Reviews :
Burgie : Eh, it's all tame for now, but Gideon's in for other forms of surprises anyhow lol
Snake557 : Thank you! She's a cutey, for sure. :D
*Chapter 86*
"Wow, Gideon, you turned one and it's like gravity stopped existing, for you," Flint grunted a hefty laugh as he sat down at the table him and Gideon chose; on a shaded outdoor terrace at a specific coffee shop that Gideon picked, inside Vidrix City, the ambience of bustling pedestrians and cars was abundant, though the two were tucked away at a more isolated table on the terrace, beamed in a warm and cozy ray of late morning sunshine.
"I'm not THAT tall," Gideon mumbled cutely as he, too, sat down and adjusted his thicker jacket. Although it wasn't the coldest part of the morning, or even the coldest part of the year, Turbotime's atmosphere still promised a nippy bite any hour before noon.
"It's been awhile since I've been to Turbotime, I think I came last year when it was first plugged in, just to see what the hype was all about, but," Flint sighed, his beautiful black and golden brown fur was fluffed and clean, he wore a leather jacket that was zipped and biker jeans; a strange sight to see one of Gideon's superiors, from school, now in a normal outside setting, he very quickly learned about Flint that he drove a motorcycle. Gideon's curious eyes glossed to it, parked at a meter just outside said coffee shop picked. Flint sighed, took a sip of his hot coffee and smiled into Gideon's eyes, "Thanks for meeting up with me. I figured I could just talk to you through texting but... Bah I'm garbage at it, I'd much rather be right in front'o'yah."
"It's all good, I understand," Gideon sighed, his deep, husky voice was a different gear switched, in Flint's case.
Though Flint had witnessed Gideon all through his adolescent months and his reach through puberty, he eyed Gideon in cheeky pride and was floored to be in front of the completed, fully grown version of Gideon. Although Flint was well aware of Gideon's gentle-natured, teddy bear self, his exterior was husky, tall and intimidating. The way Gideon carried himself, the way he held his head high in a dollop of curious confidence, the piercing, viper-like strike of his golden eyes, Flint tucked his fluffy tail tight to his body and was almost rethinking meeting up with Gideon. Though he knew he had nothing to fear, and Gideon was a good guy, Flint swallowed hard and was well aware he, not twenty four hours ago, had called Gideon's big sister horrible things to her face, the Queen of Sugar Rush no less. He sipped his coffee and looked off in secretive contemplation, he wondered just how much Gideon knew.
"Has your sister said anything to you? Tessa visited me yesterday to give me your phone number," Flint mumbled, he looked down trot, this immediately reeled Gideon in.
"No, she hasn't said anything to me, the last we'd talked, I asked her to give you my phone number," Gideon pressed, and although he had his own vices as to why he wanted to get in touched with Flint, he held his breath and was now further curious as to just what Flint had to say, "Why, what happened?"
"...She got me fired," Flint revealed in a full show of forlorn, though he flinched once Gideon stiffened.
"She WHAT!?" Gideon's deep voice blared in Flint's bubble, though Flint pinned his big fox ears tight to his head and nervously gestured for Gideon to quiet down, swiftly followed by sheepishly smiling to nearby calmly sat patrons that tossed Gideon rather apprehensive looks. Gideon cleared his throat and nervously did the same thing of waving his bigger hand and politely apologizing to nearby customers with the dismissing show of negating in his sudden outburst. Although calmed, Gideon's stern, scary eye contact hooked tight to Flint's in a riled, stifled show of pure frustration. He carried on in a hiss of full, venomous, hushed fervor, "She got you fired? What the fuck happened?"
"I-I don't know, I think it was my fault, and... Trust me, I feel awful, I just was blind-sided," Flint begged sadly, he gestured his paws outwards and heaved a shaky sigh, "I-I accidentally broke the contract I signed... Tessa and I got into a bit of a tiff over you, and... She got me on a count of breeched privacy with a client."
