Archive of Our Own

Cyno spots him first walking around campus, usually around the science building or the library. He almost ran into him at the student center and only managed a small 'sorry' before the student had hurried out. People—namely Alhaitham—tell him he's too quick to develop a crush, but it's how he's always been. And this time feels akin to fate, he thinks.

He has yet to catch up with the elusive student he has been fixated on since he started here.

Until now.

Cyno stands outside a study café just off campus and is staring at the man through the window. The sunlight is so bright it's blinding but Cyno can still make out the telltale green bangs on the man through the reflection of the glass.

The café is surprisingly quiet, save for a group of girls by a table in the corner and the jazzy music on the overhead speakers. Cyno walks up to the counter whilst making sure the student isn't moving from his table.

So, maybe he is a bit stalker-y, but he can't stop thinking about him. It might be the very obvious tail and ears, but honestly, Cyno thinks it's his face. The few times Cyno’s seen him, he’s usually wearing this intense, focused expression—like he’s trying to figure out the wonders of the universe. He’ll lean his cheek against a hand and tap his pen against his lips. Cyno could stare at him forever.

Alright, he sees the creepiness of his actions now. He has to give this a shot though. He won't let cowardice or Alhaitham crush his dreams.

Especially Alhaitham.

He grabs the to-go coffee cup the barista hands him and drifts over to the window seat where the dark-haired man is leafing through a notebook, pen tapping against his cheek, deep in thought. Cyno stops right by the table and the man's hazel eyes flick towards him before looking up at Cyno's face with a quirked eyebrow. “Can I help you?”

"Sorry for disturbing you, but you look so familiar. Did we take a class together by chance?" Cyno opens confidently, expecting the answer that follows.

"No....? I don't think we have, you must've mistaken me for someone else."

Cyno tries to keep the giddy smile from taking over—poorly—so it comes off a bit strained, but he won’t let it ruin the punchline of his masterful pickup line.

"Damn, I could've sworn we had chemistry."

The silence that first blankets them is to be expected, as people rarely seem to get his jokes, but the snort the man lets out after a few beats is the best thing he has ever heard. If Cyno also had a tail it would be wagging like crazy by now, he thinks.

The man looks at him with amused confusion, notes forgotten, and Cyno will take it as a win. At least he hasn’t gotten hot coffee to the face, yet. He's about to continue speaking but the man beats him to it with a brutal retort.

"Alright, Nemo, time to get lost."

Cyno flounders—pun intended—for a second but a dismissal like that is hard to ignore, and Cyno doesn't wanna come off as an asshole. Well, no matter, at least he gave it his best shot, you can't fault him for trying.

ooo

ooo

Cyno isn't particularly spiritual, but he does think the universe has an amazing sense of humour. The semester has just begun and as a first-year criminal justice major Cyno has been enrolled in several core courses, including chemistry. It was not his strongest subject in high school but he did memorize the table of elements to ask out a classmate. He had passed them a note asking if they were made of copper and tellurium. They hadn’t been appreciative of his efforts. So, when he walks into the lab on the first day of class and spots tall fox ears and green bangs at a table by the window, he is elated.

With the speed of light, he snatches up the seat next to him and the man looks up in alarm at the sudden movement, and his face sours at the sight of Cyno.

"Seems like I've found Nemo," he laments and Cyno lets out a surprised laugh.

"Hey, come on, if you like water you like seventy-two percent of me already."

The man's face twists up, pained, and Cyno isn't sure if he fully got it so he follows up with. "You see, because the human body is made up of seventy-two—"

The man holds up a hand to stop Cyno's explanation, and with his other hand, he pinches the bridge of his nose. He lets out a frustrated sigh. "I'm aware we are mostly made of water, thank you."

"I had to make sure you got the joke."

"Well, I’d be a lousy biology major if I didn’t know the water content of a human," the man replies with the flattest look Cyno has ever seen. Alhaitham's resting face is hard to beat, so maybe not.

The professor steps in then and introduces himself which effectively ends their conversation. His tablemate listens intently, tail swaying softly back and forth, and Cyno can't stop catching glimpses of him.

Once the professor turns around and starts writing his contact information on the board does he lean over to whisper. "I'm Cyno, by the way."

The man flicks his eyes to him, his ear moving towards the sound of his voice, but doesn't move otherwise. He returns his gaze to the front, and to Cyno's surprise, he replies in kind.

"Tighnari. Now, focus on the lecture please."

Cyno snorts. "What lecture? It's the first class of the semester so all we're learning today are exam dates and email addresses."

"It's necessary information, or are you one of those who leaves assignments to the last minute and preps for exams only a week in advance?" Tighnari smirks at him, waving his pen at him as a whole.

"You study for exams for longer than a week?" Cyno tilts his head, perplexed at the connotation. Tighnari‘s expression falls and Cyno wonders if he said something wrong. Tighnari shakes his head and mutters an 'unbelievable' under his breath.

ooo

Cyno learns that Tighnari is majoring in botany, an interesting choice but very fitting nonetheless. He is also top of his class which in hindsight makes a lot of sense. It also sparks new pickup line ideas and he's buzzing with energy before every class now.

The next week he sits next to Tighnari and greets him with: "If you were a flower you'd be a damnnndelion."

Tighnari rolls his eyes and sighs loudly. For the remainder of the class, he leans his hand against the right side of his face, refusing to look at Cyno. He thought it was a clever line...

It doesn’t deter him from coming up with even more lines to try and woo his fascinating classmate. Tighnari also hasn't explicitly told him off since their first meeting at the café, which is keeping the flame lit for Cyno.

ooo

A few weeks later, Cyno is sitting on the floor in Kaveh and Alhaitham's apartment, his back to the couch and chemistry notes spread in front of him on the coffee table. Kaveh is busy drawing some building or another for an assignment that is due that night and Alhaitham is lounging on the couch next to Cyno, reading a book in a language Cyno isn't familiar with.

He’s stuck trying to figure out the formulas for different chemical compounds without looking up the answers online. His eyes are itching and it's giving him a headache. After five more minutes of doodling in his notebook, he flops back against the couch and groans loudly while rubbing his eyes. "It's official, I hate chemistry."

"You should take a break, you've been at it for like three hours now," Kaveh suggests kindly, not lifting his head from his drawing. "There should still be some leftover tahchin in the fridge."

At the mention of his favorite dessert, Cyno bolts up from the floor and goes to grab it from the kitchen. He steps back into the room, cheeks stuffed with delicious rice pudding, when Alhaitham suggests a solution to his problem.

