Reviews :
Firesong-Writes : FRIENNNNND. Thank you -so much-. I know I'm an emotional wreck through all of it. I really appreciate what you said about Ace, even though he's no longer a main character in the saga, I still adore his character. He's amidst the 'tighter' group of individuals that are around for the first half of the 6th story, holy shit I almost just typed out the title of it. I have yet to reveal that, hopefully sometime this summer. But truly, thank you so much for catching up and stuff! I'm so glad you're enjoying everything thus far, even if it is super sad and emotional haha
Burgie : Thank you for your review and your support! Yep, though... Novus is such a softie, it's more like Gideon trekking half way down the road and Novus caving and meeting him half way haha. Their relationship continues to be tested, especially towards the end of the story, in themes that make it seem as if Novus will no longer be 'needed' any longer. Something Gideon has to prove isn't true.
Snake557 : It's all good! Yeah, Elley is a sweetheart. The chapters with her, Gideon and Sezeke are among my favorite cause it's just Sezeke wanting to bully Gideon into oblivion and Elley battling to like desperately baby Gideon at all costs haha
A/N : Alright... I had about 2 months away from writing reunions, and I really thought about it. Sezeke's name is in the story, Sezeke's name gets passed on to his grandchildren, Sezeke and the Favor family are pivotal to this story, the 6th AND the 7th story, so... I felt it only right to revisit this scene and write a proper reunion scene for Kepa, Elkuorra and Sezeke, after everyone had expressed that they were excited for it, as well. Thus making this chapter now massive lol. I'm glad I got to have distance, cause writing this many reunion scenes in the span of a week was really exhausting, but I'm glad I got space and had time to come back and do a proper one for Elkuorra and Sezeke.
I also need you guys to know... In the -entire- history of this saga, the near decade I've been writing, I have... -never- ever ever, gone BACK and written. I've never rewritten, I've never jumped ahead. To back-track and add in scenes from already-written and completed chapters is entirely unheard of from me. This scene, although small and 'predictable' felt too important to leave out. As much as I would want to dive ahead 10+ chapters and write scenes I'm excited for, I don't. And, a much smaller occurrence or 'likely' would be me returning to already uploaded chapters and rewriting. So understand that this is extremely rare, never happens, and I guess is only deemed for scenes I find entirely pivotal lol. I have heard you guys express excitement for Elkuorra's and Sezeke's reunion, so on top of all of this, I wanted to show appreciation for you guys and do you a 'favor'... The lot of your guys reviews persuaded me, so I really do hope you guys enjoy :)
Also... I hate to do this, but due to the length of this chapter, I'll be skipping this Wednesday's upload again and will be back this Friday with Chapter 190. Enjoy you guys :)
Song Listened To :
Photograph by CHPTRS (Alt Version)
*Chapter 189*
"You're so beautiful, Kippy, lookit you," Elkuorra whimpered sweetly as both women pulled apart. Nearly the same height, Kepa's teary gaze peered hard into her mother's beautiful blue eyes, she was stunned she was even having this conversation with the one woman she was certain was long gone. Elkuorra tightly inhaled a shaky, gasping breath and so tenderly stroked Kepa's cheeks with her thumbs as she held her precious baby's cheeks and face in her trembling hands, "I've never seen a prettier molt, lovey... I'm so happy you've found me."
"I-I can't even believe this," Kepa staggered tearfully, she gripped her mother's upper arms and did everything she could to keep Elkuorra tight in her gravity lest she slip away and her imagination proved to her that this was just a lovely dream. Kepa stood in the stillness of her mother's dim, delicious smelling kitchen, she flattened her ears and shook her head, "I have so much to tell you, I have so much... On my heart."
"Me too, baby," Elkuorra whispered with a nod, though before she could spill just how she got here and how it all pertained to their future, involving Vye, Kepa stiffened and long-blinked more tears down her cheeks.
"I-I have to call dad, I reunited with dad, I have to get ahold of him right now," Kepa staggered in sharp reanimation as she dug her hand into her sweatpants pocket and retrieved her phone; with trembling fingers, she thumbed for her father's information.
"Right now? U-Uh," Elkuorra sagged her ears, and though the words coming out of her mouth seemed to prove that she wouldn't want to see Sezeke right this instance, it was more in the vein that she couldn't believe any of this was happening, so quickly to boot. Elkuorra nervously tossed her big blue eyes in the direction of any shred of a reflective surface and tried to tidy her hair, "Do I look okay? Should I change?"
"No, User, no," Kepa whispered sweetly as she tucked her phone to her ear with one hand and grappled her mother's with the other, "No, mom... Dad won't be concerned about how you look, believe me..."
