#a zombies christmas
Walking around Zombietown, the couple ended up at a snow-covered outdoor Light Garden.
“It’s so beautiful here.” Addison walked around, the awe in her voice reflected in her eyes.
“Yeah, it is,” Zed agreed, his eyes not leaving Addison as she took in the lights. A zombie Light Garden was a stark contrast to the lights that the humans normally put up this time of year, but it was apparent that Addison preferred the ones in Zombietown. The white lights cast just enough light to illuminate the sparkling snow and watching Addison take it all in was the most beautiful thing that Zed had ever seen.
Zed didn’t know how long they stayed in the Light Garden before Addison ‘wanted’ to go home. There was a look in her eye that said she could stay there forever, but Zed could tell that she was ready to face her parents. The walk back to the human part of town seemed to take no time at all and before he knew it, they were at the Wells’ front door.
As Zed reached for the door handle, Addison hesitated.
“We can go back to Zombietown,” Zed started, but Addison shook her head.
“I have to come back eventually.”
“I’ll go in with you. After all, it was both of us that your family was, well, whatever you want to call it.”
Addison rolled her eyes. “Zed, I dragged you into this. I literally said I wanted you there to distract them from my hair, remember? Besides, everybody has probably gone home. It was just dinner.”
“Whatever you want,zreeka.”
Addison smiled at the endearment, squeezing Zed’s hand. “Gar-gargiza,Zedka.”
“Gar-gargiza, Addiska.” He pulled her into an embrace, holding her close. Addison pressed her face into his chest, allowing the steadiness of his breathing to fill her with serenity.
After several minutes, Addison stepped back. “You really should go home. They may have repealed the anti-monster laws, but I don’t want them to find any reason to give you trouble.”
Zed nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Addy.”
Addison stood in front of the door, watching until Zed disappeared. Only once she had lost sight of him did she unlock the door and enter the house.
As she had expected, her parents were waiting.
“Where have you been?” Her mother asked immediately, rubber gloves on and scrub brush in hand, though by the looks of things the dishes sitting in the dish rack were nearly dried.
“Addison, your mother and I have been worried since you disappeared,” her father added disapprovingly.
“You couldn’t have at least called to let us know you were all right?”
Ignoring her parents’ questions, Addison asked one of her own. “Everybody went home, then? Brandon went back to New York, since you didn’t ask about my cousin, who also disappeared last night. And Zed’s on his way home right now.”
“Of course everyone went home, Addison. They were only here for dinner. Nobody was expecting you to take off like that,” Missy said primly.
“Now where were you last night, Addison?” Dale looked at his daughter, the look on his face leading her to believe that he knew exactly where she had spent the night.
“On the Necrodopolis’ couch.” It wasn’t a lie. There was, however, a glaring omission that there had been a whole other person lying between her and the couch. Her mother’s mouth thinned, as if she could hear the omitted truth.
“Why?”
Because she hadn’t wanted to come back and face her judgmental family, with or without her boyfriend. Because she hadn’t wanted to give them another chance to insult him. To degrade him. Because she needed to escape her parents’ perfect little world, a perfect little world that only existed in their heads. Because his family loved and accepted her for who she was and as his girlfriend.
“Zed loves me. As I am. He thought I was beautiful the first time he saw my real hair. He only came last night so that I would have one person at that dinner table who was on my side, who supported me, who loved me unconditionally. And when we went ho-, back to Zombietown, it felt safer to just stay there and not make the walk here again so late.” Again, it wasn’t a complete lie. There were just a few omissions that Addison did not need or want to tell her parents.
“Addison, of course we love you,” her father said, but the words felt hollow.
“I know you do, Dad. I know you both love me – on the condition that I keep my wig on and keep up all appearances of being normal. But we’re not normal. None of us are. My hair is inexplicably white. You and Mom want to suppress anything that doesn’t conform to ‘normal’. My boyfriend is a zombie. My friends are zombies. And my human friends? None of us are the same. How much is it going to take until we’re all carbon copies of each other? Because that seems like the only thing that could make you happy.”
Years and years of frustrations were pouring out.
“I’m going to bed.” Addison left the kitchen, ignoring anything that her parents might have been saying as she turned and walked away. Tomorrow, she would go back to Zombietown and spend the day with the people who were willing to understand her. To accept her for who she was. To love her as she was. Unconditionally.
Notes: So the way that Zed said that “it’s azombie light garden” always implied that there was more than one in Zombietown. To me, anyway.
@unusual-ly for the Zombietongue :) zreeka= sweetheart
A/N: This is more of an interlude than a Proper Chapter to transition from leaving Christmas dinner to starting the resolution.
Neither Zed nor Addison slept well that night. Zed was curled up on the far too small couch, legs dangling over the armrest, Puppy snuggled against his chest. Addison, though quite possibly the most comfortable she had ever been, was too distracted by worrying about the fallout from the night’s events. Eventually, she got up and entered the living room. Zed noticed her immediately, sitting upright and holding out the blanket for her to join him. She snuggled in close, a tangle of limbs practically lying on top of each other, and this was how Zevon found them in the morning.
