Archive of Our Own ^beta

Soft lips brushed over Tighnari's cheek, occasionally touching the corner of his mouth, making his breath hitch in anticipation.

"Cyno," he whined. 

Cyno loved to tease and Tighnari loved pretending to hate it.

He felt the vibration of Cyno's chuckle when another kiss got pressed against his skin, barely missing his lips. He knew what he was doing to Tighnari and enjoyed it. What a menace.

(But he was his menace.)

Tighnari's body was on fire which should’ve been a given since his limbs were entangled with the most gorgeous boy with skin glowing like the desert heat. Gravity made him aware he was on his back on a soft bed, feeling at peace. His emotional state, though, wasn’t gravity’s effect but caused by the one who had put him in this position.

Otherwise, he didn’t know where he was, didn’t care either with Cyno staring down at him like a meal he was starving for - and if he desired to play with his food, then Tighnari would succumb to his fate. Dim orange light from a source somewhere in the room engulfed Cyno, making him glow like the sun in Tighnari’s universe, radiating heat and warmth. Tighnari soaked it in like a flower on the first day of spring.

Propped on one elbow, Cyno kept peppering his cheeks with kisses light as feather touches yet they both yearned for something more substantial. 

"Tighnari…" 

Cyno's voice was low, pleading, and playful at once, and he might as well have invented Tighnari's name because no one had said it like this before, full of want and desire. Tighnari's fingers decided to do something useful, namely to free Cyno's forehead from his white hair strands. Eyes like setting suns invited themselves into Nari's soul, the mellow light around them only enhancing their colors. Maybe all those clear desert sunsets Cyno had seen in his lifetime got imprinted into his iris. Red bled into orange and poured into an ocean of yellow light.

Tighnari wanted to tell him about his color theory but the words were stuck in his throat, the way one got speechless when confronted with pure beauty. His wandering fingers crawled further up to intertwine behind Cyno's neck. 

"Cyno," Tighnari heard himself whisper, the name leaving his lips like a prayer. Maybe it was one, a mantra even, worthy to be repeated a hundred times for it brought the love of his life closer. In a way, his body was chanting the name already, trying to become one with him, although weren’t they already, the way his mind only knew the boy on top of him?

Tighnari’s hands lost each other, one to search for gentle purchase in the soft white hair and the other to slide down further, applying pressure to Cyno's lower back, pushing him closer as if he tried to correct fate with his bare hands. This boy was his destiny after all.

A heat wave rushed through his body when he felt hot skin beneath his fingertips - he had failed to notice the lack of clothes on Cyno’s upper body. He couldn’t expand upon this noteworthy discovery because Cyno followed his hands’ instructions without resistance. A smirk served as his only comment as he let himself get pulled against Tighnari until he was lying flush on top of him with only his forearms holding back some of his weight. 

Tighnari drew in a sharp breath.

The tension was tangible, they didn't need an Electro Vision to make sparks fly or a Dendro Vision for feelings to grow. Their breaths, now shallow and erratic, mingled, and Tighnari was about to lose his mind soon. Cyno’s relentless teasing had turned into painful anticipation. They needed to kiss, Tighnari needed to kiss him or… there was no alternative. A river of sensations and feelings had swept them away, no shore in sight, they both knew it. They were so close already, all that was missing were Cyno's lips on his, their tongues exploring each other, their bodies melting together. 

"Cyno," Tighnari begged again, breathless, as he tilted back his head, unsuccessfully trying to catch the pair of lips he desired. Finally, Cyno showed mercy to both of them and closed the distance.

"Nari." 

Tighnari felt his name whispered against his lips, wanted to swallow it and nod yes that's me now kiss me, but Cyno was a master of his art: Escaping Tighnari’s greedy lips once again, smiling, he relished this moment of suspense as if they had done this a thousand times already and Tighnari was sure of it too. The familiarity of it all was uncanny, his name on Cyno's lips, the hot body weighing him down, the soft white hair where his hands loved to rest. They might be stuck in a tornado created by spontaneous desire but in the eye of it, there was safety, love, and peace, things born from long-lived trust. 

"Nari, I love you," Cyno whispered, then everything was up for grabs, all teasing and holding back abandoned. 

Their lips found each other like magnets. Relief flooded Tighnari's body because finally finally they were kissing. He opened his mouth, trying to say the three words back, but Cyno's tongue understood it as an invitation and greeted him enthusiastically, leaving no room for verbal conversation. Intelligible noises of pleasure and satisfaction filled the air around them but actions spoke louder than words anyway, right? And without a doubt, the actions were loud, deafening even when their hands started to explore each other’s bodies.

Yet in the middle of all-consuming need and want and perfection, Tighnari had a rare moment of clarity: This was everything he desired, this was his peak, take it however you want, it was a drug, the answer to his prayer, the epilogue. Nothing would ever come close to this experience.

Wait, it would… because Cyno took his wrists and pinned them over Tighnari's head. Tighnari quirked his eyebrow. He was very much on board with this new development, hastily answering Cyno's silent question with an eager nod. The sunsets in Cyno's eyes turned into flames, about to set Tighnari on fire, yet when Cyno leaned down, all he got was a playful ‘mphaw’ on his cheek. Being close to bursting from desire, this sweet kiss was another demanding delay, but it was also so Cyno, so ridiculously Cyno, and Tighnari's feelings sought an outlet they so desperately needed. 

So… he giggled.

And that was where it all started.

A noise… 

~<>~

… that startled Tighnari into moving his limbs. With a gasp, his eyes flew open. 

(Wait, had they been closed?)

The gloomy morning light of a rainy autumn day greeted him through the round windows of his home.

What was that noise, he wondered. 

Oh. Wait. 

It had been his own laugh. How strange.

Staring at the ceiling of his wooden hut, he waited for his brain to catch up because apparently, he was missing something.

With a start, he sat up straight.

Where was Cyno?

Oh, my Archon.

What just happened? 

His breathing was still ragged and his heart beat dangerously fast. Nausea filled his stomach but he couldn’t tell why. His body seemed to know more than his brain. Warily, he scanned his surroundings as if the answer was hidden in plain sight. He was still in bed which was easy to assess. The wooden ceiling, the moss-green bed sheets, a mustard-colored blanket his legs must've kicked down during the night.

Still, Tighnari didn’t dare to move for he feared the memories of whatever just had occurred might disappear, dissolving like the morning fog outside his window. Absentmindedly, his fingers reached for his face. The heat he’d felt moments ago hadn't left his cheeks yet. And then, one by one, memories popped up inside his mind, blurry images, barely outlined, yet colored with feelings that almost blinded him. 

He kissed Cyno, his best friend.

Cyno kissed him.

The nauseous knot in his stomach sprang open, releasing an armada of burning butterflies to wreak havoc as they surged through his entire body. It took him a moment to understand that the destruction they left were feelings of longing and yearning, chanting Cyno, Cyno, Cyno, making him squirm as they overwrote his entire being. The sheer amount of unfiltered attraction he suddenly had for Cyno, both physical and emotional, caught him completely off-guard. His whole body pulsed like a beacon calling out for one person, his heart at the center of it.

He missed Cyno.

It hadn't been real though, Tighnari repeatedly told himself until he regained some of his bodily autonomy. It had been… a dream, right? His first dream as an adult, to be precise, and he’d got thrown right into the trenches. How wonderful. With the Akacha System destroyed it was only natural that dreaming was possible again but he hadn't expected there to be a learning curve for handling fiction and fantasy. Then again, hadn’t Lesser Lord Kusanali distributed a brochure about it?

He threw a hand over his forehead and closed his eyes to replay the images like a movie. Bad idea. With every thought of Cyno's body and lips on his, Tighnari's body took gleeful joy in making him remember exactly what he'd felt during his dream. It didn't make any sense. Dreams weren’t real, everyone knew, but why were the feelings still there, buzzing around like a mosquito swarm and eating him from the inside out? Maybe they would vanish during the day, like bad feelings from a nightmare often needed time to dissolve, at least his mother had told him so back when he was a child. 

But for the time being, all he saw was Cyno, in his bed, kissing him, which by itself justified the biggest meltdown, but it was the feeling of familiarity that threw him off the most. Making out with Cyno shouldn’t have made him feel so… at peace. As if it had been completely normal to kiss his best friend.

He blew out a long and steadying breath.

Fact was, he was alone. That was the reality. No sunset eyes looking at him, no lips touching his, no tongue moving against his. Ah, yes, no hands pinning him against the sheets... He couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if the dream had continued. Gnah, why did he laugh himself awake? Maybe Cyno's lips would have found his neck and-

"Oh, no!" he said out loud, horrified that his thoughts had developed a mind of their own. He groaned and buried his hot face in his hands, forcing the images away. It hadn't been real, stop thinking, Tighnari!

So he had kissed Cyno in his very fictional dream. Fine. It was fine, okay?

But wasn't that the crux of it? How fine it had been?

...

"Master Tighnari?" 

The forest watcher almost fell out of bed as he whirled around to face the voice's source. 

Collei stood in the doorframe, unsure and shy, and Tighnari had nothing else to offer than an utterly confused stare. His breathing was still going strong as if he'd just cleared an entire Withering on his own. As it turned out, his big ears were entirely useless when his brain was otherwise occupied. 

"I'm so sorry, Master, I didn't mean to wake you but you have a visitor."

"It's okay, he doesn't need to get up for me," someone said from behind the door. 

Tighnari froze.

He recognized this voice, had heard it a billion times before, most prominently a few minutes ago whispering his name against his lips. 

He hauled himself up to sit at the edge of his bed. His mouth went dry and he'd never felt this sick in his entire life.

Because this couldn’t be... There was no way... 

Blood rushed to his head so fast it almost made him dizzy. He clutched his tail and brought it to his lap. The situation was about to be bad either way and he didn't need his nervously swinging tail to add to that. 

Cyno appeared in the doorframe, pushing past Collei. 

It said a lot about Tighnari’s current emotional state that the first thing he noticed was Cyno’s usual Mahamatra outfit. He almost let out a panicky laugh. He’d never wasted a single thought on his friend’s clothes and the skin it was revealing but now it was like a dam inside his brain had broken, the thoughts and feelings flooding in to drown him. 

"Good morning," Cyno said. 

Tighnari's eyes darted up - which, oh, meant he had been staring. "Morning," he managed to reply, his voice rough as he rubbed his face to hide a blush, this time definitely from shame.

"I just wanted to– Are you alright, Nari?"  

We just kissed, he wanted to say, don’t you remember? 

"Yes, of course," Tighnari said, averting his gaze not to stare at a certain pair of lips. "I'm just a bit confused."

"Did you have a dream?" 

Tighnari's eyes were on Cyno in an instant, eyeing him suspiciously. "How do you know?" he demanded to know, both with personal dread and academic curiosity. 

"Confusion in the morning can be a side effect of vivid dreaming,” Cyno explained with his usual matter-of-fact voice. “Didn't you read the brochure?" 

The damn brochure, right.

"It's still on my to-read shelf." 

"Hm. I'll make you a cup of tea then. It says it might help."

"I don't–"  Tighnari paused.

Cyno looked worried and it was rare for him to show it plainly. If the forest watcher had been in a clear state of mind he would've come up with a theory on why this rare behavior showed right now, maybe it would’ve clued him in on what was still to come. But with Cyno in his very bedroom, he was miles away from any coherent thoughts.

"Oh well, I suppose it can't hurt,” he said. Accepting Cyno’s offer had turned his frown into a smile and Tighnari was only too aware that a sudden need to please Cyno at all costs had manifested in him. He needed to see that smile again, hear his laugh, and do anything in his power to ensure his happiness. Tighnari dug his fingers into his tail, reeling.

“Let me get dressed. I'll be out in a moment." 

He needed a cold shower.

~<>~

If you asked a Sumerian about their dreams weeks ago, no one would’ve batted an eye at the question. Dreams used to be the umbrella term for their aspirations, their goals, and hopes, creations of daylight. If you posed the same question today, you didn’t know what you got: a scoff, a shy "I don't remember" or a confused retelling of random scenes that made no sense.

The system harvesting the adult Sumerian's Jnana Energy when they were asleep, stealing their dreams for the last hundreds of years, was no more. So it was no surprise that the cinematic movies playing in everyone’s head at night nowadays threw some of them for a loop. 

Tighnari, clearly, wasn’t an exception. Although he'd worn the Akasha System only when he had to do some crucial research he'd suffered the same consequences. (Thankfully, he'd been adamant that Collei would only get one after her trainee time.) 

Anyway, if he needed more time than usual to get dressed this morning, it was between him and the images he kept rewinding in his head, either to get used to them or indulge. (Better not ask him.) The many questions in his head demanded answers from no one else than Tighnari himself and the usually very knowledgeable scholar fell quiet.

Dreams weren’t real. He didn’t need a brochure to tell him this much. Even before last week's events children always had been able to dream so it wasn't a completely new experience or concept but… it had been a while. And Tighnari had changed. As a child, he had often wished to experience the wondrous and fantastical adventures of his dreams in his awake life - that much he knew albeit all of his memories of said dreams were long gone. The most obvious question was therefore: Did the dream represent Tighnari's real feelings and needs or was it a piece of fiction, ready to be neglected?

Heck, where was the damn brochure? 

Halfheartedly, he scanned the floor next to his bed. Mountains of books had accumulated in the last week, kudos to Collei and the fellow forest rangers. Word of Tighnari being wounded in battle had gotten around like wildfire, and everyone insisted on sending their thanks to their friend and valued colleague. He’d even received a package from Alhaitham and Kaveh with a book called ‘Wounds From Nature: Treatments & Advice’ (helpful) and a stack of puzzle magazines explicitly from Kaveh (surprisingly thoughtful, he’d been indeed bored a lot stuck in his bedroom).

When he finally found the brochure, it drew an exasperated sigh from him. 

It was squeezed between the two books that had started the stacks of gifts:

An Inazuman light novel from Collei about two star-crossed lovers who fell in love during the Archon war (they read it together, very sweet) and ‘Sumerian Folktales Edition Two: The relationship between King Deshret and Hermanubis, the Tighnarian’ from Cyno (still unread) with a handwritten note that said 'I like this story'.

In any case, the brochure was out of reach unless he wanted to do some heavy lifting… which was forbidden to him with his still-healing wounds. He had to come up with his own method then. Maybe being confronted with the real Cyno was the best thing that could've happened to him this morning. Assess the situation. Act accordingly. It would be fine. 

~<>~

Tighnari entered the living room with the same energy he entered a Withering zone: Ready yet prepared for the worst. The worst being? He wasn’t sure. Instead of wild Fungi and Riftwolves trying to kill him, Cyno and Collei were sorting through a deck of Genius Invokation TGC cards at the table.

"...and that's why you need more support cards."

"I understand." 

Okay. Deep breath.

Cyno… looked good. Strands of white hair blocked his eyes and Tighnari's fingers twitched, longing to brush them back like he’d done in his dream. He immediately wanted to smack himself for this thought. Confusing dreams with reality would only cause him trouble.

… 

But, listen, he looked really good. It was honestly worrying how attractive he was. There was no way Tighnari only noticed it this morning, it was painfully obvious. It had to be an after-effect from the dream, purely fictional. Because if not, it would mean that- Tighnari shook off this dangerous thought.

"Still, it's a good set but outdated since the last update," he heard Cyno explain. "Next time I will pick a few support cards from my stash for you." 

"Thank you so much, Cyno!" Collei said, smiling. "You're the best."

"Any time," Cyno replied. 

A comforting warmth filled Tighnari's heart. It had taken a lot of time and effort for Collei to trust and eventually warm up to Cyno. No one blamed her for it - he'd been the one to seal her powers, a traumatic experience albeit necessary. But Cyno had been nothing but patient with her. And look at them now, Tighnari sighed happily. They shared a hobby and occasionally went fishing together. Collei had even adopted some of Cyno's speaking habits and his stern stare - which was very endearing when directed at Tighnari.

Overall, the picture presenting itself in Tighnari's home was nothing out of the ordinary. Cyno was just one of his good-looking, very kind friends and his brain somehow made up a whole story about it. Maybe he’d read too many light novels with Collei.

"Good morning, everyone!” he said, making himself noticeable. “I'm sorry I made you wait." 

"Good morning, again." Cyno looked up from the table and ran his fingers through his hair. “Are you feeling better?” Sunset-kissed eyes were bathing him in attention and worry. Images flashed before Tighnari’s eyes. Cyno’s lips on his, kissing him with feverish desire. The heat wave was back but this time it had the force of a tsunami as it rushed through him.

He might have compared his new Cyno situation to a Withering but, dear Archon, nothing was withering except maybe his sanity.

"Yep, I'm feeling just… great," Tighnari stuttered and pointed at the kitchen, "I'm going to make breakfast for us. I’m, uh, starving." 

"Your tea's getting cold, Master!" Collei shouted after him. 

For a few minutes, he managed to busy himself with actually doing a task, namely making said breakfast while chanting ‘This can’t be happening’ under his breath. He cracked some eggs, threw a few mushrooms and peppers in a pan, let his thoughts drift back to how good Cyno's tongue had felt against his, burned the breakfast, cursed himself, and started over again. He had just got rid of the black evidence of his mental unwell-being when he heard the door open and close behind him. To his utter dismay, the intruder said nothing, forcing Tighnari to glance behind him.

Cyno was leaning against the door. “Do you need help?” 

“No. Stop hovering."

Cyno crossed his arms. “But you said you're starving.”

The ‘for you’ was on Tighnari's lips, and he was glad he had turned back to cut a mushroom when these intrusive thoughts started filling his mind. No light novels anymore, he promised himself! He should’ve read Cyno’s book instead, an educational folktale and most certainly no romantic story about soulmates from hundreds of years ago.

He gritted his teeth. “I’m good."

It took all of his power to keep himself in check, to focus on the vegetables in front of him instead of the boy in his back. He's been awake for over an hour now yet his feelings, this crazy magnetism, they still wanted him to act, begging him to do something - anything - to be closer to Cyno. 

“Are you sure?” A hand touched his shoulder. 

Tighnari jerked, almost cutting his finger.

“You don’t look-” 

"Would you give me some room?" His voice came out strained. Masking his emotions wasn't possible any longer, this was his limit, and he whipped around, facing the infuriating boy that caused his world to turn upside down. "Please? I just need a moment,” Tighnari said, trying to sound apologetic enough. 

Cyno, beautiful Cyno, hesitated, evaluating if his friend should be left alone in whatever state he was in. “As you wish,” was the final verdict and Cyno left the kitchen and, unbeknownst to him, took Tighnari’s heart with him.

~<>~

Alright. 

