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A sea of cars lay ahead of you and your fellow Survivors, your escape vehicle having taken you as far as it could.
“Shit, so many cars…” Rochelle remarked, staring ahead with concern.
“Unless Ellis can build a monster truck, we ain’t gettin’ over this,” Nick remarked with his trademark sarcasm.
“Sorry guys, guess it wasn’t such a hot idea after all.” Ellis rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his gaze low and apologetic.
“Hey, you got us this far,” Rochelle reassured.
“That’s right,” Coach began, “without your quick thinkin’, we’d still be in that damn mall.”
“Yeah!” you chimed in. “You’ve saved us all a lotta time and trouble, even if this is where we have to leave the car behind.”
“Oh, do we really have ‘ta…?” Ellis whined, leanin’ against Jimmy Gibbs’ weathered blue exterior.
“Yes, Ellis, we have to… unless you can figure out a way to drag a car along with ya in the next five seconds,” Nick sneered, opening the trunk and passing everyone a gun and first-aid kit.
“Can I just have a few moments alone with the car? I’ve got some things I gotta say…”
“Ellis, it’s a car, come on,” Rochelle said with a sigh.
“Not just any car! Jimmy Gibbs Jr’s stock car!”
“Well, it’s… not exactly in the best shape anymore.” You cringed and pointed at the obvious damage.
“It don’t matter none ‘bout the paint job! This car is legendary, just like him! Just the car itself is priceless…”
“Alright, alright, give the boy a few seconds alone,” Coach instructed as we all followed him away.
As Ellis murmured to his precious car, you followed behind Nick. His white suit had definitely seen better days, but after all that your group had been through, you weren’t in a place to judge. You thought he was handsome. He was a little rugged, but still a sharp-dresser with a smidge of class to his name. You liked his grayish blue eyes, strong nose and jaw, and his dark, slicked back hair. There was something about him…
He caught you staring at him and glanced at you over his shoulder. “What’re you lookin’ at?”
You were never one to lie. You were honest to a fault. “Well… you. I was looking at you.”
He stopped and turned to face you as you all waited for Ellis. There was a bit of a smirk playing on his thin lips, but it was clear that he didn’t want to acknowledge however he must be feeling.
“Yeah? And why’s that, sweetheart?” he teased you in an almost patronizing tone.
“I thought you looked nice.”
He certainly didn’t expect that answer, based on the way he seemed to bristle up and wear a dumbfounded expression. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing!” You giggled. “I like the way you talk.”
“The way I talk…?”
“Yeah, y’know, the whole like, ‘fuhgeddaboudit’ shady conman mobster kinda thing with the Boston accent.”
He deadpanned at you before rubbing his face, already exasperated by your presence. “Alright, three things: ‘fuhgeddaboudit’ is a New York and New Jersey thing, I wasn’t a mobster, and I’m from Chicago, not Boston. Nice try, though.”
“But you’ve got the essence of it!”
“Christ, don’t you have anything better to do than bother me?”
“Not until Ellis gets done with whatever he’s doing.”
He sighed before looking past you and at Ellis. “Come on, man! You’ve had enough time with the damn car!”
“Alright, alright, I’m comin’!” Ellis shouted, rushing toward the group. “Damn, can’t a man say goodbye to his car?”
“Boy, you had enough time. I don’t know what you were tryin’ to say to that car but whatever it was, it didn’t need to take that long,” Coach responded. “Let’s move out, people!”
You all did exactly that, guns raised and ready to fire at any Infected that threatened to stand in your path. You all had to climb the cars and walk on them sometimes to get past them, but it was a little fun to you. It was like a game, almost. That’s how you passed the time and coped, anyway. You even began to try to out jump the other Survivors in order to get ahead. They were contestants in a competition that only existed in your head, and they were losing.
Once you reached the overpass, you and your friends ventured into a motel complex. The sign above you buzzed and flickered, advertising open rooms. It didn’t take a genius to understand what a depressing invitation that was. The pool was drained too. This didn’t seem like a very fun place to stay. You wondered if it was always this decrepit, even before the Infection.
