Reviews :
Burgie : Zed is a good papa. And, you guys will have to see ]
Awesome Stories May Occur : Thank you for your review! We've already chatted via PM, thank you for understanding :) Also, thank you for your support on my wedding and etc.,! It's a common misconception that the Shiver name is pronounced just as it looks. Like shiver, but it's actually pronounced 'shy-ver'. Something I'll definitely have to get used to! I've witnessed Cory go through correcting people enough, I figure I better adopt that lifestyle now haha. Thanks again, friend! I'm so glad you were able to catch up. Hopefully you get to enjoy the story as it continues on.
Romantic sapp : Aw thank you! I'm glad :D
Jay Sketchin : He's a good pops! Thank you friend ;-;
Snake557 : Aww. Thank you!
Song Listened To :
For Sure by Carly Rae Jepsen
A/N :
Hey guys! So sorry for the small gap, here. Cory's littlest brother's birthday was on Halloween and we spent half the weekend traveling a few hours south to go have a visit with Cory's father and brothers. It was a TON of fun, but I'm exhausted! Love those boys to death. It's cool having a clan of little brothers, suddenly. They're really funny and are super protective of me, so that's been a lot of fun to navigate. And each one of 'em is like over six foot tall, including Cory, so it'd be really fun going some place with them. I look like I hired a team of body guards xD
Anyways - I usually upload every other day, on every even numbered day, but if there's a gap, it's because of busyness or family came into town or etc. - especially as the holidays near, there may be small gaps here and there. If I am to take a week or so hiatus, I'll make sure to let you guys know the date I'll be back. You know I'm always good on my word. Thanks for understanding guys! Enjoy!
*Chapter 116*
Sugar Rush's cold, wintery bite finally began to let up as the spring months sprouted up with an abundance of rain and new, candy foliage about the game. Although Berri and her crew had only had one concert, they were set for a whopping five concerts inside Dance Dance Revolution over the course of the coming two weeks, all throughout the game. Having been spoiled by a code room, and all of it's wonderful teleporting abilities, Berri and crew now had to think about transportation, and just what that looked like throughout Dance Dance Revolution. With an incredible tour bus rented, bags packed and ready to head out the next morning, Berri began to run through a list of things she was certain she would forget if it weren't for writing it all down. Inside her haphazardly torn apart bedroom, Chester lay equally as chaotically on her unmade bed, Berri allowed her eyes to scan her bedroom in a soft show of contemplation, though it quickly sagged to that of confused concern. She heaved a soft sigh through her nose, lowered the messy notepad on her phone and gingerly reached for the guitar pick around her neck.
Thunder rolled across Sugar Rush's dark land as it lightly rained outside their glowing tower. She softly ran her thumb over the engraving and pondered a moment. Berri was well aware her and Turbo were prepared for an extended amount of time apart, and although she was thrilled that Turbo was prepared to secretly receive her whenever she needed an escape, she sagged her shoulders and looked off in continued regret. She wondered if leaving would just mess with her head, tangle her already sticky situation, and it was here did she promise herself that she'd only escape to Turbo's tower, mid-tour, if she had the ability to do so quickly, and if it were entirely necessary. She lulled her eyes closed and came to the conclusion that she had only just barely left that door ajar, and in the gentle swell of pain in her heart, she reopened her eyes in hesitation and was well aware she needed to properly say goodbye to Turbo before she was gone for two weeks. She bit her bottom lip and promised herself she wouldn't utilize Turbo's handy disguise, for her, unless she desperately needed. Although she looked off and began to ponder just what would possibly merit such an escape, she awkwardly dodged the topic as best as she could by busying herself with the gently glowing list she finally reopened.
"Alright, Chester... Hair dryer, can you say... Hair dryer?" Berri quietly giggled, she sighed and did everything to prolong maybe messaging Turbo and hesitantly going over to his place to say goodbye; Chester gently perked his ears and lazy glossed his blind eyes in her direction, though much to her delight, his impressive, broad ribcage inhaled a readied breath and his fang-filled mouth opened in a prepared, eager way.
