Reviews :

Snake557 : Woohoo! He's actually doing it! xD

CHICKENM4N : Aww, I'm sorry friend... Real life is far more complicated than fiction, unfortunately. But, I know everything will be alright.

Jay Sketchin : Aw, lol! Berri and crew make sure of it :)

Burgie : Too true xD


A/N : Hey guys, so sorry for the delay... Like stated previously, I'm temporarily living with my mother in law, and although it's slowly getting better, and I have my computer set up, the coffee table my computer is at isn't comfortable to write at. I've been avoiding writing because it actually hurts my back. Fun fact about me, I have a hairline fracture in my tailbone, so although I'd typically suck it up and just sit down and write, it's nearly impossible to do without my own set up... Which is currently in our storage unit. I'M STRUGGLING. LOL! I appreciate you guys being patient, I should be all set up and ready to go shortly. I also am dealing with the impending hurricane Dorian that's literally on our doorstep, so that's been interesting, to say the least.

Chapter 97 is really important to me, because it involves Turbo legitimately and finally going out in public. It's something I've been dreaming up for a long time now, and I don't want to mess it up. I'll try and write when I can, but I want to be in a good headspace for this stretch of the story... I'm off my schedule for now, it shouldn't be longer than a week or two, but I'm prepared to go on another week hiatus, I'm sure. I hate doing it, cause I LOVE writing and it's easy for me to stay on schedule, but I'm in such a weird predicament that I really just don't want to force my art. I don't produce good stuff when I force it, and I cherish my story too much, so... Sorry if I'm a little MIA.

The reason I'm doing so much drawing (I've knocked out 4 pages of my chapter 46 comic in like 2 days lol) is because, long story short, I've been bumming at my job after I clock out - I bring my iPad and bust out work. I could easily write on my phone, cause 1/4th of ALL the chapters I've written and uploaded have, believe it or not, been written on my phone! It is possible, it's just not ideal. IDK what this next week will bring, but with my circumstance and the hurricane coming, be prepared for me to go silent for another week or so. Apologies, guys... I'll be up to speed shortly here. No one hates this more than me.


Song Listened To :

Help Me Out by Maroon 5 & Julia Michaels


*Chapter 96*

"Hurry, hurry," Berri stabbed in a huff of a breath, seemingly out of it; she swung around her kitchen island, and although Wren and Theo were strapping up to get ready to leave the house, Berri urgently gestured at them and nearly went bug-eyed with emphasis, "We have to get there before he decides to chicken out, HURRY."

"BERRI, he's literally got no where to go, we're going to get to Turbo's house, hype him up, go to Sugarbucks, buy coffee, and come home," Wren staggered with a hard laugh as Berri held the sides of her head in a crazed manner, Theo lovingly held his larger wrecking hand to Berri's shoulder and equally smiled as wide as Wren was. Wren joined in Theo's idea and grappled Berri's other shoulder, "I highly doubt he will be up for loitering in Sugarbucks. Pretty sure he's only brave enough to get in, get coffee, and get the hell out."

"It'll be FINE, he has all three of us, and he's inside Sugar Rush," Theo cooed warmly with a small nod, Berri's face looked flushed in exhaustion and excitement, a whirlwind of emotion she wasn't quite sure to grapple to first, "We need to go easy on him... You can't come at him with all this energy, Bear, you're going to scare him out of the idea."

"How am I supposed to act then?" Berri staggered in worry as all three now began to slowly head towards their front door.

"In all the interactions I've seen of you two, this whole week, I'd say just act like that," Theo encouraged with a chuckle as Chester eagerly began to follow the three down the main corridor, of their tower, and straight for the door, "You've been chill this whole week. What's changed?"

"I don't know, this is the day... THE DAY," Berri barked as she gripped Theo's arm, "I-I mean... Turbo NEVER leaves his loft, like... WHAT? I can't believe this is real."

"I can," Theo muttered as Wren began to loudly chime in.

"It's just exciting because it's actually happening," Wren eased with a chuckle as he opened the door, let everyone out, and softly closed and locked it behind everyone, "But, Theo's right... Just approach the topic like you have been, all week. We'll get in, suggest that we get going, and see how he reacts from there. I'm sure there'll be at least SOME form of hesitation, Bear, so just be prepared."

