Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters, Valve does. Oh but if I did….

"An' another thing they had at their wedding? One've them chocolate fountains!" Ellis jabbered over the phone as Nick lay back on the couch. "Rochelle said that it was some've the best chocolate she'd ever had, an' that the strawberries were fresh an' REAL juicy!"

"Uh huh."

"Maggie's real nice, you'd probably like her, she likes everybody, an' in the camps whenever they brought in new supplies for us she would cook up somethin' good for the four of us to eat! She'd always try to make somethin' sweet for the kids too, but Coach would always sneak some've it," Ellis laughed. He'd been talking about Coach and his wife Maggie for the past half hour, all because Nick had offhandedly mentioned their former companion. Somehow 'How's Coach?' translated to 'tell me everything there is to know about Coach and his new life in Michigan'. But the con man wasn't angry or annoyed. He just listened to his friend talk and read a magazine at the same time.

"Rochelle also said that Coach an' Maggie are thinkin' of adoptin' some kids that lost loved ones durin' the outbreak, seein' as there are still lots of kids without families. Wednesday's like that, she lives with Carlisle these days cuz he's the only one that can handle her."

"Mm hm."

"But anyway, when they got married I hadta send a gift with Ro since I didn't go with her, an' I WISH I could've seen the look on Coach's face when he opened the box to find a nice fryin' pan, what with it bein' an inside joke with all've us, but he sent a nice 'thank you card'-."

"Why didn't you go to the wedding?" Nick asked, flipping one of the pages of his magazine.

"Well cuz I didn't get a permit to travel out there," Ellis replied. "So anyway, MAGGIE said she'd do most've the cookin' with the fryin' pan-."

"Why didn't you get a permit, it's not like it's hard," Nick said, putting down the reading material now that he was getting a few words in edgewise. "I mean, you've done it before, haven't you?"

"Well, no, not really," Ellis said. "Never had to apply for a travel permit, now that I think've it."

"So hold on," Nick said, sitting up from the couch and switching the phone to his other ear. "You haven't left Roanoke II since you moved here?"

"No."

"Not even ONCE?" Nick asked.

Back at his house, Ellis' face was turning red. It wasn't like there was contempt in Nick's voice, but the surprise made the mechanic a bit self-conscious. Even when he was still in Savannah he rarely left the city. Yeah, he'd go to Whispering Oaks, and Atlanta, and that one time he went to New Orleans with his friends, but overall he pretty much stayed in town. Yes, he'd always wanted to travel, but lack of money and lack of travel companions made that hard. Now that travel was more difficult, he just didn't feel a need to leave.

"Not even once, no," Ellis said, quietly. He heard Nick click his teeth, and wondered what the Z-Man would have to say about it. He hoped it wouldn't be mocking.

"…. What are you doing right now?" Nick asked, which seemed a bit of an abrupt topic change. Ellis sat up from his chair, and scratched his head.

"Uhhhh, nothin'," he replied, eyes darting to Dalton, who was sprawled on the couch.

"Did you feed your cat?"

"Yeah….?"

"Sweet. I'll be at your place in a half hour."

"Wha-? What're we doin'?" Ellis asked.

"You'll see," Nick said, mischievously, and hung up. Elllis looked at the phone, and wrinkled his nose. Oh boy, why do I have a feelin' this is gonna be unwise, he thought.

Nick honked his horn in Ellis' driveway soon thereafter. The younger man opened the door and waved at him cautiously, and Nick stuck his arm out the window and gestured him to come forward. Ellis locked up his house, and trotted to the BMW. It was true he didn't know what Nick was planning, but he couldn't help but feel excited anyway. He opened the passenger side door and hopped in, grinning at the driver. "Okay, so what're you plannin'?"

"Road trip."

Ellis' smile faded, and his brow creased as he became slightly put off. "Oh, but Nick, I don't have a travel permit."

"Psh, you don't need one," Nick scoffed, waving him off and starting to drive again. "I'm Government, remember? I can take whoever I want out as long as they're in my custody. So what do you say, kiddo? Up for a night in the Grey Zone?"

Ellis swallowed, and scratched his elbow nervously. "But….. Is there even anything t'do in the Grey Zone? Isn't it crawlin' with zombies?"

"Not really crawling anymore," Nick replied, and flashed a grin his way. "Come on, live a little, Overalls."

