theeglitch

[theeglitch]

vanellope could understand how pathetic this all looked from an outsider's point of view. she was just some glitch who was so desperate to see a racecar that she had snuck into the one place she was banned at. she hadn't expected to get this far at all, but she would take a million and one jabs if it meant that she could keep this going and see what would happen next. she didn't think anything could throw her off her game now that she was given a small taste of it. she didn't think there was a single thing that could make her miserable right now.

the moment she was ready to place her own seatbelt, tiff had made it her sole mission to do it for her. van couldn't really understand why; she worked with all kinds of cars and knew how to maneuver a seatbelt. but at the same time she didn't even have a cute retort in her. tiff was so close and she was thanking whatever was in the sky above them that she had this helmet on to hide most of her expression. her senses were flooded with the smell of tiff; her shampoo, her perfume, all of it. she would be lying if she said she was breathing but she couldn't quite place why she felt the need to hold all the air she could in her lungs either. she was eerily silent the entire time and it wasn't even that long of a reaction. maybe she just hadn't actually expected tiff to help her out, but at the same time she really should have since she knew the blonde was so worried about her glitching everything up. yeah, that was all. tiff was just making sure van and her stupid emotions didn't cause the entire car to swerve and kill them both.

still, she felt that feeling a little bit. that surge of feeling that made her disappear wherever it pleased. she shoved that feeling down so far she was sure it wouldn't rise again. her eyes were squeezed shut and she just hoped she could control the pounding in her chest and her ears enough to just...relax. "it's tight," she sputtered out, finally opening her eyes again. "it's comfy enough. it's good. we're all good."

watching vanellope slip into the passenger side of her car roused a kind of a feeling within the blonde that she couldn't truly identify . it resembled something of a vaguely familiar anxiety , or maybe it was a distant nostalgia ; either way , tiffany had to take a moment to steady her breathing . this wasn't the first time the brunette had accompanied tiffany in a vehicle , the last time so far in the past it was veiled in a mist that made it feel as if the memory was made up . pulling her helmet over her head , tiffany managed a smile ; thin and loose , but present , nevertheless . any excuse to get on the track was a good one - and after today , she made a mental note to take her car in for new tires tomorrow . it'd desperately need them .

tiffany slid into the driver's seat , the leather sculpted to her form , lifting a gloved thumb to press a button secured to the roof that had the garage door before them growling as its engine purred to life , steering the gate sealing them up northwards to reveal the lit track on the other side . " you're making me want to put this in my tax right offs for charity work , " tiff huffed , but the words weren't tinged with malice - a playful jab made at the other's childish excitement as she laughed . yet , tiffany felt the same ; ceruleans surveying the familiar asphalt illuminated by bright , blaring lights . she knew the track like the back of her hand , but no matter how many laps she made around it , the thrill was all the same .

" the seatbelts kind of , , , complicated , " she informed van as she turned knobs and switches , each motion making a different part of the car hum and buzz to life . the blonde glanced over , biting the inside of her lower lip , before turning her torso towards van . " - and no offense , i'm not trying to have you fuck it up . " so , before her passenger could protest , tiffany's torso was leaning across the center of her car to reach across van's chest , gloved hands finding each of the harness straps and tugging on them . invading the glitch's space , tiffany worked at buckles and loops of the harness - tightening each one so it was flush , canines digging into her lip as she furrowed her brows in concentration . " they're stiff as fuck , i don't ever think they've been used in this car , " tiffany muttered , thinking aloud as she gave the safety measure a hard tug to ensure van was properly strapped in . as if any number of polyester and fasteners would be able to prevent the other from glitching out . then , after securing the buckle the crossed the other's naval , tiffany leaned back a bit , inspecting it . inspecting her . " can you breathe ?? " tiffany asked , a seriousness in the question as she met van's eyes through the grates in their helmets ; " - because if you can , it isn't tight enough . "

