Reviews :

CHICKENM4N : I really have no clue why I hadn't used it sooner lmao

Burgie : Whoooooo knows ;]

Snake557 : Thank you!


Song Listened To :

I Want to Write You a Song by One Direction (sue me, this song is incredibly beautiful)


*Chapter 99*

Later that next night, Arcade's closed Sunday was quiet and uneventful. Although the group had spent the better half of the afternoon at Turbo's home, the group dispersed in preparation for the next day, a busy Academy day for Wren, Berri and Theo. Pushing ten at night, Berri was inside her bedroom with a comfortable, baggy pair of grey sweats and a loose, lazy black tank top with a faded Sugar Rush logo. Having taken a shower about an hour or two ago, her hair was in a rare state of natural beauty, one Berri didn't show often. Deep, blue waves that cascaded down her back, a natural wave that she had easily garnered from Tessa's and Ralph's genes, she put off straightening it and figured she'd just get it out of the way in the morning, before she head off to Academy.

Stationed in her beautifully lit bathroom, high ceilings and mirrors that made the pristine white walls look as if they went on for an eternity, she only glanced at herself in the mirror and merely chuckled at the near disheveled sight. She frowned and peered to herself in the mirror for a moment longer and felt a weird switch up, she wondered if she should potentially just leave her hair alone and have it un-straightened, allow herself to go out with the beautiful blue waves that her hair held naturally. She shrugged a little, at herself in the mirror and finally peered across her pearly bathroom. Chester lay asleep on the cool tiles, clearly read for slumber, though both beings eagerly lit up in whole surprise the second Berri's phone eased a tinkering little chime. A familiar tune, one that never ceased to secretly make her heart flutter in desire, she knew immediately just who was messaging her; this late at night, Berri nearly began to beam, knowing full well just where her feet were about to take her. She gently picked up her phone and opened the little text message Turbo had sweetly sent.

Black : I wasn't awkward yesterday, was I?

Black : I just remembered one of the baristas told me to enjoy my drink and I accidentally told her 'you too'.

Black : I'm an idiot

Berri softly blurt into kind laughter, a wide, bashful smile, this new, raw and shy demeanor from Turbo was a very similar breed of shyness she was used to seeing in him, though it was now steeped in deeper humility, a kiss of coy, a show of potential to be confident and plentiful in proper way-finding. Berri was well aware that, without fail, Turbo's mere presence, whether physical or through text, never ceased to crown the widest beam across her blushing cheeks. She bit her lip, leaned her hip to her bathroom counter and tucked her phone closer to her face to reply, she shook her head and breathed a continued giggle through her nose, she could swear there was no greater friend than him, no one quite like him.

Blue : I totally did that at the movie theater with dad, one time. We were on a daddy-daughter date, and the associate told us to enjoy our movie, and thinking I was slick and proper, I told them to do the same. My dad teased me about it for awhile. If you're an idiot, then I'm an idiot and a half.

Black : Oh brutal, you win.

Blue : You were great, Bo. Don't be so hard on yourself.

Berri sighed, sagged her shoulders and figured this convening would just be kept through text, and with such, she locked her phone, sagged it into her baggy pocket, flicked the bathroom light switch off and sauntered with Chester out of her bathroom and into her dimly lit bedroom. With a wide, hard yawn, her lazy footwork moved closer to her bed, and amidst said saunter, her phone gently chimed again. She raised her eyebrows and reached for her phone, once more, knowing said familiar tune was still only one person. She tenderly glanced back to Chester as he grumbled a kind, knowing noise.

"Guess Bo's not going to sleep anytime soon," Berri giggled as she unlocked her phone and tabbed to his new message, "Mr. chatty."

Black : btw, you left something at my house. Is it okay if I come and bring it over?

Berri suddenly froze and raised her eyebrows; she knew Turbo had seen her in pajamas and messy hair, though she swallowed hard and knew that her very lazy, just-showered and ready for bed appearance was a rather vulnerable one. She nervously glanced to Chester, the adorable, aimless blind look in his eyes, the flop of his perked, pointy ears, the way he sleepily tilted his head at her, in warm question, she heaved a soft sigh through her nose and quickly began to fumble around her room in search for a bra. Once she quickly strapped it on herself and did whatever she could to tame the blue mane of waves atop her head, she finally grappled her phone, once more, and peered down to the second message Turbo had just sent.

Black : It can wait, if you're already in bed or anything. It's not urgent.

