(BL) Taming the Field Guide

Brent walked out hand in hand with Sergei, his cheeks a little flushed. He looked like he had been up to no good in the bathroom, and every S Class around them knew that they had. Sergei, for his part, looked like nothing had happened. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had left the bathroom with Brent, no one would have thought anything had happened.

That, and the giant, clear hickie on the only clear spot on Sergei’s neck. Like the man had left it there specifically for Brent to mark. Like he was the one who had foresight powers and not Rhys.

Brent felt the weight of the eyes of the other S Classes. He could sense the disappointment, and even the rage. Like he was at fault for leading them on, when he had done nothing of the sort. They were the ones who had intentionally ignored the signs, and so now that they were faced with a truth they couldn’t avoid anymore, they were annoyed.

That wasn’t Brent’s fault, that was theirs for being stubborn and idiotic.

Brent spotted Kellen, Rhys, and the Woods couple over by the food. Thankfully, it was across the room, as far away as Rhys could have pulled them and Brent felt a deep well of gratitude for the Esper. He would have kissed him on the mouth if it wouldn’t have upset Kellen and Sergei that he did that.

Tugging Sergei along, it was Kellen who noticed his presence first. He turned, and Brent could sense that something was wrong almost immediately. It wasn’t obvious, since Kellen looked the same, but something was off. He looked like Kellen, but...

"Are you okay?" Brent asked Kellen at the same time that he asked him the same. They both paused, looking a little startled before Brent felt his lips tug up into a smile.

"I’m fine, but are you okay? Something’s not quite right here." Brent told him and watched as Kellen flushed.

"Everything is fine. I’m just..." Kellen sucked in slowly, before he sighed. "I’m just dealing with some Class stuff." Kellen admitted quietly. Not too quietly, since it wasn’t like the others around him didn’t know he’d jumped Classes before, they just didn’t know he’d done it again.

Brent frowned, turning his gaze towards Rhys, Henry and Eleanor. They all looked rather tense, but it felt like it was directed towards Brent. That was strange, and confusing. Brent glanced at Sergei, wondering if he felt it, and it was clear that he did.

He had stiffened slightly, his hand in Brent’s squeezing slightly. Brent frowned.

"Anything I can do to help?" Brent asked and Kellen paused. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

"I think I would like you to tell me if you’re having issues. Evidently it appears that I have...some possessive tendencies towards you." Kellen admitted, his face red. Brent blinked, watching how the rest of them shifted uncomfortably while Brent stared at Kellen blankly. Well, duh. Of course he did. Brent felt possessive of Kellen too. That was the whole point of friendship.

"So?" Brent asked, surprising everyone around him. "Is that a big deal? I’m possessive of you too, but that’s because we’re friends. You’ve seen my dick before and seen me cry. I don’t let just anyone see that." Brent told him plainly. Kellen looked shocked.

"O-Oh. I uh," Kellen’s Mom stepped in as Kellen stumbled over his words, shocked. She looked apologetic, but her jaw was still tight. She looked like a robot moving. Like she didn’t want to say this, but had to.

"It’s not that kind of possessiveness, Brent." She told him carefully and Brent, picking up on the secret that she was trying to hint at, scoffed. He rolled his eyes, not to disrespect her, but the whole concept they were talking about. Hinting at.

"Yes it is. Kellen doesn’t see me that way. I don’t see him that way. There are only a couple ways he and I could be possessive of each other, and at this point we’re basically blood brothers. He’s more like a brother to me than my own blood." Brent said loudly. He watched as Kellen swallowed, his eye filling with tears like the words had a great impact on him. Rhys pulled Kellen closer, hugging him against him.

Brent wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t surprised to see how quickly Kellen got emotional right now, since the man was known for being quiet like Sergei and unemotional, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel things. It just usually took a lot more to move him.

"You think of me like a brother?" Kellen asked softly and Brent felt embarrassed hearing it from Kellen’s lips. He cleared his throat.

"Of course I do. I wouldn’t do half of the shit I do with you if I didn’t feel that way." Brent told him gruffly. Kellen sniffed.

"I thought that was what best friends did." Kellen said and Brent rolled his eyes again. Yeah, the man did have some trauma there. It was starting to make a little bit of sense to him.

"We can be both." Brent told him and watched as Kellen seemed surprised, but not upset at his words. Good. He looked relieved, before he slid his gaze to Sergei and then back to Brent. Brent watched as Kellen sucked in a breath, careful and measured, before he spoke.

"So, if we are both, why didn’t you tell me that the S Classes were getting out of hand? Is it because you didn’t want me to become a murderer?" Kellen asked and several loud coughs and choking noises could be heard throughout the room. Brent felt his jaw drop.

Brent knew that the reason that the Espers, the S Classes in the room, were so shocked was because they thought that Kellen was being ridiculous. Brent was shocked not because Kellen meant it, but because a shiver of fear ran down his spine telling him that yeah, that might have been a reason.

Rhys looked grim at Kellen’s question, while Brent tried to string two words together, then failed. Over and over.

