Dinner Dilemma

Author's Note: Another attempt at a fic! This one is base off a deleted scene from "Ralph Breaks the Internet" in which Felix and Calhoun have dinner with the adopted Sugar Rush kids :)

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     Dinner at the Fix-It residence was not as pleasant as had been hoped. Things had gotten off to a rather rough start when Felix and Calhoun had chosen to temporarily adopt the homeless Sugar Rush children. The young racers were simply full of energy – an energy that was very difficult to contain, and resulted in much unruly behavior from the group. Now, things seemed to be in control as the fifteen racers sat quietly at the table. The change in atmosphere was nice. A little too nice. It had begun to get a little awkward, with only the sounds of clinking glass or the scraping of utensils against the plates to accompany them. The children themselves didn't seem too thrilled, and who could blame them? They'd lived independently for 21 years before the plug to their game was finally pulled. Calhoun studied their glum expressions for a moment before glancing at her husband. His blank gaze was upon the dish before him, munching contently on a forkful of steamed peas and carrots.

     Calhoun cleared her throat, causing him to look up. "Delicious, the hot dish is absolutely delicious darling"

     Felix brightened at the compliment. "Oh, thank you Lady Love!" he cheerily responded. Movement suddenly flashed under his nose and before he could comprehend what occurred, he found a puddle of milk pooling across his plate. "UGH – now Gloyd, this is the third time I've had to fix your milk," Felix gently reminded the pumpkin-clad boy as he whipped out his golden hammer. One tap against the mess and everything went back to normal. "I'm starting to think you might be doing it on purpose just to make me cross!" he chuckled. The child gave him an unimpressed look, deliberately tipping the glass once more and spilling the contents all over again. Felix cringed, avoiding lashing out at all costs. He'd seen kids as friends and they were to be treated as such. You don't yell at your friends after all.

     "Well, I'm guessing we're out of milk now!" he huffed, a half-crazed smile gracing his features as he stood. "I'll just go out and – "

     "NO, Nope, NO, Sit down!" Calhoun shouted, quickly cutting him off. There was no chance in hell he was going to leave her alone with fifteen rambunctious children. She'd rather face an entire Cy-Bug brigade.

     Felix quickly caught on, and seated himself again, shrinking under her stern gaze. "Yes ma'am" he answered humbly.

"And the rest of you," Calhoun said, addressing the children firmly. "Eat your vegetables"

     Candlehead fidgeted in her seat, lazily poking at a piece of broccoli with her fork. "Oh, but in Sugar Rush we eat candyyyy... " she grumbled, a hint of worry in her voice as she eyed the food suspiciously.

     "In this house we eat vegetables!" Felix chirped in reply. He let a small whimper escape him as Gloyd tipped yet another glass of milk over his dinnerplate.

     Across the table, Taffyta rolled her eyes and haughtily shoved her dish an armlength away. "This food is stupid" she mumbled in annoyance.

     The snarky remark didn't slide past Calhoun. "Taffyta," she sighed, hands folded neatly in front of her. "This food does not have a central nervous system, therefore it does not have a brain, which means, it is IMPOSSIBLE for this food... to be stupid."

     Anger flashed in the child's eyes. "I HATE IT HERE!" she yelled, boldly throwing a limp piece of asparagus in Calhoun's face. Too stunned to reprimand her right away, she watched as Taffyta stood up in her seat, raising the plate of half-eaten veggies high above her head. "FOOD FIGHT!" she called out. The others were quick to join, leaping up gratefully and flinging the remnants of their dinner across the room at each other. Felix and Calhoun were powerless to stop them, pleads falling deaf on the sugary racer's ears. They shared a dismayed look with each other. It was certainly not the evening either one had planned.

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     Felix and Calhoun lay in bed, rattled by the day's events. Though finally alone, the shouts ringing out from the neighboring room made it difficult for sleep to claim them. Instead, they remained sprawled on the mattress, bloodshot eyes fixed on the ceiling.

     "Parenting is horrible" Felix hissed, eye twitching. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of an explosion booming from the kitchen. Several muffled coughs were heard, as well as the beginnings of an argument between two or more of the children.

     Calhoun let out a shaky sigh. "No one ever tells you it will be like this" she replied warily, running a hand through her disheveled hair.

     He shifted, gently taking her free hand into his. "Let us pray" he whispered. She nodded, closing her eyes as he began. "Dear Lord," he started, "Please, Oh PLEASE, get Ralph home with that steering wheel..." he practically begged.

     "Protect him, and keep him safe" Calhoun added. "I can't believe I'm saying this," she continued, shaking her head, "but he's our ONLY hope."

     Another loud crash sounded from the living room, followed by some equally loud screaming. They both remained numb to the noise and chaos as their thoughts drifted to Ralph and Vanellope's mission. The journey through the internet was dangerous, and likely filled many obstacles that were nowhere near as challenging as anything they may already have faced in Litwak's Arcade. So they'd hang onto the hope that Ralph would return, and when he did, Felix and Calhoun would gladly show him their gratitude.