(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 254

Chapter 254: Something terrible is happening here, with the Captain Chapter 254: Something terrible is happening here, with the Captain Rhys considered himself a rather level headed man.  Well, as level headed as one could be with an enormous amount of power at your fingertips, and a government that tried to keep you in check, but couldn’t even manage that.  But still, he considered himself calm.

Rational.

Given everything that he had just had to go through, he felt he was doing quite well for himself.  He had not killed a bunch of people when Kellen passed out and nearly died from blood loss.

He had not bitten off Green’s head when she had tried to take Kellen from him.

He had not harmed anyone else while Kellen remained unconscious and he felt like he was going to surge for the first time in his life since right after he manifested.  He didn’t do any of those things.  Instead, he’d held a tight grip on all of his powers, somehow made it through that hellhole, and, not only that, he’d gotten to hold Kellen when he’d woken up and had the wonderful moment and realisation that he could provide comfort to the man.  It was beautiful.

It was horrible how they got there, but it truly showed him that Kellen trusted him and cared for him enough that he trusted Kellen to Rhys.

His whole body and soul, not just the outside bits.

It was a big thing.

It was a gift that Rhys didn’t think he was worthy of.  Kellen didn’t even know how much that meant to him.

Outside of sexual things or things of that nature, it was the truly vulnerable moments that Kellen allowed Rhys to witness and participate in that showed Rhys how much Kellen valued him and how much Kellen cared about him.  The fact that Kellen kept his toothbrush in his bathroom even when he was upset and mad at him?  Rhys’ heart hurt with how much of it the man occupied.

How much more could Kellen take up space inside of him before Rhys was just a walking, talking Kellen stan?

Wasn’t he one already?

This moment of reflecting was all to say that Rhys knew he’d been, previously, on the edge.

So he could see the signs.

Hell, he and the signs took a weekly tango session together.

Out of anyone around, Rhys could tell when someone was teetering on the edge.

Gunther?

Gunther had them in spades.  Rhys knew something was up.

For one, Gunther had disappeared when everyone had needed him most for an hour.

No one knew where’d gone, no one had any reports or sightings of him anywhere, and in fairness to Rhys, Kellen and his Father had nearly died.  He’d been preoccupied, and Gunther had seemed stable.  Then he came back with a giant ass bruise forming on his cheek and under his eye, a wildness in his black gaze, and a damn smirk on his face.

Hill had alerted him immediately, along with several other Espers.  That included several healers, and that was alarming in the highest regard.  There weren’t really…Espers who would be considered mental healers.

That was, essentially, the job that the Guides did.

But, there were times when that wasn’t enough and regular therapists were called in.  Sometimes, there was just too much shit wrong with someone that getting guiding from a Guide wasn’t enough to fix them.  Rhys, admittedly, probably should have participated in the therapists that he’d hired earlier in his life.

He had made sure that everyone in the Saturn Guild had access to the best of the best.

He’d forced several other Espers into therapy when they’d grown too irrational and had taken it out on their teammates.

He’d been a good leader.  To everyone but his dearest friend.  It wasn’t a secret but it seemed many people forgot.

Gunther and Rhys awakened from the same gate eruption.

Rhys had been higher up in the apartment building while Gunther had been lower down, on the second floor.  For some reason, that distinction, that distance from the gate when it formed, made Rhys an S Class Esper, and Gunther an A Class Esper.

No one knew why, and it wasn’t as if they were the only ones who survived and awakened, but it was something that Rhys never forgot.

It also meant that like Rhys, Gunther never got to confront his parents since they had passed away in the gate eruption.  Rhys knew that a part of him was messed up from the way he was treated as a kid.  He was able to view it objectively as he’d grown up and realised that those around him had not been treated the same way that he was being treated at home.

That ability to observe, understand, and process meant that even though Rhys knew he should talk to someone else about these feelings and emotions inside of him, he didn’t think that he wasn’t worthy of love.  He knew he was worthy of love.

His parents were the fucked up ones in this equation.  It took Rhys a while to realise that Gunther had not come to the same conclusion that he had.

Or for Rhys to realise how much more fucked up Gunther’s relationship with his parents had been.  Rhys wasn’t blind.

He’d known from the beginning that Casper liked Gunther.

He also knew that Gunther liked him back.

To him, it was a no brainer.

The two were a cute couple, and they would fulfill each other in the perfect way.

Casper was also a good man who cared deeply about the people who cared about him in turn.  So Rhys had thought it was a done deal.  He did not think that it would ten years on and the two would still be fucking edging each other about a damn relationship.

Rhys didn’t know who was at fault since he didn’t fucking ask unless Gunther opened up to him about it, but the man was tight lipped outside of when he was blackout drunk.  Rhys was not above taking advantage of him when he was in that state, but it was also a busy time.

He couldn’t deal with a hungover, moody Gunther while also dealing with the whiny sons of bitches in charge of the city he loved.  Rhys knew that he had failed Gunther not just as a friend, but also as a Captain when he finally made time to check in on him like the healers and Hill had told him to.

