(BL) Hunting The Field Guide-Chapter 432: A small domestic moment

Pamela was already hard at work. Kellen, Brent, Casper and Rhys finished dinner together before Brent and Kellen followed the other two back to the conference room.

Pamela had gotten the heads up from Kellen, and she had apparently sent crying face emojis to Casper in response. She was grateful that Kellen wasn’t just resorting to violence this time and when Kellen said that it was because he had fled to the front lines, Brent had laughed, along with Rhys.

Even Casper had smiled slightly at that, while Kellen finished another protein shake. It was just the truth. If Uncle Tom was nearby, he’d have decked the man already. S Class or otherwise. Anything that followed after that?

Well, if the accusation was true, or otherwise, Kellen felt that at this point, Uncle Tom had made his bed. It was high time he slept in it.

Kellen didn’t mind helping Pamela out with answering emails and the like as she prepared to get this press conference set up. Brent even stepped in to help as Rhys dealt with the other side of things. Kellen wasn’t even going to have to attend this one, he was able to continue about his day.

Which meant he was much more willing to help out so that he didn’t have to be there, in front of a camera as his name hadn’t even been fully brought up. Only the Saturn Guild had been brought up and made assumptions about, and Pamela agreed with Kellen.

There was no precedence set for Guides taking on the powers of the Espers they guided. It hadn’t been documented before, not even in the secret areas of the international Guide database. Parts that Kellen didn’t have access to, but that Casper did.

Kellen wasn’t terribly surprised to hear that. No one was. Kellen just knew what had happened to him, what the others were investigating, and what was taught. They were in the process of trying to find out if Kellen was the first of his kind or otherwise, and this? What Uncle Tom was trying to do?

This was just going to be the end for him, not for Kellen or Rhys or even the Saturn Guild.

What it was, was a good distraction for Hill and Sergei. It allowed them to have some more time with the members of, presumably the E.A.G. so that they could get as much information as they needed out of them. Taylor had already headed towards the front lines, along with one of Captain Sergei’s team. Sakura had said that she could send some people, but Sergei had waved her off.

He told her to have her team focus on the poison coming out of the gate. They, the Nemesis and Saturn Guild, had this one.

~

Suffice to say, all of this work meant that the next day was chaotic for Rhys and Pamela. Kellen had it easy. He was sore from his work out the day before, so he only went down for a little bit of light weightlifting and stretching with Brent before he came back up to his apartment and made a full breakfast for Rhys.

He woke him up in bed, a tray full of things that he liked and Rhys had grumbled. He had gone on a monologue about how much he loved Kellen and how grateful he was to have him in his life. Kellen’s heart had felt full upon hearing it, and he then helped the man get ready for his press conference.

He was going to wear the uniform that he normally wore on the front lines. It was very similar to the Captain uniform that he normally wore, but with a few differences. It was more decorated, for one. The coat was a little thicker, made out of a material that was formed from several fabrics from the gates that made it resistant to most weather. The weaving also made it resistant to most damage from non magical weapons, and some poisons.

None of those facts were the reason Rhys had decided to wear the clothing. No, the outfit was going to be a declaration. Alongside the words he was planning to speak, Rhys was also declaring that there was nowhere else that Uncle Tom was going to be able to run.

Rhys was coming for him. For his title, his position, everything. Lieutenant Fisher had also agreed to come to the press conference, sitting at the bottom of the stairs in the place that was normally reserved for Pamela. She was actually going to be on the platform this time, sitting next to Rhys where Gunther or even Kellen would normally sit.

It was to show that they were a united front. That this was absurd, and that they, the Saturn Guild and the D.E.C. weren’t going to stand for it anymore. Sergei didn’t send anyone from his Guild as a representative. Apparently, Lieutenant Fisher was going to have to go from the Saturn Guild to the Nemesis Guild since they were also hosting a press conference later in the day.

Uncle Tom knew exactly what was coming for him which was why he was so afraid.

