Author's Note: Another fic for a forgotten/under loved pair. M/M Rated M for much later chapters.

Two Minds, One Heart

"What do you know about me? Huh? Nothing! You don't know a damn thing about what I'm thinking or feeling, so stop trying to assume you do!"

Glitch just stood there, taking the verbal abuse. He let his friend rant on, like he's done so many times before, but this one was different. "Cain, you've had too much to drink. You need to calm down." He tried to get the flailing man to sit down.

"I am calm. I don't need you to tell me to be calm you stupid head case!" And there it was. The name calling begins. Glitch tried not to let it affect him, but he was so tired of being referred to as a head case. He tried to convince himself that that couldn't be how Cain viewed him because of everything they've been through in the past. That was until the man continued his rant. "I don't need your constant nagging all the time. I don't need you telling me what I need to do. I hate how you constantly feel like you need to butt yourself into my personal life. I don't need you! I don't need your incessant blabbering." Finally, Cain sat down in a chair. His eyes grew distant. "You're so useless. You're nothing but a good for nothing waste of space." With that, he put his head in his arms, and passed out from exhaustion.

Glitch stood there with his heart breaking. He knew he wasn't useful to anyone in the condition he was in. But Cain was one of the few people who knew his true fears for going through with the surgery that would reattach the other half of his brain. He was afraid of the consequences that he could either slip into a coma or become a living vegetable. But the real risk was losing his memories. His time as Glitch could be erased.

But at this moment, that idea was becoming more appealing. When you have the very person your whole world revolves around tell you that you are a useless, good for nothing waste of space, you can't help but want to disappear.

It's been one and a half annuals since the time of the witch, and the kingdom is still trying to piece themselves together. The Palace in the Ice had been restored, and that's where the Royal Family lives once more. The Light of the Princesses has helped heal the scarred lands, and the Queen rebuilt the trust of the people with the help of her family. But the fact of the matter was that he really was useless the way he was now. He's made little to no contributions to the resurrection of the kingdom. Glitch even overheard the Queen talk to Ahamo about how much she wished she had Ambrose to help her as he once had. Ambrose was her strong right hand, and his guidance helped the kingdom in so many ways. Glitch was nothing more than a shadow to that great man. And it didn't even feel like it was really him at all. More like a familiar stranger.

If he thought about it, he spent most of his time trying to keep Cain out of trouble as his drinking problem got steadily worse. Jeb stays away, and Cain has no other friends. He didn't want to leave Cain alone. But after tonight, Glitch had made up his mind.

Glitch started by putting the man to sleep. He removed his coat, and took off his shoes. He got him into the bed that was in the room, and pulled the covers over his body. He took a moment to admire Cain's sleeping form. He carded his fingers through the short fuzzy hair, reveling in how soft it was. Then he left in order to write a few notes.

Cain woke late in the afternoon. The curtains were drawn tightly, and he was thankful for the darkness, for the headache was probably the worst one he's had to date. He felt like hell, but for some reason, his gut told him that he should be feeling worse for some reason. He tried to clear his head as he scanned the room. It was Glitch's room / workshop. Well, Ambrose's old workshop. He didn't think Glitch ever really did any tinkering in there, but Cain's been waking up here more often. Speaking of which, he wondered where the zipper head was. Usually, he'd be close by, ready to give Cain a lecture and a half about his lush behavior. He felt bad for putting his friend through so much, and he was grateful for him in all honesty. Glitch was probably the only person who really cared about his well being. Though, in Cain's opinion, he supposed you'd have to be a sort of head case in order to want to stay around Cain for more than a few hours. He felt guilty putting his friend through the consequences of his drinking, especially when he didn't remember anything of the night before. It was getting worse, because the nightmares of Adora were getting worse. She comes to him and blames him for not helping her. That her death was his fault. That their son is constantly putting himself in danger because of him.

