Reviews :

Snake557 : Hey friend, thank you so much! Yes, Kepa finally molted :D Yay! It's weird not picturing her, or even painting her, with her adolescent pelt any longer. She's all grown up haha. And, I think you're thinking of my best friend Michaela. She's still my best friend! She's currently studying and preparing for law school, so I don't see/talk to her as often as I think we'd want, but she's literally killing it and I adore her, forever and ever. She's like a sister to me. But, Kepa represents my husband's personality in this story, so Novus wouldn't be mirroring Michaela here at all. Novus is his own character, he doesn't really represent anyone in my life. Michaela definitely represents Taffyta and even Penny, in Wrecking Limits and into Defying Code/Rectifying Origin. Gideon's struggles as a whole represent me, this story was definitely something I needed to get off of my chest. My next story, with Mimic, Vye, Gideon's child and other cousins as the forefront of main characters, are loose OCs and currently don't represent anyone but themselves currently. Certainly Mimic's and Vye's potential romance will eventually be sprinkled with similarities between my husband and I, different aspects of our personality, because that's where I get my fuel from, but yeah... FG was def the story where I inserted my own trauma into Gideon's story, and Kepa's personality, everything she encapsulates, mirrors my husband in many aspects. Sorry if that was a lot/confusing haha. I appreciate that though, I'm sure Michaela would too. Thank you!

Burgie : Yes! I'm excited about it too. These chapters have been written for months, so like... -I- have been able to enjoy seeing Kepa and Gideon together again, and all the other bouts of romantic chapters and other events that you guys have yet to read, but I really missed the idea that you guys didn't get to experience them back together just yet. It was driving me nuts, cause when Gideon was like in the Arena and being a dick on the dark web, I had already long-ago written their reunion and all sorts of other events, so... Yeah I'm even still going nuts, cause I'm still 25/30 chapters ahead of you guys and -so much- has happened that I like... GUH. It's all good, I try not to rush these things cause then it's over and I'm ultimately sad, but yeah. All to say! I'm glad you guys are finally here, I can breathe a little haha. I hope you all are enjoying it too :D

ProbsWeebTrash : Oh my gosh? Thank you so much. I have an inkling who this is, but I'm not entirely sure, but either way, I really appreciate it! I understand entirely. I had to go no-contact from nearly everyone in my family last summer, it's... A process. How do you grieve people you loved, and hoped they loved you in return, as if they're dead, but they're still on the planet? It's the weirdest, most visceral and awful experience ever. It's incredibly lonely. I'm hanging on to my father for dear life, him and I talk every week and have formed a really beautiful relationship out of this mess. He wasn't around for much of my childhood or young adult years, but the second everyone kind of dropped me, he swooped in and took me under his wing, and he's slowly becoming a best friend. It's weird the way life shakes out, I would've never guessed stuff would come to all of this, tables turned and people you thought would be by your side forever will just drop you because of differing beliefs as just the tip of the iceberg, but... That's life. To echo Gideon here, whenever I have children, they will be given a -VASTLY- different experience out of me. I wouldn't dare treat my kin the way I was treated, and I certainly wouldn't let their siblings get away with the same crap that was dumped on me. It's weird, and feels like a no brainer, how the adults in my life could've failed so miserably is super weird and pathetic to look back on, but... I'm alive! We're alive, that's all we can do is just press on. I hope you're doing okay friend, if you ever need anyone to lean on due to what you said about having to disconnect as well, just know that I understand entirely and I am always in your corner, you can reach out to me any time you'd like. The easiest way to get ahold of me is Twitter, I'm Vyntresser over there. Thank you so much for your kind review, that really meant a lot to me.


