Chapter Text
Aloy had been acting strange around him, Kotallo was sure of it. Sneaky, smug smiles when he wasn't looking directly at her, like some hare brained scheme of hers was coming to fruition.
On the flesh hand, he was a bit concerned. Some of those schemes had him woken up at three AM on on-call nights of his two week shifts to 'come get the crazy woman and her nut job boyfriend out of our drunk tank, they are terrorizing the other occupants'. On the prosthetic hand, he had gotten Fashav out of one of those very schemes so far.
He hated the discomfort not knowing was causing him and that Aloy knew that .
Hekarro was putting him on vacation forcibly, despite Kotallo’s many complaints that he had been off of work for a whole year.
“You were off work because you couldn’t work , you stubborn mule. And it’s been another whole year since that time. That doesn’t preclude you from getting vacation.” The fire chief sighed with an exasperated smile on his face. “Go take Fashav someplace nice, get to know his living habits. Ten knows we’ve all been wondering when you two are going to do more than blush madly like you’ve committed public indecency by simply holding hands.”
Kotallo felt that very blush he was being needled about creep across his face. Unfair. He was letting Fashav set the pace for this whole arrangement because Kotallo wasn’t sure what he was comfortable with yet. He really wanted to keep the man around. With a snort, Hekarro pushed his very old fashioned half moon spectacles up his nose, then stood.
“You get a week and a half starting next week. I don’t want to see you anywhere near the firehouse.” He pulled Kotallo in for a hug. “I let Aloy know so she can chase you away if needed.”
Betrayal .
Aloy was scheming and Hekarro wasn’t helping Kotallo in avoiding it. How dare she be his only identifiable friend outside of the station.
He knew his face was screwed up in distaste as they separated from the hug, his chief only smiling innocently. Truly innocently. Despite knowing the antics Aloy and Nil got up to, they were Kotallo’s friends.
He needed to reevaluate what friendship was now. Bailing your friends out of the continual situations they got themselves into shouldn’t be one of the standards. Even if those situations made for fantastic stories to get people to buy him drinks for putting up with their hijinks.
“You shouldn’t have,” Kotallo said dryly.
Hekarro only snorted and shooed him away. “Anything for a friend.”
Kotallo narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the merry twinkly in those pale eyes that was there and gone just as fast. A game was afoot. Dammit.
After ensuring his boss heard his huff of disbelief and indignation, Kotallo left to try to discern what Aloy had likely planned for him. Hopefully it didn’t involve sprinting naked through cornfields again after being plied with rum. He didn’t think Fashav would be into that.
You mention you did something once as a child and suddenly Aloy makes it her mission to have you ‘revisit your past’ and ‘get back in touch with your inner child’. Never mind being shot at with bird pellets by an angry and confused old farmer.
Aloy managed to dodge him up until two days before his vacation started. He had been so absorbed in trying to figure out what she was up to, that being reminded of Fashav’s uncle's imminent retirement party caught him off-guard. He also hadn’t bothered to plan his vacation, he had been so consumed with needing to know what the redheaded gremlin was up to .
With some quick mental calculations done, he realized that he would be back from vacation right as the retirement party was occurring. Good thing he had that suit now. Kotallo still hadn’t met Jiran in person, but Fashav and Marad had made it immensely clear that he was an angry stick in the mud at the best of times. Though the man was about to have no bearing on the practice he was leaving with a hoard of earned-but-not-worthy-of cash from his sons buying him out, he could still make life a living hell for everyone involved.
Kotallo wanted to make at least a lukewarm impression. Enough that maybe he would be ignored for the rest of Fashav’s life. He was okay with that.
Maybe Fashav would like to come visit his family? Their own mountain bred variety of crazy, hicks living off the land and talking with goats more than other people. Maybe…maybe more time would be needed before Fashav got thrown into that insanity. Kivva would be excited for a sniff of civilization. Might even try to steal Fashav away so that she could be swept away to the city.
Yeah. Another time. When Kotallo was feeling more secure in the relationship, if it continued.
But back to the retirement party thing. Kotallo had a smart suit, and he should ask Fashav if it would meet any exacting standards for the country club location it was being held in.
They were going to meet up tonight at Kotallo’s apartment, Fashav more comfortable there than in his own. Mainly because Kotallo later commented on the hideous vase he had pulled out from under the counter. Fashav had stuttered that he really didn’t have much that he called his own and that the vase was from Nil and was meaningful to him, having held a bunch of dead flowers after Talanah had broken up with him.
