Feels

The sight of Bash and Lief huddled together in front of the window wasn't unusual, especially considering Aloy was in Meridian. Tus shed his Vanguard helmet on the table and sighed.

"Let me guess, she came by for their usual lunch date and now they're sitting together on that balcony out there because neither one wants to say goodbye to each other."

An excited gasp from the window. "They're holding hands!"

"Right, we've never seen them do that before," said Tus dryly. "Don't you two have patrol or something?"

Lief waved a hand at him. "Aw, come on, just a few more minutes."

"You sound like my children at bedtime."

"Look, look!" Bash punched Lief in the arm. "Kiss incoming."

Tus rolled his eyes as the exact moment of the kiss was marked by an "aww" from the two at the window.

"Enough," said Tus. "Patrol go. Unless you want the captain to catch you."

"He seems pretty well occupied at the moment," said Lief. Suddenly, he stiffened. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"

Bash nodded. "I think so."

Tus went to the window, intending to give them both a cuff upside the head, when he saw what had so captured their attention. The captain and Aloy were indeed on one of the balconies and Erend was kneeling, holding her hands in his.

"By the forge," said Tus, "he's finally doing it."

Unable to look away, the three Vanguard watched as Aloy nodded, Erend's whoop of joy clearly audible as he swept her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

Lief and Bash both sniffed suspiciously and Tus cleared his throat. "Alright, both of you, patrol, now. And keep this to yourselves or you'll have me to answer to."

"But Tus - "

"Not. A. Word. The cap'll say something when he's ready."

He pretended to busy himself with paperwork until they both left before returning to the window. Aloy's hair shone in the sunlight as she and Erend simply stood, foreheads touching and hands clasped. Tus grinned, his own eyes moist.

"Way to go, Cap," he said to himself and turned away.

By the way, according to the bio Sylens gives you at Maker's End, Elisabet Sobek was born March 11, 2020. Just thought that was cool.