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“Rerouting.”
“Rerouting.”
“Rerouting.”
“If that thing says rerouting one more time, I'm throwing it out the window.” Cyno silently seethed, glaring at the GPS sitting on the car dashboard.
“It's just about driving me insane as well.” The way Tighnari gripped the steering wheel suggested he was more than a little irritated. “I'm this close to switching it off and using a paper map.”
“Rerouting.”
“That's it-”
“Cyno, don't, it's Alhaitham’s, I said I'd give it back in one piece.”
Cyno angrily crossed his arms, mumbling something under his breath about the GPS being a “plastic piece of crap.” Tighnari couldn't help but chuckle at his boyfriend, the scowl that had been on his face faltering.
They both had good reason to be fed up with the piece of technology.
After quite a hectic term at the university, the two of them decided a well deserved break was in order. More specifically, a road trip.
The first day had gone without a hitch, and they both had a blast. But now, a good several hours into the second day, the GPS Alhaitham lend them seemed to have decided it's not a big fan of the moutain range they were driving through.
“I'm telling you, I think the problem is that road it had us turn onto an hour ago.” Tighnari said, sounding irritable. “It took us off the highway, and ever since then the signal has been messing up.”
“Rerouting.”
“I really want to see how far I can throw it.” Cyno muttered.
“You and me both, at this point, but Alhaitham won't exactly be thrilled, so let's resist.”
Cyno rolled his eyes playfully, shifting in his seat to look out of the window. It was a pretty warm day, with not a cloud in the sky, the sun beating down on the orangy mountains they were driving between. It was beautiful, Tighnari especially hadn't been able to stop going on about how much he loved it. Even if they were a little lost, Cyno didn't exactly mind.
“Rerouting.”
“Alright switch that thing off.” Tighnari scoffed. “We passed a sign just a few miles back, there is small town not too far from here. We'll stop there, fill up on gas, and plan the rest of our route out on paper.”
“Finally.” Cyno leaned over, switching the GPS off. “Fairwell milady, it was not a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Tighnari laughed.
They were on the road for another good thirty minutes before reaching the town Tighnari had mentioned. It was pretty small, Cyno bet they'd be able to drive from one end of the town to the other in under five minutes. One of those places where everybody would know everybody. Cyno couldn't imagine living there.
Tighnari pulled up at a small gas station right at the edge of the small town, so they could fill up. While he did that, Cyno offered to quickly run into the tiny convenience store to get them each something to drink.
“If it wasn't this hot I'd ask you to get me a coffee.” Tighnari said, chuckling tiredly. “I am feeling these hours on the road.”
“I'll take the next shift driving.” Cyno offered immediately.
Tighnari had to be tired if he was considering coffee of all things, he didn't even like it. Not that it was unusual, they've been on the road for much longer than they intended that day. The sun was already starting to drift over to the west, a sign that they probably wouldn't reach their intended destination before dark.
When Cyno came out of the convenience store again, Tighnari had already finished getting gas, and parked the car in a shady spot underneath a tree. He was standing in front of the car, leaning over a map he had spread out across it's bonnet.
“What's this?” Tighnari asked, surprised, when Cyno held a can out to him.
“An energy drink.” Cyno said, matter-of-factly. “You looked like you could use it.”
“Thank you.” Tighnari took the drink from him, before leaning over to plant a quick kiss on Cyno's cheek.
“So what's it look like?” Cyno asked, opening his own can and nodding towards the map.
“We're horribly behind schedule.” Tighnari pulled a face. He tapped the map with one finger. “We're here, it seems.”
“That's way off the route we planned on taking, isn't it?”
“It is.” Tighnari scoffed. “I'm never borrowing a GPS again. Unreliable.” He shook his head, gesturing to the map again. “If we still want to stay at the place we planned on staying tonight, it means we'll have to drive after dark. I'd like to avoid that. So I think we should switch our plans up and stay here instead.” He pointed to another spot on the map, closer to their current location. “It's only a few hours away, I think we'll reach it by sunset if we set out now.”
