Uh.. Hi???
I was just wondering if there's still anyone here? I guess I'm late to the party. But I have fics if anyone's interested!
If there's anyone left here that is X'D
Anyway, I'm Liebelit and I just absolutely love all the awesomeness in this community and wish I could have gotten here when it was still active ;n;
I'm just gonna leave this here just in case.This was my first Tin Man fanfic and pretty much my first real fanfic ever so I'm sorry it's rather cliche (and also, I don't have a beta and I write these things at 3 am so sorry for mistakes) X'D
Title: Goodnight Sweetheart
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "Cain tugged on his collar for what must have been the thirtieth time that night; and the ball was just getting started." Cain goes unwillingly to a hastily planned ball but the night has a couple of surprises and ends up not being nearly as bad a he thought it would be. Unoriginal Ball fic, Cain/Glitch, (hint of DG/Jeb?), Raw and food.
[Spoiler (click to open)]Cain tugged on his collar for what must have been the thirtieth time that night; and the ball was just getting started.
He kept close to the wall, not wanting to get sucked into the mass of people on the dance floor as he made his way across it to reach the tables of assorted food and drinks on the other side of the room. He had never been the life of the party, not even when he was young and carefree-or as carefree as he could get-and had Adora to encourage him. So Cain let out an inward sigh of relief when he was free of the large crowd of mingling lords and ladies and was able to simply get a drink.
It wasn’t as if this part of the grand ballroom was deserted either. There were various men and women, mostly on the older, single side, grabbing and tasting their fill of the O.Z.’s best pastries and wine; but most of the royal family’s guests were out on the dance floor at the moment, spinning in elegant twirls to the waltz that played across the room. Spheres of warm, golden light suspended high above the floor as if by magic-very probably by magic-illuminated the dancing crowd below, catching on the men’s slick suits and the women’s glittering dresses. Somewhere among that great tumult of people was the royal family itself, dancing happily as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
It had been only a week since the defeat of the witch but after the most pressing matters had been dealt with, after innocent people were freed from the dungeons and those same cells were filled with the remaining longcoats, the Queen’s-or rather DG’s-first decree was that there was to be a ball. Cain had wanted to skip the celebration parties and get right to business; after all, a kingdom wouldn’t rebuild itself through waltz and pretty lights. The Queen agreed, but after such a long time of darkness and pain all she wanted was happiness and pretty lights for at least one night before the hard work began again. DG had insisted, Raw had felt his uncertainty but had been happy nonetheless, and Glitch, of course, had been thrilled as a puppy.
Cain had at least wanted to be in the security detail, but his friends, and the upmost ruler of the Kingdom, had said no to that as well.
So now here he was, stuck in a party he didn’t particularly agree with even though he couldn’t deny the Queen and her family their night of happiness; though he could have done without the suit and the stiff collar. And he really missed his hat.
He was fidgeting with his formal dress shirt yet again when he heard a quizzical low rumble beside him and saw a tuft of light hair from the corner of his eye.
“Cain uncomfortable,” Raw said as he reached for a sugary glazed pastry next to the wine Cain was serving himself, “Not like ball?”
“Let’s just say this isn’t my kind of party.” Not many parties were his kind of party, but if he had to have one he would have definitely preferred one where he knew more than seven people out of hundreds. Out on the dance floor, the formal waltz ended and gave way to a faster, almost chaotic sort of music. It almost reminded Cain of the songs they had played at his home town during festivities; songs that were meant to be danced to in whatever way people’s bodies took them, following their own rhythm, instead of the practiced and precise steps of formal dances.
The thought of rhythm had Cain glancing at dance floor once more after downing his drink, almost smirking in amusement at the confused couples who stopped dancing when the unfamiliar music came on. Through the dumbfounded guests though, he spotted DG dancing like a leaf in the wind, moving to the loud sharp beats of the strange music and taking Jeb, his poor son who had been forced into the same situation as him, with her; though his son didn’t seem to mind his current position at all.
Cain, on the other hand, was getting rather-
“Bored?” Raw guessed, biting into a small pineapple cake, tiny crumbs falling into his combed beard,
“There are so many better things I could be doing right now.”
