Chapters: 1/1Fandom: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)Rating: Teen And Up AudiencesWarnings: Major Character

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Aloy/Erend (Horizon: Zero Dawn) Characters: Aloy, Erend, Beta (Horizon: Forbidden West), Alva (Horizon: Forbidden West), Kotallo (Horizon: Forbidden West), forbidden west - Character Additional Tags: Romance, Love, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Surprise Party, Near Death Summary:

***MAJOR SPOILERS FOR FORBIDDEN WEST!*** If you have not completed the game I would suggest waiting to read this.

It had felt like an eternity. Not the kind of eternity that burned slow like the embers of a forge being stoked, and pushed, and bellowed with great love and care. No, it was the kind of eternity that seemed like a punishment for asking for a sliver of happiness amongst the decay of the world. ___________________

A one-shot wherein Aloy nearly dies, and Zo reminds Erend that life is far too fleeting to keep his feelings to himself. First kiss and fluffy feel-good stuff yadda yadda.

Takes place after the main storyline in Forbidden West

Chapter 3 is up! Enjoy some pining and almosts. :)

Hey guys. I'm brand new to Tumblr with no idea how it works but I had to create one to post my stupid Eleroy FF (mind you i have not written ff in 10 years) that I wrote in today while consuming a bottle (and maybe a little more) of wine. YES IT CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR HZD FW!

The events in the ff take place shortly after the ending of FW.

Y'ALL I hate it, and no I didn't edit it. I wrote it all in one go so here it is. I'm sorry 🥲

PREMISE: Aloy is mortally wounded and when she pulls through, Erend decides to tell her how much she means to him.

ETERNITY

It had felt like an eternity. Not the kind of eternity that burned slow like the embers of a forge being stoked, and pushed, and bellowed with great love and care. No, it was the kind of eternity that seemed like a punishment for asking for a sliver of happiness amongst the decay of the world.

Erend rustled his mohawk back and forth as he paced the hall in front of Aloy’s door. The base had become his—and all of her companions’ makeshift home and while it was no Meridian, wherever she was it was the only place he could ever want to be. He hadn’t given it serious thought until Aloy lay at death’s doorstep—one devastating misstep into the blade of a shielded rebel who sought revenge for the fallen Regalla--but the shameless flirting that he exchanged for her quips and eye rolls had turned into a slow burn in the pit of his stomach. It had creeped into him like the warmth of Scrappersap just a little too late for him to stop; even if he could have, he knew he probably wouldn’t have.

Erend nearly jumped at Zo when she walked through Aloy’s bedroom doors and he peeked quickly behind her to try and catch a glimpse of red hair.

“How is she?” He blurted out, stopping only so that he could focus on the next crucial words that would come from her mouth.

“She is going to be fine, Erend,” Zo placed her hand on his shoulder and she felt his tenseness ease just a little.

He had dropped his hand and looked at Zo, his eyes stinging with un-spilled tears. The Oseram didn't cry, but by the forge, he didn’t care because Aloy was going to live and the tear that did slide down his cheek was a reminder that they would not be burying another companion. First his sister, then Varl. He wasn’t sure he could manage another, especially not Aloy.

“The bleeding has stopped and her breathing is even. A word of advice though, Erend?”

“What is it Zo? Give it to me straight.”

“Don’t keep waiting to tell her how you feel.” Zo absentmindedly rubbed her belly and for a brief moment she seemed a million strides away. “Even I wish I would have told Varl more often how flowers bloomed in the quake of his love for me, but I most regret waiting to tell him that he would soon become a father as a result of that love.”

“I uh...I’m sorry Zo...I miss him too” Erend replied awkwardly and patted her hand that was on his shoulder. “I just...I’m not real good at saying stuff like that. And what if...wait...how did ya know I uh, ya know...had feelings for her,” he nodded his head toward Aloy’s door and his cheeks blossomed a brilliant shade of pink.

“Erend, you’re not great at covering your emotions. In fact, I think everyone but Aloy knows.” Zo gave him a smile small and waved toward the door. “She is strong, and because of her deep love for all of us, she fights harder. We owe it to her to show her the same, and...to not deny ourselves the love we feel for her.”

“Thanks, Zo. I’ll...remember that for when she wakes up.” And he certainly did.

