This may seem like a filler chapter but it actually does a lot of subtle foreshadowing. It was fun to write, regardless and I hope you enjoy it. Pretty soon they'll be thrown back into the fray. Enjoy :D (and just so we're clear none of these characters belong to me, obviously. I'm just borrowing them for this story :D)
Chapter 14
Dawn came slowly with 4 rested survivors. Coach had kept watch until he noticed that the zombies wouldn't stop at the tree, they would just keep walking. Crossing his fingers that that's how it would stay he went to bed, catching up on a little more shut eye.
Ellis woke right where he had gone to sleep, curled against Nick's side. A wave of guilt crashed over him… he was the one who had called it off after all. Yet here he was needing Nick's presence to get any decent sleep. At least he knew Nick still sort of accepted him. As soon as Nick awoke Ellis figured it was time to clear the air. Something vital struck Ellis the other night in the shower and he wasn't going to hold back anymore…
Nick grumbled something as he woke up, stretching before looking around. Ellis sat up, moving back a little bit, suddenly feeling awkward. He was really hoping that Nick would at least listen to him. Ellis wondered how much patience Nick had in the morning.
"It is way too Early for this, Overalls." Nick said, rubbing a hand wearily down his face. He sat up and looked at Ellis expectantly. "Well? Spit it out."
"I jus' wanna figure all this out." Ellis gestured between himself and Nick. Nick grumbled, sitting up more and massaging his temples.
"No Strings Attached." Nick said simply. It seriously was too early to be discussing this with Ellis.
"Does tha' mean if there was somethin' between us, 's no' permanent or?" Ellis wasn't completely familiar with the 'no strings attached' phrase but he could guess at the basics.
"It means that you don't have to kiss and tell. Whatever we do stays between us and as soon as we get to serious safety, we could go different ways and never see each other again." Nick explained, trying hard not to grind his teeth. "It means that if we meet up with that Zoey chick again, you can drop whatever it is we have and go be with her. It means Ellis, that whatever we have… one of us can leave at any time, nothing tying us down permanently."
"I don' quite understand this, Nick." Ellis confessed. Nick's expression said that beating his face on a wall would be much more entertaining and less painful than this conversation.
"It means-" Nick started again but Ellis cut him off.
"No, I understand wha' it means. 's like friends with benefits." Ellis responded and Nick nodded. "Wha' I don' understand is why ya'd wanna relationship like that." Nick face palmed… this was the worst morning of his life and it probably wasn't even Monday.
"Because we're not meant for a life together. You and I come from opposite sides of the world… If we ever fall back into normal society it would never work, you'd be better off with a pretty girl that knows engines and can keep up with you and your excitement at everything. You're not going to want to be tied down to a man like me and I don't think I could handle being tied to you." Nick felt like he was starting to fall into falsehoods because he probably could handle being with the Kid… but the kid didn't need to be stuck with him. He had a lot of baggage from his past that he didn't need to share with anyone.
"Says you?" Ellis was slightly hurt but he wondered how much of what Nick said was true.
"Yes, says me."
"For thinkin' yer so smart ya sure are daft, Nick." Ellis muttered, earning a glare from Nick. "You should know that lo-" Nick's hand covered his mouth.
"No. No L words." Nick said quickly. He was not calling this love... earlier, yeah his mind had broken down a couple times and thought it but it would not come out into reality. As soon as the word hit the air there would be ties that he didn't want to deal with. Ellis watched Nick steadily, wondering what Nick was afraid of. Why would the word love be such a bad thing to say… but he acquiesced, nodding his head.
"Anyways," Ellis began again when Nick removed his hand, "Relationships aren't smooth. To drop something we may have jus' cuz you don' think it'll be problem-less when we reach society is a lack of understanding on your part."
"Ellis, you don't understand."
"Oh I understand perfectly." Ellis said, feeling his anger burning. He swallowed and kept it at bay. "I don' fit yer plans, there's no room for me… so yer jus' gonna drop me instead of making room."
"If I recall right, you dropped me." Nick said, bringing up a sore spot for both of them. That struck Ellis hard, leaving cold embedded in his heart.
"'m sorry bout tha'." Ellis whispered, his voice suddenly unwilling to cooperate.
"Sorry? What's to be sorry about? You obviously don't want anything permanent with me either. So why are we having this conversation?"
"Tha's no' it at all!" Ellis said quickly, his hands gesturing wildly. "It… I dunno how to explain it really. 's more in memory a wha' my momma taught me. She was religious an', well, she taught me a lot bout wha's right an' wrong."
Religious. That struck a core in Nick as all the events made sense. What he's wanted from Ellis the entire time and was close to getting in the kitchen the other day hit a wall for Ellis. His mother sounded like she was strongly religious which means not only does Ellis probably find it wrong that he was finding feelings for another man but also that you should never have sex out of wedlock. Well this put a damper on Nick's plans… would he even want to make Ellis break ingrained laws just for a few moments of pleasure?
