Chương 8: Don't test a C Class

Kellen ended up having to go to the main lobby to find out where he was. He was sure he looked like a madman, coming out of the elevator in messy scrubs denoting he was from Guiding Center B, wild eyes, holding a powers test and a manila envelope in his hand with no shoes on. But this was very important. He needed to speak with the Captain.

The receptionist almost looked scared at the sight of him, but when he flashed his I.D. and explained that the Captain had helped him retake his powers test this morning, she was a little more understanding. She couldn't lead him directly to the Captain, so she called someone who could. One of the lieutenants of the guild would come and get Kellen and bring him to the Captain. He wasn't sure who to expect to step out of the elevator, but it wasn't the sour faced woman who looked like she'd just bitten into a lemon.

"Oh, Ms. Hill. Hello." He greeted and she jerked in her footsteps, turning her gaze towards him before her sour face smoothed out into a smile.

Ms. Hill and Kellen had been on the front lines at the same time. Like the Captain and Kellen, they hadn't fully ran in the same circles, but he had often helped her out with simple runner missions and the like whenever he had time to spare. Her russet brown locks were kept around her ears, and her brown eyes lit up from within. She wasn't much taller then Kellen, but Ms. Hill was a physical enchantment Esper. She was in the top 3 strongest people in the world, and she worked hard to make sure others never forgot that.

"Is that really you Kellen? You look like a shrimp in those clothes? I thought you were off the front lines to get nice and fat, and I see instead that you have lost all of your muscle." His cheeks flushed at her teasing. She came over and even squeezed his upper arms.

"Ms. Hill! I have gained muscles, I just also had a rather intense last two days. I've used up a lot of stored energy." The smile dropped from her face.

"I heard. Sorry we keep causing you issues Kellen. Fuck. I never wanted to see you so pale ever again. I heard Green nearly fainted at the sight of you coming in today. So? I heard you needed to speak to the Captain? Didn't he already see you today?" She blinked at the face Kellen made. "What does that face mean?"

I need to confirm something, and only he can give me the truth, I think. I'm pretty sure he's planning to avoid me, and if that's true, that's a bad plan." Intrigued by his words, Ms. Hill led them towards the elevators.

"I have a suspicious feeling that your question has something to do with the fact that the Captain is working out like he has demons chasing him. Oh, I am excited." She laughed darkly, while Kellen swallowed. He was working out like demons were chasing him? Was he that upset about it?

"I don't know if I like the sound of that, Ms. Hill." He told her as she swiped her card in the elevator before hitting the button for a higher floor in the Guild tower. She was smiling.

"Oh, but I do. I rarely get to see him so flustered. His eyes are glowing gold again, just so you know. You wouldn't know anything about why they stopped glowing gold, would you?" Kellen clenched his free hand tightly.

"He was my partner for my retest." He told her. Her eyes widened and she looked over the Guide beside her.

"You went for a retest? Why?" She didn't mean it maliciously. She didn't know his history with the Center.

"After the incident yesterday, both the Captain and my Guiding Center wanted me to take a retest. Apparently, I'm not supposed to notice certain things as a C Class, but I did." She whistled.

"So, what does that mean? Are you still in C Class?" She asked, clearly interested as the elevator kept moving.

"No, I'm not." He told her firmly, and she gasped. She grabbed his arm, excited, and Kellen winced at her strength.

"Kellen, that's big news! What Class are you now?" Kellen felt his lips tug up even in this serious, confusing situation, before he composed himself again.

"I'm not fully certain, since I probably should get tested again since I passed out mid test but..." He exhaled. "I might be A Class." He said quietly, and Ms. Hill squealed.

"Oh, I'm so excited for you! You'd be our first Guide to go up a Class, and two at that! That's insane Kellen! What did you do to jump up so quickly?" She pried and he sighed.

"Well, in theory, I was going to slowly get there no matter what, but I can't say anything else on this. That's between the Captain and I." She froze at his words.

"Wait wait wait, you said you passed out while taking your test and that the Captain was your-" She gasped, releasing Kellen's arm to cover her mouth. "Kellen, did he almost drain you?" She whispered, while Kellen stared grimly ahead.

"He didn't almost, I'm pretty sure he did drain me. That's why he's probably working out like a demon is chasing him. I'm not drained, I promise you that. I think that's because of how my powers work, but that's just a theory. Either way, the Captain is afraid." Ms. Hill's face was serious as she stared at the thin Guide.

"Well, I can understand that. Taking someone else's livelihood is very serious. It would have been a better case if he had just killed you." She was being rather dramatic.