Zevon considered himself to be a pretty fly dad when it came to parenting his kids. They had as much freedom as they wanted, with self-imposed curfews so long as they followed the law. That said, his son was only fifteen and if he was going to be doing things with his girlfriend, Zevon would prefer if they weren’t in the living room when Zoey was around. Or if he himself was home, for that matter. Once Addison was gone, there was going to be a Serious Talk in the Necrodopolis home. However, the subtle approach would do for now. After all, it had been a while since he’d made bloodied eggs and that would definitely attract Zed’s attention. He was proven right, as Zed wandered into the kitchen, Addison still asleep on the couch.
“Morning, son,” he stirred the liquidized eggs around the saucepan.
“Za,” Zed muttered, grabbing the carton of apple-grape juice from the fridge and taking a long pull.
“How was your evening with the Wells family?” Zevon asked casually, knowing that it had not gone as they had anticipated. His son made a face, coming over to smell the nearly finished eggs. Zevon internally rolled his eyes and told him to go and wake his girlfriend.
Zed ducked out of the kitchen back to the living room, where Addison was stirring. “Morning, gorgeous,” he whispered, sitting beside her. He watched as she blinked blearily, taking in her surroundings, and he felt his heart actually beating when her eyes settled on him and she smiled.
“Zed.” Addison yawned, sitting upright and rotating so she was facing forward on the couch. Zed snaked his arm around her waist, leaning down to kiss her. Addison kissed him back, softly, lingering. As tempting as it was to kiss her again, deeper, to feel the precise shape of her lips against his or the way her nervous system filled her brain with chemicals… They both started as the refrigerator door clanged shut, Zed’s little sister having come downstairs for breakfast.
“All right kids, breakfast is up,” Zevon announced, a little louder than strictly necessary. The couple broke apart and Addison mumbled something about being decently dressed in front of his family. She kissed Zed once more before heading into his room to grab her bra and socks. After a short internal debate, she quickly used Zed’s toothbrush and washed her face before rejoining him in the living room. Taking his proffered hand, they entered the kitchen together.
Breakfast was bloodied eggs with toast. Addison, always continuing to surprise him, had an entire helping of eggs and thanked Zevon for breakfast. Zed said nothing, merely gathering the dirty dishes and rinsing them in the sink. His dad had perfected bloodied eggs to a science, only making them for special occasions.
“What are your plans for the day?”
When is Addison going to go home was Zevon’s real question. Why hadn’t she been at home last night?
“Probably just hanging out. We’re going to meet up with Bonzo and Eliza later,” Zed said vaguely, exchanging a Look with Addison. Zevon pretended to watch disinterestedly as she joined his son at the sink, grabbing the drying towel. Something was up between the two of them, and it would come out eventually. It was clear to Zevon that something had happened during Addison’s family dinner, and he could only assume that it had involved his son’s presence. Humans still didn’t really like zombies, but Zed was still just as ready to put himself out there as he had been at the start of the year. Zevon had even overheard his son and Eliza discussing pros and cons of running in the school’s class election.
“You kids be careful,” Zevon said finally, wishing there was some way to persuade them to confide in him. He’d experienced a lot of zombiephobia in his lifetime, and while it had never been as personal as what he suspected had happened last night, he knew that just offering his son someone to talk to could help make a difference. Addison, too. He pulled Zed down for a hug, putting everything he felt for his son into the embrace.
“We will, Dad.” There was a slight hesitation in his son’s voice.
“Zed, you know that I would do anything for you. Anything in the world.”
“Uh, yeah. I know, Pops,” Zed was clearly starting to suspect that he was up to something. He pulled the plug on the dishwater, playfully splashing some towards his girlfriend. She squealed and Zevon watched as they headed out, hoping that they could resolve whatever it was that they were having issues with and knowing that whatever happened, that they would always have each other’s backs.
Notes: Soooo…. Zevon’s in his 30s/40s, right? He might say that something’s pretty fly. I kid you not, most definitely. No? That’s tough. Slang’s tough, kids. I used grammar.yourdictionary.com/slang to do some research.
Bloodied eggs were inspired by Ly’s food post @unusual-ly
https://unusual-ly.tumblr.com/post/618857622547873792/hey-anyone-got-some-non-brain-zombie-food
Scrambled eggs with… well, I don’t actually know. Some sort of blood-flavoured/imitation sauce. It’d be like adding Worcestershire sauce to the eggs (which is amazing, BTW), only blood-based. Ideas?
As for my juice selection, I figure zombies are probably banned from any citrus (not based on any rationale, just that it happened to be lime soda that made them into zombies) and mixed juices tend to be cheaper than pure flavours. (If you check the ingredients list on a juice, there are usually a few types listed).
Also, while doing research into what to make for breakfast here, I came across blodplättar, which are Scandinavian blood pancakes, usually made with pigs’ or cows’ blood instead of eggs.
And after this little interlude, all that will be left will be for Addison to go home and to deal with the ‘fallout’ over what happened during the dinner. Will her extended family still be around? Will her grandfather? How will they react when she comes back?
