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.

More angst. A little bit of fluff, but mostly angst. And what's this? Plot progression? Incredible

I'll post one or two Limelights over the next week introducing a couple new BGZ who are gonna appear, but if you follow my Tumblr you might already know of them~ Also, I have a playlist of songs relating to each chapter of Tattooed Mistakes! I add the songs for each chapter the day before an update. It's unlisted on YouTube so if you want the link, message me or find it on my Tumblr~

Chapter 3

He lay there for another hour or two after Zephyr had fallen asleep and when he finally felt his drowsiness overtake him, Alonzo was jolted awake again in no time by a nightmare, reliving the incident as if he was watching his full-zombie self kill and eat the human. He remembered where he was when Zephyr, half-asleep with his eyes still closed, pulled him closer. Al relaxed into his arms as he held him and tried to push the memories from his mind. He did fall asleep eventually but not for long. Something stirred him awake. He felt lips against his and instinctively kissed back. He opened his eyes for a moment and saw Zephyr standing over him, already up and dressed, only to roll over again and bury his face in the pillow. He didn't want to deal with the waking world just yet.

A hand brushed against his face. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, wake up."

Then again, going back to sleep could mean more nightmares.

Al pushed Zephyr off and got out of bed, not once looking at him. He stretched and when his joints cracked, the sound seem to echo around the room, far louder in his head that it had to sound to Zephyr, reminding Al of the grotesque crack of the human's skull. He couldn't see it. It was almost like he'd been unconscious, with virtually no memory of it, but that sound stuck in his mind.

"What's wrong?" Zephyr asked urgently. He came closer and put a hand on his shoulder but Alonzo shook his head and stepped back.

"Nothing."

"You flinched. You never flinch at crackin-" he trailed off when their eyes met and he understood. He changed the subject, "Did... did you sleep?"

"Barely."

Of course he didn't. His voice was croaky and he looked exhausted as he went about getting dressed. Not the best subject change. It was quiet for a moment.

"You hungry?"

"No."

He didn't want to talk. It was so unlike him. Zephyr moved in front of him, hoping he'd look at him properly, "You should really eat something, you threw up a lot last night."

Alonzo sighed, rubbing an eye, and turned to look at Zephyr, "I don't think I could stomach anything."

Zephyr chewed his lip nervously, "Al, you know you d-"

"Can we not talk about it? For now?"

His strained voice alone was enough to make Zephyr comply. Instead, he tugged on Al's hand and gave him a pleading look, "At least try and eat something, come on."

It didn't seem like puppy-dog eyes were going to work.

"I can't," Al insisted, running his hands down his face, "I don't even want to think about eating right now and lets face it, anything brain flavoured is definitely coming back up."

Zephyr nodded, his tongue in his cheek, and they went downstairs.

When Rizzo saw them, she waited until her parents backs were turned then came over to quietly ask them "You guys doing OK?"

"Didn't sleep much..."

She reached out to stroke his arm but there wasn't much more she could do before her mom addressed the boys.

"Well, good morning you two, nice of you to join us," she joked and Zephyr winced at the obvious attempt to act normal despite the elephant in the room, "Al, honey, you staying for breakfast?"

"Uh... not today..."

Rizzo shot Zephyr a worried look when Alonzo declined the offer and he could only shake his head. If Al noticed, he ignored them.

"I should get home. Let my mom know I'm OK after last night and all."

They were both surprised, but it didn't seem like they were going to pry. He said goodbye to them and Zephyr walked him to the door in silence. Out on the porch, though, he stopped him before he could leave.

"Listen. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, Al. I promise you, I won't let them take you away from me."

They both chose to believe he could keep that promise.

– TATTOOED MISTAKES –

Alonzo had only just made it onto his street when he thought he heard someone calling his name. He stopped and listened until it came again, getting closer.

"Al...!" something small crashed into him and threw him off balance. He felt arms around him and looked down at a dark green ponytail.

"Lindzey?"

His sister lifted her head to reveal her slightly scared expression, "The patrol told Dad you saw the human last night and your band went crazy and-"

"Whoa, whoa, Lin, slow down!" he gently pushed her back, keeping his hands on her shoulders, and crouched down a little to her level.

"Did you really see him?"