The five of you walked along the bottom floor motel rooms, and you thought about how nice it would be if this was just one big, happy vacation instead. You all could relax in the big beds and enjoy some downtime on your way across the South. Nick happened to be walking beside you and you nudged him with a smile on your face.
“So, what kinda stuff do mafia guys get up to in hotel rooms? Secret meetings? Drug deals?”
He rolled his eyes. “I have no idea. I already told you I wasn’t part of the mafia, (Y/N).”
“Then what were you a part of?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Oh, come on! It can be our little secret!”
“No, it can’t. Because you’re just gonna use it as fuel to annoy me even more.”
You both entered one hotel room while the others looked for supplies in the adjoining rooms. You decided this was a perfect time to push your limits with Nick even more.
You laid down on your side on the bed, giggling and looking up at him. “It’s such a shame that all these perfectly good beds will go to waste once we leave…”
He scoffed. “‘Perfectly good’? Do you know how many germs are on hotel beds? You’re sleeping in other people’s filth. Who knows what they do on those mattresses.”
You bit your lower lip, running a gentle hand over your own hip. “Oh, we both know what they’re doing…”
He watched you with an almost shocked expression, his cheeks flushing a bit, although he didn’t flirt back. “What the hell? Did someone hit you on your head? Why are you acting this way?”
He jumped up and shrugged. “I dunno. I’m just kinda bored. It’s a little quiet out here, even with the zombies.”
“That’s a stupid reason. Do you talk to everybody that way?”
“Mmm,” you hummed in thought. “Nope! Just you.”
He raised a brow at you. “Why?”
“I think the way you react is cute.”
You got closer to him, but he only huffed and blew you off. “Yeah, well, maybe don’t say things like that if ya don’t mean it.”
He walked away to catch up with the rest of the group rather quickly, not even giving you a chance to respond. You guessed he’d have to find out later that you did really mean it.
You trailed after him, gun at your side, thinking about what you could say to him next. You enjoyed getting under your skin. At least it meant he was paying attention to you.
When the five of you climbed the short set of stairs to reach the second floor, everyone, again, checked for supplies throughout the rooms like clockwork, you had all fallen into a somewhat comfortable routine– as much of one as you could have in a world like this. You followed Nick, of course, and you coyly poked his shoulder in order to get him to turn in your direction.
“What?” he gruffed.
“Did you ever operate any business inside hotel rooms?” You were endlessly curious about his shady past, being someone that came from a relatively normal setting. “Y’know, any cons and such? Illegal poker matches?” You giggled.
“Sometimes. It really depends,” he began to explain. “Most hotels require ID, and I don’t just hand that out for obvious reasons. Means I had to find shitty ones that didn’t give two shits to confirm my identity, but the problem with shitty hotels is that they don’t suit my tastes.”
“Which are?”
“Expensive.”
“So, what sorta stuff did you get up to?”
“Mostly what you already mentioned. The rest wasn’t business related.”
“Oh?” A mischievous smile spread across your lips. “And what was that?”
“Do you ever stop askin’ questions? Where’s your off switch?”
You grasped his free hand and placed it on your hip, looking up at him and his furrowed brows. “Take a wild guess, handsome.”
“You’re way more forward than you should feel comfortable bein’,” he chastised, though the way he clenched his jaw told you he was holding back.
“Come on, tell me! What did big, bad Nick get himself into, huh?” You curled your finger under the lapel of his collared shirt, tugging at it.
It’s clear what you wanted from him, if only he was willing to give you that. From the lipstick stain on his collar to the hickey on his neck, it was obvious what one of his preferred activities was and you wanted the same treatment. In fact, that lovebite made you jealous. You wanted to cover it with your own.
He went quiet for a moment, doing just as you wished and inching close enough for your bodies to be touching. He set his gun down on a nightstand and you did the same. You felt his hands encircle your waist… It was finally happening.
“Do you really wanna know?” he asked with a low, rumbling voice.
You nodded. “I do…”
With that, he swiftly locked lips with you, pushing you onto the bed and straddling you. You wrapped your arms around him, just as fervent and enthusiastic about this as he was. His stubble tickled the flesh of your neck as he kissed the soft skin there, and despite how rough his personality was, he was gentler than you expected. You couldn’t take it anymore, this is exactly what you’ve wanted for a month of knowing him.