"I live fine, jeeze!" Ellis sniffed, as he knew that he was probably more adventurous than the gambler. Had Nick ever gone swimming in possibly gator infested waters? Probably not. Had he ever drag raced? Well, maybe. Regardless, Ellis thought it was kind of insulting to imply that he wasn't daring.

"Well, I don't really have a plan since Durham is a bit further than I'd like to go for a night," Nick mused. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

"Okay, that's fine…. But what if we run into Infected or somethin'?" Ellis asked, and Nick motioned to the back seat with a crane of his neck. Ellis turned around, and saw a few guns and boxes of ammo. "Ah. You're prepared. Were you a boy scout 'r somethin'?"

"I was once. But I got kicked out."

"Oh. Well, at least some've their rules stuck with ya," Ellis said, and chuckled at the thought of Nick in the scouts. "I don't know Nick, what is there out there that you think I should see?"

Nick just smiled, knowingly, and shrugged. Ellis stared at him a few moments, and then huffed. "You ain't gonna tell me, are ya?"

"Just be patient, kiddo," Nick replied, aloofly. The mechanic slumped back in his seat, and crossed his arms. He didn't like being patient.

When they got to the East Gate, Nick got out of the car and told Ellis to drive through just so he could let them out and lock it back up again. Ellis' heart began to thud as he drove past the fencing, and he held his breath as he crept the car forward. Though Nick said it was okay for him to be on the other side of the fence, and while it was pretty exciting to be there, he still worried that they'd get in trouble. He slowed the car to a stop after Nick motioned with his hand to do so, and moved back to the passenger side after the Z-Man had locked up the fence.

"Gotta be sure that gets locked," the older man said, making small talk. Ellis nodded, and Nick began to drive down the asphalt. "Alright, kiddo. I'll show you where we're going."

"I hope it's somewhere fun!" the mechanic said, becoming more and more excited the further they got from the fence. "Aw man, Nick, this is like the time Keith, Dave, an' I played hooky from school the day of the pep rally! Keith was all 'I don't wanna go to the pep rally', and Dave was all 'hell no, let's just get outta here!', an' so we got in Keith's truck an' just drove! I was in so much trouble when my Mom found out, but at the time it was so much fun I didn't even care! We went to the movies, an' then we went to the Circle K to get nachos, an' THEN we went to the laser tag course and played a few rounds! I won, but Keith said I cheated, but I don't cheat. He was jus' sore was all."

"Mm hm."

"…. So where're we goin'?"

"You'll see." Ellis knew that he had to stop asking or else Nick would probably swat him. But he started to bounce in his seat eagerly.

Nick didn't stop the car until the sun had completely set and they were along a long stretch of highway, wooden fencing running up and down along the ditch. Nick looked up at the sky, and back at the car, before nodding his head stoically and pulling the BMW over. "Alright, Overalls, we're here." Ellis looked around, trying to discern just where exactly 'here' was, and he scratched his head and turned to his friend.

"Okay…. So what am I s'posed to be seein'?" he asked, and Nick killed the engine but kept the headlights on, and opened the car door, still sporting a 'butter won't melt in my mouth' smile. "C'mon, Nick, you dragged me out here with no explanation."

"Would you quit your bitching and get out of the car?" Nick commanded, and Ellis shut his mouth and did as he was berated. He closed the door behind him, and looked at Nick over the roof of the car.

"Okay, I'm out," he said, as if Nick couldn't tell. "What are we lookin' at?"

Nick smirked, and curled his finger up towards the heavens. "Just look up."

Ellis wasn't sure if it was a trick or not, so he examined Nick's eyes for sincerity, or a plot of some kind. But all he saw was bright green and subdued levity. So he slowly did as he was told.

And the sight took his breath away.

"Wow," he said, a smile breaking his face. "Would ya look at all the stars."

Living in the city for most of his life blocked the cosmos from Ellis' usual sky. Light from the populace was comforting, but it certainly suppressed the natural blinking of the stars and planets. When they were running for evacuation, they didn't have time to look up at the sky, lest it be their downfall. Even in Roanoke II there were enough competing light sources that the sky couldn't shine through. But in the Grey Zone, with it's lack of civilization, there was nothing to keep the stars at bay. And good lord, it was absolutely beautiful on a clear night. Nick removed a couple of guns from the backseat, handed one to the younger man, and sat on the hood of the BMW, just cheery at how Ellis was gawking at the sky.

"You must get to see this all the time," Ellis said, amazement lacing his tone.

