It turns out that Kellen was right. They did not have the resources right now to give Charlie the level of care and freedom that he wanted. Did that mean that anyone involved was going to give up?
No. Not a single person in the room and who knew Charlie wanted to do that.
Taylor, who Kellen had called just to make sure that she was caught up on everything, was also working on things that she could do on her end of things. While she was busy, that didn't mean that she didn't want to do anything. It especially broke her heart to hear that Charlie wanted to go back to the place they had saved him from, even if he hadn't really meant it.
When Kellen asked what Charlie really wanted to do, Charlie just told him that he wanted to be useful. He wanted to feel like him being there meant something. What was the point of having these powers if he couldn't use them?
Kellen, a man who thought he was going to be an Esper and then turned out to be a Guide. A man who wanted to feel needed, needed to feel needed, completely understood.
They didn't have a plan for anything concrete when Charlie and Kellen's parents left the apartment, but Charlie said that was okay. He was just glad that they didn't brush off his concerns as something silly. Kellen hated that he had said that, but understood it was going to take a little bit for Charlie to trust them that his opinions were taken seriously and that he should voice them.
Once the others had left, the kitchen was cleaned up and it was just Kellen and Rhys again, Kellen turned to look at him. Only to find that Rhys was already looking at him, smiling. Kellen felt his face warm.
"What is that look for?" Kellen asked. Rhys' smile grew.
"I'm just looking at my handsome, strong, attractive boyfriend. Is there something wrong with that?" He asked and Kellen grumbled.
"...No." He muttered, annoyed that he couldn't kiss the man when he was being so sweet. Rhys chuckled.
"Good. Now, it's a bit early, but did my Guide want to go to bed? We can snuggle." Rhys offered and Kellen reached up his good hand, grabbing Rhys' collar and turning to lead him towards the stairs.
"It fucking better." Kellen growled and ignored how the other man's laughter followed after him.
~
Kellen couldn't believe that he hadn't anticipated this. He was actually quite shocked that he hadn't predicted this would happen. After all, they were all created in his and Brent's image, he should have known better.
It was the next day that the Field Guides started showing up at his door. He had worried that they would have nothing to do and would be bored or sad that their training had been put on a hold. That was not the case.
They were more than happy to help Casper out as everything went to shit. They were glad to have Kellen's Dad around the place, and they had been told to give Kellen a few days before they began to check up on him.
Today was the day that Rhys had to go downstairs for work. Hill needed him, Casper needed him, Miro needed him. Hell, everyone needed him. As much as it pained both Rhys and Kellen to be separate, they had decided, well, Rhys had decided, that Kellen needed to stay up in the apartment. He would get roped into work otherwise.
It was a bit disappointing and slightly annoying that Rhys knew Kellen so well already. It also made Kellen happy, that was a small feeling compared to the annoyance that filled him. So, Kellen was moodily sitting on the couch, the blanket he'd been wrapped up in earlier wrapped around his hips as he scrolled through something to watch.
He hadn't had a chance to do something like this in a while. He had a cup of tea nearby, a few snacks in a bowl that Rhys had made sure he had within reach with his good hand, before Rhys had kissed his forehead goodbye and headed out.
He'd looked delicious, and that had made Kellen even more annoyed. He wasn't even allowed to ruffle him up like he wanted to. Kellen couldn't even give him a hand job anymore. And he couldn't use toys because Rhys said no. It was annoying, but Kellen only muttered to himself about it.
He knew he was a terrible patient. He always had been.
So he wasn't expecting the knocks to sound on his door. Three neat knocks. He wondered if it was Casper coming to bother him, but then thought that Casper didn't have enough free time to be coming in person. He had Kellen's phone number.
While Kellen huffed and puffed about getting up, annoyed to be bothered while he was wallowing in self pity, another set of crisp knocks sounded. Persistent, they were.
Kellen made his way over to the door, his slippers on his feet as he checked the peephole, and with surprise, unlocked and opened the door.
"What are you lot doing here?" Kellen burst out, shocked at the sight of a couple of his students at his door. Not only that, they had things in their hands. Cookies, snack bars, also looked like someone had made rice crispy squares.
They grinned at him as Kellen stared at them.
"We thought you could use some company since the Captain isn't by your side. May we come in?" They asked, clearly not going to take no for an answer. Kellen felt his lips twitch. That was how he had raised them after all.
