There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 110 - 106. The Innocent and Hopeful

Chapter 110: Chapter 106. The Innocent and Hopeful

Zein didn’t move from his position even after the concierge left the room. Only after Bassena said he could see it from the bedroom too that he finally moved, following Bassena to the second floor.

Magically, there was already a suitcase inside the bedroom, with the familiar design Zein received in the summer. The SavAsh logo could be seen on the surface, so no doubt it was sent by Reina.

Zein neglected the suitcase in favor of staring at the lake that getting painted with the color of sunset, sitting on the bed to test if he could really see it from there. He even laid down while at it, and only felt satisfied when he indeed could see the water’s surface from his position.

Bassena left the guide alone with a chuckle, and only came back to take Zein for dinner. Capitalizing on the view, the luxurious hotel provided an open lounge where they could have their dinner under the night sky while looking at the lake.

At night, the place was filled with colorful lamps, and Bassena told him there would be a light show tomorrow night. The lights from the ships and yachts also gave the lake wonderful decoration, and Zein spent more time gazing at them than at his meal, just as Bassena spent more time gazing at the guide than at his meal.

The excitement would probably wane tomorrow, after getting used to the scenery. But for now, Zein satisfied himself with absorbing the view he so wanted to see. That silly dream about becoming a bird and flew away.

Ah...so there really was something he wanted to do in the past.

Before he was slapped with reality, and became too numb to dream again. To even want anything again. If he traced his childhood memories...the innocent and hopeful memories...would he find them?

What he wanted to do with his life. What made him want to survive. What made him want to look forward to tomorrow.

Flying through the air, and spending time just staring absentmindedly at the lake seemed to awaken those feelings and memories again. Two decades had gone by since he last spent his time without thinking about anything, feeling hopeful and at peace.

"You didn’t spend the night just staring at the lake, right?"

Zein’s daydream was broken by Bassena’s husky voice, slightly hoarse from sleep. The esper walked toward him, who had been sitting in front of the sitting room’s glass wall without moving. While Zein could see the scenery from his bed, the view was better and clearer from here.

"No, the water just looked dark in the night," Zein answered after glancing for a bit at the yawning esper, whose platinum hair fell messily over his forehead. "But it’s quite nice at dawn."

Bassena sat beside the guide, leaning back on his arms while staring at the lake too. "There’s no ship at dawn, so it must look cleaner," he commented. Compared with the evening, the lake was empty in the early morning. "If we come on weekdays, you can take a morning stroll there. But there will be a lot of people on the weekend, and with all the talk about us, you’ll get recognized easily."

"Even in the Capital?" Zein thought he only talked about in Althrea.

Bassena tilted his head with a raised brow. "How dare you think my fame only encompassed Althrea..."

Zein flicked the hidden forehead in response, and the esper laughed softly. "There’s no way people didn’t know about you when there’s news about Celestia making a move, don’t you think?"

"Mm," Zein didn’t think that, honestly. Celestia pursuing him didn’t mean the public would know about him too, after all. But then, he realized that Bassena was a celebrity known by the general public, and Zein was rumored to be in a relationship with him, so...

"People might not recognize you if you don’t wear your mask though," Bassena added. That was true, since Zein was recognizable by his black uniform and mask. People outside the guild didn’t know what he really looked like.

But Zein would rather coop up in his room than walk around without his security blanket.

He glanced at Bassena, who was yawning again, and asked; "So you slept for once?"

Bassena nodded, blinking his sleepy amber eyes. "I had a shoot today, so I need to look good."

"Is that so?" Zein tilted his head to look at the esper. Zein didn’t think there was any difference between Bassena who lacked sleep and Bassena who was sleeping properly. "You usually look good even without sleeping, so I don’t really get the difference," he shrugged, before shifting his gaze to the lake again. "But it’s good that you catch some sleep."

Beside him, the esper who was feeling sleepy suddenly felt wide awake, amber eyes widened and blinking repeatedly as he looked at the guide. "...say that again,"

Zein turned his head, frowning in confusion. "What?"