"When we're on the road, yeah," Nick agreed. "That's the one thing that doesn't change from place to place. The sky in the New Mexico desert looks a lot like the sky in Iowa, which looks a lot like the sky out here."

"You're so lucky," the mechanic said, and Nick withheld a sneer.

"Well, as much as I hate being out here, if I can see the stars it doesn't completely suck," the Z-Man said quietly, loading his handgun. Ellis looked back at him, pulled from his fixation, and cocked his head to the side.

"You hate bein' out here?" he asked, strolling to the car and plunking down next to him. "Like, Roanoke II, or-?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not Roanoke," Nick replied, shaking his head. Well, he didn't LIKE Roanoke II, but he wasn't going to tell Ellis that. "The Grey Zone. No one likes the Grey Zone."

"Well, I s'pose I can understand THAT," Ellis said, laying back against the windshield and folding his arms across his stomach, staring across the horizon and into the night sky again. "…. But you like the rest've your job, right? You like helpin' people an' shit… right?"

Nick glanced over at him quickly, but then turned back to futzing with his gun. "Well not to sound like a complete asshole, but no. I don't like any part of this job." Such a confession made Ellis sit up.

"….. If you hate it, why do you do it?" he asked, surprised. Maybe he shouldn't have been, as Nick had never been one for altruism if it didn't benefit him as well. There wasn't much benefit to killing Infected for a living.

"This isn't exactly a choice I have, kiddo."

"How d'ya mean?"

"I mean I sure as hell didn't choose to join the ranks of The Few, The Proud, The Controversial," Nick replied, grumpily. "And neither did Francis."

"Well how could they force you though?" Ellis asked, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair. "They didn't hold a gun to your head or nothin', did they?"

"No, not literally," Nick agreed. "Okay, look El, when we went on the ship after New Orleans they hauled you off and tested you for the Green Flu, yeah?"

"Yeah…."

"And your results came back positive, so you were a Carrier, right?"

"Yep. Threw all us Carriers in isolation 'n shit."

"And then what happened?"

"Well," Ellis said, recalling memories that weren't exactly pleasant, "we were put in those camps until they came back with the vaccine…. Hey, didn't that happen to you?"

"Sure didn't," Nick replied, whipping out a peppermint stick. He unwrapped the plastic deliberately, and began to suckle on it. "Because MY test came back with no trace of the Green Flu in me. So they tested again. Still nothing. I was even injected with the goddamn bug, and nothing. I'm Immune, sport."

Ellis gaped at him like he'd gaped many times before, and he pat Nick on the back. "Well that's awesome, Nick!"

Nick gave him a mirthless smile, and crunched his peppermint stick. "It's not all it's cracked up to be, believe me. You Carriers had to spend time in those goddawful camps, and that sucks. But us Immunes? We were the building blocks of the Vaccination, and that meant that they withdrew enough bodily fluids from me to make Dr. Frankenstein blush." He removed his coat, and rolled up his sleeve with a flourish to expose his arms. Ellis' eyes widened at the needle scars that adorned his limb, ugly pink dots and blotches corrupting the otherwise smooth skin.

"Oh my God," Ellis said, and Nick rolled the sleeve down again.

"You should see my back," he chuckled, though it was forced. "Once they were done with my blood and spinal fluid, they wanted my time. Some Government fuck came into my room and asked if I would be interested in joining an elite group of zombie killers."

"An' what did you say?"

"I told them to blow me," Nick stated, and Ellis laughed, tickled by Nick's constant rebellion, which made the older man grin and chuckle too. "Hey, I was over killing Infected! So they then countered with 'we know who you are, we know you have warrants out on you, and unless you join up you will have your ass dragged off to prison once the penitentiaries are fully functional again'. So… I'm doing this because I don't really feel like going to prison.

"But hey, the good news is that as soon as they decide I'm done, all my warrants, ALL of them, AND my record go away. So I have THAT going for me. Pretty sweet, huh?" He snorted, and crunched into the peppermint candy.

Ellis blinked, and ran a hand down his pant leg. "….. That's awful, Nick."

"Eh. It's not too bad."

"No, really, it's awful," Ellis said, seriously, leaning forward and studying him, blue eyes filled with pity and anger. "I… I can't believe they're doin' that to you. Francis too?"

"Yep, Francis too," Nick nodded. "When they got him back in custody they retested his blood. Turns out he had a false positive the first time and was in the exact same boat as me."

