(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 341

Chapter 341: A rude awakening Chapter 341: A rude awakening Kellen stood outside in the hallway, his arms crossed as he stared at the wall across from him.

It was a part of the higher levels of the Guild tower he hadn’t been in yet.

Not quite at the same floor as his and Rhys’ apartments, but still rather high up in the building.  It was between Kellen and Brent’s apartments, closer to where his parents had settled.  Inside of the room he was standing outside of, it sounded like a hurricane was going off.  Screaming, shouting, grunting.

The sound of things being thrown against walls, glass shattering.

Kellen flinched as he imagined the stone countertops being shattered, and was sure he wasn’t far off.  He was surprised that if anyone else was staying on this floor that they weren’t coming to check up on them.  Maybe no one else was staying on this floor, and that was the exact reason Hill and Rhys had chosen it.  Wincing as he heard Hill curse, Kellen sighed, his gaze sliding to the door beside him.

The Espers had told him to wait outside, that it would be too dangerous for him but at this point, he was getting bored.  Having to fist fight Gunther might actually be fun at this point.  There was a brief moment of silence and Kellen pulled out his phone to check the time.

It was near lunchtime, and he didn’t really have this kind of time.

Between him, Casper, his own classes, and everything else going on in the world, Kellen didn’t have time for Gunther’s temper tantrum.  Was it wrong to consider it that way?

Maybe.

Did Kellen really give a shit at this moment?

No.  Kellen knocked politely on the door as he shoved his phone back into his pocket before he opened the door.

He dodge immediately, something flying at his head.

It wasn’t until it made a hollow metal clang against the far wall that Kellen glanced back and noticed it was a garbage can.

He smirked.  “Try better.” Kellen told Gunther.  Rhys or Hill wouldn’t have thrown that at him.  Get.

Out!” Gunther roared, the main crux of why he was throwing said tantrum.  Hill had ratted him out.

Rhys had gone into work around the same time that Kellen had gone to workout, covering for both Gunther and Hill.

Thankfully they had other Espers trained to take over the training for times like these, so Rhys only had to handle the other issues presented to him.

Hill, as someone who could hold her own against the Water Esper outside of Rhys was put in charge of him.  It was clear to Kellen that Rhys had probably shared some of the visions he had seen of Gunther to Hill, which was why she was on high alert.  The idiot had attempted during lunch.  Kellen’s anger at him being so stupid, and interrupting the small break he had every day were a tangle of emotions inside of him as he took in how Gunther looked currently.  He was clearly not well.

His hair was a bird’s nest on top of his head, his clothing in shreds.

He had a broken lip, blood dripping onto the floor, and the beginnings of a black eye.

He was in his underwear, but they barely covered anything, and his knuckles were bruised and blistered.

He was looking at him with the deep blue of his powers, clearly angry, clearly upset, clearly volatile.  Kellen laughed.  “No.” He spat, slamming the door behind him.  He glanced towards Rhys, who gave him a flustered look.

He was leaps and bounds above the condition that Gunther was in, but that didn’t mean he was unscathed.

Gunther wasn’t his right hand man for no reason, and he sparred with Rhys the most.

He too, was in shambles.  It was Hill who looked terrible, just like Gunther.  Her hair was curly, tangled, and everywhere.

She too was sporting a bleeding lip, along with several rather bad-looking bruises all over her body.

Her shirt was torn, showing off the sports bra she was wearing underneath, and the small night shorts she had been wearing had been shredded, showing off the orange underwear she was wearing underneath.

Her eyes matched her underwear, and Kellen realised he was in a room of three overworked Espers.  What fun.  “Aren’t you getting bored with this behaviour, Gunther?

Throwing a tantrum like this just because you didn’t get what you wanted?” Kellen asked, rising up from his crouched position.

He began to make his way towards Gunther, and he could feel the tension radiating off of both Hill and Rhys.  They were ready to move if Gunther made to attack him.  Gunther glared at him, his lips pulling back to snarl at him.

He was basically a beast, full of hatred and rage.

Kellen could tell, even without touching him, that he needed guiding but knew he would only be rejected at the moment.  He’d probably reject anyone at this moment.  “I just want to be left alone!” Gunther shouted in Kellen’s face, but Kellen just smirked.  He bent, knowing without knowing that even though the man had thrown a trash can at him, he wasn’t going to actually hurt him.

Gunther wasn’t so far gone that he’d do that.  His eyes were still white.

He wasn’t ‘gone’ yet.  “Too bad, Gunther.

You’re too much of a danger to yourself right now to be left alone.” Gunther didn’t like hearing that from Kellen, and showed his displeasure by formulating water in the air around them.

It was a good threat.  Too bad this was Kellen he was dealing with.  “Trying to threaten me isn’t going to work.” Kellen told him.

He scanned Gunther, frowning.

“I’m here if you want to talk about it, Gunther, but I am also here to make sure you aren’t a danger to yourself.