“Cain looking for someone... Thinking of...” the viewer trailed off as he leaned minutely closer to Cain, who leaned just a little further into the side of the table, “Glitch.”
“I am not thinking of Glitch.” Cain said decisively,
“Thinking of rhythm,”
“It’s not the same thing, Raw.”
As if to challenge his point, Glitch burst through the now sparse bodies on the dance floor with a half-amused, half-nervous-wreck Azkadellia in hand shouting for all the O.Z. to hear, “It’s all about rhythm! It’s in my soul, Azkadee, I am the rhythm!”
Despite her uncertainties and issues, the eldest princess was smiling and even laughing at Glitch’s antics, and for that, Cain felt pretty damn proud of his zipperhead. A few moments later, the music changed again, giving way to a much more calm and familiar-sounding song; not something that sounded at times like a dying cat that DG had brought over from some dark corner of the Otherside. The previously staggered guests returned to the center of room and took their partners in hand once again; some closer than others as this wasn’t such a formal dance as the first one.
Cain saw as the Queen’s consort gently tapped Glitch’s shoulder-asking to dance with his daughter now that his wife was dancing with some dignitary from Central-and Glitch’s subsequent smile and polite nod. Cain turned back to the table, his sanctuary for the night, and poured himself another drink, trying not to think about how he had been thinking about Glitch.
Raw was right, whether he liked it or not. Maybe it hadn’t been a conscious thought, but the scarecrow of a man had been in the back of his mind recently. Ever since they told them he would never be whole again.
Three days after the Queen’s restoration, after the royal family and its friends had taken temporary residence in whatever suitable building in the city they could find that hadn’t been about to collapse, Queen Lavender had sent for the best medics, scientists, and all the records on debrainment and rebrainment they could find. But after all that work, all the words, and all the hope they had instilled in his friend, it turned out that it just wasn’t possible to return his brain after so many annuals without too great of a risk of the surgery killing him. So all plans had been cancelled, and Glitch would be left without his brain. For reasons Cain couldn’t pinpoint, this angered him more than anything else had since he had met his friends. After all this time they had been in the dark they had found light at the end of the road. DG had her family and her rightful life back, Raw had found atonement from his tribe in the days following the witch’s defeat, and Cain had his son. But Glitch still had half a brain, and still smiled after the promises of a Queen whose name he only knew if someone reminded him had proven to be empty. Glitch still smiled and danced and talked animatedly about rhythm when he got the chance as he did tonight. And it made Cain happy, and awed, and sad, and angry all at the same time; because as remarkable as the jovial headcase was, he deserved better.
“Cain feel-”
“Shut up.”
A hairy hand that lacked its usual leather covering for the night made its way back to the mountain of cupcakes and the chocolate fountain, instead of continuing on its way to the former tin man’s shoulders.
Cain noticed Glitch was making his way towards them now that he was without a dance partner. So he went for drink number three after tugging on the stiff collar that somehow seemed even tighter with the oddly elegant headcase’s approaching footsteps.
“Raw, Cain!” he said when he reached them, “This is a great ball isn’t it? I’m having a blast,” he chuckled,
“Great food,” Raw agreed; great alcohol, Cain thought.
“So...” Glitch pursed his delicate lips in a contemplative expression and glanced around at anything but them, suddenly nervous, “Would you guys like to dance?” he asked with a hopeful smile, “I know we’re all men but hey, we defeated an evil witch together, I don’t think a couple of rich old guys and politicians will care if we dance together.” His careful smile widened into a full grin at the thought and he unfurled his hands from behind his back.
“So, what do you say?”
“Glitch-” before he had a chance to say anything else, a distant glaze came over Glitch’s warm brown eyes and was almost instantly replaced with their usual bright spark once again.
“Oh hi, Cain! Raw!” he looked down for half a second, almost seeming nervous again, then seemed to dismiss the thought altogether and looked back at them with a huge smile, “Wanna dance? I’ll lead, you guys follow!”