Somehow Tighnari managed not to burn the food a second time which was a small victory. They enjoyed a peaceful breakfast together and alas, with every bite he felt more like a normal person again. The significant changes in his emotional state had stayed the same though but at least he got somewhat used to them. Solving the dilemma wasn't an option with Cyno at his table, therefore damage control was his priority. Masking his internal uproar and maintaining a pretense of normalcy was the way to go.

Cyno was following Collei’s lead and both were giving Tighnari some space by keeping the conversation mostly between themselves. How was the forest ranger training, any more improvements on Collei's health, and more Genius Invokation advice. Tighnari was grateful for it although he kept stealing glances at Cyno. Did his friend change or did he change? Did they both? He’d always liked Cyno, heck, they had been best friends for years and their friendship had always been stable. Unaffected by distance, time, and occasional arguments, they’d been each other’s constant since the early Akademiya years.

Tighnari might know every rock in this forest but that didn’t mean he’d been born under one. He had experienced some rare moments of attraction or even a crush back during his time at the Akademiya. Although he wasn't versed in the topic of dreams, one thing he knew for sure: A single dream didn’t have the power to create feelings out of nothing. Which, logically, meant only one thing.

His fingers tapped nervously against his empty tea cup as he stole another glance at Cyno. He swallowed. Another glance.

The seed of Tighnari's feelings had already been planted, had taken root without his knowledge, and had now come to full bloom. To make this moment of realization worse, Cyno caught Tighnari staring. 

"It is said that unpleasant dreams can evoke negative feelings which can be carried into the day." 

Tighnari wanted to sink into his chair. Both Cyno and Collei expected a reaction from him, an explanation of his unusual behavior, but he’d rather be swallowed by the Abyss, thank you very much. 

"It wasn't a nightmare, alright?” he said, tightly clutching his empty tea mug. As much as the situation wanted to make him jump out of his skin, he didn’t want them to worry either. Better set the topic to rest and move on. “It was a good dream. Just a little bit confusing. That’s all." 

"What's confusing about something good?" Collei asked. 

"Ah, I know,” Cyno said after Tighnari shrugged. “The good confusion after winning a round of TCG because your opponent’s move was so bad you didn't even consider it in your strategy."

Tighnari rolled his eyes and chuckled. It's been a while since they had been together this carefree and he'd missed it. He was still smiling when he noticed two pairs of eyes staring at him: Collei in utter disbelief and Cyno with confused curiosity. 

Oh. Right. He coughed.

It wasn't even that funny. Cyno was never funny. Why had he laughed then? 

No. It was funny. And Cyno was always funny. Annoyingly so. 

He felt a blush creeping up his neck caused by all the attention Cyno was showering him with. There was a smile on the Mahamatra's lips, hesitant and waiting to blossom. Tighnari wanted to kiss it off his face. 

"Nah, that's not it,” he said, fighting off a feeling of shame. “It's a different kind of confusion.”

"I don't understand why you're not simply telling us your dream, Master." 

"Well. Because." He dismissed further attempts at Collei’s investigation with a firm hand gesture. "Enough about me. I didn't even mean to talk about my dream in the first place. So please tell me why we have the pleasure of hosting the General Mahamatra in Gandharva Ville. What business brings you here?"

Cyno wasn’t very expressive but Tighnari had learned to notice the smallest changes in his face or body language: He leaned back a bit. A tilt of his head, yet immediately corrected. The frown on his forehead stayed though, a testament to Tighnari's overdoing and an obvious sign that Cyno wanted him to know he wasn't happy.

"Business, huh?" Cyno echoed and glared at him.

This wasn't going well. Distance was quite the opposite Tighnari wanted to put between them but dream-Cyno had already snuck up on him once and he was afraid of what the real Cyno would do.

"I'm sorry," Tighnari folded, "I'm not myself today. I'm happy to see you, Cyno. Seriously."

His friend looked at him strangely but continued. 

"I'm here for two reasons,” Cyno said. ”First, I wanted to check in with the Avidya Forest region after the former Sage has been imprisoned and a new power has been set in place." He paused. "Basically, I wanted to see if everything is fine." His eyes bored into Tighnari. "Which doesn’t seem to be the case," he deadpanned.

Tighnari sighed. "I'm fine, okay? Stop making a fuss, Cyno."

"I apologize. I will sweep away all the fuzzes before I leave." Crickets. "Because you said I'm making a fuss, but a fuzz with double z is some fluffy mass of hair or fur." 

Tighnari blinked.

And blinked again. 

Look what he had done. Forcing Cyno to lighten the mood. 

"Sweep away the fuzzes?” Tighnari asked, crossing his arms. “Are you implying I'm shedding? That's a bit rude." 

Collei choked on her tea and spluttered. Tighnari, meanwhile, bathed in the shock displayed on Cyno's face, his eyes widened comedically. He had made it a rule not to join his friend's weak attempts at jokes when teasing him was so much funnier, but that was before his feelings had taken him on a new and dangerous path. For a long moment, the birds' chirping was the only noise to be heard. Then Tighnari had mercy on both of them and broke the tension by flashing them a triumphant winner's smile.

And Cyno broke into laughter.

Oh, and what a laugh it was! He laughed and it was glorious. 

Tighnari had been blessed with a fair amount of Cyno-laughs throughout the years but it surely didn’t happen often enough. Witnessing his friend bubbling with happiness was always a delight but this time his laughter was holy. 

"You're not shedding," Cyno clarified. 

"I know, but wait for spring."

Cyno laughed again and Tighnari almost passed out from happiness, beaming back at him without restraint. If he was looking like an absolute maniac, then so be it. Cyno's laugh was his favorite sound. There should be an Eighth Archon dedicated to it and Tighnari wanted to build a shrine and statue with his bare hands.

“Alright, so it was a good dream indeed?” Cyno asked.

Tighnari's ears twitched with curiosity. He had almost forgotten about Cyno’s original question. Strange that his friend was still stuck on the topic of dreams but the sooner they were over it, the better.

"Yes,” he assured him once more. ”Confusing but good. You said there are two reasons why you’re here,” he quickly changed the topic. “What's the other one?" 

(A tiny new voice in his mind desperately whispered let it be me, let me be the reason you're here.)

Cyno leaned down to pull something out of his travel bag. "This," he said and put an envelope on the table, "is a letter from Lisa." 

(Tighnari deflated.) 

Tighnari was well aware of Cyno’s frequent correspondence with the former Akademiya student, they had learned under the same master after all and spent years of their lives together. Cyno pushed the letter towards Collei. 

"If you open it, you will find a postcard from Eula for you." 

"It's… it's an invitation to her birthday party!” Collei read slowly, “I'd love to go." Tighnari barely had a chance to connect the dots before he became the target of big puppy eyes. "Master?" 

"When is it exactly?" 

"October 29th."

Tighnari furrowed his brows. "That's in two weeks already. Bit of a short notice."

"Sumeru hasn't exactly been peaceful the last few months so some interference with the messenger service was to be expected,” Cyno explained and earned a smile from the young girl. 

“Alright,” Tighnari decided, “I will find a replacement for your forest duties.”

Collei squealed. He would have let her go no matter what but even as a trainee she was an integral part of their local forest ranger team (rightfully so) and vacation days needed to be planned. With Sumeru finding peace again, he was positive that nothing bad was about to happen soon, so the more he thought about it, the better he liked the idea of Collei having a well-deserved vacation. She's been through a lot. 

They cleaned the table and Collei headed off to some training lessons - or to tell her friends which was much more likely.

~<>~

Something was on Cyno's mind.

They were strolling through Gandharva Ville and Tighnari’s attempts at a casual conversation all fell flat. His friend was barely listening, his comments were simple hums or distracted nods, and his fingers were constantly fidgeting with the ribbons of his headpiece.

Look, Cyno usually needed some time to become emotionally open when it had been a while since they'd seen each other last. Although it had only been two weeks, their last meeting hadn't exactly been a casual hangout, you know, with all the fighting that caused an ultimate change in Sumeru, so Tighnari expected his friend to be more closed off than usual. But the protective wall he tended to surround himself with was already crumbling… no, it hadn’t even been there. He decided not to probe. Either he'd find out himself what was bothering him or, hopefully, Cyno would tell him.

"Collei’s worried about you,” Cyno said suddenly, interrupting Tighnari telling him about his plans to renovate his bedroom.  

“What do you mean?” Tighnari asked.

“Well. Is there a need to be worried about you?” He said it almost casually but Tighnari saw right through it. Cyno might not be a man of many words but contrary to popular belief he wasn't a man of pure action either. While Tighnari preferred talking things out, Cyno had a remarkable intuition that told him when it was advantageous to address something critical in a conversation and when to let his actions speak. And this moment here, Tighnari knew from the look in his eyes, was him choosing to talk.

“No, of course not,” Tighnari assured him. “I’m getting better. And I tell Collei every day.”

Cyno hummed, crossing his arms. “I asked her to keep me updated about your health status after, you know…" His voice trailed off, a rather unusual behavior for the Mahamatra known for his directness. 

"Me getting struck by lightning by a wannabe God created by the Fatui?" Tighnari provided. The bluntness visibly caught Cyno off-guard. A shadow passed over his face and for a moment Tighnari thought he saw something like terror in his eyes, but it was gone after one blink. "Why would you ask Collei when you can just ask me, Cyno?" he continued. “You don't think I'm lying, do you?”

“Of course not.” Cyno stared into the distance and fell silent.

Tighnari heaved a long sigh. As much as it flattered him to be subjected to Cyno’s worry, especially today, it was unnecessary. “I promise I'm getting better. It just takes time. My back wound is healing well, no infection or complications. My muscles are still sore from the lightning strike but it's not painful anymore. Well," he corrected sheepishly, "maybe it's worse at night but Collei doesn't need to know, okay?"

Cyno nodded, satisfied with the answer but the worried look on his face stayed. “I plan to accompany Collei to Mondstadt if that's alright with you." 

That was surprising. He'd expected Cyno to be busier than ever, taking care of the aftermath at the Akademiya. Was the announcement of his trip why he'd been acting so strange? Was he worried Tighnari wouldn't allow Collei to leave?

"Sure it is," Tighnari said, "she's her own person. If she wants to go I'm the last one to hold her back but I feel much better that she won't be alone. That's very thoughtful, Cyno." 

"I think you should come, too."

"I should come- what?” Tighnari scratched his ear, eyes downcast. “Uhm, I don't know. Do you need me?" 

“Of course I need you," Cyno said.

Tighnari tried to ignore his belly's somersault when he looked back at him. Cyno's eyes were unusually soft around the edges, a small smile on his lips - a look Tighnari associated with his friend spending time with Collei. Words were stuck in his throat and suddenly tension was building up in the space between them. Tighnari couldn’t look away, his eyes were still meeting Cyno’s, searching for answers to questions he hadn't even begun to ask but all it did was kindling the fire his feelings were caught in. He wondered if Cyno could feel it, too. Could tension ever be one-sided?

Tighnari swallowed hard.

“T- to look after Collei?” he asked.

Cyno pressed his lips together and turned around to inspect a Nilotpala Lotus, his expression hard to read, and Tighnari wanted back the moment they just had, to explore it further, as scary as it was.

"I know you love Avidya Forest,” Cyno said softly, “but after everything that happened, a change of scenery might be helpful. Especially to get accustomed to dreams. It's been, what, fifteen years since we had some?"

“Can we please not talk about dreams?” Tighnari said, a bit exasperated, a bit as a joke, mostly flustered. 

Cyno whirled around as if he'd just caught his friend red-handed and for a second, Tighnari was overcome with terror that he'd read his mind. “You did have a nightmare, didn't you?” Cyno asked. “You can tell me.”

Patient and open eyes looked at him, no judgment, just concern. Almost too much concern, or was it a sense of comradery-

Suddenly, he felt something on his arm. A touch. His eyes flicked down - Cyno had stepped into his personal space and put his hand on Tighnari's elbow, his fingers soothingly stroking the skin his underarm was showing.

Tighnari's heart hiccupped, then kicked into gear, momentarily propelling him out of his body. They might have been friends for years but physical contact had never been part of their repertoire. Bedazzled, Tighnari accepted it, motionless on the outside but pure chaos inside. Seconds passed - or eternities, he wasn’t sure - but then he noticed a sense of uncertainty in how Cyno held himself. It was new for him, too, of course. Somehow this realization grounded him enough to answer him.

“I had a dream,” Tighnari repeated slowly and deliberately chose the same words as before. “It was good but confusing. Definitely not a nightmare.” 

Cyno was about to pull away his hand but Tighnari stopped him. He felt the pulse in his head when he laid his hand on Cyno’s, keeping it in place. If Cyno really was able to read his mind, even through his gloves, then he was welcome to do so. This was his chance. 

“It made me think of something I hadn’t thought about before,” Tighnari said hesitantly. “Or maybe I had. Deep down. For all I know it was just beneath the surface all this time.“ Tighnari exhaled a long breath, then smiled weakly. "I didn't know dreams could be that intense.”

Cyno searched his face and for a moment, he seemed to have words on his lips that desperately wanted to be said... but he swallowed them. He smiled back but Tighnari, still hyperfocusing on their touching hands, failed to see that it didn't quite reach his eyes. They continued their walk in a comfortable silence. Although it was autumn the rainforest hadn't changed much - except one knew where to look. But Tighnari wasn’t here to discuss nature, no.

Instead, his thoughts turned to a possible trip to Mondstadt and what it would entail. Truth to be told: He wasn’t sure he was fit enough, both physically and mentally. His body was still recovering from the lightning strike, sleeping on the hard ground and climbing would be challenging. And mentally? It wasn’t stress or a traumatic response he was dealing with, it was his dream. Being close to Cyno for a week or two? He would either do something absolutely stupid and risk their friendship or suffer in silence until he imploded. Either way, the outlook wasn’t good. He shouldn’t go.

“I will accompany you.”

After some days of preparation, the three Sumerians regrouped and began their journey to Mondstadt. The area around the Chasm was a hassle as always - the multiple altitude changes were hard on Tighnari’s body but both Cyno and Collei did their best to accommodate him. The autumn weather was on their side, sparing them storms or cold rain showers. In Limberpick Valley, they took up camp for two days to join a miners' caravan on its way up north. Cyno diligently managed to secure Tighnari a place on a roofed cart for the night or in case he needed to rest during the day. The good friend that he was, Tighnari offered him to share it or to take turns, especially since Cyno started to look more exhausted every day ("It's just the change of weather," he insisted) but Cyno waved it off. He'd changed into warmer clothes since they left Sumeru and Tighnari had no reason not to believe him.

Autumn was in full bloom in Liyue. Golden and red leaves fell around them, the wind whistled through the air, and despite a cold gust now and then it was still considerably warm - a combination Tighnari tried to compare to a fresh rain shower on a hot day in his village… but then again it was not similar at all. 

In Liyue, the clash of temperatures felt like a battle, with summer's life forces slowly but steadily getting drained by a persistent autumn that eventually would yield to winter's merciless fist. In Sumeru, it felt like an arrangement, a passionate dance between two equals, the rainy season and the dry season, and the winner led for a song but the dance would end with everyone's bow. 

He sent a silent prayer to a couple of Archons, wishing for more mild days up in Mondstadt. He didn't want to be stuck inside their vacation home for the entire trip. Sharing a space with Cyno was already a challenge and there weren't even walls around them yet. In a way, Tighnari should've been grateful for the miners and Collei in these trying times, giving him opportunities to spend time without Cyno when he needed to clear his head. But his attraction had a mind of its own, constantly trying to pull him towards his friend. Anyone would testify Tighnari was a good fighter but little did they know on the battlefield of feelings, he tended to throw his arms up in defeat, meekly admitting 'whoops, you got me'. It was Cyno's duty to collect wood for the campfire? Sign Tighnari up, too! He'd find an excuse to follow his friend with or without an invitation - and then berate himself for his decision when he kept stumbling over roots because looking away from Cyno was his undefeatable end boss.

Every night after a long day of walking, the group assembled around the campfire, telling stories and jokes, sharing their local recipes, playing card games, or simply relaxing.

It didn’t take long until their nightly conversation focused on the recent changes in Sumeru. After an hour of debunking and correcting rumors the miners had heard, most travelers went to bed in their tents or sleeping bags nearby. Collei had made a new friend - a girl her age who was traveling to Stone Gate with her father - and chose her sleeping spot close to her. Only a handful of people remained, Tighnari and Cyno among them. 

“Is it common to wish someone sweet dreams before they go to sleep?” Cyno asked at one point. “I've read this phrase in a book.”

A miner threw him a weird look. "Well," he said hesitantly, "depending on the circumstances it borders on a phrase of endearment but sure, it's common enough."

“You have to know, we Sumerians haven't been able to dream until recently,” Tighnari elaborated. 

The miners around them hummed in sudden understanding.

"Oh, damn, I remember you mentioned that before. What's that like?” an older miner asked.

“Confusing,” Tighnari answered when Cyno kept quiet.

“In any case, don't take your dreams too seriously.”

“Do you mean what one feels in their dream isn't real?” Cyno asked strangely serious.

“No, that's not what I'm saying. Look, dreams are fiction, true. Some of them are rooted in reality, others are just batshit crazy. You decide if you want to add meaning to them or not. But if a nightmare upsets you, maybe you should figure out why. There might be more to it.”

“And what about good dreams?” Tighnari heard himself ask. 

The miner smirked. “Well, what's a good dream for you?”

The forest ranger opened his mouth to answer but his brain failed him - he was too aware of Cyno's curious eyes on him. He'd already been weirdly intrigued by Tighnari's dream situation back home and this question would only pour oil into the fire. “I'm not sure,” he said. ”Something that makes me happy, I guess.”

“A good dream is dreaming about my wife and children,” another miner chipped in. “What do you guys dream about so far?”

“I dream about Tighnari sometimes.”

Tighnari's head whipped around to look at Cyno… who just stared blankly into the fire as if he hadn't just said the most insane thing. 

“What-” Tighnari's voice broke off when his mind short-circuited. Cyno did what?

A friendly-looking miner interrupted him before he could give it another try. “I bet you Sumerians must be in quite an uproar," he laughed. "Dreams are nothing for the weak." 

If it hadn't been for Tighnari's enhanced hearing skills, he would've missed Cyno scoffing something under his breath as he picked up a small branch that stuck out of the fire. 

"As far as I’m concerned," Tighnari stated with a side glance to him, "the people adjust just fine to them, no need to worry."

Cyno threw him a stern look back. "It's not that easy for everyone though."

Tighnari bristled. “I told you I'm okay with my dreams."

“Yes,” Cyno snapped and started poking the fire, “you made that crystal clear, Tighnari. Good for you.”

Awkward silence.

Tighnari glimpsed at the awfully quiet round.

Someone coughed.

What just happened?