Zed picked at the cheesecake, making small talk with the surrounding cousins, his free hand holding Addison’s. Never in his life did he think he’d be here – fairly popular in integrated school, having dinner with his human girlfriend’s family, playing football and it being a casual dinnertime conversation.
Maybe he should have known, or at least suspected, that there was still a chance that things could turn south. But, despite everything, Zed was an optimist. Dinner had gone well. Dessert had been smooth. He’d gotten along with Addison’s relatives. And Addison had been free to be herself, wig-free, all night.
“EVERYONE GET BACK! ZOMBIE!”
Updated/fixed!
Hey everyone, I had a major fail with my editing. Chapters three and four got mixed up with content being written in both docs for the same chapter. They will be edited and re-uploaded, hopefully this week.
I’m not sure if it would be better to change the tumblr post or to just make a new one. Anyone ever done this before? Thoughts?
Zed picked at the cheesecake, making small talk with the surrounding cousins, his free hand holding Addison’s. Never in his life did he think he’d be here – fairly popular in integrated school, having dinner with his human girlfriend’s family, playing football and it being a casual dinnertime conversation.
Maybe he should have known, or at least suspected, that there was still a chance that things could turn south. But, despite everything, Zed was an optimist. Dinner had gone well. Dessert had been smooth. He’d gotten along with Addison’s relatives. And Addison had been free to be herself, wig-free, all night.
“EVERYONE GET BACK! ZOMBIE!”
Zed instinctively jumped back as Mr. Buchanan crept closer, knocking over the stacked folding chairs leaning against the couch. “Mr. Buchanan, I’ve been here all night. I came with Addison,” he ducked as the older man wildly swung in his general direction, eyes shining.
“You stay away from my granddaughter, rotter!”
Zed’s mind was racing, his incoherent thoughts rambling through how to reconnect with Mr. Buchanan as a person, and not the monstrous zombiephobe currently in front of him. He wasn’t sure what had happened to suddenly polarize Mr. Buchanan into seeing him as a zombie and not Addison’s boyfriend. Try as he might, there was nothing he could say that would change the old man’s mind. The cheer championship as a revolution had only affected so many humans in Seabrook – the entire town was a cheerleading town, they liked to win, and the zombies hadn’t won cheer. They had won football, but cheer was the top sport and they had lost. He was irrevocably and deeply in love with Addison, but he wasn’t being seen as a person. He was a monster. At the end of the day, he was still the same sort of monster whom had eaten the older man’s ear.
Addison threw herself between her boyfriend and her grandfather. “I wasn’t going to come tonight, exactly because of this. I’d thought, pretty stupidly looking back, that maybe if we were both here, nobody would say anything to our faces. Because it’s not like anybody in this family has ever been supportive of me being who I am. But maybe if I had Zed, if I had the one person in this town, the whole world, who supported and loved me unconditionally, it might not be so bad.”
“Even a freak like you is still human, Addison,” Mr. Buchanan said quietly.
Addison scoffed. “You just threatened my boyfriend, who has been nothing but a perfectly wonderful guest at our Christmas dinner, for no reason except that he’s different. Well, we’re all different. Zed is quite possibly the kindest and sweetest person I’ve ever met. He’s my boyfriend, he’s a zombie, and I love him. I’ve got freaky white hair. I’m still human, but even that has always been enough for my own family to turn against me. If we were all honest with each, I bet everyone in this room has something they’ve been hiding from the rest of the family!” She exhaled harshly, running a hand through her hair. “Zed’s not the only monster in this house.”
With that, Addison took Zed by the hand and shakily lead him back to the kitchen. She pulled him down into a tight embrace, sinking onto the linoleum floor. “I am so sorry about him,” she murmured. Zed could hear her voice thicken with emotion, could smell her mind spiking with adrenaline.
“It’s not your fault.” He wished there was something he could say to make her feel better. Of course, it always stung whenever he heard people saying things about zombieism, but he had learned to roll with it over the past fifteen years. Sometimes, most times, it was easier to simply walk away. “Do you want to go?”
Addison laughed hollowly, though there was no real malice present. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”
Zed shrugged. “They’re your family.”
There was a light tap on the door and Zed looked up to see one of Addison’s cousins standing in the doorway.
“What do you want, Brandon?” Addison asked him bitterly, glancing at him before turning back to her boyfriend.
“Grandpa’s mostly calmed down now… I’m sorry.” His apology, though genuine, was futile as he was not responsible for his grandfather’s behaviour. “I think the people most upset right now are Aunt Missy and Uncle Dale. They always were more obsessed with perfection…. Except maybe Mom and Dad with Bucky’s cheer stuff.”
Addison was quiet, silently considering the sincerity of her cousin’s statement. Zed was quiet, too, wondering what the next best thing to do would be. This was exactly the sort of situation that his father had been worried about when he’d made his offer to come out and take them home early.
“Zed,” the zombie looked up as Brandon addressed him by name, “I’ll drive you back to Zombietown myself if you want to leave. I can’t say anything for the rest of the family, and frankly right now I don’t really want to, but I wouldn’t blame you if you guys left early.”