"Blay-bler-ehr," Chester's deep voice chirped in whole confidence, Berri immediately doubled over laughing, and much to her whole surprise, Chester's figure shook an adorable, deep-toned, boyish giggle.
"Wow, bud, I mean... That wasn't the word 'hair dryer' AT ALL, but I'm still really proud of you," Berri continued to choke with laughter, her bare feet approached her billowy, messy bed in hesitancy, and as she plopped down on the bed next to Chester, her fingers began to aimlessly fiddle with the gorgeous pops of blue feathers that peaked out of Chester's lovely, dark orange mane on the scruff of his neck, "... Chessy, do you think it's a bad idea to... Well... Be with Turbo in this way?"
"Boh-boh," Chester mumbled as he sagged his ears, the only word that Berri understood to be Chester's way of saying 'Turbo'; Chester, although not clear in his opinions, still had a hesitant, cautionary air about himself as he properly sat up and crossed his massive, powerful paws to Berri's left.
"Boh-boh," Berri repeated in sighing, apathetic defeat as her eyes aimlessly got lost in his gloriously soft fur, her fingers gently stroked his lovely mane for long enough to get Chester to long-blink in drowsy contemplation, "I'm an idiot for doing this... I-I think I need to just... Go over to his loft and call it all off. I need to focus, and this is only going to distract me... Right?"
Chester finally opened his blind, foggy eyes and peered them to Berri in intelligent listening, and although Chester looked to be hesitant, he still sniffled his snout into her cheek and lovingly lapped at her skin. Although Berri scrunched and giggled at his affections, she could now feel Chester's conflicting disposition only heighten hers. She was well aware that Chester didn't like Gunner, and though he had eased up a little bit, when it came to Gunner, Berri knew that Chester would likely jump to team Turbo any day of the year. Berri rubbed her forehead in agitation, shook her head and lulled her eyes closed in defeat.
"You're probably the worst person to ask about this, huh," Berri mumbled, she finally unfolded her legs, stood from her bed and gently pulled out her phone.
Having to get up in the next seven hours, she eyed the clock in whole irritation and knew it was either go to sleep now, and miss out on saying a proper goodbye to Turbo, or sneaking away to his loft right now and risk losing another hour, or so, of sleep. Berri lulled her head back, heaved a silent groan of annoyance out to her dim bedroom and closed her eyes in irritation towards herself. She was aware that one day she'd likely run herself so far into the ground that climbing back out would be impossible, though she began to softly cross her room with purpose as she thumbed to her's and Turbo's text conversation; she knew today wasn't that day.
Blue : Hey Bo. I know this is like... Super last hour of me, but, I head out for our Dance Dance tour early tomorrow morning. I wanted to properly say goodbye to you and not just like... Some lousy text message.
Berri heaved a hot sigh through her nose and gently pressed her bare feet to her teleportation pad. Upon her soles easing onto the powered down pad, it gently hummed to life with a silver glow, and with such, a dimly lit holographic display flickered to life just to her right. Her pupils tightened a little as she eased her gaze to the glossary before her, and as she honed to Turbo's name plate on the list, she began to nibble the tip of her pointer finger in mild uncertainty. She glanced back to her unlocked phone and noticed Turbo was typing; her heart jolted the second he finally replied.
Black : Weird, perfect timing. C'mon over.
Berri furrowed her brow in soft confusion, though she didn't question his words. In a gentle tap, her silver coding was easily whisked away to his lonely teleportation pad, high above the city. Just as her coding came to grips with the game, she eased her body into the motion of stepping off of the teleportation pad, in Turbo's dim foyer, though she flinched in whole surprise and came face to face with the game's largest hermit. She tucked her arms to her chest in soft bashfulness, felt a breath catch in her throat and eased a cute smile of nervousness. Turbo looked equally as surprised, though he gestured his hand in a motion to encourage Berri to step off of the teleportation pad; as she did, Turbo successfully slipped something secret into his pocket, something Berri noticed but pretended not to.
