“Are you going to accept the position, or have I just stuck my neck out for you with false confidence?”

Kyrian shot a scathing look at the man beside him in the office. He usually tried to keep his cool, but since there was no one else present he let his feelings bleed through a bit… more explicitly.

Bright yellow eyes crinkled as the man flashed an innocent smile in return.

“Well?” He prodded.

Refusing to respond, Kyrian went back to the hospital paperwork he was filling out for his volunteer hours.

“Even if he is refusing Guiding, he doesn’t have a secondary gender… your hands won’t be quite so tied, you know?” Seok began mulling over the topic alone. Even if Kyrian refused to answer, he still was forced to listen.

“You being an Alpha shouldn’t cause any issues, so is it really just the idea of the publicity you’ll get for being involved with Cerberus?”

Kyrian grimaced. He hated bringing up his secondary gender, as aside from the occasional rut he suffered through, it was not something he liked being associated with.

To know that his biological makeup had been altered by mana… It frustrated him, because he felt like he had no control over significant parts of his body.

Not in the same way that someone could control their legs to run as fast as their stamina allowed, or swim for as long as they were able.

If his body decided it wanted to go into rut, it would whether he wanted to or not.

“I’m not concerned about that…” He gritted, the grip on his pen tightening.

Being a Guide with a secondary gender wasn’t entirely uncommon, but it made it more difficult during the Guiding process. Kyrian had to be wary of who he initiated hard syncs with, because it could prove to be disastrous for both parties involved.

Seok chuckled, clearly intent on bothering him until he finished his paperwork. “I’m sure you’re not, Kyrian…”

“I’m not,” Kyrian stated firmly. He felt like he was trying to convince himself more than Seok though.

He was prone to getting too invested into cases like this, and had been reprimanded for letting situations get too dangerous for his own health… Now he was being harassed by his supervisor to accept this contract.

Glancing over at Seok, Kyrian tried to decipher what motives he could have. Why he thought this time would be any different than the last.

“I just… really don’t know if I’m suited for a big contract like this?” Before he could stop them, words began spilling out, “the most Guiding I ever do these days is volunteer work at the Hospital, Seok. What do you want from me?”

His supervisor fell quiet, as if genuinely contemplating his question.

Then, “Hasn’t it been a while since the only heir of the Averin legacy showed his face to the public eye? You need to work on building connections someday, Kyrian…”

Seok's words made an uncomfortable feeling settle in his stomach, and he stared down at the paperwork before him in disbelief.

“Why the hell would you bring that up,” he questioned, voice unnaturally calm.

“I’m just saying,” Seok teased cheerfully, “your probation ended months ago, and I think you need to get out more.”

Before Kyrian could allow himself to get any more heated, a nurse came into the room with a clipboard in hand.

She wore a startling white robe, rubber gloves that disappeared beneath her long sleeves, and a mask covered her lower face.

“If you’re done with the paperwork, Mr. Averin, we have a patient ready for you on the third floor Guiding wing.”

Kyrian sat still for a breath, fighting to regain his composure, and quickly stood. “Yes,” he nodded, “I’m all done, Nurse Aya.”

He refused to acknowledge Seok as he maneuvered past him towards the door.

The bastard has taken years off of my life at this point…

Exasperated, he swallowed his anger and followed the nurse without a sound, leaving his supervisor in the empty office.

***

Kyrian sat alone with his dinner and a folder in front of him.

He was not staying after hours tonight, but he still felt like he needed to be productive even while he was eating.

With a heavy sigh, he flipped open the folder and began reading its contents.

Electricity user, huh? He thought to himself as he put a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

The folder was a detailed overview of all known information about Cerberus’ Hound, Eiden. Age, height, ability, blood type… the works.

He carefully flipped through photos and printed graphs of fluctuating wavelength, pausing only on the identification photo card.

Holding it carefully between his thumb and index, he lifted it closer to study the unhappy face that was captured in the photo. Unlike in the candid shot he’d seen online, this photo showed bleached blonde hair instead of a dark brown.

There were still numerous dazzling wave dampeners, despite the hair color discrepancy, and the sharp grey green eyes… The stark white background made it feel colder than the other photo though. It felt clinical, more akin to a mugshot.

He set the picture down, and decided to feed himself more soup as he thought.

Do I really have to deal with an S-Class Esper…?

The idea was daunting, and he could already feel himself worrying about this Esper’s condition. He didn’t even know him yet… 

Kyrian was concerned that Seok had lost his good sense with how unreasonably insistent he was about this offer. Feeling the weight of the situation once more, he let his shoulders droop a bit more than usual.

If Seok was so insistent today, then he most likely would pester him until he gave a definitive answer.

His mismatched colored eyes gazed down at the picture facing up towards him, and he swallowed his soup like it was a clump of dry sand.

Maybe his own good sense had left him as well, because he was honestly considering the contract.

He let his eyes close, trying to weigh the pros and cons, but found all he could see was grey green eyes glaring holes into his soul.

“I need sleep,” he announced to the empty room, and stood to his feet. 

There was no point in worrying about it tonight, when he could simply worry about it tomorrow instead.