𝕲𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖊 𝕺𝖓𝖊 𝕾𝖍𝖔𝖙𝖘

𝒩𝒾𝓀𝑜𝓁𝒶𝒾 𝓍 𝑀𝒶𝓁

PRINCE AND SOLDIER

The jealous feeling would always be present, Mal thought, but how could it not be there when Alina was with someone like him? He's a Prince for saints sake! Of course Alina would choose him over Mal, how could she not? Nikolai is everything Mal will never be, the only thing Mal can say against Nikolai is that he's a better Tracker, but that's not really a trait to bring into a romantic relationship.

Currently Mal was accompanying Alina and Nikolai on a walk through the Palace grounds. Mal himself found the walls of the Little Palace suffocating and utterly boring, but Nikolai made everything sound so magical that even Mal couldn't help but smile at some of the places now. The way the Prince talks is just different from anything he has ever heard before and it makes him want to strangle that pretty neck of his.

"Mal?" Alina's voice brought him out of his thoughts, Alina laughed at him, soon Nikolai joining in, "What's got your head in the clouds this early morning?" Nikolai teased the other male before turning back to Alina, hooking her arm in his and continuing to lead her down the garden path, ignoring Mal once again. Why bring me in your conversation if you're just going to ignore me again? He thinks to himself as he follows them with a frown on his face.

"Seriously Mal, what's gotten you so spacey today?" Alina asked when Prince Perfect excused himself and left to attend some kind of business or whatever, Mal didn't bother enough to listen in. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he averted his gaze, "Do you have to spend that much time with him?" Mal asked, he knows he can be honest with Alina, after all they've known each other long enough. "What, don't tell me you're jealous of Nikolai?" She laughed at him in mockery as if he was jealous of a cat. "Wha-, why so rude? He's charming and handsome and he's a good fighter too. He's a prince for saints sake, Alina!" Mal had this sudden and unexplained urge to defend the Prince he swore he hates.

Alina just rolled her eyes and hooked her arm into his, guiding him back inside the Little Palace since the sun had begun to set. Mal didn't feel it, the spark. When he and her were alone or when she touches him like she does now, he always felt a special something between them, a spark that proved they belong together. Mal didn't think much of it at first, but the thought wouldn't leave him alone. Ever since their time in Keramzin it was like this, Mal and Alina, Alina and Mal. Two lonely souls completing each other.

Alina turned out to be Grisha, but Mal hadn't minded, in fact he still admired her. She's powerful and brave and can summon light itself! That's so cool, Mal had thought so even back when he first found out. But now? For some unknown reason they had started growing more distant of each other and Mal doesn't feel that certain spark with Alina anymore. He missed it, somehow. Alina and him were always destined to be with each other, to be together. If he doesn't have Alina, then what becomes of him? He'd be just one more soldier among many, one more without any outstanding abilities because one day there will also be a Tracker better than him.

--

Dinner was no easier either, everyone was loud and excited. Mal didn't feel so excited. He felt uneasy and almost lonely despite sitting in a group of a bunch of his friends, but he kind of feels like they are Alina's friends, not his own. Apparently he spaced out again because he had no clue what the others want from him when they all stared at him expectantly. Luckily Alina is under them too and understood better than anyone, "Get Nikolai for us, please?" She questioned and there it is again, this bloody envious feeling that he just can't seem to get rid of.

Mal of course hadn't turned the others down, not having wanted to admit to his jealousy in front of everyone else. The tracker found the handsome Prince easily, he was not far away from where the others had decided to picnic, but far enough to not see or hear the others anymore. The Prince was holding a pocket knife and piece of wood in his hand, carving something which had yet to be identified into the wood. He didn't pay Mal any attention.

Just when the common boy started to feel silly about this whole situation and turned on his heel to leave the Prince spoke up, "Stay." was all Nikolai had to say for Mal to turn around and stare at him once again. The smooth movement of Nikolai's fingers which proved this isn't the first thing he carved, the way the moonlight illuminates the other male and makes his already stunningly handsome features stand out even more or the slightly mischievous sparkle in the Prince's eyes that made Mal's stomach do a flip.

They stayed there for a while in complete silence, before Mal couldn't take it anymore, the silence feeling suffocating to him. "What are you carving?" He asked, though he wasn't really all that interested it was the first thing that came to mind. Nikolai shrugged and got up from where he was leaning against a tree. "You'll see eventually." The golden boy smirked and started walking to where the others were currently having dinner, well more like enjoying their picnic.

For the rest of the night Mal couldn't help but wonder about the carving Nikolai refused to tell him about, it was such a silly reason to think about the Prince, but for some reason he couldn't let the thought of Nikolai sitting there go. He had looked so beautiful, though Mal would never admit that to anyone. The picnic was a welcome difference from how their days usually look and Mal found himself escorting Alina back to her quarters too soon.

"Can you for once stop talking about Nikolai?" Mal complained when he finally had enough of Alina constantly talking about the Prince, "I get it, you like him." He added and hoped the disappointment wouldn't be too obvious in his voice. Alina laughed which left Mal frozen in step, looking at her with what could only be described as a confused look. "I don't like Nikolai." She exclaimed and turned to face Mal, then added to reassure him "You have him all to yourself, no competition in me." Mal nodded strictly, "Good." only when Alina laughed again and continued walking did he realize his mistake and become as red as Genya's hair, following Alina quickly, "No, not like that! You tricked me, it's not like that-"

--

Mal's view of the starry night was disrupted by a wooden fox held into his view, practically into his face. Mal stumbled back slightly and turned to face Nikolai, "What are you doing up so late?" He asked and leaned back on the railing as he composed himself. "I was about to ask you the same." The other male retorted with his usual smirk, holding out the wooden fox to him.

Mal raised an eyebrow and took the creature in his hand, "What do I do with this?" He asked, sounding skeptical. "It's a gift!" Nikolai grinned, sounding oddly childlike. "A gift, for me?" Mal asked to reassure himself Nikolai isn't sleepwalking or anything like that. "Yes, for you, my Tracker." Nikolai giggled and leaned against the railing too. "I don't know what your favorite animal is, so I just carved a fox, my favorite animal." Nikolai announced with a gentle smile, looking Mal's way whilst Mal examined the wooden fox suspiciously.

"Why so skeptical?" Nikolai laughed, placing a hand on Mal's - and there it is, the spark Mal had been missing for weeks now, but from someone he never expected it from. How easily his heart could change his taste. Mal felt overwhelmed, but it felt good in some sense too. He flashed the Prince a smile back, "Thanks for the kind gesture, moi tsarevich." Nikolai shook his head disapprovingly, "Nikolai, call me Nikolai. Or yours, I respond to both." Nikolai winked, leaving Mal blushing once again.

"Despite being such a good flirt, this is how you approach me?" Mal questioned, holding up the wooden fox with a teasing chuckle. "Pretty lame." He mocked, Nikolai just rolled his eyes in response, "Better than anything you would come up with, Tracker." Nikolai challenged, Mal scoffed and took Nikolai by the collar, in this moment not caring for any titles or anything that could be in their way, and pulled Nikolai closer, connecting their lips with each other, quite literally stealing the other's breath. "You sure?" Mal teased, staying close enough to feel Nikolai's breath against his skin and the Prince's hands on his shoulders. "Not anymore." Nikolai breathed, his voice softer than Mal had ever heard it. There it was, the feeling he missed so desperately.

The Spark.