A/N: Welcome back! Part 3 of the band!au is finally finished. It took long but it's not nearly as long as parts 1 and 2. But hey, part 4 will go back into the flow of being long, since it is the last part.
Originally, this story was supposed to have only three parts. This part was supposed to be at the end of part 2, but then part 2 got really long, which is why this part is only six thousand words.
Enjoy this! Part 4 is already in the works and partially done! Um, I feel like there should be trigger warnings. I just don't know what I'm warning you for. So just, be warned, I guess. To be surprised.
Friday, July 12 5:03pm PST
Los Angeles, California
Their first show was in Los Angeles. It started at seven thirty and was expected to end at ten, with people coming in with backstage passes until midnight. Then they would drive through the night for another show the very next day in Vegas.
They had to be at the office by ten with all their tour stuff and would go over the set list. Then they had to be at the venue at three for soundcheck (which would end around half past four) and then they'd spend the rest of the time until the show in wardrobe and makeup.
Everyone but Addison. The Zombie makeup took about two hours to put on but Addison didn't need to be in makeup until a little more than an hour before.
Addison sat with them in the smelly makeup room. It was only smelly because of the pounds of makeup being put on the three other members of iZombie.
Her wardrobe was simple enough: a blue dress and white wedges sneakers. She had a few other outfits throughout the show but the first one was simple enough. Addison was told it was to highlight her innocence and ignorance, especially since they were opening with Bamm.
"You look like a sweet teenager," Bree gushed.
"I just can't wait to change," Addison admitted.
"You're doing like, half your set in that," Bree reminded her.
Addison rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me."
Addison and Bree left Addison's dressing room and made their way to the hair and makeup station. The other three members of iZombie were sitting in their chairs, getting their faces done.
Addison had seen the makeup process only when they were filming music videos, and they'd only done two videos. And Addison had been rehearsing while they did their makeup, then doing her own makeup. And then doing safety checks.
All of their chairs were leaned back and they had two artists working on their faces, and then one painting their arms and any exposed body skin. Eliza was fully dressed but Zed and Bonzo we're chilling in just their pants.
Zed was fit as fuck. He was just laying there, not moving or saying or doing anything. His arms and neck were being painted pale grey and the rest of him was tan or being worked on. That shouldn't have been attractive.
'You can't get involved with Zed,' she reminded herself. 'Remember what Bucky said: rockstars are bad news.'
'And he definitely doesn't think of you that way. You guys are just friends.'
"Addison?" Zed asked with the slight lift of his lips.
"How'd you know I was watching you?"
"Your perfume." The makeup artist tapped his cheek a little roughly, telling him to stop talking so she could work.
"Is it that strong?" She didn't wait for Zed to answer and added, "I think I might change it then."
"Don't, it smells nice," Zed told her. "Like your signature smell or whatever."
"Zed," the artist warned.
"Sorry."
Addison jumped up onto the markup counter and crossed her ankles, watching the artists work silently. After another ten minutes, the ones working on his body paint moved back. "Go finish getting dressed," one of them told him.
Zed got up from his chair and Addison felt her mouth go dry. He was two different colors with his makeup barely done, but he couldn't look more glorious.
Zed noticed her staring and gave her a smile. "Like what you see?"
Addison blushed and forced her gaze up to his face. Zed laughed and moved to the wardrobe rack labeled 'Zed.' "I'm just teasing you, Addy," he said. "You look adorable all red, it's fun to mess with you."
Addison glared but it lost its meaning with her still inflamed cheeks. "Zed, shirt," the artist repeated.
Zed rolled his eyes only for Addison to see and she giggled, watching him as he went to the clothing rack. "What do you think, Addy?"
Addison jumped down from the counter and stood next to him at the rack. From the other side of the room, Maykel said to them, "Zed, you were supposed to have everything picked out already."
Without turning around, Zed said, "You tell me the same thing every show and every show the same thing happens. I don't know why you expect anything different."
"You are a literal child."
Zed grinned and said, "Love you too."
