#darklina fanfic

[crescentcampbell]

STOP GETTING PISSED THE FIC YOU ARE READING SMUT WHEN ITS CLEARLY LABELED SMUT. THE WEBSITE EVEN GIVES YOU A DAMN 18+ WARNING.

[wandawxdow]

Alina Starkov x Aleksander Morozova

fic recs

for you i would ruin myself by fkevin073

a rotten heart by pathrocluss

Like Calls To Like by opheliarose

All The Lonely Ones by i_can_write_in_my_dreams

I’d Never Let You Be Alone by shandy_and_champagne

i should live in salt by larry_hystereks

give you my wild, give you a child by fkevin073

now i’m reflecting light by fkevin073

Vesegda, Always by vuas

The Danger Is (I’m Dangerous) by Ceris_Malfoy

keep the light from passing through by starwarringavengers

You Light Up My World by KrazyKyStHatter

i see the real you (even if you don’t, i do) by Ironblue

[etlkinkmeme]

[burninghoneyatdusk]

[idaoftheburningmind]

Dawn Greeting Dusk Falling

A reimagining of the events after ‘Siege and Storm’ and a coping mechanism for the SaB S2 ending we would rather not have…

She had kept a little of his shadow, he enough of her light. This is what made it possible, this meeting at the roiling edge of the Fold where Alina knew she would one day find herself.

Fifty years did he say? She knew it had been more, and still it surprised her as the seasons dragged on that love had endured — the love of so many, and the love of one above all. Even if she had to watch each one shrouded and laid in the ground. Each and every one.

What she means to do here now is neither a reckoning, nor a reconciliation. The moment is simply right. She looks into the shadows, and lifts her hand. The globe of light is muted, as though in a fog; but she knows he will not fail to see it.

“Alina.”

There is no rage in the way he says her name, not even a question. They are past that, she supposes.

One who was too young, and one who lived too long; they were here now, nearly unchanged but for her white hair worn unbound. He did not expect her to come sooner, he knew time well enough. He might have thought he knew her as well.

She did not destroy the Fold.

Thought dead after the collapse of the Chapel, legend had it that her spirit guided skiffs as they made each journey. For not a soul has been lost to the Fold since.

That was how she knew that he wasn’t lost. And the knowledge, when she realized it, caused her that day to weep with joy.

The two of them lived because they could not let the other die; when his humanity was burning away, she held on blindly to what remained and he … she could not name what he did, but in the end she knew he had kept her from falling into darkness.

He had kept — some essence, some hope? Light either way.

And a resolve not to lose her to the void.

What was left of him that day was drawn to the Fold, the only place where he could still exist.

A shadow among shadows.

“You might have left me with a fresh set of clothes. An eternity disheveled is its own unique torture.”

She startles with laughter, the unexpected joy at the even more unexpected attempt at humor freeing the tension in her shoulders. She lets herself smile at him, and his smile is genuine as he smiles back.

“Are you angry?” she asks.

“What is anger for?” is his reply.

Flame sputtering to life in sunlight has more purpose.

A silence heavy as the weight of loss they now share settles between them.

“I could not bear it if you turned from me now.”

He spoke the truth. It was the same truth she would always understand, no matter the centuries left to them, no matter their choices that will always hang in the balance.

She reaches for him with a tendril of shadow.

He holds out his hand in welcome.

————-

A/N: For my AU sister @becauseicantthinkwritings who has been putting up with my not-fun era for longer than she should 😅

[midwinterspringwrites]

dark was the way (still that voice inside my head)

Rated T | Darklina

She'd known he'd be able and willing to help her, when no one else was.

A triple drabble for @scrapbirdy for Fragments of Sun and Shadow.

Moodboard by me.

Read on AO3.

[aleksanderscult]

Ao3 Fic Recs

Just a few book!Darkling stories I've enjoyed, "nocturne" by amplifierverse; a multi-chaptered Darkling wins the war AU, "Call and Response" by dining_alone; one-shot set post Ruin and Rising but Mal stayed dead (as he should), "Villain-to-be" and "To Demand Aim", both by manico_del_lume; short one-shots set during Shadow and Bone showcasing book!Darkling's silky, possessive cruelty (you know we love it), and "Silence" by goblins_riddles_frocks; a one-shot set post Ruin and Rising with a Nikolina marriage of convenience (their other stuff is all amazing too, I just love how creepy this one is). I also found the series "There's something wretched about this, something so precious about this" to be fun, it's a duology in which the authors explore Book Darkling vs Show Darkling via smut.