"Have you considered finding a tutor?"

"A tutor?” Cyno taps the spoon against his bottom lip and considers it. “I don't know about that, don't you have to pay them for it?"

"Generally, yes. However, the university does often employ a select few to do it for free for other students."

"So the university pays them to help others?"

Alhaitham looks up from his book and gives Cyno the same flat look that Tighnari had given him before, but infinitely more annoying. "Isn't that what I just said?"

"Yeah, yeah, smarty pants," Cyno grumbles and stuffs the rest of the tahchin in his mouth. "So, where do I find one of these tutors then?"

Alhaitham and Kaveh both cringe at him speaking with his mouth full, Kaveh glowering at him over his shoulder. Cyno just flips them off.

"You could check the message boards at the student center, they usually post ads on there," Kaveh, the angel that he is, replies helpfully. Cyno thanks him for the advice, and the food, and takes his leave after picking on Alhaitham a little more.

ooo

Cyno’s got to thank Kaveh the next time he sees him because there is in fact a tutoring offer, written by none other than Tighnari, on the board. Cyno tears off a piece with Tighnari's student email on it and immediately sends off a request for tutoring sessions. He purposefully signs it off with a nickname.

The reply comes a few minutes later, inquiring about specific dates and times, and they settle on two sessions a week, late afternoon to fit around their classes and other tutees. The first session would be that evening just to go over Cyno's tutoring needs.

They were supposed to meet in the campus library, so when six o’clock rolls around, Cyno strolls in with a spring in his step, searching for Tighnari. His message mentioned he would be on the third floor, but not where exactly. The library is massive with several floors and hallways to get lost in. After several minutes of wandering the third floor, he finds him in a corner behind some bookshelves, tail curled up in his lap. The late-afternoon light streaming through the window behind him creates a halo effect around his head and Cyno is yet again struck by Tighnari's beauty.

He still has his back to Cyno and is totally in the dark about who he’s meeting. Perfect. He walks over and pulls out a chair and sets his bag down on it, before he looks up at the confused look on Tighnari's face and grins.
Tighnari sits up straight and frowns.

"What are you doing here, Cyno?" he asks curtly. "I'm here for the promised tutoring lesson," Cyno lilts and Tighnari's eyes widen at the unexpected answer.

"What? No. You must be mistaken. I’m waiting for someone named—"

"Mahamatra?” Cyno finishes. Tighnari nods slowly, piecing it all together. “I'm really struggling with chemistry," Cyno laments, scratching the back of his head mock-sheepishly. Tighnari rolls his eyes, laughs incredulously, and lets his textbook close with a small thud

"Doesn't come as a surprise. If you paid more attention to the lecturer instead of me, you might actually learn something."

"Well, what can I do when you're so irresistible," Cyno says and winks for good measure, which earns himself another eye roll.

"Okay, if you're genuinely serious about the tutoring,” Tighnari narrows his eyes and Cyno nods excitedly. “I have one condition; no more pickup lines," Tighnari states firmly. Cyno wilts.

"But I still have so many good ones left!" he wails. Tighnari crosses his arms and stares at him defiantly.

"Take it or leave it."

Cyno pouts, not wanting to give up his favorite hobby, but respecting Tighnari's wishes takes precedence. He also really needs help with his homework.

"Alright. Can I tell one more and then I promise I'll refrain from using them again," he asks, hopeful. Tighnari sighs but nods. Cyno perks up and gets ready to unleash his full charm.

"Did it hurt when you fell from the vending machine? ‘Cause you a snack."

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that follows. Tighnari's ear twitches once, twice, and Cyno just smiles awkwardly.

"Because snacks are delicious and—"

"Yes, thank you, Cyno. Shall we start?" It's more of a statement than it is a question, and Cyno sits obediently down at the circular table. However, the small curl of Tighnari's lips does not go unnoticed by him.

ooo

He doesn't keep his promise. Well, completely.

Tighnari only specified that he couldn't keep going during their tutoring sessions, which meant that lectures were fair game as far as Cyno was concerned. You should never underestimate a criminal justice student.

So he keeps it up in class but refrains from giving in to temptation during their study sessions. He does slip up once while Tighnari is helping him with his math homework on geometry, and he instinctually blurts out. "If you were a triangle, you'd be acute one."

Instead of the usual bemused reaction he’s gotten used to, Tighnari retorts back.

"You're unbe-leaf-able."

Those five syllables have Cyno stunned and Tighnari bursts into laughter at his dumb expression. Scratch whatever he said before about Tighnari's snort being the best thing he's ever heard, because him laughing for real, that's even better.

"Did you just...?"

"You must've imagined it," Tighnari replies airily but smiles slyly despite himself. Cyno is over the moon.

So they start a new back-and-forth of Cyno giving compliments and Tighnari shooting them down with lines of his own.

I think you're suffering from a lack of vitamin Me.

What's the difference between you and a calendar? A calendar has dates.

Is your name Ariel? Because I think we mermaid for each other.

Are you a traffic sign? Because stop.

And so on.

The best part of it all, in Cyno's opinion, is that with every retort, clap back, and deflection, Tighnari is growing more and more comfortable around him. He's usually so put together and distant, but his tail has been giving him away for weeks now, not to mention his little laughs after the particularly mean comments. Cyno doesn't interpret them that way, though.

ooo

ooo

There's less than a month left until their final exams and the weather is starting to get colder and the days darker. Christmas songs are playing in every shop and on every radio station despite it only being November. The decreasing temperatures also mean that people are falling ill left and right.

Cyno had asked to meet at the study café off campus for his tutoring, but when Tighnari gets there he is not in good shape. He's burrowed into a thick woolen coat with a scarf wound tight around his neck, covering his nose. His ears are drooping slightly and, when he unwinds the scarf, Cyno can see that his face is red and puffy in that tell-tale cold way. Tighnari sits down and starts pulling out his textbooks but Cyno grabs his arm to stop him before he can.

"Why aren't you at home?" Cyno asks worriedly, Tighnari tilts his head a bit, brow pinched.

"Because I'm scheduled to tutor you today?" He gestures at Cyno’s backpack and the notes and books laid out on the table.

"Well, yeah, but you really should be at home resting. It's not good to be out and about while ill."

"I'm not ill," Tighnari immediately snaps—and sniffles. Cyno deadpans at that.

