~Author's Note~
Hey guys. I never thought this would go so long without an update but here we are. I've been writing zeddison of course for other things but it's been scattered, and then I jump fandoms a lot so I had to write some ideas that I needed to read but anyway, here is the long awaited part three of the celebrity au!
I'm super excited for the new movie and I'm hoping to get some stuff finished before it comes out! And thank you guys, seriously, from the bottom of my heart for all the reviews, favorites and follows on this even while I'm gone. They make my days and nights, honestly. So if anyone's still with me, I really hope you enjoy this, and let me know what you think down below!
Prompt:
None
Notes:
Celebrity AU—Part Three
Brackets are supposed to be 'at' things.
Genre: Romance and Friendship
Rating: PG
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.
15
i'll kiss you (but only if you want me to)
.
.
.
Hugging him is everything she wished it to be and more.
He's warm and safe and she tucks right against him like she should. He laughs again a few moments later, still seemingly in shock about the fact that he's actually hugging her, which she feels the same about. Neither wants to pull back first, but there's an annoying voice in the back of Addison's mind reminding her that she has an audition to get to, so with a reluctant sigh she slowly pulls back, her arms slipping from around his neck. He pulls back too, but his arms stay hooked around her waist, his fingers brushing against the hem of the back of her sweatshirt.
She gets lost in his eyes for a moment too long when she glances back up at him, and it's only when she feels warmth spread through her cheeks that she realizes she had been staring.
"Oh um, sorry, I'm sorry," she stammers, suddenly feeling awkward and out of place.
Why did she have to ruin something so great already, by staring of all things?
The smile doesn't fall from his lips however, and she struggles to get the words out past the embarrassment. "My audition, I have to get going." She finally says, and for the first time since meeting her in person, Zed's smile thins. His hands fall from her waist and he takes a step back. Suddenly he's the awkward one, and she's the one that's about to get away.
She already has her phone in hand and is checking the time, readjusting the bag on her shoulder and taking a sip of her hot chocolate in the other, and the words fly out in a burst of panic. "I could come with you!"
She looks up, startled, another blush already lighting up her gorgeous face. "Um, to the audition. I could come with you to your audition, if that's okay."
She smiles and holds out her hand.
She doesn't even have to think about it.
"Yeah," she whispers as her hand closes around his, "that would be okay."
zaddison_updates posted a photo.
[Wide-Shot of Zed as he holds the door for Addison, both have huge smiles on their faces as their hips brush together.]
zaddison_updates: has our ship finally sailed? [zed-the-zombie] and [addison-smith] were seen outside a known audition building getting cozy earlier this morning. #celebupdates #zaddisonlives
ll bucky ll, bon-zo and 4,998 others liked your post.
"You grew up in Seabrook too?"
"Maybe if you had the green hair sooner I would've remembered you."
"Funny,"
The smile on his face is contagious and she finds herself smiling as he lifts his own hot chocolate to his lips and takes a sip. He looks comical with the Starbucks cup and green hair and it makes her laugh. His eyebrows knit together, and she quickly snaps a picture of the moment so that she can poke fun at him later.
"Hey," he says as he playfully tries to swipe her phone, "no pictures, please!" She chuckles, shaking her head and pulling another piece of dough off of the cherry danish they're both sharing. She pops it in her mouth and chews thoughtfully for a moment.
"I can't believe after months of you taunting me endlessly about my Starbucks addition, it turns out that you have one too!"
After the audition (which had gone dreadfully horrible in Addison's opinion and amazingly awesome in Zed's) they had decided to stop for a bite and get to know each other—in person. Addison had nowhere to be for the rest of the day, and Zed had a few hours to kill.
On their way over to Starbucks however, Zed had let it slip that he stopped there at least once a day and he never skipped. Every Friday he left with a different dessert and, if he was lucky, sometimes autograph free.
"There are a lot of girls who think I totally kill the zombie look in my movies, and it just so happens that they all hang out at Starbucks," he had said, and Addison had bumped him in the shoulder as they had turned the corner.
"At least you have fans."
"Hey, easy gorgeous, my ego can only take so much criticism!" She had blushed at the nickname and he had smiled and hoped that the blush overtaking his cheeks wasn't as noticeable.
"Now wait a minute, I don't have an addiction," he defends as he places his cup back on the table, swatting her hand away so he can grab some of the fluffy pastry. She rolls her eyes at his childish actions, but finds it more endearing than annoying.
"You do. Once every day? A treat to take home every Friday?"
Zed avoids her eyes, "But all the days leading up to Friday are so stressful," he mumbles, reaching for the last piece of danish. Addison pulls the small plate back before he can snatch it and pops the rest of it in her mouth. He watches her in shock, his mouth agape, betrayal scribbled across his handsome face.
