(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 314

Chapter 314: side story- Casper’s night out part 2 Chapter 314: side story- Casper’s night out part 2 Casper was having the best night of his life.  Whatever a ‘Burt Reynolds’ was, he really enjoyed it.

Gwen had kept them coming until Brent and Charlie had arrived at their table, and by then, Casper wasn’t even sure why he had been so picky in the first place.  Brent was excited to see him in such high spirits, while Charlie appeared just to be happy to be here.

He had a different drink from everyone else, and Brent made it clear to everyone that he wasn’t drinking, he was just out for a fun time.

Once that line had been drawn in the sand, firmly, everyone then turned their attention to Casper.  Casper became the focal point for everyone else.

Including Charlie, but for a very different reason.

Casper was asked to participate if drinking games, to go dancing, pretty much to do anything and everyone.

The more liquor flowed, the more willing he was to do anything.  Charlie, however, remained at his side because he felt safe with him.

They both had gone through the intensive grooming and petting of Mr.

Woods.

They shared a bond that he wasn’t sure many had, and because of that, even as Casper got messy, and felt like he wasn’t of much help to his younger charge, Charlie seemed rather content to sit next to Casper and look around.  Casper asked, at one point, what Charlie was drinking, and the boy had been excited to tell him.  “It’s a sprite with orange juice!

I wasn’t allowed pop that often, so this is very exciting.

Mr.

Brent told me that I could have as many as I wanted!” Mr.

Brent?

That’s what he was calling Guide Jameson of all people?

Was it because he wore the same clothes as Kellen?

Whatever the reason, Casper couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle his hair, finding the younger man adorable.  Charlie didn’t seem to mind, and when everyone noticed what he was doing, in their own drunken stupor, they wanted to ruffle his hair too.  Charlie just sat there, cup in hand, as several hands touched his head and then they laughed.

Charlie was either a calm person by nature, or he was used to these kinds of environments.  Casper wasn’t sure if he liked either option.  Casper didn’t have a lot of time to worry about Charlie, unfortunately, especially when everyone started dragging him out of the V.I.P.

section and onto the cramped, loud, dance floor.

They had gotten him out of his second layer of protection, his jacket, and now Casper was just in the white shirt that everyone, Guides and Espers, wore under their uniforms.

Gwen had even undone a few of the buttons, spiking up his hair while Brent disappeared for a few minutes.  Casper was dragged onto the dancefloor, a few of Gwen’s friends remaining behind with Charlie while a few joined them in amongst the squirming, pulsing bodies on the dancefloor.

Casper had never done something like this before, and he felt like everyone knew that, even with how much he had drunk.

He felt like a sore thumb sticking out in the middle of the flickering lights, the bass beat, and everyone else having a fun time.  Gwen took his hands in hers, giving them a squeeze.  “Stop thinking!

Just move!” She began to move him, twisting and turning him while laughing.

Her friends were the same, and Casper realised that there wasn’t really a wrong thing that he could do.

Besides maybe running into someone else, but he was doing his best not to do that.  So, Casper moved.  He had never felt so free in his life.

The music, the bodies, this was so outside of the realm of anything Casper had ever done before.

He’d never done anything like this because Gunther had once said it was beneath him.

That anyone who did anything like party and drink was a fool.

Casper had taken it to heart, since he had been so smitten with the idea of love, and how he was in love with Gunther because he knew that they had high compatibility.  Of course, that had never been confirmed.

There was a chance he was chasing a man whose compatibility was like, 60%, but Gunther wouldn’t even let them compare it to find out the truth.  Casper shook his head, shaking away all thoughts of Gunther.  It didn’t matter now.

Whether they had high compatibility or not.

He was done chasing the man, even if Gunther was twisted enough in the head to think that violence was a form of affection, Casper was so disgusted with himself that he didn’t want to continue something so twisted.  His heart throbbed, thinking about how much Gunther must have suffered through for his mind to get so twisted, but that was a normal reaction.

Everyone cared about others when they heard that they had been going through a hard time.

It made Casper a good human.

A good person.  He could leave Gunther.

He could leave the Guild.

He could leave everything behind and start anew.  Casper could be so much more than what Gunther had expected him to be.

Casper could be…anything.

He could be anything.  “Casper!

You look like you’re having fun!” Casper spun, a set of arms wrapping around him and squeezing him a bit too much.

He knew this touch.  “Karen?” He asked over the loud music and she pulled back, an infectious grin on her face.  “Did you think I would let you go out for like, the first time of your life without coming out as well?

Hell no!

I just had to make sure all of the Woods are safe.

It’s just me though.

Everyone else bailed.” She rolled her eyes, pulling away from Casper enough to look him over.

