Reviews :

Snake557 : Aww, lol! That's a really good assumption. Who knows what will happen, you guys will just have to find out ;)

Burgie : YAY welcome back! Thank you :D And yes! It definitely will be explosive...

Jay Sketchin : True to my nature, crap always gets pretty messy before it can be resolved. Only one knight in shining armor can win out in the end :D


Song Listened To :

Her Breath, Her Land by Joris De Man (Horizon Zero Dawn OST)


*Chapter 114*

"You get the naysayers, the haters, the posers, anyone who will do anything to make sure this concert is garbage on social media," Bedgy pressed on, she unfurled her beautiful grey wing in tender nonchalance as she sat with Berri and their team's makeup artist, an incredible worker whom of which Gunner hired to travel with them, an EZ Living resident named Joya. Bedgy sighed and lulled her large, beautiful grey owl eyes closed in whole dismay as she sat to Berri's right, in a production chair, "I kept reading online that somehow Sama was planning on sabotaging the show? Because she was jealous of you, Bear?"

"Yeah, what is up with that? Can't she piss off already?" Berri muttered as she closed her eyes and allowed Joya to continue pressing eye shadow onto her lids. Berri remained patiently still, though somehow, the feeling of being treated like royalty was now creeping over her head. Enjoying her princess status, paired with now being a celebrity, she felt a cocky air begin to seep right into her pores, something she almost began to proudly wear, "I'm super tired of hearing about her. Apparently, she won't leave Gunner alone. What was she like, Bedge?"

"Oh, Sama, she... I mean, to be honest, she seemed pretty put together and even keel," Bedgy shrugged as the three girls remained tucked away in Berri's lovely dressing room, and although the room was sound proof and void of any noise, the nonsense from the arena beyond them was palpable; filling to the brim with fans, a thunderous roar of excitement that Berri wondered if she was even prepared for. Bedgy pressed on in softness, almost in due regret, "She seemed troubled, as if maybe... She was being restrained. I just remember catching her, many times, tinkering around to her own little tunes, in her dressing rooms, whilst on tour. She sort of seemed sneaky about something, as if she had a plan up her sleeve, we never really knew."

"I heard she cheated on Gunner for Rye, the band's previous drummer?" Joya stated softly, she continued to prod at Berri's makeup, "I mean... That was all the tabloids stated, it was all gossip. I have no clue the real story."

"That's what Gunner said," Berri sighed, she finally reopened her eyes as Joya moved to work on another section of Berri's face, namely her eyebrows, "She was texting with him last week and was wanting to meet up with him."

"Whaaat," Joya drawled in surprise, she cocked an eyebrow and gently flicked her dark black hair over her shoulder, "Girl, I'd have been so mad."

"Oh, I was," Berri stabbed with a mean smile and a firm nod, somehow her's and Turbo's secret affairs wormed down to the bottom of her heart and promised to resurface later, something she didn't take seriously. Riding this celebrity train, she successfully delivered the sassiest eye roll, gave Bedgy a girly grin of delight and shrugged her dainty shoulders, "Gunner knows what's good for him. He denied her. Girl, bye."

"I wonder what would happen if you ever bumped into her," Bedgy's voice cautioned, she eyed Berri as if she maybe had more information about Sama than anyone did. Bedgy's grey eyes softened to Berri's, something Berri cued to, "I-I don't want to go around blaming Gunner, in that mess, but... Takes two to tango, love."

Berri softly narrowed her gaze and peered to Bedgy in tender confusion, though just as she was about to open her mouth and express further interest in Bedgy's gentle, ominous warning, there was a tender knock on Berri's dressing room door. Bedgy inhaled a deep breath, with feathers furled, her head turned around on her shoulders in a near one-eighty degree turn. With a gentle lift off, Bedgy opened her larger wing span and flitted across Berri's dressing room. Upon opening the door, all three girls were delighted to see Gunner, though he held his hand behind his back in boyish, smiling secrecy. Berri raised her eyebrows and looked over her shoulder, to him, in calm inquisition as Bedgy hopped on her clawed feet, mildly agitated.

