Chapter Text
The rest of the week passes by in the blink of an eye. Before Cyno knows it, the evening of his last night at Gandharva Ville has arrived, and he and Tighnari are headed back to Tighnari’s hut after cleaning up for the night.
“I keep telling you not to tell your jokes at the dinner table,” Tighnari grumbles.
“Hm. I thought I explained it very clearly,” Cyno says. “Do you need me to go over it again?”
“Don’t. Don’t say a word. It’s even less funny when you try to explain it.”
“I think I’m funnier than Kaveh, and yet you laugh at his anecdotes more than you laugh at my jokes.”
“This and that are two completely different things! They aren’t even comparable! Ugh, never mind.”
“Are you sure you don’t need me to explain it again? It’s really funny if you understand the premise.”
“No, I insist, I totally got it. Besides, if you take all that time to explain, you’re going to miss your dosage of antibiotics.”
Cyno certainly doesn’t have an argument to that.
They’re sharing the bed again, just as they have for the past few nights. Cyno is quite used to being alone, to people keeping their distance from him, but he’s surprised himself by how easily he has fallen into this routine-–how much more natural it feels to be with Tighnari than away from him.
Nights like these are one in a million, and Cyno intends to make the most of it. So as they lie together in bed, wrapped up in each other’s arms, Cyno makes sure to remember every detail of their time together, from the way Tighnari’s hazel-green eyes gaze at him, to the way his lips move, to the overwhelming feeling of warmth, comfort, and safety that Cyno only feels whenever he’s with Tighnari.
His last morning in Gandharva Ville arrives all too soon.
He feels rested; the past few nights are the best he’s slept in a long time. The pain from most of his injuries have faded into a dull ache, including the persistent wound in his right leg. His temperature is normal; his fever had completely disappeared by the fourth day. And Tighnari hasn’t said anything about prolonging his impromptu visit.
Speaking of Tighnari…
The spot beside him is empty, and much of the warmth has departed. Tighnari had left some time ago without waking Cyno up, likely to go on a morning patrol. Cyno decides that it’d be best to sneak away now before anything else can tempt him to stay. He doesn’t want to overstay his welcome.
He leaves a quick note on the table to thank Tighnari for all that he’s done for him, that the next time Tighnari happens to go to Sumeru City he’ll treat him to a meal, and if Tighnari wants anything from any of the shops in Caravan Ribat he should write him, and if Tighnari ever needs anything, Cyno will come running…
Then, he quietly leaves the hut, and doesn’t turn back.
Of course, it’s impossible to sneak away from someone who can hear a pin drop from a mile away. As Cyno makes his way down the well-traveled path out of the forest, he hears the bushes behind him rustling. On guard immediately, he turns around to face the newcomer, only to relax when he comes face-to-face with Tighnari.
“Thought you could leave without saying anything, huh?” Tighnari says.
Caught red-handed, Cyno looks away and pulls his hood over his eyes. “I left a note on the table… I didn’t want to interrupt your patrol.”
Tighnari gives him a crooked smile. “How considerate of you. But I’ll always prefer you saying goodbye in person, so make sure you remember that for the next time.”
“...Alright. I will.”
That should be it then. He should be on his way, he knows he should be, but Cyno finds himself rooted to the spot. Tighnari tilts his head when he sees that Cyno isn’t moving.
“Cyno? What’s wrong?”
Cyno remains silent. Tighnari’s sudden appearance has prompted him to ruminate on the events of the past week, and they stir an unfamiliar feeling within his heart.
So many things could’ve gone wrong in that Withering Zone. Even before that, Cyno could have met his untimely end if he had made a single misstep in that Ruin Drake-infested hole, or if there had been one too many Rishboland Tigers stalking him on the way to Gandharva Ville, or if he had unknowingly walked into the waiting jaws of a Spinocrocodile in his blood loss-induced daze…
Cyno doesn’t fear death. Death is an inevitability for one who weighs the souls of others on the scales, and he knows it will come for him one day too.
He also knows that his position as the General Mahamatra would make keeping any relationship difficult; even if not for the jeopardy he could place his loved ones in, his busy schedule and long journeys mean he often can’t commit himself to prolonged visits. The distance is necessary, but it would surely place a strain on any relationship.
But he had almost lost Tighnari to the Withering.
Perhaps that’s what truly shakes him, more than he even realizes possible.
The thought of being robbed of the chance to ever tell Tighnari of the feelings that have been budding in his heart for years now… It makes his chest seize painfully.
Maybe… Just this once…
Would the gods permit me to be selfish?
“Cyno?”
Tighnari’s voice shakes him out of his thoughts. He’s looking at Cyno inquisitively, an eyebrow quirked.
“Are you having second thoughts about going back? I don’t really mind if you have to stay longer, but I can’t promise that Akademiya would feel the same…”
Cyno makes his choice then. He looks up.
“Tighnari, I…”
He starts, but he immediately finds himself tongue-tied. What would be the best way to convey what he feels?
Tighnari is silent. He’s still staring, and Cyno almost wishes he would interject like he normally does. It’d give Cyno more time to think, at least. Or maybe he’d be able summon one of his best jokes from the ether to set the mood properly. (Speaking of, why had his mind suddenly blanked on that front?)
Almost mercifully so, Tighnari remains quiet, as if he can sense that Cyno is about to tell him something important. He’s waiting patiently. If it had been anyone else, Tighnari would have already started lecturing them…but for Cyno, he gives him all the time that he needs. And it's because of that patience that Cyno is finally able to gather his thoughts.
He knows he’s not as good with his words.