"Your face says otherwise."

"Stop your flirting, I'm not in the mood."

"I'm not. Your nose is running, and," Cyno leans over and touches the back of his hand to Tighnari's forehead. "You're burning up. Go home, Nari."

"I'm fine," he grinds out, swatting at Cyno’s hand. His ears flatten against his head in irritation. Cyno refuses to budge on the matter.

"You are not, and you should—"

"Don't tell me what to do," Tighnari snaps again, louder. His outburst draws the attention of the nearby tables and Cyno waves them off. He considers the situation for a second and knows what has to be done. He’s pulling out the big guns.

"You know, according to the second law of thermodynamics, you're supposed to share your hotness with me." Tighnari stares at him blankly for a long, long moment and Cyno, ever patient, waits for any kind of reaction. If he still refuses to leave he would just have to carry him or call campus security or...

Tighnari slumps in his seat, defeated, exhaustion setting in. "Fine. Let me just get my coffee and I'll get going."

"I'll get it for you, you just sit.” Cyno gets up from the table, stepping past Tighnari, before realising he should check the order. He spins around. “A chai tea latte with almond milk, right?"

Tighnari blinks mouth agape, and nods twice slowly. Cyno smiles and strides up to the counter to order the drink. Thanks to the late hour, the café is fairly empty, the only sounds coming from the coffee machines and the piano cover of Last Christmas playing softly on the overhead speakers. Tighnari mentioned before that he preferred the library because of his oversensitive hearing and cafés typically had a lot more ambient sounds that he often found distracting.

Cyno returns to their table with two drinks, passing the chai latte to a sniffling Tighnari who accepts it gratefully. He cradles the warm cup in his hands. Cyno could swear he was shivering.

"Okay, time to go," Cyno commands softly. Tighnari wraps himself back into his scarf and coat and heads for the door. When he steps out, he turns to face Cyno.

"Thanks for the coffee, and sorry for—"

"Which way?"

Tighnari blinks. "What?"

"Which way is your place?" Cyno asks again.

"You don't have to walk me home, Cyno." Tighnari whines, the cold really kicking his ass. Cyno finds it endearing.

"I know. I want to. If that's alright?" Cyno admits but starts to doubt himself when Tighnari still looks confused at his offer. He just doesn't want to leave him to walk home alone and potentially pass out from his fever. Tighnari was swaying on his feet, most likely unbeknownst to himself.

Cyno is about to retract his offer when Tighnari simply turns around and starts walking down the street. Shaking off his bewilderment, he quickly catches up to him.

They walk in companionable silence, or perhaps Tighnari is just too tired to talk, but Cyno doesn't mind it at all. He's just happy to be in his company. Tighnari sniffles the entire way, broken by intermittent sips of coffee, followed by a little hum that warms Cyno's heart.

After about fifteen minutes, they arrive at a terraced brick building with vines covering part of the facade. There are fairy lights on in one window, and a brown cat sitting by another. It's very homey, and fitting for a plant-lover like Tighnari.

"You didn't have to walk me all the way here, but," Tighnari pauses, avoiding his gaze and fiddling with the to-go cup. "Thank you, Cyno."

"It's no problem,” Cyno assures, shrugging. “It felt wrong to make you walk alone in your condition."

"I'm not some maiden in need of rescue. I can handle myself."

"I know you can." Cyno falls silent, kicking at the ground, not knowing what to say to break the awkward tension building between them. "Well, I should get going. Take care of yourself."

He turns to leave, taking a few steps back towards where they came, but he’s stopped by Tighnari's hand on his arm. "Wait!" Flustered and red in the face, he digs around in his pocket and holds out his cell phone. "In case I'm still not well, I should let you know, right?"

Cyno, trying to stay calm despite his excitement, takes Tighnari's phone and inputs his number, setting his name as 'knight in shining armor'. When he hands back the phone, Tighnari scoffs at the name and immediately changes it to 'Idiot in Tin Foil'. Cyno laughs and the air feels warmer.

ooo

As expected, Tighnari is still ill by the time their next session rolls around, and he informs him about it via text. Cyno immediately saves his number in his phone. He also asks if Tighnari is feeling better and if he has someone taking care of him, which he reassures Cyno that he does and that he is feeling better every day.

Even after Tighnari is back in class, they keep texting. It starts off innocent enough; the occasional questions about their days, reminders of deadlines, and pointing out when it's going to rain so they don’t get caught in a downpour. It quickly evolves into talking about mundane things, such as Cyno asking for movie recommendations for his movie nights with Alhaitham and Kaveh, and Tighnari sending pictures of the brown cat from his apartment, Zerda. They keep texting late into the night until Tighnari tells Cyno off for keeping him awake, only to repeat it the next night.

It also opens up a new avenue for Cyno to strike when least expected. They're sitting in class and Tighnari is writing meticulous notes on whatever chemical reactions the lecturer is prattling on about. Cyno types out a killer line and sends it off to Tighnari, patiently waiting for him to see it.

His phone lights up next to his notebook, and he glances at the text reading 'are you http? because without you i'm just ://' and immediately turns to Cyno with a mock glare. Cyno gives him an exaggerated pout and Tighnari shakes his head with a silent laugh and resumes his note-taking.

ooo

Cyno snickers at the response, typing out a 'sorry sorry' but not really meaning it.

"Are you still flirting with that plant boy of yours?" A bowl of popcorn lands on the coffee table in front of the armchair Cyno is curled up in. Kaveh rounds the table and flops down on the couch, splaying his legs over Alhaitham's lap. To Cyno's surprise Alhaitham doesn’t even blink an eye, he keeps his gaze on his book and absentmindedly sets one hand down on Kaveh's ankle. Interesting.

"Huh?"

Kaveh quirks a brow at him. "The botany student? The one that's tutoring you? You know, the one you have a massive crush on," Kaveh lilts and waggles his eyebrows suggestively, before grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing his face.

"That's none of your business," Cyno huffs.

"Uh, one, I deserve to hear all the tea considering I set you up,” Kaveh recounts on his fingers and Cyno tries to interject.

“The flyer was pure coincidence, you couldn’t’ve known—”

“And two,” Kaveh powers on, silencing Cyno’s rebuttal. “You're ruining movie night with your texting and giggling."

"You haven't even put the movie on yet, how am I ruining it?" Cyno gestures at the TV with the selection menu still open. Kaveh snatches the remote off the table and waves it at him passive-aggressively and starts typing out the name in the search bar. Cyno checks his phone for any new replies and closes it again when there is none.

