surranndie (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
surranndie) wrote2009-01-14 04:48 pm
surranndie) wrote2009-01-14 04:48 pm
Tin Man fic: Wallpaper of Broadway - Chapter 8
Title: Wallpaper of Broadway
Characters/Pairings: Glitch/Cain, everyone else in the series.
Rating: R for implied adult situations
Summary: What if Cain, DG, and Raw had first encountered Glitch working as a bartender in the Mystic Man's club? This story is an AU that parallels the series using this scenario.
Notes: This could not have been completed without the awesome beta work by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kseda. Whenever I shouted “LINE!” – she came through and I love her endlessly for it!
Chapter 8 – The Woods
Glitch was the last to be released from his position on the log, which was now resting on the ground. He sat next to it, still breathing hard and listening to his heart pound, the rushing blood in his ears and muffling his hearing. There was movement all around him: resistance fighters gathering up prisoners, Raw being recruited to help the wounded.
There was Cain, though, at his side, working on cuffs holding Glitch to the log. Cain hadn’t said a word since finding his son, not only alive but grown up and in charge of this group of rebels. It had to be disconcerting, at the very least.
One arm finally free, Glitch pulled it out of the way and rolled his shoulder to work out the stiffness. There was a sharp pain in his side and he sucked in a sharp breath.
“What?” Cain’s head shot up instantly.
Glitch pressed his free hand to his side, frowning. “I’m not sure,” he muttered, perplexed. He drew his jacket to the side and winced, noticing for the first time that his white shirt was stained dark red just above his hip. “Ow.”
“Damn,” Cain breathed, reaching out but not touching. His hand shook just enough for Glitch to see. “You must have gotten hit in the crossfire and didn’t even notice. All right, you just sit tight, don’t move,” Cain instructed, quickly getting Glitch’s other hand free. “I’m going to find Raw.”
“It’s okay, he’s busy helping the people who got hurt,” Glitch grabbed Cain’s arm before he could leave. “I’m sure it’s nothing, just a scratch.”
Cain knelt and tugged at Glitch’s shirt, pulling it up out of the way to inspect the wound. It was a shallow scrape across his side, still bleeding slightly but certainly not life-threatening. He hated to admit it, but Glitch was right. It could wait.
Digging in his pockets but coming up empty, Cain growled in frustrating.
Then there was a hand next to his head and Cain looked up to see his son standing there silently, offering a neatly folded, clean-looking towel. Cain swallowed, accepting the cloth. “Thanks.”
Jeb nodded once, then sat down on the huge log next to the two men. “What’s your name?” he asked of Glitch.
Glitch leaned against the log, wincing when Cain pressed the makeshift bandage against the gouge in his side. “The name’s Glitch,” he answered with a weak grin. He let his head drop back to rest on the wood behind him, closing his eyes while he put up with Cain’s ministrations.
“Well, you’re obviously someone my father gives a damn about so I won’t ask you what you did to earn that,” Jeb waved his hand vaguely toward Glitch’s head, indicating the zipper.
“Jeb, that’s enough,” Cain snapped, tossing a glare. “He was the Queen’s personal advisor and his loyalty was enough to earn Azkadellia’s wrath. That’s all that matters.”
Sitting up straighter, Jeb looked at Glitch with a new respect in his expression. Then his face darkened again just as quickly. “I’ve got a prisoner to deal with. You gonna be all right, Mr. Glitch?”
“Yes, thank you,” Glitch replied, offering a smile. “Your dad’s gotten pretty good at taking care of me.”
The soft crunching of leaves told them of another’s approach and Glitch opened his eyes, a relieved sigh escaping when he saw that it was Raw.
Jeb stood and took a step back. “I’ll just – let Raw do his thing,” he said uneasily. “There’re a lot of things I need to see to anyway.” With that, he turned and walked away slowly.
“Glitch injured,” Raw scowled as if he had been kept out of something important. He crouched down and his hands replaced Cain’s, providing immediate reprieve from the dull ache. But he didn’t let go when the graze was healed. Looking up, he met Glitch’s eyes in surprise. Glitch shook his head slightly, shooting a look towards Cain, who was watching Jeb walk away. It was to him that Raw spoke instead. “Cain talk to son.”
Looking slightly startled, Cain glanced back and then gave a reluctant nod. “Yeah, I should.” As he climbed to his feet, he braced his hand on Glitch’s shoulder and his hand lingered for just a few seconds longer than necessary. “You’re okay?” This was to Glitch.
