There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 400

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.