Chapter 58: An Esper can be cute too

Brent was still shaken as the alarm went off, indicating that they had been guiding, and talking, for 15 minutes. Brent checked his internal levels, and realised that he’d messed up. He hadn’t been pulling his weight, and Brent shook.

“I’m sorry. I said I would guide you and then-” Esper Parker placed his hand on top of Brents, giving it a squeeze. Unfortunately, it was the prosthetic had that he placed his hand on top of, but the thought was there.

“You just heard rather disturbing news, Guide Brent. I’m not upset, and I do feel quite a bit better. It’s easier to breathe.” Esper Parker told him with a smile and Brent felt his body relax. He was a good man, Esper Parker. Brent could tell.

“Does Kellen know you well?” Brent asked, curious, and Esper Parker’s eyes widened, before his expression softened and he laughed.

“No, not terribly well. We’ve only ever spoken over video calls. His parents are rather protective of him and haven’t let him travel since he was a boy. Granted, I can’t disagree with him. All of the stuff with the E.A.G. has made being a Guide over here hell.” Esper Parker said, before he froze. He was about to apologise for his statements when Brent let out a hearty laugh.

“I can’t disagree. I didn’t intentionally choose Kellen’s hometown because of that reason, but certainly helped me out in the long run. Are you married, Esper Parker? What is your partner like?” Brent asked, wanting to take his mind off of everything that was going on. He didn’t guide the man more, at least not right away, giving himself about ten minutes of a break before tricking in more guiding.

Esper Parker noticed, but didn’t say anything about it to Brent beyond a slight head nod. Brent just smiled as he listened to the man wax poetic about his partner. Apparently they were younger, and as sweet as sugar. They worked in the same Guild, a receptionist, and Esper Parker had been in love with them for years before he’d finally mustered up the courage to ask them out.

They had told them that they had been waiting for him to work up the courage the whole time. It was a fast, whirlwind romance. They were married by the end of the year and Esper Parker was completely smitten. They had been married for five years now, and Esper Parker told Brent that their partner went by they/them pronouns. Brent was almost giddy in the presence of his happiness.

It was cute, and seeing the older man so in love gave Brent…some hope.

“You talk about your partner the same way that Kellen and Rhys talk about each other.” Brent told him, and Esper Parker froze, before he blushed.

“Do I? I’m glad to hear it. It’s a good thing that they found each other.” Esper Parker said and Brent nodded, before his chest squeezed. He’d let Kellen go into the gate alone though. That still…bothered Brent. A lot, actually.

Brent bowed his head, staring at their joint hands for a moment before a heavy, burdened sigh left him.

“I should have been there going into the gate with him.” Brent admitted out loud. While the man knew nothing of him, he knew Kellen. He knew what he was like. Brent felt his face twist and he tried his best not to cry as his emotions got the better of him. The alcohol probably didn’t help with the current situation he was in. “I should have been there to help him. God, I feel so fucking terrible about this whole thing.” Brent admitted. Esper Parker squeezed Brent’s hand again.

“Hey, stop that. There was nothing you could do. You weren’t there, and travel between both locations has been halted. How could you have even gotten there?” Esper Parker made a good point. Too bad his good point applied to normal Espers, Guides and civilians.

He had a teleporter at hand. If his brother had ordered it, Brent could have been back home. It was not lost on him that he hadn’t done so yet. Hadn’t even brought it up. Brent didn’t have to be held hostage with his family, in his family’s house. He could be back at his own home, his apartment given to him by the Captain of his best friend’s Guild, the man his best friend was in love with. He could be comfy. Helping.

Instead he was held against his will. In a home where he knew no one cared about him.

“Guide Brent? Are you alright?” Esper Parker asked and Brent couldn’t answer him without crying. He just shook his head, his hair in his eyes as he continued to stare at their hands and knees. God, he hated this. He hated knowing that he couldn’t go in and help Kellen. That he had done this on his own.

That he was still in there.

It was like losing a part of himself. Brent didn’t know what he would do if he went back and Kellen wasn’t there. If he had missed being able to say goodbye to him. He had lost people he had cared about before. Hell, he was here to grieve his grandfather right now. But this? This hurt more.

Esper Parker let out a sigh before he gently tugged his hand free of Brent’s and then pulled the man in for a hug. It was a warm hug, given by a man who clearly hugged often.

“Brent, Kellen’s strong. He’s a smart man, and I doubt he would do something that he didn’t think he could do.” Esper Parker whispered. “I’m not just blowing smoke up your ass about this either. My Leader, Esper Dina, has firm belief in Kellen. He said he would come visit her. She’s holding him to it.” Esper Parker said. Somehow, that did help make Brent feel better.