Blue : No no, it's totally fine. You can come over.

Black : I'm glad you said that because I'm actually at your front door.

Berri raised her eyebrows in sharp surprise, though she blurt a nearly irritated laugh, threw her arms up, slumped her phone into her pocket and began to swiftly head to her teleport pad.

"I'll be right back, Chessy," Berri blurt through a continued giggle, and as she eased her silver coding into the hub of her bedroom's teleport pad, her coding came to fruition in the dimly lit warmth of the tower's main kitchen.

Untouched of a single soul and dimmed to near blackness for the night, Berri's now abundant, bare-foot shuffling made its way to the kitchen's stove. With a push, a few dim, warm stove lights awoke from slumber, just softly easing the room into a glow of nighttime love. Little flecks of winter's final snowfall kissed the edges of the slanted ceiling of windows, a pristine, still setting, one that put the whole entire game at ease. In a quicker shuffle down the dark corridor that lead to the equally as dimly lit front foyer, she urgently pressed to the large, round door, took a moment to unlock the whole of it, and slowly opened the door; her heart began to swell with the very sight of the glow of Turbo's warm, golden eyes, something that she easily basked in.

"Hey, B, forgive me," Turbo's deep, sleepy voice glossed her with love as she easily welcomed him into the dark foyer.

"No you're fine, no trouble," Berri almost whispered as the two quickly sunk into the tower, and with a quick, quiet clack of the massive front door and locks, the two began to move out of the foyer's darkened hull, through the corridor and into the brighter kitchen.

Turbo huffed a chuckle and slowed as he came into the main room and kitchen, though as he opened his mouth and inhaled a breath to press on with warm, easy conversation, he double took on Berri's now visible figure and halted every function he was in the process of. Having never seen Berri's natural hair style before, he held his breath, raised his eyebrows and felt a wall of very different feelings hit him, head on. He sagged in her beautiful, raw presence, void of makeup, void of the fancy jewelry and clothes the celebrity lifestyle had afforded her, she was just Berri. A cute, wavy blue-haired princess, a majestic creature of shy, hidden wrecking strength, one of incredible glitching powers, one with a smile able to melt even the coldest of souls, it was here did Turbo feel his heart begin to steep into something deeper than just the sweet, lovey feelings he had for Berri. Something beyond him, something almost carnal, and as gentlemanly as even his own thoughts could afford, he finally heaved a shaky chuckle and knew that he'd give absolutely anything, in this instance, to have the opportunity to whisk her away and make the sweetest love to her, all night long. He nearly clutched his chest and felt his face get hot the second Berri caught on to his now further prolonged silence.

"Bo, you're freaking me out, what's going on?" Berri staggered nervously, though she finally beamed a nervous smile as Turbo shook his head, choked a nervous chuckle, waved her off and eased a little deeper into the kitchen, with her.

"N-No, it's nothing," Turbo dismissed, though he raised an eyebrow and peered into her eyes, they held about a five foot distance. He held his breath and knew he had to be brave. He knew he needed to come out with it at least somehow, he knew he needed to somehow remain one step ahead of Gunner, no matter how secretively it all was. The circuits in his brain begged for him to peel from Berri's eyes and dismiss it all, to assure her that it was nothing, though he finally narrowed his golden gaze as his desire for her began to overwrite the need to shell away. He finally eased a small, toothy smile and shook his head, as if to finally allow himself to just out with it, "It's just... I-I've never seen your hair like that, before."

"Uhg, I know, I do everything to keep it straightened," Berri quickly complained, not knowing that this was something Turbo was drawn to, a lovely surprise she clearly wasn't prepared for, "I think I'm going to see if dad can make my straightened hair permanent, in the code room, cause I got mom's mane and I'm lowkey over it."

"Don't," Turbo warmly shook his head and narrowed his gaze in rising sweetness, rising bravery that now flood him with the easiest, warmest smile he could afford, "You look so beautiful."

Berri halted her fidgeting, her elbows were lightly in the air while her larger hands were tucked near the back of her neck, clearly wrestling with the whole of her thick, blue hair. She raised her eyebrows and bashfully peered to Turbo in a slow swing of surprise, a slow draw of a warm transition she had finally caught on to, and with such a transition, she held her breath and quickly assessed her surroundings. With the way Turbo looked to be stationed and ready for a solid conversation, the fact that there were no eavesdropping ears nearby, the sudden notion that the two were entirely alone in the world, Berri felt a lump gather in her throat and almost could tell just how much thicker the air was due to get, from here. Berri felt the slow switch, the way Turbo exhaled a shaky breath and looked down to his now bare feet, having removed his shoes in the foyer, Berri shook her head a little and long blinked in gentle, welcoming understanding.