"How can they jus' do that to ya?" Ellis asked, voice nearly shaking. He didn't realize he was angry until his cheeks were burning and his stomach was hurting. Nick glanced his way, and snickered in a bemused sort of way. "What? Why are you laughin'?"

"Same old Ellis," was all he said, and he smiled sadly at him. Ellis wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but if it made his friend smile, well, it couldn't be terrible.

"…. So what else happened to you?" Ellis asked, empathetically, and Nick exhaled slowly.

"…. Stuff…. But I don't really want to talk about it, if that's okay with you."

"That's fine by me," Ellis agreed, and leaned back against the windshield again, staring up at the stars once more. "I'm fine jus' sittin' out here lookin' at the sky with ya."

Nick leaned back too, mimicking Ellis' position and resting his hands on his stomach, and turned his head against the glass to look at the younger man. The way the younger man was so taken with the stars was both endearing and a little sad. It was as if the kid hadn't seen such beauty since before the Infection. Though, for most people that was the case; and for some there was little beauty left. At least the kid could find beauty in something as simple as stargazing. Nick knew that he'd managed to make it a really, really great time, even if it wasn't extravagant or filled with over-the-top romanticism. It was pretty much perfect.

At least, it would have been, had they not been disturbed by the bone chilling scream of a Hunter. Both men sat up sharply, and Nick deftly raised his Magnum, looking around. "Shit, shouldn't have parked by a bunch of trees."

"This takes me back," Ellis said, also raising his pistol and scanning the trees, the countryside, the fencing, everything. "I hate that sound."

"Yeah, me too," Nick agreed, trying to figure out where the growls were coming from. "…. Look, just stay behind me, okay?"

"And what if it comes from behind ME?" Ellis hissed, spinning around so they were back to back.

"Just be cool, kiddo, you've done this before," Nick said, voice calm.

"I'm cool," Ellis responded, though it wasn't completely true. While he knew that he could handle this, it had been three years since he'd been in such a situation. He hoped he wasn't rusty.

"…. I'm going to grab a better gun, okay?" Nick murmured. "Can you cover me?"

"Can you get me a better gun too?" Ellis asked.

"Yeah."

"Then yes, I can cover ya," the younger man confirmed. When they'd been doing this day in, day out, his weapon of choice had been a hunting rifle. He'd only used a pistol when he was desperate, and when zombies were right on top of him. If the Hunter took time to pounce, he wasn't sure he'd be able to hit him.

Nick threw the backseat door open, snagging a shotgun and an AK. "El, you want the shotgun or the-?"

But he wasn't able to finish, as the Hunter howled once more and made it's entrance, leaping from the top of a tree and pouncing on Nick. Ellis saw it and tried to shoot, but missed due to the stealth of the zombie. The Z-Man shouted out as it smacked him into the dirt, and Ellis twisted back around and let out a string of panicked vulgarities before kicking the zombie in the head. The Hunter squawked in protestation, but didn't get to say much more because Ellis unloaded his pistol into it's chest. Once it fell to the ground, Ellis rushed to his friend, panic rising in him.

"Oh my God, Nick, are you okay?" he exclaimed, dropping to his knees and examining the con man. Nick sat up slowly, running his hands down his chest. Nothing hurt, really, but the fabric was definitely ruined.

"Tits," he muttered. "Suit's wrecked."

"Well thank God that's the only thing that's wrecked!" Ellis snapped, irritated that Nick was caught up with his clothing instead of his well being. "Fuck, I'm sorry, Nick, I tried t' shoot it before it got on ya, but I'm a bit rusty-."

"Don't worry about it, I'd say you did a more than adequate job," Nick replied, looking at the dead assailant. Ellis sighed, and nodded half heartedly. "You saved my ass, that's good enough for me."

"I guess," Ellis said, and picked up the AK. "I bet I'd've done a better job with this thing."

"Not used to pistols huh?" Nick asked.

"It's not that, I just haven't shot one in awhile," Ellis answered, shrugging. "Big guns I'm okay with still, an' rifles are REAL easy for me since I used to hunt with Keith an' Dave, but handguns're harder. I'd only use 'em when we'd go to the shootin' range, which we didn't do that much, not as much as huntin' anyway. I guess I'm only good with 'em if the target is right on top've me. Or, heh, on top've you."

Nick stood back up, and brushed his pant legs off. "Sometimes you can't rely on the big ones, you have to work with what you have."

