Chương 33: Morning after Blues

In the morning, Kellen got out of bed and headed for the shower. After cleaning his body, he stepped into his closet and got dressed, brushed his teeth and headed downstairs. The kitchen and living room were spotless, almost as if no one had been there the night before. Turning on the kettles, he went about making a hearty breakfast of an omelet with lots of veggies in it and a little bowl of fresh cut fruit, ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. It wasn't until he was sat down, tea in hand, food before him that he allowed himself to freak out. He put the cup down and grabbed his head.

What the fuck had he done last night?

Kellen hadn't drunk enough for him to forget anything he'd done last night. Everything was hazy, but it was there. He remembered allowing the Captain to carry him upstairs, helping him brush his teeth, helping him take his shirt off....and everything else.

He touched his lips, remembering the feeling of the Captain's pressed against his. His nipples were still a little tender this morning from last night, and he felt embarrassed. The Captain's body weight pressed against his...the feeling of his fingers in Kellen's hair...his tongue tracing likes down his body...the feeling his hand against Kellen's cock....

Face flushed, Kellen slammed it against the counter of the island. He needed to forget these things. They weren't helpful, and the Captain had only been...helping him practise. Yup. Just practise. Even though he told him not to guide while they practised.

Kellen rubbed his face against the cold stone of the island and groaned. None of that had been a smart idea. He should never have done that with the Captain. He knew that the Captain wanted more from him, but he didn't know what that meant. What was the difference between being a pair, and being romantic partners? If he wanted a physical relationship, they were a Guide and Esper, of could the Captain was going to get that. What more could he want from Kellen?

Trying to push those thoughts down, Kellen pulled himself together enough to finish his breakfast and get ready for work. Once his shoes were on and he'd grabbed his bag, sans his usual kit given how the Captain had reacted to it yesterday, Kellen opened his front door. Outside was Casper, who'd had his hand raised in a knock. Kellen caught himself before he ran into the other Guide, and Casper laughed.

"Good morning Kellen. How was your sleep? I heard the other lieutenants and Captain Thatcher stopped by last night. I wanted to join, but I had a lot of work I needed to get done. I hope they didn't cause you too much trouble." Casper smiled at him warmly and thoughts of what happened last night ran through Kellen's head. Swallowing, Kellen put on his best Guide smile before turning and letting the door close behind him. Making sure it was locked, he joined Casper and the two of them began walking down the hallway.

"Yeah, I don't have a headache, so I'm fine. What brings you to my door?" He asked as Kellen led the way. He glanced at the Captain's door, before turning his attention back to Casper.

"Well, I wanted to pick you up one last time before letting you have full lease on your new job. Plus, you settled in so quickly with the research department so you don't even need to coming to the Guiding Division if you don't need to. But, you are always welcome there. If you ever feel like you need to take a break from them coddling you, don't be afraid to come over to us. You're also welcome if you have any more questions. Plus you do still have some lessons with me on being an A Class Guide, but I have a feeling you're pretty resourceful." Casper smiled at Kellen, and that was when Kellen noticed he had a bag slung over his shoulder. It was rather unusual for Casper to have anything but the little data pad he had. "I got your phone number from Green, so if I have anything urgent I need from you I can just message you. Beyond that, I forgot to give you your company laptop, so I made sure to bring it with me today." Casper pulled the strap of the bag off of his shoulder, giving the whole thing to Kellen. "It's a pretty normal laptop, but I put a sticky note on the screen that will guide you through our set up protocol. If you have any questions, you should ask Dr. Lyons since she's more tech savvy than I am." He pushed up his glasses as they came to a stop, waiting for the elevator. "I hope to see your outline by the end of the day. Maybe we'll meet up for lunch?" He asked tentatively and Kellen smiled.

"Yes, I hope to see you at lunch. Do you want to give me your number so I have it in my phone too?" Kellen asked as they stepped into the elevator, Kellen adjusting the two bags he now had. The two Guides rode the elevator to the gym level of the tower, exchanging basic information and smiling to each other. Both were excited to have a friend of an equal level as them, but both were also nervous to be too upfront about it.

When the elevator opened, the two of them headed for the main elevators. Glancing into the glass room, they noticed that most of the Espers were to one side of the room, around the sparring arena. Kellen, interested, slowed and Casper took notice. He glanced at the group of Espers before a light went on in the back of his mind.

"Oh, it has to be the Captain. I wonder who he's fighting this time?" Casper mused and Kellen wasn't able to stop his own curiosity.

"Did you want to check it out?" He asked and Casper hummed, before he nodded. Kellen let them into the gym and as soon as they opened the door they could hear the Espers. Heading towards the gathered group they could pick out Gunther's voice in particular as he spoke, but the two Guides were too far away to pick up what he was saying. The closer they got, Kellen realised that most of the group was made up of the new and slightly older recruits. Both of these groups hadn't gone to the front lines yet. That also meant that Gwen was here somewhere, but so was Ian.

As if on cue, Ian spun around and laid eyes on Casper. Casper stiffened beside Kellen and Kellen reached out, gripped onto his arm. "No reaction, Casper." He whispered and Casper nodded. He exhaled, before relaxing again. Gunther caught sight of them around the same time and smiled widely at the two Guides.

"Hey, it's the two famous Guides in our guild! Hey boys!" He waved them over and Kellen responded with a wave of his own.

