~Author's Note~

I absolutely loved this movie, it reminded me of the old Disney original movies, and the songs were great and my only complaint is that at the end they replaced the kiss the entire movie was leading up to for three hugs.

C'mon Disney. We were so close.

If you enjoy, please feel free to drop a review! :)

Rated Teen for sexual references, non-explicit make-out scenes and . . . other stuff. I promise it's all non-explicit though, so really it's just a bunch of kissing.

Notes:
Takes place Sometime Post-Movie.
Zed and Addison are around sixteen/seventeen in this.

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a girl and a zombie

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"About time you showed up," Addison says as she pulls open the front door, revealing a smiling Zed standing there.

"What? I'm not late."

He leans down and gives her a quick peck on the lips as he enters her home, feet already directing him towards the kitchen. Addison smiles, a small blush dusting her cheeks as she closes the door and follows after him. He opens up the fridge, eyes scanning each shelf, looking for something unhealthy yet edible.

Addison's parents were, more or less, health nuts so finding something that represented junk food in their home was a miracle whenever it happened. His chances were usually slim to none.

"You said to come over at three and it's only 2:53." His eyes lock on a piece of pepperoni pizza wrapped in plastic and hidden behind an unopened bag of red apples. "Sneaking takeout?" He questions with a knowing smile as he reaches for it but he's stopped by a tug on his opposite elbow when his pale fingers are only centimeters from it. He turns around without complaint, meeting Addison's eyes with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes dear?" He drones playfully, and his girlfriend rolls her eyes.

Her hold slides from his elbow to his hand as she pulls him back from the fridge and towards the kitchen island, the fridge door shutting with a soft thump from behind him. She stops when her back hits the island.

Zed realizes the intimacy of their position suddenly, and once the puzzle pieces click in his brain he starts to stutter out a jumbled apology and move backwards so that Addison has some space and doesn't think that he's trying to force her into anything but she doesn't allow it. She keeps a hold of his hand, locking him in place, gazing up into his eyes like they hold the entire world.

Addison's parents are at some board meeting in the middle of the city.

It's three o'clock on a warm Friday afternoon.

Addison's back is pressed against the marble kitchen island, one of Zed's hands clutched in her own. He's so close that their chests are nearly touching, clothes brushing, legs knocking into each other. Zed can't help but chuckle the more he stares at her and Addison gives him a funny look.

"What?" She whispers, and Zed just shakes his head.

It's always startling whenever he remembers her height and the fact that the top of her head only reaches the middle of his chest. It's extremely obvious whenever they hug, or walk next to each other, or when he goes to kiss her and has to bring his entire body down in order to reach her . . . his smile morphs into a toothy grin. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"You're so short," he says, words full of nothing but affection. Addison laughs, and man do her eyes shine when she laughs, Zed thinks to himself.

"Thanks," she replies dryly, but her words are painted with humor, "I think you're just too tall."

No. He wouldn't change a thing about her.

Zed fakes offense. "I'm the perfect height." Her hand lets go of his and moves to rest on his upper chest. If Zed still had a heart, he's sure it'd be beating extremely fast.

"Oh yeah?" She murmurs and Zed finds himself being drawn to her, his neck craning as he brings his head down.

His lips brush against hers.

"Yeah."

Their lips meet in a gentle kiss, slow and compassionate; the hand that had had been previously resting on his chest was now clutching the scratchy material of his varsity jacket. Her other hand reaches up and caresses the back of his neck, bringing him closer to her, turning the kiss into something more explosive.

Zed rests a hand on each of her hips as the kiss deepens and when one of his hands trails too low Addison pulls back and falls against him, face nestled into his chest, unstoppable giggles escaping her mouth. Zed's arms wrap around her in a hug as he brings his head down and buries his nose into her hair.

The sunlight from the far window makes her white hair shine bright, and he wants nothing more than to just comb his hands through it. He's never seen more beautiful hair in his undead life.

"Hey," he mumbles into her hair, "the laughing is really killing me here."

"I-I'm sorry," Addison says through another bout of giggles, "but you are just—you aren't smooth at all." Zed's pasty cheeks go bright red. "I mean," Addison continues, grasping his jacket tighter, "I thought Zed the Zombie would at least have some moves."

