"They're staring again…"

"Let them."

"They're pointing, too…"

"Don't look."

Felix gripped Tamora's hand a little tighter, and forced himself to look forward. Ever since word of their relationship had gotten out, the whole of Litwak's arcade had been gossiping non-stop. It wasn't unheard of for characters to have friendships and relationships outside of their games, but Felix had been at the arcade for a very long time. He had many friends and acquaintances, but he had never actually dated anyone. Tamora was part of a newer game, and generally didn't mingle with the people outside of her station. When people saw them together, they couldn't help but gawk and whisper. They were from very different eras of gaming, not to mention they had very different physical appearances. The news of Turbo's return, and subsequent defeat, had spread through the arcade like wildfire… but the details of Felix and Tamora's first days together were not as widely publicized, and people were dying to know what had happened. Tamora didn't seem to mind the gossiping… Infact, Felix had a feeling that she found it amusing. But Felix was a little more self-conscious than her, and he knew people were commenting on his small, un-intimidating stature. She was breathtakingly beautiful, and he was rather cartoonish. He supposed they couldn't contain themselves.

"Honestly Felix, they're just being nosy. Give it a few weeks, and nobody will care."

Felix smiled, and looked up at his girlfriend. She may have been a little rough around the edges, but she always knew exactly what to say to him. She spoke less than he did, but her words were precise, and to the point. She confided in very few people, but Felix was proud to say that he was one of the trusted.

"So it's just us today? Ralph and Vanellope have things to do?"

"Yes, that's the deal-e-o." said Felix, glad at the change of subject, "Ralph is going to one of those Anon meetings, and Venellope got permission to tag along and talk about their friendship."

"She's going to run wild." said Tamora, shaking her head and smirking.

"I know," laughed Felix, "but Ralph asked the other members, and he has a hard time saying no to her..."

Tamora stopped dead, and put her hands on her hips.

"THAT sounds familiar."

Felix grinned stupidly, and looked around the game station.

"So, where to?"

Tamora considered the station for a minute, then pointed in the direction of BurgerTime.

"We haven't been there for a while…Frankly, Tapper's has been way too loud this week."

Felix agreed, and they took each others hands. Walking past Tapper's entrance, Felix noticed there was a small, loud crowd forming near the entrance. He exchanged looks with Tamora, shrugged, and they continued to walk past. Just as they were about to walk up the station steps, something hit Felix in the side of the head, sending him crumbling to the ground in pain.

"W-What the heck was that?!" asked Felix, standing up and shaking the stars out of his eyes.

"That guy." said Tamora, glaring towards the crowd in front of Tapper's. Felix looked over, and he saw one of the Hammer Brothers from Super Mario staggering in his direction. Apparently, he had been so drunk, he had made a scene and gotten kicked out of the bar.

"S-Sorry about that buuuuuddy!" he slurred, bringing with him the stench of alcohol. "I thought you w-was Mario, but I guess you ain't!"

Tamora sneered at him, and Felix cleared his throat. The crowd that had formed was now examining him curiously, and he didn't want to make things worse.

"No worries, brother… No harm done. Why don't you head back to your game, and we'll be on our way."

The hammer brother suddenly looked angry, and poked him roughly in the chest with his finger.

"D-Don't tell meeee what to dooo you midget! I'm p-perfectly fiiiine!"

Tamora went to move towards him, but Felix put his arm out. She shot him a quizzical look, and Felix shook his head silently. She crossed her arms and stood back, looking slightly put out.

"I didn't mean to offend you, sir. No excuse us, we must be going."

As Felix and Tamora turned away, the Hammer Brother shot them a vicious glare. He lunged forward and grabbed Felix's arm, throwing him off balance and making him stumble towards the onlookers. Tamora let out a cry of rage, and started stomping angrily in his direction. Felix, however, had had enough. After weeks of people gawking at him and Tamora, and with people staring at him because of some drunk turtle, something inside him had finally snapped. He sprang forward, much to everyone's surprise, and grabbed a groove in the turtle's shell. He looked him straight in the eye, an uncharacteristic flare of anger in his face, and punched him directly in the nose. He flew backwards onto the floor, crying in pain, and held his hands up to his face. Felix stood there, fists clenched, panting as if he had just run in a marathon.

A remarkable hush fell over the station, and Felix slowly realized that he had just lost his cool. He looked at Tamora, and was stunned to find that she was actually smiling at him. He turned to look at the crowd, and everyone broke out in a flurry of applause. The Hammer Brother, swearing under his breath, proceeded to drag himself across the floor, obviously too drunk to stand up on his own again.

"Felix, I can't believe you did that!" said Tamora, taking his hand after the crowd had dispersed.

"Neither can I, I was just so…" Felix didn't finish his sentence, he was still so shocked with himself.

"…Cross?" offered Tamora, grinning widely.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so." he replied, looking at the ground.

Tamora laughed suddenly, and squatted down to his level. Felix looked up hopefully, and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I guess the gossiping has been bothering you a lot, huh?" she whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"…Yeah, it has." Felix admitted, looking a little ashamed.

Tamora allowed herself another chuckle, and pulled him into a hug.

"Personally, I hope they keep staring. Let it be a lesson to them that looks can be deceiving."

Felix grinned awkwardly, and she placed a hand on his chin, forcing him to look upwards. He caught a flash of bright blue eyes, and she kissed him sweetly on the lips. He kissed her back, and the station vanished around them.

She was right, let them stare… he wasn't going to worry what anyone thought about their relationship. So what if they looked a little goofy together? They loved each other, and there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"I don't even remember where we were going." said Tamora, standing up to her full height again.

"Lets just go to Tapper's." said Felix, gesturing behind him, "Maybe you can teach me how to arm wrestle."

Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!