Reviews :

ThoreLB : Yeahhh... Koko is a bit of a blabber mouth. The whole beach scene is one big game of tiptoeing around Gideon, with Mara doing everything she can to do proper damage control haha.

Firesong-Writes : Yyyyep. Their relationship definitely has it's strains, though, it would be easy to blame it all on Gideon because he's rather vocal about the MANY skeletons in his closet that he'd rather not talk about. Kepa is very good at pretending hers don't exist. Until Gideon opens the closet one day and they all come jumping out at him. I'd rather be warned about jump scares than to actually endure a genuine jump scare you weren't anticipating haha. But! No, their little gooey honeymoon phases aren't over, it's sprinkled all through the drama. Which one weighs out, in the end, well... Y'all will just have to find out ;)


Song Listened To :

All Eyes On Me by Fox Stevenson

Somebody That I Used to Know ft. Kimbra by Gotye


*Chapter 113*

"Guess whaaat, I have something that you donnn't," Koko obnoxiously sneered, she sounded as if she was speed walking to somewhere, Tessa furrowed her brows in dull frustration and looked across her parent's cozy, sunny kitchen.

"... Bigger boobs? Look, I get it, mom's genes soared RIGHT on past me and dumped onto you, can you stop rubbing it in?" Tessa urged with a choke of an annoyed giggle; Berri, Oliver and Vanellope furrowed their faces in full, smiling confusion as they stole glances in each other's directions.

"What? No!" Koko stabbed with a choke of an annoyed laugh, she tried to catch her breath as the phone suddenly buzzed in a warble of confusion and came back to clarity, making clear that Koko was coming in and out of glitch-hopping, "Where are you? I have to tell you something important."

"It has to be said to my face?" Tessa mumbled, Ralph came slowly strolling out from the corridor that lead to his, Vanellope's and Gideon's bedrooms, he had changed into comfier clothes, everyone was en-route to unpacking and unwinding from a fun and busy vacation at Honeydew Ridge. Although Tessa was due to getting back into the code room and taking over the temporary reign Turbo and Rancis had, with care, she was thrilled Zed allowed her the time to decompress and spend time with Berri at Ralph's and Vanellope's home.

"Yes, I want to see the look on your face, this is gunna be so good. Where are you!" Koko cried in now full irritation, it was clear she was in the palace's dining hall due to the cute, hurried 'hellos' she had given to a few people she hadn't seen in a few days.

"I'm at mom and dad's with Berri and Oliver," Tessa tiredly mumbled, though she opened her mouth to carry on about being exhausted and not wanting to be messed with, she flinched as Koko sharply carried on.

"Well be prepared to have your freaking socks flown across the house, hope y'all are sitting down," Koko rushed, Tessa snapped her jaw shut and now firmly furrowed her brow in rising, nervous confusion as she stabbed her eyes to Oliver's; due to Koko not being on speaker phone, Oliver's softer features drew to dreaded, prickled confusion.

"What's going on?" Oliver nervously whispered, he had Berri swallowed in a lazy side hug as they stood at the opposite end of the island from Tessa; before Tessa could continue on with Koko, Ralph's and Vanellope's front door swung open.

"Put on your socks cause they're gunna go flying!" Koko hyped; well aware this wasn't the hugest news on planet Earth, she still shut their door with a clack and now began to happily skip down the open, airy entry way and into her parent's sunny kitchen.

"This better be good," Tessa muttered with a playful little smile as she sagged her chin into her hand, it was here did Vanellope stop her rummaging in the fridge, Ralph scuffed to the entry way of the corridor, Oliver and Berri ceased their still-embraced, quiet, playful bickering as Koko hovered up to the head of the island and cheekily eyed everyone with excited fervor.

"Guess who I just met?" Koko huffed above a whisper as everyone held their breath in rising anticipation; Berri looked off in confusion.

"Did Pixel Plus show up to the arena already? We're not on schedule to play with them until tomorrow," Berri uttered in gentle confusion, a popular techno band set to collaborate with Archived Chaos for their upcoming album.

"Better," Koko hissed with a wide, proud smile as she eyed Tessa and gently clipped the air with her answer, "Kepa."