"Hey, we're, uh... Half an hour away from show time," Gunner pressed gently with a smile, he wore a handsome grey button down shirt, with his sleeves rolled to his elbows.
He also wore an edgy pair of torn black jeans and an old pair of high top chucks, with a rugged look, hair a delightful, ruffled mess, he looked ready for the stage. As he tenderly pressed into Berri's dressing room, he politely peered to Joya and Bedgy, "You girls mind if I have a moment alone with Berri? Just a moment..."

"Okay, but hurry, Gun, I still have a bit more touch ups," Joya cautioned gently as her and Bedgy began to lift and remove themselves from Berri's dressing room, and with a small moment of warm silence and the clack of the door behind both girls that left, Gunner heaved a shaky sigh and peered to Berri in unadulterated delight.

"W-Wow, Bear, you look... Like a vision," Gunner staggered through a shaky exhale of delight as he swathed his eyes up and down Berri in a smooth swoop of cocky cuteness, he wrinkled his nose at her and gave her a scheming smile as she stood, rolled her eyes in bashful grinning and began to approach Gunner, "Those people aren't going to know what hit 'em..."

"I'm VERY nervous," Berri staggered with a gentle laugh, as if to insinuate that no matter how awesome she looked, she still was petrified.

Crowned in an adorable little short sleeved jacket, black and lightly fringed at the seams, she wore a beautiful, low-cut grey flowy tank underneath, with a slick pair of shiny, skin-tight jeans. She moved across the tiled room to Gunner, the clack of her incredible, sleek pumps reverberated through the backs of their skulls as their gravity began to close in on one another. Her beautiful blue hair was straightened and recently trimmed, though it fell razor sharp down her back and to the very top of her waist line, she looked like a goddess ready to blow out eardrums. She cocked an eyebrow and gave Gunner a nervous smile, she shrugged in tenderness, as if to wonder what all the silence, here, was for.

"Youuu okay?" Berri pressed cheekily, she side-eyed Gunner as she gestured her hand a little, "My eyes are up here, babe."

"I-I'm sorry, you look... Incredible... Wow," Gunner scoffed a soft, shaky chuckle, and with said chuckle, he grinned in a dorky fashion and clearly couldn't get it together, "I-I... I assumed you'd probably be nervous, for this first show, but... I got you a little something. Hopefully something that quells your worries, a good luck charm that you can wear and know that, even though I'm on stage with you physically, I'm always with you, no matter what."

Berri raised her eyebrows in sweet surprise, though as Gunner drew his hand from behind his back, he pulled out a sleek, long black box. Berri softened in confusion, though as he gently revealed the box to her, and slowly opened the lid of said box, Berri gasped in surprise, covered her mouth and was floored to find an incredible necklace inside. Glistening with real diamonds, it was an awesome necklace that had dainty, long spikes down the chain, shroud in beautiful dark metal and kissed with at least a dozen big and little diamonds, all throughout the chain and metallic design, a kiss of maturity, hard edge and romance, all in one astounding piece of art. Berri huffed a shaky laugh of surprise and peered up into Gunner's warm, excited eyes.

"H-Holy User, Gunner, th-this is..." Berri couldn't find words, she blurt another laugh and didn't dare reach for it, for fear of potentially breaking it, for fear of maybe feeling unworthy of such an expensive piece of jewelry. Gunner beamed, and as he took the gorgeous necklace out of the box, he unclasped it and readied it for Berri's neck, "Th-that thing has like a thousand diamonds on it, h-how did you... I-I mean... I-I really shouldn't wear something THAT expensive on stage, Gun, I-I mean..."

"It's not going to disintegrate into thin air, Berri, I think it'll be okay around your neck," Gunner choked a small laugh as he eased deeper into her presence, and in doing so, he rested the heavy, cold necklace against her sternum and skillfully began to clasp it about the back of her neck, so she could properly wear it, "You deserve it... You've done a LOT of hard work, these past few weeks, and... You've made a lot of sacrifices. I just need you to know that I care."

