(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Always an observant Guide

"Kellen! I never thought you would attack me this way. That actually hurt." Her big brown eyes were wide, her bottom lip was wobbling, and Kellen felt the Captain shake with his laughter. Kellen shrugged.

"Why are you so surprised? Do you know how many times I had to cover for you because you were up to no good? Because you were somewhere with someone you shouldn't be? I only did it at the time because covering for you was easier to deal with then the blowout, like when you and the Captain fought three years ago. it always put you and others out for longer then if I covered for you, so yes, I do get to call some pot shots, thank you." Hill's face slowly fell from her playful expression into one of dawning horror. The Captain's shoulders shook more. "Honestly, if I told you how many times I covered for you, you would be kissing my feet Hill." She looked like she had taken a serious blow.

"I thought I was always careful." She said carefully and Kellen sighed. He subtly adjusted himself against the Captain without a thought. He'd had his hand on the Captain's chest, but changed his hand position, raising it and splaying his fingers until they basically cupped the Captain's pec. The Captain for his part, said nothing, and behaved as if this was completely normal behavior for Kellen. Casper and Gunther, however, shared a look.

"Hill, you have to remember what my job is on the front lines. It is my job to keep an eyes out for things Espers wouldn't even think about. There was a reason I was in high demand, along with other good Field Guides. My partner, Brent, was the same way. I bet if you asked any Field Guide around you from the front lines they would be able to tell you the when, where, who, how and for how long." Her fingers shook as she covered her mouth, her eyes wide in horror.

"You know that much about me? Wait, you've known that much about me for a long time?" She seemed even more horrified when Kellen nodded calmly. "You could have ruined me." She whispered and Kellen's lips turned up in a smirk. He shot her a finger gun with his free hand, winking at her.

"Yeah, but I never did. You're lucky, it's too late now to collapse the Saturn Guild with any information I have. It wouldn't benefit me to do that anymore. All your stats and secrets are safe with me." Kellen sealed his lips and threw away a fake key, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Hill, for her part, nearly stumbled to the Captain's side, gripping onto his forearm, her eyes desperate.

"Never, ever let him leave. Do not piss him off. I cannot choose any other side but his, Captain." Hill warned her Captain, who only seemed to laugh in response. He wrapped an arm loosely around the Guide next to him, chuckling.

"I'll keep that in mind. Currently I have no plans to make my Guide truly angry at me." Surprise filled Kellen. He turned his gaze up towards the grinning Captain.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He demanded and the Captain chuckled. His grip on Kellen tightened slightly. _{fɾēewebnσveℓ.com}

"Well, I'm hoping any fights we do get into aren't huge, maybe something small that we can get over in an afternoon?" He told Kellen confidently, even as his grip on the Guide tightened. Stunned, Kellen turned so that he was fully facing him in his embrace, his hand still on his pec. He stared into the yellow gaze of the Captain, noticing the small shift around his eyes. He seemed to grow nervous the longer Kellen stared at him without saying anything.

"That isn't something you can control Captain. You don't know that." The Captain reached up, cupping the Guide's face with his hand.

"It is if I know I'm the one who is going to start them." Kellen made a face at the Captain's words. He sounded so sure he was going to be the problem in this pair, as if Kellen shat roses. That wasn't the case. Kellen already had caused problems with their pair, and the Captain was outright ignoring that. He did not like the implied imbalance in their pair already.

"What if I start a fight, hmm? What if I'm the one always causing problems? Saying that I'm never going to say or do something stupid is unrealistic. I'm human too." He told him, but the Captain smiled down at him. His fingers gently stroked Kellen's skin where he held his face. The touch was slightly ticklish, and made Kellen frown.

"Mr. Woods, it would not take much for me to forgive you. As long as whatever you said or did didn't endanger you. That's the one thing I will never forgive." He huffed, annoyed.

"What if...I bleached all of your clothes? Threw everything in your house in a fit of rage?" The Captain's eyes smiled at Kellen's examples. He was sure the younger man didn't realise that they were examples an angry romantic partner did, but he wasn't going to inform him right now.

"I would take to wearing white uniforms, and I would check to make sure your hands were okay first before I replaced everything inside." Kellen's face crinkled in annoyance at the Captain's calm attitude.

"What if I behaved like a brat and threw a tantrum because I didn't get a contract? What if I destroyed something important to a mission? What if I jeopardized the whole mission? You are giving me too much leeway Captain." Kellen was clearly scolding the Captain while still in his embrace.

Hill, who had been worried about what Kellen would do to her, was stunned at the behaviour of the Captain. Yes, she had seen the Captain over the last few days and noticed the change in him, but this was the first time she'd seen what the new Captain was like. His edges, which had been sharp before had softened. Before the Captain of the Saturn Guild had been what everyone had wanted him to be. Stoic, quiet, a power whenever he walked into the room. Exactly like the man who had been on t.v. only a few days ago while declaring his picks from the Esper games. Now, Captain Rhys Thatcher was clearly just a man in love. A man in love with a man who had no idea, truly, how much power he held here. Hill knew some of the things the Captain had fought against in his time on the front lines, and none of them had to do with the gates. She wondered if there was ever going to be a time when she could tell Kellen those moments, if he'd ever be ready to hear them. Given the argument they were having right now, she decided that it was too soon, and went back to enjoying watching this unfold.

"Mr. Woods, I'm hurt. You seem to underestimate how long I've had a crush on you." Flustered, Kellen went to open his mouth to respond, but closed it instead. He turned his face away from the teasing yellow gaze before him, looking out across the empty sparring arena. He broke the contact the Captain had on his cheek. He hadn't expected that response from him.

"A-A crush?" He stuttered and the Captain wrapped his now free arm around Kellen, pulling him tighter against him. Casper and Gunther decided to leave the two flirting men alone, while Hill went to speak with the younger Espers, going over a quick review of the fight with the Captain.

"I thought I made that very clear, Mr. Woods? I've had my eye on you for quite some time." Kellen turned his gaze back towards the Esper.