I startle as all the lights turn off and he looks up at the glow of his grey pupils reminding me of all the modifications, or maybe the light from the window was enough. 

“Hmm?” He says “Weird.” But I see him breathing harder as he presses close against me.

“It’s okay,” I soothe. I have no idea if it’s okay or not but he seems to believe me or at least that he’s safer with me. 

I keep stroking his back, as I get sleepier I stop, eye fluttering as he presses his head into me so I stroke his hair.

“You’re a little needy.” I smile.

“No, no I’m not-” He starts and cuts off with a whimper when there’s a loud bang and far away gunfire. I’m starting to get scared myself but I pull him closer and shush him soothingly. 

“Yes you are.” 

He gets up and I watch as he checks that the door is locked and then closes and seals the window before running back to the bed, grabbing the blanket and covering us both up. He then curls in close to me. 

“I’m not.” He says stubbornly so I laugh then wince and close my eyes trying to will my body to heal faster.

The sound of zombie screeches and screams are so far away I wonder if I’m imagining them. 

Zero starts whispering to himself the closest thing to talking I’ve heard from him. I press my lips against him. He relaxes again and stares tensely at the door. Only when everything is silent for a long time do we both actually relax. 

I doze off almost immediately having had a rough couple of days and wake to find him unmoving in my arms. I start when we’re both naked only to remember why. We went to bed like that. I feel warmth rush to my cheeks and pull him closer. I nuzzle him to which he wakes up relatively quickly, grey eyes opening and jerking upright panting and searching the room quickly before relaxing seeing me. 

The lights having turned back on probably helps. I wonder what happened earlier? He seems a lot less concerned about being naked sitting up and stretching. 

“Are you hungry?” He growls, “I’ll get us something.” 

I nod and to my surprise realize the rest of the meat has disappeared in the hours I slept. Probably by him. He retrieves the phone and sits on the bed. Pressing like three or four buttons he waits as it rings and then immediately clicks as someone from a bustling kitchen says. 

“What’s your order?”

He holds out the phone to me and I look at him as he growls. “You can ask what they’re serving today?”

Almost immediately the person on the line goes, “You’re getting soup and a sandwich.” Then hangs up. I shrug because I’m okay with that. He then goes to the bureau drawer and pulls out clothes for us. 

Which he withholds for a second a mischievous grin spreading across his more human-like teeth. I look at him as he considers my naked upper half. He kind of teases me to come and get it. 

I tilt my head once again considering the dynamic of the situationship. I always assumed that the stalking and obsessed like behaviour made him a sub. Maybe a needy possessive sub. I get up and he looks shocked. The damage to my body only looks slightly better. I see him get flustered as I take the clothes. Purposefully taking my time getting dressed. Starting with my shirt. He lets out a frustrated growl as I smirk at him.

I’m sitting on the bed and pause struggling with my pants, watching him. I don’t even realize until he looks up and flushes madly. I look away a little too quickly to defend that it was innocent. Quickly returning to trying to get my legs in my pants, leaning over is causing me to wheeze a little. He crouches helping me and I fluster a little bit as he touches my knee standing. 

I lift my hands defensively as he throws a glare at me, then to my shock kisses me on the mouth. He grabs the back of my head and smooshes me into him and I breathe out relaxing into it. Trying to figure out whether he’s more into me being dominant or submissive. 

I remember him saying, ‘you’re mine, please.’ I push on him to break the kiss and to my surprise he does but gives one more firm peck. 

“Don’t watch me change and not expect me to kiss you when you get flustered.” He breathes.

I immediately stammer, “I wasn’t leering or anything.”

“I know.” He says quickly and firmly. Then he plays with his hair and turns away a little. “That’s why I liked it.”

I sputter and feel a goofy smile form on my face so I shake it away and say, “Th, Thanks for helping me get dressed.” I pull at my shirt realizing I did the buttons wrong and then look at the door when someone knocks. 

Zero bares his teeth as the intern comes in looking a lot worse for wear since the last time I saw him. He barely acknowledges us as he places the tray of food down. I press my lips together looking at him concerned as he leaves. I turn to Zero and he bristles a little less as the door shuts. 

“That slut.” He growls.

“Hey, I’m a slut too.” I retort letting out a lower growl than I’m used to using when it comes to zero and his eyes widen in jealousy and hurt.

“Not like him.” He whines. He comes forwards and presses his face into my neck. “You’re not like him.”

