There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 282 - 275. False Hope

Chapter 282: Chapter 275. False Hope

When Bassena opened his eyes, he realized he was still laying his head on Zein’s chest, and still had his arms around the guide’s torso, while a hand had been gently caressing his hair.

He closed his eyes again, absorbing the blissful moment that felt like a dream. Zein had always been an active person in the morning, so it was rare to have the guide still in the bed with him when he was already awake, and Bassena wanted to appreciate every single second of it.

"You’re going to sleep again?"

But of course, Zein had enough experience to know if someone was really asleep or not. That being said, instead of opening his eyes and waking up, Bassena only tightened his hold around the guide’s upper body, which rewarded him a light flick on his temple, but also a crisp sound of a melodious laugh.

"Fine, I’ll just order some delivery then," Zein, who was already playing with his commlink, swept his fingers over the hovering screen.

This got Bassena to actually raise his upper body and, although still looking half asleep, said firmly. "No, I’ll cook," he said, before lowering his head and slumping on the guide’s shoulder. "Just...in a little bit..."

Zein chuckled and patted the esper who had to refill his energy after clearing a black gate, almost erupting, heavily injured, and still refusing to sleep for four days. It went beyond tenacious, honestly.

But Zein still took the man for a ride twice last night, so he wasn’t in any place to scold Bassena.

But he was also hungry, since the last meal he had was on the plane heading back yesterday. "Do you have an energy bar or something?"

Wordlessly, Bassena lifted his hand and poured a bunch of energy and protein bars on top of Zein’s stomach from his storage ring. He even added bottled mineral water as a bonus. Zein was sure there would be a lot of healing serums inside that storage ring too, truly a heaven of logistics.

"Did you move your pantry there?" Zein chuckled while taking a bar and tearing up the package.

"Ever since I got stranded inside that dungeon--you know, the one where I ended up meeting you?--I always make sure to bring supplies everywhere," Bassena answered sleepily, but managed to crack open a bottled water and drink it to help him awake better.

"What else do you have there? Clothes? Cooking supplies? Tent?" Zein asked curiously.

"Uh-huh--and weapons. Ah, I have a stash of lubes and condoms too," the esper grinned, and while Zein was scoffing at that, he also gave Bassena a pat.

"Good boy,"

Talking about that made Bassena remember last night, and his eyes reflexively looked down at the area that was still hidden behind the blanket, and he couldn’t help but gulp as his mind replayed the scene of his seed flowing out of the guide...

"Nope, that was a special occasion," Zein immediately said when he caught Bassena looking at his lower body with this enraptured gaze.

"I know," Bassena replied dazedly. It was because he knew how special that chance was that he felt even more stunned. It became a core memory for sure. He sighed contentedly and kissed Zein’s shoulder in appreciation. "What have you been reading?"

Finally, after fully awake, Bassena realized Zein had a number of articles on his screen. "Kind of curious about the news," Zein shrugged, biting into his second bar. "They talked a lot about you, grilling the government agent so much about what happened since you weren’t available for an interview and the guild was busy managing the articles about me."

Bassena couldn’t care less about whatever they were saying about him, and he had no intention of reliving that experience anytime soon. If he had to be honest, things got kind of blurry by the end, once the corrosion climbed up to red. He just moved by instinct, driven by the thought that he had to come back to Zein, that his beloved was waiting for him. He was barely conscious when Kei dragged him out of the dungeon, and it was only when he felt Zein’s lips on him that he felt safe enough to let go of his consciousness.

He had thought he would open up his eyes to a pair of brilliant blue eyes, but what awaited him was damning news about how his boyfriend was being kidnapped by the Temple of Frejya.

Okay, perhaps it wasn’t a kidnapping, but he wasn’t really on his right mind at that time, so...

Bassena finally raised his body and sat on the mattress, turning his body to face the guide and stared at the blue eyes deeply. "You’re sure, right? You’re sure he won’t take your body?"