Like Koko thought, Tessa rose from the dead. With bugged eyes, a now stiffened posture, she yanked her chin from her hands and donned the most shocked, elated expression her face could afford.

"WHAT?!" Tessa shrieked, everyone animated with full surprise as Tessa clumsily wobbled to a stand to get closer to Koko, as if that would help get information out of her and into Tessa's ears faster, "Y-You... You MET Kepa? Like... TALKED with her?"

"Or did you only just see her?" Vanellope stabbed in a rile of shock.

"Where was Gideon?" Oliver rushed, to which Berri choked a giggle into Oliver's chest as his snuggly embrace got a bit more rigorous and animated.

"I had a full-blown conversation with her, and, it gets better," Koko rushed with a wide grin, her voice shook, she tossed her eyes up to Ralph's as he grunted a surprised laugh, crossed his big arms and slumped in a lean against a nearby wall, "Kepa and Gideon invited Nox and I to their little beach get-together at their lighthouse tomorrow. I GET TO SEE THE LIGHTHOUSE."

"I like actually hate you," Tessa stabbed in pure tease, though her annoyed tone overrode the obviousness of it, Koko crossed her arms and gave Tessa a smug little smile down the bridge of her nose.

"What's she like?" Oliver urged excitedly as he finally unhanded Berri due to her giggling and squirming.

"Lash talks about her all the time, but we're not allowed to hang out at his confectionary in case we bump into her," Berri grumbled cutely as she tidied her choppy, shoulder-length cerulean blue hair.

"Wait, why?" Vanellope rushed in confusion, Koko nodded and filled in the blanks.

"Because, if Kepa finds out Gideon's niece is a full-blown celebrity and gets Kepa into Archived Chaos's music, the only natural thing for the poor girl to do is to research the band hard enough to find that Berri is Sugar Rush's princess... Making Gideon royalty," Koko rushed.

"She doesn't know about Archived Chaos?" Oliver asked Berri in a swing of gentle shock, Berri shrugged and shook her head.

"I doubt it," Berri giggled, "I'm not offended... Uncle Gideon needs to keep up a facade, that's his prerogative. She's gunna find out eventually, the band isn't going anywhere. Aunt Koko and Uncle Nox are allowed at the confectionary... We'd just get mobbed by paparazzi anyways, so it's not like us to go down into the city, we're not offended."

"So what happened, then? Spell it all out," Tessa rushed, she shook her head and nervously glossed her eyes to the front door, "Is Gideon still in Turbotime? I don't want him walking in on this conversation."

"Yeah, Gideon, Kepa and Novus said they were headed to the lighthouse, I guess Gideon's gunna teach Kepa to fly?" Koko shrugged cutely, Tessa clutched her chest, over her heart, and donned a look of swooning, lovestruck delight.

"She doesn't know how to fly?" Ralph innocently asked, Koko shrugged.

"I don't know, it wasn't the main point of conversation," Koko huffed, she blurt a sharp giggle as Tessa began to jostle her arm.

"What was said! What's she like? What color is her hair?" Tessa urged in a rattled, almost non-coherent spill of words, Koko softened and gave Tessa a lovely, anticipatory smile.

"Uhh, like a pale peach-pink. They are the absolute cutest together," Koko huffed in breathy, genuine happiness for her little brother, Tessa brightened.

"Really? Gideon was there, too?" Oliver wondered.

"Yeah, it was just me, Nox, Lash and Mara in the confectionary office, and we were just chit-chatting, and all of the sudden, Kepa came WALTZING in and started banter with Lash, but then she saw Nox and I there and got all nervous and almost backed out," Koko giggled as she waggled her hand, "She's very sweet, it's weird seeing a full, thoroughbred lion gargoyle, I'm so used to Tatum's much softer, human-like features."

"What difference were there?" Berri urged.

"I've never seen any of the lion gargoyles from Castle Run's current version, do they ever leave the game?" Ralph gently wondered as he tossed his eyes to Vanellope in question, she shook her head in full certainty.

"No, no, they're super seclusive, lion gargoyles keep their cabinet running, they don't dare leave unless there's an emergency," Oliver skillfully volleyed, having gained all of this information through Tatum and Theo, "Their society is extremely private, I mean, to even SEE one is incredibly rare. I'm shocked her and Gideon pall around Turbotime, like they do."

