a/n: this is a gift for vicapuleti (on tumblr) because one she's awesome and two, she won something I don't remember what.

There was a loud, insistent knocking at the door. Zed groaned inwardly, knowing what his dad was going to say. He was already up and moving to the door when his dad said, "Zed, could you get the door?"

"Yeah yeah," he grumbled, shuffling to the door.

He combed his fingers through his hair in an attempt to look presentable for their Christmas guest. He had half a mind to wonder who could be knocking—Eliza wouldn't be over until after noon, like she usually was. Still, he unlocked and pulled the door open rather blindly, squinting through the winter haze. He glanced down at the blonde pigtails under a bright red beanie, twinkling blue eyes and an adorable red nose all bundled up in a scarf and thick winter coat. Zed knew that face, despite the fact that she was all bundled up and fairly hidden. His eyes widened at the sight of Addy Dee, standing in front of his door, an adorable smile on her perfect, angelic face.

He opened and closed his mouth, unable to form words because Addy Dee was standing in front of him. He had all but given up on her responding to his letter and now she was at his house. He was suddenly aware of the fact that he was in goofy Christmas pajama pants that were too big, hanging off his hips, and an old, worn sweater. He never imagined he would meet Addy Dee, but he figured if he met a celebrity he wouldn't be in his pajamas.

Addy Dee smiled, her shoulders raising sheepishly. "I'm looking for Zed Nec—Nicro—Necro—"

"Necrodopolis," he breathed. "I—I'm Zed."

"I got your letter," she said. "Can I come in?"

Zed nodded numbly, stepping back, allowing her to walk in, then closed the door behind her. "I brought gifts for your sister. That's what you asked for, right?"

He nodded again. "Uh—yeah! I just—" He pressed his lips into a firm line, feeling his cheeks flame up. He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He needed to be cool, calm, and collected. He was talking to Addy Dee and he was not going to embarrass himself. "I wasn't expecting you to deliver them."

Three weeks ago, Zed sent a Christmas letter to Addy Dee's fan mail address. It was simple enough. He told her how his little sister, Zoey, was her biggest fan, how their mother had died a few months before and they wouldn't be able to celebrate the holidays like they usually did because they were scraping by for money, and asked as nicely as possible for some merchandise she would be throwing out so he could try and give Zoey a semi-happy holiday.

And now Addy Dee was in his house.

Addy Dee tilted her head back and smiled. "You're so tall," she said offhandedly. "A lot taller than I expected."

Zed's eyebrows furrowed. "Thank you?"

She giggled, then held out her arms toward him. He took the bags from her hands, then waited for her to take off her coat and scarf and hang them up by the door. She let out a puff of air, brushing off her blue sweater, then her white jeans. God, she was so cute. She took the bags back from him and grinned. "Where is she?"

"Uh, we were about to open presents in the den," he said. "It's this way."

Addison grinned, following behind him through the living room and into the den. Zoey was sitting under the tree, her gifts from Zed and his friends around her, their father on the couch by the wall.

"Zed! Hurry we're waiting for you!" his eleven year old little sister whined.

"Who was there, Son?" his father, Zevon asked.

"Special delivery gifts for Zoey," Zed said with a grin.

He walked into the den and stepped to the side, revealing the blonde pop sensation. Zoey gasped, then screamed, making Zed and Zevon jump. Addy Dee giggled, holding out her arms.

"Merry Christmas Zoey!"

Zoey jumped up and charged the singer, nearly tackling her in a hug. "Oh my god Zed you got me Addy Dee!" she shrieked.

Zed smiled at his sister and glanced at his dad, who looked incredibly surprised. "Zed?" Zevon asked. Zed walked over to his dad, sitting beside him. "How did you get your sister a pop star?"

"Addy Dee is here!" Zoey squealed. "Why? Oh my god! How? Zed?" She turned her head to her brother.

"He asked nicely," Addy Dee said. "I brought you some Christmas presents."

Zoey gasped, finally letting go of the singer. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Best Christmas ever!" She ran to her brother and threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you!"

Zed hugged his sister and chuckled. "Merry Christmas, Zo-Zo."

She got up and went back to Addy Dee, grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the tree.

"So how did you do it?" Zevon whispered.

Zed shrugged. "I just wrote her a letter, asking for her to send some merchandise to Zoey, 'cause she's a big fan. And she just, showed up. Pretty crazy, right?"

