a/n: Review and tell me what you think; I'm not sure about this one. Hope everyone is having a happy holiday so far!

Zeal: fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.

"Annie..." Auggie groaned from his spot on the floor where he was sprawled.

"Stop whining," she chided from across the room.

Auggie heaved a loud sigh, scared to take in another breath of the tainted air.

This had to have been Annie's worst idea. Ever.

It had been a week since he had helped her decide on a new apartment to buy; a week since his lips had landed so tenderly on hers. It had been a week since he had lost his mind. He had blamed himself for almost getting Annie killed, when the agent watching the cameras had clumped away to go the the restroom and Auggie hadn't realized there was an ambush waiting. He had torn himself up over it, ripped out his hair, ripped out his heart, because if he let Annie die, then he might as well too.

But then she had come to cheer him up and he had discovered that her skin was softer than he imagined, a small, three-inch gash marring the tantalizingly warm and perfect skin that she had let him feel. She had even more tantalizing lips; lips that trembled under his as he struggled to stay in control of his emotions.

He liked to be in control of everything.

It was once she had left that he realized what his problem was: he couldn't control how much he cared about her. And in his opinion, he cared about Annie Walker too damn much.

One way or another, this girl would be the death of him.

And now, seven days after the thought first came to him, it was proving to be true as Auggie lay dying on the floor of her new home, practically getting suffocated by paint fumes.

This was definitely Annie's worst idea.

And consequently, it was his worst decision, because honestly, what help is a blind man for painting walls? But Auggie, in his infinite desire to please Annie had agreed when she begged him to help her.

And now he was paying the price.

"Can you please open a window," he moaned, pulling his shirt over his nose and mouth and taking a cautious breath in.

"All of the windows are open, Auggie," Annie said crossly from her position on the opposite wall. "We opened them an hour ago."

"This apartment has terrible ventilation," he mumbled. "I think we should've picked a different one."

"Too late," Annie muttered. "Why is the paint affecting you so much?"

He frowned. "I have a sensitive nose."

There was a snort and a loud clack as she set the paint roller onto the hard wood floor. Her sock-clad feet padded over to him, her clothes rustling as she knelt down. "Maybe you should go outside for a while," she said, worry seeping into her tone for the first time.

"Only if you come with me," Auggie said stubbornly.

Annie sighed, "Auggie, I'm almost done painting."

"Liar," he mumbled. "You still have your bedroom and the bathroom and at least one wall left in this room."

"Yeah, but those won't take that long," she protested, and he could hear the pout in her voice.

"Annie, you're crazy, there is no way you can finish moving in here in one day," Auggie said, trying to ignore the spinning in his head.

"Yes I can!" she insisted, tapping him on his nose and standing back up to continue her work. "We already have all the furniture and all the boxes here, and all that's left is to paint and unpack and arrange the furniture."

"Oh yeah, that won't take anytime at all," he muttered sarcastically, ignoring Annie's answering huff. Auggie sat up wearily, his whole body protesting. "That reminds me, you owe me a back massage. Carrying all those boxes almost killed me."

He heard a delicate snort come from her end of the room. "I thought you were strong Mister Special Forces Soldier Man," she teased.

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Oh, trust me, I am. You just packed too much crap."

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Don't call my stuff crap!"

"I think I'm allowed to insult your belongings considering you're basically killing me because you're refusing to stop painting."

"You are such a Drama Queen!" she laughed, and there was a soft swish as she shook her head. "I like painting."

"Annie, you like shoes."

"Maybe I like painting, too," she said defensively.

"Well maybe-" Auggie was cut off by a loud knock on the door. "I'll get it!" he said excitedly, heaving himself off the floor.

"Auggie!" A clatter echoed through the room as Annie dropped the paint roller. "I want to get it! This is my house!"

"Too bad, slowpoke!" he yelled, walking as quickly as he could with both hands outstretched in front of him, his feet shuffling along the floor to avoid tripping over any boxes.

"Auggie!" she cried, laughing as she jumped over a box. He smelled the wave of her perfume as she bolted past him, and a second later she opened the door.

"$14.87," a male voice deadpanned, and Auggie grinned at Annie's surprised silence.

"Uh...I think you have the wrong apartment," she said hesitantly as Auggie finally joined her at the door.

"We have an order for an Auggie Anderson. Is this his place of residence?"

"Wha-"

"Yes," Auggie said from over her shoulder, pulling a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and holding it out for the man to take. His mouth twitched at the indignant noise emitted from Annie's throat. "You can keep the change."

A moment later the door shut and Annie swatted him in the chest. "I can't believe you said it was your house!"

He grinned widely. "Technically it is. This apartment is half mine," he said. "I helped pick it out."

"Auggie!" she said, a giggle escaping from her despite her irritated tone. "You cannot keep claiming my things! And I can't believe you ordered pizza!"

"This is not a thing, it's a place," he corrected her, finding her elbow and tracing it until he found the warm box of pizza. He took it from her small hands and turned away, allowing one hand drift along beside him following the wall. "It's my treat, Annie."

"The kitchen's over here!" she called after him.

"We are not eating out here," he scoffed. One door... "My pizza will taste like paint." Second door. He felt around until he touched the doorknob, turning it and walking into the cool air.

"Auggie, that's my bedroom!" he heard her call.

"I know," he said. "It's the only place that's been mildly spared the wrath of the paint fumes. Now will you take a break from painting now?" he turned to face her, arranging his features into his best puppy dog pout.

"Don't give me that face!" she exclaimed.

"You have to eat, Annie," he coaxed, waving the pizza box into the air. "I'll make it up to you."

"How?"

"I'll do anything you want," he promised, regretting it immediately because there were so many different ways that she could use that sentence against him. But then her hand was on his chest, pushing him a few steps backwards and shutting the door behind her, and he couldn't bring himself to think about it anymore because he was focusing on controlling himself. It had been a long time since he'd been in someone's bedroom for an innocent reason.

"Well, I guess a break couldn't hurt."

His face broke into a grin at her words and he stepped away from her, shuffling over to the bed carefully and jumping into the center of it, sinking down into soft pillows that smelled like Annie.

"Give me a piece," she whined, jumping on the bed next to him and resting her head on his shoulder, making a warm feeling trickle down throughout his whole body. Sometimes, he wished that it was socially acceptable to kiss your best friend for no other reason than to show her how much she meant to you. He didn't want to date Annie, he just wanted to be with her. All the time. It was a paradox he had struggled with daily ever since last week.

He pushed these thoughts from his mind and handed her a piece of the pepperoni pizza she had requested, wiggling so he was sinking more fully into the bed and humming in approval. "Wow, I guess I do have impeccable taste in beds."

She gave a short laugh. "I told you, it's because of all the different ones you've been in."

His mouth opened in mock hurt. "Annie Walker! All of your constant insults are beginning to affect my self-confidence!"

But secretly he wouldn't have it any other way.