There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 548 - 541. Seize the Day

Chapter 548: Chapter 541. Seize the Day

"That’s...the sea," Zein turned to Bassena. "Right?"

"Yeah," Bassena nodded, patting the guide’s back. The sparkles in those blue eyes were unchanging, even though the sea in question was also littered with miasma.

It was still the sea. and somewhere near that place, a land for their future house existed.

Bassena couldn’t help but be excited at this too.

But he quickly snapped back to reality and came back to the hazy transmission. "Do they mention anything amiss? Enemies?"

"They said there’s nothing as of now, but there was a trace of beasts and the fragment’s radar was beeping," Lex told them. "So they are on standby for now, in hiding mode."

One of the things that sucked up Radia’s funds was the camouflage function in the ship, since it was a big, almost stationary target. It wouldn’t completely fool those with high detection skills, but Senia and her elemental spirits troop could cover for that.

That being said, staying still in a dangerous place was never a good strategy.

"Tell them to pull back," Bassena said. "Full speed--we’re going to explore the seaside with a proper attack squad."

"Yessir," Lex punched the order on the keyboard.

"I promised two spots for Ron and Agni," Zein told Bassena.

"I would never reject an excellent scout and a flamming bulldozer," Bassena shrugged. "Just them?"

Zein nodded. "Ron said they had a business with the ship’s Captain."

Bassena raised his brow and chuckled. "What? Are they going to get married on the ship or something?"

"Huh? You can do that?"

Zein looked at Bassena in surprise, and Bassena nodded while laughing in response. Then they looked at each other, blinking in silence as Lex typed on the keyboard.

"Huh?"

"Huh..."

* * *

"Oh~" Agni looked around the Castle. It was his first time visiting somewhere other than the main base. "This is nice, like in those old stories."

"Are you alright now?" Zein asked the Captain.

"It’s just a scratch," Agni waved his hand dismissively, prompting Zein to snort.

"Did Ron think so?"

The Captain cleared his throat and pretended he didn’t hear that last question while recalling those days of cold gaze, cold shoulder, and cold bed.

Zein smirked at the berserker’s slightly flustered face. "You’re not young anymore, Captain. You won’t heal as fast as you did."

The guide was expecting a dismissive laugh, but Agni nodded quite seriously this time. "You’re right," he stopped his walk and leaned against the Castle wall, looking at the bridge in the distance. "You know, we always think we are ready for death here, but...at the end of the day, none of us really want that to happen."

"...what spurs this on?"

Agni laughed at the suspicious tone laden with concern. "Honestly, I never thought I’d die in the Borderland--unless I’m very unlucky, that is. But seeing that clone or whatever...it’s a wake-up call," he chuckled wryly. "Lucky or not, we all probably die if that thing gets to full power, don’t you think? No place will really be a safe place anymore."

"Probably," Zein nodded; there was never a need to sugarcoat things with the Captain.

Agni leaned his head against the wall, exhaling heavily as he looked at the dark canopy. "I can’t let him die," he smiled wryly. "I trapped him enough as it is when I gave up to him all those years ago. But at least, he won’t do reckless things anymore if I’m here--since he loves scolding me too much."

Zein chuckled, recalling a story he heard from the old timers about the first time Ron came to the Deathzone; he was young, younger than Arlo or Dheera, and angry. So angry that he entered the Deathzone by himself, got caught by Agni, and then got angry at the berserker. It was a wild story that no one would be able to associate with the current Ron, but...the seed of recklessness had always been there.

As someone who spent a lot of time with the scout during his contract period, Zein knew the reason for that anger. There was a time when he actually felt envious because he wished he could feel that anger instead of the numbness killing his soul at that time. Perhaps that was why he got close easily to the scout; because their sorrow led them to the Deathzone.

At that time, he wondered how the scout could overcome it just because he found someone.

Not anymore.

"Is that why you’re suddenly getting married?" Zein glanced at Berserker, who raised his brow high at the question. "What? You don’t think I’ll realize?"

"Yeah..."

To be fair, Zein didn’t.

"I promised myself that I’d take care of him, but..." he laughed bitterly. "It’s not exactly something I can do in my situation. I tried to send him away, I tried to break his heart, I tried a lot of things to make him leave me--to no avail, obviously."

Zein hummed at this little bit of history between them. He himself didn’t really know about those two’s relationship, because they were quite private about it most of the time. But he knew enough that the Captain had already given up in his attempt and was blissfully falling for the scout.

