Chapter 47: Guiding is the easy part
Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the Captain’s neck as he adjusted his grip on the Guide. Kellen wasn’t sure what was going on.
"Captain?" He asked, only to have those yellow eyes stare down at him. For a moment, Kellen felt like he was staring into the eyes of a beast, before his eyes relaxed, his facial muscles moved, and the man smiled down at him.
"Yes, Mr. Woods?" His voice grew softer, and Kellen felt his heart race at the easy transition. Just 20 minutes ago he had been so cold and stoic, focused as Kellen held his hand and guided him. Now he was soft again, and that transition made something warm and hard melt inside of Kellen. He swallowed.
"A-Are you done now?" He asked nervously. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to ask, but it was the easiest thing he could get out. The Captain smiled wider.
"Of course. We were supposed to have our guiding session, weren’t we? I’m sorry I missed it." He started moving away from the others, climbing out of the hole he’d made in the ground. He carried Kellen as if he weighed nothing, and Kellen frowned. He must have been exhausted from using his powers, but he wasn’t showing it. Kellen tightened his grip around his neck.
"Easily forgiven. You were doing other important things. The only reason I was a little upset was because you didn’t let us know. It isn’t like you to miss things without reason, and you clearly had one." Kellen spoke softly. The Captain sighed.
"I did message Green originally, worried you had forgotten to carry your phone with you again." Kellen felt his cheeks tint at the pointed dig. "But I wasn’t able to reach out again to give her another update after we heard the first explosion." The Captain moved with quiet, but powerful strikes. It was only a matter of minutes before they were near where Kellen and Hill had originally landed. The place was crawling with first responders, D.E.C. members, and reporters. The D.E.C. members were holding the reporters back so the rest could work.
As soon as they came into sight, a riot of sound came their way. The Captain tenses, and since Kellen was having constant contact with him, he could feel his powers fluctuate. It was clear to him that as much as the Captain was standing and behaving normally outwardly, the man was in a delicate state. Worried, Kellen grabbed his face with his hands, turning his head in Kellen’s direction.
"Captain, you need to control your emotions right now. You don’t want to show others your weak side, I know that at the very least. You also aren’t close to surging, but we both know you are far from stable right now." Kellen spoke quietly, trying to make his voice so low that even Hill couldn’t hear him. Kellen stared into the yellow gaze before him, the Captain staring back in surprise. After a moment, his features softened. He moved one hand, holding Kellen’s hand in place on his face while his other held the fully grown man up like he weighed nothing. Maybe to the Captain, Kellen did weigh nothing. It wasn’t a concern to him at the moment.