He turned his attention back to Addison, and raised an eyebrow at her. "Well Ms. Rachel and Ms. Daisy spent a long time painting your arms, so I'd say something short sleeved to show off their hard work."
"Agreed."
Bonzo got up from his chair and went to his rack of clothes, grabbing his shirt and jacket set. He stuck his tongue out at Zed who did the same in retaliation. Addison turned and called to Maykel, "I think they're all children."
Bonzo stuck his tongue out at her as he moved back to his side of the room.
Addison picked through the hangers, then pulled out a red 'Zombie styled' shirt. "This will pop great against your skin," Addison stated.
"Naturally."
"And…maybe a vest. We'll see. What shoes will you wear?"
"The white high tops, duh. I have way too much leg showing."
Addison giggled and Zed picked out a random vest. He pulled the shirt over his head, careful for his makeup, the rolled the vest onto his shoulders. "How do I look?" he asked with a playful twirl.
"Delicious," Addison teased.
"Hey. That is my line." Zed pointed out.
Addison giggled and Zed went back to his chair. "Love the look, by the way," he told her. "You like like a sweet tennager. Mostly because you're five feet tall."
Addison scowled at him but he didn't see, already back to getting his makeup done. Eliza finished first because she sat still in her chair complied with the artists. Bonzo was done a few minutes after her. Zed was done last, with twenty minutes until show time. He kept fidgeting and trying to talk with Addison.
Zed slid up beside Addison, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Addison, I want to show you something."
He slipped his hand into hers and led her through a few dark hallways. The further they walked, the louder it got, the sounds practically shaking the walls.
"Why are we heading to the stage?" Addison asked.
"Look around the corner," Zed told her, his voice low.
He let go of her hand and Addison stepped forward, then peered around the corner. The house lights were low but still enough to see the venue packed. It was buzzing with life, shaking Addison to the core and filling her with surprising nervousness.
"You see all those people?" Zed asked. "They're here for us. They want to see us. A couple of them have seen you perform live, maybe. The rest are here to see what you got. This show could go horribly. They might boo you, because you're not Lucy."
Addison turned back to look at him and frowned. "This is the worst pep talk ever."
Zed wasn't fazed by her interruption. "People out there hate you, Addison. We can't change that. But there are people out there who have heard you sing and know you're amazing. Those are the people that matter most. You'll always have haters, but you'll also have fans. Tonight, we're playing for our fans. Don't let anything they say or do stop you from singing your heart out. The only time I want you to stop is when our set is over or if I pull you from the stage."
"Um, why you?"
"You're my responsibility," Zed stated. "I brought you here. I got you to audition because you trusted me and you trusted that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. I need you to trust me out there too, Addison. Trust that I'll take care of you."
Addison nodded. "I trust you," she said softly. "You'll take care of me."
Zed smiled slightly. "We're gonna crush this," he stated. He slung an arm around her shoulder and walked with her back to their main gathering room. "Let's kick this tour's ass."
Saturday, July 13 12:22am PST
Los Angeles, California
The show ended around eleven. They had gone backstage to meet fans, which took another hour and a half of their time before security finally cleared the place.
Addison changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt. She could go and wait for them in the bus, or she could help them take off their makeup.
By them she meant Zed. They were both in the backstage bathroom, Addison sitting on the sink counter. She was taking care of the paint on his neck and chest while he cleared off his face.
"You definitely didn't have to do this," Zed told her again.
"I wanna get on the road like now. Plus, you're always the last one done. Eliza and Bonzo don't need my help."
"You could be sleeping already."
"Maykel says we can't sleep until we're on the highway."
"Still."
"The arm paint comes off in the shower, right?"
"Yes ma'am." Zed answered. "How did you like tonight? Was it everything you were hoping for?"
"Everything and more," Addison said with a smile. "It wasn't like it was the first time I performed."
"Just the tour kick off," Zed said.
"It was fun. You were amazing, by the way. I love watching you during C'est La Vie. To the point that Bree had to turn off the monitor so I could get changed."
