(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Worries and Insecurities

Kellen finally cleared his throat, and the Captain looked at him. He pushed his hand away from his mouth.

"Did...Did Uncle Felix share the same beliefs?" Kellen asked and Rhys seemed surprised.

"Oh, I guess that was pretty easy to figure out. I didn’t hide it particularly well." He froze. "Wait, did you just say Uncle Felix?" Kellen nodded, staring into the skin of his shoulder with a thousand mile stare.

"Yeah. Like me, Mom grew up with a few S Classes. Uncle Jason was one of them." He muttered, and Rhys tightened his hand on Kellen’s neck.

"I’m sorry for obviously opening up an old wound then, but to answer your question, yes. They both agreed. They said it was something that they had talked about before, but most Espers and Guides under S Class had a hard time understanding where they were coming from. Understanding that they were old friends, maybe they were talking about your parents." Kellen sucked in, surprised at discovering new things about the people, the adults he had grown up with.

His Mom and Dad had always been a little bit of an enigma, but since they were his parents, he knew that they would never do anything to endanger him. They had proven to him over and over that they cared about him, and wanted only what was best for him.

Uncle Jason and Uncle Felix had been the same. They had shown up to every major life event that they could attend, even avoiding one of their countries when it was Kellen’s time to be sent to the front lines. They had been so proud of him. And worried.

Kellen had been devastated when he’d heard the news. He’d had to end a few contracts that had cost him his reputation at the time because it was either his reputation, or someone’s life. Thankfully, the missions had gone well without him, but it had taken him a full two weeks to get his shit together enough to go back to work.

He exhaled slowly, his lips shaking.

"I am glad you got to meet them before it happened." Kellen told him, meaning every word. "They were great people, and even though everyone said Uncle Jason was crazy, he was one of the best men I knew. I cannot imagine the pain of knowing the person you cared for the most in the world had died, and now you are a time bomb waiting to hurt the other people you care about." That was how Kellen chose to remember it. It was an honourable thing to do. What he had done was the smart choice, because otherwise, he could have decimated countries.

Rhys threaded his fingers in Kellen’s hair before gently pulling his head back to meet his gaze. His eyes were kind, and thoughtful.

"For what it’s worth, he seemed perfectly sane to me. He was quite funny too." Kellen felt a small, slight smile play at his lips.

"Uncle Jason was always the jokester. That’s why it was extra special when Uncle Felix told jokes. It made the whole room feel full." Kellen’s chest felt tight at the memory, and with a soft exhale, Rhys pulled Kellen closer, wrapping him in his arms. Kellen exhaled, feeling the comfort of his arms around him, and found that he had been shaking.

"Oh sweetheart. I had no idea you had such a close bond with them. I’m sorry for bringing it up then." Kellen shook his head at Rhys’ apologetic tone.

"No, don’t be. I am actually very glad you met them, even for a few minutes before they passed. They were very, very good people. They were always there for me. When they died...I didn’t become reckless, but it got hard for a bit there. I met Brent shortly after that."

"Are you implying that you only hired Brent because you were grieving?" Rhys asked, a slight, teasing tone to his voice. Kellen felt a snort come out of his nose.

"Well, I can’t exactly say that it didn’t play a part in it. You can’t lie to me and tell me that Brent isn’t a good distraction from that kind of stuff." Rhys chuckled at Kellen’s words.

"No, Brent would be a good distraction, especially if I remember it correctly. He was trying...to hit on you in the beginning, right?" Kellen sighed, remembering that exhausting time. Brent had been relentless because he was all bright eyed and bushy tailed. Kellen had been tired and worn down because of the sudden death of two people who he couldn’t even tell others he was mourning. He had been trying not to flex his connections, and even in death, he didn’t want others to think he was using his Uncle’s name to gain sympathy.

"He was. Endlessly. I cannot remember how many times he tried to proposition me. He even tried several times to get me involved in threesomes. Thankfully, everyone around us knew who I was, and what I was like, and laughed off all of Brent’s advances. Did you know that there was a betting pool?" Kellen could tell that Rhys was getting tense, and he wasn’t sure why. He was smiling, but something seemed...off.