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The attack was too quick for Cyno to notice, but of course Tighnari did.
One moment, he and Nari had been sitting on a tree (shut up, Dehya. Stop it. Even Cyno had to admit that joke got old after the fifth time they found Tighnari and Cyno napping in a tree). They had been sharing some chocolate-covered fruit that Collei had gifted them. It wasn’t their first date, it wouldn’t be their last. Their friends were there as well, picnicking beneath them. Tighnari had just pulled himself up into the tree so he could sit in a little bit more sun, pulling off his hoodie and setting it behind him. Of course, Cyno wasn’t going to just leave him alone. So, he climbed up after Tighnari. And there they were—Cyno had been making jokes about strawberries.
Then, a different kind of red split the air, a knife slashing across Tighnari’s throat and then winging off into the forest. Tighnari had let out this awful choking noise. His eyes went wide. As the world seemed to slow around him, Cyno could only watch in horror as Tighnari tilted to the side and dropped out of the tree. He slammed into the ground right beside the Traveler and Paimon, leaving Paimon screaming and vanishing into thin air. Everyone else was on their feet in a second as their attackers sprang from the trees.
(“Cyno—” Dehya shouted, looking at him. He was frozen. His hands couldn’t move. Chest seizing, he stared down at Tighnari. His husband was lying on the grass, eyes wide and lips parted. Was he breathing? Had Cyno just watched him die and done nothing—)
“CYNO!”
Jolting, Cyno whipped around. His gaze landed on Nilou. Throwing a wave of water at a nearby man, Nilou turned to him.
“Help Tighnari! Now!” Shaking, Cyno nodded once. He could move, he could finally move. Half-slithering, half-falling from the tree, he landed at Tighnari’s side. On the grass, blood pooling around his neck, Tighnari gasped. He was wheezing, shaking, chest heaving as he rasped for breath. Hands shaking, Cyno reached for Tighnari’s shoulders.
A hand flashed to his wrist. Tighnari’s jade-colored eyes held his. Then, he pressed Cyno’s hand to his neck, to the bubbling wound in his throat. It was a clean slash right across the middle of his neck. Blood dripped down the side of his neck. Fingers shaking, Cyno glanced at him.
Sucking in a breath, Tighnari rasped, “Car—”
Carotid artery. Nodding, Cyno winced, whispered apologies, and stuck his hand in Tighnari’s neck. His fingers did what he needed, horrific muscle memory from when Tighnari had taught him how to do this exact thing lurching back into use. He had had to do this with some adventurer who got wounded. Thanks to Tighnari’s quick work, the adventurer survived. Cyno had just had to hold them together until then.
Except Tighnari was the wounded one, and Cyno didn’t know if he could save him and—
Tighnari’s hand, fingers smeared with his own blood, landed on his own. Panting, Cyno met his gaze. Tighnari started tapping his index finger against Cyno’s knuckles. Gently, weakly, he spelled out, “Okay. Okay. Okay. Love you.”
A sob cut Cyno’s breathing. Shaking, he closed his eyes, dropped his head against Tighnari’s chest. “I’m sorry, I should have seen. I’m sorry.” Tighnari’s chest heaved under him with every breath. As he heard the rattle, Cyno only wanted to cry more. His throat tightened. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” A hand landed in his hair, rubbing his shoulder to try and comfort him. Of course Tighnari was trying to comfort him, when he was the one who’d been injured. For some reason, that made him cry harder.
It was like when Cyno finally had the chance to check on Tighnari, to make sure he was okay, after the lightning strike. He’d been curled up in the bed, tail wrapped around himself and panicky. It hurt, even the memory hurt, and now Tighnari might die for real.
Pushing himself up, Cyno kept his hand on Tighnari’s neck. In Tighnari’s neck, actually. Jade eyes held his, and Cyno gave him a tight smile. Tighnari returned it. Then, he grimaced, sucking in a ragged breath. There was still blood on his skin, a little bit rising up from the torn skin. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the bleeding had been before Cyno had stuck his hand in Tighnari’s neck, though. So, clearly, he was doing something correctly.
Somehow, that helped the anxious thing clawing at the inside of his chest. “It’s going to be fine, Nari. You’re going to be fine.” The calm side of him was…totally fake. Hopefully Tighnari believed him.
Behind him, footsteps thundered up. He glanced over his shoulder, already reaching for his polearm with bloodied fingers. Thankfully, it was only the Traveler.
Dropping to their knees, the Traveler skidded on the blood-soaked dirt. They didn’t even seem bothered by the fact they had scraped their palms and knees against the ground. The blue ornaments on their clothes glittered brightly. (He swore they had been green beforehand.) “Paimon!”
Paimon appeared. “Paimon doesn’t want to look!”
“You don’t have to—give me that potion Albedo gave us.” The Traveler turned to Tighnari. “Tighnari, this is meant to be a healing potion from Albedo. I don’t know how it will affect Valuka Shuna. I don’t even know if it’ll work, or if it’ll hurt, but it might help you. Okay?”
