Once they had kissed for the first time, it was like climbing over the top of a steep cliff. The wind whipped them cold the entire way there; it was a tremendous fight to get where they were, but once they were at the top - they could see the sun set in the distance; it's watercolor paints sweeping across the sky… Some might call that moment - with the two of them standing atop the mountain, finally, together - close to paradise.

Thomas kissed Alexander whenever he wanted now; on his cheeks, his hands, his forehead - but never his lips. You could imagine Alexander's frustration. But he didn't want to push; Thomas was clearly moving within his own comfort. He wasn't ready for full-on make outs every day. That was okay. He didn't want Thomas to be uncomfortable; he wanted Thomas to trust him.

Alex woke up the next morning to Thomas pressing a sweet kiss to his forehead.

"Good morning, darlin." Thomas said.

"You're happy." Alex observed tiredly. He stretched and smiled up at the other man, glancing at the grey clouds rolling over Thomas' shoulder. Alex sat up slowly, tipping his head back to kiss Thomas' chin.

Thomas grinned, a wide, joyous smile and responded, "Happy birthday."

Confused, Alexander looked down at the object being pushed into his hand. It was an apple. Alex felt his chest burst with excitement. An apple. A real ass apple. Holy shit!

Tears sprinkled in the corners of Alex's eyes; his hands were shaking as he gripped the apple tightly; pressing his fingers against it's skin, noting its imperfections. It wasn't the biggest apple he'd ever seen; some beautiful reddish-yellow. It was just food; but fruit, fresh fruit. Take that scurvy!

"Oh my God!" Alex cried; wet, surprised laughter bubbling out his mouth, "Where did you get this!?"

"About two miles that way." Thomas pointed down the road. "I found a few apple trees by an old barn. I got a whole bag of 'em." He held up a pillowcase filled with more apples. Alex beamed, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. In his excitement, the smaller man threw his arms around Thomas in a tight embrace. He pressed happy kisses to Thomas' neck, beyond thankful. Apples, apples, apples! He felt Thomas freeze up against him, so he forced himself to pull away. Give him space, Alex! Don't make him uncomfortable! This is why we take things slow!

Alex looked down at his apple, gleaming.

And then.

And then.

He took a moment to take in Thomas' prideful, but exhausted expression. He felt his heart sink lowly into his chest.

"Thomas…" He said slowly, his mind refusing to work through the problem. He didn't want to be right. "When did you get these?"

Thomas didn't answer immediately. He glanced away, licking his lips, "While you were sleeping."

"Thomas."

Shamefully, Thomas admitted, "In the middle of the night. But look, we were both hungry. God knows we needed food. I couldn't sleep," He avoided eye contact at that part, his expression darkening a fraction, "and now we're better off for it."

They had left that town the afternoon before. They travelled halfway through the night before stopping to rest. Alex had fallen asleep curled up next to Thomas, safe in his arms. He had no idea the other man had left.

His mind was racing; repeating the same words: two miles. Two miles. Both ways. Four miles. On foot. At night. Alone. With Apples.

"Thomasdoyouhaveanyideahowdangerousthatwas!?" Alex was almost seething with rage, his worry for the other man skyrocketed, even though he was perfectly and safe right in front of him. "What if you had gotten hurt!?"

Thomas took his hand, trying to soothe him, "It's okay. It felt like the right thing to do."

Alex shook his head, trying his best to not get angrier. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Thomas' grip on his hand tightened. When he spoke, it was slow and deliberate. He wanted to make sure Thomas understood every word. "Thank you for finding us food. I really really appreciate it. But … please don't do that ever, ever again."

Thomas looked like he wanted to butt in, but Alex wasn't done.

"What if you had gotten hurt, Thomas? I was asleep. I had no idea you were gone." Alex swallowed, his throat tight. His thumbs played with the apple stim nervously. "If something had happened…"

Understanding, fluttered across Thomas' face, quickly followed by guilt. "Hey, I'm sorry. Don't worry, I'll wake you up next time."
Somehow, Alex got the impression that 'Don't Wander Off At Night' is a discussion he's going to have to repeat. He wasn't sure if he would ever get Thomas to fully understand the problem. Thomas, Alex had learned, was a provider. He wanted to protect people, he wanted to care for them. And so long as he could provide for Alex, he was satisfied; no matter the personal cost. Protectors rarely change.

Alex would know.

"Go to sleep." He ordered the drained man, "You're dead on your feet."

