Dear @hellarcanine, 

C H A L L E N G E    A C C E P T E D. Also uhhh I can’t resist writing way too much for my ultimate OTP so you got a oneshot instead of a drabble, #sorrynotsorry #oopsmybad #NILOYTRASHFOREVER

Read here on AO3 instead. 

*******************

Aloy’s arm was itchy.

She gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the sensation, but there was nothing for it; she had to scratch. She gingerly raised her left hand, then carefully pressed the nail of her middle finger into the itchy spot on the inside of her right elbow.

She released a little sigh of relief as the pressure of her nail alleviated the itch, then critically inspected the intricate reddish-brown lines and dots of pigment that spanned the inner surface of her arms from elbow to fingertip. Didn’t mess up the stupid paint either, she thought with grim satisfaction. The last thing she wanted was to give Vanasha an excuse to start over.

She sighed and stared boredly across the balcony for another minute. Usually Aloy took great pleasure in the jungle view from her and Nil’s small quarters in the palace, but it was hard to enjoy the view when she’d been staring at it incessantly for an hour with nothing else to do.

Just then, she heard the creak of the door opening. Finally, she thought, and glanced over her shoulder to scold Vanasha for taking so long to return.

To her happy surprise, however, it was Nil. “There you are. I waited for you,” he said. “When…” He trailed off as his eyes slid over her: she was wearing only her smallclothes and her cropped silk blouse, and she smirked as Nil’s eyebrows lifted appreciatively.

“Well, well,” he drawled. “What fortune have I stumbled across on this fine afternoon? Patiently awaiting the pleasure of my company, are you?”

Aloy shot him an apologetic glance. “Actually…”

As if on cue, Vanasha wafted into the room behind Nil, a bowl and spoon in hand. “If it isn’t His Highness, the Royal Pain in my Tail!” she trilled. “Come to watch the show, have you?”

Aloy sighed as Nil’s face fell into its customary neutral mask of annoyance. “Vanasha,” he said flatly. “Come to tempt me to murder, have you?”

Vanasha smiled sweetly. “I do miss you when you’re gone, you know. The witty repartee, the death threats… How do I survive without them?” She sighed mock-wistfully, then turned back to Aloy. “You are a lucky girl, to have a husband with bloody gore constantly pouring from his mouth.”

“Yeah, I am,” Aloy replied belligerently, but Vanasha only smiled and winked. She sashayed over to the table, then stirred the contents of her bowl before carefully decanting it into a small fine-tipped cone made of waxed fabric.

Vanasha then strolled over to stand in front of Aloy. “Ready?” she asked.

Aloy rolled her eyes. “I guess.”

Vanasha smiled. “A willing participant! My favourite kind.” Without further ado, she delicately kneeled at Aloy’s feet.

“What are you doing?” Nil demanded. He strode over to Vanasha’s side with a scowl, then raised his eyebrows as he caught sight of Aloy’s body. In addition to the patterns painted on her arms and hands, there was a swirling sunburst pattern around her navel and two symmetrical row of dots and curlicues spanning from the angles of her jaw to the top of her collarbones.

Vanasha tossed Nil an exasperated glance. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m practicing my fabulous new designs on our little huntress here.” She placed one hand on Aloy’s left thigh, lowered the tip of the pigment cone to her thigh and began tracing a careful design.

Nil stared at Aloy’s body for a moment longer, then lifted his disbelieving eyes to her face. “You agreed to this?” he said.

Aloy almost folded her arms defensively, then stopped herself just in time. “Yes,” she muttered.

“Of course she agreed,” Vanasha piped in. “I’m irresistible, Prince. Don’t you know that by now?”

Nil folded his arms. “The only irresistible urge you’re giving me is the urge to sling you out of this room by your silken scarves.”

Vanasha let out a delicate snort of laughter, then tutted in annoyance and inspected her cone. “Ugh, the pigment is too thick. I’ll be back.” She stood and wafted toward the door.

“Wait a second,” Aloy protested. “You’re leaving again? You can’t just thin this stuff out with water?”

“No, little huntress,” Vanasha called over her shoulder. “The pigment will separate. I’ll be back!” A moment later, she was gone.

Aloy sighed heavily. “Sorry,” she said. “I know you wanted to go hunting. Someday I’ll say no to Vanasha, but today was not that day.”

Nil didn’t reply, and Aloy looked him quizzically; his arms were still folded and he was inspecting her body carefully, his eyes sliding from the designs on her neck down to her navel.

