Hungry

by Zylphia Carron

The four survivors have finally retrieved the gas Virgil needs for his boat. Just before they can reach the river, Rochelle finds herself in serious danger, and the group is overwhelmed with infected enemies at all angles. Nick manages to save her, but their time alone leads to confessions of pent-up feelings and hungry desires... Full bio on AO3 Cover made by DoubtingRabbit on AO3

1. Chapter 1

Author's Note from AO3

I never was a Rochelle/Nick shipper. Never thought I'd even entertain the idea simply because Nick was such an asshole in the game. But then I played it extensively back in September 2022, read the wikis, and found some bomb-ass SFMs out there. I specifically was very interested in Beejie Bean's Remastered SFM series for L4D2. I think she's really talented and skilled and has a bright future ahead of her. The jealous looks Nick gives Rochelle in her series when Francis is involved... *mwah* chef's kiss. My god. So now, after seeing all this art and stuff, to my dismay, I have now become a firm nickXro shipper. I think Beejie is also a nickXro shipper, so if you're out there Beejie, and you like smut, here you go lol. If not... I'm sorry
There aren't as many nickXro fanart pieces or fanfics out there, so I decided to take a stab at it. Just warning you that I'm pretty good at writing, and I'm all about the smut, which I also found lacking for this ship tag.
This story has been something cooking in my head for about a month now, and it took me that long to get this first chapter out. There will only be three chapters, but I'm sure you will enjoy every bit of it and will be satisfied with the outcome (you filthy fucking sinners). The third chapter will be much longer and incredibly explicit, so I don't wanna see you clutching your pearls when you get to reading it. I warned you ahead of time. lol
Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I did my best to make sure the dialogue sounded natural and the characters were... well... in character. Who knows what the next explicit story will be? ;)
(Also Beejie, if you actually read this, I will be both honored and embarrassed at the same damn time. I also just want you to know that I hope you're doing well. You are loved, you are awesome, and you deserve rest. Keep your head up and I wish you the best of luck in whatever it is you decide to make in the future!)

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"There's the safe house. Let's move!" Coach shouted to his teammates.
He, Ellis, Nick, and Rochelle were now on the home stretch. With gas cans strapped to their backs, they had just one more break point before reaching the river. Virgil would need a signal to know of their return. But they could figure that out later. For now, Coach just wanted him and his group to reach a safe spot and catch their breaths for a while. The tiredness in their eyes was overshadowed by hard and heavy rain. Deafening winds and dark clouds hindered their senses as they trekked through flooded waters across Ducatel. The best that Coach could see was Ellis by his side, gripping his combat rifle tightly.
"Hoo doggie!" He exclaimed, "I can't wait to see the look on Virgil's face when he sees the gas we done scored back there!"
Coach smiled.
"Easy there, son," he said, "We ain't out of this just yet."
While wading through thigh-high water, Coach grabbed hold of the door to the safe house and opened it. He slowly walked in, exhausted from their excursion.
"Finally," he sighed, "Dry at last…"
Ellis followed swiftly behind with a smile on his face as he eyed the guns, ammo, and med kits littered about.
"Awesome," he said, "I'm fixin' to heal on up before the last trek back to the river."
"Help yourself," Coach replied, "As for me, I'm gonna be gettin' this gun over here…"
He slowly walked over to an automatic shotgun lying upright against the wall. He took a quick look at his current weapon, an out-of-date (and very out of bullets) pump shotgun, before dropping it to the floor. His breath suddenly hitched as he lightly touched his side, feeling the bleeding wound across his stomach.
"Fuckin' witch," he cursed, "Last time I ever run through a sugar mill again."
"Yo Coach!" Ellis shouted from across the room, holding up a med kit, "Let's get you fixed up, too!"
"Not a bad idea. Don't mind if I do."
Just before he walked over to Ellis, he stopped by the open door and shouted out to his other two teammates.
"Nick! Ro!" He cried, "Quit stallin' and get yo asses inside!"
But he knew his words most likely fell on deaf ears in a storm like this…

Nick squinted his small blue eyes to catch a glimpse of the inviting light from inside the safe house. He looked down at the soaked pants of his once nice white suit, now stained brown at its edges with mud and rainwater. He managed to step on top of a dry mound before patting his legs free of the excess water, being mindful of the bile bomb and his two pistols strapped low to his waist. His eyes scanned up and down the barren streets of the abandoned town.
"Lucky break," he said, "No zombies and a straight shot to the safe house."
He turned around to see Rochelle lagging behind.
"Rochelle!" he shouted, "You good?"
He could barely make out Rochelle's figure in the storm. She leaned against the slide at the little playground. As the storm cleared a bit, he watched her clutch her side, the sniper rifle dangling opposite her. Even in the rain, he knew the blood-soaked shirt she wore looked bad. And with no med kits, pills, or drugs to help, the best she could do was get to the safe house. Nick wasn't in the best condition either, but nowhere near as bad as her. He stared worriedly as she waved a weak arm back at him.
"I'm fine!" She shouted, "Don't worry about me. Just get to the safe house!"
"No way, José!" he retorted, walking back through muddy waters to reach her, "I am not leaving you behind again."
"Oh, shut up, Nick! I promise I'll catch up."
"Yeah, that's what you said last time before a Jockey knocked you into the damn witch!"
"Look around, Nick. Do you see anything out here?"
He pursed his lips. She lightly punched his arm.
"Relax. I'm right behind you. I'll be at the safe house before you know it."
He growled quietly as he gave her an agitated stare. All she could do was smile playfully.
"You're fucking infuriating." He said, "You know that, right?"
"Feeling's mutual, Nick." She said with a smug grin.
Giving up, he stomped back in the direction of the safe house.
"She is so lucky that she's the last living woman on this goddamn planet."
He quickly reached for the door before turning back to see if Rochelle was behind him. As expected, she still rested by the slide. He gave another angry stare as she simply waved again.
"Rochelle, get in the damn—"
Thunder struck, and the storm picked up again. The winds grew more intense, and the slight fog made it difficult to see her in the darkness. Nick's heart beat a little faster, unable to hear or see her anywhere.
"Ro?" he shouted out.
He stepped away from the door, searching for any sign of her.
"Ro?!" he repeated.
He couldn't comprehend when it happened, but in the blink of an eye, the screeching cry of a Hunter shot out in their vicinity.
"Ah, shit" he muttered, hurrying his pace.
As he stepped further out into the storm, the loud, abrasive winds and rain made it damn near impossible to see or hear much of anything. Before he could take another step, however, the cry of the Hunter grew louder as it appeared right in front of him.
"AH SHIT!" He screamed as the Hunter pounced on him.
Its claws sunk deep into Nick's chest, dragging down his abdomen before digging and scraping at various parts of his body. Nick screamed in fear, alerting the rest of his group.
"Hold on! I'm comin' for ya!" Nick could hear Coach in the distance.
Then Ellis' voice, "We're getting' to ya, buddy!"
Nick wasn't so sure if they would reach him in time. Suddenly, the claws of the Hunter stopped abruptly as he heard the whistling of a bullet going clean through its flesh. The Hunter dropped dead on the ground as the dark clouds loosened. The rains still poured heavily. Nick felt Coach's firm grip on his shoulders as he helped lift him up.
"Thanks, Coach," he said, "I owe you one."
Coach chuckled and shook his head. "Not me," he replied, pointing out into the distance, "Her."
Nick turned to see Rochelle, still aiming her gun at the now dead Hunter. The sky cleared by a small margin. He could faintly see some smoke coming from the barrel of her gun.
"You know, I always knew I liked chicks with guns." He said with a cheeky smile.
Coach laughed and patted Nick's shoulder, shaking his head. "What am I gonna do with you two?"
"Uh, guys… I think Rochelle's 'bout to be in some real shit in like… ten seconds tops."
Ellis pointed out past Rochelle to where a Tank was quickly advancing towards her. The boys readied their guns and began shouting to get Rochelle's attention. But just as luck would have it, the strong winds picked back up again, muting all sound at a distance. Nick felt his stomach drop.

"What the hell are they so worked up about now?" Rochelle placed her gun down and clutched her side again. Suddenly, she felt it, the vibrations beneath her feet. Only one creature in this hellish apocalypse could shake the ground like this. To her horror, she turned and locked eyes with a large Tank charging its way toward her. She slowly limped backwards, aiming her gun to shoot useless bullets at the Tank. She screamed as she felt its fist collide against her injured side, sending her flying into the rest of the playground. She collided crashed hard into the structure, causing it to break apart all around her.

"Baby girl, NO!"
"Ho-ly shiet!"
"ROOO!"
Nick couldn't see her anymore beneath the buried rubble of what used to be a playground. The storm didn't help either. The three of them unloaded everything they had into the Tank, but it didn't seem to do much. Suddenly, in the midst of all the thunder, rain, and wind, they heard the horrible, familiar sound echoing in the streets: a fast-approaching zombie horde.
