A/N: Hello everyone! I've been working on this fic for almost a month now...I just couldn't get it to flow the way I wanted it to. But it's finally complete and I hope y'all like it! It's my first attempt at writing a future Zeddison piece, so be nice! I don't own the rights to anything "Zombies"...that's all Disney. Lastly, I want to thank the lovely QuietlyScreaming for allowing me to bounce things off of her as I was working on this fic; having another opinion and insight helped me to turn this fic into what you see before you. Thanks again!
Not a Monster
Synopsis: As Zed and Addison's relationship progresses and they get even closer, Zed thinks about how he has learned to control his Zombie over the years. Rated T/M for a LOT of kissing, light touching, and insinuated sex.
Zed was a Zombie. It was pretty obvious with the pale skin, red-rimmed eyes, and emerald green hair. As a child, Zed was ashamed of the fact that that was what he was. The humans despised and feared Zombies, and they were not allowed out of the little shell that was created for them in Zombietown. Zed dreamt of the day that he and the other Zombies would be allowed past the barrier to experience what Seabrook had to offer.
As he grew up, that little shell began to crack, and Zombies were allowed to attend human school. Zed met Addison, the love of his life, and he joined the football team. Zed was happy for a change.
Flash forward 6 years. Zed and Addison are still going strong, and the two of them are going to Seabrook University together. Zed's grades weren't as good as Addison's (they never were, and he was cool with that), but he was passing and had a GPA high enough to maintain his scholarship and continue to be on the university's football team as the starting fullback.
It was now Winter break during their Junior year, and Addison had decided to take a class over the break so she could still graduate on time with her double major. Zed went back home for the break but found himself spending every weekend curled up with Addison in her dorm room, kissing the night away. Something her parents had no clue about. Zed laughed at that assumption. We are away at college TOGETHER. What did they think we did on the weekends?!
But this weekend was going to be special. Zed wanted to propose to Addison. The whole get down on one knee, profess his undying love to her, kiss her into oblivion, proposal thing. Zed thought back to a few weeks ago when he asked his dad if he would be allowed to have his mother's engagement ring that Zevon had given her. Instead of answering him, Zevon had wrapped Zed into a tight hug with tears threatening to fall. Zevon was beyond happy to pass the ring down to Zed, and for Addison to be the one to wear it. Zed smiled now thinking about all the times Zevon had commented how much Addison was like his mother; she was brave and outgoing, and unwilling to accept any injustice that she saw.
Coming back to the present found Zed sitting alone in Addison's dorm room, waiting for her to finish up her class so he could put his plan into motion. He had the whole proposal planned out in his head: romantic picnic dinner down by the water where, after a barefoot walk along the beach, Zed would drop down to one knee and pop the question. Addison wasn't expecting Zed for another hour or two, so he was hoping to surprise her; she had left her window open out of habit for him to sneak in, so he had easy access to her room despite it being on the second floor. All those years sneaking into Addison's room at her house had really come in handy.
With Zed's enhanced hearing, he could hear Addison trudging down the hall to her room. That's odd, Zed thought. She doesn't have her usual bounce in her step tonight. Something seemed off. Zed could also hear Addison sniffing a little. Zed patiently waited for Addison to enter her room. He could feel the ring box in his pocket, the bulge pressing against his leg.
Addison pushed open her dorm door and was a little startled when she noticed the light was on, but quickly calmed when she saw Zed sitting on her bed. Zed stood as she closed the door behind herself, and then was promptly pushed back down when Addison launched herself into his arms. That's when he noticed the tears. Addison's face was wet with ones that she had already cried, and Zed's shirt was suddenly wet with the new ones that were streaming down her face.
Zed had a quick moment of panic that she would feel the ring in his jeans pocket, so he turned his body slightly so that Addison wasn't sitting directly on top of him as she half-straddled his lap. His anxiety didn't lessen, however, as Addison continued to sob into his shirt.
"What's wrong, Addie? Is everything okay?" Zed asked, pushing her long white hair away from her face. His heart broke when she looked up at him from his chest; her eyes looked empty and lost.
Addison sniffled and took a moment to try to control her breathing enough to answer. "My mom just called. My grandmother passed away suddenly this morning." The tears continued to come, but at least she wasn't sobbing as uncontrollably as she was just a moment ago.
Zed wrapped her up into a tight hug, pulling her body flush against his own. "I'm so sorry Addison! I loved Grandma Mellie! She was one of the first of your family members to finally warm up to me when they realized that we were serious, and I wasn't going anywhere."
