Chapter Text
Cyno went limp in Tighnari’s arms.
He wasn’t breathing. No. The panic flooded him for a second—and then anger.
No. Not today. He settled Cyno on the floor, pulled his mouth open, and moved his head around to get a better look. He could see bloody flowers. Not much else. Fine. We’re doing this the hard way, he thought, doing compressions as he figured out a plan.
Vision users had some interesting skills. For the most part, it was faster healing. A little bit more speed, more strength, more stamina. Abilities that people who didn’t have a Vision could cultivate, but with a bit more natural ease. With Vision users, it was easier for them to maintain those things. They could manipulate their elements. All of it came at a cost.
He paused long enough to start clearing Cyno’s mouth of the flowers. Flicking his hand, scattering bloodied petals across the floor of his home, Tighnari settled a hand against Cyno’s chest. He closed his eyes, focused. He had a Dendro Vision. Hanahaki was a disease that used Dendro the same way any flower did. There were flowers and petals clogging Cyno’s lungs, his mouth, his windpipe.
Thankfully, Tighnari could fix it.
Forget the cost.
It was worth it.
The effect was immediate. In his chest, Tighnari’s heart stuttered once, twice. It seized, ribs spasming and a gasp ripping through him. His breath was scraping at his throat like sandpaper, worsening every second. His vision blurred already. Shaking his head, squeezing his eyes shut, Tighnari gritted his teeth.
(He wasn’t supposed to do this. He really wasn’t supposed to do this. The roar of his blood in his ears, the pounding in his throat as his heart sped up, the tight clench of a vice around his heart and lungs. Honestly, Tighnari wasn’t even sure if Nahida was meant to do this. Just because they could do something didn’t mean they should. Too much stress. His heart was pounding too fast, his breathing wasn’t right, but Cyno wasn’t alive and Tighnari had to fix that—)
The distinct, coppery taste of blood sat heavy in the back of his mouth. There was more heat in his nose, his throat. Under his hand, the already-withering flowers in Cyno’s chest curled up and died.
He didn’t remember what happened next, barely aware that he was screaming for Collei and that the door had opened. Then, Cyno’s ribs were breaking under his hands. He was shaking, badly. I don’t think this is working. I don’t think I have the strength. Collei moved him to the side, met his gaze briefly. There was a nod. Returning it, Tighnari let himself fall back into one of the other Rangers’ arms.
The Vision abuse’s effects set in immediately. Someone shouted. Wavering, Tighnari exhaled weakly. His head dropped back against someone’s shoulder. He saw a glimpse of Cyno choking back to life, jolting and gasping. Good.
Collei turned to him, eyes widening, and Tighnari just saw her push herself up before—
Cyno was pretty sure he wasn’t meant to wake up.
He did, anyways. Slowly. Instead, he came to lying in Tighnari’s bed, with something pressed to his face. Fontaine invention. Anemo mask. Gently, he prodded at the material clinging to his face. Across from him, Tighnari was still asleep and in much the same state. His lips were pale, his eyes looked a little bit bruised. Blood loss. Maybe Vision exhaustion? What happened?
Slowly, Tighnari sucked in a breath of his own. He groaned. His eyes opened, hazy with exhaustion and a little bit of pain. Then, his gaze flicked up to Cyno, and he managed a weak, wavering smile. He took another slow breath. Then, he spoke, “How do you feel?”
“I’m not dead.” Cyno offered. Instantly, he reached up to touch his throat. Wow, my voice sounds horrific. What happened? “How did that—”
“You did die. In my arms.” Tighnari mumbled. “Trained medic. What did you expect?” The smile on his face grew a little.
“That doesn’t explain you,” Cyno asked. Biting his lip, Tighnari shifted. One of his ears was squished uncomfortably against the pillows. Reaching out, Cyno touched his ear and then smoothed it out, made sure it wasn’t as squashed beneath his hair. When he touched him, Tighnari jolted once, humming under his breath and then closing his eyes under Cyno’s touch.
“I couldn’t let you die. Vision users are able to manipulate their elements, and Hanahaki is Dendro-aligned.” As he explained, Cyno felt his heart falling. Not stopping, but he knew full well what happened when it came to Vision users abusing their powers. Kaveh had done it once, for Alhaitham.
“Tighnari.”
“It was worth it.” Tighnari’s right ear pinned back, flicking once. Eyes narrowing, burning into Cyno’s own. “Even if I gave you CPR—and I did—then I wouldn’t have been able to bring you back. I don’t have any regrets.” Pausing, he took a slow breath, opened his mouth a few times before speaking, “I love you, Cyno. I’m not letting you go before I have to.”
Jolting, Cyno looked up at him. Tighnari visibly steeled his jaw, swallowing. His eyes studied Cyno’s face, but he didn’t flinch. Even when Cyno reached up to brush a stray section of lighter hair from Tighnari’s face, he didn’t move. There wasn’t even a wince.
“You are…the bravest and the dumbest person I have ever met. And I know Kaveh.” Mouth twitching into a smile, Tighnari laughed weakly. “And I am…so sorry for not telling you before I died.”
Tighnari snorted. “You told me in a way. You aren’t exactly one for telling your most significant feelings aloud, so…I could have picked it up. I wish I had responded faster, maybe you wouldn’t have—whatever. If wishes were food, then we would never struggle from famine again.” Pausing again, he frowned, “Now, I think normally this would be roughly the right time for a kiss. But, ah…”
He tapped his Anemo mask, then Cyno’s.
Something crossed his face. Reaching out, fingers curling in Cyno’s shirt (they must have given him a proper shirt to keep him warm; Tighnari had also been changed out of his typical clothes), Tighnari hauled himself closer. The Anemo mask pressed uncomfortably into Cyno’s sternum when he buried his head there. His tail wrapped around Cyno’s leg, an arm was locked around his middle.
“This works.” Cyno laughed, throwing an arm of his own around Tighnari to hold him closer. Against his chest, there was a hum. Tighnari was purring a second later, relaxing more and more as Cyno messed with his right ear, rubbing right behind it. For a second, Tighnari’s breath and the purring hitched, he let out a content hum, and he curled even closer to Cyno. “We should do this more often.”
“We will. Without the masks.”
Cyno hummed, pressed his cheek against the top of Tighnari’s head (he totally didn’t try to press a kiss to his hair, forgetting about the mask, he had no idea what anyone was talking about with that), and closed his eyes.