___________________________________________________

Aloy’s head swam with fevered images of Tenakth rebels swarming her from all directions. She had been so careful, so calculated as she always was. Unfortunately, her arrows were fewer than there were rebels, though she swore it was a just an outpost, they had been waiting for her with backup. She had nearly every rebel down, all but the leader who swung fiercely at her as she fought another who rode on the back of a clawstrider.

She dodged, rolled, and leapt with ease, but when the rebel clawstrider disappeared from her view, she stepped into the leader’s waiting sword sending a piercing pain rupturing through her ribs. She gasped, clutching at her side feeling the warmth of blood pooling at her hand. The Leader laughed victoriously and she felt his foot, push her to the ground.

“Not so high and mighty now, are we outlander scum?” His voice, she noted before her vision went black, sounded almost desperate as if his killing her would single-handedly solve all of his problems. To that man, she was the only problem left standing in a world between him and the feeble victory that remained for the Tenakth rebels that were left.

Just before she lost all consciousness, she was able to tap her focus with a bloodied finger to call out to her companions.

“I’m...sorry...” she managed to choke out into a whisper and then the frigid cold consumed her and she succumbed to the nothingness.

___________________________________________________

Zo, ever the calm person that she was, dictated orders to each member of the group.

“Alva, Beta, go to GAIA and find any data you can on advance healing techniques from the old ones.”

“Kotallo, grab fresh water, cloth, and medicinal skybrush from the healer cache behind the counter.”

“Erend, carry her into her room and lay her gently on her unwounded side. Take what’s left of her top armor, off. I’ll be back with needle and thread”

Each did as they were told, and Erend’s heart did not slow down as he laid her gently onto the woven fibers of her bed. Her skin was no longer warm and pink, but deathly cold and pale. He tried to steady his fingers as he began to untie and remove the damaged plates of her kit. He worked her down to the cloth that she used to bind her breasts. Any other time, he thought, he would have loved to help her remove her armor, but it broke him into pieces with each piece he had removed.

Blood crusted around parts of her wound, but blood still oozed freely from the gash and it was all Erend could do not to shout at her to stay alive. Instead, he brushed a stray hair that had loosened from her tie-back behind her ear and whispered desperately, “Please, Aloy. Don’t leave us.”

Zo and Kotallo returned to her room and Erend moved out of their way so that they could work. A Tenakth warrior and Utaru gravesinger surely knew more about fixing and healing than he did.

“Erend...” Zo began without looking at him, “I will do everything within my ability...” to which Erend gave a slight nod, and gave Aloy one last look before leaving them to work.

It was one of the hardest things Erend had ever had to do to turn away from the woman who had unknowingly saved him not so long ago. Not even the ale that he downed helped ease his pacing in front of her door. And when Alva came through on the focus to tell them about a medicine called an ‘antibiotic’ and an even further advanced medicine to help diminish the impact of blood loss, Erend wasted no time in asking what was needed to fabricate such things.

GAIA instructed that they would only be crude replicates compared to what the old ones used but it would give Aloy a fighting chance.

Upon his return, he worked with Alva and Beta to craft the makeshift medicines, and she took them hurriedly to Zo. He reassured himself that Aloy would fight death itself; a comforting thought considering she was dying. At last, now all he really could do was to wait.

_________________________________________

Candles lit the entire main room of the base, and Aloy’s eyes adjusted slowly to the dimness. It had been two excruciating months of healing, and she had finally found the strength to start going on small missions to round people up for the new threat that they would inevitably face thanks to the Far Zenith zealots.

“Guys...?” She called out expecting at least Zo and Erend to be in the common area. When she got no response, she pulled her spear from her back and entered slowly.

Images of the Tenakth rebel who had nearly killed her flashed through her mind, and she gripped her spear just a little tighter. It was a reminder that she would not allow death to come so close again. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the dimness and she reached up to tap her focus. A scan would reveal anything hidden, but before she had a chance to look around, Erend came through the door opposite her, his familiar and robust armor shimmering against the flames.

“Oh uh...Aloy, you’re back early!” He seemed genuinely startled to see her and she heard him curse under his breath.

“Erend? What’s with all the candles? Did a power cell go out?” Her heart slowed and as she returned her spear, she let out a small sigh of relief.

“Uh, yeah, somethin’ like that...” he began, and then even louder said, “we wanted to--”

“SURPRISE!” each of her friends appeared behind Erend and Aloy’s heart nearly jumped from her chest. She felt the familiar sear of the scar on her side and she winced at the sudden pain. Just when she thought she had finally rid herself of the random pain, it came back in jolts to remind her of the sword that nearly ended her life. But it also reminded her of the friends each walking toward her that had saved her life and, despite their new overbearing worry for her return to the forbidden west, she knew cared for her as deeply as she did them.

