Hey peeps. One shot. Unrelated to previous chapters. Warning: This is a VERY strong T rating. Okay? VERY STRONG FIRM TEEN RATING. Frank TALK of sex will occur including innuendo. If this isn't your thing, I will not be offended. I really wanted to explore this idea further but I wasn't comfortable taking the characters much farther than this *shrug* I obey the muses, I am a slave to the muses. Hope you enjoy, I had solid giggles while exploring this idea! Also, I love the idea of Zevon being this progressive dad- ah, no spoilers. Carry on!

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This was it, this was their moment. Zed watched with pride as Addison did a triple back handspring across the stage to collect her diploma. Her tassel switching to the left side with the momentum and his standing applause joining everyone. Addison was magic to him, she was going places, cheer captain, valedictorian, and fighter for zombie rights. Zed looked up at her parents in the crowd, cheering and whooping as loud as they could. She looked back at Zed, he could still feel when her eyes caught him, and he winked. It was a basic need fulfilled to watch her blush and he loved feeling it daily. Addison took her seat, and the names continued. Originally, it was going to be zombies after the living, but Zed and Addison fought for inclusion. Shared graduation, shared celebration. The first integrated graduating class in history.

Zed stood up in anticipation of his name being next. He expected the silence, he wasn't exactly the most welcome kid at Seabrook high. Nearly eating their last cheer captain, causing all the zombies to get locked zbands. Yeah, Zed accepted he wasn't exactly a cherished student. What he didn't know how to accept were all the applause coming from his fellow students as he walked up to the stage. Principal Lee was there with his diploma, shaking his hand. She turned him to the crowd, and he saw everyone was standing and applauding him. Even Addison's mom and dad. Zed smiled, trying to absorb this moment, on autopilot getting back to his seat. Addison was looking back at him, her thumbs up cheering him silently.

"Not a monster, just a zombie." Zed thought to himself.

After a few more names, everyone threw their caps and ran off the stage. Zed ran right into Addison's arms, picking her up and spinning her.

"We did it, now college." She smiled. Zed nodded, holding her close, trying to get the strength up to ask.

"Addison, do you want to go on a date tonight?" Zed asked, his nerves vibrating within him.

"Sure! How great would that be to celebrate graduating? What do you want to do? Walk in the park? Movies?" Addison's eyes were bright and hopeful.

"Yeah, but, maybe you can spend the night at my house? Dad and Zoey are gone tonight for a work trip, and I thought we could celebrate graduating together." Zed said the words quickly, the rush of it making it sound like one giant word.

"Alone?" Addison's eyes went round as saucers. "Zed-" she began.

"You know, never mind. It's too soon. I know there's a celebratory zombie mash happening we could-" Zed was cut off by Addison planting her lips on his. It wasn't the kisses he was used to. Fast, cute, filled with smiles and love. This kiss was deeper, darker, his hands settled on her small waist, his fingers gripping her tight. She pulled back before he was ready, and he felt blood rushing inside him.

"I would love to." She tapped his nose with her finger, and he smiled. The relief was short lived once he realized she had said yes. Addison skipped off to see her mom and dad, hugging them tight. Zed saw his dad and waved with Zoey. Bonzo and Eliza came up on either side of him, hugging him.

"So, she said yes?" Eliza asked. Zed felt the blood that was rushing around him pull up to his cheeks, blushing for the first time. "Well that's new."

Zed pulled his hands up to his face, feeling it's warmth. He turned to Bonzo.

"Why is this happening? This is not good. Can I get sick?" Zed was pinching his cheeks, trying to make the blood go away. Bonzo slipped a hand into Zed's back pocket, placing a square package.

"Zobe." Bonzo looked at Eliza, who laughed.

"What are those?" Zed asked, his face horrified.

"You were in class just like us, Zed." Eliza dead panned him. Zed felt his face warm up all over again. He got no reprieve as Addison came back with her parents and his own dad and sister. His dad pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you son. You did it." Zevon hugged him again, and Zoey hugged his hair from atop her dad's shoulders. They pulled back and Zevon grabbed his sons chin. "Son, are you feeling okay? Your face is red?"

"Fine dad, probably just all the excitement. Woo, diploma." Zed laughed, trying his hardest to calm down.

"Mom, Dad, Zed and I are going to go to the zombie mash tonight and then I'm going to spend the night at Zed's house." Addison went to Zed's side, hugging it. "Okay?"

"Addison, Zevon is leaving tonight with us, to go to the conference. We were kind of hoping to have dinner together to celebrate your accomplishments, talk about your future." Dale said. "Not have you go spend the night with a zombie."

"We've been together for four years dad, I think Zed's not just a boy off the street." Zed didn't know what to think, but he didn't want to cause any problems between Addison and her parents.

"We don't have to." Zed mumbled, trying to keep the feeling of being crushed out of his voice.

Addison interlaced her hands with his. "Zed and I have been together thru a lot. We can handle a night alone together, as 18-year-old high school graduates, without our parents. Okay? If it makes you feel better, we can spend the night at my house. Deal?" Addison decided, and just like that, plans were changed, and Zed was happy about it.

"No zombie mash then, I don't want either of you traveling that late at night." Zevon said. Missy gasped.

"You approve of this?" Missy's voice was high. "Have you no shame?" she brought her hand up to her chest.

