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Tighnari was used to the sounds of the forest.
As a Forest Watcher, it was his duty to familiarize himself with the woodland. Not only to care for it, but to live within its greenery and understand its presence in nature.
There were still plenty of details to comprehend, but trivial matters such as the sway of the leaves to the chirps of the birds- those were all familiar to him. Tighnari had long since become acclimated to the Avidya Forest and its ever-changing behavior.
Which is why suddenly waking in the middle of the night, bleary-eyed and slightly disorientated from the clutches of slumber… was more than a little odd.
Something must have woken him. After all, Tighnari never had any trouble when it came to sleep. He was vigilant, cautious- but never quite so easy to stir.
Yet, there was no shouting. No hysteria, no panic. Other than what had awoken him, everything seemed right in the world.
Tighnari blinked, resisting the urge to huff about. Sleep was a valuable thing, and if he’d been interrupted for anything less than ideal-
It better not be those so-called adventurers again…
But before Tighnari could rid himself of his half-conscious state, his ears picked up what his mind had yet to process.
He heard it, this time. Heard what he’d constantly caught himself yearning for: A pair of light steps, all too familiar to Tighnari and his fluttering little heart.
He blushed, embarrassed with himself for such a reaction. Tighnari truly wasn’t the type to grow so emotional, and yet, when it came to these footsteps, the very ones belonging to his love-
But these steps were a little off, uneven in weight and sloppy in rhythm. That, accompanied by the roughness in each slight movement, made Tighnari frown.
He sat up, drowsiness forgotten as the moon cast a shadow across his floor. It was a distorted thing, barely the silhouette of who his ears had long since recognized- but it was him, moving closer and closer to the entrance of Tightnari’s hut.
His ear twitched, and just like that, by the giant leaves that offered him the most basic of privacy, Cyno appeared.
Cyno… his Cyno, with a cloak over his shoulders and headpiece fitted atop his head.
It was nothing out of the ordinary, yet at the same time, Tighnari found himself lost in Cyno’s delayed realization. His head was tilted downwards, whisps of silver hair framing what little Tighnari could see. Jaw slack, lips parted, eyes half-lidded-
Oh.
Cyno’s gaze had risen rather quickly, meeting Tighnari’s in what could only be described as a numbing thing.
They stared at one another, frozen in a moment neither of them quite expected.
It was after a second of this that Tighnari noticed Cyno’s posture. He was usually confident in his approach, standing tall and poised no matter the outlandish situation- but here, the air around Cyno felt… different.
It usually was whenever they met, but not with whatever plagued Cyno at the moment. What with the staggering, the hunched-over posture, the uneven breath-
Tighnari’s eyes fluttered to the polearm in Cyno’s grasp, held in a vice far more urgent than the situation called for.
And yet, the other arm… it gave way to something much more serious. Something that had Cyno clutching at his side, pressing furiously at the skin just beneath his trusty cloak.
Then:
“Hey.” Cyno grinned, a feeble little thing.
Not even a second later, his polearm clattered to the ground, Cyno himself stumbling from the entryway and leaning against the nearest structure amid Tighnari’s hut.
Tighnari jumped out of bed, rushing over before Cyno toppled over. He looked two seconds away from doing just that, given by the drooping eyes Tighnari was now met with.
Worry immediately filled his heart, something akin to dread pooling in his stomach the moment Cyno’s eyelids lingered in raising.
Tighnari grabbed his free arm, draping it over his shoulders whilst being mindful of the way it pulled at Cyno’s midsection. Whatever injury he hid- because only an injury could reduce him to such a state… Tighnari didn’t want to make it any worse than it already was.
“Nari…” Cyno mumbled, something so soft and full of emotions. It had been just above a whisper, but no matter how quiet it was, Tighnari heard it as clear as day.
“Bed.” He mumbled in return, carefully wrapping his arm around Cyno’s back. “Let’s get you to bed first.”
And off they went, stumbling so slowly and carefully towards Tighnari’s bed.
It was such a short trip, and yet, Cyno could barely hold his own. Every grunt of pain he let out was like a jab to Tighnari’s heart, every wince and gasp like shards embedding themselves into his lungs.
It took longer than it should have to get there, and even longer to help Cyno up and settled atop his mattress. Tighnari even gathered the spread of his pillows, stacking them behind Cyno’s back so he’d have something to lean against.
Not that he had the energy to do so. Instead of adjusting himself, Cyno laid against them, half-slouched and half-propped up by the sheer determination in that swaying head of his.
