The Moon Summoner (The Darkling x Reader)

Chapter 7

It's very quiet and peaceful in the forest. You love being there, just sitting under a huge tree as you wait for the time to pass. You're also forcing yourself to stop feeling the tightness in your chest whenever the thought of Aleksander and Alina being together crosses your mind.

You're just very confused, maybe even more so than Alina Starkov, because you know the plan. He has told you about it before. He will use the sun summoner not to extinguish the fold but to use it as a weapon to wipe out the Fjerdans and Drüskelle that are trying to do the same with the Grisha.

The plan seems simple enough but you get confused whenever you see the two together. You have never seen the general smile so wide before or be that affectionate towards someone. You just think that maybe he is deviating from his original plan and decided to keep the sun summoner by his side.. you're worried.

If that is the case and if that time comes, you know what you will do. You will be forced to do the one thing you promised yourself you will never do.. and that is to leave his side.

"Is something bothering you?"

Startled, your head quickly turn to where you heard the voice of the man you were just thinking about.

Why is it that every time you want to be alone he suddenly shows up?

"Aleksander." You mumbled and were about to stand up when he placed a hand on your shoulder, stopping you. He sat down next to you instead and let out a sigh as if it's the first time all day that he gets to relax.

"You have not eaten, have you? Aren't you hungry?" Concern sounded in his voice making you look away embarrassed.

"I was, but I think it passed." You answered truthfully as you pick up an acorn that was on the ground beside you.

A few seconds pass before he speaks again. "How was it? The first day of training." He asks as he examines your expression.

"Adequate." You answered simply, not really knowing what else to say. You do not want to talk about how the sun summoner obtained her wounds if that's what the general wants to know.

"I see." He replied simply this time, but you can feel his gaze burning a hole through the side of your face. You don't know what expression he is wearing because you're too nervous to look him straight in the eye but you're guessing it's not pleasant. "(y/n)." But he said your name in such a sweet voice that it made you look, finally. "I asked you a moment ago but you didn't answer, is something bothering you?"

You gulped, not being able to hold his gaze, so you look away once again. "Nothing you should worry about, general." You evaded.

"After so long, I thought you would have trusted me with anything by now." He said sounding defeated that it made you feel guilty.

"I trust you with my life." You said as a matter of fact, looking at him this time.

"But not with your secret?" He almost sounded like he's teasing but you're not quite sure.

"What makes you think I'm keeping a secret from you?" Where you found the courage to say that, you do not know, but you did and there's no taking it back now.

Aleksander chuckled regardless of your tone of voice which made you internally sigh in relief.

"Just a feeling." He answered with a shrug making you grin slightly. He didn't catch it but you're relieved he didn't or he might have teased you about it.

You missed this. Rarely do you two just sit down and talk about things that don't make sense. You're even surprised he's with you right now and not the sun summoner since she's the one who got hurt from training and not you, but you will take all the little moments that you can get with the general without complain.

"Aleksander.." You paused, gathering all the courage you can muster to ask the question you have been itching to ask him. "Alina Starkov.. what is she to you?" You look him in the eye this time, hoping he won't see through your soul and eventually your heart.

He doesn't answer immediately, instead he stares back at you as if you two are having a staring contest. Neither of the two backing down.

"You already know the answer." He finally spoke but it wasn't the answer you were hoping to get.

"Do I?" You keep your eyes on him as if to intimidate him into answering you truthfully.

"Hmm.." He hummed as he keeps his eyes on you as well.

Without the two of you noticing, the space between you slowly but surely starts to disappear. You do not know what is it, the silence of the forest, the comforting caress of the wind, or just your own selfish desire pulling you towards him but you can't seem to care at the moment. You don't think he does as well seeing as he's now staring at your lips rather than your eyes.

"Aleksander.." You trailed off as he still watches your lips, completely oblivious of his actions.

Before you know it, you're both already feeling one another's breaths on your faces. He's so close yet you can't find the courage to continue. Luckily, he's not a coward like you. He closed the distance and touched your lips with his making your heart beat wildly inside your chest.

At first the kiss was careful, light, and shallow, but soon after, it deepens that it's making you both breathe in hard through your noses.

"Aleksander.." You mumbled his name again once your lips separated for a short while to catch your breaths.

He doesn't say anything, he only breathes you in once again by kissing you harder as if he can't get enough. It made you fist on his kefta as he holds your head in place while he kisses you.

If you didn't know better, you'd think you're just daydreaming or might have finally lost your mind, but you do know that what's happening is real. He's finally able to receive even an ounce of the love that you have for him from the kiss.

After a while, you both pull away, lips swollen and lungs tired. You could only stare at his lips and him at yours.

"I.." You don't know what to say, but you have to say something if you don't want to embarrass yourself and go for another round of what just happened, as much as you want to. "Why did you do that?" Still breathing heavily, you look him in the eye and asked him that.

"I wanted to." He simply replied as he too catches his breath.

"Why?" You asked relentless.

He only chuckled before leaning his head back on the tree that just witnessed what happened between the two of you.

"You can't expect me to not admire you after centuries of being by my side, can you?" He smiled at you and it made you almost cry in delight.

But instead, you look down at your lap, not knowing what to do with the emotions that are coming to you all at once. You don't know what this means for the two of you but you certainly are happy it happened. Although, a tiny part of you hope it didn't, no matter how much you love him, because you're too afraid to find out what's next or worse, to find out that it actually meant nothing to him while it meant everything to you.

"Come, I'm sure you're hungry.. and tired. Let's go back." He stood up before holding a hand out to you.

You could only accept it and put your hand in his. He helped you up before giving your hand a squeeze then letting it go. The action made you smile which in turn made him smile as well. After that you both started walking back to the palace in a surprisingly comfortable atmosphere.

You do not know what will happen once you both set foot back in the palace but you do know one thing. Today only made you love him even more than you did yesterday.

~end of chapter 7