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Song Listened To :

Cross My Mind Pt.2 ft. Kiiara by ARIZONA


*Chapter 62*

A drum of excitement, the school's great hall filled with the lovely voices of familial camaraderie, Gideon stood alone with his big ten by ten foot canvas mural inside Pre-Academy's main, great hall. His eyes got lost in the gorgeous dome of terracottas and golds, an infinitely high dome of a ceiling all gorgeously kissed with skylights. Afternoon sunlight beamed in at a harsh angle, the blue sky above was now waning pale into the evening, Gideon twiddled his bigger fingers and heaved a long, hard sigh through his nose as he finally peered about the messy crowds that came and went. A proper art show, each artist stood with their mural whilst their friends and family ogled, strangers passed by and showed curiosity, and though Gideon definitely got a healthy dose of strangers that doted on him and inquired about his beautiful mural, they'd eventually slip away and move on to the next person standing. A lovely, handsome smile that gently would sag back to neutral nervousness as he proudly stood with his artwork, his shy eyes glossed the crowd and was now beginning to wonder if his family would even show up. Just as he was about to potentially excuse himself for a moment and conceal his sorrow in a nearby bathroom, a gentle voice popped his bubble with glee.

"Annnd the winner is," Tessa droned dramatically, she gestured her hands outwards and grinned, "Gideon Fox Von Schweetz! Come on down and claim your prize of... Well..."

"... One million dollars," Gideon muttered with a now widening smile he could hardly contain. Tessa looked as if she had just rushed from some place, which Gideon was well aware to be true, though he had to pretend he had no idea about Koko's proposal. Tessa giggled in happiness, gripped her arms about Gideon's neck and was welcomed into his big, loving, snuggly hug. Gideon grinned on her shoulder and gave her a good squeeze before they parted, "Where is everyone else? Are they on their way?"

"Yeah, they're coming, we, uh... I guess I have some exciting news," Tessa smiled, her lovely eyes hooked tight up into Gideon's in honest reveal. She was dressed down in a comfortable t-shirt and skinny jeans, her lovely auburn hair spilled down her chest and shoulders, it was very apparent to Gideon that wherever she previously was, it was a great time that was likely hard to part from. Tessa tucked her hair behind her ears and cutely jostled on the balls of her feet as Gideon tightly honed his lovely attention to her, "Nox and Koko just got engaged!"

"Oh, awesome!" Gideon urged; although genuinely excited, he did whatever he could to at least pretend this was brand new information. He grinned and softened his stance with cute acceptance, "Have they set a date or anything, just yet?"

"Not yet, I'm going to assume after the turn of the year, maybe for Spring," Tessa cooed as she flagged her hand, "That's... Probably why everyone's kind of late, Nox had this whole thing set up for like three months now. Everyone's in Turbotime, right now."

"Oh," Gideon chirped, he bobbed a nod and desperately did whatever he could to not come unglued for his favorite person, Tessa innocently peered up to him in baited wait as Gideon faltered a breath, eager to rein in the boiling frustration he had been sat with for a week or two, now, "Well... Why didn't anyone say anything to me? Here I am thinking everyone forgot about me. I've been sad all day, this whole show."

"I'm sorry Gid, I think... It was probably my doing," Tessa stated sorrowfully, a downswing of regret that very rapidly surfaced in hot realization, "This plan was dreamt up when you were maybe six or seven months old. I think we avoided telling you because we were worried your little kid-self couldn't keep the secret, we obviously didn't want Koko to find out."

"I understand that, but... I invited you guys a few weeks ago, I was nearly ten then," Gideon skillfully retort, knowing he was in the right, he tried his hardest to keep his frustration at bay.

"This was my misstep, bud, I'm really sorry... I think we all were nervous because of that one time at Oliver's birthday party, and the few smaller instances afterwards, even though the slip up was an innocent mistake, we saw how ruined you had become over it," Tessa shook her head and frowned, though she brightened as her eyes glossed to Gideon's gorgeous mural, "This is huge, y'know? A big secret to be kept... But, I'm here now. Mom and dad are on the way, I think Lash said he was coming, too? I don't know who else he'll drag along, I tried my best to rally Oliver and everyone."

"It's no biggie," Gideon mumbled in defeat, and though his soft, humble smile phased Tessa, deep down he was feeling entirely forgotten about, like usual.

"I'm here! I promised, see? I promised," Lash barked as he flagged his hand and quickly approached Tessa and Gideon; Gideon visibly brightened with a grin, and was floored that he had brought adorable little Mara along.