Tighnari cupped his cheeks, turning his head this way and that in search of any obvious injuries. Any cuts, any scrapes- anything that gave way to just what had reduced his love to something so unlike himself.
A hand came up to Tighnari’s own, tan and calloused and very softly cupping it in the gentlest of holds.
Tighnari paused, watching the way Cyno nuzzled into his left hand. Caressing, holding- before a feeble kiss was pressed to the palm and etched into his skin.
Cyno lingered there, brushing a thumb over Tighnari’s knuckles before ever so slowly staring right into his eyes.
It was tender, a moment shared between two lovers in the privacy of their home.
Except, it wasn’t their home. Cyno resided on the other side of Summeru, and he most definitely wasn’t there for a nice little visit.
Something had happened, something he had yet to understand.
So Tighnari, as reluctant as could be, pulled away. With no obvious injuries marring such a vulnerable extremity, he moved on to the most obvious point of injury.
Cyno had been clutching at his side the moment Tighnari laid eyes on him, grunting and groaning whenever the slightest move was brought upon that area. Something bad had obviously reduced him to such a state- the very thought of it sending a shiver up Tighnari’s bare arm.
But he had to look. He had to help Cyno as quickly as possible- even if that meant gazing upon something he desperately did not want to see.
And Cyno, as if they were one, understood. Putting it off would just stress Tighnari further, while moving it himself was something he’d rather not do- so with a quiet breath, Cyno moved his hand, and with it went the cloak he’d been stubbornly hiding away.
It was then that Tighnari noticed the blood. The blood smeared against his side, soaked into his cloak, caked across his hand- the blood that had been pooling out of the deepest laceration he had ever seen.
Tighnari felt faint.
“Why didn’t you go to a doctor?” He gulped, ears twitching under the weight of such a situation.
“It’s the middle of the night.” Cyno breathed, the first sentence he’d uttered that night.
And Tighnari- he wasn’t sure whether he wanted Cyno to speak. Not when he was so desperately trying to hide the amount of pain he was in.
“They wouldn’t turn you away.”
“Neither would you.” Cyno blinked, and after a painstakingly long beat, he opened his eyes. “Besides…this was closer.”
Tighnari huffed, forcing himself to actually look at the wound. He’d given it no more than a horrified glance beforehand, but now, Tighnari’s eyes were focused on just how this object had imbedded itself into Cyno’s skin- how it dragged and tore right across a good portion of his side, leaving behind nothing but a gaping hole with jagged edges and oozing blood.
Suddenly, Tighnari felt sick to his stomach.
As a Forest Watcher, as the one who looked over the people traversing through the forest- Tighnari knew a thing or two about first aid. He wasn’t… incompetent, but the field of medicine had never been his main interest. Botany- it was a branch of science, sure, but it held nowhere near enough information for him to work on other humans. His knowledge was limited in that regard, having never been taught the ins and outs of medical care.
And there Cyno was, being as stubborn as ever whilst balancing between delirium and consciousness.
“Cyno, this is serious. I’m not a professional, nor do I have the proper things to care for you. M-Maybe I could help, but I’d feel much more confident if a doctor were here to—"
But he was caught off guard, interrupted the moment a roughened knuckle brushed against the curve of Tighnari’s cheek.
It was gentle- soft. Tighnari leaned into it, subconsciously chasing the touch until his forehead bumped against the snout of Cyno’s headpiece.
There, Tighnari could do nothing but stare.
“Nari…” He whispered, the faintest of smiles settling on Cyno’s lips. “I trust you.”
Trust won’t get you out of this, Tighnari wanted to snap, but one look into Cyno’s eyes… it told him to go along. To save the lecture and beratement until after the entire thing was taken care of.
For some reason, Tighnari found himself following along.
And it wasn’t until Cyno’s head finally lolled to the side, eyes falling to a close as his lips parted in one final whisper, that Tighnari found the strength to pull away.
He wasn’t immediately panicked. The blood Cyno had lost- it wasn’t enough to cause something life-threatening, but it was enough to elicit some sort of reaction. That, or the pain of such an injury had finally caught up to his stubborn, infuriatingly persistent boyfriend.
Whatever the case, Cyno wasn’t on death's door.
This didn’t mean Tighnari was far from worried, though. He was nearly too terrified to move, let alone patch the horrific gash running across Cyno’s side.
But if not him, who else? Cyno was right- the nearest doctor was still so far from them. Taking the time to send someone out, to collect the professional and all their equipment- it just wasn’t an option anymore.
So, through teary eyes and trembling fingers, Tighnari set to clean and aid his love as best as he could.
Besides, he thought. You haven’t told me what’s happened yet.