I'm in love with all of Zed's outfits from Z2, especially the Prawn suit...so it's making an appearance in this chapter.
He had roughly an hour left to prepare for the holiday party, and a small pit of nerves had slowly built up in his stomach. He'd meant what he said–he was happy to protect Addison from her family's ire but that didn't mean he was especially looking forward to being the easy target of the evening. He knew he had to put on a brave face, for both their sakes.
His phone buzzed on the bedside table, and a quick glance at the screen informed him that he had two new messages from Addison. Unlocking his phone, he was greeted by a photo of a shiny emerald green dress hanging over Addison's bedroom door.
A: I forgot to warn you–it's a formal event, so dress up tonight! See you soon, handsome. Xo
He smiled, shooting her a quick thank you text in response.
Turning to his closet, he surveyed his options. The pale pink suit seemed inappropriate for the holidays, and his attire was far from formal. That left one option. Though he'd been planning to save it for asking Addison to a school dance, he figured now was as good a time as any to break in the crimson suit.
After all, what better color to pair with Addison's green gown than red? It was the perfect holiday combination. He pulled it off the hanger, shrugging off his distressed t-shirt and tossing it to the side.
It took weeks of odd-jobs around Zombietown to raise the money for the suit, but as he slid into it now, he knew it was worth every minute of effort. Unlike the secondhand pink suit, this one was fitted right to his body. The color looked less alien against his grey pallor, and the customized patches and additions clearly marked it as zombie formal wear.
He ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it into his favorite style before giving his reflection a quick nod. The suit felt like armor, in a way. It showcased his culture and made him feel stronger.
It wasn't complete, though, as he'd still failed to learn how to properly put on the tie. He yelled for his dad, getting an answering shout from the first level. He tucked his phone and keys into his pocket, grabbing the tie and heading for the stairs.
Zevon was helping Zoey with her math homework in the dining room, hunched over textbook with a look of frustration on his face. Hearing Zed's footsteps enter the room, he and Zoey both looked up.
"Woah." Zoey said, a giant grin filling her face. "You look so fancy, Zed!"
He laughed. "I tried. Hey, Pops? Can you help with this tie?"
His father obliged, fastening the black fabric in place with ease. "This suits you much better than that pink monstrosity."
"...wow, thanks, Dad."
"I mean it," Zevon said, clapping an arm on his shoulder. "If your mother were here, she'd agree with me. You look very handsome, son."
Zed put his hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok. Enough of that."
Headlights flashed outside the window.
"That'll be the Chief," Zed said, leaning down to give Zoey a hug before heading to the door. "I've got my key so don't wait up for me!"
"Give Missy and Dale our best!" Zed heard his father shout as he closed the door.
The sight of a Z-Patrol car parked in front of his house would have been terrifying just months ago, but now he simply found himself waving and hurrying towards the vehicle. Even his neighbors had grown used to the sight of him sliding in and out of the patrol cars, no longer watching from the windows every time one rolled through.
He reached the passenger door, swinging it open and sliding in with ease. "Hey, Chief." He greeted.
"Zed," The man acknowledged with a pensive look. "Are you sure you want to do this? Please don't misunderstand me, you are always welcome at our home. I just want you to be aware that there may be some very vocal, very anti-zombie individuals tonight."
Zed nodded, clicking his seatbelt into place. "I appreciate your concern, sir, but I can handle it. There's nothing they can say that I haven't heard before."
After a moment, the man sighed and put the car into drive. "Alright, but if it gets too bad just let us know and I'll drive you home."
–––––––––––––
Walking into the Donnelly's house this time around was overwhelming. Loud chatter filled the rooms, dozens of people were milling about and the smell of several holiday dishes drifted through the rooms.
He didn't immediately see Bucky or Addison, so he followed Dale deeper into the house. It wasn't long before he attracted attention. Conversations grew hushed or ceased as he passed, and he felt the weight of watching eyes follow him through the room.
Before he could grow too uncomfortable, he felt a hand slap him on the back. He jumped at the sudden contact, spinning to see a familiar face.
"Hey, big guy!" The cheer captain said in greeting. "Addison told me that you were coming, but I didn't think you'd really show."
"Hey, Bucky," said Zed. He couldn't believe how relieved he was to see the cheerleader.
Bucky lowered his voice, "Look man, I appreciate what you're doing for my cousin so I'm gonna do you a favor. Let's go grab a drink and I'll give you the lowdown on who you need to avoid in this crowd."
Without another word, he spun on his heel and headed towards the kitchen. Zed glanced around at the other guests eyeing him before quickly following. He hoped Addison would make an appearance soon.
Ten minutes later, he found himself seated in a corner of the living room beside the cheer captain.
"Alright, zombie," Bucky began, "See that old crone with the fur vest? That's our great-aunt Mildred. She's the most likely to start screaming if you get too close to her. Hell, she'd probably set off the Z-Alert."
Zed made a mental note to avoid the woman at all costs, nodding in acknowledgement.
"That middle aged man in the grey hat?" Bucky continued. "Pretty sure Arthur has a slew of offensive names you'd love to throw at you. In fact, he might seek you out just to insult you."
"Charming."
Bucky nodded, expression solemn. "The biggest concern I'd see for you though is Grandpa Buchanan. He's the old man closest to the fire place."
Zed's eyes sought out the man, noting how frail he appeared.
"Are you sure? He seems–"
Bucky shook his head. "Don't be fooled. He may look like he's fading to dust but that man is a force to be reckoned with. Plus, half the family would be outraged if you spoke to him."
Something clicked in Zed's mind. "Is he the one who was bitten?"
Bucky grunted in agreement. "I'm sure you'll hear about it in detail tonight. For how traumatic he claims it was, he loves nothing more than telling that story to anyone who will listen."
Before he could say anything in response, he heard Missy's voice gush. "Oh Addison, you look stunning."
Zed scanned the room, searching for his girlfriend. When he caught sight of her, he gasped.
The dress fit her like a glove, its silky hue catching the light. She'd braided her white hair into a loose rope that hung over one shoulder, tied at the end with a crimson ribbon that matched her stilettos.
She smiled softly at her mom, quietly thanking her for the compliment before turning her attention to the rest of the room. Her eyes roamed over each person anxiously, as if searching for something. When they found Zed, she lit up.
He stood up quickly, striding towards her with purpose.
"Addison, you look–"
Before he could finish, she had one hand tangled in his thick green hair and was using the other to pull him in for a kiss. He was vaguely aware of gasps and hushed whispers throughout the room, but he shut them out.
When she finally pulled back, he was gasping for air.
"Um, wow." He said with a laugh. "It's uh, nice to see you too."
"Zed, do you even know how good you look right now?" She asked, stepping back slightly to fully take in the sight of him. She straightened out his jacket. "I love this suit."
"Thanks," he said, grateful that he couldn't blush. "I'm sorry I didn't have anything that matches your dress, but I figured this was at least holiday colors."
She snorted. "Zed, you do match my dress. What do you think inspired me to choose the color?"
"Holiday spirit?"
She groaned, rolling her eyes. "There's a reason I've started buying things in this shade of green, Zed. It reminds me of something that I love." With those words, she smoothed out the section of his hair that she ruffled earlier.
Oh.
He kissed her again.
"Ahem," Missy interrupted them as she approached. The couple broke apart with sheepish grins. "Zed, I'm so glad you could join us. You two might want to keep the PDA down a bit though, considering our company tonight."
Addison scowled, but nodded her agreement.
"Sorry, Mayor." Zed agreed, dipping his head in embarrassment.
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