Ao3 Fic Recs (part 2)

I forgot to add: The Forgotten and the Dead by DreamsAtDusk; post Winter Fete AU, a detour from Alina and the Darkling searching for the stag together. I would ride into battle for this to be canon.

"but Mal stayed dead (as he should)"

Dude, you just get it!😭😭

And, yes, we love Aleksander getting feral from jealousy🥰 (dark romance readers are just built this way🤌).

Thank you so so much for all these recommendations!! 🫶🫶 I'll surely check them out!

But there's one problem. I cannot find "Villain-To-Be", "Demand to Aim" and "There's something wretched about this...". Could you send me the links?

[mlsfrvr]

Stop! It’s Darklina Time!  Part 2

Hello guys!

Are you ready for part 2?

Let’s go. :)

Thank you to the wonderful authors of these beautiful stories. You really did a great job! I love reading your work. ❤️

I have indicated the places where there may be spoilers for you, but still read the tags of the dear authors before you open the story.

And if you see🔥you know what it means. :)

Kaleidoscope by Permanent_Reverie: alternative. Aleksander and Alina are getting married.

The CEO and the Helioseismologist by orphan_account: alternative. Aleksander is getting sick.

So Hold My Hand, I'll Walk With You, My Dear by UnderATrillionStars: Alina is visiting Aleksander. if you haven't read rule of wolves, it may contain spoilers for you.

Testament to Time by melfires: Aleksander lets Alina go. 

Start a War by nymja: alternative. fate brings Aleksander and Alina together once again. if you haven't read ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you.

Out of Time by destinies: another alternative that i love.

Having You by destinies: Aleksander and Alina are not disturbed in the war room. 🔥

Surrender by aleksandermorozova: alternative. Alina and Aleksander are having a daughter.

Aurora by KoreRosemarinus: alternative. Alina and Aleksander have a son.

for you I would ruin myself by fkevin073: Aleksander returns to the war room.🔥

A cold heart by Weisse_Rose: what happened from Aleksander's pov.

give you my wild, give you a child by fkevin073: alternative. Alina brings up the baby topic. 🔥

keep the light from passing through by starwarringavengers: alternative. Alina runs away and Aleksander chases her. 🔥

I Look Inside Myself (And See My Heart Is Black) by Ceris_Malfoy: alternative. Alina chooses a different path.

My Needy Little Wife Under The Table by orphan_account: alternative. 🔥

Fever by SheepOfIce: Alina is getting sick.

Give Me Love by starwarringavengers: Aleksander is ambushed. 🔥

I'll Stay With You by Nightstorm: alternative. Alina convinces Aleksander to come to bed.

I wish you would (Morozova's version) by stealing_jasons_job: alternative. 🔥

never knew I could feel that much by Stella959: Alina and Aleksander's life in the little palace develops a little differently. 🔥

fool me once, fool me twice by amplifierverse: alternative. Aleksander wants Alina to wear amplifiers. 🔥

No Minor Miracle by orangegreet: alternative. Aleksander can wait another century for Alina. if you haven't read ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you.

Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War by 221BB: alternative. Aleksander and Alina are fighting together. 

Conqueror by mardia: alternative. Alina destroyed the fold long ago.

Drunk on the Dying Light by ViaLethe: alternative. Aleksander is having a scar on his chest. if you haven't read ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you.

When evening shadows and stars appear by Anuna: alternative. Aleksander is getting sick.

Lightweight by artemisscribe: alternative. Alina is getting drunk

Alone by Anuna: alternative. Aleksander wants to get married.

Brittle Thorns by mzladybird: alternative. Aleksander hires a gardener for his garden. 🔥

Tell Yourself You Can Always Stop by nightowls28: Aleksander sees the scars on Alina. if you haven't read the ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you.

Scars by LiteraryFaerie: Alina sees the scars in Aleksander. if you haven't read the ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you.

Me and the Devil by esssteee: alternative. Aleksander is back.

Hope Springs Eternal by FormerlyIR (Irony_Rocks), Irony_Rocks: alternative. Alina is bringing Aleksander back.

[nosunwithoutshadow]

Quick fluff ficlet based on the new video with Jessie wearing the Darkling season 2 kefta 💛

Aleksander wakes with the sun, the dregs of sleep fading swiftly as his instincts register something wrong. He’s alone in the bed, the thready pink rays of dawn stretching through the window and across the covers, and it takes him another moment to realize why waking alone in his own bed feels so wrong. The past few months have yet to overwrite centuries of solitude. 