“Uh, thanks.” Zed got up from the floor, offering Addison his hand and helping her up. No matter what happened next, they would still have to go back and face her family before leaving, whether that was at the natural conclusion of Christmas dinner or bailing early with Brandon or calling Zevon. However, Zed had no idea what that would be. Despite everything, he was still just a kid who had wanted to spend the holiday with his girlfriend.
Zed’s eyes widened as he caught sight of the time on Addison’s watch. “Shit,” he cursed lowly, heartrate accelerating to near-human levels. “I gotta go. Brandon, I can honestly say it was a pleasure to meet you. Addy, thank your parents again for the invitation. Mayor Missy’s cooking was wonderful, as always.” Addison checked the time, immediately understanding why Zed had hurriedly changed the topic.
Dale entered the kitchen just as his daughter and her boyfriend ran out.
“What’s going on in here?” He asked Brandon, a little too casually to be entirely sincere.
“Addy and Zed are leaving,” Brandon said bluntly. “It’s nearly curfew and I’m surprised they stuck around this long, to be honest.” He caught sight of his cousin and the zombie carefully walking down the stairs to the door. “Uncle Dale, I’d thought things were changing here. Tell my parents I’m leaving. Or don’t. I don’t think it would make a difference. See you next Christmas.”
Brandon left his uncle spluttering by himself in the kitchen and started his car, slowly starting towards Zombietown. He had caught up to his cousin in less than a minute. “You kids want a ride?”
“Won’t Aunt Becky be seriously mad at you?” Addison hesitated.
Brandon laughed. “It’s not like I live there, Addy. She can be as pissed as she likes. Doesn’t affect my life. Where do you kids want to go?” He unlocked the doors. He watched his cousin looking at her boyfriend – how her whole face softened as she met his eyes, how they clasped hands as soon as they were settled in the backseat.
Home. But the associated imagery had nothing to do with the house they had just left.
“The barrier,” she said simply.
“I’m not dropping you kids off in the middle of the street.” Brandon rolled his eyes. “What’s your address, Zed?”
Had any other human asked, Zed would have never answered. But this was the one member of Addison’s family who hadn’t been afraid to treat both of them as regular people. Zed had begun to trust the human.
“Z-224a. Right at the end of the last road, by the wall.” He saw the curtains in Eliza’s window flutter closed as Brandon’s car approached. It’d be fine.
Brandon pulled up along the driveway, headlights briefly illuminating the block before he killed the engine.
“Where are you going to go?” Addison asked, still strapped into the backseat. Zed drew his hand back from where he had reached for the door handle, not having considered what Addison’s cousin would do after leaving Christmas dinner.
“Home. Away from Seabrook, away from our family.”
“Isn’t that, like, two and a half hours?”
“Four. We moved upstate to Syracuse a few years back for Quinn’s university. Med biotech – basically a clinical medical lab technician. Lots of testing.”
“Quinn. I haven’t heard about Quinn, before,” Addison looked at her cousin curiously. “There’s usually some‘news’ about you whenever Mom and Aunt Becky gossip on the phone. Not that Mom would evercall it gossip. She’s ‘sharing in her sister’s concern for her eldest son’.” Addison rolled her eyes.
“Believe me, my mother has no clue that Quinn even exists.” Brandon turned around to face them, his knee tucked awkwardly under the gearshift. “If she did, nobody would ever hear the end of it. In hushed whispers, of course, but still.”
“I get it,” Addison twirled a strand of her hair. “I’ve thought about leaving, but…” Her eyes drifted over to Zed. Out the window, she saw the light strands flicker out. “Hey, I think your dad knows we’re back.”
Zed glanced out the window. “Yeah.”
“Not to make things weird, but I should probably go home. Can’t exactly go back to Syracuse with you, Brandon. Normally if I need to get away for the night, I’d go see Bree but since it’s Christmas…”
“You can stay here,” Zed quickly offered, before blanching. “One of us on the couch, obviously. I’ll give you one of my hoodies…if I have any left,” he grinned.
“You know, this would probably be the part where I should say something, but I think you kids are more responsible than most of the adults in the family. Especially since you’re not going to be alone.” Brandon unlocked the doors.
“We should go,” Addison caught her cousin’s eye. “If Brandon’s going home, he’s got a long drive ahead of him. Thank you so much.”
There was a pause. “Yeah,” Brandon said finally. “Stay in touch, Addy.” Addison nodded, giving her cousin a quick, one-armed hug from the backseat.
Zed waved his hand as he ducked out of the car, stretching. “Let’s get inside.” He took Addison’s hand as they walked to the door, quickly and quietly unlocking it. They toed out of their shoes, creeping up the stairs to Zed’s room. Zed grabbed a couple pairs of sweats and tee shirts, leaving one on the bed for Addison as he went into the bathroom. He knocked lightly a few minutes later, and Addison opened the door.
“I brought you one of Zoey’s hair ties,” he murmured. “Thought you might want to tie your hair back.”
Addison smiled tiredly. “Thanks.” Instead of passing her the hair tie, Zed sat on the bed behind her and quickly braided her hair into a short plait. When he had finished, Addison leaned back against his chest for a moment before she got up. Zed watched as she walked over to the chair on the other side of the room, picking up the quilt and pillow.
