Strange and Unusual, Multi-pairing
Author: eeyore9990
Title: Strange and Unusual
Pairing(s): Cain/Glitch, Glitch/Raw, Cain/Zero
Rating: All Audiences
Word Count: 518
Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful Sci-fi characters or shows, unfortunately.
A/N: This was written for the lovely r_grayjoy who gave me a request with a handful of pairings and the prompts "not quite romance" or "consolation" and I couldn't pick... so I used them all. The pairings AND the prompts.

---

In the beginning, their relationship flourished. It was more than either had ever expected for themselves, and, for Glitch, it was more than he'd ever had before. They loved and they loved well, but when the dust settled, when life returned to normal… love simply wasn't enough.

Glitch was Ambrose again, a name which still gave him pause, and the advisor to the Queen and both Princesses. He often wondered if he was still useful; the operation to replace the lost half of his brain had been successful, but he continued to glitch. His work in the palace brought him into constant contact with the royal family of course… and Raw. The Viewer was soft spoken and gentle, his manner such that Glitch found himself spilling his darkest secrets and most forbidden fantasies.

~*~

Cain returned to his previous life as a Tin Man. He was highly respected, almost revered by those under his command. The kids they took on after the eclipse looked at him with the shine of adoration in their eyes. To them, he was a Hero, a true legend.

He hated it.

No amount of growling or icy stares could break the recruits and the older Tin Men… well, there were few who understood him. The only person he could truly count on not to treat him as a god was, rather unbelievably, Zero. The former Longcoat held his own in the constant struggle he fought to rise above his violent past. He'd submitted to a Viewing—by the only Viewer Cain trusted—to be admitted to the corps of Tin Men. He worked hard, doing the most demeaning chores given him without complaint, throwing himself eagerly into danger to protect his brethren. He did the impossible.

He earned Cain's respect.

~*~

Glitch was certain that there had been a time in his life that he'd been diplomatic, non-confrontational. He'd lost that ability with the first operation to remove his brain… the second operation to replace it hadn't seen its return. When he felt his emotions drifting, he sat down and told Cain everything. Possibly more than Cain needed to know, but he was certain the gist of what he was attempting to communicate was in there somewhere.

Once Cain's eyes lost their glazed look, he sat back quietly and simply processed the information Glitch had given him. Then he stood, pulled Glitch into his arms, and said goodbye.

~*~

In some ways it was strange. They saw each other more often now that they were apart than they had when they were together. There was no lingering bitterness—there really couldn't be between two such men. They moved on to new partners with an ease and rapidity which suggested that the time for them had passed long before they were ready to admit it.

Their consolation lay in the easy friendship they maintained and the friendship that flourished between their respective lovers, Raw and Zero.

It wasn't perfect, it was far from romantic, but it was the way of life in the O.Z.

It was strange and unusual and it suited them perfectly.