"I would never have blamed him even if it had happened, so he doesn't need to be so scared. If anything, I think he's afraid of the other piece of paper in my hand, but I want to make sure." She was interested again.

The elevator doors opened on that and she stepped out of the elevator first. Kellen found that they were in a small lobby, before it opened up into a hallway. Instead of seeing a blank wall in front of them, there were floor to ceiling glass panels that showed off the room on the other side. It was clearly a very large gym, with lots of equipment. Kellen's guess was that the gym took up the whole floor. It must have other things, like sparring arenas, power testing chambers, things of that sort, especially since this was a Guild that focused on the front lines and closing gates.

Ms. Hill skipped over to a keypad Kellen hadn't noticed in his scan of the windows, before showing her I.D. and opening the door for the Guide.

"After you precious little Kellen." She gave him a wink before gesturing to the far left, towards what he could make out as a sparring arena that had quite a few Espers gathered around it. "Captain was over there sparring with Gunther last I saw. Be careful. You have very fragile bones, even if you are fast." She smiled as he gave a small bow in thanks since his hands were full and headed towards where she gestured. He hadn't met most of the Espers who were working out here, and most stopped to gawk at him as he passed, clearly confused as to why he was here.

Hell, the longer Kellen wandered, the more confused he got too. Was this the right thing to do? What was he going to do if the test was fake?

He could feel his stomach rolling again.

The sounds of flesh hitting flesh broke through his worry and confusion as the Captain and Lieutenant Gunther came into view. Gunther was a smaller, thin man with lightning fast reflexes, long silvery white hair, and black eyes that often stared unerringly at others. He'd met him a couple of times in passing on the front lines, but Kellen couldn't keep his gaze on him for long.

The Captain wasn't wearing his Esper uniform.

He wore a form fitting gray top with his guild's logo over his heart. Sweat plastered it to his body. He wore a form fitting pair of black pants that hugged his thighs and...other parts tightly. His hair wasn't gelled back currently, and flopped around, getting into his eyes as he moved, fighting his friend. Kellen hadn't truly ever given himself time to think about the Captain in this way, but the Captain was...very attractive.

Nervous suddenly for a different reason, he stopped a safe distance away and cleared his throat, ignoring the feeling of the other Esper's gaze on him. He waited patiently, knowing that the Captain could hear him, until it became obvious that he was going to ignore him.

"Captain?" He called tentatively, waiting. No response, but Kellen knew Gunther had heard him. He felt him glance in Kellen's direction. Kellen frowned. "Captain Thatcher?" He called again, louder, but the Captain continued to ignore him. Clearly, Gunther said something to him, but the Captain brushed it off.

A switch had been flipped, and Kellen could begin to feel his blood boil. He clenched his free hand tightly into a fist. "Captain Thatcher!" He called louder. "Do not pretend you can't hear me." Gunther, clearly curious about what was going on, slowed his movements and Captain smacked him upside the head for it. Pissed beyond sensible reason now, Kellen stormed the sparring ring. Come hell or high water, the Captain was going to talk to him.

Gunther was still recovering from his hit, so he didn't have time to react when Kellen approached the Captain from behind. The man jerked, sensing someone behind him and spun to kick with his full force. Horror crossed his face as he saw Kellen's determined face coming towards him.

Kellen knew he wasn't as fast as the two Espers in front of him, so instead of trying to avoid the hit, he braced for impact. It hurt like a fucking bitch, but he rolled safely, and he could tell he hadn't broken anything. He coughed, on his hands and knees as he tried to get his air back. Captain rushed over, grabbing his arm and hauling him to his feet to yell in the Guide's face.

"Are you crazy?" The Captain roared. He was pissed, but so was Kellen.

"Maybe I fucking am, but apparently getting hit was the only way you were going to talk to me!" Clearly taken aback at the tone of his voice, the Captain stared in silence at the man before him. Kellen coughed again, before bending down to pick up his papers again. He sighed since now they were covered in dust, and not as pristine. "Now, are you going to talk to me like an adult, or are you going to run away again, Captain Thatcher?" The Guide turned his gaze up towards the slightly taller man, and the Captain narrowed his eyes.

"Where is the Mr. Woods I knew before?" He demanded and Kellen gave him a feral smile, showing all of his teeth.

"You forget, Captain Thatcher, that I am also my Mother's son. So? Are you going to talk to me about this?" He waved the papers for emphasis and the Captain looked away, crossing his arms.

"I don't see why I should. It doesn't mean anything anyways." Kellen sputtered.