You reached down and fumbled with his belt, desperate now that you were only halfway there. To your surprise, however, he seized your wrists and pinned them to the mattress, a wily grin on his face as he teased you.
“Eager now, are we?”
“Nick,” you whined, “come on…”
He cupped your jaw and laid a soft kiss to your cheek before speaking quietly into your ear. “Not here, sweetheart. We’ve got company.”
You were almost startled by his sincerity and feathery touches. This isn’t what you expected… But that just made you want more. You leaned into his touch and pressed your lips to his inner wrist.
“Does this mean that we’ll eventually…?”
“As long as we don’t die first. Come on.”
Nick got off of you and stood up, offering you a hand, which you gladly took. As a last ditch effort, you pulled him close and latched onto his neck, applying pressure. He groaned a little before placing his hands on your shoulders and carefully pushing you away.
“The hell are ya doin’, (Y/N)?”
You gestured to your own neck to mirror his. “Covering that hickey on your neck with my own.”
He was about to respond when you both heard Coach’s voice ring out. “Nick, (Y/N)! Where the hell are y’all?!”
The two of you quickly collected your guns and ran toward the sound of his voice, uncharacteristically quiet and awkward around the others once you were reunited.
You both had the same thing on your minds and you knew it. You would still pester him all the same, though.
You all continued down the path behind the motel, reaching an abandoned campsite. The only useful thing there was a bottle of pills, which you gladly took.
You saw the group idling to your left as you continued to inspect the campsite. Why were they doing that? Were they waiting for you or something? You eyed Nick. He was standing perfectly still, a troubled expression on his face as he stared down.
Perfect.
You approached the group slowly, creeping up behind Nick with a sly expression. He’ll never see this coming…
You lunged at him from behind, wrapping your arms around him.
“Surprise!”
“What the– Fuck!”
Before you knew it, you were slipping forward and down a steep gorge, shouting all the way. This could end badly but you had to admit that it was really fun. You both reached a shelf off the side of the gorge, landing firmly on your heels. Nick began to tumble forward, taking you with him, but you leaned backward and helped him gain his balance again. The two of you breathed quickly, taking stock of what just happened.
“Shit! Y’all okay?!” Ellis yelled down to you two.
“Yeah! We’re fine, come on down!” you instructed, looking up at them.
The three others all carefully made their way to a shelf of their own, then continued down the rest of the way. A combination of “whoa”s and laughter followed after them.
“(Y/N), what the fuck is your problem?! I was standin’ there!” Nick growled, separating himself from you.
You looked down, quietly muttering something to yourself. “Ey, I’m walkin’ ‘ere.” It was what you were reminded of, anyway.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“I’m not from New York!”
“Okay, sorry!” you said with a laugh. You liked seeing him so worked up.
“Were you tryin’ to kill me or somethin’?!”
“I didn’t realize there was a cliff!”
“It’s a hill.”
“Whatever! I didn’t know. I just saw you standing there and I wanted to mess with you!”
“Do ya ever think before ya do somethin’ or is it empty up there?” He poked your forehead.
You rubbed the spot he had touched and shrugged. “I think plenty!”
“Clearly not.”
“I think about you,” you tried to flirt, but as you leaned forward, you lost your footing and slipped.
In your haste, you reached out for his hand and took him down with you. The two of you rolled down the hill, landing on the edge of the brackish water that filled the bottom of the gorge. In the rotation, he had ended up on top. He had tucked his head into your chest to save his neck, but now that the free fall had ended and it was still there, it was awkward. He groaned and lifted his head, looking down at you, and you yourself seemed just as shocked as he was. His cheeks were tinged with a dusting of rose.
“That was fun!” you cheered.
“Dumbass…”
Ellis rushed over to help you both up. “Damn, y’all took a nasty tumble. Just lookitcha! Let’s get y’all up, now.”
“Thanks, Ellis,” Nick said calmly, taking a deep breath now that he was on his own two feet on steady ground.
“You’re sweet, El,” you complimented, offering him a smile.
“Let’s get a move on now. I asked Coach if I could go again ‘nd he said no, so safe ‘ta say we’re movin’ on.”
