Chapter Three: Boys...Who Protect

Relief immediately started to wash over Ralph. His racing heartbeat and worried thoughts slowed down, and his tomato-red face began to finally fade back to normal.

Yes! he mentally cheered with a fist bump, completely elated by Vanellope's answer. I don't have to worry about any of that stuff now!

"Good, great actually," he sighed happily out loud, allowing a breath he was unnoticeably holding in to escape his smiling lips. "You're totally right, kid. Who needs boys, right?" he brushed it off with a tsk. "Boys are total weirdos- and trust me, they only get weirder as they get older, kid. "

"Yes, only some more than others," Calhoun couldn't help but mutter with a pointed eye roll as she took another drink.

Her comment gained a hearty laugh from Vanellope. "You said it, Space Warrior!" she smirked in agreement.

"So...," Ralph continued with a huge smile on his face. "That means you'll never want to date or marry any boys then, right kid?"

"Right," Vanellope echoed to Ralph, sharing in his smile innocently. "Boys are definitely not for me. Ever."

"Good," Ralph approved by gently ruffled her hair. "Always, always feel that way."

Across from the two agreeing friends, Felix huffed through a bottom lip and rubbed his forehead with eyes squeezed shut.

Not wanting Vanellope to get hurt by a boy, the fixer understood...but being this worried about every boy around Vanellope's age, thinking they're all out to hurt her like that, and not wanting Vanellope to ever date or eventually to get marry...Well, it was all a little bit overkill.

"Ralph, brother," he told his friend gently, his soft blue eyes kind and pleading. "There's no need to be so protective of Vanellope when it comes to boys. She's old enough to take care of herself, and-"

"What?! I'm not being overprotective of her 'when it comes to boys'!" Ralph barked as he interrupted him, his own eyes sharp and defensive. "I was just confirming how Vanellope chooses to feel about them. Right, Fart Feathers?" He asked his tiny friend, trying his hardest not to sound or look hopeful or desperate.

"Correctamundo," the child responded as calmer, softer music began to play overhead. Vanellope looked away from Ralph and looked out over the other characters that were still in Tapper's, starting to sway and redance in her seat.

Smiling happily down at her, Ralph proudly ruffled her hair again. "That's my girl."

"Oh, come on, Junk Pile," Calhoun finally snapped, her narrowed eyes just as sharp as her voice. "Don't treat Vanellope like such a baby. Being so stinking overprotective of her is just ridiculous."

"I'm not being overprotective of the kid or treating her like a baby!" Ralph repeated with narrowed eyes back at her, daring her to contend otherwise. "What's so wrong about being relieved she doesn't want to date any boys?"

In her seat, Vanellope finally stopped watching other dance and eyed up at Ralph curiously. "But...why are you relieved about that, Stink Brain? "

"Well, um..." Ralph searched for the right words, looking away from her.

"Because he's an overprotective idiot and wants to keep you baby, Candy Head" Calhoun told Vanellope with an eye roll.

"For the last time, I'm not being overprotective of Vanellope or treating her like a baby!" Ralph bellowed loudly, causing others in root beer game to turn and stare.

Seeing the spectacle he had cause, he blushed and continued more quietly, looking embarrassed. "I'm just..it's it's just-" he sighed defeatedly, unable to find his words.

"Ok, ok fine," he finally mumbled. "Maybe- maybe you and Felix are right..."

" 'Maybe'?" Calhoun sneered at him as she gave him a pointed look.

The wrecker eyed her back, obviously trying to keep his cool as he sighed through his nose long and slow.

"Ok, you two are right," he admitted desperately. "Maybe I am being a little overprotective of Vanellope. But I can't help it."

Miserably, the giant turned to look at his petite friend -his kid- sitting beside him.

"I just...I can't stand the fact that others used to hurt you all the time, Vanellope. Before the reset, I mean," he told her softly. "And to think you had to endure it all...all alone. .."

Ralph found himself trailing off and then looked away, clearly his heart breaking at the memory. Forcing himself to look back at his little glitch as she waited on the edge of her seat for him to continue.

"That's why I don't like the idea of you getting bullied or hurt now, by anyone - but especially not any boy," the man gently told the child as he fondly adjusted the remaining clips in her hair. "I feel like it's my responsibility to ensure you don't ever have to go through any more pain like that ever again and that you're protected from it all- physically, mentally and emotionally...which is why I don't like the idea of you liking or dating a boy, either," he connected softly.

He became silent for a moment, unsure of how everyone would take his express worries- especially Vanellope.

After a moment, she was the one who broke the silence. "Really, Ralph?" she asked softly. "You care about me... that much?" the child looked up at him, her eyes wider than ever before.

Vanellope always knew that Ralph cared about her deeply...but she never knew just how much, apparently.

"Of course, kid," Ralph blushed before protectively scooping Vanellope up into his lap, rolling his eyes to look away from her in embarrassment. "I really, ya know, care about ya and stuff. I hate the idea of you ever getting hurt physically or emotionally by anyone, especially some stupid boy-"

But the man paused for a moment when he noticed Calhoun and Felix eyeing something behind him suspiciously with stunned looks on their faces.