Zevon nodded in agreement. "Insane," he said. "Uh, how long is she staying?"

"I have no idea," Zed said. "I didn't even know she was coming until a few minutes ago."

Zevon nodded. "Merry Christmas, then. Santa really came through this year."

Zed chuckled and nodded. He watched his sister talk Addy Dee's ear off while they opened gifts. There weren't any addressed to him, seeing as he and his two friends exchanged gifts a couple of days before, and there wasn't any way for Zoey or his father to buy him anything.

Twenty minutes later, Zoey had opened all of her gifts and was just showing the ornaments her and Zed made over the years to Addy Dee. At least, until Zoey was asking Zed and Zevon, "Can Addy Dee stay for breakfast? Please!"

"Well only if she wants to, Sweetpea," Zevon said.

Zed looked at Addy Dee just as she looked at him. Her smile was so beautiful, he could feel his cheeks heating up under her glorious blue-eyed gaze. "I'd love to stay for breakfast," she said, her eyes never leaving his.

"Zed? Wanna go get started on it?"

"Yeah sure." He gave Addy Dee one last smile, then stood, heading to the kitchen.

What was all that? The smiles and staring and—did she blush too? Were her cheeks always that pink or did he cause that? He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts together. Addy Dee was just an incredibly nice singer who was doing this probably because she felt really sorry for them, and he was just an insane fan who had a tiny crush on her.

"Zed?"

He jumped and spun around, seeing Addy Dee in the kitchen doorway. "Uh, yeah?" he stammered, trying and failing to sound casual.

"Your dad sent Zoey upstairs to get dressed and…do you need any help? With breakfast, I mean." She rubbed her arm and glanced at the ground. She was definitely blushing, but he couldn't figure out why. "I'm not that great at cooking but I can still be helpful."

Zed's lips twitched up into a smile. "I'll show you my super special Christmas morning breakfast," he told her.

She beamed up at him, skipping into the kitchen and to his side. "Do I get an apron?" she asked. "A chef hat?"

Zed chuckled, shaking his head. "We don't have any of those things," he told her, "but we do have lots of pancakes and waffles. Granted they're frozen."

"Are they Eggo? I love Eggo."

Zed gave a nervous laugh, scratching his stubbly chin. "Uh, not exactly," he said. "Eggo's a bit…pricey. We've got off-brand foods."

Addy Dee continued to beam at him, easing his awkwardness. "That sounds even better, honestly," she told him.

He smiled, going to the freezer and pulling out the bags of frozen breakfast treats. He laid them out on the counter for Addy Dee to see.

"What comes first?" she asked.

"Well, we need a lot of food," he explained. "My two friends usually come over to join us. It's nice." He paused, realizing there was a celebrity among them now and she might not be so okay with Bonzo and Eliza showing up. "I mean, I could turn them away if you'd rather no one else know you here."

"Well I wouldn't want to screw with your tradition," she said. "And if they're your friends, they must be nice. You don't seem like the kind of guy to have assholes around."

Zed raised an eyebrow at her. She shifted under his gaze, her cheeks going pink as she cast her gaze to the ground. "You're just really nice. Nice guys don't have jerky friends."

"Thank you," he said. "But, I'll just tell them to meet me later. It's not a big deal. I'd rather just hang out with you. You're also incredibly awesome, Addy Dee. I mean—"

"Addison," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

She lifted her eyes to meet his, saying, "I want you to call me Addison. Stage name is really formal."

Zed smiled. "You're awesome, Addison. You came all this way just to give my sister an unforgettable Christmas."

She smiled for a second, then it turned into a more wistful look. His breath hitched, an unfamiliar warmth spreading in his chest. His stomach fluttered and his chest burned, and Zed realized that this was not how people with a crush on a celebrity felt. She was glowing, literally shining like the light of his life. His heart was pounding but he couldn't look away from her beautiful blue eyes and her gorgeous smile. Everything about her was so magical and intoxicating.

Was he…falling in love with Addison?

No, that couldn't be right. He only just met her. She was just a really nice girl, who was his age and incredibly pretty. And they had been making intense eye contact for god knows how long. He swore he saw her eyes flicker to his lips, the shift enough to break the eye contact.

"Uh, breakfast?" he suggested, turning to the counter.

