Reviews :
Burgie : What sucks is it's all sunshine and rainbows and frolics in the park before it gets incredibly messy haha. I feel bad giving everyone a false sense of security sometimes lol
Snake557 : Seze's just being a dad, not all crazy and scary... But you'll see :) And yes! I love Lickity, she was my first dragon, and namely my car that's been in my life since I was 10, so very special obviously. But certainly Novus comes close! I love all the flyers dearly, I really love Boss and Royal, as well.
*Chapter 194*
"I low-key wish you hadn't have told me about all three of the other winners," Kepa mumbled sorrowfully as her and Gideon slowly pressed to the lighthouse front door. Having spent the last hour hearing all about Gideon's experience with competing in Game Over, a long laundry list of things that still needed to be expanded on was something Gideon kindly made clear he'd save for tomorrow. Having only discussed his experience with the competition, his traumatizing fight against Chase, and meeting all three winners, which eventually included Vye, the two were now due to parting ways for the evening. Gideon slowly reached for and gripped the front door's round handle and hovered as Kepa continued, his eyes peered down to hers in patient kindness, "They seem really cool, like I'd want to hang out with them. Makes this whole 'jump back into it and save everyone' ordeal sound terrifying."
"It's not something we have to worry about, right now," Gideon grumbled as he kept the door shut, both beings stood in front of it in patient anticipation for Gideon to swing it open to the cool, nighttime ocean breeze that Sugar Rush had to offer, "I have a LONG way to go, in terms of healing... All but my glitching abilities are muted, due to the corruption, I'm terrified to have wrecking and manifesting turned back on."
"I forgot about the corruption, what happened? You said Callum did that to you?" Kepa worried in a spike of suddenness as she peered down to Gideon's mildly trembling arms.
"Yeah, that's... Another hour of conversation, in of itself," Gideon grumbled sorrowfully, though with a thick inhale, he nervously cued his glitching abilities and allowed his purple coding to splay his hand and forearm in a gorgeous show of coiled, swirly grid lines. Kepa perked her ears in awe, though peered into Gideon's defeated gaze in a swing of apology, "He basically ripped my powers out of me, I didn't get any of it back until your mother brought me home and I was able to reset, officially."
"So, Callum just HAS your powers," Kepa worried, she sucked in a tight breath and shook her head, "He can wreck, glitch and manifest now?"
"Yep," Gideon grumbled, though he furrowed his brow and shook his head in cheeky understanding, "But... He has a VERY damaged, overloaded version of my powers. Even I couldn't get a grip on it, from time to time, due to, well... The substances I abused."
"So, you're saying, he kind of has a bootleg copy of yourself, and now your powers are clean and reset?" Kepa cued, though she softened and took note that Gideon was beginning to look totally drained by continuing on, for such a long time, like this. Kepa flattened her ears, shook her head and eased a kind smile, "That's okay babe, let's... Put a pin in this, we can pick back up tomorrow, or whenever you deem comfortable. Did you have any plans tomorrow?"
"Well, tomorrow morning, I'll be going over to my uncle Rancis's house to tell him everything that's happening, and try and convince him to move back to the palace," Gideon grumbled sorrowfully with a shrug, "You're welcome to come to that, if you'd like... That's Callum's father."
"You think he'd want me there? Who else is going?" Kepa worried, Gideon shrugged at her first question and tiredly carried on, his deep voice began to croak with promised sleepiness.
"It'll be me and Tessa, we're going to try to go before quarter alerts, my mom and dad might tag along, Lash said to call him as back up... Gives you an opportunity to meet my father, huh," Gideon gave her a kind smile and narrowed his eyes in tender question, "Have you met him just yet?"
"No, I have no clue what he even looks like, I keep thinking surely I'll see him, but... Yeah, I haven't just yet," Kepa mused nervously, she eyed Gideon in cute delight and now felt her heart begin to thump; she knew Vanellope well, though wondered just what Gideon's father was like, just the kind of man that Gideon likely mirrored.