Zed blushed and smiled shyly at her. "You're good too. Especially when you're dancing. And talking to the fans. You…you look so happy. I…you're amazing. You're so talented and amazing and just, yeah."
"Thanks?" Addison said with a little giggle. "I think that, because I got most of your makeup off and will definitely finish before you, you should give me a piggyback ride to the bus."
Zed nodded quickly. "Okay! I mean, yeah, that's fair."
Addison giggled a little. She finished a few minutes later and did the side of his face that he wasn't doing. They finished close to one. Zed threw out all the garbage, then let Addison climb up onto his back. They did a final sweep of the building before heading out to the bus.
"What the hell? What's wrong with her legs?" Eliza asked. Her and Bonzo were already cleaned up and dressed for bed, sitting on the couches.
"She helped me with my makeup, so this is her payment."
He dropped Addison onto the couch, then made his way to the bathroom in the back. Bree came onto the bus a few minutes later. "Mr. Jacobs is gonna be on the second bus with the crew," she explained. "We're four hours away from Las Vegas. When we get there, you guys are moving into a hotel. You're free until ten. Then you'll be live-streaming on a morning webshow to talk about the kick-off of the tour. Soundcheck is at four. Doors open at seven thirty, Howlrs open for you at eight. You're on around nine."
"So you're gonna stay up to tell Zed all of this, right?" Eliza asked. "Because I'm taking my ass to bed."
"You all need to be in bed. Where's Zed?"
"Shower," Addison answered.
"I bet you plan on joining him, huh?" Eliza teased. "You two have been really 'friendly' lately."
"I am not having this argument at one in the morning," Addison stated. "He's just my friend. It's as simple as that. He's not interested in me, logically, and I'm not interested in him."
Addison stood up. "I'm going to bed. Long day."
There was a curtain that separated the front of the bus from the bunks. Behind the bunks on the left was the bathroom. Then there was a door that blocked off a music room.
Addison's bunk was above Zed's on the right. Him and Bonzo had to get the two bottom ones because they could barely fit in the normal bunks.
Addison closed the curtain and went to climb up to her bunk when the bus lurched to a start. Both Zed and Addison had been walking and lost their balance, colliding and falling to the ground, Zed falling backwards and Addison on top of him.
"Oh shit! I'm sorry!" Addison apologized quickly.
Zed huffed and laughed a little. Their faces were merely inches apart, so close that Addison could see a little freckle in his eye.
"You're good, Addy," he said with a laugh. "If you wanted to get me under you, all you had to do was ask."
Addison blushed and quickly got to her feet. "Didn't you just come from the shower? I doubt you'd need me when you've got your hand."
Zed laughed and stood up. He was only wearing his boxers, his hair still wet from his shower. "I could go on and on with this conversation about sex, but I think if you got anymore red we'd have to take you to a hospital."
"I can handle sex jokes!" Addison exclaimed defensively.
Zed laughed and grabbed pajamas from where they sat on his bunk. Addison watched him, her eyes wandering over his back. She could see the muscles moving as he moved, the tightness of the skin where he had permanent damage from the fire. There were patches of third degree burns all over his body. He had scars from some lesser burns, scars that were healing better.
They never talked about it, but the scars were a constant reminder. Or at least a constant physical reminder. Zed had told her once that he couldn't sleep some nights, that he'd get nightmares or be afraid to be alone in the dark.
"Staring at my ass, huh?"
Addison smiled a little. "To be fair, it's very nice. It's thick but not too thick and looks firm."
Zed turned to her with a smile on his face. "Thanks. You have a nice ass too."
"Oh do I?"
Zed nodded. "You'd think it looks better in leggings but when you wear jeans it's just…wow."
His cheeks were dusting red and Addison felt flustered, looking away from his face. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "I…I'm gonna get some sleep. It's been a long night. See you in the morning."
From her peripheral, she saw Zed pull a shirt over his head. "Okay. See you in the morning."