"You should've just invited him if you're going to be talking with him the entire time anyway." Cyno feels his cheeks heat up at Kaveh's suggestion. It’s a nice thought, sitting huddled together on the couch with Tighnari, sharing snacks and drinks. His head falling onto Cyno’s shoulder as he got sleepy, Cyno petting his hair to make him fall asleep…

"You're thinking of him right now, aren't you?" Kaveh interrupts his daydream and reaches over to poke Cyno's leg. Cyno kicks at his hand but misses. Kaveh sticks out his tongue at him, and before Cyno can retaliate, Alhaitham breaks up their play-fight.

"Children, please, weren't we supposed to watch a movie?" he remarks, holding his book out of reach of Kaveh’s flailing limbs.

"Yes, Dad," Cyno deadpans, which gets him an annoyed glare from Alhaitham. Cyno counts it as a win. Kaveh queues up the movie to signal the end of their bickering. Cyno flips his phone up one last time. Texting had made Cyno bolder, and maybe it was a stupid decision, but he sends off one last message to Tighnari before closing his phone and focusing on the movie.

ooo

The butterflies in his stomach were getting downright violent now. It wasn’t fair that the stupid lines were still affecting him this much. Tighnari stuffs his face in his comforter and lets out an agonized groan. Collei looks at him in concern, meanwhile Zerda simply rolls over and snuggles closer into his side, offering him silent encouragement.

"Are you alright?" Collei asks from the floor next to his bed. He lifts his head to look at her sitting among the several worksheets and notebooks scattered about the floor of his room. Oh right, he had been in the middle of helping her with her assignment on pollution in freshwater.

"I'm fine," he reassures, pushing himself up on his elbows. Collie doesn’t look convinced. “Where were we?”

"Was it Cyno?"

Tighnari flushes and averts her gaze, cursing her attentiveness. "How did you know?"

"You bring him up a lot and you're not the most avid texter usually. You also haven't mentioned anyone new in a while," she says, tapping her pen against her chin as she speaks. "So by logical reasoning, it has to be Cyno." She looks to Tighnari for approval and at his stunned look she starts stuttering and apologizing. "I-I mean, not to assume anything, but uh..."

Tighnari sighs, rubbing his forehead. "It's alright, Collei. Your deduction would be correct." She perks up at his admission.

"Oh. So, then, are you two dating?" Tighnari looks at her from beneath his hand, horrified that he had been so transparent with his feelings that even Collei was able to see right through him.

"No, we're not." He sits up on his bed, dislodging Zerda from his side, and gets up to go make them dinner. "It's none of your concern, Collei."

"I didn’t mean to upset you, I’m sorry," she mumbles, wringing her hands in her lap. Tighnari stops in the doorway. Guilt twists in his chest for causing her undue anxiety, she suffers from it enough as it is. He walks back over to pat her head comfortingly.

"You didn't upset me, it's not your fault." He gives a scratch to Zerda's belly as well, who purrs in response and burrows into the warmth left in the comforter by Tighnari. "Do you wanna help me make shawarma wraps for dinner?"

Collei is hot on his heels all the way to the kitchen, conversation forgotten among the homework on the floor.

ooo

The finals were upon them, and for the first time in Cyno's entire life, he could confidently say that he was well prepared for them. The entire week breezes past him in the blink of an eye, and the post-exam relief is like no other.

He’s just finished his last final and it’s still early in the day, so to celebrate he heads for the café. He’s in the mood to have something sweet, maybe something with caramel.

The usual little ding of the bell welcomes him in. Most tables are filled with students cramming for their finals at the last minute, so he has to look around the back for a free table. He steps past the beaded curtain into the back area decorated with sage green walls and plants hanging from the ceiling, and he immediately spots tall ears and green bangs by one of the window seats.

Typical Tighnari. With the amount of sunlight he gets each day, he must be photosynthesizing his own oxygen by now.

Tighnari looks up then, as if he heard Cyno's inner commentary, and lights up at the sight of him. Cyno makes it over to him with a swagger in his step and leans over with a hand on the table to ask in the most sultry voice he can muster: "Are you an exam? Because I've been studying you like crazy."

Tighnari chuckles, leans his chin on his fingers delicately and, seemingly without thinking, responds in kind. "I value my breath, so it would be nice if you didn't take it away every time you walked by."

Cyno—speechless at what he just heard—breaks out into an incredulous smile and lets his head hang as he laughs. Tighnari is too attractive for his own good.

Cyno's initial slow reaction has Tighnari quickly realising what he said and a gorgeous blush spreads all the way down his neck. His ears droop with his embarrassment and Cyno is about to go in for the kill and ask him out, but he’s interrupted by a tiny voice behind him.

"Tighnari? Your face is so red, are you alright?"

The girl is petite, with green hair and bright eyes, wearing a pink knit-sweater. She’s holding a tray with two drinks and a slice of apple pie, and Cyno realises he must be interrupting Tighnari’s tutoring time.

"It's quite alright, Collei. Don't mind me." Tighnari clears his throat and tries to get his blush under control. Cute.

"I'm sorry, and you are?" It takes Cyno a second to realise the question was directed at him. He gestures at himself, confused, and the girl–Collei–nods as she steps forward to put the tray down..

"Um, I'm Cyno. I’m a friend of Tighnari's." Collei’s eyes light up at the mention of his name and she almost slams the tray onto the table.

"You're Cyno? Oh, it's so nice to meet you finally!" she exclaims, which only adds to Cyno's confusion.

"What do you mean—Wait!" He turns to point at Tighnari who is looking at the interaction in mild horror. "Have you been talking about me to the other people you're tutoring?"

Tighnari's ear twitches and he scratches his cheek abashedly. "Technically Collei is not just a tutee. She's also my roommate."

"So you've talked about me to your roommate?" Cyno grins and Tighnari refuses to look at him. Oh this is golden.

Collei pats at the spilled coffee on the tray with a napkin and then rounds the table to sit next to Tighnari. She smiles pleasantly and happily keeps going, not sensing Tighnari’s unease at the topic. "He's mentioned you quite a lot, actu–" Tighnari's hand flies to cover her mouth before she can give away anything else.

"Hah, anyway, what brings you here, Cyno?" Tighnari laughs awkwardly and Collei looks at him in confusion. Cyno’s biting his lip from smiling too wide, not wanting to make Tighnari feel any worse than he probably already was, but honestly, Cyno is ecstatic.