"User, if he chickens out, I'm going to dive off his balcony, I'm serious," Berri muttered as the four piled onto the larger, warm teleport pad just outside their tower, in the clearing of their lovely, forest hideaway, all covered in dewy snow that looked as if it were on the verge of melting and showing Sugar Rush's sweet, green spring grass, once more.

"I'd be right behind you," Theo muttered once more as he cheekily looked off, and in a whisk of messy colored coding, all four beings were easily zapped to the warmth of Turbo's front foyer; his front door was sealed shut.

"Would be so funny if his whole loft was just gone," Wren eased, almost under his breath, a wide, closed-mouth grin across his stubbled face; Theo choked a laugh as Berri huffed a hard noise, a few long strands of her beautiful blue hair suddenly jolted out from in front of her face.

"Yeah, HILARIOUS," Berri choked, her sleek heels clacked on Turbo's lovely, grey tiles, and as she came upon his massive, hidden front door, she eased her silver coding to the whole of it and, unashamed and unabated, she confidently unlocked his home and was the only one that wasn't floored said door suddenly began to slide open.

"Tell me something, Bear," Wren mumbled quietly as the three slowly sauntered into Turbo's lovely front entrance and sprawl of a kitchen area. Turbo's home was in light shambles, it was clear he likely had no idea what to even do with himself, on this day. Wren crossed his arms as all three visitors kindly laid eyes on Turbo's almost endearingly messy home, "Did Gunner give you a key to his house?"

"No," Berri quipped, clearly on the way to becoming annoyed, complete with an eyeroll and a firm stab of her heels proceeding deeper into Turbo's home.

"He's your boyfriend, isn't he?" Wren mumbled, though Berri ignored him in irritation as him and Theo began to silently snicker amidst her departure; Berri jolted in surprise the second Turbo finally came out from the corridor that lead from the main part of his home, to his bedroom.

"Oh! There you are," Berri cooed kindly, she knew to keep her vibe light and unassuming, so not to scare Turbo off, though she cocked an eyebrow and felt her face get hot at the raw sight of Turbo before her. A shirtless mess, he wore a comfortable pair of faded black jeans, the look in his muted grey eyes looked delightfully terrified. Turbo's hair looked as if it were previously tidied, though with maybe the sheer amount of shirts he had tried on and taken off, it was clear Turbo was in dire need of some reassurance here. Berri eased a small giggle, relaxed her shoulders and peered to Turbo in a softened show of love, "Y'okay, Bo? You got my text, right?"

"Y-Yeah, I did," Turbo staggered as he now grappled the hair above his forehead, brushed his fingers through the whole of his head and desperately tried to regain composure as Wren and Theo slowly strolled up. He blurt a shaky chuckle as the golden glow began to come back to his eyes, as if seeing his friends here, in this raw situation, gave him that boost of confidence he needed, "I-I'm just... I'm trying to figure out what to wear."

"Anything, Bo, it's just Sugarbucks," Berri blurt a small giggle and shrugged, she tried desperately to show nonchalance here, "Throw on a t-shirt and a coat. No biggie. We're not incredibly dolled."

"Says you," Wren muttered, he eyed Berri in a whole show of sass, a side-eye that ogled her up and down.

"Ms. Heels," Theo mumbled, his and Wren's sharp wit, as a team, was unmatched. Berri threw her hands up and looked off before he stabbed her dominant eye contact to both boys.

"Anywhere there could be paparazzi, guys, I want to make sure I look good," Berri rushed in a further show of flustered irritation, though she quickly ate her words as this notion made Turbo's shoulders visibly shrug in a shrinking show of terror.

"There's gunna be paparazzi?" Turbo staggered, though Berri raised her eyebrows and softened towards Turbo, and as much as Wren and Theo wanted to carry on and be obnoxious, they slowed their roll and realized that they needed to cater to Turbo's needs, here, and ease up on the sarcasm.

"Oh, I doubt it," Wren flagged his hand and shook his head, "We only get attacked in EZ Living... That game is Gunner's hub."

"Yeah, I only ever get noticed in EZ Living or Game Central Station, really," Theo shrugged, he urgently peered to Berri and nodded at her, as if to somehow subliminally get his notion across, "I-I mean... Bear and I went to the Sugarbucks near the mall, the other day, and only like two people recognized us. Remember?"

