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Wade has a plan.

He came up with it sometime between being stuck in that closet and sitting in the wheat field. It’s not well thought out, maybe not even smart, but it’s all he’s got at the moment.

He’s going to see just how far he’s able to go before Kara lets him know he’s about to cross a line.

Even thinking about it now has him jittery. He could ruin everything they worked so hard to build. That’s why he’s careful to only take the smallest of steps. Nothing overt yet, nothing that he can’t claim was completely innocent.

Holding her hand while she’s behind him on the bike was one of the first gestures. She likes curling around him, pushing right up against his back and laying her palms on his chest. It’s simple to reach up and hold her there. She hasn’t pulled away once.

Lifting his arm for her to tuck under when she’s cold is another effort that seems acceptable. She even did that nose crinkle he loves so much the last time and damn if it isn’t the best feeling to have her nestled right into his side, where she belongs.

The hip tap near the bike was intentional, and he agonized over it. He’s never purposely touched her there, but he forced himself to give her the lightest tap on one of those beautiful hips that he longs to touch for real. Her reaction, or non-reaction , has given him a mental boost.

She did tell him already that he could touch her however and wherever he wanted. He’s been far more careful about that, though, after realizing that he wants to touch her for reasons that don’t include his recovery.

He used to be so fucking good at this sort of thing.

Now, he wonders if he’ll ever truly feel like himself again, or if he’s destined to be some sort of hybrid model.

All he knows for sure is that his courting skills are more than rusty, but Operation Woo Kara has officially begun, and she hasn’t shut him down yet.

In fact, she held his hand while they looked at the stars for nearly half an hour.

That’s got to mean something . Makes him hopeful that all these little moments could add up until semi-intimate contact between them feels normal.

Maybe one day it’ll convert into something more, and if it doesn’t, if this is all he ever gets, then he’ll still be lucky.

They’re on the bike again now, looking for a place to rest the night while he ponders his next move.

He should try some sort of emotional gesture this time instead of a touch, that usually works in the movies.

He’s so caught up in his own thoughts that he doesn’t notice the horse and carriage until it’s too late.

With only the slim beam of his headlight assisted by the glow of the moon, he ends up passing it faster than he otherwise would have, spooking the horse enough to bolt and break his harness, dragging half the contraption behind him.

Wade’s not ready to meet other people again, but he fucked up this time and leaving whoever is back there stranded is an asshole move.

“We gotta try and help,” he sighs, bringing the bike to a stop.

Kara nods as they dismount with their weapons drawn, but lowered. “I’ll keep an eye on them while you grab the horse?”

It’s a solid plan considering the poor animal is aiming right for them. The man from the wagon stopped his chase a ways back, unwilling to risk coming close, and Wade can’t blame him for being cautious.

The panicked horse flies right by, nearly nailing them both with part of the wagon he’s pulling along, only to tangle the reins around a decrepit light pole and almost break his own neck.

The leather snaps free like bailing twine.

Once he’s no longer being attacked by the broken, dragging wood, he’s far easier to catch.

“Be careful,” Kara whispers, before aiming her gun at the man who’s gotten closer, telling him not to move.

“Please don’t hurt him.” A woman says, with a southern accent that sounds far removed from this part of the country. “We just want our horse back. Don’t want any trouble. We’ll be on our way.”

“Not gonna hurt anyone,” Wade edges closer to the wild-eyed horse before taking hold of the bridle. “We don’t want trouble, either. Didn’t see you until it was too late. I’ll walk him back to you real slow. It’s in your best interest not to try anything. She’s a good shot.”

He tilts his head toward Kara before getting a nod of agreement in return.

What he doesn’t expect when he gets closer is a pregnant woman in the broken wagon, clutching her belly like she’s in an alien movie and something’s about to pop right out. He assumes the guy taking this horse with a curt nod is her husband.

“Fuck,” Wade whispers under his breath after getting back to the bike, watching the others attempt to figure out how to get where they’re going. “Wife’s pregnant. The whole wagon is screwed. We can’t just leave ‘em out here like this.”

“Well, there’s no room on the bike for all of us,” Kara replies.

“Hey,” Wade calls out. “How far do you have left to go?”

“Couple miles.” The man yells back. “It’ll be fine. We’re good. Thank you.”

“Can you ride the horse back together?”