This time he didn’t even give them the chance to make a choice, and simply took both Cain and Raw by the lapels of their jackets-almost empty cup of wine and half eaten croissant tumbling to the table as the few guests nearby exclaimed their annoyance-and dragged them towards the crowded dance floor. Glitch seemed to lead them to the very center of the ballroom before he stopped and took one of their hands in his own, and then spinning them and letting go, only to move to whatever music was playing on now, and then clasp their hands together again. He led them and twirled them in an odd three person dance for almost an entire minute before the viewer could take no more and drew his hairy hand from Glitch’s smooth and pale one to put it on his oblivious friend’s shoulder instead.
“Glitch glitched,” he said in his straightforward way, “Raw queasy.” and took his leave, leaving Cain alone with Glitch in the middle of the dance floor.
“Oh... I glitched?” he asked Cain with a wide-eyed look, “What did I do this time, make a fool of myself dancing all alone in the middle of the party? Better that than being a wallflower I guess!”
“Actually,” Cain said, much more amused than annoyed by his friend’s optimism lately, “you just took Raw and me out to dance without even giving us a chance to say whether we wanted to or not. Poor viewer feels sick now.”
“Oh, sorry!” Glitch smiled, but then turned serious as he looked around at just where they were, standing still in the center of the grand ballroom with the great magical chandelier directly above them, the dancing couples spinning all around them.
“That means you didn’t want to dance...? I’m sorry,” he gave a weak chuckle, “I guess I’m more direct than I used to be when I had all my marbles. I bet Ambrose wouldn’t have done that.”
“Then that would’ve been his loss,” Cain found himself saying before he lost his nerve, “because I did want to dance.”
Glitch’s deflated smiled rose to full capacity with his words as he threw himself at Cain and wrapped his arms around his neck. Cain took the impact that nearly made him crash against a couple behind him and wrapped his arms around Glitch’s lithe body to steady them both.
“I’ve wanted to dance with you for so long,” Glitch said, only inches away from his face, “but I was afraid that if I just asked you, you’d say no... You really mean it, Cain? You wanted to dance?”
Saying he had been standing by the sidelines of what he had considered to be an almost pointless ball, secretly wanting to dance and waiting for the chance to do so would have been a lie. But...
“I wanted to dance with you.”
As if on cue, the casual party music ended and a softer, quieter tune began. Above them, the chandelier’s bright golden light dimmed down to only a few odd magic lights that shone through the crowd and illuminated the dancers below, highlighting figures and colors and seeming to make them glow; giving an ethereal and surreal look to the room. The lights caught on Glitch’s face and his deep crimson coat, a stark contrast to his own blue jacket, and Cain stared at the other man’s warm brown eyes that seemed even deeper and full of life in the strange magic lights.
“I’ll lead, you follow,” he said as he adjusted his hold on Glitch. It was more like mellow moving in place than dancing, but neither of them was complaining. One of Cain’s arms moved over Glitch’s body, shifting down to wrap itself securely around the slighter man’s waist. His other hand reached up to touch Glitch’s cheek, thumb ghosting over his soft lips before Cain leaned in to kiss the man in his arms.
It was brief and chaste, but once Cain pulled back, Glitch’s eyes were wider than ever and his mouth was fixed in a little “o”.
“Did I just glitch? Did I just glitch? Did I just-” Cain decided to cut the loop with another kiss-this one not so quick and gentle, but not any less sweet than the first-and this time the zipperhead responded almost immediately, molding himself closer to him. Glitch was beginning to deepen the kiss even more with his agile mouth when Cain heard throats clearing and disapproving grunts around them. He couldn’t care less.
But once they parted, he saw the Queen some strides away from them, a shocked expression on her face and a hand over her mouth. As good as this moment felt with Glitch in his arms maybe it’d be better if they continued this... whatever this was, somewhere else, in private. Just as well, because as the soft music played on, Glitch sighed happily but tiredly and laid his head on Cain’s shoulder. They kept up their smooth, almost-dance for a few more moments before Cain propped his chin on Glitch’s dark curls, right beside the zipper, and finally felt like it was time to wrap up this party.
