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"She must be around here somewhere…" Ellis said in a sort of stage-whisper, trying to be heard without being heard.

"Ellis," Nick whispered back over the sound of the crying witch, "Why are we trying to look for her? Let's just keep going and find Coach and Rochelle and get the hell out of here."

"Well," the kid said in an almost thoughtful drawl, "I figure it's better to know where she is, ain't it? Then we don't run right inta her when we think we're in the clear."

Alright, so, Nick had to admit that that was pretty good reasoning. It would be just their lucky to keep walking, thinking she was tucked away in some building somewhere, only to turn the corner and run headlong and unaware into her sitting in the middle of an alley.

Still, he didn't really like this whole…poking around for the witch business. He almost could help thinking that it might actually be Ellis satisfying some hick need to poke something dangerous with a stick.

Alright, he knew that wasn't really fair to think, but the kid was the one telling the stories about his friend Keith and all the stupid stuff they did, so he was going to go ahead and say that it was a good judgment to make.

Ellis was pushing open the door to a small building – probably a supply building for maintenance or something.

"Ellis – careful." He said in that stage whisper that they were using, unsure if talking like that was actually going to help them with the witch anyhow.

Ellis gave a little smile back at him and a little tap of his hat, as if to reassure him.

God that kid had a pretty smile. He was going to admit that. He had those thick, pretty sort of lips. But he graceful kind of thick, not the blatant Hollywood kind that you saw a lot of women pumping in botox to get. No,  these were the sort that still held their curve and slid so naturally into that sweet smile of his.

Hey, just because they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse didn't mean he couldn't enjoy some eye candy.

Kid had a nice ass too. And damn he was nice and lean so far as the muscles went. He'd even caught the kid with his shirt off a while ago complaining that he needed some air when they got out of the car. Apparently taking his shirt off helped him get air.

Hey, Nick wasn't going to complain.

Really, he found himself kind of fond of the kid – he noted while watching said young man enter a building for the purpose of poking around for a witch. It was more than the fact that he had pretty lips and a hot body though – which was sort of surprising. Usually his interest in a person, especially someone like Ellis, ended just about there. It was sort of the barricading line that allowed him to enjoy a person without actually getting to invested in them – people could be bad investments.

But there was something about this hick that was…endearing. Heartwarming, almost. He was like a good Christmas movie about a puppy wrapped up in a blanket made of homemade cookies. Yeah, that was pretty damned warming.

It was the way he could still smile and joke and be excited over something despite what was going on all around him. He'd spotted one of his favorite comics on the floor when they'd been in that mall and had excitedly dropped down to grab it – pulling it open to read, a wide smile on those pretty lips and eyes sparkling like he had just found a treasure trove.

"I think she's in here…or here…" Ellis' words brought Nick out of his thoughts.

He narrowed his eyes, "Well then, we found her – let's get out of here."

"Nah," Ellis said with a shake of his head, "I think we should look – just to be sure."

Nick's eyes narrowed into a sort of 'you're not serious' glare. However, the kid apparently was serious as he grabbed a hold of the door handle of the first suspected room and pushed it open slowly. They both looked inside, turning gazes first this way – then that way.

No witch.

"Can we go now?" Nick pressed.

Ellis ticked that smile up at him, "Yer scared, huh Nick?"

"No." Nick said pointedly – somehow a little distressed that Ellis might think of him as a coward. Now, no one wanted to be thought of as a coward, but somehow it irked him all the more that Ellis might think of him that way.

"I'm just smart," he completed.

Ellis smiled playfully, "Yeah, yeah.." he gave a little laugh, turning to the other door.

"I'll just check this one, then we can go, alright?" The kid said in a placating and soothing tone, giving a warm and reassuring smile.

Ellis grabbed the door knob, turned. The door creaked as it opened. They looked inside.

No witch.

"Well hot damn." Ellis said, sounding perplexed, "It sounds like she's right here, but she ain't!" He looked up, as if expecting her to be on the ceiling, crawling around up there.

Damn, that was a terrifying image.

"Well," Nick said, "obviously she isn't – so let's go."

But Ellis was stepping into the room, seeming like he expected to find her camofloged against the wall or hiding under a box so that he could beam and say, 'awww – there you are! Silly witch!'.

