Chasing Shadows

Chapter Twenty: "Just Ice Cream"

As the quiet stretched between them, Zane's gaze drifted over the park, his usual sharpness softened by an almost pensive expression. He seemed different like this-more at ease, less like the dangerous wildcard Ethan had come to know and more... human. A part of Ethan wondered if this was the real Zane, the person beneath all the layers of bravado and villainy.

"What are you staring at?" Zane's voice broke through his thoughts, the playful tone bringing Ethan back to the present.

"Oh, nothing. Just..." Ethan shrugged, casting a quick glance at Zane before looking away. "You seem... less intense, I guess."

"Less intense?" Zane echoed with a smirk. "Are you saying I'm boring now?"

"No!" Ethan flushed slightly, shaking his head. "I didn't mean it like that. I just... It's nice. Seeing you like this."

For a moment, Zane just stared at him, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Then he laughed, a short, almost disbelieving sound. "You're really something, Ethan. Always seeing the good in people."

"Somebody has to." Ethan smiled faintly, feeling a little bolder now. "Even if it's not always there."

"Careful, hero." Zane leaned closer, his voice dropping to a murmur. "You keep talking like that, and I might start thinking you're interested."

"I-I'm not-" Ethan stumbled over his words, heat creeping up his neck as he tried to maintain eye contact. "I just think... you're not as bad as you want people to think."

Zane's smirk widened, his gaze holding a dangerous glint. "And what if I said I was?"

"Then you'd be lying," Ethan said softly. The conviction in his voice seemed to surprise them both, and for a split second, Zane's expression wavered-his smile slipping into something almost vulnerable.

But then he recovered, his smirk settling back into place as if it had never left. "Tell me, Ethan... you ever get tired of playing the good guy?"

Ethan blinked, caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Zane's gaze turned contemplative, his fingers tapping lightly against his knee. "Doesn't it get exhausting? Always doing the right thing, always sticking to the rules?"

"Sometimes," Ethan admitted quietly, surprised by his own honesty. "But it's not about being perfect. It's about trying. Even when it's hard."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Zane muttered, but there was no malice in his tone. Just a strange sort of curiosity.

"It is." Ethan shrugged, then shot Zane a small, almost challenging smile. "But I think it's worth it."

Zane watched him for a long moment, something indecipherable in his gaze. Then, as if snapping out of a trance, he shook his head and sighed dramatically. "You're such a pain, you know that?"

"Yeah, I've heard that before." Ethan's smile widened, a hint of playfulness sneaking into his voice.

Zane's eyes narrowed, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Alright, enough stalling. You owe me a favor, hero."

Ethan tensed slightly, then nodded. "Yeah. So... what is it?"

Zane seemed to mull it over for a few seconds, his gaze drifting thoughtfully over Ethan's face. Then, as if coming to a decision, his smile turned almost impish. "Nothing too crazy, don't worry. But I want to do something... normal."

"Normal?" Ethan frowned, confusion clear on his face. "Like... what, exactly?"

"Like..." Zane glanced around the park, his gaze landing on a group of people gathered near a food stall in the distance. "How about you buy me ice cream? I hear that's a very 'heroic' thing to do."