“Not unless we wanna eat this asphalt. He’s not broke to ride. But we can walk. It’s no trouble.”

They clearly still assume they’re about to get robbed or worse, but Wade can’t give up so easily. When he sends a glance toward Kara, she gives him a nod that says she can’t either.

“How about we give your wife a ride back while you walk the horse?” Kara tries her best to seem nonthreatening, but she’s always had an edge to her voice and a resting face that says she’d rather eat glass than speak to anyone. “A couple of miles is a long way when you’re pregnant.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you!”

This is going about as well as Wade expected.

They can’t force these people to accept help and a lack of trust is customary these days.

Then the woman in the wagon whimpers, gripping her stomach like she could drop that kid at any moment.

For a second, Wade worries they’re about to witness a birth they didn’t sign up for.

“It’s fine. Just a bad kick, but Wyatt, I don’t know if I can walk home. Maybe we should….”

“Addie, it’s not safe.”

“Oh, come on now. If they wanted to kill us, they wouldn’t have bothered saving Cheese Doodle.”

Wade holds in a snort at the horse’s name, while one corner of Kara’s mouth twitches upward.

“I’m Addison, and this is my husband, Wyatt. I’d very much like to take you up on that ride home, if you don’t mind.”

It’s not an ideal situation, but the alternative isn’t an option.

Eventually, her husband relents. Addison rides with Wade on the bike at a slow pace while Kara and Wyatt lead the horse several yards back.

It’s a silent operation except for the rumble of the bike.

He’s not feeling great about his girl back there without him, just like he’s sure Wyatt isn’t excited about his wife riding shotgun up here.

His girl. He needs to stop that nonsense. Kara’s not his. The more he allows himself to think about it, the harder the letdown will be.

Three miles later, they’re at the same farmhouse they left behind already, tucked in the back of those wheat fields. He assumed it was abandoned before, but apparently there’s plenty of life left here.

“Would y’all like to stay for a very late dinner, or very early breakfast?” Addison says quickly, getting a glare from Wyatt like she’s lost her mind. “It’s the least we can do after you helped us get back. We’ve got fresh sweet potatoes and corn, all you can eat.”

“We wouldn’t want to impose. But thank—”

“Nonsense!” She cuts Kara off with a wave. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen real live people. It’d be nice to have some company. Just for a little while, we’re not trying to hold you hostage.”

She laughs at her own poorly chosen joke, watching them expectantly as if she really does hope they’ll accept.

Kara’s shoulders lift an inch, prompting a silent conversation with Wade. ‘W hy not? They seem harmless.’

He head tilts. ‘ Okay. I could eat.’

They’re having a midnight dinner with strangers. He’s just glad they don’t seem to be on the menu this time.

* * *

“Have you ever seen a cucumber this big?”

Addison waves the vegetable in the air, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear before slicing it into the salad bowl on a kitchen table they’ve done up all fancy, as if he and Kara are actual guests.

Her teenage daughter slices tomatoes at the kitchen island, quiet and completely put out that there are new people around, not that Kara can blame the girl for that.

“That’s why we were out so late,” Addison continues, grabbing extra plates and taking up her spot next to her husband. “A storm is coming. Gonna flood all the crops soon. It happens every year ‘round this time. Been working day and night to get what we can harvested.”

“We appreciate the hospitality. Just sorry about your poor horse nearly breaking his neck,” Kara frowns.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s a squirrelly one, but he’s made of rubber. If you hadn’t spooked him, the wind would of, eventually.”

“Have you all been here a while?” Wade asks, once the conversation lulls. “Did you start out here in the country before the virus hit?”

Wyatt shakes his head. “Nope. Started in the city.”

“It’s kind of a funny story,” Addison grins.

“I dunno if I’d call it funny, sweetheart.”

“In hindsight, it’s downright silly.”

“They don’t wanna hear our business, they wanna eat,” her husband grumbles.

“You mean the business about how I squatted in your house and almost killed you at the beginning of the apocalypse?”

Wyatt rolls his eyes. “Never almost killed me. You were definitely a squatter, though.”

She gives him a good-natured smack on the shoulder before turning her attention back to their guests. “I was hiding out here with my daughter. My…ex left us here alone, and then Wyatt shows up, kicking in the door and saying this is his property and he intends to stay. It was a whole thing.”