There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 636: Side Story 1. The Twilight Zone - 18

Chapter 636: Side Story 1. The Twilight Zone - 18

In the end, Alma secretly cried in the corner, while threatening anyone to never tell Zein about it.

Gracefully, Zein pretended not to know despite several nosy birds chirping in his ears about it. Besides, there were other people whose dam seemed to be broken. Including his own new husband.

He just came inside for a bit to take off the long tail attached to his vest, and he came back to a crouching Bassena, face buried in his hands.

"What is wrong with him?"

"He was freaking out about almost dropping your ring into the lake," Han Shin laughed. "What a silly goose."

All in all, the ceremony was going quite smoothly. It was respectable; the audience was solemn, and they exchanged the vows they had exchanged countless times already. Bassena had even managed to speak his vow without stuttering.

The ’disaster’ happened when he was moving the ring engagement ring to the other hand, turning it into a wedding ring. He had been steeling himself during the vow that his hand became so sweaty and the ring slipped from the tip of his fingers.

They were in a dock. A lake was beneath them.

The esper--the strongest esper there--froze in shock for a split second where gasps could be heard from the audience. Thankfully, he had a sentient skill that caught the ring and almost put the ring on Zein’s finger--before Bassena woke up from his momentary stupor and snatched it.

For Zein, the fact that he didn’t want his child of darkness--a part of him--to put the ring safely instead of his clammy hands was more silly than almost dropping it. But getting flustered now after the rings were safely in their hands was the silliest of them all.

Still, it was cute.

"Oh, let’s see how this one fare in his own wedding," Han Joon knocked his brother’s temple, who merely stuck out his tongue and hid behind Reina.

Yeah--Zein thought this one would cry even before the wedding.

Understandably, Ria and Sherri cried even harder than in the bedroom and cried even more when they visited Lucia’s grave right after. The Elder was wheezing and had to equip his oxygen mask. Senan...cried even harder than in his own daughter’s wedding.

"I’m telling you, Sir--do not let those old men see your sons in the future," Senan’s daughter warned Zein. "They’ll kidnap your children. I’m sure of it!"

Zein chuckled. Let’s just see it as a daughter’s annoyance.

The calmest table was naturally the most powerful of them all; the Old Houses’ heads. "It’s a simple and beautiful ceremony," Ludya told him.

"It’s refreshing," Zhou Caishen laughed. "Wedding is a complicated business in my family, and the event will happen for at least three days."

"At least?" Zein visibly grimaced, and the patriarch smirked, replying in an eerie tone.

"We can go for a whole month for a patriarch."

Zein finally knew why people got scared of a horror movie. He retreated soon from the table and finally addressed the many sparkling eyes that had been gazing at him from the other side of the yard.

"Have you been well?" Zein asked the guides and the espers from Trinity.

"Captain!"

Dheera hugged Zein without hesitation, and it opened the door to more hugs and back pats and congratulations. Han Shin and Zhan dragged the crouching Bassena over while laughing, so the newly wedded couple finally together again.

"Can you believe this guy killed the Fallen Star?" they nudged Bassena until the man raised his face and glared at them.

Those puffy and reddened eyes only got them laughing, however. Thankfully, they had already taken the wedding picture earlier before Zein took off the troublesome tail--otherwise, Reina would be livid.

"But you don’t seem to be fazed at all, Captain," Dheera looked up at the guide’s unchanging nonchalant face.

"Hmm...it doesn’t feel very different for me," Zein shrugged.

Naturally, Bassena gasped. Even Han Shin was gasping, clutching his chest for the probability of drama.

"I mean...we already lived together, we have a joint foundation, we’re each other beneficiary, and each other’s medical proxy--even before the proposal," Zein explained. "And then the imprint happened and I had his gene in my stomach, so..."

"Heh--so, you thought you were like a married couple already anyway, so what’s the big deal about a wedding?" Abel, who had his little daughter in his hand, smirked.

Zein shrugged in agreement, but Bassena still pursed his lips until the guide kissed them lightly. "Rather than getting nervous, it is an exciting event for me," he chuckled. "It’s fun having so many people here, like reunions, and thinking about how my parents did it back in the day."

