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aleksanderscult · 3 months

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/28697724 just wanted to rec a fic

Thank you, anon! 🫶🫶

I'll put it on my list 😏

#currently I'm reading the Timeless fic that you guys recommended to me AND I'M DYING. THIS SHIT IS GOOD HELLO????!#anon asks #darklina fic #grishaverse fic #alarkling fic #grishaverse #shadow and bone #the darkling #alina starkov #darklina #alarkling

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filhadoboto · 9 months

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Chapters: 3/3 (Explicit) Relationships: The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev/Alina Starkov

Characters: Alina Starkov, The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova, Mal Oretsev, Genya Safin, Zoya Nazyalensky, Ivan (The Grisha Trilogy), Fedyor Kaminsky

Additional Tags: Explicit Sexual Content, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Dubious Consent, In that they are both under the influence, but it was what Alina wanted, Alcohol, Recreational Drug Use, Semi-Public Sex, Exhibitionism, Dom The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova, Sub Alina Starkov, Cheating, Both Mal and Alina but Mal started it, mal slander, Sorry I don't usually think he's that bad but I needed a villain, Basically Alina finds out Mal is cheating, and meets Aleksander on the rooftop, and has some ideas about how he could help her, chapter 2 tags start here, Voyeurism, Sexting, Lingerie, Cuckolding, For somehow both Mal and Aleksander, if it's not explicitly mentioned what Sasha is doing, just assume he's blasting Break Up With Your Girlfriend by Miss Grande, Bondage, Gags, Overstimulation, Edgeplay, better but still not great BDSM etiquette, In that Alina initiated the scene and could stop it at any time, but they haven't had an explicit discussion about safewords/boundaries, Possessive The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova

Series: Part 1 of I Have Only 'Til The Night Is Over

Summary: Alina’s relationship with her boyfriend has been getting worse for a while, and it’s finally taken an unpleasant turn.

Fortunately, she runs into someone who can help.

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dcrkalina · 1 year

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PLOT

AU PROMPT - Alina Starkov is a witch, who people often underestimate. Aleksander Morozova is her ex, was cursed to stay in the form of a terrible beast until he can redeem himself or get someone to love him. Unfortunately, he has tracked her down and seems to be doing everything he can to make her love him again.

NOTE – It's up to you if he actually ends up being redeemable or not.

*all my prompts are free to use pls just credit me/tag me so I can support y'alls fics

#darklina au #darklina #darklina fic #alarkling #alarkling au #alina x darkling #alarkling fic #aleksander x alina #alina starkov #aleksander morovoza

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idaoftheburningmind · 1 year

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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 😅

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unabashedmoonlight · 20 days

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The best Alarkling Modern Au out there:

#the darkling #shadow and bone #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #darklina #alarkling #grishaverse #fic rec

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mlsfrvr · 1 year

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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.

#darklina #the darkling #alina starkov #aleksander morozova #aleksander kirigan #alarkling #shadow and bone #grishaverse #netflix #darklina fanfic #darklina fic #alina x darkling #alina x aleksander #shadow and bone fanfiction #seige and storm #ruin and rising #rules of wolves

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goblins-riddles-or-frocks · 9 months

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Excerpt not from the next chapter, but likely the one directly after it…

#he’s so gross lol #(don’t mind me I’m taking stock of what I have written for in progress fics)#grishaverse #shadow and bone #darklina #alarkling #a string of words #*writer’s cap*#i ramble sometimes #éminence grise

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vicioux · 1 year

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hey i'm not sure if you still do darklina fic recs, but if you do, do you have any where alina and the darkling meet before he knows that she's grisha?

hello! if you're talking about ones where they meet and he thinks shes just a ~regular human~, here's a few i've read. love more recs tho if anyone has any cause i lowkey love reading fics w/ this type of dynamic for them 👀

TELL ME WHAT IT MEANS TO FIND GOD IN YOUR SOCK DRAWERS. TELL ME AGAIN. (WHAT IF LOVE WERE ENOUGH FOR US) by lifeitself Two months before Mal and Alina are charted for their journey across the Fold, Alina enlists the help of the Darkling when the Fold begins to shrink.