"Why do you say perfect timing?" Berri inquired lightly, her ears popped with the sudden gain in altitude over the city.
"Because I was just about to text you and ask if I could come over, real quick... I-I have something I want to give you, but..." Turbo gestured his hand in rising bashfulness, shook his head and eased her a warm smile; it was only here did Berri feel her face heat up like the surface of the sun, the sheer fact that Turbo was draped in his comfortable red sweats, and nothing else. He gestured to his broad, masculine bare chest and shook his head through his adorably sweet gaze, "Y-You beat me to it. I, too, wanted to say a proper goodbye to you."
"Oh, I see," Berri stumbled, she looked down to their bare feet and now felt as if they both had no clue how to go about this. Their romantic tendencies seemed to be reset every single time they were with each other, as if each interaction was new, each scenario was something raw and fresh to be discovered. Berri heaved a shaky giggle as the silence between them was deafening, though she was thrilled Turbo's bashful grin lead her to believe he maybe thought the same thing, "W-Well, goodbye."
"Bye," Turbo blurt a hard chuckle and held out his hand for a handshake. Berri blurt a giggle and softly shook his hand, though after a moment, the two settled in softness and continued to hold each other's hand. Turbo sagged his shoulders as their mood softly dipped into warm understanding, and with Berri's nervous, bittersweet eye contact, Turbo gave her a knowing look and gingerly tugged on her hand, cuing to her that she was wanted in his tighter gravity. With an easy sag, Berri didn't waste time wrapping her arms about Turbo's warm, center. Although he wrapped his arms about her upper back and shoulders, and gave her a good, solid squeeze, he lulled his eyes closed and promised himself he wouldn't linger in this moment for too long. He pressed on warmly, his deep voice hovered over her ear like the cloak of a ghost, "You have that deleter protection?"
"I don't go anywhere without it," Berri assured gently as she allowed herself to relax in Turbo's furnace-like embrace, the warmth of his strong, solid figure against hers, she lulled her eyes closed tighter and was certain she could soak in it all day long, "... I-I'm really nervous."
"Why?" Turbo pressed sadly, he unleashed Berri from his grip and, although they kept a foot from each other, he still was able to peer down to her in an incredible amount of warmth and understanding, "You did so great at your last show, certainly you're not worried about the ones to come."
"I-I've just... Never been away from home for this long," Berri worried in a soft stagger of the potential of impending tears, something Turbo cued to; he shrugged and shook his head.
"You'll have Wren and Theo, you know any one of us, at the palace, are just a text message away," Turbo rushed to reassure, though as Berri quietly nodded, Turbo inhaled a shaky breath and reached into his pocket, "... If all else fails, you always have this..."
"... What's this?" Berri inquired lightly as Turbo warmly handed her what looked to be a hexagonal chip, though as Berri received it from Turbo's grip, she flinched at just how heavy it was, for how small it was. Able to easily fit in the palm of her hand, it weighed nearly a pound. She blurt a small giggle and ran her thumb over a small engraving over the top, clearly a button that could be pressed, carefully carved with the word 'Turbotastic'.
"That's your out," Turbo's deep, velvety voice eased her the conclusion, he gave her a poised look of boyish certainty through his irresistible, golden gaze, "You feel overwhelmed, you have a night you're able to escape, you make sure you're in private when you hit that button... Then you can 'go Turbo'."
"What does it do?" Berri eased in girly excitement as she peered down to the small talisman-like chip, she flipped it over and noticed the very faintly glowing silver circuitry on the backside.
"It has your disguise inside of it, it's made with your coding," Turbo tenderly explained, "You put on that disguise, you can go anywhere without being recognized... At least by fans and any potential staff or security guards. Don't let Gunner, Theo or Wren see you... They'll recognize you if you get too close."
"... Wow, s-so... What does this version of me look like, then?" Berri staggered with a nervous grin, she peered up to Turbo and realized that, if he made her this disguise without her hand being in it, he could've easily done anything to her appearance. Although Turbo choked a boyish laugh and opened his mouth to defend himself, Berri urgently pressed on, "You could've given me like two noses and neon pink hair or something stupid."
