(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 429

Chapter 429: I made this mess, I’ll clean it up
Brent was caught up to date on what had happened. Kellen hadn’t actually told him about his ability to see the future, not because he didn’t trust him, but because the less people who knew before it was confirmed, the better.

Brent seemed stunned, shocked actually to hear that Kellen had experienced what Rhys’ powers were like. He covered his mouth, pondering, before he raised his green gaze to Kellen’s.

“I have two theories.” He said, and Kellen nodded. Everyone had theories about this, and Kellen actually found it pretty amusing. His parents, Rhys, he was sure Hill had some as well as whoever else knew, like Pamela and Casper. He was excited to hear what Brent had to say though.

“Okay. Hit me with them.” Kellen said, sitting back in his chair and Brent frowned.

“Well, my first is that you’re just a freak of nature and something weird like this was always bound to happen. You haven’t been as intimate as you have been with any other Esper, and we sure as hell can’t test it further now. Rhys would kill them, and I don’t want to know what would happen to me for even suggesting such a thing.” Kellen tossed his head back and laughed. Brent was right. Rhys would kill the Esper he tested this on, and if he was honest, Kellen didn’t really want to do any higher level guiding with anyone else.

He lucked out. He was coming to that realisation. He didn’t mind being a one man kind of guy when it came to higher level guiding. Lower level? All day, every day. He felt nothing about holding hands with other people, regardless of gender. Rhys was fine with that. At least, he was doing his best to be fine with that.

“Okay. What’s the second one?” Kellen asked after he had finished laughing. Brent sighed.

“That it’s your compatibility that made it possible for this to happen. I don’t put much faith in Class levels. I know that sounds pretty…entitled of me, but I just don’t. Maybe it’s because I haven’t lived as a lower Class, but…that’s what I’m thinking. You two got 90% without higher level guiding. We all know, especially because of your parents, that that compatibility goes up as time goes on. You guys might be like, 92%? Hell, maybe even 95% at this point. We won’t know until you get tested again.” A cold sweat slid down Kellen’s spine.

That’s all anyone was saying. Retest, retest, retest. Kellen never wanted to do another one again. He was sure that the others could tell, but he’d only managed to convince himself to go back to the Center for Charlie’s sake. It would be completely different if he had to go back for his own sake.

Kellen felt like the words retest were going to haunt him for the rest of his damn life.

“I don’t want to.” Kellen told Brent, and Brent stared at him in surprise.

“Oh. Okay. Does Rhys know?” He asked and Kellen nodded. Rhys of all people knew how much he didn’t want to do it again. Brent stared at him, taking in how Kellen was twitching, pale, and looked like he was going to faint. “Okay. Is it…the location, or the whole procedure that’s bothering you?” He asked and Kellen opened his mouth, looked at the clock, and stood up.

“We need to go get to class.” Kellen said and Brent snorted.

“Sit your ass back down. They won’t mind, and this conversation is way more important.” Brent told him without remorse and Kellen glared at the other man. He didn’t flinch. “Answer the question, Kellen. I can’t help you if you don’t.” Brent’s words were harsh, but Kellen could tell that he wasn’t trying to be mean. He was just…trying to help.

Kellen swallowed, sitting back down slowly as Brent stared at him. It took Kellen another minute before he was able to voice his feelings.

“It’s a bit of both.” Kellen admitted and Brent nodded.

“Okay. Is there a way to get the test without having to do it in the same location?” Kellen let out a bitter laugh.

“Not really. They have a monopoly on the machines here. I don’t know how it is internationally, since we don’t discuss this kind of thing, but yeah. There isn’t…” Kellen trailed off. “I just don’t like the whole process. Everything. I-” Kellen cut off and Brent didn’t say anything right away, just stared at him.

“It’s okay, Kellen. I’m not judging you for this. Why the hell would I? I can answer one thing for you. There isn’t a single company that has a monopoly over the machines internationally. They weren’t allowed to do that.” Brent’s gaze was serious, hard, and Kellen swallowed. Great to know that it was just a his country thing.

“Oh.” Kellen said rather lamely and Brent sighed. It was a deep, to the bones kind of sigh.

“I’m going to call Rhys right now and hook him up with a supplier. Mainly because, with the way things are going for you Kellen, this is probably going to be your new reality. You know as well as I do that once word of what has happened to you hits not even the general public, but the international Guide report? They are going to treat you like a lab rat. If you have everything in place before that happens, you’ll feel better and won’t be as upset.” Brent told him.