He made a false start or two before he could actually answer, "Yeah, yeah, I did, but... I-I'm fine. Don't worry about it, I had Zephyr with me, it's..." he took a long breath, "It's fine."

"You sure?" Lindzey frowned, "You don't look fine."

"What?"

"You're distracted."

"I'm just..." he glanced back towards Zephyr's street, "... Worried..." then he shook his head, "And my band wasn't going crazy, it was a normal warning."

That still surprised and confused him, but he was grateful. It had saved him from some serious trouble.

"So, why'd you get a warning?"

Did she always ask this many questions?

"Uh... I-I guess I panicked when I saw the guy. I mean, it was kinda obvious he wasn't exactly here to make friends, but... w-we got back to Zephyr's alright."

Lindzey turned nervous, wringing her hands and looking up at Alonzo, "Everybody's freaking out. I heard Paizley had a panic attack or something."

"Wait, she what?"

"When the patrol went to her house. She started crying and hid in her room. Dad was talking to her parents about it."

"Oh, Z..." Al muttered under his breath. He backed away a couple of steps then turned around and set off walking in the direction of his house. Lindzey followed him.

"Are you going home?"

"Yeah."

"Can I come?"

"Why?"

"'Cause I wanna."

"No. Dad's gonna want you to stay home with him right now."

Lindzey moved to stand in front of him, making him stop.

"When did you start caring what Dad wants?"

"Lindzey, this is serious, OK?" Al held up his hands, "Go back to Dad's, I'll see you when I see you. Just stay safe."

He hurried past her.

"Al!" she called after him but he ignored her, and any other protests she made. He blocked everything out, thinking of nothing else but what he had done and what he could possibly do now. What would come of it. How much harm this could do.

His mom came running down the hall the moment he set foot inside the door and hugged him tight.

"Thank Z you're alright...!" she breathed as he hugged her back. She brought her hands to his face and kissed his forehead then looked at him, "Alonzo, sweetheart, you are far too pale, are you feeling OK? Have you eaten?"

No point in lying. Alonzo shook his head, "I... I actually feel kinda sick..."

"I'm not surprised, after what happened last night!"

After some more fussing, she let him go upstairs to his room. Upon entering, he suddenly felt like he hadn't been there in years. Everything looked too normal, too... innocent. Dirty clothes on the floor, posters on the walls, photographs of himself with Zephyr, Zach and Roz everywhere. Shelves stacked high with CDs – mostly Bowling For Soup – and the decades-old CD player Zephyr had gotten from Paizley for him. Alonzo sighed and fell backwards onto his bed, covering his face with his hands. He didn't know what to do. It didn't feel right to do anything. He couldn't go about his normal everyday life with these thoughts in his head. He dropped his arms onto the bed above him and lay there for a minute or two. He let his eyes drift across the room once more and they fell on his guitar in its stand in the corner, and Zephyr's guitar propped against the wall beside it, safe in its case. He stared at them, then sat up and swiped the screen of his Z-band. It wasn't long before he heard that comforting, and concerned, voice he loved so much coming through the speaker.

"Hey, what's up? You haven't even been gone an hour, did something happen?"

"No, I just, um... Y-your guitar's still here..."

The line was quiet for a moment.

"... You just want me to come over, don't you?"

"... Yeah."

"I'll be right there. Love you."

"Love you too."

Alonzo hung up and closed his eyes. He didn't want to be alone with his thoughts right now. But he would still have to be for the next few minutes until Zephyr got there.

Zephyr, who had witnessed him kill and eat a man because he was too weak to do anything else.

Zephyr, who was forced to speak for him to the officers because he was too stupid to come up with an explanation himself.

Zephyr, who he had shoved away after he was kissed awake because he was too selfish to acknowledge he just wanted to cheer him up.

Zephyr, who still told him he loved him... because...

... Why?

Alonzo stayed in that position, mulling over the same question until he heard the front door open downstairs. He waited for the footsteps to get closer before he slowly stood up, right as Zephyr came through the door and straight into his arms. Al let himself melt into the embrace and kissed his cheek. Then he let go, completely, and stepped back.

"Al?"

He couldn't find the words at first, "I... I don't get it..."

"Get what?"

