Bab 24: What a lovely couple

Unsure of what he was supposed to do and where he was supposed to go, Kellen fell into line behind the Captain. The Captain pushed open the set of double doors at the end of the room, and Kellen was blinded by flashing lights. The sounds of cameras shuttering and people yelling filled his ears, and he was immediately overwhelmed. To the right there was a platform setup with tables and chairs, with a banner behind that covered in the Saturn Guild's logo. Only four seats were at the table, and when Kellen felt like he was going to drop, the Captain grabbed his arm. He stopped him, letting Gunther, who he hadn't even realised had followed them out, go ahead of him. Then he motioned for Kellen to follow the other Esper up the small steps to the tables and chairs. Kellen sat down when Gunther sat down, wedged between the two Espers while the pink eyed lady sat on the far end, filling out the table. Kellen's hands were clenched into fists under the table, his eyes wide as the bright lights flashed all around him.

"Guide Woods, look over here!"

"Captain Thatcher, what do you think of the Nemesis Guild gaining the rights to the new gate?"

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Kellen wasn't feeling well all of a sudden, and the Captain glanced over at the Guide. Suddenly, he felt the Captain's hand cover his own under the table and gave it a squeeze. He turned it over under the table and threaded his fingers through the younger man's, resting the intertwined hands on Kellen's thigh. He smiled down at him, ignoring everything around him easily and Kellen felt his shoulders relax. If the Captain was able to behave as if nothing was happening, Kellen felt like he could too.

"Alright! Settle down everyone. We are happy to take any questions, but I will point at you and we'll go around slowly. Everyone will have a turn, so please be patient." Pink eyes ordered, and quickly everyone settled down. Kellen had no idea how she was able to see among all of these lights, but maybe her powers had something to do with it. She must have pointed at someone because the first question came.

"How did you two first meet?" The voice from the crowd asked. Kellen glanced nervously at the Captain, seeing if he would answer. When he didn't, Kellen licked his lips before opening his mouth.

"We met on the front lines while I was working as a freelance Field Guide." He answered, which caused a stir in the room.

"How long were you a freelance Field Guide?"

"I was a freelance Field Guide for about seven years, give or take. I only recently stepped away from the front lines to settle down and work at a Guiding Center, but, well, you can see how that turned out." He joked with a wry smile.

"I have reports you were retested several times without any changes to your powers. Why now do you think that has changed?" He gulped. Pink eyes seemed upset at the question, but Kellen shook his head. He answered the question before she could berate them for it.

"Well, to answer your question, no, it wasn't that my tests had no changes in them, just that the progress was small. Since we have access to all of my retests we are able to see that over the 12 years that I have been active as a Guide my powers have been growing, but slowly. Yes, my powers have recently taken quite the jump, but I was going to change Classes even if that happened when I was 40." He smiled his best Guide smile to finish the question off, hoping no one prodded.

"You were a C Class Guide before this, correct? How are you finding the changes in Classes different for you?" Kellen puffed his cheeks out, breathing out a shaky breath.

"Oh, well, for one, when I guide now my power is expressed through my eyes like an Esper and other A Class Guides, so that was quite a change for me. I'm also much more efficient than before, which is nice. Beyond that, I'm still learning. I have to increase my calorie intake, since I haven't fully gotten used to what is the right amount of power per guiding session, since there is such a large gap between C and A Class." He kept a smile on his face, like a good little Guide.

"Why did you join Guiding Center B if you were going to end up joining the Saturn Guild? You took the spot from another hopeful Guide." Someone asked and the Captain jumped in to answer this question.

"Let me make something clear. None of this was planned. Yes, Mr. Woods and I have known each other for seven years but even for us we thought a pairing between an S Class Esper and C Class Guide would be too difficult. Mr. Woods was an outstanding C Class Guide, the same way he'll be an outstanding A Class Guide." Kellen's cheeks heated at the clear praise. The Captain nodded at him to continue.

