Just showing you guys I'm still alive.
Kittycatmg6 is awesome. Why? Number one her birthday was the 14th (My b-day buddy cuz my b-day was the 15th lulz) And two… She just is! XD As my epically awesome birthday buddy I have made this one shot dedicated to her favorite HnKnA pairing ;A;
Summary: After Ace convinces Alice and Julius to go on a camping trip with him, by a chance occurrence the tent's zipper gets stuck with Alice and Julius inside and Ace lost somewhere in the forest. AlicexJulius
Inspired by a time I got trapped in my friend's tree house… The keys to get out were in her pocket the whole time… -_-*
Disclaimer: I don't own HnKnA.
-.-.-.-
"Here we are!" Ace nodded his head proudly as he stood in front his newly set up tent.
"Wha?" Alice questioned as she and Julius turned around from their walk to face the Knight of Hearts who flashed them both a thumbs up and a sparkling smile, "I got the tent set up guys!"
"But when did you—"
"It's Ace, Alice." Julius cut her off curtly.
The brunette released a sigh as she wiped a bit of sweat from her brow, "Can't argue with that logic…" She murmured shielding her eyes from the blazing sun. "How far did you get us lost Ace? We have to at least be in the Amusement Park territory since the Sun is frying me alive."
Ace blinked his eyes, "Lost? What are you talking about? We're on a camping trip Alice! It's only logical that we end up in the Castle of Hearts territory."
"She said we're in the Amusement Park territory… Which we most likely are…" Julius grumbled before going past the upbeat and slightly puzzled Knight and into the tent.
"Amusement Park…? Oh! That explains why it's so hot!" Ace laughed as he followed after the mortician.
Alice while holding back a retort began lugging her belongings in after them, "Why's it so hot in here?" She moaned while crawling into the tent.
Julius set up his sleeping bag way in the corner, with a blank face he looked at the knight who was happily smiling, "The heat wouldn't have to do with where you keep the tent when it's not in use, would it?"
The foreigner felt her face crinkle in disgust as her mind dreadfully wandered to a dark place and Ace laughed, "Haha! I'm pretty sure that's not it! Maybe the heat from outside is just getting trapped inside. Red is a color that absorbs heat, you know!"
"Even though your reasoning is fairly good… I still can't help but be a bit creeped out as to where you put your tent…" Alice sighed before going back to fixing her sleeping bag.
Watching them both, the Knight of Hearts tilted his head to the side, "Why are you both sleeping way on the corner? You should both sleep more in the middle!"
Alice and Julius locked eyes with each other before blushing and looking away awkwardly, "Ace, no—" Julius began but the red eyed knight already began dragging his navy blue sleeping set closer towards his and Alice's. "There! All better! Alice is in the middle and we're at the ends!" Ace nodded proudly at his set up.
"Why am I in the middle?" Alice irritably questioned.
"Julius and I don't want to be… It's only fair!" The Knight of Hearts explained making Alice slid a palm to her face, "Not really fair…"
"Ah… This heat is too much! I think I'm going to go for a walk! Don't worry guys, I'll be back soon." Ace smiled before exiting the tent, not before zipping up the entrance.
His farewell words made Alice and Julius sigh.
With a shake to his head, Julius watched him go, "He's going to get lost…"
"Besides stating the obvious, how exactly did Ace manage to convince you to come on this camping trip?" Alice questioned curiously.
Julius scowled, "Convince…? More like threaten…" He murmured in disdain.
Alice blinked unsure of exactly what she heard, "I take it you were forced like me…"
"Ace has his ways." Julius replied simply making Alice shrug her shoulders, "Ugh… This heat is unbearable… Hey, I saw a waterfall on our way here; we could go there to cool off. It's still mid afternoon." The brunette suddenly offered, perking up a bit.
Julius' eyes got wide for a second at the random offer before settling back to the dull, monotonous reflection they held before, "I don't think so."
"Huh? Why not?" Alice blinked.
"This is a camping trip. I didn't bring a set of clothes to swim in."
