Holy closed the door of his car and looked up at the Hunter Association branch in Phoenix. It was tall and imposing, and had practically sprung up overnight five years ago. He had no idea how they built it so fast, but Phoenix was a booming hub of way too many portals and not enough hunters to deal with them. They were constantly flying in new hunters to deal with the problem because not enough hunters out here wanted to be hunters and preferred the civilian life. Probably because the association here had weird rules and was difficult to work with. It was run badly by Andreas, and he was probably going to get removed soon and replaced with someone else.

Holy put his hands in his pockets and headed for the doors. He had to get his rank measured. He had no idea what it was going to put him at, but he was apprehensive. He had already more than proven he was S-rank, but, still. He was nervous. It was like his first time getting measured at seventeen, and he was waiting for bitter disappointment to strike him again.

Holy walked through the revolving doors and headed up to the receptionist desk.

“Hi, I’m here to get measured,” he said, and she smiled at him.

“Of course. Hello, Holy,” she said, and he gave her a little wave. “This way, please.”

Holy followed her, and she headed out to the door on the left that led into the measuring room. He remembered this place. Last time, he had been so excited. He had wanted to prove that he could do this, and to some degree, he had. He had just been a D-rank, but he had managed to survive. He had managed to thrive, though he hadn’t managed to be more than what he was.

She pushed open the door, and he stared at the mana measuring stone. She got the reader turned on, and then she turned to him.

“Please put your hand on the mana stone,” she said, and he placed his hand on it. It glowed for a second, and she looked down at the mana displayed on the reader. Her eyes widened, and she looked up at him. He tilted his head in question, and she paled.

“One moment, please,” she said, and why did she sound scared? He opened his mouth, shut it, and she ran out the door to go get someone, presumably, leaving him alone. Curious, he picked up the sensor, and then he stared at it in silence.

5,323.

… The average S-rank had around 3,000. He stared at it for a moment, and then he awkwardly coughed. Well. That was a problem, he thought. He set the sensor down and looked around awkwardly. What did this mean? He didn’t know. Was he even S-rank? What was going on? He didn’t know. But, 5,232 was a lot.

A ‘haaaa’ escaped his lips, and he dropped into a crouch and buried his face in his hands. What was he supposed to do with that?

There was a knock on the door, and he looked up. Surviving was more trouble than it was worth. He should have just died, but how was he supposed to know his life was about to get so complicated?

There was only one solution. The dungeons were about to get more difficult from here on out. That was the only thing that meant sense. If whatever higher power was making SSS-ranked people, because that was what was going on here, then the dungeons were about to start spawning SSS-ranked portals, and things were about to get infinitely more difficult. And he would be front and center. Guilds would be scrambling to get SSS-ranked hunters, and he would be the only one that could clear those dungeons until more showed up.

Suddenly, everything made sense. He had no idea why he had to endure all of that pain, but it made sense. The dungeons were about to get more difficult, and whatever entity did this to him was trying to ensure humanity’s survival. In that way, it was at least benevolent, but why him? Because he was there, or was there a deeper meaning?

He could feel eyes on his back, and the door opened to admit Gregory.

“Holy,” Gregory said, and Holy straightened up. “Could you come with me?”

“Sure,” Holy forced out, and followed Gregory to the door. Gregory led him out, and pressed the button for the elevator. Holy waited patiently for the doors to ding open, and they eventually did, and the two of them stepped in.

The elevator rose, and Holy crossed his arms. 5,323. That seemed impossible to fit that much power into one small body, and he didn’t know how to feel about it. He felt… weird and uncomfortable, honestly. Like someone was watching him, and he didn’t know when the constant feeling of eyes on him started. When he was seventeen, maybe?

The doors dinged open on the top floor, and Gregory led Holy down a hallway and knocked on a door.

“Andreas? I have Holy Walker,” he called, and there was a pause.

“Send him in,” a man called, and Gregory opened the door and let Holy in. Holy stepped in, and there was Andreas Viallobos. He was sitting at the back of the room, behind a desk piled high with papers to sign, and he looked behind. Unless it always looked like that. The desk itself was a mess, but the rest of the room was clean and neat. It was decorated with bland art, and Holy looked around. He’d never been in here before.

“Holy,” Andreas said and stood up from his desk. “Welcome.”

“Mmm,” Holy replied, and Andreas made his way around the desk.

“Please, take a seat,” he said, and Holy sat down on the couch. Andreas sat on the couch across from him, and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

“Stay in Arizona, and when you make a guild, I’ll offer you preference on raids,” he said, and Holy blinked. “All S and SSS-ranked dungeons that crop up will have your first choice.”

So, he had come to the same conclusion as Holy. Noted.