"I see." Nick nodded.
"But… it came ta me the other night… ironically while I was in the shower." Ellis said. Nick glanced up quickly. That would explain the sudden change in Ellis' behavior… it had thrown Nick completely off guard to have a flirty Ellis around again. It was seriously like starting over.
"Did you discover anything interesting?"
"Lotsa interestin' things but mainly, I figur'd tha' if God didn' want men lovin' men an' women lovin' women he wouldn' allow it."
"Really? What about serial killers and sinners, do you think he wanted them on his Earth?" Ellis paused a moment because he hadn't thought about that… but then an earlier thought of his fit this situation as well.
"You jus' can't have good withou' the bad." Ellis explained. Nick found the answer interesting but just as washed up as ever. So here was the real question.
"Do you think the people who are bad are bad by design?" Nick asked. "Do you think that the people who kill, who rape and murder and steal, do you think they were born that way?"
"No." Ellis responded after a moment. "I think we all have choices an' tha's what they chose. Why? I dunno… things happen I guess… but they could always stop an' ask forgiveness an' turn themselves around. The only problem is they'll always carry the guilt an' memories in their heart."
Ellis' answer shocked Nick's system. For being so dimwitted sometimes, the hick really did have a head resting on his shoulders. Nick smiled softly before he put on his pokerface.
"So where does that leave us?" Nick watched Ellis' expressions. They flickered from worry to confusion before settling on determined. Nick wasn't quite sure what he was going to think of the answer.
"Tha' depends on where you wanna leave it, Nick. I don' wanna relationship with no strings. If we start somethin' an' we find it doesn' work, well tha's a normal relationship. But I don' wan' an out if things turn for the worst. I wantcha to understand tha' I'm gonna be here for ya until you decide otherwise er somethin' happens an' we split apart." Ellis said, feeling a weight lift from his chest. Nick felt his own chest squeeze with fear and uncertainty… Being tied to someone always left Nick with the short, crappy end of the stick. Nick's eyes were cool, jaded… Ellis watched as they shifted between looking at him and staring off into space. It hadn't even registered for Ellis that this might not be something Nick has ever wanted before… or if it was actually reminding him of a bad situation. He did have an ex-wife after all.
"Nick, there's no rush on the answer er anythin'. S'not like I'm goin' anywhere." Ellis said, taking Nick's hand and giving it a quick squeeze. Nick nodded because he wasn't going to be able to answer that. He honestly figured his only attraction to Ellis was his sexual drive needing to calm its shit down. Maybe there was something more… but he didn't want to dwell on that with Ellis around. He didn't want to end up in anything where he couldn't hold up his side of the bargain…
"I think it's time to get up." Nick stretched once more. To an outsider it would look like Nick had just brushed off the conversation but Ellis knew that Nick was considering it. He could wait.
"Ok." Ellis jumped off the bed lithely, full of energy for the new day. It was so nice to be free of some of the weight on his shoulders.
"Did you really sleep in jeans?" Nick asked, shaking his head. What the hell… How was it even possible to sleep in jeans. For his part he had stripped down to his boxers, only leaving them and his shirt on.
"Well yeah… they're comfortable." Ellis said. Really he hadn't wanted to cause any extra awkwardness with Nick.
"Whatever you say." Nick shrugged as he grabbed the black jeans he had and slipped them on. They headed for the kitchen, curious to check out what all this mansion had.
"How long do ya think we could live 'ere?" Ellis asked as he took in the grandiose house.
"Depends on the amount of food and how soon Coach thinks we should head out."
"Huh…" Ellis said, enjoying the moment he had where he didn't have to fear for his or his companions' lives. Ellis checked out the fridge, noting that it was well stocked. He wondered how good the food was because a lot of food could go bad in a week and some it took a month or two… Depending on what it was. Grabbing out a package of Cinnamon rolls Ellis prayed they were still good, tearing of the plastic and smelling carefully. When he didn't catch any bad scents he tossed them into the microwave, grinning when it came to life. Funny how common place things had now become luxuries.
"Are you serious? The TV actually does work." Nick said from the other room. He had taken a seat on the couch, picking up the remote and pressing power. The TV hummed to life, showing static as Nick flipped through the channels.
Ellis came in with his plate of Cinnamon rolls, sitting down next to Nick and setting the rolls on a coffee table in front of them.
"Doesn' look like we have any channels." Ellis stated the obvious as the two men watched static flick continually through all the channels.
"Does that surprise you?"
"Well no' really I guess… I figur'd maybe CEDA would have a channel fer the survivors, though."
"Well I guess not." Nick said, clicking the TV off. Ellis stood up, searching for DVDs to put in. He grinned as he found the stash, turning on the DVD player and putting a disc in. He motioned for Nick to turn the TV back on.
"I really miss TV sometimes." Ellis said, plopping down next to Nick. He grabbed up the plate, checking to make sure they were cool enough to eat. When Ellis didn't burn his tongue he offered the plate to Nick.