[theeglitch]

vanellope knew better than to assume she was going to race, yet an almost unbearable sadness took over her features for a split second. she was being unfair and ridiculous; being able to be on the track at all these days was a blessing and she would be so incredibly stupid to fuck that up before it happened. so they let that sadness pass because it might not have been what they wanted, but it was a start. vanellope could work with this. she would do anything to get that familiar high that came with racing and being a passenger princess to the racing princess herself would be just as good.

tiff's expression helped a bit too. not that van was going to admit that. it was honestly a little jarring how it felt like tiff was seeing her for the first time. even with the nickname leaving her pillow soft lips (van was assuming. shut up). for once it didn't hold the same malice that it normally carried. that was more than enough for van to follow her instructions and get into her assigned seating for this journey.

"trust me this is just as exciting," she said, a giggle escaping her lips due to her own nerves and excitement. just being in a car like this again had her feeling renewed. her hands wanted to fidget like mad, but she clasped them together and held them in her lap. if she was too animated it might scare tiff and she could practically taste the gasoline now. she wasn't going to fuck this up for the world. "i can't believe this...i can't believe this is my life. oh my god." she looked over at tiff beaming like they weren't enemies, but two souls who simply understood each other's desire for living. "don't hold back for even a second! we gotta get that full rush!"

her locker came open with a commanding tug , her jaw tight unlike the metal door's hinges as the well used , well loved , storage unit for her racing equipment came flying open on oiled hinges . tiffany knew this was insane , diabolical , and that if kiernan found out she , herself , would be banned from ever burning rubber on this all too familiar track . . . and yet , she couldn't bring herself to back out . once tiffany was in on an idea , she was IN — entirely committed . even if this was something she was doing for the glitch vanellope , an act of kindness that made her stomach turn . . . back pedaling would be far more embarrassing than seeing it through .

at least that's what she told herself .

van's speech caught tiff unguard , the strap of her glove wedged between clamped teeth as icy blue irises veered in her direction . brows furrowed , confused by the sentimental theatrics , before the blonde secured the fuzzy side of a velcro strip to its mate and rolled her wrist to ensure it was snug . " you're not driving , " tiffany spoke curtly , figuring that had been obvious but realizing now she may have mislead the brunette . wouldn't have been the first time she did that , but a tinge of guilt made the words taste sour in her mouth as she spoke them . " you're riding in my car . as a passenger . but i appreciate being given permission to do something i had already been planning for . "

a smile , then , twisted tiff's full lips into somewhat of a smile - a distantly sincere expression that felt foreign to her features . the brunette looked so. . . right in her helmet , like she had been meant to wear one , and the blonde's stomach curled in on itself as tiff forcefully hardened her expression once more and turned towards her car - approaching the driver's side with her helmet in clutch , anxiety bubbling in her chest. . . but alongside it ?? a buzz of anticipation . " c'mon , glitch . it's not every day i let people into my car so. . . get in before i change my mind . "

[theeglitch]

"Well cool it, big guy, I can fight this battle on my own. No one knows my head better than...well, me." Besides, she didn't really know how to explain it all to Ralph yet. She didn't even know how to rationalize it to herself yet. As they began playing Vanellope tried to lock in and do great, but it didn't take long before they were eliminated and leaving Ralph to fight zombies on his own. "Oh schnitzel," she mumbled, dropping the gun in frustration. "Best three out of five, right?"

"I am capable of being violent towards two things at once, Van. And you know I never say no to a fight." It was a joke, but he hoped she knew that he meant it; he would fight for her no matter what. Turning from the screen to glance at her, then back to the screen, he locked in. "We're gonna fuck these zombies up, though."