Kellen felt his eyes widen.

“Wait! He’s already trying to negotiate with-” Brent rolled his eyes, interrupting Kellen.

“Yeah. Negotiate. This way he doesn’t leave a bad impression with the D.E.C., not that I think he cares much, but I know you do.” Brent slid Kellen a look as if he could see right through him. Kellen flushed in embarrassment. “It’ll just be a second. I’ll be back, and if I find that you’ve fled in the few minutes I’ve been on the phone, I’ll tattle to Rhys about it. I’m not afraid to use the big guns.” Brent warned and Kellen only felt more embarrassed.

This would have only been worse if Brent had said he was going to tell his parents about it.

Brent was typing into his phone, leaving the office in a matter of seconds and Kellen had to sit by himself in his office with his emotions. This had turned from a fun conversation, to Brent getting involved. He didn’t want to say that Brent had made this harder, since he was making it easier for the others, but he was certainly not making it easier for Kellen.

Kellen swallowed, the panic filling him as he came to the realisation that getting another retest was getting closer in his future. He didn’t like this. Not at all. He was working himself into a panic when Brent came back in, phone still in hand and didn’t quite hand it over to Kellen.

He came around to the side of the desk and shoved the phone towards Kellen’s ear.

“Sugar, it’s okay. I’m going to be there with you every step of the way and Taylor and her team are going to run it. No one you don’t know will be involved. Those assholes from the Center aren’t going to be involved, alright? Brent is just trying to make it so that we don’t gain the D.E.C. as an enemy. We have to do this, okay? I don’t want them to have a reason to force you into this.” Rhys’ voice filled Kellen’s ear. His soft, calming voice and Kellen dropped his head. His hands were shaking.

“I I just-” He had been feeling more in tune with his emotions since he’d started therapy again. He felt sensitive, agitated easily. This was something he’d pushed back, trying not to deal with it. He hadn’t even really brought it up in the first round of therapy he’d done on the front lines.

“It’s okay, sugar. I know you don’t like it. We’re going to try to make it as easy as possible for you, okay? We don’t even have it yet.” Rhys told him sweetly and Kellen swallowed.

“I’m not going to react well.” Kellen admitted softly and the sigh on the other side held so much sadness.

“That’s okay. You can react poorly all you want. We’re not going to judge you. I know what you went through, I saw it, remember? Even if that was only a small bit of it. I’m not going to let anyone treat you like that again, okay?” Kellen nodded slowly. “Okay?” Rhys asked again, a little louder and Brent bent, speaking near the phone.

“He nodded.” He told Rhys and Rhys let out a sigh.

“Good. Now, have a good day, and try to push this to the back of your mind okay? Do you want me to tell you when we order it when it’ll arrive?” Rhys asked and Kellen wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure if it would be better for him to know or not to know.

“Not sure.” Kellen told him and Rhys grunted.

“Okay. We can revisit that later. Have a good day, sugar.”

“Bye.” Kellen said quietly into the phone before it went quiet. Brent pulled the phone away, staring at Kellen and how folded in on himself he was. Brent placed his hands on his hips, staring at him some more before he nodded.

“Alright. This sounds like we’re running the kids through the obstacle course again, and you’re doing it too.” Brent said firmly. Kellen jerked his head up but Brent was serious. “You need to get some of this bad energy out of you. You don’t seem like sparring would help, so obstacle course. Come on. Get up. I’m the one who instigated this, I’m the one who is going to fix this.” Brent told him, forcing him to get up and get a move on.

Kellen was a little flustered with this treatment. It wasn’t often that Brent was the one comforting him, making him feel better. Kellen wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself, and it was only made worse when they stopped at the snackbowl and Brent practically shoved all of it into Kellen’s arms.

“Eat. It’ll make you feel better.” Brent encouraged, before dragging him out and down the hall. He was a force to be reckoned with as he tore through the tower, ordering others around, ordering Kellen around, and breaking the news to the class that they weren’t having a boring day in the classroom and instead they were going to the obstacle course room.

They hadn’t booked it off, so they were going to have to share. That seemed to spark more behind their eyes, and Kellen slowly found himself loosening up the more that Brent took over, showing that he was capable of teaching and being in higher positions within the Guild.

It was warming, to see his growth and to see he was able to step up. It was great to see that Brent had only grown more while he had been away.