Chapter: 3/?
Word Count: 1357
Pairings: Lewis Legend/Swan, Vikke/Josey, Zed/Mariska
Characters: Lewis Legend, Swan, Vikke, Josey, Zed, Mariska
Warnings: Drug Use
Chapter Summary: Mariska gives Lewis the push he needs to lay his cards on the table.

AN: Well, I'm glad I finally got to this chapter. ouo I'm hoping to update this a little more frequently, and with any luck, I'll get back into the swing of things and get it done. I'm still not sure how long this will be, I'll probaby know the closer I get to the end. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!

Special shout out to Wolf, who was the first commenter on Ao3. I'm so glad you like this, bud. I hope to keep impressing!

Chapter Three: I'm Outta My Mind And Outta My Heart

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Having slipped into a somewhat comatose state, Lewis didn't hear the front door bang open when everyone arrived home from school. It was their loud, boisterous talking (or was that just Zed?) that jarred him from his staring, and he rose slowly from the chair he'd taken up, glad that Swan had yet to wake. He supposed it was time to go shut the party down before it did bother him enough to rouse him.

Stiffly walking for the door, he tossed one more glance at the slowly breathing creature laying among all that empty bed by himself, before finally letting himself out. Stopping at the stairwell, he glared at his fellow zombies, a look that seemed lost on every last one of them.

"Will the lot of you just shut up?" He snarled, catching the attention of Zed enough to get the Double Finger Defense.

"Piss off." The punk rolled his eyes, "What, are you scared we're gonna wake Sleeping Beauty?"

"He's been asleep all day."

"Then it's time for him to wake the fuck up!" It didn't take long before he was yelling again, and Lewis was taking the steps three at a time to pin the annoying redhead up against the wall, hand clamped tight over his jaw.

"Shut. Up." A slant of his eyes and a promise in his snarl, had Zed going limp, more or less just to be released so he could speak again.

"You get a little tail and suddenly nobody's good enough?" The punk spat, a deranged smirk on his face, "I think someone's got it bad, and the poor little guy doesn't even know, does he?"

"I am three seconds away from sending you back to Rotten World in a handbasket." That low growl was enough to have Josey busting in between them, pushing Zed further into the wall and Lewis more into the open living room behind him.

"Hey, now, guys, no need to get mean." He offered, smiling like an idiot. "How about we do a couple lines, relax, and leave Lewis' big ass crush to him?"

"It's not a-"

"Brother Lewis, really," Mariska pressed her hand to his head, and a pins and needles sort of feeling pulsed through his brain, "You want him bad enough, love will find a way. It always does." With an enigmatic smile, she walked between the three men, heading for the kitchen.

At the top of the stairs, a hazy Swan swayed a little, rubbing at his face and watching the small group of zombies, the front door still open behind them.

"Guys, can you close the door, please?" He questioned, absently rubbing one eye, now void of contacts. Those pale green pools nearly had Lewis backing up and doing as he asked without taking his eyes off him, the breath he hadn't realized he'd taken punched right from his undead chest. Maybe it had been a mistake to put Swan in that outfit, because he was positive that, any second now, he was going to pick their little master up and carry him back to his room, because nobody else deserved to see him in it.

Walking down the stairs slowly, the hazy noiret yawned wide behind his hand, and the strongest Dark Purveyor had to turn his head away to keep from staring. He'd done quite enough of that today, already. And if he kept watching how red marks clawed up those pale legs, he knew he'd lose his mind. Taking his leave and walking to the with his hands up as soon as he heard Zed begin to speak. Of course, it didn't really stop him from hearing what the loudmouth had to say.

"So, master," Zed had a way of saying things that were supposed to be honorific and making them sound positively below him, "Did you have a fun day with Lewis?" His grin was so loud it could be heard in his voice. Swan, sleepily moving to curl up on the couch and pull Yumil over himself like a blanket, shot him a half-asleep glare that didn't seem to have much of an effect.

"Fuck off, Zed. I have a killer headache."

"Headache?" Vikke questioned, finally finished setting Josey up with his coke fix at the table and lumbering over to stand behind the couch. "I fix. Old family remedy." The 'oh no' that left the much smaller man didn't even phase the viking as he reached down and took hold of both sides of his head. With a swift snap, he jerked Swan's head one way, then the other, and finished off by rubbing thick fingers over his neck, right above his spine. "Eh?" He looked proud of himself, chest puffed out and a grin in place.

Blinking, and awfully surprised that that hadn't killed him, the goth looked up at the other and smiled slowly.

"That… Feels a lot better, actually. Thank you." Rising from his curled state on the couch to stretch again, he wiggled his hips a little, only getting prodded in the ass by Zed as he walked by to crash on the couch.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mariska was putting the finishing touches on her latest batch of space cakes, as Lewis peered over her shoulder.

"Is there something that you need, Lewis?" The hippie questioned, dipping her finger in the gooey batter and humming at the flavor on her tongue. Chewing his tongue a little, the stronger zombie finally sighed.

"So, it's no secret that I like him." Even still, he kept his voice down. The boys seemed to be being pretty loud, but he didn't want Swan to hear him too soon. "But what does he think of me? He panicked this morning." The look in those yellowy eyes was obvious; he didn't like the thought of being rejected by the one man he was certain he loved. A soft giggle left the baking zombie, who poured out her batter in the pan and set it to baking, clapping her hands together as she wiped them almost comically.

"Brother Lewis, you shouldn't let fear keep you from what your heart desires. Just kiss him, tell him how you feel. And try being sober next time you fuck him." That charming smile she offered him offset her words in a weird way in his gut, and the greaser ran his hands over his hair nervously.

"What if he pushes me away?"

"If you love him, let him go. If he comes back, he was always yours." In that enigmatic way of hers, she seemed to practically float from the kitchen and right into Zed's arms, kissing him down from the teasing he'd started in on. "Leave him be, love. I think it's time I tell you about my sculpture." She whispered into her lover's arms, the punk giving a whoop and holler as they nearly charged up the stairs to his room.

Lewis strode into the room with the clink of his metal-tipped boots against the tile switching to the thud of his heavy steps on the carpet, ignoring Vikke and Josey who had started up their usual game of seeing how wrecked they could get before someone made them stop. Turning on his most charming smile and 'come get me' eyes, he sat calmly beside Swan on the couch, though his heart sputtered as it tried to keep his sluggish blood going. He took the human's hands in his cold ones, and those shockingly pale green eyes turned on him, stopping him cold before he forced himself to keep going. Lifting that shaking hand to his lips, he pressed them, chill and cracked, to the other's knuckles, closing his eyes.

"Mind if I talk to you?" He questioned, yellow melting into green as he saw those pursed lips turn into a shaky, almost watery smile.

"Sure." Came the soft reply, a soft noise leaving him as Lewis rose and drug him up with him. They walked slowly up the stairs, back to Swan's room, their fingers intertwined and a soft blush coloring the human's cheeks.

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AN: Here we are, another chapter. ouo I'm pretty happy with this one, even if it's a tad short. I hope you guys are ready for the next chapter, soon!