“Hey, you’re sleeping here. I’ll take the couch,” Zed took the bedding from his girlfriend, knowing that she would protest.
“Zed,” Addison started, but Zed shook his head.
“I’ll see you in the morning, gorgeous.” Zed leaned against the doorframe, watching as she thought about pressing. They were both exhausted from their eventful night.
“Gar gar ga za,” she walked over and hugged him.
“Yeah. I gar gar ga za you, too. Grodge garzeep,” he murmured, kissing her forehead.
“Grodge garzeep,” she repeated sleepily, watching as he left. She waited until she heard him settle on the couch before pulling back the sheets. Everything smelled like Zed, and she pulled the sheet tighter, sighing happily. There would be consequences to deal with in the morning, but right now, they were together and they were safe.
Chapter 3
Traffic had cleared by the time they were back at the Wells household. As Dale pulled into the driveway, Zed noticed there were cars lined up down the street. They were the last to arrive, then.
Just before they stepped through the door, he pulled Addison aside. “Are you sure you want to do this?” He lightly ran his hand through her hair as she nodded.
“We got this.”
We. Zed grinned. “Now I know the real reason you invited me over today – the incredibly gorgeous zombie boyfriend will distract them from the fact you’ve taken your wig off. All part of my quick wit and charming smile,” he winked.
Addison giggled, lightly digging into Zed’s side. “Of course. You’ve literally figured out my grand scheme.” She held her hand out. Zed clasped it firmly as they entered the Wells’ Christmas dinner.
Although they had meant it as a joke, Zed’s appearance did cause a stir among the family. Missy and Dale had known he was coming, but they had apparently neglected to mention that to everybody else. Bucky gave him a look that was a cross between annoyance and disbelief, a mild reaction comparatively. Their grandmother screamed when she saw him, but her husband was surprisingly calm. Mr. Buchanan, Sr. may have lost an ear during the Zombie epidemic, but Zed suspected that he had lost most of his eyesight in his old age.
“Hello, everybody, my name is Zed Necrodopolis, and I am Addison’s,” he had been about to say boyfriend, but the word didn’t seem to encapsulate the depth of their feelings, “date.”
“Ned Zeropolis? And how do you know our little Addy, Mr. Ned?” Mr. Buchanan, Sr. asked loudly.
Addison stifled a giggle. “He’s a bit deaf,” she explained, unnecessarily.
“She’s a cheerleader, and I’m on the football team.” Zed winked at Addison, remembering how he’d used the line when he’d met the Mayor and Patrol Chief for the first time, who shook her head and covered her small grin. Mr. Buchanan, Sr., still not recognizing Zed as a zombie, continued to question him about the football season.
Soon, Addison was recruited into the kitchen to help bring dinner to the dining room table. Zed started to get up to help her, but Addison pushed him back onto the couch. “My mom and aunt have this weird tradition that we do all the preparation and table setting stuff and that the guys clear up afterwards. Grandad’s pretty into football. In fact, I’ve been told that that’s one of the reasons he liked my dad.”
“Addison, I don’t think football would be a great topic of conversation. In case you hadn’t noticed, he hasn’t exactly realized that I’m a zombie.” Zed pulled Addison closer, so she was perched on the edge of the couch.
“Are you telling me that my strong, handsome fullback boyfriend is scared of an old man?” Addison teased, quiet enough so only Zed could hear her.
Zed groaned, nearly inaudibly. “It sounds so much worse when you put it like that.”
“You could always hang with Bucky,” Addison grinned. “But seriously, I gotta go help my mom.” She squeezed his hand and left the living room.
It only took the Buchanan women ten minutes to serve Christmas dinner. For Zed, those ten minutes were filled with Mr. Buchanan asking questions about Addison and football, while receiving a series of odd looks from Bucky as he mindlessly answered with half-truths. He was far more concerned what would happen if their grandfather realized that he was a zombie.
“Dinner’s ready,” Addison bounced back into the family room, automatically taking Zed’s hand. She gave him a look, eyes questioning, and Zed responded with a shrug. Addison made a face, then led him into the dining room. “Don’t worry, you’re next to me.”
Bucky was on Addison’s other side, and Zed was in the corner. Her grandfather was at the opposite end of the table. Addison plopped a scoop of mashed potatoes onto Zed’s plate, jolting his focus back to what was in front of him. “More?” Zed shrugged, and Addison rolled her eyes. “Fine, but you’re not stealing my potatoes. They’re literally the best – my uncle puts onions in them.”
Zed allowed Addison to finish filling his plate, then watched her to see what happened next. She stole his pickle.
Grinning at his girlfriend’s antics, Zed took a quick look around the table to see what everyone else was doing – they had already began eating – and dug into his own dinner. Addison had been right about the potatoes.
Dinner was a quiet affair, sharply contrasting with the quickfire of questions Mr. Buchanan had asked earlier. With everyone consumed by their dinner, Addison was the only one to notice that Zed was eating with his left hand.
“Your wrist isn’t hurting again, is it?” She leaned in, whispering.
