There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 400 - 392. Blossoming Confetti

Chapter 400: Chapter 392. Blossoming Confetti

This was the first time Zein stood before the house’s front door, funnily enough.

All this time, they had been going round the side of the house, straight toward the backyard where the lake was. But for the first time, Zein would spend his night inside the house instead of camping outside, so it was appropriate to finally use the front door.

The interior work had been completed since last week, and Senan had put the keys in Zein’s hand immediately. Another set of keys was kept by Senan, as the Iron Shield’s representative. Supposedly, a guard, a housekeeper, and a gardener would be stationed here starting this week, but Zein had asked the estate to be emptied for his vacation.

"Hmm..." he hesitated after entering the key.

"Why?"

"I’m kind of nervous," Zein confessed.

Bassena laughed at the unexpected reaction and put his hand over Zein’s, turning the key until a crisp clicking sound could be heard. Bassena grabbed the door handle and pushed it open.

Perhaps because there was still someone staying here until two days ago, they weren’t greeted by an uncomfortable sensation of stagnant air. A nice foyer welcomed them, with a bowl of flowers from the garden on top of a drawer.

Bassena nudged the guide inside before closing the door behind them and walking further in. The walls of the corridor, like the rest of the house, were painted in white. A line of portraits, bearing the faces of Ishtera’s past patriarchs lined the short corridor, including that of Alteroan, looking upon a nice drawing room with a blue couch and curtains of the same colors.

But Zein ignored that room now. He walked further inside, to a large open hall where the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen seemed to merge into one. The view was unperturbed from where Zein stood, all the way to the patio leading to the garden and the path to the lake.

He had asked Senan to keep the house as they were in the past, and it was easy to imagine the wide, open room being used as a clan gathering, where the Ishteras and the Kovacs filled the long sofas and many chairs around the room. The dining table was enough to host a feast, and Bassena had put his grill here to add to the brand-new kitchen.

Here too, the room was filled with the flowers from the gardens, along with several potted plants. "We’ll have to change the water of these vases later," Bassena muttered while Zein looked up, at the second floor where the bedroom was.

Instead of going up, however, he tilted his head to glance below the stairs where another door was. He slid a panel on the door and let the sensor there scan his face and eyes. The door handle read his fingerprints and the door unlocked after a quick second.

He cracked the door open and peered inside. There was a staircase leading down the basement, but Zein couldn’t see more because of the darkness. He contemplated if he should check the bunker now, but he heard Bassena was getting busy by himself in the kitchen.

"What, you’re cooking right away?" Zein closed the door and walked toward the kitchen.

Bassena had taken out several boxes of groceries, from vegetables and meats to seasonings. He even brought his own knives and other cooking utensils here--Zein almost thought they were moving here instead of staying for a vacation.

"I’m not going to serve you ready-made food," Bassena replied while organizing the groceries in the fridge.

"But doing it right away? We haven’t even seen the bedroom."

Bassena paused and glanced over his shoulder slightly, before going back to his ingredients. "I don’t know if we can leave the bedroom after that."

Zein raised his brow and said with a smirk. "Are you that weak-willed now, Mister Saint-class?"

"What’s that got to do with an esper’s rank?" Bassena closed the fridge and leaned to the kitchen island, bringing his face closer to Zein’s. "Don’t you know people with more mana had more desire?"

"So that’s your way to say you can’t hold back?" Zein tilted his head. "Because of your big mana pool?"

"Let’s say it is," Bassena leaned forward and captured the smiling lips, slowly, feeling his body automatically shift to get closer to the guide; hands cupped the fair cheeks and sneaked between black locks.

It was a rarity nowadays, having a leeway to kiss with leisure; soft, gentle, unhurried. There was no worry about someone suddenly coming through the door, or their commlink beeping to shatter the moment. It was so rare that no lust was sneaking in even after the kiss went on for a few minutes.

"A nice start," Bassena whispered against the guide’s lips, before stepping back with a smile. "Need an equally nice meal experience."

Zein chuckled and pulled the esper for another, shorter kiss. He glanced at the ingredients that Bassena left on the island inquisitively. "Seems a lot for two people," he commented.

"It’ll all shrink once cooked," Bassena shrugged.

"Anything I could do?"

"Tending to your family’s graves?" Bassena smiled while rolling up his sleeves.

"Just say you want me out of the kitchen."

"Such a psychic."

