I don't own Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Nick, Ellis, Coach, or Rochelle. Read and Review, I suppose? Warnings: Language, Nick&Ellis, blood, etcetera.

For the type of person that he was, a thing such as this wasn't so bad. Or he supposed that, when he listed out all the things he enjoyed doing in his mind and all the entertainment this 'Zombie Apocalypse' had brought him, there were no problems here. If only he could get his heart and mind to cooperate, maybe he would be as happy as he always seemed. Hell yeah, he was enjoying himself and having the best goddamn time, but what else could he do? The only thing left to hold his interest in this world was destroying the things that had at one point in time been just like him and his comrades.

Speaking of his comrades, with him thrown into the bunch, they made quite the invincible team. First there was the eldest, Coach, who always seemed to have food on his mind but a safe place for the group in his heart. He was a true leader and this was obvious not just by his name, but by the way he took charge. Next was Rochelle, the sweetheart of the group. Always quick to spring into action whenever someone was injured, she wasted no time in helping another team member to their feet and even using her health pack on them if they needed it. Next was him, the optimist of the group. Of course he was always seeking of ways to impress his team members, and he was great with a gun. What with how much energy he always had, it was easy to get him to do the dirty jobs no one else seemed to want with enthusiasm. His only problem was he talked too much, if only to keep himself sane, and it seemed to annoy the other members, namely Nick.

Ah, Nick. There were no words he could put together to describe what Nick was, and what Nick meant. He was definitely the one that Ellis felt most attached to. But Nick was far from any sort of infected. The conman who wore a now dirtied white suit always seemed to be insulting Ellis, whether it be just by imitating his accent, or something bigger, such as always shushing him during his stories, or cursing Jimmy Gibbs Jr. when the stock car could no longer cross the road. From what Ellis could see, Nick hated him, and if the emotion wasn't hate, it was a strong dislike. Ellis, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to be closer to the man. Him being the optimist and Nick being the pessimist, they would make quite a tag team, wouldn't they? Well, he seemed to be the only one that thought so. Then again, he also seemed to be the only one that thought he was right in the head.

"Hunter!" A feminine voice called, causing the hick to lose his train of thought and snap back into action as the beast pounced, pinning down the eldest of their group for all but a split second. Of course Nick had managed to kill the infected first, what with Ellis' mind wandering off and his position being the furthest from Coach. Still, that didn't seem to keep Nick from questioning him on why he hadn't been able to make the shot.

"Hey, overalls, now is not the time to be daydreaming. In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a goddamn apocalypse, and you've been near useless lately." Nick informed, scoffing at how idiotic the youngest of their group could be. It was weird how, for the past few days of their endeavor to find CEDA, Ellis was quieter than usual, and he was missing shots more often than not. Of course by 'quieter than usual', he merely meant that the hick didn't have a comment for every single goddamn thing. The damn kid still spoke like crazy, and he still had plenty of Keith stories to tell, but there was something off about him. It seemed that he was the only one to notice this odd behavior though, otherwise Rochelle or Coach would've spoken to him about it. Nick wasn't the comforting type, but he worried, perhaps more then any other member of the group, though he neglected to make this obvious. And the one he worried about most was Ellis, despite how horridly he treated the poor hick.

Hearing the other man, Ellis looked up, brows arched and eyes slightly wide. "Aw, sorry, Nick. Ah was jus' thinkin' a lil' bit." He informed, a toothy grin making it's way across his face as they continued to maneuver through abandoned cars. It was scary, thinking that soon he would no longer have to deal with all the unnerving, displeasing things that Nick would always have to say to him. It was frightening to think that, soon, they would all be safe. Actually, the one thing Ellis was most worried about was now not being bored and no longer having a way to impress his friends, but not having any friends left to impress. When they were rescued by CEDA, would he still be able to talk so gleefully with Nick, even if just to hear the negative response he almost always got back? The hick hated to admit it, but he needed Nick. He needed Nick, and it was such a scary thought.

"Get your head in the game. I already told you, we don't have time for this." The conman informed with a grunt as he continued to move on, Ellis pressing himself closer to the older man so as not to fall back into the earlier trance he'd just awakened from. "Awhlright, awhlright, damn." Ellis hissed softly, shooting into one of the infected females that was doing something of a run-limp towards them. Upon seeing this, Nick sighed silently, thankful that, for the moment, Ellis had his head back in the game. He didn't quit understand why, but he hated to see the annoying hick any other way then happy. Nick enjoyed the smile he was often rewarded with for no particular reason, if only because it made his heart glow with momentary hope for the future. Not that the spark ever lasted long, but it was nice to know someone could still make him feel this way after all that had happened. They hadn't been together for what he considered a long time, but that didn't stop him from liking the man, and trying to hide it with venomous words the younger never seemed to be affected by.

