(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 147

Chapter 147: A full frontal attack Chapter 147: A full frontal attack “Kellen Woods!

That’s the whole fucking point!

You get to tease him too!

It’s a happy thing.

A good thing.” She insisted.

He frowned, forcing her to let his hand go so that he could cross his arms.  “But then I’ll feel like I lost if I say it first.” She snorted.  “It’s not a game of who wins and who loses, Kellen.

If it was, the Captain lost years ago.

I don’t count teen admiration.” She told him, her eyes sparkling, but Kellen had a suddenly thoughtful look on his face.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked, as if she was able to sniff out his thoughts.

His frown deepened as a strange feeling filled him.  “I…used to go out of my way to avoid the Captain on the front lines, but he used to search for me.

I…fuck, I knew who he was before I went to the front lines, obviously from the posters I used to have,” her mouth hung open at the new information she had obtained so easily since he was distracted, “but I think it was more than that.

I used to keep track of where he was before he formed his own Guild, back when he was in the D.E.C.” Kellen felt his face heat as Taylor closed her mouth as soon as she felt his gaze shift towards her.  “I didn’t know what it meant at the time, and I never thought anything of it.

I just admired him a lot.

H-He was a good Espers, and he fit all the criteria of someone I would look up to.” Taylor shifted closer to Kellen, putting a hand on his knee, a smirk on her lips.  “I’m sure he was someone you looked up to.

But, another question there Kellen.

Did you want to be like him, or be with him?” The blush that covered his cheeks answered her question better than his words could.

Taylor burst into laughter.

“Kellen, you were on the front lines for seven years with this man, yet you did nothing?” She almost sounded like she was upset with him.

Kellen found himself scoffing.  “Taylor, up until three weeks ago I was a C Class Guide.

Who in their right mind would think of a C Class and an S Class together?

Of course I didn’t do anything, and I’m clearly still hung up on that mentally now.

I can’t wrap my head around why he likes me, or why he was so upset, when you can as soon as you hear about the situation.

Brent had to point out some of my feelings on this whole situation earlier today, and I’m already feeling a bit sensitive from that.

I hate feeling like I’m dumb or an idiot.” Her smile didn’t fall from her face, but she sighed.  “Isn’t it wonderful to have such great, caring friends around you who care about you and love you and make sure you can see the bright flashing signs in front of you?” His face heated as she smirked at him.

“Am I happy you nearly killed yourself to get to this point?

No.

Of course not.

But Kellen, it kinda feels like it was inevitable you would end up here.”  Confused, Kellen stared at her and she sighed.

She closed her eyes for a moment, before she continued.  “Honestly, I always thought that we were going to work in the same place.

It took me by surprise when you breezed past every Guild available and went straight for the front lines.” The smile that touched her lips made Kellen’s stomach knot.

It wasn’t a happy expression, and it stayed on her face as she continued to speak.  “I understand the reason why you avoided Guilds.

Most don’t treat lower Class Espers or Guides well.

I know that.

I was also disgusted that there was such a difference in treatment between one Class level and the next.

But, can I tell you a secret?

Captain Thatcher started putting in the groundwork to make sure that everyone who worked at the Guild was treated equally about seven years ago.

After he met you.

Clearly, you made a strong impression on him.” Her expression shifted, and Kellen felt his heartrate pick up as he heard those words for the first time.  “Yeah, but we couldn’t have been together then.

No one would have allowed it.” He insisted.

He wasn’t sure why he was fighting for this point so hard.

It was already moot.

They were a pair now, and he was no longer a C Class Guide.

She hummed for a moment, sitting back in her seat.  “Well, you might be right about that.

We were basically little kids back then, so it would have seemed predatory on his part.

Thank goodness he held himself back for so long then.” She was ignoring what he said, and instead brought up a completely different issue.

She was clearly enjoying herself as she took a sip of her latte.

“Held himself back?” Kellen asked, and she nodded gravely.  “Well, were you going to approach him first?

Think about it, Kellen, would you have?

Would you have gone up to the Captain of the Saturn Guild as a fresh faced Field Guide with barely any work experience and hit on him?” He opened his mouth to respond in the negative, before he really thought about it.

