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Kaveh was known to be dramatic.
There weren’t many times where Kaveh would say his reactions completely outweighed the situation he landed himself in. Though yes he could be considered a little more dramatic than most everything could be reasonably boiled down to one specific reason.
Claiming he’d leave Alhaitham after they got into another fight, throwing away all his sketches after a client rejected yet another set of blueprints, and throwing his claymore at that one colleague who insisted on flirting with him despite being told off multiple times. All reasonable reactions in his own opinion.
And for the record, his claymore didn’t hit his colleague (as much as he wished it would have).
In their relationship, Kaveh’s over-dramatic nature was nothing more than par for the course. What was unexpected though was for Cyno, who was usually level-headed and never one to exaggerate, to have an outburst that would rival some of Kaveh’s best work to date.
The day was going just about as normally as it could have for the four of them. After getting off of work they went to Lambad’s to play TCG and drink away their long weeks. Conversation was light and easy flowing, surprisingly tame for the four of them but the night was young and they’d only had two glasses of wine.
When they’d eventually run out of things to talk about in public, with ever-wandering eyes and ears, and were drunk enough to sway a little upon standing; they decided to call it a night and head back to Alhaitham’s house.
Looking back Kaveh realized the signs of what would eventually come were plain as day if you were looking for it. Cyno didn’t win nearly as many games of TCG as he should have and didn’t once scold Kaveh for peeking over at other’s cards. On their walk home, he’d been so preoccupied discussing his latest designs with Tighnari (and tactfully evading Alhaitham’s quips) that he hadn’t realized Cyno had fallen behind the group.
It took until they arrived at Alhaitham’s house for Kaveh to finally take notice.
“You’re blocking the doorway.”
Kaveh turned back and saw that Cyno was indeed standing in the doorway, teetering between the inside of the house and the nightly exterior. Alhaitham was standing right next to him, waiting to close the door behind Cyno.
“Cyno? What’s wrong?” Tighnari’s voice was laced with worry and Kaveh couldn’t help but feel the tension in the room rise.
“I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t be here.”
Kaveh had never heard Cyno sound quite like that before. So unsure of himself, his voice shaking with every syllable. Next to him he felt Tighnari stiffen up and was about to ask what exactly was going on, unfortunately, he was beaten to it.
“Did you have some other partners you promised to spend the night with? If so then I’m afraid you’ll have to cancel.” Alhaitham’s words were meant to be light and teasing, but they only seemed to set Cyno off more.
Cyno summoned his polearm and clutched it defensively, not unlike a child holding onto a teddy bear.
“Cyno just come inside. We can talk about this.”
“Yeah, it’s just Haitham’s house, there's nothing to be scared of. I promise the ugly decorations aren’t harmful to anything other than the aesthetics.”
Every person who tried to comfort Cyno only seemed to send him further into himself. The scene was also starting to attract outside attention from passersby. The general mahamantra acting strange in public would undoubtedly cause rumors to spread. Rumors none of them needed. Alhaitham, being the Acting Grand Sage, knew this most of all.
“Don’t touch me!”
The words were too late, however, and Alhaitham already had Cyno’s hand in his to tug him inside. Kaveh couldn’t get a good view of exactly what happened but the next thing he knew he saw Alhaitham jump back with wide eyes. The unmistakable marks of burning and scarring already making themselves present on Alhaitham’s hands.
Cyno had shocked Alhaitham.
Despite rumors that might fly around the Akademiya, Kaveh knew that Cyno was not an aggressive person. His job had given him a reputation that in Kaveh’s opinion was almost laughable because of how incorrect it was.
Cyno used violence if and when necessary but never went overboard and never used it on people that were undeserving of it.
Even though Alhaitham could be considered irritating on a good day and no one could deny that out of all of them Cyno and Alhaitham got into the most physical altercations (though to be fair half of them were sparring and the other half ended in the two making out) never once had either had the intention to genuinely hurt one another.
All of this was seemingly going through Cyno’s mind as well, he looked even more astonished than Alhaitham seemed to be. That was at least, until he turned around and sprinted away as fast as he could.