Kotallo tried not to laugh, he really did, but dead flowers? Likely on purpose too, knowing Aloy.
When he got a really good look at Fashav’s place, he realized there was next to no personality in it. It was the nice kind of bachelor pad, that was painfully clean, grey, and lacked any sort of…life. Just functional and full of clean lines.
Kotallo’s was a riot of plants, soft blankets, items that he found interesting, and antique farm stuff his parents insisted was ‘trendy’ right now and he should try to help them sell some of their junk in the city. Like his apartment was actually a designer decoration boutique and he just let anyone come and go. He loved his family, but they really had no clue.
It wasn’t Kotallo’s turn to stay overnight at the firehouse, so he clocked out and went home. He settled on an easy pan seared chicken dish with roasted veggies and saffron yellow rice. Out of a package of course, because he did like to be lazy when appropriate. He stopped by a small, curated wine shop to pick out a nice sweeter red, then showered when he got home. By the time he was clean and wrapped in a towel, he heard knocking.
It was a bit early for Fashav. Kotallo narrowed his eyes at the door, then carefully stalked up as another knock sounded. When he unlocked the door, it was promptly shoved open and he got a face full of red hair with silver eyes watching him maliciously from a distance.
At least he was about to find out what the gremlins had planned now.
“Why are you naked?” Aloy asked in her normal whirlwind style, whipping past him while trying to tug the towel off. “Got any cornfields calling your name?”
“I’m not naked. I have a towel on. Why are you even here?” With a groan, he gestured Nil to come in. The man smiled silently at him, trailing fingers over his bared chest in his customary tease as he moved towards the living room. The sounds of Aloy raiding his fridge drifted over to him as he closed his door.
“The red wine is off limits!” he called out hurriedly. “Finish off that swill you brought last time!”
“Steel Reserve isn’t that bad!” she replied. Thankfully, she plopped down onto his couch with the offending beer in question in hand, giving one to Nil as Kotallo walked into his own living room. Her boyfriend frowned unhappily at it then at her, and just sat the open can down without a coaster onto the coffee table.
Undomesticated ferals, the both of them. Kotallo grumbled as he picked up a coaster and slid it under the already sweating can. Nil shrugged at him in a ‘what can you do’ gesture. It wasn’t a fight worth having, unfortunately . The fact he got to keep his modesty intact and didn’t have a welt from getting snapped with his own towel meant Aloy was being nice.
A nice Aloy wanted things. Wanted them badly .
“Answer the question Aloy,” he stated resolutely, staring down her very not innocent green eyes.
She gave a small pout. “Why do I have to need something to come visit a good friend?”
“I am less a friend and more a reliable source of bail on short notice,” Kotallo sighed, but still smiled fondly. “Let me change before you can fully disrobe me.”
He was halfway to his room when he heard feet padding quickly up behind him and he broke out in a sprint. He already knew it was Nil, looking to start shit.
For two people who liked to run away with his clothes, they never propositioned him. Kotallo was undecided if he should be offended by that or not. He had just barely made it past the frame to his door when the towel fell away either to coming undone or from Nil’s fingers, but it didn’t matter as he slammed the door shut to hear a satisfying thunk and a muted curse.
The prosthetic put on to make dinner preparation easier, he dressed in his favorite, well loved cargo shorts and a ten mile fun run shirt he had gotten a few years ago to promote their station. When he emerged, Nil had vanished back to the living room and was sprawled out on the couch with his head in Aloy’s lap. She was running her fingers through Nil’s unkempt hair lovingly.
For all their faults and abrasive personalities, they did love one another. To an extent that was enviable. They had complete and total faith in one another that the other would always be in their corner come hell or high water. That faith had been tested more than once already, and Kotallo didn’t envy the experiences.
He leaned against the wall and observed them for a couple minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet that rarely inhabited the space around them. Finally, he walked forward and sat on the floor next to the couch, Aloy smiling calmly – but still impishly – at him.
“You’re going on vacation with us. Fashav too.”
He stared at her, unimpressed. “And you waited until Hekarro notified me of this forceful rest period. How…strange.”
“Oh yes, very strange.” She nodded her head emphatically, Nil tugging at a braid.