After a few more shots, Nick felt it was about time he turned around to give the other a small bit of praise in hopes it wouldn't show any affection in it. Afterall, Ellis had been doing much better after the scolding, and Nick was genuinely proud that the boy caught on so fast. "Nice shot, fireball." The elder informed with a small smirk as he turned, abruptly stopping in his place and causing Ellis to bump into him. "Huh? Oh, thank ya', Nick!" Ellis beamed, his southern drawl making Nick's heart race for reasons he wasn't quite sure he understood yet. "Whatever overalls." The man whispered, turning his head to the side as soon as he heard the cry of a smoker. "I hear a smoker …" he informed quietly, looking around cautiously as he pressed his back up against Ellis' own, gun at the ready. "Yo, where's Ro and Coach, man?" the hick asked of a sudden, startled to realize that the two other members of their team seemed to have wandered further ahead.

"Ah, shit …" Nick hissed as soon as the other informed him of the predicament that they were now in. "Just … stay close …" the man said, turning around to give an assuring nod, only to feel a grotesque organ wrap around his stomach and neck, dragging him away as he began to call for help, knowing the only person that could hear him was Ellis whom was now being attacked by an onslaught of zombies. For what seemed like forever Nick struggled to get the thick and slippery tongue from off of his body, all the while calling for help in a strangled voice and hoping Ellis would soon come to his rescue. Just when he felt as though he wouldn't be able to hold on any longer, the smoker blew up into a pile of smoke, leaving him on the ground and bleeding profusely as he heard another voice coughing along with his own. "You know I'd never leave you down here, but you gotta get up!" Ellis called, face full of worry for the older man despite all the pain he was obviously in himself. The mere sight of the hick made Nick's heart swell unbelievably, half from the pain of having to see the other so hurt, and the other half because he was so incredibly happy that it wasn't Coach, or Rochelle. The other two still didn't seem to be around. He wondered why it was he was more relieved than worried as he was finally helped to his feet.

"Here, let me heal ya. Thas what friends are for!" Ellis informed with a brilliant smile as he pulled out his healthpack, the one he probably should've used on himself, then began to patch up the still very torn apart Nick. After just a few minutes of fiddling around with the supplies and trying to fix the elder up, Nick hesitantly moved forward and wrapped his arms around the younger. "That's enough." He spoke softly, informing the boy that he now felt well enough to move on without having Ellis use all of the medical supplies in his pack. "Wo-Woah, Nick, uhm … are ya' sure?" the man stuttered, cheeks tinting red as he tried to slow his racing heartbeat. For some reason, just being held by the conman made him feel so … safe. And it wasn't just the safety of the elders arms that made his heart beat so wildly. God no, of course it was because he felt so strongly for the conman that he couldn't help raising his arms up and returning the hug timidly.

Upon feeling arms return his hug, Nick tightened his grip, glad that no infected were coming to ruin his moment of insanity. Surely he must be insane to be hugging another guy and liking it so much! Even hugging all those hot woman he would have one night stands with, it didn't feel as good as this; It didn't feel as right. They didn't fit into his arms as perfectly as Ellis did. "Don't tell the others...I'm only doing this for you." He informed before pulling Ellis' head back by his hair, then smashing their lips together.

Ellis felt his eyes widen in slight shock before he ever so slowly leaned forward and closed his eyes, trying to deepen the kiss as he moved an arm to wrap around the mans neck. As soon as he felt a rougher, calloused hand move under his shirt and start to fondle the skin beneath, he was happy that there was no Coach or Rochelle around. Of course he didn't get to enjoy the feeling long, for just as soon as the warm fingers made their way to his perked nipplets voices could be heard. That was the only signal Nick needed before he backed off, cursing himself under his breath as Ellis covered his lips just in time for Rochelle and Coach to walk out of behind the bushes. "Yo guys, glad we found ya'll! Time to go!" Coach informed as Nick hurried ahead and Ellis followed behind, his mind once again racing with all those bothered thoughts, especially now that he'd realized there would be no way he could live happily without Nick.

Ellis sat silently in the corner, gun resting against his chest as Nick paced back and forth. "Nick, calm down, man." He said softly, eyes watching the mans face as it crinkled and distorted from frustration. Rochelle and Coach had already gone to bed in their separated rooms, so the two of them were left to guard the door first, as usual. But, different from last time, the two of them had just kissed, and it was obvious with the atmosphere of the room that they were both somewhat uneasy. "Nick, what tha hell, man. Ain't no need tah be getting' so damn upset over this thing." Ellis informed, tossing his gun to the side as he stood and slowly headed over.

