(BL) Taming the Field Guide

Chapter 194: Taylor regrets everything

Sometimes, one didn’t want to wake up. There were several times this could happen.

You were having a pleasant dream. Or the temperature inside the sheets and outside of the sheets were perfect. You could have a lot you needed to do that day but you were feeling lazy. Or you were severely depressed.

Unfortunately for Taylor, none of those were the option.

For Taylor, the reason she didn’t want to get out of bed was because of where she was, who was with, and the throbbing, dull ache in between her ears.

Taylor had drank too much the previous night, and she had no idea what she had done the night prior. Taylor’s face burned with shame because this wasn’t the first time that this had happened, and damnit, she kept telling herself that this would be the last time but it never was.

But did she ever mean it this time!

Where the hell was she? And why was she in bed with another woman?

Not only that, but the woman was the very one that Taylor had no idea what to do with. Who had been...starting to be obvious about the fact that they liked Taylor, and not just as a person. Someone who Taylor hadn’t even considered until now because...that was just out of left field for them.

God, what had Taylor done while she was drunk? How had she made a fool of herself? Did Karen film it?

Gwen would have, hell, maybe even Kellen. If Brent was still here and she made a fool of herself? Well, she was now close enough with the other Guide that she knew that he would have done that and rubbed it in her face.

Taylor’s face burned, her head pounded, and she really, really didn’t want to be a responsible adult today. She wanted to tuck herself back under the covers and hide away from whatever mess she’d made.

"Taylor? Are you awake, Princess? I can hear your breathing shift, but I don’t want to bother you if you aren’t ready." That was Karen’s polite way of telling Taylor that the jig was up, but also, princess? Where the fuck did that come from?

Taylor’s head pounded painfully, so bad that Taylor outwardly hissed. Shuffling sounded and then Taylor felt a warm hand press against her forehead.

"Oh Princess, you’re burning up. Are you sick?" Sick? Taylor, sick? She was a damn Healing Esper, which speaking of, why was she allowing herself to experience this pain for as long as she had?

Taylor felt the hum activate inside of her body, her powers stirring as she began to work. She wasn’t sure if it was the same for everyone else, but Taylor felt more like a generator than anything else when she was using her powers. The slight hum, the way it took a second to start up, and then the fact that she felt like she could work for hours after the initial start up.

Taylor’s internal gaze slid across her insides, noting everything wrong before slowly her powers seeped out and it was only a few seconds later that the pain all across her body was gone. It was wonderful that Taylor never had to suffer from long term physical pain, but it did nothing for the mental exhaustion.

In a way, Guides were that, but not completely. They weren’t trained in the art of therapy, mostly, so they could only tap into a general area of mental health and leave the rest for other professionals.

The hand remained on Taylor’s forehead until the pain was gone and she let out a soft sigh.

"Good. I’m glad you healed yourself." Karen did sound happy that Taylor had done that, and Taylor realised she couldn’t avoid it anymore. She had to face everything head on.

Flustered, embarrassed, Taylor opened her eyes slowly to face the woman above her. The same woman who had probably carried her down to her room. Who had probably helped Taylor dress. The heat in Taylor’s face had nothing to do with any illness and everything to do with her own shame.

"G-Good morning, Karen." Taylor greeted numbly and Karen smiled down softly at Taylor. Karen was fully dressed, the room still shrouded in darkness from some good quality blackout curtains. A small lamp was lighting up the space from the other side of the bed. Taylor found that she was further away from the door, protected.

She wanted to scoff at the tiny detail, but Karen was Karen. She was a Lieutenant, and not only that, she was the Captain’s Lieutenant. She was going to have some things that were a little...cooky.

The sheets under Taylor’s hands were quite soft. Silk-like. Probably something more durable though given the fact that Karen was just generally stronger than most people. It had to be a fiber from a gate. That was what most Espers used.

Taylor didn’t because she didn’t need to. She was a Healer after all. She tended to not need that kind of thing.

"Mm. It’s a bit late for a good morning, Princess." Karen told her, smiling down at Taylor as she lay there. "I let you sleep in because I wasn’t about to wake up someone who rarely sleeps. That’s a crime in my books, and I also know that the day after funerals are a little slower anyways." Taylor wanted to disagree with her words.

They might be slower for the others, but not for her. Taylor hadn’t had a slow day in a long, long time. It felt like months, but was probably less than that. Maybe.