"Yeah," she breathed.

After breakfast, Zed took the dishes to the kitchen to wash them and his dad went upstairs to get ready for work. Addison offered her services, drying the dishes as he washed them.

"You really don't have to do this," he told her for the fourth time.

"Zed, I'm having fun," she assured him. "I never get to do normal things."

"Well yeah, you can pay people to do that for you," he teased, giving her a smile. She rolled her eyes but giggled anyway.

"Would you mind if…I hung around today?"

Zed blinked, surprised. "You want to spend Christmas with me and Zoey?" She nodded and he couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"Because you're really nice, and your sister is sweet. And…it feels nice to do a normal Christmas." She giggled and said, "Christmas with the Necrodopolis Family. Has a nice ring to it."

Zed chuckled. "Well the next part of our day is kinda depressing, I won't lie to you," he said. "We're gonna go down to the community center."

"Why is that depressing? It sounds fun!"

"Oh, well, it's because we can't really keep the power on here. We kinda hang out there. Free heat, sometimes. It's nice." He shrugged, embarrassed. "I'm also…participating in the Christmas show."

Addison raised an eyebrow at him. "Christmas show?"

He nodded. "I kinda, sing. Sometimes."

"What are you singing?"

"Uh, I wrote a Christmas song. It's, it's just okay, you'll probably cringe really hard since I suck."

Addison ignored his comment and asked, "You wrote a Christmas song?" Zed nodded. "With what? A guitar? A piano? A friend?"

"Oh, well, I kinda...Bonzo helped me record the music, but I'm pretty decent on a guitar."

Addison didn't say anything and he looked at her, worried. She was giving him a shy smile, her cheeks dusted pink. "Wow Zed," she said. "You can sing, play guitar, and you're cute."

Zed's eyes widened, his face heating up. 'She thinks you're cute, she thinks you're cute, she thinks you're cute, SHE THINKS YOU'RE CUTE.'

"Zed!" Zed jumped back, not even noticing he had been leaning toward Addison. He turned and saw his dad in the doorway. "I'm heading out. Don't stay in too long."

"Okay."

Zevon frowned, eyeing his son. "You feeling alright son? You're a little red."

"Yeah just…a little hot. I'm gonna shower soon."

"Alright," Zevon said. "I'll see you tonight." Then, to Addison, he said, "Thank you for joining us. You really made this holiday special."

"Thank you for having me," Addison said with a smile.

Zevon grinned and waved at the two before heading out, leaving them alone in the kitchen.

"Where were we?" Addison asked, smiling up at him.

"Um…"

She gasped as she remembered. "You write music! Why wouldn't you say that in your letter that's so cool!"

Zed blushed and looked away from her. She continued talking, saying, "I'm so excited to hear your song. Go take a shower! I'll finish the dishes. The faster you get ready, the faster I can hear you sing."

"Oh, you don't have to do the dishes. Zoey will do them." Zed threw her a wink that made her laugh, then walked over to the stairs, calling for Zoey to join them in the kitchen.

"Zo, I'm gonna go shower so we can head out. Finish cleaning up, okay?"

"Is Addy Dee gonna come to the show with us?" Zoey asked.

"Yes, but not if we don't finish cleaning."

Zoey cheered and Zed just rolled his eyes, heading up to the bathroom.

Zed wasn't quite sure where the brown wig had come from, but when he got out of the shower Addison was sporting a brown wig under her adorable beanie, brown bangs falling into her blue eyes.

"That's new," Zed pointed out.

"It's just a disguise," Addison said with a shrug. "Come on, I wanna hear you sing!"

Addison was closest to the stage, right next to Zoey. Not a big deal. Addy Dee, pop sensation, was front row at his Christmas performance. He needed to calm down, get it together. He was performing for Pete's sake.

"How's everyone doing today!" Zed said into the microphone, warning a round of cheers.

The crowd was filled with kids and teens alike, all in similar situations to the Necrodopolises. The people in Seabrook nicknamed his neighborhood 'Zombietown' because of...Well there were a lot of reasons. The vast amounts of poverty; the shitty, unkempt roads and public facilities; the corrupt justice system; the insanely high crime rates that included 'unsolved murders' of people that were actually running away from Zombietown, Seabrook, all of it.