Addison climbed up and into her bunk. She left the curtain open and got settled under her blanket, falling asleep within minutes. It had been a long day and Addison was incredibly exhausted.
Addison's dreams were filled with Zed. Way more Zed than she was used to or would expect on a normal basis, or that she would ever see.
Bree woke them up at eight. Addison stayed in bed, staring at the top of her bunk for at least fifteen minutes. Her dream was still vivid in her mind; she didn't think she could face Zed that day after that dream.
"Addison," Bree said. "You gotta get up and look presentable for your interview."
Addison whined and got out of bed. From what she could tell though, the bus was vacant. "Where is everyone?"
"Getting their makeup done," Bree answered. "You're lucky you don't have to do that."
When Addison didn't laugh or even smile at her joke, Bree gave her a concerned look. "What's wrong?"
"I…is the bus empty?"
Bree nodded and Addison jumped down from her bunk. "I had an…odd dream last night."
"Odd?"
Addison nodded. "Don't make me say it," she whined.
Bree looked her up and down, trying to figure it out. Realization dawned on her and she asked slowly, "Did…did you have a sex dream or something?"
Addison looked at the ground and nodded in shame. "Addy," Bree said softly.
"It was about Zed!" Addison covered her face to avoid seeing Bree's reaction.
"Oh." She could hear Bree smirking, no matter how small it was.
Addison shook her head, completely embarrassed. "I can't face him today! I can't even think about him without considering…Bree what am I gonna do!"
"You've never had a sex dream before?"
"When I was thirteen!"
Bree laughed at that. "It won't be too bad. It's not like it was some dude who you didn't know or who didn't clearly like you."
Addison dropped her hands and looked at Bree. "Zed doesn't like me. And he shouldn't be subject to-to that! It was awful!"
"Was it really awful?"
"I-no! I don't know! I don't wanna talk about this!"
Bree laughed again and patted her friend's shoulder. "You'll be fine. You're gonna be twenty-one, I'm sure you can handle a little sex dream."
Addison pouted. "You need to shower and get your hair done so you look presentable," Bree went on. "Get over the dream. Worry about it later."
Saturday, July 13 9:28am PST
Las Vegas, Nevada
The hotel had a conference room where they would connect to the Good Morning with Franny Grace show. The others were upstairs, in their respective rooms, getting ready. Addison stayed in the bus to change and do her own makeup and hair.
She was the first one in the conference room. She had been there for a few minutes before Zed walked in. Addison glanced up when she heard the door open and immediately looked away.
"Hey," he greeted. "Look who decided to wake up."
Addison just hummed. She couldn't look at him, afraid her blushing and embarrassment might give way to what was going on in her head.
"I have a quick question," Zed said as he sat down next to her. "Do you want to let security know if certain people aren't allowed backstage or in a show period? I know this is something we should've done ages ago, but it just crossed my mind."
Addison looked up at him and asked, "What?" She immediately regretted it though. Her mind went back to her dream and she feels her face heat up. Zed had a casual yet serious smile on his face, completely oblivious to what was going on in her head. Addison looked at the top of his hair.
"Like your parents. Or Sebastian. If you wanted to prohibit certain people from seeing us live or getting backstage access."
"Oh, um, yeah." Addison nodded. "You would do that for me?"
"Of course. Just give me names, I got you. A description is nice too but not completely necessary. I'll get it to the security team as soon as possible."
Addison nodded then looked back at her phone. She felt Zed's eyes on her.
"You okay?" Zed asked.
Addison nodded without looking up from her phone. "Um, what should I expect from this interview?"
"They're just gonna ask us about last night," Zed said. "How you felt, what was going through your mind. The works."
Addison froze at his wording. On any other day she wouldn't have noticed how his words could apply to sex.
"Addy? Are you sure you're okay?"
Addison stood up. "I have to go to the bathroom," she announced, then quickly left.