"Am not." Thomas yawned.

"You've been up all night and you look like shit." Alex crossed his arms. Instead of scowling, Thomas laughed. It wasn't the reaction Alex was expecting, and it made his cheeks flush. You know, in surprise.

"Okay, okay." He leaned forward and planted a quick kiss to Alexander's cheek. Alex watched as he laid down in their makeshift bed. He could see every exhaustion line on Thomas' face. The man looked thin, which wasn't good. Alex was supposed to be the thin one. Thomas was the beefy sex god.

And he still was - but there was a sunkenness to his eyes; his cheekbones were too prominent, and his frame hung with the heaviness of too many missed meals. Alex climbed out of the wagon, despite Thomas (many, many) complaints. As soon as Thomas fully laid down, he was asleep, a soft snore escaping his lips. Alex sighed, unwillingly amused.

Alex climbed onto the horse, looking up at the early morning sky. He took a bite out of his apple. Juicy, sweet, and so so so satisfying.

Look, Alex moaned like a porn star. He's not afraid to admit it. It tasted fucking good, okay? It was fresh and juicy and homegrown. Alex enjoyed all of it.

The horse slowly ambled forward, and Alex forced some tenson to relax from his shoulders. He took a deep breath and took in the morning air. Frost painted the ground like a glaze; like a frozen bed sheet placed over a still-breathing corpse. As the clouds slowly slid away from the sun, Alex imagined the frost melting before his eyes; exposing the grounds underneath.

Its a good thing zombies don't attack in the morning. Alex thought to himself. He, admittedly, still didn't know much about zombie behaviors. Light is supposed to wake them up, and yet, it seems like they're never super active until noon.

Alex believed it; he had a teenage son once. They were close enough.

He had to stop that train of thought due to the flashes of a Zombie Philip running towards him; hungry and wanting an allowance.

Shortly after Thomas awoke, they could see something in the distance, down the dirt road they were travelling. The road was getting smaller and smaller as the earth's grip on each side tightened. Sitting right in the middle of the road; blocking the path, is an old, rusty truck. A campfire burned a few feet away from that, and two individuals were sitting next to it, in foldable lawn chairs. As they got closer; they could see a deer corpse laying on the ground near the back of the truck. It appeared they were cooking.

"That's … a sight." Alex said, blinking at the Confederate flag painted across the back of the truck.

"Ugh. Fucking southerners." Thomas muttered under his breath. Alex snorted and the two shared a grin. Thomas' expression then turned serious as he said, "Listen, let me do all the talking. I've met a million people just like them, and if they become hostile, I could talk them down."

Alex frowned, "What if they're racist or something?"

Thomas raised an eyebrow at him, his expression unimpressed, "I know how to deal with a racist, Hamilton."

"I just meant-" Alex started, but Thomas waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah. You got a white-passing ass." He lowered his voice, saying, "Please, just trust me."

Alex sighed, but agreed. "Always."

The horse stopped a safe distance away from the truck. Thomas climbed out the back of the wagon and walked closer to the campfire. There were two people there. One was an older man with a big, white mustache and a cowboy hat. The other was a woman with frizzy, blonde hair. She was chewing gum.

Alex wanted gum.

Where did she find gum?

"Howdy." Thomas nodded to them, his thumbs tucked into his pockets.

"Fellas." The man said, glancing between Thomas and Alexander suspiciously. He had a shotgun resting across his lap, and it made Alex nervous. "I almost didn't see ya, you blend in so well with the mud."

Thomas, for his credit, didn't react. Alex's fists tightened anxiously, wondering how quickly he could grab the gun from the wagon. They should've planned this better, Goddammit.

"My friend an' I would love to mosey on through with no bother; but ol' Buckeye can't go 'round y'all none." Thomas drawled, taking his damn-ass time getting to the end of his sentence; like he was strolling down the beach rather than making negotiations with strangers. And his voice- it was deeper, somehow, low and dipped in a sweetness that came from drinking peach tea in the sunshine.

Alex's toes tingled and he had to fight back a smile.

"Where're y'all from?" The woman asked, sitting up a little straighter.

"I was born and bred in Virginia, but I got family all over - Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, Missouri…" Thomas said. Then he leaned in, like he was telling a secret, and jerked his thumb at Alex. "He's'a damn Yankee."

The strangers chuckled, and Alex's shoulders relaxed. Thomas stepped closer, casually, and asked them, "And for yourself?"

"Louisiana." She smiled. "I'm Anne, this is my Papa."