Hearing that his crush was talking about him to his roommate made his day. A reward in its own right.

"Oh, me? I just came to grab something sweet as a reward for finishing my finals, but I think I got what I came for already." He winks and the realisation on Tighnari's face is priceless, the cherry on top. Cyno’s grin is near obnoxious now.

"Al-alright, if that's all, you–you should probably take your leave, then," Tighnari stammers, cheeks bright red. Collei looks worriedly at him–probably having figured out she outed her roommate–but doesn't know what to do to help the situation. Cyno considers dragging it out just to see how flustered he could make the other man but, they were clearly in the middle of reviewing notes and Cyno didn't want to be a nuisance. No matter how entertaining.

"I probably should, yeah. It was nice to meet you, Collei." Cyno nods at her and she smiles shyly, hiding behind her drink. "And Nari, I cannot espresso how brew-tiful you are, but I like you a latte."

"Get out."

"Will do." Cyno salutes them on his way out, and as he’s leaving, he can hear Collei ask if he was always like this, and Tighnari's answering 'yes' sounds oddly fond.

ooo

As is tradition—according to Kaveh, anyway—finals are always followed up with a night out and enough booze to forget how poorly you did on said finals. Kaveh also isn't taking a 'no' for an answer tonight. So, despite Cyno's hopes of staying in and binging Ace Attorney for the fifth time in as many weeks, he's been dragged to a nightclub downtown.

Alhaitham doesn't look pleased either but at least they got him to dress up for the occasion. It took a lot of wrangling on Kaveh’s part, and Cyno got a good laugh out of it.

Kaveh had asked to do his makeup, which Cyno wasn’t opposed to, so he's sporting some dark and smoky eyeshadow with sharp eyeliner to match. He's wearing black ripped jeans and a black-to-gray gradient tank top, paired with a choker and his prized purple bomber jacket. He considers himself to be fairly handsome, but tonight he feels hot. And based on the passing looks he gets when they're walking to the club, other people think so as well.

Kaveh skips the queue completely and walks straight to the bouncer, who fistbumps him and waves them through, to the loud complaints of a bunch of girls standing first in line. The club is abuzz with energy, the music is booming and Cyno can feel the thrum of the bass through his entire body. It’s all dark and glittery surfaces that are lit up by various lights. Past the packed dance floor in the middle, is a long bar lit up by neon lights stretched across the back wall. Kaveh leads them to a booth by the far right and tells him and Alhaitham to wait as he bounces up to the bar.

Cyno raises a questioning eyebrow at Alhaitham who just shrugs at him. Kaveh returns shortly with a small tray holding eight shots of what looks to be tequila, placed in a circle around a plate of lemon slices in the middle. Kaveh hands them one each and holds up a third above their heads.

"Cheers to us, bitches!" he shouts and downs the shot in one go, Cyno and Alhaitham following his lead. The tequila is bitter and Cyno cringes at the sour tang the lemon slice leaves in his mouth. Kaveh laughs at him and Alhaitham’s matching grimaces and downs another shot like a pro. Cyno gets up to go grab himself some water and a gin and tonic to wash away the taste. By the time he gets back to the table, a newcomer has joined their group, and Cyno's mouth goes dry at the sight of them.

Tighnari is standing next to their table laughing with Kaveh, tail flicking back-and-forth, and ohmygod how do they know each other!?

Tighnari's dressed in shiny, pleather leggings and an asymmetrical top with one long sleeve, one short. The top part of his hair is tied into a low bun and he’s got a gold earring hanging from one ear.

As Kaveh spots him he waves him over, and Tighnari turns to look behind him, directly at a dumbstruck Cyno. Tighnari winks and beckons him over and, like a snake charmed, Cyno moves.

When he gets close enough, Tighnari grabs his drink from his frozen hand and takes a sip. "This'll suffice for embarrassing me earlier," Tighnari smirks. That shakes Cyno out of his Tighnari-induced daze and he huffs.

"That was more Collei than me, you know," he retorts indignantly.

"Perhaps, but you definitely didn't make it any better." Tighnari takes another sip just to spite him. Lucky for him, he has Cyno wrapped around his finger and he is helpless to do anything about it. They gaze at each other, the space between them shrinking steadily.

A finger snaps between them, breaking them out of their trance, and both turn to look at Kaveh's smug face. "Ayo, lovebirds, there's still shots left."

Tighnari ushers Cyno into the booth and the rest of the shots are passed around. Alhaitham refuses to drink more tequila and instead gets up to get himself a drink instead. On Cyno’s request he also gets another GT because the first one was confiscated by a smart-mouthed botany student. The conversation flows smoothly, the topics ranging wildly and everyone decidedly avoids any mention of exams and such.

There’s one question burning at the tip of his tongue, though.

"So, Kaveh, how do you guys know each other?" Cyno gestures between him and Tighnari, genuinely curious as to how this friendship came to be.

"We met in the library, actually," Tighnari pipes up before Kaveh can. Cyno frowns. That didn't seem plausible as Kaveh wouldn't step foot in there unless he was paid to do it. He never did the optional reading for his courses and whatever books he needed he borrowed books from Alhaitham's expansive collection, much to the latter’s chagrin. So why would he...

"Yeah, I recognised him from the tutor lineup and had a couple math problems I needed help with," Kaveh adds, a mischievous glint in his eye that confirms all of Cyno's worst suspicions. That bitch. "We also went clubbing together, once."

Cyno’s jaw drops, he refuses to believe that. "You didn't," he says in abject horror.

"Well, it wasn't much clubbing because someone got us kicked out," Tighnari accuses gleefully and Kaveh squawks mid-sip, his drink sloshing over the rim.

"That was not my fault and you know it."

"You broke a guy's nose."

"Because he groped me! You saw it happen."

"So you two are friends now?" Cyno interjects, still processing everything.

"Oh, the best of friends, am I right, Tigh?" Kaveh leans on the table and waggles his brows. Tighnari snorts.

"I wouldn't go that far." Tighnari shrugs, wry grin playing on his lips. Kaveh pouts at that which has the rest of them laughing.

After a few more drinks, Kaveh demands to play a drinking game so they settle for the classic ‘never have I ever’. Five fingers, first one to put them all down has to buy the next round. Kaveh, as the oldest, starts with 'never have I ever been attracted to someone in this room', pointedly looking at Cyno. Cyno squints back at him suspiciously but takes a sip. What surprises him however, is that everyone else also takes a sip. It's like that Spider-Man meme, where they all point at each other, and it has Kaveh in stitches.

