(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 363

Chapter 363: I’m not affected. This is a super normal reaction
It was the morning that his parents left, and Brent and Hill left with the first batch out to the front lines.

Captain Sergei had been messaging him for the last 24 hours, excited to have ‘fresh blood’ as he said, but Kellen was sure he was just happy that Uncle Tom was leaving him alone since the Saturn Guild was coming to the front lines.

He had been kept out of the loop about who was coming to the front lines, which Kellen did think was ridiculous. There had to be people around him who were still useful. Keeping everyone on his team in the dark seemed like a bad idea.

Kellen’s alarm went off, and Rhys groaned in the bed next to him. Kellen, not just because Captain Sergei was texting him constantly, had barely gotten any sleep the previous night. Rhys had flung his arm around and over Kellen in his sleep, and Kellen had laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling as the other man had slept on beside him.

It was a big day today. He was allowed to say goodbye to his parents as they left for this mission. Even Gwen was allowed to say goodbye to them. He didn’t think they were going to their death, but with everything going on, it was better for them to take every chance that they could get.

Guides and Espers had been killed for less. Hell, civilians had been killed for less. Humans were brutal, but monsters were relentless.

They were heading off first, on a very expensive flight that wasn’t actually full. It was the only way they were able to get away with two invisible people getting onto the flight. It was a milk run, or so Kellen had been told. He hadn’t been told what flights. That information had been kept to a very select few. It had been offered to Kellen, but he had turned it down.

They would let him know if something happened to them. The D.E.C. knew better than to keep it from him.

After he saw his parents off, Brent had asked that he work out with him one last time before he headed off for a few weeks. They had forgone the week break, where Brent would come back in between classes, so he was going to be out there for a month without coming back into town. So, they were working out together before that happened.

Brent had basically gone armless the last few days since it was getting so bad. He said he had a stash of other arms back on the front lines in a locker, so he was going to check them out to see if any of them were usable when he got there. Kellen was upset for him, since Brent was trying to brush off his worries. Kellen didn’t know what to tell him.

His grandparents, well, his grandma had passed before he’d even gone to the front lines. His Mom’s had never been around, or were long dead, and his Dad’s Dad had passed when Kellen had been a baby.

It wasn’t something he could relate to, but he understood that Brent was worried all the same. So, Kellen was going to do his best to be supportive and normal. Even as he stared up at his ceiling, his alarm was still going off.

“Babe, is that your alarm?” Rhys’ sleep filled voice filled Kellen’s ears. A shiver went down his spine, but Kellen brushed it off.

“Sorry. I’ll-” Rhys’ arm, which was across his chest tightened and he pulled himself closer to Kellen. He pressed his lips against his jaw, his lips a little dry from sleep.

“I’m getting up too. I’m not letting you say goodbye to my Mother and Father-in-law by yourself.” Kellen swallowed. He’d been feeling more sensitive since he started therapy, while Rhys had been the almost exact opposite.

He’d mellowed out, while Kellen felt like he was a loose cannon. He felt overly sensitive, like he was poking at an active wound. He knew that he was, since he himself had avoided it when he’d gone to therapy before. But he hated taking it out on Rhys. He felt like he was. He’d been avoiding him a little bit, trying not to be around him, or when he was around him, he was silent. Rhys had only asked him once if everything was okay, and when Kellen said he was just dealing with things, but he still wanted to be around him, Rhys had nodded, and remained nearby.

Kellen felt like an asshole for having such an understanding partner, when Kellen knew that right now wasn’t good for him either. He wanted this to be equal, even. Just. He didn’t want to feel like he was taking more than he was getting from this relationship.

Kellen’s sigh that left his lips shook the bed. Rhys gave him a squeeze, pressing another kiss against his chin, moving his lips to his shoulder to plant another kiss there before, with a groan, he sat up. He ran a hand through his hair, reached across Kellen, and turned off the alarm.

“Did you even get any sleep last night?” He asked, his voice still deep with sleep. Kellen swallowed.

“A little.” He admitted and Rhys’ sigh filled the air.