"God. Fucking. DAMMIT!" Nick screamed.
"Nick," Coach shouted, "You're too hurt to take out this Tank. Get to Ro. Ellis and I will will take care of him. Take her back to the safe house and we'll try to catch up with you. If not, you better haul yo' ass out here and help!"
"Got it."
"C'mon, Coach," Ellis shot another round of bullets into the Tank, "Let's take this sumuvabitch out!"
The two shouted towards the Tank, luring it away from Rochelle and the destroyed playground. Nick disposed of a few zombies with his pistols as he headed toward the direction. The flooding made it hard to move quickly to get to her.
God, just… just please be alright, Ro.
The noise from all of Coach and Ellis' shooting steadily lured the Tank towards them. Thankfully, the flooding slowed the Tank's pace considerably as well.
"Over here, you overgrown sack of shit!" Coach shouted as his shotgun rounds continued blasting into it.
Nick reached the decimated playground as fast as he could.
"Ro? Rochelle! Say something! Anything!" Panic filled his eyes.
He couldn't hear a thing in this storm. He knelt down and picked up piece after piece of wooden and metal slab, tossing them around to look for her. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her weak voice underneath some planks just off to the side. He carefully lifted them off of her and saw her wide, fearful eyes. Instinctively, she aimed her gun right at his head with a shaky hand. Nick huffed and smiled.
"If I get you up, you promise not to shoot me?"
"Not today at least," Rochelle joked before holding out her hand.
He gave her a firm grip as he picked her up. He then patted her back as she took a small step forward. She grimaced on impact and nearly fell over before Nick caught her.
"Where does it hurt?" He asked concerned.
"…all over really." She replied.
"Just hang on. We're gonna get to the safe house and get you all healed up."
He held her hand tightly, trying to lead her to the brightly lit home in the not-so-far distance. Sadly, however, in just two steps, Rochelle collapsed back down on the watery ground, barely catching herself with her hands.
"Nick," she said cautiously, "I… I don't think I can…"
"Ro…"
The storm's winds picked up yet again, messing with their hearing and vision. He gently stood her back up on her feet as she leaned against him for support. Rochelle tried to look at Nick, but the rainfall was just too unbearable. She longingly looked out towards the safe house. The door stood open with its inviting light and dry flooring. Yet in the distance, slowly coming in and out of her vision, she could've sworn she saw a lanky figure staggering into frame, blocking most of the light.
Then two…
Then five…
Then twelve.
And suddenly, the entryway no longer felt safe as the lingering zombie horde blocked any chance they had at safety. She took a step back before tripping and falling to the ground again. Nick knelt down by her side.
"Shit," she cursed, "Nick… what are we gonna do?"
Before he could respond, the two of them jerked their heads in the direction of Ellis and Coach's sudden loud cries. They witnessed them flying halfway up the street before crash landing right near the zombie horde.
"Ellis!" Rochelle shouted.
"Hang on, Coach!" Nick loaded his gun.
"Stay back!" Ellis shouted, staggering to get on his feet again, "We got this!"
Coach added, "Just get the zombies! We'll keep shootin' at the Tank!"
The Tank steadily charged its way back up the street as the horde's numbers grew. A crowd of agitated zombies charged straight for Coach and Ellis. Rochelle and Nick readied their guns, taking out as many zombies as they could to keep them off of their friends. The endless storm of infected seemed to engulf them, suddenly coming at them from every angle in large groups. Nick saw how much his teammates were struggling. Rochelle looked on the verge of passing out from her injuries, Coach was already limping again, Ellis just barely dodged a truck being thrown at his head by the fast-approaching Tank…
And Nick was just so exhausted.
"Screw this!" He screamed.
He bent down to pick Rochelle up off the ground. She gasped in surprise by the gesture, looking him dead in the eyes.
"Keep shooting, sweetheart," He said brazenly, "I'm getting you out of here."
She smirked as she continued aiming her rifle at the infected horde. He ran as fast as he could towards the boarded up home next to the playground. Once there, he placed her back on her feet.
"Don't stop shooting!" He said, "I've got an idea."
The Tank was quickly approaching Ellis, making Nick's heart sink in fear. He clasped the bile jar against his hip before ripping it off the holster.
"Take this, jackass!" He shouted angrily as he threw it straight into the Tank's face. It staggered a bit before the rest of the zombie horde immediately charged towards the putrid smell. With so many fast-running zombies, the Tank had no choice but to take its anger out on them.
"Nice thinkin', Nick!" Ellis shouted with a thumbs up.
He then turned his attention towards the other zombies.
"Ha, Ha, Haa! I love it when we work as a team!" Coach joined in gleefully, loading up his shotgun for another round of kills.
The four survivors continued to take out as many zombies as they could. Rochelle cut down a swarm climbing over the rooftop of the safe house. Ellis took out a Jockey that happened to make a sudden appearance. Nick shot through some zombies darting after Ellis, and Coach mowed some down that were heading for Rochelle and Nick on the porch. The horde's numbers were seriously cut down. Coach laughed again as he took out another zombie darting for Nick and Rochelle. As he gave the two a thumbs up, he saw the familiar hulking frame of a disgusting Boomer. It sauntered side to side atop the roof of the building Nick and Rochelle stood beneath. Looking down, it unfortunately caught a glimpse of the two before making a horrid sound. Coach aimed his gun at the creature and fired, only to find out that he had run out of bullets yet again.
"Shit. Look out! Boomer!" Coach fumbled to reload his weapon.
After putting in one bullet, he aimed for the Boomer to fire at it. His shot missed as it suddenly fell from the rooftop, landing flat on its stomach and exploding into a million fleshy pieces, covering Nick and Rochelle with its guts.
"Not this shit again!" Rochelle cried, lowering her gun to get the mess out of her eyes.
Echoes from the zombie horde picked up again, as if it had never left. Coach watched as they began to pour from down the street… the same street as the Tank, charging straight towards them after having caught wind of the fresh Boomer scent.
"Aw hell. Y'all better move yo asses into the safe house before we get surrounded!" Coach made a dash for the light, getting a few more shots in along the way.
"Right behind you, Coach!" shouted Ellis. He looked back towards Nick and Rochelle who were still wiping away the crude mess from their eyes. "Guys, let's move!"

"Christ. We gotta get outta here, Ro," Nick said as he gripped her hand, "We can run to the safe house if we—"
Rochelle pulled her hand away. He watched her lean against the wall of the house, coughing and holding her side as if she were in great pain. She looked back at him with apologetic eyes, rapidly shaking her head.
"I…" she began, "I-I don't think I can make it…"
"Shit, Ro, that thing must've damn near done you in…"
"Heh. I think so."
She gave another cough, only this time it seemed to last a bit too long. She bent over slightly, dropping her gun and covering her mouth. By the time she finally stopped, she looked down at the palms of her hands to see them stained red with blood. She gasped.
"Oh fuck…" Nick muttered.
Ellis shouted, "GUYS! WATCH THE TANK!"
Nick and Rochelle both turned to see the Tank closing in on them. Ellis had gotten to the door of the safe house and tried his best with Coach to pump bullets into the gigantic creature, but the putrid odor of bile would not deter it. They were running out of options fast. Any second now, and Nick and Rochelle would be overwhelmed by the infected.
"I-I-I gotta think of something fast," Nick stuttered.
He shook the door handle of the abandoned house, only to be met with resistance.
"Shit! It's locked!"
With all his force, he took his foot and beat down the door, using more and more force with each kick. Slowly yet steadily, the door gave way off of its hinges.
"Come on, come on, you stupid hunk of junk!" He yelled.
Kick after kick, the door came undone, until finally, it completely broke off. Nick laughed in triumph.
"Nick! Hurry!" Rochelle shouted, "I think the Tank's pissed off now!"
Nick turned around to see the Tank digging its hands into the street. It gripped a huge chunk of road into its hands before lunging itself backwards for a throw. Without a second thought, Nick again picked up Rochelle and made his way inside the building. He couldn't hear much from Coach or Ellis—mainly panicked cries as the Tank's debris collided and lodged itself in the entryway, blocking off the only way inside. The impact threw Nick off of his feet as he dropped Rochelle who collided against the wall, screaming in pain.
"RO!" Nick cried.
He staggered back on his feet, limping as fast as he could. The inside was dark, and the growls and screams of the undead outside were overwhelming. He reached Rochelle's side, cupping her face in his hands.
"Come on, speak to me Ro!" Nick's voice was wrought with worry, "You're okay. I just need you to get up."
Her vision slowly faded in and out of consciousness.