Why was that a funny image? Ellis shaking his head and smiling while the witch gave comical little shrug.

Ah. Of course, it would probably happen with more screaming and clawing, but he could still enjoy the thought, right?

Of course, the crying was turning into growling.

And then Nick spotted it – the edge of claws standing out just behind the edge of the door. His heart felt like it had stopped in his chest.

"Ellis!" He shouted, "Behind the door!"

The young man whipped around – eyes wide as he saw the witch, just out of normal view. She had been in the corner right behind the door – blocked from sight when it had been opened.

Ellis just stared – didn't move. Or maybe Nick was just in a real rush – he wasn't sure. Either way, he wasn't just going to wait.

"Ellis!" He shouted the young man's name again, taking a couple of quick steps in and reaching out, grabbing the young man's arm and pulling hard, practically dragging him out of the room as he started to run. The witch screeched behind them as his hand slid down to hold onto Ellis' hand. He didn't dare look back, just kept running.

He sped up some stairs, assured of Ellis' presence behind him by the feel of the young man's hand and the sound of his footsteps on the same metal stairs. He hurried down a small little alley, turned another corner – really, he wasn't entirely sure as to where he was going, but he didn't really care at this point – just needed to lose the witch.

But while they had gained some distance on her, he knew they hadn't lost her. She was dead set on clawing her way through the young man whose lips and ass he had just been busy admiring.

He spotted a door up ahead and stopped as soon as they reached it. He yanked the door open and practically threw the younger man inside. "Stay in there! Don't come out, no matter what!" He ordered, slamming the door shut again before Ellis could protest – and there had certainly been a protest in those eyes and starting on those lips.

Nick pulled out his magnum, pointed it for where the witch would be rounding the corner. Ellis was shouting inside, hitting the door – insisting that Nick hide too or that he should let him out so he could help.

Nick didn't budge though – just watched that spot with careful eyes.

And at the first glimmer of her, at the first proper shot – he fired. He heard her screech and he fired again and again. He could see the blood, but she kept moving. He reached down and grabbed the axe that Ellis had dropped when he had been shoved into the room, abandoning his magnum. He had a couple of seconds to draw it up – and when he brought it back down a thick sort of 'thump' sounded from the contact of the axe's blade into the Witch. Into her head, actually – he'd gotten her in the head.

And with a final, gurgled sort of scream – she fell to the ground. She twitched, and then went still.

"Nick!" Ellis' voice sounded from the room, a very real panic to it.

"Nick!" He called again, "Nick are you okay! Ah, come on buddy! Nick!"

The suited man couldn't help a little smile. Hell, it was kind of nice to have someone worry that much over him. Still, making the kid worry further just wouldn't be fair.

"I'm fine, Ellis!" he called, standing up straight – not having realized that he had bent over, hands on his thighs, as though needing to catch his breath – and opened the door, letting it swing open to reveal Ellis standing there. The younger man's eyes were wide and filled with concern and fright, his chest heaving as though he had still been running instead of waiting in the room. Maybe it was pounding on the door like that – or panic.

"What the hell!" Ellis shouted, "I coulda helped you! She coulda torn you right to pieces!"

Nick shrugged, "She was after you."

Ellis' eyes narrowed, "Well yeah, at first! But she woulda turned right on you if she'd gotten the chance and you know it!"

Nick shrugged again.

"You coulda gotten hurt! You shoulda just let me help you!" Ellis continued to insist. Before he could say anything else though, Nick cut him off.

"Ellis! I just saved your hick ass after you got the genius idea to poke around for one of the most dangerous things out here! This isn't back home, Ellis! You can't just grab a stick and go stabbing around in the murky water to see what you find, alright? I don't know when you're going to get it through your thick skull that this isn't a place to be happy in! You can't just go smiling and joking all the fucking time! Alright? It's the god damned end of the fucking world, Ellis! Figure it out already!"

Nick hadn't really meant for all of that to come tumbling out, but it had. It had just rolled off of his tongue as if he had been rehearsing it for months.

And it did shut Ellis up. Those pretty lips were sealed, the eyes lightly downcast. He looked like a hurt puppy – like one who had been trying to cuddle only to have you shove it away.

And he felt terrible.

