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Burgie : absolutely! Long road, slow burn... you know the drill haha


*Chapter 191*

Light noises off of the city traffic nearby, a group of girls giggled across the outdoor patio, Tessa and her small little group sat cozy under a huge red table umbrella at one of their favorite burger joints in Orion City. Though this outing was simply to get Beaux and Gideon some new things for their fresh start of a home, Tessa wanted to make sure Gideon saw the sun, enjoyed normalcy, she did everything she could to at least try and segue him into a swing of familiarity. Due to the near week Gideon had of proper rest and code-cycling, Tessa and Zed felt it best to get Gideon out in the sunshine, to slowly become familiar with normal, every day life, to understand that he only had a tiny window to rebuild his confidence to be out in public spaces before he either had to hide away, or don some form of a disguise, lest he be unfortunately recognized for all the wrong reasons. Tessa had noticed Gideon had become far more sensitive to light and sound, to a hindering standard, and though she definitely didn't want to chuck Gideon out to the wolves, she knew going out and about, in a safe environment, with a safe group of individuals who adored him, was going to help him in the long run. Even still, Tessa felt her heart break at the raw image before her.

Sat tight into Gideon's side was Kepa, both beings were dressed in cozy, light coats and pants, Mara had tagged along with them last minute, as well. Beaux and Tessa sat across from each other, to which Mara sat directly across from Kepa and Gideon, at their small square table. Everyone happily munched away at their food and fountain sodas, even if Kepa was only just barely picking at it, though in silent assessment, she noticed Gideon lightly hunched in on himself. He kept nervously glancing down and to his peripheral anytime anyone walked by, he nervously picked at his fingers, and in the act of biting his lip, it also involved lightly clacking his teeth against the piercings that hooked over his plump bottom lip. Tessa was floored Kepa joined in on their outing, she was clearly Gideon's rock, anytime the anxious jostling of Gideon's leg got a bit too fervent, she would slide her hand firm to his thigh and ever so softly mutter silent, adorable little notions into the side of his face, shushing that had his almost teary eyes fluttering in dreamy relief, Tessa did what she could not to swoon at how sweet and methodical their relationship had become, even after all of this insane hardship.

"Gideon, I've been thinking of getting piercings, but I'm scared, did your piercings hurt really badly?" Mara mused sweetly, Gideon raised his eyebrows in dewy, brightened softness that seemed to quell his twitching, nervous antics; he beamed a shy grin and bobbed a nod.

"Oh, yeah I nearly blacked out," Gideon grumbled cutely, he gestured to the piercings on his lower lip and grimaced, "I got these first. Yeah, it sucks, but... I like 'em. What did you want pierced?"

"Yeah, Mara, what did you want pierced?" Tessa muttered loudly as she chomped on a fry, to which everyone erupted into laughter as Mara sagged in on herself and peered tight into Tessa's eyes. Tessa narrowed her gaze and beamed a cheeky smile in her granddaughter's direction, "Don't make me tattle on you, young lady."

"Oh, my mom would be fine with it," Mara huffed in smiling annoyance, she gestured to Gideon in surging fervor, "My mom has a huge sleeve of a tattoo down her right arm, my dad all across his chest, and Gideon, well... C'mon."

"It's art, Tess," Gideon grumbled cutely, he cocked an eyebrow and glanced into Kepa's eyes, "Piercings are no exception. It's expression. Let the girl live a little."

"What would you get pierced, Mar?" Kepa mused excitedly, Mara shot Tessa a cheeky look and shrugged.

"I don't know, now I'm scared to say anything," Mara mumbled as she tucked her straw to her lips and rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, you know I'm just pulling your leg," Tessa sweetly mused in understanding.

"Wait, so... What are you to Beaux and Mara, again?" Kepa innocently asked Tessa as she gestured between the three.

"I'm their grandmother," Tessa ushered in smiling humility, Beaux finished chewing and gestured to Gideon.

"Making Gideon our GREAT uncle," Beaux cheesed lovingly, Gideon rolled his eyes and shyly smiled down into the food he was desperately trying to focus on eating.

"Emphasis on great," Mara murmured, Tessa sighed and shrugged.

"You kids do what you want, it's your faces and your bodies," Tessa stated in warm conclusion, "I can't imagine how badly that must've hurt, Gid... And all the tattoos? Holy hell."

"Yeah, my first night trying to sleep was..." Gideon faltered his words, huffed a trembling breath and now felt a wash of guilt plague him.

All eyes curiously peered to him in swings of warmth, though he grimaced and wondered if somehow acting normal about his experience with drugs would be damning. He glanced his terrified gaze into Kepa's, to which she sagged her ears and honed her attention tight to him. With love, she firmly rubbed his upper back and tilted her head.