I can’t resist, I stroke his freshly washed hair and slide my hand down his back. For a while I let him do what he wants, then when he relaxes, explain, “I’m just worried about him because he’s hurt-you don’t have to be jealous I’m here with you aren’t I?”

Specimen zero just growls before flopping on the bed and having a little tantrum. “Why would they make him deliver the food to us anyway?” He pouts and I narrow my eyes. 

“Maybe because they wanted to make you jealous?” 

“Who?”

“I don’t know anyone in particular who’d benefit from pissing you off?”

He shrugs, “a lot of people don’t like me.” Then he peeks at me. 

‘Or maybe they wanted me to see he had been roughed up.’ I sigh and scoot back on the bed leaning against the pillows. ‘Did it have to do with all that shooting? Did humans break in to try to stop the zombie outbreak?’ 

Zero goes and gets the food for us and starts feeding me. 

I smile a little, “I can-mph-feed myself” I finish around the mouthful of sandwich. “But thank you.”

“If your ribs are going to heal faster I have to reduce how much you move.” He says. I don’t know how much of that is true but he seems to like caring for me so I allow it. He eats somewhat dissociatively, staring at nothing in particular as he takes bite after bite. I was allowed to hold the soup bowl as I drink it’s mostly tomato broth anyway. 

It’s weird because it’s not thick like tomato soup and there’s other vegetables in it. Zero removes the empty bowls from the bed, putting them back on the tray and returns to cuddles. 

I say nothing, enjoying the silence and the flowing curtain from the window. I bet the zombie reopened it. Fresh air after all this time was so nice.

I find myself thinking about all the times zero came into the gas station. Usually looking homeless and beaten up, always flinching and staring at me from afar. Remembering the dream I’m no longer sure is just a dream I ask.

“How far did you follow me home?”  He tenses a little and sits up. 

“Aaaall the way home.” He looks at me ashamed but not ashamed and tilts his head, “Why?”

‘Well, that answers my question.’ “I knew you were following me but never really noticed if you managed to tail me all the way back to my apartment.” 

“I’ve been in your apartment.” He says searching my eyes but still proud of himself. 

I’m suddenly curious. I blink and search how I feel about that. ‘I was right, I wasn’t imagining things or paranoid.’ I scoff lightheartedly, “Stalker what did you do, masterbate in my sheets?”

He flushes and turns away completely. “N, no.” He says entirely unconvincingly.  

“Oh so you did!” I exclaim, and he covers his face.

Bright red he stammers, “Your bed was so comfy and smelled so much like you, I wanted it to smell like me too and one thing led to another.”

I know it should bother me but I push it away. I look at him, with a shower he’s a lot cuter. Small. Obsessive. Whiney. The opposite of someone I’d normally simp over. I think about the gym I’d occasionally work out in and the reason why I was there. The fantasies I’d had and tried to ignore. 

I’m a bit of a pervert but to cross the line and do something like that in real life…I look at his eyes. Flickering between worry and something else. Not anger. I’ve been far too cocky with someone who’s shown obsessive, possessive characteristics. I need to know if he can be reasoned with.

“What else did you do?”

He looks surprised. “I tried to turn you.”

Now it’s my turn to be shocked. “So you wouldn’t be alone?” 

Zero shakes his head a little, “It’s the hardest urge to control.” He pauses as we both have the same thought at the same time. “Err the second hardest.” He laughs a little and then puts his hand on my thigh, snuggling up into my chest.

“I can see that.” I say. He looks up at me so I see him roll his eyes. 

“I would take bites out of your food in hopes that it’d turn you.”

“Wow…” I say and rub his back causing him to purr. “You ever try to sleep in bed with me?” I outright ask.

“Once.” He looks like he’s starting to realize something, “You almost woke up and caught me.”

He moves and straddles me. I tense looking at him. He bares his teeth and I look away confused leaning back as he mouths my neck. I have a feeling I know what’s going to happen right before he pulls away rubbing his cheek against my neck instead. 

“I want to bite you but I’ll wait.” He moves to the front of my throat and softly touches, moving subtly. I can feel the need and lust oozing from him but he never asks for more. I hear him gasp softly, body tensing and realize it my absentmindedness that I’ve put my hand on his butt. He stays still and so I lower my hand further. 

“This good?” 

