Disclaimer: As with everyone else on this site, I do not own L4D2. However, Angel is my own original character.
Author's Note: This story is a romance between Nick and my OC, but is also a story just as much about the friendship that binds the group. That being said, they start off rescued, and the story will continue to develop from there. The first few chapters will probably be very fluffy, then I hope that the story will take a much darker turn. Much of the story will be told through flashbacks. That might change as the story progresses, I'm not sure about that one yet. I hope you enjoy. R&R. Criticism appreciated, praise loved.
Pain is my close lover. She has left marks upon my neck, blood on my wrists, strain on my muscles, and has disquieted my mind. She has filled my lungs with burning passion and fury. I have experienced every part of her, but until this moment I have never experienced her true fury.
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October 30, 2009
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A young woman lay on the floor, clutching her chest. Dirt and grime mangled what might have been homely beauty in another lifetime. She closed her eyes, tears cutting through the muck canvas on her face. A small grunt, perhaps a sarcastic, knowing laugh, escaped her lips. "What a way to go, right, Nicky?" She croaked, eyes blinking and staring warily at the ceiling. Her hand found a small, golden locket that was laced around her neck. She cracked it open with shaky, unsure hands. Two unknown eyes and a strangers' smile found her eyes. The girl in the locket was so pretty.
"Fate has finally caught up with me, I guess."
It felt like her lungs stopped working as she hacked and spit into the concrete. "Make it out safe. Please. I'm alive with you." She curled into a ball as her ear touched cold, unforgiving concrete.
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October 6, 2009
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She could hear voices. Maybe it was insanity. Gunshots. Was it the military? Maybe. Maybe they came to finish it. The body near her shuttered with breath. "Do you hear it?" Her eyes caught the voice. Her hand found her dying companion's.
"Yes." She whispered.
"Go find them." He commanded.
"What if it's those thugs again? They will kill us. We cannot run this time." She worried.
"Then it's either them or that blasted smoke, darlin'."
"I'm not letting you die alone."
"They might have something to take the edge," His breath caught, hitched, and he spat up crimson blood, "-the edge off the pain." Her eyes found his determined ones. "Go." She opened up the hotel room door, and quickly stepped out. The bullets sounded like they were coming from the floor above. She checked her surroundings, a few straggling infected were wandering aimlessly, hopelessly down the hall. She kept her hand steady as she took aim at their heads.
One. Dead.
Two. Dead.
Shit. Third one got hit in the shoulder. Her hand shook as he approached violently, seeking revenge. She took a breath and held it, aiming at his nose. Splatter. Warm blood. What could most likely be decaying brains. Dead.
Her attention turned to the loud footsteps on the metal staircase.
"Look! Another survivor!" A female voice pierced the air.
"Hey, kid. Chopper left. You want to survive, get out of this place before it burns to the ground." A masculine voice told her.
The voices seemed to swim in her head with no meaning. She checked their attire, looking for any signs of medical supplies. Her eyes held onto a bottle on a pair of overalls.
"I need those pills." She said without thinking. The man looked down at his pants.
"Oh sure, miss. Ya can have them if yew're hurt." The yellow shirted man handed her the pills.
"We need to get moving. Let's go." The one in the white suit spoke wise words, but went ignored.
The girl reopened the door to the room and saw her companion lying on the ground. She brushed the hair out of his face as he took a shuddering breath. She could hear the others in the background shouting. Something about waiting up, and an injured man. "Pain pills. Maybe it can help you pass easier." She told him.
"Thanks doll, but I think this is the end." She heard footsteps approaching slowly and tenderly behind her, casting a quick, predatory glance, she noticed it was only the four that had gave her the pills. "Maybe fate has just brought you to be with these guys."
"We've got to go. The goddamn building's on fucking fire." A demanding voice was ignored.
"I'mma miss you, angel." The man spoke. His hand pressed something into her hands. A locket. That action was with his final breath.
The girl stood up and paused for a second. A large hand found her shoulder. "I'm sorry. But we have to go." The deep, velvety voice said. Her eyes found their owner. A large black man smiled at her.
She nodded.
"Finally." The suited man exclaimed, and lead the way down the hall.
The survivors continued moving together, a deathly dance in which they embraced partners whom didn't even know each others names. They were more likely to find a familiar face amongst the walking dead. An explosion in the hallway sent rabble flying their way. She shielded her eyes to protect them from the burn. In the next second they opened the only door that wasn't behind them or consumed in fire.