“You’re gonna take me out before the zombies do, asshat.” Nick shot a glare at you.
“Such angry words,” you joked. “We’re both fine!”
“Just barely!”
“Would you kids quit bickering and get over here?!” Coach waited expectantly with Rochelle.
“Sorry, Big Guy,” Nick returned, walking ahead.
Both you and Ellis followed, finally back on the right path. Your group of five waded through stagnant water, slashing through Infected and shooting down the stray Charger or Spitter and avoiding their wrath. A clearing in the shrubbery led you all up a steep hill, and once you climbed it, you found yourselves near a parking lot. Large rides, spotlights, and the remaining smell of popcorn greeted your senses.
“Is this–?” Ellis began.
“Whispering Oaks! I used to come here all the time as a kid!” Coach finished, a bit of a smile on his face.
“Oh, good. Now we can all die here as adults,” Nick remarked sarcastically.
“Nick, don’t be like that! C’mon, we’ll have fun!” Ellis wrapped his arm around the man’s shoulders, trying to cheer him up.
“Do you hate amusement parks, Nick?” you asked.
“Did you always lose the games?” Rochelle jested.
“Scared of rollercoasters?” Coach joined in.
“Or clowns?” Ellis was then reminded of something else. “Oh, one time me and my buddy Keith–“
“No, no, nothin’ like that,” Nick interrupted, desperate to cut off his story. “I just think an amusement park during a zombie apocalypse is kinda… It’s a little ironic, isn’t it?”
“I guess I see what you mean…” Rochelle agreed.
“But it’ll be fun! After we kill all the zombies, we can go on the rides!” you said with a hopeful smile.
“I don’t think the rides are operatin’, kid,” Coach told you with a sigh. “Let’s just get on to the Safe Room and rest.”
You all stormed the parking lot and killed off the straggler zombies before entering the Safe Room and barricading the door, holding out for an hour or so to recuperate. Coach sat in a corner and took a quick nap, Rochelle tried to rest her eyes, Ellis took to cleaning his gun, and Nick was keeping watch through the window in the door. He was so dead serious most of the time. It made you curious about what he was hiding and why he would drop little cryptic hints about his brutal and dangerous history. Like that time he’d said that blood doesn’t come out of wedding dresses. What was that all about?
While the others were distracted and taking some quiet down time, you approached Nick more somberly and sincerely than most times.
“Are you alright?” you asked.
He hardly glanced at you. “Oh, I’m great. Just thinkin’ about how if I die here, I’ll die in a place where kids piss their pants on rollercoasters and people spend twenty-five bucks on a rigged game for a prize that cost less than a cent to make in some factory. The perfect grift.”
“Always so negative…” You tsked, half-smiling and looking out the window with him. “We won’t die here.”
“Yeah, ‘cause you’re so sure.” He rolled his eyes.
You reached up and held his face in your hands, carefully caressing his cheeks with your thumbs. Despite his obvious discomfort with others seeing, he still didn’t fully pull away.
“We won’t. We’ve made it this far,” you assured him. “Give yourself more credit.”
Despite how he grumbled at you, his face was a little flushed and he avoided eye-contact. “I’ve got plenty credit. If I die here, it’ll be one of your faults. I’d make it out just fine on my own.”
You pinched his cheek playfully before resting your hands at your sides again. “Yeah, ‘cause you made it this far without us.”
“I–I coulda done it.”
“I believe you.” Despite your words, you grinned, and it was obvious that you meant quite the opposite. He had an ego and it was easy to exploit, easy to mess with him.
A silence fell between the two of you long enough to hear that both Rochelle and Ellis had started snoring softly. It was easier to sleep when you were exhausted beyond belief. They needed the rest, anyway. You didn’t blame them one bit. You’d wake them soon enough so they didn’t get too drowsy before your group went deeper into the amusement park.
You moved to stand closer to Nick, your arms touching as you leaned your head against his shoulder. He didn’t acknowledge you at first, seeming to stew in his own bitterness before hesitantly putting an arm around you.
“Sorry for almost killing you earlier…” you spoke quietly.
“That’s the only thing you’re sorry for?” he teased.