“I’m fine, now go catch up with your kid,” Glitch waved him off then slumped when he was alone with Raw. “Whatever it was you saw, just forget about it.”
Raw glared at him. “You love Cain.’
Glitch groaned and buried his face in his hands. “You think I haven’t figured that out?”
“Does Cain know?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he does,” Glitch answered softly. “Listen, the guy just spent what – ten annuals? – trapped in a tin suit, thinking his wife and son were dead. In the last few days he’s been told they weren’t killed in front him like he thought. Come to find out his wife really is dead and his son can’t even look at him. I’m fairly certain that the last thing he needs is me messing up his already bad week even more.”
Settling down on the ground next to Glitch, Raw drew up his knees. Restless fingers polished the metal spikes embedded in his gloves. “Cain care about Glitch.”
“I – look, I know we’re both just confused,” Glitch said, pulling at his chains anxiously. “I haven’t had...anyone, really, show me the kind of care he has, not for a very long time. If there’s more to it than just pity and kindness to a mistreated royal advisor, then I’ll be really surprised.”
“Not pity,” Raw told him firmly, looking up from his hands. “Fondness. Growing deeper even now.”
Glitch didn’t know how to reply to that, so he simply let the pleasant words hang there, keeping him company along with Raw.
~~
Jeb hadn’t looked up when Cain fell into step with him, but Cain could tell his son registered his presence. “It’s been a long time.”
“We thought you were dead,” Jeb told him bluntly, stopping in the middle of an empty space between trees. “If we’d known – “
Cain stopped him with a hand on Jeb’s arm. “You had no way of knowing Zero had left me alive. It’s over now; we move on.” He swallowed thickly, studying the face of his child. Jeb looked just like he had when he was a boy, but his eyes were much older than his current annuals. The impulse to hold his son was overwhelming and Cain took Jeb into his arms. “It’s good to see you, son.”
There was no answering hug, nor words in return.
Pulling back, eyes stinging with tears, Cain looked at Jeb carefully. He was dismayed to see Jeb looking at him as if he were a stranger. Which, Cain hated to admit, he might as well have been after all this time. “I need to get back to my prisoner,” Jeb said coldly. With nothing more to say, he stepped away from Cain and walked away.
~~
Everyone present could see the moment Glitch realized the magnitude of Zero’s words. When Zero looked right at him and called him by name, called him Ambrose, everything changed.
Finding his way to the tent Cain, Glitch and Raw had been offered for the night, Cain pulled back the flap only to stop abruptly when he saw Glitch was already inside. Glitch had tossed his jacket across the back of a chair, the only piece of furniture in the enclosure. There were no proper beds, only piles of worn blankets; the way it was all set up around them indicated that this small village was a traveling one.
Glitch had taken off his destroyed white undershirt, using the balled-up cloth to clean the remaining streaks of dried blood from his side. His back was to Cain, giving him the full view of the tattoos for the first time. The tendrils of ink that curled and tapered were striking, though Glitch’s tied-back hair covered the ones from the back of his neck to between his shoulder blades. In the dark of the tent, it was nearly impossible to tell which curls were soft hair and which were smoothly drawn in.
Unable to help himself, Cain found himself walking forward and reaching up, tracing his fingers over one of the tattoos.
Glitch jumped and turned his head. When he saw who it was, he remained silent, allowing the hesitant touch. Leaned into it, ever so slightly, his eyes half-lidded. Cain certainly wasn’t the first to touch his markings this way, but he was the first to do it with such care; with a sense of wonder, as if Glitch were valuable and wonderful.
After a few quiet, tense moments, Cain finally looked up at Glitch’s face. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he whispered, the admission too fragile.
Taking Cain’s hand in his own, Glitch turned fully around to face him. “You’re grieving Adora,” he said openly. “You’re seeing your son for the first time since he was eight annuals old and he’s an adult now.” Glitch hated having to be the one to say it, but he knew he would never forgive himself if Cain went on like this. “Everything is wrong and I’m just a convenience. Please, Cain. Don’t be one of those men. Don’t use me.”
Cain took a sharp breath, shocked at the ugly words. “I – you still think so little of yourself, even knowing the truth about who you are?”
“What am I supposed to think?” Glitch sounded defeated. “You know how I feel; it doesn’t take Raw to figure that out. But a person doesn’t just fall in love in a few days.”
“You did.”