"Ellis…" he said softly, "Ellis, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Ellis offered him a little smile, put up his hand to signal for him to stop, "Nah, Nick…Yer right…" he said, giving a light little tug on the bill of his hat.

"I…I know I mess up a lot…" He continued, eyes unable to decide whether to look at the corner or at the floor, but unable to make contact with the older man's. "I mean…I…I got us that car, and then it stopped doin' us any good right in the worst a' places…And when we was fillin' it I dropped that gas tank and you had to get that hunter offa me, and I keep annoyin' everyone and…And I'm sorry, Nick…" he said, his voice becoming a little bit strained. Nick could just hear the beginnings of tears on it and it broke his heart to hear that.

"I'm real sorry…I should just…just shut up an' listen to you, I know I should…And…And I know I don't give any reason for a guy like you te like me – you probably hate me. Some…some hick who doesn't seem to know what the hell he's doin' and who…who stops to read a comic or…or gets excited when he sees the cotton candy machine…I just…I just really hope that you don't hate me…You know? I just… 'Cause I like you Nick, and I-"

Again, Nick cut him off – but in a very different way.

Before Nick even seemed to know what he was doing himself, he moved forward and placed a hand on the back of Ellis' head – his fingers slipping into what hair was free from the hat that the kid always wore. And he was leaning in – his lips pressed to those beautiful and full and curved lips that were just a portion of the work of art that this kid was. If he had been from the city, Nick was sure the kid would have been snatched up for modeling. But he wasn't sure if Ellis even knew how good looking he was – the kid was just content to have his comic books and his cotton candy and his cars. And he was such a good kid, such a sweet kid.

And his lips were soft and felt so wonderful.

And it was a moment or two before Nick realized that he really probably shouldn't have randomly kissed him.

He broke the kiss, regretfully leaving the warm and velvet feel of the other's sweet lips.

They just stared at each other, the silence weighing heavily on Nick's shoulders.

"Ellis-" Nick started, thinking to offer an apology.

He was shocked by the sight of the wide smile that leapt up onto Ellis' lips, "Well, well!" The Southerner said, practically beaming -  placing one hand atop his hat – adjusting it briefly, "You haven't even bought me dinner yet, you city sonuva bitch. Don't know how to treat a fella proper where you're from?" the younger man said playfully, that beaming, lopsided grin still on his face.

Nick was shocked. He had expected…well, he wasn't sure what he had expected – but certainly not that!

He was even more shocked as Ellis closed the gap between them again, taking a step closer and raising his lips to reinstate the kiss that had been broken. Nick let his eyes slide softly shut, sliding an arm around Ellis' waist slowly. Ellis pressed gently into the embrace, Nick felt the other man's hand sliding softly down his arm.

Nick smiled into the kiss, let his hand slid down a little further – pushing passed the top of Ellis' pants to slide underneath the cloth and feel the bare skin of that beautiful body the kid's clothing hid.

And then the kiss broke. Ellis slid away, a playful grin on his lips, "Ah hey now,"  he said, grinning and wagging a finger at him playfully, "You don't get no second base until I get my dinner."

A smile broke onto Nick's lips and he chuckled. "Well, I don't know if I can do dinner, but we could always visit that cotton candy stand – and I'm pretty sure I saw a snack and candy stand on our way in here – just a little while back."

That smile on Ellis' lips blossomed and an excited twinkle came to his eyes, "Well hot damn!" He said brightly, "Let's go get us some candy!" Ellis grabbed hold of his hand and he smiled, enjoying the feel of it there. The kid pulled him towards the door and back the way they came, determined now, it seemed, to find that snack stand.

"Think they have Mars bars?" the kid asked excitedly. "Or Snickers?"

Nick smiled and a deep chuckle slipped from him, "Yeah, I'm sure they do, Ellis."

The warmth in the kid's tone, the smile on his lips, the feel of that hand in his – he couldn't believe how good it felt. He could hardly comprehend how very right it seemed to be there with the younger man - to have him there. And he could look forward to nights of holding the other warm form to him and running his fingers through that hair – and seeing that smile. That sweet and beautiful smile.

Hey, if the world had to come crashing down around him – at least he wasn't alone…Really, he thought, maybe with Ellis around – this would be the least lonely he had ever been.