I SEE THE REAL YOU (EVEN IF YOU DON'T, I DO) by ironblue A series of questionable decisions lead Alina to meet the Black General a bit earlier. Butterfly effect ensues.

A LIGHT IN THE SHADOW by sleepydragon19 Alina is five years old when she first meets the Shadow Man. It changes everything.

A RAVEN AND A DOVE by amelia island What if the Darkling had met Alina before she awoke as the Sun Summoner? What if it wasn't Mal's life she saved on the Fold?

THE SUN ALSO RISES by corrieander Alina stuck in a time loop.

#darklina #darklina fic #alarkling #shadow and bone #darklina fic rec #fic rec #thx 4 the ask #vicioux fic rec #ficrec

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nosunwithoutshadow · 1 year

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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.”

#darklina #darklina fic #darklina fanfic #darklina drabble #alarkling

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burninghoneyatdusk · 7 months

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bite

a darklina fic

wip | multi-chapter | explicit | 18k

When Alina fails to go into heat, she is sent to live with her Alpha five years prior to their arranged wedding. Her Alpha, who is the King of Ravka and who she has shared a dark connection with since he marked her a decade ago.

read it here || listen to the playlist

#darklina #alarkling #darklina fanfiction #alarkling fanfiction #bite #my fics #burninghoneyatdusk

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ignitesthestxrs · 3 months

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alarkling + apocalypse

hmm mm i would probably play with this concept as less of a literal apocalypse, and more of an emotional concept where like the end of your world is the loss of the people you love

so alina notices in her 30s that she's not really ageing even though she's supposed to be human and it becomes clear that even without her power she's retaining some inherent grisha-ness that has extended her lifespan.

so she lives out her life with mal but he of course eventually dies and it's not long after that that she starts to see the darkling similar to how they haunted each other in the second book, and at first she thinks he's real and is horrified at the idea that he's Back, but over time it becomes clear that he's not...doing anything beyond showing up and occasionally negging her/commenting on what she's doing/mocking her lack of power/reminiscing on what might have been/giving the occasional sincere compliment just to keep her off balance, all of which seems very in line with what her own brain would conjure out of grief at losing mal and facing an uncertain future

and at this point she still has zoya and genya and her other grisha friends etc, and she doesn't tell them about these visions because a) she is kind of worried that she's insane and b) she's...alone, except when he's with her. and she can freely be a real cunt to him, you know? it's kind of nice to have someone there who she doesn't have to give a fuck what he thinks, because he's the literal villain of her story.

and her friends are worried about her and probably at some point encounter her talking to herself/him and it's a whole Thing where half her friends think she's crazy and the other half think the darkling is back and they need to hunt him down and kill him, and it's half out of wanting to put an end to the trouble and half out of....she doesn't want anyone to hunt him down and kill him if he's real lol , she gets furious at him and tells him to just fucking leave her alone to live out however long she has left in peace

and he just laughs like, Oh Alina, if i can't die, what makes you think that you can?

but he does go, and she thinks it'll be like all the other times he's left, that he'll be back to haunt her in a month or two, but he's not. years pass and she kind of thinks of that time period as that time she lost her mind to grief for a bit and tries to get on with the process of living, but she's not very good at it and her friends are powerful but eventually they die as well, and there was a part of her that wondered - that remembered - no shelter but me - that maybe if he had been real, if he had been alive, he'd come now that she was alone.

but he doesn't. and her friends' children live and age and try to get her to engage with the world but she is so separate from all of them and so weak besides, and they love her but they don't know her. because who could know her? and she's alone in her big stupid manor that she's lived so many lives in, and she goes outside to the place where they cut down that tree after they cut down the bodies hanging from it, and she says,

I wish you'd come back.