The lights were turned back on and Zo, whose belly was beginning to grow, came to Aloy first and put a hand on her arm. “Aloy, I’m sorry. We read data on something called ‘Surprise Parties’ for certain types of celebrations and thought to try it out considering your uncompromised decision to stay with us in the realm of the living. But we wanted to wait until you were fully healed. I see now that was a misjudgment on my part.”

“Zo,” Aloy smiled and let go of her side, “It’s okay. I...like it. Just a little...surprised...is all.”

Zo laughed and leaned in to give her a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad you’re here, Aloy.” And Aloy knew what she meant. She was glad that she was here...alive and well. As Zo was letting go, she made a point to give her an arm an extra squeeze and lowered her voice to say, “You should go see Erend. He’s been waiting anxiously more so than the rest of us for your return.”

Aloy gave a small nod, “Is he...okay?” and Zo only returned her nod and a smile.

Aloy moved through her group of friends, sharing words, warm hugs, and a few sips of ale until she made it to Erend. It had been far too long since she had really seen him and she wondered if he really knew just how much she missed him—his infectious laugh, his boisterous personality, and the way he seemed to leave warmth like a fireside in the depths of her chest.

“Aloy!” Erend grinned as she approached him and the warmth spread to her stomach.

“Erend. Thanks for coming to my party?” She questioned and he nearly pulled her into a fireclaw squeeze before he promptly stopped remembering that her side was still tender and sometimes painful and settled for patting her on the shoulders instead. He looked her over to make sure she was really and truly okay—no mortal wounds or blood. Her Oseram forester kit—which he thought looked damn good on her—left her midriff exposed enough that he could see the pink puffy scar that ran along her ribs.

She noticed his eyes fall to the scar and she moved a half step closer and put her hand on the forearm that was still extended from her shoulder.

“I’m okay, Erend. I promise.” she rubbed his forearm and then dropped her hand, to his dismay. The rare moments that they touched left him feeling like he had been deprived of it for a lifetime.

“Yeah...of course ya are! Nothing can defeat the Savior of Meridian...Wall-Breaker...Annointed One—jeez woman how many titles do you even have now? I can’t keep up!”

Aloy chuckled and Erend laughed alongside her before Kotallo brought over two beers placing one in each of their hands with a grunt.

“Hey, cheers my friend!” Erend raised his mug and their Tenakth friend smiled and raised his mug before walking back to the others.

“He’s not too bad, ya know? He gave me a real run for my shards on a game of Strike the other day and I’ll tell you, Aloy, he beat my ass and then brought me a beer to sooth my loss.”

She laughed, and took a sip of her own ale. “It seems like your friendship with the others is really growing, even if you are losing shards to build up some of them.” She elbowed him gently and he couldn’t help but put his arm around her shoulders. Aloy fit perfectly in the crook of his arm, and when she moved her arm to his back, he felt muscles that he didn’t even know were tense, relax at her touch.

“Hey, hey...I’ll have you know that I beat him at least once.”

"Out of how many games?” Aloy asked incredulously.

“Is it that important?” Erend questioned, with which Aloy met his gaze and her voice dropped, “no, but Zo did mention that you were also really worried while I was gone. Is there...anything you want to talk about?”

And there it was. The opportunity presenting itself, if he could only find that Oseram courage and strength that he always had. But he instead, laughed nervously and moved his arm from her shoulders, rubbing the back of his head.

“Zo, she ya know...really looks inta stuff, doesn’t she?” And he looked around for small pregnant woman whom, if he wasn’t so terrified of, he would have blasted for selling him out.

Erend sat his mug down and she followed suit and then stood directly in front of him. “Maybe, I tell you something, and then you tell me something?” She felt her stomach tighten. She knew how precious and short life was, and if she wanted to make the best of it, she too had to work on expressing how she felt.

Erend simply nodded and Aloy took a deep breath. She bit at the bottom of her lip, and when she raised her eyes to meet his, she felt her cheeks begin to warm.

“Erend I...for the first time in my life, I’m not alone, and...when I’m away from all of them,” she gestured vaguely at the crowd that they both had just noticed moved onto another room to watch some old holograms, “when I’m away from you...” her heart thundered in her chest, and her cheeks were burning now, “I miss you...” she trailed off and she felt ache in her scar again from the blood that coursed quickly through her.

