(BL) Taming the Field Guide

"You’re really showing off your ring today, Kellen." Brent joked as he slid into the seat across from Kellen, Sergei doing the same across from Rhys. Kellen blinked, unaware he was doing so.

"Am I? I wasn’t aware." Kellen admitted easily. Brent smirked.

"Yeah, I had a feeling. It doesn’t seem like Rhys minds either, which is why he’s showing off his ring just as much. Sergei, were they like this at your meeting that you went to?" Brent asked, turning their attention towards him. Sergei calmly put his bottle of water standing up on the table, getting himself sorted as he considered his words.

He’d been carrying two plates of food, one obviously an extra for Brent, and a few drinks shoved into his pockets as well. Kellen wanted to smile. Rhys had done the same for Kellen and Kellen was just glad that Brent was getting the same kind of princess treatment. Brent was blushing, Kellen could tell, and it was clear that he was just trying to turn the conversation away from Kellen teasing him.

Too bad, Kellen wasn’t going to let something like this go. Not after ’celibate Kellen’ and ’priest Kellen’ had been something that the man had encouraged. He’d earned some teasing, and he also knew that Brent would like the teasing, he just also liked to put on a show as if he wouldn’t.

"Hmm. I know Rhys was, but Guide Kellen was far more conservative in that way. He was just glaring at anyone who would even glance in Rhys’ direction." Rhys had been taking a sip of his own water bottle and nearly spewed it all over the man.

"What?" Rhys asked, baffled and Kellen was unrepentant. Even when Rhys swung his head in Kellen’s direction, Kellen gave a shrug as if this didn’t concern him.

"I’m not apologising." Kellen stated firmly. "I saw how others looked at you, Guide and Esper alike, and imprinting doesn’t always mean that people are happy. I know that my parents are the exception to the rule, but I’ve also seen how that isn’t the case for everyone, but especially Guides. I’m not about to let them think for a second there is space in between us big enough for them to enter." Kellen wasn’t hiding his intentions, ever. Once he’d made up his mind, this was it for him.

Rhys nearly choked again while Brent laughed, and Kellen’s parents laughed from a table over.

"I’m almost sad that we missed it." Kellen’s Mom joked, her eyes sparkling as she turned to look at their table. "I would have loved to see my scowly little baby son glaring at anyone who so much as blinked towards Rhys. Silly boy." Her words were full of affection and even Kellen’s Dad was fondly shaking his head.

"I have no idea where he gets it from." He said sarcastically, but fondly and Kellen just shrugged.

"Then I guess we’ll never know." He deadpanned, bringing the tables around them that were listening, laughter. Even Rhys’ shoulders were shaking and Kellen found himself smiling to himself. He was glad that they were able to have moments like this even with the tension in the room. No one was under any illusion that this was going to be easy.

This press conference was going to be the easy part, it was everything that was going to follow that was going to be hard. The E.A.G. weren’t going to take this declaration sitting down. They had been aiming for the lives of the Woods family for a while, and Kellen, his parents, and almost everyone he loved had walked into what could be the heart of their territory and were about to declare war on them.

Things could get messy. Things would get messy, and while it was nothing to laugh at, with so many S Class Espers were on their side, who knew how many members the E.A.G. truly had? Kellen and the others weren’t dumb, there had to have been true E.A.G. sympathizers at the meeting. They had to know that something was brewing underneath the surface, which was why they had to strike quickly after the S Class meeting for Brent’s press conference.

Give them less time to prepare.

"Mom, Dad, after this meeting we need to have a chat." Kellen said, sliding his gaze to Brent and Sergei. "You two, as well. Make time." Kellen ordered and Sergei narrowed his eyes. Brent nodded, as did his parents. If Kellen didn’t know Sergei as well as he did now, he would have thought that the man was taking offense to what he was saying. Instead, Kellen now knew that he was just trying to figure out what Kellen wanted to speak to them about.

"What about me? Am I chopped liver?" Kellen blinked as Aunt Dina put her own plate of food down at the same table as his parents. She glared at him without any heat and Kellen chuckled.

"I just thought you’d be busy. You can come too, Aunt Dina." Kellen told her, easily extending the conversation to her. It was important, and something that Kellen and Rhys had spoken about in the tub and in the moments after they’d sought comfort in each other.

Rhys reached down and squeezed Kellen’s thigh.

"We didn’t want to burden the already busy Captain of the Phoenix Guild with our little meetings, not after you’ve done such a wonderful job hosting so many of us." Rhys said, smiling. He had his charming, fake smile on so Kellen knew he was pulling his Aunt’s leg. She didn’t know that right away, her eyes going wide. What Rhys said and the way he said it was almost an insult, until Kellen’s Mom snorted, rolling her eyes at Rhys’ antics.

Aunt Dina controlled her shocked expression before she scowled at Rhys with no heat.

