Reviews :

Burgie : She definitely doesn't take any of it for granted. She's well aware she's hit ABSOLUTE jackpot lmao

Snake557 : She's definitely shaping up to be one of my fave girls in the lineup, for sure. I wasn't sure if anyone could top Libby for me, in which Berri ALMOST did, but Kepa most definitely matches it. I can see her being my absolute top fave after this story is done, for sure. She's a cutey.


A/N : Real quick, can I ask something candid to my reviewers? Off topic of the plot of the story, just something funny I notice, every time I upload a chapter, I notice that the PREVIOUS chapter's view count spikes by nearly 3x over. Do you guys stock pile chapters so you're not waiting? I'm just curious, cause I try to upload Mon-Wed-Fri, but I guess I can upload faster if you guys want? IDK I just would like to hear your guys habits, cause I notice previous chapter's view counts shoot up drastically every time I upload a new chapter, but the new chapter sort of goes untouched until I upload again. If curiosity killed the cat, well, then... Meow, I guess lol


Song Listened To :

I Think She Likes Me by Billy Gilman

You're gunna have to forgive me for this cheesy song choice. It came out when I was 9 years old, 21 years ago, and I was obsessed with it for years. It brings back a world of very lovely memories that I have of me writing love stories on our ugly windows 95 desktop in notepad, for no one but myself. It felt fitting with this sunny little chapter of love, so... Enjoy my throwback, for those of you that keep up with my song choices. Though, its country music, fair warning.


*Chapter 73*

With his bigger, thudding footsteps, Kepa followed Gideon's quiet direction, she tailed him from behind and up the smaller, narrow stair well, and diligently crossed the second floor's worn, wooden floors. The double balconies, as well as the western one, where Kepa was previously sat as a statue, was obviously vacant and glossed in the shadow of the lighthouse, due to the sun still working its way up into the blue sky. Due to this second story being open to the elements, it was sandy and dirty, the creases where the walls met the floors, as well as corners of said met walls, were clumped with palm leaves and debris, and as Gideon pressed closer to the eastern balcony, which overlooked the gorgeous beach and ocean water, where the sunrise was beautifully prominent, he felt his heart begin to drop as he rounded a rather secretive corner and into a much bigger, much more grim room.

Although this room was massive and had a world of potential to be incredibly beautiful, Gideon sucked in a breath and felt his heart thud in sorrow. Kepa had definitely been living in squaller beyond his very tame knowledge of it. This room smelled, it was clear that although Kepa was definitely doing a good job of keeping her little dwelling area tidy, he wondered if there were potential squatters here previous to her moving in. This long, big room had the lower level they were patiently stood on, though there was one step up that lead to a chapel-style ceiling of a nook, gorgeous, slanted windows that were caked with sea salt and palm leaves that had gathered on the outside, this room had the potential for sunny goodness but was shroud in brown, dingy stained walls and wooden floors that croaked so loud, Gideon was sure he was due to go crashing through it. He huffed a staggered breath of surprise and turned to begin ushering Kepa some form of apology over this situation, though he flinched as she cutely pressed past him, stepped up onto the platform that half the room's floor consisted of, and began to ease closer to a small spot on the ground she looked to have taken root in.

"It's... At least it's dry, y'know?" Kepa chirped, though as Gideon cautiously pressed closer to where she was, she grunted as she picked up a bag that was seemingly full of her left over belongings. It was clear to Gideon that, after him and Novus had left for the previous day, she likely had packed up all of her things so to make Gideon's job up here a little easier. She shyly tucked her hair behind her bigger ears and glanced to Gideon in sheepishness that began to turn a little embarrassed, "I just... Have some knick-knacks I've garnered over the years. I don't have any furniture or anything, so... I guess, do whatever you need. Should I move my stuff out?"

"No, no, it's okay, you just leave it, it'll be alright," Gideon assured, he watched as she set her bag down, stood up a bit straighter and held her hands loosely to her chest in still uncertainty. Gideon nervously glossed his eyes about this damp, musty room and broadened his frown. He narrowed his gaze and brought it back to Kepa's with a world of sincerity, "Kepa, you... You just... Stayed here? For so long?"