“A vacation that also oddly finishes the day before Fashav’s uncle retires.”
“Absolute serendipity. Happenstance. Cosmic intervention at most.”
Kotallo snorted and swiped at her leg, enjoying the quiet huff that came out of her at his gentle bat. “Where are we going, gremlin?”
“So you agree to go?” She was grinning widely now.
“You wouldn’t leave me alone until I acquiesced. So yes,” he grumped, “I will go. Have you…voluntold Fashav yet?”
“No,” Nil spoke up. “We were going to wait around until he got here to notify him. The papers have been signed and notarized, passing along ownership to Avad and Kadaman as of today. They gave us all a week and half off, but… conveniently failed to notify Fashav. They let me take responsibility for it.”
It was a fight to not slam his forehead into the coffee table in exasperation. He was about to make dinner for only him and Fashav. And of course, that plan was quickly fleeing.
“We won’t stay for dinner,” Aloy finally said. “We’ll stay long enough to explain to Fashav what the plan is.”
“And if he doesn’t agree?”
“Oh, he will. If you’re going, he definitely will,” Nil purred, the look in his eyes sending shivers through Kotallo. It was so ominous . Like there was an unspoken ‘or else’.
“Uhh…” he said, at a loss for words.
Aloy tapped Nil on the nose. “We want them to say yes. Not coerce them into it with unspoken threats.” She looked back up to Kotallo. “I promise it will be a relaxing time overall. Actually promise . I have spa days and relaxing next to a pool, free drinks.”
“Jail time?” Kotallo drawled, not hiding his disbelief.
“Nil and I won’t be at the same place most of the time. We have some things we wanted to look into,” she explained.
“Sounds like jail time.” He popped up onto his feet before Aloy could kick him and retreated to the kitchen. He pulled out the chicken that he had left to brine overnight and the veggies. A pot was filled with water and sat on the stove. “Fashav will be here in a half hour.”
A knock on the door, and he whirled to glare at a smug Aloy. “Nil told him we were meeting for drinks early.”
“Insufferable.”
“You love me.”
“And I regret it every day,” he groused as he walked to the door.
Fashav was indeed waiting on the other side, holding a nice bottle of whiskey and a nicer bottle of wine. Kotallo grimaced a bit, still smarting a bit from the knowledge that his boyfriend could likely buy a nice townhome in the middle of the city with cash and not blink an eye. Fashav didn’t speak much about his wealth, but it was hard to not notice its quiet presence in his life.
With a shy look, Fashav moved forward to press a chaste kiss to Kotallo’s lips before moving past. “Sorry I didn’t say anything. Nil made it seem like it was supposed to be a big surprise.”
“It was indeed a surprise. Caught me in nothing but a towel fresh out of the shower.” Kotallo closed the door silently and followed, enjoying the flush that appeared on Fashav’s neck.
Though he had sworn to move at the speed of Fashav’s comfort, Kotallo was secretly pining for more. More kisses, more hugs. He felt like a lovesick teenager all over again. Fashav was so unsure about what they were to one another that chaste, quick kisses to the cheek or on the lips if absolutely no one was around, was all Kotallo had gotten for a year. And it wasn’t for lack of trying on Fashav’s part. The man had initiated and aborted several times to do more, like one time a month ago, he had made to sit in Kotallo’s lap and quickly chickened out, acting like he had missed where he was aiming with his posterior.
It had been adorable and painful in equal parts. Kotallo didn’t feel like he was threatening but he didn’t know how to help Fashav get out of his own head to not be ashamed or afraid of liking another man. It wasn’t something Kotallo had had to deal with before.
They quickly came to the kitchen where Fashav opened up both of his bottles and asked all what they wanted. Kotallo got back to work on making dinner while Fashav promptly began reaming out Nil for his presumptuousness and then his reluctant agreement to the sudden travel plans.
Aloy pulled him away, drawing Kotallo’s suspicion, but was barred from following when Nil was suddenly in his personal space asking questions about what he was cooking. Like he was actually interested.
If he was faking the interest, he was doing a good job of it.
Aloy’s visit with Fashav was short, her coming out looking the cat got the canary, and Fashav a blazing red, eyes flicking bashfully to Kotallo and away, but a smile on his face.
So now Fashav knew something Kotallo didn’t, and probably wouldn’t tell either. Stupid law clerk and knowing how to keep a secret…