Remembering the important things By Shannon
Disclaimer: I have to put this here for legal reasons apparently, despite the fact that I DO own Glitch. But of course, that's only in my dreams. In real life I own nothing. Don't sue me, I gave them back!
Quick Note:British TV is rather shite, and we've actually only JUST started to get the Tin Man... Therefore I've actually only watched the first two episodes. So if this is at odds with the third in anyway then let me know and I apologise. I'm a bit of a spoilsport and read what happens next online anyway so it should hopefully be ok. As usual I apologise for any spelling mistakes and punctuation. It was done without a proper spell check. Let me know if it's really bad!
"Curse these stupid feet," Ambrose said in anger, collapsing into a heap in the middle of the ballroom.
The dance would probably be easier with a partner, but since DG was busy bonding with Azkadellia, and he wouldn't dare to ask the Queen while he was in this state, he had little choice but to attempt it on his own.
It was much easier to pretend he knew what he was doing when no one was around to bear witness to his mistakes, when nobody could judge him and compare him to how he once was. Years ago he used to have such grace and intelligence; people were always asking him to dance. Now he was nothing more than a fish out of water. A very clumsy fish out of water. Without any self-control. The others - his friends he guessed, the ones that he had lived and worked with in the palace – would laugh and whisper behind their fans every time he fell to the ground. It was truly embarrassing.
That was the only reason he was in the empty ballroom with no partner and a small musical box that played the same six songs over and over... including one of the Queens favourite. He was attempting to get the hang of a dance that he had once known by heart, it had been taught to him by his mother when he was six. He remembered that. He remembered that Azkadellia would beg him to dance with her; he remembered that DG would run over and take control half way through, he remembered that the King would mock him for loving to dance too much. And he remembered that he loved to do it anyway. But now... now it seemed that the extra weight of his brain had knocked his body's ability to be able to function properly without tripping over his own feet.
Raking a hand through his hair and gritting his teeth, Ambrose forced himself back to his feet
and closed his eyes tightly, listening to the music in order to once more be in time with the rhythm.
A snort interrupted before he could begin. "You had no problem with dancing while you were Glitch."
"I don't recall asking your opinion Tin Man," Ambrose snapped, opening his eyes to glare at Cain. "And for your information, I am more Glitch then Ambrose, and THAT is where the problem lies. My feet and head no longer agree on what the body should be doing. The feet seem to be winning" He glanced down and frowned at them, sticking out his tongue in a childish fashion.
He looked up as Cain strode toward him, grabbing his shoulders with a grip that was just short of being painful.
Then a forceful mouth crashed down on his, and Ambrose flung his arms around the taller mans neck. His anger slid away even as he tried to keep it. He moaned low, feeling one of Cain's hands slide up and tangle in his curly hair. Fingers dug into his scalp hard enough to bruise and Ambrose growled in warning before removing his arms and pushing against Cain forcefully. When the kiss finally broke, it took him a moment to remember where he was. "What are you doing here?" he managed at last. "I seem to recall that you have a job to do."
"You're part of that job, Head Case," Cain replied with a fond smile. "I can never be sure if you've gotten yourself into trouble or not. For somebody who's meant to be smart, you do like to get yourself into stupid situations. How did you manage not to kill yourself for fifteen annuals?" He traced a hand up Ambrose spine, once again tangling in his hair. Ambrose rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance.
"Trust me," he said, "It was hard. I ended up aggravating more than one Long Coat during that time. And let me tell you, they certainly can't take a joke! This one time, all I asked was if the man had a dead animal on his head and he punched me in the face. I mean, really. They're worst then you.
Cain chuckled softly and then suddenly kissed him, leaving Ambrose's lips to feel bruised and swollen. He did enjoy the days when Cain was feeling especially forceful and possessive. "So what's wrong with you Twinkle Toes? What are you trying – and failing might I add - to dance too?" he said cheekily.
"The Midnight Meadow, though I doubt an uneducated man such as yourself would have the faintest idea what that was. Go terrorize the guards like a good Tin Man, maybe one of them can help to polish that black heart of yours. If it's there at all of course?" Ambrose added another quick glare and tried to pull further away, but a quick tug to his upper arm had him spinning round and being pulled in close to Cain's warm body. After a moment of silence and more intense glaring, Ambrose realized that they were in the starting position for the dance that
he was struggling with. "May I inquire as to what you think you are doing?"
An infuriating smirk was sent in his direction before Cain wrapped their hands together. "My grandmother was a dancer and my grandfather played for the royal orcastra before moving to the countryside. They both taught me a great many things Sweetheart."
He left out the fact that Adora used to be passionate about music. Some things were too painful to share, especially when they concerned his deceased wife.
"Your problem, Glitch, is that you keep thinking about what you were like before, and not how you are now. You aren't the same person. You're a better man thankfully. Stop comparing yourself to the pompous idiot that used to run around here like he owned the place. He's dead."
Ambrose narrowed his eyes. "How long were you watching me? And I was NOT a pompous idiot Thank You very much. I happened to be a highly respectable genius."
" I've been here awhile," Cain said. "Now stop trying to go faster than your feet can carry you. Just because you have your memories back now, it doesn't mean you have to instantly be back to the standard you were. I like you this way Glitch."
"Yes, well I don't." Ambrose replied, as he tried to struggle out of Cain's embrace. "I can feel everyone laughing at me. I can remember how it all was before the Witch and it's frustrating not to be that good. I have my brain back... I shouldn't still be clumsy or forgetful. I shouldn't still be glitching every 10 minutes Cain." He fell reluctantly silent and still as Cain simply started the first few steps of the dance, humming the music absently to himself.
"Come on Glitch." Cain sighed when his partner still failed to respond. "I'll lead, you follow."
And Ambrose did. Hesitantly at first, not quite believing that Mr Boy-Scout-Syndrome was actually dancing with him... willingly at that. But as the dance entered the middle part, he began to give it more energy.
As Cain's humming became louder and faster, he tugged Ambrose closer, twirling and moving in a way that left him dizzy and excited. He certainly couldn't remember doing it this way with anyone else. It was scandalous to say the least. He could see the finest sheen of sweat on the other mans skin, it ran down his cheek towards his lips, and Ambrose's eyes followed it with interest.
The hand that had rested lightly at his waist was now curved around to rest gently on his backside, and there was so little space between them that all it needed was for Cain to look down and Ambrose would be able to kiss the droplet of sweat away.
Ambrose smiled as Cain read his thoughts and finally kissed him again. He buried his fingers in the soft hair as they gave up on the dancing. The Tin Man's hat had been left on a chair when
he entered the room. Which was good in Ambrose's opinion, since Cain seemed to give it more attention then he got whenever the man wore it. He pulled out of the kiss slowly, biting down on Cain's lower lip, and looking up to met blue eyes.
"I didn't fall over," he said in surprise, stepping away from his partner and ignoring the growing bulge in the other man's trousers.
Cain laughed. "Of course you didn't, you stopped trying to force the rhythm with your head. Were you not the man who said rhythm comes from the soul? You're better this way Sweetheart. I was worried that you wouldn't be the same after your surgery. But its better like this... you've changed, but I can still see my Glitch in there somewhere. Are you not pleased that you completed the dance without ending up looking at the ceiling?"
The advisor smiled and pulled on Cain's arm. "Yes, it has nothing to do with a rather yummy-looking distraction of course." And with that, he yanked Cain back to their room to start another form of dancing. One that didn't require quite so many frills or layers.