Mister, Mister, Mister
By: SilverLunarStar
Disclaimer: … So Cain belongs to DG and vice versa, and Tin Man belongs to Craig Van Sickle and Steven Long Mitchell, and what do I get? Manica. (See profile for more details.) Life is so unfair.
Author's Note: Sequel to Princess, Princess, Princess is here! For those of you who haven't read it shoo! Go read that first. Haha, no, actually you don't have to read that to get this, but it'd be nice if you did check it out afterwards if it catches your fancy. Much thanks to everyone who reviewed the prequel! They all meant so much. Now, without further ado, here's~ Cain!
The first time DG, Princess of the OZ, called Wyatt Cain 'Mr. Cain,' she did so out of respect. They had just met, after all. He's willing to admit, he'd flinched internally at her calling him 'Mister.' He was barely thirty-two when they put him in that tin suit and, if the demise of his family didn't, hearing that respected title come out of her mouth made him feel positively ancient.
She then took to calling him Cain after they escaped the Witch's tower which suited him just fine. It showed she still respected him and acknowledged that they'd barely known each other for a few days.
When she called him 'Mr. Cain' again, just before they raided the place they had escaped from a few days earlier, his eyes nearly popped out in disbelief. Seriously? After all they had been through? Not just them, but Glitch and Raw (and yeah, okay, maybe even the pooch) as well. After everything they had been through in that short week, she was calling him 'Mister' and extending her hand in a formal gesture? For a millisecond, he contemplated if she had been possessed. Where was the girl who handed out hugs like a thief who pocketed gold? He'd stared at her hand and looked at her face before taking her into his arms.
After the Eclipse was over (thank Ozma), she came to them and embraced them, happy they were all alive and well. Now this was the DG he knew and lo-. Yeah, anyway.
When the See- the Consort, Ahamo (he was still more than a little miffed that he'd been able to take DG away from him) suggested Cain stay with them as head of security (Ahamo's request somewhat took away his anger), he did his best not to look eager. While he wouldn't personally be in charge of her (although he'd make sure he was assigned to her often enough without it rousing suspicion), he was slightly anxious. After all, he'd be in charge of making sure everyone was safe, but he had to admit, life would never be boring with her in his life so he was up for the task.
Yet, a few months in, dull was what it became, routinely so. It irked him as much as it relieved him. So he was a little bored, so what? As long as DG was safe, nothing else mattered (and the fact that he was able to see his son, Jeb Cain, often further cemented that belief). However, his anger was on the high end of the scale. Why? All because of a slip of a princess.
"Mr. Cain, what are you doing?"
"Mr. Cain, I'm off to see my parents."
"I'm ready to go, Mr. Cain."
"You need a break, Mr. Cain."
"If you don't rest now, Mr. Cain, you're sure to drop dead."
"Mr. Cain, could you help me, please?"
"Mr. Cain, you're too serious."
"Loosen up, Mr. Cain."
"Are you okay, Mr. Cain?"
"Go see your son, Mr. Cain; I'm sure you miss him."
"Mr. Cain, why do you have to be so stubborn?"
"Mr. Cain, stop bossing me around."
"I'm not going, Mr. Cain."
"Can you please just shoot him, Mr. Cain?"
"Be careful, Mr. Cain; we do need our head of security, after all."
"Mr. Cain, you're not old."
"Mr. Cain, you are not to leave your bed until you're feeling better."
"I brought you something to eat, Mr. Cain."
"That's more than a small heat flash, Mr. Cain."
"Don't worry, Mr. Cain, Jeb's taking care of me just fine."
"Mr. Cain, look out!"
"Mr. Cain, don't you ever do that again!"
"I don't care if you're one of my bodyguards, you're still my friend first Mr. Cain!"
"Don't give me that look, Mr. Cain."
"Calm down, Mr. Cain, everything's fine."
"Mr. Cain, I need to get out of here before I grab your gun and shoot a few of these…men."
"Mr. Cain, stop treating me like a child!"
"Walk with me in the gardens, Mr. Cain?"
"If I behave can we go riding, Mr. Cain?"
"Come on, Mr. Cain, I bet I can go faster than you!"
"Mr. Cain, Jeb was asking for you earlier."
