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The thing with kissing is, Erend doesn’t really have an opinion on it.
It was just… locking of the lips. He’s done it before— A chaste peck from a childhood love when he’d been a reckless kid, or Carja-wine tasting kisses hidden away in the dark corners of the city with a fellow vanguard when he’d become a man. It’s nothing strange— nothing life changing. It’s how you show love, or affection, or whatever other people might want to call it. Everybody does it.
Everybody has done it.
…But steel to his soul, kissing Aloy is otherworldly.
She reminds him of it all the time, day after day. Like now, for example, when her nose brushes along his in preparation before bringing their lips together.
It’s tentative at first, yet his eyes can't help but flutter shut at the soonest contact. There’s something so utterly devastating to the act of kissing her that just makes his whole body turn to molten steel under her fingertips. It’s so easy to surrender to her magnetic flurry of touch and presence, it drags him under, and leaves him spinning. No violence or battle has ever left him as breathless as she does now, nor does he think they ever will. The kiss is not graceful nor calculated, despite it being completely Aloy— yet it still feels natural.
Right.
What she gives him is a fierce, untamed storm brewing between their bodies born out of the simple act of pressing her lips against his.
When she kisses him, she dedicates herself entirely to the task— like she would to bring down any mountain standing in her way. It takes away any words in his mouth or inside his brain, rendering him a quiet, yearning mess for as long as she has him. If he had to describe it, he’d say that it's as breath-taking as the first clash of a hammer on bright-red steel. Sparks fly in the air, bathing them in their glow as it peppers his skin and cheeks while stoking hot coals in his belly, and when it’s over, it leaves him aching, clutching her close to him and hoping to burn to ash under her heat— if only time allowed it.
He could tell every Carja poet about it, if they asked. He’d tell them everything, just so they could try and see if their sun-worshiping poetry could compare to this.
To her, and her forge-ending heat.
He feels it all now— right as she manouvers herself closer to him. Her nose brushes against his again as she tilts her face to him, beckoning his hands to reach for her waist uncommanded and tenderly bringing her to him in search of more. Her gravitational pull makes the hot iron running through his veins lose its sense of direction and riot for her touch beyond his clothes— because when she kisses him, he bends into her with a groan, arms hugging her waist and pulling their bodies tight as his lips move with hers in that slow dance he knows drives her as mad as she does him.
Then, somewhere in the middle of it, her hand leaves his beard, her arms coming around his shoulders and demanding more of him, too.
Enduring forge, how she could end him like this.
He can already hear it. Captain of the vanguard, taken away with a kiss. He doesn’t mind it. He doesn’t mind any of it, because when Aloy kisses him, it’s with her whole body, soul, and heart put into it.
And when he returns it, he makes sure to do it as fiercely.
He’s sturdy, and gentle, and so, so sweet.
He’s everywhere around her, all at once. In her nose, on her skin, on her lips. His scent is sharp; like woodsmoke, sun-baked sands, linen, steel. It’s so overwhelmingly him she can’t help but get lost in it like he’s a potent drug. Eyebrows draw close as she presses her mouth harder to his, opening herself up and taming the urgent heat of her blood into a more self-indulgent simmer.
He’s tentative with his touch yet he’s also firm. His hands— bigger than her own— anchor themselves to different points on her body to fasten himself to her against the dizzying waves of pleasure. Places that, when grazed by him, only make her lean into it in surrender. It’s in the way he cradles her neck, how he spreads one hand on the expanse of her back to keep her in place— sometimes, it’s also in the caressing her cheek as she feels the barest hint of his smile drawing itself against her lips.
Warmth washes over her when they share a kiss. The comfortable sensation accompanies it all the way, making her whole body flush with it and sending her hands roving for purchase. His heart is an intense, powerful drum she can almost feel against her chest even through the thickness of her armor. It’s quite different, she’s noticed, from the leisurely pace in which his lips dance against hers.
Slow and steady. Passionate yet peaceful, almost as if he’s taking every second of it in. It rips a groan from her in hunger, marking the moment where a gloved hand rises forward, caressing her cheek with devastating gentleness and finally sending that retrained simmer in her belly into a full blown wildfire.
It’s no different with the first time she’d kissed him; Right after the final battle and the fall of NEMESIS. Right after she’d allowed herself to truly live—
Its ferocity has not dwindled nor dampened, even after seven long years. He kisses her with the same love and yearning he felt when he first met her— when he first decided to weld his life to her. She returns it with the same affection and hope she’d nurtured for years after he’d wandered into her life. She revels in it— in having him all to herself. To kiss, and hold, and squeeze now that life— and everything that came with it —can simply be.
And oh, how utterly blissful it’s been.
But every good thing comes with a catch. They always do.
Opening up their hearts and getting lost in one another at the wrong time can be a treacherous thing— it makes time blur, and a moment stretch into oblivion. Not only that, but letting the moment simmer for too long has often sent them scrambling for an empty room or a secluded corner to give way to more passionate things, Leaving everything else to be forgotten under a pile of warm armor and clothes.
