Reviews :
faloan1230 : AMAZING.
Nikki Firesong : LMAO SWOOP. I adore Rancis. And, THANK YOU! I'm glad you feel that way :)
Snake557 : Oh sure! I can add both of your ideas to the pile :D I'm half way done with the sketch dump, I can't wait to upload it for all you guys to see!
Burgie : Yes indeed xD That's gunna take him nearly getting thrown off of his tower LMAO.
Song Listened To :
Capsize by FRENSHIP Emily Warren
*Chapter 152*
Trying to hide the peppy skip in her step, the caffeinated rush of goodness Turbo had so kindly provided her, Berri did everything she could to calmly stroll into Gunner's glorious, lovely, massive home with Wren and Theo. Dressed in a cute, white sun dress, more than ready for summer to be well on its way, she eased into the foyer and began to fall into the motions of taking off her shoes. She stopped herself in the prickled, hot sensation of now not having the right, here, as Gunner's girlfriend. Although she could easily slip her shoes off and just remain comfortable, she bit her lip as Theo and Wren tenderly pressed on in quietness. Frozen in hot contemplation, she inhaled a shaky breath and looked down at her now half empty cold brew, all frosted in sweat and swirled with creamy goodness she was quickly devouring. On the side of the cup was a cute little scribble, from Bug, that read 'Berri, love Turbo'. She clenched her teeth and felt the whole weight of moving on, so quickly. The reverberating bass of terror that now plagued her, she made sure the writing, on her cup, faced her at all times.
Glossed in a wave of guilt, she felt her heart dip into dread. How easy it was to just escape into Turbo's arms and not really have to worry too heavily about feeling lonely, about heartbreak, about feeling let go of, she bit her lip and now dreaded seeing Gunner, strictly for the fact that she felt pressed to profusely apologize. The times he texted her and she either vaguely replied or flat out ignored, she swallowed hard and now felt the delicious cold brew, in her stomach, begin to taunt her in the form of nausea. As if to state that although her dewy new love and adventure with Turbo was going to be great, and just what she needed, she grit her teeth and wondered now if she should be a shoulder for Gunner. If she should assure him that she was still a friend, and that she still cared about his well being, even if they weren't dating any longer. In the sag of all three bodies into Gunner's sunny kitchen, he stood with Bedgy, and it was here did Berri do her best to get a quick, immediate reading of him in the soft moments he hadn't noticed the three, just yet.
Berri raised her eyebrows in soft surprise and was at least happy to see Gunner standing straight in confidence, he looked in good health, put together well, as if he had gotten decent sleep. Although still stepping into this, in whole apprehension, she felt her insides loosen at least a little. With her coffee tucked tight to herself, she bit her lip as the three pressed deeper into the kitchen, getting Gunner's and Bedgy's attention. Gunner raised his eyebrows in poised tenderness, though his eyes immediately hooked to Berri's. Berri almost flinched in riled surprise; with the types of begging messages Gunner had been sending her, teary emojis and notions of entire sorrow, Berri was sure Gunner would look a lot more sunken in on himself. As dewy and prepped as he would typically look to go on stage, he tried not to give the group too wide of a smile. Berri continued to reel in tender surprise, and although she was relieved to see Gunner bouncing back faster than she thought, she almost felt a strange sensation of deceit. She narrowed her eyes in Gunner's direction and felt a wave of uneasiness climb over her.
"Hey, guys," Gunner pressed in a deep tone of whole understanding, he heaved a hot sigh through his nose and softly eyed Bedgy, "I... I know you three came over to discuss some things with me, but... Bedgy beat you to it."
"... Oh," Berri chimed in furrowed, hot concern; Bedgy shrugged her feathers in sheepish cuteness and gave Berri a look of nervous plea.
"I figured it'd be easier to prep Gunner for this conversation, just the two of us," Bedgy warned with a tone of soft humility, she apologetically looked to Gunner, and then to Berri, "I hope that was alright... I'm aware I didn't ask."
"No, no, that's... That's fine," Berri sighed as she brushed her beautiful blue hair aside and tucked behind her ear, "I was actually really nervous for this meeting, I was dreading the topic. I don't... Want... Anyone to be upset."
"I'm not upset," Gunner sighed, he looked down to his hands and long blinked, as if he could look potentially upset and relieved, all at once, "I... I've been stuffing my needs for far too long, I think it's a good time to take some space and just rest."
"You've been going for so long, man," Wren's deep voice carefully encouraged, he shrugged and softly eyed Theo in cautiousness, however, "I mean, hey... You rest up, we'll carry on, and maybe once you feel reset and fresh for the stage, we can all reconvene, y'know?"
"I'd love that," Gunner stated in calm, rested easiness, something Berri almost began to grow suspicious of, though she smiled through her emotions.
"I'm... Shocked you're taking this SO well," Berri cutely agreed with a shrug of her shoulders, she maneuvered the conversation with the skill of an agile, glitching master.