"Hey Prinka, where'd you go?" Sezeke's polite, deep voice answered the call, having the previous idea that him, Kepa and Beaux were going to meet up for a small, lazy evening hang out.
"Hey, dad, uhh..." Kepa staggered loudly with a trembling, teary giggle as her and Elkuorra tightly held eyes. Kepa gripped her forehead and erupted into full giggling of disbelief, she could hardly even understand just what was all taking place inside this very odd, out-of-body thirty minutes she had just endured.
"What's wrong? Where are you?" Sezeke pushed in now fatherly concern as he could hear Kepa's tears, though he reeled in confusion as she continued to stagger giggling out into their call.
"I'm in Sugar Rush, Gideon came home, and uh..." Kepa's voice wildly shook as her and Elkuorra now sweetly erupted into teary laughter with one another, "Uh, you're not gunna believe me, but I'm literally here with mom, as I speak."
"Y-You're-..." Sezeke stabbed in a crackle of unwinding confusion, he huffed Beaux a seemingly nervous, confused though comforting departure and could now be heard leaving whatever building he was in, due to windy feedback, "Where the hell are you? What are you saying? You're at the palace?"
"Yeah, I-I have no idea WHERE in the palace, but... I-I'll head back to a more opened area so you can see me, but you should definitely get here as fast as you can," Kepa beamed, she gave her mom's hand a small squeeze as she could see Elkuorra now look as if she was en-route to delightfully panicking.
"I'm on my way," Sezeke demanded in a stagger of crumpling shock, though as they hung up the call, Kepa scuffed in the action of rushing to her mother's front door and returned so to grip her mother's upper arms.
"I-I'm gunna go get dad, we'll be back in a second, okay?" Kepa staggered tearfully, Elkuorra fervently peered into Kepa's eyes and now looked as if she needed a swing of sisterly love out of her daughter, a show of an adult relationship with her child that melted into something that Kepa could definitely relate to.
"Kippy, I-I'm so nervous, I haven't seen your father in almost a whole decade," Elkuorra squeaked, as cute as a button, her nose wrinkled in a show of real terror her diamond pupils made obvious, though Kepa grinned and shook her head in the rush to shush her mother's adorable worries.
"Dad's gunna FLIP, he's not going to even know how to breathe in this situation, he's missed you more than I can express in this whole night alone, mom," Kepa rushed sweetly, she jostled her arms a little and softened, "He's still madly in love with you, he talks about you daily... I'm gunna go get him, I promise, you won't be disappointed."
"Y-You sure?" Elkuorra whimpered nervously as she equally gripped Kepa's arms in a swing of camaraderie, "Do I look okay?"
"You look GREAT, mom," Kepa whimpered into a small bout of tears as she wrangled her arms about her mother's shoulders and saddled into a squeeze for dear life. Kepa squeaked her a final conclusion over her shoulder before pulling away and preparing to rush out the door, "I'll be RIGHT back, don't go anywhere."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Elkuorra nervously giggled, and as Kepa rushed out the door and vanished temporarily, Elkuorra staggered a terrified noise of rushing, delighted urgency as she pressed to her bathroom and now did everything she could to hopefully tidy her already tidy hair and appearance.
Having jogged down the long, glass-domed corridor that leads from the flyer's enclosure straight to the main palace grounds, Kepa skid out into the soft grass of the palace's lot and urgently peered up to the cloudy Sugar Rush sky. She largely flung her arm into the air and refrained from yelling out, just as she saw her father's incredible wingspan cross over into the palace's lot. She meeped a small noise and made her waving a bit more urgent, though slumped in relief the second she could tell Sezeke spotted her, due to his rapid decent to her point on the grid. With a scuff of a land a dozen or so feet off, Sezeke stabbed his dimly glowing yellow eyes tight to hers and froze in rocked surprise, he shook his head in disbelief and scoffed a small, trembling chuckle, as if seeing Kepa's true molt, the thing she had been dying for this whole time, was the one thing to truly make him believe, once and for all, that this was all entirely real.
"Kiprinka," Sezeke barely whispered on the wind, he long-blinked in full disbelief and was floored to see his youngest daughter's incredibly beautiful molt, the splay of Gideon's artwork he had previously seen on her stone figure, now proudly sport on her fur in vibrant stripes of perfection. Sezeke uttered a soft laugh as the two closed in, and with a huge grapple of a hug, Sezeke lifted Kepa off the ground a little and swayed her back to her feet as her arms slapped about his broad shoulders. He lovingly pet the back of her head and now looked beyond Kepa, down the corridor, in almost stinging, delighted terror. Once pulled apart, he focused again on Kepa's gorgeous new markings, "You actually saw Gideon? You spoke to him? Y-You told him..."