Zein scoffed and left the cook alone, snatching a box of cookies on his way out. He didn’t forget to snap a picture of Bassena sharpening his knives--and another picture of the exposed arms--before stepping onto the patio.

The small field of blue hibiscus could be seen on the left side of the garden, accessible through a path made of flat white stones fenced by shrubs of hydrangeas. The path was made so he could feel nice before reaching the graves, and at least for now, it worked.

Of course, the area around the tombstone and the memorial stone was clean and tidy. The Iron Shield member situated here must have taken good care of this area. Since there was nothing more he could do, Zein just sat on a boulder and started to give his four family members an update about the trial and his plan to make an academy.

"I doubt it’ll get completed before I go to the Deathzone," Zein sighed.

He probably could push it, but Zein didn’t want to establish the academy haphazardly. He wanted it to be a proper establishment that could survive for a long time, even without him, so he tried to thread as carefully as possible.

"But I have a lot of people who can--and are willing--to help me now," he said, looking at the memorial stone of the twins. He was sure they would be happy knowing that. "So I’m rather confident about it. After all..." he shifted his gaze to his parent’s tomb. "I know you’ll support me if you’re here."

A spring breeze passed by, bringing the scent of spring within spiraling blossoms. The trees and leaves rustled like whispers that softly filled his senses with murmurs from the other side. Zein closed his eyes, and for a while, he just let the spring breeze envelop him with illusions and memories.

He didn’t know how long he spent there, but he opened his eyes once the breeze passed. He stood up then, patting his pants slightly. "I’ll come back later with him," he said, before leaving the field of hibiscuses.

Zein decided to stroll around the estate while Bassena busied himself in the kitchen. He walked to the edge of his land, on the side of the lake that was his, and continued by tracing the border; hiking the hill where the forest was, checking the shed that was connected with the bunker; strolling through the fragrant orchard, and came back to the garden through the path of cherry blossoms.

By the time he reached the patio again, he was covered in flower petals, as if he just showered with confetti. Talking about confetti, he seemed to forget about something...

"Oh, what a good timing."

He was greeted by a husky voice and a clean kitchen. All but a circular-looking food that looked like a...cake? But it wasn’t cake. It was made of colorful slices of fish in pink and red over a bed of white rice. As pretty as a cake, for sure, but...

"What’s that?"

"A birthday cake?"

Zein halted his step, blinking, staring wordlessly at the smiling esper. Ah...that’s right. He was supposed to be born around this time, during the spring. His real birthday, that no one knew. Not even him.

"Well, it’s probably not the exact date, but..." Bassena walked over and kissed the guide’s cheek. "Happy birthday--again."

Zein chuckled while Bassena took the petals from his hair. He remembered then, that he had talked about celebrating his birthday here, in the spring. He had forgotten, thanks to everything that had happened. But not Bassena.

"Is this like...a new kind of cake?" Zein observed the item.

It was as pretty as a cake, and mouth-watering too, since Zein had taken a liking to seafood lately. Fascinating, but also hard to wrap his mind around.

"Since we need to have lunch, anyway," Bassena shrugged. "It’s not like we can have a proper meal with just cake."

"Hmm..." Zein didn’t mean to, but there was a tinge of disappointment in his voice. "I see..."

And then he blinked, shaking his head slightly to scold himself. Wow--he never thought he could be this ungrateful. His boyfriend had made an effort to create something nice just for him and he felt disappointed? Because it wasn’t the sweet cake he’d prefer for his birthday?

Haa...he had been in the green-zone too long that he had forgotten what it felt to be thankful to even have something to eat.

"Sorry," he turned toward the esper. "Thank you for--why are you making that face?"

Zein had thought Bassena would feel bad because he didn’t show enough appreciation, but the esper was smiling instead, amber eyes curled into half-moons. "You’re so adorable right now," he laughed and pecked the guide’s cheek.

While Zein frowned in confusion, Bassena turned back and walked to the fridge. With a cheeky grin, he took out a sweet-smelling chocolate cake with glistening fruits on top and placed it beside the other one. To finish it, he took out two tall candles and put them on top of each cake.

"No one said you can only have one kind of cake," Bassena shrugged, smiling widely at the stunned guide.

Zein stood wordlessly for a few seconds, before pulling the younger man’s lapel and kissing Bassena hard. Chuckling against the esper’s lips, he stared at the pair of ambers and whispered. "You’re so sexy right now."

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