Tighnari and Cyno never got into fights, at least not into seemingly ridiculous ones like this one appeared to be. Cyno refused to look up, an aura of frustration surrounding him, as he kept assaulting the flames with his stick. Something was wrong with him, Tighnari thought again. He had already noticed it in Gandharva Ville and it had only worsened. If Cyno's so-called weather fatigue made him more tired, impatient, and irritated - fine. But his snappy comment about dreams? That had nothing to do with the weather.

One of the miners finally had pity and took up the pieces of the conversation.

“Can I just say… You two have a great daughter. My Katelyn is very fond of her. I was worried she’d have a bad time during the trip but those two are as thick as thieves.”

"Oh, Collei isn't our daughter," Tighnari immediately corrected.

"We look after her, though," Cyno, apparently out of his stupor again, added.

"Well, yes, kind of," Tighnari agreed reluctantly, not because it wasn't true but because their previous conversation was still seething under the surface and he wasn't sure which one he replied to. "It's a long story," he continued, "Cyno brought her to Sumeru but she wants to become a forest watcher, therefore she's staying with me in Gandharva Ville and not with Cyno in the city or the desert.”

The miner glanced knowingly between the two and his eyes softened. “Ah, I got you,” he said, “long distance is hard. I was living in Mondstadt when I met my partner, they're from Fontaine. Eventually, we both decided to leave our roots and settled in Liyue Harbor. I needed nature and my spouse the sea, it's a good compromise.” 

Tighnari blinked in confusion, his brain trying to comprehend the meaning behind the unusual choice of words.

Daughter? Long distance?

Hang on-

Did the miner think Cyno and him were together? A couple? His cheeks tingled happily and he prayed he wasn't blushing. He bit his lips to suppress a smile. He should correct the miner, he really should, but, by the Archons, he didn't exactly mind this idea. Quite the opposite, it was an exceptionally thrilling feeling to be perceived as Cyno's boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Cyno furrowed his brows like he was vexed about something and Tighnari hoped he'd take care of dismissing the miner's misinterpretation because, ha, Tighnari most certainly wouldn't.

“Tighnari and Collei dislike the hot desert weather," he said after some contemplation, "so it's on me to visit as often as my work allows me.” 

Wait. That wasn't a correction-

“Wow, you live out there?” someone asked curiously. 

“No, my duty as General Mahamatra requires me to have a permanent residence in Sumeru City but my work leads me into the desert fairly often. I once considered moving to Caravan Ribat, it's a border town between the desert and the rainforest.”

Tighnari's mouth gaped open. Thankfully, multiple miners appeared to be interested in the desert life so they occupied Cyno with tons of questions… all the while Tighnari's brain was fried. Caravan Ribat? This was brand-new information, some Cyno lore he didn't know he had been missing. What else didn't he know? 

At the end of the day, neither of them had corrected the miners about the nature of their relationship and Tighnari didn't know what to make of it.

~<>~

Although Tighnari had asked him every night before bedtime, it still surprised him when Cyno chose this night of all nights to accept his offer of sharing the cart. The awkward tension after their unresolved argument was still looming over them. (Had it been an argument? Tighnari couldn’t tell, it felt rather one-sided.)

The campfire's light barely reached the inside of the roofed cart but it was enough to make out Cyno's silhouette next to him. Tighnari was lying on his back, his head tilted toward his friend who rested on his side and stared right back at him. No, he corrected himself, Cyno's eyes were probably closed, maybe he was already asleep. He'd been yawning a lot during the day, blaming the weather.

A part of him wanted to address whatever had happened earlier (plus Cyno's revelation about dreaming of him?) but he also didn’t want to antagonize him again. He was obviously lacking some vital information that, for some reason, Cyno believed him to have, at least he gave off the impression. The other thing preying on his mind was Cyno's opinion on them being perceived as a couple. But tackling that topic would be far too revealing of his own feelings. (“Hey, that guy thought we were a couple. What if...?" No way!) Also, he was sure he already knew the answer: Clearly, Cyno had interpreted the situation as them being perceived as close friends and nothing else.

“I should visit you more often, Cyno,“ Tighnari whispered instead. ”In Sumeru City at least, I mean.” He hesitated. “I didn’t know you wanted to move to Caravan Ribat. Do you still plan to?”

The reply came promptly, almost startling Tighnari. “You don't have to visit more often.” He was awake then. “You once said Sumeru City is too loud and busy. And ever since I learned how much heat affects you, I knew you wouldn't like Caravan Ribat.” 

“No, I mean, yes, the weather is a bit of a challenge but,” Tighnari turned fully around to Cyno, ”I want to visit you, no matter where you live. I know I don't have to. You also don't have to visit Collei and me in Gandharva Ville yet you do.”

“Because I want to. In any case," Cyno continued, "I don't want to move anymore. It was a long time ago, before Collei.”

Tighnari hummed. “I always assumed you liked Aaru Village best.” 

“I like Aaru Village just fine but I like Caravan Ribat better. It's greener.”

“Greener?” 

“My favorite color is green.“

Tighnari propped himself on his elbow. “What? Since when?”

“Since always," Cyno replied as if it was common knowledge. 

“The last time I saw you wearing green was during our Akademiya time," Tighnari said in confusion. "As far as I know, you don't even own anything green these days."

“You do.”

“Huh?” 

“You have something green," Cyno said quietly. "Your hair streaks. And your eyes. I like the color.” Tighnari's very green eyes almost plopped out of his head. His desperate attempt to see Cyno's facial expression only made his eyes water and he succumbed to his bewilderment.

Cyno- What, Cyno liked green- because of him? Did that mean- Did it mean anything at all?

When Tighnari kept struggling in silence, trying to wrap his head around it, Cyno continued. “Caravan Ribat lies between desert and rainforest which was the main reason I thought about living there."

"Uhm." Tighnari forced his thoughts back on track. "I've been there before but only for work. If you like, we can visit it together someday."

"No," Cyno said resolutely.

"No?" Tighnari echoed, taken aback. "Wha- Why-"

"I want you to take somewhere else," Cyno talked over him, a spur of excitement in his voice, and he propped himself on one elbow, mirroring Tighnari's position. "Bayda Harbor. It's a small coastal village up north. I've only been there once for work but I'm sure you will like it. It borders Fontaine and has beautiful sandy beaches - I know you've never been to a proper one. Maybe we can go when Collei has her study weeks at the Akademiya this spring. Just the two of us. There's a small mountain from its top you can see the Court of Fontaine's lights at night. We can set up camp up there, or down at the beach. You decide."

Just the two of us, the words resonated with Tighnari's heart. 

"I'd like that a lot," he said and tried to pour all of his untold feelings into it. 

Tighnari saw Cyno's silhouette doing his curt signature nod he always did when he got a satisfying answer, a very endearing Cyno thing to do, and Tighnari laid back down with his hands firmly stuck under his head - the urge to reach out and caress Cyno's face was stronger than ever. Working through his feelings for his best friend made him vulnerable to misunderstandings and overinterpretations, and Cyno saying sweet things about his green features and inviting him on a romantic trip sounded too good to be true. He needed to be careful, for both of their sakes. Ruining their friendship was not an option.

"It's late, we should sleep."

"Alright. Sweet dreams, Nari."

"You too, Cyno," he said and turned around.

~<>~

Waking up during the night had become a regular occurrence for Tighnari. His sore muscles started to prickle every few hours, demanding to be moved. But when he regained the minimum amount of consciousness required to stretch a leg and bend his back, he hadn't expected to be subjected to another foreign feeling. A hand was weighing down his shoulder. The touch felt deliberate, almost like a check-in. Tighnari didn't need to turn around: Who else could it be but Cyno?

Time passed slower when surrounded by silence and the person one secretly harbored feelings for. For what felt like an eternity, Tighnari, now fully awake, was torn. Ignoring Cyno's touch and going back to sleep was the easiest choice. For all he knew, he had moved his hand in his sleep, so Tighnari shouldn't add any meaning to the touch or blow it out of proportion. For his peace of mind, he decided to turn around, inadvertently forcing the hand to slip away. 

It was too dark to see anything, the campfire barely shed any light at this hour, even Cyno's outline next to him blurred with the darkness. Although Tighnari had his eyes on him, his ears were the ones he relied on. Cyno was restless. Noises from little movements filled the cart: Twitching legs and shoulders heaving from labored breathing. Sounds of distress. Was he having a nightmare? Tighnari contemplated waking him up when-

Cyno jolted, sitting up straight without preamble. Tighnari had almost jerked in surprise if his confusion hadn't rendered him immobile. He didn't move a muscle, pretending to be asleep, but his eyes were wide open, staring at the boy next to him. Belatedly, Cyno's hand shot up to cover his mouth, trying to mute his ragged breathing as he stared into the darkness outside the cart.

The desperate wish to comfort urged Tighnari to act but he wasn’t sure if Cyno wanted him to see him like that. For all he had learned today, dreams were a sensitive topic for him and Tighnari began to understand why.

It didn’t take long until Cyno ran his hands through his hair, rubbed his face one last time, and fell back on the blanket. Tighnari’s heart beat like the drums during a Wushou performance when Cyno turned around to face him, knowing they were probably looking at each other in the dark. Then, very tentatively, Cyno’s hand, strangely cold, reached out and came to rest on his forearm. So it had been on purpose, the touch. 

Tighnari couldn't dwell on it for too long because sleep dragged him back into its realm. 

When he got startled into consciousness again, his back was turned to Cyno. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep again. He squinted his eyes - the night was still around them. Once again, he heard some movement next to him, a shifting, heavy breathing, a low grunt. Tighnari sighed internally, feeling sorry for his friend. No wonder he looked awful these days and kept yawning. He wasn't getting much sleep. 

Tighnari wasn't surprised when suddenly, they were back where they started: With a hand on his back, seeking… comfort?

Moments passed, and Tighnari waited for Cyno’s breath to normalize, for him to fall asleep, but he radiated an almost unbreakable anxiety.

Fine. Cyno didn’t want to talk about it, but that didn’t mean Tighnari would be a useless bystander. He reached around his back, an awkward movement, but finally got hold of Cyno’s hand. There was some resistance, a moment of shock where the hand tried to pull away. 

No going back, Tighnari decided, and didn't lose his firm grip until Cyno relaxed, allowing his hand and arm to be guided around Tighnari's torso. Slowly, Cyno moved closer until he finally settled into the embrace, Tighnari’s tail the only buffer between them. See. That wasn't hard.

Just when Tighnari began to accept the unique experience of Cyno cuddling up to him, he felt his friend's nose pressing against his hair until it was firmly nestled against his neck. His breath tickled his skin, making Tighnari stiffen. This was weird. This was intimate. It only got more intense than it already was when Cyno took a breath, inhaled deeply, and exhaled with a content sigh. Tighnari shuddered, goosebumps appearing on his arms, and a strange tingling feeling crept up to his cheeks, making them glow with heat. His ears picked up on a second satisfied hum from Cyno and his body rewarded him with a free ride for all kinds of feelings.

This was heaven, Tighnari thought, but he hated that he was the only one having arrived in this paradise while his friend was stuck in a nightmare. He shouldn't enjoy this, he really shouldn't and he felt bad that he did. Hopefully, it would help Cyno sleep. That was the main goal here anyway, not his own heart. Tighnari lay awake until the sky turned grey and the first birds announced the new morning. His feelings pulled him left and right, up and down, forth and back. They were friends. Best friends. They'd known each other since forever but they had also grown together a lot in the last few years. Why should feelings be exempt from it?

Looking back, he should’ve seen it coming a long time ago. Cyno had always been his favorite person. Their relationship was made of thousands of puzzle pieces and they began falling into place, slowly revealing the picture. He wasn't ready yet to accept the full extent of his feelings, but there was no way he could deny the all-consuming crush he had on his best friend.

When Tighnari woke up, Cyno was gone, but his blanket was carefully draped over him.

~<>~

Tighnari spent the rest of the trip in a state of constant adoration (during the day) and worry (during the night). Adoration because, obviously, there was Cyno. The image of a classic light novel heart stealer didn't sit right with him, though. Wasn't it Tighnari himself who had freely given up pieces of his heart until, quite recently, he had found it whole and safe in a new home and Cyno's care? Sooner or later Tighnari had to tell him, but for now, he allowed this new feeling to settle, hoping he'd find the right time and words.

After their night together, things between them had shifted. They hadn’t addressed it, not with words, but their long-lasting friendship didn't always need those. Cyno had allowed Tighnari to see him vulnerable, struggling even, and Tighnari had acknowledged it by trying to help him. It cleared the air between them although the nature of Cyno's dreams was still a secret.

Every night, Tighnari asked Cyno to share the cart. Every night, Cyno lay down on the blanket next to him, waiting for Tighnari to lead his arm around his body and to hold his hand through the night. Cyno still woke up from time to time, anxious and gasping, dragging his friend with him into abrupt consciousness, but Tighnari knew what to do. He would squeeze Cyno's hand, encouraging him to hug him tighter. So Cyno did. His nose and lips kept brushing against Tighnari's neck while his arm was wrapped around the warm body next to him... all the while being utterly unaware that he hadn't only captivated Tighnari's body but also his heart.

~<>~

They saw off Collei at Springvale's village sign.

Cyno made Tighnari double- and triple-check Collei's ranger bag as if the path from Springvale to Mondstadt City was the hunting ground of a dragon and not a well-built road that was more advanced than any trail she regularly patrolled around Gandharva Ville. But try telling that Cyno. It was sweet, Tighnari thought, because his fear was irrational, born from affection instead of cold reality, and he encouraged her to go despite himself. 

"Sometimes a cold gust of wind comes down from Dragonspine,” the host explained when he handed them the keys to their vacation home. “But otherwise it’s strangely mild this year so be prepared. It’s usually a sign of a sudden change of weather or a storm.” After a quick tour through the house and the garden, the two Sumerians were left to their own devices. Their place was located at the end of the village overseeing a nearby lake with Calla Lillies blooming at its shore. It was beautiful. Tighnari took a deep breath, enjoying the tranquility while Cyno got some firewood from the shed. Their host had been right, there was a subtle coldness in the air that felt different from the damp Sumeru rainforest or a cold desert night. Tighnari wondered if it also predicted another kind of change.

They spent the rest of the day exploring Springvale and provided themselves with some vegetables, potatoes, eggs, and meat from a local vendor. Cyno insisted on a proper rest day after their long journey and Tighnari's sore muscles happily agreed. The late evening found them in the living room by the fire. Tighnari was lost in a book about Barbatos - the house had a small library - when the couch pillow shifted under him. He glanced over his book. Cyno had flopped down next to him. 

“Do you mind if I join you?” he asked, holding up his precious TCG case. 

“No, not at all,” Tighnari said. 

It took him less than twenty seconds to fully realize that this was the first time he and Cyno were properly alone since his big dream revelation last week. No miners asking questions, no Collei joining their conversation. They were alone. Sitting in front of a fireplace. It was warm, it was cozy, it was romantic. Images flashed before his eyes, showing him all the things they could do this evening that didn't include reading or card games. Tighnari gulped. Oh, this was bad.

Simply sitting next to Cyno distracted him to the extent that reading became inherently difficult and he had to reread each sentence. All of his thoughts were focused on the beautiful boy next to him. His inner tension reached a new high when Cyno changed his position: He pulled his legs on the couch to sit cross-legged. 

So what if Tighnari… just pressed his thigh against his knee…

The small movement disturbed the butterflies in his belly that started chasing through his body, making him tickle everywhere. The words on the pages had stopped making any sense at all. He couldn’t tell what the last paragraph even had been about, heck, what book was he reading? His heart, his brain, his soul, they all rushed into the small part of his body that was physically connected to Cyno, ready to live there forever. He was so busy schooling his face and pretending to be unaffected that he didn't notice how much his body was already betraying him. 

“Uhm. Are you doing this on purpose?” 

Oh no. What was Cyno about to call him out for now?

With uncomfortable anticipation, Tighnari slowly turned to face Cyno... who sported an amused smile. Okay, how bad could it be if he-

He saw it. 

It was bad. Worse, even.

His tail.

His goddamn tail had found its way into Cyno's lap, brushing against his shirt-covered abdomen like a leaf in the wind. Cyno didn’t touch it but his hands hovered over it. Understandable - no one wanted a tail in their face, Tighnari! Here he was freaking out over a simple touch of their legs when his tail was already going on a rampage.

“Oh no, I’m so so sorry,” the tail owner sputtered, pure dread making his blood boil and freeze simultaneously. "It's, uh, involuntary." He was about to forcefully withdraw his tail with his hands when Cyno's fingers delicately touched it. 

“It's soft.” 

"Uhm." Tighnari flushed. "I oil it every other day. It's, uh, to prevent knots. It’s waterproof as well.” 

“Makes sense. Where did you buy it?”

“I, uh, mixed it myself. I added some Nilopala Lotus flowers as a fragrance this time.” His ears were burning and for once he damned his ears for being so large, the pink skin must’ve been as red as a Pyro Whopperflower by now. He averted his eyes, a futile try to tell himself that if he wasn’t looking at Cyno, maybe Cyno wasn’t looking at him and his ears either.

“You always smell nice but this fragrance suits you exceptionally well. I like it a lot.”

Tighnari mumbled something barely intelligible, the compliment was too much for his heart (Cyno liked how he smelled?), and he tried again to remove his tail.

“No, you can… let it rest in my lap, I don’t mind. It's like a blanket or a pillow."

Tighnari finally dared to look back at his friend. Cyno’s smile made his heart jump in his chest but it was his eyes that sent him into orbit again. There was something ethereal about his desert sunset eyes, like they were seeing something out of this world. But… he was just looking at Tighnari, wasn’t he… 

“As long as you don't hit me in my face with it,” Cyno joked. 

Tighnari had to grin. The tension was reduced to a minimum. They were just like they used to be. Best friends, occasionally teasing each other.

“As you just learned, I can't control it so it's your job not to give me a reason to hit you,” he shot back.

Without breaking eye contact, Cyno leaned down and stage-whispered to his tail. “Polearms are better than bows.”

“I heard that!” 

And again. “The Akademiya is a perfect constitution.”

Tighnari laughed. “Try something you actually believe.” 

“The big guns then,” Cyno said sternly and nodded. “Mushrooms are overrated.” 

Tighnari's tail might have been still but Cyno hadn’t anticipated Nari's fist punching his shoulder. Cyno’s mouth gaped open, betrayal written all over his face. “That's an unfair tactic,” he stated and rubbed his shoulder which, of course, did not hurt at all. “I didn’t expect you to play dirty.”

“You held my tail hostage and made it listen to the ugliest lies, it was just self-defense, General Mahamatra. Judgment is most certainly not upon me.”

“Fair,” Cyno accepted begrudgingly, his face splitting into a smile.