"I can take you to my parent's house first thing, to introduce you to my dad, he's been dying to meet you," Gideon mumbled cutely, he finally opened the front door and began to step outside, "He's texted me like four times today asking if you and I were getting along okay... Which is code for, 'please bring her over, I'd like to meet her'."
"I'd be honored, I'll be awake in time," Kepa nodded, her heart fluttered, she was floored she was being included in on these kinds of things. Gideon gave her a smile and began to look as if he was due to preparing to separate himself, though Kepa clutched the chest of Gideon's red hoodie, that she religiously wore, and peered to him in a swing of reserved terror, "Uh, Gideon?"
"Yes?" Gideon wondered cutely as he peered back to her and scuffed his heels in the sand, though he largely frowned the second he peered to her figure hung in the gape of the doorway, eclipsed by the dim interior lights due to Sugar Rush's nighttime sky being moonless and very dark.
"Well... The last time you walked out this door, you, uh..." Kepa grimaced a little, into the back of her hand, and tried to remain collected as she squeaked her conclusion, "You didn't come back..."
Gideon tsked her an apologetic noise and fervently closed their gap, with a swallow, he scooped Kepa's adorable, beautiful figure into a huge hug and buried his face into the top of her head. With a shush of love as she silently pressed her wet cheeks into the broad of Gideon's shirt, he firmly pet the back of her head and breathed a long sigh into her gorgeous white hair.
"I promise, this will not be the last time we see each other," Gideon patiently reassured, "I'm headed straight for my spire, Beaux and I will likely continue unpacking the kitchen and our bedrooms, and that's where I'll remain. You can call me at ANY time, and User forbid you're not convinced, I don't care what time of the night it is... If you need me to come over and comfort you, or reassure you that I'm still here, I will. You can call me at any hour, and I will pick up."
"Y-You sure?" Kepa whispered into his strong chest, he smiled into her hair and gave her a solid squeeze.
"Positive," Gideon whispered, and with a firm few kisses into her forehead, he tucked his finger underneath her chin and caught her in a few firm smooches of which he eventually hummed a cute, quiet chuckle on her teary, smiling face. He quietly whispered down onto her lips and held her tight into his chest, "I'm at your mercy, babe."
"Dangerous, really," Kepa murmured warmly, and as Gideon gave her a few more kisses, he finally began to slowly pull away with held eye contact, a show of promise that he'd return. Kepa gingerly waved and bit her lip a little, "Can I text you before I go to sleep?"
"Text, call, knock on my door, whatever you desire, it's yours," Gideon fervently assured with a nod, to which Kepa heaved a quiet, satisfied sigh and waggled her fingers in her little lean to the gape of the sturdy doorway. Gideon called to her from their broadening gap, "I love you."
"I love you more," Kepa called with a small giggle, to which Gideon shot her a cheeky grin of only playful disapproval and flagged his hand.
"I'll argue you on that later," Gideon muttered cutely, and as the two concluded with a kind wave and final, departing notions, Gideon finally turned heel and slowly pressed across the dark sand, so to cross through the dimly illuminated tunnel that lead into the flyer's enclosure, to which would hook an immediate right and continue on to the palace's main grounds.
Gideon sucked in a huge inhale and smiled, although his and Kepa's conversation had been really long, cleanly woven with questions and answers, only maybe littered with a few rouses of frustration, he still felt as if he was grateful that she was willing to hear him out and keep an open mind to everything that had gone down. Gideon felt his heart twist in confusion as he stepped into the flyer's massive, jungle enclosure. How desperately he wanted to dive into the thick of it and find Novus, he squeezed his eyes shut and hooked a hard right so to begin pushing himself out of the enclosure. Novus had made his boundaries clear, and though he wanted to solve all of these problems and relieve tensions from all angles, he knew he needed to let this all breathe. With tomorrow morning being rather large, he knew he needed to go home and get some sleep, though just as he was due to leaving the grips of the enclosure, he flinched as he heard a voice off to his left.
