(BL) Taming the Field Guide

Chapter 189: These windows are specially made

Jax was the one who broke the tension, and not in the way that Kellen expected.

Kellen, admittedly, still had some rather harsh opinions of Jax. It wasn’t his piercings or his tattoos. Kellen got along perfectly fine with Sergei, a man who outwardly was similar to Jax. No, it was his brash attitude, the way he didn’t seem to know boundaries, and had pestered Rhys.

The last one was particularly egregious.

So, when Jax gave a wide smile, seeming to be plotting something and even Rhys tensed, Kellen was prepared for anything.

"So, I’ve heard that you’re a pretty good Field Guide. That you’ve been training lots of the Guides to get out of their comfort zone. I have also tasted your cooking tonight, you’re not sore on the eyes, and from what I hear, you come from a pretty famous family. So this begs the question, how the hell did you end up with some bastard like Rhys?" Kellen felt his whole spine stiffen, his eyes going wide at Jax’s rude question.

Rhys, however, didn’t look as shocked as he should have. He looked as if he had anticipated this kind of question.

"Jax. Stop trying to chase him away." Rhys warned and Jax turned a bright smile towards Rhys.

"Why shouldn’t I? He still has a chance to escape, and I know you’re soft enough to let him go. You work so hard on not being like the rest of us so I know you’d fight against your instincts to let him go. He’s raised his Class another rank, he’s handsome and a good cook. Why the hell should he be stuck by your side?" Jax pointed out, before glancing at the brewing storm that was not just Kellen, but Jules.

Kellen wasn’t aware of it, but Jules was glaring at the other S Class. Jax raised his hand, his other holding a beer.

"I’m not suggesting that he should come join us, Jules, I’m just saying something as precious as him is wasted on Rhys." Jax scoffed. "Our precious Captain Thatcher." Taylor coughed, knowing exactly how this was going to go down. Hill looked away, wincing. Miro got off of the couch so that he wasn’t in the way.

Kellen sighed. He let the tension leave his shoulders, taking a deep breath. He knew that everyone would stop him if things got too far. If he went too far. He didn’t know his strength right now, after all.

Rhys remained where he was. He didn’t try to defend himself, didn’t say a single thing. He just waited. He knew Kellen, and he knew that Jax had stepped on a landmine.

The only reason Rhys had stopped him last time was because Sergei was around, and Kellen’s Mom. Neither of them were here now.

Kellen only had one hand available at the moment. He had two Healers here now, and he knew that Taylor would stop him if he attempted to hurt himself more. Kellen slowly smiled, and it seemed that Jax realised that wasn’t exactly a good thing.

Jax’s smile faltered as Kellen pasted on his best Guide smile, but his eyes didn’t smile in response. Kellen came out from the kitchen, advancing towards the man slowly, with a measured gait.

It was all thrown out the window when Kellen reached for his shirt and picked him up with one hand. Jax’s eyes widened slightly as Kellen raised him up, a little impressed with himself. He hadn’t been able to work out the way he wanted for weeks.

It was nice to know that he would be able to go up in weights when he went back.

"Listen here, asshole." Kellen said calmly, his tone measured. Jax swallowed thickly. "That’s one too many times you’ve spoken ill of Rhys. I understand that you two have a history, so I let the first few times go. I will not tolerate any further disrespect. You lost to him. Don’t think I’m stupid or ignorant to how this works. I grew up on the knees of men and women worth far more than you could ever dream of. I know the game. I know the power struggle, and I know that I could wipe the floor with you." Jax seemed to be having trouble breathing and Kellen knew it wasn’t because he was choking him.

Damn fucking adrenaline junky.

"Could you?" Jax asked in a tone that was far too excited for Kellen’s peace of mind. Kellen frowned in disgust at him.

"Espers like you are a dime a dozen on the front lines. Do you really think I couldn’t handle an asshole like you?" Kellen asked, staring at him. "Me? One of the best Field Guides on our front lines, as proven by several prominent Guilds who continued to sign contracts with me when I continued to do the impossible? Me, who did the impossible and managed to at least open a gate that others let explode?" Kellen shook the man, his feet dangling on the floor as Kellen continued to hold him up. "Don’t make me spit my blood at you, idiot. Be thankful that if that ever happened, you’d at least have Jules to heal you because I’m not sure Taylor would. She’s more loyal to me than she ever would be to you. That, and the poison expert? I’m the reason he’s even alive." Kellen warned.

Rhys did step in then, only because he could sense that Jax had had enough. Kellen didn’t think that he had, but Rhys gently took over Kellen’s hand, a smile on his own lips.

"What Kellen is politely telling you is don’t make him throw you out the window, Jax. He will do it, but he’s showing far more restraint than a newly awakened S Class should be showing, and I wouldn’t doubt him on his threats." Rhys said with a smile. "Kellen truly does know how crazy any of us could be, and he knows how to manage all of us." Jax glanced at Kellen, then slid his gaze to everyone else in the room.