"Means nothing? Nothing! This is a big fucking deal if it's real Captain Thatcher! Is this real?" He asked but the stubborn man wouldn't meet his gaze. Furious, Kellen clenched his fist. "Is it real?" He demanded again and he sighed.

"What does it matter even if it is real?" The Captain spun on his heel to head back towards his Lieutenant and friend.

"I never took you for a coward, Captain Thatcher." He froze, and you could have heard a pin drop in the huge space.

"What did you just call me?" Kellen crossed his arms this time, but it was to hide how much he was shaking.

"Is. This. Real?" He asked again through clenched teeth. Captain sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I checked it myself. Twice. It's real." Kellen felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He stumbled, and the Captain moved towards him, but Kellen held his hand up. He was so angry at this foolish man.

"Why does it mean nothing if it's real?" He asked, confused, and got another sigh. He watched the Esper run his hand over his face, not looking at him.

"Because I was never going to do anything about it." Kellen felt like the man had just stabbed him in the heart. The blow was devastating.

"What?" His voice came out in a whisper. "You weren't going to do anything about it? This is unheard of! If the government heard about-"

"They would turn a blind eye. Do you think I don't have enough power to bury something like this?" Something like this? His flippant tone was making Kellen angry again.

"I have never tested with anyone above 27% in my life. I've been a guide for damn near 12 years and I have never, NEVER tested higher than that." He shook his head, so angry he felt hysterical. "Something like this? Did you know my parents didn't even test this high and they're the fucking poster children for the perfect Imprint pairing?" Whispers went around the room while the Captain's eyes widened.

"Mr. Woods, I-" Kellen marched towards the dumb Esper and pressed his finger into the firm chest before him.

"Don't you dare Mr. Woods me right now. I am so beyond fucking pissed at you right now! We tested 90%. 90%! I have never heard of this in my whole fucking life and you want to just brush this under the fucking rug? Like this means nothing? To someone who has fucking glowing yellow eyes all the damn time?" He finally snapped.

"I almost killed you today Kellen! I am not going to do that to you again." Kellen laughed, shaking his head.

"Bull. Shit. I was never in danger. We both know that now, since my powers aren't normal either. I was growing in power slowly, you just gave me a speed boost." The Captain grit his teeth, his yellow eyes glowing. He gripped Kellen's arms tightly, and Kellen refused to wince.

"I could have killed you Kellen. I am not going to risk that again." Furious, he wanted to break free from the other man's grasp, but knew he couldn't.

"Oh, so you're afraid that you'll kill me, but I bet if I went around trying to guide others now that I'm more powerful you aren't going to allow that either, are you?" A muscle in his face twitched, and it infuriated the Guide. "I am not a delicate flower Captain Thatcher." The muscle jumped further.

"Do you even know what you're asking of me Mr. Woods?" His whisper was furious as he pulled the Guide closer to him. "You've only been a C Class Guide at this point. You've never had to do anything besides holding hands. Because we have a compatibility rate of 90%, holding hands isn't going to cut it for me for long. Soon, it won't be long till I'll be fucking you till you're screaming." His crass words only made Kellen's face heat.

They didn't make his pulse race, not at all.

Clearly, the Captain could tell exactly what kind of effect he had on him. "I bet you haven't even guided something through a kiss yet, have you?" Kellen's lips formed a solid line, pissed.

"Trying to speak to me crassly isn't going to change my mind on this. You don't get to choose this on your own Captain Thatcher. This is also my choice, and if I have to-to pounce you to guide you I will fucking do it!" He laughed, but it wasn't kind.

"You're just a Guide, and you were only a C Class Guide until yesterday. You are fragile and soft, and always have been." Something snapped, and Kellen kicked the Captain of the Saturn Guild in the crotch, watching as the man went down with an 'oof!'. Kellen stood over him, pissed beyond reason.

"How fucking dare you! I thought that you at least knew me better than that. Do you know that a C Class Guide is barely any different form a C Class Esper? We get the same fucking training, the same vigorous schedule, and the same awful fucking treatment. I had to fucking climb to get the spot that I got, and do you know what I had to do to get it? I had to change my whole fucking personality so that I'd fit in with the soft, gentle Guides that everyone expected me to be, while also working on the front lines doing my goddamn best not to become fodder for some crazy monster. Or, a surged Esper.

I clawed and scraped and fought for every goddamn scrap that I got, all because I was a C Class Guide. Don't you fucking ever compare me to those B Class and higher Guides again, who had their whole world handed to them on a silver platter.