"Oh ha ha, Rhys Thatcher. Don’t forget, I’m watching you. One toe out of line and I’ll-"

"I’ll handle it." Kellen cut in swiftly, not even hesitating. That was where he drew the line. He could handle his own battles, especially when it came to Rhys. "While I appreciate the sentiment, Aunt Dina, I can handle Rhys." Kellen told her. A whistle went around the room and Kellen had no idea who did it while he met his Aunt’s gaze.

She seemed surprised, but that quickly melted as she sighed, shaking her head.

"I shouldn’t expect anything less from Henry’s son." She muttered, and Kellen took her words as a badge of honour. He was being compared to his Dad right now? That was incredible.

"Gwen’s worse." His Dad said quietly, and Aunt Dina shuddered.

"Horrifying. I’m almost glad she isn’t here." Aunt Dina said quietly. "Though, I doubt she’d be quiet if she wasn’t. Let’s get all this nonsense handled so that we can all be there when she wakes up." Aunt Dina muttered and Kellen smiled. He was glad that she was including herself in that.

"How long has it been since you were at our house, Dina?" HIs Dad asked and she sat back in her seat, huffing as she tried to remember.

"God, it has to be years. I wasn’t even dating when I last came up, so...eight years? Gosh, has it really been that long?" Kellen turned away from the conversation then, knowing that he didn’t need to focus on them. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t smiling.

He was glad that his parents had come with him. He was sure that half of it was to support Kellen and Brent as they went through hell and back and also to get revenge for themselves, but the other half?

Well, Aunt Dina was his Dad’s friend first before she was his Mom’s, but he didn’t think that mattered in this context.

"What do you want to talk to us about?" Brent asked, curiousity getting the better of him even after Kellen told him they’d speak about it later. Asking him to free up time essentially meant that it was a serious issue, but from the sparkle in Brent’s green eyes he was too curious.

"Brent." Kellen admonished and Brent scowled at him before he stuck out his tongue.

"What? I’m not allowed to even ask anymore? Guides these days..." Brent muttered, shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth. He was rolling his eyes, putting on a good show while Kellen shook his head at his antics. Yeah, Guides these days.

"You haven’t been my right hand man for three years for nothing, Brent." Kellen reminded him and Brent snorted. He at least chewed before he spoke.

"I am certainly not your right hand man right now. That’s Rhys." Brent pointed out. "Or, I guess I should correct myself. It’s not your right hand that you use, is it?" Brent joked. Rhys hadn’t learned his lesson from Sergei speaking so he had been mid drink when Brent spoke up.

He nearly spewed water everywhere, again.

"Who says we use hands?" Kellen said, straight faced. Brent’s eyes widened, Kellen ate another forkful of food and Rhys attempted to control the situation that was quickly spiraling out of control thanks to both Brent and Kellen.

"Okay, enough. You’ll hear about it after our meetings, Brent. You know we wouldn’t keep you out of the loop. We value you too much as a member of the Saturn Guild." Rhys, however, couldn’t help needling Sergei even in the moment. Sergei didn’t react though. He was better than the rest of them.

He took a calm sip of his water bottle, pointedly not making a mess, and just gave a small smile to Rhys. It shouldn’t have been threatening, but Kellen knew the man well enough to know that it was. So did Rhys.

"A contractually bound member of the Saturn Guild, you mean." Sergei corrected easily. "However, I appreciate and understand Brent’s loyalty to those he respects. I, too, respect Guide Kellen." Rhys gave a soft snort, able to read between the lines.

"Good, because we’re a pair." Rhys said and Sergei snorted.

"So are we." Ah yes, they were back to being the same old Espers that he’d always known. At least they were being themselves.

"If you two are going to fight, at least let us know beforehand. Brent and I can stock up on calories that way, unlike last time." Kellen warned, glaring at both Rhys and Sergei since both were responsible for that blunder. Sergei jerked, Rhys gave a smile.

"Of course, sugar. I’ll make sure to warn you ahead of time." Rhys said smoothly, and Kellen had a feeling that by the time the day was done, he’d have to top Rhys up because he was going to fight Sergei. It had been an accident waiting to happen. It was Kellen who had nearly torn their heads off during their travels here.

Sergei and Rhys got along, but their powers didn’t. Not as bad as some people, but it was clear that some kind of spark was lit inside of them when they spent too much time together. Brent’s sigh from across the table told Kellen that he felt it too.

"Be gentle. We can’t rely on Taylor here and while Vance is great at his job, I don’t want to burden him too much. He might say no to helping us." Brent said carefully. Kellen snorted.

"He won’t. Uncle Vance wouldn’t do that, you’d just better prepare yourselves for Aunt Dina also knowing everything that goes on." Kellen said pointedly. Brent coughed.

"What kind of dig is that supposed to be?" He demanded and Kellen gave a shrug.

"Not a dig, just a reminder. I get away with half of the shit that I do because Taylor’s like a sister. You don’t even know Sergei’s main healer, nor do I." Brent went white.

"O-Oh. Oh shit." Brent muttered and Sergei gave him a confused look. Kellen took a sip of his own fruit juice. He wanted Brent to have something to think about after this nightmare with his family was over. Like how he was going to explain himself to Sergei’s people.