Zed smiled at all the familiar faces, friends from high school back from college, kids he'd babysat, kids he saw at Zoey's school. And, of course, Addison. He gave her a nervous smile, and it seemed like her cheering got louder.

"Alright, let's kick off this Christmas bash with an original song. You can catch on pretty quick, this one's called Christmas Soul!" He grinned at the cheering audience, throwing a thumbs up to his friend, Eliza, who controlled the music in the back of the room.

"I always love this time of year, white snow and reindeer. There's something special in the air, friends and family everywhere.

When everybody's singing my heart starts jing-a-lingin'. There's something 'bout those December nights.

Today's the day! Let's celebrate, with that Christmas soul, feel that Christmas soul. We got that reindeer kinda cheer. Santa's flying over here all the way from the North Pole! 'Cause we got Christmas soul. Yeah, we got Christmas Soul

When it gets real cold outside, Imma take you on a sleigh ride…We'll come and gather 'round the tree and we'll make some memories. Oh, oh, yeah

When everybody's singing my heart starts jing-a-lingin'. There's something 'bout those December nights.

Today's the day! Let's celebrate with that Christmas Soul, feel that Christmas Soul. We'll have a ball! Let's deck the halls with that Christmas Soul, feel that Christmas Soul. We got that reindeer kinda cheer. Santa's flying over here all the way from the North Pole! 'Cause we got Christmas Soul

Just clap your hands we can dance tonight. If you got Christmas spirit let it shine bright. Just clap your hands we can dance tonight. If you got Christmas spirit let it shine bright.

Today's the day! Let's celebrate with that Christmas Soul, feel that Christmas Soul. We'll have a ball! Let's deck the halls with that Christmas Soul, feel that Christmas Soul.

We got that reindeer kinda cheer, Santa's flying over here. All the way from the North Pole! 'Cause we got Christmas Soul."

Zed hopped off the stage, accepting the applause from his friends in the front. He managed to lock eyes with Addison, tilted his head and motioned for her to meet him off to the left. She nodded, and disappeared in the crowd. Zed got pulled away for several minutes, talking to some of his friends, but managed to sneak away from the crowd and behind the stage's backdrop, where Addison had hidden herself.

He gave her a nervous smile, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He'd just performed an original Christmas song in front of a real life singer. Sure, she had been smiling the whole time and looked like she enjoyed it, but what if she was just being polite? Could he even outright ask her what she thought? That seemed a little desperate.

Addison smiled at him. "Wow," she breathed. "That was…wow."

Zed chuckled, his voice shaking. Was that good? Wow could be bad, right? He wasn't just over thinking everything.

Addison must have noticed the conflict on his face because she rolled her eyes and took a step closer. Zed's breath caught in his throat seconds before she kissed him. Like, on the lips.

He had enough of a brain to think, 'Holy shit Addy Dee is kissing me.'

Then she pulled away from him, smiling shyly. "I've been wanting to do that all day," she admitted. "And when I saw you up there on the stage I figured—well I better get him before someone else does." Her smile turned to a deep frown and she quickly added, "Unless you're already in a relationship then I totally understand if I overstepped and you can forget that I ever even kissed you."

"You…all day?" His brain was still foggy from the kiss and the fact that Addy Dee just said she had been wanting to kiss him all day.

"I mean, I kinda creepily went through your Instagram after you sent that letter and you're really cute and sweet and once I met you in person I realized what a great guy you were. And, I know we barely know each other and we live on two different sides of the country, but…I kinda wanna see where this goes? You know?"

Zed opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. He was fairly certain Addy Dee was asking him out. Like, on a date.

"When do you go back home?"

"I can cancel my flight tonight. It's my dad's private jet so…"

Zed raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, would you like to go out tomorrow?"

Addison giggled and nodded. "What took you long enough!"

Zed beamed, his chest swelling with joy. She reciprocated his excitement, sliding her hand in his. "So what's this party about?" she asked. "Can I meet your friends? Are you gonna do another song?"

Zed laughed, walking with her back into the main room. Eliza was still on her platform, DJing the party, and Zed knew that his other friend, Bonzo, was off somewhere with the toddlers. They would be there for a few more hours and none of his friends would be free to hang out. Even Zed wasn't usually unoccupied, helping out with the sixth graders. He always ended up working with Zoey and her classmates, but the coordinator had let him off the hook since he had performed.

