As Kellen took full advantage of the break he'd been given by the S Class Esper, a knock sounded on the door. The Captain pushed his hair out of his face with a sigh before turning to answer.
Soft murmurs could be heard from the entrance, but Kellen didn't have it in him to try and figure out who was there. He needed to focus on pulling himself together, and steeling himself enough that he was able to resist the Captain's next advance. He needed to go talk with his manager and update her, he needed to go home with his parents, and he also needed time to process this whole thing.
The Captain had made his intentions very clear in the last hour, but Kellen still needed time to actually think this through. As much as he listened to his body and gut on most things, he still enjoyed mulling over things on his own.
The dizziness he had felt eventually faded away, and he didn't feel like he had boa constrictor wrapped around his chest anymore. Slowly, he got to his feet and leaned against the edge of the couch. Kellen decided, given the situation, it wasn't smart to hide how much the Captain affected him, since the man already knew the truth. Hiding it was pointless, and also felt dangerous.
Kellen had a gut feeling that if he pretended that the Captain hadn't been successful in seducing him, or if he hadn't been a good kisser, something awful was going to happen. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought.
"Oh, are you cold Kellen?" Kellen didn't jerk at his voice, and instead turned to face him. The Captain didn't appear as open as he had been before, or as calculating, but he knew it was there beneath the surface. How the hell had Kellen not noticed it before?
Sure, the Captain carried himself well, especially for an S Class. The other S Classes Kellen had met through his parents all had a few screws loose.
Openly.
The Captain chose to have those screws loose in private, and apparently Kellen was now one of probably few alive privy to that. Or maybe it was something that happened as S Classes aged.
"I-I'm not cold. I was just shaking something off." He admitted quietly, still lost in his own thoughts.
"Oh? Then why are your arms covered in goosebumps? Give me a minute, I'll be right back." He turned and raced up the stairs two at a time. Shortly, he was back with what looked like a jacket. It looked...familiar. He approached the Guide quickly, flicking the jacket out and tucking it around his shoulders. Since he had been so casual about it, Kellen only took a brief glance down at the design of the jacket, before doing a double take and paling.
"I can't accept this! This is the jacket you wear on the front lines!" The grin reached his eyes as he tucked the jacket even tighter against the Guide.
"I'm glad you recognised it. I was worried you wouldn't for a moment. Don't worry, I have a few of these, so one missing isn't a big deal. Besides that, soon they are going to announce that you are the first Guide to jump Classes and this will keep all the pests away." Pests away? What kind of-
"I'm not property Captain! You can't mark me as yours like that." He protested and the Captain gave a cunning smile.
"Well, dear Mr. Woods, it is either the jacket, or I shower your whole body with my love. And I'll be very...thorough." Kellen knew his face was on fire at the simple provocation. "So? Your choice Mr. Woods?" He asked and Kellen let out a frustrated sigh.
"I'll take the jacket." He told him and the S Class grinned.
"What a wonderful choice. even if I am a little disappointed that you aren't going to be stubborn about this." Kellen frowned.
"I may not be able to read power fluctuations likes most Espers and Guides, but I'm not dumb. I know when I should and shouldn't push certain situations." He raised an eyebrow at his words.
"Oh? And have you been in any of those with me?" Even as they spoke, the Captain was gently guiding him towards the door. Kellen assumed that whoever had come before had called for them. He glanced behind him at the couch.
"Several." He answered dryly and the Captain laughed.
"You have a very good sixth sense then Mr. Woods. But I am more excited for when you don't have your back up whenever we are alone." Kellen glanced up at the man who held open the door for him to leave first. He seemed to be quite pleased.
"I don't know if that will ever happen. Something tells me to be careful around you. Like you're walking a fine line and I need to be very careful that it doesn't snap." For some reason, his words made the other's face flush, the red covering his cheeks and ears. Kellen stared in surprise as the other man coughed into his hand.
"Well, maybe it's a good call for right now. I would hate to be too rough with you too soon." Kellen found that he and the Captain had arrived at the small lobby where the elevators waited. When the Captain pressed the down button, one of the elevators opened immediately and they stepped inside.
Kellen was actively choosing not to think about the words the Captain had just said and what they meant. He had reached a threshold he'd never had to deal with before, and felt quite overwhelmed. Captain pulled the younger man closer to him. "So..." He dragged out, and Kellen glanced up at him.
"So?" He prompted and he gave a soft smile.
"Are we an item?" He asked excitedly. Kellen frowned, hating to be the one to burst his bubble.
"Um, Captain, I know what you did up in your...office was you seducing me but...one seduction doesn't make a relationship." Kellen was new to this, but he wasn't a complete idiot. The Captain stared in surprise before he sighed.
