Chapter 26: Lunch date with the Captain

True to his words, the Captain made Kellen take the lead, letting the Guide take him around the Guild tower. He was pleased that the Guide knew his way around the building so quickly, but he also remembered that Kellen was the type of man that if he saw a map once, he'd remember 70% of it, and if he ran through it once, it was practically memorized. Pleased that his pair was such a capable man, the Captain took the time to watch the Guide in front of him. It was a secret pleasure he saved for moments like this, when the Guide wasn't aware of the effect he had on the Esper behind him. It made the Captain feel like he was doing something naughty, and that only pleased him more. Kellen would only be doing naughty things with him now, so these moments were like little appetizers to the main course. The Captain savored them with his whole being.

The cafeteria was overflowing with others, and as the Captain looked around, he noticed the glances that the Guide in front of him was getting. They were subtle, but it was clear to his eyes that the others were checking him out. Instead of letting the rage fill him, the Captain decided to settle on pride. Pride that the beautiful man before him, even if he didn't acknowledge their relationship as romantic, chose to enter a pair contract with him. Kellen never had a hair out of place, his uniform was always pressed and neat, and even when the man was on the front lines covered in gods knows what, he looked like he was only mildly inconvenienced. Kellen wasn't the type of man who even noticed others if they weren't important to him, which helped the Captain get over any jealousy he had rather quickly. He knew that if Kellen said he was faithful, he would be faithful. There would be no question in his mind that his attention would stray. What he was worried about was getting his attention at all.

"What?" Kellen asked, noticing that the Captain was staring at him. The Captain moved forward until he was beside the Guide, his hand brushing against his.

"I'm just interested in what you're going to eat." He told him, a small smile on his face. Kellen scoffed, rolling his eyes as the two of them got to the back of the line.

"I promise you, it's not that interesting. You might even look at me like I'm a freak after eating with me." He told the Esper, and the Captain noticed the small, slightly nervous movement. Kellen, whether he was aware of it or not, had always been aware of where the Captain was, but now that they were a pair, he'd become even more so. The Captain had to fight the giant smile from splitting his lips. He could already tell that everyone was staring at them, and he didn't want to feed the rumour mill too much. Kellen glanced back at the Captain curiously when he didn't respond right away.

"I can't foresee a time when that would ever be the case, Mr. Woods." Kellen narrowed his eyes at the Esper's soft words, before he shrugged, reaching for a tray as they approached the front of the line. The Captain chuckled at the Guide's response. The Captain was being sincere in his words. He was sure there was nothing Kellen could ever do that would make the man think he was a freak. Freaky, maybe, but never anything negative. Ever since he'd laid eyes on the man on the front lines, he wasn't able to think negatively about someone who was such a hard worker, kind but severe, and honest to a fault. He knew that trait of his was going to get the both of them in trouble eventually.

The Captain grabbed his own tray, watching in silent fascination as the Guide noticed and ordered the highest calorie foods. He kept ordering until he had three overflowing plates of food, and the Captain was sure the only reason he stopped was because he lacked space. There was no hesitation in his voice when he'd ordered, and the Espers behind and in front of them seemed surprised. The Captain noticed that he wanted to grab a couple of calorie heavy drinks, and took them from the Guide's hands and placed them on his tray. He'd gotten what he considered a large amount of food for himself, but since this Guide was looking after the both of them, it was the least he could do. He was rewarded with a soft smile from the Guide. The smile alone made the Captain feel like he could sit through a meeting with the D.E.C. and not lose his temper.

Kellen led the two towards an empty table, setting down his tray quietly. The Captain watched the man get settled before he made the wise decision to sit across from him. He wanted to be able to stare at the man without making it obvious, since the man in question still had his guard up around him. It was smart of him to do. The Captain was a little giddy to finally get him in his hands, and was sure he would do something off the cuff if not kept in line. Kellen set out the food, taking the plates off of the tray and setting the tray to the side. The Captain placed the drinks he'd taken for him out for him to organize as well. He watched in quiet wonder as he set up his area exactly as he wanted before he began to eat.

"Do you normally eat this much?" He asked, genuinely curious. The Guide shrugged.

"Well, sometimes. My grocery bills are usually my biggest expense, but Guides do get a subsidy from the government for that. It does help quite a bit, especially since the amount can go up depending on the Class of Espers you usually guide. Beyond that, I'm just following Taylor's orders. I have to make sure that I have enough energy in my body today so that I don't lose any of my muscle mass. Well, that's just a personal goal." He sighed, staring down at the plates in front of him. "I might have to look into getting a bigger size for my guide uniform." The Captain laughed at the forlorn tone, smiling at him kindly.

"That's an easy fix. I'll have Hill send a couple bigger sizes to your apartment. That way you can be as big or as small as you want." Kellen seemed surprised at his words, before he nodded.

"Do I need to pay for the extras?" He asked and the Captain smiled at him, his eyes creasing as he looked into the eyes of the Guide. For some reason, Kellen flushed.