Young Kellen had a big chip on his shoulder, and was full of himself.

He remembered a few times when he had said something that the Kellen of that time considered risque to the Captain.

Then he had avoided him like the plague after because he was so worried that the Captain was going to understand what he meant.

Kellen covered his face with his hands.

Taylor gasped, leaning forward in her seat.  “Did you?” She asked, and Kellen shook his head.  “No?

Maybe?

If I did, I did a really poor job of it.

I think I might have at some points, but I’m not Brent or Hill.

I can’t just hit on anyone.

I’m awkward as hell.” Kellen wasn’t sure the blood vessels in his face were going to recover from this conversation.

He felt like his face had been red for far too long.  Taylor snorted, covering her mouth before uncovering it and laughed.

It was clear that they were much louder than most of the other patrols in the shop.

Kellen had a brief moment of worry that they were being too disruptive, but Taylor clearly didn’t, since she hadn’t stopped laughing.

Embarrassed, he uncovered his face and took a sip of his tea latte, the lukewarm heat cooling him compared to how warm his face was.  “The Captain was a major flirt before you too, so he probably caught on, but if I know you well, you probably buried your head in work after, right?” Kellen felt uncomfortable at how easily she was able to guess what he had done.

She laughed as he nodded solemnly, holding her sides as she wheezed.

“Okay, you know what?

I think you owe it to Captain Thatcher after apparently hitting on him for so long that you should finally follow through with it.

You should be the one to approach him first this time.” Kellen opened his mouth.  “But-” She held up her hand, silencing him.  “Even if you aren’t telling him how you feel completely, he’ll like the effort.

Especially since he’s feeling a certain way right now.” Kellen felt the blood leave his face at her suggestion.  “You can’t be serious.

I just said I’m super awkward Taylor!” She held up her hand again, a knowing smirk on her face.  “No, you said you were super awkward.

Things have probably gotten better in the seven years, give or take, since you last hit on him.” She shrugged.

“Plus, Captain Thatcher is probably in such a foul mood right now that everyone would beg you to take him away.

Oh!” She snapped her fingers.

“You can call him by his first name when you go pick him up.

It would be a nice final touch.” Kellen could feel himself growing flustered.

“But Taylor, what if he-” “-Get that silly worry out of your mind.

He would never, ever turn you away if you went to him.

If you think that he would, he will not.

I promise you.

The man has been agonising over you for years, and he’s made it super obvious in the last year and half especially.

He nearly worried himself into an early grave because you said you were going to leave the front lines and work in the city.” She looked over her now anxious friend and smiled.  “Be kind, be patient, and be understanding.

Both of you are having a hard time, even if they have different results, they are from the same concern.

I’m sure that the Captain probably also worried about you rejecting him too.” Kellen’s eyes widened and she nodded.

“Also, forget about whatever Gwen was saying to you.

I know she’s your sister, and normally she has a good head on her shoulders, but you two are different.

You were taking the best care of your partner as you could at the time.

I promise.

Sometimes, I think we get too full of what we would want done for us, instead of what the other person needs.” Taylor’s words settled a deep worry that he’d had inside of himself and he sighed.  Closing his eyes, he took a moment for himself before he nodded slowly.  “Okay, I think I’ll do what you suggested.” He told her, and her fist shot into the air in victory.  “Fuck yeah!

Go!

Let’s go now!

Before you talk yourself out of it!” She stood up, and dragged Kellen to his feet.

Flustered, Kellen was thrown off of his groove as Taylor rushed him towards the elevators.  She only hesitated a moment, but as soon as they were open, she was swiping her card and pressing the conference level button.

She stepped back out, giving Kellen a big wave as he stared at her with eyes as wide as saucers.

“You got this!

Kick his ass!

Make him fall for you all over again!” Stunned, he stood there in shock as she gave him a big grin and two thumbs up.

Kellen could feel his heart pounding in his ears.  He gave her a tentative thumbs up as the doors closed and he shot up to the conference level.

He swallowed.

Was this the right thing to do?

CREATORS’ THOUGHTS CalyB Thank you so much for reading!

I hope you enjoy it!