Sunday, July 14 3:04am PST
Barstow, California
The interview went well. Addison couldn't look Zed in the eye the entire day. The show didn't go as well as the Los Angeles show, mainly because of Addison. The next show wasn't until Wednesday, in San Francisco. Las Vegas to San Francisco was an eight hour drive. They all boarded the bus to get there as soon as possible.
Addison slept for about two hours. She woke up at three in the morning, panicked and afraid. It took a few minutes for her to figure out where she was and that she was safe.
She feels a little like crying and like vomiting. The bus is rocking and not helping her at all. Slowly, she climbs down from her bunk. Her mouth felt dry even though the screaming and crying had only been in her dreams. Addison went to the kitchenette and was surprised to see light coming from a laptop at the couches. She looked a little harder and saw Zed sitting on his laptop.
"Zed? What you doing up?"
Zed looked at her and whispered, "I couldn't sleep. You?"
"I had a bad dream."
"You wanna watch Netflix with me?"
Addison nodded and grabbed a water bottle from the mini fridge then sat down next to him. They watched three episodes of The Office without saying anything to each other.
Zed was changing the episode then paused. "Hey Addy, I'm sorry about last night."
"What?"
"All the jokes about sex. Sorry for making you uncomfortable." he explained. "I don't want you to feel that way about me. You avoided me all day and it was awful."
"Oh," Addison said. "No, I wasn't…I didn't mean…I wasn't upset because of that."
Zed turned his head to look at her. "But you were avoiding me because of something, weren't you?"
"It wasn't anything that you did," she assured him. "And I don't care about your sex jokes. They're fun."
"But…but why were you avoiding me?"
Addison frowned. She couldn't see him very well in the light from his computer but it was clear that it bothered him a lot. "It was stupid. Don't worry about it. We're cool."
Zed looked at her once more, then nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?"
Zed nodded again. "Okay. You're my best friend, and we're cool now."
"Good." Addison snuggled into his side to get a better view of the screen. "Can we watch some cartoons?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"I like Spongebob."
Zed laughed a little. He left Netflix and went on another streaming website, logging in and finding an old episode of Spongebob Squarepants.
"We could've watched something else. You didn't have to go searching for me."
"You gotta fall asleep. Plus, cartoons are cool."
Addison smiled a little and turned her head into his chest. "Thank you."
Zed clicked on an episode, then wrapped an arm around Addison, holding her close. They watched a couple of episodes and neither of them fell asleep. The sun was already rising but other than that, the bus was still silent. Addison was tired but didn't want to go back to sleep.
"Another episode?" Zed asked tiredly.
"You don't have to stay up to keep my company."
"I've been having nightmares," Zed admitted. "I haven't been sleeping because of them."
Addison raised an eyebrow and looked up at him. "Really?"
Zed nodded. "It happened…twice, I think. I can't fall asleep anymore."
"When was the last time you slept?"
Zed paused to think for a second. "A week ago."
"I…I wish I could do something to help you," she said. "I…I had a nightmare tonight. About Sna—Sebastian. It's why I woke up."
"I…I know. You were muttering and fighting in your sleep." Zed admitted. "I wanted to wake you up, but Eliza always says to let people work out their dreams on their own."
Addison tucked her head back into his chest. She turned to see the screen, clicking on the next episode. She felt strangely lighter. She didn't even tell him what had happened in her nightmare but she still felt a little better.
Addison fell asleep and woke up hours later. She didn't dream anything then. She was still cuddling into Zed, who was also sleeping soundly. They were both woken up from Bree's gentle shaking.
"We're at the hotel," Bree said gently. "Eliza and Bonzo already went up. I've got your room keys."
Addison whined and turned into Zed. She was tired and didn't want to get up, especially since sleeping on top of Zed was so comfortable. It was quite possibly the best sleep Addison had ever had, and she didn't want it to end (even though she was already awake).
"Come on Addy, get up," Zed grumbled. "Let's move to an actual bed, huh?"
"I'm comfy here," Addison whined.
Zed laughed softly and rubbed her arm. "We have days to just chill. I'm sure we could sleep a little more here, right Bree?"