"Really, Ellis?" Nick said, gesturing at the screen before he took a pastry from the offered plate.
"What? It's a classic!" Ellis said, setting the Cinnamon rolls back on the table.
"A classic? Are you serious?" Nick gestured at the TV, looking at Ellis as if he were insane.
"Yep! Everyone loves a good comedy horror movie."
"Not people who are practically living the movie." Nick grumbled as he glared at the TV screen where the menu for Zombieland played through on repeat.
"I think it'd help cuz we're watching people who have to deal with the same trouble we're in." It all made perfect sense to Ellis.
"At least it's not some God awful cartoon." Nick sighed, settling back as the movie started. Nick and Ellis made quick work of the plate of pastries, going so far as to clean the crumbs from the plate.
"Still hungry?" Ellis stretched, leaning on Nick's shoulder. Nick ignored him except to shake his head.
"Ah man, I love Tallahassee!" Ellis jumped up in excitement as the character did something especially bad ass.
"Really? I thought you'd like that one chick, the one that Columbus likes, more."
"Wichita? Why?"
Nick paused for a moment, considering. "Well, she's a prankster like your buddy Keith, for one."
"Keith never tricked no one like she did though. She's a mean kind of prankster." Ellis reasoned.
"Well honestly she kind of reminds me of Zoey." Nick watched the Wichita character closely. "She knows how to wield a gun."
"Zoey trusts people, though. Zoey is an An-gel. Wichita isn' so much."
"How do you even know? She could be a human replica of Wichita for all you know!" Just because he realized Ellis would have a better life with Zoey doesn't mean he has to like it.
"She isn'. I jus' know she isn'." Ellis crossed his arms, watching Nick coolly.
"Whatever you say, Fireball." Nick said, grabbing Ellis' hand and tugging him back onto the couch.
"Fireball. You haven' called me tha' in forever." Ellis smiled at Nick, expression wistful.
"You really are something else, Kid." Nick elbowed Ellis lightly before settling his arm tenderly around Ellis' shoulders.
"Goodness Nick, how do ya ever put up with me?" Ellis rolled his eyes, watching Nick for a moment before being drawn back to the TV. They watched the movie for a little while, comparing the difference of the zombies on the movie and real zombies. Ellis felt the ones on the movie were creepier with the way they always had blood dripping from their mouth. Nick disagreed, feeling that the special infected were way creepier than any zombie he'd ever seen in a movie. Ellis agreed, adding in that spitters shared a certain resemblance which had Nick nodding in agreement.
"I really like that thought." Ellis said softly.
"That we have zombies kind of similar to theirs?" Nick asked, confused.
"No!" Ellis poked him in the ribs before shaking his head. "'Enjoy the Little Things.'"
Nick didn't quite know how to respond. He'd heard similar phrases: 'Take time to stop and smell the roses' and 'It's the little things in life that make a difference' but he had never paid them much attention. What was there really to enjoy in life anyway? Especially the life they lived right now.
"And what little things would you be enjoying?"
"Well… like when we get ta see the sun. 's almos' a reminder the worlds still spinnin', still alive an' ev'rythin'." Ellis said softly. "Er when we find food tha' is a delicacy even buh-fore the apocalypse. An' there's always these moments I get ta spend with ya."
Nick's expression was calculating as he watched Ellis. This kid was never going to cease to amaze him. It was still strange for him to see that there are other views on the world. Sometimes he wished he could see the world the way Ellis did. How much brighter would everything seem? For a while at the beginning it had even been fun for Ellis to deal with the zombies.
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout Mr. Gamblin Man?" Nick wondered if Ellis had been watching him and he hadn't noticed.
"You." Nick replied honestly.
"Wha's so interestin' bout me tha's got ya not payin' 'tention ta the TV anymore?"
"When did this become 20 questions?" Nick mumbled.
"Tha's only 2 questions." Ellis shook his head in exasperation before he set his attention back on the movie.
"Nick, why would Wichita just leave like that?" Ellis asked as they watched Columbus run out, looking after the retreating vehicle.
"Why would you ask me?" Nick looked at Ellis but the hick's eyes were still trained on the TV.
"B'cause you seem like a person tha'd know." Shrugging, Ellis glanced up at him for a moment. Nick ruffled Ellis' hair, knocking his hat crooked.
"Maybe it's because the more people you keep around the more you have to lose. She didn't really know Columbus or Tallahassee well enough to be sure if they'd ditch her or not so she leaves first. Plus, she felt like she was letting Columbus get too close when apparently their rule was that it's always just them." Ellis nodded at the response.
"Would you leave us Nick? If ya thought you could survive on yer own?" Ellis was staring at his hands now. Nick reached over with his free hand and took one of the mechanic's hands into his own.
"I'm going to tell you this, honestly. At the very beginning if I thought I'd do better on my own I would have left." Nick said, catching Ellis' gaze and holding it. "Being tied to people is never a safe thing for me because I don't trust anyone. However, if I was now given the same chance I'd consider it more carefully. I'm not going to say I wouldn't leave because I might but the chances of me not leaving are higher."