"What d'ya mean?"

"I mean I'm going to teach you how to shoot that pistol at long distances," Nick said, clapping Ellis on the back. The mechanic wrinkled his nose, and began to protest.

"I know how to shoot a gun-!"

"Jesus, don't get your panties in a twist, I know you know your way around a rifle or an AK, but you JUST said that you were rusty. So I'm just going to give you a refresher, okay?"

"….Fine," Ellis said, still feeling embarrassed. Nick nodded curtly, and walked back to the car to open the trunk, as he knew that Francis hid empty soda cans in it. Even though he was irked about the pack-ratting in his car, the cans were going to come in handy.

After he'd set up a bunch of the cans on the fence, he walked back to Ellis, and handed him his Magnum. "You can practice with this one."

"But this is your-."

"I'll let you use it," Nick said, stepping behind the younger man. "Alright. So what's the first thing you do?"

Ellis fingered the Magnum in his hand, and held it up haphazardly.

"No no no," Nick muttered, and stood behind the younger man. "Here, put your left leg forward a little bit." He put his hand on Ellis' left thigh and gently pushed it forward, and the touch made the mechanic take in a breath through his lips. "That should help balance."

"Uh huh," the mechanic nodded, swallowing, and Nick's other hand took his right arm, bringing it up to a straight position. The fingers against his skin gave him goosebumps, and Nick leaned into his ear.

"Now bring your left hand up and use it to keep your horizontal positioning level," Nick said, and Ellis nodded again, the breath on his neck making the hairs stand up straight. Oh God, why couldn't he just step back a little bit and give him some space? He rolled his shoulders, trying to shake the prickles and knots that were starting to cultivate.

"Which can are you going to aim for?" Nick asked, and Ellis glanced to the side briefly, and then began to look at the soda cans on the fence.

"Pepsi, I guess," he replied.

"Okay. So first line up your eye with the gun sights," Nick continued, and Ellis nodded, doing as he was told. "And then line THAT up with the can."

"Kay," Ellis nodded, and Nick ran his hand up the mechanic's arm before letting it go. Ellis couldn't tell if Nick was purposely doing this to torment him, or if he was really just trying to teach him how to shoot. Either way, his face was starting to burn and his lower regions were starting to tighten. Knowing Nick, it was probably all a huge ruse, and Ellis knew he probably should have shoved the older man off of himself. But he decided to believe that Nick was REALLY just trying to teach him how to shoot the handgun, and nothing more. And besides, the feel of the Z-Man's hands on his body was too nice to give up.

And Nick, of course, sensed this. Especially since he could just tell that Ellis was starting to break under the pressure of temptation.

"Remember, the sight picture should be right below the can," Nick murmured lowly, and Ellis nodded again, the body heat radiating off the older man and making it hard to concentrate. "And before you fire? Just breathe. The more relaxed you are, the better you'll shoot, okay sport?"

"Yeah, okay," Ellis said, even though he'd just become more worked up the longer he stood there, arm shaking a little bit. Nick placed his hand on it once more, as if to still the movement, but what Ellis did NOT see was that the older man had a wolfish leer on his face, enjoying the closeness just as much as the younger man was. He put a hand on Ellis' hip again, and the younger man drew in a sharp breath.

"Keep the left foot forward," Nick repeated, daring to let his hand move up Ellis' chest, "and keep your back straight." His hand pushed into Ellis' torso, making him stand up straight, and just as the Z-Man was going to move his other hand down to the younger man's crotch, Ellis stepped forward and pulled the trigger back. The gun went off, and Nick jumped in place, surprised at the sudden sound and the sudden loss of the Southerner's body in his hands. He scowled, and didn't even stop when Ellis hit the can on the third try.

"Hey look! I did it!" the younger man exclaimed, whipping around with a broad grin on his face.

"That might just be luck," Nick responded, sulkily, though Ellis was too excited to notice the resentment in his tone.

"Yeah, probably, but the tips you gave me were REAL good, an' I bet I'll get back to where I was before, right?" he babbled, as Nick crossed his arms. "Wow, that was pretty good. You're a real good teacher! Who taught you to do that?"

"Practice," Nick replied, walking back towards the car and plonking down on the hood. "And my handlers with the Z-Men."

"Like Creevy?" Ellis asked, offhandedly.

