This is just a few short drabbles that came together into one story. Mathia Cain is an OC from my story, "The Wicked Witch of the East" which I'm working on right now. Though this is an alternate timeline, I kept her. She was adopted by Adora, and now lives with the Cains. This'll probably end up a two or three shot, since I have some plot in mind for the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tin Man. I wish I did, but I don't.
No one had seen such a large crowd in Central City for a long time. Many of them came to see the clips of Azkadellia being freed from the witch being played all over the city, but more of them came to see something even more exciting: Zero's trial.
Zero had been given clean clothes and a bath, but he still looked ragged with his bruises. Deep circles were under his eyes, and he had such a haunted look that for a moment DG felt sorry for him. She peered at Jeb. He had turned an odd shade somewhere between white and green.
She reached over and took his hand. "Hey, you OK?" she whispered.
He nodded. "I'm not sure I can do this, DG," he whispered back. "So much has already happened, and Zero seems like a different person. Broken, almost."
DG put her arm around his shoulders. "You don't have to do anything. Az'll take care of it just fine. All you have to do is be there. Whatever sentence he gets it'll be fair, you can be sure of that."
They entered the large courtroom, taking front seats beside Mathia and Glitch. There were murmurs all about the room. The Queen hammered for silence. The crowd settled down, but they weren't silent until Az walked in.
DG was used to Az with her shoulders drawn together, trying to make herself as small as she could. She was amazed how she managed to stand up straight. Her lips were no longer painted a bright red and she'd cut down on eye makeup quite a bit. She looked almost like a different person. She stepped up beside her mother.
DG wondered if she was the only one to see Zero's face change when she walked into the room. Like a broken, lost little happiness. She was pretty sure she was the only one to see his face when Az started listing his crimes. Shattered, crushed. She felt sorry for him. Az didn't even look at him. She didn't falter, not once, spreading out all the lives he'd ruined.
DG wasn't surprised that she was crying. She was surprised that she didn't know who she was crying for.
-X-
It was DG who went to tell Zero that he was under house arrest with the Cains as a parole. Zero didn't even look up, sitting, still as a rock, on a bench in the corner. DG waited a moment, and left.
-X-
Jeb wasn't nearly as kind. Zero had no mercy at his hands. It was chore after chore, and if he was too slow or didn't do it right, Jeb would chew him out like there was no tomorrow. After a while, Zero's lack of reaction put him off, and he let him do the chores undisturbed. For three days, it continued like this. Mathia made a few attempts to be nice to him, but she wasn't home much.
On the fourth day, Cain came home, exhausted from a day as a Tin Man again. He threw down his keys. Jeb thundered down the stairs and caught his father in a huge bear hug, as he usually did now days. It was proof that he was still real and with him.
There was a crash from the kitchen. The Cains whirled around, dashing after the noise. There was glass littered on the ground, and in the middle, Zero had collapsed. Jeb groaned. "Great, just what we needed…"
Glitch came over with Mathia, who had been at his house. The surgery to replace his brain had gone well, though he was distinctly still Glitch personality-wise. He examined Zero, who was sprawled on the couch sloppily. "When did he last eat?" he asked.
The Cain men gave each other a look. "I didn't notice him eating since he came over from the cell, and he looked pretty ragged even then."
Glitch rolled his eyes at Cain. "When did he last sleep?"
The Cain men gave each other another look. "I gave him a bed, but again, I didn't notice him ever sleeping since he arrived."
Glitch sighed. "He's starved himself. Heaven only knows why, it's not like it helps anything, but that's how it is. He needs rest, and food. You're going to have to refrain from making his life total hell for a while, I'm afraid."
Mathia rolled her eyes. "I'll take care of it."
"Good," Glitch said.
-X-
The sisters showed up the next day. DG disappeared somewhere, and Az talked with the Cains in the kitchen while Mathia made porridge. When Mathia had slopped a bowl full of porridge, Az took it. "If you don't mind, I'll do it."
DG appeared, looking so innocent Cain was tempted to arrest her on the spot for being too suspicious. Az walked past her. Almost immediately, they heard a loud snorting laughter. Cain leaned out and tried to figure out the cause. He snorted. Zero nearly disappeared under a large, fluffy, pink blanket, cuddling an even fluffier stuffed rabbit.
Az leaned forward to take it from him. He opened a bleary eye, and muttered something that sounded like, "Like rabbit…" Az sloppily suppressed a giggle, and sat down beside him. She held out a spoonful of porridge. "Na' hungry…" Zero mumbled.
Az scowled at him. "You can have me feed you, or God as my witness, I will have Jeb shove it down your throat," she growled.
Zero considered and opened his mouth. The next few spoonfuls went quickly. "Whoever cooked this is magic," he commented, before Az stuffed his mouth with more porridge.
-X-
The next few days, even the Cain men found it hard to hate Zero. Mostly, this was because he was delirious with fever, and was babied by three girl with short attention spans, but it was still something.
Jab walked past the door and had to back track when he heard, "Wait, did the dust bunnies become demonic before or after the cockroaches took over the world?"
"They both happened right when the vampire stole the onions," Zero was telling his rapt audience. "And then the island blew up, so the birds were happy!"
Jeb had to run so they didn't hear his hysterical laughter.
-X-
"Got any fives?" DG asked.
"Go fish," Az answered.
"Goddammit!" DG screamed.
Az turned to Zero. "Got any twos?"
"Um, guys, I'm not the only one who noticed that the cards are mice with numbers on their fur, right?" Zero said.
"This is what Glitch's failed experiments are for!" Mathia said happily.
"Oh, god, I should have stayed in jail…"
-X-
Zero walked up to Jeb. "I would just like to say I'm sorry," he said.
Jeb raised an eyebrow. "That's nice, but you're saying it awful casually given that you tortured me and my family and killed my mother…"
"No, not about that. I'm not even going to try to apologize for that, because nothing I say will fix that. I'm sorry that you get these girls under your roof every day. And I would like to say that I respect you for retaining your sanity."
"Sanity? The hell! They drive me nuts!"