He sits up against the pillows and looks around the room, but he still doesn’t see Alina. A quick tug on the tether reassures him that she’s in no danger, even if he isn’t used to waking before her. Her warmth and scent cling to the sheets in her absence. With a sigh, he pushes himself up from the bed, the morning air cool against his skin. He has no reason to linger without her. 

He washes, then dresses quickly in his typical black shirt, tunic, and trousers, then frowns as he reaches for the kefta he hung up the night before. The fabrikators had made it recently on his request, replacing his usual silver accents with the sun summoner’s gold. He’d taken to wearing it more often than not, and he’s not sure why it isn’t waiting for him this morning. Still frowning, he shrugs on one of his older keftas. Maybe Ivan took it for some reason? He’ll have to ask when they review the day’s schedule. 

Feeling distinctly off balance, he emerges into the war room, and his scattered pieces fall into place. Alina blinks up at him from where she’s curled into one of the chairs along the wall, his new kefta wrapped around her small frame. She smiles up at him and sets the map she’d had stretched out aside. Warmth creeps out from his chest, his little sun summoner working her powers with barely an effort, and he feels a matching smile spread across his own face. She stands, stretching, and he strides across the room to meet her. 

“What are you doing up so early, little thief?” he murmurs as he brings his hand up to rest along the collar of his stolen kefta. His fingers trace their twined embroidered colors, and she leans into his touch. 

“Was thinking of something, had to check, and then I couldn’t get back to sleep,” she says. Her voice breaks on a yawn at the end. 

His other hand finds her waist, pulling her against him. She goes easily and nuzzles the hollow of his neck while her arms rest against his chest, playing with the edge of his open kefta. His throat bobs. He bends his head to brush his lips against the top of her head and the sun-warmed scent of her mixed with his own fills his senses. “You should’ve woken me. I would have helped.” 

She shivers and hums in the back of her throat. He pulls her tighter against him, his body already thrumming with interest. She has him ready with a look anytime, centuries of control worthless against one luminous woman, but the sight of her wrapped in his kefta with their colors has him far more alert than is reasonable for the early hour. 

His hand at her waist drifts lower to the curve of her hip, while the other tugs on the edge of the kefta, keeping her tight against him. “Am I ever getting this back? Or should I ask the durasts to make another?”

She smirks even as she flushes. “I thought you liked seeing me in your color?”

His lips curve. They both know how much he enjoys it. “Very much.” He leans down until his lips brush her ear. “But I like you even better out of it.”

She snorts. He can’t be bothered to regret the cliche when his hand finds the soft warmth of her skin through her nightgown underneath the kefta. “Ivan is going to blame me when you’re late again.”

Aleksander pushes the collar back from her neck to drag his mouth along her jaw. “He can wait,” he murmurs against her skin. “I can only be expected to resist so much temptation.”

“Oh?” she breathes. Her fists tighten in his clothes, keeping him in place as she arches up into him. 

He bends enough to sweep one arm under her legs while the other holds her shoulders. She squeaks and clings to him as he bundles her into his arms, kefta and all, and strides the few steps back to their room. “You wear my colors well, little saint,” he tells her as he takes her back to bed, the first golden beams of sunlight cutting across the dark room. 

“Let me show you.”

[safin]

there’s an ache in you (put there by the ache in me) — a darklina fanfiction

Alina flies home for Christmas, mortified to find her ex-fiancé is the one picking her up at the airport.

or: a tragic breakup AU

3/4 chapters | 12.8k words | explicit

[alicehattera03]

Dark!Sankta Alina/the Darkling

"Welcome home, Miss Starkov." He turns to her and kisses the back of her hand, a mirror of how he greeted her back when she first entered the Little Palace. 

"Remember what I said?" Aleksander bumps his forehead against hers and she looks at him adoringly, affection painted on her face like brilliant strokes of paint. 

"I...shall be right by your side." She smiles endearingly.

"You and I...are going to change the world." <- read here!

TW/CW: verbally abusive Mal, character death also Mal, morally grey characters, dark au, sex???, alina is kinda ooc if you count her being power hungry, blood+violence, etc etc.