Addison nodded. "She was my favorite family member. Other than Bucky, I mean." She sniffled some more. "They are doing the funeral services next weekend, so I will be home on Friday." She tightened her hold on Zed. "We won't be able to have our weekend snuggle time that week."
Zed could feel the frown forming on her face and he laughed. "It still amazes me that your parents haven't said anything about us being away at college together. And that they haven't figured out that I've been disappearing from Zombietown every weekend."
This brought a soft giggle from Addison, muffled against Zed's chest. "I know. Either that, or they have just kept it to themselves." She looked up at him. "I mean, we are both going to be turning 21 in a few months."
She turned herself so that she was fully straddling Zed's lap. "Since we're going to miss our weekly snuggle time next weekend, we should get some extra snuggle time in now."
Zed could see the fire returning to Addison's eyes as she leaned in to capture Zed's lips with her own. He suddenly found himself being ambushed by a very amorous Addison. She slid one of her hands around his neck and up into his hair, while the other one pushed gently against his chest until he was laying against her pillow. All the while, their lips never broke contact. Zed could feel Addison's hands sliding under his shirt and up his chest. He gasped against her lips at the contact. It was like his hands had a mind of their own as they slid under Addison's shirt and around to the soft skin of her lower back.
As always whenever Zed and Addison made out, Zed could feel the Zombie within him pushing to the surface. And as always, Zed was able to tamp it down. But as Addison continued to run her hands up and down his chest under his shirt, Zed could feel his Zombie pushing more and more against the barrier that Zed had put up around it in his mind.
And Zed could tell this makeout session was different. Addison's hands were exploring areas of Zed's body that have never been touched before. They broke apart to catch their breaths and Zed grabbed Addison's hands, before they went too far south.
"Addie, we need to slow down. This is new territory for us." Zed's breaths came in shallow gasps as he tried to control his breathing, as well as the Zombie inside. Zed was slightly aware of his Z-band vibrating like crazy to keep up with his changing emotions.
"Please, Zed. I want to forget for a little bit how sad I am right now." Addison's eyes shone with unshed tears. "I just want to get lost in you."
Zed, no matter how hard he tried, could never tell Addison "no". He pulled her against his body and flipped them so that he was hovering over her. Her hands once again slid under his shirt and continued their assault on his well-toned abs and chest. Her hands made their way around to his back and she proceeded to pull Zed down so that he was completely covering her.
They continued to kiss without abandon before Addison grabbed at the hem of Zed's shirt and yanked it up and off of his body. It quickly was tossed to the floor. Zed could see the look of utter admiration and love shining in Addison's eyes as he leaned down to softly but deeply kiss her.
As their kisses intensified, Addison rolled them over so that she was again straddling Zed's middle. This time it was Zed's hands that did the roaming; they slid under Addison's shirt to the silky-smooth skin of her stomach. They drifted north until they grazed against the outside of her lacey bra. And this time it was Addison who gasped at the contact. As Zed increased the pressure and squeezed her breasts, a loud moan escaped from Addison's mouth as she sat up and leaned into his touch. He could smell her arousal, which in turn aroused him further. He could feel himself hardening beneath where she straddled him. He practically ripped her shirt off of her, adding it to the floor of her dorm room. She looked like an angel sitting on top of him, her white lace bra holding back her heaving breasts.
Addison leaned down to kiss him, her long white hair brushing against Zed's bare chest. The way her hair tinkled Zed's side, along with the feeling of her breasts pushed against him as she kissed him, sent him into sensory overload. His Z-band was vibrating so much that he could feel the heat against the skin of his wrist. But he didn't stop. One of his hands slid into her hair, holding her head in place, while the other wrapped around her body pulling her flush against him as he once again rolled her beneath his body.
Kissing Addison was like kissing heaven and sunshine, and after a while Zed couldn't tell where he ended and she began. At some point during their lust induced haze, Addison's jeans joined their shirts on the floor as they rolled onto their sides. The lacy white panties she wore matched her bra perfectly. Addison let loose a low moan as she swung her leg over Zed's body and once again positioned herself on top of him, her hot center brushed against his straining erection. Zed released a moan of his own as she started to rub herself more against him. She leaned down to kiss his chest as Zed's hands touched anywhere on her body that he could reach.
As Addison continued to kiss along Zed's collarbone, her hands began to undo the button of his jeans. Suddenly, a feral roar tore through Zed's throat as the Zombie inside of him finally broke down the mental barrier. Addison jumped back, but only for a second, before she continued her onslaught of his lips. In her haze of desire, she didn't catch onto the sudden inner battle that Zed was fighting against.