“Also,” Tighnari added, “I will make a special mushroom omelet for breakfast tomorrow and you will like it, so help me the Archons.”

“Tighnari, you have a mushroom problem.”

The tail hit him in his face this time. Cyno laughed.

~<>~

When they were about to part for the night, their two separate rooms waiting for them, Tighnari hesitated. Worry spread in him, worry about Cyno and how he would experience the night. But Cyno's calm good-night-smile seemed genuine so he decided to relax. 

Sleep didn't come easy, though. He replayed everything that had happened the last few days, his feelings included. His affection for Cyno nowadays differed from the one he had before and with every passing hour he was more sure of it. He needed to tell Cyno about his romantic feelings. Ignoring them or pushing them away weren’t any options. And Tighnari knew these feelings were here to stay. Cyno meant the world to him and choosing the path of denial would only make him feel like a liar. He’d rather endanger their friendship than withhold the beautiful truth of Cyno being the most loveable person for Tighnari. If someone was feeling so strongly about someone, it was worth letting them know, wasn’t it? Especially if it was one’s best friend.

And admitting it out loud in his mind brought him one step closer to this resolution. 

It was late in the morning when they prepared to leave Springvale. Cyno had slept in which was unusual. Tighnari suspected he must have been awake for most of the night, only having fallen asleep in the early morning hour. His smile had been fake then. Tighnari's worry was back.

“I have to collect some Wolfhooks," Tighnari explained his plan for the day. "Properly prepared, they help treat minor illnesses."

This prompted Cyno to fret about his wounds again, arguing he should rest some more, until an annoyed Tighnari grabbed his backpack and left the garden. Cyno had caught up to him in less than five seconds. ("Can't a guy collect berries without ulterior motives? They're for all the reckless adventurers, Cyno!")

The closer they got to Wolvendom, the more the landscape changed. Open fields gave way to a dark and deep woodland. The thick leaves blocked most of the sunlight and Cyno huddled deeper into his coat. They had heard about a wolf living in the area, hence the name, yet they didn’t expect the atmosphere to be that chilly. Tighnari was busy picking Wolfhooks (and secretly some mushrooms, don't tell Cyno) when Cyno’s voice sounded through the woods. 

“Tighnari, look at this.”

Following the voice, he arrived at the edge of something like a large stone arena. Cyno pointed at the rural at its side. “This must be the home to Andrius’ spirit.”

“Must be.”

“It looks like an arena.”

“It looks old.” They both exchanged a look. “What?” Tighnari challenged him.

“I mean,” Cyno began slowly, “it’s just… “

Tighnari already knew what he was about to say yet it amused him to see Cyno floundering with words. His friend’s urge to spill his unfiltered thoughts was stuck in a battle against his trained professional politeness. But they were alone and Tighnari loved Cyno’s thoughts, collected them like little treasures. He raised his eyebrows with exaggerated curiosity, urging his friend to say what was on his mind.

Cyno gestured weakly towards the stone arena. “It’s not as impressive as the Mondstadt travel guide described it. They call this a sight worth seeing? Aaru Village has more history than this place. You can’t take ten steps into the desert before you come across another ruin with thousands of years of history.” He turned to Tighnari. “Or am I wrong?”

Tighnari laughed. “Yeah, no, you’re right.” Being reassured, Cyno returned the smile. “But we better keep this thought locked in our minds.”

“Right.”

Nevertheless, they decided to have their picnic break at the edge of Wolvendom’s arena. Sautéed vegetables (Tighnari’s pick) and spiced rice wrapped in edible leaves (Cyno’s pick) were spread between them on a small blanket. With their legs dangling down the arena, Tighnari felt a bit rebellious, eating and resting next to a treasured local landmark but he guessed if Cyno wasn’t fazed by doing so then it wasn’t a big deal. 

“Do you think it’s disrespectful that we sit here?”

Cyno chuckled deeply. “So far King Deshret never said a word when I slept and cooked dinner under his roofs.”

“Good point. You're always so-”

“What?” 

Tighnari hummed. “You have a smart intuition for these kinds of things.”

“I just know my way around the desert.”

“No, not just there. I like this about you. You let your morals and your intuition guide you and you trust them so much, it’s admirable. And very brave. I wished I was able to trust myself this much.” Or his feelings.

“You’re brave, too, Nari. And you’re the smartest person I know. Unless you do stupid things like fighting a god. That was the dumbest thing you ever did.”

“Excuse me? That was hardly my fault.”

“Yeah, I know,” Cyno said quietly. He put his hand on Tighnari’s arm, squeezing it gently. “Just. Don’t do it again,” he said. It didn’t feel like a scolding or a warning, it felt like something else. The hand connecting them felt heavy, as if it was the physical manifestation of the wall between them. Tighnari knew his own wall was holding back his romantic feelings but he couldn't shake the feeling that Cyno had also built one. Tighnari locked eyes with him, trying to decipher the look on his face, and then he saw it: The same flash of terror he’d seen when he’d bluntly talked about the circumstances of his injury days ago back in Ghandarva Ville. It only lasted a second but it was hard to unsee.

Interesting. He made a mental note of it, even though he couldn't decipher its meaning.

“I don’t plan to,” he promised.

Cyno nodded approvingly. 

Some time later Tighnari decided that he’d found enough Wolvenhooks. ("Please tell me these mushrooms are for a commission from the Adventurers' Guild, Nari...") They were both looking forward to seeing the sun again, feeling some warmth on their skin, but when they finally broke through the woods, a different sight welcomed them.

The ground was drenched. It must have rained when they were in the woods, sheltered by the evergreen trees. More dark rain clouds had approached, turning the previous sunny fields into a more sinister landscape. The air was heavy with the smell of rain and thunderstorms.

Cyno frowned. “That's bad.”

“We should head back quickly.”

Things were about to get ugly real soon. They faced their first problem only a few minutes later. The path they had climbed before had turned into mud. Climbing up had already been a hassle, especially for Tighnari’s back, but going down was no option. The odds of slipping and falling, maybe even starting a mud avalanche, were too high.

Tighnari pulled out a map. “Look, if we cross here, we can walk through this higher part of Windwail Highland. It’s closer to Dawn Winery but I doubt we’d trespass.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

They hadn't made it far before the clouds opened and released their heavy load. Armies of ruthless raindrops attacked the two Sumerians as if they wanted to chase away the intruders. The thick fabric of their cloaks and hoods protected them from the worst - the rain in rainforest wasn't silent for a reason - but it wouldn't hold off the water forever. Orientation became increasingly difficult and they only made slow progress, bypassing slopes and inaccessible terrain. 

He’d anticipated it, of course, but when the first bolt of lightning shot across the sky, Tighnari still held his breath. A spike of fear rushed through his body - a relic from what had happened at Pardis Dhyai, a memory, and he exhaled the feeling when thunder clashed around them. This was different, this was nature, not necessarily safe either but trusted. It was going to be okay. He was fine. The sound of thunder had barely subsided when Cyno was at his side. An arm got wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer. Tighnari was about to object to the manhandling, he was fine, alright, but suddenly Cyno stepped in front of him. 

“Uh–” 

-leaving him speechless. Cyno's hands were on his back, one just above his tail, pulling him closer, the other pressed against his upper back, shielding him.

And Cyno's face… was mere centimeters away from him. Tighnari's heart hiccuped.

“Are you okay?” Cyno asked, the concern in his voice making it sound deeper than usual.

Tighnari blinked, dumbfounded, his mind and body unable to process the sudden proximity. He raised his hands to steady himself and pressed them against Cyno’s chest - which a second later turned out to be a rather bad idea. With his mind out of order, his heart reacted solo. His eyes were drawn to Cyno’s eyes, to his lips, to his nose, heck, to his entire face so close to his, mapping out where to kiss him, given the chance (his lips, then everywhere). His hands crawled up, reaching Cyno's shoulders. All it needed was another spark in his brain to apply some pressure, to make Cyno follow his touch, drawing him closer, making him understand that - in Tighnari's humble opinion - they should kiss, right now, in the rain, in the storm, with the entire world ending around them.

He didn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t head over heels for his best friend but somehow it still seemed to work because Cyno, who interpreted Tighnari’s stunned silence as discomfort, nodded resolutely.

“You’ll be okay, Nari,” he promised like a knight in shining armor. “Dawn Winery is close by.”

The sudden change of plan finally drew the forest ranger back to reality - a cold and damp reality that featured both of them getting drenched in the non-stopping rain with little room for thoughts of romantic nature. Tighnari cursed himself for getting carried away.

“Dawn Winery is a detour,” he said. “We need to go east, not south.”

“We can't stay in the open. It’s too dangerous,” Cyno argued.

“I'm fine, really. It's just bad weather.”

Cyno's eyes bored into Tighnari, probably looking for the slightest sign of anxiety or fear. “Please, let’s go to Dawn Winery,” he repeated.

“I'm not scared of some lightning.”

“Please.” Cyno's decisive voice had become nothing but a strained whisper, utterly exhausted and pushed to a limit Tighnari didn't know existed. A moment later, Cyno's hands found his, holding them. Raindrops were running down his face. “Please, Nari," he repeated, squeezing his hands. "Please.”

He was begging, Tighnari realized belatedly. There was nothing romantic about this situation for Cyno. Begging was a last resort, not some random act to push one's will. It was a sign of deep distress. A call for help. Something inside Tighnari’s heart crumbled. This wasn't about him.

“Dawn Winery it is,” he agreed.

“Thank you,” Cyno whispered before they hurried along. He wouldn’t press him now but whatever haunted Cyno, Tighnari made sure to find out.

Fifteen minutes later they knocked at the door of a huge mansion. A woman in a maiden dress opened the door.

"Good evening, gentlemen,” she asked, surprisingly unaffected by their disheveled appearance. ”How may I help you?" 

Thankfully, Cyno took the initiative to introduce them. Tighnari almost mistook it for confidence but Cyno's body language made him reevaluate his impression. Excessive eye blinking, fidgeting fingers, a barely noticeable waver in his voice. He almost didn’t want to believe it but… it was fear, if not borderline panic, and Cyno had run out of energy trying to hide it.

"Good evening," he said. "My name's Cyno and this is my friend Tighnari. We're visitors from Sumeru and currently staying in Springvale. The storm surprised us on our day trip. I know it's not far but we aren't familiar with the area. We were wondering if you would allow us to stay here until the weather’s cleared up?" 

Tighnari decided to speed things up. "He's the General Mahamatra." 

“I'm not here on official business,” Cyno immediately amended with a stern side glance to Tighnari. 

"Oh! Cyno!" The maid's eyes sparkled with recognition. "Of course! You helped that poor girl years ago."

"Collei, yes."

In an instant, they weren’t strangers anymore but honorable guests at Dawn Winery. Adelinde, the head housemaid, assured them that both Master Diluc and Captain Kaeya would welcome them with open arms had they been present. Some simple but dry clothes were provided for the night ("Of course you will stay here!") and Adelinde promised them to take care of their storm-battered cloaks. Soon the two friends were led to a well-stocked dinner table in the mansion’s grand hall and indulged in some of Mondstadt's specialties. Hot Goulash warmed them from the inside and a large Moon Pie was served for dessert. The promise of a conversation hung over them throughout the dinner, the big why that brought them here, and Tighnari saw in Cyno's face that he knew he wouldn't be able to escape Tighnari's questions later. If they were about to be answered remained to be seen.

"I inquired Master Diluc and Captain Kaeya via courier about your stay,” the maid told them before showing them to their room. “Both voiced their sincere approval of your stay here. In fact, Captain Kaeya sends his regards and invites you to stay for another night. He plans to return tomorrow evening with an acquaintance of his to host a small dinner party for you."

“Dinner party?”

"Oh. He shouldn't have,” Tighnari waved off.

"He insists. But of course, you're free to leave, it's just an invitation after all.”

Tighnari and Cyno exchanged a look that Adelinde very freely interpreted as approval. 

"Splendid!" she exclaimed. "The weather should clear up throughout the night. If you require ideas for day trips, I recommend a trip to Old Mondstadt - or Stormterror's Lair as it's now called. Otherwise, around Wolvendom you'll find plenty of beautiful places to enjoy at your leisure." 

“We’ve been to Wolvendom today.” 

“It was a sight worth seeing,” Cyno added and winked at Tighnari.

Tighnari bit his lips, both not to laugh and not to swoon.

~<>~

A fireplace was lit when Tighnari entered their shared bedroom in his sleeping clothes. It was the first time they were alone after today’s unexpected detour and Cyno's strange behavior. Tighnari didn’t mind a change of plan. Being a forest watcher required him to adjust his plans regularly because the forest had a mind of its own. Just like Cyno.

“Are you okay?” the boy in question asked at his appearance. 

Tighnari looked at him for a long time. “Why are we here, Cyno?” 

Waves of anxiety radiated off Cyno who apparently thought going through all the things he’d stuffed into his backpack was the most important thing to do. “It's safer,” he said with a shrug that convinced no one in this room to be casual. Although he dodged the question, it was still an answer that led Tighnari further. Cyno wouldn’t lie to him. So it had been a safety issue. He'd felt unsafe. 

Tighnari sat down at the edge of the bed and regarded his friend. 

The sleeping problems. The lightning bolt. The anxiety. 

“Cyno. Are you scared of something?” 

Silence was an answer, too. Cyno briefly glanced at him and mumbled something under his breath.

Tighnari smiled weakly, hoping it came across as calming and not patronizing or belittling. “Look. Just because I got hit by lightning doesn't mean you will get hit, too. Also, the probability of me getting struck twice is probably zero so if you stick with me, you're safe. Statistically speaking.”

It was a shot in the dark but maybe he hit a bit of the truth. 

Cyno halted in his movement and pressed his lips together. “Right,” he said, a frown on his forehead as deep as the Abyss.

As far as Tighnari could tell, Cyno was scared of lightning, even had bad dreams about it, and, for some reason, didn’t want Tighnari to know about it. It still didn’t add up. There was obviously something else he didn’t want to tell, something fundamental - at least for him - and it drove Tighnari mad that he didn’t seem to grasp it. 

“Don't you have thunder and lightning in the desert?” he continued the conversation, another attempt at trying to understand his friend’s reaction, even if it meant his constant probing would probably upset Cyno sooner or later.

“We have weather, yes.”

Okay, so rather sooner. 

“You can talk to me, alright, Cyno?”

“I know, Tighnari. I know I can.”

“Alright. Then I won’t press.”

“Thank you.”

Tighnari wasn’t sure what to do. Clearly, Cyno didn’t want to talk about whatever was on his mind. At least he wouldn’t be the only one with sleeping problems this night, Tighnari thought, because the awkward tension between them was making him restless now, too.

Silently, they went through their bags, checking the inventory and making sure everything was drying properly. For the first time in forever he almost wished for Cyno to make a lame joke, anything to break the silence, and almost considered telling him some fun facts about the plants he’d seen in Mondstadt so far when-

“Can I hug you?” 

Wait, what?

“When we go to bed, can I hug you again?” Cyno repeated when Tighnari just stared at him, stunned to silence. “Like during our trip, on the cart,” he elaborated quietly. 

Tighnari stopped breathing a second before his brain had properly caught up with Cyno's words. A sharp intake of air would only have revealed his own emotional status and would probably make Cyno doubt himself. Instead, he exhaled a long breath, steadying himself, before he answered.

“Yes,” Tighnari said calmly, then, with some neutral calculated enthusiasm, “of course.” 

His heart thumped in his chest when Cyno replied with an unusually shy but thankful smile. 

They stored their bags and Tighnari got into bed as if it wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t want to spook Cyno, not when his walls were down like this, leaving him defenseless and vulnerable. Slowly, Cyno followed him, careful not to touch Tighnari until he rested on his back with the ceiling getting all his undivided attention.

Some moments passed in silence.

“Can you…turn?” Cyno asked timidly.

“You know, I can hug you, too. If you want to try that.” It wasn’t a selfless proposition. An almost blinding urge to protect had overcome Tighnari and he wanted Cyno to feel as safe as possible, wanted to shield him from all the evil in the world, especially his thoughts and nightmares.

“Oh. Okay,” Cyno agreed after a beat and turned around.

Tighnari didn’t hesitate and moved closer to carefully wrap one arm around Cyno until it rested on his belly. Oh, this felt good already. This felt right. He pressed his face into Cyno’s neck. Oh, even better. Now he was in the wonderful position of inhaling Cyno. No one should be smelling this good. Cyno shuddered and Tighnari's fingers traced the goosebumps on his arms. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to tickle you,” he apologized. 

“No, it’s- I like it.”

Tighnari swallowed back the lump in his throat. He wanted to say me too, more than you can imagine but the tension on Tighnari’s end was almost unbearable and one single word would make it all collapse. In what direction, he couldn’t tell. The balance they had was fragile. On one side of the bed was Cyno who desperately needed comfort from his best friend, and on the other side was Tighnari who wanted to melt their bodies and souls together. Two energies that didn’t match very well.

But in the end, Cyno’s mental recovery was more important than any overwhelming romantic feelings Tighnari had for the boy in his arms. The only middle way was to hug Cyno tighter - so he did.

"Good night, Cyno."

"Sweet dreams, Nari."

“Look at this. The storm did a real toll on this area,” Tighnari said, shielding his eyes from the sun as the two Sumerians stared at the large pack of Hilichurls blocking the only open path. “I guess we have to find another way through the gorge. Let’s go.”

"We can easily fight them,” Cyno pointed out.

“Not without our Visions.”

“Why wouldn't we use our Visions?” Cyno asked with a blank face but Tighnari was still able to pick up on his bewilderment. 

"Because we will destroy the environment?” To emphasize his point, he gestured at the nearby bushes and flowers. 

"Tighnari, you have a Dendro Vision, you will probably just enhance it,” Cyno said flatly. 

Tighnari rolled his eyes. "Combine it with your Vision and we'll do some serious damage."

Cyno considered it a moment. “Okay, I won't use mine but you use yours,” he proposed. “You can stun them with your Vijana-Phala bomb and I try to– What's with that face?”

"It's a mine, not a bomb.”

“Alright, so you use your mine then.” 

“They have torches, Cyno! The seeds react with Pyro and will burn down the entire ground.”

“So it is a bomb, got it.”

“Cyno!” Tighnari sighed exasperatedly but the grin on the other boy's face took out his will to lead a real discussion. To see the change from the anxious mess Cyno had been the night before back to his usual self was a great relief. They hadn’t talked about it, the cuddling, the hugging, but what was there to talk about anyway? It had helped Cyno and that was the only thing that mattered. Maybe one day he would open up and tell Tighnari what scared him that much but until then, Tighnari would do anything to help his friend - no matter how much the closeness messed up his utterly romantic feelings.