"Um, well, I don’t think that would matter." Brent said dumbly. "I don’t really care about that, you know? Since I’m also one." Brent winced. Great way to save it, Brent. Rhys was giving him a stunned look, while Henry and Eleanor looked appalled. Brent was stuck! What was he supposed to say?!

"So why then?" Kellen asked, and Brent had a shocking realisation. Why did things feel wrong? Because he was speaking to Kellen, but it wasn’t the Kellen he was used to speaking back. This was a different version of him, but he couldn’t put a finger on what wasn’t right about him.

"I didn’t want to worry you." Brent told him plainly. It wouldn’t do to make excuses, he could feel it. It was a Guide’s instinct when dealing with an unhinged Esper. It was unfortunate that those senses were working with Kellen, but he’d use it if it meant his friend would get out of this in one piece. Kellen frowned.

"I am more worried because you didn’t tell me." Kellen hesitated. "You’re mine, Brent." Sergei sucked in quietly beside him, but Brent squeezed his hand. He knew that Kellen didn’t mean it the same way that Sergei did. They had just come from a bathroom after Sergei had marked him.

Kellen wasn’t an idiot, even if he wasn’t ’himself’.

"I can’t exactly explain everything about it, Kellen." Brent told him, his face warming. "You guys just came back from a stressful situation and are going into another, new stressful situation because I asked you to. Why would I add more to your plate?" Brent asked.

"Brent." Sergei said, great pain in his voice. Brent felt he knew what the man was going to say, but Kellen said it for him.

"You’re not adding more stress to me. Or us. We care about you, and I don’t like hearing that the people I was trying to help weren’t leaving you alone. I trained you, you belong to me, and I will not have them forgetting that." Kellen’s glowing blue eye glanced out at the room, and Brent let out a low laugh. His blue gaze snapped back to Brent and the two Field Guides stared at each other.

"Careful, Guide Woods, or I might think you’re an Esper who’s too big for his britches." Brent told him and watched as Kellen’s nostrils flared. He seemed to pull himself back a bit, controlling himself, but that possessiveness wasn’t gone. Kellen wasn’t even really looking at Sergei, which was alarming in and of itself.

"Sorry. I just don’t like Espers thinking that they can do whatever they want with the Guides who help them. Did they bother the other Guides as well?" Kellen asked and Brent wasn’t sure he wanted to answer him. The hesitation was answer enough. Brent watched as Kellen’s body tensed.

"Kellen, this isn’t your Guild." Brent warned. It was also something he had to tell himself as well. This wasn’t his home, he couldn’t do what he wanted at the Phoenix Guild.

"There is still something called manners." Kellen ground out, and Brent laughed.

"Kellen, you’re my friend and mentor, but this isn’t your hometown. Guides are treated differently here. You’re going to find that out the hard way when you go to the meeting tomorrow." Brent told him and Kellen curled his lip up.

"You should have gotten a gun ages ago if that is the case." He snarled. "You’re already in an unfamiliar place, you should have a way to defend yourself." Brent was in strong agreement and from the way that Sergei was holding onto his hand, he also agreed.

"Can’t disagree with that, now can you stop calling me yours? I think Rhys and Sergei are going to have a heart attack." Brent joked and watched as something happened to Kellen. It was a slow shift, like something emerging from the water. The energy around Kellen shifted and he wasn’t sure how he was so certain that Kellen was back, but he was.

Kellen’s face turned pink and his eye faded to a dimmer, but familiar blue.

"I-I’m sorry. I hate the idea of the S Classes we let stay with Aunt Dina pestering you like that. Harassing you like that. I’ll speak to the Guides and-"

"You will do no such thing. I will. You’re already busy enough, Kellen. I can handle a few things here and there." His Dad cut him off and Kellen turned to look at him. For a moment he looked like a teen facing off with his Dad before his shoulders slumped and he nodded.

"Understood. I’ll let you handle it." That seemed to solidify to his parents and Rhys that Kellen was back and Brent wondered how often moments like this were happening. Was it common? Brent slid his gaze to Rhys, but the man wouldn’t spare him a glance. He was staring at Kellen, a deep worry behind his gaze. As soon as Kellen looked at him it was gone though, and Brent jerked.

Of course he was worried. No one else with his powers had survived sane. Rhys was probably worried that this was Kellen slowly going insane, while to Brent it looked like Kellen was just slowly adjusting to the major shift in his psyche.

Brent wanted to tell Rhys that, but he wasn’t sure he would hear him. Not now, at least.

"So...Who was bothering you, Brent?" Sergei’s breath washed against Brent’s ear, momentarily stunning him before he registered what the Esper had said. Brent laughed.

"I’m not telling you either, Captain Volkov. You’re asking me to make you a murderer too." Brent teased but Sergei didn’t laugh. He narrowed his gaze and Brent squeezed his hand. He leaned in, pressing a kiss against his cheek and it was only then that he felt the same murderous aura that he’d felt with Kellen, shift. Being just a Guide was hard work.