The two ended up strolling in the open skirts of Brasov—a photogenic town definitely worthwhile to see in a lifetime—while looking for a perfect place to dine in. Along the way, King felt nostalgia and weird when he saw medieval architectures again, one thing which he'd not see in modern New York. The people in there on the other hand weren't that different. They all had their own business to attend to. Some tourist. Some natives. Some lost souls, namely the two.

Ending with the first diner they'd landed at, King and Zacharias arrived at a small, hidden old diner owned by an old couple selling traditional Romanian dishes in one alleyway. The couples were talkative, and since they were the only customers, Zach and King were forced to absorb every word that came out of their mouths. It wasn't bad though. It was cute, to be honest. King enjoyed their company, especially when he saw the loving interactions from the two children-less individuals. He admired them.

Afterward the main course, you'd think the two were already full. But here they were again, waiting behind a counter for the crispy bacon and cheese fries that seemed legit and temptingly seductive for the eyes and the stomach. A Mezzo-Soprano in singing cholesterol, King thought. But that didn't end there. Unexpectedly, the stroll turned into a food trip. Their last stop, desserts.

Zacharias and King ended in Gelato Mania. It was small, but bright and brimming with lively pastel varieties. Zach crossed his arms against his chest. "What would you like?" he asked while scanning the showcase of ice creams in the display freezer.

King rubbed his chin while he analyzed the flavors. Ice-cream is heavenly, but overly sweetness would be his weakness. There was the usual Vanilla, Mango Cheesecake, Cherry Mania, and other assortments of flavors like Bubblegum, Green Apple, Italian Creme, and others which King still hadn't tried out. He'd stick with his usual.

"I'll take the extra dark," he replied.

Zacharias still hadn't finished picking his, and while he did, King made a mental guessing game on which flavor would he pick. King would play with Italian Creme, cause he was a freaking judgemental on overly rich people.

Zacharias started patting his pocket as his head tilted up. "Two medium size extra dark and cookies and cream."

"All right. That would be 16 lei, sir," said the cashier.

King leaned on the counter and stared at the cookie crumbles on the black and white mount of ice cream inside. "Cookies and cream, huh?"

Zacharias snapped his head to his direction while he handed the payment to the staff.

"Sorry. I thought you'd be more into Il Italy."

"Again with the judgments, Mr. Stefan?" Zach chuckled.

"It's not my—" King jolted when an ice cream in a cup swiped down in front of him.

"Here is your extra dark," said the cashier with a bright smile, before swiping in another, "and cookies and cream," she added. Zacharias took both cups. "Have a great day!"

The werewolf gave her a slight nod.

"It's not my fault, all right?" King continued, throwing a hand in the air. "You're wearing an expensive watch and designer shoes for a walk. And clothes... pants...."

Zacharias chuckled and scratched his temple. "Frankly, it was because I booked a reservation in a restaurant. Before, well... you know what happened."

King cocked a suspicious brow. "Restaurant?"

Zach waddled his head. "Hm. It's just a normal place serving food."

"... It wouldn't happen to be a normally expensive one, would it be?

The man shrugged at him and sat at the bar table leaning against the pastel cream wall. The round table was already occupied, so they were left with three narrow high top chairs. Now two after Zach took one against the corner. King followed, unconsciously examining Zach's broad back and wondering whether he should sit beside him or take that extra space for the welfare of both their personal bubbles.

Should I?

Fate made the answer clear for him when the man who lined up behind them earlier walked past him and sat at that very chair. He was carrying an Italian Creme flavored gelato. King paused, giving the man a stab in the back with his eyes, before sighing and giving up. At this point, aren't those bubbles already popped?

Zach pushed the cup of the dark chocolate ice cream towards King.

"Why did you take me out, anyway? Is it supposed to be a low-key date?" King scoffed, sitting in the middle chair. Zacharias tensed his shoulders, gently stabbing his ice cream with the disposable wooden spoon. "Or is it because of what happened the other day?"

The werewolf shrugged his shoulders again, rolling them afterward. "There's that," he said. "I wanted to ease you or to take you out for a breather after all the consecutive events that happened. Even if it's just for a bit... But frankly..."

"Frankly, what?"

Zach looked at him in the eyes. "I also wanted to spend time with you."

"W-" King blushed again for the third time in this chapter. "What's with y—"

The man beside them scoffed. King and Zach blinked and their heads turned towards the loud rattling of the chair, which is out of the usual etiquette. They stared at the chap who had sprung up, looking like he was about to leave even if his ordered ice cream was beyond half. Probably not even a few bites were taken. King fought the urge to punch him square in the face when he spat a bitter gaze at him. The man snorted before stomping out of the shop.

"Homosexual sons of a bitch," King heard him spat.

"That fucker." King bolted up, but Zach grabbed his arm, preventing him from causing a scene. He tried to escape out of the iron grip, but couldn't.

"Take it easy," Zacharias calmly said. However, sporadically, there was something about his voice and tone that sounds like it can cause even the most dominant to sway under his heels. King couldn't grasp what it is, but this moment was one of it. King still didn't know what it was.

King clenched his jaw as the man escaped out of his sights. He slowly sat back in his chair, unable to do anything, unconsciously following the three words that left the alpha's mouth.

"Why d'you stop me?" he asked.

Zach stared at him, and when he realized that the lad wasn't going for it anymore, he released him and sighed. "Because opinions like that aren't worth it," replied Zach before he turned his head away. "Nothing good will happen when you play fire with fire."

King turned his head to the side and stared at him. What an adult, he snorted. He gazed at the side of Zach's face and, oddly, he felt a weird sense of... admiration.

---

After the gelatos, now nearly three in the afternoon, King and Zacharias had finally decided to head back to the stronghold before they end up, well, lost like what had happened earlier. The sun was sinking, and night was not a preferable time to get lost. King and Zach were about to get into the metallic grey Ford, when:

"Zach?"

The two stopped, turning their heads, eyebrows up from a woman's voice that came out behind them. And to King's surprise, it was Lola.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her smile curling wide and sweet as she stared at the alpha.