cashewlater | you don't listen anyways; i'll be quiet, i don't really feel like fighting

you don't listen anyways; i'll be quiet, i don't really feel like fighting

It's.. fine, Tighnari.

[ it isn't fine. it's never fine, when this happens, and it's always clear, exactly what is going on. cyno's home situation has never been good, never been comfortable, but cyno plows through it, because he has no other choice, because soon, he'll be eighteen, and he won't need to deal with this ever again. though he has no memories of his mother, cyno can't help but think that his father had been a happy man, back then, before she left him alone with a squalling babe. that he hadn't simply given cyno up to the system is a miracle in and of itself, one that cyno's father is always sure to remind him of. he drinks, and slurs, and slams cyno to the wall.

i kept you, when your own mother didn't even want you. you owe me, kid. ]

I just got into a fight. That's all.

[ which isn't necessarily an untruth, even if cyno still feels incredibly guilty keeping the reality of it from tighnari, but what else is there to say? he can't tell him the truth, even if it's as clear as the bruise around his eye. beneath his oversized hoodie, his ribs ache. cyno shifts from foot to foot, where they stand at the entrance to tighnari's home, adjusting his backpack, fiddling with his thick, fluffy hair to better cover his bruised eye. he chews his lower lip, worrying at the golden stud there. ]

Anyway, I'll.. see you tomorrow, yeah?

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[ They're not a couple but they're definitely a thing and Tighnari cares deeply about Cyno because even before they became a thing they were friends, really good friends.

Even if Cyno had the dumbest puns and was the worst liar he had ever met in his entire life. He crosses his arms, one of his ears twitches in irritation because he knows it's not just a fight. He's started to pick up on all the signs -- but... he doesn't know what to do with them. He's not really been exposed to the darker side of humanity all that much. His family is good and loving and the people he's around are like that too.

So that Cyno isn't safe... He knows Cyno enough to know he doesn't just get into fights that leave him with a black eye and guarding his side. ]

Come inside. My mom always makes too much food, eat with us.

[ don't go home yet. ]

[ cyno knows full well how stubborn tighnari can be, how he won't back down once he's made up his mind, so arguing is pointless - still, he hesitates. tighnari's parents are so warm, so kind, he isn't sure that he wants them to see him this way, to ask probing questions.

truthfully, cyno is.. ashamed. ashamed of what happens behind closed doors. ashamed that he can do nothing but grin and bear it until he's old enough, and financially secure enough, to leave home. cyno works a lot, taking odd jobs anywhere and everywhere he can in order to scrimp and save, and his nest egg has grown considerably.. with any luck, after his birthday, he'll have no trouble securing a place to live. or so he hopes. ]

.. are you sure?

[ of course he's sure, he wouldn't be asking - telling cyno to stay if he weren't sure. he glances past tighnari's shoulder toward his home, then back again. he doesn't want to go home. of course he doesn't want to go home. ]

I don't want to impose.

[ as if he hasn't had dinner here a hundred times before. ]

[ Tighnari’s ears flick and there’s a roll of his eyes at the questioning. He reaches to take the other by the wrist and pull him inside his home. He calls out to his mom immediately that Cyno’s staying for dinner. Then, he turns to look at Cyno. ]

You should stay the night too.

[ of course, tighnari is having none of it, and he's summarily dragged inside. for all he doesn't want to impose, cyno still can't help the feeling of relief. like as not his dad won't be home tonight anyway, but.. still, he'd much rather be with tighnari, with tighnari's family, who have always been so kind to him. ]

Stay the night? [ light pink colors his cheeks. ] All right. Sure.

[ A plan is already starting to form in Tighnari's mind but for that he's going to have to actually talk to his parents before he brings it up with Cyno and make sure they'll be on board -- even if he can't see them saying no. They wouldn't want to let Cyno suffer anymore than Tighnari does. Surely, the fact they know Tighnari's feelings for Cyno won't deter them from helping Cyno either...

Tighnari brightens, though, that Cyno agrees to spend the night and when he gets inside he hugs him gently. ]

Mom! Cyno's here.