"I didn't really have a choice," Kepa staggered nervously, "I tried to get a job in the city, so I could move into a cheap apartment, but I can't afford rent, or anything. I'm a predator, I can live off of the land and anything it provides, y'know? Those are my roots, anyhow."

"Well, yeah, but..." Gideon heaved a sigh through his nose and knew that her days of poverty were in the past, though he still couldn't help but feel sorry for her, to feel a swathe of humility hit him between the eyes; suddenly palace life didn't seem so bad, "No matter... Let's get this place redone, it won't take long. We'll get you a bathroom installed, washer and dryer, a bed, new flooring, maybe some new windows?"

"A bed?" Kepa pressed with a lilt of surprise, as if she hadn't thought about it, Gideon furrowed his brow at this notion and peered down into Kepa's eyes with a twinge of rising grief.

"Yeah, friend," Gideon mumbled with a shaky laugh of gentle disbelief, "Where have you been sleeping?"

"I... I haven't slept in years, there hasn't been a safe space to do so," Kepa said, and though she said such things in a tone that wondered why Gideon wouldn't be aware of this, she had to quickly reel in her own knowledge of living and understand that Gideon was a human-based gamer, where sleeping was absolutely necessary for survival. Kepa rubbed her furry chin, flattened her ears and looked off, "I've just... Turned to stone on the balcony."

"You haven't slept in years," Gideon repeated, he lulled his eyes closed, smiled in a soft, sarcastic wash of hot disbelief, put his hands on his hips and shifted in his lean, "Help me understand."

"So, I can turn to stone, that's a way of preserving and gaining energy without having to sleep... I'm still conscious, but my body has a chance to regenerate as best as it can," Kepa gestured outwards, she inhaled a shaky breath and looked as if she could potentially want to get emotional, though reined it in nicely, "Sleeping definitely is healthier to do, and, truly, sleeping sounds... Heaven-sent, but I didn't ever feel fully safe here, like that."

"Well, what about now? Now that there's locks on the doors and a security system?" Gideon wondered, Kepa nodded and looked down to the cute, pink toe beans on her finger tips.

"I mean, yeah, but... Feeling unsafe is a hard feeling to shake in just one night," Kepa mumbled, Gideon nodded and looked around, now entirely on fire to give Kepa the whole world.

"Welp, let's get started then, we'll set you up with everything you need," Gideon stated in stern sweetness as his eyes glossed said dark and dingy room, he finally hooked his lovely eyes tight down into Kepa's and softened, "Y'wanna tell me what kind of flooring and what color paint you'd like?"

Kepa softened, her eyes hooked tight to Gideon's, a man who strangely wasn't afraid of prolonged eye contact, Kepa braved it and didn't look away. All those months of daily affirmations, patient meditation, desperate attempts to eke gratitude for so much as being alive, begging prayers for something, or someone, to come along and shake up her entire life, she was hotly shocked that said beam of sunshine was now standing firm in her presence, ready to absolutely give her everything she needed to be happy. She finally scoffed a gentle, silent laugh of disbelief, looked back down to her empty hands and fingers and bit her lip in a shoulder-scrunched show of shyness she now could not contain. She felt big tears well in her eyes, as if Gideon was plucked from heaven's golden clouds and cutely placed right into the center of her life, she was shocked at just how lucky she was, from all angles. Through a trembling inhale she desperately tried to steady, she began to gently fan her eyes and looked off in grinning sheepishness.

"N-No, what you did with the downstairs is good enough for me," Kepa's voice crackled as she took a step or two away from Gideon, he frowned and tilted his head in a sting of sorrowful curiosity. She giggled, gently angled away from Gideon and quickly wiped her eyes, so he wouldn't see her tearing up, "The... Yellow walls and the glossy concrete and white trimming, I like what you did with the place."

