A/N: Thank you, Krizteena, for being the only person besides myself who didn't particularly like chapter 19. I agree that Yuki was vaguely OOC; I'll do my best to avoid that from now on. Your con-crit is greatly appreciated. By the way, I loved what you did with the Zero/Yuki eggnog concept! You people! If you haven't read that story - go read it now! It's fabulous and deserves more reviews. Go on! Shoo!

I hope everyone likes this chapter. Please don't expect any updates next week; I've got finals. As always, I've done my best to catch typos, but if you've seen any that I've missed, please feel free to tell me what they are so I can fix them. ^_^ Oh, and in one place I used "farther". Would it have made more sense, grammatically speaking, to use "further"? Please feel free to advise me on that, if you know.

OH MEIN GOTT! (excuse the gratuitious German) I just found out that "Stomping the Roses" was selected as deviantart's zekilove community's fanfic of the month! I am so flattered and humbled (and suspicious. Seriously, this fic isn't that great...is this a joke? A prank? Is it Loki!). I'm so happy right nowwww. Thanks you guys! *creys* Oh, if you guys haven't checked out that community of amazing Zeki shippers, with their beautiful fanart and fic...do so now! *still creys*

Disclaimer: Blah, do not own VK, blah. Do not own "Bad Romance"; though if I'd written such an awesome song, I would have a much more inflated ego.

Bad Romance

"Ra-ra-ah-ah-ah, roma-roma-ma, ga-ga, ooh-la-la, want your bad romance."

"What is this crap?" Zero demanded of his foster sister, scowling as he poked his pale head around the corner.

"My new favorite American singer!" was Yuki's chirping reply. The petite brunette was shimmying around the sitting room. She was decked out in a short, pink sequined dress and a brilliant yellow feather boa. Her long, summer-tanned legs were bare up to her mid-thighs.

She looked delectable and ridiculous-mostly delectable. Way too delectable.

"Love, love, love, I want your love."

"One of her songs was playing at the dance, remember?"

"Vaguely," Zero allowed. Mostly, he remembered the feel of her slender body in his arms, the tickling brush of her long hair against his skin, the sweet puff of her breath. Yeah, he remembered quite a bit about that night.

Very little of which had to do with the music that had been playing.

Unlike Yuki, Zero had excellent English - as expected from a genius. Or at least, he'd scored genius levels on tests that the Hunter's Association had insisted he take.

As his English rivaled that of a native speaker's, he understood the lyrics. One word in particular stuck out, almost as if the letters had been imprinted on the air in lurid red streaks.

Revenge.

Yuki had stopped shimmying around. She tossed one end of the boa over her shoulder, and the feathers scratched her jugular. She studied her abruptly mute best friend.

The fifteen year old was looking more and more adult by the day, she noted; he was leaving the childish looking Yuki in his hormonal dust. He'd recently trimmed his spiky platinum hair, so that his sharp features, finally free of all traces of baby fat, stood out in stark relief. Yuki swore that, in terms of height, he grew at least two millimeters a day. The abrupt growth spurt had left him looking vaguely gangly and awkward - a wolf cub with paws too big for his body.

But there was another change that disturbed Yuki on a fundamental level: day by day, Zero was looking less androgynously pretty, and more devastatingly handsome.

Was that why she'd been hugging him less and less of late? Was that the reason behind his shrinking displays of affection? Did he sense the sudden awkwardness between them?

Yuki felt as if they were slowly but surely drifting apart.

That terrified her.

"I want your love and I want your revenge…"

Now Zero was cupping his big hand over the side of his throat, staring dazedly off into the middle distance. Yuki hadn't seen him touch his throat like that since…almost four years ago. Yes, when his wound had been fresh.

"You and me could write a bad romance…"

The spiked, silvery streaks of his tattoo peeked out from behind his fingers. Frowning, Yuki sidled closer and brushed her own finger over one of the inked spikes.

"Zero," she said. His skin was smoother than white chocolate, and his pulse fluttered like a bird trapped in a tiny cage of flesh.

He snarled at her and knocked her hand away. Yuki cried out and stumbled - she would have done a spectacular butt-plant, if not for Zero's predator-swift reflexes.

"Oomph," Yuki huffed, steadying herself with her palms on Zero's chest. Zero's decisively solid chest. He was really starting to put on muscle, wasn't he? Still skinny, but…

"You know that I want you…"

And, as if she were a puppet with no free will at all, she pressed her hands tighter against him. Her cheeks flamed; he let out the tiniest of gasps.

"And you know that I need you…"

She was afraid to look up - her heart had sunk into her belly, stirring up butterflies.

She looked up.

God, he was almost too handsome - so handsome that she felt like she'd be cut from just looking at his sharp cheekbones, like she could weep because of the perfection of his jawbone. In that angular face, his full lips and huge eyes looked out of place. Such prettiness didn't go with those regal looks.

His too-long bangs half veiled those big eyes, so she couldn't be sure of what he was thinking. But his lips were half parted, and there were high spots of color on the translucent skin of his cheekbones.

Warmth was centered on the small of her back, on the side of her mostly bare thigh.

Oh. Those places were where he'd caught and steadied her.

Her pulse rate spiked.

Zero's mouth dropped farther open, and his nostrils flared.

Such full lips…the bottom one in particular was very full, and chiseled as if from pink stone.

But it would be much softer than stone, that lower lip. Much…softer…

"I want it bad…"

Zero's tongue darted out, wetting the tiny crevices in his lips.

Like a string was attached to the top of her head, and that string was being tugged on by an invisible entity, she canted forward…and he was leaning closer too, breath coming in short, quiet pants…

And then their noses collided with a dull clunk.

The teens careened away from each other, clutching their respective snozzes.

"What's the idea?" Zero snapped. He wiped a hand under his nostrils, checking for blood. "You nearly broke my nose!"

Yuki massaged her own tender nose. "You're the one who - who -" Darn it, she couldn't find a valid argument. The abrupt collision had shaken her back to her senses, and she was reeling. What the heck had she been doing?

Zero squinted his eyes at her, and his long lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones. His lips formed a thin, irritable line and-

His lips.

Oh, no. No. Surely not.

"I want your love, I don't wanna be friends…"

"Whatever." Zero's hackles smoothed down, and he turned on his heel. "I don't have time for your insanity. I'm hungry." The back of his long neck was beet red.

Yuki grabbed for the nearest blunt object - the TV remote - and chucked it at his head. He ducked expertly to the side, tossing sardonic words over his shoulder. "You need to improve your aim."

"Stupid!" Yuki yanked off the boa she'd stolen from the Headmaster's wardrobe and tossed it to the side. She glared at it for a long moment.

Right. Like her recent streak of insanity was the boa's fault.

If only.

Fuming, Yuki plopped down onto the couch and crossed her legs. Her fingers tapped out a staccato rhythm on her thigh.

Zero was right, it turned out. She was an idiot.

Why was she an idiot?

She was a certifiable imbecile because in that brief, close moment, she'd wanted nothing more than to kiss Zero Kiryu's lips.

And the real kicker?

She pressed a hand to her mouth.

I still want to kiss him.

Yuki Cross was in trouble.

"…Want your bad romance."

Bad Romance/End

There you have it, my shippers! Attraction sparks on Yuki's part. No, she isn't going to abruptly fall out of love with Kaname and be all, "Zero's my one true love!" That just wouldn't be in character for her. This attraction, such as it is, will be further explored in the sequel, Crushing the Petals. Meanwhile, come June, you'll be able to enjoy the obligatory "Beach Episode". That'll be, heck, the 21st chapter? Whoot!