But last night's nightmare was something completely different. He kept seeing Glitch's face. But instead of being irritated or goofy like he normally is, he is sad. Not mildly put out, he looks like his puppy died, he found out he had only a few months left to live, or someone did something unforgivable to him all rolled up into one. His eyes were shining with tears that wouldn't shed, and he just stood there as though all his hope deserted him. The dream made him want to see Glitch even more. He needed to be sure that he was ok. He never told Glitch how much he really appreciated him being there when he needed someone. Well, he'd tell him today.

He got up out of bed and went through the process of clearing his hangover. Glitch kept extra tonics in his room and they cleared up a headache as soon as the liquid hit your gut. He looked around the room to see if there were any signs of the zipper head. He put on his shoes and jacket and was about to head out the door when a piece of paper baring his name caught his eye on the nightstand. He picked it up and began to read.

Dear Cain,

I hope your headache doesn't cause you too much distress this morning. You really had too much to drink last night. But I know now that nothing I say is going to change that. You've got your own demons to work through, and you need to do it at your own pace. Therefore, I'm going to take the advice you gave me last night and "leave you alone". I have to go away for a while. I cannot tell you where, because I don't really know where I'll end up. But I need to do something for myself. Some of the things you said last night were very true, so I am taking some time to mull over it. You'd probably like the quiet change. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but you're welcome to use anything in my workshop while I'm away. I hope you have the sense to keep yourself out of trouble while I'm away. But that just might be the wishful thinking of a stupid head case. In all seriousness, I wish you well, and I hope you find the answers you seek.

Goodbye Wyatt Cain

Your Friend,

Glitch.

Something about this note didn't sit well with Cain. Glitch never called himself a stupid head case even in joke. And that good bye sounded wrong. It could be because he used his full name. He wished more than anything that he could remember what happened last night. What did he say? Did Glitch leave because he told him to leave him alone? He had a feeling he's said that more than once. Cain is not the kind of person who would take kindly to someone trying to take care of him. He thought about the dream and started to feel anxious. What if he said something really horrible that caused him to lose his friend forever. Was that why that goodbye sounded so final? He felt a chill down his spine at the thought of never seeing his friend again.

He walked briskly through the halls looking for DG and Raw. If anyone knew where Glitch was, it would be them. Hopefully Raw could piece together what happened last night. He found the two of them in the library. "Hey, have either of you seen Glitch?"

DG looked a little shocked at the question. But then again, Cain has been kind of a loner in recent months. "He left really early this morning. He gave a letter to my mother describing his intent, but she said he would prefer to keep the matter private." She looked over at Raw who was looking at Cain with sympathy.

"Something happened last night." He said looking distant.

Cain nodded, glad he didn't need to say anything to the viewer.

Raw stood from the table and walked over to Cain. "Come." He said, leading to another room. DG knew better than to follow, even though the curiosity was killing her. She knew Cain and Glitch were practically inseparable, but that mainly came from Glitch picking Cain up out of a ditch. Her intuition about these things seemed spot on, so she could hazard a pretty good guess as to what is going on. Hence why she stayed put.

In the other room, Raw walked over to a standing mirror. Cain has never had Raw reveal what happens on his drunken nights, but now, this was too important to feel guilty or ashamed. He let the seer touch his wrist, and he felt the strange connection the seer used to scan his thoughts. The scenes of the night before were as clear as day. He burst through Glitches door and started yelling about this and that. Glitch said nothing and tried to get him to stop flailing around. After a while, he stopped and just stood there, listening to all of Cain's harsh words. That's when he heard the "Stupid head case" come from his lips. The flinch in Glitch's face reminded him of other times he's called him a head case when he was sober. It's clearly a flinch that indicates the sting of being called a name you really don't like. One that hurts your feelings every time you hear it. Still, Glitch stood, patiently waiting until Cain finally sat down. That's when he heard it, "You're so useless. You're nothing but a good for nothing waste of space." The look on Glitch's face was heart wrenching. Cain's mouth dropped open. Did he really say that? He couldn't have. He would never say that about Glitch! The realization hit him so hard in the gut, it nearly made him collapse. He wasn't talking about Glitch. He was talking about himself. Unfortunately, the damage was already done as he watched himself pass out.