"Uh, I guess?"
"Cool. You can go up. You can leave our keys on the table."
"Okay."
Monday, July 15 12:16am PST
San Francisco, California
Addison had slept maybe an hour before she woke up in a cold sweat again, the image of Snake hovering over her still fresh in her mind. She felt like crying and had to turn on the lights in her hotel room to make sure she was still alone. Except she didn't really want to be alone. Being alone made her more vulnerable.
She wasn't too far from home. She could call Bucky and he'd be more than willing to talk to her until the morning or even take her home. But she didn't want to worry her cousin. She was worried herself about how he would react if he found out she was having nightmares again. He wouldn't let her out of his sight the first time.
Addison found herself on her phone, in her text chats. She knew she couldn't be alone and she didn't want to call Bucky. Zed was the next option, considering how close they were and how understanding Zed was.
Addison 12:17am
Hey, are you awake?
Addison put her phone down beside her and drew her legs up to her chest. It only took a minute for Zed to respond.
Zed 12:18am
Yeah is everything alright?
Addison 12:18am
Bad dream
Zed didn't ask her anything else. He sent her his room number, which was a few doors down from hers. Addison got out of bed quickly, grabbing her own room key and her phone before rushing out and heading to Zed's room. She didn't even get to knock before the door opened and Zed pulled her in.
Zed closed the door and led Addison over to the bed. "You alright?" Zed asked as they sat down.
Addison shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. "Bad dream," she simply said.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
Addison shook her head. She opened her mouth and took a second to find her words. "I-I didn't want to be alone."
She couldn't see his face in the dark but saw him nod. "We still have twenty-nine more days for our free trial," he offered.
Addison smiled a little. Her and Zed scooted back until their backs were against the headboard. Zed moved his laptop into her lap and switched taps, opening another episode of Spongebob. They didn't cuddle and just watched cartoons in silence.
It took eight episodes for Addison to calm down. She relaxed against his pillows and leaned into his side. Zed just spared her a glance and clicked on another episode.
Every episode was fifteen minutes. The theme song barely finished when Addison hit pause. She turned on the lamp beside his bed then faced him.
"If…If I tell you my nightmare, will you tell me yours?"
Zed nodded quickly. "I can go first if you'd like."
"No," Addison said. "I have to say this. I-It's happened twice now. I keep seeing Sna-Sebastian."
Zed nodded along, his full attention on her. "I'm not even me I'd like I'm watching from the outside. And it's kinda like memorizes except they're ten times worse because I was so stupid when I was younger. I…It's so bad. I…"
Addison trailed off, focusing her gaze down at the sheets. She felt Zed's hands on her cheek, turning her head up to him. "You're out of there now, and that's what matters most," he said, gently but firmly. "You're not going back. You may not be fine now, but you'll get better. I know you will. You're one of the strongest girls I know."
Addison felt her lip quiver and her eyes start to well up and sting a little. She didn't deserve to have Zed in her life. She was a broken mess and it shouldn't be his job to fix her. Yet he was doing it so willingly, without being asked and never asking questions.
Zed stroked her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs soothingly. Addison felt choked up, blinking hard. She didn't know if she was trying not to cry or to just cry already.
Addison sniffed and shook her head a little. "Will you tell me your nightmare?" she asked quietly.
"Lucy," Zed said, his voice quiet. "It's always her. It's always so sweet and nice at first. And then it…it all goes to shit. I always wake up before it can get better, before I can get out of there. Before I can escape the fire."
Addison smiled a little bitterly. "We shouldn't relate so much. People shouldn't have to go through what we did."
"We'll be okay," Zed assured her.
They adjusted their position, cuddling together and switching to a historical movie. They fell asleep cuddling each other again.
The next night, Addison didn't even try going to her own room. She just went to Zed's room and they watched cartoons until they fell asleep. And they did it again, and again, and again.
Wednesday, July 24 8:44pm PST
Seattle, Washington
The set always started off with their album. Addison would leave the stage only during C'est la Vie, which was one of Zed's songs on the album. She would switch outfits to something more fun and lively for her favorite song, Bust a Left.