"I assumed they already did something like this, so I'm happy with the communication." Zevon shrugged, causing Missy to faint. Dale caught her, and everyone, except Addison was embarrassed. Bonzo and Eliza excused themselves, waiting to burst into laughter until they were out of ear shot.

"This is not a done discussion young lady." Dale pointed his finger at Addison. Addison wiggled her fingers, waving bye to her dad. She dismissed him with a turn of her body, Zevon pulled them both into a hug.

"Be careful tonight, okay? Be safe." Zevon glared slightly at the two kids in front of him. Zed decided if he wasn't dead, he would have died of embarrassment immediately. There was even a small part of him that hoped the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Addison, to her credit, nodded.

"Ugh, Dad, no. We aren't going to do anything." Zed wailed, his shock and embarrassment and how wrong this went getting to him. Zevon kissed them both on the head.

"Okay Zoey, let's go finish packing." Zoey waved bye as they turned and walked away.

Zed dropped to the ground, his legs giving up on him. Addison laughed, crawling into his lap.

"I didn't mean to do all of this Addi. I just wanted time alone with you." Zed tried to apologize.

"Did you think maybe, I wanted a little more?" Addison winked, and Zed froze. "Maybe, I'm ready for a next step." She wiggled slightly into his lap and Zed could barely stand all the feelings coming over him. It was overwhelming, so many mixed emotions but each strong. He wanted Addison, but he respected her, her strength and openness made him proud, he was excited, afraid. Every emotion wrestled with another for dominance and before Zed could sort thru it, he felt fire in his veins.

"Addison." Zed tried to get her attention. "Something's happening."

"Is it a big something?" Addison flirted, her own cheeks blushing. Zed pushed her off of him, watching dark veins crawl up his arms.

"Addison stay away, something is wrong." Zed grabbed his arm, squeezing as if to cut off the transformation.

"Zed, breathe. You are never going to hurt me." Addison shuffled on her knees back to him, her hand on the side of his face. She watched as his eyes slowly darken, the peach becoming darker, more maroon. "Zed, is your zband broken?"

"No! It even says online. I don't know what is happening. Please Addison, please go away. I don't want to hurt you." Zed stood up and ran away, hoping his dad would already be at home so he could ask him.

"Zed!" Addison called out after him, thankfully her voice far away, but Zed kept running.

He threw open the bright green door, the hinges moaning at the impact as he slammed it shut.

"Devo, jusa!" Zed called, begging for help in zombie. Zevon came running downstairs, Zoey right behind him. As soon as he saw Zed, he clutched his chest, relief washing over him. "Zoey run back upstairs, I need to talk with your brother. Make sure you pick only one pair of poms poms to bring." Zoey stomped up the stairs, slamming her door twice in a row to make her point that she didn't like being excluded.

"Zed, sit on the couch." Zed sat on the couch, watching the veins slowly absorb back into his skin, feeling more in control. "How far did you and Addison go?" Zevon asked plainly.

Zed sputtered. "We didn't, there was nothing, I didn't, she didn't, there was no, nothing, none." Zed couldn't believe his dad wanted to have the talk now. They already did this talk before he went to high school, and he wasn't sure he could live thru it again.

"Zed, it's normal. Your body is animated because of the zband, but love, it's powerful. You're going to short out your zband. I've been researching this because I thought it would come up. You're one of the first and only human/zombie relationships. It's natural for you son, that the zband isn't going to help you thru this."

"Are you telling me if I have sex with Addi I'm going to eat her brains?" Zed was embarrassed, shocked, horrified, and destroyed all in one. And for once, embarrassment wasn't working. "You didn't think to warn me?"

"Son, you are a go getter, but I raised you right. You weren't going to push Addison, so she was going to have to make the first move. I'm assuming, that happened and you went a little-" Zevon tried to find the right word, "zombie?"

Zed leaned back into the old couch. "Pretty much. We didn't even do anything, I just started thinking about her. This is really uncomfortable now that I know Addison is not in danger." Zed started to stand up.

"Zed, can I give you some advice? From a zombie who was here before the zbands were invented?"

Zed couldn't look his father in the eye, already mortified thinking of what he was going to say.

"We didn't just lumber around sniffing out brains. Sure that was there, but we enjoyed a lot of things too. Trust your inner zombie. He's not a bad guy. I bet you and he have a lot in common." Zevon stood up, patting Zed on the back.

"Yeah, except we find different parts of Addison delicious." Zed covered his mouth, shocked that sentence even came out. "I meant gorgeous."

"Now I'm uncomfortable. Go, trust yourself, and have fun. And don't forget these, they must have slipped out of your pocket." Zevon chuckled while handing Zed the pack of condoms that Bonzo must have put into his pocket. Zed looked up at the ceiling.

"If there is a god, please, smite me now."

"Nah, you're too wonderful, I like watching." Addison lowered her voice from the doorway.

Zed scrambled to put the small box away, anywhere, but Addison had already seen it. She plucked it front his fingers, and slipped it into his back pocket.

"How much of that did you hear?" Zed winced, hoping the answer was none.

"All of it. I trust you Zed, all of you." Addison hugged him tight, sighing softly. "Want to go home?" she looked up into his eyes.

"Yeah." Zed said, wrapping her hands in his. "Let's go."