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*Chapter 90*

Although Berri and crew were not required to, they still often snuck away to the gorgeous greenhouse and conservatory that Academy had so generously given Berri's and Tessa's hodgepodge of gamers access to, for lunch or during leisure hours. Sunlight harshly glinted into the conservatory on the edge of the glass-surrounded area, the faded, lime green tiles vibrantly glistened amidst said stark cut of sunbeam, giving the whole area a very lovely, homey and warm feel. Although there were a handful of staff members, and other high priority students amidst the murmuring headcount, lazily sat at tables or slouched in nearby lounge chairs, Berri found herself at the water dispensary. She tugged her lazy backpack further up her shoulder in a jostle of heavy books and notepads, and as she uncapped her water bottle, she eased the open gape underneath the movement-sensitive spicket and flinched the second it began to deliver her fresh, cold water into her slick, foggy bottle. She bit her lip in concentration and grappled the loved wrist strap, of her water bottle, though as the spicket sensed her bottle was full, it stopped and chimed her a dainty noise of completion. As she began to pull away, she flinched again in startled surprise as Gunner's excitable voice spurred something inside of her.

"HEY! I mean, I know we were talking about maybe meeting up tomorrow for practice, but whatdoyahsay we just head to my place, tonight, and knock it out?" Gunner quickly pressed, and although he wasn't being overtly loud or overbearing, Berri could feel her insides clench in anxiety-riddled PTSD; the raw fact of being startled outside of Sugar Rush was now something she knew her stressor marks wouldn't be happy about. Berri inhaled a trembled breath and, although she was fixing to give Gunner a potential positive response, she winced as her phone, in her back pocket, so daintily chimed a familiar little chime; the only chime dedicated to Turbo. She felt a sear of all sorts of emotions hit her heart, all at once, and she was floored Gunner at least took note of this as he carried on, "I mean, you... You maybe don't seem to excited about that idea, huh... Well, we don't have to?"

"N-no, it's fine, I just..." Berri staggered, and although her hand gently groped for the shape of her phone against the back pocket of her white-washed skinny jeans, she carried on with a bit of a fib she knew wasn't way too far from the truth, "To be honest with you, I'm not feeling too well."

"Y-Yeah, you... Look rather pale, are you okay?" Gunner worried in softness, the love in his eyes was beyond anything Berri could properly measure, and as his warmth sapped into her shivering soul, he eased his larger palm to her forehead in care. Berri lulled her eyes closed and relished in the feeling, and as Gunner pressed closer to her, his voice softened in adamance, "Bear, your... Your stress lines are coming back, are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"They are? For User's sake," Berri staggered nervously, she shook her head and opened her mouth to continue on, though she felt her heart jump in anticipation the second her phone gingerly buzzed yet a second familiar tune, signifying to her that Turbo had sent her another message on top of the last one.

"User, who's trying to get ahold of you so badly?" Gunner huffed a small laugh, and although his words were flat and plain, Berri eased her eyes into his and could sense a very gentle twinge of protectiveness come over him, a gentle touch of jealousy that somehow ignited a very unanticipated flame inside Berri's heart. She grappled her phone and rushed to ease Gunner's worries, though she side-stepped the inevitable.

"I-It's just my one friend, remember, the one on house arrest? H-His name is Bo," Berri ushered with as much confidence as she could, though she shut her eyes tight and shook her head, "I-I should be fine, I... I have a code therapist that I see every week, I... I'll probably just see if he can squeeze me in today."

"Yeah, and then after that, maybe go home and take a nap, or something," Gunner eased in soft worry, he shook his head and long blinked in a show of growing concern, "Can I take you home, Bear? Please let me at least see you home and get you settled."

"Aw, Gun, y'don't have to do that," Berri huffed a small, bashful giggle and shook her head in mild dismissal, though Gunner shook his head and quietly urged his point.

"Please, Berri, I... I'm really worried about you," Gunner eased softly as he lovingly sagged his hand into hers, in which she willingly gripped, "I-I know I've probably put you through a lot of stress, what with... Sneaking out and enduring the whole incident on the train, the countless photoshoots and tour meetings we've gone to, I know this is probably a lot for you."

