---- Dae ----

Daedalus Kane readjusted his headphones in a desperate bid to block out the blonde Esper’s increasingly loud argument with one of the training center's guides. He found little solace in the screen filled with one-sided messages between him and his long time friend Simon. 

The two of them had been best friends as long as Dae could remember. They shared interest in robotics and coding. Back in elementary school the gap between the normal students and the Espers wasn’t as prominent. Dae would wave goodbye to Simon, who was staying after school for the robotics club, and head to Esper training. The two would reconnect after their respective after school activities, both eager to share their creations. Neither cared that one was created with a plug and play board and the other was welded and soldered with psychic powers. 

Children have an infinite capacity for strangeness. Eventually adults will teach them jealousy which turns to fear before finally becoming prejudice. Those teachings began to take root the second to last year before secondary education. While Dae’s classmates began studying for SATs, Dae, along with the other three Espers and one guide at the school, was given half days. 

A small van with the letters EGC (Esper Guide Center) emblazoned across its side idled outside the school at lunch time. The other students would wave goodbyes to their ‘lucky’ classmates while spitting bitterness in hushed tones. 

Dae couldn’t blame them. From their perspective it was a dream. Superhero classes and a guaranteed career if you tested high enough. They would never know the fear of losing your livelihood because a power you never asked for wasn’t enough. Wouldn’t understand how the Espers longed to trade their back-breaking training sessions for studying with friends. Wouldn’t consider what happened to the Espers too low class to be hired for their ability. How do you work your mandated years with no abilities? What do you do when those years are up and you’ve no secondary education? 

All those questions turned to tension. And tension turned to corruption. The Esper across from Dae in the waiting room was cracking under the pressure. Still, he couldn’t force guiding out of the poor training center staffer, he should know that. Blondie would have taken the same classes as Dae. Filled in the same bubble for the fill-in-the-blank sentence. 

“Guiding must be _____”

There was only one right answer. 

Consciously given. 

Outside of their ability to cleanse the corruption that accrued in Esper’s power vessels, guides were regular people. Fragile and vulnerable to their psychically powered counterparts. Forcing guiding was as reckless as forcing a surgeon to press a scalpel against your skin. 

The tension building between blondie and the guide was making Dae worry he might start seeing red: the guide’s or blondie’s? Dae didn’t know. He was hoping for the latter. Something about blondie's entitled attitude rubbed Dae the wrong way. Made him acutely aware of the tantalizing moldability of the phone resting in his hand. Would there be enough metal to staple his mouth shut? 

As the shouting reached a fever pitch Dae slid his headphones off and began to stand. But as his eyes found the couple he was stopped in his tracks. The guide, a boy who couldn’t have been much older than Dae and the other Esper, cupped blondie’s face gently and kissed him deeply. 

A wave of guiding energy curled out from the pair. Something like cleansing incense smoke filled the room. It gently enveloped Dae, knocking him back into his seat. The dull thud drew the guide’s attention. Dae’s face flushed deep pink as striking red eyes pinned him in place. They were foreign and familiar at the same time. The guide’s expression was one of passive curiosity. 

Blondie dropped his head to rest in the nape of the guide’s neck the moment the guide disconnected the kiss. 

“See? That’s all I needed. Why do you have to make everything so difficult?” 

If the guide’s eyes hadn’t immobilized Dae he might have tackled blondie. A beast began to stir in Dae’s chest. He held it tight as it raged against the entitled prick mistreating this gorgeous guide. The guide’s response was much more mature. 

“It’s fine, Cas, I understand,” The guide’s voice was as soothing as his wavelength: warm and gentle 

“When’s she getting here?” Blondie said. 

The guide’s cockatrice-like eyes turned away from Dae and towards the other Esper, Cas. Cas tilted his head to the side to peer up at the guide. He tried his best to quell the beast raging at the indignity of Cas being in the guide’s arms instead of himself. Dae turned his focus to his phone and slipped his headphones back on. 

He opened a social media app in an attempt to distract himself from the prettiest man in the world and the blonde leech attached to him. It did little. 

A video of his school's only guide/homegrown microcelebrity auto-played. Madeline “Mac” Carpenter sat at a vanity, curling her hair and speaking to the camera animatedly.

“Someone on my last video asked me what guiding classes look like leading up to the classification test! As I’m sure many of you know, I can’t quite go into the details due to content guidelines.Also it’s just kinda…weird(?) to talk about with non-guides.” 