Abandoning his thoughts, Ralph turned to see just what the two of them were looking at.

As he did, he saw two young boys, obviously about Vanellope's age, who had walked into the root beer game. Both of the boys had random bits of clearly unwelcomed candy in their hair, along with being covered from head to toe with some familiar-looking gooey green goop.

The poor boys looked beyond miserable and upset as they lumbered along, although it was somewhat comical to see they take a step, they get stuck to the floor due to the glue-like gloob. As they'd get unstuck and be freed to take a step,the boys' feet would just get restuck again.

As the boys finally got to where they stood in line for a root beer, they both tried to help pull off the candy and goop out of each others hair, wincing at how the goop pulled at their heads.

During one particularly rough pulling, one of the boys' eyes drifted over to where Ralph and his pals were sitting. When the boys' eyes landed on Vanellope, though, the boys' face went completely white, fear obviously filling his wide eyes.

In desperation, the boy shoved his friend and pointed over to where the little glitch sat, who had noticed them herself and was eyeing them both calmly... tauntingly raising her eyebrows at them and smirking.

Both boys, obviously completely panicked at the sight of Vanellope, quickly abandoned the line for the root beers. Racing as fast as they possibly could to leave the game, continuously tripped over each other and their shoes getting stuck to the floor permanently. They stumbled out of the stuck shoes due to the goob and hurried out the game's entrance.

After the boys had all but disappeared, the four friends who had been watching them sat now in silence for a moment, although Ralph felt his eyes widen.

He didn't have any clue what all of that was about, but he was starting to have a pretty strong idea...

"Was that-" Felix began as he tried to connect the dots.

"I told ya, I already took care of it all," the young glitch smirked calmly at them as she waved it off, innocently cuddling closer to Ralph.

Upon realizing what she meant, Ralph couldn't help it. He could feel it rising in his chest and felt it bubble up his throat.

He laughed. The wrecker heartily laughed and laughed, so hard, in fact, that Vanellope almost fell off his lap.

His gut-wrenching laugher caused Vanellope to laugh and smirk gleefully, leading to Felix across from them start to smile then crack up himself. Even Calhoun couldn't keep down her chuckling before it erupted into loud, uncontrollable laughter.

"Did ya see the look on those bozos' faces?! PRICELESS!" The sergeant wiped a few tears of laughter away after they all stopped laughing.

Ralph himself had quieted down by then, although he still chuckled to himself as he smiled down at his little friend.

"I guess you really did get those boys good, didn't ya, Fart Feathers?" he told her gently. She giggled as he then patted her head approvingly.

"See, what I tell ya?" Calhoun chuckled out, a rare look of pride and affection on her face for the little glitch. "Vanellope can take care of herself just fine."

Rubbing the back of his neck again, Ralph found himself smiling as well, but this time out of embarrassment.

He knew then on that Friday night, as such as he hated to admit it...Felix and Calhoun had been right.

Vanellope didn't honestly need to be over-protected. She could clearly hold her own and could strike back against anyone -any boy- if need be.

Ralph could have peace of mind knowing that the little girl was no longer a victim of bullying as she was forced to be before the reset, as the wrecker had been worried about; Vanellope was strong and had the guts to stand up for herself- and could do so without his help most times.

His heart finally happy, he knew his little glitch would be alright- and felt that he was kinda of stupid to ever think otherwise. Her ever being hurt by anyone again was just a distant nightmare- never again to be a reality.

Sighing in happiness, the man smiled down at his little girl, his own look of strange pride and affection on his face as he noogied her gently.

"Listen," Ralph told Vanellope as he set her beside him gently and as he stood up, "I'm going to the bathroom real quick- and then when I get back, let's all go on a game jumping adventure!"

He held out his fist for Vanellope to fist bump, which she quickly returned and cheered in happiness right before she wiggled in happiness and excitement.

As he walked away from the table and made his way through the crowd of characters in Tapper's on the dance floor, Ralph chuckled, mostly at how foolish he had been again.

There was no need to be so overly-protective of his little girl Vanellope..about the bullying, at least.

I'm still not going to let her date for a loooong time to come, he decided as he walked into the restroom with a smile.

Back at the table, the three friends were silent for a moment...although both Calhoun and Vanellope eyed Ralph, watching him as he got out of sight- and out of earshot.

Once she was sure Ralph was not going to overhear them, Calhoun turned to silently smirk knowingly at Vanellope.

"Ok, spill it, Princess," she asked the child nonchalantly. "What boys do you actually like?"

Her eyes wider than ever, Vanellope turned to look at her. Immediately squealing uncharacteristically girly, the little girl bounced in her place on the booth at Calhoun's question.

"Oooh! I'd thought you'd never ask!" She squawked, sighing dreamfully with half-lidded eyes. "Ok- so, first off, there's Rancis, who is kinda cute, right? But Glyod is so funny! Ooh! And then there's..."

And as Vanellope proceeded to list off a whole bunch of names of boys she liked liked to Calhoun, Felix slumped down into his seat and pulled his hat worriedly down closer to his head, trying to figure out how in the boo he was going to keep this all from the world's most over-protective wrecker.

(Hope all enjoyed reading!)