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The first day of their research went well. Emilie and Tighnari were both assisting each other with their botany research, and Cyno was guarding them from any approaching Fatui members whilst telling a joke or two. It was the second day when the blizzard had descended, trapping them inside a well-insulated cabin with enough food supplies to last a week. Though the same can't be said for the dwindling supply of firewood.
Emilie added another log to the fire, the scent of pine resin mixing with the faint, sweet perfume she always carried. “The forecast says at least another twelve hours,” she said, her voice soft but practical. “The path to the main village is completely gone.”
Tighnari sighed from his seat by the small kitchen table, his long, fluffy tail twitching with irritation. “Wonderful. Another twelve hours of being trapped in a wooden box while our research rots in the cold.” He was dressed in his warmest travel clothes, but his ears were pressed flat against his head; a clear sign of displeasure. He hated the sheer, blinding whiteness of Snezhnaya almost as much as he hated the dry, suffocating heat of the desert.
Covered by three blankets and very close to the fireplace was Cyno. That was the usual time when he would tell a terrible joke or two. But instead, his knees were drawn up to his chest and he was shivering like a cat that jumped out of freezing water.
Emilie noticed the way he was shivering and so she knelt on the wooden floor to his level. “Cyno?” She called softly, gently pulling the edge of a blanket down from over his head that was covering his face. “Your lips are turning blue. That bad?”
Cyno shivered again before he replies. “I have faced the cold of a desert night before, but I have never been this cold in my entire existence.”
Tighnari walked across the cabin with earlier irritation of the situation quickly replaced by concern as he also knelt to the floor. “Hypothermia's early stages,” He summarised before he pressed the back of his hand to Cyno's forehead and hissed. “He's ice cold. The fire isn't enough. The blankets are just trapping the cold he's already generated.”
“Then what do we do?” Emilie asked, her calm demeanor cracking slightly out of concern.
Cyno's lips moved. “I'm f-f-fine,” he shivered. “Just... thinking about a joke. Why don't blizzards ever get lonely? ...Because they always have a chill group of friends.”
Emilie let out a worried laugh while Tighnari sighed and facepalmed.
“He's delirious,” Tighnari said flatly. “That joke was even worse than usual.”
He stood up, his tail swishing in agitation, then stilled. A decision was made.
“Emilie. Help me get him to bed.”
Together, they dragged Cyno to a large bed. He was stiff, his limbs clumsy. But they eventually managed to place him there. After that, Tighnari unbuttoned his own thick coat and removed the outer layers of his clothing.
“What are you-” Emilie started.
“Body heat,” Tighnari suggested flatly, keeping only his undershirt and leggings on. “We're going to be stuck here for another twelve hours. The fireplace is struggling against the draft and it's not going to last the rest of the night. The situation also requires you to remove the outer layers of your clothing for this to be effective.”
The wind howled outside and Cyno was temporarily caught off guard. “Say what?”
“Tighnarians have an average body temperature of thirty-eight degrees Celsius, we run the body heat slightly warmer than humans and our tail has an ability to retain heat efficiency.” Tighnari confirmed, climbing onto the large bed beside Cyno.
Emilie nodded in agreement. “He's right.” She unzipped her own thick coat before removing the outer layers of her clothes. She kept her long-sleeved blouse and leggings before also climbing into bed. “Your survival and wellness comes first. Come here.”
Cyno stubbornly pressed his back against the headboard. “Absolutely not. I am the General Mahamatra. I have survived sandstorms, the Temple of Silence, and several assassination attempts. If I can stand the desert night, I can stand to this. I will channel my electro energy, I will-”
“You will die,” Tighnari interrupted, his voice sharp and unyielding, causing Cyno to snap his mouth shut.
Tighnari's voice softened slightly before continuing. “Hypothermia may begin more gradually compared to a heatstroke, but that doesn't mean you get to walk it off. From the looks of it, you are already entering a moderate stage. If we don't do this, your body will stop shivering in a few hours time because it won't have the energy to try. Then you will get confused, then your organs will shut down, then you will fall asleep and not wake up.”
Tighnari's tail lashed, revealing his undisguised fear. “I don't care about your pride right now, I care about you breathing tomorrow morning.”
Those words hung in the air and it felt heavier than the blizzard outside. Cyno, seeing the fear in Tighnari's eyes, slowly exhaled. He turned to Emilie and nodded with approval, “Very well.” He gently leans forward to let Emilie help him remove his outer layers.
With Cyno left in his undershirt and leggings, he immediately slid under the blankets. Tighnari on his left, Emilie on his right. As if on cue, Tighnari placed his warm fluffy tail over Cyno's legs and wraps his arms around him. Cyno gasped from the sudden warmth. The fur on Tighnari's tail was impossibly soft, and combined with his body heat, it was enough to help reset Cyno's homeostasis.
“Better?” Tighnari asked, his voice softer now.
All Cyno could do was nod, he was way too impressed with Tighnari's warmth that he couldn't speak at the moment.
Seeing the progress that was being made, Tighnari gave Emilie a signal for her to slowly introduce her warmth by spooning Cyno; her arm was around Cyno's waist and her front was against Cyno's back. While she wasn't as warm as Tighnari, her presence did provide a grounding comfort. “See? Three is more efficient than two, and much better than one.” Emilie murmured against the nape of his neck. “Being sandwiched is the most efficient heat conservation.”
“Thermal dynamics,” Cyno responded, his colour returning. “You're applying thermal dynamics to cuddling.”
“Which is a valid scientific principle.” Tighnari added, gently tucking the quilt around the three of them. “Now stop talking. Conserve your energy.”