Her hands once again traveled south and successfully undid the button of his jeans. She pulled the zipper down and slid her small hand into his pants, cupping his hardened manhood. This was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. All Zed could hear was the Zombie in his head chanting "Brains! Brains! Bite her!" as Addison began stroking him. He couldn't take it anymore. He quickly pushed Addison off of him and sat up as he gasped for air. He could feel the Zombie snarling in his head. His Z-band started to flash orange. Oh no! Not here! Not now!
"Zed? Are you alright? Zed?" Zed could hear Addison's voice beside him, but he couldn't respond. His breaths were still coming out ragged and he couldn't find his voice. He raised his arm in front of himself and could see the black veins crawling across his skin. A clear indication that he was going unstable. He looked down at his Z-band and noticed it kept flashing between the orange UNSTABLE and the red OFFLINE. Seeing this brought a wave of panic that completely engulfed Zed.
He jumped off the bed and grabbed his discarded shirt off the floor. With jerky movements, he managed to get it back on and redo his pants before turning to Addison. His heart broke at the look of hurt in her eyes. She thinks that I don't want her, when she's EVERYTHING that I want!
That look was quickly replaced with one of concern when she got a good look at him. By now, Zed was sure that his eyes had darkened and the red circles around them had as well. He could feel the veins creeping up his neck. Zed's breaths continued to come in gasps as he fought against the Zombie inside of him. He flinched as Addison reached out towards him.
"No! Don't touch me!" Zed could hear that his voice was rough and sounded more like a snarl than his normal voice. I need to protect Addie and get away to calm down.
"Zed, it's okay! You're okay! It's just you and me." Addison spoke, her voice low and calm, as he backed towards the door. She had also gotten off the bed and approached him slowly, like she would a scared animal. Her hands were extended in front of her, palms out towards him.
Zed felt his back slam against the door as he quickly retreated away from her reaching arms. "Please Addie! I don't want to hurt you! I need to get away!"
"I know you won't hurt me, Zed! You never have and never will!" Addison pleaded with him.
Zed groped for the doorknob and swung the door open. Before he slid out and away, he sent Addison one last look of sorrow. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'll come back to you, I promise."
As he ran down the hallway, Zed could hear Addison frantically calling his name. This caused him to flee faster down the hall and down the two flights of stairs leading out of the building. He burst through the outside door and continued to run; he needed to get as far away as he could from Addison's dorm room. The next thing he knew, he found himself in a thicket of woods near the university's administration building. Here, he stopped to catch his breath and calm the Zombie inside of him that was still screaming for brains. His Z-band continued to vibrate on his wrist, but the screen had stopped flashing between colors and was now a steady UNSTABLE orange. The veins on his arms were still a dark black and he could still feel the innate primal urge to seek out human flesh.
He slid down the side of one of the large trees surrounding him, closing his eyes as he hung his head between his bent knees. He took in deep breaths to calm himself and his Zombie down; he could feel his barely there heartbeat slowing back down. He glanced down at his Z-band and saw it return to the familiar green of STABLE as the black veins receded.
Today was supposed to be a happy day; he was going to propose and the two of them could bask in happiness with one another. But, of course, it didn't turn out that way. Because Zed was a Zombie.
This wasn't the first time Zed had lost control of his Zombie. Of course there had been the disaster that was the Homecoming game their freshman year of high school. Zed had felt like his body had been taken over and completely out of control. All these years later, he's still not 100% sure how he fought for control and stopped himself from attacking Bucky. Then there was the presidential debate with Bucky during sophomore year. Zed remembers fighting against the Zombie with a deep desire to not be seen as a monster.
Thinking back even further, Zed remembered the first time he ever went rogue. It was when he was a child, around 7 or 8 years old. He had been outside playing with Eliza and Bonzo. He doesn't remember exactly what they were playing, but he does remember that they had tackled him to the ground and the arm with his Z-band had smacked into a rock on the ground. Zed had panicked as the Zombie inside of him took over.
Zed has no memory of what had occurred during the time that he was unstable; all he remembers is the overwhelming feeling of terror the entire time. Afterwards, Eliza told Zed that Bonzo had restrained Zed on the ground when she ran to Zed's house for help. Pops had come and reattached his Z-band enough for him to become stable again, and then they had spent hours at Zombie Containment to get a replacement Z-band. It was then that Zed started to fear the Zombie inside of him.
Years passed and Zed was mindful to never let his Z-band get damaged to allow the Zombie inside of him to take over. Until a certain pep rally freshman year of high school. Much like it had when he was younger, he had been knocked over and his Z-band had smacked against the ground. But instead of panicking, Zed had used that pump of adrenaline - a little Zom boost - to save a falling Addison. Zed smiled at the memory. That's when it all began for them.
