Kapitel 22: Make a man cry

Groggily, Kellen carried the last of his boxes down the stairs where the rest of them were. He had quite a few more then he thought he'd have thanks to his Father. He had been giving him things since last night that he 'just so happened' to have around the house. So far he'd added a kitchen mat, even more kitchen gadgets and utensils than he had before, a fully matching bathroom set of towels in steel blue, a shower curtain, soap dispenser and the likes, three different sets of expensive sheets, a larger t.v. then the one he currently had in his apartment, a fruit bowl 'in case he wanted to use it', and all of the packable things from his apartment. His Father had offered/threatened of going shopping on the weekend if he needed anything else for his new space, but Kellen was going to reject that with all of his might. This was already more than he deserved.

Yawning, he pulled out his phone to check the time before heading back up to the apartment. There he grabbed his uniform's jacket which he had successfully rescued last night and pulled it on. He frowned, remembering that in all of the fuss yesterday he had forgotten to return the Captain's jacket to him. He had also lost it, and couldn't exactly remember when. Frowning, he headed downstairs, opening the garage door just as a silver suv pulled into the driveway. Ms. Hill turned off the car and waved with a wide smile.

"Little Kellen! Good morning! You look awful. Did you get any sleep? Were you too excited to see me this fine morning?" She teased as she approached the tired Guide. She was in her uniform, preppy as usual. She had a lollipop in her mouth, and her head was on a swivel as she took in all the boxes. Then she frowned. "Wow, you really weren't kidding. This isn't a lot. Well, it's too late to complain now, let's get this packed into the car and hit the road. The press conference isn't until 10 am, so the Captain said you could have the first few hours to get settled into your apartment before heading downstairs to the conference center." She smiled at him warmly, and Kellen returned it, if a little slowly.

"That's very nice of him." He told her and she nodded.

"Our Captain is very nice Kellen, as I am sure you'll learn yourself. Oh, hello Mrs. Woods!" Ms. Hill waved at Kellen's Mom who had come out to watch them with a smile.

"Hello Lieutenant Hill. How are you this morning?" She asked and Ms. Hill grinned.

"You can call me Hill, or Karen. Kellen and I have known each other as long as he has known Captain Thatcher, so I'd feel uncomfortable if you called me Lieutenant. It took ages to get Kellen to call me Ms. Hill." She said before hoisting half of the boxes into her arms and trotting over to the trunk. Whistling, she waited for the trunk to open before piling the boxes carefully into the back. His Mom joined Kellen in the garage, touching the bags under his eyes gently.

"She's high energy, isn't she?" She asked and Kellen smiled softly, watching the Esper try not to curse as a box almost fell.

"Like a little battery. Great for the front lines, and she means well." He told her and grabbed the duffle bag that he'd stuffed with his clothes.

"I came down to offer my help, but I see I'm not needed. Well, I hope you have a good day at work Kellen. Text or call if you need anything." His Mom wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, holding onto him for a little longer than normal. "Stay strong son. Your Father and I love you very much." He knew there was a deeper meaning to her words. Kellen pulled away, smiling at her before kissing her cheek.

"I know, and I love you guys too. Have a good day at work Mom." She headed back into the main house with a smile and a wave at Ms. Hill and Kellen helped her finish loading the suv. Once done, he did a final check to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything before joining Ms. Hill in the car. Ms. Hill made sure he was buckled in before whipping out of his neighbourhood, whistling along to the song that played on the radio.

"So? Did anything I gave you yesterday help?" She asked the question that had been burning inside of her all night. Kellen sighed. Last night when he had asked for help from Ms. Hill she had sent him a link to several romance novels. She had told him to select a few to read to help him, but Kellen had read all of them. Most of them had been between men and women, but some had been between two men. The more he had read, the more confused he'd gotten.

"I don't know. Why were all the main males so overbearing and obsessive? I felt like I couldn't breathe. Why did the girls put up with it? It was even worse when both of the main characters were males." His tone was slightly disgusted and she laughed, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Kellen, it's the fact that they want the lead so much that they are overbearing and obsessive that makes them attractive to the reader. Beyond that, did you find any of the materials useful? Did it clear up any of your confusion?" Kellen's face heated as he remembered some of the scenes he'd read. He wasn't a prude, but he'd never been exposed to books like them before.