"Well, Vidrix is so vast and diverse," Berri added, Oliver bobbed a defeated nod and shrugged.

"True, but still," Oliver huffed.

"Her eyes are incredibly creepy, I mean I thought the Turbotime guys's eyes were considered creepy enough," Koko staggered a nervous giggle, "Kepa's are just cross-hairs. When fully dilated, they're nearly circles, but... Damn, we caught eyes in that first round she made into Lash's office and I nearly had a heart attack."

"And then there's Gideon just staring headlong into her eyes, lovestruck as ever, surely," Ralph mumbled cutely as he rolled his eyes and was happy to rouse the group into happy, knowing laughter.

"She's incredibly sweet, hasn't molted, she has her adolescent pelt, so she has all these cute freckles all over her arms and... I'm assuming on her legs, but she was wearing long pants," Koko rushed as she gestured down to her own arms and legs, "She's beautiful, and I got to watch her and Gideon naturally interact and all that fun stuff."

"How's it feel to be User's favorite?" Tessa muttered in full irritation.

"Pretty damn great, I get to hang out with her tomorrow! I'm SO excited," Koko squeed, Ralph sharply furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief and shook his head.

"...How the hell did Gideon agree to all of this? Was he just caught in the moment and couldn't say no?" Ralph wondered, Koko shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't think so, dad, I've NEVER seen the guy smile so wide, he was like an entirely different person," Koko urged in a squeeze of full confusion as she gestured her hands outwards, "He was loudly bantering with all of Lash's employees, he came sauntering into Lash's office like he was reset a million times over... I ALSO learned that him and Kepa made their status official over lunch, so... They're boyfriend-girlfriend now."

"... You've literally been gone for less than an hour and you gained a whole world of excitement!" Tessa urgently complained, although happy about all of this, it was clear Tessa was bummed that this all didn't happen to her, "Well, damn... Probably wouldn't be lucky enough to invite anyone else to that beach get-together, huh?"

"No, I do NOT want to push it," Koko hissed nervously as she tucked her beautiful hair behind her ears, "The second Kepa and Gideon left, Lash was SHOCKED that Gideon even allowed Nox and I to come."

"Did he invite you guys or did you guys invite yourselves?" Vanellope wondered nervously.

"He invited us!" Koko stabbed with an excited grin, Vanellope's face sloped to whole, flattened surprise a she pierced her eyes to Oliver's, both beings bugged their eyes for emphasis.

"AND you get to see the lighthouse? That is some stroke of luck, you and Uncle Nox landed, what the hell," Berri rushed with a giggle as she shook her head, "We've only ever seen the lighthouse in Turbotime's code room, and even then, it's just a blueprint of it, no details."

"Maybe I'll get lucky enough to snap pictures, or something," Koko shrugged, "I'm going to try and not be too obvious or overbearing, I think it'd be cool to be welcomed to this new side of Gideon... It's clear he's TRYING to trust us again, right?"

"Yeah, don't blow it," Oliver muttered.

"The vacation helped," Ralph grunted, Oliver nodded and looked off with a frown.

"Hopefully you're the foot in," Oliver continued.

"Now that she's met you, I'm positive she'll pester Gideon to meet the rest of us," Tessa rushed, "AND, they're officially together, now... She has every right to dig in and now expect different, deeper forms of commitment."

"Hopefully Gideon can handle the heat," Ralph worried, he shook his head and eyed Tessa in a sense of impending dread, "Didn't Gideon say she has the ability to breath fire?"

"Yeah, she's a three-ability gargoyle," Koko rushed curtly, Oliver sharply grit his teeth and donned a look of affirmed dread Ralph was previously dancing around.

"... That kid's not gunna have any more secrets for much longer," Oliver muttered in cheeky conclusion.


"Alright, so, I know you and your family have had ups and downs, I've always known you had siblings, but I'm glad I can finally put a face to a name," Kepa stated, her voice was mildly stern, she kept stride next to Gideon as they held the same height, Gideon gulped a swallow and now very quickly began to feel incredibly intimidated by Kepa's easy use of authority. Gideon figured she could dig deep into her bag of tricks and yank a motherly tone out from the depths of her soul due to the sheer amount of time she had spent likely rearing children on her own castle grounds. Although Kepa understood Gideon wasn't a child, Gideon stared forward in aimless dread and wondered if he could somehow steer her in the right direction, coerce her into understanding his own love languages a little deeper, just what made him tick and just what made him run. Kepa firmly continued on, "So, I know Koko is your older sister. Is she your oldest sibling?"