There had been other times when Zed had relied on his Zombie to help him, or to protect Addison. A memory of ripping off his Z-band in the Wolf den sophomore year flashed through his head. He had allowed the Zombie to take over with an overwhelming need to protect Addison, even though she didn't need any protection. But during that whole experience, he was completely aware of his surroundings. Yes, the Zombie inside had screamed out for brains, but it was for those that he thought were hurting Addison. The thought of going after Addison never crossed his mind.
Another memory flashed by: this one was of Prawn that same year when he was needed to move a huge slab of concrete to help the werewolves save their moonstone. Addison had been with him and again his Zombie never once went after her or any of his other human friends. He had felt focused and completely in control of his body. Zed's Zombie had also desired to save his friends.
Suddenly Zed's head snapped up. The common thread to Zed's current memories with his Zombie was Addison. Addison, his loving and gorgeous girlfriend, who knew him better than he knew himself. Every time that Zed had allowed his Zombie to break free in recent years, Addison had been within reaching distance to him...and he never went for her. She was right, Zed thought. I - or my Zombie - would never hurt Addison. She's my soulmate. But then Zed frowned. That doesn't explain why I lost control when we started to get...intimate.
Before, basically between high school and now, Zed and Addison's relationship had stayed away from going too far into the intimate zone. Yes, makeout sessions had become more frequent, but besides some light touching on the outside of their clothes, their hands had never strayed as far as they had tonight. Zed had learned over the years to control the urges his Zombie would give him to push to go further. It's not like he and Addison hadn't spoken about sex; they had both agreed that they weren't ready for that leap yet.
But then why did my Zombie freak out when it did? Zed pondered. The only thing that could come to mind was just the overwhelming sensations that he had felt when Addison had touched him. His Zombie must have been caught off guard just as much as Zed had been.
Zed focused his mind inward. Normally, he could hear his internal Zombie at all times, and usually it was in accordance with Zed's own thoughts. Right now, it was silent. Maybe it too was scared of the way it had reacted near Addison. As his thoughts remained on Addison, he felt the Zombie deep down within himself stir and purr in appreciation. Zed also sensed a feeling of shame for behaving the way it did when he and Addison were together.
This last feeling made Zed jump up from his position against the tree. He quickly made his way back to Addison's dorm, continuing to process this new revelation and understanding that he was sharing with his inner Zombie. He tried to send calming thoughts inward. Once inside the building, he took the stairs two at a time; the faster he got to Addison, the faster he could profess his undying love for her. Pausing only briefly outside her door to catch his breath, he softly knocked before pushing the door open.
Addison was sitting on top of her bed with her legs pulled tight against her body, silent tears inching their way down her face. His heart stuttered at the sight of her. She had wrapped herself in one of her blankets in his absence, but Zed could still see the plunging neckline leading to her breasts as her breath hitched as she cried.
At the sound of the door closing behind Zed, Addison's head jerked up and the blanket around her shoulders slid down. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying she had done today, but to Zed, she was still the most beautiful person in the whole world. His long legs brought him across her dorm room in two strides and he wrapped her up into his arms. Her own arms snaked around him, bringing the blanket with them, giving Zed the feeling like he was cocooned in her warmth.
He crashed his lips to hers in a searing kiss before pulling back to rest his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry I ran off on you, Addison. I panicked and was terrified that I would attack you."
"Zed, I've told you this a hundred times: I know you would never hurt me," Addison started to argue.
"I know," he cut her off. "I think I just needed some time to process what was happening and so did my inner Zombie. I was getting a little overwhelmed with how fast we were suddenly moving. I - and my Zombie - was caught off guard." He flashed her his signature smile. "But we've come to the realization that we cannot live without you - I cannot live without you." He paused. "If you'll still have me."
Addison pulled his head down towards her and captured his lips in another toe-curling kiss. I'll take that as a yes, Zed thought as Addison started to walk them backwards toward her bed, shrugging off the blanket as she went. But before she could pull both of them back onto the bed, Zed stopped her.
"Before we go any further, I have an important question to ask you." Zed wrapped her once more in her blanket, giving her a quick kiss before gesturing for her to sit down.
Her brows dipped down in confusion as she sat down on her bed. "Okay…"
Zed dropped himself down onto one knee, his lanky legs cramping in the small space. He pulled the ring box out that had been burning a hole in his pocket all night. When he opened it towards Addison, she gasped in her breath as her hands flew to her mouth. A single small diamond set on a delicate gold band sparkled back at her. She looked at him with wide expectant eyes.
