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"Turn around and close your eyes"
Seyka took in the mischievous smile on Aloy's face suspiciously, but indulged her request. A moment later she felt Aloy's presence at her back and then a soft piece of fabric being wrapped around her head, covering her eyes, tied in a knot under her ponytail.
Seyka raised a cloth covered eyebrow "A blindfold? Is this a sex thing? because if it is, I am so down."
A throaty laugh came from the woman behind her, so deep and joyful Seyka felt its sweeping heat down her spine.
"While that wasn't my original intention, I had a feeling you'd say that…" Aloy's hands were on Seyka's hips and her lips were pressed against the side of her neck, planting a kiss before finishing her sentence "…so it's definitely up for negotiation later, but first, I have other plans"
A warm, rough hand slipped into Seyka's palm.
"This way" Aloy whispered, giving her a tug, and they made their way down the forest path. Maybe it was because she was blindfolded, but the walk took longer than Seyka had expected, they winded left and right and left again several times. Normally, not being able to see would put her on edge-being a warrior who relied on all her keen senses-but instead she just felt happy to be in Aloy's presence after weeks apart and excited for whatever the huntress had planned. Though, a blindfold in the middle of the wilds was strangely out of the ordinary, but she trusted Aloy. Had every reason to.
"Watch out, there's a root in front of your left foot" Aloy warned, guiding Seyka gently around the hazard.
"You know, If it was anyone but you, I might think this is a trap" Seyka said playfully.
"And how do you know it's not?" Even though Seyka couldn't see her face, she could hear the smirk in Aloy's voice. Knew exactly how adorable it was.
"I don't, but I trust any trap you set for me would be a pleasant one" Seyka flirted back.
Aloy answered it with a soft chuckle, squeezing her hand. "If you're trying to get me to tell you what the surprise is, it's not going to work."
Seyka stuck her lip out in an exaggerated pout, which was rewarded with another soft laugh from Aloy.
They continued to walk until Seyka felt the dirt beneath her feet give way to soft sand, and then, curiously, to hard stone. They took a few more steps before Aloy stopped her, speaking softly.
"We're here. Let me take that off of you." Aloy stepped behind her again, untying the blindfold and pulling it away. "Open your eyes."
Seyka's breath caught and a shocked smile spread across her face, she wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn't this.
They were at an entrance of a cave, inside was a small, but pristine hot spring glowing with greenshine, and overhead was a natural skylight so they could still see the stars, steam rolling off the water to disappear into the sky. On the shore of the spring Aloy had set up camp, it would have been dark, but instead it was illuminated by a small fire and dozens of flickering candles laid out around a blanket on the ground and off to the side was a pile of soft bed furs.
The blanket was laden with an array of treats, including what looked like a very expensive bottle of Carjan wine, all of it meticulously placed alongside colorful flowers and shimmering sea shells. When Seyka stepped closer, she realized Aloy had made sure to include many of her favorites; smoked salmon, beanweed bites, delta dumplings, peaches, kiwi and fresh bread. Honey and all the spicy sauces for dipping included, of course.
"Aloy, you did all of this? What's the occasion?" Seyka asked, she couldn't hide the awe in her voice. Inwardly, she panicked for a moment, wondering if she had forgotten some important anniversary, but Seyka never forgot those types of things.
Safe to say, Aloy had succeeded in surprising her.
While Aloy was kind, emphatic, and loving; she wasn't exactly the most romantic, and when she was, it was almost always by accident. Shockingly sweet words whispered between bed furs in a vulnerable moment or pragmatic displays of her love, like replacing the wrapping on the hilt of Seyka's sword or reminding her to eat on a long day. This was the first time she had done something so intentionally romantic. Seyka was smitten.
When she met Aloy's eyes, the huntress was studying her reaction carefully, and that ruddy blush she adored so much spread across her face at her question. Aloy licked her lips and walked towards Seyka, taking her hand again and pulling her towards the blanket.
"Sit down with me?" Aloy asked, and of course, Seyka did. Before Aloy answered her question, she reached for the wine, taking out a tool and pulling the cork out with a 'pop', pouring them each a glass in the fancy cups sitting on the blanket. They both took a sip, Aloy's flush deepening, spreading down her chest; Seyka enjoying that sight as much as the bitter, sweet taste on her tongue.
"No occasion, exactly…" Aloy said finally "…just you…"
Seyka gave her a questioning look, and Aloy took a deep breath before speaking again, meeting Seyka's eyes. "I know we haven't been able to spend a lot of time together lately…"
Nemesis was gone now and the war was over, but the aftermath had just begun, they've had to split their time and resources to help those recovering. Being separated was hard on them both, but duty to a greater good was something they had always agreed on. A deep-seeded belief that tied them together tighter than any distance could separate them.
