Chapter Text
He knew by the amount fading smoke in the distance that whoever had started the fire was on the move. And given the rangers were long gone, and Gandharva Ville wasn’t a smoldering pile of ash and debris, Cyno knew that it was the Fatui closing in on their targets.
Well then, Cyno would just have to close in first.
He didn’t have much of a choice, not really. Tighnari’s breathing had been getting worse, with Cyno’s terrifying resolve growing in tandem. The only advantage to Tighnari being completely unconscious was that he was silent, and Cyno was easily able to stalk through the trails. He’d trade it for anything. It felt like his heart was being ripped out of chest. He didn’t know why.
Even though he was almost certain he knew why. And it changed things. Even though he didn’t exactly know which things were changing.
Beneath Gandharva Ville, Cyno changed his mind. Climbing all the way up to the village with Tighnari and then using medicines and remedies he wasn’t familiar with made Cyno almost afraid. He was furious with himself that he only saw this issue once he’d reached his destination. If the Fatui hadn’t beaten him here, it would be a different story. But he didn’t think he could critically problem solve and defend them both from the Fatui at the same time. It was time to think of a new angle.
The statues. The one thing that was truly equal across the whole of Sumeru. The desert and the forests and jungle had different ways of life, different cultures, different medicinal recipes. But if you sat in front of the Statue of the Seven, little Kusanali would always somehow give you the strength to keep walking. Cyno knew it worked because he’d done it himself. The thought of Tighnari scolding him for not using his resources was what reminded him it was there in the first place.
He pushed forward with renewed resolve. He’d studied maps of the forests since Tighnari first showed him years and years ago. He knew where to go. But instead of the trip feeling quick, the last leg dragged on. Cyno suspected it was because this was Tighnari’s last chance. It was a chance, yes, but that was part of the problem. Cyno knew that when he reached the statue, the life he held closest to his heart, literally, may end.
He felt like he was on autopilot. He questioned how he was maintaining his current speed over such rugged and unpredictable terrain while he held Tighnari tightly. But he needed all his focus to time Tighnari’s breathing, his heartbreak, his whines. He wished he didn’t. For a moment, Tighnari’s situation plateaued, neither worse nor better, only to plummet again.
“Stay alive, fighter.” Cyno grit the command through his teeth.
He could hear Tighnari’s usual response in his head, “I’m not a soldier, Cyno.”
“Yes. You’re a ranger. Because you fight in the rain.” He never understood why Tighnari never got that joke. It never cheered him up when Cyno made the joke.
“That’s not what I mean. I’m not a soldier. I don’t...” Tighnari then always shook his head and gathered whatever cluster of things he was working on before the conversation shifted. “I’ll see you later, Cyno.” Tighari was always quieter right before he left somewhere.
It never bothered Cyno before.
When he reached the statue, Cyno finally lost control. His foot slipped in front of the statue, and as he stumbled, his yell of frustration became a sob. He frantically took a deep breath to regain his composure.
Shaking, Cyno sat Tighnari against the foot of the statue. He kept one hand on Tighnari’s shoulder. His other hand pushed Tighnari’s bloody and dirty hair off from where it stuck to his face.
“Tighnari?” Cyno whispered, letting tears fall as he pressed his own forehead to Tighnari’s. “Kusanali? Rukkhedevata?” With every name he uttered, Cyno’s voice grew quieter, and more desperate. He had to fight to keep the words whole. He finally decided to speak to the forest, instead. “He was there for you.” Cyno pleaded. “He has to wake up...” Cyno wasn’t talking to the forest anymore. “He did it for you.”
Cyno took Tighari’s hands in his. He almost collapsed when, after only a moment, Tighnari weakly squeezed back.
“Tighnari??” Cyno kept one hand closed tight, and pressed the other against Tighnari’s cheek. “It’s okay. It’s okay, we’re safe.”
“Cyno?”
“It’s me. You know it’s me. It’ll always be me.”
Tighnari nodded, leaning into Cyno’s hand. Cyno took Tighnari’s hand and held it against his heart.
“Can you open your eyes?”
Tighnari answered by, slowly, opening his eyes. They were only open for a moment before they started to close again. But it wasn’t out of pain; it was out of confusion.
“I’m alright.”
“You’re not.”
Tighnari looked away. “I know.” He gently pulled himself away from Cyno and began to try and stand. But the moment he tried to support his own weight, he buckled. Tighnari gasped, eyes slammed shut and desperately trying to keep himself from falling.
Cyno caught him before he hit the ground, but Tighnari barely seemed to notice. He held on to Cyno so tightly that his knuckles were white. His breathing was so short and ragged that Cyno thought the healing could have worn off.
“Tighnari!” Cyno shouted, out of alarm and over Tighnari’s gasps. “I got you! I got you! You didn’t fall.”
Tighnari didn’t want to fall. Cyno pulled him closer, pressing Tighnari against his chest and letting his scarf fall over his fingers. “We’re safe. We’re steady.” Cyno choked. “I’m right here.”
Tighnari whimpered; his ears tucked back. “Stay.”
Cyno leaned back and pushed Tighnari’s hair behind his ears. As gently as he could, Cyno kissed him. He knew it was a risk, but it was all he could and he wanted to do. He was ready. He knew why Tighnari took the shot. Because he knew that if roles were reversed, Cyno would’ve done the same thing.
Instantly, Tighnari leaned into the kiss. It was short, but nothing more was needed. The necessary questions had been asked and answered through actions, not words.
“Come on,” Cyno lifted Tighnari off the ground. He spoke barely above a whisper. “We’re going to Port Ormos.”
Tighnari nodded, breathing deeply and comfortably.
“I wake you up when we get there.” Cyno teased. But his mind was still elsewhere. It would be easy to get Tighnari back to Port Ormos by boat, so Cyno was thinking about after that. About returning to the desert and perchance making a mess on the way.
Then the Fatui will see what he’s really made of.