Disclaimer: I don't own AMC's The Walking Dead or any of its characters. Though if they gave it to me I certainly wouldn't say no.

Warnings: See original chapter for a complete list of warnings. This particular chapter will contain significant adult language, violence, sexual situations, and unrestrained man kisses. (As well as perhaps a tiny, tiny spoiler from the Season two teaser reel we got awhile back. In fact it is so small, and possibly not even accurate in the first place that the first person to notice it gets a Daryl and Glenn shaped cookie!)

Authors Note#1: Please read and review. I am open to comments, advice, and constructive criticism. The encouragement and constructive criticism your reviews provide makes the writing process that much more enjoyable!

Rotation – Chapter 16

It wasn't until later that evening that the opportunity came again. He spent the time after Glenn had wandered off by mostly keeping to himself. Chopping far more fire wood then they could rightly use as he grudgingly worked himself through the entirety of the past three months.

Dangerous stuff that, to have a Dixon thinkin'.

It didn't take him long to work himself up into a good old fashioned sweat, taking out all his anger and frustration on the rough, South Georgian pine. And in doing so he swiftly came to the conclusion that the possibilities he was likely to face were both as tremulous and tremendous as the ever threatening skyline. Momma Nature was right pissed about something that was for damn sure. It was just a matter of time before she let them all know about it.

He was stretched out across the front seat of his truck, one arm tucked underneath his head as he paged through an old engine manual he had left over from his days at the Gas' n' Go' garage. Cursing viciously just under his breath as he picked his brain, thinking about ways to squeeze just a little bit more juice out of his empty fuel lines, unwilling to face the growing reality that his old girl might not make it past the next county.

And like the growing fester of an unresolved slight, the injustice of the matter burned him down to the core. He didn't give two shits about fairness or fate. He'd had his truck all his adult life. And she'd always seen fit to treat him right so long as he did the same. It had been a partnership that had taken him through the most iconic periods of his waking life. And he'd be damned if he'd just leave her behind, abandoned on some lonely highway shoulder to rust.

He threw the manual across the passenger seat, scrubbing his hands across his eyes as he glared out the bug smeared bug shield. Son of a bitch! He'd be lucky if he could get the old girl to even start the next time they broke camp. Her fuel lines had been stalking empty for a good twenty miles before they'd stopped the last time.

"Any luck?" Glenn offered his voice amicable and open as it floated through the truck's open passenger window.

"Not unless you have a few dozen gallons of gasoline set aside somewhere." He replied carefully, holding back the breadth of his frustration as he eyed the flat lined gas gauge somewhat despairingly.

"Oh hey, that reminds me." The kid exclaimed clearly seizing the moment as his smile finally went back to touching his eyes as he grinned. All initial awkwardness apparently forgotten as the younger man clambered into the passenger seat and made himself comfortable.

"I actually have something for you. And while it isn't gas, it could be considered a sort of fuel." The kid chattered, finishing up his sentence as he rooted through the limp backpack he had taken to carrying around nearly everywhere these days. He had already chosen not to bring up the fact that he recognized it right off the bat, the Canadian flag being a bit of a dead give away. And while he didn't quite understand the reasoning behind the action, he realized it wasn't any of his god damn business anyway. If the kid wanted to dwell, moping around with the memories of lives that he certainly couldn't change then who was he to judge?

However, that line of thought was promptly blown out of the water when the kid finally unveiled his prize. His mind trailed off into a series of incredulous exclamations, with expletives slowly over taking the majority of the unspoken words as he wondered just how hard it had been to keep such unabashed treasures from discovery. Especially with curious little ones around…

"Where the hell did you find these?" He asked, blatant surprise evident in his voice as his eyebrows arched in disbelief. Eyes stuck on the bright, cheerfully coloured Coca Cola logo that stood out almost reldiciously stark when put into contrast with the kid's bruised, dirt streaked hand.

