"Zed…" Addison asked slowly. "Are we still…are you still willing to…keep up the sex?"

Zed glanced at her curiously and asked, "What?"

Addison shrugged a little uncomfortably and a little nervously. "Like, if I were to ask for sex right now. Would you say yes? Or no?"

"Well let's see," Zed said. "Sex with a very hot girl. What a difficult choice."

Addison snorted a little. "You're very sarcastic, Zed. Your room?"

"I have to check, one second." Zed pulled into the empty parking spot, putting the car in park then taking his phone from the cup holder. He scrolled through his messages, checking to see if all of his roommates were home.

"The coast is clear."

"Why do you only bring me to your room when your roommates aren't home?" Addison asked.

"All of them are shitheads," Zed complained. "They'll give me shit for fucking you. Bonzo will tease me with Eliza or the other two will tell the entire team and it's just not what I'm in the mood for."

Addison nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I get that," she said. "I don't want people talking about me, or about you."

"How kind of you. Come on, let's go."

Zed was up early but he liked cuddling with Addison in the morning. It was better than going to the gym or to class. He didn't actually skip gym time, considering Addison would wake up before he'd miss it. But sometimes he'd miss a morning class to spend more time with her.

Addison woke up earlier than she usually would. She groaned and stretched, then turned to face him. "Mm, good morning," she mumbled. "What is with you and creepily watching me in the morning?"

Zed just smiled and shrugged. Addison giggled a little. Her face fell and she gagged; she rolled over and got out of his bed. She walked quickly into the bathroom. Zed got out of bed; he went over to his drawers and put on a pair of boxers, then grabbed a tee shirt and went into the bathroom.

Addison was hunched over the toilet, vomiting. Zed cursed under his breath and got down next to her. The last time he dealt with a vomiting person was when he was still living at home and his little sister got a stomach virus. Like the time with Zoey, he rubbed her back soothingly and held her hair back from her face.

Addison started dry heaving, gripping the edge of the seat hard enough that her knuckles went white. "You're okay, Addy," he said soothingly. "Just breathe, okay. You're okay." She coughed thickly, took a deep breath and slowly let go of the seat. She let go of her hair and she sighed, ruffling it.

"I hate throwing up," she complained. "I hate this so much."

Zed hummed in acknowledgement. "I would ask if you want some breakfast but I'm gonna guess that's why this happened."

"To be fair, it does smell pretty good," Addison said. "I'm so hungry."

"I'll find you something to eat. I also got you this shirt, so you wouldn't have to be sitting here, completely naked."

Addison smiled and took the shirt from him. "You're really sweet. Like way too sweet. Why are you so nice with me?"

"You deserve it," he told her. Zed moved an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. "You're amazing and perfect and sweet."

Addison snorted. "You sound like you have actual real feelings for me."

"That'd be crazy," Zed muttered. "Breakfast?"

"I don't think I can keep anything down," she said honestly. "Thinking about food makes my stomach hurt."

"I think you should see a doctor."

"Probably."

"Do you wanna try eating something?" Zed asked her.

"I won't be able to handle eggs, I can tell you that. But if you have plain cereal, I think I can try it. I just don't want to vomit anymore."

"I'll figure something out." Zed got to his feet and went back into his room. He grabbed a tee shirt from the drawer and put it on. He walked out and into the kitchen, where Bonzo was frying eggs and bacon.

Bonzo gave him a questioning look when he saw him. "Don't you have class in like, ten minutes?" Bonzo asked.

"Addison's here," Zed told him lowly.

Bonzo nodded in understanding. He watch as Zed grabbed a bowl from his cabinet, a box of Cheerios, and the milk from the fridge. "Is that for you or for her?"

"Her."

"Doesn't eating breakfast together violate the whole no strings thing?"

"I'll explain when you're older." Zed patted his shoulder, picked up the bowl of cereal and went back in his room.