"Mr. Cain, you need to talk with Jeb more."
"Have a nice day, Mr. Cain."
"Goodnight, Mr. Cain."
"You haven't had quality time with your son in months, Mr. Cain, go."
"Mr. Cain, stop stressing out or you'll have an aneurism."
"Mr. Cain, you didn't eat lunch, now sit down before I order you to."
"I want to go into town, Mr. Cain."
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Cain."
"I don't need you right now, Mr. Cain, I'll be alright."
That probably drove him headfirst off the cliff crazy most of all. She didn't need him? Fine. He needed her, though, needed to make sure she was okay and if she wasn't, he needed to know what to do to make things better. All this 'Mister' business, however, was getting to be too much.
They'd known each other for more than half a year and she continued to speak to him so formally. Sure, there were plenty of times they spoke as friends (because they were friends), but she would always call him 'Mr. Cain.' He knew it was partly his fault for not saying anything to her, but didn't she know him enough by now to call him Cain, at the very least? He wouldn't mind hearing 'Tin Man,' even though that technically was no longer his title.
"Copper for your thoughts, Mr. Cain?"
His head snapped up.
Her blue eyes sparkled with glee. "I finally snuck up on you!" she crowed, grinning madly, and clapping her hands together. The sight of her took his breath away.
"DG…"
Her smile suddenly disappeared. "Wha-what did you just say?"
He cleared his throat. "I, uh…nice work, Princess; I guess I'm getting a little old-"
"No!" she exclaimed.
His jaw snapped shut and he looked at her, confused.
"I'm sick of this! All of it! We've known each other for six and a half months; you travelled with me, protected me, and never called me Princess more than a scant few times. I'm sick of always hearing you call me Princess! You never call me by my name anymore!" Tears started welling in her eyes.
"Neither do you!" he retorted. "It's always Mr. Cain this, Mr. Cain that," he mocked in a high-pitch.
"I do not sound like that! And the only reason I call you Mr. Cain is because you insistently call me Princess or Princess DG." She practically snarled at the last part.
He blinked. She was right. How had he never noticed he did it? He couldn't even blame propriety. The Queen was very kind and lenient. The last time he had called her DG was…
They had just gotten out of a meeting with Parliament and DG was rather irritated. She had been fidgety during the last quarter of an hour.
"Tired DG?" Cain asked, amusement laced in his voice.
DG groaned. "You have no idea. Tired and bored out of my mind. Cain, I don't think you need to worry about assassins coming into my room late at night. I think, no, I know they've already infiltrated and are trying to bore me to death."
He was not amused by that, but he took pity. "Want to get out for a while, Deeg?" The nickname escaped his mouth before his mind could react.
She looked at him, brow arched. That was a first. She couldn't help the grin that overtook her face, though. "Please Cain! First, however, I have got to get out of these shoes!" Saying so, she put a hand on his arm to balance herself as she slipped said footwear off.
"Go put on a riding outfit."
"Really?" She squealed. "Thanks Cain, you're the best!" Giving him a hug, she ran off.
"Be careful not to stick your feet, Princess," he half-teased, half-warned.
She waved at him without turning.
Cain felt himself grin at her antics.
Neither of them had noticed a maid passing by who loved to gossip. As a result, during the following week's meeting, a few members of Parliament looked down at the youngest Princess' interaction with her bodyguard. Not that they said anything.
They didn't have to, though. Cain picked up the vibes well enough and, as it was his duty to keep DG safe, he considered himself a slight danger to her, something that could easily be remedied. He just hadn't thought it would be so easy. It had been an unconscious decision on his part; it was all a part of keeping her safe.
"Cain, hello, Cain!" DG snapped her fingers in front of his face and squeaked indignantly when he caught her wrist. She took a sharp breath when he dragged her flush against him and her heart skipped a few beats.
Cain looked into her wide eyes and made a resolution right then and there. He bent down to whisper in her ear, "My name is Wyatt, DG," before proceeding to kiss her senseless.
With a kiss like that, how did he expect her to even remember her name?
Doing this one was a lot harder than PPP. That one only took me a day or two to finish. I had this one under incomplete for a couple of weeks. XD
Well, I'm done. What'cha think?
Love to hear from you all!
Lots of love,
~*Eli