Glitch shrugged helplessly, no hint of denial. “Who wouldn’t? Even if you weren’t gorgeous and intelligent, you’ve done nothing but show me kindness and concern since I got thrown in with your little group. You’ve taken me in, taken care of me, given me hope. Yes, I’m thankful for that – but I also care about you, more than I probably should.”
Cain looked down at the ground, bringing his arms tight around himself. “Look, we’ve got too much to deal with right now. DG’s missing, your brain is in Azkadelllia’s hands, who knows where the dog ended up. My kid hates me and tomorrow, we’re marching to what will more than likely be our deaths. If by some chance we survive and win this thing, we’ll come back to this conversation.”
“That’s fair, except the part where you're wrong - your kid doesn't hate you,” Glitch gave a short nod and reached for a folded piece of fabric sitting on the chair. When it unfurled, Cain saw that it was a new tank top, this one a shade of dark green. “Someone was nice enough to give me a new shirt,” he explained, pulling it on over his head and covering most of his tattoos again. He pulled the ponytail out of the back and tightened the ribbon with a sharp tug. His chains still hung free. “Now, do you suppose they’ve got anything to eat around here?”
“I hope so,” Cain smiled tightly. Before they could move toward the door, though, Cain pulled Glitch to him and held him, ridiculously relieved when this one was tenderly returned.
~~
End Chapter 8
On to Chapter 9
Characters/Pairings: Glitch/Cain, everyone else in the series.
Rating: R for implied adult situations
Summary: What if Cain, DG, and Raw had first encountered Glitch working as a bartender in the Mystic Man's club? This story is an AU that parallels the series using this scenario.
Notes: This could not have been completed without the awesome beta work by
kseda. Whenever I shouted “LINE!” – she came through and I love her endlessly for it!Chapter 8 – The Woods
Glitch was the last to be released from his position on the log, which was now resting on the ground. He sat next to it, still breathing hard and listening to his heart pound, the rushing blood in his ears and muffling his hearing. There was movement all around him: resistance fighters gathering up prisoners, Raw being recruited to help the wounded.
There was Cain, though, at his side, working on cuffs holding Glitch to the log. Cain hadn’t said a word since finding his son, not only alive but grown up and in charge of this group of rebels. It had to be disconcerting, at the very least.
One arm finally free, Glitch pulled it out of the way and rolled his shoulder to work out the stiffness. There was a sharp pain in his side and he sucked in a sharp breath.
“What?” Cain’s head shot up instantly.
Glitch pressed his free hand to his side, frowning. “I’m not sure,” he muttered, perplexed. He drew his jacket to the side and winced, noticing for the first time that his white shirt was stained dark red just above his hip. “Ow.”
“Damn,” Cain breathed, reaching out but not touching. His hand shook just enough for Glitch to see. “You must have gotten hit in the crossfire and didn’t even notice. All right, you just sit tight, don’t move,” Cain instructed, quickly getting Glitch’s other hand free. “I’m going to find Raw.”
“It’s okay, he’s busy helping the people who got hurt,” Glitch grabbed Cain’s arm before he could leave. “I’m sure it’s nothing, just a scratch.”
Cain knelt and tugged at Glitch’s shirt, pulling it up out of the way to inspect the wound. It was a shallow scrape across his side, still bleeding slightly but certainly not life-threatening. He hated to admit it, but Glitch was right. It could wait.
Digging in his pockets but coming up empty, Cain growled in frustrating.
Then there was a hand next to his head and Cain looked up to see his son standing there silently, offering a neatly folded, clean-looking towel. Cain swallowed, accepting the cloth. “Thanks.”
Jeb nodded once, then sat down on the huge log next to the two men. “What’s your name?” he asked of Glitch.
Glitch leaned against the log, wincing when Cain pressed the makeshift bandage against the gouge in his side. “The name’s Glitch,” he answered with a weak grin. He let his head drop back to rest on the wood behind him, closing his eyes while he put up with Cain’s ministrations.
“Well, you’re obviously someone my father gives a damn about so I won’t ask you what you did to earn that,” Jeb waved his hand vaguely toward Glitch’s head, indicating the zipper.
“Jeb, that’s enough,” Cain snapped, tossing a glare. “He was the Queen’s personal advisor and his loyalty was enough to earn Azkadellia’s wrath. That’s all that matters.”
Sitting up straighter, Jeb looked at Glitch with a new respect in his expression. Then his face darkened again just as quickly. “I’ve got a prisoner to deal with. You gonna be all right, Mr. Glitch?”
