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A loud clatter jerked me awake. My head shot up blankly gazing over the unoccupied bed. My surroundings seem to glare at me from every angle as though demanding 'why are you here?'. I sucked in a deep breath casting heavy eyes over the dismal room. It was a wide open room with hardly any furniture other than a small nightstand, a bed, and another door leading to what I'm guessing is the bathroom. My brain sparked, trying to light a coherent thought.
...This isn't my room...
...Ah, where am I?
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Oh.
This is Julius's room...
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...
But where's Julius?
I shifted to my feet only to painfully crumple down into a messy heap. I groaned painfully trying to move the stone stiff muscle. Why does my butt hurt so much?! My eyes glared over the wooden chair. Ow...I slept on that? An unbelieving chuckling moan slipped past my lips as I rolled over trying to unknot the painful muscle. No wonder my butt feels like its been sitting on a freaking chair all night; because I actually was!
Again a sharp tapping sound caught my ear from down the hall. I forced myself up stretching out the traitorous muscles and peeked out the door. A bright light flooded the hallway concentrated from the tiny crack in the door a good thirty feet away. I slipped out of the room quietly shutting the door and shuffled towards the workshop. What's he doing? He's sick! He shouldn't be working-! I quietly creaked open the door peeking into the room. Julius didn't even glanced up from his work barely as he tinkered with a seriously messed up clock in his hands. The form around it was mangled beyond relief and gears and springs were popping out everywhere. What in the hell happened to that clock?! It looks like something I would find in a scrap yard-!
"Thank you for caring for me but your services are no longer required. I'll personally thank Alice for her consideration when she return." Julius's cold voice claimed never deviating his eyes from his work. I scowled at the stupid man. Boy I'm in a bad mood...probably because I had to sleep on a stupid chair. Probably because I was absolutely wrong and Julius can't care for himself. Probably because of my own stupidity Julius is now in this condition because of my neglect. I sighed.
"Stupid idiot." I growled. He tensed slightly whipping his head up in puzzlement. My glare never softened as I sauntered into the room keeping my eyes on his little project to avoid his probably shocked eyes.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked, shocked. I wonder if he thought I was going to stupidly smile and put up with his crap like Alice did. I chuckled without humor.
As if.
"Stop being stupid, stupid." I nonchalantly said pinching his nose. My eyes narrowed; he's hot. He jerked his head back leaping to his feet. The chair was knocked over as the clock clattered on the table with Julius covering his slightly flushed face.
"What has gotten into you?!" He demanded utterly flabbergasted by my forwardness. Even I'm a bit surprised by my out lashing. Oh well; everyone has their days.
"You have no right to ask me that Julius. Now go. To. Bed." I moved in front of the chair as if to block his only excuse from his greedy little hands. He stood there in a daze unmoving and unresponsive to my demand. I huffed. I actually want to punch that adorable face right now...
"T-this is ludicrous! I can care for myself! It's insulting to have a little girl look after a grown man." He bitingly seethed, speaking as if he was scolding a misbehaving child. A fiery rage burned up my chest as I lashed right back at him.
"That's what I thought!" I shouted back, livid. Again his eyes popped open shocked at my retaliation. Did Alice really never put up a fight with this guy? I swear she's such a girl...at least I have to balls to fight back every now and then. "But you just proved that you're incompetent in caring for yourself!"
"W-what?!" Julius stumbled back completely taken off guard. I took a few steps forward easily keeping pace with the slowly eroding man.
"When I came back I found you on the ground with a fever in only a few short days!"
"You had only left the day before! It wasn't a few days-!" He argued back. I immediately straightened out with wide eyes.
...oh this is worse than I thought. Its defiantly been a few time changes since I last came here. Does he have no sense of time up here? But he has a window and everything!
"Julius...," I whined making him look me in the face. His hardened guard softened slightly before my features tightened with an angry sneer, going in for the kill, "go to bed."
