1. What if Glitch never lost his brain? How would things be different between him and Cain?
There were times when Ambrose was delighted Cain worked at the palace.
The advisor's uniform was hastily undone, almost ripped apart, as Cain pressed him up against the wall.
"Really, Captain," Ambrose gasped as the other man found that spot on his neck and bit down hard, "a storage closet is hardly an adequate place for men of our status to meet."
"It'll do," Cain murmured against the advisor's neck, wrapping his arms around his waist under the opened great coat and drawing him close for a kiss.
Their kisses—their embraces, their interactions of any kind—were never sweet. And this, like every other, grew heated and desperate as Cain's hands trailed down his sides; touching every inch with eager fingers. He reached below Ambrose's belt and unfastened his pants quickly before he grabbed firmly under his thighs and slid him up the wall, grinding their hips together. Ambrose clung to him. The captain's short blond hair was soft under his touch as he enfolded his arms around wide shoulders, his legs around a sturdy waist, and delved further into the kiss. Breathing was always the last thing on Ambrose's mind when they were like this.
When Cain's rough pace sped up along with the pressure in him and both of them neared their end, Ambrose clung to him; drawing his arms tighter around his neck and holding onto the moment.
.o.o.o.
There were times when Cain was satisfied with his decision to work at the palace.
He had only been a boy, barely eighteen and fresh out of the academy when he had been given the offer on his instructor's recommendation. At the time, there had been nothing tying him down to his old life or to the city; save for his duty as a Tin Man. But he had no commitment to stay for his parents, and he had no wife or husband or even a lover to stay behind for. So he had taken the offer that same day.
The job could get boring but the pay was great. The palace life could get lonely but at least the staff was always there for a game of cards or a quick exchange of words. The best thing though, the reason Cain loved making that decision most of all, was a certain advisor he had met.
Cain watched as Ambrose fastened the many claps of his red coat, wishing they could stay here longer, as cramped and dark as it was, and not have to return to their lives just yet.
"See you tomorrow night?" he took hold of the smaller man's chin and kissed his dark lips,
"Hmm," Ambrose considered, "No. I have a meeting with the Queen and an ambassador from the south."
He finished dressing quickly and made himself presentable again before slowly opening the door only to a crack and peering outside. When he was satisfied there was no one in the hall who might see them, he pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped out.
"Oh, but Wyatt?" he said sensually, looking over his shoulder at a bewitched Captain of the Guard, "I'm all yours if you're free at noon."
.o.o.o.
There were times when Ambrose would have rather Cain didn't work at the palace.
He was an excellent captain, there was no doubt about that, and the sex was great; that definitely wasn't the problem. But sometimes he asked for too much.
"Would you have dinner with me?"
"I told you," Ambrose said after swallowing a piece of pie, "I'm meeting with the Queen—"
"I didn't mean tonight," Cain said slowly, "Just... whenever we're both available; just the two of us."
"Isn't lunch enough for you?"
The terrace they were in had been cleared out for their use and they were free to do as they pleased in privacy. At the moment, there was no need to act officially, no urgency to their company, and no rush to get back to real life; and it was moments like these that gave Ambrose the most apprehension. It was in moments like these that Cain would try to kiss him just a little too softly for his taste, and would even try to call him loving pet names that he didn't want. It was in moments like these that Ambrose realized maybe Cain wasn't right for him, maybe he wasn't right for Cain.
"Ambrose..." Cain reached out across the table and took his hand, "Swee—"
"I told you not to call me that." Ambrose said pointedly,
"I just wanted—"
"More." Ambrose finished for him, drawing his hand back, "You always want more."
"I just want to be with you," Cain scoffed and leaned back on his chair, "without having to run off secretly at odd hours of the night, or hide in a goddamn closet. Why is that so unacceptable?"
"Because you're Captain of the Guard and I'm the Royal Advisor." Ambrose answered logically, "We both have duties that we can't ignore, and our vows exist for a reason." Pushing his plate of unfinished food away, Ambrose stood to leave. Cain drew his chair back and followed him, taking him by the arm before he could run off.
"We wouldn't be ignoring anything, Ambrose." He could see the want in Cain's eyes when the captain turned him around in his grip, "Why won't you just give me a chance to prove that?"
"Because I don't want to."
Cain let go of his arm.
"If you ever want to have another tour of the palace's many storage quarters, you're welcome to come and find me. But until then, Captain, I suggest you go have dinner alone and stop asking me for things I can't give."
.o.o.o.
There were times when Cain regretted his decision to work at the palace.
He walked down the stone hall in the outer wing of the palace as the suns set, and crossed paths with a certain advisor.
"Good afternoon, Captain." Ambrose said with a polite, distant nod, walking by him without a second glance.
"Good afternoon, Advisor."
Whenever they went back to step one and that cold, indifferent tone crept into their voices, Cain thought that maybe he had made the wrong choice all those years ago. Maybe Ambrose wasn't right for him; maybe he wasn't right for Ambrose. It was true that he wanted more than just a quick fuck in a closet, and that he wanted Ambrose to be more than just a stranger he happened to have sex with. Just as he realized it was true that the advisor wasn't the person he wanted.
Sometimes Cain wondered how things would have turned out if he had stayed in Central City and had just been a tin man. Maybe he would have met a nice boy or girl who wasn't bound by unending "duties and vows" as Ambrose was and settled down. If he hadn't taken the offer to work at the palace, they would have given it to Zero. Since he was second in his class through as much mischief as talent, Cain doubted Zero would have been captain by now... probably second in command, if he learned to behave. But maybe he would have been better suited to Ambrose's tastes. And maybe Cain wouldn't have ended up with someone who never smiled at him in public; someone he never called sweetheart.