Alice sighed, "Well, excuse me for coming prepared…" She turned to go inside her bag which held her clothes, quickly gathering her essentials. Slinging her mini-back pack over her shoulder she made her way to the exit of the tent on all fours, "So, see you later, I guess."
Her fingers met with the silver zipper that held the pieces of fabric that was the tent together steadily. Alice gave it a quick tug downward.
Nothing moved.
Brown eyebrows inclined downward in confusion. Another pull followed. And another. But the same result was thrown her way. A bead of sweat made its way down her face, the issue made her more and more terrified.
"It's stuck…" Alice voiced wide eyed as she pulled on the zipper over and over.
"What do you mean it's stuck?" Julius asked cautiously.
After pulling it harder, Alice reluctantly spoke up again, "I mean it's not moving."
Julius watched her efforts wide eyed while the brunette growled, "Why won't it open?" She moaned out, her stomach flopped a bit in fear.
Heaving a breath, the mortician moved to his knees and began crawling over to the tent's opening, "Here, let me see." With a hand to his chin he inspected the zipper while Alice watched from the side anxiously.
"Something wrong?" She asked flinching a bit, her instincts were practically screaming the answer, but her mind refused to accept it.
"The zipper's trail is fused with the tent… The heat melted it…" The navy haired man sighed before he slumped down.
Alice moaned, "Argh! It's too hot for this! Isn't there another way out!? Anything at all!?" Frantically the foreigner began crawling about the tent looking at the walls for another exit to no avail.
Julius wiped a drop of sweat off his eyebrow as Alice collapsed on her sleeping bag. "We're stuck!"
"I hadn't noticed." Her companion sarcastically and irritably murmured right before he took a seat on his own bag.
Alice spread open her arms and legs, "It's so hot!" She cried as she fanned herself with her hand.
Julius grumbled, "Best to get used to it… We won't be out of here for a while."
"Ah, man… Wait!" She suddenly perked up catching the mortician's attention, "What about Ace?" She questioned remembering the knight who has left not too long ago.
Julius said nothing, his penetrating stare blankly casted over her. Although first confused over his silence, it took Alice a moment before everything clicked in her brain.
Ace was in the forest.
For a walk.
Alone.
Their chances of getting out with his help were as good as nothing.
"WE'RE STUCK! ACEEE!"
"Achoo!" Ace moved his hand to cover his mouth from the sudden sneeze. Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion he blinked, "How is it possible that I'm sneezing in this heat…?" He wondered aloud to himself, "Ah… I wonder if someone's talking about me." He scratched his cheek before continuing his way looking for the tent he had long left. "Eh… Can't believe I can't find my way back…"
-.-
"How long…" Alice gasped out, "Has it been?" She finished dryly. She stuck to laying down on one end of the tent and Julius on the other. The hot air was slowly becoming entrapped within the tiny tent and they both knew it.
"Too long." Julius curtly answered while fanning himself with his hand.
She wanted to roll over and give her back some relief from the sticky sweat that was piling on it from her position laying down, but she couldn't find the energy to do so, "I think my sweat is sweating…" The brunette cringed.
Julius sighed while pulling his hair back, "If that's possible." The sarcastic response was something she honestly expected, but it didn't mean she liked it.
She crinkled her nose at him, "I'm stuck in a tent that a psychotic Knight pulled out of his jacket. I'm pretty sure the idea of my sweat having sweat pores is a definite possibility."
"Hm…"
This response she expected as well. And she didn't like it more than the other. Not continuing on that, she allowed him to stay with the last word as she wallowed in her hot despair.
She wanted to talk to someone… Time seemed at an absolute stand still. The blistering heat panged at her head in a rhythmic pattern that gave her a terrible headache. She endured it, but she was going to go insane if she didn't have a conversation with anyone in the little hell she was in.
Swallowing down nothing from her dry tongue, she looked at the mortician to see how he was fairing. Julius looked completely fine. Or as fine as he usually was without his glare and heavy scowl on his face. If it wasn't for the amount of sweat dripping down his face, Alice would have thought he felt right at home. Scowling, she took a chance to notice what he had on his body.
"If you're hot, take off your jacket." She told him gently realizing that despite his façade he could be really suffering.