"Well, ain't that interesting. Tighnari, you go," he manages after a while, still chuckling.

"Oh, uhh," Tighnari thinks for a second, lips pursed, before he smirks and declares, "Never have I ever been thrown out of a bar." Kaveh's face falls and Alhaitham barks out a laugh.

"Tighnari, you little minx!"

"Hey, it's the name of the game." He tilts his ears back and tries to look as innocent as possible while twirling the straw of his drink. "Drink up, babe."

The 'babe' has Cyno feeling some type of way. Kaveh flicks his hair and takes a sip with a put-out 'hmph'. "Happy?" he sneers afterwards, banging the glass back onto the table.

"Very," Tighnari grins. He pokes Cyno's shoulder, "You're next."

Cyno, without thinking, goes for the cheap shot. "Never have I ever slept with my ex."

Kaveh looks about ready to strangle him but begrudgingly downs the rest of his glass. Alhaitham drinks without much fuss but he does look slightly bashful. Tighnari gestures between the two of them, and when Cyno smiles and nods, he giggles and holds out his hand for a high-five, which Cyno meets happily. The game continues with Alhaitham who throws out a 'never have I ever gotten a tattoo', so Cyno takes a sip. Tighnari’s ears shoot up straight and he points at Cyno in surprise.

"You have a tattoo," he exclaims loudly. "Where?" His tone drops dramatically and he looks Cyno up and down, searching for any sign of ink. Cyno pulls down the sleeve of his jacket to show the bracelet tattoo around his left bicep. Tighnari leans over to touch it and Cyno freezes, inhaling sharply. Tighnari marvels at the ink, and Cyno lets him, skin tingling pleasantly under his fingers. The alcohol might have something to do with that, too.

"Okay, we get it, tattoos are cool," Kaveh interrupts, waving his drink around and spilling some on Alhaitham. "I'm bored, let's go dance!"

"It's only boring to you because you're losing," Haitham points out and Kaveh twirls around to gape at him.

"How dare you! Okay, Tigh, let's go." He grabs onto Tighnari's arm and drags him out of his seat, Tighnari stumbling along. He throws a look back at Cyno but doesn't resist Kaveh's pull. They disappear into the throng of people on the dance floor until Cyno can't see them between all the moving bodies.

"I see why you like him."

Cyno whips around to look at Haitham, surprised he would say anything about the probably embarrassingly longing look on Cyno's face. "How come?"

"He's fun to be around. I read one of his papers and he has the brains to match that beauty. Whatever he sees in you, I have no clue."

“Asshole,” Cyno bristles. “I’m a delight.” He cradles his drink in his hand, getting lost in the neon lights reflecting in the liquid. He has wondered if Tighnari will ever see him as more than a friend or if he’s wasting his time. Tighnari’s given hints here and there, but he might just be pulling his leg. He’s not mean like that, though.

Cyno tries to catch a glimpse of them on the dance floor, and can kind of make out the tops of Tighnari's ears.

"You should join him." Haitham remarks, breaking Cyno out of his thoughts, and looking at him meaningfully. Cyno isn't sure how to answer that. He wants to, he just doesn't know if he should.

"But what if it doesn't work out?" And he knows it's a stupid question to ask to Alhaitham of all people, who gets that melancholy look in his eyes and drops his eyes to the table instead of looking toward the dance floor. "Sorry."

"Don't mention it." He downs his drink in one go, Cyno's brows rise but he decides to stay quiet. "I think you should still try. You'll never know."

Alhaitham is right, Cyno hates to admit it to that bastard but he won't know unless he tries. And he has come this far, why should he give up at the finish line? Spurred on by the sudden, but heartfelt conversation, Cyno discards his jacket and decides to go join the dancing crowd.

The heat on the dancefloor is almost suffocating. People keep bumping into him as he wades through and he shoots apologetic glances left and right as he pushes past. He spots Kaveh first, his glittery shirt a beacon underneath the strobe lights, and next to him Tighnari is dancing to the booming edm music. Cyno hopes he's wearing earplugs or something with those ears of his.

Kaveh sees him approaching and decides it's a great idea to hip check Tighnari right into him. Tighnari hits his chest with an oomph, and Cyno grabs onto his arms to steady him, glaring at Kaveh over Tighnari’s shoulder. The blonde just laughs and disappears from view. Tighnari is apologizing profusely but when he realises that it's Cyno, his face lights up instead.

"Hi," Cyno shouts, barely heard over the music. Tighnari mouths 'hi' back. He asks something else but Cyno can't hear him. Tighnari leans in to shout: "Wanna dance?"

Cyno shakes his head. "I don't know how."

"I'll teach you."

Tighnari takes his hands and pulls him to an emptier spot and starts moving to the beat. Cyno tries to follow his lead and he’s happy that he isn't fucking up as badly as he thought he would. The song changes to something with actual lyrics and the people around them go wild, Tighnari joining in. Everyone is jumping and shouting along. He doesn’t know the song, much less the words, but the energy is contagious.

The song ends and transitions into a much slower, sultrier one, and Tighnari starts grinding to the beat. He's swaying from side to side, running his hands up his body and through his hair, pulling the hair tie loose. Cyno is spellbound, practically drooling, unable to tear his eyes away. His hands move on their own and find their way to Tighnari's hips. Tighnari bites his lip and in a flash of boldness, Cyno leans in to say. "Don't bite your own lips, you're so selfish, let me do it instead."

Tighnari shivers and wraps his arms around Cyno's neck, pulling him down to whisper in his ear.

"Then do it." As he leans back, his eyes flick between Cyno's eyes and lips. He can't believe it.

Cyno's fingers dig into Tighnari's sides, pulling him in and finally kisses him. It starts off slow, but quickly builds up into something needy, a delicious push-and-pull. And Cyno bites, as promised. He can feel, rather than hear, Tighnari groaning and the hands around his neck grab onto his hair. Tighnari breaks their kiss to leave little kisses and bites down Cyno's neck making his legs feel like jelly. He sucks lightly on his pulse and then licks up his neck to bite his earlobe.

"You know, I'm actually a tattoo artist," Tighnari purrs and Cyno is both confused and intrigued. "Would you like to try a red mark on your neck?"