"What is everyone doing?" Kellen asked the lanky Esper, his eyes still roaming the group for his sister. He eventually did find her, but she wouldn't even spare him a glance. She was transfixed by the fight happening in the sparring arena. When Kellen finally looked at the arena, he understood why.

The Captain and Hill were fighting.

This wasn't like the last time when Kellen had walked in on the Captain and Gunther fighting either. Hill and the Captain had a very different way of approaching each other. Gunther was a skilled fighter in his own right, but he wasn't Hill whose power was based around her physical prowess. While Hill wasn't as swift as Gunther and I, she was a powerhouse. Each time she went to hit the Captain you could feel the power from here. The Captain probably wasn't able to exert his full power with Gunther because he wasn't as sturdy as Hill was, especially since he was an S Class. With Hill, sure, they weren't moving as quickly as maybe he wanted, but that meant he could use as much force as he wanted. It was like watching two monsters fighting it out. The younger Espers let out an appreciative 'ooo' as Hill landed a good hit on the Captain's midsection.

"Oh, Rhys and Hill are showing off. I'm only here because I'm in charge of the new recruits before they get sent to the front lines." Gunther grinned, and Kellen really took in the Esper. Yes, he was lanky and skinny, but all Esper's came in different sizes. It didn't help that most Espers that were famous were like the Captain. Firm, wide, built like they could handle any emergency. Kellen knew Gunther could handle any emergency, but some would look at him and assume he was incapable. Kellen wondered if the reason Gunther and the Captain fought together up here was to show the others that Gunther, despite his looks, was competent, incredibly so.

Then there was Hill. There weren't a lot of women who were as powerful as Hill and who were also petite. Her being able to go toe to toe with the Captain without blinking an eyelid was a flex. Kellen knew he wouldn't be able to do it, nor would he be able to take a full hit from him like Hill was without flinching. He had forgotten that there was still a stigma around women being strong, since he'd grown up with his Mom and Sister being so powerful, but he guessed that this was also a way to show everyone not to fuck with Hill. Or they could try, she'd probably have fun.

"It's been a long time since I've last seen them fight." Kellen commented as they joined Gunther where he was standing. Casper seemed nervous as the wind from the hits bathed them, causing Gunther's long hair to blow around his shoulders. Gunther grinned, tucking it behind his ears again.

"I forgot you've seen them fight before. Was it 3 years ago?" Gunther mused and Kellen nodded.

"Yeah. Hill stole one of the Captain's rookies and uh, had her way with him. He wasn't able to go on the mission the next day and he was pissed." Gunther threw his head back and laughed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that was the reason. Hopefully she doesn't lay her hands on any of these new recruits." Gunther slid his gaze towards them, before smirking. He bent towards Kellen's ear. "Especially your sister. I would hate to see that crash around us." He whispered and Kellen gave him a surprised look.

"What makes you think she could? Gwen didn't fall for Taylor, what makes Hill any different?" Gunther seemed surprised at Kellen's confident comeback before he burst into laughter.

"You've made a stunning point I hadn't even considered. " He snickered. "She's also your sister, so her tastes could be different from ours. Hill's going to be devastated when I tell her what you said. Not even a warning, just a flat rejection." He nodded, pleased, and Kellen just shook his head. He turned his gaze towards the fight. He couldn't catch their movements clearly, but he could tell that they were getting slightly tired. The Captain's eyes were a bright yellow, meaning that he was using his powers recklessly, but Hill wasn't much better. Her eyes glowed the deep orange of her powers. If Kellen hadn't seen them fighting before, he would have only been able to see the glowing eyes of two Espers as they fought, the sound of their fight coming in delayed. Two monsters in human skin clashing.

The fight went on for a few more minutes, but eventually the Captain won, as usual. Kellen wasn't able to tell what the finishing move was, but once the dust settled Hill was pinned against the ground, her arm twisted at an odd angle and the Captain grinning above her. Hill cursed at him.

"Fuck! You won!" She yelled and the Captain released her, stood up and sighed. He swept his damp hair out of his face, breathing heavily while his eyes stared out towards the front door of the gym. Immediately Kellen was brought back to one of the intimate moments of yesterday. Maybe the most. The Captain cumming onto his chest, his face twisted with pleasure.

Flushing at the memory, he turned his attention to Hill as she got to her feet. She dusted herself off, spitting blood out onto the ground. "You never hold your punches with me like you do with Gunther." She whined and the Captain used his t-shirt to wipe his face, exposing his well defined body for Kellen to stare at. Oh fuck. He hadn't looked at it enough last night, instead focused on what the man had been doing with his tongue. Where his tongue was. Normal thoughts, Kellen!

"Of course. You can handle it, while Gunther could just drown me if I went too far. All you can do is punch me, Hill." He teased with a playful grin. She scowled at him.

"I need a Guide." She muttered before scanning the group. When her eyes landed on Kellen, they lit up. "Oh Kellen! So good to see you, would you be a darling and-" Within seconds Kellen found himself pressed against the very body he'd been trying not to think about. The Captain had moved, covering about 50 meters in between Kellen blinking. Stunned, Kellen looked up at the man while he glared at Hill.

"Don't you dare include him in this. Find another Guide, Hill." He warned and she laughed.

"What happened after we left yesterday? Because you wouldn't give me this kind of response yesterday, or even the day before. Plus, you were still upstairs with Kellen when we left with Miro." She wiggled her eyebrows before making crude hand gestures. Knowing that his face was red, Kellen scoffed.

"I'm not you, Hill." Kellen told her, and she stumbled back, clutching at her heart, gasping.