"No." He stubbornly stated looking away from my seething rage and crossed his arms like a misbehaving teenage girl rejecting her parents, "I see no reason to follow your orders, young miss, when this is my tower."
"Seriously? That's what your resorting to? Such a baby...," I murmured gently taking his hand in mine. He hesitated in pulling back as I softly looked over his long and nimble fingers which had a few scars on them; probably from a slip of the wrench.
"But, since you insist of behaving like a little girl I'll have to use the same methods as I did with all the misbehaving little girls I've babysat over the years." I whipped around to his back and twisted his hand painfully. He stiffened in shock, eyes wide as he stumbled for stability.
"Walk." I demanded heartlessly. I'm strong enough to handle a sick grownup. Even if he's twice my size.
"T-this is ridiculous-! Release me-!" Julius squirmed under my hold trying to break the weakness I held captive. I twisted his hand a little more, loose enough to not hurt him but tight enough to make him know who was in charge here. I glanced over to a clock.
...10:05...
Wow, Alice wasn't kidding when she said get him in bed before then.
"No. Once Alice gets back you can have her happily fond over you. I'm not all smiles when someone starts being rude to me." I warned forcing him through the bedroom door. He squirmed under my grasp flushing with embarrassment.
"This is completely unnecessary-!" He shouted ripping his arm from my grasp.
"You're right." I said moving between him and the bed, "it is-!" I yanked hard on his arm literally rolling him over my back and slammed him onto the bed. I whistled, impressed with myself as he scrambled over the covers. It's amazing how martial arts can move him when pure strength cannot. He quickly inhaled just as shocked as I was. I'm surprised that even worked. I quickly leapt on top of the man pinning him stomach down on the bed.
"W-what-!?" He stuttered hardly able to believe that I was able to subdue him. Where did all this confidence come from? Maybe it was my irate rage from having to take care of a fully grown and what I thought was to be a capable guy? Yeah, that might be it. I don't like useless people. I mentally slapped myself. Although I cannot help but want to coddle them...
"U-unhand me-!"
"Promise me you'll go to sleep Julius." I reached down gently sweeping my hand over his forehead. He's hotter than before. Probably because I made him exert himself.
"Aw~ that's not fair, Julius. You can't keep the foreigner all to yourself!" I glanced over to Ace leaning in the doorway with a sly smile. My heart dropped. Great. Now I have to deal with this idiot too?
"Ace, get her off of me!" Julius demanded. My eyes flashed. Like hell I'm going to let you turn Ace on me!
"Julius is very sick, Ace." I said trying to divert his brain from ripping me off. Ace tilted his head running the chances of who he wanted to disobey.
"Really?" He cheerfully crossed the room pushing his hand against his forehead. I paused; I might be able to use this to my advantage. "Ah~ you're warm, Julius."
"Ace can you go get some medicine?" I asked innocently.
"Sure!" Ace reached behind himself pulling out a small bag and withdrew a small bottle of sloshing liquid. He already had it on him? Which means when he left before he must have went to get some medicine...I smiled. He's sweet when he wants to be. Stupid and terribly directionally challenged, but sweet. Julius's struggling died down a bit as he realized struggling was futile. He huffed, resigning himself to the workless state. I relented, releasing his arm.
"Good." I nodded approvingly, sliding off his back. He sighed falling deeper into the soft covers. It's about time he gave up. I thought nothing short of a broken arm would convince him otherwise. Before Ace came I was fully prepared to sit on his back for the entire night.
"Here, drink this~," Ace purred pushing the bottle towards Julius. Julius practically growled turning away from the bottle like a snotty little kid.
"It was a waste of money. All I needed was some coffee. I'll be fine in a few hours." He grumbled unconvincingly. I sighed. Ah what a stubborn man...
"That's no good Julius." Ace hummed popping off the cork and drank the liquid down. Julius's eyes grew wide and he jumped back with an almost terrified look shooting through his eyes. Huh?