“Alright. Sounds like someone’s getting a shower with me, and some cuddles. Up we go. Time for Rhys and Kellen time before we send them off. We have enough time.” Rhys said and Kellen flushed, starting to protest but it was too late. Rhys was already scooping him up in his arms and carrying him to the bathroom.

“We don’t need to-” Kellen protested but Rhys silenced him with a kiss. It wasn’t deep, but it was tender.

“It’s okay to not be okay, Kellen. You haven’t been normal for a while, and that’s okay. You have a lot going on. I can’t imagine what you’re going through by sending your parents away like this. I also can’t imagine how many times you’ve done it. It’s okay. Just let me comfort you. Please?” Rhys asked and Kellen stopped trying to wiggle free from his arms.

He wouldn’t lie to himself and say that he didn’t want to be comforted. He just hated that this made the relationship feel unfair. He didn’t want that.

“I just…this feels unfair. I haven’t done anything for you recently, and I’ve been really moody. We haven’t even really been touching each other either.” Kellen would know. All of the toys he’d bought with Brent’s guidance were in the closet, in a box similar to his other shoeboxes. Rhys and Kellen had both been exhausted, and Rhys was having longer days now that Gunther was gone, and Hill was soon to be gone.

Kellen hadn’t wanted to burden him, or tire him out. He needed his rest. He probably wouldn’t find it relaxing to fool around with him.

Kellen wasn’t even sure if that was true. He hadn’t asked Rhys. He was just…he felt really emotional, and didn’t want to know the truth either way when it came to Rhys. His emotions regarding him felt too big now that he’d poked his wound.

“Unfair? How in the world is this unfair? I get to run my hands all over your smoking hot body, under water, and kiss your lips and hopefully, your other parts. I feel like this is unfair to you. All you get is to look at this ugly mug.” Rhys joked. At least, Kellen hoped he was joking.

Rhys knew he was a handsome man. The world thought he was handsome. That was what drew Kellen in in the first place.

“Don’t say that. You know I don’t like when you joke like that.” Kellen scolded, and Rhys pressed his lips against his temple, his yellow eyes still a little drowsy as he turned on the lights in the bathroom and both of them winced. He put him down, giving Kellen a chance to undress on his own as he turned on the shower.

“Well, you also know I don’t like when you joke like that either. There isn’t some score we keep between us, Kellen. We give and we take when we need. You need to take right now, and that’s okay. It’s like waves. We’ll trade off as we need.” Rhys’ tone was so easy, so casual, as if saying it made it easier for him to do.

Kellen scrunched up his face, pulling off his boxers so he didn’t have to look at Rhys as the water turned on. He could hear Rhys’ laughter over the sound of the water hitting the tiles.

“I can tell you don’t agree with me, or if you do, you don’t want to. If that’s the case…I’ll just have to keep treating you sweeter and sweeter.” Rhys warned, and Kellen turned, greeted with the great sight of a naked Rhys, half mast, his yellow eyes warm as his eyes scanned Kellen’s body. Kellen watched as his eyes deepened, and his smile took a different kind of twist. “Goddamn. Look at that ass. I just want to-you know what? I just will.” Kellen didn’t know what he was doing until Rhys approached and took generous handfuls of Kellen’s ass in each hand, squeezing and groping as Kellen stumbled.

“R-Rhys!” He protested, the sudden gesture surprising him. It was too early in the morning to get fondled like this, but Rhys clearly didn’t agree.

“You need a little moment of laughter before you go and say goodbye to your parents, and it’s my job as your partner to provide it.” Kellen wasn’t sure if that was true, but when Rhys looked at him like that, Kellen knew himself well enough to know it was only a matter of time before he folded.

“I don’t really agree with you, but I don’t think that’s going to stop you.” Kellen muttered and Rhys’ eyes crinkled with his smile.

“Awe. You’re finally learning. Now come here. I want you soaped up before I really get a feel of you. Can’t let you leave dirty, now can I?” Rhys mused, practically dragging Kellen into the shower before both of them hissed.

He hadn’t checked the water temperature.