"Yes, all of it, he went home just a bit ago, he brought me to mom," Kepa whispered in staggering, teary giggling as she gestured down the corridor, "C'mon, she lives in the flyer's enclosure, she's waiting..."
"Kepa, this... This can't be," Sezeke hesitated as Kepa gripped his arm, tugged to press on, though Sezeke's falter caused Kepa to stiffen in a jar of a stumble.
"Dad, I wouldn't do this to you, I was JUST in her arms, I promise, it's her," Kepa whispered lovingly as she grappled her father's hand. He peered down to her in almost hopeless terror, the tears in his eyes had Kepa feeling scared for this unfold, the sheer amount of sorrow and happiness ironically about to implode in on the Favor family was something she was very rapidly understanding couldn't be stopped, she shook her head and sweetly continued on, "Please... Let me show you. You two are such worry warts."
"I-It's actually her?" Sezeke staggered tearfully, usually a man of great composure, it all flew out the window in this great reunion, and with a nod, both beings urgently began to storm down the corridor in a rush that Kepa was grateful finally happened.
With no hesitation from here, the scuff of their hefty clawed-feet to Elkuorra's adorable front porch, Kepa was just about to ensure that Sezeke could step inside and seal his fate, though he fervently flung himself into the house and didn't care for knocking, for pleasantries, for a cued chime of announcing himself. With his hefty push and shove into Elkuorra's house, he firmly glossed his eyes about, landed on the glowing individual in the kitchen and felt the world roll to a halt. The two locked eyes in a whirl of impending unfold, the embrace of a lifetime, the hot, molten vat of their love still burning strong, Sezeke grit his teeth and meeped his love a small whimper of her name, still in rocked disbelief. It was here did Kepa grin through her tears and watch as her father firmly powered into the kitchen and engulfed her mother into the biggest, swallowing embrace he could ever afford. Kepa exhaled a long, trembling breath, shut her mother's front door behind her, locked it and sagged her back to the wood in full, final relief. She knew she'd get a chance to dive in for a group hug, though she narrowed her eyes and watched her beloved parents come unglued in the swaying, grappling embrace they had most definitely earned.
Kepa clutched her sternum and tearfully watched as Sezeke's long, powerful tail wormed about the backs of Elkuorra's littler ankles, the grapple of her arms about his strong neck, the way his huge arms obviously had the strength to lift her off of the ground in an effortless swing, though managed to keep her hovered for the sake of resisting the urge. Their tender, muffled little cries into each other's shoulders all finally concluded with the gorgeous unravelling of both of their wings, the firm encompass of Elkuorra's much lither, beautiful tan wings about Sezeke's much bigger body now firmly engulfed by the huge scoop of a hug his much scarier, darker dragon wings took about her little figure, and just like that, she nearly vanished entirely in his protective grip. Kepa panted as she kept her back planted to the front door, eager to allow this visual to marinate in the back of her brain forever, the healing of trauma she most definitely needed, she finally sighed in smiling, teary relief and looked down to her lower arms all gorgeously ladened with Gideon's artwork. She squeezed her eyes shut, shook her head and was certain she'd never recover from truly believing this was all just a dream.
"I can't believe you made it out, I can't believe it," Sezeke's deep, nasally voice so tenderly whispered onto Elkuorra's littler shoulder all gorgeously lined with golden, creamy fur. The two just barely pulled out of each other's gravity, though only enough to look each other in the eye. Their tangle of limbs, wings and tails remained as Sezeke firmly cupped Elkuorra's wet cheek in his much larger clawed hand, he stroked her grinned face with his thumb, just under her eye, and whispered onto her lips, "Oh, I'm never letting you out of my sight ever again... This much time passed between us was entirely unbearable... Please tell me you weren't harmed coming here."
"No, I'm safe," Elkuorra whispered into Sezeke's face, the very smell of his person-scent, the peer of his handsome, intelligent golden gaze, the feel of his arms tightly woven about her little body, it was only here did she finally feel as if she could count herself as perfectly safe from harms way, "I'm safe, now..."
"I love you," Sezeke whimpered quietly into her face as he squeezed his eyes shut. Not sure how to navigate their rekindle of love, not sure how to press on like no time had passed, he choked a teary little chuckle and mumbled her the sweetest notion of curiosity, "Can I please kiss you?"
Elkuorra flattened her ears, lulled her eyes closed, shook her head just barely in soft, scheming disbelief, as if to ensure that he didn't even have to ask, and with a grapple of her littler arms about his broad neck, she tightly pulled him down into a ravel of an embrace all lovingly dolloped with the sink of their first kiss in ages. Thick inhales of teary disbelief, a soft slide of arms and wings about each other's body in a mess of an embrace, the two slowly stirred in full belief that this was surely something they'd wake up from, though as their kiss intensified and melted out of a soft smack concluded with soft, murmuring laughter in between the press of more kisses to come, the two eventually eased into the press of their foreheads. Whispery notions of finalized love filled their tight bubble as Kepa so patiently stood and watched her parents shed a world of love all over each other, a sight she had only ever dreamed about.
