DRABBLES INCLUDED:

AUTUMN

ICE

MITTEN

UMBRELLA

Import Message (A/N): From the same scatterbrained author that brought you that TakuxMegu fic that no one asked for (Sun and Sea), now comes another exciting addition to the speckle of fics no one bothers reading since they're not Sorina. Stay tuned for the author's note at the end of the fic, where you can find out how to contribute to the existence of another struggling crack ship!

AUTUMN

If they had to look back on the moment that everything had changed, Akira would say it was the day Alice beat down his door with her relentless determination to join the Moon Festival with a booth of her own. Alice would disagree, saying it was the day she witnessed him take out Erina's secretary in a ruthless show of strategic power during the First Year Selections. Either way, autumn had brought about a change of perspective and habit for both of them in its wake.

ICE

Akira had grown tolerant of the winter during his time in Japan. He was not a fan of cold weather, but he did enjoy the demand for intricate spices that it brought to the pallets of others. Drinks seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg, and even cayenne. Food and desserts that were savory and warming with a tidal wave of aroma.

Those were things he could enjoy and was quite an expert on.

However, the thing he would forever loath is also what came with cold weather.

Snow.

Bitter, cold and evil snow that formed into ice.

Ice that was dangerous, stubborn and ridiculously hard to shovel off of driveways and pathways for Shiomi Jun.

Now here he sat, watching his oddly gathered cluster of acquaintances sliding across that loathsome substance. Like it was the most entertaining thing they'd done since that freestyle cooking seminar.

And of course, Nakiri Alice of all people had to skate up to chastise him as he sat safely on a bench, away from the nonsense.

They were currently at a "skating rink" that had formed from one of the academy ponds freezing over. Akira was doing his best to look miserable, despite Jun forcing him to go out and "seize this moment" to form bonds with his peers.

"Neh, Hayama-kun? Is something wrong?" Alice had asked in her sugary, cynical way. "Do you not know how to ice skate?"

She was dressed in a ridiculously showy white outfit. It sparkled as she moved and was adorned with fur, like she thought she was some Queen of the North.

"I'd prefer not too," Akira insisted sullenly, not willing to admit to the pampered Nakiri princess that he wasn't exactly coordinated when it came to gliding across things.

"Come, come now, Hayama-kun!" Alice chided, obviously delighted at his hesitant look towards the ice. "You're just pouting because you think your the hottest thing in the kitchen. Now you can't take a little ice?"

Akira was about to retort to the little sugar plum fairy fiercely. His sentiments never came to fruition, as Alice grabbed both of his hands and dragged him up from the bench and onto the ice, taking his words as he began to sink gracelessly.

How was she this strong when the only thing he'd ever seen her lift was a beaker tube or a designer handbag?

His cheeks suddenly burned as he realized he now clung for dear life to Nakiri Alice's fluff covered torso for balance.

"Well, of course, I'll teach you how to skate, Hayama-kun," Alice jested, wrapping her cashmere covered hands around Akira's frozen ones as he tried to stumble away with sheer embarrassment. "All you had to do was ask!"

Akira desperately searched for Kurokiba, hoping to ironically bark out a plea of assistance to the Nakiri dog to deal with his mistress. When he saw the Mad Dog calmly sipping some warm beverage in the middle of the ice, acutely aware of his presence and Alice's current activities, the prodigious young chef lost all hope as he could barely control his limbs.

Dangerous, stubborn, ridiculous...Nakri Alice was ice, and Akira did his best to loathe her as her ruby eyes couldn't mask a storm of amusement behind them.

MITTEN

"Your dog is slacking," Akira Hayama said, holding a cream cashmere mitten up to Alice.

The snow pale girl only stared at him with curiosity, as his sudden approach outside of her classroom had been quite unexpected. She hadn't been planning to see him until later, when she and Ryo would pay the Shiomi research facility another generous visit in her boredom.

"Having you two pop up in Jun's lab lately has been bad enough," Akira scolded, an aggravated scowl set into his refined features "But I can't pick up after all of you. Tell Kurokiba to do his job and watch what you leave around, or I'm changing the locks like Jun should have done the first time you two appeared for the Festival."

Alice only grinned her oh-so-pleasant smile and took the mitten, patting Akira on the head with no qualms, despite their height difference.

"Thank you, Hayama-kun!" Alice said gratefully, a smirk seeping into her tone she could barely contain. "I'll be sure to let Ryo-kun know his job is being threatened by your excellent delivery service."

