If I Rebooted Tin Man

Chapter 22: GI: Mealtimes

DG, Cain, Raw, and Glitch have to eat together many times during their trip. As different diets and manner systems clash, they develop something that works.

Aka: Raw simultaneously has a Thing about people touching his food and a Thing about people refusing food he shares with them, Glitch does not understand the concept of 'stop eating from my plate' no matter how many times Cain smacks his hand away, Cain just wants a simple meal made with whatever's easiest to find and why does everyone have to eat different things we are on the run people get over yourselves, and DG doesn't recognize anything on her plate but she loves just about all of it.

(Cain moving his plate out of Glitch's reach and holding it high above the confusedly-whining Glitch's head. "What do we say?" Cain asks, deadpan and mocking and tired.

Glitch blinks at him, uncomprehending, then his eyes light up with realization. "Please," he says dutifully, making grabby motions at the plate but no longer actually trying to grab it.

"There ya go," Cain praises, and hands over the plate. He hadn't intended to, but then Glitch actually said please and he figures that anything that teaches the Zipperhead to ask instead of take should be encouraged — it might make Raw feel better, at least)

(Later, Glitch staring at Cain with wide, pleading eyes. Cain, sighing deeply, handing over what he's eating to a happy Glitch.

"What do we say?" Cain says, somewhat mocking and definitely patronizing, ignoring the memory of saying the same thing to Jeb once upon a time. 

"Thank you," Glitch replies, muffled by the food still in his mouth, grinning as best he can while eating. And somehow, Cain can't find it in himself to be all that annoyed anymore)