Star-Crossed

Ch.11

*Chapter 11*

Vanellope woke up later in the day. After the long night of laughs, blushes, tears and confusion, Vanellope was glad she got a good nights reset. She eagerly boarded Power Strip's train and headed for Game Central Station, excited to hang out with Ralph again. She could feel her heart drop at the thought of losing Rancis. She felt terrible for having mixed feelings on the subject matter. She figured if one of her racers was crazy enough to nearly murder on of her best friends, it was best he was out of the picture. Vanellope knew she would have to explain to her racers exactly what was up, but for now, she figured slipping out of her kingdom for the day off wasn't such a bad idea. She knew getting out of her station for a little while, to see her wrecker, would clear her mind. She still held onto the little stunt Ralph pulled last night, however. She felt her heart throb in pain at the thought of him still viewing her as a little kid. She figured, by the way he was acting about it last night, that it was an honest mistake. Nonetheless, she was eager to get a real answer out of him.

She trucked into Ralph's and Felix's game cabinet on their game train. She hopped out and took a look around. The whole game was quiet, but wasn't lifeless. She knew everyone was probably still sound asleep, though it was late morning. Vanellope silently chuckled and made her way to the small town East of the Niceland building. She looked at every house, each having a name plate on the door. She stopped at Ralph's house and beamed, slowly inviting herself in, hoping not to startle Ralph if he was awake.

She was greeted by a small living room with furniture big enough for Ralph. He had a quaint kitchen, the appliances and plate ware likewise to his furniture's size. She chuckled and shook her head as she walked down a small hallway which led to Ralph's bedroom. Quietly but surely, she opened his door and peered in. The noon sun was delicately warming the room from outside their game cabinet. Ralph was peacefully sleeping the day away, a large red blanket gently laid on top of him, pulled down to his chest. He was in his usual orange plaid shirt and a comfortable pair of pants, his hair even more of a mess than usual. Vanellope silently chuckled at the sight and shook her head.

Vanellope very carefully sat on the edge of Ralph's high bed, she scoot close to his shoulder. She examined his sleeping form; even when unconscious, he still exuded power. It showed with his powerful chest rising and falling slowly. His breathing was soft but steady, he was obviously deep in sleep. Vanellope gazed long and hard at his innocent, sleeping state. She felt her heart swell at the sight, his facial expression sweet and blank. She tilted her head and wondered how anyone could be scared of such a big softy. He was half laying on his side, his head faced towards Vanellope. She slowly and cautiously reached her hand out towards him, placing it on his forehead with care. She gently began to pet his forehead and the tufts of hair on the crown of his head. She took this time to really study his features, to give herself a lesson in looking.

Her hand was almost dwarfed by the sheer size of Ralph. Though she had grown a lot because of her update, Ralph was still a lot bigger than her. She lovingly pet his hair, feeling the softness of his medium brown hair between her fingers. She tended to him as if he was her very own. As she sat in silence, minus Ralph's gentle breathing, she pondered the idea of him and her. She let a small smile break across her face at the thought, knowing that there is no deeper love than falling in love with your best friend. She didn't know whether or not she could call it love yet. She figured she'd find out sooner or later, now that they were on speaking terms. Or more than so.

Ralph very slowly, but suddenly, inhaled deeply; he took in more air than the last few minutes. He groaned a little and stretched his arm out, his warm eyes blinked open. Vanellope smiled and gently continued to pet his forehead. She met eyes with Ralph, his being soft and innocent. He blinked a few times in surprised happiness before relaxing and un-tensing. He closed his eyes and exhaled a raspy breath. He let a small smile spread across his face, which was progressively turning red. Vanellope chuckled and ruffled his hair lovingly.