"Me?" Gideon gestured his big fingers firm into his sternum, having not anticipated getting riled like this, he breathed a long sigh through his mouth, sat back, looked off and desperately tried to collect himself, "I'm so pissed off right now."
"Don't be angry, it's fine... I'll live," Flint rolled his eyes and tried not to smile, "I didn't say anything incriminating. If anything, I felt goaded."
"By Tessa?" Gideon sharply questioned, he knew she was a cunning, intelligent leader, quick to sniff out a problem, though he knew she wouldn't purposefully go to such lengths if it wasn't justified. Although swift to protect family, Gideon knew she was a fair ruler, "I mean, we fought in the morning before she went and saw you... I... Hope she wasn't getting back at me."
"I mean, how would this affect you? Truly, where I work, now that you're not at Academy, wouldn't do anything to our friendship, y'know?" Flint tried to dissect the situation, and though he was cherry picking information to give Gideon, he was glad Gideon was feverishly on his side.
"I'm really sorry, Flint, do you want me to talk to her?" Gideon urged quietly, steam was still very prominently billowing from his ears, "I got a WORLD of crap I could say to everyone on palace grounds, believe me, I'll talk to her, you just say the word."
"I'm serious, it's REALLY not necessary," Flint hushed, he gestured his paws and shook his head, he was entirely relieved to see Gideon finally sit back, however hesitant and slow it was. His broad, strong chest deflated as he exhaled a thick, angry breath through his nose and bobbed a final nod of detested defeat, "Mr. Favor let me go, but, he sent me off with a nice severance package and made sure I'd be alright. I broke the rules, point blank, I just... Didn't expect her to take the rug out from under me, like that."
"What was even discussed about me?" Gideon wondered in hot annoyance, he had full confidence that Flint had nothing but gleaning, wonderful things to say about him, though he questioned Tessa's integrity here due to the fight they previously had.
"She just kind of seemed confused as to why I, of all people, would be someone YOU would want to reach out to," Flint begged as he gestured to his little chest, he shook his head and hooked his slit-like pupils tight to Gideon's intense glower, "I just made clear that you and I had a solid history of sorting out your issues, I was a shoulder for you. I guess I accidentally let slip that the center of the issues were either bullies at Pre-A or, issues inside palace walls. Being left out and such."
"That's shit she already knows, anyways," Gideon defended Flint with a narrow of his glower, full-on frustration still brewed in his heart, towards his family. Flint blurt a chuckle, towards Gideon, and gestured his smaller paw as if to quietly and politely ask Gideon to further calm down. Gideon sat deeper in his chair, looked off, tucked his jaw and mouth into his hand and nervously began to bounce his leg in a knee-jostle of proven anxiety-ridden frustration. Flint gained in louder laughter and cutely flattened his ears as Gideon mumbled a conclusion into his hand, "I'm sorry, Flint, I'm just... I'm so tired. My intention wasn't to get you fired AT ALL."
"I know that, that's why I reached out to you, I knew you'd be on my side, with this," Flint mumbled, he shrugged and shook his head, "I didn't think saying something in confidence, to your big sister of all people, about a few things we had talked about previously, would get me fired. Even after you were long gone from Academy, as a whole."
"She did that to spite me," Gideon muttered tightly, he closed his eyes tightly and shook his head, "My whole life I feel as if I've been clawing upwards, desperate not to drown."
"Well... Now we can say whatever the hell we want, and we aren't constricted to a single hour every other day," Flint gestured his arms outwards, "I don't mind continuously being your shoulder, Gideon. As I've stated, you and I lead very similar lives, in this aspect. I understand your point on the grid entirely."
"Thank you," Gideon sighed, he sat up again and desperately tried to relax, "I'm truly sorry you lost your job because of this."
"It's entirely not your fault, and... I'll live," Flint rolled his eyes with a smile, "I can find another job, I've been thinking about searching in Vidrix, actually. Maybe a fresh start is in order, anyhow, y'know? We all need one of those."