She noticed the tinge of red that was growing on his cheeks as he stepped closer and he cleared his throat nervously.

“Aloy, I...miss you too when you’re gone. And I...dammit, Aloy, I thought we had lost you a couple of months ago. And when I carried you in my arms and laid you on that bed in there,“ he pointed to her room, “I thought that that was the first and last time I would ever get to hold you.”

Aloy thought her face might has well have been on fire, and she wasn’t sure how to handle all the emotions that were being shared. Rost had taught her to fight and survive. He loved her in his own way, but he never taught her how to ropecast her feelings. So, she did her best to navigate the swelling of warmth that rose in her.

“And here I am again...lucky enough to get more of your time because you didn't die. And Zos right...I owe it to myself and to you to tell you that I’m crazy about you, Aloy.”

“Erend...” she said breathlessly. She bolstered her resolve and stepped closer to him. Perhaps this was the moment, like she saw between Zo and Varl outside of the Utaru hut, where emotions meshed with the physical realm.

“Erend, I'm...not really great at this but...I...I think I’d like it if you...kissed me.” This admission was perhaps scarier than fighting an apex Thunderjaw, and she never remembered feeling fluttering in her stomach like the lightning bugs and butterflies that often skewed her vision when her focus was activated.

“I...” Was he dreaming? Maybe he had died. He simply meant to tell her how he felt and then drown in a few beers to cover his astonishing embarrassment. But here was the woman before him, sharing a very raw piece of herself and asking him...to kiss her?

He wasn’t sure when he moved his hand to gently cup her cheek, or when she had completely stepped to him, but he did know that looking into her eyes was exactly like an eternity burning slow like the embers of a forge being stoked, and pushed, and bellowed with great love and care. And if the warmth of his calloused hand against her cheek had not given her encouragement to meet his lips, the whisper of her name just as he dipped his head down to hers surely did.

When their lips met, Aloy, for the first time, felt that safety didn’t always mean having a weapon in her hand. Safety was also a person that felt like home no matter where she was. Erend was safe. When he pulled away, she released a sigh as if a kiss could ease the tension of a thousand burdens.

“Hey...I think she likes me..” he spoke first, his voice just above a whisper.

"Maybe just a little...” She held up her thumb and index finger showing a small increment.

Erend chuckled and she promptly felt the absence of his hand when he moved to give her space.

“I’ll always be ready to follow your lead, Aloy. Just...don’t leave me behind.” She knew he was thinking about her cold body, lifeless in his arms.

“I won’t Erend...I promise.” And she truly meant it with every fiber of her being.

Because any eternity with him was better than one without him.It had felt like an eternity. Not the kind of eternity that burned slow like the embers of a forge being stoked, and pushed, and bellowed with great love and care. No, it was the kind of eternity that seemed like a punishment for asking for a sliver of happiness amongst the decay of the world.

Erend rustled his mohawk back and forth as he paced the hall in front of Aloy’s door. The base had become his—and all of her companions’ makeshift home and while it was no Meridian, wherever she was it was the only place he could ever want to be. He hadn’t given it serious thought until Aloy lay at death’s doorstep—one devastating misstep into the blade of a shielded rebel who sought revenge for the fallen Regalla--but the shameless flirting that he exchanged for her quips and eye rolls had turned into a slow burn in the pit of his stomach. It had crept into him like the warmth of Scrappersap just a little too late for him to stop; even if he could have, he knew he probably wouldn’t have.

Erend nearly jumped at Zo when she walked through Aloy’s bedroom doors and he peeked quickly behind her to try and catch a glimpse of red hair.

“How is she?” He blurted out, stopping only so that he could focus on the next crucial words that would come from her mouth.

“She is going to be fine, Erend,” Zo placed her hand on his shoulder and she felt his tenseness ease just a little.

He had dropped his hand and looked at Zo, his eyes stinging with un-spilled tears. The Oseram didn't cry, but by the forge, he didn’t care because Aloy was going to live and the tear that did slide down his cheek was a reminder that they would not be burying another companion. First his sister, then Varl. He wasn’t sure he could manage another, especially not Aloy.

“The bleeding has stopped and her breathing is even. A word of advice though, Erend?”

“What is it Zo? Give it to me straight.”