"It is, but... I'll be okay. I have ways of getting these stress lines to go away. I told you, I have a code therapist I go to see, now," Berri fibbed, though she desperately did anything to get Gunner away from the idea that she maybe didn't have this under control.

"If you're sure," Gunner's voice lilted in mild concern as he shook his head and sagged his hands into his jean's pockets, "I... I guess I'll take you home, then, after Academy. I think Wren and Theo are still planning on joining me and Bedgy to go over a few things for the show, in a month."

"That's okay, I know they'll fill me in," Berri assured, and although she loved joining these meetings and dreaming about touring and shows, she somehow felt invigorated that she now had an entire evening off to do whatever the hell she wanted; her phone easily chimed another dainty little tune, almost as if Turbo knew she'd somehow have the evening free, and he was subconsciously begging her to hang out with him for the afternoon.

After an exhausting near-half an hour of trying to weave their way out of Academy, due to loving on some fans, coordinating with family and desperately trying to cross Game Central Station, Berri and Gunner successfully made it into Sugar Rush and onto palace grounds. With Wren and Theo paired off and on their way to EZ Living, to meet up with Bedgy and eventually Gunner, Berri was almost relieved her and Gunner could potentially have a shred of solid alone time, something that was extraordinarily rare. Although teleport pads were used to get from one end of the lot to the other, Berri figured avoiding the main teleport hub, in the larger, more heavily trafficked part of the palace, Berri figured just walking to her tower, from the palace's main kitchen, was wiser. Her head throbbed with the eternal pain of a solid eye-headache, the blinding pierce of the white snow they now gently embarked on seemingly stabbed into her retinas. Although she was due to grimace and remind Gunner just how terrible she felt, she felt the complaining evaporate from her lips the second his warm hand lovingly slipped into hers.

"I wish I could stay for the afternoon, Bear," Gunner's lovely, deep voice glossed the cold air with promise, the gentle breath of fog that trailed behind them misted away as his golden, honey colored eyes locked onto Berri's with a great deal of sweetness, "I really hope you feel better, soon."

"I think I'll just... Maybe take a hot bath, have a nap," Berri heavily sighed a fogged breath out to the cold air, as well, and as their boots crunched in the snow, they progressed closer to her lovely, glistening tower, and although she noted the footprints that easily splayed their way all the way to Berri's front door, she furrowed her eyebrows in contemplative confusion and figured maybe Throttle was inside. Certain that Turbo was with Chester, all the way at the edges of Orion City, the thought wasn't even a blip on the radar. She shrugged, lulled her eyes closed and was extraordinarily relieved she now had the entire afternoon to do nothing but relax and forget about everything and everyone, "I'll make myself something warm to eat, for dinner... Maybe some soup."

"Well, I hope you keep in touch with me throughout the day," Gunner pressed lovingly as Berri's swaying footsteps pressed into his vicinity, and as the two eased tighter into each other's bubbles, Gunner blurt a small chuckle and bashfully wrapped his strong arm about her shoulders in a squeeze as they continued walking, "No running off to said friend's house... What was his name again?"

"...Who?" Berri pressed in a lilt of confusion, though she felt her pupils tighten at Gunner's prodding, "Oh, oh, you mean Bo."

"Yeah, Bo," Gunner eased softly, in a scuff of their boots to the sloping stoop and sturdy deck of Berri's covered, outdoor patio. With a gentle shove, Berri unhinged her heavy, round front door, swung it open and allowed Gunner into the warmth, first; he softly pressed on as he gratefully came into her tower's wall of warmth, "Y'think I could ever meet this guy? I mean... You guys seem to text a lot. Any best friend of Berri's is a best friend of mine."

"Oh, I don't know if it'd be possible," Berri carried on in tenderness, though as she swung her massive, round front door shut, she nearly jumped clear out of her skin at the sudden sight of Turbo stood frozen in curiosity at her now agape broom closet door, just tucked away behind the bend of the front door.

