A/N: I don't own Tin Man or the characters.
This is my first time posting, but it certainly won't be my last. And it's not the first story I've written (I've been stockpiling them, lol). But I figured what's the point of keeping them all to myself? :)
Hooray for fluff!
-B
DG liked her newfound perch: the wall surrounding the gardens. She had discovered that she could climb down from a low balcony and wander above the garden maze next to the Central City Palace. It made it easier not to get lost, she reasoned.
But today she wasn't mindlessly wandering on top of the walls. Today she was watching Jeb's latest new recruits trudge back to the palace after a grueling boot camp. It had only been a few weeks, but she was glad they were finally returning. Because if they were returning, so was he.
Her mother and father were greeting the returned soldiers as they gathered in front of the palace. Azkadellia remained on the lower balcony DG had dropped down onto the wall from.
DG spotted Jeb leading the group in the front and he waved to her slightly before turning back to the Queen. She smiled back but her eyes quickly started roaming the crowd around him for a familiar hat that was sure to be there. She couldn't find it.
DG was so distracted that she missed the Queen's speech and the soldiers were now walking past her and the gardens to get to the facility created for the troops to stay while in the city. Jeb smiled when she looked at him with a question on her face and nodded to the back of the group. She blushed, knowing she was too easy to read. Sitting down on the wall, her light green dress fluttered around her as she dangled her feet off the edge. She was swinging her feet back and forth nervously as more and more soldiers drifted by, still without any sign of his fedora.
As some of them walked by, she found herself intrigued by what she overheard.
"The Tin Man was damn near insufferable!" one exclaimed.
"He has got to be one of the moodiest men I have ever met!" another agreed. DG smirked. It was obvious who they were talking about.
"The man's gotta get laid. Soon!" the first stated. DG blushed.
"It's hard to believe he was ever nice enough to be married and have a child," the second one muttered. Her smirk faded.
"His wife was killed during the resistance, give the man a break," a third one broke in. Her heart ached and she silently thanked the third soldier for his scolding.
"So why did he stop wearing his ring?" the first one asked. Her eyes widened and her heart flipped in her chest.
"It's none of our business. Let him be," the third said, ending the conversation. Wait! What about the ring!?
She realized she must have looked ridiculous, practically falling off the wall trying to lean forward enough to hear what they said. She quickly stood again on the wall, and brushed off her dress. So where the hell is he?
"Hey there, Princess," came his voice from just to her left and in the shadows of the wall she was just sitting on.
"Jesus!!" she exclaimed, laying a hand on her chest, trying to calm herself down. She had nearly fallen off the wall.
"Oh, you're expecting someone else?" he asked, too amused to act rejected.
"What the hell, Cain!?" she looked around, noticing the trio that had turned back and her exclamation. She must have been too engrossed in the passing conversation that she didn't notice him sneak up next to her. "How long have you been there!?" she exclaimed, taking in his rugged appearance. He looked the same as always, just a little tired. Same hat, same coat, same exact outfit as always, sans ring.
"It's good to see you too," he said loudly enough for the others to hear while lowering his bag from his shoulder, and looking back up at her.
A small smile graced her features, and he smiled softly back. He glanced down at his empty arms and then back up at her again. Her smile broke into a grin, quickly understanding and silently laughing that this will surprise those soldiers, and she hopped off the wall horizontally.
He easily caught her bridal style, but he 'oomfed' for good measure. She raised an eyebrow, silently questioning if he considered her to be heavy, but couldn't contain the laughter that had bubbled out of her.
"I'm getting to old for this," he muttered, shifting her in his arms, as she wrapped hers around his neck.
"You're not that old…" she said suggestively in a stage whisper, locking her bright blue eyes with the icy pair she had most definitely missed.
"I missed you," he muttered quietly, just for her to hear.
She smiled softly and he squeezed her to him in a kind of hug before lowering her feet to the ground. He kissed her forehead before bending to pick up his bag again. Then he slung his arm back around her shoulders and guided her back towards the palace.
Feeling mischievous, DG briefly squeezed his ass through his duster before wrapping her arms around his waist. He sharply turned his head to her, eyes narrowed, ears turning pink. Her eyebrows were raised in defiance, challenging him to break up their charade. He kept walking, but not before throwing one more glance back to the trio of soldiers that now stood slack jawed, with their eyebrows raised. He smirked and turned back as DG leaned her head against his shoulder.
'I don't seem so moody now, do I?' he thought as he walked away, sliding his arm down from her shoulders, to the waist of his Princess, pulling her closer. He'd get her back for the ass grab later.