"A dead end." The black female of the original four spoke.
"No." Said suit, as he crashed his crowbar into a near window, shattering the glass. "We can climb on these ledges. They're large enough."
"I don't know son." The larger man spoke.
"It's either that or an inferno." Their newest member spoke, her gut wrenching at the height.
"Then les' go!" Yellow shirt said with far more gusto, he stepped onto the ledge first. Suit followed him, shaking his head at something. The black woman followed, anxiety apparent in her brown eyes.
"Go ahead miss." The large man spoke. "I'll take up rear." She nodded, seeing no reason why she would disagree. As she walked out onto the ledge, her eyes firmly held onto the pink shirt a few paces in front of her Yellow shirt had already made it, whooping at the level ground under his feet. "Dun' worry guys! It ain't that bad!" He shouted from a few rooms down. Was that supposed to reaffirm her footing?
Pink shirt disappeared into the room, a suited arm helping her over a body. She took her last few steps, the same arm leading her into a room. "Thanks." She said quietly.
"No problem, princess." He responded.
The large man barrelled into the room a few seconds later. Taking in their surroundings. The fivesome opened the door, seeing signs of a few stragglers and killing the ones that came near.
Sanctuary came temporarily in the form of elevator.
"Good job out there guys." Suit said.
"What're y'alls' names?" Yellow shirt asked.
"My friends call me Coach." The large man responded.
"My name's Ellis." Ellis said with a friendly smile.
"I'm Rochelle." The woman said, taking in her other companions.
She bit her lip. "Call me... Angel." She said, taking the locket out of her pocket and clasping it around her neck. "That'll do for now." She smiled at her companions.
"Nick." Suit said simply.
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October 23, 2009
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Angel's lips curled into a smile. She held a metal tray and stood in the back of a very long line of people. A line that would probably take a good half-hour, if not more, to get through. However, the line promised a warm meal, so the wait as well worth it.
And there was good company.
She looked at her fellow survivors. Rochelle had one arm in a sling, a bad pull from a smoker had broken the bones in her arm. The military doctors were constantly busy with ...other things, so there was no time for a proper cast. It hardly mattered. At least they were safe. Coach's leg had never bothered him more, now that he actually had time to think about the pain. Ellis had also joined him in a limp. His leg was paining him madly after he dislocated it on the run through the bridge. It's amazing he had even survived. He had to put his weight on one of the other survivors the entire way through.
But they were alive. Pain reminded them of that.
And here was this camp. It used to be an old high school, the bane of every teenager's existence. But now it was full of life. People. They weren't trying to tear them limb from limb. From what they had heard from these people, they had never even encountered the infection. They were all from around the area, and were evacuated into this camp before they saw a single zombie. It was one of the only few areas the military actually had the chance to save. It was in northern Vermont. The chopper ride over here had been long and painful for those who were injured, but they held each other the entire way through.
And they had the closest thing they could possibly have to a cure. It didn't save those who were zombified, but it stopped the virus from spreading to people as long as it was administered. The fivesome would never be able to approach a population who wasn't procured with the medicine without turning them into a zombie, but at the very least they could be around these people. And they were safe.
Together.
Her eyes looked with amusement onto the scene developing between Ellis and Nick. "Listen, Overalls." Nick said annoyed. "I don't give a goddamn about your mom's apple pie! Want to here about my mother's apple pie? She tried to poison my father with arsenic in it. Do you know what arsenic is?" He said snidely.
"Yeah, Nick, I know what arsenic-"
"Good. I hate explaining things to stupidasses like you."
"Nick, yew don't have ta be a jerk just because your ma din' like yewr pa."
"I was kidding, Ellis." Nick said dryly. "And I wanted you to shut up."
Rochelle sighed and rubbed her temples. Coach rolled his eyes. Angel watched the scene fondly. Nick looked up and caught her eyes. Holding his gaze, she could swear she saw his eyes lighten. They had all changed during their time together. Something held them together like glue, and even though there was a time in which they all wanted to rip each others' throats out... they all seemed to shine more when they were around each other.