"Wow, Gun, this is... Wow," Berri scoffed, she could feel her hands begin to shake in such a way she couldn't really comprehend, though as her bashful blue eyes peered up into Gunner's warm, inviting, honey-brown eyes, she felt her stomach dip in knowing, and it was only here did she finally understand maybe why she was beginning to tremble.

Although having nervously ducked out of two of Gunner's attempt at a first kiss, she could see the impending look in his eye. Although she was well aware she didn't owe Gunner anything, she felt her heart begin to swell in riled apprehension the second he warmly began to lean in. Her inner fangirl went nuts, she could hardly believe that her childhood celebrity crush was actually standing before her, gifting her with expensive jewelry, giving her all these raw opportunities, actually leaning in for a kiss, she raised her eyebrows in delight and was well aware she was not about to let her childhood fantasies go unrealized, though the second she could feel Gunner's warm breath on her cheeks, and the gravity of the two began to collide, she felt a strange wedge begin to form in her heart. With the gentle flutter of her eyes, she almost felt floored that this wasn't her first kiss, and with such thoughts, the very name of the person she now had everything to base off of came rushing her thoughts.

Although Berri only had one experience to go off of, she lulled her eyes closed and welcomed Gunner's loving, slow kiss to hers. Somehow she was struck with a whole slew of now varying opinions, she almost hated that this was now something she was doomed to be doing for the rest of her time with Gunner, just picking apart everything he did, every notion or gesture of love now was stacked against another man. Berri desperately tried to shove Turbo out of her mind, the fact that Gunner Ko now gently had her swept into a romantic kiss, a tilt of heads, a gentle grab of her hips in the same motion of her larger hands gingerly gripping his upper arms, Berri felt as if Turbo had potentially laid a curse on her. He was out to steal her first for everything, raising the bar impossibly high for other men, the lack of undying, romantic urgency in Gunner's disposition had Berri feeling as if she was now floating in space, anxiously waiting for Turbo to come scoop her up. Although a lovely experience, different than what she was used to, the two gingerly pulled apart in the soft stick of their parted lips. It was here did Berri feel further doomed, the raw fact that she didn't want to go diving into Gunner's romance like she did Turbo's. She almost felt angry at Turbo, somehow he had roped her in and now ruined her for every other man on the planet. Desperate to not wear her heart on her sleeve, Berri opened her mouth to say something and keep Gunner at the forefront, though Gunner pressed on in a whisper, eager to thwart all of Berri's plans.

"Berri, I-I... I need to tell you something," Gunner staggered nervously, more nervous than Berri had ever seen him before, and with such a raw show of emotion, Berri felt her whole world begin to turn upside down. She could almost taste the words about to come out of Gunner's mouth, and although she began to shrink into herself and pray to User that Gunner wasn't going to dive-bomb her, like such, he long-blinked in whole, concealed terror and, with a deep inhale, he puffed his chest and bravely pressed on in his warm confession, "...I love you."

Berri raised her eyebrows in solid surprise and now felt as if she was dizzy. Although she was floored to be apart of this dating life with Gunner, a fun and exciting experience of being a couple and holding hands and being romantic on the cover of magazines, she felt that sinking, blackening feeling, at the bottom of her heart, suddenly sky rocket in truth. She could feel her coding begin to desperately remind her of the whole entire realness going on inside of her heart, the desperation to crawl out of her soul and to forget the shiny diamonds, the screaming crowds, the hoards of paparazzi, the dazzling celebrity life, everything eagerly wormed back to the very thing her heart truly desired, everything her coding wanted and more, the one thing that hung in a lonely loft, high above Orion City. She was well aware this nonsense couldn't go on forever, and although she was eager to prolong this mess that she got herself into, for as long as possible, she knew she had to at least be honest with herself somewhere. She felt bad that it all had to come to a head right before their first show.

