Winning the gnome had been a group effort. A group effort that would do nothing but cause the already blossoming love between the two men to bloom into a flower. Nick still remembered with great clarity the twinkle in Ellis's eyes as he held the gnome up, an ecstatic smile of triumph on his face despite the hellhole of zombies surrounding them. One of his most treausred memories next to the later one of his finally confessing to the other man of his love, happy to find the emotion was mutual.
Still as much as he had grown to love Ellis, there was another unexpected miracle that seemed to sneak its way into his life. It happened over a sequence of time of being the one to carry the gnome around, everyone else had to use their weapons leaving him the only one for the gnome. He couldn't just leave it behind, after all it had given him the best thing in his life. It had created a ray of light in an otherwise dark and deep hell. A bearded fat angel sent from heaven. During his time holding the gnome he had begun to appreciate the small, fat, and bearded man. The small details otherwise overlooked, the gleam in his eyes that seemed to speak 'its okay, i accept you. You're the world to me'. Yes this was a gnome amongst gnomes. He had grown attached to the gnome so much that he had become reluctant to give it up when they had reached the safe house.
This new love troubled him. What would Ellis think if he found out about the affair? Would he be jealous of the burning love Nick found in the gnome? Would he understand? Nick was conflicted and the inner pain had begun to be noticable. His lover soon picked up on it and confronted Nick about it when they were able to get some very rare alone time. Nick came clear to him, and surprising to him Ellis had been hiding his own secret. He too was sexually attracted to the gnome. Laughing at their sharing the similar secret turned to them sensually gazing at eachother. They knew what was to commence next on that night. Coach and Rochelle had watch that night, leaving Nick and Ellis to get rest. Or in this case not enough rest, filling the night with passionate, fiery, gnome-kinky sex.
However as with everything in a zombie apocalpyse a common theme always remained. That of despair. After a truly grueling day fighting for their survival, all Nick wanted was some comfort from the two of his greatest loves. But when they had reached the safe house different plans had been put into place. Instead of Coach and Rochelle taking first watch, Nick and Rochelle were put up first, after a complaint from Coach saying that he needed to take the first round off, having taken the most damage of the group that day. Nick hesistantly agreed, grudgingly taking watch outside, pained inside knowing that he wouldn't be able to spend the night with the two last lights of his life. The last comforts before taking watch was trading soft, secret words with Ellis and Hubert, of wich was the name they bestowed to the gnome.
He counted the minutes down to the last second before he would be relieved of watch and be reunited briefly. Luckily for him it was turning out to be a quiet night. And then it happened. The watch was over and he hurried inside. But unfortuantly that night mirrored the terrible day he had. As soon as he burst into the room he stood there speechless, not wanting to accept the scene that lay before him. A tear falls from his eye of seeing the two greatest loves of his life tied in a lovers embrace with the one man he couldnt beliver they'd betray him for- Coach. He is instantly rememinded of the carefree days of stroking lovingly at Hubert's beard as Ellis would tenderly massage his butt with his dingus as Coach and rochelle guarded the safe house in the other room, unsuspecting to the passion and the beauty of true love occurring less than 5 feet away from them.
Nick didn't want to accept this. How could Coach have been so greedy? How could Hubert and Ellis betray him so? It was too much to take. He fled the safe house, leaving his team confused at his outburst. They'd all betrayed him. Nick couldn't believe it as he fled into the night, lost and unsure of where to go and what to do as the cold, brutal, zombie-infected world swallowed him whole taking his grief into him. His last thoughts being those of the kind eyes of Hubert the gnome, that once captivated him, now like accusing embers burning a hole into his soul.