"Thank you," Berri warmly meeped, she crossed her arms, did a small little pivot from left to right and leaned her hip against the kitchen island's counter. She finally side-eyed Turbo in a cheeky way and shrugged her bare shoulders, "I was debating on whether or not I should wear my hair, like this, to Academy tomorrow..."

"You definitely should, it looks really nice like that," Turbo hurried to encourage with a bob of a nod, and though he knew she was in full control of her attire, and didn't need to take anyone's opinion and run with it, he was floored that his opinion was the opinion that maybe tipped the scale.

"I think I will," Berri's voice tenderly eased. She shrugged, shook her head and breathed a small giggle, "Gives me one less thing to do, in the morning... Plus, my hair is becoming mad at me for all the heat my straightener gives it. Fried-hair-city."

"I totally understand," Turbo stated in a serious tone, though he finally beamed her a cheeky smile and tilted his head down as he began to fiddle with his shorter strands of legitimately untouched hair; Berri choked a laugh at his teasing notions.

"I knew you would," Berri blurt, they both beamed smiles of easiness, though Berri furrowed her brow in rising confusion and shrugged her bare shoulders, once more, "What did I leave at your house, Bo? I could've sworn I brought everything back home, once we left..."

Turbo shot her a cheeky look, and in a further show of his playful nature, he began to take off his zip-up hoodie, the very one that Berri had been taking into her possession, from day one. The charcoal hoodie with Turbo's name down the left arm, Turbo took off the hoodie and warmly handed it to her. She cautiously took the hoodie and beamed him an annoyed grin, though Turbo smugly looked down and crossed his arms over his revealed comfortable attire; lazy black sweats with a thin white tank, one that hugged his lightly sculpted chest and core muscles quite nicely. Berri finally huffed a nearly annoyed giggle, eased the hoodie onto the counter and was now well aware that she didn't leave anything at his house; he just wanted an excuse to come over.

"Smooth," Berri droned in a dull, playfully annoyed tone, though this only broadened Turbo's grin down to his feet.

"I thought it was," Turbo lightly defended, his sweet, boyish demeanor was nearly glowing.

"Are you okay?" Berri kindly wondered, the sweet, velvety nature of her voice could pull anyone in, though in this instance, Turbo heaved a shaky breath and did everything he could from colliding right into her.

"I'm great, I just... Wanted to thank you for being so patient with me, yesterday," Turbo warmly concluded with a nod, the golden glow of his eyes cast to the kitchen island's marble, causing the little flecks of pearly white to glint against the splay of his visible warmth, "I'm sure that wasn't easy for you, to deal with a special case, such as myself."

"It's entirely understandable," Berri assured with a small nod and a shrug, she looked off and pondered for a moment, "I'd be acting the same way, given your circumstances... But, you did great. It... Really meant a lot to me, actually. I don't think I made that clear. It really meant a great deal, so... Thank YOU."

"I'm glad," Turbo bobbed a nod and allowed his shoulders to relax, "I wanted to let you know that I'm going to go back, tomorrow morning."

"...Really?" Berri nearly choked, she beamed the widest smile she could, "Wow, Bo, you... You gunna be okay going to Sugarbucks all by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Turbo shrugged, "Bug made clear that I was welcome anytime, and... He seems like he'd be a cool guy to sit and chat with. I don't know, they all made it seem like they'd burn the place down, if it meant protecting me. I felt safe there, so... Figure I'd start small."

"Bug's great, isn't he," Berri so easily agreed, "He's so welcoming, I'm not surprised he makes you feel safe, there."

Turbo bobbed a nod and softly looked down to his hands, he long-blinked in aimless thought and bit his bottom lip a little. He felt his brain reel, a little, and although his heart raced, the very idea that this was the instance was going to quietly tell Berri just how hard he had fallen for her, he slowed his roll and held his breath. He only barely peered to her in softness, the glow of the dim kitchen lights around her made the soft waves of her cerulean hair pop, the glints of sky blue that boasted inside the ring of her irises held tight to Turbo's in an almost knowing show of understanding, as if she was due to catching on at any moment now. Turbo halted the direction he was going in and hesitated at the last moment, not so much out of an act of nervousness, though strictly for the fact that he was now beginning to step into another man's territory. As much as Berri welcomed Turbo's presence, Turbo heaved a soft sigh of defeat through his nose and knew that Berri was taken, and that was to be respected; he saddled himself to the ideal that said respect was solely reserved for her sake and not so much Gunner's.