"W-Wow, Gun, I-I..." Berri felt her hands begin to shake, being swept in Gunner's loving arms, she rested the sides of her hands and fists against Gunner's lower chest and nervously allowed her eyes to scan his broad clavicles. She long-blinked in delirious surprise, she was certain she'd never hear those three words from anyone, anytime soon, and although she had love for Gunner, she felt her insides warn against lying to herself, and the people around her, any longer. She was well aware she'd likely be struck by lightning if she actually told Gunner she loved him in return, if those were, indeed, not her real feelings, "I... I really need to digest that, I mean... Wow, this is... A lot."

"Y-You, don't..." Gunner visibly shrunk, he looked defeated, Berri urgently rushed to his aid.

"N-No, Gun, I-I do, I just... This is a lot, all at once," Berri heaved a shaky breath, brushed her bangs out of her face and was well aware her face was likely as beet red a Gunner's, "I really... REALLY care about you, I just... I-I need to really think about this."

"What's there to think about?" Gunner worried, he remained soft in fear of scaring her away, though Berri's humble, apologetic eyes pierced Gunner's with a begging look of sorrow.

"I have... A lot going on in my mind, right now, and I just need to digest all of this," Berri's voice became a little bit more confident, due to it being the truth, "I-I've never received something so expensive, n-nor has any man told me they've loved me before, it's just... A lot."

"As well as your first kiss," Gunner stated in soft understanding, alongside a shrug, and although Berri bashfully looked off in mild disagreeing, she was relieved to find that Gunner didn't notice her physical show of feeling opposed to his statement, "I-It is a lot, on you, all at once, I'm... Sorry, Bear. I just... Needed you to know. I love you... I mean it."

"Thank you.. Let's... Just reconvene after the show, where I can settle and really be able to digest something like that," Berri rushed in soft knowing, she gestured to her closed dressing room door and shook her head, "The concert is all I can think about right now, I-I'm... I'm positive my hair is greying, as we speak."

"It'd look beautiful, either way," Gunner pressed in almost sorrowful warmth, though as he gently began to peel from Berri and ease to her dressing room, he gently gestured to her sternum and gave a humble smile, "That necklace looks kickass on you. I knew it would."

"It's AMAZING, Gunner, thank you," Berri staggered with a nervous smile, she delicately laid her fingers to her beautiful, new necklace, though in doing so, she felt her face get hot as her fingers glossed just what was underneath the mess of metal and diamonds; Turbo's guitar pick.

"You're welcome, love," Gunner concluded softly with a nod, he gently gestured to her room and heaved a shaky sigh, "We're convening in ten... I gotta go give Wren and Theo some love before the show."

"Hopefully it'll ALSO include a kiss," Berri stated with a giggle, he beamed in cheeky annoyance, it was here that Berri was thrilled that easily lightened the mood.

"Oh, you know it," Gunner teased, he gave Berri a humble wink and softly showed himself out of her dressing room.

Berri held her shoulders in a rigid position of clenched, unmitigated terror. Everything that was just glossed over her, every ounce of sincerity just lofted her way, she eased her eyes shut and now understood just how painful this game of cheating was. She looked down to her hands in mild confusion and felt her heart surge in her chest, a surge of an ironic twist of confusion and clarity. Although Berri felt the raw, new budding feelings of falling in love with Turbo, she grimaced and now felt bad for Gunner's very brave move here. Not only did it further confirm her feelings for Turbo, but it also pushed her deeper into her own grave, one she had dug herself. She gently held the sides of her head and lulled her eyes closed in warm regret, and although she felt terrible for not giving Gunner an 'I love you' in return, she gingerly peered to her agape dressing room door and felt confidence course through her. Although she was torn between two different worlds, she felt as if her heart had a mind of its own, it promised Berri that it would do anything and everything to remind her to stay true to herself. Something she was sure would one day see her into a lot of hot water.


A/N :

Hey guys! Really quick... I just started dabbling in Twitch. I'm still brand new to it, but I will be streaming my WIPs of artwork regularly! My username is GreyUntold :D Hope to see you there! MUCH more to come!