(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 232

Chapter 232: Side story- A bitterness brewed for too long

Casper hated the way he looked at him shyly, coyly, begging entry into a home that if he wasn’t so stubborn he’d have free entry to at any moment. Putting on a brave, unreadable face, Casper stared at the man who made his heart race daily.

But in private. Since he clearly didn’t want to know how much Casper cared for him. Still cared for him.

Sighing, since Gunther had said the one thing that would let him into his apartment, Casper forced his face into a neutral expression before he stepped back, letting the man in. Gunther had a small smirk on his face, and Casper’s grip on the door tightened. This man thought he’d won just because Casper let him into his home. He was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

Casper scowled at his back once he had stepped in, feeling even more slighted when the man didn’t even take off his shoes as he entered his apartment. Did the man grow up in a barn?!

He watched as Gunther looked around the space, and Casper realised that this was the first time that Gunther had ever entered his home. Usually, if they ever had any issues, they dealt with it in the privacy of a guiding room at the Tower, or at Gunther’s place which was close to the Tower. Never at Casper’s place.

Casper realised that that thought hurt him more than it should have.

Crossing his arms to protect himself, Casper tried to take comfort in the soft, warm sweater he was wearing. Glad it was covering his body. He didn’t need Gunther also nagging him about neglecting his body. If he was added to the group, he wasn’t sure how he would take it.

"Your place is...nice. Very you. Is that...a giant fish tank?" Gunther asked, a curious tone to his voice. Casper sniffed.

"It was. But then the fish all died, and I haven’t had time to replace them." Gunther nodded, and Casper could tell he was holding back laughter. He narrowed his gaze. "You can laugh. It’s fine. I know it’s funny." Gunther looked back at him, taking in how angry Casper was, and flashed a smile.

"No, I’m not going to laugh. You’ll use that as a reason to kick me out if I do." Casper’s shoulders stiffened, and Gunther’s smile grew. "See? I knew it. I’m barely in the door and you already want me out. That’s mean, Cas." Casper hated that he called him that.

It was because Casper had given him that permission before Gunther had recoiled from him. Before Gunther had treated Casper like he was a sickness. A disease. Casper had no idea why he had kept calling him that if he was so disgusted by him.

Sighing, Casper shook his head, adjusted his glasses, and stared at the man.

"What’s going on at the Guild, Gunther? Why are you here?" Casper asked, and watched as Gunther’s face shifted. It darkened, and he sighed. He turned away from him, going to stand in front of the window that overlooked the city.

"There’s been...a situation." He admitted, and Casper just wished he would spit it out. The sooner he did, the sooner he could get back to moping around his apartment without interruptions that were shaped like him. Gunther shaped holes took a while to fix.

Casper would know.

"What kind of situation? Another gate?" Casper asked, and Gunther shook his head. When he looked back at Casper, Casper felt his breath stop.

"Kellen...and his Dad were shot." Casper didn’t realise he’d practically collapsed until Gunther caught him, his eyes just as wide as Casper’s. "Woah. It’s okay." Gunther soothed, leading him towards the couch where he gently set Casper down. Even in this moment, Casper felt a bitterness fill him.

Why the fuck was Gunther treating him this way? This...nice? Catching him? Who the fuck would do that? There were carpets down on his floor!

Sucking air into his lungs, Casper felt his whole body shake as he tried to process what he’d said.

"Are they okay?" Casper finally asked, his lips moving after a long, few moments of silence.

"Rhys and Green made it in time. Kellen’s Dad was...he was shot in the throat." Casper felt his eyes water, and took off his glasses to press the palms of his hands against his eyes. Hiding his tears from Gunther.

He didn’t want Gunther to see him crying.

"We...they killed themselves before we could get to them. No idea. Blake was devastated that she missed them." Gunther said, and Casper sniffed. _{ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom}

"You know Blake that well?" He asked, and Casper gave him a slightly confused look.

"Well, she works closely with the new recruits, and also with the Field Guides. She’s coming up in the Guild, and several Guides have spoken to me about her level of care with them. Why? Is their report incorrect?" He asked, and Gunther closed his eyes, looking away from Casper.

That was when Casper realised how close Gunther was to him, and how easily and quickly it had happened. Casper hadn’t even noticed it happening, and he hated how easy it felt. Natural.

Gunther’s body was so close to him that Casper could feel his body heat. It was too much.

Casper shifted away from him, and watched as Gunther’s expression hardened further.

"Ah, so, she’s close to your Guides?" Casper nodded. "What about you? Is she close to you?" He asked, and Casper gave him a strange look.

"Gunther, you know that I don’t-" Gunther leveled him with a look, and Casper shut his mouth. Firming his lips, his heart thudding painfully in his chest, Casper looked away. "What? What is your fucking problem? Why are you even here if you just want to start a fight? Huh?" Casper snapped, pissed off, annoyed, and upset that Gunther was here, in his space, getting angry at him for no good fucking reason.

Gunther seemed shocked by Casper’s outburst, and sat in shock as the other man stared at him in anger.

"What’s my problem?" He repeated slowly, and that only threw fuel onto Casper’s fire.

"Yes! You’re always fucking like this! Always condescending, always asking about my relationships with other Espers. This doesn’t concern you, Gunther! You made that pretty fucking clear years ago, so just stop it." Casper got up, stepping away from Gunther and towards his kitchen. He needed something to drink, and at this point, the shakes weren’t cutting it.

"I made it clear years ago?" Casper halted in his tracks at the incredulous tone in Gunther’s voice. "I did? Wasn’t that you, Cas?" Casper could feel his blood boiling. What the fuck did that mean? Casper was not the one who turned away. He’d never turned away.

He’d always been open, waiting. His fucking arms open to catch the scraps that Gunther threw his way. Where the fuck did he get off saying that Casper was the one who rejected him?