He watched as Glitch put him into bed so carefully and so tenderly. He watched him smooth out his unruly hair in a soothing manner. Did Glitch show him this kind of care every time he got drunk? Even after saying such cruel things, he still cared for him. The look on his face mirrored that in his dream. Contrary to popular belief, the Tin Man did have a heart, and right now, it was being torn apart. The image was starting to fade, but he could make out Glitch opening a small cabinet in his desk and pulling out a journal. He's seen Glitch write in that journal. Perhaps it could give him some more answers.

Raw didn't say anything, because he didn't need to. Cain grasped his hand and just said, "Thank you my friend." That put a small smile on Raw's face. As he left the room, he vowed to show more appreciation to the friends he does have. Why did he allow himself to wallow in the past for so long? Was it because of the tin suit he was in for eleven years? He didn't know, but right now, that wasn't what was important. He went into Glitch's room and started looking for that journal. The cover was distinctive, so it didn't take him very long to find it. He skimmed to the back, and just read the latest entry.

Cain has really drunk too much tonight. Too much to even vomit. He worries me so much, but he won't ever listen to me. Like he said, it's not my place to tell him what to do. I just can't help but want to be there for him. But I'm just fooling myself. I'm nothing more than an annoying good for nothing waste of space. I'm a useless and stupid head case. The problem is, that is more true than I would like to admit. But now that I hear those words from his mouth, I can't ignore it anymore. I hear whispers in the castle. The servants gossip about me. Joking about if I found myself in one of their beds, would my glitching finally do me in? But then comes the gossip of "Who would want THAT in their bed."

I might as well be a ghost in these halls the way people act around me. They all think of me as a stupid retarded moron that can't tell up from down. Maybe that's why I stay holed up in my room so much. Not to "Reconnect with the past and the man I once was" but to avoid having to listen to their comments. "Why does the Queen put up with him if he can't do anything anymore?", "Why doesn't he just leave?", "Why is someone like THAT given such privileges. Let's turn his study into a store room for crying out loud" I know what they all think. They want Ambrose back. They want the genius back. They don't care if Glitch disappears. They don't care if Glitch never really existed.

My constant glitching annoys everyone, especially Cain. But so long as I was enough for Cain, I didn't care. I would gladly pick him up every time he fell. But now… now I know I'm nothing more than a useless head case. I can't do anything right. I don't even feel like a person anymore. With the exception of the royal family and a few others, I don't even qualify as being a person. Despite everything I've done in the past for this kingdom.

Well, I refuse to be useless anymore. I need purpose, I need solidity… I guess I just need to feel needed. So, I've made up my mind. I'm going to go find myself, and come what may, I'll live with the consequences. This may be the last time I write in this journal. At least, as I am. If I come back to it, I know I won't be the same. Nothing will be the same again. I know I've expressed the sentiment in earlier entries in this book, but just to be clear. I love all my friends. DG, Raw, Azkadel, believe it or not, the Queen and Ahamo, and Cain. Especially Cain. He and I have been through so much. I don't know how much he thinks of me as a friend, but he's the one who's kept me grounded and sane the whole time. I feel mostly whole with him around. I love him as a comrade, and as a brother in arms. But most of all, I am in love with Wyatt Cain. Even though I know he would never return those feelings, I wouldn't give them up for anything in the world. I just hope I don't have to lose them after what I'm about to do. And so, goodbye my friend and companion, for that's what this journal is. If anything, it may end up as the only proof that a man, even an incomplete one, named Glitch at one time, did in fact, exist.

Cain felt cold. He was afraid to think of what this book was implying. He didn't put the book down. Instead, he ran out of the room and headed straight for the transportation wing. He needed to get to the Sunseeder tower and fast! He knew they converted part of it into a medical lab, and that's where the other side of Glitch's brain still resided. He grabbed a bag and swung by the kitchen to snag some food on the way out. He knew it would take a couple days to reach the tower, but he needed to make head way now, since he's wasted so much time.

TBC