Her words slurred together. "I'm alr-, Nick. Jus- a lil tired…"
Nick stood up and looked around for something, anything that could help. With luck in his favor, he saw a pill box conveniently placed on top of a dusty countertop in the kitchen. He snatched it up in his hands and dumped it out, only to find one small pill inside.
"DAMMIT!" he threw the bottle to the ground, keeping the pill tightly in his fist.
He searched all over the kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers, peering through the stovetop, flipping over tables, but still he found nothing. He heard Rochelle call to him weakly and his heart started to beat rapidly. Thankfully, out of the corner of his eye, stuck between the stove and a countertop, he found an adrenaline shot. He couldn't quite lean in to reach it without his sides hurting. Cursing under his breath, he swallowed the pill in his hand and tried again. It took some time, but he was finally able to squeeze his hand in between and grab the needle without pricking himself. More pain in his body started to numb as he dashed for Rochelle. She was barely holding on.
"Alright, Ro," he said, "I'm not leaving you, and you better not leave me."
He quickly removed the needle's cap and jammed it inside her leg. Rochelle's eyes quickly sprung open as she took in a deep breath.
"W-who… What?" She stammered, "Where in the hell are we? What happened? Did we—?"
Nick wrapped his arms around her tightly, fingers digging into her shoulders.
"Nick," She struggled to let out, "I'm… I'm happy to see you too, but I can't breathe!"
"Sorry, sorry." Nick quickly pulled away.
"I don't see my gun in here." She looked around worriedly for her sniper rifle, "Please tell me it's in another room?"
Nick sadly shook his head. "Dropped it on the way in here, Ro."
"Damn! Well, where's the Tank? Did we at least kill it?"
Before Nick could answer, more bullets rang from outside. With all windows boarded up, they couldn't make sense of the events outside. The shaking from the Tank, however, had subsided. The zombies beat against the house near the entrance, desperately trying to get at Nick and Rochelle. But suddenly, their claws and scrapes at the door seemed to fade away when a strange beeping noise echoed through the streets. It beeped faster, and faster, and faster…
BOOM!
The sounds of bodies being ripped apart filled the air, and all the noise from the zombies stopped. Rochelle tensed and Nick readied his pistol as they heard a pair of heavy footsteps running up towards the house.
"You kids okay in there?" Coach's voice called out.
Nick and Rochelle breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yeah!" Nick shouted, "Just hang on a sec."
Rochelle held onto Nick's hand as he helped her up. The two walked over to the newly blocked entrance. There were only a few tiny gaps that the debris had left, but they were able to make out bits and pieces of their friend and fellow survivor.
"Coach!" Rochelle said happily.
"Good to see you're okay, lil sis." Coach responded equally as happy, "You gave us three the scare of our lives!"
Rochelle laughed a bit as she placed a hand on Nick's chest.
"Not while my hero's around." she said, "You ain't got nothin' to worry about!"
Nick chuckled quietly at that.
Suddenly, Ellis chimed in, "Hey, Rochelle. Tank's gone, and we took out the rest of them zombies for ya."
"Oh, did you now?" She asked playfully.
"Yes ma'am." He grinned, "Now the next thing me an' Coach are fixin' to do is to get you two outta there."
"Yes, well, that would be lovely if you could… but I don't think this chunk of rock is gonna move any time soon."
"You see anywhere else we can get out of this house?" Nick asked.
"Negative," Coach replied, "Place ain't got no windows except for the front."
"What the hell kind of architect builds a house with only two windows?" Rochelle said with an agitated tone.
"A dumbass, that's who," Nick answered.
"Actually, one time, my buddy Keith tried to be an architect. It's a crazy story actually, 'cause you see, he confessed to a lady friend that she was the love of his life, and to prove he loved her, he promised to build her a house where the two of them could live in it. Only problem was he tried to build it somewhere in the middle of the woods, and there were just so many spooky animals livin' out there that he spent more time shootin' than he actually did building the damn house. I'm talkin' bears, wolves, snakes, owls… you name it, they had it. Needless to say, she fell in love with someone else and—"
"ELLIS!" The other three shouted.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and grinned.
"Sorry."
"Okay, Coach, I'm leaving it to you to get us out of here." Nick's tone was super agitated.
Ellis whined while Coach laughed.
"You two sit tight," he said, "We'll get you out of here before you know it."
"Thanks, Coach," Rochelle smiled.
"Just don't be up in there smoochin' by the time we get back."
Nick and Rochelle scoffed then laughed.
"I make no promises, Coach," Nick said sarcastically.
"The clock is ticking, Coach," Rochelle joked.
"Yeah, yeah," Coach retorted with a chuckle, "C'mon, Ellis."
Their friends gave a hearty laugh before leaving the two of them alone. Rochelle sighed deeply before looking at Nick. He stared at her with a smirk.
"What?" She challenged.
He folded his arms and shrugged.
"You heard Coach," he said, "Hands off the goods."
She smacked his arm. "Hardy har. I can barely control myself."
"Oh, I'm very much aware of that."
"Shut up, asshole, and look for a way—"
Rochelle's breath haltered for a moment. Nick looked at her concerned.
"Ro…?"
She staggered and tripped, nearly falling to the floor. Nick caught her in his arms at the last second, barely noticing the bleeding wound on her side.
"Shit. We have to patch this up."
"With what?" She asked faintly.
"The shot is only gonna last so long. I need to at least attempt fixing it."
He picked her up in his arms yet again, only this time, she leaned her head on his shoulder, bringing a hand to his chest.
"My hero." she said half-jokingly with a smile.
"Don't heroes get rewards for their good deeds?"
"Aand you ruined it."
They both chuckled as he carried her to another room in the house—a bedroom with a molded mattress sitting in the middle of the floor. He placed her down on top of it as he looked around for something useful. Nothing seemed to catch his eye, but the more Rochelle clutched her side, the more his heart rate picked up.
There's gotta be something I can use in here… anything!
He noticed a dresser off to the side. Pulling open the drawers, he was surprised to see so many shirts, pants, and other assorted clothing—all seemingly without mold and relatively clean.
"You'd think a place with a 'For Rent' sign would've been cleared of everything before boarding it the fuck up." He commented.
"Well, lucky for us, we can work with it." Rochelle chimed in weakly.
Nick grabbed a couple of items and wiped the boomer's gunk off of his face with a shirt. He walked over to Rochelle, handing her a clean one to do the same.
"Thanks," she said as she too wiped away the mess on her face, "So now what?"
Nick dangled a large pair of cloth pants in front of her.
"I'm gonna use this as a makeshift bandage for you," he said, "but first, I'm gonna need you to take your shirt off."
Rochelle wrinkled her eyebrows at him, not saying anything but looking displeased.
"Or would you rather pass out and die, Ro? Is that what you want?"
She scoffed in frustration. "Okay, okay, fine."
She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and began to pull it past her shoulders. Nick watched her struggle pulling it over her head. It was like watching a five-year-old.
"Let me help you," he said.
"I don't need any help!" She snapped as she continued struggling.
Rochelle couldn't quite get a proper grip on her shirt, no thanks to her injury. She pulled at a particular angle which caused a jolt of pain to shoot up along her side. She fell backwards on the bed.
"Hey Nick."
"Yeah?"
"Come help me."
Nick chuckled as he sat her back up and quickly pulled the shirt off in one motion.
"Thanks," she breathed out a sigh.
They stared at each other for a moment, eyes locked without saying a word. Their faces were but a hair's length away from each other as her heart pounded a bit from the tension. She blinked her eyes rapidly and shook her head to snap back into reality.
"You should, uhh…" She trailed.
"Yeah. Right." Nick added before averting his eyes.
He started ripping the cloth pants into strips before grabbing another clean shirt to place against Rochelle's wound. Her breath hitched from the pain. She clung to his shoulders to steady herself.
"I have to clean this as best as I can before I start." He said apologetically.
It took a while before the pain finally subsided. He then grabbed another clean set of clothes to place against the wound before taking the makeshift bandages and wrapping them around her waist. Rochelle watched as he methodically took his time patching her up.
"You sure you know what you're doing?" She asked, "It's not like you have a med kit this time."
"Trust me on this, Ro." He replied, "Out of the four of us, I'm the only one who actually knows some of this medical shit."
"Okay then."
He gave a soft chuckle. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I know my way around a woman's body."
No matter how tempting that woman's body may be.
"Ha-ha. Very funny. Just watch yourself, mister."
"And why should I?" He joked while smiling at her.
Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Because you're here alone with a half-naked woman on a bed tending to her needs. That's why."
He couldn't help but let his eyes wander towards her chest for a moment. Her small breasts sat comfortably within her bra. He had to fight the mental image of what they looked like underneath.
Not the time, Nick… not the time…
"If anything, it's you who should be careful," he threw back, "I'm focusing on these injuries, so just watch yourself there, missy!"