Zed frowned, pulling his jacket sleeve down to conceal his Z-band. “No, it’s good,” he said lowly, picking his fork back up and taking another bite of potatoes. Obviously, everybody in the room knew that he was a zombie. If all the football talk hadn’t given it away, the green hair and grayed skin was a sure sign. So why did he still feel the need to hide his Z-band?
Once everyone had had their fill, the table was quickly cleared. Dishes were washed and left to dry on the counter, leftovers were packaged into labelled Tupperware, and mugs were brought out as the kettle began to boil. The family broke off into groups and clusters, the room filled with laughter and various conversations.
Addison was the youngest of all her cousins. Having grown up away from Seabrook, they had only heard snippets about the resident Zombie population, though they were all well-informed about the town’s cheer stats. They ribbed on Bucky’s decision to cut his entire team just before the competition and watched as the zombies joined the cheer squad at the last championship. Perhaps because of her position as the baby of the family, nobody was very concerned about the loss of her wig. If they were, they kept it well hidden and focused instead on cheer and football.
Both of Addison’s other cousins had played football during their high school years and were continuing with the sport through college. As long as the subject was football, Zed was able to maintain a solid rapport with them. Dessert was served casually, with people keeping to their small group conversations. Addison brought herself and Zed a large slice of chocolate-gingerbread cheesecake and some eggnog, much to the indignation of her cousins, who wanted to know where theirs was. Addison had rolled her eyes and pointed to the kitchen as she curled up on the couch next to her boyfriend.
———————————————————————————————————
Anyone catch the mashed potatoes joke/reference? Z1 promo video – Zombie Brain Food Challenge! Basically, they were taste testing gelatine food and Meg (incorrectly) guessed mashed potatoes. Milo stole the point by tasting and correctly guessing onion.
For those who haven’t picked up on it yet, this fic takes place after Z2 summer but before the wolves show up. Based on the pacing of that movie, to me anyway, it looks like they skip over the fall semester and jump straight into the new year. There’s no football, which is September/October season, and the big dance is the Prawn, which is wordplay on prom, and prom is usually at the end of the year.
so I know it’s the middle of January, but I finally finished the second chapter of A ZOMBIES Christmas. And the irony of the first sentence is killing me.
Chapter 2
Christmas arrived sooner than anticipated. Addison’s family had a quiet morning opening stockings. After the annual family photo, Addison gathered her gifts and brought them up to her bedroom. She sat down, cross-legged, staring at her closet.
Twenty minutes later, she went back downstairs, coat in hand. “Dad, I’m going with you to pick up Zed.” Dale sighed, but said nothing. “I have to give Zoey her present. And I got something for Eliza, and I went in with Zed on something for Mr. Necrodopolus.”
“I’ll tell your mother,” Dale said eventually.
The short ride to Zombietown was longer than Addison remembered. And she walked there all the time. Before the car was even turned off, Addison had grabbed her bag and was running to the door. She went in without a look back. If she had, she would have seen the faintest smile on her father’s face.
“Addison!” She was immediately greeted by Zoey and Puppy.
“Hey Zoey. Is Zed ready?”
“Puh-lease. He takes forever just to get up.” Zoey looked at Addison’s bag. “You don’t usually carry a backpack unless it’s school stuff.”
“Very observant,” Addison smiled. “But we have to wait for Zed.” She had barely finished that sentence when Zoey, followed closely by Puppy, went back up to Zed’s room, calling for her brother. Zevon entered the living room, looking meaningfully at the bag.
“We don’t really do much for the holidays,” he said plainly.
Addison nodded. “Zed said about as much. I’ll take it back if it’s too much, but I wanted to do this.”
Zevon shrugged. “Don’t blame me if Zoey starts clinging on to you.”
“Wouldn’t be a problem if she did,” Addison assured him. “I love her like she was my own sister.”
Zevon nodded as his children entered the room. “Addison,” Zed, though fully dressed in maroon sweatpants and a dark tee, yawned as he greeted her.
“My dad’s outside,” she said in reply. Zed’s hand shot up to hurriedly comb his hair.
“I’ll be five minutes,” he kissed her cheek and began to dash upstairs. Addison grabbed his wrist, pulling him back.
“It’s fine. Dinner’s not until three. It’s barely noon. Besides, he knows I brought presents for the good zombies in this house.”
“Presents?” Zoey looked up, her eyes darting between her father and Addison.
“Soon,” Addison promised. “But we seem to be missing a few people. Be back in a minute,” she dashed outside. The ten minutes she was gone appeared to be agonizing for Zoey, who bounced around the house, peering out the windows. Taking advantage of the time, Zed wandered into the kitchen where he fried brains in a can. He passed a plate to his sister and his father, the family eating in silence as they waited for Addison.
Zed was rinsing the plates off when the front door opened again. He heard Bonzo and Eliza greet his family. His brow furrowed in thought. Addison was up to something.
A pair of warm arms were wrapped around his middle. “Coming back?”
“Yeah.” The couple walked hand-in-hand back to the living room.