"No, she's not," Gideon mumbled, Novus's heavy, lazy footwork sauntered behind the two, his big ears held forward in adamant listening. It was clear to Gideon that Novus definitely wasn't the third wheel in this equation, though rather a mediator in hovering wait, something Gideon was grateful for, "I have three older siblings... Tessa is my oldest sister, Oliver is my older brother, Koko is my older sister and... I'm the youngest."

"Alright, so... In order, we have Tessa, Oliver, Koko and you," Kepa repeated with a nod, her arms gently swung as she stride on, though her fists were clenched; Gideon eyed her and felt his heart do a weird wiggle of a backflip, and though he was excited about the potential of maybe one day sharing codes with this gem of a woman, he eyed her and fully understood that said assignment would have to be really carefully thought through. The idea of Kepa harboring wrecking abilities, alongside her already fiery personality, had Gideon feeling weak. She carried on with assuredness, "I know you have a mom and dad, I also know you have at least one nephew..."

"I-I have two nephews, one niece and... One great nephew," Gideon skillfully sidestepped, he was grateful Novus kept his mouth shut. Knowing he'd have to exclude Berri's name from this equation, as well as drop Mara from the list of 'greats' entirely, he twiddled his fingers in aimless fidgeting and felt his heart race and race as he patiently carried on, "Tessa has two children, Ace and... Bailey. Ace has one son, Beaux."

"Alright, more family, there," Kepa took the bait; Gideon, having been made aware of Berri's alter-ego due to avoiding paparazzi, was grateful for the ability to grapple at a name that technically related to Berri.

"Oliver has a son, Theo," Gideon pressed shakily, he shook his head and lulled his eyes closed, "Koko and Nox don't have children, they're due to be married sometime next year, they just recently got engaged a few months ago."

"Alright, HOW was any of this so hard?" Kepa uttered, her tone was insensitive, and though it was clear that she was just frustrated that Gideon was so heavily sidestepping for seemingly no reason, Kepa was unaware that this brash attitude was something that would have Gideon fighting back, tenfold.

"Really? You're really gunna treat me like this when you, not two weeks ago, promised you'd be patient with me?" Gideon volleyed sternly as he gave Kepa a firm look of frustration; they maneuvered through the light crowd of pedestrians on the sidewalk, crossed crosswalks with ease, though it was here did Kepa shoot Gideon a dirty look, ladened with an annoyed smile.

"I AM being patient with you, I'm allowed to feel frustrated over how inflated you've made something so silly," Kepa staggered through a little laugh of incredulous disbelief, Gideon wildly furrowed his eyebrows, looked forward and bobbed a sarcastic, frustrated few nods.

"So, I have family that used to treat me like garbage, things are only just now turning around and I'm very slowly learning to trust again," Gideon tightly rattled, venom at the ready, blind anger he was ready to deploy, no holds barred, he firmly continued on with their stride, "Are you just jealous I actually have family to put in the wings and wait to reveal for a sunny day?"

"Alright, alright, WHOA," Novus suddenly stabbed as Kepa scuffed to a lazy halt of cold shock. Her ears sagged, as did her shoulders and her whole demeanor, and though Gideon scuffed to a confused halt and peered his glazed-over eyes to Kepa's in a moment of clarity, he felt his pupils tighten at the hit of realizing the damage he had just suddenly caused. Novus grunted a noise of full disapproval, shoved the wrist of his wing into Gideon's uninjured arm and wasn't careful with how suddenly he began to push Gideon out of the path of the sidewalk and a bit more ducked into the entry way of a side alley, between two tall, neighboring buildings. Novus firmly held his ears taut atop his head and glowered Gideon down, "Why don't you take a BIG deep breath and say EVERYTHING you just said again, though this time... I want you to look into Kepa's eyes as you say the vile thing you just said. Go on!"

