Nick/Rochelle One-Shots

Something to Live For

"Hey." Rochelle spoke softly, smiling at the boy sitting on the bed. He didn't look up at her, didn't respond. She sighed and made her way towards him, stopping just before the edge of the bed. Still nothing. "Nick..."

"What?" His eyes were red, puffy. Like he had been crying. No, she thought to herself. Nick never cries.

"What's wrong?" She crawled across the bed, noticing his position straighten as she sat beside him. He glanced over at her, then looked away.

"Nothing." A lie.

"You're a horrible liar, Nicholas, you know that?" Silence.

He took a deep breath. Through his white shirt, she was able to see his scars. Some earned from the abuse from his father, she was sure; others from the infected. She bit her lip and scooted closer to him. He flinched.

"S-Sorry."

"It's okay." He looked over at her, noticing her staring at his back. "They're ugly, huh?"

"What?" She played stupid.

"Don't play that with me, Ro." The girl looked down. "They're just more proof."

Proof?

"Of what?"

"That I'm a Carrier." He answered, a bit of anger in his tone. He shook his head, rubbed his forehead. "These people look at me like I'm sort of freak, like I don't belong."

"Nick..."

"Like I'm a monster. I'm just as bad as those things out there."

"Nicholas, stop."

"I just want someone to tell me I'm not..." He whispered, like he didn't want me to hear.

"You aren't." She spoke up, grabbing his hand. It caught him off guard. "You aren't any of those things, and you do belong. All of us, we're a team, remember?"

"You're immune. Ellis, Coach, you guys are immune."

"So what?"

"So I have no reason to live anymore, Rochelle!" He stood up, his voice quivering with anger.

But he was right, and she knew it. The only good Carrier is a dead Carrier, she remembered Whitaker saying. Those words haunted her every day since they found out Nick was one.

"That's-That's not true." She wanted to fight back, she did.

"What do I have to live for?" Nick asked, his voice cracking. She swore she could see a tear roll down his cheek.

"I..."

"Hmm?"

He had won.

He sat back down on the bed, throwing his head in his hands and mumbling. Rochelle couldn't make out what he was saying. So she just placed a hand on his back and began rubbing it in a circle.

"You're too hard on yourself." She told him, kissing his bruised shoulder. He didn't flinch at her touch, but Rochelle could feel his goosebumps. She wrapped her arms around him, her head resting up against his chest. She could feel it, hear it. His heartbeat was racing just as fast as hers. "You have to live, okay? You have to keep fighting."

"Why?" Nick raised his arm up so she could get more comfortable. He held her close, like he was begging for her to never let go.

"Because," She breathed. You love him, she told herself. You're in love with him. "Do it for me, please. We need you, and," She closed her eyes, like she was bracing for impact. "Nicholas, I need you."

That was all he needed to hear.

"Ro..." She looked up at him, biting her lip. He placed a hand on her cheek and pulled her closer, pressing his lips against hers in a frenzy. She breathed into the kiss, like she had been waiting for this moment the entire time. She pulled away, her once innocent face now full of lust.

"I need you, Nick." She whispered in his ear, kissing his lobe. "So badly."

Her voice pushed him over the edge. She laid back on the pillows, helping him take his shirt off. He smirked before giving her a quick peck on the lips, and then began placing kisses all over her neck. She giggled, making him smile in between his love bites.

He loved her laugh. Hell, he loved everything about her. And knowing she felt the same way... It was all he had ever wanted.

"Wait a minute, Nicholas." She said in a sultry tone. She flipped them over. "Now it's my turn."

"I like the way you think." He grinned, his hands running all over her chest and stomach area as she took her shirt off. When it was off, she tossed it to the side and began trying to unclip her bra. "Need some help there, babe?"

She laughed as his fingers fumbled to unclasp her bra, and when he finally did, she grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts.

For a moment, there was only silence. And she was scared of what he might have been thinking. But then he smiled at her, the biggest smile he'd ever let anyone see, and she felt comforted again. "You're so beautiful, Ro. You're so damn beautiful."

"Because I'm letting you feel my boobs?" She laughed, laying down beside him. He shook his head, propping an elbow up on the pillow so he could look at her as they talked.

"No, no. But they're beautiful, too." He chuckled, placing a small kiss on her shoulder. "You, though..." He covered her with the blanket. "You do give me something to live for." He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. She smiled, turning her body to face him.

"I-I love you, Nick." She whispered, pressing her lips against his again. She buried her head into his chest, feeling his heartbeat again.

She loved that sound. It let her know he was okay, that he was still fighting with her, for her.

And it was all she needed to hear.