"Been saving them for a special occasion." The younger man replied, offering one of the precious little can's towards him as he pulled out a can for himself. A small smile twitching across the length of the man's red bitten lips as he gazed at him expectantly. He wasn't even sure how to react at first, struck dumb by the pure enormity of the gesture. Taking the beverage on pure impulse alone as he stared, looking down at that luke warm can like he had never seen the like of one before.

He realized that to anyone else it might not seem like much. Especially if this whole moment had occurred before the whole world had gone to shit. But since it had, and he hadn't even had a sniff of the stuff in over three months the mere existence of the stupid things was almost more then he could fully comprehend. It was the principal of the thing really. It was something from before. Something they had all had from before.

Strange how it is always the little thingsyou end up taking for granted.

"What's it for." He questioned, eying the kid with open suspicion as he held the can loosely by its rim. His grip almost painstaking careful as he adjusted his hold, acting as though the drink might be partly combustible as his thumb and forefinger brushed along the rim. Unsure of where the kid was actually going with this.

"Do I need a reason?" The kid replied, the words themselves so quick and seamless that they screamed of being rehearsed.

"Some people would." He countered. Brain finally making a rebound as his tone took on a decidedly unapologetic edge.

"Some people would." Glenn returned, nodding once as he paused. Shifting in place and clearly collecting his thoughts as he moved into a more comfortable sprawl across the passenger seat bench. His sneaker clad feet stretching down across the crusty old mud mat before he turned back and met his gaze. "But I wouldn't."

The kid probably had a point there.

"Cheers." The younger man offered, cracking his can open with a single, well accustomed flick of his wrist, holding his drink aloft in a careless salute before taking a healthy sip, acting as if the matter was all but settled. And perhaps it was after all, because he found that he couldn't help but do the same.

He nearly choked the moment the liquid hit his tongue. The peppery fluid spreading over his taste buds with a mercilessness that was akin an electric shock. Christ, he'd almost forgotten! How could he have forgotten something like that? It was shit like this that made him realize just what this whole mess was actually taking from them. It was changing who they were and what they were, moulding them into something different. Setting them back...or maybe it was even forward. He sure as hell couldn't tell anymore.

Unconsciously mimicking the other man, he held the liquid on his tongue, swishing it around his mouth like a wine taster with a temperamental palate. He twirled the can around and around in his grip, enjoying the lingering coolness as his eyes took in the brightly lit colors and the small meaningless words that made up the nutritional guide on the can's rear end, reading through the multi syllable list more then once purely for the hell of it. And grinning softly at himself as he recognized his foolishness.

This time when he made to look back, he was unsurprised to see the younger man staring right back. And for a moment they shared that silence. Slurping up the gassy sugar and catching the escaping drops with their tongues like it was the best thing they had ever tasted. ..It was something to remember this moment. Something to cherish and keep close for the times that spiralled out ahead of them both. For the times when there was nothing left but the blood and the pain, and the barren desolation of true loniless...

His palm curled tight around the perspiration beaded tin, his large, callous hardened hand all but dwarfing the can as he held it close. He gave himself another long moment before he took another sip. Feeling the bubbles rise, carbonating and fizzing against his teeth as his fingers suddenly wobbled. The muscles in his cheeks pulling tight and his good mood flat lining as the kid began to run off at the mouth again.

"Besides, you've saved my life more times then I can count since I have met you. So I figured that that deserves a little something." Glenn continued with a grin, flicking off each instance on his fingers as he spoke. The action caused the little hairs on the back of his neck to rise as frustration came rushing back. Did the kid really think he was that god damn selfless? That was a lie. No one was. Not back then and certainly not now.

"I've saved your ass twice kid. Don't go making it anymore more then what it already is." He grunted, wiping inexplicably sweaty hands across his dirty jeans. And trying his best to ignore the clammy sweat that had prickled to life across his skin.. He didn't want to go there. Not now, and probably not ever.

His third sip was far more sedate, the motion itself coming across as calm and remarkably measured. But it was all forced. A fake. A lie. Because this time he took a choking slug from the can just like he'd did back in the days where he could nurse a twelve pack of Molson and a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue through an entire weekend. Relishing the acidic, carbonated burn like it was a lungful of nicotine. Holding his breath around that sweet smoke until the exhale turned explosive, and his lungs busted outwards, the exhale sudden and stark, like the promise of violence.