His eyes dropped to the floor. Slowly, he lifted his head again and the look on his face physically pained Zephyr.

"Why don't you hate me? Why do you still want to be with me? You saw what I did," he said through the first signs of tears. Zephyr opened his mouth but Al interrupted him, "And you can't tell me I didn't know what I was doing or I couldn't control myself because I chose to take off my Z-band. I knew what that would do to me and I still took it off."

"You did it for me, though. Alonzo, you would literally... kill for me. I wouldn't be here right now if you didn't take off your Z-band. I'm alive because you took off your Z-band," he sounded almost in awe of him. Like it was some epic feat to murder someone. Alonzo's stomach twisted as Zephyr continued, barely above a whisper now, "And I-I think I'm falling even more in love with you for it."

Al stared at him in shock and even guilt, "Zeph, are you even hearing yourself right now?" his own voice was gradually rising, louder and more agitated, but too afraid of his mom hearing to fully shout, "You love me more because I murdered someone?" he was almost at the edge, "I ate someone!"

Zephyr matched his tone, "You saved my life! How else am I supposed to feel?"

"Zephyr." It was a warning, one that Zephyr didn't listen to.

"And besides, he deserved it, didn't he?" he was getting frantic, "He wanted to get rid of us. He knew exactly what he could be risking trying to hunt down zombies and he faced the consequences."

"Zephyr." A second warning.

"I'm not the only one you saved, Al, you saved all of us."

"Zephyr! Stop. Just stop it," Al knew he was right. But it still felt wrong, "I know it's good that he's gone and we have one less zombiephobe to worry about. I know I would've lost you if I didn't do something. But that 'something' didn't have to be killing and eating a person. What do you think the humans are saying about is now? This has got to have spread to Seabrook. How much longer is it gonna be before everything goes back to the way it used to be?" Alonzo paused for breath, shooting Zephyr a desperate look, "A zombie hasn't actually eaten a human in years and I just ruined that! You keep telling me I'm not stupid but think about what this could do, all because I made one stupid mistake."

"We don't know what the humans are thinking."

"Oh, come on, Zephyr! What, do you think they're gonna take our side in this?"

"I- No, but..." Zephyr closed his eyes for a second to gather his thoughts, "Look, all I'm saying is that you can't blame yourself for just reacting. I was in danger, of course you weren't thinking-"

"I can blame myself, because it was my fault! You can't change that, Zeph. Stop trying to make this something it's not," he had never sounded so upset, "Yeah, I saved you but I did it in the worst possible way and that's gonna follow me for the rest of my life."

They were silent, staring at each other, until Zephyr stepped forward and took Alonzo's face in his hands, titling his head down to meet his eyes. He spoke softly but firmly.

"He deserved it, baby," he murmured and it almost broke Alonzo. They didn't often use any kind of pet names for one another, at least not in English, so when either of them did, it struck a chord. Alonzo looked down and licked his lips, shuddering when he briefly tasted blood that was no longer there. He turned away but Zephyr pulled him back, "One dead psycho is better than fifty dead zombies."

"I know..." Al said shakily, starting to tear up, "I know, Zeph, but I-I did it. And I'm not gonna forget about this, it was like waking up from a nightmare and finding out it was all real. I can still taste it and..." he hesitated. Zephyr could tell whatever he wanted to say was scaring him and he brought one hand down to his shoulder, rubbing it soothingly, as the other kept him from turning away again, "A-and there's something in me that keeps wanting more."

Zephyr's eye widened, though not for the reason Alonzo expected. He was concerned, not afraid, "That's not you, though. That's your zombie instinct, it's not who you really are."

"It's more who I am than right now! That's our nature. We take off our Z-bands, and that's what we become."

"The Z-bands give us control. The Z-bands let us think, we're who we really are when we can understand it."

Alonzo nodded solemnly.

"And I took mine off. I made that choice."

"... OK. OK, you did. But you were scared, you panicked. And even full zombie, you wanted to protect me. I still love you for it. You can't tell me not to."

He ran his hand down Alonzo's cheek and slowly kissed him. Al kissed back but soon pulled away, still with the same sad look in his eyes.

