I don't own Left 4 Dead.

A/N: Yey, reviews! I gobble them up like candy, 'cuz I love them so much! Keep on reviewing and I'll keep on posting.

Warning: mentions of boy/boy. Don't get in a tizzy if your not into that. You hate it, then get out. Be intelligent and don't flame. (just a warning)

Nick/Ellis romance: 3

Nick/Ellis friendship (No romance): 1

Chapter 4: "Hey, stop shooting me!"

Nick never forgot the multiple people he had taken to bed with him back before the infection hit. He says people because a good portion of them were men but mostly, he was with women. Each time he had taken a man to bed, he had been drunk to the point of black out and his mind was fuzzy afterward. Now, Nick wasn't gay, not that he had anything against gays, but he was hesitant to go around other men while drunk should he find himself in that position again. He had a strange habit, while drunk, to pick up men who loved nothing more than to dominate him and leave his hotel room along with a few of his things that would fetch a nice price. Personally, Nick blamed his suit for that. Everyone thought he was some rich hotshot that could afford what he wanted. In a way, that was true but it only depends if he was able to get a good hand of cards or two. The last time this so called 'incident' happened, for some reason, he remembered it. He remembered being forced onto the bed and clothes forced off and his legs pulled open. Next thing he knew, his wife (well, ex-wife now) went with said man, claiming t be in love and thus, another divorce and another failed marriage, taking Nick's and her one year old daughter Abby with her.

Aside from her taking his daughter, little mattered considering that the conman had a little trouble to settling down. He wasn't really one to stay in one town while another had a perfectly good place for his gambling needs. When he told Ellis, above all others since he never really told anyone about his drinking habits, Ellis didn't look at him with pity. Instead, the hick had told him of his abusive father. Ellis' mother managed to take him and hide away until help could be found for the two. The kid had been just that; a kid. Around seven years old. Both had shared an understanding silence. Neither one of them speaking to each other as Coach's snores echoed through the safe room. The occasional groan and moan from the infected outside the safety of the red barred doors. It was a moment that Nick missed the most. Not even having to say a work and the kid knew what he wanted to say and would respond with a calm smile and an arm on his shoulder in a reassuring way.

The day Ellis died was the day that Nick found how he truly missed the kid.

Waking up, Nick bit his tongue to keep from crying out. The Ellis poser was right. His muscles were sore. In pain, he wanted to scream but didn't dare. Should the infected had made their way here while he was asleep, he didn't want to risk alerting any. Any attempt to move was a failure. None of his limbs would work and he was afraid of the thought that he might of torn his muscles in his body, running from the massive horde. Giving up on moving, he heard urgent voiced coming from somewhere outside the room before he heard swift thumps of boots clomping up the wooden stairs and the door was opened to show the poser Ellis, biting his lip as he did last night. He came into the room and opened a closet to grab a hunting rifle. Turning back to the conman, he tossed some clothes on the foot of the bed.

"Can you get dressed? We need to get moving. The area's being evacuated and we gotta head out. Kieth is already to the whirrlybird, trying ta' hold them back so they don't take off without us." Without waiting for an answer, the mechanic lifted him into a sitting position and helped him dress into day clothes, much to Nick's embarrassment. "It's called a helicopter and where's my suit?" The conman griped as Ellis lifted him up on his back. Ellis didn't answer for a while, instead, picking up a black trash bag full of unidentified things.

"I put it in here bag to clean. Now I'm not sure ifn' I should touch it. Or if you should either. CEDA says that it can spread through blood." the brunette answered and hurried out of the house, Nick getting poked by the gun the kid had strapped to his back before lifting him up and carrying him. They reached a truck that looked pretty beat up and Ellis set him in the passenger seat, buckling him in seeing as Nick was breathing heavily to ignore the pain of being jostled around. With the slam of the door, Ellis tossed the back containing Nick's bloody suit, in the bed of the truck before hopping into the drivers seat, setting the hunting rifle on Nick's lap.

"Hang onta' that for me. I might need it if what 'cha say is true." Nick could not stop the glare at this poser Ellis. The man implied that he could even move of his own will at this point. With the start of the engine, Ellis let out a cry of joy and looked back up through the windshield and gaped, they now were surrounded by the infected which seemed to come from nowhere. "Holy Sheeeeeeat..." The hick gasped, his accent thicker at that moment. The conman could only growl and bare his teeth as the kid floored the petal and they sped off, running over multiple common infected while Nick kept his eyes out for any specials, determined not to be caught off guard again.

They arrived at the helicopter pick up in time to see the large door of the flying machine close, Keith standing on it as it began to take off. Ignoring the items in the vehical, Ellis cried out loud and hopped out of the truck and got Nick on his back, sprinting to the machine, arm streached out to his friend who was holding the door open, gripping the opening. Keith held his free hand out to the last two to be evacuated, hoping to grab the hand that Ellis was giving. The red head's blue eyes widened as they lifted higher into the air, his fingers scraping against the tips's of Ellis' as they flew away.

Eyes wide in disbelief, Keith let out a shout. "Stay alive buddy! I'm a waitin'!" He saw the two figures on the ground stare up at him. He saw Ellis nod as tears fell as he watched his friend fly away. "I'm gonna meet 'chu! Don' do anythin' stupid 'till I get there!" the brunette called back, adjusting Nick who began to slide down.

Keith Pulled himself fully into the helicopter as Ellis and the stranger's figures got smaller. Quickly he yelled out one last call of reassurance. "You better get there soon! Ya' hear! If you don' I'm gonna beat you a since of your life!"

"There was this one time me and Keith..."

Ellis could do nothing as he watched the last evacuation copter fly away with as many people could get on and tears fell down his cheeks unnoticed by the mechanic but not by the conman. Nick was staring where he was watching, his face blank and eyes dull as if he had expected this and had experienced it. It wasn't long before the conman cleared his throat and his eyes shifted to Ellis' sad face.

"I...ah...I'm sorry kid. I held you back." Ellis' turned his head what he could to the man on his back in shock. "Why are you apologizing? You didn' do anything wrong. You didn't hold me back, Nick. Them zombies did. If we hadn't gotten buffered by so many of 'em, we would have made it." Nick said nothing. Shrugging, Ellis once again adjusted Nick on his back who was laying very limp from the pain in his muscles. "C'mon. We gotta get ta' New Orleans. We're gonna be fine."

For once, Ellis wasn't sure who he was reassuring more. Nick, who held a poker face yet whose eyes said it all, or the mechanic himself. He didn't know, but he needed to keep them moving.

A/N: Hi, I know it's short but I kind of got stuck. If you have any ideas, I'd love them and I'd credit you if you wanted me to. Thanks. R&R!