"NO," the older man snarled, and Ellis turned around to look at him, surprised at the venom in his voice. "NOT like that scumbag Creevy!"

Ellis, having decided he was done with target practice for now, cautiously walked over to his friend, stopping next to his friend and climbing back up on the hood with him. "….. Don't like him, huh?"

"To say the very fucking least," Nick replied, voice cold.

"….. So what happened with him that makes you hate him so much?" Ellis asked, and Nick went for another peppermint stick, but found he was out. The Z-Man huffed, and crossed his arms insolently.

"Feeling a bit curious tonight?" he asked, voice calmer now.

"Only if you want me to be."

The gambler shrugged slowly. As much as he knew Ellis would probably be the best listener he could ask for, he didn't particularly like the idea of opening up about his history with Creevy. The only person who knew about it was Francis, and even that hadn't been really Nick's choice. Francis had simply been there and helped him through the ordeal. If that hadn't been the case he would have just kept it to himself. And besides, he didn't want to burden the kid with this kind of angst. Ellis would probably take it to heart and try to do something stupid, like provoke Creevy. Which, as Nick knew, was a terrible idea.

"….. No, kiddo, I don't really want to talk about that shit," Nick settled on. "I think I just want to look at the stars."

While the enigmatic nature of Nick was starting to grate him, Ellis just nodded, and turned back up at the sky as well.

"Sure is awesome," Ellis said, dreamily, and Nick's lips twitched into a smile.

"Sure is," he nodded.

"Thanks for bringin' me out here," Ellis said, crooking his head to the side to look at his friend, and the gambler looked over at him too. "I've had a real good time with you lately…. An' I'm glad you ended up here."

Nick smiled, unable to deny that his stomach was fluttering, as much as he would have loved to do so. He didn't get butterflies, dammit. "I'm glad too," he admitted, and then looked back at the expanse.

Any other time he might have started working on his companion again; might have attempted to seduce him on top of this car with brazen promises and sexual finesse. Might have rolled on top of him and ground his hips down, hoping to wheedle out a moan and then finally, FINALLY, break the dry spell. But somehow he felt that right now didn't need to be about seduction, or sex. At that moment, on the car with Ellis, watching the stars and the occasional flash of a distant meteor, it was wonderful just the way it was.

They stayed out in the Grey Zone longer than they probably should have, but they didn't have any more run ins with Infected and time just slipped on by. It wasn't until Nick looked at his watch and noticed it was almost midnight that he decided they should call it a night. So he drove Ellis back to his house, the kid talking about getting a book on charting the constellations so they could 'do it again sometime'.

Nick stopped the BMW outside the house, and Ellis grinned at him. "So what're you doin' tomorrow after work?" the younger man asked, and Nick chuckled.

"Why?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I wanna go to the library and get that book about stars as soon as I can," Ellis replied, matter of factly. "Now that I can see 'em, sorta. Might be a fun hobby."

"Why do you need me to do that?" Nick asked, and Ellis shifted in his seat.

"…. I guess I don't." He scratched his head, and looked out the side window.

"….. Well, I could use some new books to read," Nick continued. "It's not like there's much else to do in this town but read." He chewed on his fingernail, and nodded. "Sure, if you aren't getting sick of me being around, that is."

"Naw," Ellis replied, shaking his head. "Not yet anyway."

"Okay. We're done patrolling at five."

"I'm done at five too, I'll just head right to the library," Ellis said, excitedly.

"Sounds good, I can meet you there," Nick said. Ellis smiled again, and turned for the door. But before he turned the handle, he paused, and craned his neck to look back at Nick. "What?"

As much as he wished he wasn't, Ellis was tempted to invite the older man in. Under the guise of having a beer, of course, well aware that if he did invite him in it would no doubt lead to more than beer. He was willing to forgo willpower for the night, but he simply shook his head. "Nothin'. I'll see ya tomorrow!" He opened the door and exited before he could change his mind, walking up the porch steps and unlocking his door, planning on taking a nice cold shower. But he did turn and wave once, which got a small honk of the horn in response before the BMW pulled out of the drive and back towards the road. Ellis crossed his arms, and shook his head. He wasn't feeling nearly as self satisfied by his abstinence anymore, and wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up. He thought that time would make it easier, but instead it felt like his self pleasuring was getting more frenzied and his interactions with Nick were becoming more charged with an underlying tension.

"Just keep it together," he muttered, though he was fairly convinced that mantra wasn't going to cut it soon enough.