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Aloy loved flying. The air was crisp and alone, a calm presence as she glided over the land below her, aimlessly watching machines move about, picking out landmarks and cities from the air. The sun glittered on the horizon, sunsets shining up into the sky around her, hours from dusk yet brilliant all the same from this height. You could see everything, looking down onto the world from the stars.
Lazily she circled her sunwing down towards the base, leaping off with a thrill, the rush of air before she deployed the glider stinging her cheeks. She laughed as she glided down, the adrenaline of the jump always getting her blood rushing pleasantly. Her sunwing perched up above the base, staring out west into the Tenakth lands as her feet made contact with the frost-covered rocks in front of the western entrance.
She shook the flakes from her hair as she walked inside, rabbits hitched to her belt. As she entered the common room, Zo looked up from where she was cooking, baby Vaza in a chair next to her, banging her pudgy hands on the table.
“That’s a nice contraption you got there,” Aloy said, nodding her head at the chair Vaza was in, soft leather keeping her tied in place.
“GAIA offered some advice on how to keep her in one place at dinner,” Zo said, chopping vegetables with skilled proficiency. She scooped them up, dropping them in the boiling water on the cookfire. “She’s learning to crawl with frightening speed.”
Aloy grinned, unclipping the rabbits from her belt and getting to work skinning them for dinner. “She’s going to be a little terror,” she smiled at the baby, “aren’t you Vaza.”
Vaza squealed, clapping her hands together excitedly, babbling nonsense. Zo smiled at her daughter, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I swear every day she’s going to say her first word. She’s almost gotten ‘mama’ a couple of times.” She turned back to Aloy, “How was your trip?”
“You know, solved a couple of skirmishes between Tenakth, found a stolen weapon, took down a few machines, just a day's work.”
Zo shook her head fondly, “You are always doing something aren’t you Aloy.” She glanced over to the sundial device GAIA had helped them make to tell the time in the Base, “Alva and Beta should be back from foraging soon. Erend said he’ll be back from Hidden Ember late tonight, so we’ll keep some food on the fire for him.”
“No Kotallo?”
“Now don’t sound so disappointed,” Zo said, grinning that all-to-knowing smile. “He said something about getting back at dinner time.”
Aloy could feel herself blushing, cheeks burning like the fire in front of her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Zo. There’s nothing between us happening, you know that.” She chopped the rabbit meat harshly, trying to get her face under control. She could practically feel Zo’s cheeky grin staring her down, and she pointedly ignored it. “Besides, we have so much to do before NEMESIS.”
Zo rolled her eyes so hard Aloy could practically hear it. “You deserve to be happy Aloy. If you keep making excuses for why it’s ‘the wrong time’ you’ll never find it. Besides, I’ve seen how he looks at you.”
Aloy didn’t respond, instead focused intently on cutting up the meat and seasoning it, before tossing it on the skillet in the fire. She watched them sizzle, missing how Zo had come up to her, jumping as she felt a hand placed on her shoulder.
“Think about what I said okay?” Zo said softly, eyes all too bright. “I’m going to feed Vaza before dinner. Don’t let the soup or rabbits burn until Beta gets back.”
“I’m not that bad of a cook!” Aloy protested.
Zo simply raised her eyebrows, before heading to her room. The common room descended into peace and Aloy let herself breathe for just a moment. Between the oncoming threat of NEMESIS, and the ever-threatening world around them, she felt rarely a moment’s peace. Even seconds alone in the place she had learned to call home was a relief, a soothing balm on her aching head.
A few minutes later, she could hear the doors open, and Alva and Beta’s excited voices coming in from the east. They’d been delving in some Old World ruins, if Aloy remembered correctly, and were probably carrying fifteen pounds of artifacts between them.
“I want to try to modify this spice mix from some data I found about the Old Ones,” Beta said excitedly, “I bet we can get some more peppers from the deserts west of here for it.”
“I wonder what other recipes from the Ancestors we can find!” Alva squealed. “They had such interesting ways of making things.” There was some clanking from the entrance, presumably Alva shuffling through her haul of new finds. That woman was wickedly smart in a way that would be terrifying if she didn’t have the heart she did.