And if Cyno wanted to call his carefully crafted mines a bomb then who was he to stop him? He’d set the world ablaze for him with either. For the sake of their dynamic, Tighnari kept the friendly bantering alive. “Anyway. I'm not going back to Dawn Winery saying Thanks For The Hospitality By The Way We Set Fire To Your Backyard Sorry." 

The question of whether to blow up or not to blow up Mondstadt’s scenery remained unresolved, for suddenly a big Mitachurl appeared behind them. It hadn’t spotted them yet but his grumpy steps were drawing dangerously close.

“This one we can take without our Visions,” Cyno said.

It was big, true, but manageable. Tighnari was about to agree until the creature presented its massive rock shield. The two Sumerians glanced at their respective weapons, a bow and a polearm, and shared a bashful look.

“Uhm.”

“Maybe another day.”

The Mitachurl, suddenly alerted by their presence, started to jog closer. This prompted the two friends to finally act - and they darted out in different directions. 

“Where are you going?” Cyno asked after he’d taken some steps towards a nearby cave.

“Where are you going?” Tighnari snapped back on his way to a wooden area.

The delay caused by mutual confusion almost cost them their heads as one Hilichurl emerged behind the Mitachurl and threw a burning torch at them. Only Cyno's dodging skills saved them when he pushed Tighnari towards a nearby cliff.

“I can't believe your first instinct was to climb a tree and let yourself get surrounded!” Cyno reprimanded him as soon as they were out of sight and he was sure Tighnari hadn’t gotten hurt. (Their successful escape hadn’t stopped the forest ranger from lecturing Cyno about something called ‘a fair warning before throwing somebody off a cliff’. Cyno insisted it had been a slope so it didn’t count.)

Tighnari snorted. “Says the guy who was about to run into a cave without knowing if it had another exit. We're such a cliché."

Back to back they sat on a boulder, exhausted from the sudden scare, and shared some snacks and water with Mondstadt’s scenery stretching in front of them.

"Actually,” Cyno corrected himself, “both our first instinct was to fight.”

“If it weren't for me, you would’ve turned it all into a desert, you, uh, desert boy."

“How original,” Cyno said, a smile audible in his voice, "my forest boy."

“Shut up,” Tighnari replied, heat rising to his cheeks. “In any case, at least one of us cares about Mondstadt’s nature.” 

Cyno turned around to face him. "Don’t imply that I don’t care,” he said seriously. “I do care, at least as much as you do." 

It didn’t sound like a challenge or an insult, rather it was something soft and vulnerable that surrounded his words. Naturally, Tighnari swallowed his comeback. "How so?" he asked instead, genuinely curious. Just like Tighnari, Cyno wasn’t the type of person who felt the need to justify himself to others. But somehow this mattered to him.

Cyno visibly gathered his thoughts, choosing his words carefully. 

"In the desert,” he started, “we don't have much and we need to be extra careful to preserve the flora. Life is fragile. Persistent, yes. Stubborn even.” He smiled weakly at Tighnari before he frowned. “But also easy to destroy. So… I understand the need to take care of the things that make the otherwise barren lands viable. What would the desert be without something green in between?”

“But if you break it down, isn't the whole point of a desert that it lacks greenery?”

“No, the desert needs plants,” Cyno insisted. “It’s the oases that make the desert what it is.” His stubbornness manifested in a pout directed at Tighnari, as if he’d personally offended or misunderstood the most obvious concept. “It needs green.”

“I meant it as hyperbole, I’m sorry. Alright, you’re the desert expert,” the forest ranger caved in. “I’m just the forest boy, aren't I? Let’s leave it at that.”

"I have a fondness for the forest though,” Cyno said and something in his eyes made Tighnari’s heart skip a beat. “Its beauty,” he continued and leaned closer, “is plantiful.” Tighnari’s face fell. “Get it? Plant? Plentiful-”

“You’re the worst,” Tighnari interrupted him and tried shoving his shoulder but Cyno caught his hand, holding it in place.

“You really didn’t like this one?” Cyno asked, genuinely vexed.

“Fine,” Tighnari said and stopped holding back a chuckle. “It wasn’t bad.”

“I'm getting better,” Cyno said happily. “You laugh more often about my jokes. I like that. We should head back. This dinner party is about to begin soon.”

With the hand he was still holding, he pulled up Tighnari, but to Tighnari’s surprise, he didn't let go of it. Sure, they had been holding hands during their nightly embraces but doing it in the daytime without a reason... was new. And confusing. 

"You're holding my hand,” he blurted after a few steps. 

Cyno nodded. "Which is the purpose of hands."

"To hold mine?” 

“Yes. I need to keep you away from trees and you need to keep me away from caves.”

“So essentially,” Tighnari said, feeling oddly bold, “you’re keeping us together.”

When Cyno met him with a smile, Tighnari realized he hadn’t posed it as a question but as a statement and Cyno hadn't objected. Oh, well. He smiled back. Felt awkward. And happy. And more awkward. And blushy. And of course, now his hands started to become clammy… but if Cyno wanted to hold his hand then he had to deal with it, okay! 

Was this about to become their new default? Cuddling at night? Holding hands? Did it mean the same thing for Cyno as it did for Tighnari? Or was it just another layer to their friendship? If this was their new normal without any additional meaning, oof, Tighnari needed time to get used to it.

He wondered when the seeds of his feelings for Cyno had been planted, considering more and more were blooming every day. How hadn't he seen this coming? In hindsight, it made so much sense. Beautiful, funny, smart, caring, loving Cyno. Being utterly enamored with Cyno felt more than right, it almost felt like fate. Like he'd always been bound to fall for him and the more time they spent together, the faster he kept falling and falling and falling. But what was waiting for him on the ground? He'd only know once he confessed to Cyno.

And he promised himself to do so before they head back to Sumeru. 

~<>~

The sun had already set when the two guests were led into Dawn Winery's dining hall. Captain Kaeya of the Knights of Favonius greeted them grandly, wearing an exotic outfit that reminded of peacocks and cocktail parties. Tighnari was glad they had taken a shower and freshened up after their previous adventure. He still felt underdressed but at least he was presentable. Their host excused Master Diluc for not being around, he was the official Master of Dawn Winery after all, but to Cyno's delight, Lisa had come along. 

The evening continued with good food and wine and soon Tighnari found himself engaged in a conversation with Kaeya Alberich, Knight of Favonius, but first and foremost one of the most talented conversationalists Tighnari had ever met, both meant as a compliment and a warning.

The topic was, obviously, the latest events in Sumeru but with an oddly weird focus on the Fatui and their hands in the game. Tighnari had tried to steer the conversation in another direction but whatever he did, they landed back on the same topic, even deeper into the matter than before. Still, his conversation with Kaeya wasn’t the most interesting thing at the table. Lisa and Cyno had their own intense conversation and Tighnari had a keen interest in what it was about. An adorable blush adorned Cyno’s cheeks - if caused by alcohol or the topic they were discussing, Tighnari couldn’t tell. No one could betray his ears but for some mysterious reason, he couldn't make out a single word Lisa was saying. It almost felt like witchcraft. 

“How do you like Springvale?” Kaeya interrupted his not-so-subtle-staring.

“It is a lovely village,” Tighnari answered, trying to pry his eyes off Cyno. “The house we’re staying in is next to a lake and we can see the windmill from the kitchen.”

“How very romantic.”

“Uhm. It sure is. I mean-”

Kaeya rested his chin in his hand and leaned closer. “Does he know?” the knight asked conspiratorially.

Well, damn. Now he definitely had his full attention.

“No,” Tighnari said automatically. “I mean, know what? Uh, and who?”

Smooth, Tighnari.

“Please,” Kaeya said, patronizing. “We’ve been talking for a while now and your lack of focus on our conversation almost offends me.”

Tighnari resisted the urge to cover his face. He couldn’t deny it but he didn’t dare to confine in Kaeya. Heck, he barely knew this guy and the word 'trustworthy' wasn't his first association. Or tenth, for that matter. The bluntness had caught him off-guard. His eyes flicked back to Cyno. If even a random guy could tell about his feelings… had Cyno noticed, too?

“Suit yourself.” Kaeya leaned back in his chair. His mischievous grin said enough; he enjoyed having hit the nail on the head (or on Tighnari's coffin). Thankfully, Kaeya only stayed for dinner, once again assuring them they were welcome to stay as long as they liked.

“Cyno, Tighnari, it was a pleasure to host you,” he said, tipping his invisible hat. “Lisa, I’ll see you around.”

“Was I not a pleasure?” the witch asked. 

“I don’t think I’m in a position to answer that question. Farewell, everyone!”

Whoever claimed three people didn't make a party had surely never been in company with Lisa. With witty remarks, calculated questions, and interesting anecdotes she entertained the two Sumerians to their fullest. The later it got and the more alcohol was poured, the bolder Tighnari became. When Lisa and Cyno shared old Akademiya stories, eyes all sparkling and nostalgic, Tighnari officially gave up on trying to keep his eyes off his best friend. Kaeya was right, it was probably obvious but he was too drunk to care and Cyno probably didn't even notice. 

Only when Lisa took her leave and the two friends stood up to bid her goodbye, Tighnari realized how close they had sat next to each other this entire night, their arms and thighs in constant contact. He tried to feel bad about this obvious show of attraction on his part but then again, Cyno hadn't pushed him away either. For crying out loud, Cyno had held his hand earlier! Physical proximity was on their card these days, no big deal.

Being drunk was a danger though, that much was clear, and Tighnari had already seen it coming. But only when the two friends entered the bedroom, it dawned on him just how big of a catastrophe it was about to become, especially with the prospect of bed-sharing. They had to sober up, at least Tighnari, because otherwise this was bound to end badly. Gravitation around Cyno was strong on a normal day but if he took one step closer he was about to throw his arms around Cyno's neck and-

No, no, no.

Cyno kept staring at him in a similar drunk daze, blinking slowly and transfixed on him. Maybe he mistook him for an Aranara or something, Tighnari thought. He certainly looked as if he had seen a mystical beast.

“Tighnari,” Cyno said, his voice low and raw. His hair was a mess (he’d run his fingers through it a lot tonight, Tighnari could tell, alright, because he’d wished it had been his hands), his pupils dark as the night. Tighnari almost forgot how to breathe. The room was suddenly too hot, everything was hot, Tighnari was burning up and it only got worse when Cyno walked up to him. "Nari," he said, playful like a singsong and with unexpected confidence and yes, all that in one word, and it made Tighnari's heart flutter and his brain cells evacuate, bye.

He needed to kiss him, he needed to kiss Cyno now- 

"Nari..." Cyno's finger gently stroked Tighnari's arm. "Nari, I just-"

The fireplace cracked loudly, startling Tighnari, and he quickly took a step back. 

Holy shit, this was bad. He'd almost leaned forward, ready to initiate a kiss.

“D’you wanna get outta’re?” Tighnari slurred.

Damn.

Cyno looked at him, confused. “Uhhh. No?”

“I want.”

“Why?”

“I-, uhm.” He couldn't just kiss Cyno, his best friend of many years, without any warning, drunk in a bedroom in Teyvat's most famous winery. Except he wanted their friendship to go to hell as fast as possible, of course. Since kissing Cyno wasn't an option, he desired something just as sweet…. A replacement of sorts. "I want grapes,” Tighnari decided. 

“What?” 

“Grapes! I want to eat some. We should, uh, you know, go outside and get some." 

The fresh air would clear his mind and sober him up, maybe even tire himself enough so he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

"From the vines? That's stealing." 

"Oh. You're right.” Tighnari bit his lip. ”But I do want grapes.”

"Hm.” Cyno took his hand, mischief glinting in his eyes. “Well, if you want grapes, we should go outside and get some." 

Tighnari laughed and allowed the tension to subside once again. "Oh Cyno, you have the best ideas,” he told a very self-satisfied and tipsy Cyno as he pulled him out of the room.

Before they reached the staircase, Tighnari stopped. "Isn't there a backdoor?” he wondered. “I'm not walking through the lobby when we are about to commit a felony." 

"I don't think Mondstadt is that strict,” Cyno said but gave it a thought anyway. "Then again, stealing grapes directly affects their wine business." He turned around. "We should get our weapons-" 

Tighnari pulled on their joined hands, holding him back. 

"Oh no, you're not getting your stick." 

"It's not a stick?!" Cyno said, aghast. “I need to protect you!” 

“You need to protect me? From what?” 

“I don’t know! Thieves?”

“Cyno,“ Tighnari said and put his hands on Cyno's shoulders, ”we are the thieves.”

Cyno's face lit up. "You're the smartest person I know, Nari."

“And you're the drunkest person I know," Tighnari said, blushing.

They left the mansion without a plan and it showed. Thankfully, it was late and none of the employees was to be seen when the two drunk Sumerians hobbled suspiciously towards a patch of vines furthest away from curious eyes. They were indeed very quiet - if you disregard uninhibited giggles and mutual shushing. They were in the middle of the vineyard with Tighnari checking the vine trellises for grapes reserved for a late harvest when Cyno turned around, alerted by something.

“Wha-”

"Get down!" Cyno hissed and pulled a protesting Tighnari down next to him. “Shhh,” he hushed, “Adelinde!”

Maybe Cyno's eyes had been sharper than Tighnari’s ears because it took him a few doubtful moments to hear footsteps drawing closer. Suddenly, Cyno's anxious eyes were on him, the alcohol making him more expressive than usual, and Tighnari only had a second to wonder what his friend was startled about. Two hands reached out to him, gently yet firmly flopping down his ears. Tighnari was too surprised to gasp, only his mouth gaped open until his mind caught up with the situation at hand - literally. 

"What are you doing?" Nari whispered and tried swatting Cyno's hands. 

"Your ears!" Cyno replied, not fazed at all by Tighnari’s attempt to get rid of his fingers.

"What about them?" 

"They will betray us." 

"Oh." Tighnari let his hands fall. Right. His ears stuck out. He thought about being offended. He should be, right? Also, Cyno was still holding down his ears as if they were about to spring back up any second - which was ridiculous. 

"They're not like I imagined them to be." 

Wait, imagined them to be? Had Cyno thought about the texture of his ears before?

“Ah. Uh. Yeah, the fur on my ears is different from my hair. I thought you knew that.”

“I don't think I ever touched your fur. Not like this.” Cyno stilled, apprehensively. “Am I even allowed to touch it? Or is this private?" 

“No, no, you can always touch me!” What? “Ehm, I mean, pin me down.” Not better. “Them. My ears.” Oh my Archon. Tighnari cleared his throat to remove this very unplaced enthusiasm from his voice. ”I'd rather have you pin down my ears before you declare them our downfall in our theft operation,” he stated blankly.

Cyno didn't appear to have listened, he was still marveling at his ears. “They're perfect, Nari,” he mumbled as if Tighnari didn’t just have a semi-meltdown centimeters away from his face. “Really perfect.”

Look, Tighnari wasn't a dog or a cat. When someone happened to touch his ears, he didn't start purring. That being said, his ears weren't much different from a regular human's ears - meaning they were sensitive to touch. It didn't help his mental state that his crush of all people started caressing his ears with the utmost gentleness that made him want to purr anyway. His feelings were throwing a party inside his belly and everyone had brought their plus one. They were being so loud, Tighnari wondered if Cyno could hear them, but he was in his own world with Tighnari's ears the local landmark or something. Tighnari felt weird. That was weird. Why was this weird? Good weird, though. But... should he say something? Call him out for drunk-stroking his ears? That couldn't possibly be normal friendship behavior. Or was it? Where were the lines? Tighnari was lost in his wild thoughts until Cyno turned his attention from his ears to his eyes, looking at him with an unsure smile that screamed he'd just gotten self-aware of his touching as well. Reluctantly, he withdrew his hands.

Okay. So, maybe they were on the same page for once and this hadn't been normal.

For a moment, they stared at each other. Tighnari waited for Cyno to say something, anything, really, a drunk excuse, an apology, a joke, but words never came.

“So," Tighnari broke the silence, "about the grapes?”

“Right. Theft.” Cyno nodded eagerly and put on his Mahamatra thinking cap. "Okay. They allowed us to stay here so there's no trespassing. Also, they offered us wine so," he nodded at the vines surrounding them, "grapes are a pre-product of wine. In conclusion, it's not stealing. It's just getting a refill. Sort of." 

“Sort of,” Tighnari echoed. He wanted to kiss Cyno and his smart brain. “Who am I to object when you've been blessed by Lesser Lord Kusanali's wisdom.”

“Okay, one each?” Cyno said and pointed at a grape.

“One? One single grape? Are you joking?” Tighnari deadpanned. 

“Two then?” 

Tighnari ripped off an entire vine. 

~<>~

After having successfully acquired the snack of their choice, the two Sumerians found a resting place on a ledge overlooking the Dawn Winery estate. The moon was bright in the sky with only a few clouds passing by. In the distance, a pack of wolves sang their song and some restless birds joined. At the lake shore nearby, a horde of Cryo Slimes dwelled peacefully. 

“What do Cryo Slimes dream about?” Cyno asked into the silence. 

Another grape went into Tighnari's mouth. “I don't know,” he said, munching, ”what?” 

“I don't know either, that's why I'm asking.”

“Oh. I thought this was a setup for one of your jokes.”

The second his words had left his lips, Tighnari heard the wheels in Cyno's head creaking as they started to turn. 

“Stop it,“ he growled. 

“What?” Cyno said absentmindedly. 

“I see you thinking. I hear you trying to come up with a punchline!” 

“I'm not.”

Tighnari turned around and snatched the hood of Cyno's coat. With a swift move, he pulled it up to cover his friend's head. His hands kept holding the two sides of the hood, pulling Cyno's head closer to stare into his eyes. 

“Stop thinking,” he demanded. 

Cyno pressed his lips together, stubbornly shaking his head.

“Stop,” Tighnari repeated lowly. 

“Make me.” 

Tighnari wasn't one who easily rose to challenges - he didn't need to prove himself and tended to let the facts speak for themselves - but the fire in Cyno's eyes dared him to prove… something. So before his brain shortcircuited and followed his first idea, Tighnari quickly stuffed a grape into Cyno's mouth.

It did shut him up indeed, although it had more to do with Cyno accidentally swallowing it whole, causing him to cough so badly Tighnari felt incredibly sorry as he patted his back. After that, a comfortable silence engulfed them and for once, Tighnari was able to stop thinking and just enjoyed Cyno's company in its purest form. Existing in the same space was enough, at least in this moment. 

“Do you think I'm bad at feelings?” Cyno broke the silence after a few minutes.

Tighnari turned around to look at his friend but he was staring at the shore in front of them.

“What?” 

“It's just something Lisa said.”

“Hang on,” Tighnari said, nudging Cyno to look at him, “she said you weren't good at feelings?”

