(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Guiding is the easy part

Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the Captain’s neck as he adjusted his grip on the Guide. Kellen wasn’t sure what was going on.

"Captain?" He asked, only to have those yellow eyes stare down at him. For a moment, Kellen felt like he was staring into the eyes of a beast, before his eyes relaxed, his facial muscles moved, and the man smiled down at him.

"Yes, Mr. Woods?" His voice grew softer, and Kellen felt his heart race at the easy transition. Just 20 minutes ago he had been so cold and stoic, focused as Kellen held his hand and guided him. Now he was soft again, and that transition made something warm and hard melt inside of Kellen. He swallowed.

"A-Are you done now?" He asked nervously. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to ask, but it was the easiest thing he could get out. The Captain smiled wider.

"Of course. We were supposed to have our guiding session, weren’t we? I’m sorry I missed it." He started moving away from the others, climbing out of the hole he’d made in the ground. He carried Kellen as if he weighed nothing, and Kellen frowned. He must have been exhausted from using his powers, but he wasn’t showing it. Kellen tightened his grip around his neck.

"Easily forgiven. You were doing other important things. The only reason I was a little upset was because you didn’t let us know. It isn’t like you to miss things without reason, and you clearly had one." Kellen spoke softly. The Captain sighed.

"I did message Green originally, worried you had forgotten to carry your phone with you again." Kellen felt his cheeks tint at the pointed dig. "But I wasn’t able to reach out again to give her another update after we heard the first explosion." The Captain moved with quiet, but powerful strikes. It was only a matter of minutes before they were near where Kellen and Hill had originally landed. The place was crawling with first responders, D.E.C. members, and reporters. The D.E.C. members were holding the reporters back so the rest could work.

As soon as they came into sight, a riot of sound came their way. The Captain tenses, and since Kellen was having constant contact with him, he could feel his powers fluctuate. It was clear to him that as much as the Captain was standing and behaving normally outwardly, the man was in a delicate state. Worried, Kellen grabbed his face with his hands, turning his head in Kellen’s direction.

"Captain, you need to control your emotions right now. You don’t want to show others your weak side, I know that at the very least. You also aren’t close to surging, but we both know you are far from stable right now." Kellen spoke quietly, trying to make his voice so low that even Hill couldn’t hear him. Kellen stared into the yellow gaze before him, the Captain staring back in surprise. After a moment, his features softened. He moved one hand, holding Kellen’s hand in place on his face while his other held the fully grown man up like he weighed nothing. Maybe to the Captain, Kellen did weigh nothing. It wasn’t a concern to him at the moment.

"Yes, but you’ll always be there to soothe me, won’t you Mr. Woods?" The Captain was fishing, and in this case, Kellen was willing to bend to him. He chuckled, pulling the Esper’s face closer towards his own.

"If you’ll have me." Kellen told him before kissing him gently, pushing a small amount of guiding power into him. The Captain’s shoulders relaxed immediately, and Kellen pulled away. It was a chaste kiss. He smiled. "Better?" He asked, already knowing the answer. The Captain gave his hand a squeeze before wrapping both arms around the Guide again. He was grinning like a man possessed, and Kellen wasn’t aware of the reason why. He’d been so focused on keeping the Captain sane that he didn’t care about the fact that he’d given every last reporter in the city a front page photo of the new pair.

"I think it’s time for us to head home now." The Esper told his Guide with a warm smile, giving the Guide a second to prepare himself before propelling himself into the air. Kellen glanced behind him, catching Hill’s gaze who gave him a wink. That was the only distraction he was given before he remembered something.

He hated this.

He’d been so distracted by the worry for the Captain that he hadn’t had time to fully process being in the air with Hill. But now that they were on their return trip and he was relaxed enough to get uncomfortable. The Captain, who had been focused on getting back safely to the Guild, noticed that something was up with Kellen. Glancing down at the man, he noticed the way he had his eyes closed tightly, and how his grip tightened around his neck. He chuckled, his heart squeezing at the sight of the younger man relying on him to get him to the Guild safely.

When they eventually landed, Kellen fully expected that the Captain would tease him about his behaviour. He didn’t. And when Kellen opened his eyes, meeting the yellow gaze above him, he found the man had a tender expression on his face. He wanted to ask why, but something inside made him stop. He wasn’t sure if he was ready for the answer.

With confidence, the Captain entered the lobby. With the Guide still in his arms, he had waited for Hill to land and open the door for him. Kellen, confused as to why he hadn’t put him down, didn’t speak, still mulling over the look the Captain had given him earlier. Hill also helped them by getting them into the elevator, and even hit the button the Captain wanted.

The medical bay.

Kellen felt his blood freeze as he knew how angry his friend was going to be. Whether it was just at him or not, he wasn’t sure. Both him and the Captain weren’t in great shape, and she would know that as soon as she touched them. He winced, not looking forward to this.

Hill didn’t follow them, instead giving them a wave as the Captain headed towards Taylor’s office. He knocked on her door, before using one of his hands to open it. When Taylor looked up and saw them, she ordered both of them to sit down. The Captain, refusing to let Kellen go, sat down with him in his lap, much to Kellen’s embarrassment. She ignored Kellen, going to look after the Captain first, much to his upset, but once he was cleared, she turned her attention to her trouble-seeking friend.