"I worked very hard to become a good enough Guide to be hired at Guiding Center B. I really wanted others to feel comfortable around me and leave feeling relaxed and nurtured. It was through a series of events that the Captain and I met again after having not seen each other for over half a year." The Captain glanced at Kellen.

"Was it really half a year?" He whispered loud enough that Kellen could hear him. He nodded. "Huh. It felt longer. I guess I just missed you." He grinned as Kellen turned bright red. He was teasing him out in the open, and he knew since he'd asked and received confirmation earlier that Kellen wasn't going to go back on his word.

"You suggested that you two had considered a relationship without concern for your compatibility rating before this, but you didn't engage. Why?" Kellen's head was still reeling from the Captain's teasing, so the Captain took pity on him, chuckling as he looked over at the blushing Guide.

"You'll have to forgive Mr. Woods. He's shy when it comes to romance." Chuckles around the room. "That's part of the reason, but there was also his concern about our power imbalances. Mr. Woods has spent most of his life until now as a C Class Guide, which has greatly influenced his opinions on the world. He didn't want anyone to think he was with me because of my status, and he also didn't want anyone to think that I was abusing my power and status to have my wicked way with a C Class Guide who couldn't turn me away."

"Yes, but his parents are quite famous, aren't they?" Someone interrupted and Kellen laughed.

"To you they might be famous, but to me they're just my Mom and Dad. I've never used my last name to get my foot in the door. I've always believed that through hard work I could be recognised for who I am, not who my parents are."

"But you do admit that your parents are famous and that could have given you more opportunities than someone else who was also C Class?" A stir around the room and Kellen felt his smile slip.

"Let me be very clear. My Mother and Father worked very hard for the world during their time, and still do but in a different capacity these days. The fact that they didn't die on the front lines or in gates blows my mind. Considering the advancements I've seen with my own eyes that have been made in the seven years I've been there, and the 15 they've been gone...I'm stunned people survived at all. My parents gave me and my sister everything they thought we would need, and that included making sure we weren't spoilt brats. If we wanted something, we had to work for it. Nothing was simply given to me, even if I cried or screamed for it as a child. Sure, there could have been times when someone could have recognised my Father out and about with his kids and offered sweets or something, but if you are implying that people in high up positions gave my sister and I advantages over others because of who their parents are, you are very mistaken. I am offended that you would even dare suggest it." He glared around the room. "Next question."

"What do you think triggered your Class change?"

"The only conclusion that we can think of is that I drained myself helping an Esper who I knew I had low compatibility with, and then the Captain assisted me when I went in for my retest the next day. I was quite nervous, you see, and he wanted to help me." He laughed. "Funny enough, we hadn't even thought to test our compatibility until that moment either." Kellen wasn't aware of the way the Captain was looking at him, with soft yellow eyes.

"How do you feel about having a 90% match?"

"I think of it as a blessing." He answered, and the Captain jerked. His gaze was stunned as he stared at the Guide who was smiling carefree.

"Can you elaborate on that?" The same voice asked. Kellen flushed.

"Well, it's a little embarrassing. I've never had a good match with anyone until now. The Captain teased me after we had a discussion about it, telling me that he always had a feeling we were going to be a good match, but I grew up around my parents. I've always wanted to have a partnership like that. One where you can trust and respect and care about someone so much while also wanting them to grow and flourish…I just think that's wonderful." Kellen gave the Captain's hand a squeeze under the table. "Of course I know we are different people, and even if we have worked together and known each other for five years prior to this, being together like this is different. I hadn't even guided Captain Thatcher before this, since I didn't have enough power to do so. Now, as his exclusive Guide, it's a little different." He smiled up at the Captain, who watched him with his bright yellow eyes.

"How is it different?" Someone asked and he laughed, still looking up at the Captain.

'Well, he's very demanding." He teased, and the Captain smiled softly at him.

"Oh? Am I?" He asked and Kellen nodded.

"You are. You like to have it your way, and I have a very hard time trying to stop you." He chuckled.

"You can always say no." He told the younger man, who grinned.