Kaveh tried his best not to flinch as Alhaitham dug his nails into the palm of his skin. He knew Alhaitham, despite his continued unwavering and impassive nature, was in pain as Tighnari rubbed the burning medicine into his hand.
“It hurts now but trust me, the sooner we start applying treatment the less severe the scarring will be. You should start feeling its effects after about twenty minutes. ”
“I’m fine.” Kaveh moved his hand up and smoothed it over Alhaitham’s lip, which was now bleeding from how hard it had been bitten. “My greater concern is Cyno’s behavior.”
The unsaid words being spoken out loud were like the final moment before boiling water tips over the edge of the pot. In a single second, the atmosphere of the entire house completely changed, and Kaveh couldn’t stand it.
“We need to go find him and bring him back. Who knows what he’ll do or who he’ll run into when he's out there all alone? He isn’t exactly an anonymous figure.”
Alhaitham slowly flexes his hand, now covered in burn cream and a bandage to avoid any infections. “As much as I would love to trek across Sumeru looking for one of the most elusive people known to the Akademiya, I really would rather not get shocked again.”
Alhahaitham’s sarcasm along with the indication that Cyno would ever intentionally hurt anyone made Tighnari jump up, leaving the chair he was sitting on to clatter on the floor behind him.
“Don’t say that.” Tighnari’s ears were stuck straight on his head and his tail was fluffed out like he was intimidating a predator.
“There’s no need to work yourself up. I didn’t mean to imply that Cyno was aggressive, just that I’m the one he’d be most likely to fight if he got himself worked up again.”
“If he throws away his vision again I don’t think I’ll be able to help him.”
This wasn’t the first time Cyno had issues with his vision. Back when the fauti were in Sumeru attempting to overthrow Nahida and Tighnari had gotten hit by lightning Cyno had gotten it into his head that his vision was dangerous.
As it turns out though, vision holders don’t do well with being separated from their visions and Cyno ended up becoming deathly ill. He was bedridden for a month and it was only after Alhaitham had found the discarded vision on the black market that Cyno ended up feeling better.
They all remember how sickly Cyno was when he finally cracked and let the others in on his suffering. Many of the doctors and Amruta scholars doubted he would be able to regain even a tenth of his power again let alone become what he once was. But Tighnari refused to believe them and nursed Cyno back to health with nothing but his willpower and the herbs he’d send Kaveh and Alhaitham out to get.
To this very day General Mahamatra’s recovery is considered one of the great scientific advancements made in the modern era.
“Where do you think he would go?”
“The desert most likely It’s a calming place for him and he knows Haitham and I can’t handle being out there long enough to look for him.”
It didn’t take more than a minute for Kaveh to process Tighnari’s words and make up his mind. Cyno was always the one taking care of them when they needed him most, why shouldn’t he get the same in return?
“Well, then I’ll go and bring him back.”
Journeying through the desert at night was something many people in Sumeru were afraid of. They claimed it was more dangerous with monsters shrouded by darkness. Even some of the desert dwellers were cautious about straying too far from Aaru village once the sun went down.
Over time though, Kaveh had learned that traveling through the desert at night was much more efficient than during the day. The coolness of the night air and the relative clarity from the lack of sandstorms made navigation much easier than it otherwise would have been during the day. It took a few tries and getting turned around more than once, but after a while Kaveh had learned his way around the desert and could get around efficiently.
Kaveh was confident he would be able to find Cyno somewhere in the desert, his only problem was the size of his search. The desert was massive and without a clear path or direction, Kaveh could be searching the desert for days before he found any sign of Cyno. He did have Mehrak to help in his search with his advanced tech and longer field of vision though which helped put his mind at ease.
He didn’t bother going through Aaru village, the people there knew Cyno well and would want to help him upon seeing his state; a fact Cyno likely took into consideration. Kaveh traveled to some of the ancient pyramids scattered throughout the desert. They were spread out enough to justify checking each one as well as a place Cyno could feasibly run to for comfort and safety.
However, he only got as far as the second pyramid before he felt a soft nipping at his ankles. At first, he thought it might be Mehrak, low on battery and struggling to float up with his draining battery, but one glance to his left and he found Mehrak happily scanning the sands for any trace of Cyno.
When Kaveh looked down at his feet he saw a familiar sight. “Aw, not again!”
