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“Beta said they make me look like a bug.”
“I think my exact words were ‘a bug with weird facial hair’,” Beta called out from the kitchen, never reluctant to kick a man when he was down.
Erend pouted down at Aloy, waving a hand towards the culprit. “See?”
Aloy only laughed and wrapped a hand around his wrist. “C’mon,” she said warmly, leading him back to their room. When the doors hissed closed behind them, she spun him around, planting both hands on his chest and gently walking him backwards until his backside hit the edge of the desk.
Hot excitement crept up the back of his neck at the lazy confidence in her gaze, anticipation building even though she hadn’t done anything overtly seductive. Even after a year together, it didn’t take much.
He must have had a stupid look on his face, cause she laughed and gave him a couple of pats at the center of his chest before taking a step backwards. “Now. No one but you and me. Let me see.”
Erend sighed, looking at her shyly. “Promise not to laugh?”
Aloy tried unsuccessfully to suppress a smile. “No. But if I do, you have my permission to do whatever it takes to make me stop.”
He raised his eyebrows at that, immediately picking up on the suggestion in her voice, and a wide grin came over his face. “Yeah, okay. Deal.”
Reaching into the pouch at his waist, he pulled out a small bundle covered in red Carja silk. “Even wrapped it in fancy fabric for me,” he said, unraveling the material until a folded pair of eyeglasses fell into his palm.
Feeling as if some theatrics were in order, he turned around, fumbling with his new eyewear for a moment before pushing them onto his face. He hesitated, waiting for her to get impatient, which didn’t take long.
“C’mon, the suspense is killing me,” Aloy laughed, pushing on the back of his shoulder. “Let me see.”
A wide smile came over his face, a surge of pure happiness flowing through him as he experienced his daily reality check that Aloy was in love with him. “All right, all right. Here you go—your new bespectacled boy.”
He turned around, only a little nervous in truth…Aloy would probably tell him he looked great no matter what. She was good like that.
But he wasn’t prepared for her mouth to fall open as she stared at his newly-accessorized face, nor for her pupils to dilate as she took in his features. He gave her a moment to study him, turning his head from side to side, though he was eager to hear her assessment. If her face was any indicator, it would be positive.
“Well?” he prompted after a couple of beats.
She blinked, as if coming out of a daze. “Erend,” she sighed, stepping closer and reaching up to pinch the temples of the glasses on both sides while gazing into his eyes. “Don’t listen to Beta. You look…good. Really good.”
“Oh yeah?” he murmured, voice low as he recognized the look of lust on her face. He casually reached out to rest his hands on her hips, squeezing gently. “She likes my bug eyes, huh?”
“She does,” Aloy agreed in a low, smoky tone, stroking the hair back from his forehead. “You look very handsome. And even smarter than usual.”
Erend knew it was a carefully-worded compliment, as his intelligence was something she was still trying to build his confidence on. For his part, he knew there was no way to measure up when your partner was an actual genius—he was more than happy to let her be the brains of this outfit.
Still, he smiled gratefully at the praise and truly looked at her face for the first time with his new glasses, realizing how clearly he could see her. He could pick out specks of blue in her bright green eyes, and she had an entire galaxy of smaller freckles he never noticed before. Had there always been so many streaks of gold in her hair?
“Wow,” he breathed, smoothing the backs of his fingers over her cheek as he marveled at her. “I’m never taking these off. I could count every single freckle on your face if I wanted to. By the forge, you’re beautiful.”
Her cheeks went a little pink and Erend felt a somewhat silly swell of pride that he, of all the people in the world, was the one standing here making her blush.
“Those are going to come in handy I think,” she murmured with a conspiratorial smirk, using a finger to push them a bit higher on the bridge of his nose.
“They already are. I can read text on my Focus so much better. I can actually see dust and dirt when I’m trying to clean. But this—this is the best reward yet,” he confirmed, cupping her face between his hands and taking the opportunity to just stare.
“I was thinking about some other types of detail work you might enjoy with your newfound sight,” she teased, hooking her finger into the V of his tunic and tugging the laces open a little more. “I have freckles in other places too, you know.”
Erend’s heart quickened, heat rising in his chest as he tried to imagine where they might be. “Interesting,” he rumbled, weaving his fingers into her hair and pulling her to him so he could capture her lips in a soft kiss. “I do love a good delve.”
She let out a breathy sigh at that and pressed closer, wrapping her arms around his neck as she eagerly crushed her mouth against his. Erend groaned into the kiss, closing his arms tightly around her waist as he marveled at how each time their lips met it felt like the very first time. He reangled his head with an eager moan, wanting to consume her, but his new glasses had other ideas—they collided with her eyebrow, going crooked on his face.
Aloy laughed, pulling back just enough to straighten them. “Listen, if those things are going to get in the way of kissing—AAH!” She let out a surprised squeal as he hefted her over his shoulder without warning, clapping a hand on her bottom to secure her as he carried her over to their pallet.
“There’s other places I can kiss you where they won’t get in the way,” he growled, laying her down gently and taking another moment to revel in the miraculously clear view of her loveliness. “Now if you don’t mind, I have some freckles to delve for.”