Tighnari met his gaze and nodded. Blood welled over Cyno’s fingers. With every breath, Tighnari’s lungs rattled. He looked at Cyno. The message was clear enough.
Turning to the Traveler, Cyno said, “Does he need to drink it?”
“No. It’s poured on the wound, apparently.”
“You trust this Albedo?”
“With my life.”
“You better. Alright,” glancing down at Tighnari, Cyno took a breath. Tighnari copied him. Cracking a bloody smile, he touched Cyno’s arm again. Then, he shifted against the ground and took a breath. Cyno turned to the Traveler. Paimon was floating above them, arms crossed and watching the fight. “Traveler. Tighnari’s carotid artery’s been slashed. I’m holding it together. When I move my hand, you have to pour it immediately. So, get that uncapped.”
“Right.” The Traveler did what he said. Then, they nodded at him.
“Okay.” Cyno took another breath. It was for his sake. Later, Tighnari would probably claim it was for his, because he did the same a second after Cyno had exhaled. Then, he pulled his hand back, ordering, “Now.”
The Traveler’s potion glowed blue as it was poured over Tighnari’s slashed throat.
Gasping, Tighnari grabbed for Cyno’s hand, squeezing it tight. Much to his shock, the Traveler placed a hand over their chest, closed their eyes, and sucked in a breath. Their mouth twitched, lips drawing into a thin line as they winced. He’d seen Vision abuse before—even done it on his own time, drawing out Electro by using his own vitality to do so. It hurt. From what he remembered and what his friends had described, his heart and lungs had felt like they were seizing. The Traveler’s shoulders stiffened, a choked, punched-out gasp left them. In their hand, Hydro swirled until it formed an orb. Paimon glanced over her shoulder at them, frowning.
“Traveler!” She squeaked, whipping around with wide, dark eyes. Ripping their hand away from their chest, the Traveler shuddered for a second. Their mouth fell open, another pained and shaky breath leaving them. Blood pooled in the corner of their mouth. Shaking their head, the Traveler pressed the orb to Tighnari’s chest.
The Hydro wove around Tighnari’s chest, curling up towards his neck like ferns unfurling. Sucking in a sharp breath, Tighnari blinked a few times. He smiled at the Traveler, then touched their arm.
Smiling shakily, the Traveler tipped to the side and hit the ground hard.
According to Dehya and Nilou’s interrogation, the assassins were hired by Azar.
Pacing the room, Dehya glanced down at Tighnari and the Traveler. Paimon fluttered along behind her, uncharacteristically quiet. Sitting at Tighnari’s side, Cyno brushed his fingers through his husband’s hair. The moment he touched Tighnari’s ear, it flicked. His husband’s head tilted into his hand, a small sigh left him. On the other bed, the Traveler was being hovered over by Nilou and Layla. Currently, Nilou was using a small, damp cloth to wash off the blood and sweat from the Traveler’s face. They’d been stripped of their typical clothes, changed into some looser, lighter clothes, and now Layla was braiding their hair with delicate fingers as she hummed under her breath.
The Traveler’s Vision abuse had hit them hard. After dropping unconscious, they had immediately caught a fever. A bad one, too. Laying a clean, wet towel over the Traveler’s forehead, Nilou turned and began to wipe down their chest and neck as well. It would go down with time, and care. For now…Cyno sighed, pulling his gaze away from them and towards Dehya as she stopped her pacing.
“Paimon, I don’t know if your friend is incredibly brave, incredibly selfless, or incredibly stupid.” Dehya said, pausing and turning to the little fairy.
Wriggling in the air, Paimon replied, “Paimon doesn’t know, either! Paimon’s tried to tell them that they do too much, but they never listen! They just want to find their sibling!”
Shoulders falling, Dehya sighed. Then, she held out her arms. Paimon flew to her immediately, and Dehya ran a hand over her hair. “It’s okay, Paimon. They’re going to be fine.”
Beside him, Tighnari let out a low groan. Cyno whipped around to look down at him. “Hey, lover.” He murmured, leaning over to kiss his husband’s forehead. Purring, Tighnari touched his arm.
“How’s the Traveler?” He asked, softly.
“Feverish, but they’ll be okay. Nilou and Layla are caring for them now.” Cyno replied. If he didn’t explain, then Tighnari would try to get up. Sure, the wounds were healed, but Tighnari needed time. “So, Azar hired the assassins. The other Matra and Alhaitham are interrogating them now for more information. Kaveh has been sent to go pick up Azar.”
“Oh goodness. That’ll be fun to see.” Tighnari dropped his head back against the pillows. “Actually, maybe not. I’m sure Azar will be thinking it’s a mercy.”
“The real mercy would have been Alhaitham.”
Grinning at him, Tighnari barked out a sharp laugh and then winced, touching his throat.