The little desert foxes from the inter-darshan championship had somehow found their way to him again. Yes, they were the same ones from back then because Kaveh distinctly remembers naming each of them based on their appearance.
“I don’t have much for you this time. I’m out here all alone and I desperately need to find someone.” Despite this Kaveh leaned down and gave them a handful of the food Tighnari had packed him. He couldn’t justify leaving them with nothing, even if he knew it wasn’t something he was supposed to do.
“Tighnari would be mad at you for feeding wild animals. You know how he feels about them eating human food.”
The voice came out of thin air and had Kaveh jumping back several feet, putting his hand over his vision just in case. Only when the voice made their presence known did he let go of his vision. Cyno looked different whenever he was in the desert, more at peace with himself than he ever did when he was in the city. Almost like he knew this was his home, and he could relax into who he was before the Akademiya.
Kaveh was glad to see that Cyno could form full sentences, even finding the energy to make a joking comment, but his appearance did make Kaveh’s heart sink. Cyno was completely disheveled, his hair was unbrushed and his clothes were covered in sand. The bags under his eyes made it look like he hadn’t slept in days and he was clearly dehydrated.
“He would also be mad that you’re dehydrated in the desert.”
“I’m from the desert. I won't pass out from dehydration so easily.” Kaveh gave Cyno an unimpressed look.
“Well, then you should know better than anyone how important it is to have water out here.” Kaveh pulls out a jug of water and extends it to Cyno. “Drink this.”
Fear flashed through Cyno’s eyes as he looked down at Kaveh’s hand. It took them a few seconds but eventually, Kaveh realized Cyno wouldn’t take the jug from his hands and he set it on the floor. Cyno immediately picked it up and started jugging the water. Apparently he needed the water more than he realized. Kaveh sat on the ground and idly petted the foxes who were brave enough to come up to him.
“So, are you going on your second self-imposed isolation or are you going to let us know what’s going on this time?”
“Very funny.” Cyno sat down with him, albeit at a safe distance.
Some of the foxes migrated over to Cyno’s lap where they lay down, completely unaware of the crisis they were giving Cyno. Had it been Tighnari out in the desert instead of Kaveh he would have pointed out how the foxes, animals who ran on pure instinct, trusted him enough to sit in his lap.
Kaveh wasn’t Tighnari though and although taking another one of his partner’s words was tempting Kaveh knew it wouldn’t have the same effect coming from him. Instead, he devised his little plan. A plan that he was sure would calm Cyno down enough to come back home and talk about things. A plan that was so quintessentially Kaveh it was almost comical.
If nothing else Cyno could laugh at Kaveh’s utter failure.
“I’m shocked you know your way around the desert so well. Most people get lost when they come this deep.”
Kaveh rolls his eyes. “I got lost once and Haitham refuses to let me live it down. Honestly, I’d like to see him try and make his way to some of these completely obscure and halfway hidden ruins.”
“Doesn’t he come out here all the time to study ancient ruins?”
Kaveh pouts silently as he tries to naturally walk behind Cyno. Normally Kaveh would make more of a scene but he needed to make sure that Cyno still had his vision on him without making a big deal of it. The last thing he needed was to make a scene and for Cyno to throw his vision away.
They were lucky to find it the first time but Kaveh didn’t know how lucky they’d be a second time. Not with the sandstorm season coming up.
Mehrak stopped suddenly in front of both of them and scanned the area. Once he scanned the entire perimeter he beeped happily before moving over to Kaveh and beeping some more before projecting a variety of sketches and blueprints.
“Thank you Mehrak, you can rest now. I know the dry heat must be harsh on you.”
“Where are we?” Cyno looked around at what was seemingly just another endless landscape of sand.
From the outside, it looked like just vast nothingness, a place where one could consider themselves truly lost. No sense of direction or a clear pathway to where they came from or where they were going. Places like these were the types that not many visited, and the few that did get lost before they could tell what it was like there.
“The first ruins I ever visited in the desert.”
Confused, Cyno looked around for any sign of what could once be considered a building.
“You’re not going to find anything. A huge sandstorm covered the entire thing about four years back. The only reason I still remember where it is is because I had Mehrak scan it before it got buried.”