"You made it," Gideon huffed in surprise, to which he opened his bigger arm for Mara as she stepped closer for a hug.

"Hey, kid," Mara snipped playfully, her bratty self still gave Gideon a cute, girly smile.

"So, show us! Did you win?" Lash urged as he firmly gestured to Gideon's mural, though they all sagged as Gideon chuckled and stepped out of the way.

"No, winners haven't been announced just yet," Gideon mumbled shyly, he rubbed the back of his head.

"... Damn, dude, you painted this?" Lash muttered in soft disbelief, to which Ralph and Vanellope finally approached and sagged into the bubble of cute ogling the group was now doing.

"Yeah, it's... It's not easy to do without my powers, but I get by," Gideon chuckled, he tapped his temple with his bigger finger and gave the group a cute smirk, "It's all up here, anyhow."

"This is insane," Mara bobbed a nod and eyed Gideon in further, quiet cheek, "Oughta pay you to come make our shop look like a million dollars, with THIS skill."

"I'm saying," Lash urged, Tessa crossed her arms and stood with Ralph and Vanellope, who equally smiled on in cute adoring.

Lash's eyes gently trailed Gideon's beautiful mural. The lighthouse Gideon had been strangely gravitating towards, an adorable scene laid against a nearly hyper-realistic beautiful background. The swirling mints and lovely pops of color the lighthouse had contrasted nicely against the softer colors of the sky. The field of golden grass behind said structure, sunlight beamed down on the painted scene as if it were simply a photo. Lash eyed Gideon in soft surprise and was thrilled to catch eyes with him in full understanding. Although Lash had ushered Gideon the silent pact of coming to his shop to paint and drink and do what he would like, Lash eagerly bookmarked Mara's light suggestion of paying Gideon to come paint at his shop. Lash shook his head and finally got a shy chuckle out of Gideon, due to their prolonged eye contact.

"If you don't place first, I'm gunna burn this whole place to the ground," Lash muttered, causing the group to erupt into laughter.

"That pesky lighthouse of yours, huh," Ralph ushered sweetly as he put his hands on his hips and gestured to the beautiful, huge painting, "Y'ever figure out what was inside?"

"Inside? What do you mean, you've been here before?" Lash gently wondered, Mara bobbed a nod and shrugged.

"This looks like Turbotime's Eastern coastline," Mara mumbled a she fingered her lip in contemplation, "Just outside of Juniper forest, by the entrance, y'know?"

"Kinda, are there lighthouses on that shoreline?" Lash wondered as him and Mara tightly caught eyes, though Mara shrugged in cute unawares.

"I'm sure there are several lighthouses all along Turbotime's oceans, I mean, isn't it necessary for incoming ships and such anyways? Especially by the harbor," Mara rattled, to which Gideon finally eased his gaze to his father's and shrugged in a defeated conclusion.

"No, I haven't found out what was inside, there was one time where my perspective was reversed and I was the creepy dude IN the building, but I didn't get a look around," Gideon mumbled shyly, Tessa tsked an annoyed noise and looked off, as if to side with Gideon in the fact that everyone was now curious as to just what this whole reoccuring lighthouse nonsense was all about.

"No, seriously, clue me in," Lash muttered, though just as Gideon was about to very shyly explain to Lash the ordeal about him being able to fall into lucid states, and the painted scene before him was typically the setting, an announcer over the loudspeaker kicked on with a cue to draw in everyone's attentions.

Gideon cutely stood with the select few individuals that came to support him. Although his heart thud in frustration over the fact that nearly everyone in his familial group, that was invited, didn't show up. Trying desperately not to hold onto a grudge, he was cutely saddled with Mara under his arm. Gideon snuck a cute little glance down to the top of her head. Standing at the adorable height of just barely four foot nine, he dwarfed her almost entirely due to his over six-foot height. Her pastel blue hair was short and choppy on her shoulders, she wore a sporty, comfortable pair of shorts and a tank top, she held her arm about Gideon's back and cutely had her gaze drawn in the direction of the announcer, far across the way.

Being Gideon's great niece, as well as Lash's swap mate, he finally eyed Lash in sneaking suspicion that Lash had told Mara everything that their rather roughed-up encounter consisted of. He sagged a little and felt whole, the door being opened to potential friendship, familial love he craved, was now cutely snuggled in his arm. A rather strange turn of events, he heaved a satisfied sigh and felt plucked with delight, as if he had never seen this coming. Feeling content, his ears prickled at the sound of runner-ups being announced, as well as the artist that placed third, though as second place came around, Gideon's face sloped to genuine surprise as his name was delightfully called. Gideon grinned in full excitement as Lash, Mara, Tessa, Ralph and Vanellope urgently clapped and began to cutely dote on Gideon and encourage him to go up and receive his prize. They all cutely looked on in smiling success as Gideon was granted a silver medal with a thick, grey ribbon, and as the crowd clapped, Gideon hurried his way back to his family with a renewed grin of flushed shock.