He found Gunther, black eye and all, overlooking the new recruits while they worked out in the main A Class gym.

He especially knew he’d fucked up when Gunther grinned at him and pointed to his bruise excitedly.  “Rhys!

I think we’ve finally made progress!” A deep, worrying feeling filled Rhys’ body at the excitement in Gunther’s tone.

What the fuck did that mean?  Rhys kept his expression neutral, his body lax as he came to stand close enough to Gunther that they could speak without the other Espers in the room hearing.

To anyone else it would sound like they weren’t even whispering, but the two of them could hear each other perfectly.  “Oh?

How so?” Rhys asked calmly, but felt like his heart was thudding in his chest.  “Well, I…I’m sure Hill ratted me out and said I ran away, yeah?” Rhys nodded slowly and Gunther sighed.

“I was…I went to Cas’ place.

I didn’t think it was right he didn’t know what was going on, and I felt no one else was going to message him in time before the news broke.” See?

Thoughtful, caring, considerate.

Why the fuck weren’t they dating already?

“Okay, so you went over to Casper’s place.

Why didn’t you report that?” Rhys asked, and Gunther looked a little sheepish.

He scratched the back of his head, avoiding one of his braids.

“Well, uh, we got a little…heated.

Cas was pretty pissed, and he said some things that I…Honestly, they still make me mad, but it’s okay.

Do you want to know why?” Gunther asked, and Rhys stared into the deep blackness that had taken over Gunther’s gaze as soon as he had awoken.

Gunther’s eyes hadn’t always been this unending black.  Rhys knew of several other Water Espers who had gazes like his.

Rhys had only been to an aquarium once, in the time before he had awoken, for a school trip.

It was there he had seen old footage of whales, giant creatures that were confirmed to roam the oceans before the gates began to open all over the planet.  Now it was uncertain if such creatures existed, but Gunther’s gaze would always remind him of the giant behemoths.  “Why, Gunther?” Rhys asked softly and Gunther’s grin felt like it should be infectious.

Rhys, for some reason, didn’t smile.  “Cas hit me!

We’re finally courting!” It felt like Rhys had been punched in his sternum.

All air left his lungs as Gunther grinned widely.

“I didn’t think it would take this long, but here we are.

I gave him all the signs but it took him ages to catch on.

Honestly, I thought we were going to pair before you and Kellen, but I can’t be upset.

I’m on cloud nine right now.”  Rhys was speechless.  Not only did he feel like he’d failed as a Captain, but he’d failed as a friend.  He’d failed to notice what had been going on with Gunther.

What his parents had been twisting him into.

He could barely wrap his head around what he had just heard.

“Casper…hit you?” Rhys repeated and Gunther nodded.  “Oh yeah.

It was a good one.

He smashed a glass into my face.

My Dad only did that to my Mom when it was a special occasion.” Rhys felt ill hearing those words.

Whenever his own parents had hit him he had known that it wasn’t a good thing.

That there was something wrong for them to be doing that at all.

So why did Gunther think-when did Gunther start thinking- Rhys swallowed thickly, his throat clenching.  “Only for special occasions?

What kind?” Rhys asked, doing his best to remain normal on the outside while internally he felt like a bomb had gone off.  “Oh, you know.

Anniversaries, birthdays.

The usual.” Rhys nodded as if what he said was normal and not completely insane.

How the fuck had this never come up before?  “Did he do the same to you?” Rhys felt himself asking and Gunther laughed.  “Of course!

That’s how parents and families show love to each other!” Oh dear god.  “I-If you knew you had feelings for Casper, why didn’t you act first?” Rhys couldn’t even believe that the words were leaving his mouth, but he needed to know.

At this point, Rhys needed to know just how deep this went.

Gunther shrugged his shoulders, a small smile on his lips.  “I guess I was just…nervous?

I know that my Mom rarely showed Dad that she loved him, so I guess I just wanted Cas to make the first move.” Rhys had to look away from him.

He sounded so damn sincere.  Where the fuck did he even begin?

Who did he contact?

Holy shit, Casper had smashed a glass against Gunther’s face?

“Well, I’m glad you’re making progress.” Rhys told him, reaching up and squeezing his shoulder.

“Let me know if anything else happens.” He forced a smile and Gunther grinned in return.  “Thanks man.

I always know you have my back.” Rhys did his best to keep himself together as he left the gym, but as soon as he made it into the elevator it felt like his world was crashing.  Oh fuck.

Oh shit.

What was he supposed to do?

What could he do?

This was so much worse than he thought.

He didn’t think- He was the worst friend ever.

Was he even a good friend to Gunther?

Dear lord, Casper!  Rhys was panicking, and he was working on autopilot.

He didn’t even know where he was going, he just moved.

CREATORS’ THOUGHTS CalyB Some more lore!

And also, holy shit.