#Ikkotah has the pretty cheek patches

[ayaitch]

OK. Please, hear me out. What do you get when you take one heartbroken, middle-aged man and put him with another heartbroken, middle-aged man? Hint: Only good things.

I'm sorry, I'm not bored or tired of writing Ikkotah and Chekkatah (far from it, I have four WIPs outstanding more for them how do I stop??), but I do also want to write Ikkotah as he is in HFW. He deserves it. The man is a sad widower and needs to not be sad anymore. He also needs to be included in Aloy's troupe of people to fight Nemesis. I can dream.

Though he was still grieving Ourea, Aratak came to fight at the Battle of the Alight in HZD, so it's my belief dream that he'd also come for the fight against Nemesis. So Aloy would introduce them (maybe she's dabbling in matchmaking...) and they would both be impressed by the other's battle prowess and strength, and can connect over the loss of a dear loved one by tragic, heartbreaking circumstances.

Now. My soft shipper's heart requires Ikkotah to have a second chance at love, and Aratak needs someone nice and caring, but who could also kick his ass if needed. I think they'd be a good match! Both are super tough, good fighters, very handsome, and from mountain environments. But the cultural differences! They would have to learn each others' ways, hear each others' stories/songs, and then absolutely fall head-over-heels in love.

I'm sorry, I could not hold this in any longer. It needed to come out of my head. It's been eating me alive for days now. My poor Ikkotah has gotten an even rarer pair than Chekkatah. But it can't be helped. I've been snagged. They look nice next to each other too. Right? Am I crazy? I might be crazy. And with this, I have another story to add to my queue. Anyone up for a pre-end-of-the-world-battle meet-cute?