(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 171

Chapter 171: An interrogation fueled by friendship Chapter 171: An interrogation fueled by friendship He knew it was going to come to this, so why was his heart racing so much?  Glancing at the two who had eyes that glinted in the sunlight coming in through the window, he sighed, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling before he relented.  “Well, a lot, actually.” Kellen hesitated before he just started from the beginning.

“I don’t know if you were aware of it, but the Captain and I…we hadn’t hung out or even touched each other outside of guiding for two weeks because we were both too busy.” Hill gasped, legitimately horrified.

She covered her mouth and everything.  “Oh my god.

No!

You’re joking!” She glanced between the two Guides and Brent shrugged.  “I didn’t see anything, so I trust him.

Especially since Kellen was working like a bat outta hell.

He was too focused, but I didn’t know what was wrong.

Granted, this is Kellen’s first time being in a pair or anything similar, so I don’t have anything to gauge.

Not like him, and if I haven’t had skin contact with another for a long period of time.” Kellen nodded, and Brent smiled.

“But now I know the signs.” Hill seemed to be going white as she thought back, before she fumbled with her phone and began typing rapidly.  “Fuck fuck fuck.

This is a huge error on our part.

We haven’t had a pair in our upper levels, and didn’t even consider it.

We just packed his schedule without leaving him any room since that was what we were used to.

No fucking wonder he has been difficult.

He wasn’t getting any Kellen time in.” Kellen, the man they were speaking about, tilted his head to the side in confusion.  “Difficult?” He asked, and Hill froze.

She chuckled, before glancing up at him and pushing her hair out of her face.  “Uh, do you remember what he was like in the conference room yesterday?” Kellen nodded, remembering how the room itself had felt chilled.

“That’s what we consider ‘very difficult’.” She told him and Kellen felt his eyes widen.

That had probably not been good for the others, since Kellen hadn’t gotten the full force of it.  In fact, Kellen remembered when Rhys had said he had been ‘difficult’ to work with on the front lines after Kellen had teased him.

He’d even said that he had gained a reputation for having a mean streak from being hard all time, and Kellen wondered if this ranking had come from then.

Hesitant, Kellen opened his mouth, closed it, before opening it again.

“Um, when did you develop this ranking for him?” He asked Hill softly and she paused in her typing, no doubt messaging the group chat that Kellen wasn’t involved with.

He was a little bitter about that.  Hill made a face, her eyes looking off into the distance before she responded.  “Uh, about year two after we formed the Guild, I’d guess?

He was fine in the first year.” Kellen felt his whole face go red, and the two stared at him in surprise.

Kellen bent forward, covering his face with his hands as he exhaled slowly.  Shit.  The Captain really hadn’t been lying.

Kellen was the reason he became known for having a mean streak.  Brent, sensing a juicy story, leaned forward as well.  “What do you know that we don’t, Kellen?” He asked, a glint in his eyes.

Hill gasped.  “Wait a second, when did you get to the front lines, Kellen?” Brent’s eyes went wide as Hill connected the dots on her own.

Kellen groaned.  “It’s not because of me.” Kellen protested, and Hill laughed.  “Oh, how come I don’t believe you?” She asked, and Kellen could tell his face was bright red.

“It can’t be because of me.

I was just a single Field Guide on the front lines.” Kellen protested, knowing damn well that the Captain himself had told him that he had an impact on him out there.

Hill’s smirk grew knowing as Kellen continued to change colours.

Brent burst into laughter.  “So, you two really were dancing around each other out there, huh?

I mean, I noticed it, but were you bolder when you were younger Kellen?

When I wasn’t there?” He wouldn’t call it bolder.

More like an idiot.  “No comment.” That only got the two of them more worked up, but Kellen was having none of it.

He instead took a sip of tea, glad it was colder now.  “Awe, come on Kellen!

You can’t keep everything from us!” Kellen didn’t think he was.  “Any.

Ways.

The photo shoot, hmm?

Didn’t you want to know about that?” He asked tartly, clearly trying to change the topic and Hill pouted.  “No fun.

I wanted to know more about baby Kellen and how he was trying to seduce the Captain.” Kellen’s mouth thinned and he glared at Hill.  “I was not seducing the Captain.” He cut himself off from saying anything else, knowing better than to give them anything else.