She smiles sweetly back at him.
"Talking for nine months just to be robbed of my sweets," he finally says, but the corner of his mouth is lifting into another smile.
"First step of getting to know me in person," she says as she stands from her chair and collects all the trash from the table, "I like my desserts."
She heads over to the closest trashcan and deposits the trash before returning to their table, and this time she looks serious as she leans forward. Their hands are mere inches from touching each other, and Zed swallows at the thought, instead directing his attention to her eyes, which have taken a sudden interest in his own.
He shifts in his seat before it can turn awkward but his knee accidentally bumps the table, causing it to jolt towards her. He catches it by the sides before it can tumble over top of her, cursing himself as he places it back on the ground.
She's smiling when he chuckles, the tips of his ears turning red.
"Sorry," he mumbles, nodding his head towards his legs, "I only got the part of playing a zombie because I'm lanky and accident prone." A laugh bubbles out of her as she raises her cup to her lips, and he's still rubbing at the back of his neck when she places it back on the table.
"Lanky, accident prone guys aren't all that bad," she says, shrugging; he pretends not to notice the way she fiddles with her hands, or the blush creeping back across her cheeks.
"I don't know, we're quite terrible at surprises too. And trying to sneak up behind somebody? That's a definite bruised knee or broken hand." She laughs again and Zed swears his heart starts to beat faster, stuttering, skipping a beat. He swears she's the brightest light he's ever seen, all bubbly smiles and kind eyes and dimpled cheeks. He swears he could never get enough of her.
When her laughter subsides she gives him a look, and deep inside, he thinks it's a look he could learn the definition to, someday.
Then she says, "I like lanky, accident prone guys," simply, like it's just another point in their conversation, like her words didn't just tilt his whole world on an axis, and he's barely able to contain his emotions as he searches for words to say that aren't I love you.
Her smile is blinding, and his heart is pounding and he thinks this just might be the end of him until he's saved by a fangirl.
Literally.
A shaky finger gently pokes at his shoulder and he turns to the side, pulling his sight away from Addison and instead to the tween girl who looks like she's trembling in place. He smiles warmly, welcoming, and it puts her at ease as she clutches her phone tight in her clasped hands.
"E-Excuse me, could I get a picture?"
He spares a glance at Addison, who nods towards the younger girl with an urging smile. "Of course," he says as the girl starts gushing out her thanks, and she moves in beside him after his okay, pressing against him as he throws an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close.
She holds the phone out in front of them and clicks a picture, or two, and then she's pulling away and thanking him again before running back over to where her mother sits waiting at a table in the corner. She mouths her thanks to Zed as her daughter comes rushing back to her, and Zed gives her a nod and little wave before turning back to Addison.
That look is back on her face again and he wishes he knew what it meant and he's so distracted trying to figure it out that when she tugs at one of hands, he's pleasantly surprised.
"Up for a walk in the park?" She asks.
He glances back over to the girl and her mother, and he can see the former typing away rapidly at her phone, surely posting the picture to Instagram and every other social media site possible. He rather not deal with a swarm of people today, and once his location was known, the possibility of that increased tenfold. Addison was more than enough for him and frankly, he didn't want their time cut short by fans.
Zed nods a second later, and she grins before pulling him out the door, never once letting go of his hand.
addison-smith posted a photo.
[Selfie from Zed's side of him and Addison in a side hug, Addison sticking her tongue out at the camera, Zed smiling wide.]
addison-smith: stranger danger
zed-the-zombie, ll bucky ll, elizzza, bree-sings, bon-zo and 4,034 others liked your post.
[30m] zed-the-zombie: shame you didn't have your whistle handy
[28m] addison-smith: nah it's alright. i didn't need it
[26m] addison-smith: this stranger was worth the time
zed-the-zombie liked your comment.
O
addison-smith posted a photo.
[Wide-Shot of Zed and Addison on the couch together, Addison's head resting on his shoulder, her eyes closed; Bucky is reaching for a red solo cup from the corner of the frame.]
addison-smith: contrary to popular belief, zombies are actually super warm
zed-the-zombie liked your post.
[12m] ll bucky ll: i can't believe you fell asleep
[11m] ll bucky ll: at the biggest halloween party
[10m] ll bucky ll: of the year.
[9m] addison-smith: [ll bucky ll] shut up
[6m] ll bucky ll: well
[5m] ll bucky ll: at least you were comfortable
[1m] addison-smith: i swear to god bucky the next time i see you
[54s] ll bucky ll: #zaddisonlives
[32s] zed-the-zombie: don't worry ads
[24s] zed-the-zombie: he's just jealous he didn't have a zombie to sleep with
O
zaddison_updates posted a photo.
