A/N: Happy Fourth day of my 12 days of Fanfiction/Christmas 2k16 Edition!
You know me – taking a perfectly good story and switching who is doing whom…I mean what….
TMTMTMTMTMTMTMTMTMTMTMTM
He tried to not think about what he was doing. He knew it was wrong and he knew there would most likely be hell to pay, but he also knew that it had to be done. There was nothing for him here. Empty promises and fakes smiles.
He knew he couldn't stay.
It had been a week since the eclipse. He didn't belong with DG and her family. He didn't belong with Glitch and Raw as her misfit companions. And he didn't belong with Jeb and the life he had made for himself without parents. Maybe someday, Jeb would need him, but not today.
And so he knew he couldn't stay.
"Never thought I'd see the day…" DG's voice stated dryly from somewhere in the shadows behind him.
Cain slowed his brisk walk down the hall. He shifted his pack's strap on his shoulder, jaw clenching as he did so. He didn't even bother to turn and look at her. How she had found him out, he didn't want to dwell on.
"Best get back to bed, DG. It's late."
His tone wasn't exactly unfriendly, but it certainly didn't encourage further questioning. She ignored his unstated warning. She strode in front of him and squared her shoulders, a familiar, challenging glint sparkling in her eyes.
"Oh, so are only adults allowed to be out in the middle of the night?" She stood before him, in nothing but a flimsy pair of shorts, a tshirt, and a sheet wrapped around her shoulders that she had clearly pulled from her bed instead of finding a robe. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail but her curls tumbled over her left shoulder. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes, licking her lips as her hands settled on her hips. "Or would you rather just not have a witness as you sneak away without saying goodbye?"
He was caught off guard by her defiance as always. The first time she had gone off on him like this was when he tried to ditch her and Glitch on his way to Central City. It made him straighten and size her up then too.
It wasn't as if she had grown in height since that time. It wasn't as if she looked any more threatening. She was tired and rumpled and in pajamas. But somehow she had a way of putting him in his place that only one woman had done before in his life.
Not even Adora could call him out like DG and his Grandmother Adelaide could.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
He sighed through his nose, fighting back the irrational wave of fire that she had ignited. It wasn't so much lust, as it was just plain annoyance.
"Which accusation would you like me to address first, Princess?"
He had used her title icily, not as an endearment as he had in the past. Her eyes narrowed, but he could sense her sarcasm coming before she even opened her mouth.
"Well feel free to answer alphabetically if you'd like. Though I've always found that chronological makes more sense…"
He rolled his eyes, huffing at her. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere with her unless he just came out and said it. She got him wound up faster than he could draw his gun.
"I was not implying you aren't adult enough to determine your own bedtime. And I was walking out quietly. I wasn't sneaking."
The corners of her mouth turned down slightly.
"But you are leaving."
He looked to the side, and felt his shoulders sag slightly. He couldn't miss the hurt in her voice, no matter how softly she said it. The disappointment was in there too, but he chose to ignore it. He would make his own decisions regardless of what other people thought.
"DG…"
"No." She held up a hand to stop him. "No I get it. You feel like you don't belong here." As she looked into her eyes he saw a level of understanding that made him squirm. "You feel like running off on your own will make you feel better. That you'll find what you're looking for somewhere else. Leave everyone to their own devices and so you can solve your problems on your own." She stepped closer, hands falling from her hips, her eyes pleading with him. "But you're not on your own, Wyatt." He blinked at his name, jolting himself out of his trance her gaze had put him in. "You never have been. You've always had family and friends surrounding you. And you still do. Just the faces and circumstances have changed." His jaw clenched again, and his scowl had deepened. "And we do want you here. Just give us a chance to show that to you."
She was too close to him. She knew too much, she was half dressed, and she was too close to him.
He stepped back from her and tore his eyes from her caring face. Letting out the breath he had been holding, his mind swam with her insightfulness. The fire in his stomach burned hotter. What the hell…
He knew he couldn't stay.
"I have to go."
He no longer sounded convinced. He moved to brush past her but her hand caught his elbow, and he was helpless not to look back at her.
"You know we'll come looking for you. You know we won't just let you walk away from us." She was so sure, so determined. He knew she was absolutely right. "Jeb, Glitch….me…We won't stop chasing after you…"
The way she said it, made him pause. His brow furrowed at her. That last 'we' wasn't a 'we' at all. He couldn't stop himself from glancing down at her lips as his denial came tumbling past his own.
"I don't want to be chased…"
That was a lie and he knew it. She knew it. She knew he knew she knew it. She glanced from eye to eye, and studied his whole face. Then she abruptly let go of his elbow and reached both hands up to the sides of his face and pressed her lips to his.
It was as if she had kicked a can of gasoline onto the fire in his stomach. He felt his body and mind jolt from the contact and as she settled back on her heels, pulling his face down with her, he barely noticed himself responding as she moved her lips over his to kiss him again.
He was shocked, he was turned on, he was alarmed, he was guilty, he was nervous, and he was enjoying this. He wasn't sure he could process them all, let alone pick one emotion to react to.
His arm, that she had grabbed earlier, brushed across her stomach and slid around her waist. His other hand moved towards her face, but his pack slid off of his shoulder. He quickly shook it off his arm and cupped the back of her head as he pressed a more insistent kiss to her lips.
He lost track of time as he gave himself over to the sensation of kissing her. It wasn't until his thoughts began to catch up to him and it registered that he was kissing a Princess that he tilted his mouth away from hers and stood gaping at her. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he tried to assess her intentions.
He was blown away that she, the youngest Princess of the OZ, was interested enough in him, a widowed ex-Tin Man, to hunt him down in the middle of the night and kiss him in order to get him to stay. Let alone that she knew him so well that it scared the crap out of him. That she knew just what to say and what he needed to hear to change his mind.
"Please stay."
Her chest was heaving in the moonlight. She clutched the front of his shirt and leaned into him. He became very aware of how they were in the middle of a hallway of a Palace in the middle of the night within those same seconds. Anyone could discover them.
He knew he couldn't stay.
He felt himself slowly nodding at her.
"Okay, but we really should get out of this hallway." He smiled slightly at her. "It's late."
TMTMTMTMTMTMTMTMTMTM
A/N: Judging by the dates on this file I wrote this 5 years ago. Now seems as good of a time as any to post it LMAO. Cheers!