[iamstartraveller776]

A/N: In jest, @averbaldumpingground challenged me to write all 20 prompts from this fake dating list. Well, joke’s on my friend, I accepted the challenge. I’m doing 500-word ficlets for each, using different fandoms/ships.

Another Modern/Non-Magical AU for this ship. (I know. Shocker.) To be clear, despite the gif, this is not a Punisher AU.

Trigger warning: mentions of cancer and treatment

16. “I guess we don’t have to pretend any longer.” “Maybe we can just tell the truth from now on.” —Shadow and Bone/Darklina (ao3)

THAT WHICH BLOOMS IN STILLNESS

Alina met him at the wake. She’d gone outside, needing air untainted by alcohol and laughter and tears. Grief was a vise in her throat, squeezing at the loss of her childhood friend. Squeezing, too, at thoughts of her own mortality.

“You alright?”

She looked up at the man whose features she vaguely recognized. Kirigan. She’d heard of him, the captain who headed the most decorated special forces team. Genya’s fiancé served with him, spoke about his tactical brilliance, his absolute commitment to the mission, to those under his command. Mal had mentioned him too, said he was a soulless machine that would get the job done no matter the cost. But in the moonlight, what she saw was just a man with concern written in his furrowed brow.

“I’ve had better days,” she admitted before taking a sip of the tepid beer in her hands.

He nodded solemnly, joining her at the edge of the deck. She was grateful he didn’t offer flimsy platitudes. He listened to her silence. Then listened when she broke it. Stories about Mal. Confessions of loneliness, of feeling untethered. Especially when her body had become its own enemy and the cure was beyond reach for a starving artist like her.

The next afternoon, she received a text from an unknown number. I think I can help.

An officer of the court served as a witness to their nuptials where she learned his first name. Aleksander. Marriage certificate in hand, next was a trip to base. More signatures. A camera flash, then she had a spouse ID. She moved into his townhouse that weekend; he gave her the master bedroom despite her protests.

He was gone most of those early months. Genya took her to her appointments, sat with her after work most nights. But then radiation turned to chemotherapy, and Aleksander didn’t leave anymore. Held her hair when she emptied her stomach. And when her hair came away in chunks, shaved her head and his. Made her soup. Read her books. Opened up to her in the quiet hours of twilight—about his first love, Luda, an interpreter who died in a bombing. The toxic mother he’d cut out of his life. Never knowing his father. What he sacrificed for duty. He fell asleep next to her when the words ran out.

He was her roommate. Her friend. Then, as the disease abated and he turned the spare room into a small studio for her, she realized he’d become something more. Something she wasn’t supposed to want.

Then came her final appointment. Six months of clean labs and scans. Officially cancer-free. News worth celebrating, but her stomach sank instead. It was over. All of it.

“I guess we’re done pretending now,” she said.

“Yes,” he murmured. “Let’s not pretend anymore.”

There was an ache in his unblinking gaze that made her chest tight. She kissed him before her courage could falter. His hands grasped her jaw, pulling her closer.

And she was finally home.

~FIN~

ETA: my amazing friend @vesperass-anuna wrote a companion piece to this: too in love to let it go. Please read it! It's incredible!

[weisse-rose]

gif by @benjaminbarnes

Looking for a Darklina fix before the new season starts? I got you.

A cold heart

Summary: All his life, the cold has been his constant companion. It's the price he pays for his shadows.

He comes to accept that there is nothing he can do, that he is meant to life in the dark and cold, that he will never know what it means to feel warm.

Then he meets the Sun Summoner.

Words: 19433

Status: Complete

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Soft The Darkling, The Darkling needs a hug, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hugging, Sharing Body Heat

The Quiet Life

Summary: Several months after the showdown on the skiff, Alina and Mal travel close to the Fold again. They stay for the night at a farm. Both are shocked when they meet one of the farmhands: A man with horrible scars on his face and no memory of his past.

Words: 33763

Status: Complete

Tags: Amnesia, Memory Loss, Soft The Darkling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, The Darkling needs a hug, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, No Smut, No Porn, Mostly people talking about their feelings

Windows to the Soul

Summary: AU where people's emotions show as changing colors in their eyes. Aleksander's eyes have been pitch black all his life, marking him as different even among the Grisha, until the day he meets the sun summoner.

Or, how would events have unfolded differently if Alina knew for a fact how Aleksander felt about her?

