(BL) Taming the Field Guide

The man who looked like a mockery of Rhys laughed.

"You dare pick a fight with me? You? A puny little Time Esper wants to pick a fight with someone who can actually fight?" Kellen was ready to start throwing fists, but Rhys’ hand on Kellen’s back had him halting.

"Why? Afraid that I’ll win? A measly little Time Esper who has managed to not only snag a Guide who can actually kill me if he didn’t want me, but also enthusiastically gives his consent? Yeah, I’m the one losing here." The smugness that was coming off of Rhys could have fed a village for a year.

Kellen wasn’t sure what kind of fight this was, but he could tell that Rhys had dealt a serious blow to the other Esper. Kellen had never seen Espers fight like this before, but maybe it was similar to how some Guides felt protective over the Espers that they had in their charge at Guiding Centers?

If that was the case, all Kellen could do was sit back and let the men fight. As long as it didn’t endanger any of the other Guides around them.

However, it wasn’t Kellen who put a stop to this fight. It was Elder Ellis and Sergei.

"Esper Thatcher, Esper Alder, enough." Elder Ellis’ voice was sharp enough to cut the tower they stood in. Kellen winced. He’d only seen the older man as kind thus far, he had forgotten that he was an S Class in his own right and could get seriously angry.

He came marching into the room. Sergei at his side. Sergei appeared to be sporting a rather serious bruise that was going to turn into a black eye. Kellen felt both of his eyes widen in surprise. He tried to catch Sergei’s eyes to ask him what had happened, but Sergei wouldn’t look at him. Instead, he focused on the scene before him.

The Guide looked embarrassed, and Kellen felt for them as Elder Ellis came to a stop in front of Rhys and Kellen, but not defensive. It was more like he was coming to stop between them to prevent them from attacking each other.

The Esper, the dangerous one, glared with such deep loathing at Elder Ellis that Kellen was almost surprised. Why the hell had he come if he didn’t like Elder Ellis that much?

"Oh of course, Elder Ellis. I’ll just drop to my knees and suck your cock while I’m at it. I’m sure you’d like it." He sneered. Kellen, the newest member of this fucked up tribe, had no idea what kind of issues these two had with each other. Sergei’s jaw clenched, Rhys gave a bitter sigh, and Kellen wanted to pull out his gun and shoot the man.

"Esper Alder." Elder Ellis chastised, his face unmoving. "How would sucking my cock get you any guiding? I’m not a Guide." He deadpanned and Esper Alder gave a bitter laugh.

"Oh, my apologies. From the way you behaved, I thought you were." Kellen had no idea what that meant, but he knew it was an insult. Elder Ellis clenched his jaw but smoothed out his face quickly, while Rhys rumbled like a damn barely contained beast. The Guides around them were whispering and whimpering, being escorted out by a few of the more aware Espers.

The S Class Guides were stuck, especially the one that ’belonged’ to Esper Alder. Kellen wanted to rip his arm off to protect the brunette, but he couldn’t do that. Kellen glared at the rude S Class, but he wasn’t paying attention to Kellen. Which was probably why he didn’t notice Kellen’s eye go wide with shock as he realised something that he was fairly certain none of the others had.

"If you are trying to get under my skin so that we fight, it isn’t going to work. You already know who is stronger, and you’re at a significant disadvantage. If you surge, no one would be around to save you and a whole region would be wiped out. I would rather not." Elder Ellis told him softly, calmly. That didn’t seem to make the other man any more relaxed, but Kellen wasn’t paying attention to that anymore.

He was paying attention to the tug he was feeling inside of him, and how his clothes weren’t quite fitting him as well as they had before. This was...a very interesting development. One that could not be spoken out loud. Especially not in front of people who were fighting at the moment.

"You sound so certain that even at a disadvantage I wouldn’t win. How do you know?" The overconfident idiot snarled.

"Because you haven’t won when you had an advantage, Esper Alder, so why would I think it would be different if you had a disadvantage? This is why I never let myself get to this state. Your logic center gets all kinds of turned around and you say the dumbest things." He sighed. "Oh, that’s not a personal dig at you, Esper Alder, but all Espers who surge." Kellen was almost impressed by how the man was handling the Esper.

He was doing it with enough tact that Kellen didn’t need to do anything to hide what he was doing as well. He was certain that not even his personal Guide was aware of what Kellen was doing. Kellen also knew that if Rhys found out about it, he would be pissed.

He was hoping that anyone who could sense the flow of magic or mana or whatever they called it kept their mouth shut. After all, this was supposed to be impossible. Kellen had only been able to do this with his Mom previously, and it had only been in a dire situation. Kellen gulped. Maybe...this also counted as one?

"I think we’ve overstayed our welcome." Kellen spoke up, drawing attention to himself. "I never meant to cause such a fight to break out. I apologise, Elder Ellis. I was just upset that he wasn’t taking care of himself and forcing his Guide to have to deal with the brunt of it." Kellen did his best to look sincerely apologetic. He’d had his training for Guiding Center B to fall back on, and it appeared to work.

Elder Ellis softened slightly, while it seemed that Kellen’s genuine big blue eye made the other Esper feel like fucking dirt. Good. He should feel bad. Kellen wanted him to feel bad.