"Hah! I'll pass. You probably got a line o' women waitin' for you somewhere in this apocalypse. I'm sure they'd be pretty jealous of the treatment I'm getting from little old you. So, I'd rather not step on their toes."
He stopped wrapping the bandages for a moment.
"Actually, that's where you're wrong." He stated matter-of-factly, "There hasn't been anyone since my, uh… the divorce. You?"
Rochelle stared at him curiously. That's not something she would have expected him to say. Let alone the question that followed. He stared back at her waiting for an answer.
"Uh, no," She fumbled, shaking her head side to side, "It's actually been quite a while since I had a man in my life."
"Well, whoever the last guy was must certainly regret not being with you now."
"Heh. That's wishful thinking."
"Oh, come on. Don't get all mopey on me."
"I'm serious! The last guy made it very clear he was done with me."
"Any chance we can find him and kick his ass?"
"I'm sure the zombies got to him already. He was kind of a man baby."
"What a fuckin' pussy."
"Right?!" She laughed and smiled at that, "He was such a pussy. Couldn't fight for shit, couldn't spit game worth shit—"
"Ro, why do you keep falling for these losers?"
She scoffed, pretending to be insulted.
"I do not fall for losers!"
"I wouldn't exactly call that greasy biker guy the catch of the day."
"He was not a loser. And he's not that greasy!"
"Bullshit!"
"God, Nick, that was forever ago. That guy isn't even on my mind. Why? You jealous or something?"
"Me? Jealous? Psh! Of that guy?" Nick gave an exaggerated laugh.
Rochelle squinted her eyes.
"Nick… I think you're jealous." She teased.
"Absolutely not. He's nowhere in my league."
"I mean if you think about it, he's probably still on that bridge, while you've got me here. On this bed. With my shirt off."
Nick shook his head and laughed. She joined in, too.
This woman is crazy.
When things settled and calmed for a bit, he went back to wrapping bandages around her. Some of them came undone, forcing him to start all over again. A quiet chuckle escaped from Rochelle as he worked. He stopped to look at her, smiling and all. The shape of her face was very soft and delicate. Her half-lowered eyelids made her appear young and playful rather than tired. She looked beautiful.
"What's so funny? He asked, smiling back.
"Nothing, nothing," She replied, waving a hand in the air, "It's just… a little refreshing to have a guy paying attention to the cute girl for a change."
He gave a small chuckle before continuing. "Cute and skilled with a gun. Two of my greatest weaknesses."
"Oh, you flatter me."
"I mean, when you got a type, you got a type."
Silence fell for a moment as he continued re-wrapping the bandages.
"Thanks for saving me by the way," he said, "Back there with the Hunter. I forgot to tell you that."
She patted his shoulder, causing his muscles to grow in heat at her touch. "Hey, don't mention it. I know you would've done the same for me in that situation. And you kinda already have."
"True. Though, there's a lot more I'd do for you if given the chance."
She gave a mix of a scoff and a laugh at his forward response.
"Nick," she started, "I didn't think you were this much of a flirt!"
"Well, believe it, sweetie."
"Are you shootin' your shot at the second-to-last woman on earth?"
He hesitated for a moment before stopping his handiwork to look her in the eyes.
"I mean," he began, "you're not a bad option as the last woman on earth."
"Nick… is this your way of asking me out?"
"Only if it's working and only if you say yes."
"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down there, DiCaprio. Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
He gave her a look that she couldn't read. Her heart rate increased just as quickly as the tension rose in the room.
"Rochelle, be honest with me," he said, "Are you really gonna sit there and tell me that you don't feel any sort of sexual tension between us? Like at all? It's been there for weeks."
She hesitated then stammered. He smiled slyly at her aversion.
"Ah, so you have felt it." He said smugly.
Rochelle gave a long sigh, giving up on trying to come up with some terrible excuse.
"Okay, look," she said, "There may—emphasis on MAY—be some attraction here, but I'm not about to just throw myself at the first guy I see!"
"So when did you fall for me, sweetheart?" He asked coolly, voice low and mischievous.
"I said MAYBE!"
"Coach and Ellis aren't here, you know, he added, "it's just you and me trapped in this moldy ass building. We might as well say what's on our minds… 'cause we most likely won't get this chance again."
Rochelle rolled her eyes and shook her head, hesitant to say something.
"Okay, I'll go first then." Nick started, "Yes, I was jealous of that stupid fucking biker slob. Abso-fucking-lutely."
Rochelle laughed. "You? Jealous? Are you serious?"
"He was a pretentious jackass!"
"Must be hard looking in the mirror every morning, huh?" She joked.
"So you admit that you are attracted to people like me?"
"That's not what I… he was… you know, you are just—"
"He's different." Nick interrupted, "I didn't trust him. And you seemed… really serious, like you were sure you wanted him. And I… I mean, I'm not gonna get in the way of people trying to get laid, but… Sue me! I got really pissed off!"
Rochelle's eyes were full of surprise.
"I didn't want him to have you…" he continued, "That's when I knew you put some kind of Witchy powers over me…"
"Hey!" Rochelle fake punched his shoulder, laughing at his sarcastic jabs at her.
"What can I say? I like you, sweetheart."
Rochelle smiled warmly at Nick. He gave a small chuckle at his own embarrassing truth. They looked at each other, the silence nearly creeping its way back in. Rochelle then suddenly gave an annoyed groan.
"Alright, fine!" She admitted, "Since we're confessing or whatever… I… may have flirted with the biker guy on purpose to make you jealous."
"Haha, oh?" Nick was incredibly curious.
She looked away with embarrassment. "I-I don't know what I was thinking. And I didn't think you would actually get jealous."
"Well, your terrible secret is safe with me."
He paused and angled his eyes towards the ceiling.
"…and maybe Coach." He continued, "I'm pretty sure he's put two and two together a while ago."
"Man, Coach never misses nothin'!" Rochelle pouted.
Nick kept messing with the bandages, only for them to fall apart again.
Dammit!
He looked at Rochelle, who squinted her eyes and scrunched her mouth to the side sarcastically.
"I swear to god I know what I'm doing." He steadily grew more and more agitated. "One more time or I'm just giving up."
Starting from scratch again, he took his time even slower, making sure they didn't fall off. Thankfully, most of the bleeding had stopped already, so the urgent need to tend to wounds wasn't as dire as before. Rochelle stayed quiet, still trying to wrap Nick's confession around her head. She felt his hands touch across her stomach, being as careful as he could. If it were anyone else touching her, she would have slapped them across the face and cussed them out. She never even let Coach or Ellis touch her like this. It was too… intimate.
So why am I letting him do it?
Nick seemed to be about halfway done before looking back up towards her face, his blue eyes locked with her brown ones. She swallowed hard when he smiled.
"Almost done," he said before focusing back on his handiwork.
"Sometimes…" her voice trailed off.
Nick looked to her face again, keen on what she had to say. "Yes?"
She sighed as she continued, "Sometimes, I do like it when you call me 'sweetie' or 'sweetheart.'"
Nick's brows arched slyly with a curved smile. "Oh?"
"Tch! Don't give me that look! You said we might as well speak our minds or whatever, so there!"
"So it turns you on when I call you that?"
"I never said that!" she hastily replied, "I just… think that it's nice. That's all. Don't read into it that much!"
Nick gave a half-hearted chuckle at her forwardness.
"I think I figured out your type," he teased, "You like bad boys."
"I do not!"
"Oh, yes you do!"
"Do not!"
"It actually makes sense."
"What?!"
"The greasy biker guy, a conman in a white suit…"
"Nick—"
"It's actually really cute when you think abou—."
"Nicolas!"
Heat from embarrassment rose in her cheeks as she gave him an angry stare.
He smiled. "Fine, I'll stop."
She sighed, "Thank you."
"And I'll be sure to call you that as often as I can. Just for you… sWweEetHeeaArRt."
"Boy, quit playin' with me!" Rochelle giggled and smacked his chest. Nick laughed at her pettiness.
They both looked at each other again, not saying much of anything. Their eyes did most of the talking. Nick tied some of the bandages around the small of her back, holding her tenderly for just half of a second. Rochelle's breath hitched from its warmth.
"Does it still hurt?" Nick asked.
She shook her head. "I'm just… surprised by all of this flirting, really."
He stopped wrapping the bandages for a moment and placed his hands against her side, fingers gently pressing along her skin.
"What's stopping this from becoming a thing, Ro?" He asked bluntly.
"Do you have to ask?" She responded dryly, "It's the end of the world, Nick. There's no time for romance."
"So… if there wasn't an apocalypse, you'd give this a shot?"
"If there wasn't an apocalypse and I couldn't find any other handsome 'bad boy' in my local area…"
"Ohh, handsome, am I?" Nick's fingers clutched her sides a bit more strongly, "What makes me handsome? I'm curious."
Shit.
Rochelle swallowed hard again.