"What's wrong?" Kepa worried, Gideon felt tears sting his eyes, to which he finally sat a bit straighter, looked away from the table, up to the sky and firmly blinked his eyes, so to keep from crying.

"Aw, uncle Gideon," Mara soothed sorrowfully, she tucked her chin into her hand as she also reached her hand out and rubbed his arm.

"Um, I'm... I want to be honest with you guys, but it's really painful," Gideon whimpered shyly as he wiped his eyes free of tears, "I want to freely talk about it, but I'm so tired of hurting you guys, y'know?"

"Does it have to do with..." Tessa halted, sorrowfully peered into Kepa's eyes, and though she had only just received the information of Gideon's drug use, the weight of it all never got easier. Tessa heaved a long, hot sigh through her nose and was desperate to keep this ball moving, to keep this an open, safe space for Gideon. She shook her head and glanced her eyes about her small crew here and nodded, "Gid, if you WANT to talk about it, if it will help you process and compartmentalize your pain, then we are all ears, bud. Nothing here is taboo. We'd love to hear about any of your experiences, okay? This is a safe place, and we all love you."

"A lot," Kepa added firmly, Mara giggled and bobbed a nod.

"Thank you... Y-Yeah, if I'm being honest with you, dope is the reason I got through the rest of my piercings and tattooing... I wasn't tattooed in sessions, Jukkit had this HUGE like... Laser thing, it fucking... SUCKED," Gideon croaked as he wiped his eyes, sat a little straighter, suddenly his experiences in The Block felt like they were about to overflow out of him, he scoffed a teary chuckle and was happy to see that everyone held their eager, patient gazes tight to him, "It was cool, though, I mean... Drugs really helped take the pain away, it was the only reason I got sleep for like the first month or so... Not... Technically proud of it, though. Jukkit and Albar eventually felt bad and, well... They helped me, a lot. I miss them..."

"What were they like?" Beaux kindly wondered, Gideon visibly continued to brighten, and in answering Beaux, he cutely tucked a few fries into his mouth and continued after a few chews.

"Oh, man... Albar was SO kind, he had all sorts of cool stories he told from his past. Jukkit was an artist, he did everyone's piercings and tattoos. I apprenticed under him for the last month I was there," Gideon sighed with a widening smile, he sat straighter, he suddenly came alive, his tremors were minimal.

"So weird that we only have that tiny glimpse of them on tv, we wouldn't know ANY of this from the show," Mara mused excitedly, Tessa nodded and dragged her gaze to Gideon in a narrow of enchanted understanding.

"Well... I think the rest of the world would be able to say that about Gideon," Tessa stated lovingly as her and Gideon caught eyes in a swing. He sagged his shoulders in her sweet words, his handsome, scarred, chiseled face so smartly and beautifully cocooned by his gorgeous tattoos all crafted down his jugular and broad shoulders, ladened his temples and the sides of his face, he gave her a loving little smirk and held every last ounce of his original self in his golden eyes alone. Tessa silently gasped a small little breath that was taken away from her, she tried not to also lose herself in tears as Gideon's fiery, passionate soul beamed her blind in one single glance. She patiently carried on, "I'm glad you're telling these stories, we know nothing about the other winners... They're all seemingly lost souls, wonderful beings that maybe got wrangled into something they sought, once upon a time. I'm positive a world of good things could be said about Vye, huh Kepa?"

"Yes, absolutely," Kepa huffed in dire wonder, she bobbed a nod as everyone sweetly peered to her, "She's... User, the greatest big sister... She's so witty, her and my dad would just go back and forth all day long, they were HILARIOUS."

"Misunderstood," Beaux warmly insinuated, Kepa firmly nodded.

"How are your parents doing, by the way?" Mara stiffened in remembrance and beamed.

"Oh, wonderful," Kepa rolled her eyes and eased a playfully disgusted smile down into her food as she prepared to take another bite, "I came out of the room this morning and overhead my dad beginning to tell my mom about how he can't wait until they're alone..."

"Ohhh," Mara loudly cooed in full giggling that Tessa loudly joined in on, Beaux covered his mouth and grinned behind his hand.

"Sounds like Sezeke, what a dog," Beaux muttered cutely, all notions that had Gideon cutely peering into the side of Kepa's face with a smile as they sat snug to each other.

"Yyyep. Day one and it's time for me to move out," Kepa grinned as the table erupted with laughter, except Gideon, and though he was smiling and joining along in quiet chuckling, he often sagged in and out of being mildly overstimulated by all the noise around him.

"Y'got the lighthouse to fall back on," Tessa stated in certain, encouraging warmth.

