she could only watch the neon-green entrails flooding the cab of the long-suffering old pickup truck and gumming the moving parts to a stop. What started as a drive into town on an errand from Mama had corrupted when the cloudy sky turned to charcoal, split down the middle with a thundering tear, and poured the disgusting green metallic slurry into every orifice of the vehicle. The doors worked but she couldn't leave, not with him still in the passenger seat, and the liquid contents of the cab stayed suspended inside despite the opening available. 

Brad couldn't move, and couldn't breathe through the thick sludge as she somehow could. It dripped out of his nose and mouth whenever he tried to talk to her, and he fearfully refused her attempts to push him out of the truck. The struggle lasted for hours until her hands phased through him and she couldn't physically touch him anymore. 'Aren't you freezing?' he'd nonsensically sputtered out, before the cy-bugs climbed in through the open doors and each began gnawing on a different part of him...

She bit her hand to keep from vomiting at the memory of it. If Mama's land on the outskirts of town wasn't safe then neither was a game right across the station from those monsters—at least that's what her instincts would not stop screaming at her. She wilted slightly at her self-assigned post, head lightly knocking against the glass pane in front of her. 

Felix awoke to see her silhouette by the window, leaning on the sill. 

"Is something wrong?" he whispered. 

She glanced back at him. 

"Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine, Lady Love. What's going on?"

"Thought I heard something," she shrugged. 

He joined her at the window and looked out into the familiar surroundings of his game. The perpetual midnight sky lay peacefully above as it always had. Everything was still; Niceland wasn't the sort of place where anyone was out and about at this hour. Beyond the screen, he could faintly make out the flickering lampposts by the buildings across the street from the arcade, and the flash of the streetlights illuminating the occasional passing vehicle. 

He placed a hand on hers and almost recoiled at how cold it was. 

"We're okay, Tammy. Everyone's okay."

She sighed. 

"I know." 

He paused for a few minutes, quietly sifting through his collection of uncertainties to try and figure out how to respond. 

"Why don't you come back to bed? It's awful chilly tonight," was the best he could muster. The only pajama clothing she wore was an oversized T-shirt, and he had no idea how long she'd been standing there. She didn't even seem to be aware of the temperature. 

The sergeant turned over her hand to grasp his, but said nothing.

"Tamora, everyone's safe and we're not goin' anywhere. I'll be right here when you wake up. That's a promise."

In the low light he saw the shadow of a smile. 

"I'll hold you to it."

They returned to bed and Felix made sure to pull the covers up over her shoulders. She tucked him into her arms and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. The thumping of his heartbeat—quicker than hers as expected, but steady and reassuring—lulled her to sleep. 

He had thought it was just one bad night for her. But in the morning light when he went to open the curtains, he noticed overlapping sets of her handprints on the part of the windowsill where she had been keeping watch.

—

Several nights later he woke up to a harsh, low scratching making its way down the hallway outside the apartment. He froze in terror—Tamora had stayed late for work and gone out afterwards, telling him not to wait up for her. He broke into an instant cold sweat at the thought of a cy-bug evading her watch and coming into the game. 

As quietly as he could, he rolled out of bed and rummaged around in his toolbox next to the closet. Finding a heavy wrench, he clasped it tightly and snuck towards the entryway. He hesitated only a moment to pick up his hammer as well. 

The distant rumble rose to a horrible, continuous scraping as it came closer and closer to his door. Felix's heart pounded and shook his limbs, making his grip on the tools tremble. 

The sound reached his door and stopped. Felix's ears rang in the sudden silence and his mouth went dry. He almost fell backwards at the sudden forceful knock afterwards. 

"Felix? Babe?" 

"Tammy?" 

A long pause. 

"Yeah?" 

He collapsed on the floor, panting in relief. 

"You...you really scared me, honeybadger! Give me just a second and I'll let you in." 

After composing himself, he opened the door and nearly hit the floor again when Tamora fell into the room, landing on her hands and knees. 

"Tammy!! Oh my land, are you alright?!" 

He took her hand to help her up, and she snickered. 

"Wanna...come get comfy down here." 

The sour smell of alcohol broke over him in a wave. For the second time that night, he put a hand to his chest and caught his breath. He chanced a peek out the door and saw a long gash running down the hallway at about her shoulder height. It was impressive that she even had enough physical and mental acuity left to make it all the way to the apartment. 

"Tamora, you're going to bed." 

She cocked her eyebrows and grinned. 

"Can you walk?" 

"Kinda stupid question...issat. Watch." 

She slowly rose to her feet and stumbled again, but ran with the forward momentum and charged right through the bedroom doorway. 

Felix rushed into the bedroom and turned on a light to find her hunched against the wall, fist in the air, as though she was celebrating a victory. He placed his tools down on the nightstand, and with some effort he guided her to the bed. 

"Tammy, listen to me. I'm gonna bring you some water in case you need it later. If you have to go to the bathroom, yell for me. I don't want you falling down in there and hittin' your head on anything. I'll be on the couch." 

She stared at him for a few minutes and nodded. 