“So why exactly are we here then?”
Kaveh took a deep breath and prayed to Nahida that his plan wouldn’t fall through and could accomplish something. Then he summoned his claymore and before Cyno could even open his mouth to ask what was going on Kaveh picked it up and threw it. Fortunately, because of Kaveh’s lack of ability to efficiently throw a multiple-pound sword and Cyno’s fast reflexes, no one got hurt.
“What are you doing!” Cyno shouted.
But Kaveh didn’t answer and instead summoned his sword back and ran at Cyno with everything he had. It continued like that, Kaveh running at Cyno or throwing his sword only for Cyno to evade him, until Kaveh ran himself ragged and needed to take a moment to catch his breath.
“Kaveh, what’s the meaning of this?”
Finally catching his breath Kaveh looked up at Cyno and said, “I’m not going to stop until you fight back.” Once again Kaveh summoned his sword and prepared to attack.
Kaveh was truly shocked it took Cyno as long as it did to attack. The two were out there for the better part of an hour, Kaveh launching attacks back to back and Cyno dodging them. It wasn’t until Kaveh started to run towards Cyno, claymore in hand with full intentions to start swinging it that Cyno well and truly fought back.
Right as Kaveh was lifting his sword Cyno struck, using the moment of distraction Kaveh needed to muster his strength to his advantage. Kaveh felt his feet go out from under him and a sharp pain in his shins before falling back onto the sand.
Disoriented from the fall, Kaveh didn’t have time to react before Cyno grabbed his sword and threw it as far away as possible, pinning his hands above his head to ensure he couldn’t get it back. He then used the rest of his body weight to completely incapacitate Kaveh, sitting on top of him so he could do no more than aimlessly kick his feet and shake his head.
Kaveh didn’t attack though, instead looking up at Cyno as if he had just hung the stars in the sky.
“You finally attacked.”
Cyno scoffed, “Not like I had much choice you would have gone until you passed out if I hadn’t.” Kaveh doubted Cyno would have let it get anywhere close to that point but he appreciated the recognition of his tenacity.
“You could have shocked me.” Saying those words out loud sent Cyno reeling, immediately taking his hands off of Kaveh and scooching away as quickly as possible.
“I wouldn’t- I would never-”
“I know you wouldn’t. That was the point.” Kaveh moved over to Cyno reaching his hand out but not touching Cyno, not wanting to overwhelm his senses.
“Be honest with me, what are you so scared of?” Cyno shook his head, Kaveh couldn’t help but be reminded of a child terrified to tell their parents when something bad happened. “It’s not something to be ashamed of. Promise I won’t judge.”
There was a moment where Kaveh was sure Cyno was going to refuse to answer. It wasn’t often that Cyno willingly opened up his heart to those around him, highly aware of the danger it caused.
Cyno and Kaveh were different in this way, and there were times when Kaveh wished to be more like Cyno, as he assumed, was true in reverse. They could never quite escape what was so deeply ingrained in them, but they could meet each other halfway. Perhaps that is the decision Cyno decided to come to when he turned his head away from Kaveh and mumbled, so lightly that it would have been impossible to hear if they were anywhere except the desert.
“Nari is permanently scarred because of a lightning strike and now I’ve electrocuted Haitham. I’m dangerous, Kaveh.”
There were many things that Kaveh disliked about the Akademiya. From his time there to working in its systems he saw firsthand just how broken it was and how often it caused people to reveal the worst aspects of themselves for the sake of “wisdom” and it drove Kaveh insane.
Since Nahida’s rescue and proper reinstatement as Dendro Archon, Kaveh could admit things had been getting better, but the scars of the past do not heal overnight. The scholars currently attending the Akademiya had an especially hard time adjusting to the changes, and thanks to this his partners have had to take up extra responsibilities.
With Alhaitham becoming the acting grand sage, Tighnari having to host the scholars so used to only learning from the akasha terminal in the forest, and even Kaveh having to aid his Kshahrewar juniors. Everyone was taking on a heavier load to make the Sumeru of tomorrow a better place then the one they’d grown up in.
But perhaps no one had to take on more work than Cyno.