“I’m not going to make any decisions about what I’m going to do until after my top surgery, so I can’t give you an answer right now,” Holy said, and Andreas pursed his lips.

“And when is that?”

“Should be two weeks away now,” Holy said, because it was closer to two than three now. “Send me an offer and I’ll look into it. I don’t have the seed money or credit to start a guild right now, though.”

“Understood,” Andreas said. “I’ll get an official document prepared and send it over to you.”

“Alright, thank you,” Holy said, and Andreas stood. If Holy started a guild here, Andreas was probably going to be raking in big time cash, and may save his position. There was one S-ranked guild in Tucson, but it wasn’t as good compared to the rest of them. They may pick a fight with Holy, because they had enjoyed being the only S-ranked guild in Arizona for the past four years. Jessica Maldonado was just not a good guild leader, though. That was a fact, but…

Holy wasn’t sure he would be a good guild leader, either.

Things to think about.

“I gotta get home now, though. There’s a stream planned at two,” he said, and Andreas nodded.

“Of course. I’ll hopefully see you around, Holy,” he said and stood, and Holy got up and made his way to the door.

“My contact information should be updated with the association, so just send me a message,” he said, and idly wondered if they had forgotten about the debrief. Probably. He had no idea. Or were they going to do that now?

“Holy… what happened in that dungeon?” Andreas asked, and Holy’s hand rested on the doorknob. So. This was the debrief.

“I don’t know,” he said, because he wasn’t about to fight against whatever spell had been put on him, and it was the truth. He had no idea what happened, or why he’d been chosen, and all he could think about was the scent of blood and piss.

“That’s it?” Andreas asked, and Holy pursed his lips.

“I wish I had answers for you,” he said, and pulled open the door and stepped into the hall. The door clicked quietly shut behind him, and he headed down the hall towards the elevator, but someone was approaching him.

He was tall. Dark hair and dark brown eyes, with the tail of a cherry blossom tree tattoo clinging to his neck, disappearing into his shirt, dressed in a black button down shirt with the sleeves pushed up and leather black gloves. Holy recognized him in an instant. How could he not? Luc Acerbi was the only trans S-rank in the world. Holy didn’t keep up on S-ranks all that much, but he knew Luc. He was much more beautiful in person, Holy dimly recognized. How was that even possible?

And he was headed… Right for Holy.

“Holy Walker?” he asked, and Holy looked around, as if there was somehow going to be a different Holy in the area.

“Uhm… that’s me,” he replied, and Luc pulled to a halt and studied him in silence. Holy coughed lightly, and an awkward silence stretched out.

“Would you like to grab lunch with me?” Luc asked, and Holy blinked. “I’m buying. Wherever you want to go.”

Wait… What?

….

Holy bit into the carne asada taco, and Luc sat back and studied him in silence. His gaze was the sort of gaze that could pin you in place, and Holy was more than a little scared, being around him.

Hunters were divided into classes. Luc was a specialist, like Holy, with the peculiar ability to control the minds of men and monsters. Puppet Master was his title, and he was honestly terrifying. He was probably one of the few hunters that could stand up to Holy if he got the jump on him. Holy didn’t like the idea of his mind being controlled, and being around Luc was more than a little terrifying.

“So… What did you want?” Holy asked, and Luc slid his card across the table. He had paid for Holy’s food, but he hadn’t ordered anything. It was a little strange to be watched as he ate.

“Join Morningstar Guild,” Luc said, and Holy choked on his food. “I will pay for your move and the cost of breaking your lease.”

“You don’t even know what rank I am,” Holy pointed out, and Luc braced his chin in his hand as he studied him. A long silence stretched out, and sweat trickled down the back of his neck.

“Aren’t you S-rank?” Luc asked, and Holy swallowed. S-rank. Right.

“I… think so?” Holy replied. “I mean, my mana was…”

Wait. Maybe he shouldn’t share that until an official announcement was made.

“Why do you want me to join Morningstar Guild?” Holy asked. “Aren't two specialists on a team unbalanced?”

“That depends on the specialist,” Luc replied, and Holy pursed his lips.

“I know, but---”

“There will be people that will not react well to another trans S-rank,” Luc said, and Holy… knew that, but what were they going to do about it? Nothing. They couldn’t do anything about it. He was currently…

Oh.

Oh, gods.

He was the most powerful man on the planet right now, he realized, and his stomach dropped like a stone.

“I want to offer you protection,” Luc continued, and Holy dialed back into the conversation.

“Protection,” he repeated. “I mean, if I am S-rank, I won’t necessarily need it, will I?”

“There’s more dangers than the physical,” Luc said, and Holy blinked. What did that mean. “You have to be cunning and good at dealing with people. Can you do that?”

