(no subject)

[amicably_absent]

Glitch had swum for hours, chasing fish and insects and bubbles and sunbeams. Eventually, worn out and tired, he had swum to shore and curled up on the bank on the sun warmed pebbles, grumbling about his lack of coat until he fell asleep.

He woke up with Rennie shaking him, a scolding voice telling him he had to come in, he was all wet and dirty and needed a bath and clean clothes, and was she going to have to strap him in the chair.

Glitch reacted predictably.

He screamed at her, judo flipped her while sitting down, dove into the water, swam to a far edge and took off.

Rennie asked Cain to go find Glitch and bring him in before he froze or hurt himself.

Glitch had retreated to the rotunda, sitting on the seat and swinging himself back and forth, watching the sun setting on the lake. He was soaking wet again, but his trembling didn't seem to worry him at all.

Comments

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"Don't forget to turn off the water, Glitch."

And don't you forget your place.

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"I didn't know I'd turned it on, Wyatt. Mrow." There's another giggle. "Taps, taps, right."

More giggles as it keeps bubbling. "I love the bubbles."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

Maybe if he's lucky, the bubbles will keep Glitch occupied and distracted from giving Cain ideas... But listening to him so, very excited about such a tiny little trivial thing makes Cain smile. He leans against the door jamb, back still turned, and makes up his mind right then and there.

This isn't too bad, after all. He just needs to keep a cool head, and not let his mind get the better of him. "I hear they're the best part."

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Rennie came back in finally, carrying different products. "I got the- Mister Ambrose, have you turned off the water?"

"Yes!" There's more splashing.

Rennie sighs and goes in there, setting items down. "Shampoo. Conditioner. Soap... how much bubble bath did you put in?"

"Um... the amount I'd use to lubricate the joints of a mechanical cow."

Rennie's eye twitches.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

Cain listens, doing his best to keep his face neutral, but inside he's laughing.

He almost feels sorry for the poor girl. Almost.

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"Don't drown yourself in it. And make sure you wash your hair and your body and even between your toes. Especially there with the running around in bare feet."

"Okay." He splashes more. "I wonder when I last washed my hair..."

"Before surgery, Mister Ambrose."

"Oh. I don't remember that."

"Do you want me to do it?" She reaches towards him.

Glitch positively howls and scrambles back in the bath. "Don't touch my zip!"

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

Spikes of alarm replace the warmth that had only just started settling into peaceful, quiet contentment, sending Cain rushing headfirst into the bathroom.

He places a hand on Rennie's arm, gentle, non-invasive, and leads her to the side while never taking his focus off his friend.

"It's okay, Rennie. I'll take care of this. Thanks for everything." And belatedly, remembering dinner. "If you'd bring dinner up in an hour, I'll make sure everything's settled and tidied up. I'd be much obliged." In other words, 'You did good, despite everything'.

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitch is covered in white bubbles and half out the bath at the far end. Rennie just sighs and stands up. "Very good, Mister Cain."

She leaves.

Glitch sinks back into the bath, watching after her. "I don't like people touching my zipper."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

Frightened half out of his mind, Cain suspects from the look on his face. He comes over, takes a seat on the edge of the tub, and looks at Glitch.

"It's okay. She didn't mean to scare you, Sweetheart."

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitch looks at Cain for a long moment and then huffs, blowing bubbly froth everywhere. "She's not to touch my zipper. I don't like it. Those horrible little ankle biters unzipped it to see if it was really empty then strung me up. ANKLE BITER!"

Possibly yelled at Rennie. Or just being generally upset.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"Shh, it's okay--" murmured during Glitch's rant, cut off by the very vocal epithet that Cain tries very hard not to be startled by. He has a right to be upset, and he has a right to be loud about it.

"She won't touch your head, or your hair, or so much as your face."

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitch sinks into the water further, until his chin is in the bubbles. "I got dressed without her."

He reaches up to rub some of his hair between his fingers. "Maybe it does need more than water."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

Sliding his arms out of his coat and folding it before laying it down on the floor, Cain looks at Glitch with something approaching fondness. It's tinged by what he doesn't want to be pity or empathy or anything at all degrading. He hopes it's just compassion, nothing more.

He rolls up his sleeves, even if he feels like a fool for it. "Need a hand?"

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitch brightens considerably. "Would you? I'm not sure I can..." he looks at his hands. "I put watches together with these hands. Tiny little clockwork birds to sing in the hallways..."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"Of course I would." His confidence grows from that boost of energy alone.

"Let's get your hair soaked. I won't go near your zipper, I promise."

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"You won't open it, so I don't mind." Not that there's a tag.... and it's stitched shut, but he's forgotten that.

Glitch takes a breath, pinching his nose and sliding underwater, surfacing quickly and shaking off water and bubbles.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

Shaking off water and bubbles all over Cain, that is. He closes his eyes, face scrunched up in a bout of mirth that takes him completely by surprise.

"You're-- You're like a wet dog on the beach!"

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

He rubs his eyes with his fists and blinks and beams at Cain. "It's wet, though!"

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"Kind of goes with the territory, doesn't it? Come on, scoot on over, give me some shampoo." He holds out his hands for that exact purpose.

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitch grabs the bottle, gets it open and turns to kneel and dollop some on Cain's palm. The bottle gets done up and set precisely in place. He sits back down, tucking his knees to his chest.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

With all that water, there's a lot of splashing going on, but Cain doesn't strictly mind. It's easier to focus on the task at hand than at what bubbles and water does to Glitch's general...qualities.

He starts at the back of Glitch's neck, working his way up with soft, gentle touches, careful to work out knots and kinks as he goes. "Tell me about those clockwork doohickeys you mentioned."

Maybe that'll keep him distracted from his having lived a nightmare.

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"Um..." He closes his eyes and sighs softly. "The clockwork birds... I made birds, for the princesses. They flew and sang and perched on fingers. They ran off moratanium. It was expensive and maybe a frivolous, but they loved them..." He trailed off with a hum.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"Nothing but the best for your favorite girls."

He'd loosen his collar if he kept it buttoned. As he doesn't, he keeps up this...thing they're doing, that's turning more and more from just helping a friend with washing his hair into something else. Something like leisurely massaging out tension, something like going on muscle memory, even if he doesn't remember ever washing Adora's hair. He doesn't think he ever did. He never thought he would, but here he is, and it's...

It's oddly nice.

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitches eyes close, head tipping back into Cain's hands and leaning there, trusting and relaxed and content.

"Wyatt," he murmurs softly. "That's real nice."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

He can feel blood rushing to his face, but Glitch can't see it, so maybe that's okay. "Yeah."

Maybe it's okay to get lost in the contrast between squeaky clean hair and frothy, soft lather and skin, pale skin everywhere he looks, and bubbles. Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

"Not too bad."