Here's a wee collection of mostly Nellis drabbles I'm doing. Takes place throughout and after the campaigns. Some might be along the more dark theme, some serious, some silly, some romantic, some of Nick just being an asshole. It's a wide spectrum of whatever happens to come to mind. Rated M for language, violence, and possible male/male. Also, in every drabble, Nick says "Goddamn it, Ellis" at least once.

Time frame: During L4D2 campaign

Rating: M for language

Relationships established: None yet (Nellis later)

Description: Nick's hot and in a shitty mood.

"It's so damn hot!" Nick complained, propping his ax against the side of a building to push the sleeves up on his shirt and jacket.

This was not the way to be dressed in such a sticky climate. His upper body was one big sweat stain and his clothes clung uncomfortably. He did the best he could, unfastening a few buttons and trying to roll up his sleeves. Short of taking his jacket off and leaving it behind, this was as cooled off as he could get.

Everyone was feeling the heat. Rochelle was looking a little green, practically dripping sweat, and Coach kept using the front of his shirt to mop sweat out of his eyes. Ellis wasn't making any complaints, but the entire back of his shirt was damp and discolored, clinging to his spine, making strong shoulder blades strain at the bloodstained fabric.

"We need to get to a safe house, kids. Old Coach is about to have a stroke." Coach groaned loudly.

"Its so hot the infected aren't even making an effort." Rochelle noted. It was true. She took out several infected with no effort and almost no specials showed up. The sweltering son was driving everyone to their breaking point.

"Coach, you smell like ribs…I kinda like it." Ellis muttered, leaning in to sniff his companion.

"Gimme some space, kid." Coach poked the younger man away with the butt of his gun.

"The South, the fucking south!" Nick was still complaining, "Go to Georgia, they said. Good gambling, they said. Perfect weather! Loose, good-lookin' women."

"Hey, shut up." Rochelle snapped.

"Sweetheart, I'm a man. I have needs. And when I don't have those needs satisfied, I bitch. If I don't bitch, I beat the shit outta something. My bets are on this guy." Nick jerked his thumb in Ellis' direction.

"Shit, you couldn't take me without a weapon, and ya know it." Ellis laughed. "You're too damn old."

"Settle down, son. I'm older than Nick, and I could hand you your ass." Coach retorted.

"You aint old, Coach. Just Nick. Nick's old cause he acts old…and dresses like a banker lady."

"Goddamn it, Ellis! This is a man's suit, costs more than your life." Nick bitched, stepping toward the youngest member of the group.

"Oh yeah? More than $500?" Ellis smirked, putting his face closer to Nick's, causing him to step back.

"$500, shit my socks cost $500. $500 isn't shit." Nick gave the younger man a playful shove. It didn't look playful, but it was. As a man that was naturally a dick, Nick's playfulness with Ellis tended to be a bit rough.

"You spent $500 on your lady socks?" Ellis found this more and more entertaining by the moment. He stepped ahead a few paces, checking some loose apartment doors.

"No. I was baiting you. You're a special breed of moron, you know that? Who the fuck-Ellis, pay attention-" Nick snapped his fingers to get the younger man's focus back on him instead if testing the door to a possible safe house, "Who the fuck pays $500 for a pair of socks? No one even sees a pair of socks. Whoa- wait up. You said your life costs $500?"

"Well, yeah. That's what it cost to bring me into this world."

"What cheap ass hospital did your parents go to? A shack, with some woman named Aileen performing procedures with hay hooks and some bandaids on her fingers?" Nick shook his head in disbelief.

Coach chuckled.

"Hospital? I wasn't born at a hospital." Ellis said this as if it was not a big deal at all. His voice wasn't excited like it got when he told Keith stories. "My mom was on the way to the hospital when she had to pull over and have me in the same back seat I was conceived in. See, there was a bunch of blood and baby goo all over the seats after I came out, so my dad had to pay to re-upholster the car. Total was $500."

"So, after a slimy little baby ruined your mom's cooter, they didn't think to go to the hospital anyway? Ya know, to check on their kid?"

"No. As far as I know, they just went home."

"Goddamn it, Ellis. Get outta my face and into the damn safe house! I swear to god, your mom left out the part in the story where she had to unravel the umbilical cord from around your damn neck." Nick was trying to sound angry and annoyed, but a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he pushed the younger man through the doorway, stepping aside for Coach and Rochelle before stepping inside himself and closing the door.