"Do people normally do those things in relationships? Purposefully cause misunderstandings and ignore and hurt their partners? All for make up sex?" He asked and she burst into laughter. It took her several seconds to gather herself again.

"Not normally, no. Keep in mind, those are fantasies Kellen. I don't think you'd like that, would you?" He shook his head, thoughtful.

"I will be honest and admit that the writing styles of these authors are good. Very...vivid, but I don't like all the hardships that they put their characters through. Lots of them seem...petty. Unnecessary. " He sighed. "I don't think I'd like it if the Captain ever did some of the things those male leads did to their partners to me." He turned his gaze towards the passenger window as they drew near the Guild tower.

"You were thinking of the Captain while reading those stories Kellen?" She asked and he felt his face heat. Who else was he going to think about? She laughed at his reaction. "I'm kidding. Of course you were. If you were thinking of someone else the Captain would cry." She took a side road and pulled under the Guild tower into an underground parking garage.

"I can't imagine the Captain crying." He told her and she perked up as she pulled into a parking spot with her name on it in bright pink letters.

"Do you want to see him crying? Is that something that interests you?" She asked and he thought about it. There were two times where it happened in the books. When they were begging for their lover back, or they were in so much pleasure that they sobbed. Kellen felt his face heat.

"No, I don't want to see that." She grinned at him as she got out of the car.

"Well, I can't say the same for the Captain. I think he's more similar to the main males in those stories than you give him credit for. Remember? All S Classes are a little crazy Kellen." She warned as he followed her out of the car. She opened the trunk. "I bet the Captain would love to see you crying, but only in certain circumstances." She winked as he stared at her, appalled.

"H-How are we going to carry all this upstairs?" He asked, completely ignoring what she had said. She gave him an unrepentant grin before heading over to a small area he hadn't noticed. It had a couple of luggage carts and she wheeled one over.

"I think we'll be able to get everything on this. If not, I'll carry the rest." Nodding, the two got to work getting everything loaded and balanced onto the cart. It wasn't long until they were heading towards the elevators, everything unloaded and suv locked. Ms. Hill had to carry the t.v. but everything else fit on the cart. Ms. Hill had always been a little chatty, and she told Kellen about some of the silly gossip from around the guild while they rode up to the gym at the top of this elevator. Once there, they headed for the other set of elevators and Ms. Hill waved at someone inside of the gym. Turning, Kellen glanced over and saw Gunther who was leaning over an Esper working out and giving him instructions. His long silver hair was tied back with a long ribbon. Gunther waved at them, and Kellen waved back.

Once inside the second set of elevators Ms. Hill input Kellen's new home's floor. She told him what number his apartment was and he nodded. They exited into a familiar looking hallway and Ms. Hill led him down the hallway. His apartment was past the Captain's, but not quite a corner unit. His apartment appeared to be sandwiched between two corner units. Kellen tried not to think about how the Captain was probably inside of his apartment right now and instead focused on getting into his own. Ms. Hill motioned for him to use his card, making sure it worked. Kellen hesitated for a second before swiping it, and relieved, the door opened.

The apartment looked very similar to the one next door. Black and white were the common colours with accents of gold for handles and lights. The kitchen and living room were in the exact same placement as the Captain's apartment, only a little bit smaller. It didn't appear as if he had an office since there wasn't a hallway to the right of the kitchen, just a small door hiding a washer and dryer. The floating stairs led to a small landing that held two doors. On the left was the bedroom, and on the right, pressed against the wall shared with the Captain, was the bathroom. Kellen was surprised to find the whole place fully furnished, even if bare bones. His Dad would have a heart attack at the lack of cookware provided, so thank goodness he'd sent Kellen with everything a professional kitchen would need.

There were a couple sets of built in bare shelves in the living room, and a huge empty walk-in closet in the bedroom. The bathroom had a huge rain shower as well as a huge tub, a large vanity and several shelves. All of the appliances in the house were top notch. If he had tried to buy everything in the apartment on his own he would have gone into debt. Stunned at the treatment he was receiving, Kellen was floating around the house when a knock sounded at the door. He made his way towards it, checking the peephole and swallowed before opening the door. The Captain stood there in his uniform, but his hair was still wet. His eyes didn't seem as bright of a yellow as they normally were, and Kellen had to swallow again at the sight of him. The Captain smiled down at him.

