"75 points."
"R-Really!?"
"It's adequate to be drinkable…no less edible."
Alice smiled brightly, internally crying out in victory. Usually, Julius was harsh and scored her a fifty on her coffee—or even lower than that. At least she was getting better.
The blonde sat back at the wooden table in the middle of the work room, watching with an appeasing smile at the Clockmaker. Silent and giddy in a sense, she observed Julius work with the clocks on his desk; each being fixed, cleaned and lined up nicely with the others in a small box.
It both fascinated and scared her to think that these infamous clocks were the lie source; the life source to the inhabitants of this Wonderland. But being an Outsider, she didn't understand the hows and whats, or even the full concept of how this deranged world worked. Too confusing, she told herself.
Julius glanced up after a moment of feeling the girl's eyes upon him, before a knock came to the door. There was no need to beckon the person from outside, as the crimson dressed knave burst through the door with a wide grin.
"Heya Julius!" A cheery voice laughed through a broken silence.
"Ace, keep it down." The Clockmaker muttered, as he continued mindlessly with his work.
"Oh, c'mon." Ace grinned like a child, "This place needs a bit more life to it now and then! Haha!"
Alice only smiled, glad to have the atmosphere lighten by the optimistic knave. Then again, when wasn't Ace smiling and being cheerful? …Or at least, he acted all smiles and full of cheer.
Ace strode over rather proudly to Julius's work desk, leaning a hand on the edge of the wood, "Sooooooo, how busy are ya' today?"
Julius seemed to have ignored him, before giving a soft sigh, "I'm always busy, idiot."
"Geez, you don't have to be so snippy about it, haha." The knave grinned widely.
Bringing his attention to Alice now, he gave a little tilt of the head, "And what are you up to, Alice?"
Blinking from the sudden change of subject to herself, she sat up a little before speaking firmly. "Nothing really. Gowland invited me to visit the Amusement Park today…but I'm not so sure if I'm up to it."
"Ohhhh…heh, you know, I saw the kitty cat pretty close by. Maybe he's comin' to get ya', haha. Hopefully he doesn't bring fleas."
Alice puffed her cheeks, "He doesn't have fleas! Boris is a cat, but he's well groomed!"
"Ace, don't tease her." Julius remarked, before setting yet another clock into the box.
The knave only laughed some more, before another knock came to the door. No one even bothered to allow the stranger in, when a whisk of pink brightened the doorway. The fluffed fur around the figure's shoulders, a grin formed over their lips.
"Aliiiiiiiice~" Boris purred, before nearly hopping across the room to hug the blonde tightly.
"B-Boris!" Alice huffed, before squirming, "G-Get off! I can't breathe!"
The feline released the young girl, before giving his Cheshire grin, "Ya' ready to head out to the Park?"
Catching her breathe and letting her anger just wash away, she sighed, "I guess…but Julius, do you need any more help?"
"Go on. There's nothing needed for you to do here." He retorted without even glancing up once.
Nodding slowly, Alice waved to both Ace and Julius, before Boris would drag her out and away. The door slamming behind them, as an awkward silence would fill the room enough.
Ace only grinned, before looking down to the Clockmaker.
"That girl…that Outsider…she is so stranger." Julius muttered under his breathe.
A quick frown crossed the knave's lips, before turning around to face Julius formally, "Hey, don't think about her."
Without hesitation or even a warning, Ace had leaned over the desk to tilt Julius's chin up, pressing a rather forceful kiss to the others lips.
The Clockmaker's eyes shot open, before pushing back and away from the knight, short of breathe.
He could not hide the rogue that crossed his cheeks, before furrowing his brow, "Y-You need to stop doing that!"
Ace only grinned slyly, "But it's so adorable! To catch you off guard is just a fun game for me, haha!"
Leaning even more over the desk, he gave off a sweet and seductive grin.
"C'mon now, Julius. Lemme' kiss you again. Pleeeeeease?"
The Clockmaker's cheeks were burning, but he allowed himself to step closer to the knight once more. Cerulean optics glancing away, before the knight would take a hold of his chin. Another kiss pressed warmly and more firmly to Julius's lips, before Ace realized that he was giving in. Even melting into the kiss, as Ace rested a hand to the back of Julius's head; being even braver to force his tongue inside the others mouth.
Never hesitating to push matters a step farther, his lips moved and collided with the Clockmaker's. Inching more and more to the center of the desk, as he unconsciously made Julius come closer as well.
Breaking off for short of breathe, Julius pushed Ace off the desk some. "…the clocks need to be put away, before you shatter one."
Smiling warmly, both men picked up the cases delicately and set them in the corner cubby holes of the working room. Muttering to himself softly, Julius was caught off guard—again—as Ace just turned him around for another kiss. Whimpering slightly, they backstepped to the desk once more.
"Geez, Julius." The knave grinned, for a short pause, "You need to relax some. Heh, lemme' help you."
Small kisses went down Julius's neck, the Clockmaker's back end pressing against the desk edge. Gloved fingers would begin to fiddle with Julius's cloak, before it was discarded to the side rather quickly. The blunett could only whine softly, seeing that he only had his vest and dress sweater left.
Purring in approval and delight of his own, Ace began to nibble along the flesh of Julius's neck. The other whimpered, before making a sharp gasp as he was pushed back down to the desk.
Cheeks flushing brightly, the Clockmaker made a motion to speak, "W-What if someone comes in? We can't do th—"
"Julius, calm down. If anyone comes through that door, I'll cut them down. Nothing can or will distract me from you." Chuckling, as the knight leaned down to seal their lips into another kiss.
The Clockmaker had been friends with the knave for who knows how long. Before then, their bond may have seemed meaningless and just business to make things easier for the both of them. Their personal emotions didn't affect their Roles, before the Outsider Alice Liddel stepped foot into their world. She had changed a lot of things. Especially her words of treating others with "love" and "caring". Apparently, no one had weapons packed to the teeth in her world. So it came as a shock when both Clockmaker and knight started to practice this "love" and "caring".
As they could perceive, their bond became even stronger than anyone really expected. Both still a bit puzzled to the morale subject, they at least understood what they could feel for each other.
Every kiss and nibble along Julius's neck, was another step closer to undressing his vest and dress sweater. Julius could only reach his hands up to run nimble fingers through brunett locks. Ace purred in approval once more, before slipping off the vest.
"There's one…and then there's two~" Ace chuckled, before now admiring the Clockmaker's smooth abdomen.
Head leaning down, the knave began to make gentle hop kisses down the other male's chest. A tongue soon slipping out, to tease the blunett's already hardening nipples.
"A-Ah—" Julius gasped softly, letting his neck arch off the table slightly.
"Ohhhh, you like that, huh? Heh heh, just wait until we get to the really good part." Grinning rather wickedly, before he'd slip off both gloves and jacket.
A bare hand ran down the Clockmaker's side, making him shiver in delight.
"T-Teasing isn't necessarily fair." Julius groaned softly.
"Haha, since when have I ever been fair?"