Just like him with Bassena.

"For someone who can’t provide anything like me...all I can do is let him do whatever he wants," Agni shrugged with a grin on his face. "Especially since we can die anytime now."

"Hmm..."

"Captain!" both Zein and Agni turned to the energetic call from above. Naturally, it was Zein’s kid since they weren’t in the Borderland. Dheera flashed them a grin. "Commander said the ship is almost there!"

"Alright, let’s go together."

"Roger!" the girl saluted before disappearing again.

Agni chuckled and took himself off the wall, stretching his shoulder. "Your kids are way cuter than mine."

"I used to be one of your kids."

"Exactly!" the berserker laughed and draped his arm over Zein’s shoulder as they walked to the Castle gate where the mana-fueled van was.

Zein shook his head while chuckling with the berserker. Well, he never thought he was cute either. But that boyfriend of him leaning against the car sure did, and the conversation he just had with Agni made him ponder.

He recalled the abrupt proposal on that beach that Bassena immediately annulled. He recalled their conversation about kids--or the lack of it. He recalled their fear and hope about building a family.

It was there; the desire and the blueprints for their future.

But while Zein had gotten a lot more positive and hopeful than before, he couldn’t help but agree with the berserker; they could die anytime.

He told Bassena he would wait, but...should they really? Would there be any difference in doing it now or later? They already lived together, they knew what they wanted, and they promised a lifetime of bond already--a bond that only an esper and a guide could have.

So, should they really wait?

"Why do you look dazed?" Bassena frowned, worriedly checking Zein’s temperature again. After all, it was only a few days ago that Zeon choked and almost collapsed due to that thick miasma.

Blinking slowly, Zein was surprised. He never thought too deeply about it before, but just like the case with them living together, he belatedly realized that he wanted it more than he thought.

It wasn’t even the case of whether he wanted to do it or not, but whether he wanted to do it sooner or later.

Which meant...he did want it.

And he didn’t mind doing it sooner than later.

"Hey," Zein glanced at the back of the van, where Agni and Ron were talking to each other. "Should we do it too?"

Bassena tilted his head. "What?"

Zein did not answer blatantly, but the way he kept staring at the older couple gave his mind away to Bassena.

Just like Radia and Joon, there was nothing and no one but them; standing in front of a person who would officiate them, and had their vows. It was quick, simple, personal. It was very much Zein.

And the esper wasted no time to deflect it. "No."

Zein blinked at the hard rejection in the esper’s voice. He turned swiftly, eyes wide from more surprise as Bassena looked at him with utmost seriousness.

"No, I don’t want to."

Again, Zein blinked. Was he...mistaken? Had Bassena changed his mind since then? Granted, it was already...what, two and a half years ago? But still...this was rather surprising considering their recent promise about imprinting.

Although...he reckoned imprinting and marriage were two different things. Or perhaps, Bassena was the type who thought imprinting was a marriage anyway, so the was no need to do the other one--

"I don’t want to do it like this," Bassena said, prompting Zein’s frantic thought to stop. "You...deserve a proper proposal, and a proper wedding with your friends and family attending. Not..." Bassena pressed his lips hard before sighing. "Not like this."

Zein closed his eyes and clenched his fist to hold back the flood of emotions in his heart. He took a deep breath and when he opened his eyes, he made a crooked smile while tilting his head.

"Hoo? Did you just call their wedding not proper?" he raised his brow.

Bassena gasped softly and widened his eyes in shock, belatedly realizing his blunder. "N-no? Th-that’s not what I mean! Uhh...I mean, I just want you to have a better...yes! Something better! The best! I want you to have the best!"

"Even though I don’t mind having an intimate ceremony with just you?"

"That’s...but you have...it’s not like I want to force you to do it like that...but I just think, since you...uhh...what did I--what I want to say is..."

Zein pressed his lips watching his adorable boyfriend fumble hard in panic. He probably would be able to see smoke rising up from the esper’s ears if this went on for much longer.

Laughing softly, he patted the flustered cheek and gave the esper a small, affectionate kiss.

"I know, baby," he whispered before activating his mask and hiding his wide grin behind it. "I’ll be waiting for that ’best’ moment."

With Bassena’s groan in the background, Zein jumped into the back of the van, laughing inwardly. Well, what did Agni say earlier?

Ah, right--let him do what he wanted.