[theeglitch]

♡ MAIA REFICCO via instagram ( maiareficco )

[theeglitch]

vanellope could taste the tension on her tongue and it kept her alert. if tiff was planning on doing some elaborate prank or taking back whatever offer she was going to make she wanted to be ready for that. even if it hurt. giving anyone the benefit of the doubt has only hurt her in the end. especially when someone has a track record like the blonde before her does. still, she couldn't help but feel like she was seeing a side to tiff that not only didn't make sense but...felt uncomfortably real.

as they made their way through various halls, van tried to let her emotions stay neutral. if she accidentally glitched right now from her nerves, she was sure tiff would flip and now she was just downright curious as to what she was going to do. her threat sent a shiver through her and she nodded her head at her while ignoring the weirdly emptying feeling she had now that her hand was her own again. her heart was beating loudly as she watched tiff turn the light on a reveal the most beautiful cars, resting soundly as van soaked in the details to each one. the smell, the atmosphere...it almost brought her to tears. it felt like coming home for real. it felt like she was right where she was supposed to be.

her hands were shaking as she grabbed a helmet, but not because she was nervous. it was because she was excited. the stars seemed to gleam in her eyes as she put it on, exhaling a breath she had no idea she was even holding. she had no clue was tiff was planning, no idea how far she was going to be allowed to go, but she knew that she was not going to take a single second of it for granted. if she was really being given the chance she thought she was getting....she was going to do anything to not fuck it up. she stared at tiff, noticed her demeanor, and stood up straighter. as much as she was ready to make all of this about herself, she couldn't forget a previous fight they've had in the past.

"hey tiffany," she called out, a serious look on her face for probably the first time in forever. "i know you might be worried about my past, but i've been waiting every day since to prove that i won't fuck it up on any track ever again. you have my word that you won't regret this. and if...big if...something goes wrong. you have my full permission to make sure i can physically never race again."

tiffany could feel her jaw ticking with each step , the muscles beneath the flushed skin of her face twitching as her gut tried to steer her back in the other direction — towards the parking lot , towards her bike , willing her to leave this abomination of a " racer " behind . . . yet , the blonde squeezed van's hand tighter , using the other to pull out her keycard that let her into the track after hours . perks of being the favorite .

" shut up , " she whispered , the words harsh and sharp , steering van through the various halls that lead to where the cars were kept . ceruleans dropped to where the glitch had squeezed her hand , painfully reminding the blonde it was grasping her own , before she swallowed the lump that rose in her throat . " if you tell anyone i did this , " the words are silky , slippery like oil , turning abruptly to face van so their chests were separated by a wisp of air . she paused , contemplating which threat to select from her arsenal , before she released the other's hand and turned away .

" — you won't have any hands to dream about racing with . "

moving to the wall , tiffany flicked a switch , the hum of a light buzzing to life as the bulb flickered before casting a warm , honeyed glow over the rows of well-kept cars. hers sat closest to the garage's door , and if one had a keen sense of smell , they'd notice the hint of burnt rubber and a cooling exhaust clinging to the drafty air . " grab a helmet , " she instructed , not looking back as she moved towards her locker , realizing only now that her whole body , each individual finger , was shaking .

[theeglitch]

"These zombies are about to go home crying for their mom's when we're done with them!" she said in agreement, even though her enthusiasm wasn't fully there. "No, no beating anyone up. Just got some stuff on my mind. Nothing worth getting violent over, big guy." She added a few more coins into the game and stared straight ahead. "We got some unfinished business with these zombies and that is way more important to me."

"It was just a warm-up," Ralph reminded her. Which was for the best. By the end of the game, he'd gotten the controls down, but the first half was a complete mess of chaos. "Oh yeah, it's fun, just wait until I get a few rounds under my belt. These zombies aren't going to stand a chance." He couldn't help but wonder what the everything else she was referring to was, studying her for a moment. "You okay, kiddo? Do I need to beat someone up?"