As the general mahamantra, Cyno had to not only round up the scholars committing academic misdeeds but also guide and lead everyone else onto the correct path of justice and righteousness. Cyno knew from the beginning how taxing the job would be, but decided to take it on full force anyway. He saw it as his duty and most days Kaveh could see the pride he got from performing his job, but that could not be said for all days.
There were many days when Cyno questioned his influence and role as a part of the Akademiya, wondering if he truly was helping the situation by only causing more harm and chaos. These days were only made worse by the countless scholars who spread lies and rumors about Cyno behind his back. Tellings of Cyno’s cruelty and proclivity for violence weren’t uncommon in the Akademiya, regardless of how fictitious they may be.
“The people who say those things about you are nothing more than fools who can’t spare enough time to understand who you truly are.” Cyno seemed unconvinced, so Kaveh continued, desperate to get through to Cyno.
“You are kind and caring and more thoughtful than so many of those hack jobs working at the Akademiya. Your work and effort are helpful to many people in the Akademiya and the world would be so much bleeker and melancholy without you or your awful jokes.” Kaveh reached out and grabbed Cyno’s hands. He squeezed them before looking Cyno directly in the eyes. “If you are dangerous then I should be regarded as the most blase and unimaginative man in all of Sumeru.”
There was a moment of silence between the two, only their soft breathing and the desert winds. Kaveh could feel his heart beating in his throat and swore he could feel Cyno’s heartbeat on the tip of his fingers.
“Perhaps… I overreacted, just a little.”
For the first time since Kaveh had found him Cyno allowed himself to fully physically relax. In doing so though he revealed just how tired he was, his eyes struggling to stay open and his body barely able to keep itself upright.
“It’s alright,” Kaveh said when he saw Cyno trying to fight the tiredness. “I’ll keep you safe while you rest up.”
The last thing Cyno remembered before drifting off to sleep was laying his head on the soft plus of Kaveh’s thighs and listening to him humming softly.
When Cyno blinked his eyes open he saw nothing more than a blur of color before him. Confused, he blinked a few more times before his vision cleared and he saw Mehrak.
Mehrak scanned over his face before making what Cyno could only assume were affirmative beeping noises and moving over him to go somewhere unseen. Cyno followed Mehrak’s movements, turning over to see Kaveh sitting on the sand, sketching idly while looking out at the now-rising sun. Mehrak bumped Kaveh a few times to get his attention before motioning over to Cyno.
“You’re finally awake.”
Kaveh put down his sketches for Mehrak to begin scanning before standing up and dusting the sand off himself. He then made his way over to Cyno and kneeled in front of him.
“Honestly, I have no idea how you manage to spend so long in the desert without being able to wash the sand off your body. We’ve only been out here a few hours and I already feel like I need a shower.”
“How long have I been asleep for?”
Cyno could feel the guilt creeping in about keeping Kaveh out in the desert for so long. He undoubtedly had better things to do than sit around and keep watch over Cyno. A flick to his head quickly interrupted those thoughts.
“Stop that now I can see the guilt all over your face. I stayed out here because I wanted to be with you. And according to Mehrak you were asleep for about three hours, not nearly enough to replenish your body but you should be good until we get to Aaru village. Then I can contact Tighnari and Alhtiaham and-”
“Alhaitham is he- is he alright?”
Cyno’s memory was fuzzy around all that had happened. It wasn’t uncommon for him when he became like this, his mind shut down and he didn’t remember the details around his actions. Last time it had been like this he came too extremely ill and with Alhaitham holding his vision while Tighnari distantly scolded him and Kaveh fretted over him like a mother. Luckily this time he came back wandering around the desert aimlessly and having most of his memories surrounding what got him there in the first place.
“He’ll be fine. Tighnari was healing his hand when I left and Alhaitham was his normal impassive self. At worst he’ll have a scar on his hand but.” Kaveh grabbed Cyno’s hand and traced over the many lighting scars there. “That’s just the danger of playing with lightning.”
Cyno had a habit of pretending like the side effects of his vision weren’t as extreme as they often could be. Every vision had its negative side effects, from dendro leaving one more susceptible to scratches and deep cutting wounds from their blooms to pyro users often burning themselves there was no shortage of side effects. Electro users, as one would expect, had an increased chance of small shocks and jolts of electricity running through their bodies at inopportune times. Though he never talked about it, the shocks Cyno got did a great deal of damage to him and led to a multitude of scars across his body.