Kellen stepped back, letting them enter. They were clearly curious about what his apartment looked like, but they were being polite. They took off their shoes carefully, before they moved like a unit towards the kitchen. Within moments, the four of them had their snacks on plates spread out over his island and Kellen found himself at a loss for words.
"When did I teach you this?" Kellen asked, more to himself and one of them grinned at them.
"You taught us the formation, but the other part? That's from our Guide nature." He said, grinning. "Your Dad is a great example of this kind of treatment. The staff room is full of cookies he brought in over the last few days." He said and the only girl in the group nodded, sighing. She placed a hand on her face, looking concerned.
"I'm worried if he's even sleeping. I know that recipe. It takes hours." She said and Kellen stood there. He was on the other side of the island, where the stools were. He hadn't pulled out one yet, he was just staring at his students.
"He probably won't be sleeping properly for a while." Kellen told them and they all sighed.
"Well, we at least know where you got your bad habits." One of his students said. Kellen was a little shocked that he was saying something like that. One of the other boys spoke up.
"Right? It was rather surprising to realise that when Guide Kellen's father came to help Lieutenant Casper out that he was just like Kellen, but with more smiles." The four of them nodded and Kellen stared at them.
"Did you just come here to bully me?" Kellen asked and they all laughed. Their smiles were directed towards him, their eyes bright, and Kellen was surprised that they were able to look at him with any kind of kindness. He was sure that they were aware of the fact that he wasn't able to save everyone.
Hell, he was sure that he hadn't seen any of them yet, but here they were, not reacting to his condition at all. He was still wearing his eyepatch and his arm sling. Not a single one had made an obvious glance towards either of them either.
"Bully you? We would never do such a thing. You're our superior. We just thought you might be lonely without Guide Brent around, and we also wanted to make sure you were resting. We now understand how restless you can be without something to do, and being unable to do anything. We just wanted to check on you." The only female in the group spoke, her eyes kind before she glanced at her wrist. She had a watch there. "Oh. We're almost out of time boys. I wouldn't lock the door, Guide Kellen." She said.
Kellen watched as they left in a whirlwind, waving goodbye with smiles while Kellen stood there shocked.
Then there was a knock on the door. Kellen had a suspicious feeling that he knew what was going on here.
~
By the time that Rhys got home, Kellen was exhausted. He was resting on the couch, his hand over his eyes, his head tilted back when he heard the door unlock and Rhys step inside.
"What the hell is all this?" Rhys asked and Kellen let out a dry laugh.
"I raised an army, just like me and Brent." Kellen muttered and Rhys closed the door behind him. Kellen could hear him moving around, taking off his jacket and shoes before Kellen felt his hands land on his shoulders, giving them a squeeze. His lips touched Kellen's forehead.
"What does that mean, sugar?" Rhys asked against Kellen's skin and Kellen groaned.
"They came in shifts as soon as you left." Kellen started. "All of them. They all were coming to check on me, and every last one of them had baked something to give me. Hence, the room is covered in plates of sugary treats." Kellen told him. Rhys didn't say anything for a moment. Kellen grew suspicious as the silence dragged on.
"Sorry. I'm trying to compose myself. Um, what made them like Brent?" Rhys asked, clearly aware that was something Kellen would do.
"They'd roast me every time they came in. Sometimes it was about how similar I was to my father, and the other times it was because I needed better clothes. Or that I shouldn't be standing, and if I was actually resting. It was horrible." Kellen said the words, but he didn't actually mean them. Rhys gave his shoulders a squeeze.
"That was very kind of them." Rhys said and Kellen snorted.
"Nice? Nice?! None of it was nice! Now I have to bake enough cookies or something for all of them! They've declared war on me!" Kellen protested and Rhys laughed loudly at that.
"Well, you have time to do so, don't you? You could make those triple chocolate cherry cookies, couldn't you?" Rhys suggested and Kellen uncovered his eyes. He turned his gaze up towards the man who was watching him with love.
"I could kiss you, you genius." Kellen muttered and watched as Rhys' gaze dipped gold.
"Don't tempt me. I already got a hard look from Green when I had to check up on the medical bay. She's ready to karate chop me unconscious if need be." He said, smiling and Kellen sighed.
"This is torture." Kellen told him and Rhys smiled at him.
"You're lucky I love you as much as I do, otherwise I wouldn't care about what condition it would leave you in." He teased, pressing another kiss against his forehead before he pulled away. "Want to help me pick out a favourite cookie?" Rhys asked.