Reviews :
faolan1230 : Yeahhhh Turbo falls into a big dummy dumb hole for like 10 chapters. o_o
Snake557 : Nah, Berri explained how she was truly feeling. And, yeah, they both messed up here for sure lol
A/N :
Hey guys, I hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying the story, so far! I am... SO floored to say that I am a whopping TWENTY chapters ahead of you guys. The last time I was this far ahead was when I was writing Wrecking Limits, which was nearly 7 years ago. I've written EXTREMELY important scenes, scenes that I hold very near and dear to my heart. Scenes I've only been dreaming and planning for, for the past 2 years now, so I'm very very excited to keep on. I hope you guys are excited, cause even though I'm 20 chapters ahead of you, I'm only half way done with this story. Wild.
Stay tuned guys! I hope everyone is doing well, staying home and staying safe! All the more FF to read :)
Song Listened To :
Not Okay by Kygo & Chelsea Cutler
*Chapter 169*
In the gentle peel of Berri's temporary bedroom door, Wren narrowed his gaze in anticipatory nervousness and peered into Berri's little abode, as if to expect her to be here and potentially be indecent. Upon seeing a bare, stiff, unused room, Wren straightened his stance, pushed the door open a little harder and hurried to furrow his eyebrows. Bed still immaculately made, bag open and still holding on to clothes that Berri would've typically shoved into drawers by now, Wren felt his heart drop in gentle concern. He raised his eyebrows in soft suspense, eyed her bathroom from across the way and now began to hurry to make his way over. Seeing the door shut and the light on, Wren held his breath and gingerly approached the door with silent footwork, and with a gentle few knocks, he tried to swallow the rise of terrified feelings coursing within him.
"Babe? It's me," Wren warmly and apprehensively pressed, he titled his head to see if he could hear anything on the other side, though nothing. He knocked a little harder, grappled the door handle and jostled the locked door, "Berri, are you in there?"
Wren kept his hand grappled to the bathroom's round handle. Although he typically didn't enjoy having to walk in on Berri in the bathroom, he was well aware this was for her safety. With Theo and Throttle out of their suite and scouring the entirety of Castle Run's palace, Wren knew if he were to barge in on her in an indecent time, it would at least be him and no one else. Having not responded to any amount of texts or calls, Wren quickly utilized his powers to unlock the gears and metal inside the door handle, and with a firm thrust into Berri's lit-up bathroom, he sharply peered about and felt his heart sink at the raw sight of her empty bathroom. He heaved a trembling breath of now full fear and quickly came to the heart-stopping realization that she could've very easily been deleted, and no one would even have known. In a mumbling whimper of unmitigated terror, he urgently dug into his jean's pockets, yanked his phone out of his pants and began to urgently rush out of the bathroom, though in the glass-shattering pang of a sudden pop of electricity, Wren whirled around in a fit of terror and covered his head in a yelp of surprise.
Like a blinding light, a bang of silver lightning that suddenly bolted out of the nearby outlet and across the glossy bathroom, Wren inhaled a sharp breath and felt his and Throttle's fresh, intense coding suddenly bubble to a boil of energy. In a swift movement, the fast throw around of it all, said bolt of lightning chaotically crashed right into Berri's larger shower area, sending the thin veil of a shower curtain and its sturdy rod to come crashing into the large tub. In the catch of chaos, Wren outstretched his hands into a strict motion of pure grip and allowed his sudden rile of coding to firmly latch on to whatever, or whoever, had now crashed hard into the larger bathtub, all drape with the shower curtain. With the spew of nearby bath sundries and everything in between, Wren heavily panted as his eyes collected just what the heck his coding was holding on to. Although it took him a second to understand it al, he finally realized that this brown, short haired woman was Berri, her terrified, discombobulated eyes urgently peered up to Wren's in a hot mess of panting surprise.
"BERRI!" Wren shouted deeply in unadulterated surprise as he released her from his coding, she immediately began to clumsily stand and ease out of the mess she had made in the bathtub; she stumbled with the wobble of her tall heels, though she finally steadied herself and flung her bewildered attention straight for Wren's, which was easily bewildered as well. Wren huffed a terrified, trembling breath and did everything to assess Berri, here, in this raw moment, "Wh-what the HELL HAPPENED?!"