A ripple of anticipation trickled down her spine at the intensity of his gaze, and she smiled. “Oh no. I know what you’re thinking,” she said.

Nil finally lifted his eyes to her face, and Aloy smiled more broadly still at the obvious heat in his gaze. He took a step closer to her, and Aloy backed away. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned. “Vanasha will kill me if you mess up her patterns. She’s been working on them for over an hour.”

Nil smirked and surged closer, his hand outstretched to catch her arm, and Aloy skipped back in alarm. “Hey!” she squawked. “Be careful! You’re going to make a mess!”

Finally Nil took hold of her unpainted upper arm and stepped close. He lifted his chin arrogantly and stared down at her. “You don’t think I can be careful, Suntress?”

Aloy took a deep, slow breath and forced herself to stand still; her traitorous body wanted to sway toward him, but she’d mess up the paint on her belly if she did. “I really don’t,” she replied. “You aren’t exactly known for your gentle touch, you know.” She bit the inside of her cheek to hide her smirk; Nil could be infinitely gentle in the bedroom, particularly when he was trying to drive her to distraction, but she didn’t need to remind him of bedroom activities right now.

A slow, feral smile lifted the corner of his lips, and he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to her ear. “Is that a challenge?” he whispered, then released her arm and slowly made his way around behind her.

Aloy stepped away from him. “No,” she retorted, with a hint more belligerence than she intended. “It’s a warning. Keep your hands to yourself.”

He stalked around her in a slow circle, then ran the tip of his finger along the length of her throat. “Even the sharpest blade can be gentle when wielded by a skilled hand,” he purred. “Vanasha won’t know I laid a finger on you. What do you say?”

A thrill of desire trickled down her throat and into her belly at the stroke of his finger. “Can’t. She’ll be back any minute,” Aloy said breathlessly.

Nil grunted in annoyance, then strode over to the door of their quarters and locked it. He turned to face her again, and Aloy stopped breathing at the look on his face. His head was canted low, his shoulders looming and broad, and as he slowly made his way back toward her, she was forcibly reminded of a Stalker: the slow prowl of his steps, the sinuous movement of his slim hips, even the glittering hardness of his silver eyes evoked the strength and grace of the stealthy machine.

His eyes slid over her body again as he slowly approached. By the time he was an arm’s length away, his lips were curled in a smug smirk. “Will you still pretend to naysay me?” he drawled. “I can see the sex painted on your skin, clearer than that fucking pigment.”

At his mocking tone, Aloy checked herself; her back was arched toward him, her legs parted more than was strictly necessary. Embarrassed, she relaxed her posture and almost folded her arms again.

Nil swiftly reached out and took hold of her upper arm. “Be careful, Suntress,” he mocked. “Don’t ruin your precious paint.”

She tutted in annoyance and pulled her arm from his grip. “You’re insufferable,” she scolded, then turned away to face the balcony.

He swiftly stepped in front of her before she could take more than a step. “I’m also correct,” he said confidently. “I know you want me. Embrace it, Suntress. I can be gentle.”

He tilted her chin up with two fingers, and Aloy parted her lips instinctively. She’d never been good at hiding her desire from Nil, and as he took her mouth in a fierce kiss, the simmering desire in her blood erupted into a full boil. She almost grabbed his waist, but she stopped herself at the last moment and reluctantly tucked her hands behind her back.

Nil gently gripped her chin and ran the tip of his tongue over her lower lip. He slid his other hand around her hip, and Aloy arched her chest pleadingly toward him while carefully keeping her painted belly away from his. She was desperate to touch him, and the gesture of restraining her own arms behind her back was somehow driving her arousal even higher.

Finally Nil pulled away, then took a step back and studied her restrained posture. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, and he looked more untamed than ever. “You look like your arms are bound,” he commented. “Like you’re… tied up.” He swallowed hard, then lifted his gaze to her face again. “You look like prey, Suntress.”

“Then what does that make you?” she said boldly. She lifted her chin, shameless and confident now in her challenge. Vanasha was locked out until further notice, and Aloy couldn’t be bothered to feel bad; all she cared about now was the pulsing beat at the apex of her thighs and the man in front of her with dark promise written all over his face.

“It makes a me a predator, of course,” Nil said smoothly, then treated her to a devilish smile. “Is this to be a chase, then? A thrilling hunt for the fragrant blood that pounds so loudly between your legs?”

The clamouring want in her groin seemed to pound more insistently at his words, and Aloy finally capitulated. “Yes,” she said. “Catch me if you can.”