A/N : I want to thank you guys for the love on the previous chapter. It's special to me, clearly. Also, I am -so glad- that you guys are now at parts where Gideon and Kepa are together again. I missed getting your guys feedback and reactions from the two of them, and from here, things ramp up and get really spicy and exciting. I've given Kepa and Gideon FAR more sex/spicy scenes than I think any other couple. So far, the two have like... at least 3 or 4 rather spicy scenes, I also have at least 5 sex scenes planned... one of them being spontaneous and nearly in public pffft. Don't even get my started about Gideon's lucid space that he shares with Kepa. It's a lot, I'm making up for 30 chapters of lost time, so buckle in guys cause you're gunna get SOLID doses of Kepa/Gideon from here on out. Like you guys might get annoyed, that's how passionate I feel about these two lmao


*Chapter 188*

"Okay, so... Just like I sat down to listen to you," Gideon cutely started as he gently gripped the tops of Kepa's shoulders from behind and began to direct her to the stool he was just previously sat at. With care, he sat Kepa down to the stool and continued on, "I'm going to kindly request for you to sit, this time, so I can tell you what I need to tell you."

"Gideon, just tell me," Kepa complained as she stiffened to the crawl of a stand, to which Gideon recoiled and gripped the tops of her little shoulders, once more.

"N-No, no, trust me, you're gunna want to be seated," Gideon rushed sweetly as he just barely helped her hover back to a sit, to which she now shooed his big hands away and flattened her ears.

"I'm not gunna pass out, I'm a big girl, just tell me," Kepa stabbed as she sprung to a stand and put her hands on the counter, to which Gideon rolled his eyes, gave up and slowly circled about her so to stand at the broader end of the kitchen island, adjacent to her.

"...Your mother is alive," Gideon cooed softly, and though Kepa snapped her mouth shut, perked her ears and peered hard into Gideon's eyes in a sweep of uncertain stun, Gideon erupted into shaky laughter as Kepa's now trembling figure slowly hovered back down to the stool Gideon had been adamantly offering. He wiped his eyes and cutely tugged on the chest of his tank top, all lazily draped across his broad chest, "I'm not pulling your leg, and I'm not speculating. Elkuorra saved me... Well, technically Vye saved me."

Kepa was silent as she peered hard up into Gideon's eyes. Gideon fervently peered back in a swing of softness and allowed the silence to fill the air, he knew he had suddenly lofted a world of information at her that she now needed time to process, though his hands shook in the excitement that he was able to gift this all to Kepa. Kepa shook her head, narrowed her eyes in soft surprise and looked as if she previously didn't believe Gideon's initial statement, though now that he included her name, as well as Vye's existence, Kepa sat still and patiently marinated in the truth Gideon was giving her. She sucked in a huge breath and narrowed her gaze in soft bewilderment.

"So... Long story short, I became best friends with all the winners, obviously. I lived with Albar, Jukkit and Ora, but Vye stayed well enough away and wanted nothing to do with us," Gideon tenderly explained as Kepa's teary eyes held tight to Gideon's in still enchanted surprise, "Ora is psychic, or something, she's insanely gifted... She picked up on all the manifesting you've been doing, she's the one that told me about the lighthouse being lit, it took me exterior swapping with her to finally BEG me to go home, because, well... She said someone named Kepa was waiting."

Kepa scoffed a shaky little exhale, pushed her elbow to the island counter and shoved her chin into her palm as she messily tried to keep from coming unglued. Gideon grunted a shaky little laugh and sweetly held his hand extended in their small gap, rested face up before her. She sweetly tucked her other hand into his and patiently heard him out as he continued on.

"After I came out of the exterior swap with Ora, I rushed Albar and asked how to leave, and... It was in that instance did I realize the home we lived in together was bugged, and arena officials took me away to get tortured due to trying to leave, I guess no one has ever wondered about leaving except my dumbass," Gideon muttered, Kepa grunted a teary giggle and squeezed her eyes shut as she gripped his bigger hand in hers. Gideon sucked in a trembling breath and lulled his eyes closed, "There's far more details here that I can expand on later, but... I eventually ended up in Vye's hands, and before she could continue on with my punishment, she came in contact with what little glitching powers I had left, and I was able to give her images of your face, I was able to tell her that her little sister was alive and well..."

