Gift drabble for @ilikedetectives because she is wonderful and sweet and takes wonderful HZD photos and DESERVES ALL THE NILOY FLUFF.  (Pretend for the sake of this drabble that this is early in the relationship when Aloy is still in denial about how cute Nil is.)

Inspiration: Aloy and Nil’s matching facepaint. ❤️

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Nil placed his thumb gently on Aloy’s cheek. “Be still, now.”

Aloy swallowed hard at the touch of his thumb, then rolled her eyes belligerently as he brought the coal-tipped stylus toward her eye. “Remind me again why I’m letting you paint my face.”

He smirked, but didn’t speak until he’d finished the marks under her left eye. “It’s not about the look. It’s the fine art of intimidation. These marks will be the last things they see when their lives flash before their eyes.” He tilted his head and pursed his lips in a mocking expression of thought. “Perhaps one or two will get away, but let them flee. They’ll spread the tale of the Nora huntress with two pairs of eyes: one pair that brings life, and one pair that heralds death.”

She wrinkled her nose. “One pair that brings life? How do you figure?”

He shot her a slow smile. “How else would you explain the rush of joy that these fatal encounters bring?” he said. He carefully painted her right under-eye, then leaned back and studied her face. “Don’t deny the rush, Suntress. I live for these moments. I know you do too." 

She shook her head. "Nil, I told you – I don’t enjoy this.” She stood and headed toward the bandit camp before he could see the flushing of her cheeks. 

He caught up to her easily with his graceful lope. “And yet we continue to find each other,” he mused. “If it’s not the blissful scent of blood, there must be something else that draws you in.”

Her face grew even hotter at his purposefully bland tone of voice. She threw him a dirty look. “Be quiet,” she said firmly. “We’re getting close.”  She pulled her bow from her back and crouched in a nearby thatch of grass.

He drew his own bow and crouched beside her. “As you say, Suntress. Life and death, blood and breath: I follow your command.”

She bit back a smile as she notched an arrow in her bow. Nil might not be the most – well, reasonable – company to keep, but she could say this much for him: he was a good partner.