“Tired, zipperhead?” he asked amusedly, lovingly tightening his grip around the man. The soft nod against the side of his neck, on a stiff collar that wasn’t so tight at all anymore, was the only signal he needed to disentangle them from their current position and take the former advisor’s hand. As he led their way out of the full ballroom he caught sight of DG dancing with Jeb, her arms around his neck, and the thumbs up she gave him when she saw him.
He kept stealing glances at Glitch as they walked, as if he were a schoolgirl, and found his stomach in exhilarating knots every time he saw the contagious trademark smile.
Cain thought he heard a faint, “...happy.” as they passed the long food and drinks table by the grand open doors, and then they were out.
“Now what, tin man?” Glitch wiggled his eyebrows, weaving their intertwine fingers tighter as they walked through the castle.
“Bed.” Cain got to the point, “Your room or mine?”
“Well, you could’ve bought me dinner first!”
“I took you out to dance first.”
Somewhere between light, affectionate touches and a fit of giggles, they ended up against a wall halfway between the ballroom and Glitch’s room. Cain placed his free hand on the back Glitch’s head to prevent to the zipper pull from pressing in against the wall, his other hand still in Glitch’s. After a peck on the lips he smiled and looked down at his friend’s-more than friend?-half-lidded eyes.
“You know, I was serious about that bed, you look like you could use the rest.”
“Fine, Cain,” he said with a mock pout, “but you owe me a date.” He smiled and winked cheekily, but then suddenly he gasped and frowned in pain. He drew the hand that wasn’t grasping Cain’s against his temple and let out a quiet groan.
“Glitch? What is it, what’s wrong?” Cain looked him over, going from content to concerned in a second.
“Mm, my head felt kinda weird for a moment there,” he let out a nervous laugh, “it passed though.”
Cain’s eyes narrowed as he took that in, “We should get Raw-”
“Oh, it’s fine! I’m sure he’s enjoying the party and doesn’t want to be bothered by us.”
“Glitch-” Soft lips on his own stopped what he was going to say next and then Glitch was sliding away from him and leading him down the hall.
Glitch’s room was bigger and nicer but Cain’s was closer, so they ended up settling there for the night. Glitch did little else than shrug off his crimson coat and toe off his fine shoes before flopping down on the bed. Cain followed his example as far as the removal of formal attire went-even reaching to unbutton the dress shirt and finding several buttons mysteriously already undone-but settled down on the recliner on the other side of the night table instead.
“Are you really going to stay there after all I had planned? Really, with how much rhythm you turned out to have I would have imagined your imagination would have been at least close to mine.”
“Did you have any of the wine, zipperhead?”
“Wyatt Cain, I am not drunk!” he said indignantly, even as he laughed,
“What would the Queen say?” Cain admonished, even as he climbed under the covers with Glitch. All jokes aside, Cain was glad when all Glitch did was give him a quick wayward kiss and curl up on his side. He was almost falling asleep when he felt Glitch jerk against his chest and heard another pained tiny gasp.
“Glitch...” Another weak groan...
“Okay, that’s it. I’m getting Raw.” He moved to stand but was stopped by Glitch’s hand on his arm.
“No! Just-stay with me... Please?”
Cain couldn’t say no to the pleading in those deep brown eyes. He sank back down on the bed behind Glitch and wrapped his arms around his middle.
“How long have you been having headaches?” Cain asked after a while in the dark of the room; he realized they hadn’t even bothered with the lights upon entering, the light of the twin moons being enough to see by.
“I’ve always had headaches.” Glitch said softly, already drifting into sleep.
Cain took one of Glitch’s smooth hands in his own and rubbed it tenderly with his thumb, willing himself not to feel angry; not right now.
When did they start getting worse?, he wanted to ask, but the zipperhead’s steady breathing told him that he was already asleep. Not wanting to disturb his sleep or upset him anymore than he might have already been, Cain simply stayed where he was curled behind Glitch and didn’t move; not even to get the viewer whose opinion he desperately wanted to hear now.
Whether he liked it or not, Raw had been right... He did think of Glitch, he cared about him, maybe even more than he wanted to admit to himself. Tomorrow he would get Raw, make Glitch better, make him laugh and smile that smile he had grown to love so much; he would take him out to that dinner, kiss him... and see where things went.