“Works for me.” Cyno nodded.
“Good, that's the new plan then.” Tighnari began to fold the map up again. “You're good with taking the next shift on the road?”
“Absolutely.”
They spent another five minutes stretching their legs at Tighnari's insistence, because “sitting in a car for so long is bad for your circulation.” Then they got back in the car, Cyno this time hopping in the driver's seat. Tighnari showed him their intended route on the map once more, and they pulled out of the empty parking lot again.
Another unfortunate result of the GPS leading them into the heart of the mountains, was that their entire route was now made up out of narrow, windy roads. A trip they'd normally be able to make in no time at all, so much as doubled. Cyno grumbled about it a bit, but Tighnari only brushed him off with a chuckle.
“There's no point dwelling on it now.” He had said. “We're here already. Might as well make the most of it and enjoy the view, don't you say? These mountains are quite breathtaking.”
Cyno couldn't deny that. The area was beautiful, no two ways around it. Large mountains and rocky terrain hugged the windy road, with any small towns placed few and far between. It felt a little like something out of an old western movie, and much to Tighnari's dismay, this prompted more than a few bad jokes from Cyno.
They started to grow quiet after another hour on the road. Cyno was sitting back in the driver's seat, his fingers boredly rapping against the side of the steering wheel, eyes lazily watching the empty road in front of them. Ironically, they'd only passed three other cars since getting on the scenic route a handful of hours ago.
Tighnari shifted slightly in his seat, and Cyno absentmindedly glanced over in his direction. He did a quick double take, before frowning.
One of Tighnari's elbows was propped up against the car door, with his hand supporting his head. He had his eyes closed, while he slowly massaged his forehead with two fingers. His whole expression seemed tight.
“Nari?” Cyno asked, directing his gaze back onto the road. “You okay?”
“Hm?” Tighnari lifted his head, before flinching and squeezing his eyes shut again. “Argh.. yeah, I'm alright. I just have a bit of a headache.” He sighed, sinking back in his seat and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Alright, so maybe it's more than a bit.”
“That's strange, just all of a sudden?” Cyno asked, frowning. He would've noticed if Tighnari was acting off earlier, wouldn't he? Tighnari's been tired, sure, but so has he, they've been on the road for hours…
“It came on somewhere within the past half hour.” Tighnari said.
Cyno hummed softly, still frowning.
“I may have a small hunch.” Tighnari went on, moving so he was sitting with his chin resting in one hand. “That was quite a large energy drink you bought me earlier. I suppose it could be that my body isn't used to that much caffeine at once, not to mention all the other additives found in energy drinks.
“Ah fuck- Nari I'm so sorry.” Cyno geniunely felt bad. “I didn't realise…”
“No, no.” Tighnari finally opened his eyes again, reaching over to squeeze Cyno's arm. “Don't apologise, I didn't consider the possibility either. I was pretty beat earlier, I also thought it was a good idea.”
“I still feel bad.”
“Don't, alright?” Tighnari sat back in his seat. “I'll close my eyes for a bit and drink lots of water. Hopefully it passes soon.” Despite what he just said, Tighnari folded open the map again, rubbing his temple with his fingers while his eyes slowly trailed across it.
“We've passed the fork in the road already, yeah?” He asked.
“About ten minutes ago.”
“This is moving so slowly.” Tighnari pulled a face, before folding the map back up again. He stuck it between the seats, before leaning back and closing his eyes again. Cyno glanced over at him, still somewhat worriedly.
“If you want to take something for your headache, I can pull over?”
“Nonsense, it's just the caffeine, it should blow over.” Tighnari assured him. “You know I don't like taking medications willy nilly, this would be unnecessary. It'll pass.”
—
It did not pass.
Almost another hour had passed, when Tighnari uncomfortably shifted in his seat, one hand gingerly holding his forehead.
“Cyno, could we stop for a moment?” He asked, not daring to open his eyes. “I have a splitting headache, I think I should take something for it before it bleeds into migraine territory.”
“That bad already?” Cyno asked, as he pulled to the side of the road. Tighnari only nodded.