Gideon heaved a shaky breath and peered hard into Kepa's eyes, though it was in a swing of pure guilt. Kepa looked totally thwarted, sagged in the hit, she fiddled her fingers in a show of desperation to keep tears from forming. Her adorable nose wrinkled in little wiggles, which further proved to Gideon that she was now doing everything she could not to cry. Gideon felt the steam lift off of the top of his head, and though he was feeling a rush of anger, he felt hit with shock that he was able to let it all get away from him so quickly. Now truly understanding that he had to watch himself around the woman he loved and cared for the most, he bit his lip and felt as if he had suddenly had his legs taken out from underneath him. The raw fact that spewing venom came so much easier to him than collecting himself with patience and love, and having Kepa in the vicious crossfire, had him wondering if he could possibly sprout a million feet to put into his mouth.

"That was fucked up of you to say," Kepa stabbed in a whimper as she wiped her damp nose with the back of her hand, she looked out into traffic with fully dilated pupils, eyes easily billowed with huge tears, her lip quivered as she kept it all together.

"That WAS fucked up, Gideon, the hell's your issue?" Novus barked, Gideon sharply furrowed his eyebrows and shot Novus a daring look as if to make clear that he was well aware he had messed up, though anymore loud reminders would cause the pendulum to swing the other way, "Kepa's family was lost in an unplug, this isn't something she can help, and I'm sure if she could, she'd introduce YOU to her family at the first second she could."

"I would," Kepa staggered, she finally grimaced and couldn't hold it in any longer, she choked a small cry and tucked the back of her hand to her mouth to try and conceal herself as she firmly looked off; big tears spilled down her soft cheeks.

"Kepa, I-I'm..." Gideon now visibly shook in the downswing of cold realization, just how easily his nasty words and jumps to the jugular had gotten loose from him, he took a cautious step closer to Kepa and so gingerly cupped the back of her shoulder with his lightly trembling hand, "I... I don't know what came over me, I'm really sorry. That wasn't fair of me, I-I'm... I'm not trying to fight dirty, I just resort to it because-"

"It's quick? Weaponized words don't work with me, Gideon, I don't know who it's worked for, in the past, but I'm NOT the one," Kepa suddenly stabbed as she took a step out of Gideon's bubble and peered hard up into his eyes, hers were glassy with fresh tears, "I promised you patience, and I'm sorry for getting a little frustrated, but THIS isn't the way I was hoping to meet your family."

"I-I know, I know..." Gideon huffed shakily as he now remained still and was well aware pursuing Kepa, whilst she made obvious she was trying to put distance between the two, wasn't wise. Gideon swallowed hard and felt the world around him kaleidoscope with hits of guilt, sorrow, grief, a multitudinous amount of deep regret swallowed him whole as he managed to somehow continue on with his gentle, trembling words, "I wasn't thinking... I don't truly feel that way, I just... Said it to win."

"You're my boyfriend, Gideon, NEITHER of us win or lose opposite each other any longer," Kepa begged as she gestured to her chest for emphasis, "We either win together, or lose together... I'm glad this is coming up right now, so soon, because it ends here. I don't care if you never introduce me to your family ever again, I'd take that over your vicious, unneeded stabs of poisonous words to my heart."

"Y-You're right, I... Please forgive me, I'm just really protective and defensive of the things I need," Gideon begged quietly, he very bravely took a half of a step closer to Kepa, in hopes to cup her shoulder, once more, and was thrilled that he was successful, "I just resort to game-ending insults, but... We've never fought before so I just defaulted to what I'm used to, and I'm really sorry... Really, I am. I'll do better about having patience."

Kepa heaved a shaky breath and finally sagged her softened eyes up into Gideon's, she held eyes with him and now felt a wiggle of darkness fall over the two, though somehow, she craved it. Well aware both beings were a mess of projects that needed a huge amount of fixing, Kepa looked off with a nasally sigh and eventually bobbed a nod of gentle forgiveness for Gideon's honest plight. She returned her gaze to Gideon's and now had a deeper understanding of just how he operated, the quick, silent, vicious form of offense he's likely had to resort to over the course of his childhood and few months of adulthood, she crossed her arms and flattened her ears in reserved searching.

