(no subject)
Title: Idealized
Fandom: Alice in the Country of Hearts
Prompt: Cuddling for Warmth
Medium: Fic
Wordcount: 528
Rating: PG
Warnings: Somewhat spoiler (for Joker)
Summary: Boris liked to think that she could return his feelings, but taking her to the Tower of Clovers (and that icy cave) was the best idea he had.
She gasped in shock, shivering as a hand lightly traced her exposed leg. However, she wasn’t too concerned on the hand that threatened to harass her even more than before-she was too busy freezing at that moment.
Gasping, she gripped his fur, pleased that it was there to comfort her body, giving warmth that she couldn’t find elsewhere.
Boris, on the other hand, had a smug grin that he couldn’t get rid of. He loved this, the fact that she depended on him for warmth-it was the only way he could go about proving his love when she rejected so many other attempts.
“It’s been so long since I’ve relied on anyone for warmth,” Alice said suddenly, sadly chuckling.
Already, Boris knew it had something to do with her ex, and he felt anger and hatred rise within him. Biting back the expletives he wanted to shout out, he instead pulled her closer and asked, “Why’s that?”
Alice didn’t answer him, making them fall into that awkward silence that he couldn’t deal with. Before he knew it, he had her in a crushing hug, which could very well make her hate him. Instead, she returned it, not to the extent he was, but it was good enough for Boris.
“I love you,” the Cheshire Cat said suddenly, surprising Alice. He did love her completely and honestly, and he wished she could understand that. She looked as if she didn’t believe that it would be something permanent, as if he was only stating that he was interested in her like he would a toy.
“Don’t say things like that,” she finally replied, her voice soft. He could see it even if she tried to hide it, the blush that covered her cheeks, the way her eyes held some emotion that she refused to see, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her at that moment.
It hurt him that she couldn’t trust him to know what he was speaking about-he knew that he loved her completely and utterly, so it was saddening to see that she couldn’t accept his feelings because of something that happened to her in a different world, somewhere that she wasn’t considered an “outsider”.
“Though, thank you, for bringing me here,” she continued, smiling slightly at his shocked expression. “I mean, thank you for helping me out when I needed it, thank you for being there when I needed someone to comfort me.” She trailed off, and the silence was a pleasant one, though Boris couldn’t help but think that she was lovelier after that confession.
Along with that warmth she managed to kindle in him after those words, she had brought hope to him, and he found that he couldn’t ignore it for much longer. It was a romanticized version of what would happen, the things he imagined, so he wasn’t too disappointed with the results being far from what he thought would happen but now, he couldn’t help but plan for their actual future, a realistic future.
He would have to thank her for that one day, the day she finally accepted his feelings (and hopefully returned them too.)