Words: 3205

Status: Complete

Tags: Soft the Darkling, Fix-it, One shot

Heart of Darkness

Summary: Every night, Alina has the same dream: She wanders through a strange twilight landscape until she meets the man at the center of it. Every morning she awakes, wondering if he is real or just a figment of her imagination.

AU where Aleksander gets trapped during the creation of the Fold and never creates the Second Army.

Words: 5598

Status: Complete

Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Soft The Darkling, Aleksander Morozova needs a hug

Villains will burn the world for you

Summary: There is a mix-up during the winter fête. Marie gets killed in front of Aleksander. He doesn't know that it wasn't Alina.

The real Alina shows up just in time to stop him from turning Os Alta into a second Unsea.

Words: 3239

Status: Complete

Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Soft The Darkling, Cuddles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, TW: Canon-typical graphic depiction of violence

[ticklishraspberries]

Sparks Fly (Aleksander/Alina)

Summary: Alina goes to the Darkling when she feels unsure of her abilities. He reassures her, and along the way, proves that everyone has weaknesses, even him. (This fic is based in SHOW canon, because I have only read a bit of Shadow and Bone. I know that in the books, the Darkling does not go by his real first name, but in the show, he does, so I went with that approach. Also, I know this ship is ~controversial~ but please do not come at me angrily for writing this. I think exploring the dynamic of a toxic yet canon ship is fun, and they are simply both sexy so it is fun to write them. Anyway, enough disclaimers. Enjoy!)

A day of training had left Alina exhausted, and feeling slightly defeated. How was she to live up to the standards of being the Sun Summoner, when she could barely control her powers? She was shit at hand-to-hand combat as well, always having been a tiny scrap of a girl, back in the orphanage and into her teenage years. With the other kids, she had learned to fight dirty. Letter-openers, rocks, or words usually did the trick against petty children, but she was a woman now, and she was joining a war she felt she had no business fighting in.

Alina felt like a lost cause. She could tell that some of the other Grisha agreed. They looked at her with amusement or disdain. It actually felt worse when some looked at her with hope. It was scarier to let someone down than to never be liked at all, in her opinion.

She had retired to her room for the evening, but found herself restless and unable to sleep, despite the soreness and fatigue settling into her bones. So, she pulled on her robe and began to pace the halls of the Palace, pretending to wander despite knowing exactly where she was heading.

She came to his door, and only allowed herself to consider turning back for a second before she knocked.

“Come in,” a deep voice responded, and Alina pushed open the door and found Aleksander sitting in his study, head buried in a book. When he looked up, his expression softened.

“Are you alright?” he asked immediately.

“Yes,” she replied. “Well, other than the fact that I can’t sleep, nor can I summon light or throw a punch.”

Aleksander placed his book down with a chuckle. “You have only been training for a short while. Most of the Grisha you are surrounded by have been taught to use their powers from a young age. It may take you some time to catch up, but once you do, you will be more powerful than all of them combined.”

Alina shrugged. “If you say so,” she said. “I’m sorry to bother you so late, over something so silly.”

“I was awake anyway, and it is not silly to feel discouraged. If I can help in any way, I’d like to. Please, come sit with me.”

Alina did as he said, robe gliding across the floor as she strode towards him, sitting in a chair beside his desk. “I just feel like everyone here is so strong. Baghra, Genya, Zoya, you…It’s like you have no weakness, just power and confidence.”

“Everyone has weaknesses,” Aleksander replied. “Some are just better at hiding it.”

Alina scoffed. “Please. I have watched you slice a man into pieces with a flick of your wrist. What possible weakness could you have?”

“Well, perhaps my optimism could be seen as one,” he said. “Or my fierce protectiveness over my fellow Grisha. Some would argue that caring so much for a group of people, or even just one person, can be a weakness.” When he said ‘one person’, his eyes fixed on her face.

Flushing under his gaze, Alina sighed. “Well, those are better than a complete incapability of controlling your own power.”

“You do have control, you just need to practice.”

“And what if I practice, and practice, and nothing ever comes of it? What if everyone is wrong about me?” she asked, her voice rising with a touch of panic.

Aleksander stood and made his way towards her, one hand reaching to take her chin and tilt it up, forcing her to look at him. “I am not wrong about you. The moment you lit up that tent, I knew who you were. You are the Sun Summoner, my opposite and my equal. I have had years to master my craft. After a bit of time, you will do the same, and you will help me destroy the Fold and reunite Ravka. I have never been more sure of anything.”

