(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]

"I think I know that place," Cain comments with a note of wonder. "Central City, one of the back alleys facing the East gate?"

Come on, he seems to say, you know it's in there somewhere, dig it up!

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitch stops, trying hard to remember. "It... in the morning, it was cold and bright... Yes! East gate!" He waves his free hand. "There was a girl, she was a zipperhead too! But she couldn't remember why they took her marbles."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. They kept a low profile, didn't want any one of the bigwigs to be offended. The Tin Men left it alone, figured as long as they didn't break the law..."

He shrugs. "Spoke to the man in charge, once." Or so he thinks; he can remember it, faintly. "I don't think I've ever seen one so passionately defending the headcases. Said they had to eat too, and he had muglug to spare, and no one was gonna tell him otherwise. Not even a Tin Man patrolling the streets."

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"I don't remember much. I remember a headcase girl and them letting me sleep in their kitchen during winter one time." He remembers feeling the cold easing out of the metal zip.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

Cain swallows, walking over to take a seat in the armchair next to Glitch's with the need to be close. And yet, despite what happened in here just minutes ago (a lifetime ago), he didn't expect so little to have changed. The entire world should have been tipped on its side when they kissed, but everything seems the same. Nothing is like it was, but it's almost exactly the same.

"They were good people."

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"Mm." Glitch folds his legs up, resting his mug on his knees, long fingers laced around the cup to warm them. "They were. I wish I remembered them at all, but I don't. I remember they had a hundred and sixteen tiles on the wall between the door and the stove."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"We should go there."

He blinks, as surprised by the offer as by the determination behind it. "When you're recovered, we'll go back. See if we can't find them."

He knows it's a long shot, with the Longcoats running rampant for so many years, but he can't make himself care. It's a place Glitch remembers, and that alone makes it worth visiting.

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitch smiles slightly, an Ambrose smile that's full of sadness and wisdom. "Sure. We can go back there." He doubts they're still there. He doubts if they're alive at all.

He looks at Cain and smiles brightly. "Hi there!"

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

The smile on his face falters, but only for the fraction of a heartbeat it takes for him to counteract it. He's had a lot of practice over the weeks, months, of saying the wrong thing. Of changing tracks uphill.

"Evening, Sweetheart. How's the muglug?"

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"No one else calls me sweetheart," Glitch comments. "It's good, it's warm and it's thick and I don't feel hungry anymore." He looks to Cain. "Are you enjoying yours?"

Rennie watches silently, and learns.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"They'd better not. It's the one thing that goes against my macho complex, I can't come up with something new. That is it."

He smiles, having another sip with an appreciative hum. "It's good. Better than I remembered it."

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"They're not allowed to. No one else is allowed to call me that." He wriggles his toes.

"It is good. I knew it was. All warm and filling."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"I'll hold you to that, you know." He winks, but sobers soon enough. The muglug helps keeping him focused. It's not so much about mustering up a bit of courage, but rather a matter of subtlety.

Glitch's glitches are different these days, and he'd rather not cling to the past. But some habits just break hard.

"There's this place in Central City. Served a mean mug of lug. Didn't discriminate, either. Everyone's welcome." He huffs quietly. "Can't remember the name, though."

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"You better. I might forget. I don't think I will, but I never know." He gets the distinct feeling something odd just happened in the conversation but dismisses it.

"The East Gate Refo- Or, no. East Gate something... They have a headcase working for them! Or did. I guess she probably didn't survive this long."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

"You won't with me there to remind you."

Phew.

"Maybe not. Maybe she did. You can't be the only one who's held on this long, right?"

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"I'm different. I was the brilliant man in the entire O.Z. once. Other headcases didn't have that advantage to keep them going." He drains his mug and sets it aside.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

Cough. "Talk about a big ego." Cough.

Cain's is the face of innocence.

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"It's not ego, it's fact," Ambrose states, lifting his chin up. "There wasn't a mind to rival mine in this generation, and that's a fact."

Then he blinks and gets a shy smile. "Course, my oh so brilliant mind is currently half in a tank across the country..."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

He could kiss that smile. Yes, he could.

"You could use a few lessons in humility, O Smartest Man of the O.Z." He's just teasing, and the wink he shoots Glitch's way should be proof enough even without the tone of voice.

"Better part of your brain's right here, if you ask me. But maybe I'm biased."

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

"Why should I be humble? I'm the luckiest guy in the O.Z. and brains had nothing to do with that."

He beams happily. "And be careful there with my hand, Tin man, you might spill that muglug on it."

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

Twin suns, red and soft around the edges, take their place on Cain's cheeks.

"I thought I got it back, fair and square. And what's a bit of muglug on a big, strong hand?"

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitch climbs over the chair to perch on the arm of Cain's chair, taking his hand and looking at it. "It might burn. And I did warn you that of all my hands, it is my favourite."

He remembers.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

He remembers.

Muglug forgotten the moment realization hits, Cain sits staring up at his friend, stupefied. It's only now that it hits him - it's been quite some time since they had this conversation the first time. Glitch hasn't forgotten.

He says nothing. His jaw works silently; his eyes grow momentarily brighter. Finally, he nods.

[amicably-absent.livejournal.com]

Glitch cants his head, blinks and isn't sure why Cain is so quiet for such a long moment. "Wyatt? Are you okay," he asks softly. He keeps holding the hand he picked up.

[less-hugging.livejournal.com]

He takes another sip of soup/stew, to help ridding himself of his heart setting up camp in his throat. Down it goes, back to where it belongs.

He smiles (not entirely effortlessly), looking up and misty eyed, and not technically afraid to show it. "You remember."