At Tighnari's insistence, they always kept a small first aid kit in the back of the car. Cyno's called Tighnari a worrywart and a mother hen over it multiple times, but at that moment he was grateful for its existence. Tighnari remained in the passenger seat, with his head resting on one arm, while Cyno dug through the medkit.
“Is this it?” Cyno asked, holding out a small bottle of painkillers.
Tighnari lifted his head to look, before nodding. He took the painkillers from Cyno, as well as a full bottle of water he offered him. Cyno tugged the map out between the seats, folding it open against the car door to make sure they were still on the right path. He pulled a face. They were on track, but they were moving slower than they wanted to.
“Everything alright?” Tighnari asked softly.
“Mm.” Cyno glanced up, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. The sky had a distinct orange tint to it already. “I hope we'll get there before sunset, that's all.”
Tighnari grunted softly. “I'm never borrowing Alhaitham's GPS again.”
“Well.” Cyno slumped back into the driver's seat, tucking the map away again. He looked over at Tighnari, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I guess you can say… it had a bad latitude.”
Tighnari stared at Cyno blankly, before slowly raising one eyebrow, unimpressed.
“Get it? Like, attitude, but-”
“If my head wasn't hurting this much I would've left you on the side of the road and driven off.”
“Aw, you don't mean that.”
“Try me.”
Tighnari failed to hide a smile, and Cyno chuckled, leaning over to squeeze his arm. “Ready to go again?”
“Let's do this.”
Cyno started the car again, and soon they were back on the winding mountain road.
—
It was a painstakingly slow drive.
For the most part, Cyno was bored out of his mind. Usually he loved long drives, paired with music and endless conversations with Tighnari. But after taking the painkiller, it wasn't long before Tighnari drifted off in his seat, leaving Cyno with nothing but his own thoughts for company.
It was dark by the time the little town they were headed towards became visible in the distance. Cyno let out an audible sigh of relief, reaching up and brushing his hair back and out of his face with his fingers.
“We're almost there.” He said, glancing over at Tighnari. “You still holding up okay? How's the headache?”
Tighnari was awake, but he had his eyes closed, chin resting in one hand. He shifted so he was sitting more upright, when Cyno spoke, reaching up to rub his forehead with two fingers.
“Thank goodness.” He said, not opening his eyes. “I’m very ready to call it a day. This is beginning to feel like the onset of a migraine.”
“Nari, I'm so sorry.” Cyno said guiltily.
“Don't be.” Tighnari waved one hand at Cyno, still not opening his eyes. “The energy drink might not have had anything to do with it, and this is just one of my usual migraines. We've been on the road for two days now, it wouldn't surprise me.”
Cyno still felt bad, but he didn't want to keep pressing the subject. If Tighnari really was getting a migraine, Cyno knew talking made it worse. Instead he just silently reached over, putting a hand on Tighnari's knee and giving it a gentle squeeze.
The town was barely any bigger than the one where they stopped for gas earlier that day. Definitely not the place where you'd find any five star hotels or fancy resorts, as much as Cyno wished he could book them into something as comfortable as possible for Tighnari's sake. It being so small had one advantage though, and that was that it took virtually no time at all to scope out the town and find a place to stay.
There was a small inn, right next to a 24-hour diner. It seemed a little rustic, but comfortable and decent enough.
“Found a place?” Tighnari asked when Cyno stopped the car, finally prying his eyes open.
“Will this do?” Cyno asked.
“I'm so tired, anything will do, even one of those crusty motels from the movies.”
“I would never subject the love of my life to that.”
Tighnari chuckled softly at Cyno's words, closing his eyes again and resting his forehead in one hand. Cyno put a hand on his shoulder.
“I'll go in and get us a room, then come get you?”
“Thank you, love.”
A perk of it being so late in the evening, was that Cyno didn't have to wait at all. He went in, booked a room for them, got a key, and went back to the car for Tighnari, all in the matter of a handful of minutes. Cyno grabbed both their bags, insisting that Tighnari didn't carry anything.