For tonight, though, it was enough to have him resting comfortably in his bed, wrapped in his arms.
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
If there's anyone left here that is X'D
Anyway, I'm Liebelit and I just absolutely love all the awesomeness in this community and wish I could have gotten here when it was still active ;n;
I'm just gonna leave this here just in case.This was my first Tin Man fanfic and pretty much my first real fanfic ever so I'm sorry it's rather cliche (and also, I don't have a beta and I write these things at 3 am so sorry for mistakes) X'D
Title: Goodnight Sweetheart
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "Cain tugged on his collar for what must have been the thirtieth time that night; and the ball was just getting started." Cain goes unwillingly to a hastily planned ball but the night has a couple of surprises and ends up not being nearly as bad a he thought it would be. Unoriginal Ball fic, Cain/Glitch, (hint of DG/Jeb?), Raw and food.
[Spoiler (click to open)]Cain tugged on his collar for what must have been the thirtieth time that night; and the ball was just getting started.
He kept close to the wall, not wanting to get sucked into the mass of people on the dance floor as he made his way across it to reach the tables of assorted food and drinks on the other side of the room. He had never been the life of the party, not even when he was young and carefree-or as carefree as he could get-and had Adora to encourage him. So Cain let out an inward sigh of relief when he was free of the large crowd of mingling lords and ladies and was able to simply get a drink.
It wasn’t as if this part of the grand ballroom was deserted either. There were various men and women, mostly on the older, single side, grabbing and tasting their fill of the O.Z.’s best pastries and wine; but most of the royal family’s guests were out on the dance floor at the moment, spinning in elegant twirls to the waltz that played across the room. Spheres of warm, golden light suspended high above the floor as if by magic-very probably by magic-illuminated the dancing crowd below, catching on the men’s slick suits and the women’s glittering dresses. Somewhere among that great tumult of people was the royal family itself, dancing happily as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
It had been only a week since the defeat of the witch but after the most pressing matters had been dealt with, after innocent people were freed from the dungeons and those same cells were filled with the remaining longcoats, the Queen’s-or rather DG’s-first decree was that there was to be a ball. Cain had wanted to skip the celebration parties and get right to business; after all, a kingdom wouldn’t rebuild itself through waltz and pretty lights. The Queen agreed, but after such a long time of darkness and pain all she wanted was happiness and pretty lights for at least one night before the hard work began again. DG had insisted, Raw had felt his uncertainty but had been happy nonetheless, and Glitch, of course, had been thrilled as a puppy.
Cain had at least wanted to be in the security detail, but his friends, and the upmost ruler of the Kingdom, had said no to that as well.
So now here he was, stuck in a party he didn’t particularly agree with even though he couldn’t deny the Queen and her family their night of happiness; though he could have done without the suit and the stiff collar. And he really missed his hat.
He was fidgeting with his formal dress shirt yet again when he heard a quizzical low rumble beside him and saw a tuft of light hair from the corner of his eye.
“Cain uncomfortable,” Raw said as he reached for a sugary glazed pastry next to the wine Cain was serving himself, “Not like ball?”
“Let’s just say this isn’t my kind of party.” Not many parties were his kind of party, but if he had to have one he would have definitely preferred one where he knew more than seven people out of hundreds. Out on the dance floor, the formal waltz ended and gave way to a faster, almost chaotic sort of music. It almost reminded Cain of the songs they had played at his home town during festivities; songs that were meant to be danced to in whatever way people’s bodies took them, following their own rhythm, instead of the practiced and precise steps of formal dances.
The thought of rhythm had Cain glancing at dance floor once more after downing his drink, almost smirking in amusement at the confused couples who stopped dancing when the unfamiliar music came on. Through the dumbfounded guests though, he spotted DG dancing like a leaf in the wind, moving to the loud sharp beats of the strange music and taking Jeb, his poor son who had been forced into the same situation as him, with her; though his son didn’t seem to mind his current position at all.
Cain, on the other hand, was getting rather-
“Bored?” Raw guessed, biting into a small pineapple cake, tiny crumbs falling into his combed beard,
“There are so many better things I could be doing right now.”