Berri heavily panted through rasps of noises just above a whimper, though in the rapid motion of cueing her silver coding to slam and lock the bathroom door, to seal them in, she immediately mocked Tessa's well-learned, seasoned skill and draped a bubble of secrecy over her and Wren, so that their conversing would be silent to anyone outside of said bubble. Berri jolted in whole surprise the second Wren firmly grappled her upper arms and jostled her.
"Where the HELL were you?!" Wren bellowed, their bubble contained his fervor and he knew it, and though he could see Berri's sunken, glassy eyes and deflated demeanor, he continued on in a riled press of adrenaline, "We were worried sick! I-I thought you were deleted!"
"I-I know, Wren, I KNOW I shouldn't have left," Berri firmly rushed with a hard choke of still panting surprise, she peered her desperate gaze tight into Wren's and shook her head, "I-I meant to come back SO much sooner."
"Where did you go? Berri you chopped all your hair off and dyed it before our tour?" Wren screeched in continued terror, he kept Berri's upper arms tight in his grip, "It looks AMAZING but it's still probably the stupidest thing you could've done!"
"It's a disguise, it's a disguise," Berri scrunched her eyes shut and rushed to ease Wren's spike of worry, she firmly pulled her materializer, as well as the disguise talisman, out of her pocket and firmly pressed the off-button for said disguise device. Her coding flickered a bit before the spill of her lovely, incredible blue hair rolled down her shoulders in returned normality, "Turbo made it for me, so I could... S-so I could...!"
"... Go unrecognized?" Wren staggered, he shook his head and long-blinked in surprise that was finally collecting, "Berri, where did you go? Theo and Throttle are scouring the whole castle, right now."
"I went to Sugar Rush, I had to escape, I just had to," Berri begged softly, she lulled her eyes closed, sagged her shoulders and eased into Wren's still confident grip, "I would've been back without anyone knowing if I hadn't have..."
"... Hadn't have WHAT?" Wren hissed nervously, though Berri heaved a trembling sigh and looked down in anguish Wren cued to.
"... Ran into Turbo," Berri whimpered as tears billowed in her eyes, and although Wren would typically now crown the widest, scheming smile, he halted all notions and eagerly took note of her raw sorrow. He remained silent, knowing full well that she had far more to get off her chest, "I went to an... Open mic night where I could sing and play songs without being shushed or... Reprimanded."
"Did anyone recognize you?" Wren wondered in hovering terror, his blue eyes hooked tight to her further crumpling demeanor, though he kept his hands gripped tight to Berri's upper arms, even still.
"Just Turbo," Berri whimpered in a grimace as a few tears slid down her cheeks, she angrily rubbed her jaw, shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows in sharp, rising frustration, "We spend a BEAUTIFUL night together and then he just... Has the balls to..."
Wren cocked a firm, sharp eyebrow, eyed Berri in gaping, side-eyeing, hovering listening as Berri heaved a long, raspy sigh, though she faltered to continue on, leaving Wren to urgently fill the gap.
"Do NOT tell me I have to beat Turbo's ass," Wren sharply insinuated as he firmly shook his head, "Cause I WILL lose. I'll beat him up but I won't come out of the scuffle alive, Bear, you just... Say the word and we can say our loving goodbyes."
"No, no, you don't..." Berri grimaced a tight look of frustrated anguish before finally covering her face and firmly wiping away tears, "No, he didn't hurt me, he just... Said some stupid shit and I just am so confused, Wren, I'm so confused..."
"... Did you guys," Wren lightly tilted his head and shrugged in such a way to insinuate the question he wanted to verbally ask, though Berri sighed and glossed her red, teary gaze to Wren's cute, proper collar, all kissed with a bright yellow bow tie, he was groomed and ready for setup and rehearsals at their first venue.
"No, I mean... We fooled around," Berri mumbled, something she was certain her and Wren would cutely unload about in a show of pillow talk and girly exchanges, though her exhausted demeanor couldn't bring herself to feel happiness, "I don't think we had sex, but, there was quite a bit of alcohol."
"Did Turbo check your terminals?" Wren quietly prod, he knew to take this seriously and gushing about any experiences right now probably wasn't wise.
"No, I didn't give him the time," Berri whimpered in a crumpling mess, once more, though she desperately tried to hold her composure, "I woke up naked in his bed, and... I-I guess we both sort of forgot the majority of the night and, instead of taking things slow and maybe relishing in the moment, he FREAKED out and started saying all this stuff about how he was thankful we didn't swap, or anything like that, that he hoped to User we didn't have sex."