"Tonight's gunna be a long night, I got a billion questions," Sezeke choked a small laugh as the two were all grins, their tightly woven embrace finally began to loosen as Sezeke stood a bit straighter and now did what he could to source his youngest daughter, "For both of you ladies, quite frankly."
"C'mere, baby," Elkuorra chimed lovingly as Kepa's parents tenderly unfurled one of their wings, each, and broadened the gape of an embrace as if to make clear they now wanted Kepa to join them.
"I love you guys," Kepa whimpered as she firmly pushed off of the front door and rushed into both of her parent's embrace, once and for all.
"We love you," Elkuorra whimpered as she nuzzled her face into the side of her head and fervently fell into old routines of scent marking and tame, temporary grooming, one that had Sezeke squeezing his eyes shut in a further hit of delighted disbelief as he wrangled his huge wings about both his mate and daughter, now firmly protected in his huge, fatherly embrace.
"This is all I've ever wanted," Sezeke tearfully whimpered as the three stood tightly grappled, though Sezeke re-opened his teary gaze and aimlessly glossed about Elkuorra's dim kitchen, "...Just one little bean missing."
"Yeah, she..." Elkuorra flattened her ears as the three were continuously lost in teary murmurings, and though the group hug remained tight, Elkuorra staggered soft cries into the center of Sezeke's chest and gripped her arms about Kepa's shoulders in a fervent show of motherly protection, "She risked her life so Gideon and I could be here... She's surely still alive, but... I hope that one day we can have her here, in this group hug, as well..."
"This is all Flint's fault," Sezeke's teary voice grumbled in a darkened show of full rage rising from the dead, he glowered down the room in aimless hatred towards Flint, a man that had definitely messed with the wrong crew. Sezeke tightened his grip about both women and laid a promise into their foreheads as he sweetly crowned both women with kisses to their skin, "If I ever see that man again, I'm not holding back..."
"Probably a conversation for another day, but..." Kepa flattened her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, "I'm with you."
"I believe in miracles," Elkuorra stated in a soft whimper of a conclusion as she bobbed a nod and squeezed her and Kepa tighter into Sezeke's embrace. She sighed on Sezeke's chest and could feel the molten pit of vengeance and rage begin to light their little family unit on fire. Although nowhere near ready to take action just yet, she knew it was all upon them, she stabbed her adamant blue eyes into the bend of Sezeke's strong, scaly shoulder and ushered the three a notion of an outward dare into the universe, "This is Favor's game, now."
In a stir of soft downs, Kepa wrinkled her nose, fluttered her eyes and felt a rush of warm, abundant love hit her heart, all at once. She peered across this new, temporary sleep space, her mother's dimly lit bedroom was orange with the hit of late morning sunshine. Kepa sighed, sagged into the bed the three had shared and felt her skin crawl with a huge embrace of full camaraderie she was previously desperate for. The night was very long, having rolled well into two and three in the morning, entirely full of reuniting Sezeke with Elkuorra, endless embraces, teary stories shared, a full dinner made, Kepa buried her head into her pillow and cuddled deeper into the bigger downs she now laid splayed in all by herself, though the night had most definitely consisted of a huge, cuddly dog-pile with her mother and father, a mess of tails, fur and scales, a bounty of heaven she was shocked was all hers. Before she could think about snoozing for much longer, her ears prickled to the lovely, infectious sound of her mother's warm giggles that emanated from the kitchen, nearby, and with a sit, Kepa rubbed her eye and noticed the bedroom door was barely ajar. It was clear her mother and father were enjoying the morning together, a long bout of alone time Kepa was certain they were due to soaking up as much as they could.
Kepa grunted to a sit, reached for Gideon's red hoodie, thrusted it over her body, relished in his now fading scent from it and was firmly reminded of her rather short encounter with him. Although she was grateful he had stepped aside and knew to give her all the time in the world that she needed, with now both of her parents, she itched to be with him, once more. Torn, due to being incredibly upset with him and desperately wanting to just lay in his arms, she slowly swung her mother's bedroom door open, stepped out into her cozy, carpeted abode and was eager to seek the council of both of her parents. Shyly, she rounded into the kitchen, unseen and unheard, the vision her sleepy eyes met with was as if living in a dream, a reality she still wasn't sure was actually all hers. With the slow, silent scuff to a halt, Kepa gently sagged her arms to her sides and watched her mother and father tenderly interacting with each other in actions they thought were simply outside of anyone's view. They had their backs to the open entry way of the kitchen, they stood at the stove as they seemingly made a late breakfast together. The smell of hot coffee brewing, the delicious wafts of bacon and eggs, Kepa lulled her eyes closed for a moment and reopened, deliriously overjoyed that her eyes didn't deceive her.