She waved at him and pranced off to where Ryo was supposed to be dutifully waiting for her.

Akira, meanwhile, left with a face blushing with anger and some other emotion he didn't quite feel like identifying.

UMBRELLA

Alice pouted as she carried her own umbrella to shield herself from the storm across campus, heading to the Nakiri mansion. Ryo was sick at home today, and he would be of no use to her in the long run if she didn't let him rest now. As she migrated between the various academy buildings, she caught sight of Akira Hayama, pounding on the door of his meager spice laboratory to no avail of anyone answering.

Alice assumed he might have locked himself out. The sight of him murmuring colorful language at the windows through the rain, trying to catch someone's attention, was slightly amusing due to his usually stoic nature.

"Hayama-kun!" she said, gleefully running over to him. "Whatever happened to make you use such words? You're usually much cooler than this."

Akira turned swiftly, probably to angle his frustration on her. In retaliation, she put the broad, lavender umbrella over his head to shield him from more oncoming droplets. Her smile was content as she stopped his protesting in his tracks.

"Jun borrowed my key again and must have lost the spare," Akira murmured miserably. "I'm sure she's passed out in there after another all-nighter."

'Hmm, he's not at all fun when he sounds this defeated,' Alice thought, considering that the poor boy may have been out there long enough to warrant getting sick, just like Ryo, if he kept this up.

That mutant nose of his would be positively useless in the wake of congestion and a sinus infection. As much as she would have liked to see him knocked down from his pedestal a bit, he was technically an asset to her entourage now. At least since their booth at the Moon Festival, even though he denied it every time she reminded him.

No, that wouldn't do at all. Not when she had just thought of something far more suited to his potential at the moment.

"Well, come on then," Alice cheered, thrilled at the prospect fate had delivered her.

She shoved the umbrella into the taller boy's hands as she grabbed his free arm. Then, she eagerly dragged him off in the direction of her not so humble residence.

"What are you doing?" Akira shouted bewildered, unable to do anything but follow her abrasive lead.

"You need somewhere dry, and I need someone to hold this umbrella," Alice chirped. "Come one, Hayama-kun. I'll get you fixed up at my place, and you'll be the perfect stand-in for Ryo for the rest of the day!"

Akira didn't fight, and Alice wasn't foolish enough to believe he was keen on the idea of being her replacement aid, but she was certain she could convince him he had nothing better to do if he resisted.

A/N:

Hey you! That's right! You! The imaginary AlicexAkira fan stumbling upon this author's note out of sheer, miserable boredom!

Have you developed an irrational craving to read about something other than Totsuki's favorite passive-aggressive pairing? (*cough* *cough* Sorina *cough*) Have you tried settling for stories about Totsuki's second favorite passive-aggressive pairing (*cough* *cough* RyoxAli *cough*), but your masochism prohibits you from enjoying any ship that is easily expected?

Did you absolutely melt at the dynamic between waifu of the year (Alice Nakiri) and a certain spicy tsundere (Akira Hayama) during the Moon Festival, but you can't bring yourself to contribute to a fandom that may be the equivalent of screaming into the void? Do plot lines mean jack to you as long as somewhere in that void, two players out of Totsuki's favorite OT3 pairing are being a mess of flirty and arguing adorableness?

If so...

THEN DO I HAVE A DEAL FOR YOU!

This story is a collection of AkiraxAlice drabbles of various lengths and context. None of these are bound by canon, timeline, time, space or even your imagination.

Follow these easy steps to participate:

1. Give me a one word prompt in a review that you'd like me to make a drabble about.

2. I take on the challenge and write said drabble.

3. I post said drabble request, among others, in chapter updates.

4. We get to scream into the void together. Everyone wins!

These drabbles were inspired by my existing TakuxMegu fic (Sun and Sea), and I may do a few more of these for my favorite under represented couples if readers are interested enough. The plot for some of these drabbles eventually piece together, a bit like a jigsaw puzzle.

Hopefully you enjoyed this sample platter of my new favorite couple I can't get out of my head. Thank you for any and all support, and all satire aside, I would love to see this fandom grow a bit more! :)

Review or PM me!

Till next time, Ja Nee!

Tasia'sEndlessDreams

P.S.-No offense was intended to any Sorina fans during the making of this author's note. I actually think they're cute, and I'm certain authors greater than me have fics with them covered (*cough* *cough* Akai Ito by Madeline Axelle *cough*). My weirdness is better suited to the crack ships.