Cyno pushes Tighnari up against the closest wall, hooking one of his legs over his hip and pulling the fox into another kiss. The need in his body is turning into something more heated and they should really get out of here.

After properly ravishing him, Cyno pulls him off the wall and starts weaving around the people towards the door. He doesn't register anything past their intertwined hands, his sole focus on getting out of there as fast as possible.

The cold air outside is a welcome feeling, another shock to his system. It hits him then that he didn’t consider Tighnari at all in his decision to leave. Doubt creeps in and he fears he’s fucked it all up.

"Your place or mine?" Tighnari asks, to his surprise, and Cyno stares at him, disbelief hítting him without all the distractions of the club. He swallows, finding his throat dry all of a sudden.

"Mine's closer," he answers, head swimming at the realisation that this is really happening. Tighnari smiles lopsidedly at him and kisses his cheek.

"Lead the way."

ooo

ooo

He barely falls asleep before the sun is shining in through the curtains of his bedroom. He doesn't mind though, because whatever sleep he got was probably the best sleep he's had in ages. Tighnari is wrapped around him, like an octopus, and Cyno still can't believe he’s here. The gorgeous boy he's been pining after is in his bed.

He fistbumps the air, cheering silently, but jostles the sleepy fox enough to stir him. He squeezes Cyno's chest and Cyno strokes the hair from his face. Tighnari peeks open an eye, face still mostly smushed in the pillow, and mumbles something intelligible.

"What was that?" Cyno whispers, not wanting to break the blanket of early morning stillness quite yet.

Tighnari lifts his head enough to speak clearly. "You can pet 'em if you want. I've seen you look at them enough times." He wiggles his ear to emphasize his meaning.

"Oh. If you’re sure." Tighnari nods and Cyno lifts his hand to pet his ears. The fur is so soft and Tighnari hums, closing his eyes again and enjoying the feeling. He cards through the fur and scratches at the base of the ear which has Tighnari's hips stuttering against his thigh. The heated feeling in his gut from last night reappears, and he gives another scratch and Tighnari keens and opens his eyes to look at him hungrily and he realises they won't be leaving the bed for another couple of hours. Not that he'd want to, anyway.

ooo

They get up eventually. Tighnari hops in the shower while Cyno prepares them breakfast. He's frying some day-old rice and mixing in leftover vegetables and eggs, his stomach rumbling at the savory smell. He hears footsteps enter the kitchen and soon a pair of arms wrap around his waist, a chin digging into his shoulder.

"What's on the menu?" Tighnari asks. He smells of Cyno's body wash and it has his stomach in knots. It all feels so domestic.

"Me n' you," Cyno answers and Tighnari groans into his shoulder. "What? Not funny?"

They sit at the small kitchen table, Cyno serving the fried rice, and dig into their breakfast. They keep exchanging shy glances and bumping each other's feet under the table. This would be a good moment to talk about their feelings.

"So, how do you feel?" Cyno begins tentatively. Tighnari hums around his food.

"Sore, but in a good way. You really didn't hold back, huh?" Cyno blushes furiously, thoughts halting to a stop at Tighnari’s matter-of-fact tone.

"Sorry."

"No, no, I liked it," Tighnari reassures, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Okay, good. That's not what I meant though."

Tighnari drops his fork back down. "What did you mean?"

"How do you feel about this? Us,” he gestures between them. Tighnari’s tail twitches.

"Honestly, the first time I met you, I thought you were a bit of a douche." Cyno snorts, and Tighnari nods sagely, grinning. "Buuut the more I got to know you, despite all your stupid lines, I started really liking you."

Cyno’s heart skips a beat and he waits for Tighnari to continue, but he doesn’t and instead takes another bite of his food. Well, this won’t do…

"If I swallow magnets, do you think I'll become more attractive?"

Tighnari stops chewing to glare at him. Cyno gives him his most innocent look which has the corners of Tighnari’s lips twitching. Cyno can’t help the grin spreading on his own face.

"Firstly, that was corny as shit,” Tighnari says between bites, waving his fork at him. “Second, that would kill you."

"Just admit you like them."

"Never."

"I'm no photographer, but I can picture us together."

Tighnari looks at him with undisguised fondness and Cyno preens under the attention. Tighnari reaches out and pulls him in by the nape of his neck to shut him up. They kiss sweetly for a few seconds before leaning the slightest bit back, eyes closed and breaths mingling, enjoying the moment. Tighnari breaks away first and Cyno's eyes flutter open to look at his mischievous face, apprehensive of what it might entail.

The thing he’s learned about Tighnari is that he is a clever one and knows exactly which buttons to push to make him go wild.

"I'm sorry, I forgot your name, can I just call you mine?"

Cyno pulls him right back in, not intending to let go. Not now, not ever. Tighnari's laughs in between are music to his ears. He is so gone for this man.

ooo

Tighnari leaves in the evening, because Collei has gone home for the holidays, and he doesn’t want to leave Zerda alone for too long. Cyno kisses him at the door and they promise to do something the day after. The rest of the day he feels listless, with nothing to do.

He's in the middle of an episode of The Office when his phone lights up with an incoming call from Kaveh. He accepts it and puts the phone on speaker. Big mistake as Kaveh screeches right into the microphone. Alhaitham’s scolding can be heard in the background but Kaveh pays him no mind.

"Jesus fuck, Kaveh. What's with the screaming?" Cyno asks, rubbing at his ear to get rid of the ringing.

"You slept with Tighnari!?"

"Did he tell you that?"

"Oh, he didn't have to. I saw you disappear from the club with him. You also forgot your jacket, and I know you treasure that thing like your child.”

"I do not." He does. It was a gift from his little brother years ago and he puts every ounce of effort into keeping it clean and whole. He can't believe he actually forgot it at a club of all places.

"I'll bring it over soon. Uuunless, you're still occupied?" Kaveh teases down the line and Cyno’s happy he can’t see the way his ears are turning red.

"He left already, you're free to come over."

"Ha! So he was there!"

"Goodbye, Kaveh." Cyno disconnects the call just as Kaveh gears up to tease him more. He rubs his eyes in exasperation, but he can't wipe the pleased smile from his face.

ooo

ooo

Tighnari hops down the stairs to the front door and opens it to Cyno's smiling face and a bouquet of cecilias, kalpalata lotuses and padisarahs. He grabs it gratefully and the sweet smell envelopes him immediately. He didn’t have many doubts to begin with, but Cyno’s turned out to be the sweetest boyfriend in the world, and Tighnari is so grateful for him.