"Remember that one time I connected all of these with a marker?" Sezeke quietly murmured down into Elkuorra's little shoulder, he stood behind her and so tenderly traced his big claws about her right forearm, which carefully jostled about and prepared the eggs she was cooking. He tenderly counted the adorable little freckles on her right arm and traced in slow, sensual little spins as he smiled onto the top of her now scrunched shoulder, she emit a shy giggle and curled her tail tight about the backs of Sezeke's bigger ankles. All three beings were dressed in lazy shirts and sweats, coziness that marinated throughout every action they took, this whole morning sung with renewal of familial love. He whispered into the fragile little furs on the cusp of her adorable cat ear, "Constellations..."
"Yes, I remember, it took like two weeks for it to fade from my fur," Elkuorra so cutely giggled as Sezeke firmly pressed a few kisses into the side of her face and wrapped his arms in a tight weave about her smaller waist. He squeezed her into the front of his body and watched her methodical hands continue away.
"I can't wait to be alone with you, again," Sezeke so quietly whispered into Elkuorra's ear, though just as Elkuorra's tail gingerly began to weave about his, Kepa wrinkled her nose and now blurt a shy giggle.
"Uh, child present," Kepa muttered as Sezeke stiffened and peered to Kepa over his shoulder, though as he stammered on a shy, smiling apology, she shook her head and pressed to the fridge as if to insinuate she was joking, "I can leave the house, if you guys need."
"Your father can hold his horses while we have breakfast together, for the first time in nearly a decade," Elkuorra cutely muttered into her chore, though the two stole knowing, ogling glances into each other's eyes.
"How'd you sleep, love," Sezeke wondered to Kepa as he loosened from Elkuorra's presence and pulled Kepa into a scoop of an embrace.
"Great," Kepa sighed with a lull of her closed eyes as she slumped into Sezeke's front in a lazy droop, though as Sezeke held her up and brushed her messy white bangs from her eyes, he grinned in warm delight and assessed the now stark, beautiful markings on her face.
"...I'd say Gideon has a steady hand, these lines are insanely clean," Sezeke muttered cutely as he leaned down and obnoxiously gave Kepa's snout a firm kiss, "Too bad I'll be eating him alive, later."
"Dad," Kepa groaned as she rolled her eyes and now huffed out of Sezeke's presence, she pushed to the dining room table, which was cutely snug against a big, round window that overlooked a rather lush little pond area, outside in the flyer's gorgeous, jungle enclosure; huge purple and red flowers bloomed just outside, an exotic feast for the eyes.
"You'll be doing nothing of the sort, you two sit," Elkuorra snipped with a cute smile as she nudged Sezeke's shoulder, though he secretly clipped her rear in a swat as she jolted in the preparation to begin plating everyone's breakfast. Sezeke hissed a sneering little chuckle as him and Kepa sat down next to one another, to which Elkuorra playfully tsked him an annoyed noise. As she brought Sezeke and Kepa a cup of creamy coffee, she completed it with full plates for all three of them in a final sit with her almost complete family, "Gideon's a good kid, Seze, I don't need you scorching our one chance at grandchildren."
"Uh, hi, not even thinking about that, right now," Kepa muttered, her hair was a wreck, she tucked Gideon's red hoodie up over her head and gripped her coffee cup with both hands as she sagged said frothy, steamy goodness into the sniffling of her adorable snout.
"Yeah, except his hoodie is now becoming one with your fur and is likely growing it's own ecosystem," Sezeke mumbled playfully as he began to eat, though he sharply jolted as Elkuorra swat his upper arm with the back of her hand; he choked a laugh, as did Kepa.
"If you and Gideon had kids, I mean... Granted he makes it out of a conversation with me in one piece, you guys would have wild hybrid children... Kittens," Sezeke mumbled as he finished chewing, though with even the continuation of the topic of grandchildren, Elkuorra smiled in perked delight and allowed Sezeke to carry on, "One third lion gargoyle, one third dragon gargoyle... One third human-gamer."
"But ALL adorable," Elkuorra whispered happily, her ears perked high in full delight, she fidgeted in her seat and lovingly peered into Kepa's eyes, and though Kepa looked as if she was relieved that this whole mess was now settling and was hers for the taking, Elkuorra still sagged in warm apology and tilted her head, "I guess we never really touched on how your reunion with Gideon went, love, is everything okay? Are you guys alright?"