Inside the mess hall, they all took seats next to each other. The food was nothing but mashed potatoes that probably came from dehydrated packages and pears that probably came from cans. The natives grumbled as they were served. Wonders of "why wait so long for something so little?" left their mouths, but the survivors ate the food greedily. The tasteless potatoes warmed their very souls and the sweet pears made them smile with joy. Tomorrow's food would probably only be tomato soup or canned beans, but it was the promise of food daily that made the survivors overjoyed. They sat in contented silence until another person approached them.
"Hi guys." Blonde hair bounced curtly against small, pale shoulders as the girl approached them.
"Hi Julie!" Ellis said happily with his mouth full. Rochelle and Angel shared a tent with the girl who happened to be sickeningly obsessed with Nick. Or so Angel thought anyway. Angel pulled her lips into a tight line. Everyone at the table was aware of the thick air except maybe Ellis and Julie. Coach cleared his throat.
"Well, that was a mighty fine meal." He said with a gutteral laugh.
"Ugh." Julie responded. "Are you kidding me? We get the worst food here. It's the military for heaven's sake! The government! Why can't they get us better food?" She whined.
Angel swallowed her food before speaking up. "I don't know. Maybe the zombies hijacked the food trucks. They have children to feed too, you know." She responded bitterly and dryly, eliciting a snicker from Nick and Rochelle. Julie had opened her mouth to say something, but Angel had risen before that. "I'm done." She said picking up her tray and depositing it into a bin for it to be washed and reused by the next day. She was about to say a friendly goodbye to her table, but she heard a whisper from Julie. "What the hell crawled up her ass and died?" Angel turned around and nearly jogged out of the mess hall. When out of site she pushed herself against the wall and sighed, looking up into the sky, fingering her locket. The clouds had started to move in, obscuring the sun. The winter weather brisked angrily against her skin.
She wanted to murder that female.
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October 15, 2009
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"Nick!" Angel screamed. "I'm going to fucking murder you!" The rain poured upon them as violently as Angel felt. This was the second goddamn witch Nick had startled on their way back with the gas. The other one didn't do much damage as they were able to board the elevator and waste lead into her as she clawed desperately at the bars. That still didn't make Angel any happier with Nick at this point.
"Well, what do you want me to do, princess?" Nick grunted, almost tripping over something. Angel grabbed his arm to help him steady his way back up. Where were their other companions?
"I want you to stop pissing off the white bitches!" She said, the sarcastic humour hanging over her lips. She cast a glance over at Nick, swearing she could see a bitter smile on his face, a comeback lingering in his throat. "Yes! That includes me!" She yelled at him. "You ass!"
The water was weighing them down, but they sloshed through it as fast as possible. The witch had to be gaining on them. She had to. Angel cursed again. Her lungs were burning. Her stomach was full of acid. It felt like the whole world was leaning on her. She started to reload her SPAS. Just 6 more shells...
She looked behind her, and saw the eerie glow of the witches eyes. Nick huffed and made a mad sprint ahead of her. Angel was done reloading. She turned around and aimed at the witch's body. The buckshot should connect the most with her there. She fired so quickly that between her exhaustion and the recoil of ten shots she almost fell.
But she wasn't the one in danger.
She heard Nick scream in front of her. He had tripped and fallen, and was scrambling in the heavy water to get up. Angel cursed. The witch was about to barrel right past her, and move on to the vulnerable Nick. The infected female had taken many of her shells, she noted. The left half off her dress had ripped off with the force of her buck shot, revealing a disgustingly mutated breast that was slashed open all over from the shotgun.
Angel cursed as she fumbled with reloading her shotgun. She dropped a shell. It didn't matter. She grabbed in her pockets for another one. Hands shaking, she slammed the last shell into the barrel.
The witch was already past her. She was nearing Nick, who had gotten up, but not made much progress. Don't give up, Nick. She thought, as she pushed her last energy into running, closing the distance... making that last shell count. The witch was barely a foot in front of her, barely six inches away from Nick. She raised her shotgun to the witch's head. "Nick! Get down!" She yelled as she pulled the trigger. The witch fell. So did Nick. The improper form of how she held the shotgun had caused it to recoil painfully into her chest, leaving what would have to be a violent bruise later. But Nick got up, tenatively removing his hands from his head, picking up his AK-47 from disgusting water. "Good thing they made these things to last." He said with a smirk. Angel fell to her knees. "Hey, hey, get up, let's go." Nick said, looking around for somewhere safe and hopefully dry. "Come on, come on." He said gently as he grabbed her arm and slung it around his shoulder, leading them to a room.