Cyno wanted to argue, but nestled between the warmth of two plant experts with their mild floral scents, his body decided he was far too comfortable to retort. Having Tighnari's tail over his hip was like a second blanket, soothing his mind and body. He relaxes completely and nuzzles Tighnari's neck.
“Thank you...” Cyno mumbled against Tighnari's neck.
Tighnari huffed, but his hand came up to caress the back of Cyno's head. “Just don't get used to it. You were shivering so violently you were about to wake the whole forest. This is purely practical.”
Cyno hummed, nuzzling Tighnari's neck again as he was too consumed by warmth to respond, the feeling of relief and relaxation was too great for the General Mahamatra to comprehend. He couldn't remember the last time he had received this level of comfort.
Emilie, noticing Cyno's exhaustion, gently pressed a kiss on Cyno's shoulder. “Sweet dreams, mon Général.” She murmured, emphasising her hold from behind.
Cyno hummed for the last time before drifting to sleep. As the cabin fell to silence, Tighnari's long ears twitch as he monitors Cyno's state; such as heart rate and temperature. Cyno's heart rate is steady, bringing Tighnari relief.
“He's out.” Tighnari whispered, his voice barely audible. His tail gave an involuntary flick before settling again over Cyno's hip.
Emilie propped herself up slightly on one elbow, peering over Cyno's sleeping form to meet Tighnari's gaze. A soft smile played at her lips. “You're very good at this. The 'purely practical' care.”
Tighnari's ears flattened slightly, “I'm a Forest Ranger. Monitoring vital signs is-”
“Chéri.” Emilie gently interrupted, “You've been stroking his hair for the last five minutes. He's asleep. He can't hear your excuses.”
Tighnari was about to silently retort before he noticed his own hand, which was still gently carding through Cyno's silver-white hair. He snatched it back as if burned.
“Thermal regulation,” he muttered, trying to act professional. “Maintaining consistent contact prevents temperature fluctuation.”
“Of course.” Emilie's smile widened. She settled back down, tucking herself closer against Cyno's back, her nose brushing the nape of his neck. “And was the way you melted when he nuzzled you also thermal regulation?”
Tighnari made a sound between a scoff and a groan. “You're insufferable.”
Emilie giggled with content, her hand finding Tighnari's beneath the quilt and giving it a gentle squeeze. “We make a good furnace, don't we?”
Tighnari was quiet for a moment, watching Cyno's peaceful face; the usually sharp lines softened, the tension in his jaw completely gone. It was the most relaxed he had ever seen Cyno.
“Yes,” Tighnari admitted, his voice quiet and gentle. “We do.”
He let his hand return to Cyno's hair, just for a moment. Just to smooth one last stray strand from his forehead.
“Sleep well, Cyno,” he whispered, so softly only Emilie's keen ears could catch it. “You're safe.”
Outside, the wind howled against the cabin walls. Inside, three bodies huddled close beneath the quilt, warm and still; precisely where they needed to be.
---
As the morning arrived, Cyno opens his eyes. The first thing he heard and felt were the harmonic sounds of Emilie and Tighnari's breathing whilst huddled against him. Emilie was still spooning him, Cyno's face was right up against the curve of Tighnari's neck. Realising the recent events, Cyno's face turned a crimson red. Never had he been this vulnerable before. He wanted to deny this, he wanted to say this was a prank. But before he had the chance to come up with any sort of excuse, he felt Tighnari's arms gently squeeze him.
“You're a fool,” Tighnari murmured, his nose brushing against the crown of Cyno's head. “A stubborn, joke-telling fool who doesn't know when to ask for help.”
“You're awake?”
Tighnari's ear twitched, “My senses aren't just for show,” he murmured, his voice sounding half awake. “Your breathing changed the moment you woke. Your heart rate spiked. You're practically broadcasting your embarrassment.”
Cyno's face turned another crimson red as if that were possible. He tried to shift away, to put some distance between himself and the overwhelming warmth of both bodies pressed against him, but Tighnari's arms only tightened.
“Don't,” Tighnari said softly. “You're still cold.”
“I'm-” Cyno started to protest, but the words died in his throat. The lingering chill of last night's hypothermia hadn't fully left his bones, and despite the flush creeping across his cheeks, his fingers felt like ice where they were tucked against his own chest.
“The blizzard passed about an hour ago,” Tighnari continued, his tail remained over Cyno's hip. “But the temperature outside is still below freezing. You need to recover your strength before we even think about moving.”
From behind him, Emilie stirred, her arm tightening reflexively around Cyno's waist. A soft, sleepy sound escaped her lips before she pressed her face closer to the back of his neck, her breath warm against his skin.
“Mm... Cyno?” she mumbled, voice barely above a whisper. “You're awake. How do you feel?”
Cyno's mind searched for anything that could deflect this situation. A joke about how absurd it felt as the General Mahamatra being sandwiched between two people in a cabin. Or he could try another hypothermia joke.
But instead, only raw honesty came out, “I'm still tired, but I'm feeling better compared to how I was last night thanks to you two.”
Emilie's hand found Cyno's, squeezing gently. He could feel the steady beat of her heart through the layers of blankets and clothes, the warmth of her presence a grounding force at his back.
“We're just glad you're okay,” she said softly. “Even if you are a stubborn, joke-telling fool.”
Cyno swallowed hard. The familiar urge to deflect and break the moment rose in his chest, but it was easier to hold back now. Maybe it was the exhaustion still clinging to his limbs. Maybe it was the warmth of the two people holding him. Maybe it was the eventual acceptance of being cared for in a way he hadn't allowed himself to accept in years.
Thus Cyno decided let himself relax into the warmth surrounding him. He let his eyes drift closed, let his breathing slow to match the rhythm of Tighnari's heart beating against his torso. And for the first time in longer than he could remember, he let himself feel safe.