They rounded the corner, chattering amongst themselves before Alva noticed Aloy staring intently at the soup. “Aloy! Zo left you in charge of dinner?”
Aloy looked up at them, where Beta was attempting to conceal her uncertainty, slowly discarding various items clipped to her armor and bags. She opened her mouth to retort but her sister was upon her, stealing the wooden spoon out of her hand and stirring the pot experimentally, humming happily at the sight. Aloy blinked at the speed in which Beta had moved, eyes flickering between the junk pile in the middle of the floor and where Beta now stood, eyes furrowed as she tested the soup.
“It needs more pepper, I think,” Beta said, beckoning Alva towards her and effectively pushing Aloy out of the cooking space.
“I’m not that bad of a cook,” Aloy grumbled, settling into a chair like a sack of rocks.
Alva let out a snort, covering her mouth as she did so, eyes widening. Aloy made eye contact with her, raising her brow, and Alva lost it, snickering into her palm as she grabbed at the pan to flip the rabbit meat. Aloy rolled her eyes at the two of them before snagging a bowl of nuts and walking out of the room, flipping them off as she did so, which only caused Alva to laugh harder, sending Beta into a fit of giggles herself.
To think even a couple of months ago this casual dynamic between them would have been impossible never failed to make Aloy stutter. With the threat of NEMESIS, the family they’d created was the only reason any of them had stayed sane, or alive for that matter.
Her room was quiet compared to the increasing noise of the common room as dinner neared and she let out a breath of relief. She loved them, she knew, but they could also be such assholes sometime, and ever since they’d had that ‘girls' night’ two weeks ago, Zo and Alva, and subsequently Beta, had been near impossible. Aloy knew they just wanted her to be happy, but she should have never drank so much sappperscrap that she was spilling her guts left and right, and telling the lot of them exactly how she felt about Kotallo.
All-Mother knew she’d never actually felt like this for anyone. She was too busy, had too much to do and no one to understand and that was okay. It was fine. She was fine. But then Kotallo had stopped that damn bristleback and she hadn’t been fine since.
It had started with this simple desire to be around him, constantly in a way she’d never once desired to be around anyone. She’d told herself it was because she valued his input into Tenakth affairs and knowledge of the west, but soon, she didn’t have any more excuses. Her heart always sped up and she felt hot to her toes when he gave her that look, and for an embarrassing moment, she’d confided to Zo with, she thought she was allergic to him.
She would never live that one down.
But her secret was no longer her own and she could no longer just ignore it. She had to do something before any one of the women in the Base jumped her, but she was downright terrified. Fighting things she could do, even NEMESIS, but she couldn’t stick feelings with the pointy end of her spear.
Aloy groaned, flopping back on her furs, hands pressed to her eyes. Why was this so hard? Kotallo deserved some grand gesture, something that was worthy of the man he was but what could she possibly do? Zo’s words had been circling since the moment she said them and the desire to just fly away was all-consuming, at least until she could look Kotallo in the eye without blushing.
The sunwing. That was it. She’d been meaning to teach her friends to fly, but teaching Kotallo first? It was perfect, the thing she could give him, the grand gesture Alva had been explaining for two weeks to do.
With a new purpose, she leaped off her pallet, racing out the door and past the common room, where Zo looked up in confusion. She nearly slammed into Beta as she rounded the corner, muttering hurried apologies to her sister as she flew towards the west exit. The sun would set soon and she’d have to get Kotallo on the back of that sunwing before it did.
The cool air of the mountain stung her face as she breezed outside, eyes lighting up as she spotted Kotallo walking up the path towards the base. She waited till he climbed the mountainside, barely containing her energy as he did so.
“Kotallo!” she cried out, waving him her way the moment his head crested cliffside. “I have something for you!”
His face puzzled in confusion but he followed her nonetheless as she started up the path towards the sunwings. She couldn’t help but smile back at him as they climbed, stuffing her hands in her pockets to hide their shaking. Now that he was here, it seemed far too real than just this idea she’d come up with.
“What is it that you wanted Aloy?” he asked lowly as they came in view of the sunwing, confusion written all over his face.
She paused, glancing between Kotallo and the machine, suddenly unsure how she was going to broach this. Aloy wrung her hands together, biting her lip as she thought, glancing back towards the sunwing. She was so caught up in thought she didn’t realize Kotallo had come closer until his hand rested on her shoulder, causing her to jump.