Nil laughed mockingly. “Suntress, when have I ever failed to catch you?” He lunged toward her, but while they’d been talking, Aloy had carefully moved away until the table was between them. As Nil stalked around the table toward her, she skipped away and hopped over the chaise-lounge, placing the fancy piece of furniture in his way.

The impromptu chase continued, with Nil trying to anticipate Aloy’s quick moves as she darted from the chaise-lounge to the balcony, then around the table again. But her painted arms ultimately proved to be her downfall: as she tried to hop over the chaise-lounge a second time, she lost her balance. Unable to catch herself, she stumbled to her knees on the chaise-lounge.

Nil, ever the predatory, took full advantage of her weakness. He immediately kneeled behind her and dragged her back against his chest with one arm around her ribs. His other hand pressed against her sternum, his fingers close to her collarbones, and Aloy gasped. “Easy!” she warned. “The paint-”

Nil growled against her ear. “I see the sun-cursed paint, Suntress. I told you, I’ll be gentle.”

Aloy released a wild little laugh. “You’re being such a beast already! I don’t think you can-” She broke off with a sudden cry as Nil slid his hand up and into her blouse. He palmed her breast roughly and pinched her nipple hard, then drifted his hand over to her other breast and rubbed her nipple with his callused thumb.

Aloy threw her head back against his shoulder. “Fire and spit, Nil, that’s hardly gentle,” she gasped. He pinched her nipple again, and the muscles in her arms tensed convulsively as she forced herself to keep her arms loose at her sides. She wanted so badly to grab his wrist, dig her nails into his arm, scrape her nails across her own skin in pleasure, and the forced inactivity of her arms was slowly driving her mad.

Nil nipped the shell of her ear. “I’ll be gentle with the paint. I said nothing about you.”

A nearly painful surge of excitement tore its way down her throat, stalling her breath in her lungs as Nil slid his hand out of her blouse and down her belly. True to his word, he carefully skirted the pattern around her navel before ruthlessly sliding his hand into her smallclothes. Before Aloy could even drag in a breath, he parted her slick folds and plunged one finger inside of her.

“Fuck!” Aloy gasped, and Nil laughed dirtily. “Now who’s the beast?” he taunted. “Mouthy little prey, you are.” He curled his finger slowly inside of her, then pulled his finger free to slide around her swollen clit.

Aloy arched her hips desperately into his hand. Nil’s lips were hot against her cheekbone, his fingers hot and hard between her legs, and the ruthless swirling of his fingers was hauling her toward her peak with an almost ridiculous speed. She held her breath, her eyes squeezed shut and every scrap of her attention on the exquisite stroke of his fingers between her legs.

Her orgasm smashed over her like a tsunami, a pulsing of convulsions that spanned from her core to her throat and her calves, and Aloy scraped in a shaky breath before releasing her rapture in an uninhibited cry. Nil’s smooth caresses continued over her clit until she tilted her hips away from his hand.

He released her body and slid off of the chaise-lounge, and Aloy sat back on her heels and leaned her head back in exhausted rapture. When she opened her eyes again, Nil was in front of her. He reached down and grabbed her hips, then flipped her onto her back and shoved her legs apart.

A fresh surge of excitement kicked her heart rate up again as he kneeled between her legs. He rested his hand on her left knee, and she tensed her thigh instinctively. “Careful,” she said.

She smiled cheekily as Nil shot her a dark look. “One more fucking word about the paint…” he threatened, then without further delay, he lowered his face between her legs and slicked his tongue firmly along the length of her cleft.

Aloy arched viciously into his mouth, then released a guttural cry as he slid two fingers inside of her. Her unruly hands tried to clench again, and she almost screamed with frustration at having to keep her hands to herself. She wanted so badly to sink her fingers into Nil’s hair, but the paint, the goddess-damned bloody paint…

She stretched her arms over her head and rested them on the back of the chaise-lounge, then thrust her hips against Nil’s willing mouth. His talented fingers were teasing that delicate bundle of nerves inside of her with every curl, his tongue and lips dancing over her sensitive clit with just the right degree of pressure, and Aloy shamelessly fucked his face and fingers with increasing zeal until her second climax exploded with an electric surge of pleasure.

She was still shuddering with the aftershocks when Nil pulled away and roughly wiped his mouth on his hand before rising to his feet. “Stand up,” he commanded.

His voice was an animalistic growl, and Aloy forced her trembling limbs to obey. As soon as she was on her feet, Nil snatched her up, then carried her over to the bed and tossed her onto the bed.

