(BL) Taming the Field Guide

Chapter 196: Final prep before the adventure begins

It almost didn’t feel real that this day had finally come. Kellen had thought that more planning and consideration would have to be done in order for this moment to come, but he was a fool.

Of course the others already had every step ready, they were just waiting for someone to give the go ahead.

That someone was Taylor.

She was the start and the end of all of the decisions when it came to Kellen. Mainly because Kellen gave her that authority, as did his parents, and Rhys. They cared more about Kellen’s safety and health than Kellen did.

Taylor had given Kellen the clearance for intimate activities, but she had not given him permission to travel abroad. Kellen had assumed that the two went hand in hand, but he was wrong. He only understood that point when he asked her, and she explained it.

Taylor wouldn’t let Kellen out of her sight until it was clear that her healing powers that she had pumped into him ages ago were actually helping him, not hindering him. It was around the 8th day of waiting that it became obvious, Kellen’s eye test was going far better than it had ever been before, and that was when Taylor gave the green light.

It only took the others 10 days to get everything else ready.

Sergei was a great help, and it felt a little strange for Kellen to be talking to Brent as much as he was while also speaking to Sergei. He wondered if Sergei knew what Brent and Kellen had planned, and then wondered if he had told Rhys.

Kellen knew it was a senseless worry. Sergei seemed to like to pester Rhys as much as could, like a sibling. However, it was still a fear that Kellen had.

Something that Kellen had kind of forgotten about was the fact that they needed to go incognito. For his safety, not even Rhys’ or Sergei’s. That meant that they could either fly by plane, or by other methods.

Rhys and Sergei had discussed it, and as long as Sergei was okay with it, they would be using Sergei’s powers to fly across the continent while Rhys dealt with any monster that showed up and they would send their suitcases behind them with an actual plane.

They wouldn’t book tickets for themselves, the items would be coming with Kellen’s parents who would be flying on the plane with the aid of Kellen’s Mom’s powers. Similar to how she used her powers for the D.E.C. and her ’vacations’.

It was a bit surprising to realise that Kellen would be flying through the sky with the help of Sergei, but it was also a thrilling development. Kellen wasn’t so great at guiding Espers like him, but with Kellen’s new ability to Guide others without needing to touch them, he hoped that would help. That, and his compatibility with all types of Espers went up when he became an A Class, he was sure it went up further when he became an S Class Guide.

Even though they were flying and they were sending most of their proper luggage with his parents, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t pack what was necessary. Both Rhys and Sergei wanted Kellen to go full Field Guide, mainly because there was a high chance that they would be attacked by monsters while traveling and would need help to camp, survive and anything else that Kellen could think of.

Kellen was delighted by the suggestion, even if it was Sergei who was saying it and not Rhys. Kellen understood why. Sergei was speaking for both of them because Rhys looked like he had bit into a lemon as he listened to Sergei speak.

Rhys was letting Sergei do it because he was fighting his protective S Class Esper tendencies to let Kellen be who he was. Especially since Kellen was injured, and Kellen greatly appreciated it. Rhys wasn’t trying to hold him back, and for that simple acknowledgement, Kellen knew that he was safe to rely on him for help if he needed it. He also made sure that Rhys knew just how grateful he was for him allowing Kellen to be himself and Rhys certainly didn’t have any complaints.

So, Kellen packed his normal Field Guide bag, made sure he had two sets of clothes as well, and stuffed rations into any corner he could manage. The last thing he needed was something terrible to happen and Kellen didn’t have enough fuel to help either of the S Classes he would be in charge of.

Especially since Sergei wasn’t truly his to keep an eye on. That was Brent, and Kellen would not bring Brent’s partner to him in poor condition. That would make Kellen a terrible friend.

Speaking of, the rings hadn’t arrived yet. It was alarming, and concerning, since Kellen had placed the order so that he would get it before they left. That was something that was plaguing Kellen’s mind because he wanted to give it to Rhys before they left. It was a mark after all. One that showed everyone who Rhys belonged to and that he was happy to belong to him.

There was only one small silver lining to his worry though. His parents were leaving two days after Kellen, Sergei and Rhys because their flight should take a shorter amount of time then their travel time.

That meant that they could pick up the rings before they left. Did he think Taylor could pick them up? Absolutely, but he also knew that while his parents loved him, they were nosy. They loved him and also wanted to know what he was plotting. So, Kellen knew that they would all probably see the rings before Kellen did.

That was a bit disappointing, but acceptable. He spoke to Taylor and his Father about his plans, especially as the day that they were planning to leave approached, and everyone was in on it.