"I… I-I ain't got time for this!" she laughed nervously, trying her best to play it off.
Nick easily saw through it.
"I mean, you can't be too picky in an apocalypse, sweetie." He teased, "Like I said before with that biker guy, you're not getting any younger."
"Yeah, well, boo-hoo. Neither are you!"
Nick laughed as he raked a hand through his hair sarcastically. "I'm the pick of the litter when it comes to repopulating the Earth."
Rochelle placed a hand on her hip. "And what makes you so sure girls want to repopulate with you?"
"Oh, I don't know, Rochelle, why DO you want to repopulate the Earth with me so bad?"
"You know what—?"
A sudden strike of thunder halted their conversation. A chill ran down both their spines for a moment before the howling winds blew forcefully against the entire structure. A cold chill easily slipped through the boarded windows at the front. Nick watched the boards rattle violently. He hardly noticed Rochelle's tight grip on his shoulders as she brought herself closer to him.
He chuckled and teased her, "Aw, what's the matter? You scared? Need your hero to protect you?"
Rochelle didn't answer. He felt her fingers twitch and shake against his shoulder. Her breath hitched while her teeth chattered. He watched her whole body involuntarily shake.
"Shit, you're cold." He said, "Hang on. Lemme find something."
Nick's warm fingers slowly parted from Rochelle's side, much to her annoyance, as he stood up and searched the room. At the opposite end of the mattress, he found a small pile of blankets and bed sheets. Sifting through the soiled ones, he managed to find a thin blanket not reeking of mold. He quickly brought it back to Rochelle and placed it around her body. Her hands, still shaking, gripped at the corners of the blanket and brought it closer to her.
"There," he said, "Better?"
"You know you could just let me put my shirt back on, right?" she said sarcastically.
"Not a chance, doll," he quickly retorted, "Aside from the nice view, I really need to see what I'm doing to finish up here."
"If you finish up."
"I promise I know what I'm doing."
"Alright, Cassanova…"
He busied himself with the bandages again, having found a new need of urgency. He still wrapped gently, trying to be as careful around the wound and her body as possible. Rochelle looked out towards the boarded window, still rattling like crazy.
She sighed quietly before pondering aloud, "Coach and Ellis have been gone an awful long time now…"
"I know," he added worriedly, "Hope they're okay."
"This is the longest the four of us have ever been apart."
"I'm worried about them too, but we can't do anything about that right now until we can keep you from falling over."
"Should we at least try to shout out to them and see if they're nearby? Or if they're alright?"
"Ro, the faster we patch you up, the sooner we can do that, okay?"
"Alright…"
She looked back down towards Nick, the cold, crying winds never leaving her ears. She watched his methodical hands work around her waist to stabilize her injuries. The blanket did help keep Rochelle from shivering, but it felt nowhere near as good or as warm as Nick's hands tenderly grazing against her skin. She watched as he brought them to the front of her body, tying together another knot to keep it secure. Suddenly, Nick's breath sharply hitched. She blinked and looked up to see his body shaking a little, too. Looking back down, she saw his once steady hands now wavering and shaking slightly.
"Nick," Rochelle started, "You're cold too!"
"I'm fine, Rochelle." He quickly responded, "It's just the pill I took wearing off. I… I need to get this done."
She spread out one of her arms with the blanket.
"You can still finish it while getting under these covers with me."
"Tempting, but I'll be alright."
"I'm watching your hands. They're not as steady as they were before. Now get in here."
"Ro. I told you I'm good."
"Nicolas," she cooed while batting her eyelids playfully, "Get in this blanket with me now."
He closed his eyes and smiled wide, teeth and all.
"Not even in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined you saying something this beautiful to me."
She lowered her arm with the blanket.
"On second thought—"
"I'm joking, I'm joking!" Nick laughed with a grin.
"Cocky motherfucker."
He moved closer to Rochelle as she threw the blanket around him. He turned on his flashlight, relieved to know there was still enough space for him to see what he was doing. He looked back up to Rochelle who smiled and mimicked his own words to him.
"There… better?"
He smiled deviously, leaning his face in a bit closer. "Perfect."
They stayed that way for quite some time, lost in each other's eyes without saying a word. Suddenly, they both blinked and looked away, Nick focusing on the wound and Rochelle trying to think of anything else that wouldn't heat her up considerably.
This cannot be happening…
Rochelle's heart beat a little faster. She noticed every touch he made across her body. His fingers felt like little balls of fire across her backside and hip. She breathed through her nostrils to calm herself down. Nick's imagination was running wild with every breath Rochelle took. Trying to keep the blanket on him, her small arms on his shoulders made him feel warm in areas that he could not dignify himself by telling her where.
He accidentally let out a snort from all the crazy thoughts.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"Nothing, nothing," he lied, "I just uhh…"
"Yes?"
He looked back into her inquisitive eyes. She really was beautiful.
"I usually, um" he stumbled, "Well, I'm not used to wearing my suit while in bed with beautiful women wrapped in blankets."
"Hmph," she chided, "I have half a mind to think you only wear this suit to try and holla at women."
"Hey, it gets the job done. Besides, while I am a man of fine taste—"
Rochelle rolled her eyes.
He continued, "While I may be a man of fine taste, I'm not gonna give this suit more attention than a woman begging to be close to me in bed…"
He touched the edges of the sheet around Rochelle's hand.
"…blanket or no blanket." He finished with a sly smile.
Rochelle gave another playful look.
"Oh, is that right?" she asked sarcastically.
"Yeah, would you like to find out?"
Rochelle's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly shook her head in disbelief. A conman flirting with her was just absurd. She then scoffed and waved a free hand from within the blanket.
"Boy if you don't stop messin' with me!"
She looked away briefly, laughing and smiling… the same intoxicating smile Nick loved to see. He placed a hand on her chin, gently lifting her face up towards him. Her smile suddenly dropped as she looked at Nick intensely. Her heartbeat picked up again, beating rapidly within her chest. This stare was different, far more intimate than any other stare in the past. He removed his hand from her face, but Rochelle remained still, eyes unmoving.
"Ro," he said, "I would do anything for you. And to you."
"Like what?" she asked.
"Kiss you, for one."
Rochelle breathed quietly through her mouth, her temperature heating up considerably. She suddenly let out a surprised gasp as she felt a sharp tug against her side. Nick's hands had gone back to the bandages across her wound without her realizing.
"Done." He said, his eyes never leaving her gaze.
He should have stopped here, should have stood and picked up his gun, should have looked for some loose floorboards or a weakness in the walls to get them out… but he sat there captivated by the shocked look in her eyes, their faces so close, the shape of her lips driving him crazy…
Rochelle's hands slid from his shoulders to his wrists, the sound of her beating heart drumming loudly in her ears.
"Nick," she started cautiously, "Why do you sound like you're turned on…?"
"Sweetheart, that's because I am."
Neither one of them moved from underneath the blanket. Nick's face looked so serious while Rochelle's was on fire, her hands still holding onto his wrists. Nick slid his arms forward to escape her grasp, then gently wrapped them around her waist underneath the blanket. His eyes never once left hers.
"I-I…" Rochelle stuttered quietly before averting her gaze elsewhere, "I didn't know you liked me this much…"
Her embarrassment was an incredible turn on for him Nick. Here they were, so close to each other, confessing things he never thought possible. This was getting dangerous. For all they knew, Coach and Ellis were missing. He and Rochelle were stuck in this abandoned house with no way out to help or even check on their friends. Not to mention no supplies, no guns to stock on, and no medicine to use—with infected threats around every possible corner…
…and yet… there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.
So fuck it.
Nick wrapped his arms tighter around her. He could feel her chest moving up and down with his in unison. He swore he could even feel her heartbeat. In response, she rested her hands against his biceps, gripping tightly. Her touch burned as much as his.
"Ro," he said in a low, alluring voice, "you're a sexy badass with a gun. That's definitely my type. On top of that, you've saved my life more times than I'd like to admit."
"That's true," she agreed, shaking her head.
Nick grabbed her chin again with his thumb and index finger, holding her face to the side as he brought his lips right to her ear. The heat from his breath sent repeated shockwaves down Rochelle's spine. She closed her eyes and gripped his arms tighter. He loved the feel of it.
His sultry voice continued, "And I am always down to show you just how thankful I am."
Rochelle's eyelids staggered from the pleasurable feel, holding her breath to control herself.
He touched her right ear with his lips, leaning in to whisper, "Just say the word, and all that 'attention' is yours…"
Rochelle exhaled deeply, releasing some of the heat rising between them under the sheets. Nick did as well. He loved hearing it, the panting from their open mouths together. It felt right. If only he could get more of it…
Rochelle still hesitated to say something. She was dizzy, overwhelmed, flattered, turned on, embarrassed from being turned on. She had to think of something to cool down.