He swiftly shoved his silk pants off and kneeled between her legs. He dragged her smallclothes off, then took hold of her painted leg.  “Hands over your head,” he snapped. “Keep them high.”

Aloy instantly followed his command, and Nil rested her left ankle on his shoulder before taking hold of her hips. “Vanasha might mark your skin with her pigments, but I’ll mark you on the inside,” he said matter-of-factly. “Every step you take today will remind you of my cock. Every drop of water you drink will remind you of my tongue, and then you’ll think of my mouth between your legs, and you’ll be lost.”

His blunt words were like a lure, dragging every scrap of her focus and every speck of want in her body to her Carja lover. He pulled her hips closer then carefully ran the tip of his cock along her slick cleft, and Aloy bucked helplessly against him.

Suddenly he slammed his length into her, and Aloy cried out in ecstasy as he filled her up to the hilt. She jerked her hips toward him in a wordless plea for movement, but Nil’s fingers suddenly bit into her hip, and she stared at him in pleading desperation.

His teeth were bared in a snarl, but as she watched, he turned his face and pressed a tender kiss to her ankle. He thrust into her again with a hard slam of his hips, and Aloy gasped anew as he surged forward, his body carefully looming over her and his hands framing her waist.

He flexed his hips again, and Aloy’s breath seized as she stared into his compelling silver eyes. “This is how I love you,” he told her roughly. “It’s not gentle, and it is not careful. This is a war drum, Suntress. It’s the roaring of a Sawtooth in my chest. I love you like a fucking storm, and that’s how I’ll show it.”

A lump swelled in her throat, and she swallowed hard as though she could swallow down the surge of adoration in her breast. Suddenly she didn’t care about the paint on her hands anymore; all she wanted was to clutch him close and fuck him with all the love she had to give. She reached up and cradled his neck in her painted hands. “You are such a fucking animal,” she blurted, “and I love you so much. Kiss me right now.”

Nil grinned, a brilliant spill of joy across his handsome face, then lowered himself close and kissed her hard while thrusting into her again. Aloy wrapped her arms around his shoulders and delved her tongue into his mouth as he drove himself into her heat. Suddenly her left leg was freed and wrapped around his waist, and he pressed himself even closer and sank his fingers into her hair, his thumbs stroking her neck as he devoured her mouth and drove his hips against hers in a wild and wanton rhythm.

Aloy arched eagerly into his chest, her nails scraping across his back to grasp his neck as she panted desperately against his mouth. A few delirious moments later, Nil groaned against her mouth, then bit her lower lip as he slammed into her hard and held fast, his shoulders shuddering as he came.

She hugged him close, squeezing him tightly as they panted in the aftermath. Finally Nil pressed a light kiss to her ear. “Vanasha is going to be very displeased with you,” he murmured.

Aloy let out an exhausted little laugh. “I know,” she admitted. “I’ll just blame you. She won’t question it.”

She playfully pinched Nil’s earlobe, and Nil grumbled happily against her cheek. “I’m no stranger to censure from the nobility, it’s true,” he purred. “I’ll happily take the blame to spare you the wrath.” With a self-satisfied sigh, he rolled away from her and rose to his feet.

And then there was a sharp knock at the door.

Aloy raised her eyebrows at Nil, but he only grinned and tossed her smallclothes at her. “I suppose we should pretend to make ourselves decent,” he said, then pulled on his pants and fished a kerchief from his pocket.

Aloy took the proffered kerchief and quickly wiped herself up, but for once, she couldn’t pretend to feel embarrassed. She was still thrilling from Nil’s fierce cock and his even fiercer words of love, and any guilt she might have felt was drowned out by her warm sense of wellbeing. She pulled her smallclothes back on and wandered back to the center of the room as Nil swaggered over to the door and opened it.

Vanasha slowly entered the room, her arms folded and her face flat with exasperation. She flicked a disgusted glance over Nil’s pigment-smeared shoulders and neck, then pursed her lips as she looked at Aloy’s equally-smudged arms and belly. “How long will it take before you two can be left alone without falling on each other like wild animals?” she scolded. “It’s not adorable anymore. In fact, I’ll have you know that it was never adorable.”

Nil preened as though she’d paid him the highest compliment, and Aloy rubbed her nose to hide her amusement. Vanasha could rant and rail all she wanted; Aloy didn’t mind. She glanced fondly at her smug husband with his predatory smile and his glowing silver eyes, and didn’t regret a thing.

She would happily wade into an infinite number of messes for the love of her grey-eyed Carja killer.