"Y-Yeah, that's true," Berri nodded, and although she remembered said day to be filled with at least two dozen fans and a fair share of paparazzi, she glossed over the details and knew it'd be much easier to soothe Turbo in the moment of worry, as opposed to the impending dread of what the whole outing could contain, "You'll be just fine, Bo. Just some lazy coffee goers, some business people buried in their work..."

"I'm pretty sure there's a group of elderly people that meet for their knitting circle, in the afternoons," Theo blurt a small chuckle, and although Sugarbucks had it's moments of peak traffic and heightened energies, all three palace residents knew that going in this time of the late morning was likely the best time to go, in terms of how light the foot traffic was.

"O-Okay, no problem," Turbo huffed nervously.

He bashfully peered to Berri and took note of her outfit; a gorgeous, sleek, almost skin-tight black shirt and a cute over-coat to keep her warm, alongside probably her favorite pair of skinny jeans. Her beautiful blue hair was tucked into a sleek, high pony-tail. It was here did she truly resemble the one smarty that started all of this nonsense, Vanellope Von Schweetz. The adorable, toothy smile on her face only added to the similarities of it all, something that somehow had Turbo feeling safe and sound, if only for these fleeting moments of finding sweet solace in her lovely smile and vivid blue eyes. It was only here did Turbo finally understand that he was shirtless in front of everyone, and although he was in shape and not technically ashamed of said notions, he still felt shy, as if he very clearly stuck out like a sore thumb.

"C'mon, chin up, let's figure out what shirt you should wear," Berri asserted herself.

Although she knew she likely should just allow Turbo to crawl back into his bedroom and closet and figure it all out for himself, she knew she needed to help him out here. He was already doing a lot by stepping so far out of his comfort zone, Berri figured she should fill the gaps where she very easily single file, the gentle, thudding clack of Berri's sleek heels echoed through the tall corridor all four friends slowly strolled down. Turbo raised his eyebrows and held his breath, although his brain was firing on a million cylinders, he allowed his eyes to selfishly gloss down Berri's whole back and rear. With a tender peak of a smile and a long blink of delight, he allowed himself to soak into this weird wiggle of feelings. The sting of sorrow over the fact that Berri was now a taken woman, the thrill of still having her within arms reach, the rush of attempting to dive out and steal her back, the four soaked into Turbo's dim bedroom as Turbo's nervous smile only broadened.

"Do you know how excited Bug is going to be?" Wren gently questioned, Berri and Theo blurt knowing laughs as Wren and Theo softly slowed their roll into the middle of Turbo's bedroom, though Berri and Turbo pressed on with confidence.

"Dude, he's going to flip when he sees you," Berri flashed Turbo a lovely smile over her shoulder, and although she was a little apprehensive to step into the intimate parts of Turbo's bathroom and closet, she pressed on with dainty confidence. Her larger hand gingerly sagged to the opened door frame of Turbo's bathroom, and as the two soaked inside, Berri continued on to his larger walk in closet in a cheeky saunter of uncertainty. She finally glossed her eyes to Turbo in a gentle show of sweetness as she cocked an eyebrow and gave him a look of smiling question, "Am I okay to go inside?"

"Be my guest," Turbo encouraged warmly, though his tone was still nervous, though he flinched the second Berri whirled around, a flick of her lovely blue hair, and vanished into Turbo's lit-up closet. Turbo cocked an eyebrow and nervously looked back over his shoulder, Wren and Theo leaned against the gape of Turbo's opened bathroom door, their shoulders gingerly touched, and although both boys were quiet, they had the same, teasing smirk on their faces, their eyes glued to Turbo's shivering demeanor. Turbo exhaled a shaky breath, looked off for a second before urgently peering to both men across the way, "H-how doomed am I, here?"

"Well, you're being styled by one of the most stylish girls in Sugar Rush," Wren started with a shrug, he lofted his paused demeanor to Theo and huffed a small, knowing chuckle.

"You're also going to be going to a place where literally every worker, there, is going to be excited to see you," Theo warmly added.

"You're in amazing company," Berri loudly added from deep inside Turbo's closet, though as all three boys aimed their attention to the gape of Turbo's walk-in closet, just across his larger bathroom, Berri's warm voice trailed on, "C'mere, Bo, I found yah somethin'."