"Aye," Wren hissed as he grimaced her a look of mild regret, Berri looked off in aimless defeat.
"And then I exploded because... I came off my high horse and was GENUINELY willing to code swap with him, no matter what," Berri begged as tears streamed her cheeks, "Even the fact that he hasn't left Sugar Rush, I was just going to put it all behind me and LOVE him, I just... Was SO willing, last night changed everything."
"Wow, you didn't even have sex and you still feel that strongly," Wren mumbled cutely, to which Berri looked down and furrowed her eyebrows in further anguish.
"I don't even know what we did or didn't," Berri shrugged, she shook her head and lulled her eyes closed, "I don't have to tell you all this TMI, I'm really sorry."
"It's not TMI, Bear, I love you and I'm here to support you," Wren's deep voice lovingly pressed, he narrowed his gaze in serious concern and sweetly tucked her beautiful hair behind her ear, he wiped away a tear in the process and gave her a sweet, cheeky look, "Besides. I'm the only girl here you can gush to, about that kind of thing."
"Thank you," Berri just barely huffed a chuckle at his silly words, though she sagged once more and looked down to their feet as they both softened their stances, "He made me feel really good, and then... I think I passed out because of it."
"Damn," Wren cocked an eyebrow and peered down to Berri in cute shock, "THAT good, huh?"
"Wren, it was otherworldly," Berri muttered, she desperately wanted to smile and go goo-goo eyed all over it, though she stiffened and wiped her tears in raw nervousness, "He was just upset over the fact if... We DID have sex, he would've felt terrible about it because we wouldn't have remembered it."
"I mean, fair, but... It's not like you're a one and done," Wren nodded softly, Berri gestured to herself and shook her head.
"I said the same thing," Berri whimpered, "I was willing to break my own rules for him, I just... I'm so in love with him, I'm CRAZY for the guy, I'd do... Anything..."
Berri covered her face and began to softly weep, the events of everything the night and morning entailed quickly came rushing back to her in a swathe of an avalanche, and with the tremble of her little, bare shoulders, Wren inhaled a deep, nervous breath and did everything to scoop Berri into a tight embrace. She urgently wrapped her arms about his upper chest and back, she buried her face into the broad of his left shoulder and quietly cried into Wren's lovely smelling collared shirt. Wren largely frowned and, as warmly and lovingly as he could, he held the back of Berri's head and squeezed her tighter to him. In a weird predicament where neither party was blatantly right or wrong, he held his breath and now felt as if he was between a rock and a hard place. As Berri's family and Turbo's right hand man, he rolled his eyes at himself and silently wondered why he had to put himself into this pickle, now right in the thick of it with two people he cared about most.
"Babe, you both maybe just need some space to think, us guys don't... Really use the entirety of our brains, sometimes, especially in a situation like THAT," Wren mumbled cutely, he shrugged and kept Berri tight to his broad chest, "I'm sure Turbo was shocked to see you naked in his bed, his sobered mind was probably like... 'What the heck?'."
"He seemed apologetic for the things he said, I just... Left, I was so frustrated," Berri murmured quietly, she gripped Wren tight, "I just... Left him, Wren, I feel AWFUL."
"It's okay, babe, just relax," Wren mumbled warmly, he began to gently pet the back of Berri's head, "The way I see it, is... Turbo is taking all of this really hard. Maybe he had a plan for just how things WOULD go upon seeing you naked, or... Sex, for the first time. It's really important, to some people, and Turbo's really been through hell and back. Maybe he's now wondering if he messed things up."
"He didn't, but he did this morning with his cold words," Berri huffed quietly, the two finally pulled away from each other in a slow peel of tenderness, though Wren kept his hands warmly glued to Berri's upper arms; he just barely bent down and tilted his head, to gain tight eye contact with her.
"He clearly didn't have time to process any of this, neither of you did," Wren nodded, "Maybe just... Shoot him a message later, let him know that you still care. Don't you?"
"Course I do," Berri hissed in defeat, she lulled her eyes closed and clumsily wiped her cheeks, "I want him to come see our shows... SO badly."
"Maybe this will be the kick in the butt he needs?" Wren shrugged with a hopeful twinge in his voice, he peered to Berri in warm softness and gave her an easy, though apprehensive smile, "Carry on, Bear... Finish our shows with your head high. When we go back home in two weeks, you can reconvene with Turbo. Who knows. Maybe in said reconvening, you guys will throw down."