“My apologies Aloy, but is something the matter?” his gaze followed hers towards the sunwing. “It is rare to see you so unsure of yourself, and I wish not to further it.”
“I want to teach you to fly,” she blurted out, eyes searching his face for any reaction. Kotallo froze, every muscle locking up as the words registered and she pulled from his grasp, the feeling of freezing water drenching her as she took in his reaction. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she finished quickly, heart beating in her chest. She pulled away, “I’ll just go-”
“No,” he said quickly, voice gravelly. His hand reached out, grabbing her arm. Aloy froze, staring back at Kotallo, eyes wide. A beat of silence passed, and she watched him take a deep breath, eyes fluttering closed in a way that should not have been attractive as it was. Get a grip Aloy.
“I would be honored,” Kotallo breathed out, still not moving from the spot they’d been frozen into. “To be given the honor of the Ten,” he paused, eyes flickering back to the sunwing, “it would be the greatest gift.”
Aloy nodded, words catching in her dry throat, and pulled him towards the sunwing wordlessly. She leaped up with the practice only time could give before offering a hand to him, hauling him up behind her.
“Hold on, takeoff can be rough,” she said softly, watching his eyes darken as he settled behind her, wrapping his hand around her waist. She whipped her head back around to hide the blush that raced across her face, desperately trying to ignore how hot her skin was where his fingers brushed her, where his legs braced near her sides. She could feel his breathing on her neck and she shivered at the feeling, heat racing through her so fast it nearly knocked her off balance.
Goddess, how did people do this all the time?
“Ready?”
Kotallo nodded, and she snapped the reigns on the sunwing, launching them into the air. His grip around her waist tightened as they rose into the sky, the sun casting golden fingers across the landscape. The wind was rushing past them, stinging her eyes but then, they crested, high above the land below them. She eased the sunwing into a lazy glide, smoothing out the ride so that the land could be seen below them, rushing past yet endlessly slow at the same time.
“Do you like it?” she asked quietly, just barely able to be heard over the wind around them. She glanced back at Kotallo, whose eyes were wide in shock and wonder, an expression she rarely saw on him.
“It’s,” he paused as if he just couldn’t find the words to express what he was seeing, “It’s beautiful Aloy.” His eyes scanned the lands around them, picking up the smoke rising from Scalding Spear out in the desert, various settlements and machine movements below them. “You can see everything up here.”
“It’s amazing right?” she said, grinning at the blatant awe that was stretching across his face.
“To imagine the Ten saw this view,” he shook his head, “to be granted this Aloy, I do not have the words to express my gratitude to you.”
“The Wings of the Ten are yours now too,” she said softly, pride blooming in her chest at being able to grant this to Kotallo. He deserved it, more than anyone.
He laughed suddenly, a deep, reverent noise that made Aloy’s blood sing with happiness at hearing it. It was a sound she wouldn’t soon forget, and she found herself wanting to hear it more and more, a new mission peaking its way through the fog.
They stayed that was in silence, swooping around the clan lands as the sun cast its brilliant golden glow over the lands below. It was one of her favorite times to fly, where everything shone more brilliantly than any other time during the day. The sunwing did lazy circles, taking in the view before she guided them towards the Base. But rather than landing the machine, she flew it higher, reaching the peak of the mountain before landing.
“Come, the sun is going to set soon,” she said, pulling him off the machine towards the western side of the peak, heart thudding in her chest.
“Dinner will be served soon-”
“-We can get leftovers,” she said, cutting him off. Kotallo seemed to realize her nervous energy and followed without complaint. The snow crunched beneath her boots, never melting this high on the mountain. She settled against the edge of the peak, feat swinging over the side casting snowflakes down the mountainside. It was peaceful up here, the wind a quiet whisper at her back, the sun glittering on the ice-capped peaks, fingers of light wrapping around them. Kotallo settled at her side, shoulder warm against her.
Time seemed to pass in a lazy manner, and Aloy found herself leaning into Kotallo, hair falling across his shoulder as she did so, content to let this moment stay for as long as she wanted. She wanted to be selfish here, to never have to get up from this ledge, to ignore how the snow seeped into her pants and slowly chilled her legs, to ignore the fight that NEMESIS was bringing from the stars above.