"Mr. Gideon Fox," Sezeke stated in a swing of loving, fatherly charm, though as Gideon scuffed to a hard halt and firmly peered across the huge dirt path that wove into jungled mess, in the enclosure, he gazed hard into a pair of dimly glowing yellow eyes, Sezeke's tall, terrifying silhouette was merely eclipsed by his and Elkuorra's front patio light, a gorgeous, quaint little jungle home now properly upgraded to fit the both of them.
"... Mr. Favor," Gideon huffed with a broadening smile as both men caught in the swing of cute, remembered camaraderie. He bravely approached Sezeke from the pebbled path that lead up to his and Elkuorra's home, though as Gideon approached for a friendly handshake, which was definitely reciprocated, Gideon peered up into Sezeke's haunting, yellow dragon eyes and suddenly felt a lob of cement form in his stomach. He silently gulped and tried to bravely continue on, he now understood just what this little reunion was swiftly going to be about, "Been awhile... How have you been?"
"Oh, juuust... Peachy," Sezeke stated in clean, authoritative sarcasm, though as both men dropped their firm handshake, Gideon sucked in a silent inhale of rising terror as Sezeke rested his broad hand to Gideon's shoulder in a firm few pats, "I'm wondering... Y'got a small amount of time to spare? I'd love to have a chat with yah inside, would that be something you're willing to do?"
"Yes, sir," Gideon immediately agreed to, he knew faltering or saying anything other than yes was to his absolute detriment, though as Sezeke gave Gideon's shoulder another firm pat and a squeeze, Gideon's little smile dropped to full dread the second Sezeke turned around and cued for Gideon to follow him.
Gideon felt his head swim, he was already exhausted from the day, the outing he had earlier, the huge bout of moving and rearranging and unpacking, the huge conversation he had just had with Kepa, he held his breath as him and Sezeke eased through the threshold of their brand new little home and understood that he absolutely had to muster the fumes to endure this impending conversation with grace. With the firm clack and lock of his front door, Gideon politely held his hands to his front and now felt as if he had been lofted into outer space. Sezeke's and Elkuorra's new home was beautiful, dimly lit, smelled like fresh baking and cinnamon tea, everything from the terracotta tiles to the dark grey and green accents about their modern little home, Gideon felt a strange sweep of comfort and terror, something his tired brain had no clue which to land on. Sezeke kindly motioned for Gideon to come into the kitchen, and as he turned on a nearby ground lamp, Elkuorra's beautiful figure came into their sights. She stood in the bend of their beautiful kitchen with a cup of tea in one hand and her new phone in the other, she aimlessly scrolled with a smile though looked up in brightened happiness upon seeing Gideon.
"Gideon!" Elkuorra happily chimed as she set her tea and phone down, though as she pressed over to the two, all cutely dressed in a clean, white linen top and faded brown sweat pants, she finally scuffed to a nervous halt as Sezeke pushed into the kitchen, gestured for Gideon to sit at their kitchen table and looked wildly bemused, over all. Elkuorra cupped her adorable little hands to her sternum, her beautiful ears and tail sagged in full dread, "Seze, c'mon, don't... Do this..."
"Elley, I'm going to respectfully ask you to either let Gideon and I have a few minutes of privacy, or... If you must stay, I'd ask if you only step in to mediate," Sezeke muttered tightly, although he gave Elkuorra a loving little look of sorrow, he furrowed his thick brow and shook his head, the pain in his eyes was real, something Gideon was beginning to quake over.
"I'll be good," Elkuorra whispered sorrowfully as she sat down on the side of their round table that was closest to their big, round kitchen window, which was properly curtained for the night. She cutely folded her hands in her lap, sat back and gave Gideon an apologetic little smile, to which he grunted to a nervous sit and peered to Sezeke in a roll of full understanding.
"Gideon, I'd love to sit here and reminisce with you and really pick your brain about this whole Game Over experience, but... You know what this conversation is really about, you know what needs to be addressed first and foremost," Sezeke rattled as he sat back.