"I love you, too. So much. But..." he sighed, "That doesn't help anything. It doesn't change what happened, or what's going to happen, or-"

"You don't know what's going to happen."

"I can guess. Things are already happening."

There was a pause as Zephyr tried curiously to read Al's expression.

"... Paizley had an episode..." he finally breathed.

"What?"

"Apparently she holed herself up in her room, crying, when the patrol came around. She must have had a flashback or something, to the raid. She wouldn't have had to go through that if it wasn't for me."

"Yeah, probably because she'd be dead."

"Would you stop?" Al snapped suddenly.

"Al-"

"No, Zeph," he calmed down just as quickly, "Can we... I don't want to think about that..."

"Alonzo..."

Out of nowhere, Alonzo pulled Zephyr into a searing kiss, clinging to him like he was scared to let him go. Zephyr lost himself in it for only a moment then pulled back. He examined Alonzo's face but he wouldn't look him in the eye until Zephyr forced him to.

"There's something else wrong. I can tell."

Alonzo's eyes stayed fixed on the floor, "I heard about Paizley from Lindzey," he sighed and finally looked up, "She was asking so many questions, how am I supposed to keep this quiet?"

"It won't help anything for her to know."

"But it helped for Rizzo to know?" Al frowned, his tone challenging.

"Al, Rizzo will take this to the grave. Besides, no offense to Lindzey, but she's just a little kid. She wouldn't be able to handle it."

"We're just kids, Zeph. I'm just a kid, I can't handle this."

"Come here..." Zephyr hugged him and Al's head dropped to his shoulder as he combed his fingers through his hair, "You don't have to do this on your own, I'm here."

Not for long.

– TATTOOED MISTAKES –

There was one single day of silence. One whole day where nothing really happened, where Alonzo almost let himself relax, where he and Zephyr spent time with Zach and Roz without raising any sort of suspicion. Then the following morning, there was a knock on Alonzo's front door. Lindzey, just a little further down the street outside, saw the zombie patrol walk up to her mom and brother's house and immediately ran back home to get her dad.

Alonzo was already part of the way down the stairs when his mom went to open the door. He froze when he realised what was happening, turned and ran back up. The patrol. He could hear every word they were saying to his mother. They were here for him, for real this time. He didn't know what to do, struggling for breath and already crying. He dropped to the floor, his back to the wall, only just out of sight, and did the first thing that came to mind – call Zephyr.

"H- Al? Are you crying?"

"Zeph..." he kept his voice low, "Th-the patrol's here..."

"What?"

"Listen."

Alonzo held out his wrist towards the staircase.

"We have evidence against him."

"That's impossible," Al's mom replied, insistently, "I know my own son, he-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but your son is under arrest. We will use force if we have to."

Al gulped and brought his band back up to his face, Zephyr's terrified voice not doing much to reassure him.

"Oh, Z, no... No, no, no, this can't be happening, Al, you need to get out of there."

But Alonzo could only see one possible outcome in this situation.

"I can't."

"It'll be OK, you can find a way to sneak out, I'll be there soon."

He could hear faint shuffling as Zephyr scrambled to leave.

"No, I can't, Zeph," he said, firmer now, "I... I have to go with them..."

Zephyr sounded frantic, "What? No, Alonzo, you can get out, we'll find somewhere safe, we-"

"I can't just run away."

"Al, please don't..." His voice shook.

Alonzo closed his eyes, took a breath and made his choice, "I love you, Zephyr, but you're wrong here, I need to just face the consequences. I'm going."

"You don't need to," Zephyr pleaded.

"I do," Al bit his lip, trying not to cry anymore, "You'll come visit me, right?"

"What, in containment? Where you're not going?"

"Zephyr."

"... Of course I will..."

"Gar-garziga."

"Gar-garziga, zet."

He ended the call and stood. His mother paused in her attempts to convince the officers at the door they were wrong to look at him as he walked downstairs as calmly as he could.

"Alonzo? What is going on?"

"Mom..." all he could do was shrug and shake his head, "I'm sorry..." and he walked past her.

"Al, what are you doing?"

He could hear the tears building in her voice, thick and heavy, as he let himself be handcuffed. The officer putting them on was rattling off his rights but Alonzo was barely listening.

Even if Zephyr was on his way, there was no going back now.