Chapter 91: Actions have consequences

The next two days were chaotic. Kellen focused on getting his speech done and checking in with Rhys and his Dad to see if they needed help. Obviously, because of everything that was going on, the dinner with his parents was put on hold.

His Dad was hopeful that they would be able to have dinner with Rhys, Kellen and Gunther once this was all over. Kellen just hoped that they got Gunther back in one piece. Kellen could still hear how the screams from Gunther had echoed in that room. He really hoped that he was okay.

Kellen couldn’t catch sight of Casper in the two days that followed. Not a single glimpse. When Kellen spoke to his Dad about it, he said that he didn’t see him either. He was apparently in his office, but it was like he had the ability to teleport to avoid the Woods family. Kellen wondered if he had done something wrong. Something that bothered Casper again.

He tried to check in with Hill, see if she got anything from Casper. When he found her in the upper level area, sans Rhys because he was busy running around, Hill looked grim. Hill had nothing, and even when she spoke to Pamela who Kellen learned was Casper’s best friend, things weren’t looking good on her end either.

Casper had sealed himself off, hiding from the others ever since his argument with Rhys. They weren’t going to get anything out of him until they got Gunther back. That was a sad realisation, but that wasn’t something he could control. Kellen’s Dad, however?

He was a walking storm cloud. Smiling, his eyes kind, but Kellen and his Mom could tell that there was a storm brewing. Kellen knew that when the cards settled, and Gunther was rescued? Casper wasn’t going to have to fear Rhys, he was going to have to fear the Guide who loved this city as much as he loved his family.

Hill and Kellen spent more time talking about how security was going to go, working through positions that Kellen would have to do, and what would happen if something went wrong. Hill was serious, her expression severe.

There wasn’t a smile in sight, and for good reason. If something happened on her watch while Rhys was trying to save his best friend? Hill would not be forgiven. Even Kellen knew that if something went wrong, his chances of going to get Brent decreased significantly. That didn’t mean that Kellen was going to pull out of this press conference.

Anything to help his people. Anything to stick a middle finger up to the E.A.G. Kellen wanted to see them scramble, see how many people Rhys could catch just because Kellen dared to show an ankle of himself.

~

The morning of the operation had both Kellen and Rhys up at the same time. Both showered, together of course, before stepping into the closet and getting ready for the day. They were quiet, the silence hanging between them. It wasn’t awkward, but was heavy. Both men were thinking about what the rest of the day was going to hold, and things only got worse when Kellen attempted to pull on his medium sized Field Guide outfit and had to pause.

It got stuck on his pecs.

Rhys paused, staring as the man struggled, Rhys’ hands the ones that had pulled the fabric down, before Rhys bent, pressing his forehead against Kellen’s shoulder and laughing loudly.

“You got big, huh?” Rhys joked, the anxiety in his yellow gaze fading to scan the man he adored. Kellen huffed, his cheeks warm.

“I thought the medium would fit.” Kellen muttered, annoyed and flustered. Rhys pressed a kiss to his cheek before he pulled back, pulling the shirt back over his head.

“I love you no matter what. Your size doesn’t matter to me.” Rhys’ eyes were light, laughing, until he scanned Kellen’s body, his gaze lingering on Kellen’s pecs. The shirt was balled up in one hand, his own shirt over his arms but not done up. Rhys reached over, cupping the pec in his hand and Rhys groaned. “Holy shit. This has weight to it, Kellen.” Rhys’ gaze slid up to Kellen’s now beet red face.

“It’s a part of the body that tends to grow fat when overeating.” Kellen hissed, his face warm. “I told you I needed to cut back on my diet, and you said no! This is the consequence.” Kellen knew he was blaming Rhys for something he also had control over, but damn it, this was…

Kellen could feel how his body reacted to the simple touch of Rhys. Rhys’ smile reached his eyes.

“I take full accountability for this development. That means that only I can help fix it. Let’s get you dressed so that Taylor can get her last check in before you head over to Sergei’s with Hill and the others.” That was the plan. Head over early, semi-disguised as a regular Esper only to show himself off as a Guide. Not just any Guide, but Kellen Woods, partner of the Captain of the Saturn Guild and the man who had single-handedly gone into the gate when no one else would.

It would damage the reputation of the Peach and Nemesis Guild, and also damage the reputation of the D.E.C., but when Hill had spoken to the leaders, they had agreed it was his right to do so. They had panicked, had not tried hard enough, and it was Kellen who had stepped in and saved everyone.

Sergei had made sure that international news anchors were going to be there for some rather obvious reasons. Kellen had only heard back from his Aunt Dina once, and from her response, it was because things were rather tense in the city. Things were not looking good, and even messaging Kellen was somehow dangerous.