"Yeah, we're alright, but..." Kepa shook her head and only picked at her food; due to being used to not eating, the idea of it still sat with her in nauseating grief, as if she had to relearn how to operate like normal. She frowned into her parent's eyes and shrugged, "I'm just... SO angry with him, like... So angry. I don't even want conversation with him because I fear I'll just yell at him, endlessly. How did you guys ever combat feeling angry towards one another?"
"Well... I think it's different for your mother and I because, well..." Sezeke sagged, stole forlorn glances with Elkuorra and peered his apologetic gaze deep into Kepa's, "Your mother and I haven't ever done anything near as drastic as what Gideon's done... Your anger is entirely justified. You had to grieve his loss, and now... You kind of have to grieve his poor decisions, even though he's back in your life."
"He'll answer for it in ways you won't expect, it will be a season of struggle, Kippy, this huge of a betrayal won't technically be easy to just forgive overnight," Elkuorra mumbled in apology, she shook her head and have Kepa a loving smile, nonetheless, "Each day with him will get easier... You guys will relearn how to do life, once more, and one day, you'll look back and feel lifted of all your anger."
"But, surely he's aware that you're angry, like... He's not just waltzing back onto palace grounds thinking he has it all, again, right?" Sezeke stated in fatherly authority, Kepa shook her head and lulled her eyes closed.
"No, not at all, I read him the riot act, I dragged him for filth... And he took it like a man, he said I have every right to feel angry and that he expects it," Kepa sighed as she aimlessly peered out the window.
"Aww, he's so sweet," Elkuorra wistfully whispered, her whiskered twitched in bunny-wriggling delight, to which Sezeke cocked an eyebrow and looked down to his plate.
"Yeah, super sweet," Sezeke darkly muttered, though he flinched the second Kepa firmly laid a hand over his, on their lovely little dining room table; he raised his eyebrows in prickled delight and held eyes tight with Kepa in stun.
"Dad... Please, I understand you're protective of me, but I promise, your attitude towards Gideon isn't helping," Kepa whimpered through big tears, and it was here did Sezeke sag his shoulders and peer his humbled eyes tight into Kepa's in full apology, "You have EVERY right to be upset with Gideon... We're all mad at him in one way or another, but I feel like I'm battling YOU now, and it really sucks. Dad, I molted in his name, like promised. I told him I loved him last night and, hate to break it to you, but we kissed and sort of made up, as much as possible, anyways. I may be incredibly angry with him, but I'm also incredibly protective of him..."
Sezeke sighed through his nose, bobbed a soft nod and looked down to their now conjoined hands. As much as he wanted to weep and usher her notions about how he was desperate to protect her, he lulled his eyes closed and knew he'd get his conversation with Gideon, he knew to ease up, at least around Kepa, for the sake of her fragile feelings.
"I know you're protective of me, and mom and I are your first priority... She's your mate, I'm your child," Kepa tenderly rattled, she flattened her ears and gave her father a loving little smile of teary delight, "Gideon's my mate... And, who knows what one day will bring, maybe mom will get her wish, but... Gideon's my first priority. I know that's probably not what you want to hear..."
"No, no, it's... You're right," Sezeke whispered with a nod of humility as he sighed and looked down to his hot coffee, "I'm sorry, Kippy... I just love you. I got you two back. I don't want anyone messing with you or breaking your heart, even if it is the man that caused your molt. I'd go to war for you."
"I love you, papa," Kepa sighed with a smile, to which Elkuorra was now cutely dabbing her eyes free of tears, "I love you both. I can handle this season with Gideon, I just need guidance. I don't think Gideon's stupid enough to ruin this a second time, but... On the horrible off-chance that ever happens, dad, then yes... I give you full permission to go dragon-mode, then and only then... Okay?"
"I still gotta have my chat with him," Sezeke mumbled, to which Kepa sighed, lulled her eyes closed in defeat and bobbed a nod.
"Just PLEASE don't scare him off... I-I kind of am in love with the guy," Kepa muttered tiredly, "The lighthouse? The sketchbook? The hoodie? Uh, my FUR?"
"Can't get rid of Gideon no matter what, love, he's stuck with all of us," Elkuorra mumbled cutely, as if to seem warmly delighted by the notion.
"Well, you have his number again, Tessa gave him that limited-access phone, why don't you call him? Find a chance to meet up and just get some reassurance?" Sezeke lovingly suggested as the two held eyes, though in the swing of easiness, the three began to fall back into eating, once more, with the clinks of their silverware, "Got a big day ahead of us, this evening, anyways."
"What? Why?" Kepa nervously wondered as she glanced between her parents.
"Moving day," Elkuorra chirped as she chewed, "Tessa came over earlier, while you were asleep, and gave us a rundown of what's going to be taking place. Sezeke will be moving in here, with me, Beaux's properly moving in with Ace, annnd..."