“Cain looking for someone... Thinking of...” the viewer trailed off as he leaned minutely closer to Cain, who leaned just a little further into the side of the table, “Glitch.”
“I am not thinking of Glitch.” Cain said decisively,
“Thinking of rhythm,”
“It’s not the same thing, Raw.”
As if to challenge his point, Glitch burst through the now sparse bodies on the dance floor with a half-amused, half-nervous-wreck Azkadellia in hand shouting for all the O.Z. to hear, “It’s all about rhythm! It’s in my soul, Azkadee, I am the rhythm!”
Despite her uncertainties and issues, the eldest princess was smiling and even laughing at Glitch’s antics, and for that, Cain felt pretty damn proud of his zipperhead. A few moments later, the music changed again, giving way to a much more calm and familiar-sounding song; not something that sounded at times like a dying cat that DG had brought over from some dark corner of the Otherside. The previously staggered guests returned to the center of room and took their partners in hand once again; some closer than others as this wasn’t such a formal dance as the first one.
Cain saw as the Queen’s consort gently tapped Glitch’s shoulder-asking to dance with his daughter now that his wife was dancing with some dignitary from Central-and Glitch’s subsequent smile and polite nod. Cain turned back to the table, his sanctuary for the night, and poured himself another drink, trying not to think about how he had been thinking about Glitch.
Raw was right, whether he liked it or not. Maybe it hadn’t been a conscious thought, but the scarecrow of a man had been in the back of his mind recently. Ever since they told them he would never be whole again.
Three days after the Queen’s restoration, after the royal family and its friends had taken temporary residence in whatever suitable building in the city they could find that hadn’t been about to collapse, Queen Lavender had sent for the best medics, scientists, and all the records on debrainment and rebrainment they could find. But after all that work, all the words, and all the hope they had instilled in his friend, it turned out that it just wasn’t possible to return his brain after so many annuals without too great of a risk of the surgery killing him. So all plans had been cancelled, and Glitch would be left without his brain. For reasons Cain couldn’t pinpoint, this angered him more than anything else had since he had met his friends. After all this time they had been in the dark they had found light at the end of the road. DG had her family and her rightful life back, Raw had found atonement from his tribe in the days following the witch’s defeat, and Cain had his son. But Glitch still had half a brain, and still smiled after the promises of a Queen whose name he only knew if someone reminded him had proven to be empty. Glitch still smiled and danced and talked animatedly about rhythm when he got the chance as he did tonight. And it made Cain happy, and awed, and sad, and angry all at the same time; because as remarkable as the jovial headcase was, he deserved better.
“Cain feel-”
“Shut up.”
A hairy hand that lacked its usual leather covering for the night made its way back to the mountain of cupcakes and the chocolate fountain, instead of continuing on its way to the former tin man’s shoulders.
Cain noticed Glitch was making his way towards them now that he was without a dance partner. So he went for drink number three after tugging on the stiff collar that somehow seemed even tighter with the oddly elegant headcase’s approaching footsteps.
“Raw, Cain!” he said when he reached them, “This is a great ball isn’t it? I’m having a blast,” he chuckled,
“Great food,” Raw agreed; great alcohol, Cain thought.
“So...” Glitch pursed his delicate lips in a contemplative expression and glanced around at anything but them, suddenly nervous, “Would you guys like to dance?” he asked with a hopeful smile, “I know we’re all men but hey, we defeated an evil witch together, I don’t think a couple of rich old guys and politicians will care if we dance together.” His careful smile widened into a full grin at the thought and he unfurled his hands from behind his back.
“So, what do you say?”
“Glitch-” before he had a chance to say anything else, a distant glaze came over Glitch’s warm brown eyes and was almost instantly replaced with their usual bright spark once again.
“Oh hi, Cain! Raw!” he looked down for half a second, almost seeming nervous again, then seemed to dismiss the thought altogether and looked back at them with a huge smile, “Wanna dance? I’ll lead, you guys follow!”