[theeglitch]

vanellope didn't think she had ever seen tiffany like this. she had waited for the quick retort, the sharp tongue that she was so used to...and it just never came. vanellope honestly was more scared that she wasn't reacting her normal self. did she finally get through to the blonde? or was she just a sitting duck who was about to be devoured? the longer the silence had stayed the more she was starting to sweat. but she wasn't going to show her fear. tiffany may be terrifying, but she was a smart woman. vanellope was just hoping her words had an impact on her for once.

she felt her breath hitch the moment the blonde touched her hand, a foreign buzzing between their palms. vanellope would be lying to herself if she didn't say the gesture had her speechless, even dazed. a feeling she wasn't sure she could really let herself think about too long. for her own sake. at the instructions given she nodded her head, snapping herself out of her thoughts. "i am your shadow," she repeated. she had no idea what tiffany was about to do, but there was a bit of excitement that betrayed her facial expression. for once it felt like tiff was seeing things from her perspective....and if that was the case, then maybe she would be able to satisfy this itch she had when it came to racing. without actually racing, of course. "thank you..." she whispered, squeezing the girl's hand on instinct. "i know i don't deserve this...but it means more to me than you know..."

tiffany felt her anger sink; her wild, adrenaline-fueled heart plummeting southwards and landing so harshly amongst the acid in her stomach that nausea swelled. how would she cope ?? her lips pressed together into a thin, straight line — so tight she felt the muscles of her jaw clamp. if it came to that; she'd probably leap off the nearest bridge. racing was all she had; all she was. everything that was important to tiffany mutton came in the form of a purring engine and a throttle in need of twisting. her fists, subconsciously, clenched at her sides . . . the rims of the nails sat atop her thumbs pressed aggressively into the flesh of her palms, and in a time where tiffany's usual, quick-moving tongue was required to form words; none came.

she had never thought about it like that.

but it wasn't her fault the glitch had the condition they did.

it wasn't her fault.

" fuck , " she hissed beneath her breath, the curse sent through clamped teeth. ceruleans cast over her shoulder, surveying the empty walkway to the track that lay behind her, moving then to take in their surroundings; no one was watching. then, her attention returned to van. her jaw twitched, something resembling empathy buzzing in her veins, a feeling so foreign it felt as if she were burning up. " come on, " tiffany huffed, and before she could stop her movements, she was leaning forward to grab the others hand, tugging her behind as she spun on the heel of her boot towards the track in which she had just came. this was stupid; RECKLESS . . . but she couldn't let go of the question — ' how would you cope ?? '

" you keep your voice down. you don't touch anything. you're nothing more than my shadow, got it ?? "

[theeglitch]

"Oh, obviously. Every first round is just a warm-up....unless I win." As the game started, Vanellope 's mind started to wander a little bit. She wasn't trying to not give her all but her run-in with Tiff was having her all..weird. She ended up bombing that first round and scrunched her nose at the game like it had insulted her. "Stupid zombies...they are supposed to be easier to deal with than everything else." She turned to Ralph, forcing a casual smile. "What do ya think of it?"

He realized he might be overly passionate about games, especially Pacman, it was kind of silly and pointless but he was just so frustrated that he couldn't beat the whole thing. They didn't have to make it so impossible. "Yeah, best two out of three," he agreed, picking up his own and flipping it over in his hands. At least he could accept sucking at this game since he hadn't spent months sitting in front of it. "The first game is for getting into my groove, and the next two are for wiping out the whole damn zombie race."

[theeglitch]

vanellope knew that tiffany was right. that she was chasing something she could never fully have ever again. yet the very thought of accepting that, of truly just giving in and giving up on racing forever; it made her sick to her stomach. it was like every single nerve in her body was telling her that was wrong and she was supposed to be on this track in some capacity. she didn't expect anyone to really understand that, but it was all she knew. the more she got in her head about it the more she glitched and made the situation worse. she felt like she was holding her entire being in just to not glitch in front of the blonde.