You shoved at him a little as you both laughed, and he came back to put his arm around you. “Do you want me to apologize for the way you kissed me?”
“It was a moment of weakness…”
“Just admit that you want me.”
“I don’t.”
“You want me so bad.”
“Shut it, (Y/N),” he ordered, starting to get annoyed with you again, like usual.
“Ooo, you want me so bad it hurts.”
“Shut up!”
“Make me!”
Nick grabbed you by the shoulders and shoved you against the wall, pinning you there as he kissed you deeply. You reciprocated fully, tugging at the back of his hair as his hands found their way up your shirt. You shivered under his touch, but he only continued, gripping at your chest while he kissed your neck. You let out a soft whimper, and that’s when he lifted you up and pressed you against the wall further, letting you wrap your legs around him as he supported your weight. Your tongue slipped past his lips and met his, and he took a deep sigh into the kiss. Between kisses, when your lips parted, he spoke to you in a low, rumbling whisper.
“The first moment we get alone, I’m laying you down and showing you how much you piss me off,” he warned.
You felt your heart racing at the very thought. You were going to melt before that moment even came. “Aw, is the tough, scary mafioso gonna teach me a lesson?”
He pressed against you harder, speaking with gritted teeth for emphasis. “For the last time: I was a bouncer, conman, and gambler. Whatever guy you’re dreamin’ up ain’t me and he’s not the one that’s gonna fuck you later, alright sweetheart?”
You liked when he took charge like this. It made you red faced and warm in all the right places. You nodded, quiet as his words echoed in your head. You’d take everything he had to give you right now if the two of you were alone.
“Y–Yes Sir,” you finally squeaked.
He smirked, satisfied with himself and your reaction. “Finally. I found a way to shut you up.”
“Just know I can get real loud.”
“I’ve got somethin’ that can–“
You could predict what he was going to say, and just to spite him, you reached down and placed your hand somewhere it shouldn’t have been. He groaned and buried his face in your neck, letting out a heavy breath.
“Not so brave now, huh?” You kept your hand in place, waiting for him to admit defeat.
“Alright, alright, j–just st– Ngh~ stop!”
A knowing cough caused him to let you go and for the two of you to keep your hands to yourselves. You both stared at the ground, refusing to look up.
“Some of us are light sleepers,” Rochelle informed, her eyes still closed.
“S–sorry,” you murmured nervously.
“My bad, Ro. I– Shit… Sorry,” Nick added.
She didn’t respond with anything but “mhm”, and turned toward the corner more, intent on resting than much else.
You and Nick looked at each other, faces flushed, before you went back to staring out the window, purposefully ignoring the situation below his belt. You were better than that, at least.
It’d be hard for the two of you to focus until you finally had a release, but when it finally arrived…
Well, you’d finally make a mess of the wise guy who always had something to say.
Within the next forty-five minutes, the rest of your team woke up and prepared themselves, and you all finally set out on the next stretch of your adventure. Food trash littered the ground in a park that probably wasn’t cleaned much before the Infection came, and colorful stalls and tents caught your eye every few seconds. You imagined how fun it’d be to go on any of the rides, try the games that Nick swore up and down he had played people out of before, and try all the carnival food.
Amongst the bloodshed and near-life experiences with the likes of Hunters and Smokers, Coach and Ellis would reminisce or beg to stop for cotton candy. You enjoyed how human they all were despite the very dire circumstances. It helped you focus on what good could still come out of life, and what simple joys you might have to look forward to when the world eventually recovered… Which you were sure it would.
Eventually you all made it over some roofs via some convenient ladders and onto a platform that led to many giant, colorful slides. All five of you stood at the top, and you would not repeat earlier’s accident. Besides, you were sure if you touched Nick right now, you would jump his bones right where he stood. No, you would keep your hands to yourself… for now.
“Come on, y’all!” Ellis stepped up to the side. “Let’s go! When are we ever gonna have a whole amusement park to ourselves again?!”
“I agree!” You joined him, slinging your gun over your back. “Let’s live a little, you guys!”
“Oh, what the hell, sure!” Rochelle stood beside you, even if you had a hard time looking her in the eyes after earlier.