Ellis nodded in understanding. Even though he had expected as much it still left him a little downhearted to hear Nick admit it.
"So if you could get to tha' safe place right now but you'd hafta leave the rest uv us behind, you would?" Ellis asked. Nick thought about saying 'Don't ask what you don't want answered' but changed his mind.
"Yes." Nick answered truthfully. Ellis' expression fell a little bit but it wasn't like he had expected different. Nick was Nick, and he'd always be Nick, there'd be no reason to expect anything different. "I don't know what circumstances would lead to that, though."
"Ya never know wha' might happ'n." Ellis said softly as he rested his head on Nick's shoulder.
"Good to see that you two have been able to make-up." Rochelle yawned, taking a seat in a loveseat.
"Yep!" Ellis said cheerfully. He didn't add anything to that and they continued watching the movie. Nick wasn't sure if Ellis had put on a kind of 'happy mask' or something for Rochelle or if he honestly just switched moods. He just couldn't keep up with this kid.
"Nick, I'd face one a them zombie clowns for ya." Ellis said honestly, grinning. Nick noticed something a little off but he shrugged it off.
"You aren't afraid of zombie clowns so the sentiment is lost." Nick huffed out, shaking his head.
"Well…. Then… I'd face a tank for you!"
"You've faced two tanks basically on your own and I doubt either of them were for me. In fact I remember that you killed one of them for Zoey."
"Nick, you're missing the point." Ellis grumbled. Nick chuckled, enjoying the thought anyway.
"Nick?" Ellis whispered just loud enough for Nick to hear. Nick caught the serious tone and looked at the hick.
"Yeah?"
"I'd face being alone for you." He said softly. Nick stared at the kid a moment, seeing nothing but sincerity on his face.
"Well Kid, let's hope you never have to."
"You know, it's kind of impolite to whisper when there are other people in the room." Rochelle pointed out.
"That's kind of the point of the whispering." Nick grinned snarkily causing Rochelle to roll her eyes.
Nick watched as the lovebird scene came on and feeling a little sentimental he caught Ellis' gaze. Releasing Ellis' hand he reached up and fixed Ellis' hat, his version of brushing hair behind someone's ear. Not that he had always wanted to do it but he hoped Ellis would catch on to the thought. Telling from Ellis' expression he had.
The credits rolled and Ellis turned away to watch all the names scroll up the screen; All those names that never seemed to matter before the Green Flu but seemed somehow extremely important now. All those people had had lives and families… and were now either dead or the undead. Ellis considered the possibility of the movie's actors being zombies now… the absolute irony of that.
"Are you up next, Nick?" Rochelle asked.
"Up Next for what, pray tell?"
"Picking the movie!" Rochelle said, as if it were obvious.
"Go ahead." Nick gestured to the DVDs before taking Ellis' hand again.
Rochelle rummaged around for a moment before standing up, triumphant.
"Awesome!" Ellis shouted as Rochelle showed them her choice.
"You two are going to kill me." Nick looked at the ceiling as if it held all the answers.
"Buck up, Nick. Yer the one tha' said Ro could pick."
"I didn't think she'd pick that, though. It's just.. really you two?"
"In my defense it doesn't have any zombies." Rochelle pointed out.
"But it does imply a ghost light." Ellis joked. Rochelle hit play and the movie, Cars, started.
"You know Nick… in a way you're kind of like Lightning McQueen." Rochelle observed.
"Oh really… what has you saying that?" Nick's voice was flat, pushing on unamused.
"Well how you were all high and mighty for the longest time but it seems like this apocalypse and your trusty companions have knocked a little humanity into you."
"So that must make Ellis, Mater, and you, Flo?" Nick was amused by the thought.
"An' tha' would make Ramone, Francis!" Ellis jested.
"So wait, who's Sally?" Nick tugged lightly on Ellis' hair. Ellis' expression became a little wide eyed before he looked at Nick.
"'s Zoey.. but in our universe McQueen an' Sally ain't tagether."
"Obviously. So who is McQueen with, if anyone?" Nick smirked at Ellis as his face turned bright red.
"More importantly, who's Coach?" Ellis deflected.
"The Cop Car?" Rochelle suggested. "Or maybe that Hillbilly van? How about that Jeep?"
"Just as long as you don't say 'Doc' I'm good with anything." Nick mumbled.
"Oh, he coulda totally been Doc!"
"Absolutely." Rochelle agreed.
"Whatever." Nick said, zoning out as the movie continued. He smiled to himself whenever Mater came on because there were so many resemblances between Ellis and the cartoon Tow Truck. Ellis would squeeze his hand whenever Mater did something especially ridiculous like when he proved he was the world's best backwards driver. Nick poked Ellis softly when Mater mentioned he had made a good choice for his best friend. He honestly didn't believe Ellis had made a good choice but everyone has the right to decide for themselves so Nick enjoyed the time he was given. In the end he hoped that his Mater would end up with Sally, though.