"Say that again," the esper repeated in a more demanding tone, amber eyes staring sharply and eagerly waiting.

It prompted Zein to run his brain so he could remember what he said absentmindedly earlier. "...you look good?" Zein repeated hesitatingly.

Just as the words came out of his mouth, the esper suddenly put his head on Zein’s shoulder, and the next second, Zein could hear the sound of a low giggle. "He he..." the wide shoulder shook slightly, and then Bassena muttered in a voice thick with joy. "I feel like I can get this job done quickly."

Again, Zein was surprised at how much his simple, nonchalant comment could influence the younger man. He felt rather guilty for saying it without much thought, but then, he just said what he felt, all in honesty.

So he let the man lay down on his shoulder, chuckling to himself. Staring at the sight of morning people taking an early stroll on the lakeside, Zein wondered if it would be alright doing it at dawn tomorrow. He was sure no one wanted to go out of their bad at the same time as the sun.

"Do I really have to see your shoot?" Zein asked, still not satisfied even after gazing at the lake for hours.

But Bassena lifted his head and firmly answered with a deep smile. "Yep, since you promised."

And for someone with a strong principle of adhering to his contract, Bassena knew Zein wouldn’t go back on his words. But he still offered an alternative. "The studio is big, so you can look around if you get bored."

"I feel like you’ll sulk if I do that,"

"No," Bassena replied, and Zein looked at the esper with a raised brow and dubious eyes. "Not ’like I’ll sulk’--I’m going to really sulk if you don’t watch me."

Zein turned his face toward the wall again with a smile. "Heh--fine," he scoffed at Bassena’s triumphant gesture of pumping his fist in the air, and added mischievously. "It’ll be funny if you make mistakes later."

"I don’t make mistakes," Bassena announced confidently, the smirk was visible through the glass’s reflection.

"That’s usually said by people before they make mistakes..."

"Don’t jinx me," Bassena pursed his lips, changing so fast from that confident face he put on earlier. The amber eyes narrowed at the guide’s subtly smiling face, before leaning down to whisper in the guide’s ear. "If I took longer to finish, we won’t get the time to ride the yacht."

That got Zein stiffened, and Bassena smiled innocently as the guide gave him a side-eye. The pretty face still looked as impassive as ever, but the blue eyes flashed in uneasiness.

They stared at each other through the reflection of the glass; Bassena with an easy smile, and Zein with slightly narrowed eyes. Until, finally, the guide spoke first. "The great Bassena Vaski should be able to work flawlessly, right?"

The innocent smile easily turned into a victorious smirk, before the esper made a fake concerned face. "The great Bassena Vaski worried about the jinx."

Zein rolled his eyes in response, and slapped the esper’s neck with a scoff as the smirk came back. It was plainly obvious what Bassena wanted, with those amber eyes staring wide and soft like a puppy asking for a treat.

"Should I remove the bad omen then, hmm?" Zein couldn’t help but moved his fingers to scratch the sharp jaw, lips stretched a bit wider than before as he looked at the overgrown puppy amusedly. "That’s what you want?"

"Aren’t your job to cleanse, anyway, the great guide Luzein?" Bassena leaned into the touch, resting his chin on the guide’s palm and closing his eyes in bliss.

Pfft--Zein stifled his laugh, pulled the esper’s face closer, and pressed his lips on the corner of Bassena’s lips.

He let go of the esper’s face then, turning his face away, back to staring into the lake with that nonchalant face while Bassena blinked vacantly at the air.

"...this one didn’t think that would be enough, Sire," pursing his lips, the esper put his head on the guide’s shoulder, groaning in disappointment.

At that, Zein just smiled and replied casually. "If this great one does a good job later, he will get the proper reward."

The pouting lips receded, and the amber eyes blinked, staring at the guide’s calm face and the clear gaze that had no countenance of uttering a lie.

"This humble one shall do his best, Sire,"