"Whatever man, I was there. Not like you can talk you way out of something like that. I saw you when you-." The kid began, getting cut off short as his mind screamed foul, speaking over the kid as he made to continue.

"Shut it kid." He growled, his voice turning as harsh as the liquid that was now burning past down the length of his throat like an ulcer. The kid went from zero to bitch face in ten seconds flat.

"I thought we'd covered this already. I am not a kid!" Glenn threw back. Frown lines deepening across the span of the man's face as his body closed off. Anger turning the younger man into a sharp edged tangle of infuriated angles and diamond lined steel. ..He didn't like it. But for the life of him he couldn't stop himself from making it worse... He was just that much of an asshole..

"Fine then.." He retorted, pausing for effect before continuing. "Shut up…Glenn." He sassed. Laying the sarcasm on so thick he nearly choked as the words flew off his tongue. The glower he got back in return was withering. Damn...If looks could kill…

And true to form he glared right back, gracing the kid with a glacial scowl that would have made Merle himself proud. But the problem was that they both seemed stuck in that moment. Unable to shake the growingly troublesome feeling that they were both acting like a bunch of fucking preschoolers, caught fast between action and inaction, with both of them unsure as how to break it. What they needed was a catalyst. Something to break them out of this fucked up holding pattern they had somehow gotten trapped in. Something to flip the odds, change the percentages and wipe the whole slate clean.

He wanted a chance to say all the things he'd been meaning to. Come hell or high water, regardless of what it would probably cost him…He just couldn't take this anymore! He had to-…

And as if on cue, like the Gods themselves were somehow listening, a catalyst they got. Ironically it was arguably the oldest trick in the book, except this time it was entirely accidental. In fact, if it had happened any other time he probably would have been caught between running off to buy a lottery ticket, and seriously entertaining the idea of ducking for cover when fate finally realized her err.

Because it was right around then that Mother Nature finally lived up to the promise she had been threatening all day. Startling the shit out of the lot of them, when with a thunderous crack, the heavens split wide open. He hadn't been paying attention, too distracted by the kid and his own stupid problems to realize that the sky above them had whipped itself into knots, the clouds turning dark and mean as they chased each other across the sky. Catching the high flying birds in spiraling eddies, as they too made for shelter.

Shit! The truck bed!

He hurled himself out of the cab, Glenn hot on his heels as they chased after the fluttering tarp, struggling against the growing wind and rain as they fastened it down, covering the supplies in the back as they attached the ropes and tie downs underneath of the body of the truck. Fingers growing dark with automotive rust and muck as the pelting rain frothed up the ground below, splattering mud across both pant legs and arms as they yelled instructions through the deafening rumble.

All around them the others zipped around camp doing the exact same, rescuing clothing off the lines, covering the fire wood and exposed supplies as best they could before hightailing it back to the safety of the RV or their respective tents. Slipping and sliding on the wet grass and churning mud as the rain pelted down, showing no sign of doing anything else but increasing in ferocity.

Shit. They were in for it alright. This wasn't just any old mid-summer storm.. This one meant business.

By the time they finished covering up the supplies they were soaked through. There was no two ways to get around it. They were fucking wet. Their clothes all the way through to their johns clung to their sodden skin. The fabric plastered across the full length of them, turning his loose, sleeveless shirt into a paper thin, spandex like-fit, that sunk into every curve, molding into him like a second skin. And the kid wasn't much better, spitting out mouthfuls of water as they ran back to the truck. Their sodden hair plastered across their scalps, and blurring their vision as they fumbled with the door handles, slamming their doors closed in near unison, panting and cursing as their wet clothing squished and dripped. Sinking into the upholstery and down across the floor mats as they collapsed across the front seat.

Christ it was nasty out there..