The man offered his hand, "Rufus."

"Thomas." They shook hands.

"Come on over here, son, we don't bite." Rufus waved to Alex. Hesitantly, Alexander slid off the horse and loosely looped the reigns around a tree branch. He nodded politely to the two of them, coming to stand next to Thomas. He crossed his arms, but then didn't want to seem hostile, so he uncrossed them. Hands, hands, what do you do with your hands?

Wow. He has forgotten all sense of decent social interactions, huh?

"Wha's your name, son?" Rufus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Alexander."

Thomas then leaned against their truck, nodding at the campfire, "Any particular reason why this is where y'all set up camp?"
"Well, this is where the truck broke down," Rufus sighed, "Figured there ain't no where better than right here to get our ass eaten."

"There'a lotta crawlers around here?" Thomas asked.

"Nah, Papa means that damn Jackson." Anne said, spitting in the dirt.

Thomas' frown deepened, "Now hold on, who's that feller?"

Rufus scoffed, "That sonofabitch has this whole woods on lockdown."

"Mmm-hmm." Anne nodded, then she shook her head, "It's'a damn shame. He stalkin' round these parts with his lil' gang, grabbin' babies, takin' them from their mamas."

Thomas tensed up, his eyes widening half a fraction, "You're shitting me."

Alex noticed his accent had dropped in his surprise, but the father and daughter didn't, so they were still in the clear. Conflicted, Alex wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to take Thomas' hand, to comfort him, but he knew that wouldn't fly, given their company.

"Yup. God knows what he does to them." Rufus sighed, taking a swig of his beer.

The smell of the venison cooking on the fire made Alex's stomach growl. His hand reached up to clamp his tummy, his eyes on the meat. His face flushed when Rufus burst into laughter.

"Well, fuck, Yankee, you gonna fall apart on us?"

"Uh-" Alex fumbled.

Thomas smiled, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. His fingers were shaking. "You'll have to forgive my friend here. We figure we won't get our next meal til' the cows come home."

"Well, shoot," Anne said, already fixing them a plate. "Why didn't you say so?"
"Anne…" Rufus said warningly.

Anne handed Thomas a plate, winking, "You ignore my Papa, he has forgotten the word 'hospitality' in our troublin' times."

Thomas handed Alex the plate with one hand while taking Anne's with the other, "Thank you kindly, ma'am. You are as sweet as sugar."

"Oh, stop." She laughed as she served up another plate of venison.

Alex had never had deer before. He took a small nibble of it. Not bad. Chewy. Alex shoved as much as he could into his mouth, pleased that he wasn't a part of the conversation. He stomach was heavy with the warm, juicy meat filling it.

"God bless for this meal. Only He knows how hard this has been for us all." Thomas said before taking a bite.

"Amen." Alex heard himself say with the southerns. He supposed there certainly could be worse company.

They ate and chatted. Thomas did most of the talking out of the two of them, but Alex was fine with that. He watched as the other man was able to convince Rufus to trade two beers for two apples, and then they were living.

The beer was lukewarm, but that didn't matter. Alex drank it quick enough to have a happy buzz running through his veins. He sat back and watched the fire, his belly full and his body warm.

"So, this Jackson fella," Thomas said slowly, "what do we need'ta know about him?"

"Don't trust 'em as far as you can throw 'em." Rufus said, sitting up, "Listen now, I'm'a good, Christian man, but I'd rip that fool to pieces if I got me the chance."

Anne spoke up then, "There's a zoo of some sort a few miles that way. He turned it into some kinda war zone. Anyone who gets near gets slaughtered."

"Y'all best steer clear entirely." Rufus advised, "Just turn 'round right now."

"I can't do that, sir." Thomas said, "We gotta keep movin' north."

Rufus watched him for a long moment, before he said, "These is dangerous woods, boy. You best hold your gun close and your balls closer."

Thomas nodded seriously, "Yes, sir."

Alex glanced between the two of them, observant. Eventually, they stamped out the fire and moved far enough out of the way for the wagon to continue down the road. They said their 'goodbyes' and their 'good lucks', and started down their way.

"Hey," Alex whispered as Thomas was unlooping the horse's reins. "That was cool. I was expecting that to go way worse."

Thomas shrugged, but it was clear he wanted to smile. "Guess I just know how'ta charm a fella." He made deliberate eye contact, winked, and then left to climb atop the horse. Alex almost tripped from his fluttering heart.

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