"I still have yet to meet your dad," Gideon mused tenderly, though Tessa sharply furrowed her brow and shook her head with a giggle.

"... Bud, you met Mr. Favor on your first day of Pre-A," Tessa muttered, though Gideon sharply froze in full shock and looked as if he definitely didn't have this information.

"...Ohhh shit! Did Gideon not KNOW?" Mara ogled as she covered her mouth, Kepa perked her ears high and dragged her eye contact tight to Gideon's in a swing of cute, smiling surprise.

"Y-Your father is... MR. FAVOR?" Gideon loudly gawked, the whole table erupted into happy laughter, and though Gideon looked smiley, he also looked as if he was on the verge of panicking.

"You two were best buddies, once upon a time," Tessa murmured, Gideon sat back and looked off into space in full-circle realization.

"Holy shit, I knew your father before I knew you, User, had I known that was your dad... Wow," Gideon hissed in full, enchanted wonder as he smiled into Kepa's eyes, she beamed a cute smile and bobbed a nod.

"Yeah, he would often tell me about how you were so doughy and cute and innocent, at Pre-A," Kepa listed, Mara choked a laugh and shook her head.

"Yeah, he mentioned your first day and stuff," Mara added, Gideon clutched his chest and shook his head.

"He's verrrry excited to reconnect with you," Kepa muttered in a swing of sarcastic dread, to which Gideon raised his eyebrows in a prickle of nervousness and dart his eyes to Mara's, Beaux's and then Tessa's.

"W-wait, what?" Gideon worried, Tessa grit her teeth and looked off.

"Oh, stop, you'll be fine, Sezeke's such a softy," Mara affirmed, though Kepa sharply looked down and bugged her eyes.

"Yeah, you never were at the other end of his fatherly tirades, he's a thoroughbred dragon gargoyle," Kepa mumbled nervously, though just as she was about to carry on, the traffic nearby suddenly erupted into a sharp screech of brakes, tires and loud horns, such eruption of noise that had Gideon jumping clear out of his skin.

His purple coding blipped about in chaos, he covered his head, ducked down to the table a little and peered up from his hunch in a full swing of startled terror, though as this small bout of city-life noises only made the group turn their heads in a swing of surprise, Gideon was suddenly rocketed into full panic that the group cued to. Kepa stiffened, lovingly held her hand firm to Gideon's back and tilted her head down in a swing of concerned sorrow.

"It's okay Giddy, it's okay, just some traffic," Kepa lovingly soothed as he slowly returned to a normal sit, though he anxiously tugged at the chest of his hoodie, he firmly looked over his shoulder in wide-eyed panic, the tremors in his head and arms now became prominent and obvious. He trembled and sharply panted through his nose, and though the traffic and mild, noisy altercation passed, Gideon sharply looked up and about himself as if he was now due to being attacked. Kepa gingerly leaned in front of Gideon's line of sight and was grateful to catch eyes with him, his pupils were tightened to specks, the fear in his gaze was beyond palpable, "Easy, lookit me, you're okay, love, you're alright."

"S-Sorry," Gideon murmured, his deep, raspy voice trembled. He gripped the table, rotated his body and now looked about the other bend of his shoulder, he acted like his head was on a swivel, he trembled and was on the lookout for no shred of danger anywhere, just sunny, saturated city-life.

"Giddy," Kepa soothed as she firmly rested her hand to his lower right arm, he turned and fixated on her, once more as she lovingly cupped his cheek and kept him gripped, "It was just a car honking their horn, there's no danger... You are safe."

"I'm way overstimulated," Gideon whimpered nervously, though just as his teary eyes peered hard into Kepa's, he flinched in soft surprise the second Tessa eased her hand to Gideon's lower left arm, as she sat on his left side, and skillfully muted his hearing with the kiss of her sharp, intelligent silver coding tight to his skin. All at once, every single sound ceased to nothing but soothing white noise in Gideon's head, and it was only here did Gideon sag out of the chokehold his brain had him in. He fluttered his eyes, peered to Tessa's sweet, smiling face of bittersweet understanding and uttered her a soft notion, even though he now couldn't hear himself talk, "User, thank you... Holy shit, thank you..."

"Okay, so... Let's see, he's overstimulated by bright lights and lots going on around him, an overabundance of sound seems to be the final straw," Tessa mumbled sweetly as Gideon rested his forehead into his palm and sagged in on himself. He silently marinated in the silence only he was in as everyone around him kindly carried on with the knowledge that he couldn't hear them, "Guys, these are all things we failed to see, from the beginning... I think the main reason Gideon never joined into conversation, or even the act of including him seemed impossible is because we were ALWAYS hanging out in huge, noisy groups. We have to find a way where he can escape into no noise areas, have smaller, quieter hang outs, or... In instances like these, where noise can't be avoided, we need to equip him with the ability to dull or mute sound."

