A/N: There was a lot of Harper in the first chapter, so I decide to reward you with some Zeke this time around. This takes place that night, obviously. Please review, even if it's just to say that you don't totally hate it. ;) (Unless you do totally hate it, then you can say that....)


Things had been somber around the Russo household since Alex and Justin broke up with Mason and Juliet. Zeke didn't know the details, nor did he want to pry. Justin had just said that they had grown apart – that the age difference was finally catching up to them.

Zeke thought the couple was perfect for each other. Sure, Justin had less time for Zeke when he was dating the pretty blonde girl, but sometimes dudes have to let their best friends be happy with someone else for a change.

It was part of some bro code; right up there with "Thou shall not date your best friend's ex."

Lately, Zeke felt more and more awkward obeying that part of the code.

If there was one way to describe Zeke Beekerman, however, it was fiercely loyal. Whenever Justin needed him, Zeke would drop anything to be there. He learned early on in his life that nerds have to take care of each other.

If you could find someone else who liked Dungeons & Gargoyles and speaking alien languages, you had to hold on tight to them.

With Justin heartbroken, Zeke had taken the role of the cleric, attempting to heal his best friend's sadness. It didn't matter if that meant hanging out more after classes, going to see "Sherlock Holmes" four times or just texting him photos of his favorite weather girl for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Today's surprise was a new 20-sided die he'd found online.

Earlier that year Justin purchased a set of dice, but Alex had stolen the d20 from the set when her older brother wasn't looking. Without it, the set was practically useless. How else would he attack the kobolds and gelatinous cubes lurking in the dungeon? Sure, he had other d20s, but he liked his dice to match.

It took a while for Zeke to find a matching die – he had to call in a few favors – but he was proud of the score.

Theresa and Harper were closing the sub shop when Zeke entered after his shift at the grocery store ended.

"Hey Zeke," Theresa greeted as she placed a chair upside down on one of the many tables. Harper jumped at the mention of his name, hands spilling some of the salt she was using to refill the shakers. She said nothing, however, instead going back to steadying the containers.

Zeke had been there at closing time before so, as if by habit, he turned the sign to "closed" and locked the door behind him. His lanky body glided over the floor, arms reaching out to help Theresa with the chairs.

"You don't have to do that, Zeke," Theresa said, a smile on her face as she glanced toward Harper then back to Zeke. While two of her children were heartbroken (and the other seemingly clueless as usual), their best friends had come through for them in ways she, as a parent, could not. "Justin is upstairs."

"It's no trouble, Mrs. Russo," he replied as he placed another chair on top of the table. "I'll finish up here, if you'd like."

"Well, thank you," she answered, a bit shocked at the offer. "Are you hungry? We have plenty of leftovers from dinner. I could warm some up for you."

"That'd be fantastic, Mrs. Russo. Thank you." He had already finished the chairs, moving to pick up the broom that rested against the counter.

With that, Theresa excused herself and climbed up the spiral staircase.

The teens in the sub shop were quiet, one sweeping and one allowing her thoughts to roam as she filled salt shakers. Things had ended on a good note at the grocery store, in her opinion, so she wasn't about to talk and ruin it.

It was a lesson she had learned after years of crushing on Justin. When she finally stopped her obsession and became friends with him, she found their relationship had improved.

Sure, she still had jealous tendencies, but things had changed so much in the past few weeks that Harper was left unsure of where her own feelings rested.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Zeke emptied the dustbin in the trashcan and addressed the red-haired girl.

"Hey, Harper?"

Salt everywhere. Again. This time on the floor.

Zeke may not have noticed the cause for jumpiness, but he did notice the mess that remained. He moved over with the broom, continuing to speak without waiting for an answer.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Do you want me to finish sweeping? I made the mess, I'm sorry. I can clean it up. You should go hang out with Justin." Harper had a habit of speaking quickly when nervous. At least she hadn't hit the awkward and loud laughter stage yet.

"It's not that," Zeke insisted, continuing to work. "You're good at, like, designing and painting stuff, right?"

It wasn't a question that needed answering – he knew, and she knew that. Still, she replied with a quiet 'yeah' before clearing her throat. "I mean, yeah," she followed up louder, just in case he hadn't heard.

"Do you think you could help me with something? It's for a gift."

"For your girlfriend?" she asked quickly, raising her eyebrows. Why did she say that? She didn't mean to say that. It just popped out, just as her hands suddenly began moving again, screwing the lids back onto salt shakers.

Her brain officially lost control of her actions.

Zeke, however, stopped in place. He didn't detect the jealous tone, but rather jumped to a conclusion he had heard from people before.

"Are you implying that Justin is my girlfriend? Because I'm getting really sick of that. I mean, you bring a dude flowers once and all of a sudden…." He was rambling, and while Harper wanted to laugh, she instead reacted with words.

"I wasn't implying that!" she insisted. "I wouldn't say – wait, you brought him flowers? Why would you…No, never mind."

The quiet returned, Zeke moving to empty the dustpan and Harper finishing the salt shakers. She placed the tray beneath the counter, and then moved closer to Zeke, hoping to ease his discomfort and make amends for the misunderstanding.

"What do you need help with?" Hands rested on her hips, Harper tilted her head as she glanced up to him. Their eyes met, but only briefly. Footsteps on the stairs caught their attention, and Zeke quickly turned to see Justin.

"Your food's warm, Zeke," he told him, hand gently hitting the rail, causing a sound to echo in the new silence. "Hurry up. If it gets cold again you have to reheat it again, which is another dose of radiation."

"But I could end up with super powers that way," Zeke pointed out, picking up the broom and aiming the handle at Justin. He mimicked a laser shot sound, and as if on cue, Justin placed a hand to his chest, falling back onto the stairs in mock-agony.

They'd done this before.

Zeke turned his attention back to Harper, but before he could speak, Harper took the broom from his hand.

"Go eat," she said. "This is almost finished. We'll talk later?"

Zeke nodded, taking a slight bow and tipping an invisible hat in her direction. "Thank you, ma'am," he replied. It was calm, cool and collected. Completely out of character, of course, which is why seconds later he jumped into the air, threw up a fist pump and clambered onto the stairs where Justin had stood waiting. "Let's food up, Robot!"

As the duo ran upstairs, Harper leaned on the broom, a hand rising to cover her face. Today had been exhausting, not to mention slightly confusing, but there was a flicker of hope burning.

And for Harper Finkle, even the tiniest flame could keep her warm for hours.