"You're...the best. Take such good care a' me..." she grabbed his face in one hand and lightly shook his head back and forth by the chin, squeezing his cheeks. "Cute little fella. Very pretty." 

Felix chuckled and a blush crept onto his cheeks. He picked up her hand off his face, running a thumb over her knuckles. She watched him leave for the kitchen and return with a large mug of water, then gratefully downed it in seconds when he handed it to her.

"There you go,” he sighed, placing the empty mug back on the nightstand. “Now, I don't know how you can ever be comfortable in all this armor, but let me at least make sure you don't have to sleep in it." 

He removed her boots and got to work unlatching the plates covering her torso. 

"I have to...you need to know. You're…" Tamora put her hands on his shoulders and stared at him, desperately trying to overcome her temporary lack of verbal communication ability.

"I’m not sure I understand. Can you show me what’s going on?" 

She hugged him and kissed the base of his neck, patting his back. 

"Need to do...something here. It—the words," she sputtered in frustration.

"You're all right. Do you wanna think about...the words while we get ready?" 

Tamora nodded and released him. 

After a few minutes of decoupling and shifting around the various pieces of her armor, Felix noticed that she had become unusually quiet. Taking his eyes off his work, he looked up to see her staring at him again, pupils dilated. He tried to ignore it and pulled the now-disconnected chestplate off of her, but the action set something off. 

"It was this...!" she trailed off as she whipped around, startling him, and pinned him down to the mattress with a sloppy kiss. 

The taste alone told him she’d had some of Tapper's strongest, a concoction that had knocked him off his stool from just a sniff when he'd curiously sampled it. Her attempt to unbutton his pajama shirt was quickly abandoned for lack of coordination, in favor of rolling it up. 

"You wanna do...like that, Fix-It? Sssomeone's bold today..." 

Alarmed, Felix pushed against one shoulder and pulled at the other, trying to roll or twist her off of himself. He could hardly get the leverage to even shift himself around, let alone move her. 

"Top, huh. Hafta work for that..."

He shook his head and managed to pull his legs out from under her on either side. Feet flat on the bed, he heaved himself a few inches up and away, causing her to slide off of him and onto the quilt. The motion put enough distance between them for him to brace his hands against her shoulders and nudge her backwards. 

"We're not doing that right now! Tam, for goodness' sake you’re in no condition for any of this!" 

Something about the panic in his voice and expression stopped her. He very rarely shouted, and realizing that she was the cause of his fear chilled over her amorous state. The room pitched from side to side as she propped herself up on her hands and shifted further away from him.

He worried that his heavy breathing and the inadvertent redness of his cheeks from the kiss would drown out his words. But for an instant, Felix saw realization and shock pass over her face before she grunted out a soft embarrassed noise and rolled over. She shuffled to the far side of the bed, facing away from him. 

Catching his breath, the situation caught up with him and made his insides churn. He refused to have that sort of experience with her in her current state, and if she’d regretted it he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself. 

He kissed the top of her ear. 

"I'm sorry for yelling. But you're not doing very well right now. We'll talk about it in the morning. For now I just need to get you settled." 

"Hey...hurts?"

"What hurts?" 

She shook her head and pointed over her shoulder at him. 

"Me? No, you didn't hurt me. I'm okay. You just...gave me a bit of a fright." 

She turned around and fumbled for his hand, kissing his fingers. 

"Sorry...brain’s bad. Thought you wanted...I’m sorry."

Of course. She was still Tammy. But he couldn't name what he was feeling. She'd never have gotten to this point in a normal state and she even had the awareness not to hurt him now, inebriated more than he’d ever seen her before. 

He ached to communicate, every fiber of him wanting to come up with some right combination of words that would fix this, but he had to remind himself that she wouldn't be able to process it anyway. Felix gave Tamora's hand a squeeze before tucking it into her chest, and smiled feebly. 

"I'm going to finish getting you ready to go to sleep, is that okay?" 

“Yeah,” She nodded. “S’okay...I won’t move.”

Over the next several minutes he removed the rest of her armor and laid it in a neat pile by the foot of the bed. By the time he left and came back with the refilled mug of water and empty bowl, she was already asleep. He left the items on the nightstand and pulled up her covers, tucking all of the available pillows under her head and shoulders to elevate them and keep her from rolling over. 

Seeing her in the condition she was in that night twisted and stabbed at him. If she'd just been injured or gotten into a fight then it'd be obvious how to help. And if it wasn't, he could ask. But this...a constant background noise of low-grade anxiety grew louder at the sight of her obscured vulnerability made physical. 

"I don't know what happened out there but have a nice rest, sugarplum," Felix whispered, wiping his eyes before they could produce any tears. He kissed the tip of her nose and left for the couch with an armful of extra sheets.

—

Tagging some of my WIR buddies: @ask-icancraft-it @ashleybenlove @sgtcalhouns @coneygoil @kittysfigurines24 @fix-it-feesh @shitpost-it-tristan @make-it-mavis @datamining-your-heart @nijimarii @scarfboyxiv @secretsocietyofgamejumpers @juanitascribbles @wreckitralphrestart

Let me know if you would like your name added to or removed from the tags for future fics!