Kellen, however, was just having a fun time helping Rhys get ready for his big day. It was nice to be able to help him get dressed, get his hair all slicked back, his shoes shining, his buttons perfect. Not a wrinkle in sight.

Rhys also seemed to enjoy it. Despite the situation and how Rhys was basically defending and protecting Kellen, he couldn’t stop smiling. Neither could Kellen. It was a soft kind of intimacy that they hadn’t really experienced yet. It made Kellen’s fingers clench, his chest feel warm, and he found himself making sure that Rhys’ uniform was perfect. Smoothing out his shoulders even when he knew that Rhys could turn back time to when the uniform was perfect.

It didn’t need to make sense, and that was okay.

Rhys stayed for as long as he could, leaving the apartment at the same time as Kellen. Both were in their Saturn Guild uniforms today. Kellen and Brent had decided that today they were both going to wear them. A small show of pride for the Guild that they both were affiliated with.

Rhys held onto Kellen’s hand like a lifeline during the time that they were still together. He was on the phone the whole time they were moving through the Guild, but that didn’t mean he was going to give up holding Kellen’s hand. Kellen just chuckled, smiling. He took a moment to think back about how long he had wanted something like this, and how long he had resisted.

Honestly, he was surprised with how quickly he had caved, and how much he enjoyed the time he spent with Rhys now. They were still getting to know each other, all of their likes and dislikes, but that was okay. They had plenty of time to get to know the rest. Once this Uncle Tom issue was handled, Kellen wasn’t even really that worried about anything else.

The gate was a looming issue, but Carlos was on it. They were making progress. They were okay. Everything was going to work out, much like his love life and everything else associated with it was working out. He had lost some things, but he had gained so much more in return.

Kellen kept his positive attitude as he said goodbye to Rhys in the elevator, getting a deep kiss before the man ran away. Kellen carried that kiss with him as he headed to his office, settling down to work on the training plan again before he had to head to his class.

Brent had a guiding session, or a few he had to attend to in Casper’s place since Casper was also going to be beside Rhys at the press conference. Brent was going to meet up with him in the same rooms that they had stolen the trainees from yesterday for their first class.

Kellen, despite how quickly everything had changed the day before, and the emotional roller coaster he had gone through yesterday, was feeling okay. Better than okay. He was looking forward to Uncle Tom’s legal downfall, and the future that would follow after that. frёeωebɳovel.com

He was looking forward to what Hill would get out of the captives, Carlos’ next report on his antidote, when they could send the next batch of Field Guides to the front lines. He was looking forward to the future.

Something that, if he was being honest with himself, he hadn’t really looked forward to for a long time. Kellen had just...taken everything as it had come. He’d planned ahead a bit, like where he would try to get his next contract, what was the next step, etc, but he hadn’t actually planned a few steps ahead. Just far enough that he wasn’t drowning.

He realised that what Rhys had given him was more than just a pair and a place to belong, but a sense of security that he hadn’t realised he was missing until this moment. If Kellen never wanted to work again, Rhys would support him. If Kellen got injured, Rhys would support him. If Kellen wanted to change his whole career and do something else, Rhys would support him.

And Kellen was able to support him in turn now, thanks to the systems that Rhys had put into place. It was...a remarkable feeling. The biggest change was that Kellen actually looked forward to the future. That was something he hadn’t anticipated in the slightest.

Kellen had just been trying to get through each day, prove himself, prove he had worth for so long that even out of therapy some of that urge had lingered but now? Kellen had something to look forward to that wasn’t tied to work, and he was able to appreciate the things that he had outside of his value as a Guide too.

His friends, his family, the people who he worked with and his students. Everything had changed since he began to work with Rhys, and began to be with Rhys. Kellen could only think that this was for the better. Now, he just needed to make sure that he was able to protect this peace, this moment of rest for his soul that Rhys had given him. The gift.

Kellen stared down at the plan he had been working on, the small steps he was taking towards a future he had never even dreamed about before, and smiled. This was something so much larger than him, and he was excited to see where it went.