His dark eyes stared into hers, and for the first time since she had arrived at the Little Palace, Alina felt a surge of confidence flow through her, warming her skin. His touch had always helped her abilities blossom, and she could practically feel the light pulsing in her veins.

“Thank you,” she said, voice soft. “There is no need to thank me,” he replied.

It had been a week since he had last pressed his lips to hers, and since, they had kept their relationship distant. There was something magnetic between them, though, and Alina found it hard to stay away. No wonder her feet had brought her right to his door that evening, desperate to see him, to touch him like she had been dreaming of.

His fingers still rested beneath her chin, and he coaxed her closer, pulling her onto her feet and leaning down to kiss her. The expression of sparks flying had always seemed silly to her, but with Aleksander, it was literal. Little flecks of golden light leapt off of her as they kissed, and she smiled against his lips.

Moments later, she found herself sat on the edge of his desk, him standing between her legs as they kissed fervently, ignoring the sound of crinkling papers and pens clattering to the floor.

One of his hands caressed her jaw while the other held her lower back, but Alina’s hands seemed to wander. Without his normal attire of the thick kefta, she could feel the heat of his skin, the muscles flexing in his arms, the heartbeat racing in his chest.

She ran her fingers through his black hair and down the side of his neck, and paused the touch curiously when he seemed to shiver, leaning away from the sensation rather than keening into it as she did with each of his movements. Alina repeated the action, and Aleksander huffed something like a stifled laugh into her mouth, making her pull back with a grin.

“Have I discovered another weakness of yours, General?” she asked, flirtatious and teasing.

His eyes narrowed, although she felt no fear when he stared at her with such intensity. “Don’t you dare,” was all he responded with.

She didn’t listen. Her fingers darted down to his sides and gave them a squeeze, and she felt the violent twitch his body gave, and heard the soft grunt he made instead of giving into laughter.

“Who would have thought you were ticklish?” Alina teased.

Aleksander gritted his teeth and grasped for her wrists. She only managed to evade him for a short while, poking erratically at his torso. A small laugh slipped out before he successfully grabbed her, pushing her back against the desk with a predatory grin on his face.

“Curiosity and persistence can be a strength, but you have just begun a dangerous game,” he practically whispered, voice low and rough. “Now, I’m much more interested in finding your physical weak spots than any other.”

With wide eyes and a smile of anticipation already curling on her lips, Alina didn’t have a response to that. She knew she was quite ticklish, from a childhood full of rough-housing with Mal, but she had spent most of her life winning those playful fights. Now, she feels helpless, but not in a bad way. Aleksander has a way of making vulnerability feel safe.

His hands were large, with calloused fingers and a strong grip, and one stayed wrapped around her wrist while the other descended to tease her stomach through her nightdress, and giggles bubbled in her throat and spilled from her lips before he had truly begun.

Her nighttime worries had vanished entirely, and she suspected she would sleep well after he had tired her out, whether from laughter or something else, although she wouldn’t be complaining either way. All she knew was that he had managed to make her feel better, and she was actually looking forward to training with Baghra in the morning.

Alina figured that not all weaknesses were inherently bad, especially when they were exploited by someone you cared for so deeply.

[drowningin-fantasies]

did anyone have the chance to download any lrcee fics that aren't IA, IR, and I have a longing? still kicking myself for not reading the rest of her work when it was posted 🙃

[bobaheadshark]

Cottontail

A darklina story 6.6k, oneshot Rated E https://archiveofourown.org/works/50997031

Once, early on, she’d picked up the wrong set of utensils at dinner.

Sasha had given her an affectionate smile, in front of the guests. Had told her, before, that they were important people. Davos types. Bankers, politicians, jostlers for power who wanted a piece of the castle that he’d spent years building. In any other room, they might be important.

His fingers had stilled over his soup. A deconstructed, unrecognisable thing called a bouillabaisse. The taste of the sea fluttered over Alina’s tongue.

The first few meals she had eaten with aplomb, sticky to the wrists with so much excess. She learns, gradually, to not crave so much. Not outwardly, at least. She no longer needs to shimmy fruit away in her napkin or her lap. No. Now all she needs to do is to ask for it instead, and it magically appears. Juicy nectarines, tart strawberries and crisp apples. She eats it all like a Princess would examine the world for a pea. Because she can.

His terse voice had snapped her back to more pressing matters at the dinner table.

“Ah. It seems my new guest here is not so familiar with our particular norms,” he said. Sending a flicker of a smile her way.