"Julius-?" I began as Ace snatched hold of the man's foot dragging him across the bed and pinned him down. My jaw hit the floor as Ace snatched hold of the man's jaws and crashed his lips into Julius's mouth. Julius's eyes bugged out of his head as his faced turned a brilliant red. A few moments passed before the scene before me finally sunk in.
"W-whoa, wait a minute Ace-!" I cried. "That's too much-!" I snatched hold of his cloak trying to yank the man back. This idiot-! Julius curled his hand into a fist punching the knave in the gut. The knight merely grinned before pulling back wiping the residue from his lips. I gapped as he slid back with a triumphant grin. I-I thought he was straight...
"Get out of my tower Ace!" Julius raged with an anger I didn't think was possible. I gazed into his stormy eyes which nailed my feet to the ground. Holy crap that's...scary.
"Aw~ I was only helping a friend! But, if you insist, I'll go find some more clocks ha ha ha~," Ace playfully teased before complying, leaving me rooted in place. Julius's glare followed him out as he wiped his lips on his sleeve trying to rub off the man's chapped lips.
"Disgusting...," He trailed off before he noticed my gapping mouth. He froze looking as if he just realized that I was still there. I should say something. But what? Sorry that Ace just raped your lips?
"Uhhhhh...," I trailed on unable to utter any words of any kind. What can I say in this situation? I've never been put in one like this before...
"Don't tell a soul!" He growled. I wisely shut my mouth and jerked my head down not wanting those stormy eyes to turn on me. I never thought Ace was gay. Oh well; none of my concern. I sighed.
"Do you need anything else? Like a glass of water?" I offered.
"I want you to get out." Julius snapped with a flushed face.
"F-fine. I'll see you in the morning." I quickly turned and left the room softly shutting the door behind me. That was...frightening, actually. I feel almost...disgusted. Not that I have anything against people that like the same gender but...the mere fact that is was between the idiot Ace and my Julius...
Wait, my Julius?
Where the heck did that come from?!
Julius is far from mine. He's still wrapped around Alice's little finger. I sighed silently reprimanding myself. I shouldn't be so rough on Alice. She's had it hard too. But so have I. But Alice...I slapped my cheek lightly wandering into Julius's workshop. His clocks are still out. I looked over the many gears and springs which littered the table all of which was in an organized mess. I carefully observed the supposedly messy set up of his tools. Around each clock was a number of springs and such which were probably meant to be mended with those same parts. Tools pointed to each clock referencing which one needed to be used to fix which clock. He's actually surprisingly organized. At first glance it's a complete mess but on further inspection it's so tidy that even an amateur may be able to tinker with these. Hm...
I sat down in the soft chair gazing at the work before me. I could do it. I could fix some of these. This black one with a silver strip? All I need to do is work the spring back in. This silver one with specks of gold? All it needs is a few gears to be clicked into place with a small screw to complete it. Temptation worked on my greedy fingers from the fun little projects before me. I lightly touched one of the clocks before regretfully retreating. Ugh...I can't do this. Alice has told me that he hates having his work done for him. Bah...stupid. I jumped back and hurried over to the cough plopping myself down. If I stare at those fun projections I'll be tempted to mess with them.
I gazed endlessly at the ceiling tracing the lines of the cracks where the blocks of stone were pressed together. Endless...just like an engineer's work. While I'm off at the amusement park fixing things because of Mary's stupidity Julius is stuck here working on clocks that others have messed up. Julius is already overworked as it is and any more will only hinder his health. Again temptation wafted through my hands before I eventually sat on them. I need to respect Julius's space. I wouldn't like it if someone messed with a ride I was supposed to fix. It's my job, not someone else's. I sighed falling to sleep in the soft embrace of the cushions.
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Sorry it took so long but I need ideas as to what could happen. PM me or review if you want this series to continue! Any and all ideas are welcomed my little chickadees!