This was written for a prompt on LiveJournal from Chibi Kaz, who wanted some Hatter-and-Alice porn to the tune of 'Blanket Fic'. Basically, 'it's cold and we only have one blanket, let's huddle together and share body heat!' Yes, I wrote more smut. I can't help myself!
This story is a slight AU; it takes place in part two just after Alice is rescued from the Casino but before Hatter goes off to bargain for a visit to Caterpillar.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story—I just like borrowing them and putting them in awkward situations.
o…o
Charlie's little campfire on the beach does slightly less than fuck-all to dry Alice's soaking wet clothes, or to warm her up, and they can't stay at the lakeside because the sky is full of those flying flamingo bikes. So Charlie collects his armour and stamps out his fire and they head into the woods. Where they'll be safe—or safe from the Suits; the idea of being dragged back to the Queen makes wandering into the Jabberwocky's forest seem like a pleasant alternative.
So into the woods they go.
They're wet.
They're cold.
Their sodden shoes are squelching noisily as they walk through the forest.
Alice is cranky and angry enough as it is, given everything she's been through since… morning. And the prospect of the long, long walk through the Jabberwocky's forest to the Kingdom of the Knights isn't making her mood any better. The trek was pretty long the first time on horseback; on foot it's going to take forever.
She's wet.
She's cold.
She's cranky.
And they're following crazy Charlie and they're not even sure where the hell they're going and they're not sure he knows where he's going, either, but he's all they have and he's proven reliable so far, if not entirely lucid. So they follow him, she and Hatter both.
The sky through the tree canopy is starting to turn as dusk begins to settle. The light filtering down is orange. There's almost no sunlight down here and Alice is starting to shiver uncontrollably as they walk. To keep her mind off of it she concentrates on the weight of the watch in her dress pocket and following Charlie's white armour through the green. There's hardly any trails here, not even animal trails, and that slows the walking considerably and they have to pick slowly, cautiously through the undergrowth.
Hatter is next to her, off to the side, watching his footing. He's soaking wet, too, holding his hat in his hand. She catches him staring at her when she looks at him and quickly they both look away.
She hugs tight around herself and rubs her arms but it does nothing to stave off the cold. Her teeth are starting to chatter no matter how hard she tries not to let them.
Behind her she feels something settle over her shoulders.
Hatter's coat.
"You'll catch your death," is all he says.
The jacket is still wet from the lake, and heavy, and the leather smells a little funky because wet leather always smells a little funky, and normally she'd protest that she doesn't need special treatment and he should keep his stinkin' jacket but at least it's warm so she hugs it close and doesn't complain.
Except for the funky-wet-leather thing, the jacket is distinctly Hatter-ish. It smells the littlest bit like his cologne or whatever it was he was wearing when they first met—something warm and earthy and a little spicy—and strong tea and a hint of sweat.
Her shivering lessens.
"Thank you," she whispers through her trembling lips.
He nods and gives her a smile, but it's half-hearted and the dimple in his cheek doesn't come out and the smile doesn't reach his eyes.
They finish the long trek in silence.
o…o
It's almost completely dark by the time they get to the ancient city. Alice is clutching Charlie's belt and Hatter is holding onto the back of the jacket and they're blindly trusting that Charlie can get them to the city.
And he does.
Guinevere and Arthur are already there, wandering happily riderless in their pasture. They must have wandered back on their own. Charlie greets them cheerfully and talks to them like they're people and congratulates them for being so clever and finding their way back on their own. For the first time Alice realizes how lonely he must have been out here all alone for such a long, long time. Maybe that's why he's come out in all of those absurd eccentricities—he talks to himself, sings constantly, invents strange things, behaves oddly because he's had to keep himself occupied and his mind sharp in the absence of other people.
They get a fire going, a proper big fire that can take away a little of the chill that goes all the way down to their bones. She gives Hatter his coat back and takes the velvet one back from the ladder where she left it the night before. It's dry, which is a huge relief.
It isn't long before Charlie falls asleep in his hammock hugging his little rag-toy to his chest and snoring mightily.
She catches Hatter sneaking out to the horses and she narrows her eyes at him until he seems to sense it and stops and turns to her.
"What?"
"Where're you going?" She asks.
"Going to head back to the city," he says. "So I can try and get the Resistance to help. Remember?"
She doesn't answer and he doesn't wait for her to.
"Lost a lot of time getting back 'ere. The sooner I get back to the city and get word to the Resistance, the better."
She wants him to help, she's glad he wants to help—really, truly help her, to stop her from going back into the Casino, because somehow he must have started to care for her—and it's good he's so eager to get started but the thought of him riding off and leaving her here…
"Stay."
She says it too quickly, so quick it surprises both of them but in the darkness and the feeble light of the flickering fire in the distance he doesn't see the look of shock on her face.
"It's late," she says, trying to recover. "And it's dark. We're all tired, including the horses. If you go out so tired you might not make it that far or you'll get lost or something. Sleep. Go in the morning."
Even in the dark she can feel his eyes on her, searching, searching, because Hatter is probably pretty damn good at finding what he's looking for in people. She can see his silhouette move and hear him nod.
She heads back down the hill towards the fire.
She doesn't have to check to know he's following close behind her.
o…o
Originally this was just a one-shot, but it seems the story got way out-of-control (being far too wordy seems to be a consistent problem of mine…) so I had to split it into two parts. The next part has lemon in it. Lemony goodness all the way!