"… but I need you to know that whenever we are apart, I miss you like…" Aloy paused as if she was searching for the right words, looking off to the side to stare into a candle, before looking back at Seyka "…I'd miss my own lungs. Even when I'm too busy to sleep, you're on my mind. And Seyka…" Aloy set her cup of wine down and reached for Seyka's hand, the huntress's palm was clammy and she was trembling, but Seyka held it steady in her own "…through all of this, ever since we first met, you've been a source of strength for me…not just strength, but… comfort and joy. Even when things were at there roughest, not just for me, but for you… you were steadfast. You're always going on about how I've taught you so much, but you're the same for me… You've taught me things about myself I never knew were there. About love and friendship and family and vulnerability and having fun…"
Aloy took another deep breath, taking her free hand to wipe away a tear that was threatening to fall from the corner of her eye. Her voice was almost a whisper, shaking with emotion. "There was a long time where I had accepted that those things weren't for me, where I had reserved myself to fighting for others to experience those things, even if I couldn't. And while my friends and Beta had started to help me see how wrong I was about that… You're the one who really clobbered it into my thick skull." Aloy let out a soft chuckle and so did Seyka
"…Who made me not just want to win this fight… but survive to see what came after it." Aloy looked bashful for a minute, and Seyka could tell she had more to say. She squeezed Aloy's hand, signaling her to continue, her own heart beating a mile a minute. "All that to say, I love you, Seyka; which isn't a secret to anyone, let alone you, but I want these moments we can steal together to be special…and when things settle down, when we have more time, I want to spend as much of it together as possible. I don't care how, as long as it's together."
Seyka waited a moment, to make sure Aloy was finished and to take in her words, her stomach full of butterflies, her heart in her throat. She reached up to wipe tears off her own face before reaching for Aloy's and doing the same, cupping the huntress's jaw. She stared into bright green eyes, the flames of a dozen flickering candles making them even brighter.
"I love you too" Seyka's whispered, but with the emotions rising in her chest it was hard to get out, she cleared her throat, taking a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She smiled through her own blush, looking at Aloy with a quirk of her brow "You know, I think that might be the most words you've strung together at one time in all the years I've known you."
Aloy laughed, relaxing at Seyka's teasing and swatting her arm "Oh, shut up."
"We both know that's impossible"
"Hmm" Aloy hummed, shaking her head, a grin on her face "I know one surefire way that always shuts you up, sailor" Aloy curled her fist into Seyka's scarf and pulled her into a kiss. Slow. Deliberate. Attentive. Seyka kissed her back just the same, her hand moving to tease the hair on the back of Aloy's neck. A soft moan escaping her when she tasted the wine on Aloy's tongue, along with the familiar taste of her lover beneath it.
When they pulled back Seyka's sappy grin turned to a soft smile and she met Aloy's eyes again, she had needed a moment, to gather her wits after Aloy's speech, a moment to find her own words, but she thought she had them now.
"Well, if we are making romantic declarations, I have one too" Seyka said
"You don't have to, I didn't mean to put you on the spot or anything…just needed you to know…" Aloy said with a subtle shake of her head, but it was clear she wasn't trying to shut Seyka down, just didn't want her to feel pressured.
"No, I want to. Been wanting to for a while." Seyka took a deep breath. "I love you so much, Aloy, you're my partner and my best friend and my home…When I left the Delta the last thing I expected was to fall in love with a woman from across the world or to get swept up into a fight to save it with her, but I have zero regrets and I'd do it again and again and again if it meant being with you. All of it, no matter how hard." Seyka started to get choked up, and reached for her cup of wine, taking a large swig as if it was Bilge Blaze, Aloy shooting an amused smile at the action "…Before I met you, I thought that the highest purpose I could have would be dying for a tribe who cared nothing for me, but you showed me another way, you've made my world so much bigger, bigger and more beautiful than I could ever have imagined… And there's nothing I'd love more than to spend as much of my life with you as time will allow. As long as you'll have me."
Aloy had been watching Seyka intently as she spoke and at that last declaration the almost shy expression on her face returned. "Even if it's forever?" She asked quietly
A laugh bubbled up from Seyka's chest, a feeling of overwhelming joy, she nodded her head, almost frantically "Especially if it's forever" She confirmed.
The smile that lit up Aloy's face was more radiant than any sunset or ocean or mountain peak that Seyka had ever seen and the soft laugh of relief that followed was sweeter than any music. She met that laugh with another kiss, a little more desperate than the last one. A little longer. It's not that their commitment to each other hadn't been clear before, through actions and implications, but with the apocalypse hanging over them, it had felt too heavy to state outright that they both hoped for more. Now though, with the words out, Seyka could feel the air around them sparkling with something close to magic.
"So, do you like your surprise?" Aloy asked, when she pulled away, looking very pleased with herself.
"Of course, I do. I love it" Seyka squeezed Aloy's hand "I have to admit you surprised me, I thought maybe it would be a giant gun and something for us to blow up. Usually, when you do something so romantic, you stumble into it like a tripwire."
"I…" Aloy rubbed the back of her neck, smiling bashfully "…might have gotten the idea from one of those 'rom-coms' Beta always makes me watch"
Seyka laughed "Hmm, I bet you won't whine about how silly they are now"
"Don't count on it" Aloy said with a roll of her eyes "But I might appreciate some things about them after this" Aloy let out a happy sigh "should we eat?"
"We should." Seyka nodded and then, she gave Aloy her sultriest smile, the one she knew always turned her girlfriends face the same shade as her hair "And maybe after dinner, it can be your turn to wear the blindfold?"
It worked, a pretty flush spread across the bridge of Aloy nose, but the huntress just chuckled softly, giving Seyka a knowing smile, as she dipped a slice of peach in honey and brought it to Seyka's lips. "Like I said, that's up for negotiation"