Although not nearly as big or beastly as Ralph or even Oliver, Sezeke was still a terrifying force to be reckoned with. A thoroughbred dragon gargoyle, he had big hands with even scarier non-retractable claws, including on his much bigger, scaly feet. An anthropomorphic being just like Kepa, Vye and Elkuorra, he had dark, almost iridescent grey scales that clad his face in a splay of pebbling, his deep-set yellow eyes that glowed, the strong, prominent features of his face, the terrifying promise of huge canines set a bit deeper into his mouth, the muscles on his arms and chest that he boasted, Gideon gulped a nervous swallow and now vastly understood that Sezeke's proper, covered-up attire at Academy was not only professional and formal, but massively hid the beast that was underneath it. Now that Sezeke was before Gideon in nothing but a thin black tank top and lazy grey sweats, Gideon sat still and could see the sheer, terrifying power Sezeke exuded by just the draw of a thick inhale his big rib cage took. Although Gideon knew he wasn't here to fight Sezeke, in any sense of the form, he almost grit his teeth and understood that any battle with this man would be a full challenge.
"Yes, sir, I'm... I'm well aware," Gideon mumbled in gentle humility, he knew he had successfully skirt around Sezeke for the whole day, it was clear that Sezeke likely was wishing this meeting was something he could've successfully snatched Gideon earlier for said difficult talk, though now that a whole span of added twenty four hours had passed since missed opportunities, Gideon almost wondered if Sezeke's wrath would've been easier to endure long ago, instead of it marinating into something angrier for tonight. Gideon bobbed a nervous nod and looked down to the table with a frown, "Kepa warned me of this. My guard's down, I'm eager to hear what you need to tell me."
"Good, cause you don't have much of a choice," Sezeke stabbed quietly, Gideon flinched and felt his pupils tighten as he noticed Elkuorra flatten her cute ears in disapproval and look off. Sezeke sucked in a gentle breath and rested his arms on the dining room table all three beings sat at, "Gideon, I know you're already well aware of the torture you put Kepa through... I'm sure she's probably tossed you around a good bit, already, huh?"
"Yeah, she... Yeah," Gideon bugged his eyes and looked down to the table in aimless dread, "She was screaming in my face."
"Gideon, if my daughter hadn't have molted in your name, if she wasn't still so insanely head over heels for you, I would look you dead in the eye, right in this second, and tell you to never even look my daughter's way ever again," Sezeke meanly growled, he furrowed his brow and held his terrifying, authoritative gaze tight into Gideon's, "Because she is LITERALLY stuck with your art on her body, an act more permanent than a code swap, because she is so crazy for you, because I adore her and know for a fact that she makes wise choices... It is among the only shred of a reason I'm even so much as willing to find some form of common ground with you."
"Yes, sir," Gideon huffed softly, he knew he could puff his chest and make clear that he was still a Game Over winner, through and through, and likely anything he wanted could be his, he felt rocked from Arcade and understood that Kepa was someone's precious daughter; not just anyone, but the terrifying creature mere feet across the table from him.
"There is something in you that chooses to be flighty, and I am confident of this because I set you up for Pre-A, for Academy, I watched you ditch and never return..." Sezeke side-eyed Gideon sharply and narrowed his harrowing gaze. Gideon froze and felt now entirely called out, he held his breath and only now saw his flighty behavior as a continuing pattern. Sezeke pointed one of his scary claws down into the wood of the table with a thud and demanded full attention, "You gave my poor daughter the world and then viciously ripped it away from her. I don't care what kind of shit was going on in your home life, the way you tore her heart out, stomped it to a million pieces and chose the dark web over her security is something I'm not sure I'll get over, soon. I single handedly did whatever I could to make sure she so much as ate. Showered. Slept... You ruined her, and in that, you ruined me. Ruined me for continuing to so much as even like you."
Gideon nodded in nervous understanding and didn't dare waver his eyes from Sezeke's, though his face flushed red as Sezeke pointed out the curtained window and cocked an eyebrow.
"Elkuorra and I have a front row seat, here, to the light house's front door... While you're over there shedding kindness her way, making out with her for us to see, I'm over here terrified that you're going to pull another vanishing act," Sezeke stabbed through the grit of his fangs, "She tells you that she loves you and suddenly you guys just so happen to fall back into old routines? Everything's just hunky-dory and you get to have your cake and eat it too?"
