Chapter Text
"There is a substance in the world that a person can hold, but the longer he holds it, the more it disappears," Cyno tells you. "What is it?"
You sit across the table from Cyno, staring back at him while your expression remains unchanged. You don't give him an answer.
He sighs before he continues. "It's ice," he says. When you don't utter a word, he gives further explanation. "The ice melts in your hand, changing back to its liquid form."
Your eyes don't move, but he raises his brow when he notices you slightly biting your lip. Perhaps you're still confused.
"It's still water, but it cannot be called ice anymore, which is why you can claim it has disappeared."
He continues to elaborate on the joke, but when he starts getting into the nuances of properties of water, you burst out into laughter.
"I'm sorry," you tell him. "I couldn't hold it in anymore."
Oh? Was this joke successful? Cyno continues to cross his arms as you attempt to calm down from your laughter.
"I didn't want to laugh. I wanted you to keep going."
"And why is that?"
"You're just really cute when you do that," you say with a grin. "Besides, I like hearing your voice."
He lets out a scoff and picks up his spoon. His rice is getting cold.
"Anyway, was that supposed to be a joke or a riddle? Because there's a difference you know."
"I thought it was hilarious," he says. "Imagine a child holding an ice cube and then panicking it has disappeared five minutes later."
"You should have explained it that way then," you laugh.
He crosses his arms and clicks his tongue. Fine. One of his jokes will land someday. Besides, he only told the joke because you seemed sad, so he was at least successful in lightening the mood. Why did someone have to come and ask about your sister? He should've known better.
You slip him a piece of paper and he peeks under it to read your note. It's a lead to the investigation he's currently working on. He looks up at you and you have a large and expectant grin on your face.
"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" you ask him.
He doesn't reply.
"You know. Something like, 'You're so awesome, sweetheart. What ever would I do without you?'"
You never miss an opportunity to flirt with him. He puts the piece of paper away before crossing his arms again. "Excellent work," he tells you. This will help the investigation move more quickly.
"Aww... You're no fun," you pout. "This is an alternative way you can humour me."
He quickly asks another favour of you, and you're a little miffed he didn't play along.
"Yes, I can do that," you tell him. "Her daughter frequents the tavern and I can casually ask how her family is doing. I'm bound to find a few clues from that."
You continue to eat your wrap as Cyno takes more from his plate. This case needs to be wrapped up quickly. He shouldn't have involved you in this first place.
"But why didn't you ask Lambad for help instead? He knows his customers better than I do," you say. "I've only been here for a year."
He pauses from eating and places his spoon down. Looking into your eyes, he simply says, "I trust you."
It was years ago, but he still remembers both the painful yet determined look in your eyes. He was in charge of the investigation involving your sister, and yet you told him exactly where she was hiding. It turned into a painful memory for him, seeing you so heartbroken by your sister's crimes. He couldn't help but secretly keep an eye on you over the years.
"You wouldn't betray your own convictions," he tells you. "You're not so easily swayed by your emotions nor by others."
You widen your eyes, surprised that he made that observation about you.
"Oh?" you ask. "Have I captured your interest then?"
He sighs. He should really get to the bottom of his current case. "How have things been at the tavern?" he asks, changing the topic.
"Nothing too eventful. Just the same old thing. Gossiping people, students, merchants, the occasional traveler from another nation, more gossiping people…," you explain.
There's a twinkle in your eye before you continue. "Besides, if anyone starts to cause any trouble, I just casually mention that you've been coming here fairly frequently."
He has been coming to Lambad's tavern fairly often to take a break even though he'd typically prefer solitude.
"It's nice having a certain strong and handsome guy around," you tell him with a teasing grin.
Your comment catches him off-guard, causing his cheeks to heat up as well. He's been putting up a wall between you, but every so often, you pull a fast one on him.
Footsteps approach from the stairs. Cyno grabs his polearm.
"Cyno, wait." You take his hand.
He releases his breath when the person is in sight.
"It's only Lambad," you explain.
"I just brought up some more food as requested," he says. Cyno glances at you because he didn't order anymore.
"It's for you," you mouth the words to him.
"Anyway," Lambad turns to you, "your break is almost over. You only have five minutes left to flirt with Cyno here."
Cyno widens his eyes. Just how many people knew about your feelings for him? Although, he really shouldn't be surprised by the way you act around him.
"Should I tone it down?" you ask in almost a whisper. Cyno sits back in his seat after Lambad left you two alone again on the second floor.
Cyno raises his brow, not understanding your question.
"With the flirting," you explain. "Does it bother you that much to have other people know I like you?"
You must have read his expression. He can't deny it's been a source of stress for him.
You hold your wrap in front of you. "Well... Then again, I'd probably tarnish your reputation as the great Mahamatra," you say with lowered eyes before taking another bite of your food.
He watches your face and does not detect any lie from you. You truly believed your own words. "There's no need for you to dissociate with me," he says. "With your character, you wouldn't damage my reputation at all."
You choke on your food and he hands you some water. You're almost a bit bashful at his compliment. But when you see he has gone quiet, a smirk tugs on your lips.
"Does this mean I can keep flirting with you?"
He scoffs. Of course you took this as permission to lavish your feelings on him.
"You know... You've never told me to stop," you tell him with a grin sneaking onto your lips.
He thinks back to past interactions with you and sighs. He knows the reason why he has never asked you to stop flirting with him.
"Are you actually secretly interested in me?" you say with a wink.
Cyno rubs his temple. "I do think you need to stop flirting with me."
"What? Well... I…," you lower your eyes. "I think… I'll need some time to adjust, so…"
"Just stop until I wrap up this investigation." He grabs his polearm and leaves the table. "I've involved you too much with this case," he says. "I need to make sure you're safe first."
He already promised himself to look for you once the right people were behind bars. It's only right for you to get a clear answer from him soon.
"Oh… I see…," you say in a lowered voice. "Alright, I'll stop until…"
Cyno steps down the stairs and heads towards the door.
"Wait! What?!?!?!"
He places a hand on his forehead. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned that yet, but it's true. He wants you to stay by his side and keep flirting with him in the future.
He just needs to ensure your safety is secured first.