"Well, you're probably right about that. If the roles had been switched though, I wouldn't resist at all." Kellen felt his face heat.
"Yeah, but we barely know each other. I can't be in a relationship with someone I hardly know." The Guide told him, and it took the Esper a moment to process his words.
"So you want us to get to know each other? Alright, I can agree with a cute request like that." A warning shiver went up his spine, and Kellen suddenly didn't feel safe again. He glanced at the Esper only to find him smiling at him. "You can ask me anything, Mr. Woods. I'm an open book." Uh oh! Do not ask him anything, Kellen! This was a trap!
The long silence as the elevator moved made the Captain frown down at the Guide. "You don't have any questions? That makes me sad." Kellen swallowed thickly. He had to come up with a safe question, and fast!
"Uh, um, what's your favourite food?" He asked, and the Captain grinned.
"Oh, I really like oranges. Orange flavoured things and oranges themselves. Orange juice? Love it, especially if it has extra pulp." That was a surprising answer from him, but also, unsurprising.
"That's a little...surprising. I don't know why but I thought you would answer something like steak." He laughed at his words before placing his hand firmly on the other man's lower back.
"I suppose that would be something someone would think I like. I'm not a big fan of meat actually, and tend to avoid it if I can. The texture isn't enjoyable to me. That being said, I'm an awful cook so that could also be it." Another interesting fact about the Captain.
"I was taught how to cook by my Dad. I am beginning to think that not being able to cook is an Esper thing. Neither my Mom nor my sister can either." He laughed at his words, his thumb rubbing small circles in the arch of Kellen's back.
"Well, I hope I get to taste your cooking sooner rather than later. Maybe we could have a dinner date and I'll provide the ingredients and liquor, and you can do the cooking? I'm also great at cleaning up." His yellow eyes sparkled as Kellen felt his mouth dry up, speechless. The elevator doors opened and thankfully that gave the Guide a moment of reprieve from answering. He rushed out of the elevator, sure his cheeks were flushed as the Captain followed after him. His hand hadn't even left the small of his back.
"I'll think about it." Kellen said firmly, and he laughed again.
"So it's a date then." Captain enforced and Kellen sighed. If he fought it more, he knew it would only get worse.
"Sure, but I'll decide when." The Captain tsked.
"Clever little Kellen. He's learning." Kellen tossed a look over his shoulder at the older man as they made their way down the hallway.
"I am not about to let Captain Thatcher walk all over me." Kellen swore he watched his eyes brighten.
"Oh, but who said I was going to walk all over you? I'd rather-" Someone rather loudly cleared their throat. Kellen knew that sound. He paled, and turned to find his Mom, Dad, and the manager standing there with a rather pleased looking Ms. Hill.
"Did you get your differences sorted, Captain?" She asked sweetly and he smiled at his lieutenant.
"We have, I believe. You see, Mr. Woods here is rather shy and wants to do things the slow way. We're going to take our time getting to know each other before we put a label on our relationship." As fucking if, Kellen thought. The jacket alone made it very clear that this Esper was marking his territory. Kellen's Mom's face alone was proof enough. She looked ready to explode. Kellen's Dad placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Kellen Honey, come over here for a moment." The Guide shook off the Captain's hand on his lower back and went to his Father, who took the younger man towards the elevators to have a slightly private conversation with him.
He looked over him with experienced eyes before pressing his lips against his ear. "Is he forcing himself on you?" He asked as quietly as possible. There were so many Espers around here, who knew who was listening in. Kellen took the older Guide's hands in his own, giving them a squeeze.
"I would say no. I'm confused, but there is a piece of me that tells me if I truly protested to anything he would back off right away." His Dad nodded, staring into his son's eyes before bursting into laughter.
"You chose one hell of an Esper to get a damn near perfect match with, Kellen." He shook his head, still a little stunned. He gestured to the jacket around his shoulders.
"Are all Espers...?" He asked and his Father flushed.
"Oh yes, they all are. You are lucky you're her flesh and blood Honey, otherwise it'd be a different story. Be careful, and watch your back. We'll always be looking out for you Kellen, no matter what. Even if you somehow end up becoming an S Class Guide." The implication was there. Imprinting happened when Guides and Espers shared their powers while intimately entangled, not too different from what the Captain and Kellen had done earlier. Kellen felt his face heat.
"We are too far out to even consider that Dad." His Dad chuckled and patted him on the jacket covering his shoulder.