Coach joined them a little while later asking about breakfast. The other three pointed at the fridge and Nick wondered if Rochelle had eaten at all. Settling back in to enjoy the luxury of being lost in a fictional world, Nick relaxed. Things could be a whole lot worse for them.
"Do people really change that much?" Ellis asked, gesturing to McQueen as he helped The King cross the finish line.
"I think it's possible." Rochelle said, giving Nick a meaningful look. Nick looked away, directing his gaze towards Ellis for a moment. Had he really changed all that much? He was still pessimistic… and he thinks if given the chance he would leave his 3 companions for safety. Part of him wonders if he could really leave Ellis, though.. everything considered.
"My turn!" Coach said, heading over to the DVDs as the Credits ran through on Cars.
"Hey, waitta minute! 's Nick's turn." Ellis said indignantly. Coach turned to look back at Nick who hadn't moved at all.
"It's fine Ellis. I don't know if I even want to pick a movie…" Nick stroked his fingers down Ellis' neck soothingly. Ellis hummed softly, allowing himself to be calmed.
"So what's yer choice?" Ellis asked Coach, showing that it's ok for him to continue. Coach hadn't been waiting for the permission, however, having continued searching through the DVDs as soon as Nick spoke. There weren't many choices to choose from for what he really liked. Digging into the stash a little bit deeper he sighed in relief.
"They have it!" Coach shouted excitedly, holding up 'The Blindside.'
"Figures." Nick muttered.
"'The Blindside'? I think I've seen tha' once." Ellis said thoughtfully. His mind was calm, content with being close to Nick and not being asked of anything else.
"Only once? Boy you have missed out." Coach said as he put the disc in.
"Eh, if ya say so. 've never really been one ta really like sports movies. I like playin' the sports more."
"And what sport did you enjoy the most?" Nick asked, partially intrigued.
"Baseball." Ellis made a swinging motion.
"That would explain a lot." Nick nodded, remembering how excited Ellis had been so long back about finding an old mitt and a ball and how he seems to prefer a bat for a melee weapon.
"Didja ever play in any sports, Nick?"
"Ha Ha Kid. You're hilarious."
"Come on Nick, seriously." Rochelle pushed. Now everyone's attention was on Nick and he glanced around at the curious eyes.
"Not on a real school team but I used to be pretty good at Basketball and Baseball. Where do you think I learned to swing a bat?"
"You don't want me answerin' that." Coach chuckled while Ellis cut in with:
"Ah, yeah! 'nother reason we should get 'Bro' tattoos." Ellis jumped up, raising his hand in a high-five. Nick glared at the hand for a moment, considering. Letting out a huge sigh Nick reached up and touched his palm to Ellis'.
"That ain't no high-five Nick." Ellis said, a little begrudgingly. Nick just watched Ellis. He didn't move, didn't respond except to blink, he just sat and watched.
"Come on Nick. If yer gonna do somethin', you should do it right." Ellis nudged Nick, giving him doe eyes. Heaving another sigh Nick rolled his eyes. He reached up, looking as if he would try again, but instead grabbed Ellis' wrist and tugged him down onto the couch.
Ellis looked pouty for a moment before shrugging, getting comfortable. Nick replaced his arm around Ellis' shoulders, pulling him close before returning his attention back to the TV.
Things stayed fairly uneventful except for a few side comments here and there. Nick was surprised at how quiet Ellis was being. He felt Ellis tense as the main character and the adopted-ish little brother (Nick couldn't be bothered with names right now) were driving.
An arm flew out and caught Nick in the chest as the car crash hit on the screen.
"What the Hell, Overalls?" Nick shouted, turning to Ellis. The mechanic was staring wide-eyed at the screen, not responding to Nick's words. Ellis' arm was like an iron bar across Nick's chest for a moment before the hick turned his face into Nick's shoulder, clinging to him.
Coach and Rochelle had jumped when Nick had shouted. Noticing something was up they watched Ellis in concern.
"Ellis?..." Nick asked softly, gingerly wrapping his arms around the man. Ellis didn't respond except to hold on tighter.
"Kid, are you okay?" Nick attempted again. Carefully taking Ellis' hat off, he sat back and looked into his eyes.
"Yeah…. 's jus' a bad memory." Ellis responded after a moment, forcing a smile. Nick wasn't sure whether to press the subject or let it drop.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Nick asked slowly. Ellis shook his head, strained smile still in place.
"As sappy as this sounds," Nick whispered softly, "I'm here for you."
"Again with the whispering." Rochelle teased. Nick ignored her as Ellis settled back down.
"Sorry Nick, yer chest doin' ok?" Ellis tenderly touched the area he had slammed with his arm earlier. Nick was more or less used to the feeling that accompanied being knocked around. He was more concerned about Ellis' reaction.
"Don't worry about it, Fireball." Nick covered Ellis' hand with his own. "We can talk about it later if you want." Ellis smiled gratefully, a sadness glimmering at the back of his eyes.
