Chapter 254: Something terrible is happening here, with the Captain
Rhys considered himself a rather level headed man.
Well, as level headed as one could be with an enormous amount of power at your fingertips, and a government that tried to keep you in check, but couldn’t even manage that.
But still, he considered himself calm. Rational. Given everything that he had just had to go through, he felt he was doing quite well for himself.
He had not killed a bunch of people when Kellen passed out and nearly died from blood loss. He had not bitten off Green’s head when she had tried to take Kellen from him. He had not harmed anyone else while Kellen remained unconscious and he felt like he was going to surge for the first time in his life since right after he manifested.
He didn’t do any of those things.
Instead, he’d held a tight grip on all of his powers, somehow made it through that hellhole, and, not only that, he’d gotten to hold Kellen when he’d woken up and had the wonderful moment and realisation that he could provide comfort to the man.
It was beautiful. It was horrible how they got there, but it truly showed him that Kellen trusted him and cared for him enough that he trusted Kellen to Rhys. His whole body and soul, not just the outside bits. It was a big thing. It was a gift that Rhys didn’t think he was worthy of.
Kellen didn’t even know how much that meant to him. Outside of sexual things or things of that nature, it was the truly vulnerable moments that Kellen allowed Rhys to witness and participate in that showed Rhys how much Kellen valued him and how much Kellen cared about him.
The fact that Kellen kept his toothbrush in his bathroom even when he was upset and mad at him?
Rhys’ heart hurt with how much of it the man occupied. How much more could Kellen take up space inside of him before Rhys was just a walking, talking Kellen stan? Wasn’t he one already?
This moment of reflecting was all to say that Rhys knew he’d been, previously, on the edge. So he could see the signs. Hell, he and the signs took a weekly tango session together. Out of anyone around, Rhys could tell when someone was teetering on the edge.