“Why did you take me flying today?” Kotallo said lowly, breaking the peaceful quiet. “You could have taken anyone, yet you bestowed that honor onto me, why?”
Aloy glanced at him before staring down at her lap, folding her hands together. A beat passed, and she could feel his stare on her, tense for answers. “You…you mean a lot to me Kotallo,” she whispered out, eyes flickering up to his.
A myriad of emotions passed through his face, and she couldn’t identify any of them. His eyes were searching her own face, seemingly searching for something, something she didn’t dare hope for.
“What are you saying Aloy,” he breathed out, hope tinging to his voice in a way she’d never once heard it.
“I-” she paused, shaking her head. She was never one to mince words but now such important ones were stuck in her throat. “I think I’m falling for you Kotallo.”
The intake of air from him was unexpected, and she watched him warily as he processed her words, his hand coming up to brush her shoulder.
“You are a wonder,” he said breathlessly, cupping her closer. “I’ve been falling for you since the day you felled the Bulwark, you remarkable woman.”
She chuckled weakly, hands searching for contact with him almost with a mind of their own. His own hand reached up and cupped her chin, tilting it up towards him, locking his gaze unto hers.
“I would very much like to kiss you,” he said softly, eyes dropping to her lips, “would that be acceptable Commander?”
“Yes,” Aloy breathed out, and with that word, he was on her, lips gentle in a way he rarely was, his hulking frame cradling her like delicate glass. It was hot in a way she wasn’t prepared for, but oh so enticing it marveled at her. It was as if he was air, breathing into her lungs where the mountain’s height thinned it, heating her until she melted the snow around them. It was intoxicating, she couldn’t get enough of it, gasping against him.
They broke apart panting, flushed in a way that had nothing to do with the rapidly cooling air around them. His eyes were sparkling, pupils wide and she found herself craving his touch only mere moments after they’d broken apart.
“Wow,” she said softly, one hand coming up to trace his paint along his chin, slightly smudged from where they’d kissed. “I really do like you.”
Kotallo chuckled, hand gripping her hips and pulling her closer, so much so that she was practically in his lap. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear those words.” He dropped a soft kiss along her hairline, and she shivered at the feeling, closing her eyes in bliss.
“I want this Kotallo,” she said softly, watching the delicate hope he’d been harboring explode in quiet joy across his face. “I want you.”
“Then you’ll have me, till my last breath,” he said softly, cradling her close. “Though I will do everything to make sure that I spend many more days along your side.”
That was truly all she could ask for, Aloy realized, in this dangerous world they lived in. But Kotallo, he knew how she hated when people laid down their lives for her, yet he offered her every moment more, to extend those days breathing to as many as they were granted. It was such a stark difference from his first declaration in the Grove, an example of how they’d grown together, but deeper down, it wrapped her in comfort in a way no other commitment could.
“I want so many more days with you,” Aloy said softly, tugging him closer for another kiss. He obliged without complaint, smiling into her lips and she sighed at the feeling, at this bliss such a moment could bring.
She’d been a fool to deny herself of something like this, to feel this desire for love in this sense and to squash it. It had taken her months to develop these feelings for Kotallo, and admittedly far too long to realize what they were, but she wouldn’t change a thing if it meant they could stay here, like this.
His lips were still on hers, several lazy kisses pressing onto them before he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. “You took me flying on the Wings of the Ten,” he said softly, hand tangling in her hair.
She smiled up at him, pressing a kiss against his lips quickly, pleased at the happy look on his face when she did so. She didn’t really know how to kiss, but he seemed pleased with her anyway. Kotallo chuckled against her and she could feel the rumbling under her hands.
“I wanted to, how did Alva put it, seduce you somehow.”
His eyes darkened with heat, “you are a devious woman, Commander.”
She grinned, “for you? Always.”
They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other as the sun disappeared from the horizon, watching the stars glitter high in the sky. Tomorrow would bring questions and nagging from their friends, but tonight this new thing was between the two of them and the wind. The snow swirled around them as the chill dug into their bones but Aloy couldn’t find it in herself to care, caught up in wind and wrapped in Kotallo.