“It’s like bein’ a kid all over again,” Coach said wistfully.
You all looked at Nick expectantly, and after a few seconds of deliberation, he sighed and joined the rest of you.
“Why not? Might be the last slide I ever go down.”
You all sat and went down together, enjoying the moment, even if some people like Nick preferred to try and stay stoic. As you all got up and began to shoot at the zombies that waited for you at the bottom, Ellis cheered.
“Man, that was fun! We should do it again! Come on!”
“Focus on the zombies, boy,” Coach corrected, decapitating one with his axe.
“Aw, okay,” he pouted.
The five of you dashed toward the stairs as Nick quickly looked through the scope on his rifle and fired at a Smoker that stood on the roof of a nearby building. Within a few seconds, the Infected dissipated into a cloud of green smoke.
“Nice shot, Nick!” Rochelle congratulated.
Damn, he made it look so easy… Only made you want him that much more.
Your team climbed the metal stairs and traversed a raised walkway that existed for a purpose unknown to you, but it offered you a path onto the other side of the park. You all jumped down, only to nearly avoid landing in a pile of Spitter goo.
“Stay outta the Spitter shit!” Nick dived out of the way and raised his gun.
A shot rang out and the Spitter squealed in pain, dropping to the ground in a puddle of its own goo. You all looked to Nick, but his gun wasn’t smoking and his head was turned elsewhere. It wasn’t him…
Ellis wore a goofy, smug grin and rested his gun on his shoulder. “You ain’t the only one handy with a gun, Nick.”
“Yeah, right, show-off,” the suited man gruffed.
“You did good, Ellis.” Coach patted his back.
He then looked ahead to a gated area as you and Rochelle took out daft Infected that didn’t rush to attack you earlier.
“Looks like we gotta turn on the carousel,” Coach said.
“A fenced-in carousel? Is this where they took child prisoners on day trips?” Nick remarked sarcastically. As he further inspected it, he noticed a sign at the entrance and pointed to it. “You gotta be this tall to get in here, Ellis. Sorry, buddy. You’ll be missed.”
Ellis shot him a look, letting out a dry laugh. “You’re a real comedian, Nick.”
You only giggled. You enjoyed watching them mess with each other.
“Alright, people, when I turn this on, we gotta get to the other side and shut it off,” Coach explained. “Just keep movin’!”
You all put your game-faces on, readying your weapons. You and Nick both grappled your baseball bats, Ellis ripped the cord on his chainsaw and brought it to life, Coach held his axe tightly, and Rochelle reloaded her magnum pistol. It was go-time.
Coach activated the carousel and the gate opened mechanically, the ride beginning to turn to the sound of fair music. As you glanced at it in passing, you could only think of something else you’d much rather be riding… Wait! No time for that! Big horde of zombies to kill!
As you all made it out of the fencing, a stampede of zombies greeted you. You began to mow them down, one fucker at a time, slowly pushing toward the control panel. Ellis powered through with his chainsaw, making it past the picnic tables fast enough to shut off the ride.
The zombies still kept coming, though, surrounding you on all sides. You were breaking a serious sweat, but it wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle! You kept blindly swinging, hearing the sound of skulls cracking against your weapon, doing all you could to keep the zombies at a distance.
You eventually turned around, feeling a presence beside you and–
“Ow!”
“Dumbshit!”
You and Nick stood in front of each other, each rubbing a part of your body– him, his shoulder and you, your ribs. You had both been swept up in the heat of battle and mistaken the other for a zombie, attacking without discretion.
“Don’t get so close to me when I’m swingin’.” He huffed and adjusted his shoulder.
“Don’t get so close to me when I’m swinging!” you protested, clutching your bruised ribs.
“That was your last strike. Don’t expect me to be all nice now.”
You whined and began to limp forward as the others progressed ahead. “Shit…”
He stalled for a second before catching up to you, his eyes oddly concerned. “Did I really getcha that bad? You’re tougher than that, right?”
“You were swingin’ pretty damn hard…”
He let out a chuckle and shook his head, slipping his bat onto the holster on his back and scooping you up in his arms. You blushed and, despite your frustration with him, you found your need for him growing once more. He was so strong… You’d like to see what else he could do.