The inside of the inn looked better than the outside, it was small but cozy. The room didn't consist of much, a large double bed with a wooden bed frame, a TV that Cyno thought looked like it was a survivor of the stone age, and a ragged but comfy armchair shoved into one corner. The room also had a tiny bathroom attached, a space that seemed way too small for the toilet, sink, and shower that was all crammed into it.
“Finally.” Tighnari said with a small, heavy sigh, sinking down on the side of the bed. “I can't wait to take a shower and sleep. ”
“I'm pretty beat too.” Cyno said, as he placed their bags down by the foot of the bed. “And starving. Would you like me to go grab us something to eat from that diner next door?”
“I'm going to pass, I'm a little nauseous.” Tighnari said, giving Cyno a vague smile. “But you go eat, please.”
“Will you be alright?” Cyno asked, uncertain. He took a seat on the side of the bed, putting one arm around Tighnari's shoulders. “I don't like leaving you alone.”
“Cyno, I'll be alright, I promise.” Tighnari leaned over, giving Cyno a small peck on the cheek. “This isn't my first migraine. I'm going to have a warm shower, take another painkiller, and then just sleep. I'll be alright.”
“I won't be long.” Cyno promised.
“If you insist.”
Cyno drew Tighnari close in a hug, planting a kiss on the crown of his head and making his boyfriend chuckle softly. They pulled apart and Cyno got up, grabbing their room keys again. With one more promise that he wouldn't be gone long, he left the room.
The night air outside was pleasantly warm as Cyno walked across to the small diner. It was quiet inside, save for what looked like a truck driver sitting at one of the tables, sipping on a coffee. Cyno ordered himself a simple meal, and sat at one of the tables close to the door.
The food wasn't particularly good, a bit dry and flavourless, but Cyno also wasn't picky. And he was ravenous, so he devoured the mediocre dinner without pause. He paid, and began the walk back to the inn — less than an hour after he left, which Cyno considered a pretty good use of his time.
Despite being gone for less than an hour, Cyno returned to find the room dark. Tighnari was tucked into bed, his back facing towards the door, fast asleep. Cyno smiled fondly. He sat down on the side of the bed and leaned over, brushing a strand of hair out of Tighnari's face and giving him a soft kiss on the forehead. Tighnari didn't stir at his touch, remaining sound asleep.
The day was properly catching up to Cyno as well, and he stifled a yawn. He reluctantly stood up again, leaving to take a quick shower as well.
Fifteen minutes later Cyno crawled in behind Tighnari in the bed, wrapping an arm around his sleeping boyfriend. Within no time, he was asleep as well.
—
Tighnari had no idea what time it was when he woke up. All he knew was that he was in agony.
Muffling a groan into his pillow, Tighnari buried his face in the fabric, squeezing his eyes shut and digging his fingernails into the sheets. Red hot pain seemed to burn the inside of his skull. It was a full blown migraine.
Tighnari grit his teeth, drawing in a long, deep breath through his nose as he prayed for the pain to even out again. Unfortunately it was an experience he was quite familiar with, not that that made it any less agonizing. Tighnari wanted nothing more than to curl up against Cyno and fall back asleep, sleep off the pain.
“Cyno.” Tighnari mumbled softly. It was a recent agreement between them, that if something was wrong in the night, they'd wake up the other and tell them. “Cyno, I'm having a migraine.”
His voice was heavy with sleep, making the direct statement sound strangely out of place. Tighnari's eyebrows furrowed in the dark and he cringed at the sound of his own voice. Instinctually he hated waking his partner in the night with anything, but an agreement was an agreement.
There was no response, and a small part of Tighnari was relieved Cyno hadn't woken up. Which was stupid, it was only delaying the inevitable. Tighnari felt around in the dark, searching for Cyno with the intent of giving him a gentle shake to rouse him. But the bed was empty.