It must have been like this; a ceremony at the dock, a party at the garden. But at that time, it was only House Ishtera and the household members since they were essentially in hiding. There were no other clan heads, no one outside their family.

In a way, it was an upgrade of what his parents had. He smiled and stroked the stunned esper’s cheeks. "It’s much better than what I had in mind, so thank you for this."

"Umm..."

"Oh, do it on your honeymoon!" Han Shin slammed a bottle of champagne and raised it. "For now, we party!"

"Party!!"

Bassena snatched the champagne, shook it hard, and shot the bubbles toward the healer in vengeance. And it acted like a gong that started the receptions in full swings. The polite greetings and mindful congratulations were over--it was time for delicious food and fizzy drinks. The band had whipped up electrics and turned up faster music, and no one wore their jacket suit anymore--even the grooms.

The clan heads and the elders had retreated inside the house to have their own calmer party and talked about the old days while the youngsters had their own fun.

And no matter how much her entourage advised her to act dignified, Elena joined the party and jumped around between people she just met for the first time. Fortunately, everyone was sensible enough to not let her have a sip of alcohol. But she was happy that they treated her like a friend instead of a child or a future Saintess. She especially formed a bond with the guides from the strike division as they traded stories about Zein over mocktails and cakes.

At one point, some of them ended up jumping into the lake for reasons Zein couldn’t bother to comprehend. He clapped in amusement while Bassena spoonfed him their wedding cake.

"Hmm..." Zein looked up at the scorching summer sun. "It looks fun."

"What is? Jumping to the lake?" Bassena tilted his head and blinked when Zein started to roll his sleeve. "Wait, you don’t think--"

The guide kicked his shoes off and glanced at Bassena with a pair of clear, deep blue eyes, shining prettier than any jewels. The reddish lips parted and repeated slowly. "It. Looks. Fun."

"No, but--"

Bassena’s words were drowned in the sound of a beautiful laugh as the guide ran toward the lake.

"No, you can’t jump!"

Bassena caught his new husband who sometimes forgot that he was five months pregnant, and brought Zein to the shallower water to cool themselves briefly as a compromise. Those who were already in the lake sprayed them with the cool water and made Reina stressed out about the clothes.

But Bassena was more stressed out about his husband.

"Please be more aware of your own body," Bassena grumbled, refusing to let go of Zein’s hand as if the guide was going to jump and swim if he averted his gaze just a bit.

Zein chuckled at the fussy esper, and playfully tugged the man toward him, until Bassena had to clutch his waist instead of his hand. "But I know you’ll take care of me," he tilted his head, smiling like a fox. "Of us."

"Ugh..."

Bassena groaned at how much those eyes and that smirk made his heart and knees weak.

"Aren’t you, baby?"

All Bassena could do was mumble in agreement and swallow his groan, accepting his fate as someone who would spend the rest of his life doing Zein’s bidding. Not that he would ever choose otherwise.

He chuckled and pulled the guide closer for a kiss, but before he could press his lips on Zein’s, a shout could be heard. "There he is!"

Startled and annoyed, Bassena raised his head to see Lisa, Arlo’s partner-in-mischief, pointing her finger at him. Confused and curious, he watched Cohen approach them with a tray in hand, while the other members of the household followed suit--including Senan.

"What’s this about?" Bassena whispered worriedly, but Zein merely shrugged.

"No idea."

Even more curious, they walked to the side of the lake so the others wouldn’t have to enter the water. At this point, the members of the household who were in the lake had also come out and gathered around Zein and Bassena.

"This is obvious, but..." Cohen chuckled and lowered the tray in his hand so Bassena could see it. "We still think it needs to be celebrated."

On the tray, there was another cake; a simple chocolate cream cake decorated with an Ishtera House emblem on top. Below the emblem was a name: Bassena Ishtera. A single candle was planted at the center of the cake, as if symbolizing a first birthday.

Senan smirked at the dumbfounded esper and spoke to represent the others.

"Welcome to the Clan, Bassena Ishtera."