(BL) Hunting The Field Guide - Chapter 424

Chapter 424: It’s about the disrespect
“Hey, I heard a rumour that Rhys fucked you so good you ended up in the Medical Bay. Is that true?” They were the first words out of Brent’s mouth the moment he stepped into the room. After not seeing each other in person for a month, that was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

Kellen was livid. But he wasn’t even sure where to direct the anger. Rhys had put out the call, and had started to change the rumours. Brent was just a bloodhound when it came to these kinds of things.

Kellen had only seen him through a screen for a month, so seeing the man himself walking in through the doorway was a bit surreal. So surreal that it almost took away from his words, but not really.

Gwen and her friends were long gone, having only stopped by in their free time. Between then and now, Kellen had had a few more visitors, but it was afternoon, and just after the time that the Guides usually came back.

Rhys was behind Brent in the doorway, looking a little downcast, a little worried. He looked like a dog who had done something bad, and Kellen felt his jaw tighten.

Brent, reveling in the tense atmosphere, strolled on into the room, grinning. He wasn’t wearing a prosthetic, his sleeve rolled up and tucked as he glanced around the room.

“This is a nice room. Your Dad had a nice room too. Are all of them this nice?” Kellen wasn’t able to answer Brent’s question, but Rhys was.

“We made sure that every room was this nice. There aren’t really VIP rooms since I would want all of my employees to be treated the same. With that said, location might make someone more VIP than someone else. But that is dependent on the person.” Rhys said quietly. Brent’s lips turned up.

“Ah. That explains how close this room is to everything else then.” Kellen wasn’t fully able to understand where their conversation was going, but he didn’t really care. Instead, he turned to Brent and held out his arms. Brent didn’t hesitate for long, and came over for a hug.

“It’s good to see you, even if you’re making my blood boil as soon as you come in.” Kellen told him and Brent laughed. Brent pulled back and the two men looked each other over, checking on each other.

Brent looked…tired. There were lines around his eyes, there was a dullness in his usually bright green eyes, and his body held a tension that Kellen was sure was from a mixture of things. Kellen knew that some of it had to be just from the fact that he had been responsible for so many of their students on the front lines, while the rest was probably a mixture of everything else that had happened to him on the front lines.

Still, Kellen was glad to see him in one piece. Well, the pieces that Kellen knew him as.

“I’m glad that you’re back in the city for a little bit.” Kellen told him warmly and Brent chuckled.

“You might regret saying that.” He told him and Kellen felt his face break into a smile.

“I might, but that’s okay. Get some rest. Go find a real bed to sleep in, unless you found someone to mooch off of on the front lines.” There were very few people who had a real bed on the front lines.

It didn’t take Brent long to realise what Kellen was saying, and when he did, his face heated.

“There is nothing going on there!” Brent protested, too loudly. Kellen wouldn’t lie and say he didn’t realise that there were some similarities between his response now, and his response when Kellen had brought up Gwen in the past. Kellen didn’t mind Brent having options.

Whether he married into the family or not wouldn’t change Kellen’s feelings of comradery for the man. Would he lie to himself and say he wasn’t selfishly more interested in him getting involved with someone who was not his sister? No, he wouldn’t. It was a small relief, but Kellen also knew that nothing was set in stone.

Brent was clearly reacting like this because he was pushing him away. He was fighting against whatever was happening between him and Captain Sergei on the front lines, and Captain Sergei?

Well, he was quiet, but he was also a shit disturber. It was interesting to see through the meetings that Kellen had sat through how Rhys interacted with him. Both men seemed to poke each other, trying to get a rise out of each other. It was very…it was pretty endearing if Kellen was honest. Like they were cousins? It didn’t feel like sibling rivalry.

“Oh. I see. So not yet, huh?” Kellen said, a little smug smirk on his lips. Brent stared at him, his face flushing slightly and huffed.

“I don’t want to hear it from you of all people.” Brent muttered angrily and Kellen’s smirk turned into a full grin.

“Fair enough. Everything went smoothly as you were coming back?” Kellen asked and he nodded.

“No concerns on our part. We got out smoothly.” Brent confirmed. “Hill stayed behind. Said she might come up after the next rotation goes out, but she doesn’t feel comfortable leaving right now.” Brent told him and Kellen nodded. He understood, especially if she had heard what Kellen had seen.

Brent’s expression shifted slightly and he glanced at Rhys behind him. Rhys had closed the door behind them and stood there, like a guard of some kind. When Kellen also glanced his way, Rhys gave him a soft smile.

“Are you still upset about the rumour? I’ve done my best, but I think the damage is already done.” Rhys admitted, still looking like a puppy who’d done something wrong. He had done something wrong, so he should feel bad.