[Shot of Zed and Addison from faraway, staring down at each other as they stand underneath a mistletoe in front of a bookstore, holding hands.]
zaddison_updates: after months of speculation about what could be going on between [addison-smith] and [zed-the-zombie], we think the answer is quite clear. #sailingships #celebupdates #zaddisonlives
[33s] elizzza: is it though?
"I can't believe how much my posts have been blowing up," Addison says with a disbelieving laugh as she scrolls through her Instagram activity, taking in the growing number of likes on all of her recent posts.
Zed, whose walking in step next to her, shrugs, unbothered.
"It's been like that with mine too. Apparently the whole world loves us," he finishes with a wry chuckle and Addison nods her head absentmindedly.
"Bucky has been the worse," she says as they stop at an intersection, a flashing red hand stopping them from crossing. She scrolls through a few more things on Instagram before her phone dings, singling a text. Zed shifts from foot to foot, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to keep warm in the chilly evening air.
Addison sighs after reading the text, typing out a quick reply before pocketing her phone and rubbing her own hands together, shivering even underneath the two layers of clothing she's wearing.
"What is it?" He asks as traffic speeds past them, mufflers roaring, radios blaring stifled Christmas songs. Addison looks down, scowling.
"Eliza just texted. Someone took a picture of us outside Secondhand Books," she grumbles, shivering. Zed doesn't think twice as he moves in close and pulls her into a hug, Addison happily folding into his warmth. "Thanks," she whispers, and then, her voice growing louder, his arms still wrapped around her, "I just don't understand why everyone has to be in our business and know what we're doing every second of every day. It's frustrating and an invasion of privacy."
Zed chuckles, but it's dry. "Privacy isn't a thing when you're a celebrity, Ads," he doesn't sound angry as he says it, in fact he sounds sad, and her heart pulls, aches for him.
Being a model meant she didn't get as much attention as he did. Sure, she had fans, younger girls who aspired to be as brave as her when they grew up, and she had her fair share of creeps from being a model too. Her acting roles were few and far between and both of her major break-out roles weren't set to release until this upcoming year.
Zed of course, being an actor and starring in two—soon to be three—highly recognized roles, meant more attention and less privacy. They're a long way from when they first met now, and she always sees the twist of his lips whenever he's stopped for a photo or an autograph. Sure he was a good sport about it and he was always a sweetheart to his fans, but his lips always twisted, and Addison always noticed.
The red hand turns into a white stick-figure and Zed gently pulls away from her so they can continue walking, but he keeps one arm tossed around her shoulders to keep away the cold. They look both ways before crossing the street.
"I don't know Zed," she says as they pass a group of Christmas shoppers, who are holding more bags than they should be able to carry, "sometimes I wish—"
"Me too."
An older gentleman dressed up in a Santa suit is waving a golden bell around ahead of them. A swaying bucket sits next to him on a pole, Donations scrawled across the front of it. Both teenagers stop in front of it and before Addison can reach for her wallet Zed is pulling out his.
"I got it," he says to her with a smile before tugging free a clump of bills and throwing all of them into the bucket. The man looks shocked at the multitude of fifties and twenties he sees and stops ringing the bell momentarily so he can thank them before calling out, "Merry Christmas!"
"You too sir," Zed says as the man resumes ringing the bell.
Addison asks him about the money a block later.
"How much did you give him?"
Zed chuckles, glances over at her. "As much as I had on me. Couple hundred, probably. I hit the wrong button on the ATM this morning and was too lazy to put the money back in after."
"Wow," she draws out the last syllable, teasing, "talk about a millennial."
In retribution he tugs her closer and tickles her side. Her laughter fills the air and he's relentless, tickling her all over, and wrapping his arm around her waist when she goes to double-over. "Zed!" She tries to say but it's cut off by another laugh, and Zed laughs along with her until all of a sudden he stops and then spins her around.
She shrieks, caught off-guard, and by the time she's on her own two feet again he's grinning at her, and she's breathless. They stare at each other, and the mistletoe that was above the door of the bookstore comes to both of their minds.
It would be so easy to kiss and throw caution to the wind.
It would.
"I know the fame is hard sometimes," his voice breaks her of the spell and her eyes flicker up to his. They're so close to each other, and he's so warm, so intoxicating, and everything she wishes she had. He smiles and brushes a strand of windswept hair behind her ear, his fingers hot against her prickled skin. "But being with you makes it easy."
She wants to kiss him.
(He wants to kiss her too.)
zed-the-zombie posted a photo.
