Fix-It Felix Jr. thought that he knew everything there was to know about his wonderful wife. And for the most part, he was right. But she had one secret. One BIG secret.
Tamora Jean Calhoun had a groom before Felix. Well, he already knows that. And while he's no Albert Einstein, he pieced together that she was so caught up with those cybugs because her oldgroom had been eaten by one of them, and that is what drove her to do so well in her game. But while he thought that that was a pretty cruel way to program someone, he didn't know the half of it.
And she never told him. She never told him that her programmers made sure that all throughout the game, her head would be filled with nothing but Brad, in order to motivate her to kill off the bugs while the first-person shooter did his or her duty. When she wasn't talking to the machine, she was trying to get Brad Scott out of her mind.
And she felt horrible about it! She felt like she was cheating on Felix with a mangled corpse in the dead of night- and in a way, she was. She kept trying to convince herself that it wasn't her fault, it was just the way she was made. She was right.
But that didn't mean Felix had to know.
"Fear is a four letter word ladies!" Tamora said, mentally preparing herself for the Hell in which she existed. Kids that could barely work the game, an ex constantly on the mind in war with her current love, all while trying to fend for your life...yep, it could make anyone a little cranky. "You wanna go pee-pee in your big boy slacks, keep it to yourselves!"
The door opened, and the men moved out, ready and waiting for the last game of the day to be done. They had relaxing, hitting the gym, and drinking a Tapper's to accomplish. They didn't want to be stuck in this depressing game anymore than their leader did.
It was true that Tamora left her game the second the Mr. Litwack closed the arcade. She absolutely hated it. It reminded her of too much...gave her too many flashbacks. It was an added bonus that her husband didn't try to venture in there all that often, either. One time, he insisted on watching her train...and, well...let's just say he nearly peed his pants from being so terrified. Hasn't been back since, unless you count the times he picked her up, and even then, it was very close to the entrance.
But this time, something was different. It was wrong. Or, by someone else's perspectives, right.
The game being done, Tamora quickly changed into a black tank top and dark jeans, expecting to see her beloved in his work attire, waiting for her, his face locked in a smile and radiating the "honey glows."
This was not what she was expecting. Not at all.
She walked towards Felix, a small smile on her face, when it happened.
He materialized. Right in front of her, he materialized.
"Hey, baby." He cooed, his brown eyes looking into her shocked and somewhat scared blue eyes. "I missed you."
"Brad...Brad Scott?" She asked, nearly falling over from the shock.
"Tamora!" She heard her name called from far away, but it barely registered.
Brad Scott. Was Here. In the Flesh.
SHIT!
She vaguely heard footsteps running while being transfixed in his eyes, her mind calculating her next move. "Hello, sweetie!" Felix jumped up to give her a peck on the cheek. Felix's happy demeanor turned concerned when she didn't respond, but stood still as marble. "Hello?"
Brad's eyes turned from amused to angry. He whipped away from her shocked gaze. "Who are you?"
Felix extended his hand and smiled. He extended his hand. "I'm Fix-It Felix Jr., sir. From the game, Fix-It Felix Jr." This finally shocked Tamora out of her phase.
"Hm. That's nice. Why did you kiss her?!" He spat angrily. Felix frowned, and withdrew his hand.
"Wel-"
"He's my husband, you ignorant dolt!" An icey silence fell over the trio, and Felix felt as though something bad was about to happen. Something was about to be taken.
"Wait a minute, I don't understand." Brad held up his hand, glaring down at Tamora, who glared even harder. "I die, and you find someone else?!"
"What did you expect me to do?! Pine for a dead person for the rest of my existence?!" Felix's face darkened as he pieced together the puzzle. So this was her old groom? Insecurity seeped in tohis already melancholy thoughts.
He was very handsome, as Felix would very grudgingly admit. He had the perfect face and big muscles; a born fighter. He was very smart, too. Charming, as well. He didn't stammer and blush like good ol' Felix did when around the beautiful woman. He was everything Felix wasn't.
Including taller. Taller than her. Oh, that one really hurt. Brad took Tamora's hands in his and her anger died away. How come I could never do that? Felix asked himself.
"The programmers changed the game a little. Now, I get to come back after the game is over!" Brad smiled, embracing her, much to Felix's discontent. "Isn't it awesome?! We can be together now."
Felix hoped and prayed for her to say something; for her to push him away and tell him that Felix was her one-and-only. But she didn't. True, she didn't embrace him, back. But not a word escaped from her lips. He could feel his heart breaking.
"Alright, Tammy. If that's how you want it, I understand," he muttered, before rushing out of her game.
When he listened for it, he didn't even hear his name called, begging for him to go back.
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Felix lay down on his bed, tears streaming down his cheeks. His work attire had been replaced with comfortable sweatpants and a white undershirt. His hammer, the one thing to fix everything, lay thrown aside from frustration in the corner of his room. It didn't work on broken hearts. He tried.
Ralph saw him rush into his game. Felix ignored the calls as he rushed up the pent house to his room, ignoring the Nicelanders strange looks.
He turned his head to see a picture of him and herself. It was on the night he propsed. They sat in the booth, both waving and smiling at the camera. They had traded their regular attire for more formal wear and she, unknowingly, flashed her ring.
He guessed it meant nothing to her, now.
"Fix-It?" He heard a woman ask. The door was open to reveal his beautiful wife. He turned away, unable to take the wonderful woman he loved in the flesh, TELL him she was leaving him for Brad.
"It's okay." He croaked, trying as hard as he could to keep the emotion out of his voice. "I understand. He was your fist. I'm your second. Go to him, Tammy. He's probably waiting for you."
"Look at me." She barked. He smiled slightly. She was never very good with dealing with tears. That was more of his forte. Once he faced her, her frown softened. She fell to the floor, sitting on her bottom and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"What on earth makes you think I would ever leave you for him?" She asked softly.
"Oh, Tammy. He's your FIRST!" Felix began, his voice taking on an edge. "He was your first love. First groom. First everything. He's a hero, a fighter. I'm just a handyman. What on earth could I possibly offer you?" He tried as hard as he could to keep the tears from leaking, but they fell, much to his embarrassment. "He's your one true love. I'm not." He offered to her a weak smile. "So, it's okay. I'll be fine."
She shook her head. "You are one of the stupidest people I have ever met." His confused expression made her smile. "So what if I was nearly married to him?" Ouch. That sounded horrible, even to her. "I've got you now."
"But, he's your first."
"Your my first, too."
"How am I your first?"
"Your my first husband. Your the first person to give me a family by allowing me to meet Ralph and Vanellope. Your the first to accept my past and not run. Your the first to see the worst part of me and still be smitten. Your the first to see me cry." A sly smile slid onto her face. "And you're my first time, if you catch my drift." An intense red blush creeped onto his face, causing her to laugh.
"Okay, so I'm your first in some things. But Tammy, can you look me in the eye and tell me you don't have feelings for him? That you don't still think about him?" Her face darkened, and shame took over her.
"My programmers made me think of him while playing. It only goes away when the game is done."
Felix's expression didn't change. "But, excuses aside, you still love him." Silence. "I'll be okay. Sure, it may hurt for a while, but that's not your problem. Go on, go to him."
She smiled and kissed him. "No, I don't still love him."
"But isn't he your first?" Felix asked her, slightly heated from the kiss.
She rolled her eyes. "Sure, but you're my last. That's what counts."