Turbo raised his eyebrows in a ping of tender delight, and although he wanted to maybe look back and give Wren and Theo a dorky, boyish, knowing smirk of delight, he refrained and knew his place, here. He almost frowned, somehow being in Berri's presence, knowing flirting and being daring, in that aspect, wasn't really allowed anymore, had him discouraged. As his bare feet tenderly sagged into his carpeted closet, his eyes met with Berri's lovely figure, glossed underneath one of the warm, lovely overhead lights of Turbo's dim closet. She held out, before her, a nice, tame, cream colored button up. It had nearly unseen darker cream-colored pinstripes that ran vertical, a few other lovely shirts her curious eyes thumbed through, the gentle clacking sound of hangers being slid to the side. Turbo sagged and knew, full well, deleting the flirty aspect of their friendship may very well be impossible. He bit his tongue as he, once more, admired her gorgeous figure, the beautiful glow she practically emanated, he was enamored, entirely lost in thought. He crossed his closet and held his breath, he so hoped that, in the secret little pockets of alone time they could afford each other, that they'd sneak little acts of romance here and there. He knew it would probably be all she could afford, though he lulled his eyes closed and was well aware he'd eat up every single second of it. Anything he had to give her, in this weird, trying time, he knew he'd be eternally grateful.

"You don't need to wear anything too crazy, friend," Berri's warm voice cooed, and as Turbo slowly neared her, he felt every single last worry of his slide to the wayside, the way her lovely eyes hooked into his. He could tell she was reserving her excitement, he knew she was biting her tongue and trying her very hardest to make this weird transition easy for him. Turbo smiled in an easy show of gratitude, and as Berri took said shirt off of his hanger, she began to help him get his arms in the sleeves, even though she was well aware he could easily dress himself. Berri inhaled an easy breath as Turbo straightened the cloth over his masculine figure, and as his sturdy hands began to button the buttons, he broke his gaze with his chore and gave her his confident, unwavering, golden glow of eye contact as she continued on, "When's the last time you went out in public?"

"1995," Turbo nearly whispered, a breathy chuckle reverberated from the back of his throat as he slowly buttoned his shirt past his belly button, "I-I've been worrying about this moment all week..."

"That moment will be over before you know it," Berri eased quietly, she could see Wren and Theo now had moved from the bathroom's doorway to the gape of the closet's doorway. She softened for Turbo's ears only, she knew she was ultimately the one that needed to cater to him, in this moment, "And after said scary moment of stepping outside of your comfort zone, we can enjoy some delicious coffee together. We won't let you go through this alone, Bo. I'm... Honestly surprised that this was all your idea, to begin with."

"I... I just want to prove to you that I'm... I'm really trying," Turbo slowly and thoughtfully staggered, almost sadly, he shook his head and allowed their conversing to dribble to just above a whisper, "I know... I know this need, of mine, has driven a wedge in between, well..."

"Fresh start, new leaf," Berri concluded with a nod; she knew the previous topic of desires being strained, by a lack of growth and selfish needs, was something that they had only bookmarked, and now that she was taken, she feared said conversation was now hesitantly going to be put on pause until it exploded. Ridding the problem from her mind, she exhaled a shaky breath, shook her head and helped Turbo straighten out his shirt, upon buttoning the last button on his sternum, "You're doing great. This is something you need to do for yourself."

"Wh-what if I get attacked?" Turbo quietly worried, the fear in his eyes was real.

"I'll wreck every single last one of them to a pulp," Berri dared tenderly.

"She means that," Theo warmly assured, to which Turbo gave Theo a grateful smile over his shoulder. He raised his eyebrows in tender, boyish surprise the second Berri's warm hand slid to Turbo's cheek and chiseled jaw, ultimately bringing his now undivided attention back to her.

"You're not going to get attacked... I won't allow it," Berri assured quietly, a swathe of love coat their souls, "You're going to have fun... You're going to feel free."

"And best of all, you'll be hyped on sugar and caffeine," Wren blurt a soft chuckle, which had everyone joining in, all smiles.

"C'mon, now," Berri chirped softly, she straightened out her cool, long coat and gave Turbo an excited, anticipatory smile, "Y'ready?"

Turbo exhaled a shaky breath and just barely shook his head, though his smile began to nervously broaden with a very hidden, real amount of genuine excitement, "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be..."