There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)

"You look so energetic...Sir," Lex couldn’t help but remark in the morning, as they went to the rooftop after checking out.

Bassena, with bright amber eyes and an easy smile on his face, replied nonchalantly. "How should I look, then? Listless?"

The fact that you replied to me with that bright expression is weird enough, Sir--Lex muttered inwardly. But he could already guess the cause of this spike in energy, so he said nothing as they proceed to the helicopter.

He wondered if Bassena and Zein knew about the furor they created from yesterday’s short sailing alone. The entertainment news was filled with the snippet of their ’yacht date’ as the media called it. The images of their interaction on the boat had been circulating so much overnight that the whole federation might see it already.

There were a lot of pictures, but most of them portrayed the same thing; the Serpent Lord and his guide leaning against the railing, practically glued to each other with how the esper had his hand all the time on the other’s waist. The guide’s face was still hidden behind the mask, but people could see the palpable affection on the esper’s face.

It was true that Esper usually had a certain affection for their dedicated guide, because a cleansing process could often become intimate. But with the previous rumors flying around--which were only a few days ago--this ’yacht date’ coverage was like a blatant confirmation that there was something more than just an esper-guide relationship between them.

Whatever it was, since Bassena himself didn’t mind it, Trinity did nothing to quell the stories circulating around. Actually, Lex was more intrigued as to why Zein accepted all the rumors nonchalantly. He couldn’t tell whether it was because the guide generally didn’t care about things happening in media, or...the speculation was all true.

Well, the good thing was that people getting more convinced that Zein wouldn’t leave Trinity anytime soon--or perhaps never, even. There seemed to be a talk about how Celestia crashed the show Bassena was in because Zein was there, but seeing how the two only looked even closer after, people secretly also talked about how silly Celestia’s attempt was.

So all in all, it was good for Trinity.

The biggest gain from this trip probably was the two sitting in the backseat of the helicopter. The guide, who never seemed to get a day off, finally looked like he got a proper rest; the blue eyes were sharp and clear again, and the brow furrowed less than usual. Rather than looking stoic and stony, he looked more relaxed and easy.

Although it couldn’t beat how refreshed and energetic Bassena looked. The Serpent Lord was practically brimming, and when Lex measured the esper secretly, his corrosion level was so low he might as well get a total cleansing. No wonder the man was full of positive energy; he was in his peak condition, physically and mentally.