[ He wanders in to the dining area and the table is already set and he just quickly grabs another set to make a place for Cyno. ]

[ the hug comes as a bit of a surprise, but cyno welcomes it gladly, his arms looping comfortably around tighnari's middle until he draws away all too soon. cyno meanders after him, slipping his hands into his pockets and following tighnari into the dining room.

he's always liked tighnari's parents. they're warm, kind people, they raised a son that is so wickedly smart, independent, inquisitive - they allowed tighnari to be the person he wanted to be, to grow and learn. being around them gives cyno a feeling of.. belonging, a hint of what it's like to be part of a happy family. ]

Hey, Mrs. Jlassi.

[ cyno calls, watching as tighnari's mother's face pops through the archway to the kitchen, smiling brightly at the sight of them both. "Oh good! You'll be staying for dinner, then," she says in a way that will brook no argument, and cyno chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. ]

Sure.

[ Tighnari smiles at Cyno when he finishes setting the place and waves at his mom. ]

Can he stay over for the night too? We've got some stuff to work on.

[ She hums her agreement and Tighnari brightens not that he had had any doubt that his mom would agree to let Cyno spend the night. They liked Cyno and they knew that he had a difficult home life even if Tighnari never said anything specifically about it.

It's not hard to see the signs. ]

There, it's settled.

[ cyno supposes that it is easy to see the signs, however much he tries to hide them, however much he denies it. his ribs still ache, and though he's arranged his hair before the bruise around his eye, its shadow is still visible when he moves a certain way.

thankfully, tighnari's family is kind and tactful, and they do not put him on the spot. dinner goes well, comfortably, and cyno unwinds a little, even tells a few terrible jokes while they all eat together, and when they're finished, he helps to clean up, carrying the dishes to the sink, and drying them as tighnari washes. it feels.. nice. domestic. normal.

and when they're finished, they head up to tighnari's room. ]

Thanks for dinner.

[ Tighnari wants to bat Cyno off of helping him with the dishes but he knows better and at least he had settled for drying them which Tighnari decides is probably the easier task between the two. He'd rolled his eyes at all of Cyno's jokes but he'd been happy that he'd been making them even if they fill him with second hand embarrassment.

His dad had thought they were positively hilarious. Of course.

Tighnari drops on his bed once they get up to his room which is covered in plants and books for the most part. He smiles at Cyno. ]

I'm glad you stayed.

[ tighnari might not want his help, but cyno would feel far too guilty if he left all the work to his good friend, after staying to eat his dinner. it's the least that he can do.

but soon enough they're released from duty, and cyno snags his backpack as they make their way up to tighnari's room. that smile eases his heart. ]

Thanks for inviting me. I should probably.. text my dad and let him know.

[ dropping his backpack, he tugs his phone from his pocket, beginning to punch in a message. his dad won't care, if he's even home tonight at all, but if cyno were to not come home without letting him know, he'd absolutely be asking to get his teeth knocked out. ]

Don't.

[ Tighnari frowns, reaching to grab his phone away before he can send it. He knows he's being stupid but he doesn't want Cyno's father to ever know anything about Cyno. He doesn't deserve to. He sighs and looks down at the message the other had been typing in. ]

What if you just never go back?

[ tighnari plucks the phone from his hands so quickly that cyno hardly knows what to do with himself for a few moments. ]

.. never go back?

[ ah. he knows what tighnari is getting at, what he's trying to say. cyno glances quickly aside, embarrassed. ]

C'mon, 'Nari, don't be ridiculous. He'll be angry if I don't let him know.

Who cares if he's angry if you never let him close to you again?

[ Tighnari says stubbornly. ]

We have room for you... I'm sure my parents would let you stay with us. You don't have to...

'Nari, I - I don't.. I don't understand why you're so worried -

[ he tries, but he knows his words are foolish. he knows he cannot hide the bruises and sprains from tighnari, knows that he can only make up so many excuses before they start to sound thin and useless even to his own ears.

he laughs dryly, mirthlessly. ]

I.. he - he'll.. drag me home.

Tighnari's ears go flat at the other trying to act like it's not obvious to him. How could Tighnari not see it? Cyno is his best friend. He sees him day after day and it's not hard for him to read the truth on Cyno's body, in his eyes.