We haven’t involved anyone else besides us right now, but I can easily get more involved.” Gunther scoffed.  “What?

Your parents?

That’s sooo scary.” Gunther rolled his eyes, and Kellen could feel how both Rhys and Hill tensed.

Kellen didn’t mind.

Let him be angry verbally.

He wasn’t tossing things at him so he didn’t mind.  “Mm, well, that can easily be arranged.

I doubt you’d be able to hide from someone who could turn invisible, but I have a feeling you’re more afraid of my Dad in that situation.” Gunther winced.

“Because he knows where Casper is right now.” It wasn’t true, since Kellen hadn’t gotten his parents involved in this, but Gunther didn’t need to know that right now.  Kellen leaned in further, and half of Gunther’s bluster faded as Kellen moved in.

It was almost as if he was afraid of Kellen, and Kellen took advantage of it.  “What?

Are you afraid now?

Cat got your tongue?

I’m heartier than the other Guides, Gunther.

I can deal with being tossed around a bit.” Gunther’s face was paling by the second, the anger being replaced with a deep seeded fear.  “I-I’m not going to hurt you!” Gunther shouted, his voice loud and Kellen had to try not to wince at the volume.  “Who said you could, Gunther?” Kellen shot back.

“Or are you afraid that you’ve always been capable of hurting me?

Do you want to do that?” Kellen pushed, stepping in closer.

By now, Gunther who had been spitting and fighting like a cornered animal had softened considerably.

As much as Kellen didn’t like that Gunther was quieting down because he was approaching, he was going to use it.  Even if it hurt to see Gunther shaking like this.  “I-I don’t want-” Gunther cut off.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Gunther’s loud voice softened until Kellen could barely hear him.

He was clearly wilting because Kellen was approaching.  “Is that so?” Kellen asked, staring down at the man who had been loud and blustering before, but was now trembling and shaking before him, refusing to make eye contact.

This was not the Gunther he was familiar with, and it broke a part of him.  He was sure that the two Espers beside him were the same.  “Is it because I’m a Guide?” Kellen asked, and Gunther jerked.

“Or is it because you’re afraid that you’ll hurt everyone you care about now that we’ve said something?” Gunther grew smaller, the water droplets he’d formed fading quickly.  Kellen knelt before him, his heart aching for the other man.  “Gunther, you aren’t…wherever this comes from, okay?

We want to help you.

We aren’t secluding you here because we don’t care.

We want you to get better.

We’re all sorry we didn’t notice something was wrong until too late, but…it’s not as if you can’t be repaired, alright?” Gunther shook his head.  “What’s the point in living if I can’t be with him?” Gunther’s voice had lost all tone, a flat, dead sound that made Kellen tighten his lips.  “Who said you couldn’t be with him?” Gunther laughed.  “He did, remember?

I thought we were dating, and he said that he was done.” Kellen opened his mouth, sighed, and shook his head.  “He doesn’t want to hurt you, Gunther, which was why he was horrified when he hit you.” Gunther clenched his hands.  “I don’t want to hurt him either, which is why I thought we were playing the low and slow way.

I know he’s weaker than me, which was why I was waiting for him to hit me first!

My hits could really hurt him, and I-” Gunther choked.

“I can’t watch him be happy with someone else.

Just fucking kill me.”  Kellen didn’t look at Rhys, but he heard Hill let out a small noise.

Hearing those words from his best friend had to be tearing him up inside, and Kellen wouldn’t say he was immune.

It was a plea.

From a man who truly didn’t think he had any other reason to live.  “Gunther.” Kellen started.

“Don’t be such a fucking selfish asshole.

Do you think Casper would like it if you killed yourself?

Do you think a man who waited this fucking long for a dumb Esper would want them to just disappear?” Kellen’ kept his tone firm as he spoke to the man, wanting him to hear what he had to say.

“I can’t promise that Casper will ever take you back.

That’s not something for me to decide.

What I can tell you is that if you wallow too long in your own suffering, you will lose him forever to some other Esper.

I know that isn’t what you want, you said as much, but you need to get yourself together.” Kellen exhaled.

“You need to go to therapy, Gunther.”  “I don’t want to do that.” Gunther shot back immediately and Kellen let out a harsh laugh.  “Then kiss your position, your power, and everything you’ve known goodbye, because I can already see the writing on the wall, Gunther.

If you don’t try to fix the parts of yourself that were broken in your childhood, you will lose everything, even if it isn’t right away.

You are going to become as dry and bitter and sad as you feared.” Kellen stood up, glancing at the two nearby.

“If you want to get better, reach out to me, or Rhys.

We’ll be here, until you fuck it up again and push us too far away.” Kellen said, turning and heading for the door.  He had hoped that Gunther would call him back right away, but he knew better.

The man was too stubborn to do so.

“And get some guiding, you damn idiot.

Don’t make yourself even more of a problem for Casper.”  CREATORS’ THOUGHTS CalyB Kellen really isn’t holding it back….