"I have moves!" Zed sputters in defense, pulling back forcibly enough that Addison looks up at him.

"Do you really?" She challenges, and there's a certain gleam in her eye that he has to prove wrong.

Without another word he picks her up by the waist and deposits her on top of the island, his legs boxing hers in. He kisses her with so much passion that it's staggering at first and it takes Addison a long second to react but then she's kissing him back and it's absolute bliss for the both of them.

Her hands run through his hair and his trace her curves through the sides of her shirt. When she pulls back for some air his lips find her neck, pressing kisses from her earlobe down to the tiny slot of open skin at the top of her chest.

"How long are your parents going to be gone?" Zed whispers against the side of her neck and Addison's so distracted that it takes her a moment to answer.

"They won't be home for a few hours," she whispers back and that's all the conformation Zed needs.

He lifts her up again, this time bringing her away from the counter and though she knows he would never drop her, her legs wrap around him for safety anyway. He's afraid that if he keeps kissing her he'll drop her by mishap from not knowing where he was going, so instead he murmurs things into her ear as he makes his way to her bedroom. He pushes the door open with his foot and then drops her on the bed, kicking off his shoes faster than Addison thought possible before climbing on top of her.

Her hands rake through his hair as his ghost over the exposed skin of her arms and she can feel him hesitate when his fingers brush the hem of her shirt a few minutes later. She detaches their lips, cupping his cheek. His eyes meet hers uncertainly.

"It's okay," she says, "it's okay."

She takes his hand and slides it under her shirt for him and she shivers when his cold palm lays flat against her warm skin.

Addison learned early on that Zed was like a walking icebox, but he still had the best hugs and if they snuggled long enough on the couch eventually he would turn from a walking ice cube to a warm marshmallow. It's something to do with him being a zombie, his body always running cold, but with enough contact it warms up the same as anything else.

The kisses are fiercer now, fueled by a fire that they haven't gotten to share yet. "I can't believe you were going to eat my leftover pizza." Addison says amid a kiss and Zed chuckles, his breath hot against her cheeks.

"I'm getting really sick of cauliflower brains." He replies earnestly before kissing her again.

Zed's jacket hits the floor, soon followed by his ratty black tee-shirt. All she can do is gaze at him for a moment, mesmerized. She's still lying back against the sheets but he's sitting on his knees in-between her legs, staring at her the same way she's staring at him.

His lanky body has some muscle and though it may not be obvious to everyone else, it was obvious to her. He could lift heavy things easily, no extra zombie-power needed.

Her eyes flicker from one toned muscle to the next and of course it's just an added bonus—what's on the inside is what counts after all—and her eyes stop just above the waistline of his pants. The skin of his chest is unblemished, aside from a long pink scar stretching from the left side of his stomach all the way to the right side of his bellybutton.

Addison slowly sits up and reaches a hand out, tracing the scar from one end to the other.

"What's this from?"

Zed watches her hand move, goosebumps prickling his skin when she runs her fingers over his bellybutton. "I fell down the stairs. Might've impaled an organ on the way down." He shrugs like it's nothing, and Addison looks up at him horrified.

"How—"

"It's a long story," he interrupts softly, "I'm fine now though. That's all that matters right?"

Addison gapes at Zed for a moment more and then leans back and slowly brings her hands down to the hem of her shirt, stripping it from her body in one fluid movement, leaving her in just a pink bra. Zed's eyes widen and a tender smile slips across his face.

"You're beautiful." He says, reaching out and cupping her cheek, "You're . . . everything."

He kisses her, slow and lovingly and she pulls back so she can say the same about him.

Then they fall back against the sheets again.

They get five more minutes of paradise before Addison's phone rings, shattering the moment between them like a twig getting snapped in half. "Can't you ignore it?" Zed asks from where he's kissing her stomach and Addison wants to say yes but she knows she can't.

"If I don't answer they'll send a patrol, trust me." Zed hums, but doesn't make any moves to move off of her. "Zed come on."

"Let them send a patrol."

"Zed." He relents with a groan, falling onto his back next to her.

"Fine." He says in a faux whine, and Addison hurries off the bed and down the hallway in search of her cellphone. The ringing stops once she finds it and Zed hears hushed conversation as she talks to her parents. He stands up from the bed and goes to the doorway, fully intending to tackle her as soon as she was in his sight.

