Chapter 127: Warm ups and Harsh looks
Shortly after their touching moment, the Captain got a phone call he couldn’t refuse, and after answering it, leaving Kellen alone on the couch, he had to leave. It was clear that he didn’t want to, given the sad, yellow eyes he’d given the Guide, but Kellen was always the professional, and sent him on his way.
The Captain promised that he would pick Kellen up in the morning for the press conference around 8 am. Kellen, who was busy shoving the man out of his apartment so that he didn’t make the Captain a liar, took note of the time. He was distracted enough that the Captain was able to get in a chaste kiss before the door closed in his face. Kellen felt his face flush, before he covered it.
That damn man. He had no idea why that damn kiss was what made his heart race, given everything the two had gotten up to. What Kellen had admitted to.
Pushing all thoughts that could distract him out of his mind, Kellen set to work calming himself down so that he could go to bed early. If the Captain was going to pick him up at 8 am, he would need to wake up a little earlier so that he could fit in a workout before that.
Finishing his tea, he took his time to relax and stare out the giant windows of his apartment, actually taking time to enjoy the view as night set over the city. Half of the city that knew what had happened hated him, and the other half probably didn’t know what to do with him. But that didn’t mean Kellen didn’t like the city. It was a beautiful place that he had worked hard to protect. He just hoped that they would appreciate all that he had done for them after the press conference aired.
Cleaning up after him and the Captain, Kellen went through the motions of turning off all the lights, making sure the door was locked, the counters were clean, and everything was in its place before heading upstairs. He grabbed a quick shower before brushing his teeth and heading for his closet.
Standing with his hands on his hips, his towel around his neck, and Kellen looked over everything he had. Slowly, he gathered his uniform together, making sure that everything was ready when he came back from the gym. He even made sure to polish his shoes again so that they were shiny and bright for the morning. He glanced at the few boxes he still hadn’t unpacked, and for good reason.
Two of them held his dark history with the Captain, while the other one was his box of sex toys. He hadn’t really used them, but had them for research purposes. He knew how they worked, and had gotten the more expensive ones since they had good reviews, but beyond that, he’d used them in the context of research, and hadn’t touched them since. The clearest example of that was the simple fact that the box, along with the photos and clippings of Captain Thatcher, had been down in the garage instead of in Kellen’s apartment proper.
Honestly, he’d forgotten about them until the Captain had kicked up a stink about him having an emergency stash for the front lines. He also hadn’t forgotten what the Captain had said either.