And there's a pause, the longest pause, like maybe she really did just say the words into the empty night. Enough to feel the hope flicker and the hope die, enough to feel how truly alone in the world she is, and how foolish she is for wanting.

He waits for her despair before he slides his arms around her, hooks his chin over her shoulder. She can hear the smile in his voice when he says,

You just had to ask.

#the grisha trilogy #alarkling #i am never writing grisha fic again but this was fun

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aleksanderscult · 3 months

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My review for the Timeless fic

I've finished the story and WOW!! It was amazing! The characters really reminded me of their canon counterparts (which is what I want in a fic first and foremost) and even though sometimes they didn't behave like they would in canon (very small details actually. For example, the Darkling calling Mal "Oretsev" since he would never call him that or the Darkling spoiling Alina with sweets for her breakfast) it didn't take away the pleasure of reading it AT ALL.

So, in short, I loved it! And if I had to rate it I would give it a 9/10. "Start a War" remains by number 1.

Also, I will read the next parts too!

(I planned to show you some moments that I found SPOT ON for the Darkling and his relationship with Alina but now I don't remember in which chapters they were, so...🥲)

#A HUGE thank you to all of you people who recommended it to me 💛💛#you did God's work #timeless series #timeless fic #the darkling #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #darklina #pro darklina #alarkling #pro alarkling #grishaverse #shadow and bone #pro darkling

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filhadoboto · 2 years

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Chapters: 1/1 (Explicit)

Warnings: Underage

Relationships: The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov

Characters: The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova, Alina Starkov

Additional Tags: Alina is 17, Aleksander is 22, Aleksander is Mal's older brother, Loss of Virginity, soft, like really soft, boy obsessed, Aleksander has had a crush on Alina for years, Slice of Life, no real plot, Happy Ending, we're here just to feel good, No Angst, No Beta, Comfort No Hurt, Comfort Reading, the pov is all over the place i'm sorry, basically this wasn't even supposed to be posted but whatever, Fluff

Summary: Alina has finally decided to break things off with Mal but first, she has to go to his house to get some of her things back, too bad the house is not empty and Mal's older brother is there to help her out.

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dcrkalina · 1 year

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Chapters: 4/5 Fandom: Shadow and Bone (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov Characters: Alina Starkov, Genya Safin, David Kostyk, Baghra (The Grisha Trilogy), The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Heavy Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Miscommunication, Simp The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova, The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova Loves Alina Starkov, Trauma, Mentions of Myth & Folklore, Blood Drinking, Time Skips, Temporary Character Death, Paranormal, Eventual Smut, Choking, Human/Vampire Relationship, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Inspired by a Lizzy McAlpine Song, Mental Health Issues, Crack Treated Seriously, Oral Sex, Sexual Inexperience Series: Part 2 of Darklina October/Haloween Fics Summary:

Alina and Aleksander were childhood best friends...and then he disappeared. Alina was just supposed to go on after that.

Ten years later, Alina has tried her best to move on but it isn't working. She's stuck.

And then the man she thought was dead shows up on her doorstep on the anniversary of his disappearance.

And he's changed.

#aleksander morovoza #alina starkov #alarkling au #darklina au #the darkling x alina #darklina fic #alarkling fic #darklina #alina x darkling

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iamstartraveller776 · 1 year

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Sleepy prompts: Darklina + 40

“I’m gonna carry you to bed if you keep arguing with me about not needing sleep.”

A/N: Thank you so much for the prompt! Here's a bit of a Modern Business AU. I hope you enjoy! [ao3]

INVOLUNTARY

Alina hadn't meant to fall asleep. No, actually she did. She hadn't meant to sleep through the alarm she set on her phone. Lately there weren't enough hours in the day between doing her job and helping Mal do his.

"This presentation could lead to a big promotion, Alina. That'll change everything for us."

