Heart Like a Machine

Chapter 27

The doors opened up and I opened my eyes once more. Zo walked in with a bowl in her hands. She had a look of distress on her face, like she had been crying for a while.

"Z-Zo," I said. "What's going on?"

"The mission at Gemini failed."

"What happened?"

"Varl, well, you saw what happened to Varl."

"He died trying to protect Beta."

"I know. He was brave to the end. And so were you."

"What happened to me?"

"Stabbed twice."

"Where at?" I said and lifted my head up to see my stomach was wrapped up in bandages.

"I'm taking care of your wounds."

"Thank you, Zo."

"When word came around that GAIA was taken by the Zeniths, everyone rushed back to the base. And that was when we were informed that Varl died. Kotallo is a raging mess out there while Erend just wants to mourn the loss of his friend. I do as well, but I think it's best that Aloy is here too."

"Where is she? Is she alive?"

"She made it out alive. Right now she's on her way back. However, she thinks you died as well. So don't say anything. Your door will be closed."

"Wouldn't that scare her?"

"She'd be relieved to see you're alive."

"I guess," I said.

"Plus, it'll be a perfect set up for you two."

"Did you plan that out, Zo?"

"Sort of."

I chuckled, but it immediately hurt my stomach, causing a wave of pain.

"I'll be back in later. Or Aloy might be back in later."

I hurried into the base to see Kotallo, Alva, Zo, and Erend were sitting around with one another.

"We need to get back there and fight! We need to get what we lost back!" Kotallo yelled.

"Would you can it already?!" Erend barked at him. "Let me have a drink to mourn my friend please!"

"Hey, guys," I said and walked towards them.

"You're ok!" they all exclaimed.

"Yeah, sort of. They have Beta and GAIA. We need to get them back. But first, we need to get some preparations done."

"Aloy, if you could, please come with me," Zo said.

I followed Zo outside to a little memorial grave. She had a bag in her hands and she placed it in a basket full of what looked to be like seeds.

"I thought it would be nice to let him rest where he could see the mountains. As a reminder from where he came from."

"He would appreciate that," I said.

She put the little bag in the basket and hid it away in the seeds.

"When we go after her, I want you to be the one to bury my seeds right next to Varl," Zo said.

"We're not going to have anymore casulties. We're all going to get out of that base alive."

She nodded her head, "I hope so. Not only for my sake, but," she rested her hands on her stomach. "For his child's sake."

"I-I didn't know you two were having a child."

"Neither did he. I was going to let him know when he returned from Gemini, but," a few tears slid down her face. "He didn't return."

"I-I regret not letting him know how much I cared for him. And how much he was a great friend towards me. But I mostly regret not telling Y/N," I could feel a few tears slide down my face. "I regret not telling Y/N how I felt about her."

As I looked at the memorial, I noticed there was only one.

"Um, Zo, both Varl and Y/N died."

"She did?" Zo asked.

"Yeah. W-Were you saving another bag until I got here so that I could lay her to rest?"

Zo was silent as she looked out at the distance, "Y/N."

"Zo, what happened to Y/N? I saw her die right in front of me like how Varl did."

"Are you sure she died?"

"What do you mean? I watched her die. She was stabbed by one of the Zeniths."

Zo was silent once more, not wanting to say anything. I stood up and tapped my Focus, scanning all the life forms in the base. There was one that was laying in a bed. I unscanned everything and ran into the base. She was alive. I could finally tell her. She let the moment slip through her fingers twice now and I wasn't going to let it slip through mine no matter what it takes. I rushed back in and almost slid.

"Aloy, what's the rush?" Erend asked.

"Y/N's alive," I said.

"She's been in her room the entire time," Kotallo pointed to her closed door.

I ran towards it, but stopped a few inches short of opening it. I took in a deep breath, hesitating to open it.

I could hear she was outside as I could hear her breathing. She was hesitant on opening the door. I quietly chuckled to myself. She was the one who could open every door in existence without hesitation, but here she was, hesitating at a door she could open, but was choosing not to.

"Just open the damn door, Aloy!" Erend yelled.

The door opened up and she walked in. The door closed behind her and I looked at her green eyes. Those beautiful green eyes of hers.

"Y/N," she whispered.

"Aloy. Of all the doors you can open, you were hesitant on opening a door you could open from the beginning."

She smiled, which turned into a small chuckle, and tears ran down her face. She sat down beside me and placed a hand on my cheek.

"You're alive. You're ok," she said.

"More or less," I chuckled, looking at the wounds.

"D-Did Zo change the bandages?"

"No. She wanted you to do it when you got back."

The bandages were right beside where I was. She grabbed them, put the ointment on it and removed the bandages that were on my stomach. When she slowly peeled it off, there were two large stab wounds that were stitched together. She put the new bandages on the wounds and placed the old ones on the table. 

"I thought you had died," she said, avoiding my gaze. "I-I thought I wouldn't be able to tell you how I felt. After all the times we talked when we were younger, the time we went to Meridian together, and you helping me here in the Forbidden West, I thought I would never be able to tell you how I felt."

"How do you feel, Aloy?" I asked, slowly sitting up.

She placed her hands on my cheeks and pulled me towards her, placing her lips firmly against mine. My lips curled into a smile and I kissed her back. This moment I was waiting for, this moment I was working towards, has finally arrived. I reached up and dug my one hand into her hair, feeing how soft it was at it entangled between my fingers. Her lips were soft against mine. She pulled away and rested her forehead against mine.

"I love you."

My heart, that was once beating faster than anything I have ever heard or felt, had finally burst. I smiled, feeling breathless as I repeated those words back to her.

"I love you, Aloy."