"Nick…" she breathed.
"Yes?" His face leaning closer.
"You… uhh… your um, your suit."
"My suit?" He leaned his face back in confusion.
"Yes, your suit."
"What about it?"
She swallowed hard as she ran her hands up from his arms to the front of his chest. Her touch left a trail of fire along his body. He growled lowly, trying desperately to control himself. Rochelle pretended not to notice, doing her best to control herself as well.
"Your suit," she continued, "it's just so… so wet."
"Heh. Rochelle… Sweetie."
He rose her face to meet his again, both still breathing deeply. His head tilted with a knowing smile as he looked at her.
"It's nowhere near as wet as you are right now…"
She blinked rapidly, underestimating his smooth tactics.
"That's…" she struggled to say, still breathing strongly.
Nick's arms wrapped around her tighter. Her hands crawled up to his shoulders again.
"I'm not…"
Heat rose everywhere around Rochelle, both inside the sheets and out. She and Nick continuously panted heavily as they got more and more lost in each other's eyes. He leaned forward until their foreheads touched—yet another warm feeling. Rochelle and Nick closed their eyes as their noses touched. They rubbed them back and forth as they felt the heat of each other's breaths across both of their faces. Their chests moved up and down slowly in unison. Both of their hearts beat rapidly.
"Can I kiss you?" He asked bluntly.
"I… What?" Rochelle stammered, taken completely off guard.
Her eyes flipped open, and she was greeted with a serious Nicholas. Their faces locked onto each other. Rochelle searched for any hint of sarcasm or mischief in his face but couldn't find any. Instead, he looked downright hungry for her. She cast her eyes aside, fearing that she too looked just as hungry.
"Sweetheart," he said with a hurt tone from her gesture, "don't be like that. It's not that strange of a question."
"I…" Rochelle's mind spun out of control, unable to think of what to say.
"It's the end of the world," he continued, "Any lovers we may have had are long gone…"
He cupped the side of her face. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, exhaling slowly as she started losing herself in his warm touch.
"…and we both like each other…" she muttered without thinking.
Nick's voice nearly turned into a growl. "Yes, exactly."
His hand then crawled towards the small of her back. Rochelle found herself enjoying his touch excessively, still breathing and rubbing their noses together.
"Besides," the joking tone returned, "I've got you here. On this bed. With your shirt off. In my arms."
He squeezed her tighter. Their lips nearly touched… but he wouldn't do so unless she gave him the word. Rochelle's entire body was on fire. She gripped Nick's shoulders tightly, trying to steady her breathing. She calmed for a moment before she spoke.
"Well," she said, "first of all, it's 'May I'."
Nick pulled back a little and groaned sarcastically.
"Rochelle—"
"And second of all…" she interjected, "…yes."
This time, it was Nick's turn to flip his eyes wide with shock.
She actually said yes…
Slowly and cautiously, they both leaned in together, their long, deep breaths hitting against each other's lips. They hovered for a moment, inhaling deeply before closing their eyes and sealing their lips together. It was gentle and silent. A kiss beneath the hard thunder and rain… a kiss that never should have happened… making it that much sweeter. They said nothing for a long time, only parting their lips briefly to readjust. The small sound their lips made caused Nick to growl and wrap his arms lovingly around Rochelle's body. Rochelle felt so warm, so safe… as if the events of the past however long in the apocalypse had never even happened. She slid her hands up to his neck, making Nick's short hairs stand on edge. Everything felt warm, from her head to her toes. She didn't want this feeling to stop. He raised her head with his own, still pressing his lips hard against hers. She inhaled his scent; thankful it didn't smell of Boomer bile. Their lips parted again for just a fraction of a second, making the same sound as before as they both readjusted. They kissed deeper, not making any other sounds.
Neither of them truly wanted to separate, cold air brushing against the surface of their dampened lips as they did so. Their eyes met again with such a hunger that they had never seen the other express before. It took every fiber of Nick's being to control himself. His pants grew uncomfortably tight…. he was thankful Rochelle hadn't noticed. She bit her bottom lip as she stared at his face. They both still breathed rather heavily. Rochelle could hear her heart beating in her ears. She looked so serious that Nick thought she was pissed off. He tried to think of something to ease the tension.
"Well…" he attempted, "That… was—"
Rochelle cut him off, suddenly diving forward for another kiss. He blinked in surprise as he watched her close her eyes and greatly deepen the kiss. Their lips smacked repeatedly as her tongue slipped further and further into his mouth. He graciously opened wider for her. She held the sides of his face, pulling him towards her as closely as she could. Her breathing was loud and unhinged. Nick held Rochelle against her sides to prevent her from knocking him over. He hadn't realized just how strong she could be… or how long her tongue was. He couldn't tell if she was trying to shove hers down the back of his throat or wrap herself around his own tongue. Either way, he was very into it. She tilted her head to give herself more access into his mouth. He moaned in response, moving his tongue against hers. Their lips continued to heat up their faces for quite some time before they fully parted, taking in as much air as they could.
They both were left heaving and panting, more from sexual tension than exhaustion. Nick looked at Rochelle, the blanket partially fallen off of her half-naked body. His eyes trailed her figure upwards until they reached her face, somewhat lit by the knocked over flashlight. She had a look of pure desire written all over her. He knew she was still hungry. So was he. He knowingly smiled at her, and she knowingly smiled right back.

The storm violently picked up again, but neither of them could hear any of it. The only sound that reached their ears was the fervent smacking of their lips, kissing a third time, parting and coming together over and over again. Their lips pressed hard against each other. Rochelle moaned slightly, making Nick growl possessively. He gently held the side of her face as his tongue forced her lips open. He drove it roughly inside her mouth, quickly filling her up. He tasted every bit of her and loved every second of it while they both tried to assert dominance in the kiss. Nick's large tongue pushed hard against Rochelle's long one. She fought to taste the roof of his mouth while Nick wanted to wrap every part of his tongue around hers. Repeatedly, they darted across the bridge formed by their wet lips, feeling all around. Their moans and growls continuously excited each other, making them want to possess the other even more.
Rochelle's hands worked their way up the back of Nick's head, gripping tightly onto his strands of hair. The rain had made some tufts of his hair wavy and soft. She loved the feel of it, and she melted at the sound of his growls with each tug she gave. Their lips smacked wildly as Nick raked a hand through Rochelle's locs as well. In one quick motion, he slipped her hair band off of her head and placed it onto his wrist, letting all of her neat strands fall freely. She made a small sound from the surprise of her hair falling around her face and he took full advantage of it. He gripped the back of her head, his hand full of her locs, and pushed more of her face against his, not letting up feeling the insides of her mouth. He slowly gained more control as he wrapped his tongue around hers. She moaned eagerly in response. He loved the sounds she made…
If Rochelle couldn't have control in the kiss, she wanted control elsewhere. She slid her arms down from the back of Nick's head to the buttoned shirt beneath his suit. She rubbed her hands up and down, gliding across his pectorals. Nick moaned and growled in earnest to the touch, kissing her even deeper. Rochelle's eyes shot open for a second from surprise before closing and kissing back with just as much passion. She tried to push his white jacket off of his shoulders but had a hard time concentrating with how good his lips felt. Nick chuckled from inside her mouth. He began to pull away, but Rochelle desperately tried to keep him from doing so by pressing forward. Unfortunately, it was too late, and their kiss was halted a third time. Rochelle's lips and face felt so cold without Nick's warmth against her.
She stared at him intensely, his lust-filled eyes matching hers. His mouth may have been partly open, but no words came out. He simply sighed heavily, which slowly turned into an alluring growl. He stopped his sigh when a smile suddenly crept across his face. He brought a hand inside his white jacket, sliding his other arm out, his eyes never leaving Rochelle's. Her brows rose suggestively in response as she exhaled loudly. He slipped his other arm out of the suit, holding it in front of her before dropping it to the floor. Rochelle's eyes went wide as she smiled. She couldn't believe it.
Did Mr. three-thousand-dollar-suit just toss his coat… to the floor?
Only the blue collared shirt remained, a button already undone at the top. The flashlight shone perfectly over his chest. Rochelle eyed his skin, catching a glimpse of some of his muscles protruding from the shirt. Not as pronounced as she had thought, but definitely well-toned. Her breathing finally calmed, but still she said nothing. She simply stared back at the man who wanted her just as badly as she wanted him. He lifted his eyebrows with a seductive smile. She took the loosely wrapped blanket around her body and threw it to the ground. The only blanket that could keep her warm now was the lustful man sitting right in front of her. She then leaned backwards, her pretty locs swaying back and forth. She rose her right hand toward him, stretching out her index finger in a beckoning motion.
"Get over here," she ordered with a low, enticing voice.