Us. She should be glad that he's finally talking about their future, and she was. They'd been stuck in a holding pattern for years, the corporate climb always taking precedence. Right now, though, she'd be grateful to catch more than an hour or two of sleep at night. In few days, they'd be in the same timezone again—the six hour difference was not helping.

Until then, she'd just have to catch a power nap when she could.

"Miss Starkova."

That familiar baritone pulled her out of a dream where she was lounging on a white sand beach, and she wanted to groan. A furious blush followed in the next second when she remembered where she was: the small study in her boss's hotel suite.

"Mr. Morozov!" she exclaimed as she sat bolt upright. "I'm sorry. I was just—" She shuffled through the papers on the desk, cheeks burning brighter at the bit of drool on the quarterly financial report. Great.

Aleksander Morozov, CEO and president of Ravka Enterprises, leaned against the door jamb, arms crossed. She'd seen him out of his usual three-piece suits before, but somehow the dark grey slacks and black button-down, collar undone, sleeves rolled to his elbows, seemed more intimate. A sight reserved for a date rather than his harried assistant.

His expression was unreadable as he cocked his head. "You were just...what?"

Alina bit back a frustrated sigh. If she'd woken with the alarm, he wouldn't have caught her literally snoozing on the job. She would have been done with the reports, caught up on emails, and updated his schedule before he returned from drinks with—who was it, again? She ran a hand over her face.

She had at least another hour of work ahead of her, two more like, and Mal would be calling any minute. She could laugh, but she'd probably cry instead.

"I can take this to my room." She stood, gathering the files and printouts. "I'll have tomorrow's schedule in your inbox before you wake up, and—" She cut off at the soft press of his hand over hers.

He was behind her, so near she could feel the heat radiating from him. She resisted the urge to inhale the subtle mix of cologne and bourbon. God, she needed sleep.

"What's wrong?" He moved his hand to her shoulder, encouraged her to turn toward him.

She shook her head and tried to smile up at him. "I'm fine. Just tired is all."

He frowned, searching her face with those dark, lancing eyes. "Yes," he said. "I've noticed. You've been tired this entire trip. Why?"

Alina grimaced. Apparently she hadn't been keeping up appearances as well as she thought. "It's nothing." At his flat look, she admitted, "Mal has an important presentation coming up, and I've been helping him at night. It won't happen again." Sleeping at work, she meant. Of course she'd help Mal.

A good girlfriend was available whenever she was needed. A good girlfriend wasn't resentful. And a good girlfriend's stomach didn't flutter when her older, unfairly handsome employer stood close enough that she had to crane her neck to keep her gaze on his.

"Ah, Malyen." Aleksander said his name with what almost sounded like a note of derision. "And he can't manage this presentation without you?"

The question sent a spike of indignation through her. Worse, though, it pricked too close to her own three a.m. thoughts. "Of course he can."

"Good." The corner of Aleksander's mouth curved up a hair. "Then you can get some rest." He nodded toward the paperwork and laptop. "That can wait."

"Really, I'm fine." Her body betrayed her in that moment by yawning.

He raised his brow as if daring her to keep arguing.

She was pretty sure her cheeks were permanently red now. "Right." Her hand unconsciously reached for the pile of work, and she stopped herself. It felt strange leaving all of that undone. "I'll just head downstairs."

Her phone buzzed as she picked it up from the desk, and he plucked it out of her hands with a stern look. His expression soured further when he looked at the screen. She squeaked out an objection when he accepted the call, bringing the phone to his ear.

"Mr. Oretsev." He held up a finger as Alina opened her mouth again. "I'm afraid Miss Starkova is unavailable for the rest of the night. I need her to be at her best for tomorrow's meetings, and that means several hours of uninterrupted sleep."

Alina glared at him as he listened to Mal's reply. She set her jaw against another yawn, determined not to prove Aleksander right.