“I guess you could say we’re like maggots.” Kaveh tilted his head in confusion.
“Because of our electro-maggoticity.”
“If you have the energy to make jokes then I’m assuming you’re more than capable of walking to Aaru village.”
The walk back to Aaru village is quiet, both men saving and using what’s left of their energy to make it back. Once they get there Kaveh gets them a hotel room for the night and sends Mehrak to fetch Alhaitham and Tighnari.
Cyno all but passes out again once he hits the bed, too tired to even think of showering or tidying up. When he does wake up again though he finds Kaveh sitting at the provided desk, freshly showered and sketching away.
“Say, now that we’re alone could I ask you something?” Kaveh suddenly acknowledging Cyno scares him. He hadn’t even realized Kaveh knew he was awake.
“Ask away.”
Kaveh fidgeted with his hands for a few minutes before taking a deep breath to prepare himself. He always did this when preparing to ask something he thought would be embarrassing or awkward.
“I know we’ve been together for quite some time now and you love and care for me deeply, but I’ve been wondering what was the moment you realized you loved me? When did it switch from considering me a close friend to something more?”
Always the sentimentalist Cyno thought to himself.
“I’m not particularly romantic, you know. I’m not good with flowery words and sentimentality.”
Cyno knew his strengths and weaknesses well. His strengths were in being a subtle and consistent shower of his love, doing things for people to show how he cared for them without the grandiosity of showboating. Cyno didn’t need other people to justify his love to strangers, only the people who mattered.
“Trust me you can’t be any worse than Alhaitham. Did you know he confessed to me while we were just sitting on the couch? Unbelievable that he didn’t even think to get flowers or chocolates or even ask me out on a proper date .”
Cyno did know that, as did everyone else who had ever had a conversation with Kaveh since the incident happened. He didn’t think it appropriate to bring up now though, instead focusing on what he was going to say. Though he wasn’t the greatest wordsmith out there he always knew how effective the truth could be, so he supposed that would have to do.
“It was the day you gave me that special limited edition TCG card you won at the inter-darshan championship. I always knew you were kind and empathetic but that was the first time it was directly towards me. You have a way of making people believe you care about them so deeply that it’s hard to not give the same love in return. At that moment I knew I wanted to do something as great for you as you had done and continue to do for me.”
Cyno didn’t get an immediate reaction from Kaveh, and for a moment he thought that Kaveh didn’t understand or like his explanation. But, when he heard quiet sniffling he looked up to see Kaveh tearing up.
“That is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.” Kaveh wipes a few of his tears away. “You shouldn’t downplay yourself so much, you're so much more romantic than you give yourself credit for.”
Romantic? Cyno had never thought of himself as particularly romantic. He’d always assumed romance was something he’d never get to experience, certainly not with three different people at once as he was now. Lucky was never a word Cyno would use to describe his life, but staring at Kaveh cast in candlelight, smiling at him like there is nowhere else he’d rather be, Cyno considers himself the luckiest person to ever live.
“Come lay down with me.”
Kaveh’s nose scrunched up. “You should shower first. Archons know how much sand you're covered with.” Cyno almost complained for a second but then felt the scratch of the sand in places sand should never be. He relented and got up to shower, but made sure to tell Kaveh the joke he’d been concocting the whole way back.
“Are you sure you don’t secretly have an electro vision Kaveh? Because your charge is making me attracted to you.”
Cyno got as far as taking off his headdress before Kaveh joined him, claiming he was there to help Cyno as he was far too tired to wash himself properly. Their shower took twice as long as it should have but the two were pink-cheeked and giggly afterwards so Cyno couldn’t find it in himself to be upset about the lost time.
The next morning Alhaitham and Tighnari have to bust down their hotel room door to get inside. Kaveh and Cyno were too exhausted from their little excursion to even hear the knocking in their deep sleep.
That was okay though, because they got carried the entire way back, Cyno only stirring slightly when Alhaitham set him down on his couch and opened his eyes to see the small scar left behind on his hand.
A consequence of playing with both lightning and love.