"Surprise, Tessa and Lash are going to bring the lighthouse to Sugar Rush and fix it to the enclosure, next door to us," Sezeke brightened, Kepa long-blinked in full surprise and sat perked with the new information hitting her, "On TOP of all of this... They're moving the palace closer to the ocean."
"Uh, wow... Big day," Kepa staggered nervously, she felt her heart begin to thud, "W-wait, am... Am I going to be moving back into the light house?"
"Yeah, is that something you'll be okay with? Now that Gideon's here," Sezeke pressed softly, Kepa held her breath and felt a hit of mixed feelings, something Elkuorra caught onto.
"Lovey, you should have Gideon help you get settled in the lighthouse... That way, you don't have to ever be inside your guys sacred space without one another," Elkuorra sweetly advised, "Don't muddy the switch with anger, I know you'll want to remain angry but... Just allow him to help you get settled, make the transition easy, and then part ways if you feel as if you can't have calm, constructive conversation with him."
"I think sooner or later, hard conversations need to be had, though," Sezeke instructed, Kepa soaked in every ounce of their authoritative, well-seasoned suggestions.
"That's true, but hard conversations can be constructive, you know this," Elkuorra mumbled warmly, Sezeke shrugged and gave Kepa a warm look of assurance.
"Why don't you finish your breakfast, then give him a call... Ask him to help you get settled, after the official move, and maybe tell him, point blank, what you expect from here on out," Sezeke gently laid out, "You have to be clear with Gideon just how to proceed, from here... Sure, you confessed, reunited, it was all amazing and full of roses, but... You're now melting back into reality and being blindsided by hard arguments and discussions could make it all unravel. You have to be transparent with each other, set boundaries, make obvious that you're angry and hurt and make clear to him JUST what you expect."
"Men are not mind readers," Elkuorra muttered in teasing dismay as she shot Sezeke an annoyed look, though he sharply furrowed his brow and gave her a wide, incredulous grin which had her erupting into a giggle fit of youthful love they abundantly flaunt; Kepa easily giggled, as well, and marinated in the love her parents returned to as if no time had ever passed, a comforting notion of promise for her own future.
"Your mother is right," Sezeke mumbled in dismay as he playfully eyed her, one more time, before giving Kepa a happy nod and a smile, "Be clear, keep a level head, state JUST what you need, cause... In all honesty, he's in no position to argue any needs or boundaries you present. You could ask anything of him and I'm positive he'd give it, hands down."
"Yeah, he made that abundantly clear last night," Kepa sighed, her eyes welled with more tears as she brushed her white bangs out of her eyes and grimaced, "User, this is... So exhausting."
"I know, lovey, I know, but you're doing great!" Sezeke so lovingly cooed as he gripped Kepa's little shoulder and squeezed in a jostle. Kepa sniffled as she wiped her tears and gave her father a crumpling little smile of bittersweet gratitude, "You did it! C'mon, don't be so hard on yourself. You manifested your ass off... Reap the rewards, from here on out. Gideon's clearly ready to help you to those rewards, so own it. Show up for yourself, make clear to Gideon just what kind of a fiery catch he almost lost, y'know?"
"Thanks, dad," Kepa whimpered as she brushed her bangs from her wet eyes and bobbed a nod, she finally began to pick up her fork and officially eat. After a few chews, she nodded and heaved a sigh through her nose in continuation, "I'll call him after breakfast... Super weird that this is my reality, now."
"Just one phone call away, it's like a dream," Sezeke agreed as him and Elkuorra caught eyes in grinning delight, "Hard work pays off. All of us can afford to bask."
"Gideon, you keep coming back to this cutesy tiger design for the kitchen mat," Beaux noted with a cute little giggle, to which Gideon beamed a fresh smile and rolled his eyes as Beaux and Tessa erupted into louder laughter.
"Caught red handed," Tessa mumbled cutely as Gideon rubbed his forehead in tired glee; all three sat lazily lounged at the sunny kitchen island in Gideon's and Beaux's spire, Sugar Rush's sunshine cut the room in half with a glow of irresistible heat, the huge bay windows, that opened to their huge balcony, a layout that mocked Callum's old home, held the view of Sugar Rush's entrance, far off, as well as the gorgeous mountain ranges off to the East. The three lazily scrolled through a huge catalogue of a nearby furniture and home decor store, one of the largest ones in Orion City. A pick of all the things they wanted and would pick up later in the afternoon, Gideon mumbled a small notion about tigers to himself in musings, to which Tessa side-eyed Gideon in sweet knowing and shook her head, "Lover-boy's got a fancy tigress of a girlfriend now, from what I've heard."
