Ok, so, since I've been really terrible about updating lately, I figured I'd post up this really old and irrelevant and cute fluffy thing that I've had on DA for a while. It uh...has nothing to do with my other HiNaBN fics, it's something I wrote sometime around that pink and blue scene where Hanna and Zombie were talking in Hanna's bedroom. If you guys have already seen it 'cause you've got my DA, well, sorry...and if you haven't, maybe you'll like it! XD
It was an absolute mess.
The zombie was certain he'd never seen someone with such terrible bed-head. Granted, it was leftover from a small pixie attack the night before, but sleep hadn't helped it any. The tiny things had a little too much fun pulling out his hair at odd angles and tangling it mercilessly, even going so far as to twist twigs into it. Zombie hadn't noticed so much before, being a bit ruffled up himself, but the rats' nest piled on Hanna's groggy head this morning was shocking…and one more thing he never thought he'd find absolutely adorable. It was amazing the things Hanna could make adorable.
"Hanna."
The ginger turned to his dead friend, eyes still puffy from sleep, but smiling mouth dripping with syrup. Zombie wasn't surprised to see his pancakes already gone. He felt that small surge of pride that came every time Hanna enjoyed the meals he cooked for him.
"Yeah, Mario?"
Batali. Chef names. Typical of mealtimes. Zombie was getting better at picking up name origins the longer he stayed with his eccentric partner.
"Come here a minute."
Hanna cocked his head to the side curiously, but only hesitated a moment before stumbling over to the mattress where the zombie sat cross-legged. His hesitation lasted a bit longer when his friend patted his lap.
"Uh…what's goin' on?"
Zombie gave him a half-smile and lifted an eyebrow along with the hairbrush in his right hand.
"I think you're long overdue for a brushing, Hanna."
The redhead blinked at him, a slight blush creeping over his face. He chuckled nervously and tried to run a hand through his hair, only to get his fingers caught in the tangles.
"Brushing, huh? What am I, a horse? Haha, my teeth aren't that big!"
"Come on," Zombie patted his lap again, smiling in that stop-being-silly-and-let-me-take-care-of-you way he'd developed over his time under Hanna's leaky roof.
This time, Hanna bounced on the balls of his feet for a second, then clambered slowly onto the mattress, settling his thin body between the zombie's emaciated legs. He was chewing his lip, still nervous for reasons the dead man didn't quite understand. Hanna had sat in his lap before; there was the time he'd gotten sick and had both the zombie and every blanket he owned wrapped around him, as well as the few movie nights they'd been comfortably nestled together. He didn't see why this was different, why it had Hanna so on edge. But he was determined to get that wild hair in some kind of order. He wiped the syrup from the younger man's chin before he began pulling twigs out of the knots.
Hanna shivered at the first stroke of the brush. He remained silent as the zombie patiently worked the tangles out from bottom to top, the way he somehow remembered as the correct method for brushing messy hair. Zombie would have been worried had it not been for the way Hanna leaned into each stroke, sighing contentedly with the slight tugs at his scalp. Still, even though it wasn't particularly worrying, it was unsettling for a man so used to his chatter.
"Hanna?"
"Mmm…?"
"Are you all right?"
Hanna stiffened a moment before tilting his head back to look at his friend. His eyes held a bemused expression, but his smile was warm and soft.
"I feel great, Pothos. Why d'you ask?"
Pothos? A Greek god of some sort? Zombie wasn't entirely sure.
"You're unusually quiet."
Hanna laughed softly, lowering his head back down. "I don't talk ALL the time, jeez. Sometimes…sometimes quiet is nice. Even for me."
"So this is ok?" the zombie pressed. "You're not bothered at all?"
Another small laugh. "Nah. It feels good. Really relaxing, you know? 'Specially since I'm full of pancakes!"
Zombie's lips twitched to a smile, glad he found something new that pleased Hanna. Cooking him meals was one thing; Hanna needed to eat after all. Something like this wasn't a necessity, but it was nice and he wanted to do it. He could make Hanna happy by doing these things, and that, he decided, was all he wanted.
He continued to run the brush through Hanna's stubborn mane even after all the tangles were smoothed. He enjoyed it as much as Hanna seemed to. An excuse to be close, to touch. He thought absently that he should have taken off his gloves; he wanted to feel the texture of that vibrant hair on his skin, stunted as his tactile nerves may be. The young man was practically purring, perfectly relaxed and leaning closer and closer to the zombie every few moments. Hanna finally let himself collapse, a small, appreciative noise escaping his lips. It was difficult for the zombie to angle his arms correctly with Hanna's back settled against his chest.
"Hanna, I can't brush anymore if you sit like that…" he whispered, settling his chin on the flame-like curls.
"Mmmm…" was his reply, and Hanna only snuggled closer. "Felt so good, Pothos. Nobody ever brushed my hair for me before. Mom used to try, but I'd never sit still…I really missed out…"
Zombie chuckled and set the brush on the mattress. He opted to wrap his arms around Hanna, resting his green cheek on newly tamed red hair. It didn't smell so great, what with being unclean and pixie-addled, but it was Hanna, so Zombie didn't care at all. He was sure he didn't smell so great himself, either. They sat that way together for some time, Hanna breathing evenly and Zombie relishing in every intake and exhale. Hanna was his heartbeat, for that time, beating through his slight frame into the empty chest behind him. Long, stitched arms clasped tighter in a sudden urge to feel more of it; more heartbeat, more breath, more warmth. More life. More Hanna.
"Everything ok back there?"Hanna murmured, tilting his head back again. They looked at each other, and when Hanna smiled at him with so much warmth and joy, he found himself overwhelmed by desire for the smaller man.