"Do you ever wonder the reason you may have been previously left out of family or friend functions?" Kepa carried, her voice was nasally, though it was here did Novus shoot Gideon a nervous look, mild retaliation Kepa likely now had in the arsenal, locked and loaded. She skillfully carried on, "You're like a viper in tall grass... You scope out everyone's weaknesses and use it against them right when the moment is perfectly opportune. That was a mind fuck if I've ever seen one... You snaked your way into raw insecurities and used it against me, the game-ending insult before the game even started. That's why people don't want you around... You're insanely aware. You know too much."

Gideon remained still and now felt fear over the fact that Kepa was diligently reading him like a book, he thumped a swallow and cautiously tossed his eyes to Novus, and then back to Kepa's in a swathe of hazed-over humility that continued to drown him. He heaved a shaky breath, bobbed a nod and nervously succumbed to her diligent, stern reading, a mild read for filth he deserved.

"I'll let this one slide, but, Gideon... That one remark would've been enough for me to call this whole relationship off, right from the jump," Kepa warned, "That was incredibly mean... I'm NOT your enemy, and you don't need to use defenses AGAINST me."

"You said I was inflating a genuine issue I have," Gideon tried to keep his head above water.

"Yeah, and then proceeded to meanly wonder if I was jealous that you had family that was ALIVE," Kepa suddenly shouted; both boys flinched, Kepa's pupils drew to tight cross-hairs, "Of COURSE I'm jealous, Gideon! You used a genuine issue of mine against me!"

"I-I wasn't thinking," Gideon mumbled nervously, he shook his head and peered into her eyes with a scared swathe of true apology, he looked humbled from head to toe, his hands visibly shook, "I-It... It won't happen again, I fought dirty because it's just all I'm used to. I've never had a girlfriend before... I'm really sorry."

Kepa crossed her arms and eyed him, one more time, and was swiftly reminded that Gideon was an entire decade younger than she, with far less life and social experience. She heaved a long sigh through her nose, bobbed a nod and was well aware no relationship was an eternal kiss of sunflowers and fluffy pink clouds. Well aware storms were weathered together, she was thrilled Gideon at least hadn't once defended his nasty words and instead made obvious that he wasn't in his right mind, in that moment.

"I care about you, I want to KNOW you," Kepa begged, big tears formed in her eyes, once more, "I-I just want to be... A part of a family, again..."

"I-I know, I'm really sorry," Gideon begged quietly as Kepa crumpled into tears, once more, and covered her face with both of her hands. It was here did Gideon firmly step into her bubble and swallow her into his protective embrace. He firmly buried his face into the top of her head and felt tears sting his eyes, as well. Pure guilt for causing this mess, the gentle, silent whimpers of her cries made his heart shatter into a million pieces, the raw idea that he was the sole source of her pain, in this moment, had him wanting to melt into the ground and never reanimate. He heaved a shaky breath and squeezed her as tight as he could, "I'm so sorry... That was unfair of me, I shouldn't have let that happen... It won't happen again, I promise."

"It's okay," Kepa whimpered into Gideon's broad chest as she relinquished push back and finally wrapped her arms about Gideon's chest, to which Novus sweetly hovered a wing about the two in a loose drape for all three of their privacies considered.

"I don't really think that, I just... Didn't consider this could be about you wanting to have familial camaraderie," Gideon staggered nervously, he shut his eyes and shook his head, "I was only thinking of myself... I'm all I've ever had, it's my default. Please forgive me."

"I do," Kepa mumbled as she heaved a hot sigh into the bend of his neck, she sagged into Gideon's strong, caring embrace and felt relieved that their first nasty fight at least came with quick resolve, "I don't want you to feel rushed... I promised you I'd be patient. I have crap I'd like you to be patient with me for, too, and... I shouldn't be pushing this so hard."

"I can understand why," Gideon gently complied, he opened his eyes and caught gazes with Novus. Although thwarted, he was glad Novus was here to mediate and diffuse lest things truly get out of hand. A good lesson to learn, a good example to go off of for future fights, Gideon lovingly sagged his hand to Novus's snout and eased a long exhale as he continued, "Y'got me and Novus... Who, clearly, will also go to war for you."

"I'll go to war against you FOR her, no issue," Novus stabbed, though he gave Gideon a shy little smile to prove he was being playful.

