Tin Man fic: Perceptible - Chapter 5/10
Halfway there! Two chapters in one day! :D
Title: Perceptible - 5 of 10
Author: Surreal
Rating: Overall NC-17, just to be safe.
Characters/Pairing: Raw/Jeb, Glitch/Cain, plus lots of other characters
Word count this chapter: ~1520
Disclaimer: The characters and settings belong to L. Frank Baum and the creative minds behind Tin Man. I do not claim to own anything.
Summary: Jeb Cain has found someone who sees him for who he is, for what he needs, for the first time in his life. He can’t quite believe that it’s that easy.
A/N: Entire story uses magic4mula 40-word prompt table, 4 prompts per chapter. This chapter: "cloak…restful…bottle…laughter." This story is everything that happens between the two drabbles “Unfamiliar” and “Spring Fever.”
Previously...
~~
The light drizzle had become a freezing deluge, despite the promising start to the spring season. Jeb pulled the hood of his cloak down over his face, keeping Raw’s horse in sight just ahead of him to the right. Behind him, he could barely hear the wet trudging of Wyatt and Glitch’s horses over the constant hush of the rain on the leafy, green forest canopy overhead.
“Nearly there,” Raw said, breaking the silence. He slowed his horse, jumping down and waiting while others followed his example. “Past thick trees. Too hard to ride.”
“Can the horses get past?” Wyatt called from the back and Jeb turned to check on the other two members of their traveling group.
Glitch was hunched over, one hand holding his thick, wool jacket closed and the other holding the reins of his horse. The small brown fedora Glitch had chosen for the ride did little to keep the rain from his face, but Jeb supposed keeping the zipper dry was more important to the man. Wyatt was stoic as always in the new grey coat identical to his old one, sans bullet hole, but the grey hat perched on his head always gave Jeb pause. He could still remember the day his mother had brought it home and placed it on her husband’s head.
“Stables just inside tree line,” Raw answered as he stepped forward to pull aside a dense wall of leaves enough to lead his horse through.
Jeb looked back at the others with raised eyebrows. “Stables?”
“Don’t ask us, we’ve never visited Raw’s clan before,” Wyatt shook his head.
Suddenly more curious than apprehensive, Jeb led his own mount through the same break in the forest cover and was overwhelmed by what he saw on the other side.
Camouflaged from the outside by dark webbing stretched between the tall, solid cover of the forest was a bustling village that stretched at least eight furlongs in length and six in breadth. Viewers of every shape and size, clad in traditional furs of a half-dozen different colors and length, strolled between rounded buildings made of sturdy wood and skillfully woven leaves. Jeb pulled the hood from his head, noting a handful of separate roads leading through the village filled with people on horseback, hauling bags of goods from what were clearly stores.
“Well, this is certainly larger and more...populous than I was imagining,” Glitch finally spoke, though his voice was as awed as Jeb felt.
“No kidding,” Jeb shook his head, pulling his eyes away from the small town to find Raw, who was looking back at them with a slightly smug expression.
“Come,” Raw beckoned them with a hand. He led them toward a squat, rectangular building whose front was made up of large stable doors. A few of them held horses already and Jeb followed along until Raw stopped them in front of one of the largest rooms. Raw unlatched the door easily.
“Where - “ Jeb started to ask.
“All in here,” Raw waved them in. “Plenty of room, food. Horses comfortable for stay.”
“Oh,” Jeb blinked, looking at Wyatt, who shrugged and started working to remove his horse’s bridle.
“If Raw says this is where we leave them, then we’d better do as he says,” Wyatt said.
Glitch and Jeb followed their partners’ lead, quickly taking care of their horses and storing the equipment on convenient hooks that ran along one wall.
After they finished making sure there was fresh water and bundles of hay and alfalfa evenly spread along one side of the enclosure, all four of them shuffled out of the stable with Raw closing the door behind them.
Waiting outside was a small group, all wearing the same colored fur as Raw.
The oldest woman in the group gave a long, calculating gaze at the three humans, lingering on Jeb the longest before she finally turned to face Raw.
“Claimed?” She asked in a low voice, hoarse with disuse.
“Yes,” Raw answered, reaching for Jeb’s hand, to Jeb’s confusion.
“But not bonded?”
“No,” Raw shook his head. “Why we came.”
Wyatt stepped forward between them, putting a stilling hand up. “Now, hang on a minute,” he said, ignoring the startled looks from the Viewers and the frantic waving from Glitch. “Mind telling me what this is about? I thought we were just meeting your family.”