Berri raised her eyebrows in a sharp pang of frozen surprise, though before anyone could get any shred of words out, Berri held her breath, silently lunged forward, grappled Turbo's arm and firmly shoved him into the closet with a cough of a silent grunt. She viciously slammed the closet door shut, held her back to it and peered to Gunner in whole entire terror. Much to her entire relief, he had missed the entirety of her's and Turbo's brief scuffle due to taking off his heavy winter coat and hanging it on a nearby coat hook, just near the rack of her's, Wren's and Theo's splay of winter shoes on the opposite end of the room. Gunner perked up, peered to her and huffed a nervous chuckle, he cocked an eyebrow in growing question and finally faced Berri.

"...Y'good?" Gunner blurt a small chuckle, though Berri rolled her eyes and urgently knew she needed to bounce back.

"Oh, I'm just... Pissed at Theo, he keeps leaving this damned closet door WIDE open," Berri blurt in cold irritation, faked frustration she fueled with her flustered disposition, for what just had taken place, "Every single day I come home, this closet is hanging open cause he just... Forgets to shut it all the way, he's always in such a hurry."

"It's okay, Bear, just relax," Gunner heaved a soft chuckle as Berri finally eased off the door and tried to now not make it a point of interest.

Turbo huffed a shaky breath, raised his eyebrows in poised, delight and almost irritated surprise at the raw fact that he was now in the presence of the one guy no one would shut up about. He held his breath, dart his eyes about his pitch black surroundings and hoped the golden glow of his eyes, which illuminated the back of the coat closet, wouldn't show under the crack of the door. He lulled his eyes closed, eased his ear to the door and was wholly prepared to do a now solid amount of eavesdropping. Although Berri was aware he was present, he felt his heart do a weird flip flop in agitation. The one man that was winning over the princess a lot faster than Turbo could afford was now nearly at his mercy, in Turbo's own realm, he tried his very best not to allow protectiveness and anger soak into his circuits, though he sagged his shoulders, alongside a shaky exhale, and dared to peel his eyes open a little; he felt a grimace of emotions hit him all at once at the raw sight of a delicate green glow that now began to dimly illuminate the warm and fuzzy coats at the back of the coat closet, the raw flood of jealousy that showed true in the now ivy green glow of his eyes, something he wished he could conceal.

"Y-You don't have to stay, Gunner, I know Wren and Theo are likely waiting for you, and... The train ride to EZ Living is not the fastest on the planet," Berri rushed, though she tried to slow her roll, so to not seem suspicious.

"I know, I just... I want to make sure you're going to be okay, can I help make you comfortable?" Gunner pressed, wholly oblivious that him and Berri had a very specific audience member, someone Gunner definitely needed to worry about, even if he didn't know it, "Let me at least take you up to your room and get you settled."

"That's sweet of you," Berri pressed in a lilt of calm she finally found, though she grimaced and now was well aware this conversation was likely torture for Turbo to endure; she put herself in Turbo's shoes and knew she'd be clawing the door down, so she tried to remain as hands off as possible. She could begin to feel her palms sweat, though she pressed on as cooly as she could, "But, I'll be okay, really... My room is a disaster, anyhow, I'm... I'm sure it'd be a total turn off."

"I beg to differ, but... I respect that," Gunner's warm voice concluded, he tenderly began to ravel Berri into a romantic hug, which she easily obliged to due to the fact that Turbo could only hear the two, and not see them. Berri lulled her eyes closed in a sag of delight, though she also continued to feel dread prickle her skin, she knew Gunner had no need to go into the broom closet that Turbo was lurking in, though somehow she was praying Gunner would even forget it existed, "Hey, uh... Now that we have a second alone, I wanted to ask you something..."

"Sure, what's up?" Berri prod softly.