Tighnari deflated with a long, defeated sigh, grimacing when his head pulsed mercilessly. Cyno must've gotten up to use the bathroom or get a drink of water. Tighnari would tell Cyno about the migraine when he came back, assuming he didn't drift off before then. At the very least, he didn't have to feel guilty about disturbing Cyno's rest if he was already awake.
Tighnari buried his face back into his pillow, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and trying to breathe through the pain in his head. It hurt to the point he felt nauseous, his heartbeat softly echoing in his ears. Every sound, every tiny rustle of the fabric or creak of the wooden bed frame, seemed to send tiny drills burying into his temples.
A sudden loud fit of coughs violently ripped Tighnari back to reality with a full body jerk. He shot up in bed, gasping softly and grabbing the side of his head when the movement sent pain ricocheting through the inside of his skull.
“Cyno?” Tighnari asked, out loud this time, still clutching the side of his head.
His vision was slightly distorted and fuzzy around the edges, but Tighnari immediately recognised that he wasn't in their bedroom. The dim moonlight from the window was coming from the wrong angle, the layout of the room was wrong, it was all alarmingly unfamiliar. It took a couple seconds longer than it should have for him to remember they were staying at in inn, they were on their summer road trip.
The door to their room’s bathroom was open, but the light inside was off. Ignoring the way his head swam, Tighnari carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. His movements were unsteady as he walked towards the bathroom, one hand remaining on the wall to keep his balance.
Anxiety flared to life in Tighnari's chest. Even with the lights turned off, the moon illuminated the room enough for Tighnari to see Cyno bent over the toilet, his back rising and falling with soft pants. He was supporting himself by clutching the sides of the toilet seat, his arms quivering slightly with the effort of holding himself up.
Cyno jolted when Tighnari's hands touched him.
“Easy, love, just me.” Tighnari murmured, gently pushing Cyno to kneel down on the floor.
“Nari.” Cyno was breathless. Tighnari saw him reach up with a shaky hand in the dark, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.
“Have you been vomiting?” Tighnari asked, immediately worried.
“Just did.” Cyno spat into the toilet, closing his eyes for a moment. Tighnari heard him swallow.
“What happened?” Tighnari asked, closing his eyes for a moment when his head throbbed. “Were you not feeling well, you never said anything?”
“I felt fine when I went to bed.” Cyno mumbled, his voice heavy with nausea. He swallowed again. “I… woke up gagging, I barely made it to the bathroom…” Now that he was catching his breath, Tighnari could hear the disorientation of sleep in Cyno’s voice.
It bothered him that he couldn't see his boyfriend. Ignoring the fact that it certainly wouldn't do his migraine any favours, Tighnari got up from the floor and felt along the wall until he found the light switch. The bathroom light was dim and yellow, but it was still enough to make Tighnari's eyes sting and his forehead pulse. He shakily walked back to Cyno, before crouching down next to him to take stock of the situation.
Cyno was ghostly pale, and a fine sheen of sweat coated his skin. His hair was messy and disheveled like that of a person who had still been asleep only minutes prior.
He glanced sideways at Tighnari, his expression tight and uncomfortable. Despite the haze of sleep still in his eyes, Cyno immediately seemed to pick up on the fact that his partner wasn't feeling much better than he was.
“Are you okay?” Cyno asked.
“I have a migraine.” Tighnari confessed, mustering a pained, but genuine smile. “But I knew it was coming. You on the other hand, I'm worried about you.” He placed a hand over Cyno's forehead, smoothing back sweaty strands of white hair. “Do you have any idea what made you this sick?”
“I don't know. Food poisoning?” Cyno suggested, closing his eyes for a moment. “The food I bought at the diner wasn't really fantastic. I mean it didn't taste like it had gone bad, but it wasn't exactly good…” He stopped talking, swallowing thickly. Clearly he was still nauseous.
“Food poisoning sounds like the most likely cause.” Tighnari agreed softly.
“You can go back to bed.” Cyno told him. “I'll be alright, I'm just going to wait out the rest of the nausea here.”
“I'm not leaving you on the bathroom floor.”
“You're having a migraine, Tighnari, you should be lying down.”
