Tighnari carries on his duty of watching the forest but when the situation of deforestation gets worse, he finally trusts Collei and decides to reach out to a 'friend' of hers.
"Cyno, a scholar from Sumeru. I am certain he can help us, Master!"
"Fin...
He twisted and turned until the sunshine on his skin was warm enough to wake him up. With yawn and a long stretch, Tighnari rose from bed. When he noticed that Cyno wasn't there, his first thought was to look for him. He followed the rattling noises into the kitchen.
"Morning," he said in a sleepy voice.
Cyno placed the pan down and turned the water off before turning around. "Oh, good morning," he said.
"What're you up to?" Tighnari asked, glancing around.
"Well...I was trying to make mushroom hodgepodge, your favourite."
Tighnari smiled as he examined the mess. "Not turning out so well? Need any help?"
Cyno sighed, brushing his forehead. "I was meant to surprise you but look at you, now you're helping me prepare your surprise. Haha."
Tighnari shrugged and opened the top cabinet. "It's okay, it's still a surprise nonetheless. You're on the right track, just missing a spice...should be over here." He pushed himself up, standing on the tip of his toes.
Cyno grabbed the jar that Tighnari was going for and handed it to him, offering him a smile.
"Thank you," Tighnari said. He held the jar with one hand and clenched his teeth as he tried to open it with the other.
"Ah- need any help?" Cyno asked.
"I got this," Tighnari said. He held his breath and used up all his strength to open the stubborn jar. The lid finally snapped and his arms jerked, scattering a pouf of spice in their faces. "Aw, shit." Tighnari placed the jar on the counter and they both started coughing uncontrollably, letting the spice out of their lungs. "I just inhaled so much of it."
They leaned on the dining table and continued coughing until they accidentally made eye contact. Cyno turned away, laughing between his coughs.
"Wha–t's so funny? Tighnari asked, laughing as well.
"That really spiced up our day, huh?" Cyno said.
"You did not just make that joke," Tighnari said. He placed a hand on Cyno's arm, letting out another cough that was choking him.
"I did. So what? Don't have to be salty about it..."
"Oh my God, stop!" Tighnari said.
"Damn. Even when you lost your memories, you still hate my jokes," Cyno said. He patted himself, blowing the seasoning off.
"Good!" Tighnari laughed. He shook his head around, letting the spice dust away from his hair. "I've never had a disaster like this while cooking on my own. Have you not been in the kitchen before?"
"Me? You're the one who didn't let me help you open that jar," Cyno said.
"Whatever you say," Tighnari rolled his eyes jokingly. "Oh, um, you still have some on your face–" he pointed at him.
"What, here?" Cyno asked, lifting his fingers to his face.
"No, it's like...ugh, hold still." He squinted and held Cyno's chin in place while brushing a stain of seasoning off his lower cheek.
Cyno's heart skipped a beat. His mind told him to play it cool but his body wanted to move closer. In the end, all he could do was hold still while Tighnari rubbed his face slowly. Tighnari locked eyes with him. He pulled his chin towards him and shifted closer. He pressed his lips against Cyno's and didn't move for three seconds, realizing what he'd just done. He traced Cyno's lower lip with his thumb then pulled away, watching him blink in shock.
"Hehe...we should clean this up," Tighnari said. He strolled down the kitchen and took a cloth from the hanger. He began wiping the spice off the counter while blushing at the thought of what happened.
He wanted to look at Cyno again, but he couldn't, his heart would just explode. Instead, he kept to himself, the butterflies in his stomach keeping him company.
Cyno mopped the floor. Happiness was gushing through his veins at this point. He placed the mopo against the wall and ran his hands under the water. Tighnari took Cyno's hands in his own, washing them.
"Even though we made a hell of a mess, I've never had so much fun cooking," he said.
Cyno gazed at him with childlike wonder.
"You are so sweet, Cyno. I see why I fell in love with you," he said.
"I–" Cyno flushed. He couldn't find the right words to describe how he felt but his darting eyes were enough of a reply for Tighnari.
He handed Cyno a plate of mushrooms. "Could you please cut these ones in half?"
"Of course," Cyno said. He pulled a knife out of the kitchen drawer and laid out the mushrooms, cutting them one by one. Cyno tightened his grip around the knife, hoping that would stop the shakiness of his hand. His heart was still racing despite him monitoring his breath. It was almost like he was meeting Tighnari for the first time all over again. He brought the knife down, chopping the last few mushrooms.
"Ugh–" He jolted, holding his finger by his chest.
"What's wrong?" Tighnari said. He rushed to his side and took his hand. A streak of blood ran down from the tip of Cyno's finger. "Oh no..." Tighnari frowned.
"It's okay, just a small cut," Cyno said.
"No, it's not okay. Wait here, I'll bring you a bandaid. Don't do anything," Tighnari said and hurried to the living room. He pulled a chair next to the bookshelf and climbed on it to reach for the first aid box. As he hopped off the chair, a strange daze took over him. He stared at the box and slightly stumbled back until he bumped into the wall. He was overwhelmed by a wave of flashbacks that glinted in his mind. They were shrouded with a jarring sense of nostalgia.
He could see it. Him cleaning Cyno's wound at the thigh with the very same box by his side, Cyno holding his hair out of the way, the looks they'd exchanged. It was so real. Suddenly, everything made sense, all the memories flowed in one after the other like a past life that he'd forgotten about. The box fell from his hand, sending a small bang that startled Cyno.
"Nari? Is everything alright?" He called for him from the kitchen.
(Author's note: sorry for the late chapter haha had a doctor's appointment, I'm fine tho dw. AND I was working on a lil sumn...)
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(Tehe, it was rushed so I apologize for the amateur anatomy. Also next chapter is smut for those who're looking forward to that, alright Evercold singing off love yaaaa)
