A/N: My first L4D2 fic and it's Nellis because I ship it. C: Probably a oneshot.
As infatuated as Ellis seemed to be with the Zoey girl, goodbyes weren't tearful as Jimmy Gibbs' stock car purred down the road, the bridge and the only other survivors they'd encountered disappearing from sight in the rear-view mirror.
Night was falling, and it was safe and warm inside the car- secure, even, if that word still applied to anything anymore- and Coach mentioned something about he and Rochelle taking the first sleep, since Nick and Ellis were up front anyway. Nick waved a hand, conceding, and after a few minutes of stillness cast a glance over at Ellis- who was humming under his breath, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel as he twirled it smoothly, steering around a roadblock that threw eerie, stretching shadows in the wake of their headlights.
The moment, damn it to hell, was silent and thoughtful.
"The world's a mess, huh?" Ellis murmured quietly, and something in his voice- Nick couldn't see those expressive eyes- was sad.
Time to bite the bullet- a sad Ellis was too much like a kicked puppy. "Not as big a one as we thought- I mean what about that eye candy back there, huh?" He grinned, and it was a damn good thing it was too dark for Ellis to see right through him. "You had your mind on other things then, didn't you Overalls?"
Didn't you?
But Ellis laughed, softly, considerate of the two behind them who were leaning against each other in the restless and simultaneously deep sleep of the paranoid and exhausted survivor, and said, "Come on Nick, I was only foolin'! You think I'd go cross-country with a girl like that and leave you guys behind? Shit man, we been through things together we can talk about for years when all this is over."
Nick didn't correct the when to an if and instead opted for a raised eyebrow the hick couldn't see and a thoughtful, "Oh yeah? You wouldn't ditch your group for a pair of pretty eyes? What kinda man are you, El?" He tapped the bill of Ellis' hat over his eyes playfully, so the mechanic would know he wasn't serious- and sure, Ellis was driving, but Nick wasn't surprised in the least when Ellis kept the car gliding forward as he fixed his hat and tossed a grin in Nick's direction.
"I'm not sayin' I wouldn't," he retorted. "I'm jus' sayin' I wouldn't settle for any pair o' pretty eyes. Gotta be the right ones, yanno?"
He has a type?
"So, what- "
"Shit howdy, lookit that!" It was a horde, and Ellis whooped as he revved the engine, waking up the two in the back and thoroughly throwing the conversation into oblivion.
Goddammit.
It was surprisingly difficult to broach the topic again. It's not like Nick could just bring it up for no reason, that would look weird and the others would wonder what the hell his motives were.
His motives, as it so happened, were ridiculous. There was no way Nick could be the girl of Ellis' dreams, and he knew it was stupid and useless to try to find out everything about her that he could.
Still… that's exactly what he planned to do. He just had to wait for the right moment.