Chapter 323: Those who work out together, bond together

Something that Kellen hadn’t anticipated, though he should have, was the fact that the Guides grew attached to him and Brent.

He didn’t know how it happened, or when, but in the two weeks since the Guides had been allowed to roam the Phoenix building, they had heard the whispers that Kellen and Brent woke up early to work out.

Clearly intrigued as to what that meant, they had found out where they were working out and had...come to take a look. What did Field Guides do, exactly?

It started with one, and then one turned into three, and then three turned into five. Then they had all of the Guides in the building coming in to gawk at Kellen and Brent as they worked out.

Kellen could not, would not have that, so he put them to work. The poor Guides had barked up the wrong tree, and sadly for them, Kellen knew exactly how to whip regular city Guides into shape.

He didn’t want to scare them, he wanted to turn up the pot with them inside until they didn’t even notice they were heading down the path of Field Guide. Brent watched him quietly coach the Guides, gain their trust, all while he shook his head.

He knew where this was heading, and when Rhys and Sergei came to check on their boys one morning after dealing with their Guild duties quickly, they walked into hell for city Guides.

Brent was over squatting far too much weight for a normal Guide, but he was doing his reps just fine. He’d struggled only last week, but his body was catching up quickly.

Kellen was rotating between him, and all of the Guides he had spread out in rotations on different equipment. It was essentially a gym class but for Guides. They were grunting, struggling, but Kellen wouldn’t let them quit. He was firm, but kind, giving praise when they did something right and correcting form before someone hurt themselves.

Sergei didn’t smile, instead going to spot Brent but Rhys? Rhys was laughing, his yellow eyes bright as he looked over the scene before him. It was like he was back home, and when he met Kellen’s slightly surprised gaze, he could only soften further.

The man was too cute sometimes.

"Oh dear teacher, can you suggest something for me to do?" Rhys spoke up, loud enough that the Guides who hadn’t spotted him and Sergei before now looked up. Kellen included. Kellen spun, catching the fact that Rhys was here, and frowned in confusion. He then processed what the man had said and frowned deeper.

"You know the equipment better than I do." Kellen pointed out and Rhys shrugged.

"Arguable. I think someone has been working out a lot longer than I have." Rhys pointed out, making Kellen blush.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, cautious, and Rhys smiled.

"Both Green and Sakura have mentioned that you used to work out in high school, sugar. I didn’t take up working out until after then." Rhys pointed out, making Kellen blush as he recalled that was the case. "In fact, I didn’t until I was a full-fledged adult and realised I needed to get bigger to be a threat to the other adults in my life." He said.

Kellen frowned, not sure if the ears around them should hear that, but when he glanced around he found that some of the Guides seemed to like what Rhys had said. Kellen understood then that Rhys was here to help him, not hinder or tease him. Kellen relaxed.

"Well then, if you want my suggestion..." Kellen stared at his fiancé, scanning him from head to toe. He knew what the man looked like without his clothes and Kellen was looking at him like he wasn’t wearing a damn thing. Rhys noticed, hell, almost everyone did and a few Guides coughed, blushing, while Kellen remained composed. Brent had to hold in his snort until after he’d safely put his weight down and notched it with the help of Sergei, and Rhys?

He was the colour of a tomato and so pleased he didn’t even move. He let Kellen do what he wanted before Kellen grunted, nodded once, and moved across the floor to a machine. He tapped it, staring at Rhys again before he nodded.

"This one." He said, and Rhys blinked. "Your muscle groups are perfect, but, the ones this machine works out could do with some extra shaping." Kellen told him. Rhys nodded, trying to fight his smile as he moved towards Kellen.

"Is that right?" He asked and Kellen nodded seriously.

"I noticed." Kellen said, leaving everything up to everyone’s imagination as he said it. It was only two weeks ago he’d come here covered in marks made by the man. He was plenty strong enough, but Kellen liked when his man was defined. Rhys chuckled, leaning in and pressing a tender kiss against Kellen’s lips.

"Whatever you desire." He told him warmly before shrugging off his jacket and getting to work.

Kellen, a little flushed all of a sudden, turned back to Brent who he was supposed to go help with the next set. However, he had Sergei with him now, so Kellen just told them what he wanted Brent to do next and they both nodded.