Turbo's eyes now splayed a very hearty amount of envious green all over the warm coats that delicately hung on hangers, to his right. He smushed his whole ear into the wooden door as firmly as he could, he clenched his teeth in near nail-biting apprehension, the desperation to fling the door wide open, to get into Gunner's face and firmly state that Sugar Rush's lovely blue haired beauty was his and his only, though he shut his eyes tight in a spike of dread and conflicting feelings and knew just what he needed to do in order for said scenario to be a solid reality where he won out, in the end. Nearly about to openly and verbally let loose a few obsceneties to himself, he bit his tongue and nearly didn't want to hear this conversation, between Berri and Gunner. He almost now hated himself for thinking that surprising Berri, after school, by being in her tower, was a great idea. He rolled his eyes in his skull, behind closed eyelids, and tried his absolute hardest to remain silent.

"Well, to be honest with you... I made reservations at this one really nice restaurant, in Keppel Crest, for next Friday night," Gunner dragged in a loving show of cheek, and as he had his arms lovingly wrapped about Berri's upper shoulders, she sagged her arms about Gunner's middle, bashfully peeled her head from the broad of Gunner's chest and peered up to him in sweetness as he carried on, "I'd love if you accompanied me, as my date."

"Wow, a third date," Berri pressed in cute cheek, with said information, she felt ashamed at the raw fact that she forgot that Turbo was lurking in the broom closet, for a brief moment, "I must be doing something right."

"Anything and everything," Gunner eased sweetly, though Berri felt her face heat up at the raw fact of Gunner's lovely eyes glancing at her plump lips. Berri felt a frog catch in her throat, although she would've previously given absolutely anything to be in this position, where Gunner was the one to gift her her very first kiss, she somehow reeled and felt as if she had switched gears. She tried not to allude to the fact that she'd potentially want a kiss by cheekily shrugging her shoulders and looking down to Gunner's chest with a girly smile. Gunner tilted his head and desperately tried to regain eye contact with her, though he got the hint, "Whatdoyahsay, Blue?"

"Sure, that sounds great," Berri sighed shakily as she bravely gave him eye contact, once more, though she was grateful he had definitely gotten the hint and avoided leaning in for a full-fledged kiss.

"It's a date," Gunner's warm, deep voice nearly whispered, and although he looked as if he had been wanting to maybe lean in for a proper kiss, he silently obeyed Berri's quiet wishes and instead leaned in to give her a kiss on the side of her cheek and jaw.

With a soft hold, and a warm breath onto her ear, he eased a loving smooch onto her warm skin and leaned away, once and for all. Although this was an innocent kiss to Berri's cheek, Turbo raised his eyebrows in a pang of whole sorrow as the only thing he could hear was just the simple sound of the smack of a kiss, excluding context of just where said kiss was placed. Turbo sagged his shoulders, looked into the darkest, deepest point of the closet and felt a strange bubbling sensation in his pit, something that never, ever arose, something he diligently kept tamed, though somehow, the very idea of another man having Berri raveled into his arms, stealing kisses and planning dates and dreaming of a future, made Turbo sick to his stomach. How desperately he wanted that, how huge of a hurdle he had to get over in order to even begin climbing the mountain that lay beyond it, in the fit of all of these emotions hitting him head on, he glowered into the dark as his surroundings now began to glow a very promising glint of dark orange, the slippery slope to the dreaded blood red of anger that no one ever saw out of Turbo, coming to fruition right at the source of his frustration. He seethed through his nose and was certain that if anymore lovey dovey notions were to carry on, here, that he'd likely explode out of the closet in a firey show of certainly earned dominance.

"I'd love to show you around Keppel Crest, a little more... Maybe have a beach day, next Saturday, or something? That is, if you're feeling better," Gunner stated in great kindness as he began to unravel Berri from his arms.

"I'd love that, anything to get away from all of this snow," Berri's voice shook in a clamoring show of girly cuteness, the blush on her cheeks was absolutely apparent, and it was here did Gunner reach up and lovingly stroke her cheek with his thumb a few times, as if to cutely assure her that he thought her bashfulness, for the matter, was adorable.

"Perfect... Welp... Please text me," Gunner lilted in a tender show of love as he made his way back for his heavy winter coat; he had taken it off due to believing he'd likely be staying longer, little did he know, Berri was doing anything and everything to skillfully get him to go away. Though they weren't official, their easy, loving conversations radiated a natural transition from dating to relationship, something that Berri eagerly cued to, a sense of responsibility she craved, "I'll call you later tonight, to check up on you. Is that alright?"