…Like now.
Time and space disappear. Pending tasks and trains of thought cease. It’s just them, their hearts beating in unison, and untamed, passionate fire racing under their skin. Sometimes it can take Erend a few seconds to fully come back from it. Today, he remembers visiting the Base after a long while out, fixing some panels he’d noticed could use it. Then taking advantage of the place’s amenities with a long-anticipated hot shower immediately after. He’d then been alone for another while, getting some more work done when Aloy had called to announce she’d be dropping by.
He groans into the still ongoing kiss, feeling her hands begin to delve under the cloth of his shirt with clear intentions.
What had he been doing…? He doesn’t remember. Aloy is here, both everywhere and right between his arms. Her hair smells so potently of fresh of pine trees and sea salt and reed that he feels like he’s out there in the wilds with her, discovering the world all over again—
The kiss takes a more fervent turn, tongues sliding together and moans erupting from equally quick-rising chests. Aloy soon begins to tilt him back on the counter pressing against his back, and Erend is about to follow her lead, lust-addled and dizzy and thrilled when a sudden clink at his hip and the uneven surface hitting his elbow drags his attention out of it.
His head turns, taking a look behind their bodies.
The table had been set for two, with a small arrangement of food waiting for them in the middle of it.
Oh.
Right.
…He’d made them lunch.
A loaf of warm bread he’d baked a few hours ago had caught his landing, now squished under his elbow. There’s a steel plate pinned under his hip, tiny round fruits threatening to spill from its rim. Somewhere past his fingers, a platter of fried eggs and meats bear witness to it all.
…Shit.
“Food’s getting cold—” Erend growls out through parted lips, hand not making an effort to part from Aloy’s hip. Her lips have long since wandered to that one spot under his ear that makes him see stars. He doubles his efforts through the waves of pleasure, clearing his throat.
It takes Aloy a few seconds to relent at the sound, stopping halfway and equally dazed as he is.
“...What?”
When her head ventures out from the crook of his neck, she takes a peek behind his wide shoulders, eyebrows rising at the sight of freshly picked fruit, bread, meats and cheese. Her mouth closes with a tight press of lips, nose barely parting from his shoulder.
Her eyes flicker to him. “...You made lunch,” she states rather awkwardly.
“...I...Yeah.” Erend mumbles back, still attempting to hold his body— and hers— over the counter so as to not fully trample down on it. “Figured you’d be hungry when you came back—” he states, “but maybe I assumed the wrong kind of hungry—”
Erend straightens, and Aloy’s eyes widen in realization. She has him nearly bent over the table, a loaf of bread he undoubtedly baked squished under his elbow— The counter is filled with his hard work and she’s nearly thrown him over it.
Her own hands immediately part from their place, pressing against the kitchen counter and his chest, giving him some space to fully stand.
“Oh— Um. Sorry. Here—” It takes a pair of steps back to correct their footing, and soon her hands come from under his shirt to offer him up.
Erend’s fingers unclasp from her hip, coming to take one of his hands in hers to lift away from the counter.
“No harm done,” he says with that same smile he has only for her. He accentuates his words with another quick peck on her lips and face, hand still in hers.
“Missed you,” he adds.
“...Missed you too.” She smiles. It doesn’t take her long to reciprocate, the rush of blood on her cheeks already dissipating after having trampled down any leftover fires inside her gut with a deep breath.
Her lips press together as she attempts an apology, clearing her throat, “It’s been a while since I last saw you, and… you know.” She murmurs, unsure of how to continue. Erend only gives her another look of utter fondness as he affectionately brushes the skin of her knuckles with his thumb, and she stops herself, already knowing he doesn’t need any explanations from her.
“Shall we…?” she motions to the counter.
Erend chuckles, gently placing her hand back on its place by her hip. “...Sure thing.”
After they sit and both pull their stools close enough that their knees bump, Erend rolls up his sleeves, pulling her a platter with an assortment of plump fruits. “Tell me about your week,” he asks her with a soft smile, adding a pair of boar slices to it.
Aloy thanks him with a glance, wasting no time in digging in. “You know, the usual,” she states quietly, picking a winter paleberry between her fingertips as the remnants of their heated kiss washes over her body, “After seeing Beta out north last week, I went looking for more ruins to explore.”
Erend nods, taking some ham slices and adding both to her plate and his. “Now that's fun—” he points out at the mention of a ruin. “I hope Beta’s doing well, last time we spoke she said she had visited the Claim?” he comments in a mix of pride and astonishment. “She’s gone pretty far now— I bet she’s having a blast.”
The smile in Aloy’s face widens at the topic of her sister, “She is. I saw her off before she set out. By the way…Avad sends his regards,” she teases playfully.
Erend shakes his head with a roll of his eyes at the mention of Avad, finding joy in her poking fun at his departure from the Sundom. “Good. Tell him I’m still not going back,” he teases back.