"I-I can't believe you were able to see her," Kepa whimpered in crumpling despair, she covered her face a little and kept her other hand gripped in Gideon's, patient care he was adamant to give her, "Sh-she leveled with you? She believed you, clearly."

"Yeah, she... She saved me, Vye saved me," Gideon mused warmly with a nod, "Your mother was living outside of the Arena. Vye took me to Elkuorra's house in a hard drive cause... Well, not to scare you or anything but my coding was one blip away from deletion. I don't know what happened after Vye put me into that spare hard drive, the next thing I knew, Elkuorra freed me underneath a Sugar Rush tree, and... Welp, your mother got to meet me a bloodied, ruined mess, so... I'm glad first introductions are out of the way."

"W-wait, she's HERE?!" Kepa suddenly erupted, to which Gideon grinned and flinched as Kepa jolted to a firm stand, she gestured to her chest and began to crumple into grimacing tears, once more, "My m-mom? My MOM is here? She's in Sugar Rush?!"

"She's on palace grounds," Gideon assured with a grin, to which Kepa squeaked a hard cry out to the kitchen and covered her face as she came unglued. Gideon lovingly reached for her and tenderly laid his hands on her arms and shoulders in soothing rubs as her wailing consumed her. She hovered her face into Gideon's chest and hardly could get the words out.

"Pl-please," Kepa sobbed as she squeezed her eyes shut, "Please take me to her, please!"

"C'mon, she's not far," Gideon whispered sweetly as he rubbed her back, gave her one final squeeze of a hug and began to walk with Kepa to his front door.

Gideon gripped Kepa's littler hand and began to quickly press to his front door. Once outside in the open-aired, covered front door area, next door to Tessa, the two quickly moved to the dimly lit teleport pad across the walkway, still under their spire's covering. It took everything in Gideon's power not to erupt into a constant fit of literally jumping for joy at the sheer idea that he was just simply hand in hand with none-other-than Kepa, in this instance, and though he wanted to melt away into the night and stay up until the sunrise with her, unloading everything they needed to get off of their chests, Gideon understood now that this night was only very briefly about him, but was now entirely shifted to be uniformly about Kepa and reuniting her little, shattered family unit. As the two stepped onto the teleport pad, he suddenly felt a weird notion hit him between the eyes. As much as he wanted to wonder if this whole teleportation nonsense was odd to her, he recoiled and firmly understood that she had spent the past two months living at the Thunderbird Arena, littered with teleport pads, with full knowledge of the palace's existence and everything Gideon's life consisted of. The knee-jerk reaction to showing her around swiftly faltered, he knew he had tomorrow and other following days, if she was willing.

Gideon cued a few options on the teleport pad, though he felt a gut-punch of dread hit the both of them as he thumbed to Callum's teleportation pad, the closest pad to the flyer's enclosure. Still in silence, outside of Kepa's concealed tears, the two swiftly teleported to the base of Callum's spire, just outside the gaping entrance of the corridor that lead to the flyer's enclosure. Not wanting to waste any time, not wanting to see Callum's stairwell, not wanting to remind Kepa of any of this nastiness, he gripped her hand and quickly pressed on in a hook down the huge, darkened corridor only really meant for the flyers. The tidy palace cobbles dribbled to jungle dirt, Kepa gasped a nervous inhale and tucked herself into Gideon's side as she held his hand with her left and hugged his arm with her right. She buried her face into the back of his upper arm and silently followed his confident lead, the two pressed on in the quiet, she closed her eyes and fervently relished in his familiar scent, something she was nearly certain she'd never get to freshly experience ever again. She quietly continued to cry and now nervously began to wonder if Gideon was genuinely telling the truth. Kepa had spent the majority of her life truly believing her mother and father were long gone, though as the reminder of her father came rushing back to her, she realized that he'd be reuniting with Elkuorra, as well, a fervent wish he had very openly talked about for the duration of this mess.