“Into the Tunnel of Love!” Rochelle ran forward, pointing to the red and blue opening of the infamous ride.
Once you all made it, Coach shut and barricaded the door behind you with the help of Ellis. Nick put you down and you all finally rested for good for the night, replenishing your ammunition, utilizing your first-aid as you needed it, and slumping against the walls.
“Alright, people, you did good out there. We’ll head out again in the morning, but for now, we rest,” Coach projected.
“Man, this room is so cozy. Got this carpet and perdy blue walls. I’ll sleep like a baby tonight,” Ellis claimed, laying out on the floor and putting his hat over his eyes.
Rochelle sat against the wall relatively close to him. “Gee, my bedroom was painted like this when I was a kid… Baby blue… I think my dad wanted a boy,” Rochelle remarked.
Ellis chuckled. “Man, you crack me up, Ro.” He turned over, looking up at her. “I ever tell you ‘bout that time me and my buddy Keith…”
You tuned Ellis out, but Rochelle happily listened with a sweet, sisterly smile on her tired face. Now that you all were settled for the night, she didn’t interrupt him and just listened, letting his rambling lull her to sleep. Eventually, the incessant stories tired Coach out in his attempt to escape the noise and he was out like a light. Ellis finally managed to tire himself out too, slowly mumbling until he was too exhausted to speak anymore and began to snore instead.
Then there were just two.
Once you were sure the others were asleep, you carefully approached Nick, who was leaning against a corner, arms crossed over his chest.
“Look, le–“
You cut him off, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him into a passionate kiss. From the moment you made contact, the two of you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other. It was time. You weren’t looking back anymore. It was now or never.
He slung a gun over his back, opened the Safe Room door, pushed you over the threshold, then reached in through the bars and locked it again. He grasped your hand and dragged you to what seemed to be an old storage closet off to the side, carefully avoiding the yellow luminescent gazes of Infected.
Once inside, the only thing that illuminated the small closet was a dim, buzzing overhead light. The closet was ransacked and relatively empty, but none of that mattered. You were more focused on one thing and one thing only.
He shoved you against the wall, hastily undressing you in between kisses. You did the same, unbuttoning his shirt to place your hands on his hairy chest and fiddling with his belt buckle. You moaned as he lifted one of your legs over his hip, pressing his waist into yours. You could feel how excited he was for this, and your body was beginning to make yours just as obvious. As he held your hips and grinded on you, you now had many more things to be thankful for due to this apocalypse– mostly being forced to meet Nick.
When you both deemed yourselves ready, he spun you around and laid you on the ground. His slicked back hair was a little more disheveled than usual, small pieces falling over his forehead due to your tousling. His bluish eyes scanned your face, soft, expectant pants escaping your lips.
“Not much to say now, huh?” he sneered, hands trailing across your body.
“I never thought I’d g–get this far…”
He smirked and leaned down. “So, come on, tell me… You got some kinda fantasy about criminals or somethin’? Why’re you so obsessed with me and my past, huh?”
You found yourself looking away, biting at the inside of your lip. “I–I think it’s kinda hot, I guess… Some scary guy who’s into me and only me, who’ll protect me, who’ll–“ You swallowed thickly when you felt him gently spread your legs.
“–fuck you like he means it? I intend to do just that, sweetheart. Just sit back and let Nick take care ‘a ya.”
You nodded and felt him align his hips with yours. You gripped at the carpeted floor and gritted your teeth when you felt him enter you. You knew it would hurt a bit, considering that you both were doing this the way nature intended, but that didn’t matter to you. Besides, a little bit of pain never scared you.
When you hissed, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to your temple, speaking to you softly. “You alright?”
“I–I am, I am. I’m ready.”
With your confirmation, the fun began, and it didn’t stop until the two of you were tired and out of breath, clinging to the other. You knew you had to go back to your teammates, but it was hard to shake the emotions overwhelming you after someone like him– someone you had been fantasizing about for so long –brought you to climax. And the way he smiled, as if he was so proud of himself…
Maybe he wasn’t so mysterious after all.
Maybe he was just a man that did what he had to do and still wanted to be close to someone despite that.
And maybe he was yours.