Julius turned slightly red, "No, I'm fine." He stated simply.
Alice's brows creased in concern, "You sure…? You're sweating a lot."
"Positive."
"But why? You'll pass out in this heat." She reasoned before she began fanning herself once more.
The mortician moved his gaze from her penetrating eyes silently while his face continued growing redder. Alice's thoughts on his ever scarlet changing face made her wonder if the heat made her face that warm. Putting an index finger on her cheek to wipe away the sweat, she studied his expression when it suddenly clicked.
Alice cocked her head to the side curiously, "Julius… Are you by any chance… Embarrassed about taking off your jacket with me in here?" The words escaped her mouth with a slight grin cracked out on her face while she giggled at the thought.
The older man grumbled, "Wipe that grin off your face."
"You must be shy then." The foreigner teased him further. He stayed silent while Alice giggled a bit more. "Your carbon dioxide will be the death of us. I suggest you stop talking so excessively before you use up all of our oxygen." His tone was kind of harsh and borderline rude, but she was capable of knowing that was his own little personal defense against his shame.
Rolling her eyes, Alice's grin didn't fade, "Of course, sorry, I'll try to stop."
Silence flew over the two once again after her last words. The hilarity about the fact Julius was shy about taking off his jacket because of her presence still lingered around Alice, but deciding to take mercy on the mortician she didn't press on it.
"My hair…" She whined out while clutching her brown locks in exaggeration.
Julius simply looked at her blankly, expecting a continuation on the random topic. "It's killing me… I feel like chopping it all off… This heat… Ugh." She groaned before pulling at it. Julius watched her actions before silently taking off his own ponytail holder.
"Here." He stated after tossing it at her, "Keeping it in a pony tail will make the heat a bit more bearable." He answered her questionable face. Alice looked back at the man who was propped on his elbow while looking up at the ceiling of the small red tent they were currently imprisoned within.
Alice blushed lightly, "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Don't be like that…" The brunette sighed, "Your hair is way longer than mine, you need it more. Take it back." She ordered before outstretching her hand to return it.
Julius glanced back at her blankly, "No. You keep it."
Alice narrowed her eyes at him, "No. You take it back."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes!"
"No."
"Yes!"
"No. And stop being so hyper, with the heat, you'll end up fainting."
"Julius, stop being stubborn!" Alice hissed while crawling over to him,
Julius grumbled as Alice approached him, "I'm being stubborn?"
The foreigner nodded before she went behind his back and took his hair into her hands, "Yes. Now stay still so I can put your hair back in a ponytail." He audibly held back a sigh even as he allowed her to do as she wished. Alice couldn't help but let a small smile play on her lips as she ran her hand through his long locks.
"Julius! It's not fair!" She suddenly declared, fanning herself after she finished tying up his hair. "Your hair stays so perfect in the heat, but mine turns so limp and lifeless." Alice pouted before she collapsed on the floor next to him. Her teal eyes glared up at the ceiling, "What is the world coming to when men have better hair then women?" Tiredly, she allowed her eyes to close.
Julius looked down at her face expressionlessly, "I think your hair is perfect." He managed out before turning his face away.
Alice twitched even though her eyes remained closed, "Sarcasm isn't nice!"
"I compliment you and you give me that." He muttered irritably making Alice purse her lips together as she sat up energetically,
"Lying isn't good, Julius! I mean, you—"
Abruptly, she stopped as she looked ahead of her, sweat continued its way down her face while her eyes began seeing double. Hazily she blinked, unable to understand what was going on, "My vision is getting dizzy…" Alice moaned before holding her head. Her vision was now fading and everything in the small tent swirled causing nausea in her stomach.
Julius looked at her with wide eyes, his expression becoming that of worry, "Alice, are you alright?"
She released a groan as she felt the temperature in her face rapidly heighten.
"Alice!?"
His voice was watered down slowly right as the room's spinning seemed to intensify. With her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier with the passing second, she found her body slowly falling back down before she felt herself getting caught in Julius' arms.