"Wren," Berri mumbled, though it was definitely clear she was hiding a smile, "Really who knows if we haven't yet, already."
"Well, I'd text Turbo NOW and get a definitive answer," Wren instructed tenderly, he gestured to Berri in softness and bobbed a nod, "Then you guys can go from there, but you deserve to know what went down last night. I know, full well, if anything happened, it all would've been consensual."
"I don't have a doubt," Berri mumbled as she began to unfurl her phone from the materializer, "It's not anything I'd be worried about... YEAH, I'd like to be coherent and remember our first time, too, but... It still would've been awesome."
"Turbo's been down this road before, though, you have to see where he's coming from, here," Wren so delicately defended, he was at least glad Berri was warmly being receptive, whether out of restraint or defeat, he was glad he had her attention either way, "The last time he handed over coding, or did ANYTHING in that vein, it... Didn't end well, at all. I'm positive this time around, he wants to make sure everything is absolutely perfect."
Berri sagged her shoulders, further defeated, she peered down to the ground in mild guilt and still felt the swirling, conflicting feelings of sadness course through her. Wren smiled a little, tucked his finger under her chin and warmly gained eye contact with her.
"Because you're absolutely worth it, and... I think, in some WEIRD guy way, he was trying to make that clear," Wren pressed softly, to which Berri nodded and heaved a clarified breath. Wren gestured down to her phone, it was unlocked and confidently hovered in her right hand, "Go ahead and text Turbo, get a little bit of clarity... Exchange a few loving words, I don't know."
"Wren, I... I told him I was done," Berri muttered nervously, to which Wren froze and gave her a wary, deflated frown.
"... D-Done, as in..." Wren gestured his hand, Berri grimaced and inhaled a shaky breath.
"Done, I'm done waiting, like this," Berri whimpered, to which Wren shook his head and felt his sorrowful frown broaden.
"Berri, you're in LOVE with this guy," Wren pressed in nervous adamance, he shook his head and felt anguish plague him, "I KNOW you don't mean that, do you? Seriously? You're going to go BACK to Sugar Rush, after tour, and not patch this all up with him?"
"I just don't know, I mean, I WANT to, I just," Berri staggered sadly and looked about in exhausted confusion, "I'm so... Confused, right now, I don't know what to do."
"Just... Message Turbo for the terminal results," Wren sighed shakily, "Go from there... But Bear, don't... Table something you two have been fighting for, for months now. You'd be doing you and Turbo a massive disservice, you've come SO far... Please..."
"I know, Wren, I know," Berri mumbled with a nod, "Maybe I... Was a little harsh..."
"Just... Message Turbo," Wren warmly instructed in a swathe of nervous confusion, he bobbed a nod and began to softly step away from Berri's figure, "I'm going to go fetch everyone and tell them you're back."
"Wren, you're not going to-"
"I WON'T tell them where you've been or what happened, I promise," Wren's deep voice lovingly, yet sternly, concluded as he gave Berri a weak, though authoritative smile, "I'll make something up, just... Please get in touch with Turbo, for both of your guys' sanities."
Berri heaved a trembling breath and nodded, though as she watched Wren quickly hustle out of her bathroom, she stood poised and bare in her feelings. She unlocked her phone, cautiously thumbed to her's and Turbo's messages, and though she was entirely certain she'd see messages or missed calls from him, there was nothing. Her frown broadened, though as she hesitantly and carefully constructed him a wavering message of uncertainty, she shut her eyes tight and hit the send button in whole entire anxiety. Waiting for a reply, from here on out, she was well aware would be torture. The rile of mistakes and the massive amount of word vomit, from the both of them, was enough to make Berri sink into a vat of guilt for the rest of the year. She sagged in Wren's wise words, and although she was well aware answers and hind-sight would clear the air, she wallowed in the fog of confusion. Just as she was about to put her phone away and at least attempt to get ready for her show tonight, her phone diligently began to buzz in long strings of confidence, the vibration of an incoming phone call; she could feel her heart pound at the raw sight of Turbo's name plastered tightly across the caller ID, the motion of answering his urgent phone call felt as if she was connected to strings that kept her moving forward in raw hesitancy. Absolutely not ready to receive answers, she lulled her eyes closed in a weak breath of impending panic and raised the phone to her ear, all along in her little silver bubble of continued secrecy.