Aloy chuckles, and he does too. A moment of amenable silence passes after they’re done, and he looks at her with a question. “...This ruin, was it big?” he asks, sucking the sweet glaze from the ham off his fingers. She watches him add a handful of winterberries into the mix, eyes counting six of them before he pours the remaining ones into his mouth.
“Pretty much,” she replies, now remembering the reason why she had come in search of him and not quite yet giving more information to set her trap.
She switches tactics, changing subjects as she rolls the paleberry between her fingertips. “How about you? Didn’t think you’d visit so early after the Cut.”
If he notices her swerving on the topic of a ruin, he doesn’t mention it.
He finishes chewing before answering. “....Yeah. I got done with CYAN’s new comm lines early— so I figured I’d drop by and check on GAIA and the connection. Fixed some stuff around while I was on it, too. I added the schematics to the focus in case you wanted to check ‘em out. Servers, and all that.”
“Great job. Thanks for that.” Aloy comments, satisfied, before taking another bite from her piece of dried meat.
Erend tries to hide a toothy grin at the praise. She catches a hint of it, however, and her chest warms at the sight. “Where did you go this time? I didn’t think we'd left any ruins untouched,” he says with a tentative look, not quite caring to hide his interest in her outings anymore as he watches Aloy reach out and add a fried egg to her platter.
“A little bit past Hidden Ember, actually. I probably passed it by without noticing back when we still had to put GAIA together.”
“Mm,” Erend hums in understanding. “You know… It’s been a while since we’ve explored ruins together,” he reminisces tenderly, taking the once regular loaf of bread in hand— now lumped —to cut himself a piece. “We could go together, if you find any.”
If Aloy smiles, it has nothing to do with the savory taste of the meal. “That’s what I’m here to do,” she states bluntly. “Ruin’s completely sealed. No one’s been in it.”
She finally pops the winterberry she had been toying with in her mouth. It’s sweet on her tongue, but not sweeter than Erend had been. “I came here to take you with me,” she adds with a head tilt.
Erend’s eyes widen, the lumped-bread slice he was cutting halfway to his lips. Aloy’s eyebrows rise in an untold question, and Erend’s breath hitches with the promise of adventure.
“...Sealed?” Erend echoes, “Completely?”
“Yep,” she reassures him again. “What— think I would leave you out of the fun? And here I thought we’d gotten past that a while ago,” she teases further, giving him a sly smirk as she props her elbows on the counter before her. “You’re coming with me,” she repeats.
Erend’s smile gets brighter.
Life after NEMESIS had fallen quite peaceful for a pair of warriors such as them. Ruins and Old one’s relics were harder to come around untouched, and the idea of venturing out together stirs something wild in them both, pumping curiosity and adrenaline inside their beings— Not only that, but going out after being separated for a while promised time well spent together in ways both found entertaining.
They both had bonded over activities like these back when they met.
They both know it’s a date.
So, Erend stands, excitement moving every limb. “I’ll get my things.” Erend announces, eyes bright with anticipation as he leaves the counter. Aloy smiles at the sight, his reaction alighting something similar in her being. She watches him walk off in the direction of his old bunk— no doubt looking for something he knows he’ll need.
He rounds the corner, and Aloy downs her bowl of eggs and ham, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and brushing everything away save for the adventurous smile off her face. A few minutes after, Erend comes back, having donned his old armor on again.
It’s a sight Aloy hadn't seen in a long while. His signature goldenrod scarf sits on its rightful place around his neck and makes an appearance after what feels like a lifetime ago. It only makes anticipation bubble with more intensity inside her gut, and she stands, looking at him head to toe as she stretches while taking him in.
The vanguard armor, the shape of him wearing it, the familiar stripes weaving along his arms— It reminds her of a time where it was so easy to get lost in the worrying yet thrilling self-afflicted thoughts of what they might have meant to each other.
...She realizes then that time has passed them by, having welded their lives together in ways that still make her wonder if it was fate or not. If fate even exists, or if all these things urging her soul toward his is all him.
Erend seems to preen under her searching gaze, and with a pair long strides, he closes the remaining distance, taking her face in hand and searching her eyes in return for a moment before kissing her again.
This time, it’s anticipation and joy and thrill wrapped up in a quick peck of lips— it’s a far cry from the one they’ve been lost in earlier, but it still leaves her utterly breathless.
Breathless, and savoring an exhilarating mix of paleberry and him lingering on her lips.
Short but sweet. Quick yet fulfilling.
Always fulfilling—
“...Race you to the ruin?” He whispers against her before immediately turning on his heel. All she can do is watch as he takes his old hammer from it’s place by the blast door, giving it a twirl before walking out with a whoop. The thrill of adventure ignites within her being. She’s about to take off and go after him, but she takes a quick glance back instead. She reaches out to the counter, taking another bite of the squished bread with a grin, cleaning off the crumbs off her shirt and pocketing the rest.
“For later,” she reminds herself with that same grin. She then turns on her heel, following after him through the door with that same rush of blood she’ll never tire of.