"This movie has way too much football an' no' enough baseball!" Ellis said in an attempt to show others he was Ok now.
"What are you saying, Boy?" Coach asked, though not as crossly as he would have under normal circumstances.
"He's saying it sucks." Nick said simply, as if Coach hadn't understood. Coach gave Nick a death look, totally not amused.
"Nick, why do you always have to go and mess up a decent conversation?" Rochelle chastised.
"What?" Nick, raised his hands, trying to look innocent. He did not pull it off nearly as well as Ellis could.
"Sometimes your two cents aren't needed." Coach grumbled. Coach tried to get back into enjoying his movie but irritation kept him from really enjoying it. Ellis felt partially guilty as he watched Coach glare at the TV, knowing that it wouldn't have come around if he had just stayed quiet. He attempted to brainstorm a way to remedy the situation.
"Aw Coach, ya know we'd all miss 'im if somethin' were ta happ'n to 'im." Ellis gave Coach the best smile he could muster.
"I'd be the something happening to him." Coach growled.
"Well tha' jus' ain't friendly." Ellis mumbled, looking put out. Nick noticed that Coach's unhappiness was bothering Ellis and wondered if there was any way he could help the situation (actually help, not make it worse). Another part of him wondered if it was worth the trouble of trying to help.
Ellis sighed, not sure what he could do. Wondering what their might be for food he stood up, causing a chill to rush up his side from the absence of being next to Nick. Nick watched him with interest and confusion in his eyes. Ellis just smiled before he headed into the kitchen. Searching through the pantry he found what he was looking for.
"When all else fails, baking saves the day." Ellis said, mainly to himself. Pulling out a couple boxes of Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix and Banana Nut Muffin Mix Ellis set to getting all ingredients needed and got the oven heating. He measured things by eye, tossing all that was needed into one large bowl. His mind went back to his mom and watching her make this when someone was feeling down. He remembered when his dad would be in a particularly bad mood and his ma's baking would cheer everyone up.
"Whatcha up to, Ace?" Nick asked, coming in and resting his elbows on the counter.
"Fixin' yer mess." Ellis shrugged as he mixed the ingredients together. He welcomed the soft burn in his muscles while he stirred. Nick came over to get a closer look and Ellis dipped his finger into the mix, dabbing some on Nick's nose. The gambler looked at him in amused shock before backing off, wiping the batter off his nose. Nick went back to his original spot where he could watch and not easily be attacked.
Ellis got out a bread pan and dumped the muffin mix in. Cleaning out the bowl as much as he could he smoothed the muffin batter until it was evenly layered in the pan and set the pan in the oven.
"This should work jus' right." Ellis said, setting the timer. He offered the spoon to Nick who took it curiously. Not noticing the gambler's hesitance, Ellis took a finger and ran it along the edge of the bowl. Ellis stuck the now batter covered finger into his mouth before going back for more, swiping up more excess mix from the edges. He paused as he noticed Nick's gaze.
"You gonna help me an' clean off the spoon?" Ellis gestured, his fingers slightly damp with saliva. Nick swallowed convulsively before nodding. Nick made no other move though, staring transfixed.
"You are odd, Nick." Ellis said as he finished out the bowl and wiped his hand on his pants. What else were pants for, anyway? Nick looked at the spoon he had been given again before catching a spot that was about to drip on the counter with his tongue. He didn't really recognize the flavor, he'd never really been allowed to do anything like this before, but it was fairly good. His mother hadn't really been one to bake… in fact she hadn't been much for cooking period. He tried to bother Ellis in return for the earlier display but Ellis didn't seem bothered in anyway by Nick's work at cleaning the spoon.
"Tha' took ya way too long." Ellis shook his head in mock disappointment before taking the spoon from Nick and sticking it in the sink.
"Yeah, Maybe." Nick gave no warning before he was wrapping his arms around Ellis. Tangling his fingers into Ellis' hair he kissed the hick softly, not asking for anything, just giving. Ellis smiled and it felt weird but good in a way.
"Yer a real troublemaker, ya know that?" Ellis asked when Nick pulled back just to look at Ellis.
"So I've been told."
"Nick, it's your turn to pick a movie!" Rochelle called. Nick rubbed at his temple for a moment before releasing Ellis. Striding into the other room he quickly targeted the DVD section and scanned through the titles. Coach had been right, there really wasn't much to work with here. There were plenty of Disney and child's cartoons but nothing that Nick would really enjoy watching. Nick finally settled on one that wasn't too ridiculous, it made pretty decent background noise at the very least, and put it into the DVD player.
"Aw Hell Yeah!" Ellis said as he came in to see 'Pirates of the Caribbean' playing.
"Never really pegged you as liking Pirates…" Nick said, poking Ellis in the side.