He clenches my shirt, ears red but nods quickly. I wonder what it is that we’re going to do. Obviously I want to heal but it’s getting obvious something is going to happen. 

“Are you wanting to do it again?” I ask him and he lets out a breathy growl nodding. I encourage him to start and he chooses to ignore foreplay removing his lower half of clothing and then mine. I look up at him and he crouches, immediately putting me inside him. I close my eyes leaning back against the headrest as he takes care of both of us. I touch his butt again and he whimpers.

“Is this okay?” 

He leans forward growling, “Are you going to put a finger in?” He sounds scared and unsure so I quickly shake my head no. 

I look at him as he seems a lot more anxious this time. Slowly I touch his front. He freezes, opening his eyes wide and watching as I very gently stroke it since it’s dry. He trembles in pleasure and after a long moment starts moving again. I focus on the tip as he gasps leaving his mouth open drooling as he precums only adding more to the sensation. He goes rigid and lets out a disbelieving grunt as he finishes in record time. 

I reach for my shirt to clean my hand and he grabs my wrist shaking his head. 

“I’ll get a cloth in a minute.” He starts moving again but moans and has to stop oversensitive. I cruelly move my hips and he makes a cute noise. He gives me a look that he knows what I’m doing. I smile and tease his tip and he tightens on me letting out a gasp and a whimper, “No it’s too much.” 

I purr and he looks up a little through squinted eyes. I wait like a good boy though and he finally starts moving again a small whine in the back of his throat as I resume touching his front. He’s so tight from tensing I start getting close. I double over a little and he shoves his mouth against mine both of us open mouthed gasping, tongues touching. 

Biting his lower lip as softly as possible, he moans. 

I whisper, “I’m close.” He presses down harder and a little faster but is obviously tired and overstimulated. I try to hurry pressing my mouth against his neck and he twitches in my grip another moan leaving his mouth. I hold him against me as I fill him up again. Waiting a long moment before relaxing back against the headboard, I touch my aching ribs. “Ah well for healing eh?” I laugh and wince hard. 

I smile and he pants heavily catching his breath. Again concerned I wait for him to lift his head, sweat is going down his face and arms. 

‘It wasn’t that bad was it?’ I start to reach for him and he winces. 

“I shouldn’t have done that dry.” His voice trembles a little. 

“What’s wrong?” I quickly ask.

“A nerve,” he lifts up off of me and I see the pain on his face. Before he limps to the bathroom. I hurriedly follow. “Rubbed raw, somehow.” he finishes and then sends an apologetic wince, “It happens sometimes.” 

I full-stop feeling awful, “Why didn’t you stop me?” He gives me a strange expression as though confused. ‘That's an option?’ 

I fill with anger not towards him but it’s aimed at him anyway and he flinches from the toothy growl, “Why would you let me hurt you?”

“I wanted you to finish?” He looks sweaty and pale and I wonder how long he put up with the pain. I watch him sit on the toilet slouched, ashamed and confused. “I thought that’s a good thing.”

“Don’t ever push yourself through pain for that, I can’t believe you’d let me hurt you?”

“Sometimes sex hurts.”

“No it doesn’t!” I exclaim and he shrinks in on himself. I sit on the tub fuming. “It's not suppose to at least. It can be done completely without pain and definitely not at that level.” I gesture to him and watch him stay small and rub his arm then realize I need to calm down and comfort him.

I close my eyes and look away, “I know I’m yelling but I’m mad at whoever taught you that, not you. It’s not your fault okay?” I feel worse as his lip trembles. “Don’t cry.” 

“Can you get out?” He whispers.

Hurt and confused I leave and then I realize it’s probably embarrassing for him to be on the toilet with me watching and I’m just a sensitive idiot. Still I wait right outside the door as he finishes getting what he could of me out of him and washes his hands. I can see pain still as he fully stops, seeing me, and quickly avert his eyes as he walks past. I follow him to the bed. 

He curls into a ball and says nothing for a while. “I’m sorry.” He growls. I lift his head letting it rest on my lap as I situate myself more comfortably against the headrest. 

“No, I’m sorry for yelling. I’m just-”

“I understand.” He presses his face into my waist. I relax. 

“Next time it starts hurting I want you to stop right away. Anytime it's more pain than pleasure, please, promise me?”

“I can handle it.” He trembles, “I’m not fragile.”

“I want you to be with me.” Is all I can say as I feel close to crying for him or yelling agian.