Beyond the Barrier: Zombie Town One-shots

Not A Morning Person

(Well, it's Friday again and you know what that means: Bonzo Day! Just a hint of angst here, this is based on an analysis post I made on Tumblr a little while ago. I was thinking about how Bonzo was out early in the morning at the start of My Year and says he's hungry in his rap when you'd think he would have just eaten, then in the cafeteria the next day he literally only has apples, two of which he gives away (to Zed and Eliza). Made me think of the neglectful parents headcanon. So here's Bonzo's thoughts from that morning before the first day of school~

Chapter 3 of Tattooed Mistakes, the Zephzo angst AU, is coming this weekend! If you still haven't seen it, go watch the trailer made by Kokinu09! Her YouTube is Kreatable23 and while you're there, watch her other ZOMBIES AMVs (and fic trailers she's made me~))

It wasn't just the late nights working on various art or music projects that made Bonzo so... un-Bonzo-like in the mornings. It was what he always had to wake up to, as well.

His mother's passive-aggressive comments and his father's attempts to avoid or ignore him weren't such a pleasant way to be greeted when he came downstairs. Sometimes, he did get to experience a slightly more functional family whenever he would give up on his parents for the night and stay over at either Zed, Eliza or Izabelle's house instead. His friends' parents were always so welcoming to him and it usually made up for whatever problem had driven him from his own home in the first place. And although his uncle did share some of his mom's views, he wasn't anywhere near as convinced that Bonzo didn't know what he was talking about, or that he was too desperate for attention like she claimed he was. And his aunt was like a breath of fresh air compared to all three of them.

But when he did wake up in his own home, he preferred to leave as soon as he could. There wouldn't normally be many other zombies around that early so he'd spend that time on artwork until Zed and Eliza made an appearance, and when Zane or either of his parents came out to open the cauli-brains stand. The stand turned out to be his saving grace more often than not because in his rush to get out of the house, Bonzo tended to skip breakfast. Even if he did hang around longer than usual, neither his mom nor his dad cared much about making sure he ate. In what little time he had before they could start digging into him, he might manage to grab a couple of apples or something, but they'd be saved for lunch most of the time.

This morning wasn't much different. And yet, it was completely different. Because this was the day the zombie teens were finally allowed to leave Zombie Town and start attending Seabrook High School. When Bonzo stepped outside, not only was Zane helping his mom at the stand, but a large group of zombies were out, meeting up bright and early so they could all arrive together for their first day of school. This was a major step forward for the community, after all. Rizzo and Fritz were already at the stand and he could see Paizley not too far away with her wagon. Alonzo, Zach and Roz turned onto the street a little further down and Bonzo guessed Zephyr would be joining them any minute. For the moment, he sat down on the porch and took in the rare sight of a bustling street so early on a school day.

His current art project sat at the end of the driveway, hidden under a sheet to protect it. He still had to wait for Zed and Eliza, but he wasn't feeling up for any other social interaction just yet so he was fine with being on his own until then. He had his art case with him, something familiar to help him through the day in a new place, and the obvious choice was to get a little more work done.

Bonzo slipped his mask over his face and took out a spray can of green paint. He was about to get started when his stomach growled and he winced. Once again, he hadn't eaten yet. And he also didn't get a chance to grab something for later, but he wasn't going back inside now. He never did. He glanced over at the cauli-brains stand but Zane was busy talking to Rizzo while his mom served Fritz, and it would be Rizzo's turn after him so Bonzo would still have to wait a couple of minutes. But at least he was feeling a little bit more awake now that he was making art.

Zed's front door opened then and he stepped out with a football, which he tossed across the street to Zephyr as he hopped off his own porch and went to greet his friend. Paizley waved to Zed and passed by Bonzo to get to the cauli-brains stand, meaning he had missed his chance and now he'd have to wait a little longer to eat. Zed went to call on Eliza first before the two of them stopped to sit on the hood of a nearby car with some of the others. By the time Zed called Bonzo over to join them, the only thing on his mind was food. Although on the surface, his friends were laughing off the random-sounding choice of subject for a rap, Zed, Eliza and practically everyone else understood. "All he said was he's hungry" was an understatement. But Rizzo, as the resident mom of all the zombie teens, ran over with a stick of cauliflower for him, a welcome relief. She had most likely pilfered it from Zane and the only reason he didn't hound her, or even Bonzo himself, for money every time – she did this a lot – was because he also knew what was going on in Bonzo's family. He could spare a stick for free every now and then if Bonzo needed it.

Once he was out of that house every morning, Bonzo always felt a lot better.