However, she did pass on his words to Brent, and that Sergei wasn’t a bad guy. Her ominous response to that told Kellen how much she had gotten close to Brent.

We’ll see about that.

Kellen had chuckled at that response, knowing that Sergei was going to be in for it once this was all over.

“The other shirt should be-” Kellen started and Rhys let out a soft chuckle, tossing the unfitting shirt into the hamper.

“Kellen, sugar, I know where the other sizes are.” Rhys told him. He wasn’t being condescending, if anything, he sounded sweet. Kellen froze.

“Sorry. I just-” Rhys reached over, taking Kellen’s uninjured hand in his own and giving it a squeeze. Kellen’s injured hand wasn’t wrapped up yet, hanging limply at his side while he waited for Rhys to help him dress. It was easier this way, and Rhys hadn’t even let Kellen get a word in edge wise when he first started helping him get dressed. He didn’t even say it was his duty.

He said it was his pleasure to help Kellen get dressed.

“It’s okay. It’s a big day today. We’re both anxious.” Rhys assured him, giving Kellen’s hand another squeeze before he let it go to rifle through Kellen’s clothes. He did find the larger size, helping Kellen slide into it before grabbing a duffle bag and grabbing Kellen’s larger Guild uniform and sliding it into the bag. “I’m a little upset that Hill is helping you dress in this later, but I’ll forgive her if we all make it out unharmed.” Rhys told him. Kellen felt his eyes narrow.

“You better make it out unharmed.” Kellen warned and Rhys twitched. He smiled at Kellen, his top on, only underwear on his bottoms, and a stubborn angle to his jaw.

“Sugar, I will do my best. I can’t make promises.” Rhys told him carefully. “You know that.” Rhys’ voice was soft, kind, and Kellen felt his emotions suddenly choke him. He didn’t like this, but then again, they were both doing something dangerous. Not quite together, but not quite separate.

“I know. I just…” Kellen took a deep breath, his vision blurry. He still couldn’t see out of his one eye well, still foggy and spotted, but getting better. He didn’t have his eye patch on yet. “I’m just feeling a lot of things right now.” Kellen admitted. Rhys paused, turned and pulled Kellen into his arms.

“We’ll figure this out soon. I promise. I hate-” Rhys cut off suddenly, squeezing Kellen extra tight. “I hate that we don’t know for sure what’s going on, what’s happening, but we’ll find out soon enough. We’ll get Gunther, maybe kill the damn person who’s hurt him, capture a few lower level guys. This will all be over soon.” Rhys told him. Kellen reached up, grasping onto the back of his shirt and holding onto him tightly.

He hoped that was the case. He really wanted to believe him, but without Kellen’s ability to sense things, Kellen was uncertain. Lost. He didn’t have the confidence that he once did.

“I want to trust you, but I’m having troubles since I lost my…guessing ability.” Kellen admitted. Rhys made a soft noise of comfort in his throat.

“I get that. It’s hard for me too when I have to go in blind to a situation. Like this. I wish you were well enough to go with us. I hate leaving you behind.” Rhys murmured. Kellen’s heart squeezed.

“I’ll be nearby. You’ll be nearby. If something goes wrong, you have to let us know. Fuck keeping me safe, Hill can be there in a second and I’ll disappear into the Nemesis Guild. Sergei would do that out of loyalty for what I’ve done for him alone. Never mind the Brent situation of it all.” Kellen said and Rhys chuckled.

“You have your hand in all the pies, don’t you Kellen? My lover is a well connected man.” Rhys joked. Kellen felt his throat tighten. His lover. His boyfriend. His partner.

“And my lover is a very dangerous Esper who cares about his friends and family.” Kellen said, his voice cracking. “We don’t have time for this. We need to hurry. I have to go see Taylor.” The words left Kellen’s lips, but he didn’t move. Rhys didn’t move either.

“We should ask Taylor about another flush for you when we get back. Since the first round helped so much, maybe another round will speed things up again.” Rhys murmured. “Not that I’m not terrified, but I hate seeing you feel this helpless.” They were words straight for Kellen’s heart. Kellen let out a shaky sigh.

“After. After this. We need to prioritize the others first.” Kellen told him breathlessly, unable to let go of the other man. God, he’d been so pumped to get to today and now? Now he was dreading letting the man go. For no good reason.

Was this how people normally felt? Kellen thought his heart was going to jump out of his throat to crawl into Rhys’ pocket. He could barely look at the man without the desire to crawl up him and hold onto him. He didn’t want him to go.

Kellen let out a heavy sigh, knowing that he, in some part, had no right to act like this. He’d asked Rhys to wait for him once before, and that time wasn’t as certain as this one. He had to bear this pain, this discomfort, on his own.

Ugh, he hated this.

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