Zed took a deep breath and jumped off the proverbial deep end. "Addison, I have loved you from the moment I first set eyes on you. And watching you defy everything you were taught as a child has been my biggest pleasure in life. It would make me the happiest Zombie in the whole wide world if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife."
Zed could see the tears welling up in Addison's eyes, but this time they were happy tears.
"YES!" she screamed out as she threw her arms around Zed, the blanket once again slipping from her shoulders. He let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding, and a huge smile spread across his face as he wrapped his arms tightly around her small frame.
He stood them up and slid the delicate ring onto the ring finger of Addison's left hand. He preened as he watched her hold her hand up to watch the diamond sparkle under the fluorescent lights of her room. The ring fit her perfectly.
When her crystal blue eyes met his, they were sparkling as much as her ring was. She leaned into his body and grabbed the front of his shirt to pull his head down for a kiss. It was passionate and intense, filled with all of the love that there were no words for. When Zed pulled away to catch his breath, the taste of Addison still lingered in his mouth. His hands cupped her face before sliding down the side of her body to wrap around her waist.
His cool hands touching her bare back caused her to shiver. It was then that they realized that they were standing in the middle of her room, Addison still half-naked. Zed stooped down for her blanket and once again wrapped her up. Addison took his hands and wrapped them around her body under the blanket, causing her to shiver again in anticipation of what was to come. Their lips came together like magnets and Zed pulled Addison flush against his body as their kisses became more frantic.
"Let's move this to the bed," Addison gasped out between kisses. She pulled Zed towards herself as she moved backwards. The back of her knees all too quickly hit the edge of her bed and the two of them collapsed on top in a tangle of limbs.
The roaming hands over each other's bodies resumed as they continued their earlier activities. Addison breathed out a moan as Zed first grabbed onto one of her breasts and then switched to sliding his hand up the outside of her thigh to wrap it around his waist. She slid one of her hands into his green hair, her other hand lightly tracing a path along his spine under his shirt. She could feel his back muscles flex as he braced himself on the bed as he hovered over her body.
She pulled him flush against her body, welcoming his weight, as their kisses became even more frantic. Zed felt Addison's hand slide between their bodies, reaching to cup his hard as a rock member on the outside of his jeans. She squeezed and he swore he saw fireworks.
He suddenly sat back onto his knees and pulled his shirt over his head in a single sweep as Addison worked on the button and zipper of his jeans. As she started to push them down, Zed paused in his ministrations of Addison's neck and collarbone. A sudden thought pushed to the forefront of his brain and he pulled back out of her grasp. A whimper fell from her lips as Zed caught his breath. He touched his forehead to her own.
"Addie, I don't have any protection. I wasn't exactly expecting THIS to happen this weekend." He leaned back on his elbows so he wouldn't crush her.
Addison smirked, but a light blush spread across her cheeks. "I've been on the pill since we started college and I may have purchased a box of condoms before Winter break started." She shrugged. "I mean, we've been spending every weekend together ALONE in my dorm room. There's only like 5 people left in the entire building. I figured it would happen eventually and I wanted to be prepared." She laughed and pointed to herself. "Remember, I'm a cheerleader! We're always prepared for anything!" She blushed again, this time a deeper red. "Although, I also admit that I didn't think it would be this soon."
Zed laid his hand on Addison's cheek and he searched her eyes. "We don't have to keep going if you don't want to."
She shook her head. "I want to keep going. I want to experience this with you. You already have my heart; I am ready to give you my soul. Gar gargaza, Zed." With those words, Addison pulled Zed closer to her, kissing him until he saw stars.
They broke apart when oxygen became a necessity. "Gar gargaza, Addiska," Zed whispered in her ear, knowing how much she loved it when he said her name in Zombie Tongue. He ran a hand through her long hair as he marveled at her beauty. Zed once again felt a swell of love come over him. He also took note of how calm and quiet his Zombie was being.
Yes, Zed was a Zombie. But he was also in love with an amazing human girl who would do anything for him. And he - and his Zombie - would do anything for her. He could finally stop stressing about his Zombie taking over and attacking his beloved Addison; his Zombie loved her just as much as he did.
And so, Zed and Addison spent the remainder of their weekend together getting lost in one another, mentally and physically. But mostly physically. :-)
A/N 2: Please don't be afraid to drop me a comment! I don't have any other ideas bouncing around at the moment, so suggestions are welcome. I can't guarantee something will come of them, but it's worth a try!