"Well, what about appliances? I can only really manifest what I know, but... I'm sure I can play with color," Gideon urged tenderly, he took a step out and a little closer to her. He furrowed his brow in a scrunch of further curiosity and was grateful to finally catch eyes with her, "Y'okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kepa giggled with a nasally sniffle. She lulled her big, beautiful cat eyes closed and smiled with the show of her crisp, white fangs. Her adorable whiskers sprawled outwards a little as she sucked in a long, thick inhale through her nose and collected herself, "I'm fine, just overwhelmed. I'm good."

"Okay," Gideon mumbled with assured nervousness, "Y'sure?"

"Yeah, I'm... I'm great," Kepa hissed a sigh and allowed her hands to fall in warm relief, "Thank you for... Well... Whatever the hell you're about to accomplish, you didn't hire a construction crew or nothing, you just... BUILT."

"Yeah, I have manifestation powers, I don't really know if that's the right term for it, or not, but... Like, watch," Gideon chirped.

He stepped out to the center of said dark and ugly room, and with a long, thick inhale and an expansion of his powerful chest through his tight, dark green tank, he sprawled the ground with a blip of his purple coding, lulled his eyes closed and was successful in eradicating every single last board of rotting wood and replacing it with a sprawl of sturdy, soft, glossy white concrete, like the downstairs. Kepa scoffed a loud laugh of whole surprise, yanked her tail up to her chest and into both of her hands and urgently looked about in a roll of unadulterated surprise. She grinned from ear to ear and watched as Gideon then stepped to the dirty, rotting walls. With the press of his bigger hand, he deployed the same trick to the walls and was quick to erase the old main frame, put in fresh, new walls, alongside the new coat of sunny paint and gorgeous, white crown molding. The whole room suddenly sung with light, every last ounce of willingness in Gideon's main frame was what now sapped this room's energy with whole intention. Kepa opened her mouth to wildly wonder just how the hell this was all possible, Gideon proverbially had put on his hard hat and was now in go-mode. He scratched his scruffy chin and began to press out of the gape of her new bedroom's door, which was now temporarily doorless.

"Y'know, I can move that stair case to line up with the front door, downstairs, and... We can make this section up here a part of your bathroom, then put your BEDROOM door on other side," Gideon rattled, almost to no one but himself as he suddenly pressed out of the room and was out of sight. Kepa blurt a shaky, surprised breath of a giggle as he quickly tidied the smaller little upstairs balcony area with the same floor and wall treatment, though with a thud, he erected walls, simply out of nothing but the imagination and thought process in his coded system. His deep, mumbly voice carried on with no one but himself, "Then, that way the Eastern balcony can be inside your bathroom, a private balcony... Hmm..."

Kepa gently stepped out, the cold concrete on her bigger paw pads, of her feet, felt about in crisp newness and was forever grateful to not hear the old, croaking, rotting floorboards she was previously stuck with. Her eyes glossed about her new abode, glowing with sunlight, she could hardly believe it. She flinched in surprise as Gideon deleted her door frame, ultimately sealing her into her bedroom with no way out, temporarily, before said door frame suddenly erupted on the other end of the wall, closest to the western balcony where her and Gideon had first met. The stair case remained, though he moved it to the opposite side of the Western balcony so that it measured up with the front door, one floor down. Gideon stepped into her room, still rubbing his chin in contemplation, and though Kepa opened her mouth to begin offering him a hand, she was well aware she had no way of helping. She patiently stood and was now entirely certain there was literally nothing she could do to begin thinking about paying Gideon back.

"Okay, so... The bathroom can go here," Gideon urged gently, he confidently cued his coding and carved out a second door frame, which now lead to her private bathroom that cutely held the big, eastern balcony. He stepped inside, changed the walls to a lovely, creamy white and added a beautiful set of french doors onto the balcony's arch, so she could choose to let in the cooler ocean air or not, "I'll maybe put the washer and dryer on this side..."

