A gift fic for @hzd-tombraider-lore​‘s birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my darling friend – may the Blue Light guide your endeavours on this day!

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“Aloy!” Erend bellowed.

She flinched slightly, then offered him a half-hearted smile as he pushed his way through the jubilant crowd to reach her. “Erend,” she said, with a small nod. “This is… a lot noisier than I thought it would be.”

“Yeah, it’s a blast, isn’t it?” he replied happily. He looked around at the mass of gossiping and dancing bodies that filled the palace ballroom, then beamed down at his redheaded friend. He was delighted to see her here; he’d laughed out loud when Avad mentioned that he’d invited Aloy to the Winter Sun-Call Festival. Erend hadn’t actually expected her to come.

“Say what you want about their politics and stuff, but the Carja really know how to throw a party,” he said.

“Hmm,” Aloy said noncommittally.

Erend sobered slightly as he studied her more attentively. “Is something wrong?” he asked. Her arms were folded confidently across her chest, and her chin was boldly lifted as it always was, but there was something distinctly hunted-looking about her expression.

She raised her eyebrows. “No. It’s fine,” she said. “It’s interesting.”

He studied her in puzzlement for a moment, and then it clicked. It was too noisy for her. Aloy was used to the quietude of travelling on her own. Of course a huge Carja celebration was overwhelming.

A wash of fondness brought a fresh smile to his lips. He’d been pepping himself up to ask her to dance, but her wariness made him think twice.

“Ah, the dancing’s overrated. But the food is something else,” he told her. “Have a seat, relax! I’ll bring you something.”

She frowned as he ushered her over to a divan in a quieter corner of the room. “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I’m fine on my own.”

“Of course you are,” he said quickly, satisfied when she sat on the divan. The music and dancing were still observable here, but she wasn’t at risk of being jostled. He smirked at her. “The girl who brings down a Deathbringer doesn’t need anyone to bring her snacks. Just indulge me, will ya? It’s not often I get to host a Nora huntress.”

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then finally smiled. “All right,” she said. “Food would be nice. Honestly, I wasn’t sure where they kept the food here.” Her smile curled with a bit more humour.

He beamed at her. “Snacks coming up,” he said, and he strode back into the crowd.

He came back to her with a platter of treats to try, and a flush of happiness warmed his cheeks when she laughed out loud at his overenthusiastic selection. As the evening wore on, he watched happily as the tension left Aloy’s shoulders. He forced himself not to hover around her, giving her space when Vanasha and Avad and Talanah joined her to chat. He mingled as his Captain duties required while simultaneously steering the nosier guests away from her so she could enjoy herself in peace.

Evening gradually melded into night, and the festivities grew louder and more exuberant until  Aloy’s little corner of quiet was overtaken by the party as well.

Erend pushed his way through the crowd, eyes darting around the room until he found her standing against the wall, one foot tapping to the music and a small smile on her face.

“Hey!” he yelled. “You okay? Thought we’d lost you in the crowd there!”

She lifted her face and turned that bright little smile on him. “Still here,” she yelled back. She tilted her head. “Remind me what the purpose of this party is?”

He shrugged. “It’s a midwinter thing. Calling the Sun to come back and grace ‘em with its rays.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I heard the Carja trade kisses for luck during these celebrations,” she said.

He gaped stupidly at her for a second, then snapped his mouth shut. Was he just imagining the knowing look in her eyes, or…? “Who told you that?” he said.

“Vanasha,” she yelled. “Who else?”

Her gaze was steady on his face. He could feel his cheeks burning as though her eyes were branding him. “Uh, yeah, that’s a Carja thing though,” he stammered. “It’s, we, uh, some people do that, but-”

She raised her eyebrows. Yep, that was definitely a sly smirk on her face. “So you’re not going to wish me good luck, then?”

His face had to be absolutely on fire now. He offered her a sickly smile. “How much Scrappersap have you had to drink?” he joked feebly.

“None,” she said. Her face was suddenly serious and her chin was tilted up. He could count her every freckle, he could see every fleck of gold in her leaf-green eyes –

And then Erend was kissing her. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t wrap his numbed brain around anything but the thought that he was kissing Aloy. Her lips were slightly chapped and absolutely perfect. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about this in months because he didn’t want to be that guy, but… but maybe he was in a dream, because this was what he’d always wanted and never dared to hope for because she was so… well, she was Aloy, she was everything, and why would she ever spare a thought for a man like him?

She leaned slowly away from him, and a million years later, or maybe it was just a second, he took a breath and opened his eyes.

Her face was… fire and spit, it was beautiful. Her shining hazel eyes were blazing like a forgefire, and her lips were redder than her hair. His hand was on the wall by her head, and he wasn’t sure when it had gotten there, but he was grateful because otherwise he’d probably have fallen over by now.

He cleared his throat. “That was, uh…That was…”

Amazing, he thought, but his tongue was tied and twisted with the taste of her, and she was smiling at him – a wider smile than he’d ever seen on her face before. She looked so damned young and free that he could hardly breathe.

“That was you giving me good luck, right?” she murmured.

He could barely hear her over the music and the noise and the pounding of his own heart. He leaned closer. “Uh, yeah, sure,” he agreed.

She reached up and took hold of his scarf. “Then I should return the favour,” she said, and she kissed him.

He was stunned. And absolutely bloody delighted. He kissed her back until her lips parted beneath his own, and then her tongue was tracing the edge of his lip, and his hand was twined in the unruly mass of her flaming hair, and this was it.

This was everything. This very moment, at this huge noisy party with this girl – this woman – and her lips on his… this very moment was the greatest damned moment of his life.