“Don’t keep waiting to tell her how you feel.” Zo absentmindedly rubbed her belly and for a brief moment she seemed a million strides away. “Even I wish I would have told Varl more often how flowers bloomed in the quake of his love for me, but I most regret waiting to tell him that he would soon become a father as a result of that love.”

“I uh...I’m sorry Zo...I miss him too” Erend replied awkwardly and patted her hand that was on his shoulder. “I just...I’m not real good at saying stuff like that. And what if...wait...how did ya know I uh, ya know...had feelings for her,” he nodded his head toward Aloy’s door and his cheeks blossomed a brilliant shade of pink.

“Erend, you’re not great at covering your emotions. In fact, I think everyone but Aloy knows.” Zo gave him a smile small and waved toward the door. “She is strong, and because of her deep love for all of us, she fights harder. We owe it to her to show her the same, and...to not deny ourselves the love we feel for her.”

“Thanks, Zo. I’ll...remember that for when she wakes up.” And he certainly did.

___________________________________________________

Aloy’s head swam with fevered images of Tenakth rebels swarming her from all directions. She had been so careful, so calculated as she always was. Unfortunately, her arrows were fewer than there were rebels, though she swore it was just an outpost, they had been waiting for her with backup. She had nearly every rebel down, all but the leader who swung fiercely at her as she fought another who rode on the back of a clawstrider.

She dodged, rolled, and leaped with ease, but when the rebel clawstrider disappeared from her view, she stepped into the leader’s waiting sword sending a piercing pain rupturing through her ribs. She gasped, clutching at her side feeling the warmth of blood pooling at her hand. The Leader laughed victoriously and she felt his foot, push her to the ground.

“Not so high and mighty now, are we outlander scum?” His voice, she noted before her vision went black, sounded almost desperate as if his killing her would single-handedly solve all of his problems. To that man, she was the only problem left standing in a world between him and the feeble victory that remained for the Tenakth rebels that were left.

Just before she lost all consciousness, she was able to tap her focus with a bloodied finger to call out to her companions.

“I’m...sorry...” she managed to choke out into a whisper and then the frigid cold consumed her and she succumbed to the nothingness.

___________________________________________________

Zo, ever the calm person that she was, dictated orders to each member of the group.

“Alva, Beta, go to GAIA and find any data you can on advance healing techniques from the old ones.”

“Kotallo, grab fresh water, cloth, and medicinal skybrush from the healer cache behind the counter.”

“Erend, carry her into her room and lay her gently on her unwounded side. Take what’s left of her top armor, off. I’ll be back with needle and thread”

Each did as they were told, and Erend’s heart did not slow down as he laid her gently onto the woven fibers of her bed. Her skin was no longer warm and pink, but deathly cold and pale. He tried to steady his fingers as he began to untie and remove the damaged plates of her kit. He worked her down to the cloth that she used to bind her breasts. Any other time, he thought, he would have loved to help her remove her armor, but it broke him into pieces with each piece he had removed.

Blood crusted around parts of her wound, but blood still oozed freely from the gash and it was all Erend could do not to shout at her to stay alive. Instead, he brushed a stray hair that had loosened from her tie-back behind her ear and whispered desperately, “Please, Aloy. Don’t leave us.”

Zo and Kotallo returned to her room and Erend moved out of their way so that they could work. A Tenakth warrior and Utaru gravesinger surely knew more about fixing and healing than he did.

“Erend...” Zo began without looking at him, “I will do everything within my ability...” to which Erend gave a slight nod, and gave Aloy one last look before leaving them to work.

It was one of the hardest things Erend had ever had to do to turn away from the woman who had unknowingly saved him not so long ago. Not even the ale that he downed helped ease his pacing in front

of her door. And when Alva came through on the focus to tell them about a medicine called an ‘antibiotic’ and even further advanced medicine to help diminish the impact of blood loss, Erend wasted no time in asking what was needed to fabricate such things.

GAIA instructed that they would only be crude replicates compared to what the old ones used but it would give Aloy a fighting chance.

Upon his return, he worked with Alva and Beta to craft the makeshift medicines, and she took them hurriedly to Zo. He reassured himself that Aloy would fight death itself; a comforting thought considering she was dying. At last, now all he really could do was to wait.

_________________________________________

Candles lit the entire main room of the base, and Aloy’s eyes adjusted slowly to the dimness. It had been two excruciating months of healing, and she had finally found the strength to start going on small missions to round people up for the new threat that they would inevitably face thanks to the Far Zenith zealots.