“But damn, Gwen really went to town on you.

What have you been drinking?” She asked and Casper blinked.  “Uh, Burt Reynolds?” He said and watched as Karen’s eyes widened, before she snorted and started laughing.  “Yeah, that sounds about right.” She snorted again, before her gaze scanned the area.

“Where is Charlie?” Casper pointed vaguely towards the V.I.P.

section.  “He’s with some of Gwen’s friends sitting at a table.

Brent’s gone rogue.” Casper told her and she smirked.  “Oh, I’ve already seen Brent, don’t worry.” She wrapped her arm around Casper’s shoulder, giving him a squeeze as she spoke to Gwen’s friends who immediately stood on guard as soon as they saw Karen.

They only relaxed when they realised who she was, and Casper felt a tingling in his gut at the realisation that they were ready and willing to fight an Esper for his safety.  Well trained indeed.  Or…maybe that was just what friends were like?

He knew he was like this with Karen and Pamela, and Rhys, in some regard, but that was normally only in a professional setting.

He’d never been in this kind of setting before.  “Let’s go get you something non-alcoholic to drink, and we’ll go check in with Charlie.

Are you cool with that or do you want to dance some more?” Karen asked him and Casper shrugged.  “I’ve just been going with whatever they told me to do.

Where’s Gwen?” Casper asked, realising that she’d disappeared when he hadn’t been looking.  “Let’s just say that there is a reason Kellen is so good at handling Brent.” Karen said, amusement in her tone and her expression.

In fact, she looked rather relaxed, and Casper swallowed.

He noticed how she interacted with everyone, moving through the crowd like an expert with her arm wrapped around his shoulder and Casper wondered how often she had done this.

She seemed…comfortable, and as the two of them made their way over to the bar, they stopped behind a crowd of giggling girls who were clearly together.

Karen winked at them when they glanced at them, and that sent them into more giggles.  “Karen.” Casper started, and she turned her attention to him, absently tapping the beat into his shoulder.  “Yeah, Cas?” She asked and Casper nearly flinched at the nickname.

She rarely called him that.

It was usually only Gunther who did.  “How often do you go out like I am right now?” Casper asked carefully and she narrowed her eyes, thinking.  “Gosh, like this?

Not as often anymore, since I have a little bit of a roster, but I certainly did this a lot when I was younger.

Why are you asking?” She asked, turning her gaze towards him, her eyes warm.

Casper swallowed.  “Well, you just seem…so comfortable.

I was curious about it.” Casper told her and she laughed.  “Cas, the trick is to make everyone think you are comfortable.

You don’t actually have to be comfortable where you are.

You just need to switch your mindset.

You always look comfortable in rooms I would never feel comfortable in, but you never hesitate, never soften.

You also don’t lose your temper as much as I do.

I’m sure if you put your mind to it, you could be strolling through this club like you owned it.” She teased, poking his nose and Casper jerked.

She grinned.

“My little Cas is all grown up.

All he needed to do was break up with Gunther, huh?” Casper froze.  “We didn’t break up.

We were…we were never together.” Karen’s expression didn’t shift, her smile still warm as she stared at him.

“Well, whatever the case may be, I am proud of you.

You’ve held yourself back for him, and he didn’t really appreciate you the way that I would have liked.

Whether you get back together with him, or start a relationship with him, ” she was clearly teasing him, but Casper couldn’t say anything about it as his hands curled into fists, “I will support you no matter what, alright?

You’ve done the same to me, through all of my rocky relationships, so it only makes sense I would do the same for you.

If you want to make bad decisions, I’ll be right beside you, supporting you the whole way.

Unless it’s drugs.

They do weird things to me, so I can’t really support you there.” Casper scrunched up his nose.  “I think alcohol is enough of a vice to turn to in my case.” Casper muttered and Karen chuckled.  “What about sex?

Have you considered turning that direction?

It’s a very Esper thing to do, but I think it would shock Gunther in just the right way, you know?

The man is such a stick in the mud on some things that I would truly like to see him unravel watching his Casper sleep around.” Casper felt his cheeks warm.

Karen was right.  Gunther had been very possessive of him in strange ways, but had let him go in times when it mattered.  Casper sighed heavily and the girls moved past them, sliding their hands along Karen’s arm as they passed, wiggling their fingers at her.

Karen grinned as they stepped up to the bar.  “Two waters, and-” “Can I get two sprites with orange juice in them?” Casper asked, speaking over Karen for what might have been the first time.

Karen blinked, before she laughed.  “Scratch the waters then and do what he ordered instead, and can I get three Burt Reynolds?” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS CalyB Casper is going to go on a tear and Gunther has no idea.

That conversation between him and Rhys is going to be ROUGH.