A Worthy Replacement

Alternate Ending I - Alexei x Y/N

okay so... i know this is controversial since this book already HAS an ending and i gave alexei a partner already BUT:

a few comments/readers wanted to see what a Y/N and alexei ending would look like since alexei is everyone's fav character (and honestly same, i think he's one of my favorite OCs ever)

so here's an alternate ending! :) it's just meant for shiggles, so don't come @me and be like "this is a weird thing to write about bc we already gave the chars an ending"

if you don't like the idea of it, don't read it. it's that simple.

you knew it had been a bad idea to let tartaglia worm itself into your heart. you knew that someday the two of you would get caught eventually.

one of your men had betrayed you, immediately reporting to jester about how close you and tartaglia had been. that's when jester had barged into tartaglia's hospital room, seeing you in the chair next to him with your hands interlocked with his, mask fully off.

and unfortunately for you and tartaglia... there was no way that jester would let you two be together. it was too risky, too much of a liability for two harbingers to be together. harbingers are co-workers, nothing more than that.

and thus... to protect your identity to the world so you could remain as brighella, jester forbade the two of you from seeing each other. you wouldn't be allowed to go on missions together anymore, and one person was always away when the other was in snezhnaya.

then at some point... the pain of your breakup began to fade. even though the first initial year was absolutely dreadful, life was constantly evolving around you, so you had no time to think about it. you rarely saw tartaglia, and even he sat across the table from you instead of next to you.

one day you were getting ready for a mission. alexei knocked on your door. "my lady?"

"come in."

alexei came inside, removing his mask and setting it next to yours, just like he always did. "how are you holding up?"

he was referring to your recent injury - you had nearly gotten slashed in the throat if you didn't move your head in time. there was a large bandage around your neck. "... i'm alright. nothing terrible."

"my lady, you need to take better care of yourself. go sit down, i'll re-dress it."

"alexei, i just did that-"

"no my lady, it's already coming off," he said firmly, looking at the edge that was already peeling off. "please go sit on the bed."

you sighed and gave in. "... fine."

after sitting on the bed, alexei prepared the sterile gauze and ointment before sitting in front of you, using scissors to strip off your bandage before applying the medicated gauze. "are you hurting at all?"

"no," you said.

alexei began to wrap the bandage around your neck, then he smiled a little. "remember all those years ago? when you patched me up?"

"yeah, i do," you said, feeling alexei's hand slide up to hold the back of your neck to keep your body from moving. "... that was forever ago. it was the day we met."

"i still have a small box of bandaids you gave me," alexei said. "couldn't bear to use them all up."

"really?"

"really." he gently patted your throat when it was done. "beautiful."

but... you didn't feel like he was talking about the bandages. not when his eyes raked over your face with an intensity that you couldn't describe only with words.

"... admiring your handiwork," you asked, swallowing thickly as the atmosphere grew oddly tense.

"yeah," he said, then his eyes drifted from your face to your neck again. "... my lady?"

"yes?"

"... would... would it be too bold of me to try something?"

"what would that be," you asked.

"i read in a book that when you kiss a wound, it feels better." alexei's thumb brushed over your gash that was now covered by bandages. "can i test that theory?"

you felt your breath hitch a little, your eyes a little wide with shock at his question. "... alexei-"

"my lady, if i'm going too far, just tell me and i'll stop," alexei said. "i don't want to make you do anything you're opposed to. you've already never had a say in your life as it is."

he was giving you the reins. for the first time in a while, you had a choice to say yes or no to this.

it was just a chaste kiss, right? what could go wrong?

"... sure."

alexei nodded, then he tilted your neck back, letting his lips press delicately over your bandage. even though his lips didn't touch your skin, you still felt a rush of butterflies from the pressure. it felt so light yet firm.

"i hope it closes fully soon," alexei murmured against your neck, then moved his head back. yet, he was still close, a hand coming up to tenderly hold your cheek. it was like he was afraid of scaring you away with the lack of distance between the two of you.

"me too."

alexei nodded, then he stroked the skin of your cheek gently.

"jester isn't coming by, is he," you asked him.

"no," alexei confirmed. "i checked his schedule. he's in the abyss right now."

you nodded, "... good."

alexei nodded, his face coming a little closer, yet remaining a respectful distance. "good for me or good for you?"

you couldn't help but chuckle at his question. "good for both of us, right? we have our masks off right now."

"masks off, huh? why do i still feel like you're holding me at an arm's length?"

"... i'm not," you said, a rush of confidence entering your body as you shifted a little closer to him.

alexei blushed, seemingly taken aback by your gesture. "... my lady..." his yellow eyes flickered from your eyes to your lips, his intentions clear. "... can i kiss you?"

you felt your heart pound against your chest. "... you're being quite forward, captain alexei."

"i live to serve you, my lady," he said softly, lips mere centimeters from yours as his ears tinted red. "so... would you let me?"

you didn't stop him when he asked.