"No, not at all Mr. Woods. It's an expense incurred from being My Guide. You don't have to pay a cent." Kellen's cheeks heated further, and Captain liked to believe it was because he was being possessive of the Guide, openly. Oh, how he was pleased that the Guide had agreed without batting an eyelash to his words earlier. The press conference felt like a fever dream. When Kellen had said it was a blessing? The Captain almost proposed to him then and there, but knew Kellen would have never agreed. The man had no experience when it came to love. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. The way he carried himself was enough to scare away even the toughest person interested in him. Hell, it had scared the Captain away, so why would he think anyone else was different? If it hadn't been for the rare times Kellen had offered strange, but alluring situations together on the front lines, the Captain would have thought the man had no interest in him at all. But the more he watched the confusing Guide, the more he had noticed the way Kellen's gaze would linger on him a second longer than the rest.

The seven years the two had worked together on the front lines had been living hell for the Captain. Never allowed to get closer, never allowed to touch. Barely allowed to interact with the man. Kellen was so strict with himself that he allowed no wiggle room in his personal life. The Captain hadn't known that Kellen had an inferiority complex back then, but now that he did know it made sense. He'd taken everything on by himself for the first four years, and then picked up a sidekick in the last three. The fact that he'd picked up a sidekick had been a big deal at the time, and when he'd asked the Guide why back then, he'd gotten a one word response. Efficiency. That was it. He'd been worried originally that the sidekick was going to steal away his Guide, but that was quickly squashed when Kellen's gaze never lingered on them the way his gaze did on him. It had made him feel secure.

Until the Guide prepared to leave.

Pushing the awful feeling those words stirred up inside of him away, the Captain turned his attention to the present. Kellen was his now, even if it was on paper. He should enjoy this time now instead of dwelling on the past.

Watching Kellen eat was fascinating to the Esper. He'd never seen someone so methodically put food away. His movements were precise, almost as if he was performing a ritual. The Captain began eating as he watched, finishing his food before Kellen finished his, but he was making quick work of it. Staring at the man, he wasn't sure where he was putting it all. Did Guide's have a different constitution to Espers? He was kicking himself for not looking into it. He'd never had a reason to really care about Guides before this, so his information was lacking. He hated that now since his pair was such a fascinating creature but he didn't have enough information to know why yet.

Kellen finally finished his meal to look up and find that the Captain had his elbow on the table, his head resting in his hand and his tray empty. His eyes were watching the Guide who only seemed to grow more confused as the Esper smiled.

"So, do you enjoy the food when you eat it?" The Esper asked as the Guide began to stack their plates and trays into a tidy pile. The man seemed unfazed, but his ears were pink.

"Most times, yeah. When I'm focused on fueling myself, it's different. Don't get me wrong, I would be upset if the food wasn't good quality, but it isn't about taste right now." Kellen told the Esper, who still stared at him, smiling.

"So for our dinner date you'll enjoy yourself? It won't just be fueling for you?" He asked and noticed as Kellen began nodding before he froze. The Captain had the pleasure of watching his eyes widen. "Good. I'm glad you will enjoy yourself. It'd be a shame if our date went sour because of that." The Captain couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading across his lips, and from the way Kellen's face hardened, he could tell that the Esper was teasing him. Instead of flushing like the Captain expected, the man sighed.

"W-Well, that depends on what you bring to pair." He said, trying to sound serious. Oh? That was a surprise. He wasn't expecting the Guide to tease him back. He deserved a reward. Reaching out his free hand, he cupped Kellen's face in his hand again, tilting his face up to meet the Captain's hazel, teasing gaze.

"You'll never have to worry about anything I'll bring with me on our dates. I'll make sure it suits your tastes. I want to cater to you. I would never want Mr. Woods to have something to complain about after spending a night alone with me." His eyes dipped towards Kellen's lips before meeting the shocked gaze of the Guide. His mouth opened as his eyes widened. The Captain made a show of licking his lips, and watched in hidden delight as the Guide nearly swallowed his tongue. "It wouldn't be fair to you since I find everything you bring to be...exceptional. I couldn't leave you unsatisfied." He felt Kellen shake in his grasp, and he had a feeling the Guide was about to explode.

"I, uh." Kellen's face heated in embarrassment as he wasn't able to speak cohesively as the Captain's gaze dropped to his lips again. "I-I need to get to the Guiding Division, Captain." He was running away, and with a grin, the Captain released him. It was fine. He'd be able to catch him again later. He could be patient. He'd already done this for seven years, what would a few more months be? Or even a year? Kellen wasn't going to get out of his grasp now. It was too late.

"Of course. I wouldn't want to keep you from your training, would I?" He stood up, taking the trays in his hands before the other could protest. "You should speak to the ladies at that desk over there." He made a gesture behind him, and Kellen spun in his seat, following his finger. "That's where you schedule food drop offs for the apartments." He told the Guide, who nodded, clearly pleased to be out of his grasp. The Captain hid a smile as he turned and dropped the dirty trays off. The man had no idea what he'd agreed to, and he planned to keep it that way for as long as possible.

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
CalyB

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for reading the story so far! I just wanted to give a quick little notice. From this point on in the story, if the title has 'With the Captain' at the end, it's going to be in the Captain's pov! I hope you guys enjoy :)

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