“Guys...?” She called out expecting at least Zo and Erend to be in the common area. When she got no response, she pulled her spear from her back and entered slowly.

Images of the Tenakth rebel who had nearly killed her flashed through her mind, and she gripped her spear just a little tighter. It was a reminder that she would not allow death to come so close again. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the dimness and she reached up to tap her focus. A scan would reveal anything hidden, but before she had a chance to look around, Erend came through the door opposite her, his familiar and robust armor shimmering against the flames.

“Oh uh...Aloy, you’re back early!” He seemed genuinely startled to see her and she heard him curse under his breath.

“Erend? What’s with all the candles? Did a power cell go out?” Her heart slowed and as she returned her spear, she let out a small sigh of relief.

“Uh, yeah, somethin’ like that...” he began, and then even louder said, “we wanted to--”

“SURPRISE!” each of her friends appeared behind Erend and Aloy’s heart nearly jumped from her chest. She felt the familiar sear of the scar on her side and she winced at the sudden pain. Just when she thought she had finally rid herself of the random pain, it came back in jolts to remind her of the sword that nearly ended her life. But it also reminded her of the friends each walking toward her that had saved her life and, despite their new overbearing worry for her return to the forbidden west, she knew cared for her as deeply as she did them.

The lights were turned back on and Zo, whose belly was beginning to grow, came to Aloy first and put a hand on her arm. “Aloy, I’m sorry. We read data on something called ‘Surprise Parties’ for certain types of celebrations and thought to try it out considering your uncompromised decision to stay with us in the realm of the living. But we wanted to wait until you were fully healed. I see now that was a misjudgment on my part.”

“Zo,” Aloy smiled and let go of her side, “It’s okay. I...like it. Just a little...surprised...is all.”

Zo laughed and leaned in to give her a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad you’re here, Aloy.” And Aloy knew what she meant. She was glad that she was here...alive and well. As Zo was letting go, she made a point to give her arm an extra squeeze and lowered her voice to say, “You should go see Erend. He’s been waiting anxiously more so than the rest of us for your return.”

Aloy gave a small nod, “Is he...okay?” and Zo only returned her nod and a smile.

Aloy moved through her group of friends, sharing words, warm hugs, and a few sips of ale until she made it to Erend. It had been far too long since she had really seen him and she wondered if he really knew just how much she missed him—his infectious laugh, his boisterous personality, and the way he seemed to leave warmth like a fireside in the depths of her chest.

“Aloy!” Erend grinned as she approached him and the warmth spread to her stomach.

“Erend. Thanks for coming to my party?” She questioned and he nearly pulled her into a fireclaw squeeze before he promptly stopped remembering that her side was still tender and sometimes painful and settled for patting her on the shoulders instead. He looked her over to make sure she was really and truly okay—no mortal wounds or blood. Her Oseram forester kit—which he thought looked damn good on her—left her midriff exposed enough that he could see the pink puffy scar that ran along her ribs.

She noticed his eyes fall to the scar and she moved a half step closer and put her hand on the forearm that was still extended from her shoulder.

“I’m okay, Erend. I promise.” she rubbed his forearm and then dropped her hand, to his dismay. The rare moments that they touched left him feeling like he had been deprived of it for a lifetime.

“Yeah...of course ya are! Nothing can defeat the Savior of Meridian...Wall-Breaker...Anointed One—jeez woman how many titles do you even have now? I can’t keep up!”

Aloy chuckled and Erend laughed alongside her before Kotallo brought over two beers placing one in each of their hands with a grunt.

“Hey, cheers my friend!” Erend raised his mug and their Tenakth friend smiled and raised his mug before walking back to the others.

“He’s not too bad, ya know? He gave me a real run for my shards on a game of Strike the other day and I’ll tell you, Aloy, he beat my ass and then brought me a beer to soothe my loss.”

She laughed and took a sip of her own ale. “It seems like your friendship with the others is really growing, even if you are losing shards to build up some of them.” She elbowed him gently and he couldn’t help but put his arm around her shoulders. Aloy fit perfectly in the crook of his arm, and when she moved her arm to his back, he felt muscles that he didn’t even know were tense, relax at her touch.

“Hey, hey...I’ll have you know that I beat him at least once.”

"Out of how many games?” Aloy asked incredulously.