"Where are the others?" Angel said quietly, leaning happily into Nick. It felt like her heart was on fire. She wasn't sure if that was because of the pain or being so close to this man.
"We can't go looking for them in this condition." Nick said, grunting. He wasn't doing too well either, but wasn't feeling the burn as much as Angel was. "Especially as the storm is kicking up." He said over the howling winds. Angel leaned up against the wall as he opened the door to the locker room. They had been this way before, noticed this room before. Her head was spinning, but if she remembered correctly she thought they had agreed to meet up here if the storm separated them. Maybe. Maybe that was just false hope. All she could feel was the burn in her heart and head. She walked into the room after Nick, and he closed the door behind them. She slumped up against the wall, exhausted. He did the same. The room was dark. She could barely make out his face.
"Good thing there are less zombies in this area since we've already gone through." She said.
"This storm ought as well be a tank though." He murmured, moving his neck back and forth until a telltale crack came. "Much better." He said quietly.
"I'm too tired to hate you for the witch right now." She cleared her throat. "Witches, I mean." The rain and the wind howled against the walls for what must have been a few minutes, until he pushed himself against the wall, rising slowly.
"Let's move these benches in front of the door, just in case." He said. She mumbled an agreement as she rose, and they put their last ounces of strength into the measly barricade. Their job finished, they took a seat against their previous wall. "How long do you think it'll take the storm to clear up?" She asked Nick slowly. The thought of their companions in both of their minds.
"Don't know. Last time it seemed like it took about an hour to pass, and another hour for it to come back." Nick said, probably only giving her a time to calm her nerves. She nodded, shivering. The rain had finally done it's job of soaking her to the core. She swore she could hear Nick shuddering too. She closed the distance between them, leaning against Nick's arm.
He lifted it, putting it around her shoulder. They were cold. The body heat radiating off each other was a welcome change. In another world, this might've been romantic. In this world, it was something shared between friends, survivors. She felt Nick's breath even out. He might've been asleep. Against her better judgment, she started to let her eyelids get heavy. Sleep. sleep would be nice. Especially against the warm frame of Nick. Sleep would be very nice. So she slept. They both slept the best half hour they had ever slept in their entire lives.
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October 23, 2009
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The least the survivors could do for being rescued was to help with the scientists' research by being their little experiments. That's what Angel thought until they actually got inside the medical building, which was set up in an entire hallway of old classrooms. Posters on the wall made it seem like the English wing. The true horror of it all was that they were being treated very kindly.
In fact, the scientists told them while they might begin experiments on them in the months to come, they were going to be minimally asked for at first.
The horror of it all was the fact that they just had to give blood every once in a while to begin with.
Angel was terrified of needles.
No tank, witch, smoker, or hunter could make Angel display a similar look of horror. Ellis had been the first to donate. He walked out of the room and back into the one the other survivors were in with a happy look on his face. Angel began rubbing her fingers together unhappily.
"Who's next?" A soldier called. Coach looked around the room before rising.
"Guess that's me." He said before leaving.
The room stayed silent for a bit until Rochelle's voice pierced the air. "Honey, are you okay?"
Angel's attention snapped up. Hilarious tears filled her eyes as she whimpered. "No."
Nick was looking at her with a smirk. "Afraid of needles, princess?" She nodded her head meakly as Nick snickered.
"Nick, don't be mean. We all have our fears." Rochelle said soothingly, as she rubbed Angel's back.
Ellis nodded jovially. "Yeah man, like you wouldn't believe it, but my friend Dave is actually really scared of fire. So, there was this one time me an'Keith were gunna play a prank on him. Yew know, April fool's day and 'verything. So an'way, Keith said we shoul' like, spray Axe on him or sumthing when he wasn' paying attention then light him on fire. Like, the Axe woul' burn and so woul' his hairs maybe, but nothin' else. So he got a blowtorch-"
By that time, Coach had re-entered the room and the solider was calling for the next person.
"Oh for heaven's sake." Nick said, cutting off Ellis' story. "Listen." He addressed the soldier. "My friend is really afraid of needles, can I go in with her?" He said, looking the soldier square in the eyes.
The soldier stumbled over his words. "Um, s-sure. I don't see why not." He said, opening the door for the both of them.