"Alright, she's... She's in there," Gideon tenderly stated down to Kepa as the two pressed into the huge, damp, jungly enclosure alive with the noise of nighttime crickets. Gideon pointed to a small abode off to their right, so cutely tucked into the lush foliage and alive with warm, dim home lights. Kepa held her breath and peered to said unfamiliar little home with mild terror, and though he wanted to get her legs to move, she froze and peered up into Gideon's eyes in full question. The house lights splayed Gideon's sweet face, his lovely, familiar golden eyes glinted with all the love he had for her as he gently gripped her upper arms and jostled her, just barely, "Go on, you can do it. I promise you won't be disappointed... She's so excited to see you."

"Y-You're POSITIVE it's her?" Kepa quietly whimpered through her tears, her desperate gaze held tight to Gideon's as he beamed her a knowing, fresh grin of loving assurance.

"It's her... She looks JUST like you, in the face. She also has pretty silver hair, kinda comes to a creamy gradient towards the ends, creamy stripes on her arms... Sorta similar to yours, oddly enough," Gideon mused in soft wondering as he glanced to Kepa's bare upper arms, "She's got blue eyes, she's a little shorter than you... This all lining up?"

"Yeah, perfectly," Kepa whined softly with a nod, to which Gideon lovingly began to steer her in the foot path that lead up to Elkuorra's front door.

"You can do it," Gideon whispered loving into the side of her head as the two walked, he sweetly pressed a few firm kisses into the top of her head as they walked hand in hand up to Elkuorra's front door, "Let yourself in... I promise, you're gunna be so relieved."

"Wh-where will you be?" Kepa worried, now thinking too far ahead, to which Gideon squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

"I'll be right here, but otherwise, I'll be in my spire, you know just where to find me if you need me," Gideon assured as Kepa sucked in a trembling breath and peered up into Gideon's eyes, "I gave you my word... I promise, I'll be available. Anytime of the day or night, I don't care what happens. You can always reach me, okay?"

"Okay," Kepa murmured sweetly as they held eyes, he choked a small chuckle of understanding and gestured to Kepa in excitement.

"Alright... Go on," Gideon encouraged, "I love you. I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Yeah," Kepa whimpered with a nod as she bravely took a step forward and looked back to Gideon in a swing of fervent assurance, "I love you, too."

"Go get 'em," Gideon whispered as he put his hands on his hips, stood proud and happily watched Kepa hold eyes with him in a swing of still stunned disbelief that any of this was even happening, and with a final turn, she pressed up to Elkuorra's door and bravely turned the handle.

Gideon raised his eyebrows in baited wait as Kepa's trembling voice called out for her mother, into Elkuorra's house, and as soon as Kepa's figure and long, now dark brown tail vanished into the gape of the opened door, Gideon jolted to sneakily peer inside and see what would come of all of this. Elkuorra could be heard cutely erupting into a call of unadulterated shock, and as Gideon secretly peered into Elkuorra's adorable little home, Gideon caught the sight of Elkuorra and Kepa woven into a tight grapple of a hug in Elkuorra's warmly lit kitchen. Both women wept in each other's arms, Elkuorra's and Kepa's sweet cries of pure joy melted in a mix of murmuring notions of familial love, Elkuorra's motherly hands firmly rubbed up and down Kepa's fresh, gorgeous new pelt, the sag of Kepa finally melting into her mother's arms, once and for all, brought immediate tears to his eyes. As desperately as he wanted to pop into the house and ride out all of these feelings with Kepa and Elkuorra, he sucked in a teary, finalized inhale, slowly backed out of the house and silently sagged the door to a quiet clack so to give Kepa her well-deserved alone time with her mother, once and for all. Gideon bobbed a nod, looked down to his feet and began to swing away from Elkuorra's house feeling successful, though just as he began to press away from the vicinity and hook into the corridor, so to return to his spire, he flinched in solid surprise the second a deep, familiar voice burst his bubble.