"what would you do?" she asked quietly, her eyes meeting tiffany. "if you had the same condition as me but still had the taste of racing. how would you cope?" she wasn't even trying to be a smartass for once. she was truly asking. "how do you satisfy that need to race? how am i supposed to just...let go even when i know doing the one thing that makes the most sense in the world is an impossible dream now?"

to say tiffany mutton's feelings towards the glitch were complicated would be putting it lightly. all tiffany ever saw, all she heard, when she looked at the other was the horrendous screeching of tires on asphalt, the flashing of headlights, the sound of metal as it bent in the most unnatural of ways and skidded along concrete. . . the smell of smoke , burnt rubber, permanently clouded her sense of smell. tightening her jaw, tiffany looked back over her shoulder towards the track where she knew the other's gaze always loomed the most tenderly. for a moment . . . she felt bad. tiffany would rather die than give up racing.

. . .but it isn't tiff's fault vanellope couldn't race — it was kieran's call, not hers. besides, her glitch was a hazard. it had already threatened their lives once before, and the blonde had no intention of ever forgetting that.

turning her gaze back to the other, tiffany took a few steps closer, inspecting the other as one would a child who wasn't where they were supposed to be. " so, what, you were just looking ?? " tiff drawled, folding her arms. a zip of ice shot down her spine at the mentioning of the brunette's glitching, filling the blonde with a overcoming sense of unease. she stopped her advance, observing the distance between them, wondering if it was enough. " your feet are never going to get close enough to that track to glitch on it. i just don't understand why you keep doing this to yourself. it's over — you ?? racing ?? never going to happen again. you're going to keep making shit worse for yourself if you keep coming here when it's been made clear you aren't welcome."

[theeglitch]

vanellope had issues, that was certain. in fact their issues were so bad, they developed into pure masochism at this point. that had to be the reason they were sneaking around the racetrack almost begging to be caught with the way they didn't even try to hide themselves. their reasoning was just as fucked really. there was no excuse other than it was physically painful sometimes to go so long without being around it. it felt like a part of their very being was ripped out from them the day they couldn't race anymore. it didn't make sense and it could get them into a lot of trouble but they just...didn't care to a point anymore.

of course it was tiff of all people to spot them. of course they were expecting to be torn a new one for it. but instead they just kinda stopped in their tracks at her words. "i know that," they said with a sigh, rocking nervously on their heels. "i was leaving in a second anyways. no need to call the hell hounds on me or whatever....promise to not glitch on the track! not that my feet can cause much damage."

closed starter: @theeglitch !!

seeing the other outside the track was not on the blonde's bingo card for the evening. instinctively, tiffany's jaw tightened, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, lifting her chin up to try and play off the relief she felt that the other hadn't been one of the names on the missing list. half because the last thing she wanted was vanellope to have another reason to paint herself as a victim, half because . . . well, half because tiffany wasn't the heartless, soulless monster she portrayed herself as. at least, she didn't think she was.

" you're not supposed to be here , " tiffany called out, head tilting, eyes concentrated on the other's face as she approached. " — if kieran sees you, he'll lose his shit. "

[theeglitch]

"You tell 'em buddy," Vanellope said with a light slap to the guy's shoulder. "I can't wait until you meet these zombies. They might put your red ghost to shame.." She found it really adorable though that he thought he stood a chance against her with any game really. She might not be able to do the things she was born to do, but she was pretty sure being stupid good at video games was her backup calling. There was something about the dusty arcade games that made her feel like she was at home. But she kept that to herself since it was weird to explain. Heading over to the game she stepped behind the curtains that were in front of it and grabbed the plastic weapon. "Best two out of three?"

"But I've been trying for six hours straight," Ralph huffed, words spoken at a mostly under-his-breath volume, letting his annoyance go (the best of his ability) with one final exhale of breath. "Hey, I'm not an old man. But you're halfway right. Let's check it out, and after I kick your butt, I'm gonna come back and kick that," he turned and jabbed a finger at the machine, specifically the pixels making up the red ghost, "pain in the butt's... butt."