He realised that no one had moved to stop Kellen. They had all actually moved to watch what would happen. Hill chuckled and raised her beer bottle up to Jax.

"You keep digging the hole you’re in deeper and deeper. Soon Guides are going to spit on your shoes as you walk by. Especially the Field Guides. Kellen’s a big deal here, Jax. He’s like a god." Hill told him. "The Captain is lucky to be with him, but you should be grateful he was able to seduce Kellen. There was a long moment where we thought he was going to let him go. Did you hear about their original compatibility score?" Hill asked, delight in her tone and Kellen groaned.

She was not about to bring up Kellen’s dark past! He wasn’t in his right mind when that happened, and neither was Rhys! He’d thought he’d just ended Kellen’s whole career, and Kellen was thinking that the partnership he’d started to strive towards was being washed down the drain by an idiot.

"Hill." Kellen warned, but Gunther chuckled, speaking up.

"It’s over 90 percent. It has to be at this point. Kellen also made it very clear from the beginning that Rhys wasn’t going to be able to run away from him either. You called him a coward, I think?" Gunther teased and Kellen gave Gunther a glare.

He was on thin fucking ice because Gunther wouldn’t even try to get tested with Casper, but now was not the time to say that to him. Kellen gave him a pointed look, but Gunther didn’t even seem to know the danger he was in.

"He did call me a coward. Twice. Which led to us having to have a ’conversation’ alone." Kellen turned to glare at Rhys.

"You call that a conversation? You lied and told me it was normal." Kellen protested. Rhys’ smile reached his eyes.

"I wanted to make sure that if you were serious about being with me that it would be normal." Rhys said. He was unrepentant, still holding Jax up by his clothes. If anything, this was now a testament about how well the clothing was made.

"Lying about going to your office to have a conversation is normal?" Kellen asked and Hill latched onto that.

"You two didn’t have a conversation? I was under the impression this whole time that you two had a lovely conversation and the Captain was able to convince you of everything. Has that been wrong this whole time?" Hill blinked her eyes innocently, big and brown and full of mischief.

Kellen felt his face warm as he remembered exactly what Rhys had said to him at the time, and what they had done. Hill let out a whistle as Kellen flushed and Gunther chuckled.

"Rhys, that doesn’t look like you two were having a conversation." Gunther teased and Rhys let out a low, teasing laugh.

"Oh, we had a conversation. It was just...of the more physical kind." Rhys said, wiggling his eyebrows and Kellen let out an exhausted sigh. At the same time and in unison with Casper.

"Captain, you sound like an old perverted man." Casper told him, glancing at Kellen for a second before he turned his gaze back to Rhys. Kellen felt his eyes widen in surprise, while Jax let out a hearty laugh.

"Oh fuck that is good. Tell him again, Casper! Perverted old man!" Jax laughed and Kellen scowled, ready to throw Jax through a window. However, Rhys let out a heavy sigh, putting on a show as he put down Jax and reached for Kellen. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close and pressing a kiss against Kellen’s forehead.

Kellen was tense the whole time.

"I can’t help it that I am older than Kellen. That’s not anything I have control over, but I will have to be the one to apologise for truly converting Kellen to the dark side." Kellen, who knew that something was about to be said that was going to embarrass him, grabbed Rhys by the collar now.

"Rhys." Kellen warned, uncertain of what he was about to say, but knowing he had to interfere. Rhys grinned, even as Kellen tightened his grip. It was slightly annoying that Kellen was threatening him but Rhys looked like he was exactly where he wanted to be.

"The dark side, huh? It appears to me that you are just using poor, sweet Kellen to fulfil your twisted desires." Jax said, then he sighed. "This is why I said that Kellen should leave while he could. You’re a damn freak, Rhys, and I’ve always been able to see it in your eyes. Kellen deserves better. Someone he can push around easily." Jax said and Kellen flinched. Rhys laughed, loudly.

"Oh, he can push me around as much as he wants, Jax. Don’t worry about that. I think Kellen is exactly where he wants to be, too. I just can’t prove it to you without embarrassing him, and I know he doesn’t like it." Rhys said with a wink to Kellen. Kellen glared at him, his cheeks still flushed and Jax, who hadn’t clicked it together until now, gasped.

"Oh. Oh! I see. My apologies then. If you two match, I should have kept my big fat mouth to myself." Jax pulled back immediately and Kellen was a little bit surprised that he did. He didn’t think that the man would.

Jules came over and grabbed Jax’s hand, yanking him towards Jules with a glare. Jax went willingly.

"You should have realised that sooner, you idiot." Jules growled. "Look at the mess you made. You need to apologise more than that to make up for it. Kellen won’t like you otherwise." Jules warned and it seemed that Jax had never considered it at all. He looked shocked that Jules pointed it out.