“Cain,” Raw said softly, raising his empty hand toward the woman glaring at Wyatt. “Raw’s ancestor.” He paused. “Mother.”
The woman stepped up and smacked Wyatt’s arm. “Jeb’s father does not approve?”
“What? No, I - I’m fine with them,” Wyatt was flustered and Jeb couldn’t help but feel out of his depth as well.
“My father approves of our...relationship,” Jeb cut in quietly and all eyes turned to him. He shifted, feeling heat creep into his face so he looked up at Raw. “But I think we’re just a little confused. What did you mean when you said ‘why we came’?”
In answer, Raw’s mother reached into a hidden pocket and removed a stout little glass bottle filled with a dark powder. She pulled the thick cork stopper out and handed it to one of the silent Viewers standing nearby. Her thumb sank into the soft dust and without warning, she reached up and pressed it to Jeb’s forehead just between his eyes.
Jeb jumped slightly, noticing that it carried the faint smell of burnt wood. “Ash?”
No one answered his question. Instead, Raw turned Jeb to face him, then leaned in to kiss that same spot where the mark of ash had been placed. He then cupped Jeb’s chin, raising the slightly shorter man’s face up enough for Raw to capture his mouth. Jeb gasped a little, tasting the ash across his tongue.
Blinking as Raw pulled back, Jeb licked his lips. “So, now we’re ‘bonded’?”
Raw nodded, but could tell that Jeb didn’t quite get what was happening. Before he could open his mouth to explain, Glitch cut in abruptly.
“Does that mean you’re married?”
Jeb coughed and Wyatt turned purple. Raw hurried to explain. “No, no. Not married,” he struggled to find the words, then gave up and simply pressed his fingers to Jeb’s temple.
Closing his eyes and inhaling sharply, Jeb listened like Raw had taught him and he finally understood. “Not married. Not yet, anyway. Raw’s asking me to marry him.” Jeb opened his eyes to look at his father, a slow smile of pleasure appearing. “We’re engaged.”
Wyatt sat down, hard.
“Come,” Raw’s mother ordered sharply. “Everyone needs to drink.”
“You’ve got that right,” Glitch quipped as he helped Wyatt up.
~~
Wyatt was sitting on an unbelievably soft, low, long backless couch, leaning against one of the elegantly curved arms with his legs half-on and half-dangling off the side of the seat. All around him, laughter echoed as Jeb was introduced around to Raw’s clan, all of whom wore the same medium brown colored fur. The large, domed house the four travelers had been led to turned out to be Raw’s childhood home and it was teeming with life.
A tall fireplace dominated the view on one wall of the formal reception room, which was filled with comfortable chairs and small, intimate tables for conversation. Wyatt had watched, in between friendly meetings with a countless number of Raw’s family members, as his son and Raw had moved easily around the room, their hands never apart.
Draining his bottle of hard cider, Wyatt sighed and leaned his head back against the armrest. A short while later, he felt a warm, familiar set of lips on his forehead and he opened his eyes to see a grinning, flushed Glitch. “Isn’t this fantastic? Jeb and Raw are engaged!”
“Wish he’d given us some warning,” Wyatt grimaced.
“Oh, don’t be a curmudgeon,” Glitch waved at him vaguely. “I thought it was very romantic.”
Wyatt harrumphed and closed his eyes again.
A few silent moments passed then he felt something new: warm, soft dust being pressed to his forehead. He opened his eyes slowly, watching as Glitch’s hand moved away from his face and he blinked. “Glitch?”
Glitch sat on the very edge of the couch next to him, his face full of trepidation. Slowly, he leaned in and kissed the mark of ash he had left with his thumb, then just as carefully he tilted Wyatt’s face up to share a passionate kiss.
When Glitch finally released him, Wyatt was breathing hard in disbelief. He could see the question in Glitch’s eyes and he swallowed thickly, giving the only reply he could find. “Yes.”
Glitch released the huge breath he had been holding and surged forward, gathering Wyatt to him and holding him for a very long time before either of them spoke.
“Glitch?”
“Yeah?”
“Where did you get the ash?”
“Fireplace.”
“Ah.”
“Cain?”
“Yes?”
“I think maybe I kind of burned my hand,” Glitch sounded appropriately contrite.
Wyatt snorted into Glitch’s shoulder and relaxed his hold. “Let’s go find some ice,” he said to his fiancé. “Somehow, I don’t think this little vacation of ours is going to be as restful as I was expecting.”