"I guess just the security that you guys will be there, when I come back, is what really helps," Gunner eased, though he almost frowned in Berri's direction, as if he could potentially segue into a double meaning, here. He bobbed her a small nod and began to show the dregs of sorrow Berri was curious its whereabouts, "I... Have a lot of personal crap to unbury and work on. Too much to explain."
"Don't we all," Berri concluded warmly, "I just hope there are no hard feelings. We'll finish this tour with a bang, and it'll be great, y'know?"
"Yeah, we... We killed those last few shows in Dig Dug, given... The circumstances," Gunner pressed in a shaky tone as he swallowed hard and bobbed a nod, he almost nervously peered to Bedgy; she eyed him in curious softness and shifted on her talons, on Gunner's beautiful kitchen island.
"Welp... This was easy," Theo choked a hard laugh and gestured out to the group before him, and although he was well aware Gunner and Berri likely had a lot to discuss, he wondered if easing into a more normal lifestyle, with the band, would make the transition a lot less rocky. Theo shrugged and cutely looked about the group, "Y'guys wanna go get lunch, or something? Maybe discuss our next four shows and... The future of the band? It doesn't have to be a big scary conversation."
"Sure, I'd love that," Gunner nodded, he immediately peered to Berri for assurance, something she diligently and intuitively took note of.
Although experts at navigating paparazzi, the band cautiously made their way into the public eye, certain the crowds would go nuts and beg for autographs and the like. True to routine, the four diligently loved on adoring fans, did everything they could to stay within the confines of their team's security, all while desperately doing everything they could to understand that this would very shortly not be their reality any longer. Berri did everything she could to stay out of reach of Gunner, however difficult she found it to be. Although their break up went public, and shook the Arcade, she was at least thrilled the two could carry on as friends, which seemed to satiate fans and hardcore shippers of both of them as a couple. Although the paparazzi went nuts with hot, goading questions for the two, they skillfully dodged bullets and wormed their way through the sea of grabby hands. Much to Berri's surprise, Gunner handled it with poise and grace, like the man she wondered was underneath all that smoldering style and big talk.
After the gang ate on a private terrace at one of their favorite, luxurious restaurants, which overlooked one of EZ Living's many beaches, the gang decided to loiter on said private terrace and continue on with visiting and discussing their next tour. Although mildly dreading it, Berri could tell Wren and Theo were doing anything and everything to get her and Gunner alone in a small shred of privacy, almost as if Wren and Theo wanted Berri and Gunner to settle their differences and make the rest of this tour seamless and easy. Simply as if said shred of privacy would benefit absolutely everyone; although Berri largely dreaded it, she leaned her elbows to the railing her and Gunner stood at, a railing in which Wren and Theo were now quickly vanishing from in pretending to go off, on the other end of the terrace, to look at something Theo spotted on the water. Simply a ploy for Berri and Gunner to be left alone, and with success, Berri fluttered her eyes as her hair whisked in the ocean breeze, she sheepishly glanced to Gunner's figure and began to feel herself shrink in nervousness.
"You, uh... Excited for our next tour, then?" Gunner eased warmly, a tender friendship they were trying to relearn; Berri bobbed an eager nod.
"Castle Run? It'll be cool to see just what other castles look like, outside of Sugar Rush's palace, y'know?" Berri chimed, her eyes lit up with innocent excitement, "Wh-when was it plugged in, again?"
"A few months ago, actually," Gunner bobbed a small nod and chuckled, "The whole hierarchy there is pretty intense, I've heard. The whole castle is COVERED with gargoyles... I guess they're, like... The baddies, in the game, but are the castle's protectors otherwise."
"Oh, really?" Berri pressed gently, she desperately tried to keep a light air between the two, "Our palace doesn't have gargoyles... It'd be cool to meet some of them, you think we'd be able to?"
"I'm sure I could work my magic," Gunner's deep voice pressed in tease as he gave Berri a coy look, though he flattened his expression quick and wiped the smoldering look of whole seduction sent Berri's way. He cleared his throat and nervously looked off, "Y-Yeah, I could... Ask."
"Cool," Berri bobbed a gentle nod and felt her face heat up. As much as she wasn't attracted to Gunner, any longer, she still felt a weird pull towards him, having been involved with him for the past few months. The urge to rub his arm, to soak into his gentle hugs, she frowned and softly looked him over. There were certain aspects about him that she began to quietly miss, though as she peered out to the glistening, sunny ocean far before them, she raised her eyebrows and was very quickly reminded of just who was waiting back inside Sugar Rush for her; a man that could very easily encompass everything Gunner was made of, and then some, tenfold. She bashfully smiled down to her feet and tried to remain cool as she carried on, "I... I hope you're doing okay, Gun. I'm... I'm really sorry for how poorly I handled, well... Our break up. I could've, well... Approached you softer than what I did."
"Nah, it's... It's my fault, you reacted that way because I was making your life hard," Gunner mumbled as he heaved a shaky breath and sagged to the railing. He cocked an eyebrow and kindly gave her a loving smile, "You had to do what was best for you, I get it. I... Made an ass of myself. Who would want to be strapped to someone like that?"
