"Did I ever tell you bout the time I stopped my buddy Keith from killing a guy?" Ellis's chipper voice rang out in the safe room.

The discouraging remark that was on Nick's lips fell that had started to pop out when he heard the name Keith. "What?"

"Yea, once upon a time he damn near killed someone and would have if ah hadn't been there to stop him,"

"Well that sounds like a story worth listening to," Rochelle said, propping her head on her folded arms, that were resting on the table.

"Fer real? Ellis asked, slightly skeptical.

"Might as well Fireball, nothing else to do except listen to another one of Coaches riveting football stories," Nick plastered on a smirk, looking at the older male.

"Oh hush up Nicolas and let the boy talk," The older gentleman said, giving Nick a look.

"Well anyway, if there is one thing in this world that Keith hates, its gettin' swindled," Ellis said, flicking the bill of his hat. "And when it happens to him, he gets real pissed,"

"Sounds like a nice guy," Nick commented in a slightly snarky voice, earning a kick under the table from Rochelle.

"Ah'm not gonna ask if you want to hear the story or nawt, more just would you please hush so I can keep going?" Ellis said, looking over at the con man.

"Yea yea," He waved a hand at him.

"Thank ye, Now there was this one time he was playing in a back alley game and I was just there keeping him company, ah don't much see a point in gamblin. Well this new male shows up, looked slick as an eel he did," Ellis paused again, taking a sip of the beer that they had found.

"He looked like he belonged in one of the casino's around, not a back ally poker game. The dealer was a money hungry ass hole, so he let the man saddle up, Keith didn't like the look of him at all,"

"How could you know that?" Rochelle asked, cocking her head a little to the side.

"I could read him real well and just knew from the way he was eyeing him,"

"Hmm, any interruptions from you?" She asked, looking over at Nick.

He just shook his head, scratching the back of his neck lightly.

"Well a few hands in, the new guy is winning like there is no tomorrow and Keith was just getting more and more pissed off," Ellis started getting really into his story now and was starting to use his hands for emphasis.

"Because the guy was cheating?" Ro asked.

"Like there was no tomorrow and somehow the dealer wasn't catching it, I think it was because he was high, since he was also a notorious drug dealer,"

"Jack of all trades huh?" Coach mumbled.

"Ayup, now a few more hands later the dealers buddy comes over and tells him he better wrap it up, seeing as the cops were aware he was there and he had a warrant out for him at the time,"

"What the hell kind of people did you hang out with boy?" Coach asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"It was mostly Keith's fault ah hung around some of the people,"

"Right, so the dealer left," Rochelle said, leading Ellis back into the story.

"Yea and this guy just started walking off with out saying a word and Keith got up and grabbed his arm, damn near throwing him into the wall,"

Nick made a little coughing noise in the back of his throat, leaning a bit more into his chair.

"Well the guy talked smooth too, didn't just look it, well Keith was getting more and more pissed at how nonchalant this guy was being about taking all of Keith's money, So he started threatenin' him real good.. or Bad, how ever yew want to see it," Ellis took another drink of beer. "Next thing I know Keith has a knife out and against the guys throat,"

"And you used to hang around him?" Rochelle said, her eyes kinda wide.

"If he wasn't being swindled, he was the nicest guy yew ever could meet,"

"If you say so,"

"Ah do, now the guy is getting a little panicked by this point, but still won't give Keith his money back and Keith was getting even more pissed and the blade was starting to push into the guys skin,"

"How did you stop him from doing anything else?" Coach asked, his eyes wide as well.

"Ah pulled his arm back and wrapped my hand around the blade of the knife,"

"You WHAT?" Rochelle said, jumping a little.

"See Keith would never do anything to hurt one of his friends if he could help it, so the instant ah grabbed it, all fire went out,"

"Wow," Ro mouthed.

"Yea he asked me to let him go the 'ass hole mother fucker' deserved it, but I wouldn't let him do it. Even told him I'd give him the money that he lost,"

"And he eventually agreed?" Coach guessed.

"Well ah got him to let the male go and he ran like a bat outta hell and then told me if ah was serious, he could really use the money, so ah gave it to him,"

"You really are something special Ellis," Rochelle said.

"I couldn't of said it better," Coach agreed.

Nick looked a little pale and got up from the table so fast that it nearly toppled over, before settling again. He opened and closed his mouth one or twice then shook his head and went to the room him and Ellis would be sharing and slammed the door.

"What's got his panties in a twist?" Ro asked, looking at the door.

"Dunno, but ah'm getting tired anyway so ah'll see you in the morning," Ellis said, standing up.

Rochelle and Coach gave their good nights as Ellis followed Nick into the room. The older male was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.

"Nick, what's the matter?" Ellis said, walking over.

Nick looked up as he got closer and grabbed Ellis's wrist and pulled him onto the bed and moved over him. Running his thumb against the mechanic's jaw line, he kissed him roughly for a few moments.

"When you were younger, you used to have long hair," Nick said, looking into Ellis's eyes.

"Yea ah did, but ah never told anyone that," Ellis said, suddenly looking very confused.

"You also had a thing for cutting the sleeves off your shirts,"

"Nick how do you,"

"Since the apocalypse I've thanked you for saving my life time and time again, haven't I?"

Ellis nodded a little, confusion still clouding his face.

"But it seems, I've had you to thank for me being alive long before this,"

"Wait, are you sayin,"

"Yea, that was me that Keith nearly killed that night," Nick said, a darkness falling over his face.

"Oh gawd," Ellis said in a bit of a shaky voice.

"So thank you Ellis, for more than I could ever properly thank you for," He said, kissing the younger's chin.

"Mah pleasure,"

"It's about to be,"

And Nick spent the next few hours showing Ellis just how appreciative he truly was.

~*~*~*~Author's Note~*~*~*~

Well….. Yea

I dunno

This was an idea I had, like… forever and a day ago and it just recently popped back up, so I figured why not.

Valve owns