Slowly, Zombie slipped his fingers under Hanna's chin, holding him still. Blue eyes widened a fraction, surprised and curious. His pale face was awash with the constant orange glow from the dead man's eyes, so his sudden blush went almost unnoticed. Fascinated by the changes of color on Hanna's skin, the zombie only stared at him until the desire pulled at his neck, bringing him closer. His lips were soon hovering just over Hanna's. The living man's breath ghosted over them, growing ragged from terror or excitement; either way, he seemed too transfixed to move, and zombie chose to take it as a green light. He closed the gap between them, humming at the way their lips meshed so softly, the small hitch in Hanna's breath. There was no reaction afterward, however. Hanna was stock-still in his arms.
Zombie pulled his face away, worried he'd gone too far. He was about to apologize when Hanna twisted himself around in a swift, frantic movement, freeing himself from the embrace to tackle the zombie to the mattress. The dead man was certain it was anger for the split second before Hanna's mouth crashed hungrily into his.
It took a moment for him to understand that, yes, Hanna was kissing him, quite enthusiastically and a little too hard, maybe. He thought that, for anyone else, this may have been coming on way too
strong. But he didn't mind. Not at all.
"Eros…" Hanna breathed, parting lips and pressing his forehead to the other's. "You…you kissed me…"
The zombie lifted a brow at him. Eros? "And you kissed me."
Hanna gave a breathless laugh, his face burning. "Yeah, but…I mean…you kissed me. Why'd you kiss me? I'm not complaining, but just…wow, and uh, I just. Don't…understand…exactly."
"You wait until after tackling me to the bed for this?" Zombie asked, smiling incredulously. At that, Hanna bolted upright, staring down at his dead companion in a panic.
"OhmygodI'msosorry! Did I…oh man, I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Zombie only continued to smile as he shook his head, letting his gaze fall to Hanna's legs straddling his own. His hands rose to Hanna's knees. He watched the redhead gasp and twitch forward as he ran gloved hands slowly up the ratty jean fabric over his thighs.
"Uh…hey, you know, we sorta skipped a few things here, I think. Like…aren't you supposed to ask me out? Or something? Cause I…I…ahhh…"
The zombie's firm hands quieted him, thumbs running soothing circles over his hips just above the waistband of his jeans, fingers roaming further under his shirt.
"That's odd…" the green man said, voice low. "You're usually the one who runs head-first into things."
"Delling…uh…look, I still don't…mmmmm, that feels really goo-No, no, wait, uh…hang on a minute!"
Hanna took hold of the zombie's wrists, but didn't pull them away. He looked down at the taller man, face completely serious and eyes somewhat fearful.
"Hanna?"
"Do you…ok, so you k-kissed me. Aaaaand, now you're…I mean with your hands, and it feels…no. That's not the point. I need to know what this is about. Like…do you…like…like me? Like that? 'Cause I dunno what it could be other than that, but I don't…get it. Why would you-"
"Hanna."
Zombie twisted his wrists to catch hold of Hanna's hands instead, bringing them forward. He placed gentle kisses over his knuckles, one on each hand.
"I do like you like that. And I hardly think there needs to be a reason why. I do, and that's all that matters."
Hanna stared at him with the most bewildered look the zombie had ever seen.
"You…like me. Like-like me. Me. Me with my dorky glasses and stupid hair and scars and shit…Really?"
Zombie nodded, smiling wider and squeezing the man's suddenly trembling hands. "And now the question is this: how do you feel? About me?"
Hanna pursed his lips, eyes falling to their clasped hands. He squirmed uncomfortably, then turned his head to look anywhere else. The wall, the clock, his laptop, and finally falling shut as he took a deep breath in. He opened them to gaze directly into the zombie's before he spoke.
"I think…no, I know. I like you too. That way. Just…it's just weird. I mean, you're kinda dead, and we're both guys. And I've never…Shit, Delling, that was like my first real kiss EVER and you're just so amazing all the time. I'm really fucking confused but really fucking happy and…I don't know. I just want…"
He trailed off, blushing furiously as he cursed at himself. Zombie waited patiently, concern growing the more frazzled Hanna became. He tried to soothe him by caressing his pale, shaking hands.
"I didn't know what to think, you know?" Hanna continued after a long while of collecting himself. "You do so much for me. I'd watch you cook breakfast sometimes and I'd feel really guilty and weird 'cause I've thought about…us. I always wondered if you and me could actually work out, even though it's just all kinds of strange. But I wanted it. I've just wanted you so badly this whole time, and now you go and kiss me and tell me you like me…it's a lot to take in all at once, I guess."
There was a pause as Zombie processed the speech, deciding his next course of action. Slowly, he freed his hands, simultaneously lifting himself into a sitting position. He watched Hanna watch him as he removed his gloves, tossing them carelessly to the side. Green, stitched hands then rose to run through vermillion curls, just like he'd wanted before. He locked eyes with Hanna.
"So," he began, voice a low rumble. "Since we're backtracking from my brash move, I guess now's the time to ask. Hanna, will you go out with me?"
Electric blue eyes clung to his, wide and frightened. Hanna blinked once, twice, the fear receding each time to something softer the longer he held the Zombie's gaze. Finally, he gave a weak chuckle.
"Yeah. Fuck yeah."
He punctuated this by throwing himself at Zombie once more, catching his lips in the most awkward, fumbling kiss the world had ever seen. They both laughed, settling into each other, working their mouths to something more like a real kiss and definitely more pleasurable.
Yeah. Maybe it makes up for the inactivity a little...? Haha. Should have a CKS update eventually. I'm such a jerk, sorry...
