(BL) Hunting The Field Guide novel Chapter 72

Chapter 72: At least he’s not an elemental Esper

Dinner was a huge event, but thankfully it went smoothly because everyone stayed out of Kellen and his Father’s way.

The gnocchi took the longest time to make, but all the side dishes were thankfully fairly easy and took up the time while they were waiting for the potatoes. Kellen and his Dad came up with the idea of caramelizing some squash with almonds, brown sugar, raisins, kale, and feta cheese. They stuck with the chicken suggestion and preference, and made a nice pesto chicken that would go well with the cream sauce they were making for the gnocchi. All in all, it was a delicious looking meal, and Kellen was happy that everyone was enjoying the food. The one thing he hadn’t considered was the lack of chairs, and tablespace. But others had. They squished two more chairs around the island, and everyone else went for the couch.

The Captain was busy making himself a plate of food, and then making Kellen one. He then hustled the younger man over to the couch, and made sure that they had everything they could possibly need so Kellen would sit down to eat. Cutlery, drinks, napkins, everything. Kellen wanted to complain, but noticed that everyone else was busy. His Mom was busy doing the exact same thing to his Father. Casper was busy making sure everyone else had their own plate, and Gwen was busy chatting with the group of people she had been panicking about being around about an hour ago. Brent finally looked relaxed, and was chatting calmly with the others as well. It was only Kellen and his Dad who were boxed in and forced to sit down and eat.

After that embarrassing defeat, Kellen and his Dad tried to go clean up when Gunther and Hill gave them death glares and wouldn’t allow either one of them to do so. Kellen hadn’t realised it, but Hill and Brent had been moved to tears over the food. Hill swore that she was going to mooch food off of Kellen at any chance she could get. Brent swore he was going to follow Kellen home for family dinners, and Hill agreed. His parents had just chuckled, clearly pleased with the praise. It was a fun night, where everyone was joking and talking, and it was a great distraction for Kellen. Most of the night the Captain was very touchy feely, until Kellen finally pushed his hand away. The Captain stared down at his palm, closed his eyes, and sighed.

"So the side effects are finally done, huh?" He sounded not just sad, but devastated. Kellen chuckled. Kellen shifted on the couch, where he was sitting next to the Captain, his parents sitting on the other end of the couch, and the rest of the group having pulled up the stools in a circle so they could all chat.

"Do you miss them already?" He asked, wanting to tease the man, but his yellow eyes were serious, even as he clenched his hand.

"You know how I feel about them." He said firmly, and Kellen’s Mom laughed.

"What? Did he push you away>" She asked, a smile on her face and the Captain shook his head.

"No, it was the fear that hurt the most. He was so scared to be alone and I hated that." Kellen felt his face flush as the dirty laundry was aired and Hill seemed surprised. Kellen turned, and hid his face in the Captain’s shoulder. He was too used to touching him now, and the Captain’s slight smile was hidden from Kellen as the Captain began to run his fingers through Kellen’s hair comfortingly. "I didn’t hate that he had side effects, but I would much rather him not have them." It was Kellen’s Dad who broke the silence, snorting.

"Well, I’m glad to see that Kellen is still like me in more ways than just guiding and cooking." Kellen hated knowing that. Gwen made a disgusted noise in the background too.

"Rhys, some advice if I may? Don’t let it scare you. Kellen has a habit of pushing himself too hard, so I can only imagine that he’s going to do this again, especially if you’re involved. So, I wouldn’t be scared of it, and instead think of it as a reward. That’s how I got through it before we were imprinted." Mrs. Woods chuckled, taking a sip of her beer as her gaze was far off, remembering a time almost 30 years ago. The Captain didn’t say anything for a moment, and curious, Kellen turned his head to catch a glimpse of the Captain’s face. He found the Captain with a thoughtful expression, before he raised his beer can towards Kellen’s Mother.

"I appreciate your insight. Thank you, that does help with the way I’ve framed it in my mind." He took a sip before smiling. "I’m also glad that I’m not an elemental Esper, since now Mr. Woods won’t bring shame to the family." Kellen flushed, but his parents grew curious. They shared a look.

"What are your powers, if you don’t mind me asking? You know what mine are, and I can take a guess at everyone else’s." Hill huffed, but she wasn’t shy about her powers, and Gunther had given up in defense of his character. Kellen stared up at the Captain, also curious, but instead of answering, the Captain turned his face towards Kellen, a grin on his face. _{freёwebnovel.com}

"Well? What are my powers, Mr. Woods?" He asked, and Kellen frowned at him. Clearly he was having fun at everyone’s expense, and he knew that Gunther and Hill weren’t going to rat him out easily either. Kellen sighed.

"From what I’ve witnessed, they have something to do with time, and maybe probabilities?" Kellen suggested and he seemed surprised. He moved his fingers from Kellen’s hair to cup his neck in a very possessive hold.

"Ah, you are mostly correct. I generally describe them as related to time, but they are more than that. Time can be very faceted, and there are very, very few who have powers along the same spectrum as me, and they usually go insane." He smiled warmly at Kellen after he said that. Kellen hated what that implied, and how unbothered the Captain was by it. Kellen sighed.

"Uh, it wasn’t really much, I swear." Kellen was desperate to get the worry away from him. He was hoping that the Captain wasn’t going to reveal anything, and after a moment of silence he realised that the Captain wasn’t going to do it. Relaxing slightly, Kellen met Gwen’s eyes which was the wrong idea. She didn’t believe him, and she could always get the truth out of him. Fuck. "It really wasn’t anything." He told her, faking a smile. Brent was the one who spoke next.