“I won’t lie. I’m probably going to be salty about the rumour for a while. It’s absurd that people would think that you could…do that to me and that I would still be in the Medical Bay after Taylor had seen me. It’s an insult to her skills, and to my own sturdiness. I mean, me? Of all people? And why are they assuming that you’re the one penetrating me? Although I have no issues with that, I’m a little insulted that they are making such assumptions.” It was just Rhys and Brent in the room, so Kellen had no problem voicing the deeper issue here.

Rhys, who hadn’t heard this until now, looked like he was going to faint. His face went bright red as his eyes widened. Brent curled in half, laughter spilling from his lips like he was some kind of deflating balloon.

“Holy shit!” Brent cried out in between his laughter while Kellen sat on his hospital bed, indignant. Rhys made sure the door was locked before he moved towards the bed, at a loss for words. Brent was still laughing as Rhys stopped near Kellen, his hand reaching for him, but then he lowered it before he moved to the other side of the bed, away from Brent and reached for Kellen again.

This time he grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him in until their foreheads met. Rhys let out a soft sigh, and Kellen let him hold him, remaining like that while Brent continued to laugh on the other side of him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think that part through. I just…I liked the idea of others thinking that you were mine. I didn’t think about how that would impact you, or hell, even Green. She shouldn’t get a rep like that. I apologise. Do you want me to spread a rumour that it was me?” Rhys asked and Kellen felt his lips turn down. Not because he was upset, but because Rhys was so willing to throw himself under the bus.

“Again, that’s an insult to Taylor. Plus, you are also sturdy. How the hell would anyone, especially someone who is getting intimate with me, not going to be fully prepared for that kind of thing? Don’t disrespect me that way.” Kellen said firmly and watched as Rhys’ lips twitched.

“Kellen, I…you couldn’t sit down after some of the things we did.” Rhys reminded him quietly. “You didn’t go to Green to get healed then, did you?” Kellen felt his face heat as Rhys pointed out a very valid point. Kellen cleared his throat.

“Okay, you have me there, but we didn’t go the whole way that time. That’s the heart of the issue, alright? To think that I would tear or-” Kellen cut off, breaking contact with Rhys’ forehead and staring off towards the bathroom door on the far wall. “It’s the principle of it all.” Kellen complained and Rhys’ grip on the back of his neck tightened.

“Alright. I think I understand what you’re trying to say. You like to be prepared. I get it.” Kellen felt his face warm at Rhys’ words.

“You also said you’d make sure that it wouldn’t hurt. I can’t see anything like that happening.” Kellen complained quietly but obviously Brent was going to overhear it. He gasped, comically loud.

“Wait! You two still haven’t gone all the way?” He sounded horrified, while also looking excited to have an inside scoop on their love life. “What the fuck? Rhys, how the hell have you held out for so long?” Brent asked, horrified. Rhys cleared his throat.

“Brent, penetrative sex isn’t the end all and be all of sexual relationships.” He sounded so smug as he said it that of course Kellen’s face heated. Brent stared, his gaze flickering between the two men before he covered his mouth with his hand.

“Oh Kellen! I’m so proud! My little baby boy is popping all of his cherries! Congrats!” He leaned forward, getting into the personal space of both of them. The dullness that had been in his eyes before, fading at the new news he’d received like a gift. “So? When’s the special day happening? Knowing you two, you probably have it written down in a planner.” Brent had profiled them, and Kellen flushed.

Kellen had an idea of when he wanted to make it official, but he hadn’t brought it up to Rhys yet. Kellen’s gaze slid to Rhys, but Rhys was all smiles.

“Brent, you’ll know after Kellen knows. I’m sure he’ll tell you aaaaaaall about it.” Brent let out a squeal that was so unlike him Kellen flinched.

“Oh! It’s like watching a couple I’ve always liked get together. All the deets, Kellen! Well, anything that won’t get me killed by Rhys, of course!” Brent’s grin was unrepentant as he pulled back. “Alright. I’ve bothered you two enough, I need to go bother Casper now. Gym tomorrow, Kellen?” Brent asked, pointing at him as he backed up towards the door. Kellen nodded as Brent practically fled the room.

He was sure it had something to do with the way that Rhys was looking at him, and the sigh that left Rhys’ lips after he was gone confirmed it.

“Fuck. I hate how similar he is to Hill.” Rhys grumbled. “I don’t dislike him. I don’t. I just can’t strangle him the same way I do Hill. He’d like it.” Kellen burst into laughter at Rhys’ bitter tone. Yeah, he probably would.