Angel mumbled a small thanks to everyone in the room as she left, guided by Nick's hand on her upper back. They walked down the hall, then the soldier opened another door for them, explaining the situation to the scientists.
The scientists must've caught sight of the tears in Angel's eyes, for they conceded. Angel sat down wordlessly on the bench they had provided. Tears were flowing greedily from her eyes. The scientists were trying to comfort her with words like "it won't hurt" and "it'll be fast" but they all faded away.
She looked up at Nick, lip quivering, and held out her hand. "You know, I really only came here to escape from Ellis's big mouth." He sighed. "But if it'll get you to shut up too, I'll do it." He said as he grabbed her hand. She squinted her eyes furiously shut, and dug her nails hardly into Nick's hand as she felt the needle entering her other wrist. "Ouch, Jesus. Calm down a little." He complained.
"That's for the time when you started like every goddamn witch in that sugar mill." She said, smile on her lips, tears pouring out of her eyes. "I told you I'd murder you."
She heard an appreciative snort leave Nick's nostrils. "Alright, alright. But Ellis has hand-holding duty next time. Goddamn I'm going to lose more blood from you than the needle itself." She swore she could hear one of the scientists giggle, and it warmed her heart. Julie might end up taking Nick away from her for a night of romance here and there...
But she could never steal their friendship.
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October 17, 2009
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They had brought Virgil the gas he needed. In return, he was taking them down the river, and he had also offered them a large bottle of vodka. Cheap Smirnoff. None of them had ever been happier to see the poison in their life. There was no silverware, and nothing to wash it down with. They all took turns taking swigs from the bottle one after each other. It burned just as much as it always did.
It burned wonderfully.
And considering they hadn't ate well for the past few weeks, the survivors felt the Vodka hit them fast and hard before the bottle was halfway gone.
Ellis was the first to break into the bottle. "Oh man. Me an' Keith used ta toss down this stuff like it was no tomorrow." He put bottle to his lips and took a swig. He pulled the bottle away from his lips quickly and scrunched up his face. "Woo-wee. Did the zombies make this stronger?" He said as he passed the bottle to Rochelle.
"I hope so, sweetie." Rochelle said, perking her eyebrow and all of us, and raising the bottle in a toast before taking her shot. "I have never been a party girl, but today's the day."
Angel tsked. "I have never been a party girl, but I ought as well have been an alcoholic, drinkin' alone the way I did." She said, taking the bottle from Rochelle. "Lemme show you ladies how it's done." She raised the bottle to her lips, and drank at least twice as much as Rochelle and Ellis, shaking her head and feeling a tingle run down her spine as she swallowed the poison.
Nick laughed. "Ah, women." He said, removing the bottle from Angel's grasp. "They always think they can outdrink a man, until they end up in bed with them." Angel and Rochelle rolled their eyes.
"Lotsa experience there, huh Nick?" Rochelle asked him sarcastically.
"And?" He said as he put the bottle to his lips for a swig. Angel watched him mischeviously. As soon as she saw his Adam's Apple bob as a sign he was preoccupied, she reached over and hit the bottle of the bottle up, causing the Smirnoff to spill all over his suit. "Oh come on!" He whined as he wiped the drink from him, the rest of the group giggling.
Coach took the bottle from him, shaking his head appreciatively. He downed his in silence, handing the bottle to Ellis for round 2. Ellis fiddled with the bottle as he cast his eyes down in thought. Angel caught notice of this. "What's wrong, Ellis?" She questioned the boy's unusual silence.
"Man yew guys are like my best friends, an' I dun even know anything bout'chu." Ellis said, his sadness showing through. Angel almost thought the sentiment to be funny. Best friends? But it was true.
When they fell down, she helped them up even if a tank was behind them. She wasn't sure she'd even do that for her old best friends. They always did the same for her, too.
Angel's eyes lit up. "Tell us about yourself, Ellis." Hearing a slight "oh, no" whisper from Nick next to her, she elbowed him, and smiled at Ellis for him to start.
"Aw me?" Angel nodded, and he found Rochelle and Coach's eyes on him intently. "Well, Keith was always my best friend, yew know? An' Keith had graduated a few years before I did, an' he wanted to open up a shop. Me, well, my ma din't have much money, so I said, what the hell? I'll help him and git some money for it. I guess after I graduated I always stayed there, yew know?" Angel nodded, although she wasn't sure she understood. "But man, oh man did we have the best of times together. Dave ended up joinin' us too and man..." He said after he gulped down a swig and passed the bottle to Rochelle.
