Work Text:
There you were. In your military suit, looking as gorgeous as ever. Sometimes Alina felt like she would be willing to attempt on running across the Fold if there was a chance of you looking at her with the same kind of love as she looked at you.
But she knew that would never happen. You and her would never, ever be together. Alina sighed, tearing her gaze away from you before she continued drawing the map. Mal entered the tent, taking a seat opposite from her and he glanced towards you.
"You really should talk to them. You could be surprised," Mal told his best friend and Alina glanced up to him.
"Who?" she mumbled, even though she knew that Mal knew that she knew exactly of who he referred to. Mal rolled his eyes.
"You seriously can't see that?" Mal chuckled, and Alina gave her best friend a puzzled look. "They're in love with you."
Alina felt herself blushing, but at the same time she felt irritation building up. Mal knew perfectly well how she felt about you, she really didn't want to hear any teasing.
"Oh shut it, Mal. Not funny," Alina muttered to her best friend, but Mal just shook his head.
"You're so oblivious. I wish you noticed how they look at you."
Alina huffed. You? Would like her? You were perfect, and Alina knew that perfect people weren't for her. She was an outcast, and always had been. You had been nothing but kind to her, and that was one of the reasons why Alina fell for you so hard, but she had tried to stop it so her heart wouldn't break so much once you'd begin dating someone else, someone who actually had chances for you, but it wouldn't be her. You were out of her league. She was just a mapmaker, an orphan and a Shu on top of it all.
"Just talk to them," Mal urged, but Alina gave Mal another glare before she left the scene. She had tried so hard to let the childish dreams of you go, and Mal definitely wasn't helping.
She marched to the mapmaker's quarters, only to find you sitting in her armchair. She blinked at the sight of you and you stood up.
"Hey," you said and smiled softly. "How are you?"
Alina frowned, the last thing she expected today was seeing you in her quarters, but she figured that you had been ordered there because of her profession.
"I'm well. Did you want something?" she asked and laid her new map down. Your gaze lingered on the parchment and you sighed.
"Yes. Did you finish the new map assignment? We'd need it tonight," you told her and Alina nodded, giving you one of the parchments. You took it, but you still stayed in place. "Are you sure you're well? You've been... off, lately. Not yourself."
Alina wanted to believe that you cared about her more than you likely did, but the frustration was quickly building up. The frustration of holding up hopes for something she couldn't have. So she snapped, "Why do you care?" You were clearly taken back because of her snapping as she never snapped at you and Alina immediately shook her head. "Sorry. I'm... I'm just tired. That's all."
You remained in place, your finger lightly tapping the rolled-up map before you sat back on the armchair.
"Look, Alina. I... I care because I have feelings for you. Feelings that aren't professional for someone who's in my position - I'm basically one of your supervisors." you swallowed as Alina stared at you. "I... I think I just had to tell you because it's been building up for weeks and it starts to affect my work. Every time I see you, I- I feel like I'm watching the most beautiful thing ever. A sun within all this darkness. Someone perfect. I apologize if this changes anything in between us, I just had to say it," you mumbled the last two sentences and then stood up.
"Wait-" Alina choked out and you stopped, looking at her. She smiled at you, her eyes glistening and that was all you needed to know, and you broke into a smile as well, biting your lip. You took a gentle hold of her hand and squeezed, before you returned to work.
Despite it being an usual day, gloomy and depressing, for you it felt like sun was shining and you could barely contain your goofy grin as you handed the maps to your supervisor.