"With all due respect-"
"ANYTHING you say, right now, will not come across as due respect, so shove it," Sezeke fiercely interrupted, the bass in the sheer strength of his voice trilled through a terrifying dragon-like growl that formed at the core of his big being, it was here did Elkuorra nervously rest her littler hand to Sezeke's lower arm in a grip.
"Sezeke," Elkuorra tenderly warned, Sezeke softened and glanced into Elkuorra's nervous eyes, "Gideon's giving you space to be angry and speak your peace, Gideon deserves to have conversation, too. You want him to stand up for himself and prove he's a good man for our daughter? You have to let him have a healthy back and forth."
"Sorry," Sezeke seethed, though he took a few deep breaths and did whatever he could to try and calm down.
"... With all due respect, I don't have that mindset," Gideon tenderly covered, "I'm not thinking that this is a 'have my cake and eat it too' situation. I'm not well... And Kepa knows that. I have a world of struggles I need to battle, Kepa and I have vowed to reserve space for each other in the promise that our relationship can be built upon slowly. I'm in no position to be reckless... I've been reckless enough for ten lifetimes, and I can't even begin to express just how deeply I regret everything I've done, how much pain my actions have brought everyone, especially Kepa."
Sezeke remained silent and patiently peered into Gideon's eyes, he was surprised Sezeke was giving him more than just the time of day, so he cautiously pressed on with as much confidence as he could possibly muster.
"Sir, I may have nearly ruined my life, Kepa's life, everyone's lives, but... I will never... EVER put Kepa through this kind of thing, ever again. I kick myself daily, I can see the gloss of pain in her eyes, I see the way she looks at me," Gideon sharply stated, he began to feel said muster of confidence snowball into a genuine feeling, "The amount of tears I've caught in just these past twenty-four hours alone is far more than I ever wanted for our whole lifetime. I HATE that I'm here with her and she's still grieving. I haven't just arrived back and am soaking all of this in... I'm having to rebuild Kepa's trust single-handedly. Sure, I gave her a goodnight kiss, just now, but what you haven't seen, for the past two hours, is an insane amount of back-and-forth about the 'what now' and 'what will be'."
"You murdered thiry-seven gamers, you lived the life of a winner for two months, you have so many dark and horrible secrets underneath your skin, how can I ever believe that you're just a changed man? Everything you ever endured isn't something toxic that will spill into Kepa?" Sezeke rushed in fearful desperation, "I've lost EVERYONE in my family, in some way or another, at one point... Now that I have nearly everyone back, I'm not about to lose Kepa again, even if it IS to you..."
"I'm an open book to Kepa, there are things Kepa currently knows about me that no one else does," Gideon dared, "I know you hate me and you hate what I've become, I know you hate the game and I know you want it all dismantled just as much as I do. My head was so far up my own ass that I didn't see the perfect diamond I had right in my grip. You're right, I fucked it up... But, what Kepa and I have is sacred and rare."
Gideon sucked in a trembling breath and could see Elkuorra lovingly soften in his peripheral, and though he was holding strong and not allowing tears to slip through, just so much as seeing Kepa's mother become emotional over his words had him clenching his jaw in nervous restrain. He hurried to carry on.
"I confessed my love to her, and in the heat of it all, she froze and I fled. I made a knee-jerk, immature mistake, and I've been through hell and back more than enough times to fully understand that hurting Kepa like that wasn't worth running off to try and become something," Gideon pleaded sorrowfully, "Everything I am and everything I was to become was held right in her hands, I left thinking I could find myself elsewhere..."
Gideon was shocked that Sezeke was letting Gideon have these spans of conversation where he didn't butt-in, and with such, Gideon patiently pressed on, he spoke with his chest, he knew this was his chance to truly make clear to the two before him that Kepa was now in the best hands possible.