Nick growled ravenously as he leapt over to Rochelle. They found each other's lips yet again, moaning freely without a care in the world. Rochelle wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself from falling over. One of Nick's arms curved upwards along her back while the other crept to her ass, giving it a rough squeeze. She squealed out of surprise, breaking the kiss momentarily before Nick rushed in to seize her mouth again. He squeezed her ass harder, smiling against the kiss. Rochelle worked on his shirt, pulling at the undersides, and untucking them from his pants. She slipped her hands underneath to feel his chest. She was surprised by all of the thick chest hair. There was a thin trail leading towards the bottom, but it grew wider as her hands crept upwards. She loved running her fingers through it. Nick gave another squeeze on her ass before leaning her back further towards the bed.
As he laid her down, the same annoying pain from Rochelle's wound flared up. Nick's arms squeezed just a little too tight around her waist. She broke the kiss again sucking in air through gritted teeth from how badly it hurt.
"Nick," she hissed, "watch my sides!"
"Sorry," he said as he loosened his grip on her.
He gave her one last kiss on the lips before moving down to her jaw and neck, roughly planting kisses everywhere.
"I may be a little rusty…" she apologized.
"It was perfect." he stated, giving her another hard kiss on the neck.
She closed her eyes and smiled. He reached the top of her breasts, still neatly tucked within her bra. He rubbed his thumb over the soft fabric, exposing one of her nipples and kissing her soft brown skin just above it. Rochelle arched her back from the pleasure. Nick pressed and rubbed harder with his thumb in response. He then left more trails of kisses going up her neck, pinching and pulling at her skin as he did so. He reached her ear and blew his warm breath against it. She moaned his name in response, making his pants even tighter.
"Tell me, sweetie," he purred, nibbling at her ear lobe, "when's the last time someone made you feel good?"
"Wh-what are you talking about?" She asked through a moan, "I'm feeling good right now…"
"Hmmm… not quite what I meant."
While kissing her cheek, he grabbed one of her wrists.
"I'm thinking something more along the lines of…"
He led her hand between her thighs and rested it on the seams of her pants, moving it back and forth slowly across her privates.
"If you catch my drift…?" He smiled.
Rochelle tightly shut her eyes and shook her head.
"Oh, Nick…" her tone was sharp and annoyed.
It didn't register for Nick as he continued pressing her hand over her crotch and kissing the side of her face, her jawline, the crevices of her neck…
"Nick!" Rochelle roughly pulled her arm out of his grasp, bringing her hands up to his chest to push him off of her.
Nick blinked as he sat up, pure confusion plastered on his face. As Rochelle sat up, she placed one of her hands on his shoulders.
"Nick, sweetie, what are we doing?" she asked sharply.
She placed another hand across her forehead.
"I cannot believe we went this far…"
"What are you talking about?" Nick's voice rose in an indignant manner.
"Okay, first off, you must be outta yo damn mind if you think I'm gonna let you fuck me on this moldy ass bed. And second—"
Her brows arched in disbelief.
"Have Ellis and Coach completely left your mind?"
"Actually, yeah," he replied sarcastically, "I was kind of enjoying that."
"I mean…" she sighed and looked down, "I was too, but…"
Nick tried to bring his arms around her waist again. She halted him by gripping his forearms, shaking her head back and forth.
"Rochelle," he said disappointingly.
"Nicolas, our friends are worried to death about us!"
Nick groaned, lowering his arms as she continued.
"They're out in this storm God knows where, risking their lives facing God knows what to help us! And here we are messin' around, gettin' all hot and bothered, like this isn't the end of the world!"
Nick rolled his eyes and sighed deeply as Rochelle folded her arms.
She continued, "We… we honestly should feel a little guilty for letting ourselves get carried away like this. We should be helping those two figure out how to get our asses out of here!"
Nick couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, okay. I get it! Christ!"
"Nick, please don't be angry—"
"I'm not! I'm just—"
An agitated groan welled up in his throat.
"You're right!" He shouted, "You're right. And I hate that you're right! I just…"
He drooped his head. Rochelle put out her hand to comfort him, but he pushed it away.
"Forget it."
Rochelle frowned. Both of their hearts sank.
"Guess it was fun while it lasted, huh?" he said with a defeated tone.
Rochelle gave a frustrated sigh, a large mixture of her feelings conflicting with each other on every level. She clenched her fists and growled angrily. Nick stared at her curiously.
"God fucking… shit!" she cursed at random.
Rochelle suddenly leapt onto Nick and placed a short kiss on his lips. Nick blinked again in confusion, holding her up as best as he could.
"Ro, what are you getting at?" he asked annoyed.
"Who said anything about this being over?"
"Uhh, I don't know if you've been paying attention, sweetheart, but… you did."
"No. Nick, fuckin—hear me out for a second, alright? We need to cool our jets in this house, but… what if we continued this elsewhere? Where we know everyone is safe?"
Nick's whole face lit up and his lips curved into a smile.
"Might I offer a suggestion?" She asked.
"I'm listening." He said slyly.
"The boat."
"Virgil's boat?"
"No, a pirate ship—yes, Virgil's boat!"
"What about it?"
She hesitated for a moment, looking at Nick. His eyes showed pure investment in this scheme of hers. As one might expect from a con artist.
"Alright," she continued, "so we know zombies can't swim. It's like their kryptonite or something. Being on the water is the perfect protection from the infected!"
"Go on…"
"On top of that, it's dry on the boat…"
"Mhm."
"There's food…"
"Yep."
"A working shower…"
"Important."
"Beds…"
"Most important."
"And we don't have to worry about risking our lives or being trapped in abandoned buildings!"
"I see."
"The only thing we'd really have to worry about are those thin walls."
"Thin walls?" Nick raised an eyebrow.
Rochelle looked shocked. "You didn't notice?" She asked, "I swear, I could hear every word of Coach's snore-filled cake dreams last night!"
Nick laughed as she mocked Coach's mannerisms and ceaseless obsessions with sweets. When she finished, she leaned in closer to Nick's face.
"Besides…" she said before giving him yet another kiss, "sex on the water could be somewhat romantic…"
Nick smiled hungrily. "Never knew you wanted to get freaky on a boat at sea."
"I'm sure there's a better way to phrase that, but… it's a possibility. Also, it's a river, Nick. Not the sea."
"As arousing as the river sounds, there's just one little problem with your plan, sweetie."
"And what's that?"
"You're bunked up with Ellis while I'm with Coach."
"Shit! I forgot."
"Unless you want to tell them you need to get fucked by me tonight. In which case, I don't mind, really."
"Not a chance, suit."
"So you like to keep things secret? I can get with that."
"Enough, Nicolas!"
He chuckled before sitting her upright. He then lowered his head toward hers, giving one last deep kiss. She closed her eyes and kissed him back.
"I don't think it's gonna work," he said, "though I'm glad you're still open to the idea of having more… 'intimate' moments with me…"
"Can't blame a girl for trying," she chuckled.
"Makes me like you even m—"
A sudden loud slam against the boarded-up window at the front of the building made both of their heads turn. As the board loosened, Nick quickly aimed his pistol towards it, unsure of what was happening.
"Think it's a Charger?" Rochelle asked.
"Could be." He answered, tossing his other pistol to her.
They both aimed by the window, shoulders touching as close as possible to get a good eye from a distance. Slowly, the board split further and further in the center, but there wasn't enough breakage for them to see outwards. The revving of a chainsaw suddenly rang in their ears as it pierced through and steadily dragged down the board. Large chunks of sawdust flew everywhere from the window as the board showed a complete split down the middle. They then heard a familiar voice from their beloved redneck. Rochelle squinted her eyes and rose an eyebrow before lowering her gun.
"Wait, is that…?"
The sound of a swift kick picked up as the board completely came undone. Nick and Rochelle could once again see the rain and strong winds from outside, just behind a smiling Ellis with an axe, and Coach following closely with a chainsaw.
"Guys!" Rochelle shouted gleefully.
"Thank god," Nick sighed with relief, "What took you so long?"
"Sorry about that," Coach shouted near the entrance, "It wasn't easy findin' this here chainsaw."
"Yeah," added Ellis, "And we were lucky enough to find both that and this axe down the street in another abandoned—"
Ellis froze at the sight of Rochelle. She and Nick looked at him confused as he robotically placed a hand over his eyes to cover them. He then quickly turned around to face a wall.
"Boy, what is wrong with you?" Rochelle asked impatiently.
"Y-you uhh…" Ellis gulped, pointing back to Rochelle with his back still turned, "Now my momma always told me to never look at a naked woman unless I marry her."
She blinked dumbfounded.
"Shit!" she cried looking all around the floor, "Where's my shirt?
Nick laughed loudly as she stood up, looking all around the ground for her missing shirt.
"What's all the ruckus about?" Coach inquired as he too stepped into the room.