Knowing that others had faith in him, believed that he would make it out? That helped ground him a bit.

“He is strong.” Brent whispered, and then shivered. “Do you…know anything about the others on the front lines?” He asked. It was a tentative hope, a small breach of the feelings Brent had bottled up.

“Hmm. Anything else I know about the front lines of your city? Well, I know they are down a Captain, and it isn’t Captain Thatcher. Something about…I actually don’t know if I know why? It wasn’t a Guild I’d worked with before. An S Class though.” Esper Parker told him and Brent felt his heart squeeze.

“Do you know the gender? Male? Female? We have two other Guilds outside of the Saturn Guild. Peach and Nemesis.” Brent said and Esper Parker sighed.

“I don’t think it was Peach, the name doesn’t sound familiar. Nemesis feels right.” Brent felt his heart lurch.

“Was it Captain Sergei?” Brent asked carefully and Esper Parker made a small noise of recognition.

“That name sounds familiar! I think so. He put himself under for some reason. Since I’m only hearing things outside of when I’m working and in bits and pieces, I can’t offer anything more than that. It’s been a while though.” He told him and Brent felt sick.

Sergei had been under for a while? Why? He’d never had issues with guiding before. He’d actually been like clockwork, which had helped Brent manage everything on the front lines while it had been so chaotic.

They had blended their resources, which meant that Brent, as the most senior member of the Guides on the front lines, had been put in charge. Most of the upper levels were Espers, so it only made sense that Brent had taken over. He was also leading a group of Field Guides at the time, so it wasn’t that much more on his plate.

That was what Brent told himself, but while Hill was busy dealing with the fuckers and Taylor was busy dealing with the scientists, Sergei had been the one to check in on Brent and make sure that the workload wasn’t too heavy.

That was…how they had started to get close.

Brent had been put in charge of managing all of the Guides, including the ones from the Nemesis Guild, and it was surprising how sweet everyone had been to him. They hadn’t spoken down to him, or undermined his authority.

It was only after Brent had had a few moments of personal time with their Captain that he understood why. Sergei had never spoken a bad word about Kellen or Brent to any of them. He had also never forced them to be anything but themselves. Lots of them had some Field Guide training, but not enough. Sergei didn’t force them to finish it if they couldn’t, which was why he was always hiring Brent and Kellen.

It was a strange realisation. To find that another Captain in the area was kind and considerate of their people, and not just because he wanted to fuck one of the members. At least, that was what Brent understood as the truth at first.

Brent’s breathing shifted as he remembered the night when things changed. Shifted.

When Brent had crossed a line he knew he shouldn’t have, and knew that things would never be the same between him and Sergei ever again. It was tragic that it was only two days before they got the warning of the monster swarm so neither Brent nor Sergei could discuss what had happened.

And now…Now Brent was missing.

Fuck.

Brent didn’t want to believe it, but he had a feeling he knew…why Sergei was down.

“Excuse me, have you seen my brother?” Brent jerked his head up, his breathing shifting as he heard his brother’s voice outside of the curtain. Esper Parker watched Brent, listening to how his heartbeat shifted as soon as the man outside of the tent spoke.

“Brother? Is something wrong? I was just helping someone.” Brent called through the curtain and Esper Parker tightened his grip on Brent.

“Helping? You? Ha! My dear brother, if you wanted to ’help’ someone, there are more private places.” Brent’s brother’s voice was full of mischief, and condescension. Esper Parker let out a slow breath.

“Guide Brent? Is that man truly your brother on the other side of this curtain?” He asked and Brent raised his gaze, looking at Esper Parker. The man’s gaze was sharp. Brent was used to seeing that look. After all, he often only had one arm on the front lines.

“He is my brother.” Brent admitted. “And he has an Esper guard.” Brent told him, before extracting himself from Esper Parker. Louder, he spoke to his brother.

“I told you I had no plans to do anything like that tonight.” Brent said with a chuckle and that was all his brother needed before he opened the curtain. Brent was sitting across from Esper Parker, his clothes unruffled, and Esper Parker looked presentable as well.

His brother looked…disappointed. Like he had wanted to catch Brent in the middle of something.

“Oh? Well, please let me know when you plan to disappear for over half an hour again, Brent.” His voice was soft, but Brent knew a threat when he heard one. So did Esper Parker. Brent could feel the man tensing, but Brent just smiled.

“Alright, brother.”

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