"Gideon," Kepa blurt a shaky giggle and now cautiously pressed to her new bathroom. Hefty buzzes of electricity could be heard zapping her brand new world into existence, his incredible, patient, powerful coding did everything to keep up with him. She gripped the door frame and shyly peeked her head in in time to see him doing whatever he could to get proper plumbing for her new shower. A massive, lovely, white walk-in shower with two huge, brass shower heads, all glossed in cute subway tiles, he immediately got to work on a toilet and sink area. Kepa scoffed a shocked little laugh and shook her head, "Gideon, how the hell are you even DOING all of this?"

"Aht-no, I don't question it," Gideon loudly whispered in a playful tone as he manifested a big mirror. He playfully grappled the thick rim of her new, luxurious sink, leaned deeper into the mirror and firmly pointed at himself, "Do NOT tell her your secrets."

"Gideon," Kepa firmly stepped into the bathroom and now erupted into laughter as Gideon softened and gave her a loving little smile.

"No, truly, I don't question it," Gideon stated quietly, he held out his hand and waited for Kepa's curious eyes to grip the skin of his palm. Once he had her quick attention, he manifested a piece of paper and a pen, "Alright, I got something you could do. Why don't you write down the smaller items you'll need, like... Towels, clothes, decor, whatever else. Just write it all down, and what color you want everything, and I'll do my homework later tonight, when I get home."

"... You're gunna bring it ALL back here, then, tomorrow?" Kepa asked in confusion, she shook her head and gave him a sorrowful look, "That could end up being a LOT, Gideon, I don't want to do that to you."

"It's okay, I have a way of transporting it, it's not a big deal," Gideon assured with a nod, and though he stepped away to continue on his imaginative tirade, Kepa shyly gripped her lovely tail, brought it to her chest and stood tightly with herself in her massive, new, shiny bathroom all flood with morning sunlight. He rubbed the back of his head and began to press to another segment of her massive bathroom so to begin planning where her little laundry area would go, "So, the lighthouse has a public western balcony, and you get your own private east-facing balcony, in here. Would you be interested in a bath tub?"

"A bath tub?" Kepa huffed shakily, simply as if she had hit the jackpot and then some.

"Yeah, well... I guess cats don't like baths," Gideon scuffed his bare feet to the fresh, glossy concrete, rubbed the back of his head and peered out the glass of the closed french doors to the eastern balcony, his raspy, deep voice continued on in cute, determined contemplation in a hushed tone just to himself, "Well, tigers like water... Is it just a weird stereotype?"

"Yes, it's a weird stereotype," Kepa blurt a giggle, "I love water. Makes it harder to groom myself after, but... I DO clean myself in water, sometimes. Erm... At least I did whenever I had a proper place to do it."

"Okay, great," Gideon bobbed an assured nod and pulled his golden eyes from her; Kepa nearly flinched in a recoil the second Gideon outstretched his hand and manifested a whole entire bathtub near the French doors. He knelt down and then began to work on the structure of the piping and plumbing, to which Kepa began to feel overwhelmed.

"Gideon, this... This is too much," Kepa muttered cutely, to which Gideon furrowed his eyebrows and chuckled.

"No, I'm just getting started, don't even worry," Gideon rushed with a smile, as if to assume that she was concerned about his raw ability and endurance, though he double took on her and took note that she was portraying all the tell-tale signs of a cat that was becoming stressed or hot from over-exertion. She looked off and urgently began to fan herself, as if that could potentially work, though she inhaled big, steady breaths through the gape of her mouth and looked as if she was avoiding panting, for fear of looking odd in front of Gideon. Gideon gently stumbled to a stand and caught eyes with her in the upward swing of their large height difference, "Oh, you... YOU'RE overwhelmed, I'm not. Do you need something?"

"Maybe water," Kepa whimpered, though she sharply flinched the second Gideon manifested a glass of frosty ice water. She scuffed her paws in a halt, peered down the glass and then fervently peered into Gideon's eyes.

"Here, have this," Gideon bobbed a nod, he chuckled as she cautiously took the glass, and in the motion of gingerly resting his hand to Kepa's lower arm and elbow, he gripped her and truly got to feel her short, velvety fur for the first time. In the time it took for his brain to unboggle itself, he manifested a lovely little cushion of a low stool to sit on, ushered her to it, helped her sit down and knelt down, so to stay at her now shorter, sitting height, "Sorry, I realize this is a lot. I'm used to all of this, I have to remember that not everyone is."