[theeglitch]

"Not everyone can come close to my high score, so at least ya got that far," Vanellope chuckled with a small pat to their friends arm. "The red ghost is probably designed to be a pain in your butt. Either way, there are more games to play. Ya gotta broaden your horizons old man or else all the good, fun, new games are gonna slip through your fingers. I'm sure ya haven't hit a stage of carpal tunnel that stops ya from holding a fake gun. We could totally try that new zombie game that just came in last month instead."

LOCATION: the arcade FOR: @theeglitch

"One hundred points, I was one hundred points from first place," Ralph informed them, personally a little proud he'd managed to stop himself from sending a fist through the screen when he lost, now rubbing his temples and counting to ten in a slightly pathetic attempt to calm down. "I hate those little fucking ghosts. Bastards, all of them. Especially the red one, why is it always the red one?"

[theeglitch]

♡ MAIA REFICOO via instagram ( maiareficco )

[theeglitch]

Vanellope was used to that burning ache in her chest that came with talking about not driving. It felt like a part of her soul was being tugged at harshly, but she was more than capable of shoving it down for the sake of keeping her carefully crafted act together. "Disability,. It's what it is," she said quickly, smiling as if she was fine with that excuse. "I have done a cow design before actually....don't ask. It was really fun. But y'know what's better than a zebra? A technicolor zebra. Which I didn't get to do for an entire car but like...it was part of the details. Really neat for sure!"

"Why not?" Casper asked, not considering it might be a rude question to ask. They'd never be able to drive either, and it looked sort of fun. They could move a car, they supposed, if they really wanted to... it would probably take a lot of concentration, and it just wasn't the same. "You ever get to paint fun designs or is it always boring regular colors? Could you do a cow design? That might be cool. Or a zebra? Ooh, or a cheetah. Yeah, a cheetah!"

[theeglitch]

Vanellope was feeling just about the same way this person was, but she didn't want to admit defeat. "I! I mean! Don't go! Especially because of me getting in your way." She was trying to keep the glitching under control while also doing social damage control and it just...was not easy. "Can I get you a drink or something? And then if ya totally still wanna go ya can! Just an apology drink."

Despite being drinking age now, Lilo still hadn't actually drank. She didn't really care to, the idea actually scared her a little. Why she ended up here... she wasn't actually sure, she had thought it would make her look cool. But from the moment she'd entered, she'd just felt nervous. Why she chose Wonderland of all places, she wasn't sure. She could hardly meet anyone in the eyes. The things these women were wearing! "Oh. No. I am, I think," she admitted, her nerves spilling out into her tone. "I don't like it here. It's stuffy and... weird. I think I should leave."

[theeglitch]

Vanellope was honestly starting to zone out from the lack of business. Everyone's cars must've been decent today because she was doing nothing but stacking objects at the front desk to keep herself occupied. When she suddenly had the business she jolted, knocking her tower over with a small pout. "Uhh...it depends on what ya consider fun I think.." she mumbled, scratching the back of her head. "I mean I think I get to paint fun stuff all the time. If it ain't for a customer it's for myself and the car I'll never drive."

LOCATION: the body shop FOR: @theeglitch

Casper sometimes forgot it wasn't normal for people to just wander around mindlessly, walking into businesses they had no business being in — like a garage without a car. Curiosity killed the cat, but they didn't have to worry about that, now did they? "Do you ever get to paint fun stuff," they piped up from where they stood watching Vanellope at work, "or is it all... all boring?"

[theeglitch]

open starter location: wonderland

vanellope didn't frequent wonderland a lot. the place was a little kooky for her tastes but she was restless and needed a night out. even if it was alone that was just fine! she could drink and dance and maybe figure out what made wonderland so wonderful by the end of the night. she was a few shots in and already in dire need to use the restroom that seemed to be a maze of its own. after taking care of business and trying to find her way back to the bar she accidentally bumped into someone a little harder than she meant to, which of course triggered some slight glitching. one second she was right next to that person's side the next she was right in front of them staring at them with wide eyes. "my...my bad, buddy. that was all me. am i in the way?"