After a long moment spent mostly sprawled out, head propped up against the steering wheel, he simply stared out at the downpour, watching the rain as it beat against the windshield in an unrestrained tantrum of wind, rain, and what looked suspiciously similar to small pieces of hail. He took a series of deep breathes, concentrating on getting his breath back as the man beside him did the same, combing his fingers through his messy black hair as the kid abandoned his baseball cap completely, tossing it on the floor on top of the backpack at his feet.

He shook his head roughly, twisting a finger in his ear in an attempt to rid himself of the irritating sloosh-sloosh that was indicative an ear full of water. He hated being wet. He hated the feeling of wet clothes pressing against his skin; he hated everything about it right down to the disgustingly slick sound the fabric made when it was forced to bend. He twisted awkwardly, face screwed up in oblivious displeasure as his shirt sucked tight against his skin. Like a handful of pea pods stuck in a pressure cooker.

'Fuckit..' He finally decided. Pulling himself up as he reached for the edges of the hem, seeing no sense in being both wet and miserable while they waited out the storm. As he certainly had no great, pressing desire to make a run for his tent anytime soon. Not in this weather at any rate. Dry clothing be damned.

…The weight of the kid's stare was almost tangible. And he held back a shiver when he felt the man's eyes stutter. He blinked. Half tempted to wave a hand in front of the kids face for a reaction. For any reaction…

But still he grunted in discomfort. Exhaling softly as he struggled to rid himself of the rain soaked fabric, eventually shucking it off with both hands as he lost patience entirely. All too eager to be rid of the unpleasant sensation as his fingers inadvertently raked across the length of his sides, slipping from the hem to score viciously across his rain slicked skin. He hissed at the sudden burn. The inadvertent action leaving long, wavering red furrows across his skin. The half crescents blossoming outwards with a sensual, reddish hewn glow that slowly faded back into the encompassing flush that was rapidly stealing across the length of him.

And that was the exact same moment when the kid's eyes went hooded.

"What? He finally exploded. "I got somethin' on my face or what?" He barked. Unable to bear the tension any longer as he turned and met the man's gaze, reacting instinctively and with growing discomposure when the kid refused to look away.

But Glenn only shifted in his seat, mouth opening and closing as if struggling to find the right words before apparently giving up completely. Shuffling his limbs almost restlessly against the passenger door as his fingers played against the surface of the small, rain slicked handle. Almost as if the kid was considering escape even as the tiny sliver of a tongue ran boldly across the length of his lower lip. Lingering in a way that just had to be deliberate.

He eased back almost imperceptibly in his seat, trying to hide the growingly problematic bulge that seemed bound and determined to-… Wait… Wait just one god damned minute… The kid was turned on!

Oh he was onto the little asshole now…

He'd sensed it before of course. He wasn't stupid. But to finally see the affirmation… To actually know that the kid wanted him just as much as he did, no ifs ands or buts about it, was a mighty powerful thing. He supposed that it all came down to the fact that seeing and knowing were two very different things.

Well shit.

Forcing himself to focus, he sucked in a shaky breath. He could practically taste the tension. The air was thick with it. Anticipation, uncertainty, excitement, and that particular brand of unbridled need that refused to do anything else but grow. Spreading like tendrils of uncertain warmth, and rising up from that place in his chest he sometimes forgot he actually had. And he just couldn't..… Not anymore..

But in the end that was all it took. Because even as it felt as though his chest was somehow imploding, unable to take the pressure and tension even one second longer. He had already launched himself across the distance. Hooking the kid around the neck and crashing his lips against his in a sweet, aggressive tangle of spit slicked lips and eager skin…

A/N#1: *fidgets*-*Is nervous for this chapter* Please let me know what you think? Reviews and constructive critiquing are love! (I like to respond to all my reviews so if you reviewed anonymously or I somehow missed you, I love you all, just saying.)

A/N#2: Okay so I lied. TWO more chapters and I plan on wrapping this story up! This chapter was getting epically long and I needed to break it of somewhere. Ahem…so yeah..I will just leave this here then…

"A hidden connection is stronger than an obvious one." -Heraclitus of Ephesus