It was a close call, he almost defended himself, and Hill tsked, having failed to catch him in her fishing ploy.  “Alright, explain to us what happened yesterday, Kellen.” Brent said, turning Kellen’s attention from Hill to him.

Kellen swallowed thickly.  “Well, I didn’t know it was a photo shoot, like Brent didn’t know.

I had no idea what we were walking into, and honestly, it was a big surprise to me to find the Captain there.” Hill frowned, but let Kellen continue to speak, especially since he was so fidgety.

“I was upset, I think, for most of the photo shoot until we started talking photos together, no, even when we were taking photos together because he didn’t say anything to me.

He didn’t talk to me, he didn’t even…greet me.” Kellen ended lamely, feeling nervous about saying these words out loud.

Both Brent and Hill stared at him with wide eyes.  “O-Oh.

I didn’t even realise that he hadn’t.

I thought that he had.” Hill said, and Kellen looked uncomfortably to the side.  “Well, he didn’t.

When we were changing I think for the second time is when I told Brent we hadn’t touched in about two weeks outside of guiding.

But also Gwen got angry at me because I snapped at the Captain when he came over.

I felt like shit for doing so, but I couldn’t help it.

I didn’t know what I was feeling inside of me, and it was so violent and I was just so…I think I was angry at the time?

It was too much.” Kellen said slowly, and Brent took a sip of his drink.

“Ah, I’m taking from the way you’re talking now, you know what it was?” He suggested softly, and Hill cast a look at Brent.

Kellen didn’t notice it, and swallowed as he stared down at his tea cup.

“Um, I think I was just lonely.” Kellen admitted, and Hill made a sound in the back of her throat.  “Oh god, Kellen.” She sounded distraught, and Kellen was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him.

She pulled back quickly to look over his face, her own anxious.

“I’ll make sure we all put in a policy to make sure pairs are considered.

Fuck.

I hate that I played a part in the way you felt.” Kellen shook his head at her words, smiling softly, if a little sadly.  “It’s not your fault, Hill.

I just…I probably needed to realise it.” He admitted, and Brent reached out, grabbing his hand.  “Yeah, maybe, but you fucking cried, right?” Hill’s eyes went wide, and Kellen flushed.  “What?

Was I there?” She exclaimed, and Brent nodded.

“Yeah, you were.

Didn’t you notice?

The whole room panicked.

The Captain basically was shouting at everyone.” Hill frowned as Kellen grew embarrassed.

“I think I remember it vaguely, but that was right when my phone started going off about the mutation.” Hill muttered, and Brent smirked.  “Well, isn’t someone a busy businessperson?” He teased, and Hill stuck her tongue out at him.

“Ha ha, Guide Jameson.

You’re so funny.” Hill deadpanned, before turning back to Kellen.

“You cried?

Are you okay?” Kellen nodded.

Neither one of them brought up the bathroom incident, which meant he was in the clear.

As far as anyone else needed to know, he only cried once yesterday.  “I…I am now.

Rhys and I have talked about it, and we both agreed to deal with the root of the problem.” He said and felt his face soften slightly.

Brent and Hill stared at him with wide eyes.

Kellen fiddled with the handle of the teacup in front of him, embarrassed.

“It also helped that after he rejected my guiding and raced off in a huff that Taylor and I had a chat.

At that table over there, actually.” Kellen gestured to a set of seats a few tables away, near the window.

Kellen sighed, glancing out the window before he gave the two a small smile.

“She really helped put everything into perspective.” He said cryptically, and Hill leaned in.  “What did she help you with?” She asked, and Kellen let out a dry laugh.  “She diagnosed me.” He said and the two glanced at each other before giving him a puzzled look.  “What does that mean?” Brent asked, and Kellen bit his lip, wincing and glancing around hoping the Captain didn’t notice.

Thankfully, he wasn’t psychic, just basically a prophet, so Kellen was in the clear.  “Well, she asked for my symptoms, and after gathering more data, she gave me a diagnosis.” Kellen exhaled slowly.

“I…I’m in love with the Captain.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS CalyB He said it out loud 😀