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he was sleeping.
your throat was tight as you looked down at your lap, cyno’s hair was soft against the skin of your thighs, warm in contrast to the cool desert air around you. he hadn’t wanted to rest—the two of you had been moving for nearly three days straight and he was intent on getting back to sumeru city before tomorrow’s dawn, but you had seen the way his eyes were drooping with every step, and you had insisted that you stopped for just a moment, claiming that your own feet were hurting because you knew damn well he would deny being exhausted himself.
that, of course, had led to him offering to carry you and it was a ten minute argument trying to convince him that, no, you didn’t want to be carried and no, stopping for an hour or two wouldn’t kill him. it wasn’t until the two of you spotted an oasis in the distance that he finally gave in, your waterskins having dried out a few hours before, cyno’s lips dry and parched.
and he had collapsed when he had bent down to scoop up some water, face-down in the shallow pool of the oasis and unmoving.
you had rushed to him, heart erratic in your chest as you flipped him over and pulled him away from the water—he was heavier than he looked, short but a body of pure muscle that had you struggling to drag him away.
he was still conscious at the time, but only barely, eyelids heavy and cracked open, chest rising and falling thinly. his skin was hot, burning even, and you could see the way his muscles were twitching, spasming with even the smallest movement.
guilt spread through you again as you thought back to how he had fought off a large band of eremites while traveling past the dune of carouses the other day while you rested. you pressed another kiss to his forehead, then to each of his cheeks. he had pushed himself too far and had overstrained his body without giving himself time to rest.
… and now he was dealing with the consequences, unresponsive in your arms as you tried to keep him cool with water and wet rags. you were lucky that it was dusk when he collapsed, taking away the majority of the heat… but dawn would be breaking soon, and you could only hope that his body didn’t start crashing again when it did.
you shut your eyes as you brushed your fingers through his tangled hair, remembering how weak he had been as you brought your waterskin to his lips, eyes fluttering shut, throat bobbing as he swallowed all the water he could get.
and you hated how he had immediately to push himself up, but you think you hated even more how when you pressed your hand to his chest to hold him down, he was too weak to even knock your hand off.
“we need to get back to the city,” he had said, voice hoarse and scratchy from the harsh desert winds.
“you need to rest,” you had shot back, “you can barely walk.”
“i’ll make it,” cyno had countered with but you didn’t even bother to acknowledge the comment. instead, you worked at slipping his headpiece off of his head, despite his protests, shifting him into a more comfortable position on your lap, leaning against a tree on the edge of the shallow pool.
any fight he might’ve had left in him dwindled as you carded your fingers through his hair, fingers brushing over his cheekbones and tracing soft patterns on his skin. he had always been weak to gentle touches, melting into your arms after long days of work, leaning into your hand whenever you cupped his cheek. but what always got him the most was when you played with his hair, running your fingers through it and toying with the strands, it always had his eyes drooping shut before he could stop himself.
it worked like a charm every time, and it had worked just as easily a few hours ago when he was trying to convince you that he was okay to keep going when he could barely even move. in no time, cyno’s breath had evened out, chest rising and falling steadily, lashes brushing his cheek as he dozed off in your lap.
you were certain he had never looked so peaceful. even with you, there was often a sort of strain in his face that never went away—the unfortunate effect of his demanding position.
your throat was tight as you looked down at him, fingers absently tracing the scars that littered his chest. you never got to see him like this—cyno, the rare times he was actually home, always stayed up later than you working on paperwork and then woke up before you so he could handle his meetings with the sages and get back to you before noon.
if you ignored what had caused the situation to arise, you could almost savor the way he rested in your lap. he was always the one to take care of you and it was a nice treat finally being able to be the one to take care of him… even if it wasn’t by his own will.
in the distance, the sun began to break over the dunes, and of course, cyno began to stir in your lap. no matter how exhausted he might be, his body would always have him up as soon as the sun rose.
a small smile pulled at your lips as his red eyes fluttered open, glittering against the morning sun.
“good morning, sleepyhead,” you said softly as cyno squinted, confused at where he was and trying to figure out what had happened.
as soon as he remembered what had happened last night, he sighed, shutting his eyes in disappointment.
“we lost the night,” he murmured. “i wanted to get back before sunrise, it’ll be more difficult trekking the rest of the way to aaru in the heat. i’m-“
“cyno, you’re in absolutely no condition to move right now,” you said, pressing down on his shoulders as he tried to force himself into a sitting position. and you supposed it was testimony to how weak he was when he dropped back into your lap and gave you a look that was nothing short of withering.
“we can’t waste another day, the meeting-“
“can wait,” you interrupted, leaning down to press your lips against cyno’s forehead. his skin still burned, but you made sure to position the two of you beneath one of the oasis evergreens. you hoped that the shade would prevent him from overheating again. “you run yourself ragged trying to placate them. they can handle waiting on you for once.”
cyno shook his head, eyes sliding shut again. “no, my duty-“
“duty this, duty that, i don’t care, cyno,” you interrupted loudly, catching him off guard as his eyes shot back open to look at you. “i can handle being alone for days on end, i can handle the risks and dangers, but i’m not going to sit here and watch you kill yourself for a bunch of old coots that would probably rather you dead anyway!”
cyno hesitated before he let out a deep sigh, reaching down to intertwine his fingers with yours. “is it that obvious that the sages don’t like me?” he asked wryly.
“it’s not that they don’t like you,” you said as he brought your fingers to his lips to press a kiss against each pad. “they’re wary of you… i think you’re the first general mahamatra who’s ever taken his job seriously enough to challenge them.”
you added the end lightly, but cyno evidently did not take it lightly.
“a disgrace,” he muttered, and you let out a breath as you traced his lips. “they have nothing to worry about so long as they abide by their own laws.”
you hummed, prodding at his bottom lip and letting out a soft giggle as he nipped at your fingers.
“maybe that should speak volumes then,” you noted off-handedly, “that they’re nervous.”
you watched as cyno’s expression shifted into a more perplexed one, absently massaging your hand as he considered your words.
“maybe you’re right,” he said quietly, but you didn’t get a chance to question him as he turned his gaze back toward the rising sun.
the heat was already suffocating and the sun wasn’t even fully in the sky but the air already felt as if it was scorching your skin, even beneath the shade. it wasn’t this hot yesterday—you would not survive the journey to aaru village… and you didn’t think cyno would either.
after a few moments, he let out another tired sigh. “in my pouch… there’s a tarp. we can set it up above us to block out sun.”
your eyes lit up even if cyno didn’t look pleased with his decision. with a wide smile gracing your face, you leaned over him to press your lips against his.
and as much as he might be feigning disapproval, you could feel the way his lips pulled into a small smile against yours.
“and how are you going to entertain me while we’re stranded out here?” cyno said softly against your lips. “you know i don’t like being idle.”
you laughed quietly as you sat back up straight, watching as his intense gaze followed your every movement.
“well, i could think of a few ways,” you said, fingers grazing his cheekbone as cyno looked up at you through his lashes.
“oh? would you like to hear the new jokes i learned? i need to test them out on someone, i bought a book while on the liyue border a few months back and have yet to-“
“oh my god, cyno” you complained loudly, hand dropping from his face. “can’t you ever-“
you didn’t get a chance to finish your sentence, cut off with a soft hmph as cyno pressed his lips against yours—they were still dry and chapped but they felt like home. he moved fast, evidently already feeling better, as he leaned you back against the warm sand and hovered above you, red eyes dark and lidded as he looked down at you.
“i’m kidding,” he murmured. “… let’s make the most of our alone time.”