This time he didn’t even give them the chance to make a choice, and simply took both Cain and Raw by the lapels of their jackets-almost empty cup of wine and half eaten croissant tumbling to the table as the few guests nearby exclaimed their annoyance-and dragged them towards the crowded dance floor. Glitch seemed to lead them to the very center of the ballroom before he stopped and took one of their hands in his own, and then spinning them and letting go, only to move to whatever music was playing on now, and then clasp their hands together again. He led them and twirled them in an odd three person dance for almost an entire minute before the viewer could take no more and drew his hairy hand from Glitch’s smooth and pale one to put it on his oblivious friend’s shoulder instead.
“Glitch glitched,” he said in his straightforward way, “Raw queasy.” and took his leave, leaving Cain alone with Glitch in the middle of the dance floor.
“Oh... I glitched?” he asked Cain with a wide-eyed look, “What did I do this time, make a fool of myself dancing all alone in the middle of the party? Better that than being a wallflower I guess!”
“Actually,” Cain said, much more amused than annoyed by his friend’s optimism lately, “you just took Raw and me out to dance without even giving us a chance to say whether we wanted to or not. Poor viewer feels sick now.”
“Oh, sorry!” Glitch smiled, but then turned serious as he looked around at just where they were, standing still in the center of the grand ballroom with the great magical chandelier directly above them, the dancing couples spinning all around them.
“That means you didn’t want to dance...? I’m sorry,” he gave a weak chuckle, “I guess I’m more direct than I used to be when I had all my marbles. I bet Ambrose wouldn’t have done that.”
“Then that would’ve been his loss,” Cain found himself saying before he lost his nerve, “because I did want to dance.”
Glitch’s deflated smiled rose to full capacity with his words as he threw himself at Cain and wrapped his arms around his neck. Cain took the impact that nearly made him crash against a couple behind him and wrapped his arms around Glitch’s lithe body to steady them both.
“I’ve wanted to dance with you for so long,” Glitch said, only inches away from his face, “but I was afraid that if I just asked you, you’d say no... You really mean it, Cain? You wanted to dance?”
Saying he had been standing by the sidelines of what he had considered to be an almost pointless ball, secretly wanting to dance and waiting for the chance to do so would have been a lie. But...
“I wanted to dance with you.”
As if on cue, the casual party music ended and a softer, quieter tune began. Above them, the chandelier’s bright golden light dimmed down to only a few odd magic lights that shone through the crowd and illuminated the dancers below, highlighting figures and colors and seeming to make them glow; giving an ethereal and surreal look to the room. The lights caught on Glitch’s face and his deep crimson coat, a stark contrast to his own blue jacket, and Cain stared at the other man’s warm brown eyes that seemed even deeper and full of life in the strange magic lights.
“I’ll lead, you follow,” he said as he adjusted his hold on Glitch. It was more like mellow moving in place than dancing, but neither of them was complaining. One of Cain’s arms moved over Glitch’s body, shifting down to wrap itself securely around the slighter man’s waist. His other hand reached up to touch Glitch’s cheek, thumb ghosting over his soft lips before Cain leaned in to kiss the man in his arms.
It was brief and chaste, but once Cain pulled back, Glitch’s eyes were wider than ever and his mouth was fixed in a little “o”.
“Did I just glitch? Did I just glitch? Did I just-” Cain decided to cut the loop with another kiss-this one not so quick and gentle, but not any less sweet than the first-and this time the zipperhead responded almost immediately, molding himself closer to him. Glitch was beginning to deepen the kiss even more with his agile mouth when Cain heard throats clearing and disapproving grunts around them. He couldn’t care less.
But once they parted, he saw the Queen some strides away from them, a shocked expression on her face and a hand over her mouth. As good as this moment felt with Glitch in his arms maybe it’d be better if they continued this... whatever this was, somewhere else, in private. Just as well, because as the soft music played on, Glitch sighed happily but tiredly and laid his head on Cain’s shoulder. They kept up their smooth, almost-dance for a few more moments before Cain propped his chin on Glitch’s dark curls, right beside the zipper, and finally felt like it was time to wrap up this party.
“Tired, zipperhead?” he asked amusedly, lovingly tightening his grip around the man. The soft nod against the side of his neck, on a stiff collar that wasn’t so tight at all anymore, was the only signal he needed to disentangle them from their current position and take the former advisor’s hand. As he led their way out of the full ballroom he caught sight of DG dancing with Jeb, her arms around his neck, and the thumbs up she gave him when she saw him.