“So, I know Zombies don’t usually do much for Christmas. Usually because humans are shitty and make them go to work. But I just thought, you know, you guys are… Anyway, Merry Christmas everybody!” Addison turned to her bag, pulling out the wrapped gifts. She quickly passed them out, laughing when Zoey’s eyes widened as she looked at her boxes.
“These are all for me?”
“Yeah,” Addison laughed, pulling out an envelope. “Why don’t you go ahead and open one of them?”
The little girl’s jaw dropped. “Pompoms? My very own pompoms.” She grabbed them excitedly. “Zombies cheer, zombies ball, even me though I am small!” Zoey cheered, lifting her pompoms and shaking them. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“I told you you were great at cheer,” Addison smiled as she watched the little zombie unpack the cheerleading equipment. “Okay, now open the envelope.”
Zoey’s eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated on reading the letter. When she reached the end, her beaming grin returned. “Dad, can I go? Please? I promise to listen to Addison and to finish my homework as soon as I get home. After I take Puppy for his walk. Can I?”
Luckily, Zevon already knew what his daughter was talking about. “Of course, my zombie angel.”
Addison squeezed Zed’s hand, leaning in and whispering: “Bucky’s going to coach her.” Zed gave her a questioning look. Addison nodded. “It’s good. We can drop in and watch if you want.”
Addison handed out the rest of her presents. Eliza was impressed with the boots (“You know my orthidic numbers? Wow, Addison, didn’t realize we were so close,” she gibed good-naturedly.) Bonzo was grinning the moment he realized that he had new art supplies (“If you want a different paper grade or type of paint, just let me know. I mostly – “ Addison was cut off as he hugged her.
She gave Zevon’s present to Zed. “You bought whatever it is, you give it to him,” she whispered. Zed rolled his eyes, but handed the package to his father.
Zevon laughed as he opened it. “Thought you liked the taste of gym sneakers, son,” he said, holding up the spice set. Zed shrugged.
“It might be nice to try something new.” Zed looked around the room at his family, his eyes lingering on Addison. Zevon nodded, understanding exactly what his son meant, even if he himself didn’t know.
“That it might, son, that it might. Thank you. Now, don’t you kids need to get going?”
“Zed needs to open his present first. Actually, Zed, why don’t you take it to your room?” Addison pushed the box into his arms, suddenly nervous. She caught Eliza rolling her eyes and grinned.
Zed laid the box on his bed, lifting the lid. A crisp black suit, white shirt, and red tie. Clothes for the dinner. With Addison’s family. He undressed quickly, staring at the suit. It was just dinner. If they didn’t accept Addison for who she was, they’d come back here. He hurriedly tied the tie, cursing as he fumbled.
“Need a hand?”
“Thanks,” Zed muttered as his father easily tied a knot in the ridiculous accessory.
“If they give you any trouble tonight, I’ll come get you kids,” Zevon said as they came back into the living room.
“Thanks,” Zed repeated, hugging his father.
Zoey was the first to speak. “I like pink better.”
“Not hideous at all,” Addison said, a playful smirk barely disguising her attraction.
Zed grinned. “I’ll take it.”
“Okay, the two of you are clearly referencing something the rest of us don’t know about. I think you’ve left…Dale waiting long enough, kids.” Zevon took their coats from the closet and ushered them out the door.
Snow was gently falling from the grey skies in Seabrook as school let out for the winter holiday. Well, almost. There was, after all, the football game that afternoon. Zed Necrodopolous, the charming star fullback of the Mighty Shrimp’s football team, was currently attempting too understand why his girlfriend’s parents wanted him to attend their Christmas dinner.
“Our revolution was the cheer competition,” he tried joking, but Addison wasn’t having any of it.
“Zed, this is important. Christmas has always been a time for my family to kind of… regroup. And this year, everyone’s going to be a little more honest.”
Everyone.
“Everyone?”
Addison grimaced. “My parents, of course. Bucky and my aunt and uncle. Nana and Grandad. And… us.”
“You’re not going to put your wig back on because your grandparents are coming, are you?” Zed lazily twirled a stray lock of white hair around his finger.
“The next time I wear a wig, it’ll be because I want to have a specific colour hair and not to hide my own colour,” Addison said firmly. “And now that I have a, quote-unquote, serious boyfriend, my family wants to meet him.”
“They don’t know I’m a zombie,” Zed said flatly. It wasn’t a question.
“Well, my parents do. And, obviously, Bucky has always known. I would assume his parents have found out by now.”
“And your grandparents?”
“Zed, you’re what’s important to me. It’s not like you personally ate Grandad’s ear.” Addison lightly punched her boyfriend’s shoulder. “I mean, we can and will leave if they say anything. Let them talk if they wanna, but we don’t have to stay and listen,” she said softly.
“Addy,” Zed said uselessly.
“Christmas is for family and, and just spending time with the people who you supposedly love. They want to meet you, Zed.”
“Should I dig out the pink suit again?” Zed joked.
Addison looked her boyfriend over suggestively. “That was a pretty good look on you.”
“Onlypretty good?” Zed clutched at his chest dramatically. “Ouch.”
“Oh come on, Zed,” Addison giggled, “you know exactly what I meant. But Christmas happens to be the one day of the year when we trade pink for red.”