“Yes, thank you,” Glitch replied, offering a smile. “Your dad’s gotten pretty good at taking care of me.”
The soft crunching of leaves told them of another’s approach and Glitch opened his eyes, a relieved sigh escaping when he saw that it was Raw.
Jeb stood and took a step back. “I’ll just – let Raw do his thing,” he said uneasily. “There’re a lot of things I need to see to anyway.” With that, he turned and walked away slowly.
“Glitch injured,” Raw scowled as if he had been kept out of something important. He crouched down and his hands replaced Cain’s, providing immediate reprieve from the dull ache. But he didn’t let go when the graze was healed. Looking up, he met Glitch’s eyes in surprise. Glitch shook his head slightly, shooting a look towards Cain, who was watching Jeb walk away. It was to him that Raw spoke instead. “Cain talk to son.”
Looking slightly startled, Cain glanced back and then gave a reluctant nod. “Yeah, I should.” As he climbed to his feet, he braced his hand on Glitch’s shoulder and his hand lingered for just a few seconds longer than necessary. “You’re okay?” This was to Glitch.
“I’m fine, now go catch up with your kid,” Glitch waved him off then slumped when he was alone with Raw. “Whatever it was you saw, just forget about it.”
Raw glared at him. “You love Cain.’
Glitch groaned and buried his face in his hands. “You think I haven’t figured that out?”
“Does Cain know?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he does,” Glitch answered softly. “Listen, the guy just spent what – ten annuals? – trapped in a tin suit, thinking his wife and son were dead. In the last few days he’s been told they weren’t killed in front him like he thought. Come to find out his wife really is dead and his son can’t even look at him. I’m fairly certain that the last thing he needs is me messing up his already bad week even more.”
Settling down on the ground next to Glitch, Raw drew up his knees. Restless fingers polished the metal spikes embedded in his gloves. “Cain care about Glitch.”
“I – look, I know we’re both just confused,” Glitch said, pulling at his chains anxiously. “I haven’t had...anyone, really, show me the kind of care he has, not for a very long time. If there’s more to it than just pity and kindness to a mistreated royal advisor, then I’ll be really surprised.”
“Not pity,” Raw told him firmly, looking up from his hands. “Fondness. Growing deeper even now.”
Glitch didn’t know how to reply to that, so he simply let the pleasant words hang there, keeping him company along with Raw.
~~
Jeb hadn’t looked up when Cain fell into step with him, but Cain could tell his son registered his presence. “It’s been a long time.”
“We thought you were dead,” Jeb told him bluntly, stopping in the middle of an empty space between trees. “If we’d known – “
Cain stopped him with a hand on Jeb’s arm. “You had no way of knowing Zero had left me alive. It’s over now; we move on.” He swallowed thickly, studying the face of his child. Jeb looked just like he had when he was a boy, but his eyes were much older than his current annuals. The impulse to hold his son was overwhelming and Cain took Jeb into his arms. “It’s good to see you, son.”
There was no answering hug, nor words in return.
Pulling back, eyes stinging with tears, Cain looked at Jeb carefully. He was dismayed to see Jeb looking at him as if he were a stranger. Which, Cain hated to admit, he might as well have been after all this time. “I need to get back to my prisoner,” Jeb said coldly. With nothing more to say, he stepped away from Cain and walked away.
~~
Everyone present could see the moment Glitch realized the magnitude of Zero’s words. When Zero looked right at him and called him by name, called him Ambrose, everything changed.
Finding his way to the tent Cain, Glitch and Raw had been offered for the night, Cain pulled back the flap only to stop abruptly when he saw Glitch was already inside. Glitch had tossed his jacket across the back of a chair, the only piece of furniture in the enclosure. There were no proper beds, only piles of worn blankets; the way it was all set up around them indicated that this small village was a traveling one.
Glitch had taken off his destroyed white undershirt, using the balled-up cloth to clean the remaining streaks of dried blood from his side. His back was to Cain, giving him the full view of the tattoos for the first time. The tendrils of ink that curled and tapered were striking, though Glitch’s tied-back hair covered the ones from the back of his neck to between his shoulder blades. In the dark of the tent, it was nearly impossible to tell which curls were soft hair and which were smoothly drawn in.
Unable to help himself, Cain found himself walking forward and reaching up, tracing his fingers over one of the tattoos.