"Welcome home," Novus muttered darkly, Gideon scuffed to a jolt of a halt and firmly peered over his shoulder.

In the cut of the glow of Elkuorra's house lights, Gideon peered hard into Novus's gorgeous blue eyes, his powerful, haunting figure stood proud before Gideon, and though Gideon wanted to dive into Novus's love and explain how they had a world of information to exchange, the energy he had gotten from Novus was far more sour than anything he felt from Kepa. He held his breath and felt as if receiving Novus's forgiveness would somehow be far harder to obtain, even above Kepa's, and with such, Gideon felt his arms begin to tremble in dread. He bobbed a nervous nod and felt huge tears come to his eyes, he nervously twiddled his fingers and watched as Novus hardly even moved.

"Th-thank you," Gideon huffed quietly, he shook, he knew Novus was somehow the final boss to this mess, how greatly he had neglected making things right with Novus, before he left, was certainly the vibe he got from Novus.

"I-I can hardly look at you, that's how angry I am at you," Novus grumbled, he choked a small exhale and looked off as huge tears gathered in his eyes, "I-I'm so glad you're home, and... I want to be normal with you all day long, but I just... Can't... I'm so... SO angry at you."

"I accept that, Novus," Gideon's voice lilted as he, too, got choked up, "I'm grateful you're at least communicating with me. You have every right to be angry with me, I'm not expecting everyone to be too thrilled with me, right now."

Novus suddenly flexed into action, though as Gideon tensed and watched Novus's powerful figure press over to Gideon in a stomp of fervent adamancy, he choked a nervous inhale as Novus firmly wrangled Gideon into a tight hug against his fluffy chest. Gideon sighed in relief and grappled his trembling arms tight about Novus's neck and mane. Both boys stood in quiet, teary silence with one another as Novus firmly grappled his paw and arm about Gideon's broad back, though as Gideon squeezed his eyes in a grimace of tears, deep into Novus's fluffy, familiar mane, Novus's whimpering voice melted out of him in full, conflicted sorrow.

"I-I can't talk to you right now, I'm... I've never felt so angry in my entire life, I just can't even look at you," Novus dreadfully informed as Gideon largely frowned and gripped onto Novus in a full swing of impending dread, though as Novus slowly began to pull away from Gideon, he grit his teeth and watched as Novus kept his word, flattened his ears, closed his eyes tight and turned heel on Gideon with full adamancy, "I love you... I just... Need to be away from you, for the time being."

"I love you, Novus," Gideon whimpered sorrowfully, and as Novus gently sprawled his wings and lifted off, he immediately vanished into the blackened thicket of the flyer's massive jungle enclosure.

Left on the ground with one win, being Kepa, and one loss, being Novus, Gideon sharply exhaled a full, silent cry of dread and squeezed his eyes shut with the hit. He knew he was incredibly lucky to win nearly everyone over, with his return, though somehow losing Novus, even if temporarily, hit him square between the eyes in full, dreaded realization. He knew he'd have to work incredibly hard to earn everyone's trust, no matter what, but somehow, Novus's now felt the scariest, the hardest. Left flightless on the ground, Gideon sucked in a breath and understood the weight of just how much of an impact he had made, here, the actions of his harrowing mistakes were something he was well aware was going to follow him around for a very long time. In the knee-jerk thought process of now wanting to sink away to his room, overlook The Block's darkened city and medicate with hard drugs, he held his breath and now understood he had to just sit in his raw, exposed grief, harrowing wounds now gaping and ready to tear him limb from limb. He trembled in full dread as he turned heel and began to press back to his spire, grateful he had Kepa at least mostly in his corner, once more, he was grateful he now had a User of a roommate here to keep him in check, as well as the King and Queen right next door. Accountability buddies were his new lifeline, and without it, he was certain he didn't have the willpower to steer away from desperate claws for remedying nasty withdrawals.