"Yes, I'm aware," he said coolly. "However, since I am the one paying her salary, I must insist that she is well rested and sharp when she is on the clock."

Mal's voice grew louder on the other end of the line, and though she couldn't make out the words, Alina could guess what was being said. Mal didn't like her boss, thought the man was too arrogant, too entitled—particularly of Alina's time. In her less charitable moments, she felt it was rather like the pot calling the kettle black.

Aleksander seemed unfazed by the tirade he was receiving, only hummed as if in agreement. "Then as her boyfriend, I assume you are even more invested in her well-being than her employer."

Alina rolled her eyes. She was going to get an earful from Mal about this later.

"Oh, and Mr. Oretsev," Aleksander said, " a word of caution. You may not work for me, but you'd do well to remember that Keramzin Capital is one of my subsidiaries." He ended the call without waiting for a response.

And now there was yet another fire for Alina to put out before she could catch any shut-eye. "Thanks for that." She glowered at him, holding out her hand expectantly.

He kept his eyes on hers as he slipped her phone into his pocket.

"You can't just take my phone!"

"Someone has to take care of you," he said. "Since neither you nor your boyfriend"—there was no mistaking the derision in his tone this time—"appear to be willing, the job falls to me."

She opened her mouth to balk, but it turned into another jaw-cracking yawn. She hated the vindication that flashed across his features. "Fine. I'm going." She tried to inch around him, but he wouldn't budge.

He held her gaze for a beat, and her exasperation gave way to a different kind of warmth. Embarrassingly, she swayed on her feet, the combination of acute exhaustion, whatever this odd moment was, and the impending drama with Mal entirely too much.

Aleksander grabbed her wrist and her heart leapt into her throat as he lifted her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing!?" she gasped.

"Putting you to bed."

She was mortified at the idea of being carried through the hotel corridors like a misbehaving child, but her breath caught when, a minute later, he dropped her onto a plush king-sized bed—his bed. She tried to sit up, but he pushed her gently back down into the pillows.

"This is where you belong," he said, and she was certain her fatigue-addled imagination was conjuring up an implication that wasn't there. "For the next eight hours, at least."

"But where will you sleep?" she asked around yet another yawn. The bed really was luxuriant. Her eyelids started drooping against her will.

He gave her one of his rare grins as he moved to the foot of the bed. "There's a sofa bed in the other room." He slipped off one of her shoes, then the other, fingers grazing across each ankle, sliding down each foot.

Or was that another figment of her crumbling consciousness?

He helped her get under the feather comforter, and she was glad that she'd chosen business casual as her attire today. Because there was no way she was getting up again.

"Rest as long as you need," he murmured with a tender expression that made her chest tight.

"But the meeting with—"

"I'm perfectly capable of handling things on my own," he said over her. She couldn't help but hear a throwback to his earlier disdainful question about Mal's capabilities. "Now, sleep. That's an order."

Her eyes were more than happy to obey even as she scoffed lightly. "Not on the clock anymore."

He breathed a quiet laugh. "And you won't be until I say so."

She heard him pad toward the doorway, and suddenly, she couldn't let him leave without recognizing his uncharacteristic kindness. "Thank you, Mr. Morozov." Because he was right; she desperately needed this.

He didn't respond, and she looked up, thinking he'd already left. He was still there, though, standing at the threshold, hand hovering over the light switch. He glanced back at her over his shoulder.

"Call me Sasha," he said, barely more than a whisper. He flicked off the light. "Goodnight, Alina."

Blessedly sleep overtook her before she could ruminate on his peculiar behavior.

~FIN~

#darklina #darklina fanfic #alina x aleksander #alina x kirigan #alarkling #my fic #sab #modern au #business au #fluff #anti mal oretsev

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unabashedmoonlight · 24 days

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Book!Darklina fic rec:

Imo absolutely worth reading

My favourite end notes (ch 3)

#the darkling #shadow and bone #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #darklina #alarkling #grishaverse #fic rec

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