"Kepa? Tigress?" Beaux questioned cutely, to which Gideon sucked in a huge breath and felt his face get hot in smiling shyness.
"She molted, her pelt is very tiger-like," Gideon warmly revealed, Beaux raised his eyebrows in full surprise and grinned.
"Aww, good for her!" Beaux encouraged lovingly, to which Tessa smiled knowingly into Gideon's eyes.
"I was visiting with Elkuorra and Sezeke this morning... I didn't see Kepa though, cause she was still asleep," Tessa mumbled in playful disappointment, though just before she could continue, Gideon's phone suddenly started ringing. He furrowed his brow and peered to Tessa in confusion, as if to prove he wasn't aware that his own phone was the one ringing, "Uh, Gid, y'gunna answer that?"
"... O-Oh! Oh, I haven't had a phone in so long, I forgot," Gideon rushed to a firm stand, yanked his phone from his sweat's pocket and peered to the caller ID; seeing Kepa's name across his touchscreen had his heart leaping clear from his chest, though he jostled it a little and eyed Tessa and Beaux, "Oh, it's... Kepa."
"Go'head," Tessa lovingly encouraged as her and Beaux continued scrolling for home accessories and furniture, Gideon swallowed a nervous gulp and answered the phone.
"Hey," Gideon sweetly pressed, though he sharply flinched as Kepa exhaled a huge sigh of relief and erupted into tears.
"User! You answered, oh my User, you answered," Kepa loudly cried, it was clear she was outside somewhere; Gideon furrowed his brow in warm confusion and faltered a nervous breath as her teary voice pressed on, "Gideon, I used to call your old number all the time and you never answered but this is the first time you've answered! I'm... I-I'm so sorry, I just..."
"It's okay, I'm here, I'm here," Gideon patiently assured, and though Tessa and Beaux carried on with one another, they sagged out of it due to the stiff stance Gideon took, as if he was ready to jolt into action and find Kepa, "Are you okay? I'll answer every time, Kepa, I'm right here, I promise."
"Thank User, I can't believe you answered," Kepa wailed in full tears, such harrowing, sad noises that were loud enough for Tessa and Beaux to hear, and with such, they peered their incredibly sorrowful gazes tight to Gideon's as he equally returned the look of forlorn grief. Kepa sucked in a trembling inhale and did what she could to quell her tears, "I-I just was going to call to see if I could meet up with you and talk with you, but I didn't expect to be kicked in the gut, like this, hearing the phone ring and then rolling to an automated voicemail, but instead... Y-You answered! Two months of this hell, Gideon, I'm so sorry, I'm just..."
"It's alright, Kepa, it's okay now, it's going to be different from now on, okay?" Gideon urged nervously, his eyes easily welled with tears, as well, and with such, Tessa warmly rubbed up and down his lower arm in soothing reassurance as he shakily carried on, "Why don't you come over, we can talk outside, okay? Tessa and Beaux are here, we're just furniture shopping."
"Yeah, I-I'll be over in a second," Kepa whimpered tearfully as she sighed Gideon a trembling conclusion, "I love you, Gideon. I love you."
"I love you too," Gideon warmly revealed, and with such words, Beaux and Tessa brightened, as if it wasn't real until they actually heard it for themselves. Gideon scoffed a cute, teary chuckle as Kepa kept repeating said notion, as if she could hardly even begin to get the weight off of her chest, "I love you too, Kepa, I love you too. I'm on palace grounds, love, I promise... Come on over, and we'll talk, okay?"
"Okay, I love you," Kepa volleyed fervently, she prayed this wouldn't get annoying to Gideon, he cutely chuckled and lulled his teary eyes closed.
"I LOVE you, Kepa, okay? I'll see you in like two seconds," Gideon grinned like an idiot as the two cutely ended the call, and as he caught eyes with Beaux and Tessa, Beaux raised his eyebrows and looked down with a smile.
"Damn, sounds like you two aren't bouncing back AT ALL," Beaux playfully teased, to which Tessa burst into happy laughter, alongside Gideon's teary grinning.
"I think we'll be okay," Gideon cutely concluded in a sigh as he began to step towards their front door, "I'll be back soon, I'll just be outside. I don't know how long she'll need, but... Yeah, I'll be back."
"Take as long as you want, bud, we'll be here," Tessa lovingly assured, and as Gideon quickly excused himself, Tessa heaved a long, dreamy sigh and tossed her eyes down into Beaux's eyes, "Put the tiger-design kitchen mat in the cart... He clearly wanted it."
"We should find other tiger items, while he's gone," Beaux mused in smiling, scheming delight that Tessa's eyes lit up to.
"I like where your head's at," Tessa snipped with a giggle as the two continued to browse.
