Of Zombies and Cakemix

   "Courage is resistance to fear; mastery of fear, not absence of fear."

    Mark Twain said that. He was one of Raf's preferred authors...and Zhayne was using that to get him to act on his feelings for Ava.

    Still, the pest had a point; fear was the only thing stopping him, and that was a piss-poor reason to not do anything. That wasn't to say that his fears were not valid; it petrified Raf to think that she might not feel the same way he does, but he would never know concretely if he didn't at least ask.

    Somewhat resolved, Raf made Wally promise not to wander off (locking the door behind him) and made his way to the cafeteria, where he asked Hector to make him a velvet cake.

   As he waited for his friend to work his magic, Raf's mind drifted over to the topic of his ever-present companion. Zhayne, outside of an infrequent "I'm libidinous, dammit!", he had been uncharacteristically calm during this "mating season" ordeal, and Raf wondered why. From what he head told, Carth, whom he had yet to meet, was driving himself insane by trying to resist his parasite's raging hormones.
  
   And Meglin and Trevor were going at it like jackrabbits.

   But Raf was okay, for the most part. Was it because he was trying to pursue someone, as opposed to actively resisting?

   He'd heard that those who were paired had a bit more self-control. While it was still nerve-wracking and vessel-burstingly difficult, the inclination to be with their chosen other was influential enough to temper the need until they could be together.

   Was that it? Could Zhayne have already acknowledged Ava and Nox as his pair?

  "You're a bit, slow, aren't you?" Zhayne teased. Teased. That was new.

    Raf smiled. "And you're far more sentimental than you care to admit."

    He thanked Hector for the cake, and the bug-Infected sent him off with a smile, a wink, and waggling eyebrows.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    As he made his way to Ava's room, Raf thought back to the last time they'd eaten cake together. He'd been in his library with Wally, and she and Priscilla had stopped by. Ava had brought a peace of velvet cake as a thank you for her Christmas gift, and they'd ended up sharing it.

    Raf smiled, drawing strength from the memory, and knocked on her door. As it opened, he was greeted by the smiled that never failed to freeze him up for a few seconds.

    "Hello," Ava said, bringing him back to the present.

    "H-Hi," Raf said back.

     He held out the cake to her. "I figured I'd pay you back for last time." He blushed, and was delighted beyond words when he saw her blush too.

     Ava stepped aside to let Raf enter, and he noticed that her copy of Warm Bodies lay open on her bed.

     "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "I didn't think I'd be interrupting." Then, realizing what he just said, Raf rushed to apologize for that. "And that's not to say I thought you' d be doing nothing! I'm sure you have lots of things you can do, and a grand social life..."

     Raf stopped babbling as Ava laughed softly.

     "It's okay," she said. "I'm not that far yet, and you're good company."

      Raf smiled, relieved. Then he got struck by an idea. "Would you like to read together?"

     Ava thought for a moment.

    "I'd like that. But no spoilers!" she exclaimed, gracing him with a full-on grin. "I know you've read this one already."

     Raf grinned back. "I promise."


     Ava sat down on her bed, her back to the wall and the book in her hands...and looked back at Raf, saying nothing.

     Raf gulped. Courage is resistance to fear, courage is resistance to fear, he repeated to himself as he joined her and set the cake down next to them.

     Then Ava did something that surprised him. She moved...and settled herself between his legs, her back leaning against his chest.

                      COURAGE IS RESISTANCE TO FEAR.

    "Just so we can read more comfortably," she said, blushing brightly, her voice barely above a whisper.

    Raf tentatively wrapped his arms around her, circling her waist and resting his hands on her stomach.

    "Rafael," Zhayne warned sternly.

     What? Oh, right.


     "Is this okay?" Raf asked.

     "I don't mind it."



 
     They barely spoke, but the silence was far from uncomfortable. Raf enjoyed quiet, and to able to share that with someone...it was something he thought, he would never get to do.

     Ava read faster than he did. She would eat some cake as she waited for him to catch up, and turned the page when he asked.

      As they read, it occurred to Raf that R, the zombie protagonist, never actually confessed to Julie, the human love interest. Aside from his repeated mantra of "Keep you safe," he never once uttered an "I love you." And neither did she.

     As Ava placed a hand over his and laced her fingers through his, he thought that perhaps, sometimes, words were unnecessary.