"Thank you, Berri," Turbo started, and although the look in Berri's eye held soft question, he warmly pressed on to fill the gap, "You're a wonderful best friend, and... If it weren't for you, I'd still be wallowing in my tower. You didn't give up on me, and... That goes really far with me."

Berri eased a small nod, crossed her arms and beamed a sneaky smile down to her feet. She could feel Turbo's struggle, she recalled their secretive non-verbal conversation from a few weeks back, amidst their core coding exterior swap, she knew exactly what Turbo was struggling with, and although she looked off in nervous, impending regret and recalled her growing promise with Gunner, she wished to rush to Turbo's aid without being too obvious. Berri knew this was a weird game of cat and mouse, and the need to let go of each other and grow without the other was necessary, she held her breath and wondered if she could possibly let Turbo in, if only just into the foyer of her heart. She bit her lip and knew that anything beyond emotional support would press further into cheating territory, though somehow, she wondered if this was something neither of them could ignore; she dared to jump out on a limb, a sturdy, blossoming limb that she could very clearly see Turbo want to leap out onto, as well.

"... I won't ever give up on you, Bo," Berri eased, almost inside a whisper, she tilted her head down in shyness though kept her vivid blue eyes hooked up tight into his, the glow of elated surprise made his posture freeze in a lovely spur of cuteness.

"Are..." Turbo halted his words, tenderly side-eyed her and held his breath even harder. He didn't dare press on, though he was praying that somehow they were maybe treading into the same exact topic, together. He breathed a nervous, silent chuckle the second Berri bashfully beamed an adorable smile down to her bare feet, she began to twiddle her fingers in a rare, tender show of true shyness she never really showed. Her hands began to gingerly shake, something he noticed as she slowly tucked her wavy hair behind her ears. She swallowed hard, pursed her lips to keep from smiling and failed to do so as she finally lifted her head and shyly looked across the great room they were nestled in. Turbo began to feel his legs want to buckle with the raw understanding placed on him, "I-I'm terrible at this, a-are... Are you... I-Insinuating-"

"What do YOU think?" Berri questioned in soft, tender honesty as she held her eyes tight to his, ultimately giving him an answer without doing it verbally; it was here did Turbo understand that, from here on out, their little ember of secretive love was now something they were desperate to not put into words, something he was nearly grateful for, for the time being.

"I never was the best at sharing," Turbo muttered with a daring, cheeky smile to his feet, it was here that it was nearly painful for the two to hold eye contact, a heat blast from the sun that now somehow made this topic way too hot to the touch, it was something they could only carry on with if the other person didn't exist in their own line of sight.

"It's not fair for anyone, really," Berri concluded tenderly, it was here did Turbo almost scold himself for pointing out a minor flaw of his, he furrowed his brow gently and tried to resist the urge to backtrack.

Turbo remained true to his word and allowed the honesty of it to remain. He was well aware that Berri could not give her all to him, whether it be emotionally, romantically or even physically, whilst she was with Gunner. He knew, deep down, if he were to properly pursue Berri, he'd want to do it the right way, where the both of them could put their all into it. His heart began to break at the thought of officially letting Berri go, even in this raw act of her promising him that she'd never give up on him. Turbo knew they both had demons to chase out of their own lives, skeletons to dust off and properly bury, he finally bobbed a conclusive nod, to her statement, though just as he was about to open his mouth and politely agree, she dared to turn the conversation on its' head.

"Judging by your past, however, you never did play fair, to begin with," Berri's velvety voice challenged, and although Turbo had just reeled into the right lane, he felt jarred by the simple fact of Berri yanking the steering wheel back into oncoming traffic, cut tight through corners and set sail through the fast lane. He choked a nervous laugh and dared to dismiss her gentle, innocent banter, though she shrugged and breathed a giggle in continuation, "You're King of taking things that aren't yours, anyways."