"Nope," Kepa chirped, she sagged in on herself and held the water, and as she brought it to her mouth, Gideon bit his lip in bursting reservedness, at just how cute she was, as she softly sniffled at the full glass of water, pure, instinctual habit she absolutely could not shake, even if she wanted to. She took a sip of the water and softened, her teary eyes finally met with Gideon's swathe of still care, and though she was grateful for all of this, she narrowed her glassy gaze and shook her head, "Gideon, I'm... I'm shocked you're not like... Charging me for this, or asking me to pay rent, or... Hell, I'm shocked you didn't kick me out, what with all of this power you have."

"Power," Gideon huffed incredulously, though as they held eyes, he allowed the word to melt into his brain stem. He sagged his big shoulders, glossed his eyes to Kepa's lovely, furry, dainty shoulders and finally lulled his eyes closed in aimless pondering. He eventually brought his eyes to hers in cute understanding and felt certainty come over him, "I guess... I'm just happy to have a friend. I've had a handful of friends, in my short life, but none who have truly appreciated my power, like this. None that I could aid to such great lengths, I mean, you seem floored."

"I am, I've never experienced anything like this," Kepa barked a laugh and flung her arm outward, "You just put Extreme Makeover Home Edition to absolute SHAME, Gideon."

Both beings erupted into cute, contagious laughter with one another as Gideon looked up and assessed his job well done on the lovely, high ceilings all kissed with luxurious crown molding; architecture he was used to, having been raised in the palace life, with Tessa's handiwork.

"I don't deserve any of this," Kepa's voice finally clipped with crackling defeat. She inhaled a shaky breath, her chest heaved a little, she tucked the back of her free hand to her mouth and desperately tried not to grimace an outward cry, though she failed in the act of a stifled hiccup of a revival breath.

"'Course you do," Gideon cooed sorrowfully, he desperately did what he could to not reach for her hand or offer a hug, due to them still not knowing each other extremely well, "You're my friend. I don't have any of those, outside of select family members, never-mind friends that I can spoil, y'know?"

"Thank you," Kepa whimpered as big tears cascaded down her cheeks, causing her pretty grey fur to dampen and darken. Her glassy, gorgeous, big cat-eyes eagerly hooked to Gideon's in full shyness, "I'm... Forever in your debt, this is INCREDIBLE."

"You don't owe me anything," Gideon mumbled cutely, he continued to refrain from touching her, though instead stayed knelt and allowed her to have height over him, proof that he was due to sitting here for as long as she needed, like what she had done for him, "Just... Hang out with me every day, and we're even, okay?"

"I think I can swing that," Kepa hissed quietly as she messily wiped her face clean with the back of her free hand, she cutely breathed a nasally giggle as Gideon eyed her in a narrow of tease.

"So, do you want like a normal bed or one GIANT cat bed," Gideon wondered in a mumbly tone of playfulness, Kepa sharply erupted into laughter and tried not to spill her water.

"A normal bed!" Kepa cried through adorable laughter as she flattened her ears and gave Gideon an incredulous grin, he flagged his hand to prove he was only teasing and finally brought himself to a stand. Kepa carefully joined after taking a few more gulps of her water, "What I DO require, though, is a cat tower."

"Wait, really?" Gideon pressed curiously, and though he was prepared for Kepa to deny him, she shrugged and looked up in thought.

"I think it'd be cool to have high places to climb, places to sharpen my claws," Kepa shrugged, "I may be civilized, but I AM still a cat, y'know."

"I can work something out," Gideon rubbed his chin and looked off in promised thought. They both cutely stepped out of her bathroom together and into the sunny void of her gorgeous new bedroom, "Should we ditch the litter box idea?"

"Not unless you want to be the one scoopin' it, dude," Kepa quipped with a sassy flick of her strong tail, and as their laughter soaked into the walls of their sunny new abode, the lighthouse sung with a new friendship, a new beginning full of yellow love.