As soon as he was next to the elder, he placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping Nick from pacing anymore. Hurriedly he gave a grin. "Ain't no need to be uneasy around me."he informed before hurriedly pulling the man into a hug. Nick just stood there, glaring at the ground before, suddenly, he wrapped his arms tightly around the younger and pushed their lips together. He was frustrated, and Ellis was there. Not only was Ellis there, but he didn't seem to mind. If anything, ellis seemed to want this just as much as he was!So it wasn't long before they both had their shirts off and were laying on the ground, Ellis' back pressed to the hard floor while Nick once again started to pinch and pull the pink nubs on the brunette's chest.

They had long since quit kissing and now Nick was pressing his chapped lips to the hicks sweat and grime covered neck. Despite all the crap that littered the boys body, he was gorgeous, and he even tasted good. So Nick didn't stop, loving the symphony that was Ellis' groans and grunts.

"Enjoying this, Aylus?" the conman asked, smirking as he moved one hand to grip the erected member trapped in the hick's overalls. "He-Hell naw …Just … Awh, what the hell. I s'ppose I am." Ellis admitted, managed a throaty laugh immediately after another groan. "Then allow me to pleasure you more." At that, Ellis arched a brow, only to find that the conman had moved his hands to now pull off what clothing the hick still had on. Cheeks tinted pink, Ellis immediately covered his eyes with a wet arm, groaning just at the thought of Nick eyeing his naked body."Man, this is embarrassin'."

Nick licked his lips as he viewed Ellis' body, soon unzipping his pants and pulling them down, along with his boxers. "I'm not into foreplay, Ellis, so I guess you're just going to have to deal with this." He informed, pressing three of his fingers to Ellis lips and muttering, "Suck." Immediately the hick opened his lips and took the three digits into his mouth, sucking and licking freely for all the time Nick felt he needed. They were pulled out of his mouth and pressed against his puckered hole, making Ellis gasp as Nick leaned down and licked the mans chest. "This might hurt a bit." He informed, pushing one finger inside the man.

It was a weird feeling, but Ellis focused on the lips that were moving all over his body now, especially when the second, and then the third finger entered him. Tears welled at his eyes, but he scrunched his nose and blinked them back. "I told you it might hurt." Nick spoke, pulling out the three digits and spitting into his hand, then rubbing the spit on his member. He hissed silently, closing his eyes as Ellis watched, nibbling at his lower lip all up until Nick opened his eyes and pressed the tip of his erected member against Ellis' hole. "This'll hurt more, though." He informed bluntly before starting to push in.

"Ow, dammit!" the brunette cried, resting his hands on the others shoulders and digging his nails into the mans skin. "Fuck Ellis …" Nick replied as soon as he was buried inside the other man. "Je-Jeezus, hurts like … like hell!" he said loudly, grunting in pain as Nick slowly started to thrust in. Gradually it got better, and the feeling of pain soon became pleasurable, and he was eventually moaning along as Nick quickened the pace.

It was over too quickly, however, leaving them both panting on the floor right after Nick filled the hick to the brim. Afterwords, Ellis smiled and turned to face Nick, who was laying on the ground right next to him, still trying to catch his breath just as Ellis was. "Nick, thank ya'." Ellis said softly, continuing to smile as Nick turned, then ruffled the brunette's curly hair. "C'mon. Let's get dressed, fireball." He murmured, remembering that it was still their time to watch the door.

The next morning, Ellis was the last awake. "Hey now, that's unusual." Coach said, watching as the hick emerged from the room with a smile and a laugh on his face. "And what's with that limp? Did you really get hurt yesterday or somethin'?" the man asked, looking the other up and down as he laughed and Nick continued to fill up his gun. "Naw, I was jus' sleepin' in, man. Suppose I got one ah my legs still sleepin'." Ellis informed before moving beside Nick and starting to fill his gun with ammo as well. "Morning." Was all he got before the other moved away, readying himself alongside the rest of the group, which patiently waited for him to finish before he hurried to the door, standing ready and waiting. "Alright then, les' get movin'!" Coach called, opening the door and leading the four outside and towards their safe haven.

For the longest while, Ellis managed to keep his cool and focus on the mission at hand and nothing else. But he soon allowed his eyes to wander to Nick's form, the masculinity of his elder obvious even through the suit. It took just seconds of staring, and then he'd become caught up in his thoughts once again, making his already slow pace slow even more as he followed behind the other three who obliviously headed forward. Ellis, not noticing he was as far behind as he was, wasn't disturbed by the sudden disappearance of shuffling footsteps. Not until he heard the crying of a witch, another sound which always made his skin crawl and his heart race with fear. "Let's not go by the crying girl." He stated simply, looking around and realizing he wasn't talking to anyone. "Hello?" the hick called, heart racing as his brows furrowed. "Awh hell …" he murmured, looking around as he continued his walk, suddenly too busy trying to find his comrades and keep his mind out of the gutter to notice that the witch he had earlier heard was now right in front of him.