"I hear that," Gideon huffed, he bobbed a nod and brought the disposable cup of his steamy hot coffee to his lips; he took a hefty swig of his delicious coffee and sighed through his nose as Flint finally relaxed and broadened his gaze about the two.
"So, it looks like you've been doing good, what have you been up to, then? Bumming about the city?" Flint chuckled, his white fangs glistened in the warm and cozy sunshine they sat in.
"Yeah, I'm great, I needed to get out of Sugar Rush," Gideon muttered with a smile, and though he wondered if divulging in the lighthouse was wise, he refrained and figured that topic would likely come at a later date. He held off temporarily and leaned more on the Lash side of things, "My great niece and her swap-mate own a confectionary in town, I go there and help out, y'know. Manifest lunch for the crew."
"I totally forgot," Flint hissed as his ears flattened in awe, his eyes broadened like he had struck gold, their eyes hooked in smiling, cheeky knowing, "You have manifesting powers, you never could show me because of Academy's power-muter!"
"Y'want me to show you?" Gideon wondered cutely, he revealed the lovely, glowing circuit markings of his purple coding that sprawled all over his hand, and it was here did Flint sit up a little.
"Please do," Flint encouraged, to which Gideon held out his hand and, with all the easiness in the world, he manifested Flint a glazed donut to go with his coffee; Flint perked his ears high atop his furry head and grinned, "Whoaaa User... You're joking, right?"
"Try it," Gideon cutely encouraged as he handed Flint said donut, and as Flint retrieved it and took a curious bite, he side-eyed Gideon in full cheek and finished chewing.
"You know you could rule the world with powers like these," Flint sweetly pressed with a great show of sneaky zest.
"Rule the world," Gideon repeated in a guffawing tone as he rolled his eyes, he brought his smiling gaze back to Flint's and sweetly shook his head in dismissal, "I can manifest goods."
"Y'never tried dreaming something up and just making it happen? It has to be food?" Flint wondered as he continued to munch on the donut Gideon had graciously given him, and though Gideon was about to answer Flint in full confidence, he hesitated and recalled a time he was definitely able to manifest something out of nothing but the imagination in his body. Gideon furrowed his brow, aimlessly peered down to the table in pondering and left enough silence between the two to convince Flint that Gideon was grasping at something in his mind, "Y'have, haven't you..."
"I have," Gideon huffed in a quiet, shaky tone, as if he had stumbled upon a dark memory he had entirely forgotten about. He shook his head and held eyes with Flint as he rushed to explain, "I-I wasn't invited to a house party my family was throwing, because it was past my bedtime... But I knew I was certainly old enough to be up later, I wasn't a young child. I was so frustrated, I went out back to my paint wall, and I remember painting a ton but... I also remember manifesting these like sharp shards of glass."
"Glass?" Flint prod, Gideon rubbed his temple and looked off.
"It was like REALLY heavy-duty glass, I was able to stab through concrete with it, without it breaking," Gideon rushed with a shaky chuckle, "I remember getting rid of the evidence, and... I guess my mind followed suit."
"Y'blacked out, or something," Flint huffed, Gideon shrugged and looked off; his phone daintily buzzed in his pocket.
"I was so angry, my coding made it happen," Gideon mumbled as he began to gently grope for his phone, in his side pocket of his hefty zip up, clad with vibrant logos down his left arm, "I've never tried to manifest stuff from my imagination because, well... It takes a toll on me."
"Well, clearly this glass-weapon didn't? Or do you think it would?" Flint patiently wondered.
"I don't know, I've never tried, beyond that night," Gideon mumbled as he looked down to his phone and glued his eyes to the notification on his screen; he held his breath as his heart suddenly surged in a fit of fluttery remembrance as he opened his phone and read said cute and dainty message in his head, from his best friend.