“I…” No, because Holy was fucking autistic and didn’t know what was going on on a good day.

“Judging from how easily tongue tied you are, I would assume not,” Luc said blandly, and Holy flushed.

“Well, neither are you. How are you going to ask me to join your guild and then insult me?” he asked, and Luc tilted his head.

“Is this where I apologize?” he asked mildly, but there was something like amusement in his eyes. Holy bristled, and then he considered it.

“What other bonuses would you give me?”

“Free housing and food, for one. Insurance that isn’t marketplace, and I’ll allow you to set the terms for your payment,” Luc said, and Holy’s eyes nearly bugged out at that. Set the terms for his own payment? Like, he could ask for any percentage? “Within reason. Depending on your mana, you may receive a higher cut.”

Luc Acerbi had come out at the time of his awakening five years ago, and then immediately began his transition. He was of the old guard, and he was dangerous. He had set up his guild within a year of awakening, and it was one of the oldest and most profitable guilds in the country. He had practically monopolized the East Coast.

He was also a trust fund baby, from old mafia-turned-legit money. That was very important, because he was going to be a fucking menace. Everything about his existence was paid in full. He had never wanted for anything, and Holy could not think of a more different existence than his. They were both trans, but that was where the similarities ended. Holy’s mother worked at Walmart, and his dad was a janitor at the local community college. Holy had grown up on ramen and peanut butter jelly sandwiches, Hamburger Helper and sloppy joes, when they could afford the meat. His parents had always struggled to afford him, and as the middle child, he was often forgotten about and meant very little.

He and Luc wouldn’t get along, he thought. Luc would probably assume their similar status as trans would be enough, but they could not be more different.

At least they had ‘disowned by their parents’ in common.

Holy looked down at his tacos and sat in silence for a moment as he tried to process this. Right.

“I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t make any agreements on guilds until I get my top surgery finished,” he said, and Luc tilted his head.

“When is that?”

“Two weeks from now,” Holy said, and Luc processed that for a moment.

“Alright. I can wait two weeks,” he said, and Holy swallowed. The focus of Luc’s gaze was unnerving. He seemed almost as though he was picking Holy apart, and it scared Holy.

“And I won’t be able to start packing until I get my healing finished,” he added, and Luc’s brows furrowed.

“Why? I can just have my team healer fly out to heal you,” he said, and Holy’s eyes widened, because Luc’s team healer, Killian Dross, was an A-rank, and widely considered one of the best healers on the East Coast.

“Oh, I can’t… afford that,” he said, and Luc tilted his head.

“You won’t be paying for it,” he said, and Holy blinked. He wouldn’t? Why… Okay. “Then, in two weeks, I will fly out and bring Killian.”

“Wait… I didn’t agree,” Holy said weakly, and Luc smiled at him. It was not a nice smile. It was cunning, a man completely self assured of himself, who always got what he wanted, and fuck. That was hot. Like literally any gay transmasc, Holy had been attracted to him from the start, and he---

“You will,” Luc said, as if it was proven and fact, and Holy swallowed as the tone and words went right to his clit. He felt his insides clench, and fuck, he didn’t like this. This was a bad idea. He could not make a decision on a future guild with his damn dick. That was stupid. To his knowledge, Luc didn’t even have sex. Him having a sex scandal had never been in the media, at least, and he had never publicly dated anyone. He may be aroace and sex repulsed, Holy had no idea.

But…

Holy looked down at his food. He had never had sex with another trans person. Not for lack of options, but because he was a little scared. He understood the concept of t4t, and from what he had heard about it, he thought he might get addicted. Holy had gotten used to bad sex with selfish partners. If he had actually good sex with someone that cared about his pleasure, he might actually lose his shit.

Other trans people scared him. He felt separate from them, somehow, and didn’t really have any trans friends. He only had Kara, and that was because he had known her since he was a child. Making friends was terrifying to him, and he didn’t know how to make friends as an adult. He barely knew how to make friends as a child. Kara just adopted him. He barely had to do anything.

He… he would just have to see.

“I’ll let you know in two weeks,” he promised and took the business card off the table. Cautiously, he tucked it into his pocket, and Luc leaned back in his chair and studied Holy in interest. His gaze roved down Holy’s body, and Holy was hyper aware of the fact that his binder wasn’t binding as well as it used to. He was skinny and short, and had never put on all that much hair. He felt a little exposed compared to such an accomplished and settled trans man opposite him.

He needed to stop thinking so hard about it. Luc was…

Terrifying, really. He was really terrifying.

Holy needed to finish his food and get out of here before Luc smelled how wet he was. Fuck.