MOAR Shadow and Boooone :DDD

Title: Eighteen Pins
Rating: T
Fandom: Shadow and Bone (TV)
Pairing/Characters: Alina Starkov/The Darkling
Critical Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergent, Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff
Summary: After Alina returns to Os Alta, Aleksander still finds himself amazed that she has opened herself, tentatively, to trust him once again.
Excerpt:

Aleksander slipped behind Alina, one hand resting on her shoulder to let her know he was there. She leaned into his touch. He cleared his throat before the Kerch woman could dive into a new topic. “If I could borrow Miss Starkov...,” he began. Usually he didn’t even need to finish his request. The Sun Summoner was beloved; the Shadow Summoner was feared.

The ambassador and her swarm of Merchant Council followers were all too happy to step aside. More than likely they would hound Vasily next. The crown prince wasn’t intimidating by any means and his time could be easily bought with a fresh drink or scheduling a hunting party. Aleksander dropped his hand to rest on Alina’s waist instead. When she tipped her head back and mouthed “Thank you” to him, he couldn’t resist his response.

“You looked like you needed saving.”