"How 'bout we ditch the party?" Zed offered. "There's this really nice place I could show you. It's in the building."

"As long as you don't murder me," Addison joked. Or, at least, he hoped she was joking.

Zed weaves through the crowd, leading Addison to the back of the room and slipping through a door labeled 'Staff Only'. The hallway was dimly lit but Zed knew the path by heart, weaving through doors and hallways, going down stairs and nearly falling a couple of times. Addison followed him blindly, not even asking where they were going. The only time she opened her mouth was to laugh when he missed a step and nearly cracked his head open. He couldn't even be upset, she had a cute laugh.

Zed stopped at the opening to the spacious room, squatting and groping around the lower parts of the wall until his fingers brushed [the thing with the thing that turns on lights but it's like a circle or whatever idk]. He started to turn it, ignoring the loud shuttering of the generators powering on and the lights fading in, a dim yellow glow slowly growing stronger. He stopped before the lights could be fully on, knowing that they'd short out the generator and he'd get busted.

Zed stood, glancing at Addison. Her head turned slowly, her mouth agape, a wondrous, "Woah," leaving her lips. "What is this place?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Zed said. "It's been here so long, and only a handful of people even know what it is. They think it's leftover from some unfinished construction." Zed shrugged, shoving his hands in his pocket. "We call it the Zombie Light Garden."

"It's…beautiful," she breathed.

Zed stepper forward, offering her his hand. "Come with me."

"Where are we going now?"

"A walk in the park," he said, throwing her a wink.

She giggled, her head ducking down, her cheeks dusting pink. Her hand slid in his and he walked backwards, leading her into the room. The walls were covered in murals his friends Bonzo had done for his college portfolios. It was a tribute to their neighborhood, with almost abstract illusions and representations of it all. They were barely visible in the dim light.

Zed hopped onto the platform, pulling Addison along with him. He led her around the second level, ducking under a beam, then climbed three steps to the highest level, where they sat, legs swinging over the light garden.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Zed answered.

"Why is everything around here…Zombie-themed?"

Zed shrugged, his fingers rubbing against hers. He was silent, thinking of the simplest way to explain without scaring her out too much. "It's a stupid nickname, 'cause like, fifty years ago, there were a lot of murders and missing person's cases that never got solved." Addison's eyebrows rose in shock, and Zed was quick to continue, "And some idiot claimed they were still around but like, as Zombies or something. And it kinda stuck, I guess." He didn't need to mention the random limbs that would turn up every few weeks or days, or how October was 'zombie season.'

"That's…dark."

"That's Seabrook for ya."

Addison nodded, pursing her lips. She leaned onto his shoulder, nestling into his side. Zed smiled. She was so soft, so kind and gentle. How could someone like her ever like someone like him?

"I'm glad you and your parents were never, like, 'zombified.' Otherwise I'd never have met you."

Zed let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes. God, he was falling for her hard, Addison Daliah Wells, who lived on the complete other side of the country. Who was a singer and famous, practically cuddling with him in his hiding spot and actually giving him the time of day.

"Zed," Addison said, her voice forcibly steady. She was clearly about to tell him so bad news. "I…I have to ask, for you to like, not post about me. Or like, tell people. My parents would flip out if they found out through Instagram that I was dating."

Zed nodded. That wasn't…too bad. It wasn't much of a request.

"I'm sorry, I swear I'm not embarrassed or anything," she rushed. "I just…I know it's stupid but I could get in a lot of trouble. And, plus…" She lifted her head and gave him a tentative smile that made his heart flutter. "I'd rather have my zombie all to myself. Instead of having the whole world in our relationship."

Zed bit his lips to keep from smiling too hard. She called him her zombie.

"That makes sense," he said. "I'll try and be careful. Though I doubt Zoey will do good with keeping a secret."

Addison giggled, leaning back into him. Zed's eyes flickered to her lips, pink and a tiny bit swollen from their kiss only a few minutes ago.

"Can I ask you something?" he said quietly. Addison nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Is it okay if I kiss you again?"

She giggled and nodded. "You don't have to ask, you can always kiss me."

Zed's lips twitched in a smile. He lifted her chin with his fingers and leaned forward, giving her a tender kiss.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this! songs in this chapter:

- Christmas Soul (by Ross Lynch)

- Smile (Meg Donnelly)