Rochelle laughed at the bottle in her hands. "Well, I guess that means if I have the bottle in my hands, I have to say something, huh?" She pursed her lips. "Had a boyfriend at the time, and he didn't want me to come down here, but I was the only one with the balls to try." She said, laughing a bit morbidly. "Everyone else at the station was scared of the Green Flu. Guess I should've been too." She cast her eyes down. "I know it doesn't matter, but I wonder what things would be like if I had stayed." She sighed thoughtfully. "Would we have escaped together?" She took her swig and passed the bottle to Angel.
Angel took at the bottle thoughtfully. "Graduated high school, dropped out of college at nineteen. I was done with my parents' shit. Next seven years I spent just moving from place to place. I guess I was looking for some kind of purpose. I never found it. I came down here with the same idea." She said, then took a pause. "I guess I always just wanted a proper home,
no matter how silly that sounds. You can't say I really lost anything."
She passed the bottle to Nick, making eye contact as he sighed and took the bottle from her. "I'm not going to join your sapfest."
Angel looked Nick squarely in the eyes. "Oh Jesus, fine." He said, taking his swig prematurely. "I gambled. I moved. I gambled. I moved. Made money by gambling some more. Got married. Got divorced. Gambled and was happy again. The end." He shoved the bottle into Coach's hands.
No one argued with Nick as they turned their attention to Coach. He cleared his throat as his voice boomed through the silent air. "I was married. Had two kids. They were the first ones I saw... turned.
I just ran. I couldn't do it. Couldn't see them like that. I just had to get out." Everyone turned their attention to the man they saw as their leader. It was strange to see him so weak, so breakable.
Even Nick seemed to be holding his breath.
Ellis clasped his hand on Coach's back in a friendly, warm gesture as he took a large drink of vodka. Coach passed the bottle to Ellis. It was now a thick silence.
"I don' mean ta sound like I'm glad that all this has happened." Ellis shifted uncomfortably, like he was hoping the words would stir from the ground. "But I mean, I am. Yew guys are the best." Nick snorted. "I mean, we have our differences, but there's no one else I'd rather go through this with."
"What about Keith?" Nick asked sarcastically.
But Ellis took it like a real question. "Man, not even Keith could get me through this shit like yew guys."
Later that night, most of the group fell asleep quickly, alcohol coarsing them to a deeper sleep then they had for a long time. The small boat rocked back and forth, a sweet cradle to the children who lay upon it. Angel looked up into the sky, stars clear as they lead them through the night. There wasn't any room for them to sleep anywhere but the deck. She heard a stir from near her, a white-suited figure sat up and walked over to the side of the deck. Angel sat up to watch his figure approach the edge of the boat.
"Can't sleep either, kid?" Nick asked her, his usual edge lacking from his voice. She shook her head, giving him a silent no. He walked over to her, presenting his hand.
Angel looked at his hand, and put her smaller onto it. His hand was warm and large. Her eyes locked onto it. That symbol. She felt so protected, so imbued with strength as he lifted her up from the sitting position.
It took them a minute to drop that touch.
It had to be just friendly. Something just shared between survivors, right?
They walked over to the boat's end together, both feeling the inebriation still. He held her shoulders as she almost tripped, until they could lean against the end.
"At least I can throw up over the edge if I have to." She laughed, earning a smirk from Nick.
They were both dazed with the rocking of the boat and the effects of the alcohol and the loneliness of the world.
That's why he put his arm around her shoulders, right?
Then when he kissed the top of her head...
It was just because they had been protecting each other like family, right?
She wouldn't remember this moment. She quickly started getting sleepy, and he guided her back over to where the other three were sleeping, cuddling into each other to preserve body heat in the coolness of the river. She wouldn't remember the night spent with Nick's arm wrapped around her, her nose pushed up to Coach's arm, that it was Nick who kept her warm, draping his jacket across her shoulders, curving his body into the contour of hers, his chest pressed into her back.
Because he would awaken first out of all his companions, and he'd pull himself hastily from her frame, facing the sun, and remembering how much he enjoyed being close to her.
He'd remember, but he wouldn't say anything about it. He realized she was too inebriated to remember.
And he just did all of that because of the alcohol, right?
Right?