When Addison came back out with three background dancer, the music didn't play as it usually would. And Zed was still center stage. He hadn't moved away and still had his microphone in its spot.
"What's going on?" Addison asked.
Zed looked at her and smiled. "People of Seattle," he announced into his microphone. "Tomorrow is a very special day! Tomorrow is Addison's twenty-first birthday!"
Eliza cheered, Bonzo banged on the cymbals and the crowd cheered loudly. Addison blushed a little and looked back, seeing her dancers cheering too.
When everyone called down a bit, Zed went on. "So before she comes and kills the rest of our show, we have to sing her Happy Birthday!"
Everyone cheered again. Zed hit a power chord on his guitar. "Ready? Two…three…four!"
Zed played the guitar and Bonzo hit the drums as Zed and Eliza led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday. Addison listened happily, smiling uncontrollably. All she could hear was Zed and Eliza in their microphones; they were both singing purposely offkey. When they finished, the crowd screamed and cheered and Addison couldn't help but blush a little.
Zed motioned for her to join him at center stage. He slung an arm around her shoulder and Addison reached behind herself, turning on her mic pack.
"Happy early birthday, Addy," Zed said with a smile.
"Thank you!" Addison exclaimed earnestly. "You are incredibly over the top."
"Oh you love."
Addison rolled her eyes. Zed gave her a squeeze then moved back to his spot. "Alright! Now the birthday girl is gonna do her favorite song. Or what I assume is her favorite song."
"It is my favorite."
One of the crew members ran out and took the microphone with them. "Oh, is it time?" Eliza asked.
"Yes it is," Zed snapped. "God, pay attention."
Eliza held her hands up in defense. "Damn, chill."
Addison looked back at them. "You guys done? It's my birthday, after all."
"Your birthday is tomorrow, but sure."
Addison chuckled and shook her head. "Alright friends and fans, this is Bust a Left!"
Thursday, July 25 9:21am PST
Seattle, Washington
Addison was sure that if they could've gotten a key to her room, her bandmates would've woken her up way earlier than she would have liked. They didn't have plans until later that day, so Addison work up when Bucky called her a little after nine in the morning.
She got out of bed and left her room, going into the common area of their suite to grab some breakfast. She got into the kitchen and saw her bandmates sitting at the island, all with their phones pointing at her. "Woo! It's the birthday girl!" Zed cheered.
"A twenty-one year old sleeping beauty!" Eliza hollered. "Love the bedhead Babe."
Addison rolled her eyes at them but smiled. "You are truly stunning," Zed said.
Addison hit a pose and they laughed. Whatever they were recording ended around the same time and they put their phones down. "Happy birthday, Blondie," Eliza said.
"Thanks."
Zed got off his stool and went to the microwave. He pulled out a stack of pancakes, then grabbed fruits and whipped creams from the fridge. "We made you breakfast," he announced.
"We went out and bought breakfast," Eliza corrected.
Zed rolled his eyes and put Addison's pancakes in front of a stool. "I know you like gross fruits, but whipped cream is also good," he explained. "I'll go get you something to drink."
"Zed, you don't have to do all this."
"Hush. It's your birthday and I promised you months ago that I would make it awesome." Zed ushered her to a seat, forcing her to sit down the kissed her temple. "You're gonna love your birthday. Promise."
Addison blushed a little and looked down at her pancakes. "Oh, okay. Whatever you say."
"Whipped cream, then fruits?"
Addison nodded and Zed set up her breakfast. He went back to the fridge and poured a glass of orange juice, then brought it back to Addison.
"So the plan for today," Zed started. "First we're going to have dinner at Sergio's. Our reservations are at seven thirty. Then when we finish we're gonna go to a club and get shitfaced. It's gonna be great!"
Thursday, July 25 10:56pm PST
Seattle, Washington
Addison wore the hat Zed gave her the whole night. It was green and said 'Team Zed' in white embroidery, and she had to use pins to keep it on her head.