Kellen turned back to his Guides, sniffing, and oblivious to the way that they were looking at each other, flushed cheeks and stars in their eyes. They had seen Kellen and Rhys together, but most hadn’t seen them interact romantically because everyone had been so focused on planning and researching. This was their first little treat to how Rhys and Kellen treated each other and to most of them it was sweet.

As sweet as the older Woods couple interacting, but it was more because they were...they were S Classes. They hadn’t seen an S Class couple who treated each other like that since Kellen’s Uncles. These were Guides who had been partners, new and old, with S Classes themselves. They had their own struggles, their own issues, but they had also been around the other S Class Guides.

Kellen was a breath of fresh air, and they knew he was an S Class because they had all been to the meeting. Those who didn’t know were the ones who worked for the Phoenix Guild and they just assumed.

He was too commanding, too much of a force for them to think he wasn’t. He was like a Captain, but as a Guide. It might have been hard to reconcile the change of perception for others, but those who were in the Phoenix Guild had seen many different types over the years.

Plus, maybe it was time that S Class Guides had a change in public image. After all, they were known for being dreamy and space cadets. No one would dare say that about Kellen, would they?

~

Kellen’s impromptu Field Guide training slowly began to spread to the others and soon the partners of the Guides Kellen was pushing began to show up to watch Kellen train their Guides. If they showed up, Kellen would begin bossing them around until it essentially became a lesson.

Kellen was the instructor and everyone else was the student.

Rhys made for an excellent assistant, helping Kellen, demonstrating equipment, and while Brent was bitter that his position had been stolen from him by Rhys, he knew the truth. Once his arm showed up, it was over for Rhys. Kellen would welcome him back with open arms. He liked watching Rhys work out too much to let this continue forever.

It was also helpful for everyone that they were doing an activity together that could be competitive, but Kellen never let it go in that direction. He made them all congratulate others for doing something, for pushing themselves. The weight didn’t matter, the length of a hold didn’t matter, it was just the fact that they were trying that was impressive.

It was a change in perspective that made them closer as a unit, as a group, and it was exactly what the group needed. When Aunt Dina finally found the group, she just shook her head, unsurprised.

If there was anyone that she thought that could unify a group, it was one or both of the Woods children. With Gwen out for the count still, of course it was Kellen, and of course he did it in the most Kellen way possible.

No one else would think to put the whole squad on a work out rotation. Nor would they put Espers and Guides in the same groups so that they were working together instead of separate. That way they could help each other, point out weaknesses, and form better bonds of friendship and deepen relationships.

Aunt Dina was practically watching couples make plans to renew vows in front of her, and while it should have been painful, the last few weeks had really helped her get her groove back. This was what she needed. Life.

Breath. Joy.

She wasn’t upset with them and all she could do was shake her head at their antics, and then join Kellen in his sessions. She helped him do different exercises, some from her own experience and some from those that she’d learned from others. Kellen was glad to see his Aunt back, even in glimmers, and by the third week rolled around since planning had begun, scouting had started, and mischief had begun in the city, it felt like they weren’t a bunch of S Class Espers and Guides cobbled together to defeat a greater enemy.

Instead, they felt like a group slowly growing closer, trusting each other, and moving towards a better future for them, and for their people.

That didn’t mean everything went smoothly. There were still times when people butted heads and things had to be settled the old fashioned way where fists met flesh, but they were far less violent than they used to be. They could be done in specialized rooms in the Phoenix Guild and not out in the wild to minimize damage. It was a side effect that Kellen hadn’t expected, no one had, except one Elder who had almost turned his back before he’d been able to see this scene.

Elder Ellis stayed on. He didn’t leave, intentionally keeping himself in the line of sight of Rhys and Kellen. He knew that they couldn’t trust him, so he made it that they didn’t have to worry much. He made sure he spoke to his people with others around, not making it obvious that he was, but made sure that Rhys or Kellen knew of it.

He hid nothing, making himself an open book. All he asked for was help in finding a Guide that could help him. Kellen, a Guide to his core, could not deny the man when he was one of the people they were asking to come forward. He was the perfect example of the people they were looking for, and Rhys respected him too much to tell everyone what he’d almost done.

Not yet, at least, and Elder Ellis respected that about him.

So, it was a bit surprising when someone from the E.A.G. reached out to him and Elder Ellis had to tell someone about it.