“Okay. Met your parents. That wasn’t so bad. Now I’m just meeting the rest of your family,” Zed smirked, nearly hiding his nervousness.
“I’m going to do a bit of shopping. Maybe you’ll get a new Christmas present out of all this. And maybe, since I’m choosing all the presents this year, you’ll get a new…something out of it.” Addison began making a mental list of everything Zed would need for the dinner. Dress pants and a jacket were a must. Shirt and tie. Dress shoes.
With a start, Addison realized they were at her house. “Coming in?”
“Nah, I’ve got to get Zoey. Eliza’s been watching her while I’ve walked you home the past few weeks. Uh, it’s been really nice being able to do that, though. We needed this.”
Addison smiled. “I liked it, too. Say hi to Zoey and Puppy for me.”
“You know I never pass up the opportunity to deliver a message from my favourite cheerleader,” he winked.
Addison rolled her eyes. “Seriously?” Zed smirked, easily pressing a kiss to the top of his girlfriend’s head. “I gotta get Zoey.”
The next day, Addison met Bree at the Seabrook Mall. “Let me get this straight. You’re buying your zombie boyfriend a suit so he can go with you to Christmas dinner with your extended family, who don’t know you’re dating a zombie, who don’t know you stopped wearing your wig, who you only see once a year?”
“Yeah,” Addison said happily.
Bree exhaled. “Addy… good luck. How are you going to buy him a suit, anyway?”
“It’s not like I don’t know how tall he is, Bree.” At her friend’s unimpressed look, Addison continued: “Well, I’m 5’4. And I’m up to his shoulder, so… he’s not more than a foot taller than me…” Addison started to wonder if she actually knew how tall her boyfriend was.
“He’s 6’1,” a bored voice said from behind them.
“What are you doing here?” Addison asked, a hint of concern nearly hidden in her voice.
Eliza shrugged. “Was walking around Seabrook. Figured with the barrier gone, Zombies have as much right to be in public space as humans.”
“E, that’s not at all what I meant. I just thought with it being the first day of vacation that you guys would be… I don’t know what I thought. I’m sorry.”
Eliza rolled her eyes. “That has got to be the lamest coverup I’ve ever heard. Let’s just say I was feeling adventurous. Why do you want to get Zed a suit? He already… acquired that pink one for you.”
“He didn’t tell you?” Addison said with surprise. “My family invited him to Christmas dinner this year.”
“That was… nice of them,” Eliza said cautiously.
“Yeah. Anyway, my family’s pretty formal during the holiday and there’s a ‘dress code’ for dinner.”
Thirty minutes later, the girls walked out of the local department store, Addison carrying a bagged suit over her shoulder, Eliza holding dress boots, and Bree had the relevant accessories. “Oh my gosh, how on earth am I going to wrap this?”
“Addison, you’re overthinking this. Honestly, he’ll be more confused if you just give it him like this. Also, I needto be there when you do. His face is going to be priceless,” Eliza laughed.
Dale arrived after a few minutes to drive them home, first dropping off Eliza in Zombietown. “Hey, Dad, I haven’t quite finished my Christmas shopping. Could you take me back to the mall? I’ll be like, twenty minutes. I just have one more thing to get.”
Most of Addison’s Christmas shopping had been easy and straightforward. A pair of earrings for her mother, a tie clip for her father. Engraved friendship bracelets for herself and Bree. Even making Bucky’s cheer scrapbook had been something that she knew what she wanted to do. And for the Necrodopolous family – Zed’s suit; pompoms, hair ribbons, athletic tape, a yoga mat, and a sports bag for Zoey (to go with, what in Addison’s opinion was nothing short of a Christmas miracle, Bucky’s offer of training the young Zombie in the new year); and for Zevon, well, she had simply told Zed to pick out whatever he wanted for his father and she would cover it. For Bonzo, she had gotten several higher grade types of paper and other art supplies. All that was left was Eliza and Addison had hoped that by bringing the Zombie with her that she would be able to find something that interested her. Just thinking about everything that she’d purchased made her grateful that she’d kept her tradition of saving her previous year’s Christmas present from her grandfather.
As soon as they were back at the mall, Addison knew exactly what to get her friend. There was just one problem.
WHAT SIZE SHOE DOES ELIZA WEAR? -A
? HOW SHOULD I KNOW -Z
…SHE’S YOUR BEST FRIEND!! -A
…SO? -Z
…BREE WEARS SIZE 7 ½ -A
…OK I GUESS I’LL JUST GO OVER. HEY ELIZA, WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOREVER, WHAT SIZE SHOES DO YOU WEAR? -Z
I’M GOING TO GO WITH AN 8 -A
The shoes that Eliza had been looking at were sleek, black leather boots. The store didn’t have an 8 in stock, but Addison decided to buy a size larger so that the other girl would be able to slip in orthopedic insoles, for which she purchased a gift card. She left the store with a not-so-subtle hint that the recipient of the boots was to be a zombie and that she didn’t want her friend to not be able to switch sizes if needed. Her shopping finished, Addison was ready to enjoy the rest of the holiday.
insp. by this prompt list, specifically #18