So he resolves to convey what he feels through his actions.
This is the one thing he doesn’t want to botch.
“If you don’t want this, tell me to stop.”
Tighnari nods. Cyno steps closer, reaching over and cupping Tighnari’s cheek with his palm. He leans in, closing the distance between them, moving slowly, deliberately, giving Tighnari enough time to pull away from him if he so wishes. He almost expects him to pull away. He’ll pull away at any moment now.
But Tighnari doesn’t.
Their lips come together in a soft, barely-there kiss.
Surprised that their lips touched at all, Cyno pulls away to find that Tighnari had closed his eyes in anticipation. The Forest Watcher opens them again when Cyno withdraws, looking straight at him, and Cyno steps back and casts his own gaze aside. His heart is pounding. His face feels hot. He wonders if the fever has come back.
“It’s fine if you don’t feel the same way. I just wanted to tell you… Just in case I--”
He never gets to finish.
Tighnari frames his face, pulls him back, and kisses him deeply.
The bold move stuns even Cyno, who doesn’t protest as Tighnari holds the kiss. It doesn’t even register that they’re kissing again--that Tighnari kissed him-- until after Tighnari finally pulls away, his own lips slightly parted, his cheeks tinted pink.
“Idiot,” he murmurs against Cyno’s lips. “What do you mean, ‘it’s fine if you don’t feel the same way?’ Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”
“Waiting--” Cyno is barely coherent. He can feel his own cheeks burning. His heart feels like it’s about to burst out of his chest. “...Waiting? For me?”
“Yes, you big lummox. For you. Do you understand?” He flashes a rather coquettish smile. “Or do I have to kiss you again to spell it out for you?”
He can’t believe it. He almost doesn’t want to believe it for fear that all of this is some kind of dream. “How long…?”
“Hmmm,” Tighnari hums. “Ever since Akademiya? You made quite the first impression, but after that, when we started spending more time together… Well, it was hard not to notice the way you looked at me. Actually, I thought I made my own feelings pretty obvious whenever we met up…”
It takes Cyno a while to find his voice. When he does manage to coax it out of his throat, it sounds more feeble than he’d like. “Ever since Akademiya?”
Tighnari’s cheeks have flushed a deeper shade of red now too. “I know other people see you as this terrifying harbinger of doom who would stop at nothing to stem the flow of knowledge, but you’re not at all that.” He brushes Cyno’s silvery tresses from his face and rests his palm on his cheek. “You could say that I fell for the man beneath that cold exterior…and the overwhelming kindness in his heart that drives him to throw himself headfirst into danger for the sake of other people, all without uttering a single word of complaint.”
He’s stunned speechless again at how thoughtful, how fond Tighnari’s words are. Cyno has always prided himself on his ability to curb his emotions in the face of any situation, but Tighnari always knows exactly what to say, always wields his words the way a sculptor wields a hammer and chisel, always finds a way to pick away all the extraneous parts of him and puncture him to the very core.
“I know how devoted you are to your work,” Tighnari continues. “I didn’t want to make you feel like you had to choose between me or your job. The General Mahamatra has to contend with many responsibilities and many more dangers… I’m aware of that. So I held back too. But, heh…” He gazes into Cyno’s eyes. “Now that you’ve gone and told me how you feel, I guess you want to take things a step further?”
Cyno recognizes that Tighnari is giving him one last chance to back out. Despite the fact that Cyno had initiated the kiss first, despite making his own feelings for Cyno clear, Tighnari seems to be allowing for the possibility that Cyno is acting on impulse--that Cyno himself may not truly be ready, and if he isn’t, then Tighnari would willingly let him go, even though he’s waited so long.
It’s Tighnari’s consideration at its finest… The consideration that he’s known for, is so beloved for.
Yes… Tighnari has never spared anyone his consideration. He does not actively seek companionship, but he never turns anyone down and accepts all into his fold without question. He has always acknowledged people from all walks of life, always treated those around him like his equals, no matter what their background. It’s his consideration, his kindness, that made Cyno fall for him in the first place.
The good-natured, nurturing Tighnari already has no shortage of people vying for his attention, and there are surely many more who would be all too eager to become one of his suitors.
And yet, in spite of all of that, he had chosen Cyno.
It makes him even more determined to give Tighnari the answer he wants--the answer they both want.
He places a hand over one of Tighnari’s, still lingering on his face, and nods.
“…I do.” He’s found his voice again, and it’s not quaking this time. “I want to take things further. With you.”
He delivers the answer without hesitation, and it seems to satisfy Tighnari. He smiles, then closes the distance between them until he’s practically against Cyno.
“The Valuka Shuna mated for life, and the descendents of their people are no different,” he says, his hand tracing Cyno’s jaw to his neck before coming to rest on his shoulder. “I hope you’re ready for a lifelong commitment, Cyno.”
“I’m ready,” Cyno says, his voice overflowing with unbridled adoration, “because there’s no one I could ever love more than you, Tighnari.”
They kiss again for the third time, with the forest as the witness to their vow.
Although reluctant to part ways from Tighnari after such a heartfelt moment, duty calls both of them back to their posts, and they eventually pull away from each other with a promise to keep in touch soon. Cyno turns back towards Sumeru City, and is out of the forest in no time.
As he passes over the hill, he throws one more glance back towards the trees and finds the vast treetops somehow looking far more welcoming than they ever have. It’s almost as if the forest is sending him off with well-wishes that he will eventually return safely, in the same way that Tighnari always does.
Cyno isn’t really one for adages, but he can’t help but wonder if this is what they mean when they say “home is where the heart is.”