"I must apologise as well, Elder Ellis. I got defensive over Kellen getting upset and let that get the better of me." Rhys apologised as well and Elder Ellis sighed. He looked like a disgruntled daycare teacher and Kellen couldn’t even deny it. It was like taking care of a bunch of toddlers.

"It’s unlike you to pick fights, Esper Thatcher, so I am inclined to believe you, however, Guide Kellen, I have a sneaking suspicion that you are more prone to picking fights than you let on." Kellen blinked his big, blue eye at the older Esper and the man cracked. He had been fighting a smile and it finally won over.

He shook his head as Kellen batted his eye at him, all soft Guide looks.

"Me? I would never pick fights, Elder Ellis. I just finish them." Kellen told him and the Elder’s eyes bulged before he burst out into laughter. Rhys didn’t laugh, nor did Sergei, but some of the tension was gone. "Speaking of finished, I think your guiding session is done as well." Kellen suggested, turning to the two imprinted S Classes. "Look. He looks ten times better than when he first held your hand." Kellen told the brunette and watched as she went pale.

"But I-"

"It was probably subconscious." The burnt Guide rasped. "I have been known to guide when someone is in dire straits next to me. Guide Kellen just noticed and has been keeping track of the session." They said. Kellen nodded as the brunette, confused, glanced between the two of them.

"Are you sure?" She asked and Kellen nodded.

"No one else can guide him. You’re imprinted, correct?" Kellen asked and she nodded hesitantly. Kellen gave her a soft smile, ignoring what felt like nails being shot at him but Esper Alder.

"We are." She confirmed, before she finally let out a sigh and glanced at him. She noticed his eyes first, gasping before she reached up and touched the skin under his eyes. "Y-You’re not close to surging anymore." She gasped and the Esper who seemed pissed that he didn’t get what he wanted, grunted.

"I guess so." He growled, and she gave a bright, luminescent smile.

"Oh, I’m so glad that my guiding has gotten better." She said and Kellen smiled as well.

"Me too. Is that not normal for you?" He asked and she shook her head.

"It normally takes a very long time. I have a hard time releasing my guiding powers in a timely manner." Kellen, who hadn’t struggled with that issue for a long time, frowned.

"Huh. I have your contact information, so is it alright if I reach out so that we can discuss that further? I’ve been training a wide variety of Guides so that they can become Field Guides like I am and I’ve encountered that with them as well. As long as you’re comfortable with it, I’d be more than happy to help. It usually just requires time, and a patient partner." Kellen slid his gaze to the Esper holding her hand, as did everyone else.

He growled again, but this time, he didn’t look as upset as he had been before. It seemed that some of his shitty attitude did come from his mind being full of whatever the hell made him a beast when he was close to surging.

"Fucking fine." He growled and the brunette lit up.

"Then that would be great, Guide Kellen. I would love that." She beamed and it was the happiest he’d seen her this whole time. Kellen was happy to be of any kind of help that he could.

"With that happy note, I think we should all depart back upstairs, hmm? Unless anyone else has a reason to be here?" Elder Ellis was phrasing it nicely, but they were being kicked out. Kellen nodded to the S Classes, glanced at the other Guides, before he turned, taking Rhys with him as he left the Guide room.

"I really don’t belong there." Kellen muttered when they were far enough that he was sure they couldn’t hear him. Rhys gave a laugh.

"What? I think you could fit in. You just need to lose all of your hope and crush your spirits. If I hadn’t swooped you up, you could have gotten there at Guiding Center B." Kellen scowled. He smacked Rhys’ chest.

"Hey! Don’t speak ill of Guiding Center B! They were the only Guiding Center that didn’t have any damn issues, as I recall. They’re good." Kellen scowled and Rhys chuckled.

"Sure. They’re good. You just think that because you got in." Rhys said as they trailed after Sergei and Elder Ellis going up the stairs.

"And you only sound so bitter because you didn’t get to recruit me to your Guild in time before I left for retirement!" Kellen said angrily. Elder Ellis halted on the stairs.

"Retirement? You retired, Guide Kellen?" He asked and before Kellen could answer, Sergei did.

"It was a terrible day on the front lines when Guide Kellen announced that he was going to retire. We were lost, and confused. Granted, he didn’t belong there because he wasn’t as much of an adrenaline junky as the rest of us, but we had no idea what we were going to do without him. We were even more surprised that he was going to apply to be a Guide in a Guiding Center." Sergei said, amusement in his tone. "Some of the less dignified members of the front lines took bets to see if he could do it." Elder Ellis’ eyes sparkled with intrigue.

"So? Did you place a bet, Esper Volkov?" He asked and Sergei sighed.

"I would never do such a thing. I always had faith that Guide Kellen would be able to do anything he wanted. I was just more concerned that I wouldn’t have a competent Field Guide to help my people." His lips curled up slightly. "I was wrong, but I wasn’t aware of that until much later." Sergei admitted. Elder Ellis could smell that there was more to the story, but they had already made it to the top of the stairs. Others called for him, and he bid them goodbye. With a stern look. Kellen just smiled as he felt Rhys usher him towards their couch.