"I made the hugest mistake of my life, it's a whole entire miracle Kepa is gracious enough to give the likes of me a second chance. I am STILL pinching myself, every time she smiles at me, I can hardly believe she thinks I'm deserving of it, because I'm truly not. I'm well aware of that..." Gideon sucked in a trembling breath and frowned in the dreadful feeling of oncoming tears that persisted, "I left the arena because of the light house, because of your guys manifesting... She told me all about how you helped her. I know you wouldn't be having this conversation with me if you weren't fully aware that Kepa has made her choice, if you weren't fully aware that I'm not going anywhere."
Elkuorra perked her ears with the sudden swing of authority Gideon took over this conversation, she tried not to grin in shock as Gideon gently tilted the scales and sat a bit straighter in the near-victory he held in this tug-of-war.
"I'm... Wildly in love with your daughter, sir. I had a very real, stupid lapse in judgement, and I will clearly answer for my mistakes for likely years to come," Gideon shook his head and narrowed his pleading gaze, "I vowed to Kepa, just tonight, that I would never let anything like this happen ever again... I vowed to honor her molt, I vowed to see this relationship all the way through, I vowed to never hurt her EVER again. I'll give you two those same vows, I don't care who else has to hear it. I will never make her regret meeting me. I put her, and everyone else, through hell, though I am determined to iron this all out... I'm determined to seek help outside of Kepa, to make sure I'm held accountable."
"That's going to be found under this roof, at this table. If you're really speaking with your chest and you're wanting to prove that everything you're saying is true, I want to see true growth from you, daily," Sezeke stated with a nod as he pointed down to the table, once more, "I know all about your coding being robbed from you, I know all about your corruption, I know all about your drug use, I know just what those winners go through... I only had Flint's tellings, but it's been almost a decade of coming and going from The Arena. I know what those winners go through, and... As much as I want to shake you and make you pay for breaking my daughter's heart, I also want you to succeed, I WANT to like you again, Gideon..."
"I'm open to anything you need of me, truly," Gideon stated gently as he rested his hand to his chest and lulled his eyes closed, "I know I need to put in work, from all angles."
"I would appreciate you coming over every morning to have a chat with us... I know the ins and outs of what you've been through, I can help you compartmentalize and sort through any residual grief you may be feeling so it doesn't come about in the form of fighting with Kepa," Sezeke stated, and though he still shook with anger, he squeezed his eyes shut and was desperate to help mold Gideon into being the perfect match for his daughter, a match in which Kepa has made entirely clear she was set with, "Believe it or not, I want you and Kepa to succeed. She's incredibly fragile, and I've been told you have a quick temper, due to all of this. I'm sure she's probably told you that she's made room for you, and you can be each other's punching bags, but I NEED you to please utilize me, first and foremost... Please let me be the filter while you get on your feet. Please let me and Elkuorra counsel you."
Gideon sagged in a trembling sigh and peered his forlorn eyes tight to Elkuorra's in a swing away from Sezeke's, and as all three glanced into each other's eyes, it was only here did Gideon suddenly feel cutely glued to The Favor family. He eased a shy little smile and bobbed a nod of agreeing.
"I'd really appreciate that... My father has offered me something similar, added with regaining my wrecking ability back," Gideon mumbled sorrowfully, "I have to relearn how to be myself again..."
"I don't want any of that messiness spilling into Kepa, I want you to be able to reign in your quick temper and not hinder her... She'll tell you all day long that she can handle it, and she's happy to allow you to every single last one of your feelings, but while you're still trying to find normality, at least for a few weeks... I'm begging you to just treat Kepa like the princess she is," Sezeke heaved a shaky sigh and eyed Gideon in almost smiling knowing, "If this all does pan out and you two do end up seeing your relationship all the way through, she truly WILL be a princess, right at your side."
"Princess Kiprinka," Elkuorra whispered cutely as she shrugged her little shoulders, her whiskered broadened with the adorable little smile she donned, Gideon couldn't help but allow the same warmth sprawl his face as his cheeks turned red at the very idea of it all.
"I'm gunna beat you up a bit, but I'm doing this for the sake of my daughter, and..." Sezeke hesitated, though for the first time in this entire conversation, he dared to give Gideon a small wrinkle of a smile and a nod, "My future son-in-law."