“Cyno, please don't argue with me on this.” Tighnari was on the verge of pleading. It felt like his head was slowly being split open down the middle. His vision was certainly more fuzzy than it had been a minute ago. “Please, I… I…”
Tighnari broke off, hurriedly pressing a hand to his mouth when his nausea suddenly boiled over. Later he'd probably look back on that moment and feel bad for the way he not-so-gently shoved Cyno to the side to get to the toilet. He leaned over the bowl just in time for hot liquid to rush up his throat.
“Nari!” Cyno gasped softly, and a moment later shaky hands were gathering back Tighnari's short black hair.
Cyno's hands were trembling, and his skin was warm and clammy against Tighnari's neck. Tighnari wanted to apologize but he choked on the words. Cyno murmured soft reassurances, one hand tentatively running up and down Tighnari's back.
“Guh…” Tighnari closed his eyes for a moment when the world swam. He reached up with a shaky hand to wipe away the trail of saliva leading down his chin. For a moment, he was quite grateful that he hadn't eaten any solid food in hours.
“Are you okay?” Cyno's voice was a little muffled in Tighnari's ears.
Tighnari nodded, spitting into the toilet before he shakily straightened up. His whole body felt weak after the vomiting spell, and his ears were softly ringing. The pain in his head was blinding.
“Sorry.” Tighnari mumbled, clumsily feeling around for Cyno's hand. “It’s just the migraine. I'm okay.”
“Nari I'm going to throw up.”
Tighnari’s head snapped towards Cyno, and the sudden movement made him see stars. Any remaining colour had drained from Cyno's face, his lips tightly pressed together. Tighnari immediately leaned back to make space for Cyno, blindly feeling for his boyfriend’s loose hair to hold it back.
Cyno braced one arm across the toilet seat, almost as if he needed the extra support to stay sitting upright. His eyes were bleary as he stared into the bowl. Tighnari could see his throat bobbing.
It took a few moments before Cyno heaved, his whole body lurching with the moment. He gagged loudly, dry heaving over the toilet a few times. The sound buried into Tighnari's brain, and he had to close his eyes for a moment when the world tilted. Liquid splattered, and Cyno's back violently hitched beneath Tighnari's hand as he finally started to throw up.
By the time the vomiting tapered off, Cyno was trembling all over, soaked in sweat. When Tighnari opened his eyes he had to blink for a moment, taken aback by just how pale Cyno was.
“Cyno.” Tighnari said softly, hating how weak his own voice sounded. “If you're feeling faint, lie down.”
Cyno gave a shaky nod, before unsteadily pushing himself back from the toilet and lying down flat on the floor. He closed his eyes for a moment, drawing in a long, shaky breath. Tighnari wanted to get up, he wanted to soak a washcloth and dab the sweat from Cyno's face, at least just until he no longer looked like he was on the verge of passing out. But his own body failed him, he couldn't find the strength to even consider getting to his feet.
Tighnari reached out and flushed the toilet, before he stiffly lay down on the floor next to Cyno. As disgusting as the thought was of lying on the floor of an inn’s bathroom, the cool tiles against his pulsing head brought immediate relief.
“Are you okay?”
“I should be asking you that.” Tighnari responded weakly, not opening his eyes. “You looked like you were going to black out.”
“...felt like it too.” Cyno drew in a shuddery, shaky breath. “M’ okay. Just… feeling kind of weak.” A pause. “Really weak.”
Tighnari felt for Cyno's hand until he found it, intertwining their fingers.
“Are you okay?” Cyno repeated.
“I'm alright.” Tighnari assured him softly. “Just in quite a bit of pain.”
Cyno nodded. He tilted his head to the side on the floor, and his temple pressed against Tighnari's.
Tighnari drew in a shaky breath, leaning into Cyno's touch and closing his eyes. He wanted to get Cyno tucked back in bed, he himself wanted to sleep. But they were going to stay right there for a couple of minutes, neither of them were up to standing or walking.
One thing's for sure, come the next morning, they were booking another night at the inn.
No way either of them were driving.