"Are you sure son? You do realise your lips are swollen, right?" Kellen could feel his ears turning red while his father laughed. "I just hope he courts you properly, Kellen. You're a gentle soul, and I don't want to see you caged. Listen to that little voice inside of you. It's a Guide thing, and very important for your safety. Do not push your Esper too far past that little voice. It's different for everyone, but I've seen what some S Class Espers have done to their highly compatible Guides when they have pushed past that point. I never want that to happen to you."
He was warning him from a place of concern, and Kellen was grateful to have access to someone who had so much knowledge, even if it was slightly awkward. He turned the man towards him and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you for being worried Dad. If I have any questions I'll come to you."
"Why not just ask me directly?" Somehow, he knew he wasn't going to let him speak to anyone alone for too long, and Kellen rolled his eyes as he stepped away from his Dad.
"You aren't a Guide, are you Captain? So why would I ask you about Guide related issues?" He frowned, but inclined his head.
"Point taken. Then, if you have Esper questions, you can ask me about them." HIs voice was calm, and soothing, but Kellen narrowed his eyes at him.
"No, if I'm worried how you'll take it, I'm asking my Mom. After I see how she responds, then I'll ask you." He narrowed his eyes at his response.
"You're all about negotiating, Mr. Woods. It wounds me deeply." He covered his heart and Kellen couldn't help the snort that left him.
"If the wounds get too deep, I'll ask Taylor to heal you." His eyes sparkled as he glanced up at him through his eyelashes, before glancing at where Ms. Hill, the manager, and Kellen's Mom were waiting. It was Kellen's Dad who broke it up, patting both of them on the shoulder.
"Alright you two, let's head back. Your manager was very concerned when you didn't come back in the afternoon Kellen Honey, so I think you should explain the situation." The Captain nodded.
"We should head to the office then, since this will take a little bit of time. Do you two have anywhere else you need to go today? I don't want to keep you caught up in our problems." The older man's face didn't visibly change, but Kellen knew he was angry at the mildest suggestion that he was in the way.
"Oh, we cleared our schedule when we heard he was going in to be retested today, so neither one of us has anywhere else we need to be but at our son's side." The Captain stared down at Kellen's Father.
He wasn't as tall as Kellen, and he was also one of those A Class Guides who'd been raised in the lap of luxury that Kellen had spoken ill of before. That didn't mean he didn't have a spine of steel. He'd been mere steps away from becoming someone else's Imprint before Kellen's Mom had rolled onto the scene. His Father didn't talk fondly of the former almost Imprint, and Kellen was a smart enough son not to bring it up either.
That being said, his Dad couldn't hold his own in a physical fight, but when it came to verbal sparring, he was one of the best he knew. Kellen felt his lips turn up at the uphill battle the Captain had wandered into, trying to enter into a relationship with their son.
Then he stopped. Why was he behaving as if him entering into a relationship with the Captain was already a done deal? He wasn't an item with the Captain, and he didn't need his parents' approval for their current relationship.
Did he...like the Captain more than he thought?
Stumbling at the power of that realisation, the three men met up with the three women.
"Ladies, I feel that this might be a longer conversation, so why don't we take this to my office on the lower levels? That way we can talk in comfort without having some sweaty Espers overhearing our conversation." That felt like a dig at what Kellen had done earlier, and when he glanced up to confirm, he found his yellow eyes dancing again. Angry, Kellen elbowed the man in the side, knowing it would most likely only hurt himself, but earned a chuckle from the Captain.
"That sounds like a great plan." The Guiding Center manager spoke up, and Ms. Hill took the lead. Kellen's Mom glanced back at the Captain and her son, but her husband took her arm in his and led the two of them after the two ladies.
"I appreciate this feisty side of you, Mr. Woods. Is this part of what you had to hide to get into Guiding Center B?" Flushing at his whispered words, Kellen swallowed.
"You've been inside Guiding Center B before, so you know how peaceful and calm it is there. They were never going to hire me if I didn't match their vibe, especially if I came fresh from the front lines as I was." The Captain chuckled, placing his hand back on the Guide's lower back, under the jacket.
"Well, if you ever want to use any calming techniques you learned there on me, you are more than welcome to." Kellen stared at him, dumbstruck while the man gave him a bright smile.
"I don't understand how that would benefit you in the slightest, Captain." Kellen told him honestly and he threw his head back and laughed.
"Kellen, if you were rubbing soothing massage oils all over my body, I promise you, it would be very helpful." He winked while Kellen stared at him blankly, before he shoved the Guide towards the others. Ms. Hill was whistling, while Kellen's Mother was vibrating. It was clear both of them had heard what he had said, but neither said a thing. Kellen had a feeling he was going to get chewed out once he got home.