Everyone but Rhys.

It was honestly a miracle that Rhys hadn’t figured out anything was strange. Kellen liked to think it was because he was a good actor. The others knew it was because Rhys just simply hadn’t asked the right questions.

It was obvious to everyone else that Rhys fully expected that he would be the one to pop the question. The man was going to be blind-sided by Kellen asking him, which only made everyone else all the more eager to help Kellen out.

Kellen was given plenty of excuses to talk to Brent, Taylor, his Father. Anyone he needed to speak to about rings or plans. Taylor even suggested a few places while they were abroad that Kellen could pop the question.

Foolish, naive Kellen hadn’t a damn clue when they had first suggested places, so then he’d had to have a sit down with his parents about what he was even doing. They caught on to the fact that Kellen knew what the rings meant now, but it was clear that while he had researched one area, he hadn’t researched it all.

Kellen thought that you just...gave the ring over. He knew it was in a special box, that was important, but he didn’t really understand the ritual of it all. Outside of the wedding ceremony. That part he understood, but Kellen didn’t really watch t.v. as a child and had no interest in romance until now.

Proposals weren’t anything he’d ever considered. Wasn’t even something he thought he’d get. So he had needed a crash course from his Mom and Dad. It was so clear that they both wanted the best for him and told him conflicting information.

His Mom told him that he needed to take into consideration what his partner wanted. Think about what Rhys would like to do, what would make him happy. Sweet, kind things that showed she had put a lot of thought into it when she had asked her husband to be her partner for life.

His Dad? Kellen wasn’t exactly sure what had gotten into his Dad but he said that it needed to be flashy. Big. His love needed to be on full display for the world to know that Kellen loved Rhys. Kellen was a little worried that maybe he came by his growing powers naturally because the glimmer in his Dad’s eyes was similar to what some S Classes got, but he brushed it off.

He was sure his Dad was just thinking about Kellen’s well-being and also their family name. His Dad did sometimes get competitive with the other famous families around the world. A strange thing for a man who was normally so calm and lovely, but everyone had their own quirks.

So, Kellen had a few ideas, but he was leaning more towards his Mom’s advice this time. He wanted this to be more personable for Rhys, something that he would enjoy. He was a little nervous to see how Rhys would react. There wasn’t a thought in his mind that the man would turn down his offered ring.

He was only allowed to reject him once, and that was it. He’d already done that, so Kellen wasn’t exactly mentally stable enough for him to say no twice. If he did? Well, Kellen knew how to use his body now. He’d just seduce him into saying yes.

Rhys and Sergei had also managed to secure a meeting with the S Classes of the world as well while they were there. Lots of them were coming as representatives for their cities, most without their Guides. It was a dangerous situation, but very needed.

Rhys felt that they were long overdue for a conversation, and with the many deaths that had happened between this meeting and the last, Rhys and the others needed to take stock of how many of them there actually were.

They also had to discuss the problem that was the E.A.G. Rhys had been putting in a lot of work for this specific issue, and Kellen knew a lot of it was for his sake. He was a good man, that Rhys Thatcher.

Jax was still as annoying as ever, but it was only made more frustrating when Kellen realised he was a good member of the Guild. He filled the roles of several people at once, and Jules was the same. He had kind of hoped that they would be incompetent, but he should have known better.

Rhys would have never kept incompetent people around.

Jax might have been immature, and had added more piercings to his body in the few weeks that he had been back in the city, but he used that to his advantage. Not many people saw him as a threat, which meant he was able to get lots of information from others. Jules moved like a damn angel through the Guild. All smiles, warmth, and pretty looks.

Kellen was pretty annoyed, but also happy that they would at least ease Rhys’ burdens while he was gone.

Gunther had also stepped up. Coming back from his leave partially to be there for Hill, Taylor, Miro and Pamela while Rhys was gone. He was still going to therapy and working through his own issues, on top of the issues he’d gotten from being captured, but he was in good spirits.

Kellen found out it was because he was officially dating Casper only the day before he was leaving because he had been so busy. Gunther had looked like a blushing bride, bragging, and it was so different from the first time that he had bragged that Kellen had unconsciously pulled the man in for a hug.

Gunther had been shocked, having been in the cafeteria with Rhys and the others at lunch, but he accepted the hug easily. He didn’t even need the threatening motion behind Kellen’s back from Rhys to accept it either.

Hearing that made Kellen feel better. He was glad to know that half of the mess he’d made was partially cleaned up as he was leaving.

Brent wouldn’t want to come back to a messy home anyways.