"Good morning Mr. Woods. I thought I heard movement next door so I wanted to check in on you. You also left these here yesterday so I wanted to personally make sure they made it back into your hands." Kellen blinked as the man handed him the manila envelope that held his test results and the Captain's jacket he'd meant to return yesterday. "Have you found everything to your liking?" The Captain's gaze looked past Kellen for a moment before returning to him with a frown. "I'm sorry that the space is so small, but I was more concerned about your security than the size of your apartment. I hope you'll forgive me." The Esper was being sincere. Kellen stared up at the man blankly. He was aware that his parents had money, that was something Kellen had never denied, but this was insane.

"Small? You are never allowed to know where I was living before." He told him. Ms. Hill's voice carried over his shoulder.

"He lived above his parent's garage!" She ratted the man out easily, and the Captain chuckled as he stared down at the frowning man.

"I take it that this space is acceptable then? You aren't upset?" Kellen shook his head.

"Of course not. Thank you for thinking about me, Captain." He told him honestly and the Captain's eyes crinkled up as he smiled down at him, his eyes brightening.

"Wonderful. I made sure that they put some shakes in your fridge, but if you need any raw ingredients you can talk to the staff in the cafeteria. They also supply the apartments with food. Casper can probably give you more knowledge about that. As I said previously, I'm not the best at cooking so I normally get meals from them." He admitted easily and Kellen felt his lips turn up in a smile.

"Ah, the Esper curse. So you really can't cook, Captain?" He shook his head.

"Nope. I've never been able to. I used to burn toast. Oh, but I can forage for ingredients." He told the Guide and Kellen laughed.

"That will come in handy in the gates for sure. I should have you over for dinner once I'm settled in then." The Captain raised his hand slowly before cupping Kellen's cheek.

"We already made a promise, Mr. Woods. Or did you forget?" His face heated. Kellen had forgotten. So many things had happened that it had slipped his mind.

"I, uh, I guess I did. Sorry." His hand stroked his cheek, his fingers gently grazing his ear and Kellen felt his body shiver.

"It's not a big deal, especially since you offered it up again on your own. As promised, I'll provide whatever you want me to, you just tell me the day and the time." He withdrew his hand and Kellen felt his body rock towards him. He unconsciously didn't want to let him go. Blushing, Kellen tightened his grip on the items in his hands, avoiding the smug grin on the Captain's face.

"Alright. Uh, I'll see you around 10 for the press conference." He said and the Captain chuckled.

"Of course. Hill, I'll see you there?" He asked and Ms. Hill must have given him a physical sign because he nodded. "Alright Mr. Woods, have a good morning." He waved and turned, heading down the hall. Kellen's heart was racing in his chest.

"Awe, look at you two, being all cute and shit." Ms. Hill's warm voice behind him made him jump. "Do you need help unpacking, Kellen?" She asked seriously and he shook his head.

"No, I think I'd like to do it alone. Maybe you could help me by unloading all of the boxes off of the cart and taking it back downstairs?" She nodded, giving him a salute.

"Of course Kellen. I won't be the one picking you up for the press conference, but someone will." She told him as she made quick work unloading the boxes. Then, just as quickly, she disappeared out of the apartment and he was left alone in the new, giant space.

Putting the jacket and manila folder on the island, Kellen got to work. He began by sorting the boxes, then moving them to their designated area in the house till the entrance into the apartment was clear. Then, he unpacked all of his clothes into the walk-in, using the built-in shelves to store the things that didn't need to be hung up. It looked like no one had moved in still once he was finished hanging up all his clothes. He clearly didn't have enough to fill the giant space, and he wasn't sure if he ever would.

He set up all his bathroom things, glad that his Father had gotten him blue towels and accessories since it went well with the black, white and gold. He had said it had matched the colour of his eyes, which really meant it matched his Mother's eyes. Kellen thought that was rather cute of his Father, so he viewed it positively.

He unloaded the boxes in the living room next, setting all of the knick knacks that his Dad and sister had given to him on the shelves there. They looked ridiculous, but that only made him smile. He decided he was going to set up the extra t.v. in the bedroom but he wasn't going to do that yet until he had the proper tools to mount it. So, he set about unboxing the kitchen next. He had all of the tools his Dad had gotten him along with the ones he used everyday. He was about halfway through those boxes when someone came knocking on his door again. Invigorated from all the moving he'd been doing, Kellen wiped his hands on his pants and went to answer the door.