"But what if I don't want to? Sometimes, I like it when you're bossy. You're so sexy when you are, especially when you're wearing your hat." The Captain's cheeks turned red while Kellen grinned, unrepentant. He leaned in closer, whispering into his ear.

"You're only adding to your tally from yesterday. I haven't forgotten, Kellen." Kellen smiled at him as he pulled away, giving his hand a squeeze while his cheeks flushed.

"No one in the upper levels of the Saturn Guild have had a permanent partner until now, so are you worried about how this could affect the image of the Guild?" Kellen frowned at the dumb question.

"How is having a stable partner a bad reflection on anyone? Just because one person has someone does not invalidate any of the other people working under them. What are you trying to get at? Are you suggesting that I am a liability to the Captain because I am a Guide?" Silence for a moment. "Alright, it's clear none of you know what a freelance Field Guide does, or even what a front line Guide does. So go on, ask. Ask me what that means."

"Uh, what does a freelance Field Guide do?" Someone tentatively asked and Kellen answered, his face dropping the smile.

"Freelance Field Guides are Guides who want to make sure no one dies. They aren't affiliated with one particular guild. They know the areas inside gates, the areas around gates, the type of monsters to expect from F Class to S Class gates. First aid? Check. Scavenging? Check. Basic life skills? Check. Any Esper who goes to the front lines has had their ass saved by a Guide at least 2 classes below them, guaranteed. We are a different breed from Guides who spend their time in the cities. Let me be clear, I am not insulting other Guides, I just want you to understand that since the Captain spends so much time on the front lines I would never, ever want to be a weakness to him." Gunther chuckled.

"There's a very famous story in the Guild about Kellen before anyone even knew who he was. We'd sent a group of elite recruits on what we thought was a normal scouting mission into a C Class gate. Stabilized. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but the freelancer we had hired warned us that it was breeding season for a specific type of monster. At the time, we assumed that the Espers we were sending in with the freelancer would be strong enough to handle it. We had forgotten that they hadn't killed a monster before as this was supposed to be a scouting mission. Two days passed, and we feared the worst since we've heard of some awful encounters other teams have had in this gate with these monsters. Many casualties. It's the middle of the night of the second day when the freelance Guide comes in, practically dragging two Espers in his arms, drops them at the feet of the waiting medical team before going into the bushes near the base and retrieving the other two Espers we sent him out with. All four Espers have yellow eyes, but aren't surging. The freelancer is covered in cuts, scrapes, bruises and blood. He has to be near burnout, but gives his report before collapsing. The Captain catches him, and that's when we find out that he's been bleeding from a wound in his side the whole time. He not only single handedly saved the whole team from surging, he also made sure that everyone made it back alive, if a little battered, and reported what happened. From that point on, whenever they made a suggestion, we believed them." Gunther grinned, leaning back in his chair. "That is what being a freelance Field Guide is about. Making the impossible, possible. Kellen is one of the best in the field, and now that he has more powers to work with I am terrified to see what kind of force he's going to become. And how authoritative he'll get." Kellen gasped, surprised that Gunther was even speaking.

"I am not authoritative, Lieutenant Gunther." Kellen stated, clearly upset, but Gunther smiled.

"I beg to differ. How many times did you scare new recruits?" He asked and Kellen sighed.

"You kept bringing me bright eyed Espers who hadn't seen how awful it was inside of the gates, so of course they were scared. You also sent them to me because at the time I wasn't a part of the Saturn Guild so they could find comfort in you guys instead of the scary Guide who could bend trees with his bare hands." Captain chuckled.

"I did enjoy watching the new recruits of that year scream when you did that. They were so used to the delicate Guides from their centers that they frequented." The three of us chuckled, reminiscing before Kellen panicked, remembering they were still in a press conference and not alone.

"There is nothing wrong with being a delicate Guide." He stated forcefully, and a bit frantically. The Captain released Kellen's hand to wrap his arm around said not delicate Guide, pulling him closer to him.

"I just prefer my guides on the muscular side." He winked and the cameras flashed.