"Gun, it's not like that," Berri guffawed softly, she shook her head and narrowed her eyes, "I think we just... Both want different things. I really care about you, but I have to take care of myself, too, y'know? Just because you weren't right for me doesn't mean you won't be right for someone, some day, right? I mean, can you REALLY see yourself becoming Sugar Rush's King?"
"... I could rock a crown," Gunner shrugged, to which he grinned Berri a teasing smile as she smirked and rolled her eyes, "I get you... I... Needed that kick in the pants."
"Happy to give it, my dude," Berri muttered with a cheeky side-eye, to which Gunner blurt an easy laugh and shrugged.
"You probably already have other guys pining after you, anyways, huh? Got a brand new secret boyfriend I don't know about?" Gunner wondered lightly; so lightly that Berri cocked an eyebrow and rapid-fire contemplated her next move with skill and bravery.
"... I do, actually," Berri chimed honestly, though with the way Gunner shot her an annoyed smile of disbelief, Berri stood in solidarity, understanding wholly that no matter what, Gunner would have never taken her seriously. Even inside instances of light-heartedness.
"DO you, now," Gunner muttered with an unwavering, annoyed smile, "What's this guy's name, then? Hmm?"
"You would probably know him as Turbo Black," Berri eased, she felt a weight suddenly lifted, a proud sport of her new beau, she beamed him a closed-mouth smile and shrugged as Gunner now silently peered to her in questioning contemplation. She giggled and looked off, "You asked, I answered."
"Turbo," Gunner choked an annoyed laugh, "THE Turbo, the game ender, the devil himself... Sure. You keep on... Telling yourself that THE Turbo Black is your BOYFRIEND, Berri."
"Easy," Berri snipped with a sweet, coy smile, though Gunner beamed in continued disbelief.
"Aw, Bear. I'll believe it when I see it, then, I guess," Gunner stated in calm, smiling easiness, as if he was absolutely still certain Berri was full of it, though with his notions, Berri raised her eyebrows in poised, thwarted surprise and felt her insides do a hard backflip; she knew, full well, Turbo wouldn't leave the game to simply convince Gunner that they were dating, lest the whole thing end in a firey mess of clawing dominance, heightened testosterone, a fight to the death for the princess, a battle Berri was absolutely certain of just who the victor would be.
"Maybe try holding your breath a little longer, then, I guess," Berri chalked up, though she bit her tongue and wondered just what she was even saying, here.
"I think I'm going to sell my house," Gunner changed the topic, further convincing Berri that he entirely didn't believe her, whatsoever; she was almost grateful he segued off of the topic, anyways, "I found this smaller property over on Keppel Crest. I think... I'll escape there and... Collect myself."
"That sounds like a good idea," Berri tenderly encouraged, though she raised her eyebrows in tender surprise the second Gunner warmly took her hand in his.
"Berri, please promise me something..." Gunner eased sweetly, his honey gold eyes peered into Berri's with a vast amount of sincerity, genuineness that won Berri over in the first place. She sagged her shoulders and remained hovered in Gunner's softness, she furrowed her brows and tried to show a visible amount of mental distance, however, as he pressed on, "Please promise that you'll wait for me... While I take this year to... Figure my shit out. I just can't turn back around to find you gone, I'd... Be devastated."
"Gunner, I... I JUST made clear to you that I have another priority," Berri danced about the words, she huffed them out of her mouth like a whisper, though she furrowed her eyebrows the second Gunner shut his eyes tight, shook his head and breathed a hard chuckle.
"Please, HONESTLY look me in the eye and swear, on your life, that you are Turbo Black's girlfriend," Gunner pressed sharply, a stark switch up, he blurt an incredulous chuckle and looked past Berri in a continued rile of cocky disbelief, "I feel STUPID saying it."
Berri raised her blue eyebrows in poised seriousness, softly leaned in for emphasis, firmly blinked her eyes and huffed Gunner a quiet, deathly statement of girly glee, "I swear on my life that I am Turbo Black's girlfriend."
"Alright, alright, Mrs. Berri Black, I get it," Gunner wheezed a soft laugh and shook his head, he lovingly squeezed Berri's hand and gave her and cute look of challenge, "Playing hard to get, I see, I understand. It's fine... Ill just... Touch base with you after my break, and see what other excuse you have for me then, love."
"I think it's so cute that you ACTUALLY don't believe me," Berri eased sweetly, she shook her head and was almost entirely genuine with her statements; the raw fact that she knew, deep in her heart, that she was telling the truth, she now felt entirely off the hook for the sheer fact that Gunner foolishly didn't believe her, "But, hey. That's fine. Believe what you want."
"Like I said, babe, I'll believe it when I see it," Gunner repeated; words to thwart Berri's happiness.
"... Maybe don't hold your breath," Berri muttered off to the ocean after Gunner peeled from her in coy cuteness; she glowered down the beautiful ocean waves and now felt caught between a rock and a hard place. She knew Turbo would eventually leave Sugar Rush, though there was no telling just how far he'd distance himself from said base of safety, and for just what reason. She bit her lip and knew, at least sometime in her span of a lifetime, it'd happen, though waiting for it was now digging deeper into whole agonizing isolation.
