Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead.

Summary: At first it was subtle, a light nudge of something amiss prodding the back of his mind, but now Rick is sure there is an unbearable darkness growing inside his best friend. RickShane, oneshot

Uh, yeah. I kinda ship these two. I have this whole crazy scenario in my head that Shane wanted to be with Rick, really, so that's why he was in a relationship with Lori (I remember hearing that from someone and it sounded pretty great, in my opinion). Oh, the things I will do to justify my pairing of choice… haha. It takes place a little bit after the Otis scenario. Anyway, I hope that y'all enjoy this!

Danger Line

Maybe it starts when Shane shaves his head.

Maybe it started before then.

Maybe it has always been there.

Rick isn't sure, exactly, but there is something wrong with his best friend. There is something off-kilter about him, something that can't be explained by just the Walkers taking over or by the whole world going to shit. There is something about him that is just…wrong now. What had happened to the guy that would share a beer at the end of the day? The guy that would do anything for them? The guy that was…well, one of the best people he knew…

Rick just stares at him for a moment when he enters the kitchen the morning after the failed attempt with Otis. That night, Shane looked genuinely distraught, but now there is something different in his eyes. They had always been dark, of course, but now he can't find any emotion in them. Nothing.

He believes that's what scares him the most.

He sees the shaved head, sees the complete nonchalance with which Shane tackles the day. Like he doesn't care, like he's somehow become unhinged. Rick knows that Shane didn't just randomly decide to shave his head - it must have something to do with Otis. He must have felt so guilty that…

If Rick had been any other person, he'd say that there was nothing wrong with Shane. But Shane is his best friend, and what kind of friend would Rick be if he didn't notice when he was completely distraught.

He knows it to the marrow of his bones that something is devastatingly wrong with Shane, but he can't figure out how to voice his opinion to the other man.

He's tried getting him alone, but somehow Shane has been avoiding him ever since the incident. Ever since he arrived, beside himself with grief, after Otis' death.

Maybe he's not ready to talk about it, he always thinks. Maybe the sting of failure was enough for now, enough for a lifetime, and that he didn't want to talk unless he was ready. Rick knows he'll wait for him, but the curiosity is giving him headaches, the worry worms its way into his gut like the maggots crawling on a Walkers' flesh.

Shane continues to grown more antisocial and less affable. He snaps on people without rhyme or reason. He carries around his weapon at all times, even when they are relatively safe in the small home of the people that saved Carl's life. He withdraws more and more into himself, not taking anything but not giving anything either.

He wanders off recklessly, gun in hand, not coming back until after nightfall. Blood is always on his clothing, sometimes on his scalp and sometimes on his face, but most of all, it's always on his hands.

Rick isn't sure what to do. He used to pride himself on being able to get out of a tough situation, but now he finds that he can't even do that. He can't provide anything of value to Shane so that he would be able to get over whatever it was…

A part of him thinks - knows - that he won't ever get over it.

Something has changed inside his friend, something that he can't even begin to understand.

He knows that, knows it like he knows his own name, but he can't think of anything to do about it.

He's not sure what to think anymore now, when they are all gathered together. He wasn't sure what to think when they had the memorial for Otis, and how Shane had looked when he relayed a bit more of how it had occurred.

The chilling thing was, that Rick didn't believe it.

Things keep getting stranger, Shane keeps getting more and more frenzied, more secretive. He wants to go out and kill things, wants to go out and put as much hurt on those damned Walkers as they had put in his life. Rick thinks it's won't be too long until the worst happens and Shane is taken away from him for good.

There is one moment, while they are still at Herschel's safe house, that solidifies everything.

A word to be had with Shane, leading the both of them into a part of the woods at the dead of night. A conversation escalates into a fight, curses and fists and knuckles connect against jaws, knees ram into ribs. Rick isn't sure what caused this, but it Shane is the one that threw the first blow. Rick feels he had no choice but to fight back.

Towards the end of it, the two of them have stopped fighting, and now just choose to stare at each other wearily.

Shane makes the first move, and Rick has enough sense in his battered skull to be on guard. Shane doesn't do what he expects, though.

Those dead, dark eyes stare at him without remorse, without feeling, as he grabs the back of his head and mashes his mouth against Rick's.

There's a stunned moment of silence as Rick just stands there, hands clenching and unclenching at everything and nothing at the same time. He's not sure what to do or what's going on, but he knows that he has no means - or will, for that matter - to pull away.

Shane parts from him, looking like he hasn't done anything of merit when he has, and gives a grunt of an apology before moving back into the house.

And Rick is left to stand there, feeling hollow and unbelieving as locusts croak around him.

End.