“No, not verbatim. We were talking about something else." For some reason, he blushed. "She just made me think about it. She said I should try expressing them more. My, uhm, feelings.” A beat passed and Cyno looked at the lake again. "Never mind."

"I'm sorry but I don't understand," Tighnari said, still stuck on Lisa's audacity. “What does it even mean, not being good at feelings?”

"People tend to misunderstand me.”

Tighnari huffed. “I don’t! And I’m people.”

“Yeah but… “ Cyno turned to look at him, “first of all, you don’t count.”

“Why wouldn’t I count?”

“Because you’re my best friend.”

“But that just proves my point,” Tighnari said and wanted to crawl into his brain to give it a good spring cleaning. “I understand you perfectly. Whoever says they don’t get you just hasn't put in enough effort to get to know you. And that’s that.”

“You also don’t pick up on everything I say or do, Tighnari,” Cyno said warningly. 

“Well.” Tighnari leaned back a bit, examining Cyno. He wasn’t wrong, that was true, because Tighnari knew exactly that he was missing something about his friend. “At least I am aware of it,” he admitted. "And look, we've known each other for a long time. If one of us doesn't pick up on whatever the other is trying to say, then I know sooner or later we will address it head-on."

Technically, Cyno wasn't the only one keeping a secret. Tighnari was withholding something as well - which probably would impact their friendship more than whatever Cyno dreamed about.

“Sometimes we need to wait for the right moment," Tighnari said, to Cyno and himself. "But what I do know,” he continued, “is that you're the most caring- no. You’re the best person I know, Cyno. In every way. I mean it. And it annoys me when people don't see you for what you are."

“You see me.”

Tighnari snorted, casting him a humorous side-eye. “But apparently I do not count.”

“Would be weird if you started counting whenever you see me,” Cyno said. “One Aranara, two Aranaras.”

“He got his joke,” Tighnari shouted at the Cryo Slimes that jumped at the sudden noise, “a round of applause!”

Cyno chuckled. “Quiet,” he shushed his friend, “Adelinde’s still out and about.”

“Really?" Tighnari glanced at the mansion, the light still on and the door wide open. How embarrassing. "I swear, the alcohol messes with my hearing.”

Cyno squinted one eye. “Just the hearing?” he asked carefully, earning a friendly punch from Tighnari.

“It clearly messes with you as well. You become mean.”

“I’m not mean. I like teasing you,” Cyno said, playing with a grape in his fingers. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

Tighnari briefly died - or he thought he did, considering his heart just bolted through his chest as if someone had resurrected him. Did Cyno call him cute? He should comment on it, right? He should acknowledge that he heard it so it won’t fall through the cracks of their friendship, lost forever. Could Cyno at least look at him when he said these kinds of things?

“For what it’s worth,” Cyno continued, effectively talking over Tighnari’s chaotic thoughts, damn damn, down the cracks it went, “I'm glad you see me this way. You're the one that matters most to me.” Tighnari was still taken aback, even when Cyno finally graced him with a smile. If he noticed Tighnari’s confusion, he didn’t comment on it. “Now ask me what Cryo Slimes dream about.”

The breath Tighnari exhaled came out slightly panicky. Alright. They had moved on from their earlier talk. Calling each other cute was apparently also their new normal. Tighnari was going to freak out about it later or never.

“Pray tell,” he indulged him. “What do Cryo Slimes dream about?” 

Cyno leaned toward him, raising his eyebrows. “Something n-ice.” 

“Nah, not funny.” 

“Then why are you smiling?” 

Tighnari touched his lips. Oh. He was smiling indeed. By the Archon and all the Cryo Slimes, he was so in love with this idiot.

“Got you,” Cyno grinned.

~<>~

The night’s coldness tried following them inside but got chased away by the fireplace's heat in their bedroom. Tighnari briefly wondered who had tended to the fire, he was pretty sure it had almost been out before they left, but he was grateful nonetheless. 

The mix of alcohol, sleepiness, and the cozy warmth turned Tighnari’s feelings to mush. They all melted together, becoming the purest form of, well, drunken, sleepy, warm happiness. He was calm, beautifully calm. Cyno slowed his heart rate, soothed him, and led him to inner peace. Why had he been so nervous before? He couldn’t tell. They brushed their teeth next to each other. Everything felt nice, especially when Cyno put his head on Nari's shoulder.

“Sleepyhead,” Tighnari mumbled fondly with his mouth full of toothpaste. Cyno hummed in contentment. See? Everything was so easy.

Cyno climbed into bed first and let himself fall on his back, limbs extended like an octopus stretching. With his chest looking so inviting, Tighnari didn’t think twice before he flopped down next to him and crawled closer until he had reached Cyno's chest. The sudden change of position made his stomach lurch. 

“Ugh, I'm gonna be sick.”

“You better not, Nari,” Cyno said without any bite.

So this was it. Tighnari was lying on Cyno's chest, one arm buried under his body and the other one idly resting on said chest. He shifted his head so his nose almost touched the side of Cyno's chin. He might have some hearing impairments thanks to the alcohol but his nose was still working fine. Cyno smelt like warm summer nights. Like flowers that only bloom one day a year. Well, and also a good amount of alcohol but mostly just very enticing. A bit of Cryo Slime maybe, too. Tighnari chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Did his lips still taste like grapes?

Cyno shifted under him, forcing Tighnari to stop indulging. "I'll move in a bit," he promised.

“No, stay.”

“You know what,” Tighnari said, burying his face in Cyno’s chest with a satisfied sigh, “I'm not even going to argue against it, I'm too exhausted.”

“Why would you argue against it?” 

“I don't know. Decency?”

Cyno snickered, his hand gently stroking Tighnari’s head. “I liked today.” Very carefully, his fingers began stroking his hair... caressing his ears...

“Me too,” Tighnari said, his eyes falling shut. "Mhm, this is nice," he whispered as he drifted off into dreamland.

The last thing he remembered was two arms engulfing him in a hug and someone's nose pressing against his forehead, and maybe, just maybe, a pair of lips... 

~<>~

Tighnari woke up to Cyno's eyes staring into his sleepy soul. For a moment, he was unsure if he was still in a dream or back in reality because he suspected it didn’t differ too much from what he’d seen seconds ago, in another realm. Embarrassed about himself, he pressed his face into the chest under him, pretending to be tired.

“Morning,” he mumbled.

“Good morning,” Cyno said, oddly chipper. ”You giggled in your sleep.”

“Did not,” Tighnari dismissed it immediately.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did. You?"

"Best sleep I got in weeks, actually."

Tighnari turned to look at Cyno, unable to stop smiling, dopey and full of warmth. There was some crust around Cyno's eyes, his hair was an unholy mess and the sun shining into the room made him scrunch his nose. The lack of consciousness that came with the process of waking up thankfully prevented Tighnari from experiencing any further emotion in full force, especially related to his current position. 

He didn't notice how his leg was thrown over Cyno's, keeping his body tilted to the side and making Cyno's chest his new favorite pillow. He was oblivious to his own hand that had crept up from innocently being draped over Cyno's abdomen to cradle Cyno's neck, the palm of his hand gently pressing against the soft skin, caring and protective. It didn't register with him why Cyno was smiling at him so brightly when in reality it was an answer to Tighnari staring at him in a state of oblivious unguarded adoration. 

In the end, all it took was a sudden urge to yawn that marked the end of the sleepy daze he'd been in. Reality and its consequences began pulling at him. 

“How long have you been awake?” he asked. 

“A while. I was dreaming.” 

“I see.” A tired and comfortable silence followed. ”Do you remember the dream?” 

“Yes. I told you I wasn't asleep.”

“Oh. Okay,” Tighnari said, “so, what, it was a daydream or something?” 

Cyno hummed. “It felt quite real.”

Suddenly, Tighnari became very aware of how much he was clinging to Cyno but even more so, he noticed Cyno's fingers playing with his hair, his fingertips brushing against Tighnari's neck, if accidentally or deliberately the forest ranger couldn't tell. Fact was that this comfortable sleeping position had suddenly turned into his biggest dream or nightmare, depending on how one specific person saw it: Cyno. Unfortunately, Tighnari didn't know.

With his emotions a mess (also, he was hungover), his body went rigid, forcing him into fight-or-flight mode. Cyno noticed - he frowned and withdrew his fingers from Tighnari's hair, scanning his face.

“What did you dream about that made you laugh?” he asked. It was an attempt at getting rid of the weird tension that got hold of Tighnari but well, addressing his dream only made it worse. 

Slowly, Tighnari removed his hand from Cyno's neck. “Uhm, don’t remember. We should probably get up.”

A part of Tighnari hated himself for his reaction. Cyno clearly hadn’t minded them sharing a space, cuddling together even, because how else would one describe the position they had woken up in? But... wasn't it strange how okay he'd been about it? Sumeru had changed and somehow, they had changed as well. For Tighnari, it was his dream and the realization that he was in lov- oh.

Oh. No, wait.

That he had a crush on Cyno. (Okay. Better. For now.)

But what had made Cyno seek out physical intimacy? Was it just his nightmares? Their friendship progressed dangerously fast and getting lost in meanings became inheritely dangerous. Tighnari had said it last night and meant it: Both of them had to use their words and talk about their feelings or issues sooner or later. Because, without a doubt, they were not on the same page. 

~<>~

When Tighnari and Cyno entered the dining hall in the morning, they shared a mutual look of sheer terror:

The centerpiece of the breakfast table was a large bowl filled to the brim with grapes.

“Take some with you before you leave,” Adelinde said oddly friendly but her eyes pierced them mercilessly. Cyno and Tighnari blushed profusely. Rumor had it, one could still hear the voices of two embarrassed Sumerians thanking Adelinde for her hospitality echoing off the cliffs surrounding Dawn Winery.

“We can never come back here,” Tighnari said once they left Dawn Winery’s premises.

Cyno nodded bleakly.

Walking back to Springvale turned into a day trip. The last few days had been rather eventful and they craved a peaceful walk through nature. Neither of them was eager to fight Hilichurls, so if in doubt, they took the longer route.

They didn't talk about the previous night, about their physical closeness, or about someone calling the other one cute. Mostly it felt… normal. Tighnari was grateful. One day more with his feelings hyperfocusing on his years-long best friend and he would’ve exploded. Sure, he still needed to keep his feelings in check, to maintain an aura of indifference towards Cyno's smiles and random touches. Whatever had happened was an upgrade in their friendship, a new extra, and he had to get used to it without losing his mind or heart.

It was only later, when they were back in their Springvale home and resting in front of the fireplace, that Tighnari briefly wondered if he’d be okay never telling Cyno about his feelings. They were happy together as best friends and he didn't want to give up on it. But their friendship would probably survive a confession of lov- feelings, Tighnari told himself. Maybe put a pause on it, for a while at least. Or, another voice told him quietly, maybe Cyno had feelings for him, too.

Tighnari was too close to him, though, too close to the whirlwind that was his friend. He had called him cute, but they were friends. They had held hands, but they were friends. He had hugged Tighnari, but they were friends. The lines between friendship and a romantic relationship had become incredibly blurry, especially during the last week.

It was past midnight when Tighnari finally fell into his bed, alone. Cyno had requested some rounds of TCG, dragging the night out until Tighnari's eyes almost fell shut. A restlessness had plagued Cyno, even to the extent that he had to apologize for using the wrong cards more than once but he didn't want to stop playing. Tighnari had learned from his previous attempts at addressing his dreams so he only asked once. His friend dismissed the question. He was just tired, he said. Tighnari didn’t believe this same old story and gave him a long look that told him this much.

"I'm sorry but I need to sleep." He waited for Cyno to ask him to spend the night together.

"It's okay. Sweet dreams, Nari." It never came.

Tighnari sighed. "You, too, Cyno."

~<>~

A noise. 

Tighnari’s eyes flew open. It was dark. He didn’t feel too muzzy so he must’ve fallen asleep only recently. Weird. He was about to dismiss the sound when he heard it again.

A cracking sound. Someone was inside their house. Tighnari sat up in his dark room, squinting at the door. Suddenly, a shadow moved right in front of his bed. Tighnari let out a short scream. 

"Ahhh- Cyno!” His heart was still racing in his chest when the shadow before him took the form of his friend. “You scared me! What are you doing here?" 

Silence. Then. 

"Did I leave my cloak here?" 

What?

Tighnari stared at him in disbelief. "Why would you need your cloak in the middle of the night?" 

"I wanted to take a walk. Get some air,” Cyno said, his voice eerily calm. 

Tighnari rubbed his forehead, still confused about what the hell was happening. “Why?" 

"Do I need a reason to breathe air?" The words came out sharp and with a bite that surprised them both. Cyno exhaled loudly, releasing his pent-up energy and Tighnari accepted it as a wordless apology.

"Okay, Cyno, drop the act and tell me what's wrong." 

"I had a dream." 

Even in the darkness, Cyno looked tense. His Vision was glowing, indicating he had enough elemental energy to burst. (Tighnari wasn’t scared. Cyno would never hurt him.) 

"Okay,” Tighnari said, not to end the conversation but in an attempt to make Cyno continue. ”You had a dream.”

"It was bad." 

Tighnari felt that he couldn’t push, not right now. His friend was too tense and too irritable, that much was clear. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed. "Fresh air it is. I'm coming with you." 

Cyno didn’t object which was a warning signal in itself. He quickly dipped back into his room and Tighnari stole a glance inside. The cloak was spread out on his bed. Tighnari’s heart broke. Cyno hadn’t been in his room to look for his cloak but to look for him. For a friend. 

"Let's go to Cider Lake,” Tighnari proposed. “I'm sure Mondstadt looks very nice at night." 

When they were outside and under the moonlight, Tighnari took a good look at Cyno. He looked exhausted, his eyes watery and bloodshed, and he avoided eye contact at any cost. His dreams must’ve been even worse this time. Tighnari wished there was a way to help him. Maybe he should've slept with him in a room again. But... that wasn't a long-term solution, Cyno needed to come to terms with whatever he dreamed about. And talking through it would be a good first step... if he only opened up to him. Or anybody, honestly. 

They walked through Springvale’s streets in silence. Although they were alone, Cyno clung to his side, his arm always touching Tighnari's.

“Sorry," Cyno mumbled when he accidentally bumped into him again. Tighnari would’ve shrugged it off as a need for comfort but then… he noticed it. The way Cyno’s eyes were taking him in, again and again, from the corner of his eyes, trying not to be obvious but failing miserably, almost making him stumble because he didn't look where he was walking.

When they had reached Cider Lake's shore, Mondstadt's lights greeted them from the island in front of them, and it was beautiful, probably, and Tighnari wanted to say so, but when he looked at Cyno, he was already looking at him. He knew that pained look, had seen it in specific situations before and even made a mental note of it.

Something in Tighnari's stomach churned. A bad premonition that made him sick. He had a terrible hunch but it couldn’t be, could it-

“Why are you looking at me like this?” he asked. 

Being called out, Cyno looked away. “I'm not looking.”

“You are, Cyno,” Tighnari said again, his voice wavering as he put his thoughts into words. “It’s like-”

Suddenly, the fog cleared. Tighnari had his own pieces falling into place when it came to his feelings for Cyno but he wasn't the only one with a puzzle. Cyno had his own, and finally, Tighnari saw the picture he'd been desperately trying to hide.

The touches and clingy embraces at night, the overwhelming protectiveness during the storm, the haunted look in his eyes whenever Tighnari referenced his injuries.

'I dream about Tighnari sometimes.'

Cyno hadn’t been afraid to get hurt.

Tighnari swallowed hard before he said the next few words. “You look at me as if you're afraid I'm about to disappear into thin air.”

Time stopped for both of them. Cyno drew in a sharp breath, confirming Tighnari's theory without saying a word. For a moment, he looked as if he wanted to deny it anyway but when he exhaled a shaky breath, the last bit of resistance got snatched by Barbatos' wind.

"It wasn't the first bad dream I had," he confessed. 

Tighnari figured. It was more than obvious. “You have recurrent nightmares?” 

“Yeah,” Cyno confirmed, looking down at the patch of grass in front of them. “And every time something bad happens. Sometimes to Collei. But the worst ones are when something happens…” He paused. “To you.”

“What happens exactly?” Tighnari asked quietly.

“Pardis Dhyai.”

Tighnari closed his eyes, losing ground under his feet. He needed a moment to let it sink in.

"You dream about me getting struck by lightning? You weren't even there." He only noticed too late that it sounded like an accusation because that was exactly how Cyno reacted.

"I know,” he choked. “That's the problem." A single teardrop spilled, quickly wiped away. “I wasn't there and… “ Another one, this time wiped away angrily.

"Cyno,” Tighnari said, trying to calm him down. He knew what was coming next. “Cyno, no, that’s not what I-”

"If I had been there," Cyno said, clenching his fists, "then maybe…" 

Tighnari felt sick to his stomach and interrupted him before this thought could take even more root than it already had. 

"I can tell you what would have happened. Look at me. Instead of just Deyha and me trying to dodge the lightning strikes it would've been you jumping around with us. Maybe it would've even hit you."

"That's not- Maybe I could've prevented your injury." 

It took some effort to keep his voice calm and collected. "How so? By throwing yourself on me?” Tighnari asked but he wanted to yell at him for endangering his life so recklessly, hypothetical situation or not. The thought of Cyno getting hurt made his blood boil.

"I'd do anything to protect you.” Cyno was still holding back his emotions with the last bit of strength he could muster, but then Tighnari put his hands firmly on his shoulder and the wall broke down. His breath shuttered and with it, the tears rolled freely. Tighnari had never seen him cry, not like this. It was raw and painful and his heart wanted to break into a million pieces.

“I don't know what I would've done if…,” he violently shook his head, forcing his tears to drip to the ground. “I can't lose you. Ever.”

Tighnari quickly wiped his face with his sleeve, the sudden wetness irritating him.

(Tears? He didn't realize he'd been crying, too.) 

“You won't lose me. Look,” he said, leaning closer, even if Cyno wasn’t able to meet his eyes, “what's done is done and I got away with a scare and a flesh wound. I’m okay." 

"I still wished it didn't happen." 

Tighnari ran his thumbs over Cyno’s face, as if wiping away his tears meant he could get rid of the guilt and the fear, too. 

"What can I say, it was a very illuminating experience." Finally, Cyno stared at him, no, glared. "What? You're not the only one allowed to make jokes, you know?" 

"It's not funny,” Cyno said, but at least for a splinter of a second, it had taken off some of the gravity.

"I guess not. It's okay to be scared, Cyno, okay? I’m not saying it isn’t. But it’s over. I’m fine.”

“I know,” Cyno said. "When I learned what had happened to you, I got scared but I was ready to hunt down everyone who hurt you. Being scared serves a purpose, it makes one alert and careful, or forces one to take action." He took a deep breath. "But when I saw you again, still trying to smile at me through the pain… I wasn't scared, Nari.” He dropped the volume until only a whisper came out. “I was terrified,” he sobbed. “Like, going insane, losing my mind. I've never felt this way before.” 