After dinner, they toured around Seattle, then went out to a club downtown. As they were getting out of the car, Zed let Eliza and Bonzo and Bree walk ahead of them, then turned to Addison and said, "Stay with me, okay? I don't want you to be alone here. Eliza is gonna hang around with Bonzo and Bree but I need you to stay with me."
"Of course," Addison said. "You gotta help me buy the right drinks, now that I'm actually legal."
Zed smiled, grabbed Addison's hand and helped her out, guiding her into the club. It was loud and dark and pulsing with life and music that Addison felt shake her core.
Zed immediately took her to the bar. There were no open spaces and it was crowded; Zed managed to wedge them between a few people and leaned against the charcoal marble. Zed ordered for the both of them, then turned to lean against the counter.
"So, what's it like to finally be old enough to drink?"
"Considering I've been drinking for years, it feels eh."
Zed laughed and shook his head. "I remember my twenty-first birthday," he said wistfully.
"You mean March? 'Cause we're practically the same age."
Zed shrugged. "Me and Bonzo went to Vegas. It was fucking awesome."
"What about Lucy?"
Zed shrugged. "You know how she would get. She got angry, threatened me. The works. Let's not talk about Lucy tonight. It's your birthday!"
Addison giggled. Their drinks came out and Zed watched Addison as she took a long sip. She rolled her eyes but dramatically sighed blissfully. "This, this is amazing," she said.
Zed smiled brightly, then downed a shot. "You wanna dance? Or you wanna get wasted first?"
"I'll answer after I finish this drink. Do I get some of those shots?"
Zed shrugged. "Technically, You shouldn't mix alcohol, but go wild girl. Just, like, don't get alcohol poisoning."
Addison smiled and took another drink. They hung out at the bar, drinking and talking for a little more than an hour. They had to shout over the music to hear each other. When they finished the club is more crowded than before.
Zed took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor. They weren't in the center but weren't at the edge, surrounded in every direction.
The music was loud and everyone was dancing and screaming, lights flashing everywhere. Zed and Addison moved with the music and the crowd. They kept their hands linked and danced facing each other. They were touching in just about every place imaginable, gyrating and grinding on each other.
Addison grinned at Zed, then her eyes drifted behind him and her mood crumbled. It was dark, the lights were flashing, and her senses were hazy, but she knew that face from a mile away. It was the face that haunted her for years, that lied and manipulated her and made her feel worthless and dirty.
Addison felt a burning in her chest like she would throw up. She needed to get out of the club before he noticed her, get as far away as possible. She yanked her hand away from Zed and backed up quickly. People elbowed her and pushed her but she fought her way through the crowd, rushing to the exit. She heard someone call her name and picked up the pace, terrified of the prospect of Snake finding her.
Outside the club felt like jumping into freezing water. It's chilly for a summer night and quiet for a major metropolitan. Addison started to hyperventilate, unable to think clearly and just get out of there.
From behind her, someone grabbed her by her shoulder and turned her around. "Addison!"
She panicked for a second before noticing the neon green hair. Zed gave her a concerned and worried look.
In the streetlight, she saw Snake exiting the club. Except it wasn't Snake, just a man that looked a lot like him. There was no snake tattoo on his left bicep.
Addison felt a rush of emotions; the fear and the relief were probably the strongest. She looked back at Zed and in a moment of impulse, surged forward and kissed him hard.
Zed stumbled but a second later he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. Addison pulled away first, breathless. "I'm sorry," she rushed out. "I-I thought I saw—and I freaked and—I—"
Zed cut her off, kissing her again. Addison tangled her fingers in his hair, their mouths moving as well be as they made out on the sidewalk. There were months worth of pent up emotions coursing through their veins, all pouring out at once.
They pulled apart and stared at each other, taking in deep breaths. Addison looked him in the eyes and said, "Fuck me."
"What?"
"Take me back to the hotel and show me what's it like to be loved. Really loved."