He stared long and hard at his ridiculous teammates. Ellis had his back fully turned with his eyes still covered, Nick looked completely disheveled, legs crossed without his suit on (if that was even possible), and Rochelle was… practically stark naked?!
"Aw hell," he said, anger rising in his voice, "what did I tell y'all about smoochin'?"
"Relax, Coach," Nick retorted, "Ro had a bad injury and I just finished taking care of it."
Coach looked Nick up and down. Nick shrugged as Coach's eyes turned into a strong, disapproving glare.
"I'd have probably died if it weren't for him," Rochelle intervened, "so I'm glad he patched me up."
Nick smiled warmly at Rochelle. She smiled back. Coach suspiciously glanced back and forth between the two of them.
"You doin' okay now, Ro?" Coach asked.
"Yeah," she answered, "could be better, but what can ya do?"
"Cool. Now please make yourself look decent." He pointed at Ellis who still stood facing the wall, back turned.
"I'm workin' on it," Rochelle laughed.
Coach took some time to search the home for more supplies while Rochelle scoured the dimly lit floor for her shirt. She found Nick's white coat first, picking it up to give to him later. To her relief, she found her shirt just underneath it, thankful Coach wasn't there to see. She quickly placed the shirt over her body and dressed herself as normal. She looked out and saw Ellis, still turned around like a child being punished at school. Nick stared at her with his stark, blue eyes, seemingly disappointed with her now wearing a shirt. She rolled her eyes at both of them.
"Okay Ellis," she said gently, "You can look now, sweetie."
"Phew, that's better," he sighed, turning with such a quickness, "Man, y'all shoulda seen me an' Coach take out that Tank! He was all like, 'Gaarrrghhh!' And then we were like, 'Aaaah!' And then I was on my last. Three. Bullets. I'm talkin' super scared! No ammo whatsoever. Just that, me, an' my baseball bat by my side. Then Coach got a…"
Rochelle was happy to see Ellis in such a good mood, not skipping a beat. As Ellis continued his story, she sat back down on the bed next to Nick, handing him his coat. He slowly pulled it over his arms. They smiled at each other before tuning back into Ellis' story.
"Then POW!" He exclaimed, "Suckered him right between the eyes wit' my last. Three—count'em—THREE bullets! Greatest kill I ever done made…"
"Well actually, if you think about it, Ellis, that kill wouldn't have happened without me."
"…so what's your point, Nick?" Ellis placed his hands on his hips.
"My 'point' is, if I hadn't thrown that bile jar at the last second, that Tank, and the zombies probably would've taken you both out."
Nick pulled at his coat in a sarcastic flex.
"No need to thank me. Just doing my part for the team!"
"Oh, come on, Nick! Just lemme have this!"
Nick laughed while Rochelle shook her head at their banter. As they continued talking, Coach walked back in. He and Rochelle silently looked at each other for a time. He smiled, relieved to know that she was okay.
Nick and Ellis were too engulfed in their bickering to pay any attention to the other two. Coach shifted his eyes toward Nick, then glared back at Rochelle in a way that asked if she and him were serious. She shook her head and shrugged, feigning ignorance of her and Nick's entire exchange from earlier. Coach's eyes narrowed at her with a slight eye roll, completely unconvinced. She gave him a confused stare. Coach shook his head, his body shaking in silent laughter at her response. He then pointed to the floor, just at the edge of the bed where she and Nick sat. She looked down to where he pointed… only to blink rapidly in fear.
The blanket that she and Nick were once wrapped in now slumped on the floor close to both of their feet. She lifted her head back at Coach who stood there with folded arms and a knowing smile. He then pointed back to Nick, who still wasn't paying any attention, engrossed with whatever he and Ellis were arguing about. Rochelle peered at Nick, whose entire shirt was still unaligned and untucked from his pants. Turning back to Coach, she noticed his cocky smile paired with a raised eyebrow. She furrowed her own in annoyance.
It was clear he wasn't buying either of their stories.
Before Rochelle could protest, it all came crashing down when she felt Nick's arm curl over her lower back, his rather large hand holding itself against her waist. She looked down and noticed it was the same hand that held her hair tie, having forgotten that her hair was down this entire time. Rochelle's heart nearly flew out of her chest at the look Coach gave her. The same look a stern father would give their child, as if he had just caught her in the act.
"Coach, we—!"
He raised his hand to silence her. Nick and Ellis finally turned to their fellow survivors, confused by the exchange.
"You don't gotta say nothin'," Coach started, "'cause I ain't about to get in the middle of grown folks' business."
"Somethin' you two wanna share with the rest of the class?" Nick asked suspiciously.
"Not really," Coach sighed, "Come on, Ellis. Let's go. We'll see you two out front."
"Well hang on," Ellis pouted, "I wanna know too!"
Coach laughed, shaking his head again before patting Ellis' shoulder.
"You'll learn when you're older. Heeheeheehee!"
"Okay now, Coach, what in the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ellis pouted.
Rochelle silently gulped as Nick looked at everyone confused and irritated. Coach continued shaking his head and laughing as he led Ellis out of the room. When the two were out of earshot, he looked to Rochelle.
"Mind filling me in?" Nick repeated with a small smile.
She stared longingly into his eyes, her mixed feelings overwhelming her senses. His touch was beginning to burn again. Rochelle quickly stood up, looking away as she did so. Nick stared in confusion, saddened by her demeanor.
"Let's just go." She said lowly. She reloaded the pistol and readjusted her outfit before walking by the room's entrance. She stood near the dresser as she turned around to see if Nick was following behind her. Strangely, he was still sitting on the bed.
How the tables have turned…
"Nick," she started, "you comin'?"
"Yeah… yeah. I just uhh…"
He trailed off into a pause. Rochelle looked concerned. He stared at the ground with his arms folded. It took him a second before lifting his head up, quickly realizing Rochelle had been staring at him for quite a while.
"I'll be there in a second." He said hastily.
Rochelle didn't buy it.
"Are you hurt?" She asked.
"Somewhat, but no, not really."
"Hey now, you're starting to sound like me. We can fix you up at the safe house."
"I know. I just… need to… stay seated for a moment."
"Are you gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I'm just waiting for it to go down."
"Waiting for…?" She blinked in confusion.
He looked back up at her, with a hard-to-pin-down expression.
"Want me to wait with you?" She asked.
He chuckled, "You could do that, but it might just go back up with you here…"
"It" finally clicked.
Rochelle scoffed a laugh, leaning against the dresser.
"Guess it doesn't take much to get you hot, huh?" She teased.
"Shaddup, Rochelle."
She kept laughing at his "predicament."
"All that Tank talk really helped though." He said, "There is nothing more unsexy than a giant mound of flesh trying to pound you to death."
"Actually, I think you just described sex."
"Not helping, Ro."
"Sorry, sorry…" she struggled stifling a laugh, "Well, I guess I'll see you outside with the others while you try to 'calm down'? Hehehe."
"Sure."
She took a step through the bedroom door before Nick's voice picked up again.
"By the way, sweetheart." He said.
She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes to keep the heat from rising at the call of her pet name. She then turned around.
"What is it?" She asked.
He tapped a finger against the base of his neck. He gave her a teasing smile that confused her. He then pointed to the mirror atop the dresser.
"You got a little something right there," he said, "might want to check it out."
"Fine." She said, scrunching her eyebrows close together.
She quickly walked over to the dresser and peered into the mirror. It had been a while since she had seen her locs down. They shaped her face nicely, just as nicely as when she first started them. She scanned both sides of her neck. The right side seemed fine. However, on the left side, just within the crevice, she noticed an off color on top of her evenly brown skin. Something round and reddish… almost purple even. It wasn't abnormally large, but definitely noticeable. She brushed a hand across it, unsure of what to make of it. The muscle soreness kicked in the more pressure she put atop it. Last time she felt pressure there was when Nick…
"Dammit, Nick!" She shouted, turning completely around to face him, "Did you just give me a—?!"
Nick quickly shushed her.
"Careful now," he warned, "don't want the others to know, do we?"
He stood up, casually making his way towards her. He reached for the band still on his wrist, taking it off smoothly. He placed it into her hand, folding her fingertips over top of it. He smiled at her angry little face.
"I oughta knock you into next week…" she muttered through gritted teeth, "No wonder Coach was lookin' at me like that!"
He pecked her cheek. "Now we both match."
Nick chuckled as he walked out of the room ahead of Rochelle. She stared dumbfounded. Her hands shook with rage at the embarrassment, completely flustered by absolutely everything today.
"I didn't even give you that one!" She shouted angrily as she tied her hair back in a ponytail.

---

Thanks for reading! Additional author's note (and some commissioned art) can be found on AO3!

As a side note, Chapter 3 is very explicit and will NOT be posted on FF because it would break its guidelines and I just got here lol. If you wish to read that chapter, you will have to go to AO3 for that! Thanks for understanding!