The time comes a few seconds later, but it all goes wrong.

Somehow, someway, he knocks his Z-Band into the doorframe as he goes to move forward, and it's hard enough to make a sound equal to that of lightning cracking. A distant part of him knows it was because he was going to grab her around the waist and spin her around, and that he had needed some momentum to do so, but he just hadn't estimated the space he had to do it correctly and now his band was bright red and the words OFFLINE were flashing across the screen.

He doesn't need a screen to tell him he's going full zombie.

He can already feel it.

The smile falls from Addison's face and is replaced by a look of pure worry. "Zed?" She says, steadying a hand on his arm, and his veins are already bulging from his skin and turning black, "Zed what can I do to help you? Zed!"

He lifts his head, his usually bright eyes darkened and sunken in from the black bags now present underneath. "Addy," he growls, voice wavering, "run."

Then he lunges.

Addison moves out of the way just in time and her mind is racing because she needs to change him back, she needs to help him, but she doesn't know how. Back at the game, the electric shock from Gus had brought him out of it, not her. Gus wasn't here. She was trapped in a house with a wild zombie with no way to stop him.

Not a wild zombie, her brain chides, your boyfriend.

She doesn't know what to do.

Zed growls and goes for her again. His entire chest is painted black with veins and strain. Addison dodges his violent swipe at her leg. She doesn't understand—the bands were updated to prevent this from happening. One simple slam against a doorframe was enough to set all of that progress backwards?

Had they still not fixed it, so that zombies could still be perceived as the enemy?

"Zed," Addison tries, "Zed please."

There's something wild in his eyes but something else there too. It's the same thing she saw when he had gone after Bucky. He was trying to hold himself back. "Zed." Addison says and Zed groans, his growl pitched with agony.

"No," he snarls to himself, "no—"

His voice is swallowed by his next roar and when he moves towards her Addison doesn't move back. She closes her eyes and lets out a shaky exhale. "I love you." She whispers, "You're not a monster, Zed. Never. Not to me." One of his hands closes on her right wrist, squeezing hard enough that it hurts. Addison braves the pain and repeats her previous words as his other hand reaches for her throat.

"You are not a monster."

She feels his fingernails at her throat and then they're gone.

Everything's silent.

When Addison opens her eyes, she's met by Zed slumped back against the wall, one hand over his Z-Band. He meets her eyes and the guilt swimming in his is overwhelming. "I'm not a monster," he mumbles, "I'm not a monster."

Addison nearly vaults herself at him, hugging him tightly as his shaky arms snake around her waist.

"No, you're not," she whispers, "never."

He hugs her tighter.

Addison's parents don't get back until late and the clock in the living room downstairs strikes eight at night as they enter their home. When they find their daughter upstairs in her room watching cartoon re-runs with a zombie lying beside her, they choose not to comment on it.

Maybe it's because of how exhausted the zombie looks, buried half under the covers, sleepily holding their daughter's hand like it's a physical clutch to a non-physical ailment.

Maybe it's because of how concerned their daughter looks, head resting over his chest, unoccupied hand tracing shapes overtop his shirt. Maybe it's because they know that if they yelled, she would just yell right back. Maybe it's because they know that she'll choose that zombie over what they have to say any day.

So they say nothing and head to their own room, closing the door with a soft click behind them.

"I can't believe they didn't say anything," Zed murmurs from his spot on the bed, a drowsy tone to his deep voice.

"They know I'm not giving up on you."

Zed laughs but it sounds more like a tired puff of air. "I love you," he mumbles, squeezing her hand gently, "I'm so sorry about earlier."

"It's okay," she says back, "there's nothing be sorry for."

Zed closes his eyes and the two of them listen to the soft hum of the TV for a while, until Addison breaks the silence by starting to softly sing. "I know it might be crazy, but did you hear the story?" The parts are switched. Zed smiles sleepily at the thought as he sings back.

"I think I heard it vaguely,"

"A girl and a zombie," she takes back her part and Zed smiles more, "oh tell me more, boy, sounds like a fantasy." They sing the last verse together quietly, their voices mending together the same way they did back under those soft white lights like that night from not too long ago.

"Oh what could go so wrong, with a girl and a zombie?"