The Halo Effect

"That's impossible," Noel states.

"It was the same result both times," Dr. Summers says.

"Then the machine isn't calibrated correctly or something."

"I used it this morning and it was fine."

"But this can't be right," Noel practically begs, pulling his hand out of the chamber and cradling it to his chest. "You know this can't be right, doctor."

Dr. Summers shrugs, looking baffled. "This is…unprecedented." She glances between Noel and Jade, who's still staring hard at the screen. "I've never actually seen a sync rate this high. You sure you're not siblings? Sometimes twins have an advantage with—"

"So?" Jade cuts her off, turning his burning gaze on Noel again. "Are you satisfied now?"

"No!" Noel says shrilly, jumping up from the stool. "This is insane! There's no way that's accurate! Did you influence the machine?"

Jade scowls, rising as well. "I didn't. That's not possible, anyway. Wavelength is wavelength."

"Plus he'd have to know how the tester works to influence it with his powers," Dr. Summers pipes up. "And I promise, he doesn't." She shakes her head. "This is wild. I have to call the president—"

"No!" Noel shouts.

"Don't do that," Jade agrees. "This stays between us."

Dr. Summers squints at him like he's growing a second head. "Are you serious? Jade, you're one of the most powerful espers in the country, and you just found a guide who's practically a perfect match; this is huge news."

"No," Jade insists. "Don't tell anyone. If you do, your lab is toast."

"Jade!"

"Any more objections?" Jade goes on, turning back to Noel and crossing his arms. "You have no reason not to be my guide now."

Noel scrambles. "I don't need a reason besides not wanting to," he points out. "And I don't want to!"

"Guide Arden," Dr. Summers tries, "I really think you should reconsider. You're the first guide Jade has ever had any success with. Without you, he's bound to lose his mind sooner or later."

"He's been managing until now," Noel points out.

"Barely!"

"I really just can't be what you need," Noel says plaintively, panic gnawing at his lungs, making him unable to draw a full breath. "Just—trust me on this. I'm not a good match for you."

"You're the only match for me!" Jade spits. "I've tested with hundreds of guides—I'm fucking tired of it! You can guide me, so just do it! What's the big deal?!"

"You're not entitled to guidance just because we have a high sync rate," Noel snaps. "I have my reasons and they're none of your business!"

"You're being selfish!"

Something inside of Noel cracks and he whips around, striding for the door. "No means no!" he yells over his shoulder. "I wouldn't want to guide such a petulant asshole anyway!"

"Jade!" he hears Dr. Summers shout right before an instrument smashes into the wall right beside the door, making Noel flinch away from the ricocheting shards. "Jade, stop! Your levels!"

Reaching for the door handle, Noel lurches as his feet glue themselves in place, his rubber soles melting straight into the tile. Growling in frustration, he looks back over his shoulder to find Jade still standing where he left him, fists clenched, eyes gleaming red. "Esper Ransom, release me this instant!"

"If you leave, I'll tell your brother about everything!" Jade shouts, every inch the spoiled child denied something he wants.

Normally, that threat would have Noel on his knees, but right now the anger is too vivid, too blinding, and he just snarls "Do whatever the fuck you want!" before wrenching his feet out of his shoes and yanking the lab door open.

Stumbling into the hall, he slams the door behind him and strides away to the muffled sounds of screaming and machinery crashing against the walls.

----------

"What happened to your shoes?" Tess asks as he stalks past her cubicle.

"I don't want to talk about it," he mutters, flopping down in his chair. His tablet is cluttered with notifications but he dismisses all of them, sticking his earbuds in his ears and turning his music up as loud as he can stand it.

----------

"I'm so fucked," Noel tells Coppelia when he gets home that evening.

She winds around his legs, rumbling out her throaty, welcoming purr. Poe watches disdainfully from his spot on top of the cat tower.

"Why did I do that?" Noel moans, sliding off the flip-flops kindly lent to him by Catherine from her gym bag and dropping his stuff on the table. "Now he's going to kill me. And tell my family god knows what. I'm so screwed."

His cats aren't overly interested in his woes and care far more about dinner, so Noel gets both of their meals ready while stewing on his mistakes.

"Don't worry," he tells them, watching them tuck in. "I'll make sure someone takes care of you after he kills me. Elijah probably wouldn't mind. He likes animals."

Groaning, he collapses theatrically at the kitchen table. "This is just so stupid," he mutters, pillowing his head on his folded arms. "Why? Why is this happening? Why am I being punished for doing a good deed? I just want to do my job and be ignored by everyone, but I had to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, and now I'm going to be telekinetically exploded or something. Fucking…I hate this."

Coppelia and Poe keep eating, blissfully unaware.

"All espers are the same," he gripes. "Entitled assholes. Just because they have superpowers, they think they can have whatever they want. It's not like I don't feel sorry for Jade, but it's just…I can't be what he actually needs. He needs a real guide who can match him in strength, and I can't do that. Not consistently, anyway. And yeah, I couldn't explain why to him, but that shouldn't matter!" Noel sits upright, throwing his hands in the air for added emphasis. "I should just be able to say no and that's it! He will find another guide someday, a real guide. And until then—" Noel sighs. 

It really is a shitty situation for Jade. Espers need guidance in order to continue using their powers. Even just existing as a esper accrues a certain amount of corruption, though slower than actively using their abilities, so guidance is necessary for them to live. Having abysmal sync rates and never experiencing guiding for more than a few minutes must be terrible, especially for someone at Jade's level. Noel wasn't faking his sympathy earlier, but that doesn't change anything. 

"I wish I could help," he admits. "I wish I could be what he needs. I wish I could be like Beckett or my parents and stop being such a monumental fucking embarrassment, but I can't. We can't change how we're born, no matter how much we want to."

Coppelia finishes up and pads over to him, jumping lightly up onto the table. Poe starts taking a bath.

"Being a transferral guide is pretty special," he says, smiling bitterly as he reaches over to scratch under Coppelia's chin. "Worthy of the Arden name. But not when it's me, apparently. I somehow managed to fuck up having a rare skill."

Maybe if he was slightly higher level, even just a C-class, it would be safe to reveal his transference, and then his father and stepmother wouldn't be so ashamed of him. A C-class guide in a family with a long lineage of B+ class guides and espers still isn't great, but his rare skill might make up for that a bit. And then maybe Alyssa and his father would voluntarily tell people he's their son. Maybe he and Beckett would get along like they used to as kids.

Maybe. Maybe.

"This is so stupid," Noel repeats.

Coppelia purrs in response.