"Oh, yeah, that's fine," Berri assured as Gunner jostled his heavy coat on, zipped the zipper and head for the door, though he stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed Chester standing down the long corridor that lead from the lovely, open foyer to the main room and kitchen of Berri's tower.

"Hey, Chester!" Gunner lovingly pressed, he waved from across the way and gently began to pat his knees a little. Berri raised her eyebrows, nervously peered to Chester from the near-thirty foot gap and was wary to see just what Chester would do, here. Gunner pitched his voice in such a way, that assured to Turbo that Gunner was trying to speak to a simple puppy-dog, knowing Chester was far from, "C'mere, boy... C'mere!"

"Chessy, don't be rude," Berri cued in a normal voice, knowing how to speak to Chester; Turbo inhaled a shaky breath, behind the closed door, and now wondered just what Chester would do here. Being absolutely certain he knew just what Chester would do, it eased the reddening glow of his eyes to the gentle, golden glow of normality, the only shred of hope he had in this situation; Chester's blessing. Berri heaved a soft sigh and shook her head as she continued on, "Chester, c'mon, you're usually so friendly to everyone, come over here and say hi to Gunner."

"I won't bite, bud," Gunner encouraged sweetly, though Turbo cocked an eyebrow and side-eyed the darkness in a huge show of sarcastic meanness he was scared to fully deploy.

"No, but Chester will," Turbo only mouthed to no one but himself.

"Maybe if you slowly approach him," Berri encouraged, though just as Gunner began to take a few steps closer to the corridor, in which Chester was hovered at the opposite end of, Chester suddenly perked his wolf ears high, bared his teeth and let loose a full on growl that sharply rasped to a whisper of defeat, from his still developing vocal chords; Gunner halted his progress and frowned, though Berri rolled her eyes and looked off, "I seriously have no clue why he's being such a butthead towards you."

Turbo crossed his arms and beamed the smuggest smile his whole face could afford.

"It's okay, maybe... Maybe one day," Gunner sighed in defeat, "Y'think if I try to feed him his favorite food or something?"

"Yeah, food is definitely the way to his heart," Berri encouraged as Gunner gave up trying to approach Chester, the two eased towards Berri's front door as Berri kindly continued on, "I leave Chester with Bo while I'm at Academy, actually... Bo, just the other day, sent me pictures of Chester raiding his pantry."

"No kidding," Gunner blurt a chuckle as Berri gently opened the gape of her front door, "Seriously, I'd like to meet this guy. Certainly his house arrest rules allow for other visitors, right?"

"Oh, I'd have to ask Bo about it, I'm not sure," Berri sighed in nonchalance, "He's one of the coolest guys I know. Maybe one day you two will meet."

"Yeah, if it were my fist meeting his face," Turbo silently muttered into a coat he now had successfully buried his face into, a stifle of the whole spectrum of emotions that had hit him, full on, was something he deemed necessary.

"What did he get arrested for, anyhow?" Gunner wondered with a small chuckle, the two now stepped outside of Berri's larger front door, in order to say their proper goodbyes, though the door hung open, making it so Turbo could still hear the two.

"I actually don't know the whole story, to be honest, he's pretty reclusive about it," Berri shrugged and looked off, "Rightfully so... I don't know when his probation is over, so certainly he did something gnarly."

"And y'still choose to hang out with him?" Gunner wondered tenderly, though Turbo sharply furrowed his eyebrows and was now certain him and Berri would have a whole load to talk about, the second Gunner was gone.

"Well, of course, he's... He's my best friend, he's not a monster," Berri prod, Turbo softened as he could hear the twinge of hurt in Berri's voice, the loving sincerity that coat his heart with love, "He just made some bad choices, but... He's really great. I wish more people knew that."

"Well... If you say so," Gunner lilted in a show of dwindling trust, and although Turbo couldn't see it, he could swear the look in Gunner's eyes was that of detest, a look that Turbo was certain he'd remember forever, something he was grateful he didn't have a visual to.