Dae was more than aware of how the general public, or at least his classmates, viewed guiding. Tell a teenager that sex could be involved and they lose all sense of reason. One of Dae’s last conversations with Simon had been on that very topic. 

A classmate of theirs asked Dae if he’d ever slept with Mac. Simon and Dae shared a look and both turned to said classmate with twin expressions of disgust. 

“They don’t let minors guide each other,” Dae said dismissively, eager to move on from this line of conversation. 

Unfortunately his comment sparked Simon’s interest, “You didn’t tell me you were getting it on with MILFs! Respect dude!” 

Dae turned his disgust to his friend and shook his head, “Gross. We do no-contact guiding with blood transfusions.” 

“You’re getting poked every day?” Simon shivered. 

Dae wordlessly pulled up his sleeves, showing off one lone bruise, “Nah, it’s more like once a month. They don’t let us go all out until the classification test.” 

Simon, curiosity now sated, resumed his tirade against his homework load. Unfortunately, their horny loser classmate hadn’t moved on. 

“But you could get with her, right? Like after you’re an adult?” 

“Guiding isn’t sex. I don’t want to fuck her. And you’re an idiot.” Dae rolled his eyes and turned his focus back to his math homework. A hand rested on his shoulder and he startled, ready to start swinging if that loser kept pushing it. 

When he wheeled around he was shocked to see Mac, not his annoying classmate, standing over him. 

“You wound me Daedalus,” Her tone was teasing and cheerful. Her light curls bounced as she giggled at Dae’s expression. 

“I- I mean-” Dae stuttered awkwardly for a moment before remembering himself, “I don’t have to justify not wanting to sleep with you.” 

“Don’t knock it till you try it!” Dae scowled at Mac as she dissolved into a fit of laughter. When she finally composed herself she spoke again, “It’s time to go, bus’s here.” 

Simon’s expression had been off that day. Dae hadn’t recognized it at the time, too busy smacking Mac away as she repeatedly tried to hold his hand. Memories of ice in his veins frosted his vision and shielded him from his new reality. One where his closest friend left him on read because of a perceived relationship with a girl Dae considered little more than a coworker. 

While there was no official guiding between trainees, it was far from unheard of. Take these two for example. Cas and the angel rubbing soothing circles on his back as he mumbled like a toddler about nerves and blame. 

“She says she’s here. Can you get her and lead her back here?” 

Dae could hear Cas over Mac’s babbling in his headphones. He glanced up again and saw the guide smiling. It was a professional, tired smile. One that reminded Dae of his mother. Late nights where she came home in her guide uniform and told him she was too tired to make dinner. Grabbing meds for her and praying to all the Esper’s that came before Dae to give her a good night's rest. 

“Course,” The guide patted Cas on the back before turning towards the door, and towards Dae. 

Dae’s head snapped down to focus on his dark phone screen. He tried his best to fold in on himself and become invisible. The guide stopped right in front of him. Dae hesitantly lifted his head to meet blazing crimson eyes. 

“Sorry about him, he’s just nervous.” 

Dae wanted to respond. To open his mouth and tell the guide that Cas’s shitty behavior wasn’t the guide’s fault. Maybe even thank him. But before Dae could unhinge his tense jaw, the guide was leaving. As the guide passed by, Dae's eyes were drawn to his prominent collarbone upon which rested an ID tag. Dae would have preferred a name but the guide’s tag was twisted around. Only showing a barcode and a three digit identifier. 

609

When 609 returned he was accompanied by a shockingly familiar face. Mac mirrored Dae’s shock when she rounded the corner. An older woman, presumably Mac’s mother, based on their matching thin features and light cottonlace skin, followed behind. Mac’s glossy pink lips parted in surprise but before she could speak her mother cut in. 

“Deadalus Kane! You’re the inventor Mac’s always telling me about!” 

“It’s Dae-” Dae frowned and turned his attention to Mac, “What are you telling people about me?” 

Mac smiled. Relief flooded her features. Sure she and Dae got along, but they were nowhere near close enough to warrant this kind of excitement. 

“That you’re madly in love with me!” 

Beside Mac, 609’s mouth fell open and he brought up a hand adorned with numerous rings and black nail polish to cover it. Dae’s eyes went wide and his head started shaking before he could speak. Mac was already cackling at Dae’s abject horror and her mother was scowling. 

