The Darkling | Alexander Morozova/Alina Starkov
Pairing: The Darkling | Alexander Morozova/Alina Starkov
Modern AU
It’s just like Mal, telling her he’d be there to help and then disappearing just when she needs him most. She winces through another cramp, chewing her fingernail while she looks down at her string of unanswered texts.
There comes a knock at the door and she staggers to her feet, blowing out a huff in frustration and relief, but when she pulls it open it’s not Mal standing there, but rather his— cousin? uncle? old family friend?— Alexander. The attorney.
“Heard you might need some supplies,” he tells her, sweeping into her apartment with two posh canvas grocery bags held aloft. Alina gapes at him as he starts to unpack them— hot water bottles, gigantic menstrual pads, painkillers, chocolate, sports drinks—
“Mal told you?”
“That you’re self-managing your termination?” He looks at her. “Yes.”
“B-but I thought we shouldn’t tell— it’s dangerous to—” She would have gone to a clinic, but it was so much more expensive…
“No one’s going to prosecute you in the state of New York, honey,” he tells her, reaching out to cup the side of her face. His hand is so warm and soft, and Alina finds herself leaning into it, this surprising source of comfort. “They’ll have to go through me first.”
He fusses over her in a bossy sort of way, asking how long until she’s due for another round of misoprostol tablets, telling her to sit and eat some chocolate while he heats hot water in her kettle. It’s nice. It’s so much more than Mal has ever done for her.
He settles on the couch next to her, and maybe it’s a little too close, a little too familiar for a man she’s only met a few times at parties. But she’s finding it hard to mind…
“I was thinking about ordering some take-out,” he tells her, draping his arm casually over her shoulder. “Do you like Pad Thai?”