"Good job, bud," Ralph firmly encouraged as his bigger finger cutely poked the silver medal on his chest; although it wasn't first, Gideon still felt floored that he won anything.

"Congratulations!" Tessa and Vanellope cooed in full support as they gave Gideon snug side hugs and pats on the back.

"Thanks, guys," Gideon eased in refreshed happiness as he looked about his tiny support system, though as they announced first, Gideon felt his pupils tighten in a draw of anxious dread.

As everyone clapped for said first place winner, Gideon felt his heart drop that said girl, in his first hour class, had taken gold. She cockily rushed the stage, accepted her gold medal and worked the crowd for a moment before the announcer began to lazily suggest closing hours, as well as the small banquet taking place after this. Gideon felt his heart burn in irritation, the fact that said girl, who was previously very snippy to him, would have some shred of good karma to her name, enough to win first and take home the gold medal. Although Gideon wasn't a sore loser, he felt thwarted by the fact that someone could be so nasty towards him and still get nice things handed to them. It was here did Gideon dart his eyes to Lash and firmly usher him a hushed notion of irritation whilst easy-flowing groups began to come and go, to ogle Gideon's beautiful mural.

"The girl who won first was the girl I was telling you about, last week," Gideon muttered to Lash, he furrowed his eyebrows and eased an annoyed grin.

"I have a boyfriend," Lash mocked in the same high-pitched, girly voice he used last time, thus getting a genuine, boyish choke of a laugh out of Lash. Lash firmly nudged Gideon's upper arm as both boys began to fall into teasing banter, "I won first, I have a boyfriend, I shit unicorns and butterflies."

"Ew," Gideon happily huffed through their cute laughter, though Lash flagged his hand and stood proud.

"Eh, who cares. You were recognized, and your painting is incredible, that's all that counts," Lash assured with a nod, to which Mara warmly nodded as well in subtle eavesdropping.

Gideon firmly latched onto Lash's caring words and was forever grateful this individual had taken so kindly to Gideon's fumbles with no judgement passed. Although the night carried on quickly and everyone was itching to get back to Turbotime, so to properly celebrate Koko and Nox, Gideon felt dread. Upon leaving Sugar Rush, after securing his mural at home, everyone swiftly returned to Turbotime's racing arena and the quaint courtyard tucked deeper into the reaches of the arena. A gorgeous setting of string lights, lush plants, the beautiful night sky above, Gideon was well aware this shindig, as well as Nox's proposal to Koko, was extremely romantic and exciting. Although Gideon was tempted to continue wearing his medal, he felt as if that would take away from his big sister's moment. Now certain that his wins and his moments to shine seemed as if they were inconveniences to much bigger, better things the older people above him were doing, he was swift to now properly bow out of pushing to be included, seen or heard.

Although he was well aware that at least Lash, Mara, Tessa, Ralph and Vanellope had good intentions, Gideon was mildly abandoned for the night. Due to no flyers being present, Gideon found a comfortable spot in the courtyard to sit near the fire pit. Although he was lazily grouped with a few of his siblings and cousins, they all loudly chattered and drank, shared stories and dreamed up Koko's and Nox's big day. His eyes trained to the fire out before him. White streaks that flit in lovely waves, embers that casted out to the dark night sky overhead, the chilly Fall air that caused the tip of his nose to barely go numb, Gideon sagged into his imagination and secretly dreamed about that sunny, adorable light house on the beach. Knowing, full well, said particular lighthouse was a figment of his imagination, and it clearly didn't exist outside of such, he still longed for it. Somehow, he was pulled to it, and he had no genuine reasons why. As if a spell was casted on him, and the desire to get inside was now becoming his life-long mission. Knowing, full well, absolutely no one here would ever understand his deep, brooding plights, his curious eyes casted in Lash's direction, across the way. Intuition told him the tug in Lash's direction was wise and not simply coincidence. He wasn't technically Gideon's born-coded sibling, or even married family, just yet, though the more interactions they had, the more Gideon felt safe with such a wildcard, a retired lost boy who had earned his stripes, something Gideon yearned for.