"Fer the mos' part my ma didn' like 'em but I think it'd be awesome ta sail the seas like Cap'n Jack Sparrow… to be free. Cuz a boat isn' a rudder an' sails an' stuff, tha's whadda boat needs. The Black Pearl is Freedom… it'd be nice ta have freedom from this righ' now." Ellis said softly, imagining he was on the seas with a scurvy crew instead of trapped in the middle of a swamp infested with zombies.
"You've seen this movie too many times, I can tell." Nick gave Ellis a playful shove before he sat on the couch, spreading out on his side and taking up all the space. Ellis didn't mind, he had to keep an eye on the muffin/bread after all. Another 10 or so minutes and it would be done, ready to serve to faces that would suddenly be just a little bit more cheerful.
Watching the time tick by on the timer Ellis listened to the movie, enjoying the music if nothing else. He considered the characters, seeing that the survivors didn't really match up to anyone like that had been able to in Cars. Of course Nick was a scoundrel like Jack but Ellis had a feeling that Nick would have dealt with everything a lot better than Sparrow had. Ellis found he had a lot of unexplainable faith in the man. He continued to think on the chain of thoughts until the timer dinged.
Ellis grabbed out a pot holder before grabbing oven mitts. Carefully taking out the bread Ellis felt a strange sort of comfort come over him from the heat that radiated from the open oven. Ellis set his master piece on the pot holder, smiling proudly before searching out a knife. After he had cut the bread into even sized pieces he left it so that it could cool.
Choosing that being an annoyance was more fun than a wallflower at the moment, Ellis sat down on Nick. He was careful not to put too much weight on the older man.
"Ellis," Ellis grinned triumphantly from the tone of Nick's voice, "You need to get off of me before I make you get off. Trust me, you won't like the results."
"Uh Yeah- No." Ellis smirked, enjoying himself as he pressed Nick's buttons.
"Ellis, I'll put you in a world of hurt." Nick threatened.
"Can't do it, Man." Ellis prodded at Nick's side as they watched Elizabeth Swan fall into the water.
"Look Overalls… I'm being patient with you and I am not a patient man." Nick warned, shifting his weight a little to test just how well balanced Ellis was. Ellis shifted a little bit but for the most part he stayed pretty stable.
"I betcha 's cooled by now." Ellis said, hopping up to go check on his chocolate banana nut bread. It was still a little warm to the touch but he figured his companions would cope as he set some of the slices on plates.
"Something smells really good." Coach said in appreciation. Rochelle nodded in agreement.
"So this is what you were up to." Rochelle cautiously took a piece of bread, taking a moment to inhale the scent.
"What's this for, Young'un?" Coach asked as Ellis handed him his own plate which had 3 slices on it.
"'s Nick's apology." Ellis shrugged nonchalantly as Coach turned to look at Nick. Nick glanced up at Ellis, wondering what exactly he was trying to do.
"Eh, even though I know it's you saying sorry for him, I guess I accept. I suppose I just need to remember that it's Nick we're talking about. He's just like that." Coach acquiesced.
"That's what we've been saying." Rochelle mentioned between savory bites, gesturing between her-self and Ellis.
Ellis handed Nick his piece before sitting on Nick again, eating through a piece of his own. Nick had planned for this, expected as much, but waited until Ellis had finished swallowing. He set his bread on the table nonchalantly, trying to seem inconspicuous. Right when Ellis finished swallowing Nick gave a violent twist of his hips which sent Ellis falling between Nick's legs. Nick sat up a little more, back resting against the arm rest before he pulled Ellis against him.
Ellis was, of course, just a little startled by the sudden movement but when he realized what Nick was up to he cooperated. Ellis relaxed back into Nick's embrace, his head pillowed on Nick's chest and his feet hanging comfortably over the other end of the couch.
"You're a pain." Nick murmured into Ellis' ear, nipping it softly before brushing a kiss against Ellis' jaw. Setting his attention back to the movie he watched Captain Jack converse with Will Smith who was currently dangling over open water.
"Nick… what'd you do if ya found out yer a pirate? Tha' 's in yer blood?"
"I don't think that kind of thing runs in the blood. Like you've said, your choices make you who you are… so it's Will's choices that make him a pirate, not the fact that his father was one." Nick explained softly, trying not to distract the other's attention from the movie.
"That stuff you baked was really good Ellis. What was it exactly?" Rochelle interrupted their conversation without realizing.
"Somethin' my ma taught me. Chocolate chip banana nut bread… 's not somethin' ya see a lot an' 's a sure way ta cheer someone up. Well at least, someone in my family." Ellis smiled at all the memories associated with the baked good. This had been the first time he had ever made it without his mom.. or well actually ever made it at all. Of course he would help his mom with little things like gathering ingredients and cracking eggs but he had actually never made it before.
"God, you and chocolate." Nick complained lightly, nuzzling behind Ellis' ear. Ellis grabbed Nick's hand, running calloused fingers over the creases. He attempted to think of some sort of comeback but nothing came to him so he traced patterns in Nick's skin and watched the movie. Nick grabbed his abandoned bread with his free hand, eating it slowly. It was really good and definitely seemed to brighten his mood at least a little.