Pebbles : Waiting for you to wake up so we can do stupid shit together is torture. Stop being such a human and wake up so we can hang out already, I miss you.
Gideon clenched his teeth behind a forced, non-plussed look to keep from a wide, dorky grin donning his handsome face. He locked his phone and put it back in his pocket, bookmarking replying to Kepa shortly, though he sighed and peered back to Flint as he patiently set his coffee down and pressed Gideon a hushed notion.
"You should practice," Flint encouraged, "I mean, sure, manifesting food and items is fun, but what if you need to protect yourself? Wrecking and glitching can only get you so far."
"Practice imagination manifestation?" Gideon wondered, Flint nodded.
"Well, yeah, think of items to protect yourself with," Flint shrugged and looked about; although he didn't know that Gideon was well protected in Turbotime, as was the entirety of Sugar Rush's palace lot, he carried on nonchalantly, "You're in a game where dying is a possibility, I mean... Really anywhere in the Arcade, or even the internet."
"I've never been to the internet," Gideon mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head, his freshly cut auburn hair was lightly messy on top of his head.
"It's... GRAND," Flint's eyes bugged with a happy smile, to which Gideon drew in with zest.
"Yeah?" Gideon's voice lilted in cheeky curiosity, Flint nodded and sighed.
"I mean, yeah, it's wild. I wouldn't recommend going without protection though, seriously," Flint hurried, "I'd really think about it, Gideon. You have the ability to make something you can wield."
"It more... SHOT from my hands, it was molten hot to the touch," Gideon scoffed a small laugh and bobbed a nod.
"Oh, even better," Flint snapped his fingers and nodded, "I don't know. It's a dog-eat-dog world, out here. I just want you to stay safe. You think I go anywhere without protection?"
"Even now?" Gideon prod, though he held his breath as Flint gently leaned forward and just barely pulled back the chest and gape of his leather jacket, only to reveal that he was strapped. Gideon raised his eyebrows in a spike of surprise and held his breath; having been spoiled by being programmed for the only two games he spends time in, he quickly had to wonder just what life would be like as someone who wasn't in good with code-room heads. Gideon nervously smiled and shook his head, "Well, damn, you worried we'll get jumped? You don't have to worry if I'm around."
"Well of course not! Lookit'you!" Flint choked a laugh and gestured to Gideon's much larger, much more intimidating figure, to which Gideon grinned a handsome smile and looked off in skulking knowing.
"I'm not invincible, Flint," Gideon's humble, deep voice croaked in cute knowing, to which Flint shook his head and mumbled Gideon a soft notion.
"Boy, you do not give yourself enough credit," Flint's slick voice stated into the lid of his coffee before he took a sip, "Sure, you'd have some stiff competition on the internet, but... You remember what I told you?"
"What?" Gideon wondered in a sweet hush of contentment, happy to revisit with such a cheeky, understanding soul.
"I said that if you signed up for Game Over, I'd bet every single last cent to my name that you'd win," Flint mumbled darkly with a smile, to which Gideon looked off and suddenly felt worried, as if all eyes were on him. He swallowed hard, and though Flint's voice was hushed, just for him, Flint carried on and took note that Gideon's whole demeanor suddenly slipped into a veil of darker knowing. Flint eyed Gideon and tried not to grin, "Y'still have the papers-?"
"Course I still have the papers," Gideon hissed quietly, he shook his head and readjusted himself in his chair, it croaked with Gideon's weight, "I haven't told a soul. I'm too scared to use 'em, too scared to destroy 'em."
"Okay, let's not do anything rash, I only asked if you still HAD them," Flint choked a cute laugh and lulled his eyes closed, "The Game isn't going anywhere. Besides... You would have to have absolutely nothing to lose, in order to sign up for such a thing. You have things to lose, don't you?"
"... I do," Gideon huffed softly, he relaxed and looked back down to the blackened screen of his phone and tried not to smile, "She's..."