“Is it that important?” Erend questioned, with which Aloy met his gaze and her voice dropped, “no, but Zo did mention that you were also really worried while I was gone. Is there...anything you want to talk about?”

And there it was. The opportunity presenting itself, if he could only find that Oseram courage and strength that he always had. But he instead, laughed nervously and moved his arm from her shoulders, rubbing the back of his head.

“Zo, she ya know...really looks inta stuff, doesn’t she?” And he looked around for a small pregnant woman whom, if he wasn’t so terrified of, he would have blasted for selling him out.

Erend sat his mug down and she followed suit and then stood directly in front of him. “Maybe, I tell you something, and then you tell me something?” She felt her stomach tighten. She knew how precious and short life was, and if she wanted to make the best of it, she too had to work on expressing how she felt.

Erend simply nodded and Aloy took a deep breath. She bit at the bottom of her lip, and when she raised her eyes to meet his, she felt her cheeks begin to warm.

“Erend I...for the first time in my life, I’m not alone, and...when I’m away from all of them,” she gestured vaguely at the crowd that they both had just noticed moved onto another room to watch some old holograms, “when I’m away from you...” her heart thundered in her chest, and her cheeks were burning now, “I miss you...” she trailed off and she felt an ache in her scar again from the blood that coursed quickly through her.

She noticed the tinge of red that was growing on his cheeks as he stepped closer and he cleared his throat nervously.

“Aloy, I...miss you too when you’re gone. And I...dammit, Aloy, I thought we had lost you a couple of months ago. And when I carried you in my arms and laid you on that bed in there,“ he pointed to her room, “I thought that that was the first and last time I would ever get to hold you.”

Aloy thought her face might as well have been on fire, and she wasn’t sure how to handle all the emotions that were being shared. Rost had taught her to fight and survive. He loved her in his own way, but he never taught her how to ropecast her feelings. So, she did her best to navigate the swelling of warmth that rose in her.

“And here I am again...lucky enough to get more of your time because you didn't die. And Zos right...I owe it to myself and to you to tell you that I’m crazy about you, Aloy.”

“Erend...” she said breathlessly. She bolstered her resolve and stepped closer to him. Perhaps this was like he moment she had seen between Zo and Varl outside of the Utaru hut, where emotions meshed with the physical realm.

“Erend, I'm...not really great at this but...I...I think I’d like it if you...kissed me.” This admission was perhaps scarier than fighting an apex Thunderjaw, and she never remembered feeling fluttering in her stomach like the lightning bugs and butterflies that often skewed her vision when her focus was activated.

“I...” Was he dreaming? Maybe he had died. He simply meant to tell her how he felt and then drown in a few beers to cover his astonishing embarrassment. But here was the woman before him, sharing a very raw piece of herself and asking him...to kiss her?

He wasn’t sure when he moved his hand to gently cup her cheek, or when she had completely stepped into him, but he did know that looking into her eyes was exactly like an eternity burning slow like the

embers of a forge being stoked, and pushed, and bellowed with great love and care. And if the warmth of his calloused hand against her cheek had not given her encouragement to meet his lips, the whisper of her name just as he dipped his head down to hers surely did.

When their lips met, Aloy, for the first time, felt that safety didn’t always mean having a weapon in her hand. Safety was also a person that felt like home no matter where she was. Erend was safe. When he pulled away, she released a sigh as if a kiss could ease the tension of a thousand burdens.

“Hey...I think she likes me..” he spoke first, his voice just above a whisper.

"Maybe just a little...” She held up her thumb and index finger showing a small increment.

Erend chuckled and she promptly felt the absence of his hand when he moved to give her space.

“I’ll always be ready to follow your lead, Aloy. Just...don’t leave me behind.” She knew he was thinking about her cold body, lifeless in his arms.

“I won’t Erend...I promise.” And she truly meant it with every fiber of her being.

Because any eternity with him was better than one without him.

Ahhhhhh!

Day 3

In You All Things Are Possible

Gaia, Aloy, and all the Subordinate Programs! My largest fanart project to date! Some of you may recognize the sub-program art I posted back in December. I started this piece back in June 2021 and worked on it, on and off, for a total of 52 hours in Procreate, which for me is absolutely insane. 

While the final project is not what I totally envisioned, it turned out better than I expected and I couldn’t be happier! That being said, believe me there’s more I want to do to this piece, but for now I’m going to take a step back from it and maybe come back to it later on down the line. 

Poses from https://posereference.tumblr.com/