“I’m gay!” Dae awkwardly spit out. 

Luckily his declaration was buried by Mac’s mother who all but shouted, “You’re engaged, Madaline! Don’t lead this poor boy on!” 

“Huh?” Dae stared between Mac and her mother. Mac’s amusement died and she straightened up. 

“I guess it never came up.” Mac smiled at Dae apologetically. 609 looked away as if examining the floral wallpaper in the waiting room, “And don’t worry mother, I’m just teasing Dae.” 

"Well, then forgive me for being worried about your image!” Mac’s mother bit out the words as sarcastically as possible. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. After a beat Mac crossed the room to join Cas. Mac’s mother and 609 trailed behind. Mac’s mother materialized a bag covered in powder pink hearts. Cas took it from her with a strained smile. 

“Thank you Layla.” 

Mac’s mother, Layla, smiled and waved Cas away, “Don’t thank me! Thank your fiance!” Before Mac was forced to endorse the gift that was clearly all her mother’s idea, Layla turned to Dae, “I would have brought a gift for you if I had known you’d be here.” 

Dae’s eyebrows shot up and he pointed to himself in confusion, half hoping she’d meant to address 609. The guide who actually managed Cas’ corruption. She laughed and shook her head as if she and Dae were sharing a joke. 

“Who else would I be talking about?”  

All eyes save Layla’s went to 609 who was standing in the background with his hands tucked behind his back. Layla followed Dae’s gaze to the guide. She rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. 

“Mac, you’ll be the only one going in with Cas. You know what the press will say if there’s another guide there, especially one like…” She trailed off and looked at 609 critically. 

609 wore baggy black jeans and large boots adorned with chains. He layered an off the shoulder band tee over a black sleeveless halter top that showed off his chest and collarbone. His ears were covered in piercings. Add his eyes and he was quite a sight. An angelic one if you asked Dae, but Layla didn’t seem capable of recognizing beauty. 

“Are there going to be reporters at the test?” Mac’s face managed to go even paler and she nervously picked at her acrylics. 

“A small team, a few from our team and a few from Sceptr Pharmaceuticals." Layla nodded to Cas as she mentioned Sceptr, unmoved by her daughter’s distress, “We’re making history after all! The first ever test with a designated guide!” 

“There have been several tests with designated guides before now, it’s just not common.” Dae startled as a soft, soothing voice whispered next to him. He turned to see 609 who’d somehow crept across the entire room to take a seat with Dae, “I sat in on a test once.” 

609 was even more beautiful up close. His eyelashes were long and held low, caging his deep red eyes as he looked towards Mac and Cas. His hair was black save a streak of white, cut short and layered with two long strands hanging down to rest on his prominent collarbone. 

Dae’s eyes were drawn to the edge of the halter top. Bruises, pink, blue, green and yellow poked out from underneath it. As Dae dragged his eyes back up to 609’s face he finally noticed the deep bags under the guide's eyes and the sallow tint of his skin. Dae’s own mother, a chronic overworker and night shift aficionado, never looked this bad. What was someone around Dae’s age doing to look so withered? 

“How old are you?” 

“Hmm?” 609 moved his focus to Dae and tilted his head, “I’m nineteen. A year older than you.” 

“How do you know how old I am?” Dae looked anxiously at Mac, nervous as to what she could have shared with this guide. 

609 laughed and his eyebrows came together in pitying amusement, “You’re here, aren’t you?” 

Embarrassment painted Dae’s cheeks pink. Of course 609 could guess his age as he waited to take the test everyone took right after they turned 18. In a small act of mercy from the beyond, the training room doors opened. A staff member wearing a lab coat rushed past carrying a girl covered in soot. Dae caught the shine of fresh blood on her lips. An uneasy silence fell over the room. 

Even Cas seemed unsettled. 609’s focus turned away from Dae and back to the other three. Concern and concentration creased his brow. Dae was both thankful for the reprieve and desperate to regain the guide’s full attention. 

“Do you dye your hair?” 

Mac and 609 turned to Dae at the same time. Mac’s expression was strained and slightly frantic. She held up an X with her hands as 609 nervously twisted the white tuft in his bangs. The sullen look on 609’s face would have been enough to warn Dae of his mistake even without Mac’s dramatic miming.