Actually, she hadn’t had a slow day since Kellen joined the Guild. That should have been her sign to renegotiate her contract. She loved her friend, but he was...a lot for a healer like her. She needed two other helpers just to keep up with the injuries his Field Guides sustained from training.

"How late is it?" Taylor asked, shuffling back on the bed, trying to wiggle out from under Karen’s touch. Karen grinned, pulled back her hand willingly. She was wearing her workout clothes and Taylor wondered if she’d just come back from working out. Taylor swallowed carefully.

"Not too late. Early afternoon. We could easily go get lunch right now and it wouldn’t be unusual." Karen told her easily, watching Taylor with soft brown eyes and a slight smile. Taylor felt her face warm more.

"I’m...hesitant to ask this but...did I do anything strange yesterday?" Taylor asked, already feeling embarrassed. Karen’s smile grew and that was a bad sign in Taylor’s books. She hung her head, groaning. "Oh god, was it horrible?"

"Define horrible?" Karen asked mildly and Taylor groaned louder.

"A no good time. Embarrassing." Taylor said and Karen chuckled.

"For me or for you?" She asked and Taylor raised her gaze, her face warm.

"For both of us?" Taylor asked and Karen’s grin was megawatt bright.

"Oh, then I had a wonderful time yesterday." Karen said easily and Taylor shivered. If she had a good time...

"What the hell did I do?" She asked, and Karen laughed.

"Nothing salacious, Princess. You were just a little handsy. Honestly, I think I’m the only one who’d find it hot." Karen said with her bright smile. Taylor burned. She clenched her hands into fists under the sheets, glad that she had that privacy at least.

"Handsy? What kind of handsy? I wasn’t touching you inappropriately, was I?" Taylor was horrified to even consider that she was doing something like that. Karen hesitated.

"Well...it was inappropriate, but I can see where you’re thinking. You didn’t grope any of the normal spots, Taylor. You were, uh," Karen flushed, looking awkward, "you were feeling up my muscles and properly naming the muscle groups. Again, I think I’m on a short list of people who find that attractive."

Taylor couldn’t even look her in the eye. She wasn’t just a pervert, she was a different kind from normal.

"God, just bury me in a hole." Taylor whispered and felt the bed dip as Karen sat down.

"Hey." Karen said, placing her hand on Taylor’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. It was a little too strong, but Taylor could take it. "It wasn’t a bad thing. If anyone saw it they would just brush it off as weird Healer shit. I already said that I’m the only one who found it attractive. Half of that is because I’m already attracted to you so anything that has you touching me is going to get me going. Beyond that, you didn’t do anything too embarrassing. You rambled a bit, got changed and then passed out. You only woke up once last night because you were thirsty. No vomiting, no nothing. You were good." Karen told her, trying to assure her that everything had been fine the previous night.

Taylor really appreciated the play by play. Taylor felt her shoulders relax slightly.

She raised her gaze towards Karen, showing a small grain of hope.

"Are you being sincere?" Taylor asked and Karen’s expression softened. It turned into a warm, kind, soft expression.

"Why would I lie? I know that trying to hold anything against you right now wouldn’t help me in the long run. I would rather you feel like you can rely on me again in case you drink like this in the future. I am more than happy to be your personal attendant on nights like this." Karen told her sincerely and Taylor flushed.

Taylor stared at her, trying to see if she was serious. She didn’t know what to say when it became clear to her that Karen meant that.

"Oh. Um, well." Taylor was flustered. She’d never had this kind of offer before. "T-Thank you." Taylor told her and Karen smiled.

"You’re welcome, Princess. Now, shall we go get some food into you? I have some clothes that would probably fit you since we’re around the same size, but not quite the same height." Karen said with a grin.

Taylor nodded without much thought, watching as Karen got up, stretching her arms up to reveal a small line of skin between where her pants rested and her rose up. It was just a quick flash of skin but it had Taylor’s heart pumping in her chest.

"God, that looks creamy." Karen’s smile was bright as she laughed.

"Princess, you said that out loud." Karen told her and Taylor yanked the sheets up and over her head. Karen laughed. "I’ll be out in the living room. Take your time to compose yourself." It was clear that she was enjoying this and Taylor couldn’t even protest.

She was the one who’d said it out loud. Was she an idiot? She wasn’t even hungover anymore!

Taylor just needed to get her head on straight and...out of a place that smelled like Karen. Otherwise she was going to do other crazy things.