Tighnari had also never felt this way before, absolutely helpless, and that included some harrowing experiences in Sumeru’s forest. Nothing came close to seeing the one that was his world in shambles - because of him, that was. Before Tighnari could find a word or gesture, a hug even, Cyno looked into his eyes with the intensity of someone about to bear his heart and soul.

“I realized what a close call it had been, that you're only alive by sheer luck. Losing you,” Cyno said with a finality that punched the air out of Tighnari's lungs, “is my nightmare, no matter if I’m awake or asleep. Dream or not, that's my reality."

Tighnari couldn’t help himself but cup Cyno’s face with his hands. His thumbs drew soothing circles on his wet skin until Cyno calmed down, his eyes fluttering shut. 

“That's a lot you put onto me, you know?” Tighnari said quietly, freeing his face from the hair that clung to the tear stains.

“I'm sorry,” Cyno said, guilt plainly on his face, and was about to turn away, “I don't mean to.”

“Hey.” Tighnari’s held his face in place. “Look at me,” he said, waiting for Cyno’s eyes to meet his. “I didn’t say I couldn’t carry it. Okay? See,” he whispered and guided Cyno’s hand to his chest. “You feel that? My heart’s beating. I’m here. And I will be for a very long time.” When Cyno’s only reaction was a blank stare, Tighnari leaned closer and brought their foreheads together. “Do you hear me?”

Cyno closed his eyes and nodded weakly. There they stood, forehead to forehead, until both their streams of tears had subsided. 

"Okay, change of plans,” Tighnari said. “Let's go to Mondstadt City. We’ll walk this off together." 

"It's not necessary." Cyno was still only a shell of himself and Tighnari’s heart clenched painfully.

"But I want to," he said, trying to sound more upbeat than any of them felt. 

Cyno sighed, exhaustion written all over his face. "Alright." 

~<>~

Mondstadt City by night was truly a sight worth seeing. The lake reflected the town's multiple night lights and although it was a random date in October, it had the everlasting atmosphere of a festival. This was Mondstadt for you, the city of freedom. 

They strolled through the city, admired the old cobblestone streets, commented on drunk people partying, and did some quiet window shopping. Eventually, they arrived near the Knight Of Favonius Headquarters. To their surprise, Collei and Amber were sitting on a bench outside, talking to Eula and Kaeya. The forest ranger trainee immediately ran up to them.

Collei eagerly updated her two favorite people about the successful birthday party and was about to go into even more details when Tighnari tried to bring her down a notch. Cyno was fighting through his exhaustion to follow Collei's tales, not even strong enough to comment on the young girl being awake so late at night. But... he seemed to glow a bit more like his usual self. Tighnari smiled. She always brought out the best in them. 

"Why don't you come over for breakfast tomorrow and tell us all about this spectacular party?" Tighnari proposed. 

“I’ve never been to Springvale!" Collei jumped in excitement. "I'd love to."

"Tighnari collected mushrooms to feed all seven nations," Cyno said, smiling. "I need to craft a 'free mushrooms' sign to put in front of the garden before we depart in a few days."

"Of course Master did," she laughed, "I'll help you with it!" 

(Tighnari gladly accepted being overruled this time.)

"She looks happy,” Cyno said when they continued their walk.

"Yes, she does,” Tighnari agreed. “Thank you for making it happen, the trip I mean. I think she wasn't the only one who needed it. I certainly did." 

They walked in silence for a while. 

"Are you happy, Tighnari?" 

It was a loaded question. His happiness was so intertwined with Cyno that finding an angle that wouldn't display his bare heart on a table was difficult.

"Yes," Tighnari said. "Yes, I am. I know what happened was… a lot. But things turned out alright.” 

Cyno kept looking at him, not satisfied with the vague answer, and his stern eyes forced Tighnari to elaborate.

“Collei is better than ever and thriving," the forest ranger continued. "You're unharmed and back in your position as General. Sumeru begins to grow out of the dark. All of our friends are well. I’m back in Ghandarva Ville. Okay, okay, my muscles are still sore and the dust is still settling but considering everything, that's just a minor issue. So yes. I am happy. What about you?" 

“I’m happy if you’re happy.”

Tighnari rolled his eyes. “That’s not how it works, Cyno.”

“Okay. I’m happy if you’re happy, and Collei.”

Tighnari laughed. “Well, in that case, I’m happy if you’re happy. I guess we need to keep each other happy then.”

Their path led them outside the city, the bridge stretching before them. Without words, they stopped in its middle to take in the beautiful scenery. It had gotten colder, winter finally started knocking at the door. Tighnari took a deep breath. Yeah, the smell of change was in the air.

"You're doing a very good job," Cyno said, and to Tighnari's questioning look, he added, "in making me happy, I mean."

Tighnari's heart thumped. "I do?" 

Cyno leaned his back against the balustrade to look at Tighnari instead of the lake. 

"Yes."

There could be a Lantern Rite spectacle in the sky and Tighnari wouldn't be able to tear his eyes away from Cyno. He made him happy? Happiness came in a billion different shapes and forms and if one of them matched Cyno, then that was all he wanted. Tighnari decided to drop a card. Not the highest he had but hopefully, Cyno guessed the hand he was holding. 

"You make me happy, too," he said. Carefully, he reached for Cyno's hands. "Quite a lot, actually." His heart beat like crazy. Cyno stared at him, captivated and with wide eyes. 

For a moment, time stood still. Then Cyno began pulling him closer but-

A group of loud drunkards led by a singing bard exited the city and the two Sumerians briefly split to watch them. 

"The world is full of lost ballads just waiting to be rediscovered," the high-spirited bard said in passing. "And some are yet to be written."

~<>~

They walked back in silence but their intertwined fingers spoke volumes.

~<>~ 

Tighnari’s head was buzzing, his entire body was charged up, and he briefly considered it an effect of Cyno’s electric power pulsing through their intertwined fingers. 

Or it was love.  

(It was, wasn’t it?)

(He was in love.)

Tighnari was in love with his best friend. 

And Cyno... did he like him back? 

Holding hands had been as natural as breathing earlier. But now they were surrounded by the four walls of their home and it wanted an explanation. He didn’t want to let go of Cyno’s hand but the awkwardness increased every second they stood quietly in the dark hallway, the nearby fireplace gasping for more wood. 

Tighnari cleared his throat. “Here we are,” he said. He entangled their fingers, letting go of Cyno’s hand but not without brushing against his fingers one last time. 

“Here we are,” Cyno echoed, his voice monotone as if his thoughts were distant and his body only ran the basic program. One Mora for his thoughts, Tighnari wished. 

They both took off their cloaks and hung them up on the hall stand, a task that usually was the most mundane thing yet tonight it took them ages. The simple act carried a fragility that almost desired to be shattered. It came with a countdown and a decision to be made. Either they let them slide, the multiple memorable moments they had that night, let them all sink into their friendship’s foundation… or they addressed tonight’s revelations and treated them as a chance to evolve their relationship.

Time was of the essence. The close bond they had weaved in the last hours began to unravel. There was no way Tighnari would let that happen. Their relationship had already changed, after tonight it was clear as day, and the only thing left to do was to acknowledge it and commit to it. If for the better or the worse it remained to be seen. Nothing was more constant in his life than his friendship with Cyno and dividing them was his biggest fear. But if he had to lie about his feelings any longer, it would separate them in a different way.

“Cyno,” Tighnari said quietly to his friend who’d just rekindled the hearth’s fire. Just as the flames were shedding light on the living room, Tighnari was about to shed light on his feelings.

Cyno stood before him in attentive silence, his eyes shimmering like the fire behind him, waiting patiently. Locking eyes during this precarious time of inevitable change made Tighnari’s heart flutter, yet it was still locked in a cage he needed to unlock. 

What would a world without Cyno look like? A world with a Cyno-shaped void, would that even be possible? Would it make sense? His heart answered in an instant, not unlocking the cage but destroying it by sheer brute because the pain cursing through his body was too big to endure a second longer.

He understood how Cyno had felt. The feeling was mutual. 

“I’d lose my mind, too,” Tighnari said, forcefully stopping this heartbreaking train of thought. “If I lost you, Cyno. I couldn't bear it. Back when… things went down and we were apart? All I thought about was you. It’s always you, Cyno," he said, not holding back anymore. "I couldn’t have died at Pardis Dhyai because I had to see you again. You're everything to me.”

Wordlessly, Cyno pulled him into a hug. 

It was a long hug. A sleepy hug, a hug where time and consequences didn’t exist. Tighnari exhaled and let himself fall into his friend, his hands hanging loosely around Cyno’s waist. He was living in this endless hug now, in Cyno’s arms, forever together. Nothing was important anymore except them holding each other. Tension bled from his bones and he felt Cyno’s body relax in his arms as well. 

Time didn’t matter when one was hugging the person one loved, especially in the middle of the night surrounded by the comforting lights of a warm fire. After what felt like both an eternity and a blink of an eye, Cyno withdrew from their hug (no, please, don’t go) and looked at him fondly. “You’re tired.”

Tighnari rubbed his eyes because yes, he was tired but also because being subjected to Cyno’s smile would throw him right back into his arms, only this time without any reservation. “What gave it away?” he mumbled.

“I’ve been carrying your weight for the last ten minutes.” Has it been this long? This short? “And you yawning into my ear was another giveaway. Let’s get you to bed.”

Cyno's door was wide open when Tighnari, now changed into his sleeping clothes, leaned against the door frame. 

“Just wanted to say good night,” he said. Cyno, who was already sitting on his bed, glanced at him. Tighnari smiled at the oversized shirt he sported - the spare one he got from Adelinde, spelling Dawn Winery in bold letters with some apples as decoration. 

Cute.

A night candle burned on the desk, bathing the room in a dim light. That was new. 

“I put out the fire in the living room,” Cyno said, his eyes not finding Tighnari’s.

“Thanks,” Tighnari said. He looked at the candle again. “I hope you can sleep better tonight,” and, because there was no reason not to address it, he added, “I hope the light helps.”

“I hope so, too,” Cyno grimaced and fumbled with the hem of his shirt. “I found it in the kitchen. It’s made in Mondstadt.”

“It’s pretty. If you like it, we can look for one in the city tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

Ending the night without verbally acknowledging the major shift in their relationship felt wrong. Tighnari was bursting with feelings that wanted to become words or actions but with their current conversation sticky as mud any attempt would be futile. 

“Good night, Cyno.”

“Sweet dreams, Nari,” Cyno replied.

Tighnari was halfway through the door when his heart made him turn around. "I meant to ask,” he said without thinking, “are you okay with sleeping alone?" 

"Yes,” Cyno said but his eyes flickered like the candle’s light.

"Okay. If you need anything or change your mind,” Tighnari pointed towards his own room, “you know where to find me.”

With a sinking heart, he left. Cyno most certainly wasn't alright. But there was nothing he could do when Cyno didn't want his help. He stood in the hallway, torn between their two bedrooms. Was this really how their evening ended?

His own words rang in his ears.

If one of us doesn't pick up on whatever the other is trying to say, then I know sooner or later we will address it head-on.

Screw this.

A spark of courage made him knock on Cyno's door again and he entered without waiting for a response. Cyno hadn't moved, but he looked at him curiously. 

“After tonight," Tighnari started strong, "are we…" He faltered but pushed through. "Are we on the same page? Because I’m on a certain page and I’m not sure we’re…” He laughed nervously. This was ridiculous, why was he acting like a teenager? “Are we reading the same book?” 

If Cyno asked which page or which book, Tighnari would just make a run for it.

“I’d like to believe we’re on the same page," Cyno replied gingerly. 

“Okay,” Tighnari said, maybe a bit high-pitched but he wouldn’t dwell on it. “That's all. Good night, then.”

Maybe it was best to leave the rest unsaid until both of them were able to see more clearly, when they were surrounded by tomorrow’s bright sunlight instead of a flimsy candle that might leave some corners still in the dark.

"Wait." 

Cyno raised from his bed, lips pressed together and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. 

“Do you-” His voice cracked. He needed several attempts to look at Tighnari but once their eyes found each other, Cyno asked again. “Do you want to stay?” 

All sound got sucked out of the room, leaving Tighnari with a feeling of being underwater, his head at least, and he found himself floundering in more than one sense. The loud beating of his heart made it impossible to listen to his brain so he struggled for words like a fish on land gasping for air. No underwater image was complete without the prospect of drowning and at last, he did, drowning in Cyno’s eyes - which was ironic since at the same time they were the only anchor in sight.

“I'd like you to stay. Not because I have nightmares but... " The rest got left unsaid but the implication made Tighnari's heart flutter. "Do you want to stay?” Cyno asked again, a bit more weight in his voice this time and everyone else would’ve taken it for impatience but Tighnari didn’t. Uncertainty tried to put him into fight or flight mode and there was no fight Cyno was afraid of.

Tighnari ignored the lump in his throat. “I'd like to stay,” he said. 

The relief on Cyno's face was only a brief visitor. He crawled into the bed and patted the space next to him. The look in his eyes could mean a thousand different things to a thousand different people but to Tighnari, it only meant one thing: Cyno knew just as much as Tighnari that if he got into this bed tonight, something else was about to happen. It was unavoidable. They might have calmed down to some degree but deep down their emotions were still running high, maybe even more now that their bodies were relaxed and they had discussed book pages.

Tighnari slipped into bed.

They were lying on their sides, looking at each other, one hand under their head, the other somewhere between them in nowhere’s land. They could fall asleep like this - it was the plan, wasn’t it -  but the spark between them demanded to be taken care of, kept nagging at them like an annoying fly.

Cyno had invited him into bed therefore Tighnari concluded it was on him to take the next step.

Cyno ran cold when he was nervous, Tighnari the opposite, so when Tighnari reached out and took Cyno’s hand, they met somewhere in the middle. With childlike curiosity, their fingers played with each other, gentle and clumsy, eager explorers mimicking their owners.

“You’re hot,” Cyno said bluntly.

Tighnari’s eyes shot up and only then, with belated realization, Cyno froze. (He ran cold, remember?)

“Your hand,” he said, urgent at first, then more desperate when his face flushed, “your hand! It’s very warm.”

Tighnari hummed, feigning understanding, but his lips were firmly pressed together to stifle a laugh.

“Not that you’re not!” Cyno corrected quickly. “You’re very-” He looked up and down at him, nodding approvingly, unaware he was only making things worse. “Very- You know. But I- I really meant your body temperature and not-” Cyno groaned and instinctively lifted his hand to hide his blush but look, Tighnari’s hand was still attached to his, so it made quite a picture when Cyno threw their joined hands first up and then, in horror, down again.

Having reached his breaking point, Tighnari guffawed. The tension vanished with a finger snap, taking Cyno’s dread with it, and soon enough they were both having the giggle they desperately needed. 

“What are we doing?” Tighnari whispered when they had calmed down again.

“I don’t know,” Cyno admitted, smiling.

“Come here,” Tighnari said, pulling at their hands.

Cyno obliged and shuffled closer, their hands still between them but their noses almost touching. Tighnari welcomed every lost centimeter between them because losing never felt more like winning when it was the distance you got rid of.

They couldn’t properly look at each other anymore but hadn’t they already looked at each other enough? Memorized each other’s faces, habits, body language, soul? Maybe what brought back the tension was the mutual understanding that what they both wanted was already there, right at their fingertips - or nose tips.

“Cyno,” Tighnari whispered, absolutely out of his mind with affection, and playfully bumped their noses together, “can I…”

Cyno leaned in, stopping Tighnari’s question and world alike.

Their lips brushed, not a kiss but a brief touch, a fleeting connection. The little puffs of air Cyno exhaled against him were as irregular and shallow as his own and he wanted to inhale every one of them. The tension was pulling them together and apart, ebb and flood, inhale, exhale, to kiss or not to kiss.

“Yes,” Cyno whispered against his lips and Tighnari remembered the question he’d wanted to ask but never finished because Cyno had already known both question and answer.

Then Tighnari did the boldest thing he'd ever done and allowed his lips to properly touch Cyno's and with that, posing another question that was burning inside him. 

Tighnari felt his pulse in his head. 

One heartbeat, two heartbeats...

When Cyno's lips responded, pressing firmly against Tighnari's, they transmitted the answer so loud that there was no chance it got lost in translation. They kissed, they finally shared a kiss and with it the confession of their feelings for each other. Before Tighnari’s brain could even entertain having a coherent thought, Cyno sought out his lips again and who was he to deny him anything when he longed for the same? 

Their kisses were wanting yet still tentative, both holding back as if they were still in a grey zone, testing if they were both ready to take this leap. 

(Objectively, it was only a small step in their relationship but let them believe it was something bigger because, to them, it surely felt monumentous.)

Despite being unable to think, they did learn instinctively that lying on their sides wasn’t a favorable position to make out in. The amount of unceremonious nose bumping eventually drew a grunt from Tighnari but it was Cyno who pulled back.

The flickering candlelight danced between them, allowing Tighnari to take in the sight of his friend. Cyno looked absolutely wrecked even though they hadn’t exactly done anything that would justify this look. Seeing him being affected to such a degree made Tighnari dizzy. The pupils of his sunset eyes were blown, swallowing almost all color around them, and he was unabashedly staring at Tighnari as if he wanted to devour him. When his tongue slipped out to lick his swollen lips, Tighnari couldn't look away. He knew what he wanted next. Cyno's hair was still too neat for his liking and he decided he needed to change that, too. 

“Tighnari,” Cyno said, his voice thick and heavy with desire, “you're so-” 

Tighnari’s hands slipped around Cyno’s neck and pulled him down on him. Instead of learning the words Cyno wanted to attach to him, Tighnari cut him off with an urgent kiss, preferring to attach himself to his lips. Whatever Cyno wanted to say, he could let his lips speak, no detours necessary.

This time, their kisses weren’t as chaste as before: The new position allowed for deeper kisses they both had longed for and the introduction of tongues to the game set them both spiraling in a completely new direction.

Cyno was nothing like in his dream, no teasing elements to be found when he licked into Tighnari's mouth with the same desperation as him. Tighnari's whole body was burning, every nerve cell regained consciousness at once, as if he was suddenly feeling everything for the first time. Cyno's lips were the center of the universe, the forbidden knowledge everyone had sought but he was the one who had found it, claimed it and he would take the sweet taste to his grave. His entire world got turned upside down, leaving him dizzy and with a sense of vertigo.

“I need a moment,” he whispered, utterly breathless, the hand still in Cyno's hair silently saying don’t you dare move away.

