Tin Man fic: Renounce
Title: Renounce
Characters: Team Tin Man
Genre: gen
Rating: PG
Summary: Why, after they learn Glitch's real name, do they continue to call him "Glitch?" Missing scene, after the vision in Ralph and Loraine's cabin.
Leaving Cain behind in the parlor, DG stepped out onto the back porch of cabin and into the otherworldly blue light of the massive full moon. There she found her other two travel companions, who she had grown to know little by little along the way. Tonight, however, they had all learned more about their Glitch than anyone could have guessed.
Glitch was sitting on a long, narrow bench that was built directly into the wall of the house, hunched over with his elbows on his knees. Long, pale hands were tinted blue in the darkness, wringing nervously around one another.
Crouched directly in front of Glitch, big hands wrapped firmly, reassuringly, around Glitch’s forearms, was Raw. His voice was low, smooth as the mirror sitting on the mantle, too soft for DG to hear.
Clearing her throat, DG stepped out of the doorway, glancing behind her to see Cain just coming out as well. Unerringly, the two of them flanked Glitch on the bench, one on each side of him. With Raw, the three of them formed a protective triangle around their broken friend.
Glitch swiped at his cheek with one open palm, then raised his head. “Raw was just telling me what you all saw in the mirror. In...in my mind.” His tone was deceptively mellow. But they all knew him too well by now to be fooled.
DG’s hand was on Glitch’s back in a heartbeat, Cain’s was on the closest knee. Together, the trio gave their support. “You gave up so much,” DG stated, her voice breaking. “I can’t imagine the courage it took for you to stand your ground like that. It’s...”
“It’s all my fault,” Glitch snapped bitterly. “That machine, whatever it is, it was mine and she took it. Took it right out of our hands and out of my head,” he gestured at his zipper, “and now she’s going to destroy the O.Z. and it will be my mistake, thinking up some kind of horrible weapon like that.”
“Glitch,” Cain squeezed his hand on Glitch’s knee, cutting him off. “You need to calm down and focus. Listen. Whatever that machine is, that sun seeder, it hasn’t been your responsibility for a very long time. We still don’t know what it was originally designed to do, but you can be sure it’s been changed. It is not your fault, you hear me?”
Glitch dug his fingers into one temple, nodding slowly. “Yeah, I hear you,” he mumbled, closing his eyes slowly. He gave a self-depreciating chuckle. “You realize the three of you know more about me that I do now.”
“It’s still in there, all of your memories,” DG reminded him candidly. “It just takes a little help to find them, is all. But there’s one thing you’ve been looking for that we found. In the memory we saw, with you and my mother...she called you by name. Your real name.”
Looking up at her, Glitch blinked rapidly. “What’d she say?”
“Ambrose,” DG replied in a reverent tone. “Your proper name, it’s Ambrose.”
Glitch looked at the wood planks under his feet, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. “Ambrose,” he repeated faintly. “That...sounds so strange.”
“You told me when we first met that you’d tell me your name when you remembered it,” Cain spoke up from his side.
But Glitch shook his head slowly. “I...I just don’t feel like that name belongs to me, not anymore. Like, that man only exists in that mirror, maybe sitting somewhere in a display case as part of Azkadellia’s collection of her spoils of war. Ambrose is the man who invented that terrible machine. I can’t...be him, can’t be that person who’s brought the O.Z. to the brink of destruction. I don’t want that on my head.” He gave a sharp laugh. “The zipper’s heavy enough.”
Cain exchanged a look with Raw. “What do you want us to call you?”
Glitch sat up straight, taking a moment to gaze at all three of them. A slow, determined smile bloomed on his face. “The name’s Glitch.”
Holding out his hand, Cain grinned. “Nice to meet you, Glitch.”
**
End.
Characters: Team Tin Man
Genre: gen
Rating: PG
Summary: Why, after they learn Glitch's real name, do they continue to call him "Glitch?" Missing scene, after the vision in Ralph and Loraine's cabin.
Leaving Cain behind in the parlor, DG stepped out onto the back porch of cabin and into the otherworldly blue light of the massive full moon. There she found her other two travel companions, who she had grown to know little by little along the way. Tonight, however, they had all learned more about their Glitch than anyone could have guessed.
Glitch was sitting on a long, narrow bench that was built directly into the wall of the house, hunched over with his elbows on his knees. Long, pale hands were tinted blue in the darkness, wringing nervously around one another.
Crouched directly in front of Glitch, big hands wrapped firmly, reassuringly, around Glitch’s forearms, was Raw. His voice was low, smooth as the mirror sitting on the mantle, too soft for DG to hear.
Clearing her throat, DG stepped out of the doorway, glancing behind her to see Cain just coming out as well. Unerringly, the two of them flanked Glitch on the bench, one on each side of him. With Raw, the three of them formed a protective triangle around their broken friend.
Glitch swiped at his cheek with one open palm, then raised his head. “Raw was just telling me what you all saw in the mirror. In...in my mind.” His tone was deceptively mellow. But they all knew him too well by now to be fooled.
DG’s hand was on Glitch’s back in a heartbeat, Cain’s was on the closest knee. Together, the trio gave their support. “You gave up so much,” DG stated, her voice breaking. “I can’t imagine the courage it took for you to stand your ground like that. It’s...”
“It’s all my fault,” Glitch snapped bitterly. “That machine, whatever it is, it was mine and she took it. Took it right out of our hands and out of my head,” he gestured at his zipper, “and now she’s going to destroy the O.Z. and it will be my mistake, thinking up some kind of horrible weapon like that.”
“Glitch,” Cain squeezed his hand on Glitch’s knee, cutting him off. “You need to calm down and focus. Listen. Whatever that machine is, that sun seeder, it hasn’t been your responsibility for a very long time. We still don’t know what it was originally designed to do, but you can be sure it’s been changed. It is not your fault, you hear me?”
Glitch dug his fingers into one temple, nodding slowly. “Yeah, I hear you,” he mumbled, closing his eyes slowly. He gave a self-depreciating chuckle. “You realize the three of you know more about me that I do now.”
“It’s still in there, all of your memories,” DG reminded him candidly. “It just takes a little help to find them, is all. But there’s one thing you’ve been looking for that we found. In the memory we saw, with you and my mother...she called you by name. Your real name.”
Looking up at her, Glitch blinked rapidly. “What’d she say?”
“Ambrose,” DG replied in a reverent tone. “Your proper name, it’s Ambrose.”
Glitch looked at the wood planks under his feet, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. “Ambrose,” he repeated faintly. “That...sounds so strange.”
“You told me when we first met that you’d tell me your name when you remembered it,” Cain spoke up from his side.
But Glitch shook his head slowly. “I...I just don’t feel like that name belongs to me, not anymore. Like, that man only exists in that mirror, maybe sitting somewhere in a display case as part of Azkadellia’s collection of her spoils of war. Ambrose is the man who invented that terrible machine. I can’t...be him, can’t be that person who’s brought the O.Z. to the brink of destruction. I don’t want that on my head.” He gave a sharp laugh. “The zipper’s heavy enough.”
Cain exchanged a look with Raw. “What do you want us to call you?”
Glitch sat up straight, taking a moment to gaze at all three of them. A slow, determined smile bloomed on his face. “The name’s Glitch.”
Holding out his hand, Cain grinned. “Nice to meet you, Glitch.”
**
End.