Gazing up, she saw him watching down at her in concern, his lips moving as though exclaiming something though her mind wasn't able to pick it up before her vision blanked out.
-.-
"Hahaha! Wasn't today fun, Julius?"
"No."
"Aww~ But you got to spend time with Alice. Isn't that something you want?"
"…"
"See!"
"Shut up, Ace."
Alice weakly opened her eyes and found with a sense of relief that as greatly opposed to the bright red tent she had been within earlier, her new surroundings were dimly lit and easier on the eyes. She was lying on her back staring ahead of the room, which she immediately recognized to be Julius' room in Clover Tower. Ace sat at the foot of the bed grinning from ear to ear and Julius was sitting on a chair next to her.
"Oh, hey! She's awake!" Ace acknowledged, looking over at her brightly.
Alice blinked while struggling to move, "Uh... What happened?" She asked tiredly before sitting up, making the ice pack on her head fall to her lap.
The Knight of Hearts laughed, "Well, it took me some time, but I managed to rescue you two from the tent!"
"You did not." Julius deadpanned.
Ace laughed some more while Julius kept his glower on him, making Alice blink more in confusion.
"Okay, okay… Julius got you out the tent, Alice, after you fainted from the heat." Ace explained with a smile, "I actually just got here a couple minutes ago." He nodded happily, "Hope you both can forgive me for the tent issue! I'll be sure to get a new one where the zipper doesn't act up! Hahaha!"
"Even though he says that… I can't help but feel…" Alice mumbled to herself, clutching the blankets while staring at the knight who kept laughing, "Geez, it wasn't funny at all. You try being cooped up in that hell tent and then you can see how funny it is." She blankly scolded.
The brunet snickered, "You're right, sorry. It's just like the phrase though. Everything's funny when it's not happening to you?"
As Alice tiredly sighed, Julius groaned.
"Don't you have somewhere to be, Ace?" The mortician questioned him stoically.
The red eyed man stopped his laughter with a thoughtful expression, "Hm~ I guess you're right… Ah, feel better Alice! And bye, Julius!" He smiled charmingly at the two of them before making his way out the room.
"After you passed out, I found my way out and brought you back here." Julius explained simply and Alice's eyes lit up in surprise.
"You did!? Whoa, thank you so much!"
He nodded his head, his expression practically telling her it wasn't a big deal and she shouldn't put so much attention on it, however after considering the circumstances they were previously in, she blinked her eyes, "Wait, how'd you manage to find your way out?"
The blue haired man blushed lightly while turning his face away from her, "Just know, Ace said I don't owe him a new tent."
Alice titled her head to the side still not following but nodded anyways, "Sorry for being a burden... I mean I made you walk with me for so far and I'm even using your bed now." Alice sighed before blushing.
Julius shook his head while getting up from the chair, "It was nothing." He now began walking towards the exit, when something dawned on her; Julius wasn't wearing his jacket from earlier.
The foreigner looked down at herself absentmindedly and she now took the time to notice that Julius' jacket was now on her. "Julius!" She called to him before he left the room; curiously he looked back at her,
"Thank you again, for everything…" She smiled gently.
Julius scowled, his face briefly flushing before he went back to facing the door, "Weird woman…" He muttered out making Alice chuckle, "I see you're still shy…" She teased him again obviously creating some irritation in him.
The role holder turned toward her with cold eyes, "You call a man shy even though he carried you a long distance while you were asleep after you were stuck with him in a closed heated tent… Do you really think of yourself as that comfortable around me?" He questioned her with an arched brow before he left.
Alice sat on the bed blinking as his words fully functioned through her head. Instantly her face turned scarlet red as she held her cheeks with the jackets huge sleeves,
"Julius! You're kidding, right…? Right!?"
-.-.-.-
Hopefully you liked it kittycatmg6 ;A; Hope your birthday was great!
Why doesn't this satisfy me!? :C Arghh! *throws chair* :( Niqua is sorry everyone OTL
Well… Time for me to disappear in the huge piles of homework that my teachers have given me again. Bwhahaha. Don't worry; I'll try not to die. But next I plan on updating A Darker Wonder or Bedtime Stories. Until then!