"Tomorrow will be much needed," Gideon sighed, he lovingly pushed a kiss to Kepa's forehead as the two carefully unravelled, though Gideon gingerly gripped Kepa's upper arms and pleadingly peered into her glassy eyes. They held tight gazes for a moment before Gideon continued, "Please forgive me... I feel awful."

"You should!" Novus stabbed a laugh, to which Kepa cracked a wide smile she was trying to hide and continued to wipe her tears.

"I do, really," Gideon pleaded as he shot Novus an annoyed look and gently helped Kepa wipe her jawline free of tears, "You ask me to be your boyfriend and I return the favor by cutting you at the knees... Best boyfriend award goes to me, hands down..."

"It's okay, really, it's okay," Kepa sighed, she bobbed a nod and looked down to her fingers in a swing of aimless cuteness, though she finally stabbed her predatory, authoritative gaze tight to Gideon's through the downward tilt of her brow, "Next time, though, I'll fight fire with fire. This is your warning."

"...Noted," Gideon huffed; knowing he now wasn't simply playing with Callum or other family members that would be stunned by Gideon's harsh words, Gideon was well aware Kepa was quicker on her feet, a solitary cat that was quite used to also defending her own character like her life depended on it, he swallowed a nervous gulp and took Kepa's words very seriously.

"'Cept Gideon only has words, we have ACTUAL fire," Novus sneered as him and Kepa caught knowing gazes.

"Yeah, do you value your eyebrows, dude?" Kepa stabbed with a giggle as her and Novus now erupted into laughter.

"I do, actually, I understand the consequences, moving forward," Gideon staggered with a nervous smile as him and Kepa gently unhanded each other.

"... Alright! Let's soar a thousand feet over the ocean and learn how to fly after this lovely, bonding conversation!" Novus cheesed, all three choked out laughter, though Gideon's was nervous and wary as he rubbed the back of his head.

"W-We don't have to follow through with that, today, if you don't want to," Gideon worried, "I understand if... What I did totally turned you off to wanting to do that with me, today."

"Yeah, we can just leave Gideon and I can teach you," Novus shrugged, he shot Gideon a mean smile, though Kepa frowned as Gideon bobbed a sad nod of agreeing, to Novus's words, and looked off as if to make clear that he was well aware that said treatment would likely be something he deserved.

"No, no... C'mon," Kepa urged, she sweetly pressed into Gideon's bubble, gripped both of his hands in hers and was happy to catch eyes with him. He genuinely looked hazed-over, lost in a sea of guilt, Kepa heaved a revived sigh, bobbed a nod and knew this was a rogue incident that was cleared and hopefully learned from. She jostled Gideon's hands and glanced to Novus with a cheeky smile, "All's forgiven... Let's just reconvene with this topic after tomorrow, after I get a chance to hang out with your sister. That will satiate me, and it gives you the bump of patience that you need. We can discuss more of this tomorrow night, after it's all said and done, does that sound okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Gideon mumbled sorrowfully, "This just... Happened all at once, I haven't had a chance to digest any of it."

"I understand," Kepa sighed in further renewal and gave Gideon a small, humbled smile, "C'mon... We can make up for it."

"Oh, is this stuff I shouldn't third-wheel for, then?" Novus grumbled in a show of playful disgust, to which Gideon held his forehead and wondered when this roller coaster would level out.

"NO, stop it," Kepa stabbed with a choke of a giggle, "Let's go, I want to change into something that would be easier to fly in."

"... User, sucks you have to fly wearing clothes," Novus grumbled as the three stepped back out onto the sidewalks of the city, they head in the direction of a wider, freer area to take off from.

"Well, YEAH? No way I'm doing this naked, the hell's your problem?" Kepa said in smiling shock, though Gideon now couldn't stifle his boyish laughter; he covered his mouth and looked off, though he choked a harder laugh as Kepa flattened her ears and began to playfully swat the back of her hand at him, "Oh DON'T even, you pervert! You're already down a strike, today."

"I'm sorry, I'm behaving, I promise," Gideon grumbled innocently, and though the steam of their fight still stung in a linger of spiciness, he was grateful Kepa was the kind of gentle, loving soul to quickly bounce back. It was something he was well aware he'd have to diligently do all he could to not accidentally take advantage of said easy show of forgiveness.