"If I didn't know better I would think you were courting me with this," Tighnari purrs and Cyno looks like he's ascending to Celestia. Tighnari waves him in and walks into the kitchen to find a vase for the bouquet. Cyno follows him and stops to stand by the doorway as Tighnari pulls down a vase from the top shelf, fills it with water, and puts the bouquet in it. He turns around and places the vase on the kitchen table.

"It's beautiful. Thank you, Cyno," Tighnari admires, stroking the petals of the lotus.

"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful flower."

That was the one thing that had somehow only gotten worse after they got together. The lines were constant, at least two per day. It was honestly impressive. Tighnari would never admit it, but it did make his heart flutter, it made him feel wanted. However, he had to keep up appearances.

"Stop that."

"What? You love it." Cyno walks over confidently, leaning his hip against the table, and Tighnari tries not to show how hot he finds him. "Your tail gives you away."

Dammit. How could his body betray him like this?

"Whatever," Tighnari huffs, trying desperately to still his tail, to no avail. "Let's go upstairs, Zerda's sleeping by the window again."

"After you."

"You only say that so you can stare at my ass."

"I'm neither agreeing nor denying." The shit-eating grin tells him otherwise and Tighnari laughs and swats at his arm.

Tighnari walks them up the creaky stairs, through the hallway past the bathroom and into his room, where, as expected, Zerda is lying on the window sill. He blinks awake as they step in and regards Cyno coolly, not moving a muscle. Cyno reaches a hand out to him and the cat sniffs it twice before resuming his sleep. Having been accepted by the guardian of the room, Cyno sits down on the bed and starts surveying the room.

His gaze stops on the corkboard above Tighnari’s desk, which is covered in notes, graphs, post-its, postcards, and a huge periodic table. A few polaroids—one of Zerda, a few of Sumeru’s lush scenery, and one of Tighnari and Collei on what looks like a picnic—decorate the edges. A string of fake leaves pinned above it.

Practically every surface holds at least one plant, ranging from foliage to flowers, herbs to cacti. He’s got a little bit of everything, but it’s to be expected in a field such as his.

“Do you actually grow herbs in your room?” Cyno asks and points to his dresser. Tighnari turns to look at the pot of rosemary.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Studies have shown that smelling rosemary in the morning clears the mind and elevates your mood,” he explains and loves how intently Cyno listens to him.

"You're such a nerd, it's so hot," Cyno remarks offhandedly and Tighnari snorts.

"And you're weird."

Tighnari's laptop jingles, indicating an incoming email, cutting off Cyno's smartass reply. Tighnari steps over to his desk to check it. It's from their chemistry professor.

"The chem grades are in."

"Already?" Cyno exclaims, pulling out his phone to check his own email.

To no one's surprise, Tighnari passes with flying colours, but what comes as a surprise to both of them is that Cyno isn't far behind—it's his best exam score to date and it's all thanks to Tighnari. Oddly, it is a huge turn on for Tighnari and he can't hold himself back anymore. He unbuttons his sweater, throws it on the desk chair, and looks at Cyno with desire in his eyes.

"Strip," he commands, Cyno's mouth dropping open, eyes blowing wide.

"Wha- that turned you on? Really?"

Tighnari straddles Cyno's hips, licking a stripe from his clavicle to his ear, nipping his earlobe. "You're not the only one that finds nerdiness hot," he purrs huskily. Kissing the corner of his lips, he pulls back to see Cyno's love struck face and is promptly rolled over and pressed into the mattress.

ooo

The bell jingles above him, the familiar buzz of the café greeting him. Cyno unwraps the scarf from around his neck and walks over to the window seat where his boyfriend is sitting. Tighnari is wearing a mushroom patterned sweater with ‘All I want spore Christmas is you’ emblazoned on the front, which Cyno had given him as a gift. He had first deemed it the ugliest thing in existence but once he had put it on he had refused to take it off. Cyno won't say anything but it warms his heart.

Cyno kisses Tighnari’s temple, scratches his ear, and sits down in the chair next to him. "What are you reading?"

Tighnari lowers his phone and turns to smile at Cyno. "It's an article on a massive reptile fossil that was found in Liyue, close to the Chasm's surface. They estimate it's only a few thousand years old. It kind of looks like a dragon." Tighnari scrolls back up and turns the phone toward him.

"Wow, that's really cool," Cyno comments, studying the photo of a decidedly dragon-like fossil, before he turns his attention back to his boyfriend. "So, kiss me if I'm wrong, but dinosaurs still exist right?"

Tighnari turns to him with that I-love-you-but-why-are-you-like-this smile of his. "That was kinda sweet. And topically relevant. A plus."

"If you think these pickup lines are sweet, you should taste the lips they come out of," Cyno wiggles his eyebrows. In the month they’ve been officially together, he’s learned that his words have much more of an effect on Tighnari than he lets on. He is absolutely abusing this knowledge now.

"If that gets you to shut up, I just might." It isn't much of a threat considering the way his lips curve up as he speaks.

"A hypothesis should be tried out to determine the most satisfying outco-"

"Just shut up."

The ensuing kiss effectively shuts off his brain, as well.

ooo

Graduation day sneaks up on them faster than they expected. The morning is a mad dash of getting ready, going to get their caps and gowns, meeting up with friends and family before they get to sit down in the great hall with their graduating classes. The speeches drag on and on, but soon enough it's time for them to get their diplomas. Tighnari claps loudly as Cyno takes the stage, and in turn Cyno wolf-whistles as Tighnari gets his degree, which has a gorgeous blush blooming on his cheeks.

As valedictorian, Tighnari gets to give the graduation speech. He has been practicing it with Cyno for weeks and Cyno could probably recite it from memory at this point, so he lets his eyes fall closed as he listens to Tighnari’s melodic voice inspire the hall of graduates. Tighnari’s speech is coming to an end, but when he keeps going after what Cyno knows to be the final paragraph, his eyes snap open.

“As a final note, I’d like to share a sentiment I’ve learned during these past year four years. All our dreams can come true if we only have the courage to pursue them.” He looks anxiously around at the people before him until his eyes land on Cyno. Cyno raises an eyebrow at him and Tighnari smiles, and continues. “And you, Cyno, are the man of my dreams.”

A snort—most likely Kaveh’s—can be heard from a few rows behind him, but all Cyno had eyes for was the man he was head-over-heels for.

Dreams do come true, after all.

fin.