"Y-You won't be disappointed or freaked out, I promise," Turbo couldn't help but laugh, he warmly eased the chip a little deeper into her gravity and shook his head, "I promise... Just put on the disguise and show up. You don't even have to text me... My door is always open for you, you know that."
Berri peered down to the chip and, as her heart began to swell with anticipation for everything, she was entirely thrilled that Turbo went to such great lengths to make sure that she had a safe spot to unload or unwind, if even for a few hours. She finally gave Turbo her grateful gaze, shook her head in mild disbelief and cupped the chip to her chest in warm relief.
"Thank you, Turbo... Really," Berri sighed in conclusion, "This means a lot to me."
"Well... YOU mean a lot to me," Turbo staggered gently, though it was here did Berri notice he was beginning to show signs of nervousness. His hands began to lightly tremble, he looked off, as if he was searching or contemplating, and it was here did Berri hold her breath and feel a whole sweep of emotions rush her with hot understanding. With Turbo's gentle words, she narrowed her gaze a little and fully understood that he was hoping she read between the lines, here, "I-I... I typically don't go to such great lengths for just anyone. Only people I, well... Really c-care for."
Berri bobbed a nod and peered back down to the heavy chip in her hand. She felt her stomach knot, and was well aware what Turbo really wanted to say here. Although her head swam with all sorts of different notions, she felt her heart sink in the same rising spike of guilt. The raw fact that Gunner had confessed his love to her on the night of their first show, she bit her lip and was well aware she was in a sticky, conflicting situation where two hearts could easily be broken, here. She gingerly eased her mildly pleading gaze into Turbo's and almost silently begged him not to open the flood gates, to not use the dreaded L word she was doing everything to avoid, and although she could tell by the look in his eye that he understood her plea, she still narrowed her gaze in mild desperation and shook her head in an overflow of warmth.
"You mean a lot to me too, Turbo... Really," Berri eased in warm plea, she gripped the chip closer to her and stayed in his tight gravity, almost desperate to spill the beans, though she knew she would never bring herself to it. She could feel the pit of quicksand begin to climb up her ankles, she knew the more she moved, the more she reacted, the more she fell into this trap, the worse it'd be in the end. She knew squirming in quicksand would only make things worse, she knew to stiffen her upper lip and at least attempt to keep deeper feelings, here, at bay, "I really appreciate this. I won't tell a soul."
"Y'better not, I don't want Theo and Wren coming to me for disguises as well," Turbo mumbled, clearly in a teasing notion, he gestured his hand outwards, "Coming up with your disguise, alone, was hard enough as it was."
"...Okay, now I'm TERRIFIED to see what this disguise looks like," Berri choked a laugh, she began to sag herself closer to the teleportation pad; although she was certain they both wanted a kiss goodbye, she wondered if she should refrain.
"Don't be terrified, you'll be pleasantly surprised, I'm sure of it," Turbo warmly assured, and although he was visibly sad that she had escaped his gravity, he gently tucked his hands behind his back and quickly came to the conclusion that maybe a gentle pause on physical affection was likely best, "You be careful out there... It's a dark and scary Arcade outside of Sugar Rush."
"Like you would know," Berri stabbed playfully as her bare feet hit the teleportation pad, though Turbo blurt a warm laugh and shook his head.
"Ohhh I've had my fair share of happenings outside of Sugar Rush," Turbo gently defended, though as Berri thumbed to the button that lead to the teleportation pad in her bedroom, he gingerly wrinkled his fingers and gave her a loving smile, "Take care, Blue."
"Bye, Turbo," Berri chimed in a bittersweet way, and as her silver coding hesitantly climbed into gentle glitch lines and dissipated into thin air, Turbo sagged his hand to his side and slumped his shoulders in rising regret.
"... I love you," Turbo mumbled to himself in a sting of whole sorrow, true feelings he genuinely didn't want Berri to be aware of; he slowly turned to head back into his hideaway, sealed away from the world, a fate he was well aware he was only bringing onto himself.