Glitch jumped and turned his head. When he saw who it was, he remained silent, allowing the hesitant touch. Leaned into it, ever so slightly, his eyes half-lidded. Cain certainly wasn’t the first to touch his markings this way, but he was the first to do it with such care; with a sense of wonder, as if Glitch were valuable and wonderful.
After a few quiet, tense moments, Cain finally looked up at Glitch’s face. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he whispered, the admission too fragile.
Taking Cain’s hand in his own, Glitch turned fully around to face him. “You’re grieving Adora,” he said openly. “You’re seeing your son for the first time since he was eight annuals old and he’s an adult now.” Glitch hated having to be the one to say it, but he knew he would never forgive himself if Cain went on like this. “Everything is wrong and I’m just a convenience. Please, Cain. Don’t be one of those men. Don’t use me.”
Cain took a sharp breath, shocked at the ugly words. “I – you still think so little of yourself, even knowing the truth about who you are?”
“What am I supposed to think?” Glitch sounded defeated. “You know how I feel; it doesn’t take Raw to figure that out. But a person doesn’t just fall in love in a few days.”
“You did.”
Glitch shrugged helplessly, no hint of denial. “Who wouldn’t? Even if you weren’t gorgeous and intelligent, you’ve done nothing but show me kindness and concern since I got thrown in with your little group. You’ve taken me in, taken care of me, given me hope. Yes, I’m thankful for that – but I also care about you, more than I probably should.”
Cain looked down at the ground, bringing his arms tight around himself. “Look, we’ve got too much to deal with right now. DG’s missing, your brain is in Azkadelllia’s hands, who knows where the dog ended up. My kid hates me and tomorrow, we’re marching to what will more than likely be our deaths. If by some chance we survive and win this thing, we’ll come back to this conversation.”
“That’s fair, except the part where you're wrong - your kid doesn't hate you,” Glitch gave a short nod and reached for a folded piece of fabric sitting on the chair. When it unfurled, Cain saw that it was a new tank top, this one a shade of dark green. “Someone was nice enough to give me a new shirt,” he explained, pulling it on over his head and covering most of his tattoos again. He pulled the ponytail out of the back and tightened the ribbon with a sharp tug. His chains still hung free. “Now, do you suppose they’ve got anything to eat around here?”
“I hope so,” Cain smiled tightly. Before they could move toward the door, though, Cain pulled Glitch to him and held him, ridiculously relieved when this one was tenderly returned.
~~
End Chapter 8
On to Chapter 9
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Just take my heart out and stomp on it why don't you? T_T I think that that sentence was quite possibly the most heartbreaking sentence you have ever written... and I love it.
I love how Raw basically pouted when he saw Glitch was hurt and he hadn't been called for right away.
I love how you captured the interaction between Cain & Jeb perfectly.
I hate... absolutely nothing of this story. Each sentence is beautiful and leaves me wanting for more. If you ever write a book let me know because I'm going to buy it.
Oh! Could you describe Glitch's chain's, or rather how they are attached? I have a couple of idea's in my head for it but I'm not sure which is right.
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Also? *points backwards and grins* Chapter 7 - the whole backstory of the chains. ~me thinks you may have missed it by accident...*grin!*~ But that's okay, you can always go back and read it. :D
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PS...I looked back and it's also mentioned in the prologue to the story as being attached to the zipper pull. :D I thought it had been mentioned before! \o/ Sorry, I'm just having a moment. *ahem*
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This part? If so, I like I settled on which image I had. For some reason one image was like he had them attached to the back and then brought them around and the other end was attached to the other, so it created loops on one side of his head.
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What a sweet hug at then end! Everything is building up very nicely!
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Thank you so much - I'm happy to hear that! :D
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T_T In a way, I've known how Glitch feels about someone....*just glomps him* At least, since he's fictional, he'll get the guy. <3 And have wonderful buttsecks forevah. <33
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*hugs* Thank you for the love! :)
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I could smooch Raw for encouraging Glitch so kindly.
Cain certainly wasn’t the first to touch his markings this way, but he was the first to do it with such care; with a sense of wonder, as if Glitch were valuable and wonderful.
What a beautiful paragraph! *dabs eye*
And the hug at the end is so perfect, it really speaks more than...well, more would have done.
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*hugs you too* Oh, BOYS. They're coming together nicely. :D
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And I even liked Glitch's verbally pushing Cain away in the tent, because it really is too soon. *glares at surr* You make me suffer and like it!
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