"A code room doesn't have feelings," Turbo soothed with a smile, though he reeled at the fact that he was now becoming the voice of reason; had it been a perfect world, he would've likely sailed through Berri's green lights and taken her up on any little offer she had to give, though he shook his head and knew he needed to do this the right way, no matter how hard it was. He gave Berri a loving smile and shook his head, "You're my best friend, Bear... I don't want to lose you. And... If what you say is true, and you will never give up on me, then... Let's just hold on to that thought."

Berri sighed in mild defeat and nodded, although she knew she was getting ahead of herself and was thrilled Turbo was still on the same page as her, she was also thrilled he actually was showing restraint; she was well aware this was likely really difficult for him. Her heart was firmly tugged in Gunner's direction, and although she was delightfully floored to be with Gunner and to experience all that life had to offer with such a lively, fun-loving guy, she softly sagged her sorrowful gaze to Turbo and felt her heart sink in his direction, as well. A weird tug she had no clue how to navigate, and somehow the idea of Turbo bravely stepping out into the world, like what she encouraged, and giving the universe the potential to full-on lose him, had Berri now sinking neck-deep in regret.

"Deal," Berri chirped in gentle defeat, now feeling silly that she even fed into the idea of potentially giving a small piece of her heart to Turbo.

"It'll be alright," Turbo pressed warmly, though he gently stepped forward to initiate a hug. He opened his arms a little and felt as if he was now becoming fully successful in keeping the ball in his court, something he had struggled with for awhile. Now that he felt he had some shred of control over himself, he wondered if he could simply play Berri's game back at her, a weird switch up even he wasn't prepared for, though he relished in the idea of Berri now being the one to do the chasing, "C'mon, let's get some sleep, now... You have Academy tomorrow and, well... I have a full three hours in the morning of preparing myself to go to Sugarbucks all by myself."

"Y'gunna be alright, there?" Berri teased with a small giggle, and although she wanted to shell up and not welcome Turbo into her gravity, she caved as his warm, now bare arms came around her.

"I'll be great, you gave me the nudge of encouragement I needed," Turbo's voice so lovingly glossed her, a coat of humility he was the best at, and as they snuggled into an embrace, Berri frowned in the broad of Turbo's chest and felt the tug of gravity.

"Anytime," Berri sighed, she lulled her eyes closed and relished in the heat of Turbo's inner arms against her cool skin, the tight, big embrace, a snuggly squeeze of mature love she absolutely craved.

Although she did everything she could to hold it back, her eyes welled with tears of regret, tears and sorrow she was worried would turn into hardened bitterness. Berri raveled her arms about the middle of Turbo's body and held on tight, though after maybe five seconds of a friendly hug that was well on its' way to becoming romantic, Turbo slowly began to peel from her before she had even had a shred of enough of her fill. Berri raised her eyebrows and sagged her shoulders, though the look in Turbo's eyes was warm and inviting, despite the fact his backstepping out of her vicinity. Berri crossed her arms and tried to seem reserved and closed off, though Turbo gave her one last, sweet though dominant smile and gingerly turned heel, so to leave.

"I'll text you tomorrow and let you know how it goes," Turbo warmly assured, "Sleep well, Bear, okay?"

"You too," Berri weakly smiled and hugged herself tight, and as Turbo slowly peeled from her gravity, she could feel the tug grow stronger, an urge to throw her brand new shiny life away, something she wondered if she should maybe listen a little more closely to, and the second Turbo was gone from her line of sight, she shut her eyes tight and hugged herself a little harder.

Berri shook her head in now fully realized regret and heaved a shaky sigh. She was well aware she chose this life for herself, she accepted Gunner's small proposal, she invited herself into the arms of someone who offered her an ungodly amount of opportunity and exposure, the world and then some, though as her teary eyes peered across her dark and now still home, she felt her heart want to harden to love. Innocent, first love flutters, torn, mixed feelings of confusion, a thorny love triangle she had absolutely no idea how to navigate, she figured walling off that aspect of her heart would just be best, for now. She gently eased her phone out of her pocket and began to send a fluffy, kind message to Gunner; although she was aware Turbo was there for her when she was sad, she felt a strangely large amount of distance suddenly placed between them, something she was previously prepared to officially and secretively bridge. Tears slipped down her cheeks as confusion continued to circle her heart like vultures awaiting death, and it was here did she understand that laying in the bed she had made herself was now her only choice. A hardened layer of bitterness coat her heart in solitude as she slipped away to her bedroom, a cold layer of ice that she worried wouldn't chip away easily. As silently as Turbo's warm presence arrived, it was gone, something Berri was assured was also figurative.