"Ohh, a woman," Flint mused quietly with a surprised chuckle. He flattened his ears and shook his head, "Yeah, the prospect of impending sex isn't something to take lightly, my friend. Don't throw that away, so fast."
"We're not... It's not like that," Gideon scoffed a small laugh and looked down, though he furrowed his brow and now very weirdly sat himself in that hot topic, something he hadn't yet done with Kepa at the forefront. He looked off and felt a spill of odd visuals come rushing him, the sheer, raw idea of him and Kepa making love, he almost lost the capacity to breathe purely out of the way the new, strange, lovely thoughts immediately bricked his innocent brain.
"Sure, sure," Flint guffawed in a happy, doughy, sarcastic tone and a flag of his paw. He side-eyed Gideon and grinned, "Yeah, you'd lose all that... You'd lose everything."
"... But if I won?" Gideon dared, he narrowed his gaze and eyed Flint as he took both men down a route that they maybe had never considered, "If I won and came back..."
"Damn, that's... A HUGE ask, Gideon, to go off, murder fifty people, tangle with that deep, dark web of terror and come back expecting everything to fall back into place?" Flint rattled quietly, he tapped his claw to the table and leaned forward, "You'd be a changed man. You'd be a wanted criminal. Your days outside of the dark web would be numbered. Your loved ones would hate you. Nothing would be waiting for you, upon returning... But the things you'd GAIN? I mean... It's such a small loss, on this end, Gid, I mean really. Just don't forget about lil'ol'me."
"User... Guess I can't have my cake and eat it too," Gideon mumbled, though he felt his brain do a weird back flip of hot irony, "I don't think I have it in me to just... Kill."
"It's a little different than senseless murder," Flint shrugged, he narrowed his gaze and looked up, "It's... Technically splitting hairs, but you'd at least be in an arena where the outcome, either way, is one death and one survivor per round. You wouldn't just senselessly go out and kill people, would you?."
"No, never," Gideon huffed sorrowfully.
"But, if you were in the arena and it was either kill or be killed?" Flint volleyed, he eyed Gideon in full cheek, to which Gideon finally heaved a long sigh through his nose and nervously shrugged.
"...Yeah, I'd... I'd go to war for myself," Gideon mumbled, he twiddled his fingers and now strangely began to put himself into these scenarios, though he flinched once Flint tapped the table and cutely huffed a sigh.
"Don't fret on it. That's not in your scope, anyhow," Flint flagged his hand, to which Gideon bobbed a nod, sagged and looked off, as if he now had to forcibly remove himself from these dark and delicious ideas, "It's a quick and sure-fire way to be famous for the rest of eternity. Whatever that would bring you, y'know? But, it sounds like you have a special someone you wouldn't dare ruin that for. I doubt she'd be thrilled about your escapades had you run off and come back, like... Hey babe! Just won Game Over, y'still here for me?"
"Yeah, she'd... Whew," Gideon bugged his eyes and looked off, and in this new collection of visuals that hit him, he imagined getting into a scrap with Kepa, the idea of her claws, alone, had him genuinely worried of the outcome. Gideon's chuckling grew louder, as did Flint, "She'd, quite literally, claw my eyes out and kangaroo-kick me into the next century, it wouldn't be good."
"So, let's maybe stay in Litwak's, we like Litwak's," Flint loudly whispered as he scrunched into a dainty little bounce and sweetly tapped the table with the paw pads on his fingers, "Welp. I'll let you get to it. Y'got a hot date to go to? You said you were meeting up with someone."
"No, no hot date," Gideon muttered cutely, though he felt his throat swell with heart-thumping curiosity as he allowed his mind to expand, "Not yet, anyhow."
"Well, I got my fingers crossed for yah," Flint ushered cutely as he did just that, and before the two parted ways, after cleaning up, Flint gave Gideon one last little notion of assurance, "Keep in touch, dude. Y'know I'm always in your corner."
