Disclaimer - I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios. Names of BG zombies are mine, characters themselves aren't.

Time for some major development in Zebelle! I think this was actually the very first thing I came up with when I started shipping them. At least, I knew really early on I wanted it to go in this direction. Fun times are coming~

Tomorrow there should be both another Rozeira one-shot and also a Bonzo Day Limelight where he's with Izabelle and Paizley.

Zeke and Izabelle

"Nothing"

Something was up. Izabelle had noticed Zeke was acting differently around her these past few days, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly why. What she hadn't noticed was that she was acting different, too. And the changes in both of their demeanours had come around the same time – that fight. The fight between Zeke and the human who disagreed about zombies joining more teams. Izabelle had eased up on him, considerably, and Zeke had taken to some much more light-hearted teasing than what they, and their friends, and been used to. Riza, Zadie, Fritz and Diaz took the shift in dynamic as just how Iza and Zeke's friendship was turning out. Zeke and Hazen, of course, knew better. But Izabelle... Izabelle couldn't grasp what she was feeling. All she knew was she was really starting to like having Zeke around.

That still didn't stop them from arguing.

It was the end of the school day and Zeke and Izabelle had just been in class together, without any of the others around to keep an eye on them, and at this point, they were already halfway through another disagreement. Neither one of them even remembered how it started but it kept them distracted long enough to be the last ones out the door and while Iza continued to rant, Zeke couldn't help being amused watching her.

He chuckled lightly and muttered just loudly enough for her to hear, "You're cute, y'know that?"

She froze. Her eyebrows shot up and her mouth fell open, but Zeke could tell it wasn't in a good way. She was seething.

"Did you just call me cute?"

Zeke thought for a moment. Why deny it? She was cute. It was just that everyone else was too afraid of her to admit it.

"Yeah," he nodded and shrugged casually, keeping his face neutral, "Yeah, I did."

Izabelle smiled that sweet smile that usually meant all hell was about to break loose. She folded her arms, titled her chin up and locked eyes with him. He stood his ground.

"I'd have thought you'd learned your lesson by now," she said calmly, another bad sign, but Zeke wasn't going to take it back, "Just 'cause we're friends it doesn't mean you can get away with saying that."

Smirking, Zeke tipped his head forward and she scowled.

"It's a compliment, Izabelle. I'm not trying to pick a fight here, I'm just saying. You're cute."

"Oh, you're gonna get it now...!" she charged towards him, raising a fist but he easily caught it.

"Are you seriously that mad that I think you're cute?"

"You're getting a little too comfortable here. We might be cool now but if you wanna start treating me like a baby, we're gonna have a problem."

That surprised him, "I'm not calling you a baby! I didn't mean it like that," he explained and she faltered, her scowl looking a little more like a pout. He almost saw the slightest hint of a blush dusting her cheeks but she hid it well.

"So, what did you mean?" she demanded. She still wasn't going to calm down.

"I meant exactly what I said; you're cute."

"OK. I'm cute," she grabbed hold of the front of his coveralls and yanked him down to her level, "And you...!" but somehow him being so close made her mind go blank, and the confusion that this caused her just made her rage increase. She tried to remain composed, but Izabelle had never been good at that, "Y-you...!"

For once, she had no idea what to say. Every insult she could hurl at him was gone from her thoughts and she couldn't read his expression as he stared into her eyes. He was clearly nervous, but there was something very different about it this time. As far as Izabelle could see, Zeke shouldn't have any reason to be so nervous right now. He could take her on in a fight, they were evenly matched in practically every way, and now that she saw him as a real friend, she wasn't going to resort to cheap tricks to get the best of him. She fought fair with him, and he knew that. Still, it seemed neither of them were going to make a move. They just looked at one another, Zeke's eyes scanning Izabelle's frowning face as she tried to figure out what was going on. He wasn't touching her, but his hands were hovering near her waist. Even that was making her tense and she didn't understand why. Eventually, she decided to just give in to her instincts and let whatever action her body would take happen. She really wasn't expecting what that action would be. With a frustrated growl, Izabelle pulled Zeke closer towards her and found herself pressing her lips to his as her eyes fell shut.

She loosened her grip almost instantly and her hands rested against his chest instead. And it somehow felt right. Until Zeke was kissing her back and his fingertips finally brushed against her waist and Izabelle realised what she was doing. She shoved him back, her eyes bulging with rage, and with fear.

"Get off me!"

Zeke's jaw dropped. His mouth opened and closed, floundering for words.

"Wh- I-" he stammered, "You kissed me!"

"Why the hell would I?" she yelled, looking disgusted, and Zeke suddenly felt discouraged.

She hadn't been thinking. It didn't mean anything. It was a mistake. And he had probably ruined it by returning the kiss. But as Izabelle forcefully pushed him aside and strode past, he caught the look of confusion and nervousness on her face. It automatically made his compassionate side come out and he reached for her arm.

"Izabelle..." his voice was gentle and he was looking at her with such kind eyes. For a split second, he thought he saw her soften slightly, but then she snatched her hand away and stepped back, glaring at him.

"Don't," she snapped, "Even. Touch me. Blakeley."

She whipped around and stormed off, leaving him to stare after her.

That shouldn't have hurt so much. They'd only really been hanging out for a few months, and had only considered each other to be actual friends for barely a couple of weeks. It wasn't long ago that she had almost always referred to him by his last name, but he had gotten so used to hearing her call him Zeke all the time, and more recently, to seeing her smile and laugh when she said it. He realised just how relaxed they had become around one another.

Letting out a huff, he followed her down the hall towards the lockers, staying a few feet behind her. Riza and Zadie were waiting by Iza's locker for her and looked up as she approached.

"Hey, what's up?" Riza asked when she got close enough, "You look like you're ready to break someone's neck."

"I might be." Izabelle didn't even look at her as she opened the door and quickly gathered up whatever she needed, ready to head home, when Zeke caught up with her. He made his way over and, seeing the other two there, he leaned in close to keep them from listening.

"Come on, Izabelle, you can't act like that didn't happen."

Zadie heard him, though, and glanced from Zeke to Iza, "Like what didn't happen?"

Zeke opened his mouth but Iza slammed the locker shut, "Nothing," she said simply to the girls then glared at Zeke, "Nothing."

He sighed, taking the hint, and leaned back against the lockers just as Hazen appeared, having overheard, "Please don't tell me you're fighting again, you were getting alone so well!"

Zeke held up a hand to him, "We're not fighting."

"I'd rather be fighting," Izabelle muttered under her breath. She was about to leave but before she did, she shot one last, cold look at Zeke, "Not one word, Blakeley, or you're dead."

"Iz-" but she was already gone.

Hazen and the girls were confused, "What's going on?"

"Nothing, apparently."

Zeke didn't take his eyes off Izabelle as she passed by the other students lining the hall who all parted to let her through. A moment later, he ran after her. He followed her outside and picked up the pace, soon walking alongside her.

"What was that about?"

She avoided looking at him, "What was what about?"

"Uh, you kissing me?"

"That," Izabelle let out a short, fake laugh, "Didn't happen."

He took hold of her wrist and forced her to stop. She tried to pull her arm away but he wouldn't let her, "You wanna keep that hand?"

"We are talking about this."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I think there is."

"Well, you think wrong."

She finally managed to pull her arm away and this time, he let her go. He'd have to figure out another way to do this.