"I agree," Mara fervently ushered as Kepa lovingly rubbed Gideon's back and sat tight to him in full support, Tessa sweetly rubbed his lower arm as he very quickly began to calm down in his own little bubble of silence.

"His heart rate is through the roof, right now," Tessa stated in a small twinge of heartbroken sorrow, "This is something we HAVE to be diligent about, from here on out. This is our second chance, guys. He communicated that he was overstimulated, but it was nearly too late."

"Yeah, I was noticing it the second we sat down, but it seemed to come in waves," Kepa mused nervously as her tail lovingly hooked about his lower back and full circle into his lap, his big fingers lovingly grappled her tail and began to fervently stroke and feel the soft fur on the tip of her lovely tail, an aid in calming down, so to have something soft and velvety to numb his rushing brain with. Kepa grimaced and noticed that in the hang of his head, a few tears sharply fell from his eyes directly into his lap. She sweetly reached up and stroked his right cheek free of tears with the backs of her knuckles, "The thing I've noticed about Gideon, too, is... He has SO much to say, he wants nothing but to share his own experiences with others. Even though talking about drugs and his piercings and all that was difficult, it was more him being worried how we'd receive it, not so much how it'd make him feel. He wants to share, and I think that aided in distracting him from all the noises going on, y'know?"

"He likes to teach, we know this, he applied for that teaching position at Murphy's, remember?" Mara mused warmly.

"He also made clear he apprenticed underneath Jukkit... We need to give him room to teach us everything he's learned, he's obviously desperate to share," Kepa lovingly soothed as she now softly pet the back of Gideon's head.

"His coding is so fragile, too... This was a nice step in the right direction," Beaux eyed Tessa in mild apology, "Mom, I have this same sensory issue. I'm a master at masking and deal with it internally... Gideon, on the other hand?"

"A man so full of expression," Tessa sighed wistfully she watched as Kepa's tender fingers continue to wipe Gideon's tears, "He wears his heart right on his sleeve."

"And he has intense PTSD, clearly... Car horns wouldn't previously be enough to shake him, like this," Beaux shrugged, Kepa wildly furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head in full agreeing to Beaux's words.

"Oh no, not at all, we'd ALWAYS go to busy spots in Turbotime and he seemed totally fine," Kepa assured, "He would occasionally be cranky AFTER the hang out, which... Wasn't ever coupled with winning Game Over by a landslide, doing drugs, skulking the dark web and escaping within an inch of his life. This wouldn't seem like a big deal to us, but... We vowed to relearn, I'm glad we had this experience, right now. Cause I don't think any of us, but Beaux, would understand."

"Yeah, I know what it's like, truly," Beaux mumbled gently as him and Tessa caught eyes in a swing of dread, "It's isolating... And, it hurts cause then no one seems to want to understand your odd predicament because others can't relate."

"Yeah I've... Dropped the ball, I'm still learning," Tessa bobbed a nod and heaved a shaky sigh, and though she could feel Kepa's urgent, upset stare harden into her eyes, she was relieved that Kepa seemingly was sparing her of any verbal frustrations, as if she potentially was able to fly under the radar strictly because Kepa could see that Tessa was now en-route to being a better big sister. Tessa sweetly rubbed Gideon's arm and very slowly brought Gideon out of having his hearing muted, to which he inhaled a huge breath and lifted his head, so to recollect himself with the group. Tessa apologetically smiled into his eyes and hovered in readiness, "I'm sorry, bud... That previously has happened to you a lot, huh..."

"Yeah, i-it just gets to be too much, sometimes," Gideon murmured nervously, and though he still looked about in a show of wariness, he had largely calmed down.

"Beaux, did you want to get with Zed and I tonight to see what we could add to Gideon's coding, so he could mute sound whenever he needs to?" Tessa instructed, Beaux bobbed a nod and gave Tessa a snarky smile.

"I've already done it to my own coding, so yeah, it'll be an easy addition," Beaux snipped cutely, Gideon fervently nodded and peered to Beaux and Tessa in a swing of desperation.

"Don't worry, bud, we'll make sure you're set up with everything you need, okay?" Tessa pressed, she offered her hand to him, she was glad that he lifted his shaking hand and sagged it into her hand with a grip and a squeeze.

"Thank you," Gideon sighed shakily with a nod, he gave Kepa a little smile of assurance and bobbed her a nod as if to silently express to her that he was okay.

"Anything, anytime," Tessa warmly assured.