~~
End Chapter 5
Continue to Chapter 6
Title: Perceptible - 5 of 10
Author: Surreal
Rating: Overall NC-17, just to be safe.
Characters/Pairing: Raw/Jeb, Glitch/Cain, plus lots of other characters
Word count this chapter: ~1520
Disclaimer: The characters and settings belong to L. Frank Baum and the creative minds behind Tin Man. I do not claim to own anything.
Summary: Jeb Cain has found someone who sees him for who he is, for what he needs, for the first time in his life. He can’t quite believe that it’s that easy.
A/N: Entire story uses magic4mula 40-word prompt table, 4 prompts per chapter. This chapter: "cloak…restful…bottle…laughter." This story is everything that happens between the two drabbles “Unfamiliar” and “Spring Fever.”
Previously...
~~
The light drizzle had become a freezing deluge, despite the promising start to the spring season. Jeb pulled the hood of his cloak down over his face, keeping Raw’s horse in sight just ahead of him to the right. Behind him, he could barely hear the wet trudging of Wyatt and Glitch’s horses over the constant hush of the rain on the leafy, green forest canopy overhead.
“Nearly there,” Raw said, breaking the silence. He slowed his horse, jumping down and waiting while others followed his example. “Past thick trees. Too hard to ride.”
“Can the horses get past?” Wyatt called from the back and Jeb turned to check on the other two members of their traveling group.
Glitch was hunched over, one hand holding his thick, wool jacket closed and the other holding the reins of his horse. The small brown fedora Glitch had chosen for the ride did little to keep the rain from his face, but Jeb supposed keeping the zipper dry was more important to the man. Wyatt was stoic as always in the new grey coat identical to his old one, sans bullet hole, but the grey hat perched on his head always gave Jeb pause. He could still remember the day his mother had brought it home and placed it on her husband’s head.
“Stables just inside tree line,” Raw answered as he stepped forward to pull aside a dense wall of leaves enough to lead his horse through.
Jeb looked back at the others with raised eyebrows. “Stables?”
“Don’t ask us, we’ve never visited Raw’s clan before,” Wyatt shook his head.
Suddenly more curious than apprehensive, Jeb led his own mount through the same break in the forest cover and was overwhelmed by what he saw on the other side.
Camouflaged from the outside by dark webbing stretched between the tall, solid cover of the forest was a bustling village that stretched at least eight furlongs in length and six in breadth. Viewers of every shape and size, clad in traditional furs of a half-dozen different colors and length, strolled between rounded buildings made of sturdy wood and skillfully woven leaves. Jeb pulled the hood from his head, noting a handful of separate roads leading through the village filled with people on horseback, hauling bags of goods from what were clearly stores.
“Well, this is certainly larger and more...populous than I was imagining,” Glitch finally spoke, though his voice was as awed as Jeb felt.
“No kidding,” Jeb shook his head, pulling his eyes away from the small town to find Raw, who was looking back at them with a slightly smug expression.
“Come,” Raw beckoned them with a hand. He led them toward a squat, rectangular building whose front was made up of large stable doors. A few of them held horses already and Jeb followed along until Raw stopped them in front of one of the largest rooms. Raw unlatched the door easily.
“Where - “ Jeb started to ask.
“All in here,” Raw waved them in. “Plenty of room, food. Horses comfortable for stay.”
“Oh,” Jeb blinked, looking at Wyatt, who shrugged and started working to remove his horse’s bridle.
“If Raw says this is where we leave them, then we’d better do as he says,” Wyatt said.
Glitch and Jeb followed their partners’ lead, quickly taking care of their horses and storing the equipment on convenient hooks that ran along one wall.
After they finished making sure there was fresh water and bundles of hay and alfalfa evenly spread along one side of the enclosure, all four of them shuffled out of the stable with Raw closing the door behind them.
Waiting outside was a small group, all wearing the same colored fur as Raw.
The oldest woman in the group gave a long, calculating gaze at the three humans, lingering on Jeb the longest before she finally turned to face Raw.
“Claimed?” She asked in a low voice, hoarse with disuse.
“Yes,” Raw answered, reaching for Jeb’s hand, to Jeb’s confusion.
“But not bonded?”
“No,” Raw shook his head. “Why we came.”
Wyatt stepped forward between them, putting a stilling hand up. “Now, hang on a minute,” he said, ignoring the startled looks from the Viewers and the frantic waving from Glitch. “Mind telling me what this is about? I thought we were just meeting your family.”