Cyno stared at him, waiting. The visible restraint in his eyes didn't help Tighnari calm down. If only, it confirmed to him that this was really happening right now, and they both wanted it to happen more than anything else in the world.

“Okay. I'm good,” Tighnari breathed. "Come here."

“Are you sure?” 

Tighnari had barely increased the pressure on Cyno's neck when he obediently leaned down to meet his lips, making Tighnari absolutely delirious with the belief Cyno might want him as badly as he wanted him.

(Imagine Tighnari knew he did.) 

Whatever walls had still been around them, they forced them down and destroyed them with eager enthusiasm. And when they broke away to take a breath, it was also to remove the shattered pieces between them. There was no use clinging onto them.

Everything was new but in a way, it felt ancient, as if the paths they'd been on would have always led to each other. The feeling from Tighnari’s dream came back: No wonder he had felt so much at peace back then. Not that anything Cyno was currently doing to him was peaceful, ha, good one, but he could feel it, brewing deep inside his heart, the very center of it all. Cyno was the love of his life. 

Soon enough, exhaustion overcame them and tried to pry them apart, but both Cyno and Tighnari were gifted with stubborn determination. The sleepier they got, the gentler their lips caressed each other. Cyno, deemed untouchable or even stoic by others, melted under Tighnari’s fingers, proving he was very much touchable indeed if it was the right person.

With slow kisses, natural breaks brought opportunities to talk, and none of them knew the right words. A tender kind of awkwardness found its way in, teasing them, whispering look at you! finally!

In the end, the lack of coordination was the one to make them part for good, although Cyno had chuckled after a very tired Tighnari had bumped his chin into Cyno's eye again (don’t ask them how).

“We should probably sleep,” Tighnari decided because Cyno looked as if he wasn't able to put a stop to this anytime soon. Someone needed to remain somewhat level-headed and apparently, there was one cell in Tighnari’s brain who had decided to work the night shift. What a pity.

Cyno reluctantly rolled off Tighnari and faced the ceiling. “You’re right," he said, blowing out a long breath. "Hey Nari?" 

"Yes?" 

"You talked about being on the same page...," Cyno said. "Can you put one of your attractive and handy bookmarks between the pages so we know where we left off?" 

Tighnari chuckled. "Absolutely."

"Good. I’m going to turn around.”

“Probably for the best.”

Both of them were aware that being face to face with each other would lead to things neither had the energy for, no matter how loud their bodies and minds demanded them to act on their romantic urges. 

Cyno, thinking the same, wiggled his eyebrows.

“Sleep!” the other ordered, failing to sound serious at all. 

“Sweet dreams, Nari,” Cyno said with a laugh and turned around. 

“You too,” Tighnari whispered into his ear as he snuck his arm around him and snuggled into him.

They passed out immediately. Cyno dreamed about Cryo Slimes. It was weird but oddly entertaining. 

Waking up next to Cyno was high on Tighnari’s list of favorite things this trip had offered so far. Last night alone about ten new items had been added to said list and every single one of them made him either smile, blush, or both.

Tighnari woke up to a sound. Which appeared to become a recurring thing in his life. He’d already been at the brim of waking up so he slipped into reality easily. 

“Hm? What is it?” he mumbled and opened his eyes.

He was lying in Cyno’s arms, okay, that was happening, he remembered, alright, but Cyno was chuckling. 

"What? Don't tell me I snored?" Tighnari asked horrified, about to bury his face in his hands.

“Nothing, it’s just,” he started explaining, “you… giggled in your sleep again.”

"Oh.” Phew. Tighnari shrugged, unimpressed. “That happens.”

Cyno on the other hand was impressed. “Wait,” he said incredulously, “you really have dreams that make you laugh?" 

Tighnari raised an eyebrow. “I thought you knew this. You said so yourself yesterday. I think it happened to me about three times now. At least that I know of." 

"I thought you were joking. What made you laugh?" 

Before Tighnari could either dodge the question or consider telling the truth, his ears perked up, registering a noise outside the house.

“What is it?” Cyno asked but then a knock on the door answered his question. 

“Oh! I forgot about Collei!” Tighnari said and Cyno’s expression told him that he wasn’t the only one who had pushed away this important fact in favor of remembering other more recent events.

They got up quickly, almost like leaving a crime scene although the only crime they had committed in hindsight was to have invited Collei to breakfast. Not that they didn’t want her around, but there was no way they could address the Sumpter Beast in the room with the young girl amidst them.

“I’m going to take a quick shower, it’s your turn to make breakfast anyway.”

“A shower? Why?” Cyno asked. He stepped into Tighnari's orbit, his hands slipping around his waist as if he'd done this a million times before. “You smell good,” he said, leaning closer for emphasis. "I keep telling you."

“Thank you,” Tighnari said, his morning brain too fried to even attempt to hide his blush. Cyno being surprisingly comfortable with their new, uh, situation did unspeakable things to him and he felt himself considering canceling their breakfast date if they continued where they had left off.

But it was Collei! Okay! Collei!

Tighnari wasn’t a forest ranger for nothing and escaping Cyno’s eager hands was second nature. “As much as I'd like you to join me, I don't want Collei to starve.”

He probably shouldn't have said that. 

Because when Tighnari entered the kitchen, he ran into a wall of burning charcoal - or so it smelled like.

“What's going on?” he asked Collei who stared outside the open windows. 

The sight of Cyno scraping what must have once been vegetables and bacon off a pan and onto the compost area answered his question. 

“He said he got distracted.” 

Their eyes met through the window. And last night’s events replayed in their minds. Their endless kisses, eager hands exploring each other's body, catching the other's sighs with their mouths. Tighnari's shower comment had probably been the icing on the cake. Cyno looked very embarrassed and shocked about himself, Tighnari took it in stride.

Then again, he wasn't the one with a burnt pan in his hand, at least not this time.

“Good Hunter serves great breakfast,” Collei suggested. ”The non-burnt kind.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Tighnari said. “I guess the Mahamatra Cuisine is closed for today.”

To their surprise, spending the day together without addressing what had happened the night prior was easier than expected. After an initial phase of awkwardness and unnecessary shame, it turned into something else entirely.

It started at a table in front of Good Hunter. Tighnari was nibbling at his delicious sautéed Matsutake and had just made a mental note to take a few mushrooms back home when he felt it: Cyno’s foot bumped against his, a bit clumsily at first and he was about to call him out for it, but then gentler, calculated, no, wait… playful.

Tighnari locked eyes with him across the table and raised an eyebrow. Collei’s anecdotes about Eula’s birthday party briefly turned into background noise but alas, his ears were big enough not to miss any part of the story. Cyno again, Tighnari was sure, didn’t pay attention at all. 

His face was as stoic as a marble figure but even the firmest material broke if one applied the right amount of pressure. 

“What would you have picked, Cyno?” Tighnari asked. “Just out of curiosity.”

“Oh, good question,” Collei agreed and looked expectantly at Cyno.

Cyno’s eyes flicked back to Tighnari, looking for the help he wasn’t going to get. “I- uh.” Crack. “I’m not sure.” Crack.

Collei laughed, disbelief shining in her wide eyes. “What? You’re not sure? How?”

Tighnari leaned back, smugly. “He also would’ve taken the Xingqui card. Am I right?”

“Uhm, yes. Of course.”

Collei laughed again. “You didn't even listen, Cyno! We were talking about cakes!”

The scene ended with Cyno apologizing profusely and buying Collei ice cream as breakfast dessert. 

~<>~

Collei had a special surprise for Cyno and Tighnari: The trio was allowed to check out the Adventurers' Guild's so-called Room of Curiosity, a museum featuring strange or remarkable things adventurers had collected over the last hundreds of years. 

When their very enthusiastic guide Amber was in conversation with Collei, Tighnari approached Cyno who was reading the description of an unusually shaped piece of jade. 

“Back at Good Hunter,” Tighnari whispered into his ear, "did you try to flirt with me by playing footsie?”

Cyno turned his head. "Did it work?" he asked quietly.

"Depends on what you were trying to accomplish."

"Getting your attention," Cyno said and the proximity of their faces invited flashbacks of last night. "Since you're crowding me right now I assume it worked."

Tighnari leaned closer, his lips brushing Cyno's ear shell. "Everything you do works for me," he breathed. "Except for making breakfast."

Cyno barked out a laugh, succeeding in getting not only Tighnari's but also Collei's and Amber's undivided attention. 

After the museum tour, the three hang out at the marketplace fountain. Well, actually, Cyno and Collei needed someone to watch their bags while they were running some errands. Tighnari briefly wondered if he had really nothing else to do but for now, he was just content with his task. The weather was sunny, the sound of the fountain reminded him of Sumeru's waterfalls, and he couldn't have asked for better company.

“Master Tighnari?” Collei said uncharacteristically nervous after Cyno had left to buy some souvenirs. 

“Yes, Collei?” 

“Cyno and you...,” she trailed off.

Tighnari’s blood turned into lava because that was already a loaded beginning of a sentence considering recent events. “Uhm, what about us?”

“Are you two…?”

The direction her question was aimed at was as obvious as Cyno's passion for a certain card game.

He didn’t intend to subject Collei to the turmoil of his inner feelings for his best friend. Lying, though, was also not an option. She was family and had been with them through thick and thin. If his relationship with Cyno was about to change, it would affect her, too. 

“Uhm. I don’t know,” he confessed. “Maybe. I think so. I mean-” Collei beamed at him, buzzing from head to toe, and it was hard not to reciprocate the feeling. He smiled back, confirming something she must have seen all along. Next thing he knew he was being gifted a rare Collei hug. If one got a Collei hug, the only thing one did was hug back immediately, so he did. 

“Don’t get too excited,” he warned her halfheartedly, “we’re still… I don’t even know. We’re still us.”

“You’ve always been an us.” 

Tighnari huffed a laugh and drew back. “That’s not what I meant.”

Collei was about to contradict but stopped when her eyes caught someone behind him.

“Uhm,” Cyno announced his return, his brows furrowed at the sight of the embracing pair. 

“Cyno!” Collei greeted him with unfiltered happiness, squeezing his arm with her hands. “You’re back!”

“I was only getting Apple Cider for Kaveh,” he said in confusion. “And some night candles,” he said to Tighnari. “Look, I found two green ones.” Proudly, he showed him his purchase. Tighnari’s eyes softened and a warmness filled his heart. “One for your place? If you finally move all those books from your nightstand we can put it-”

Cyno’s eyes flicked to Collei who looked like she was about to burst.

“Alright,” she chirped, “You know what? I’m off! Research with Amber! Totally forgot! I see you later! Enjoy your day!”

Cyno looked at Tighnari for an explanation but only found the same big grin as Collei. “Is she okay? She doesn’t seem to be okay.”

“She’s happy, Cyno,” Tighnari assured him. “She’s very okay.”

“That,” he said and shot back a glance at Collei frolicking across the marketplace, “is not a normal amount of happiness.”

“That was also not a normal amount of kissing we did yesterday.”

To be fair, to change the topic from Collei to their kissing without a detour was a bit unfair to both of them but Tighnari saw an opportunity and took it. The topic was out in the open, in public even judging by the surprised look of a passing citizen, and with it the suppressed feelings shot up, filling the space between them. “Or was it normal?” Tighnari added, fighting the heat rising to his cheeks. “Actually, I can’t tell.”

Cyno, just as red as the forest ranger in front of him, nodded. “Good point.”

~<>~

They spent the rest of the day in Mondstadt like the two tourists they were. They might have acknowledged this new thing between them but both had decided to postpone any drastic changes in their friendship. For now.

Or maybe… maybe it was just their first date.

They joined a cathedral tour, played some rounds of TGC in Cat’s Tail cavern (Cyno won), and bought some late-night snacks at Good Hunter.

(They avoided Angel Share like the plague. Who could tell if Adelinde had put up mugshots of them.)

~<>~

They were taking the long way back to Springvale. Tighnari wanted to collect some Windwheel Asters around Windrise to turn them into bookmarks for his other forest ranger students. Cyno had happily obliged. Soon, the wind picked up speed and the afternoon sun was ready to say goodbye. It was time to head back to the road leading them home. Tighnari carefully stuffed the picked flowers into his bag. 

“I want to tell you about my dream,” he decided. It wouldn’t matter if he bared his soul on a field next to some Azure Cranes or in front of a cozy fire in their Springvale home. What mattered was that Cyno would know about his feelings.

“Which one?”

“The, uhm, confusing but good one I had when you visited me.”

Tighnari felt into his heart, gathered pieces of his feelings, and tried to sort them, arranging the puzzle once again until he had a picture to show Cyno, a finished image of his feelings. But in the end, he discarded his plans. It all came down to who had made him laugh in his dream, who had kissed him, who he was in love with. No matter which picture he wanted to show, it would always depict Cyno. 

"It was you. By the way."

(By the way. For your interest. Have this piece of information that fundamentally changed how I see you. What I feel for you. How I see us. Oh, there it was again. The Us.)

(Collei had been right, there had always been an Us.)

"What did I do now?" Cyno asked, pulling Tighnari out of his thoughts. 

"Making me laugh,” he explained. “In my dreams, I mean. I genuinely don’t remember the last ones where you said I woke up laughing but I remember the first one clear as day." 

He was aware of how emotionally neutral he sounded yet Tighnari's heart beat like a drum forcing legions to war.

Cyno looked at him, astonished. "I was in your dream? Were you laughing about me or-" 

"No, I was not laughing at you." 

"So it was my jokes?" 

Tighnari gave him a weak shoulder punch. "Not even in my dreams! Don't be so full of yourself, no.”

Holding eye contact wasn't something Tighnari struggled with during a normal conversation but let it be known that telling one’s best friend that one had steamy dreams about the other was definitely a challenge. His mouth was dry. By the Archons, how hard could it really be? They had kissed last night, the false modesty was uncalled for.

“In my dream,” Tighnari began, “we were in my bed and... made out.” That was a bit blunt, he thought, and a nervous chuckle escaped him. ”Uhm, we kissed a lot, it was, phew, like last night. And you were so incredibly… you were you. I mean, in my dream. You were also you last night, that's not the point. You are always you and maybe that's the point after all. Oh dear,” he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “what I'm saying is… I was very happy with you. In my dream. But then I realized I’m also very happy with you when I’m awake.”

There, he said it. With too many words. Maybe he should start a new life in Snezhnaya. Did the Harbinger need someone with a Dendro Vision? The grass on the ground looked nice by the way, maybe he should touch some.

Cyno inhaled audibly as if he needed extra air to say whatever he intended to say next, but silence ensued. Probably for the best, Tighnari thought, because he had talked enough for both of them but also said basically nothing of value.

“Confusing but good,” Cyno mumbled eventually, then louder, ”was that dream the reason why you were so weird and pretended not to look at me when I visited you? Because I saw you staring.” Shocked about how quickly Cyno had put two and two together, Tighnari looked up. "I think something went seriously wrong after the Akasha System went down,” Cyno stated gravely and stepped towards him.

"Huh?" This conversation took a turn he hadn’t expected.

"I'm pretty sure half of your dreams rightfully belong to me."

"What?" Tighnari laughed incredulously about this claim. “What do you mean?”

Cyno put his hands on Tighnari's hips and pulled him closer, almost taking the other's breath away. “You said we kissed but I wasn’t even there.”

“I mean…,“ Tighnari said and tilted his head. “You’re here now?”

Cyno leaned forward, and Tighnari was more than ready to kiss him again, when he whispered against his lips. “I want to tell you about my dream.”

"You already told me about your dream."

"No," he said. "You only know of my nightmare."

“Oh. Okay.”

“I dreamed that you and I went to Mondstadt together,” Cyno began. “I dreamed we picked flowers and berries, and ran away from Hilichurls you stunned with your bombs. I’m sorry, mines,” he corrected and grinned. “I dreamed we got drunk in Dawn Winery and fell asleep sharing a bed. I dreamed you held me in your arms and I held you.” His fingers reached up to caress Tighnari's face, a finger gently brushing his lips. “I dreamed that we kissed.”

Tighnari tilted his head, chasing Cyno’s touch. “That wasn’t a dream.”

“It is to me,” Cyno said, all serious now. “My favorite dream. Whenever we're together.”

It wasn’t only what Cyno said but the way he said it. The clarity and conviction when it came to upholding Sumeru’s law had made Cyno the renowned and praised General Mahamatra everyone respected. The same belief was now displayed when he talked about being with Tighnari. 

Cyno was right, it felt like a dream. Tighnari couldn’t believe this was real. How lucky was he to have exchanged hearts with his best friend?

“Can I ask you… since when?” 

“Probably forever,” Cyno said quietly, forcing a gasp from Tighnari at the implication, but then he shook his head. “No, not like that.” He brought their foreheads together and closed his eyes. “I should have-” he began but stopped when he felt Tighnari shaking his head. Their eyes met. The pain Tighnari saw was familiar now. It wasn’t his place to take it away or lessen it, this much he had learned, but he wouldn’t allow it to fester either, not on his watch.

„It‘s okay,“ Tighnari said. „There‘s no need to feel guilty about it.“

„I just mean… it shouldn’t have taken me to see you hurt like that to realize that I-“ He stopped himself this time.

„At least you didn‘t need it to be spelled out for you in the simplest most direct way possible,“ Tighnari said bleakly, referring to his own moment of revelation.

Cyno leaned back and chuckled. „I would have preferred that though.”

"Just so you know, I'm not going to let you sleep alone until your unconsciousness has realized it takes more than a flimsy lightning bolt to tear us apart."

Cyno agreed with an adorable curt nod.

They stared at each other in mutual adoration, both taking a moment to admire how the hell they had ended up here and why it hadn’t been sooner. Then again, what were the odds they both had fallen in love with each other at the same time, nudged by a dream and a nightmare?

“So…," Tighnari said sheepishly, "are you my boyfriend now?”

Cyno's eyes softened. “Nari, I love you.”

Tighnari's heart became as light as an Anemo Slime. His thoughts briefly touched the dream that had started it all, back when the Cyno in his dream had said these magical words. But this here, it was real, although it definitely felt like a dream, the best one. 

“I- I take this as a yes.”

Cyno cupped his face and gently pulled him closer. And Tighnari almost stopped breathing, anticipating the kiss he desperately needed, the kiss that would seal it all and celebrate their new relationship.

“I love you, too,” he breathed, his eyes falling shut as he leaned in. He needed to kiss him, he needed to kiss him now.

He didn’t see how Cyno’s lips curled into a smile and aimed somewhere else.

Mphaw.

Wha-

Tighnari’s eyes flew open, staring at a beaming Cyno who had just planted the biggest kiss on his cheek.

It was so ridiculously Cyno, and he was so ridiculously in love with him, and his feelings sought an outlet they desperately needed.

So... Tighnari giggled.

And that was where it all had started, wasn't it?

<3