"I won't let him," Tighnari says stubbornly, his brow furrowing. "You don't deserve to get hurt like this."

Cyno looks away, ashamed, his chest tightening.

"You can't stop him, Tighnari." After all, Cyno is still underage, and by law, he can be dragged home. Not to mention his father is a police chief. How can Cyno fight that? He rubs at the back of his neck, his side aching.

"It's fine. I'm almost eighteen. I've been saving up.."

Tighnari frowns and he wants to come up with something... anything that would be able to get Cyno out of that house and away from that guy. He sighs, his shoulders sagging and he moves to hug Cyno gently, mindful of any injuries he might have.

"That's still so far away," he frowns.

"I have to be able to do something to help you!"

Tighnari's hug is sudden, and Cyno nearly flinches out of habit, but.. those arms are so nice and warm, warm enough to make his heart ache. With a gentle hum, Cyno closes his eyes, his own arms slipping around Tighnari's middle, holding to him. If only he could stay here, forever, just like this..

"You are helping me," he says, softly, pressing his face to Tighnari's shoulder. "Just being beside you is more than enough. It's just.. a couple more months."

Tighnari notices the flinch and he doesn't pull away but he murmurs a soft apology against the other's shoulder as he holds him close. He wants to keep him here, safe. What if something worse happened to Cyno? He's worried everyday and he can't imagine how awful it must be for Cyno to live it all first hand.

"It's not fair, though, Cyno. There has to be something my parents could do..."

Cyno exhales softly, and leans their foreheads together.

"No - no.. I don't want you to get your parents involved. They're.. they're so good to me," he says, biting his lip. Tighnari's parents have been kind and welcoming from the moment they met him, and the last thing Cyno wants is to wrap them up in this, the mess of his life. "Just two months. I can.. I can manage, okay?"

Tighnari sags a little, like the wind is knocked out of him a bit.

"That's why they'll help... they can help," Tighnari says softly, his eyes closing tightly and his parents care about Cyno. They would know what to do if Tighnari and Cyno went to them. He knows they would.

"So much can happen in two months, Cyno," he says quietly, resisting the urge to tighten his arms around him.

Cyno hates disappointing him, hates that look on Tighnari's face, but.. what is he expected to do? How can he explain to Tighnari that he'll be just fine? That he doesn't need to worry?

"It.. it's really not that bad," he says, carefully lifting Tighnari's chin with his knuckles. "You're worrying too much. My dad just - he.. he has a bad temper sometimes, but it doesn't - he doesn't.." Gods, he sounds pathetic even to his own ears.

It's not so much disappointment really as worry and the helplessness of being able to do anything for the other at all. He feels his eyes burning a little but he doesn't want to cry, Cyno shouldn't have to be comforting him when Cyno is the one being harmed by someone that's supposed to love and take care of him no matter what.

"Just be honest, Cyno."

Being honest is usually quite easy for him. He's an honest person by nature. But this..

Being honest about this is difficult, because Cyno is not even honest with himself when it comes to his relationship with his father. Swallowing thickly, he looks away, one hand moving over his sore ribs, clutching. "I.. it's just -"

What can he even say?

"I don't want your parents to know. I don't want anyone to know. It's.. it's humiliating."

Tighnari crosses his legs on the bed and watches Cyno. He wants to curl up to him and cuddle like they do sometimes but he’s worried about hurting him. He’s worrying more and more about that each passing week it seems like... Does cyno not see how it’s been getting worse?

“The only person who should be humiliated is your sperm donor,” Tighnari says sharply, narrowing his eyes, his ears pressing flat. “He could seriously hurt you, Cyno... I don’t want to gamble on that. I don’t want to see you get hurt. You don’t deserve this.”

He sighs and his hands are balled into fists pressing down against his own thighs.

“My parents could help you. They wouldn’t ask any questions.” It’s not that hard to see what’s happening after all. If Tighnari said Cyno needs help they would believe him and they would believe Cyno.

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you don't listen anyways; i'll be quiet, i don't really feel like fighting

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