“Cain,” Raw said softly, raising his empty hand toward the woman glaring at Wyatt. “Raw’s ancestor.” He paused. “Mother.”
The woman stepped up and smacked Wyatt’s arm. “Jeb’s father does not approve?”
“What? No, I - I’m fine with them,” Wyatt was flustered and Jeb couldn’t help but feel out of his depth as well.
“My father approves of our...relationship,” Jeb cut in quietly and all eyes turned to him. He shifted, feeling heat creep into his face so he looked up at Raw. “But I think we’re just a little confused. What did you mean when you said ‘why we came’?”
In answer, Raw’s mother reached into a hidden pocket and removed a stout little glass bottle filled with a dark powder. She pulled the thick cork stopper out and handed it to one of the silent Viewers standing nearby. Her thumb sank into the soft dust and without warning, she reached up and pressed it to Jeb’s forehead just between his eyes.
Jeb jumped slightly, noticing that it carried the faint smell of burnt wood. “Ash?”
No one answered his question. Instead, Raw turned Jeb to face him, then leaned in to kiss that same spot where the mark of ash had been placed. He then cupped Jeb’s chin, raising the slightly shorter man’s face up enough for Raw to capture his mouth. Jeb gasped a little, tasting the ash across his tongue.
Blinking as Raw pulled back, Jeb licked his lips. “So, now we’re ‘bonded’?”
Raw nodded, but could tell that Jeb didn’t quite get what was happening. Before he could open his mouth to explain, Glitch cut in abruptly.
“Does that mean you’re married?”
Jeb coughed and Wyatt turned purple. Raw hurried to explain. “No, no. Not married,” he struggled to find the words, then gave up and simply pressed his fingers to Jeb’s temple.
Closing his eyes and inhaling sharply, Jeb listened like Raw had taught him and he finally understood. “Not married. Not yet, anyway. Raw’s asking me to marry him.” Jeb opened his eyes to look at his father, a slow smile of pleasure appearing. “We’re engaged.”
Wyatt sat down, hard.
“Come,” Raw’s mother ordered sharply. “Everyone needs to drink.”
“You’ve got that right,” Glitch quipped as he helped Wyatt up.
~~
Wyatt was sitting on an unbelievably soft, low, long backless couch, leaning against one of the elegantly curved arms with his legs half-on and half-dangling off the side of the seat. All around him, laughter echoed as Jeb was introduced around to Raw’s clan, all of whom wore the same medium brown colored fur. The large, domed house the four travelers had been led to turned out to be Raw’s childhood home and it was teeming with life.
A tall fireplace dominated the view on one wall of the formal reception room, which was filled with comfortable chairs and small, intimate tables for conversation. Wyatt had watched, in between friendly meetings with a countless number of Raw’s family members, as his son and Raw had moved easily around the room, their hands never apart.
Draining his bottle of hard cider, Wyatt sighed and leaned his head back against the armrest. A short while later, he felt a warm, familiar set of lips on his forehead and he opened his eyes to see a grinning, flushed Glitch. “Isn’t this fantastic? Jeb and Raw are engaged!”
“Wish he’d given us some warning,” Wyatt grimaced.
“Oh, don’t be a curmudgeon,” Glitch waved at him vaguely. “I thought it was very romantic.”
Wyatt harrumphed and closed his eyes again.
A few silent moments passed then he felt something new: warm, soft dust being pressed to his forehead. He opened his eyes slowly, watching as Glitch’s hand moved away from his face and he blinked. “Glitch?”
Glitch sat on the very edge of the couch next to him, his face full of trepidation. Slowly, he leaned in and kissed the mark of ash he had left with his thumb, then just as carefully he tilted Wyatt’s face up to share a passionate kiss.
When Glitch finally released him, Wyatt was breathing hard in disbelief. He could see the question in Glitch’s eyes and he swallowed thickly, giving the only reply he could find. “Yes.”
Glitch released the huge breath he had been holding and surged forward, gathering Wyatt to him and holding him for a very long time before either of them spoke.
“Glitch?”
“Yeah?”
“Where did you get the ash?”
“Fireplace.”
“Ah.”
“Cain?”
“Yes?”
“I think maybe I kind of burned my hand,” Glitch sounded appropriately contrite.
Wyatt snorted into Glitch’s shoulder and relaxed his hold. “Let’s go find some ice,” he said to his fiancé. “Somehow, I don’t think this little vacation of ours is going to be as restful as I was expecting.”
~~
End Chapter 5
Continue to Chapter 6