Zein paused his hand and put the half-eaten bar on the nightstand. He gestured for the esper to come closer and patted the bronze cheek, rubbing the stubble that hadn’t been groomed since the black dungeon. "He promised me," Zein answered with a gentle smile.

"What if he lied?" Bassena frowned, reaching up to hold the guide’s wrist. "What if it’s actually so he could descend easily?"

"Then he should have descended right that moment, just as you feared," Zein shrugged nonchalantly, but Bassena didn’t seem to believe it easily, which Zein could understand.

Actually, if it came to it, he was more distrustful than Bassena. But the esper had more separation issue than him, so it was harder on the younger man. That being said, there was really nothing they could do even if that was the case; the power of Celestial Beings wasn’t something that they could fathom nor contend.

"I made sure the Goddess kept my consciousness intact," Zein continued, and with a smile and a firm voice, he added while staring deeply into the amber eyes. "And I had faith in you."

Bassena widened his eyes for a bit, stunned enough to let Zein give him a short, chaste kiss. "You’re my guarantee, aren’t you?" the guide smiled, so blindingly beautiful, while stroking the black scale beneath the blazing flame.

Bassena clenched his jaw, not because he was upset, but because he felt like his lips would quiver otherwise. He pressed his head on the guide’s shoulder and let out a long sigh, wrapping his arms around the lean waist. "I don’t know I can love someone this much," Bassena whispered in a choked voice.

Zein chuckled and stroked the platinum hair. Ad Bassena snuggled even more to him, he wondered if he should tell the esper about the new ’code’ that Setnath put on him. But it would make it seem like Zein could carry, when he knew for sure that he couldn’t. If he could, he would have bled, but he never did, not since that first time. Not after he brutally destroyed his organ.

In the end, he decided not to, because he didn’t want to give Bassena false hope. It was enough that he had started to regret it, and he didn’t want Bassena to start thinking about it too.

While waiting for Bassena to regain a will to cook, they skimmed over some news for the past four days; from analysis of Bassena’s power, to people’s speculation about Zein’s origin. The newest articles, however, mainly talked about how Zein came back to Althrea, and how he was hand-in-hand with Bassena all the time.

"Seemed like it would be the gossip and celebrity journalist after this," Bassena groaned. "Should we just come out with it?"

"I don’t mind either way, but will they really leave us alone with that?"

Bassena groaned in doubt. They would have chased them more, actually, asking about every single detail. "Haa...it had been problem after problem, I’m getting tired of it."

"When is the announcement anyway?" Zein wondered. All of this bustle and hustle that happened more or less got too much attention because everything kept being tied to the reclamation project, so perhaps it would get calmer if the competition was over.

Bassena looked up to count the time before replying. "Should be next week."

"That’s good," Zein sighed, shoving away the blanket so he could finally get out of bed. "We should be able to focus on the important thing after that."

Bassena pursed his lips in disappointment that their cuddle time was over. But he also started to get hungry, so he should start making their breakfast now. When he was about to put on a shirt, however, Zein exclaimed softly.

"Ah,"

"What?" Bassena turned toward the guide in worry, thinking there was something wrong. Did he go too hard last night? Did he not get it all out when he cleaned up the guide?

Fortunately, Zein seemed to be alright. He just looked at the empty air as if recalling something. "About Abel’s wedding..."

Bassena let out a sigh and asked light-heartedly with a relieved smile. "What about it? Did you decide on a gift yet?"

"No, there is something else I want to--wait, what gift? Do you give gifts too during weddings?" Zein paused and stared dumbfoundedly at Bassena, looking absolutely clueless.

"...pfft—" Bassena chuckled and finished putting on a shirt. "I’ll help you look for one. But you’re talking about ’something’ else?"

"Ah, yeah," Zein stretched his back lightly and looked out of the window. "I want to go to Eiyuta after the wedding,"

Bassena widened his eyes slightly, recalling the significance of the city to Zein. Could it be that Zein received some information regarding his mother in the Temple of Frejya? Carefully, Bassena responded. "To look for...your mother’s friends?"

Zein nodded, and with a sigh, he spoke of his suspicion. "I think...they might know where she died,"

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