Tripping over her, the hick fell to the ground with a yelp, the crying woman now standing at attention, fangs bared and sobs turning into screams of rage. "Oh shit man!" Ellis cried as he tried to crawl back to his feet, failing just as soon as one of the female's long talons ripped into his calf, causing him to cry from the pain as a pool of blood already started to surround and dirty his clothes. Once he turned on his back and began shooting with the pistol he hurriedly pulled out, the witch wasted no time in tearing into his chest, chunks of flesh and pieces of fabric alike being tossed to both sides as bullets were lodged continuously inside her pink and rotting flesh. Ellis screamed, crying for help for what seemed like forever as the female infected tried to gut him until finally she flopped lifelessly on top of him, her eyes rolling into the back off her head as he stared at the hole made by the shot of a rifle. She lay there as he tried to push her off with the little strength he had left, bleeding profusely into his own open wounds, the smell of her corpse and their blood mixing together making him nauseous. He hadn't the time nor the will to be as disgusted as he probably should've been.

"Don't worry, I'll get your ass out of this mess." Was the first and only thing he could hear after seconds of useless struggling, not including the screams of hundreds of infected and shots firing in the background. He was fading fast, and from the now incomprehensible words that left the conmans lips, he could tell he lost a lot of blood. Was he dying? Nah, that was impossible. He just hurt like hell all over, and maybe he'd gotten a cut or two. The lack of sleep must've been making him woozy, not really the loss of sweet, sweet blood. He was Ellis, and nothing could beat him.

Ellis opened his lips to speak, wanting to tell a story or give some words of assurance as the other man helped him to his feet, but instead he felt more blood mixed with bile rise and burn in his throat. He quickly vomited both contents, tears making their way to the corners of his eyes due to the burning feeling. "N-Nick …" he groaned, throat aching and chest numb as he blinked rapidly, shaking his head just slightly as red liquid dribbled from his lips and onto the ground. The last thing he saw before he blacked out were the other's hands, starting to bandage him up as he whispered sweet words the hick couldn't understand.

It was at least a day that the group waited patiently for Ellis, laying in the corner and gasping for more air, to wake up and give them a sign that he would be able to move on soon. Well, most of the group was able to sit quietly on the floor, hugging their guns to their chest as their eyes followed the cracks of the floor. One particular conman, however, couldn't seem to sit still. Strings of curses flowed from his lips as his brows furrowed together, feet moving in circles around the small saferoom. No one had made it out uninjured, this was a fact, but he was wondering why, just why it had to be that damned hick, stupid, moronic, fucking idiotic Ellis that got hurt the most. He held a strange attraction for the man, something he passed off as mere lust for the longest time. Ellis was, afterall, the most attractive of the group, despite his also being a male. He had the face of an angel, and a nice body to boot, so why wouldn't Nick be allowed to get worked up? He hadn't had any in forever, and his dick seemed to be speaking for his mind. However he had enough sense to know that there were very few times he had any chance to make a move. But as his lust turned slowly into something else, a feeling he vaguely remembered, the man couldn't stand to find himself always fussing over the boy's recklessness, or even who was helping him up whenever he fell to the ground. It was inevitable, Nick supposed, that once their eyes first met and he decided he hated the boy with everything he had that he would indeed start to like him as more than just an annoying comrade. It was inevitable he would fall in love.

More pacing, more waiting, more cursing, until finally, after what seemed like years, Ellis stirred. It was a mere groan at first, but it was enough to capture the attention of the entire group, Nick being the first one to rush over and inspect the brunette. "Ellis? Hey, you alright, fireball?" the man asked in just as calm a voice he could manage, still not daring to smile as he moved his fingers ever so slowly into the now exposed curls. "Agh … Hell naw I ain't cryin' …" was the weak reply he received, making him drop his head in exasperation as a soft, but sincere smile crossed his face. "God, Ellis … You fucking idiot …" the man murmured, tempted to pull the youngest of their group into a hug, but not willing to risk hurting either his pride, or the hick.

"What? I ain't no idiot …"Ellis groaned as he slowly started to stand, one hand resting over the wound that could be obviously seen through the large tears in his shirt. "Ellis, sweetie, are you sure you're feeling well enough to walk around?" Rochelle asked, watching the boy with a worried glint in her eye. Of course she was as frightened as the rest of them to hear that the hick may not be able to continue on at the moment; It wasn't like they had much time left. The bombings weren't stopping, and they were so very, very close to their destination. But slowly she turned forward, frightened for all of their lives as Coach, once again, lead the way out of the saferoom, Nick holding Ellis' up as they headed straight for the obvious horde of zombies. And despite the fact he was bleeding, Ellis smiled. That was all it took to keep Nick moving, to keep him from wanting to sit there and die. It was all Nick needed to know that they would live.