(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 185

Chapter 185: A cup of tea calms the mind

Kellen yanked his shirt down, and the Captain laughed as he stepped into the apartment. Kellen realised he was wearing almost the exact same thing that Kellen had pulled on. A classic black t-shirt and gray sweatpants. They were wearing the same thing, but for some reason it looked like the Captain was wearing it better.

Swallowing, Kellen looked him over, trying to be discreet as he turned and headed for the kitchen. The Captain was taking his time taking off his shoes and lining them up nicely. Kellen hoped he didn’t notice how his eyes followed him.

"I don’t like to walk around underdressed, Captain." Kellen told him, remembering that he ordered him to not call him by his name. Rhys snorted. It was so unlike him, that Kellen turned to stare at him with wide eyes. The Captain was grinning as he leaned against the pillar attached to the island.

"I don’t believe you in the slightest. I know for a face that you take any chance you can to take your top off. Everyone tells me about it, and I also remember you doing so on the front lines as well. Are you saying no because you are aware of me?" He asked and Kellen felt his face heat. He hadn’t even considered that the Captain and others had paid attention to him, but he should have known better.

He didn’t want to answer the question, but at the same time, it was a straightforward question. Unfortunately, the answer was just incredibly embarrassing for Kellen, and he worried what the Captain was going to say in response. Kellen gripped onto the edge of the counter in front of him, stealing a glance at the Captain who watched him, a smile on his lips.

"I...I won’t deny that I am aware of you, but I also don’t like to be underdressed in my own home. Working out is different." Kellen had too much energy after saying that, and spun to open the cupboard holding the cups. He grabbed two and placed them on the counter.

Pulling down the tea he would normally drink, he assumed that the Captain would have a cup since he’d had one every other time. Kellen tossed tea bags into both cups, turning on the kettle and stood with his back to the Captain for a moment. The Captain hadn’t said anything while he did this, and it wasn’t until the kettle had popped, the water had been poured and Kellen turned around with the mugs in hand that he noticed.

The Captain had a soft, mischievous grin on his face. His arms were crossed, and it was clear that he had been watching Kellen. Stiffening, Kellen came to realisation that he had been waiting for Kellen to calm down. Kellen flushed as the Captain took the mug that Kellen offered him.

"I’m glad that you admit it so readily, but I’m curious about one thing. Why is there a difference between being in your home and working out?" The Captain wasn’t trying to make fun of him, even if he had that playful expression on his face. He was genuinely curious.

"I, uh, well, only the bedroom is really for being naked, and the bathroom. I also often cook at home, and it’s dangerous to cook without clothes on. Even while wearing an apron." Kellen watched as the Captain’s eyes lit up at the mention of an apron. Kellen sighed, unsure if it was the right thing to do to tell him this. He felt his ears turn pink as embarrassment flushed his face. Fuck, he hadn’t told anyone outside of family this, and he just worried the Captain was going to use this against him later. It was better than this misunderstanding, but only just. "When I was in high school, I once sweated so much that I chafed my nipples, and so since then I tend to workout without a shirt on as a precaution."

It was clear from the Captain’s expression that he had expected anything else to come out of Kellen’s mouth. The Captain opened his mouth, closed it, before he put down his mug on the counter next to him. Covering his mouth, Kellen noticed that his face had turned a light shade of pink.

"You...chafed your nipples in high school?" His voice was a little high as he asked the question. Kellen, still embarrassed, nodded glumly.

"It’s not my proudest moment. I wasn’t paying attention to my body, and I was too focused on pushing myself to notice. It took a while to heal too, since I was too embarrassed to tell anyone about it. You and Gwen are the only ones who know that it even happened." Kellen admitted, and Kellen watched as the Captain cleared his throat. He slowly uncovered his mouth, composing himself as he picked up the mug again. His fingers were almost white from how tightly he was gripping it.

"Ah, you’ve given me blackmail material then." The Captain looked away from Kellen, smiling slightly as he stared down at the mug in his hand. It was quiet for a moment, and Kellen felt like you could hear his heartbeat in the silence. "You don’t...happen to have any photos of that time, do you?" Kellen’s jaw dropped, surprised that the Captain would even ask.

He knew if he didn’t nip this in the bud, he was going to be teased about it for years. The only thing he could think of saying was.... _{freēwēbηovel.c૦m}