"Why do ya think tha' Will left Cap'n Jack behind?" Ellis looked at Nick, neck craning a little.
"Because he knew that Jack was going to turn on him, so he turned on Jack first. Kind of like Wichita." He knew this first hand. He hadn't had any actual friends in his adult life; all his relationships were like Jack and Will… turn on someone before they can turn on you.
Ellis continued thinking on that. Would he have done the same as Will? Probably not and he'd probably have ended up dead. Keith was right, Ellis was way too trusting. The mechanic didn't mind though, he had friends to watch his back now. As long as that held true Ellis didn't feel he had anything to worry about except doing his own job.
"What do ya think woulda happ'ned if Will had died jus' now?" Ellis asked as they watched Will appear, threatening to shoot him-self.
"Well Barbosa would be cursed forever and Sparrow and his crew would probably be dead." Rochelle answered.
"There ending the Pirates of the Caribbean." Nick said, making a wide gesture with his free hand.
"'s weird ta think how one lil event coulda changed everythin'." Ellis said softly.
"Like that one little event that brought us all together?" Rochelle mentioned.
"Yeah!" Ellis said, not even considering how it applied to real life. "We wouldn' even know each other if things hadn' been the way they are."
"Too bad the events that lead us here had to be a mass zombie outbreak." Coach shook his head.
The survivors stayed silent, not sure how to continue the conversation. They turned their attention back to the movie. They watched as Elizabeth and Sparrow were left alone on the island. As Ellis' eyes scanned the colors flitting across the TV screen his thoughts wandered back to before the zombies. If he were able to go back to that life, right now, with no strings attached except that he would no longer know Nick, Rochelle, and Coach… would he? He thought about it really hard, taking it in from every angle… but in the end, he could no longer picture his life without them.
"So Nick, they weren' gonna kill Will if Elizabeth hadn' pretended tha' first time around?"
"So this is the kind of movie watcher you are… the one with endless questions." Nick didn't sound too annoyed, more entertained. "I don't know. That's what they say but who even knows what happened to the other people who had to pay blood."
"'s jus' somethin' tha's always bothered me. Everythin' woulda been jus' fine if Elizabeth hadn' lied ta begin with."
"Well learn your lesson, then. Don't lie." Nick joked.
"Yer one ta talk." Ellis teased right back. Nick just shook his head.
"Shhhh, you guys. You keep interrupting the movie." Rochelle shushed. Both men shrugged and continued watching the movie until another question came to Ellis.
"Why, after everythin' Jack put Will through, would Will be willin' ta risk 'is life ta save Jack?"
"If you were Will and I was Jack, would you leave me to die?"
"Tha's different." Ellis was completely thrown by the thought that Nick had compared himself to Jack as well.
"Is it?"
"Yes, an' no I wouldn' leave ya ta die."
"Will feels he owes Jack I guess. And like you, Will believes that everyone has good in them."
"Would you have left Jack ta die?"
"Probably." Nick said, shrugging. "Then again, I wouldn't be chasing a ship around the world for some girl, either."
"So ya wouldn' chase the ship fer me?" Ellis released his hand, trying to look back and see Nick's face. He wasn't really worried about the answer because honestly, he didn't need anyone rescuing him. More or less the question was just to pick on Nick.
"Yeah Nick, would you leave Ellis to die?" Rochelle added.
Nick rested his chin on Ellis' head, circling his arms around the hick's chest.
"Ellis isn't Elizabeth." Nick started simply. "Ellis wouldn't have been taken hostage to begin with. He'd have kicked the undead pirates' asses. If, however, he was somehow taken prisoner… it really depends on the circumstances but I might go after him. I also might wait on shore, having faith that he would make it back to me. Ellis is not a damsel in distress."
"Nick gets me. He totally does." Ellis was thrilled with Nick's answer. He wasn't anyone's princess and he could definitely take care of himself.
"Nice answer, Nick." Rochelle nodded. Coach seemed to be ignoring the conversation for the most part, mind sucked into the movie that was still playing.
"I think 's pretty awesome tha' Jack's crew came back fer him."
"I wonder what made them change their minds." Rochelle mumbled. Ellis had stopped listening; Nick had turned his head at an angle so that he could reach Ellis' lips, kissing them softly. Ellis sighed in contentment, completely calm and happy at the moment.
"Coach, are we gonna hafta leave this place?" Ellis jumped topics, having been enjoying the moment so much that he wondered why they'd ever want to leave this sanctuary.
"We're going to have to leave sooner or later." Coach said. "There isn't enough food anywhere to sustain us forever so we might as well continue and get to actual safety as soon as we can."
Ellis nodded. He kind of figured that's what the answer would be. Still, it was nice to have a day or two to just relax and enjoy what used to be regular, everyday things. Soon, though, they'd be out living in horror movie hell, facing death with every zombie that comes at them. Well, at least they had had today.