He kept stealing glances at Glitch as they walked, as if he were a schoolgirl, and found his stomach in exhilarating knots every time he saw the contagious trademark smile.
Cain thought he heard a faint, “...happy.” as they passed the long food and drinks table by the grand open doors, and then they were out.
“Now what, tin man?” Glitch wiggled his eyebrows, weaving their intertwine fingers tighter as they walked through the castle.
“Bed.” Cain got to the point, “Your room or mine?”
“Well, you could’ve bought me dinner first!”
“I took you out to dance first.”
Somewhere between light, affectionate touches and a fit of giggles, they ended up against a wall halfway between the ballroom and Glitch’s room. Cain placed his free hand on the back Glitch’s head to prevent to the zipper pull from pressing in against the wall, his other hand still in Glitch’s. After a peck on the lips he smiled and looked down at his friend’s-more than friend?-half-lidded eyes.
“You know, I was serious about that bed, you look like you could use the rest.”
“Fine, Cain,” he said with a mock pout, “but you owe me a date.” He smiled and winked cheekily, but then suddenly he gasped and frowned in pain. He drew the hand that wasn’t grasping Cain’s against his temple and let out a quiet groan.
“Glitch? What is it, what’s wrong?” Cain looked him over, going from content to concerned in a second.
“Mm, my head felt kinda weird for a moment there,” he let out a nervous laugh, “it passed though.”
Cain’s eyes narrowed as he took that in, “We should get Raw-”
“Oh, it’s fine! I’m sure he’s enjoying the party and doesn’t want to be bothered by us.”
“Glitch-” Soft lips on his own stopped what he was going to say next and then Glitch was sliding away from him and leading him down the hall.
Glitch’s room was bigger and nicer but Cain’s was closer, so they ended up settling there for the night. Glitch did little else than shrug off his crimson coat and toe off his fine shoes before flopping down on the bed. Cain followed his example as far as the removal of formal attire went-even reaching to unbutton the dress shirt and finding several buttons mysteriously already undone-but settled down on the recliner on the other side of the night table instead.
“Are you really going to stay there after all I had planned? Really, with how much rhythm you turned out to have I would have imagined your imagination would have been at least close to mine.”
“Did you have any of the wine, zipperhead?”
“Wyatt Cain, I am not drunk!” he said indignantly, even as he laughed,
“What would the Queen say?” Cain admonished, even as he climbed under the covers with Glitch. All jokes aside, Cain was glad when all Glitch did was give him a quick wayward kiss and curl up on his side. He was almost falling asleep when he felt Glitch jerk against his chest and heard another pained tiny gasp.
“Glitch...” Another weak groan...
“Okay, that’s it. I’m getting Raw.” He moved to stand but was stopped by Glitch’s hand on his arm.
“No! Just-stay with me... Please?”
Cain couldn’t say no to the pleading in those deep brown eyes. He sank back down on the bed behind Glitch and wrapped his arms around his middle.
“How long have you been having headaches?” Cain asked after a while in the dark of the room; he realized they hadn’t even bothered with the lights upon entering, the light of the twin moons being enough to see by.
“I’ve always had headaches.” Glitch said softly, already drifting into sleep.
Cain took one of Glitch’s smooth hands in his own and rubbed it tenderly with his thumb, willing himself not to feel angry; not right now.
When did they start getting worse?, he wanted to ask, but the zipperhead’s steady breathing told him that he was already asleep. Not wanting to disturb his sleep or upset him anymore than he might have already been, Cain simply stayed where he was curled behind Glitch and didn’t move; not even to get the viewer whose opinion he desperately wanted to hear now.
Whether he liked it or not, Raw had been right... He did think of Glitch, he cared about him, maybe even more than he wanted to admit to himself. Tomorrow he would get Raw, make Glitch better, make him laugh and smile that smile he had grown to love so much; he would take him out to that dinner, kiss him... and see where things went.
For tonight, though, it was enough to have him resting comfortably in his bed, wrapped in his arms.
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”