He put the bowl down on his desk and closed the room door. Addison was in the bathroom, leaning over the toilet, dry heaving again. Zed went in and Addison sat back, panting as she looked up at him.

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice. She gestured to the toilet seat where she had missed (just a little bit).

"It's not your fault," he told her. "Don't worry about it, okay? It's my bathroom, and I've dealt with way worse."

"That's just a tiny bit concerning," she noted with a smile.

Zed breathed out a laugh. Addison got to her feet and took a deep breath, turning and looking at him. "Um, do you have a toothbrush or some mouthwash or maybe both? That I could use?" she asked.

Zed nodded and went to the sink drawer, pulling it open and handing her an unopened toothbrush and the toothpaste. "Mouthwash is behind the mirror," he told her. "I'll be in the room."

Zed gathered her clothes on his bed, straightening them out for her while he waited for her to be finished in the bathroom.

Addison came out of the bathroom a few minutes later. Zed gestured to the desk where the cereal was; Addison went and picked up the bowl. "Thank you," she muttered.

"It's no problem."

"What's your roommate cooking?" Addison asked.

"Eggs and bacon. Always does. He's awesome."

"But you don't want him to know when I'm here?"

"Eh. Him and my other friend always tease me. I told you this yesterday. But if he doesn't know you're here until the morning. It minimizes a lot of the teasing."

Addison hummed, eating a spoonful of cereal. She looked at the papers on Zed's desk. "Woah, you have class like, now."

Zed nodded. "Yeah, I know."

She looked at him and asked, "Why are you here? You have class!"

"It's not a hard class. Plus, we get two absences and the teacher is chill."

"Finals are in like, two weeks. You shouldn't be skipping class."

"That's the only class that I have a high A in, I'll be fine."

"Is…is it because of me?"

Zed shrugged. "It's not not because of you. But I didn't even have my alarm on, so it's not like I was trying hard to go to class today."

Addison sighed sadly. "I feel all bad."

"Don't. It's my choice, not yours."

She sighed again. "Okay."

"Can I ask you something?"

Addison nodded, sitting down in his desk chair. "What's up?"

"We didn't really talk about this yesterday but…do you wanna try dating?"

She shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't wanna be in a relationship with someone just because we're having a baby. Seems fake and…not right."

"You said it yourself that I have actual real feelings for you."

"Oh do you?" Addison asked. "I'm not a mind reader, Zed. I said it sounded like it. But we've known each other since the seventh grade and you've barely said two words to me. How am I just supposed to assume that you have feelings for me?"

"But—why did you even ask for sex in the first place?"

"Because you're hot and I've heard good things about your dick." Addison shrugged again. "I didn't want a relationship. I just wanted some dick."

"Well you got way worse than a relationship, don't you think?"

Addison rolled her eyes. "Way to be an asshole, asshole."

Zed groaned and sat down on his bed. "Okay, look, I'm sorry. For being so sarcastic. I just...the reason I never asked you out was because I was afraid to talk to you all those years ago because you're really cute and nice which is why I never talked to you and now we're having a baby and I wanna try dating you if that's not too much to ask."

Addison was silent and Zed couldn't bring himself to look up at her. She ate her cereal quietly, then said, "I…it wouldn't hurt to try."

Zed's head snapped up quickly and he exclaimed, "No! I don't want you to feel forced or anything."

Addison snorted a little. She found it really adorable how he would ask for something then try to make it sound not weird or creepy as possible, and usually fail. He deserved a chance, anyway, as the father of her baby. Just a chance. "I don't. It's just one date. If we hate it, we just agree to be kickass parents and nothing more. And if we don't hate it, we keep doing it until we hate it."

Zed could help but smile. "What if we don't hate it? Like ever?"

Addison shrugged. "I dunno. You know all the people I've dated, all douchebags."

"Am I douchebag?"

"Nope. Just an asshole who's really good at sex."

Zed snorted. "I don't know if I should laugh or be offended."

"Just…prove me wrong, Necrodopolus."