[A bucket of popcorn in front of him, someone holding a bowl of vanilla ice-cream beside him and Stranger Things, Season One, Episode One's title card on the television in front of him.]
zed-the-zombie: time to get this demo-show on the road
[4h] zed-the-zombie: update, ads doesn't like jump scares
[2h] zed-the-zombie: update, ads stress eats when she's scared
[1h] zed-the-zombie: update, ads swears she didn't jump into my lap
[1h] zed-the-zombie: but she totally did
[2m] zed-the-zombie: update, i am very much enjoying this show
[1m] zed-the-zombie: and babe is not
O
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4. Addison Smith and Zed the Zombie—Are they Dating?
O
zed-the-zombie posted a photo.
[Addison standing in front of him, hand on her hip, glaring towards the camera.]
zed-the-zombie: hey gorgeous
[5m] addison-smith: you're lucky i like you
zed-the-zombie liked your comment.
[2m] zed-the-zombie: extremely lucky babe
[1m] ll bucky ll: ugh get a room already
They don't kiss.
Instead a few more weeks go by and they dance around the subject of the two of them like it's fire. They go to another party with Bucky and a few of his friends, and though they stick close to each other's side, the tension between them is palpable and couldn't be cut through with a knife; or a chainsaw. Bucky even goes as far as pulling Addison aside and asking her what the hell is up because usually it's the two of them versus the world, not side-eye glances and enough tension to cut the entire room in half.
"I like him Bucky!" She cries out, keeping her voice low but the emotion behind her words causing the sentence to waver. "I really freaking like him and I don't know what to do. I don't want to ruin our friendship and scare him away." Bucky looks at her like she has three heads and she feels a little bit offended, "Why are you looking at me like—"
Bucky grabs both of her shoulders and shakes her like she's the most oblivious person in the world.
Which, right now, she is.
"Cuz, you must be blind. Zombie boy over there literally loves you."
"What? No, no he doesn't. He doesn't."
Her cousin raises an eyebrow, "I'm sorry, he doesn't? Are you an alien from another planet?" He exhales hard, pinching the bridge of his nose before his voice turns serious. "Addy the dude is literally in love with you, has been since the first time he saw you in person—possibly longer—and in case you didn't figure it out yet 'babe' and 'gorgeous' are a little bit more than just friendly nicknames."
She blushes, she feels like she always blushes when it comes to Zed, and Bucky turns her around so that she can see him, his eyes scanning the room, worry knitting his brows, music echoing all around them. "Just kiss him, Addy," Bucky says, exasperated. "You've got nothing to lose."
Addison chews on her bottom lip, torn. "Except for him."
zaddison_updates posted a photo.
[Picture of Zed and Addison walking through the crowded streets, their fingers intertwined.]
zaddison_updates: should we change our name? #poll #zaddisonvszeddison
zeddison_updates liked your post.
[1m] zeddison_updates: too late
[20s] zeddison_updates: #zeddisonlives
"Zed?"
She catches his hand as they're leaving the movie theater, the crowd pushing past them as they come to a stop outside the theater.
"Yeah Ads?"
Her heart is hammering and her hands feel clammy. The moon is full and white in the nighttime sky above them, and stars are sparkling beside it, lighting up the city in a way the buildings never will.
Zed's hair is mussed in the back from leaning back in the chair and his cheeks are pink, his grey Adidas hoodie loose around his body and his sleeves still pulled up to his elbows. Her eyes drop down to his lips and the next thing she knows she's closing the short distance between them and pressing her lips to his.
He doesn't move for a moment and her heart seizes because what if he doesn't feel the same way? What if Bucky was wrong? What if he was just a natural flirt and all his playfulness and teasing was just that?
But then he's kissing her back and his mouth is opening and she sighs into the kiss, relieved. He tastes like butter and his lips still hold the sour-sweetness of the sour patch kids he had devoured during the end of the movie. One of her hands cups the back of his neck while the other rests on his chest, and his hands settle somewhere on her hips and it's pure bliss.
Abruptly someone accidentally hits Addison's shoulder with one of their shopping bags and the culprit doesn't even bother to apologize as they continue down the street, but the sudden jolt is enough to cause both eighteen-year-olds to break apart.
One of Zed's hands moves so he can cup her cheek as a smile breaks across both of their faces. "Gorgeous," he breathes, "you're amazing."
A disbelieving laugh escapes her because she can't believe this, can't believe they both want this, and it's the best feeling in the world, putting yourself out there and getting everything in return.
"And you're such a dork," she murmurs, but the words fall short as she kisses him once more.
addison-smith posted a photo.
[Zed hugging Addison from behind as they stand in front of a store dressing room mirror, his arms loosely wrapped around her, her head tilted up as they kiss, her phone's flash reflecting off the mirror.]
addison-smith: zeddison
bree-sings, ll bucky ll, elizzza, bon-zo and 7,479 others liked your post.
[5m] zeddison_updates: [zaddison_updates] told you so