I have worked. So. Damn. Hard. To get to where I am today, and when I finally find a match, when I've finally felt like all my hard work is being acknowledged, the idiot who I'm matched with wants to fight it with every fiber of his being because he's scared? Of killing me?" The angry Guide threw his head back and laughed. "I'll die when I'm damn good and ready, Captain Thatcher, and that won't be before I've finished doing what I wanted." He huffed, feeling good now that he had finally gotten his anger off his chest.

"By the way, whoever said you were a vacuum was a liar. You're like an ocean." Kellen had said everything he had wanted to say, and now it was slowly dawning on him what he had done, what he had said, and where he was. His cheeks turned pink in embarrassment, but before he could leave, the Captain had thrown his head back and laughed. Surprised, the sound froze Kellen in his tracks.

"Mr. Woods, you don't have any shoes on." He said, staring at the Guide's feet with a smile. Kellen narrowed his eyes, puffing up slightly.

"I didn't exactly have time to find them since I had to hunt you down." The Captain's smile widened.

"Ah yes, to yell at me." His tone was teasing now, and Kellen felt heat run down his neck in embarrassment.

"I didn't plan to yell at you, but clearly, it was needed." He sniffed, residual anger still in his system and the Esper chuckled.

"Clearly." He muttered, before getting to his feet and standing over the Guide. Kellen frowned, trying to keep a brave face now that the anger wasn't riding his system. The Captain's eyes softened as he looked over the man before him. "Mr. Woods, you've used too much of your powers too quickly. I swear you're just skin and bones. How did you manage to survive my kick?" He murmured, reaching a hand out to graze against the younger man's cheek. Kellen flinched at the man's touch, which only made him smile.

"I knew I couldn't dodge it, so I made sure to land correctly." The Guide patted his stomach. "I didn't even break a rib this time." The Captain frowned at how proud the younger man sounded.

"You have a habit of getting injured." He mused, and Kellen nodded.

"Injured, not dead or mutilated. These are very different things, Captain Thatcher." He shook his head at the distinction.

"Why are you calling me Captain Thatcher? You've never called me that before." Kellen frowned up at the man.

"That was the only thing you were responding to." He muttered and the Captain laughed before moving closer. His hand cupped the Guide's cheek, and surprised, he turned his gaze towards the other man's face. It was coming closer, and those yellow eyes of his swirled with colour.

"If you had called me Rhys I would have turned around right away." Kellen narrowed his eyes at him.

"I don't believe you. You had every intention to ignore me since you got scared at the Center." The Captain swallowed.

"You're right, I did get scared, and I apologise for letting that hurt you. Can you forgive me?" Kellen narrowed his eyes further. He was being too nice now.

"Are you going to reject the match results anymore?" He demanded and the man chuckled in response.

"Mr. Woods, if you hadn't passed out and given me quite the shock, I have a feeling I would have tried to talk you into my bed as soon as possible." Kellen gasped and the Captain took that as his chance to brush his lips the others.

The soft feeling of his warmth against his own rushed straight to the Guide's head, and then it short circuited. The Captain pulled away with a chuckle, licking his lips, clearly surprised. "Mr. Woods, why are you so surprised?" Kellen shook himself out of the haze, and felt his face heat with colour. "I thought you had prepared yourself for this?" He teased, and Kellen desperately wanted to get angry at him.

"You just-! Oh, nevermind. I have to get back to the Guiding Center now and let my manager know what happened." The Guide muttered, spinning on his heel. The Captain's hand wrapped around his wrist, halting him.

"Why do you need to go back to the Guiding Center?" He seemed genuinely confused about that. Kellen tilted his head to the side, also confused.

"Because I'm not part of the guild? I still work there? She wanted to make sure I was okay and know the results?" The Captain seemed to grow serious with every word out of his mouth.

"Oh. That is a problem. Well, one that has an easy solution. You'll just have to sign up for my guild." Stunned, Kellen wasn't sure what to say to the man.

"Captain Thatcher, you can't just demand that I join your guild when I know damn well my sister is trying to get in with her own merits. Beyond that, I signed a contract with the Guiding Center. I'm not going to break my contact just because my Class went up." He frowned at his words.

"Just your Class going up? What were you just yelling at me about?" He asked, and Kellen's face heated.

"Where I work is different from who I have compatibility with." He seemed surprised about that, until something clicked in his head.

"Oh, you've been around your parents for so long you must have formed a different view on compatible pairs. Mr. Woods, because your father isn't like you, someone who was a Field Guide, he was able to stay behind somewhere safe. You, my dear former C Class Field Guide, are combat trained and therefore, since you are so desperate to prove you aren't a coddled little A Class Guide, will have to travel around with me, especially to the front lines. Sounds good?"