"There he is," Elkuorra cooed cutely, Sezeke immediately dropped the warmth, rolled his eyes and looked off in hot annoyance as Elkuorra erupted a sweet giggle that mocked Kepa's perfectly, "Oh, stop being so grouchy! You got the heat off your chest, you told Gideon everything you needed in this instance, you're well aware Gideon is a good kid that maybe just made some bad decisions. You KNOW how much Kepa adores him, you are well aware you're not able to stand in the way of them being together."
"I know, I know," Sezeke mumbled as he heaved a refreshed sigh and looked down to his clawed hands, "I know you probably have a lot of other men on palace grounds that you could lean into, but no other man here, besides you, knows Kepa as well as I do."
"I'd be honored and would appreciate your mentoring," Gideon stated in humbled surprise, "I'm actually shocked you want to invest in me, like that... I will be honest with you, I do tread lightly around Kepa, I'm so scared to have an outburst or anything, I'm so scared to so much as be the reason she's frowning. This all rides on her decisions, I've made clear that even the grandest life outside of here isn't worth losing Kepa... She could EASILY decide to just be indifferent by the fact that she molted in my name, she could EASILY dump me and tell me it's not gunna work out between us. It's really then that I would lose genuinely everything to my name. I left behind every gamer's dream life, I came home because of Kepa. I'm in NO position to deny any shred of help, especially from someone of such importance that is her own father."
"Please, can we keep him," Elkuorra just barely whispered as she leaned onto the table and pawed at Sezeke's forearm in cute pleading, Sezeke largely rolled his eyes as Gideon dared to ease a delighted chuckle at the sight.
"I'm willing to help you, I think we both are, THIS one seems to think you don't have one SINGLE flaw," Sezeke muttered cutely as he eyed Elkuorra in playful annoyance, to which she shrugged and broadened Gideon a happy smile.
"We ALL make mistakes, no matter how grand. This is a time for unity, for relearning, for apologies, for forgiveness," Elkuorra shrugged, "Kepa wouldn't shut up about Gideon, yesterday, you remember..."
"Yeah, I know," Sezeke grunted in still playful dismay, "I've never seen her so passionate about someone..."
"So! You come over every morning, bright and early, we'll make you breakfast and coffee and we'll have a good, long chat before you begin your day," Elkuorra chirped excitedly as Gideon bobbed a small, agreeing nod; although he was now a little bummed that sleeping in wasn't apart of his agenda any longer, he knew being taken underneath Elkuorra's and Sezeke's wings was wise, in this season of his life, in which he knew he'd seek other seasoned beings, in his life, for different facets of counseling.
"I'll be here," Gideon confidently assured with a nod and a smile, "I know it might not mean much to guys now, but... I am deeply sorry for what I've done to Kepa. Please hear me when I say... I'm doing everything I can to make sure I do right by her, from here on out. I won't ever make those mistakes ever again."
"Thank you, for that," Sezeke stated with a long sigh and a small nod of rekindled relief, "We're gunna make sure you do right by her, as well. As much as I'm frustrated with you, I genuinely do want you two to succeed. She's absolutely bonkers for you, and I can see why. You've hardly given me a reason to continue being frustrated with you, which... Is frustrating in of itself."
"Dammit, I'm not trying hard enough," Gideon whispered to himself in cute self-berating as he fingered his lip and looked down, though Elkuorra erupted into a choke of laughter, laughter in which Sezeke now couldn't stifle any longer.
"AND he's funny," Elkuorra mused, to which Sezeke chuckled and looked down with a small, sneaky smile.
"You haven't won me over yet, kid," Sezeke stated in a playful tone of stern authority, and though the group was loosening, Gideon knew not to misstep, here.
"Hopefully one day," Gideon eased with solidified warmth, and though he knew tomorrow morning was already going to be a rather big deal, he lulled his eyes closed and was genuinely grateful it all was going to be kicked off with the strange swing of full, routine camaraderie Kepa's wonderful parents had just afforded him.
