Everyone has something they desire that is well beyond their reach, be it power, fame, fortune, or that popular guy/girl at school that everyone's jockeying for. But what happens when their desire is suddenly within their grasp, but they're to afraid to claim it? What happens is called sweet torment, and it doesn't go away until they take that final step and make it theirs.
Sweet Torment
Chapter 1: Craving Warmth
Paring: Alice and Julius
Julius couldn't stop thinking about her. From the moment he'd felt her warm, delicate body trembling in his arms, he'd longed for her warmth. He craved the sound of her heart pounding against his chest, the feeling her warm breath on his neck...
No! No, that's not a train of thought worth entertaining, he chided himself. He tried to refocus on his work, on the great many clocks that still needed fixing, but to no avail. It was late at night. His coffee mug had been empty for about an hour now, and his caffeine levels were running dangerously low. Alice had already gone to bed for the night, and he was far too sleepy to make himself another cup. Reluctantly, he got up from his desk, set down his glasses, changed into his nightclothes, and climbed up to his loft bed.
As he tucked himself under the covers, he couldn't help noticing how cold his bed felt. His thoughts once again drifted to Alice, who lay sleeping in her own bed in her own room, all alone. Was her bed cold, too? As he lay there, thinking of her, he began to shiver with cold, as his own sheets seemed to suck the very warmth from his body. The cold became painful. Dear God, what is this?! he screamed in his head, feeling as though he was chilled to the bone. It was like being tossed out into a snowstorm after a hot bath, while still soaking wet: freezing, numbing, agonizing.
At last he could bear it no longer. He forced his cold, weary body out of the ice-slab called his bed, made haste for Alice's room. While many would want a hot bath after being so cold, Julius's near-frozen body craved solid warmth. He needed the heat of another, desperately. In the darkness, his fingers almost looked blue to him! Finally, he reached the door to her room. Though she always locked it, the Clockmaker easily opened it. it was his tower, after all. It really made no difference if she locked the door or not. He found the girl asleep in her bed, looking much more warm and comfortable than he was.
Without another thought, all reservations thrown out the window, he crawled under the sheets, snuggled up to her tiny, yet wonderfully warm body, held her close. Ahh, lovely... he thought blissfully as his body drank in the warmth of her body and bed. "Mnh, Julius...?" Alice's sleepy voice called softly. "What's wrong? Why are you so cold?"
"Hush, dear," he whispered, slowly drifting off to sleep. "I'll explain in the... Zzz..."
He fell asleep before he could finish talking.
Alice just rolled her eyes and went back to sleep.
What Julius hadn't realized was his bed was cold because it was right under the AC. He almost always slept at his desk or passed out on the floor from exhaustion, so he didn't know his bed was in the worst possible part of the room. But we'll let him think that the chill he got was from his craving of another's warmth!
A/N: Well, that's Julius's chapter! Since he's usually so introverted he can barely voice his feelings, I figured it was about time he broke out of his tsundere shell, at least a little.
Julius: Please review.
Me: Next up, Nightmare Gottschalk in "Craving Sweets"