cashewlater | for @suffusion

for @suffusion

[ the forest is quiet.

cyno knows these woods like the back of his hand. he knows all of sumeru, has trekked nearly every inch of it - nearly - for he fears no beast, nor the darkness of the unknown. his work takes him all over the land, through the deserts and forests alike, and though he works for no one, he does not hurt for mora, for cyno is the most gifted hunter and tracker in sumeru. no quarry has ever escaped him, and he has never failed to deliver on any job. this job will be no different.

it isn't an easy hunt. not only is this area of the forest unfamiliar to him, but his prey is sharp and smart, with an incredible sense of hearing. cyno's footsteps are all but silent, but the sensitive ears of the witch can detect him even at his most stealthy. it's fine. he's brought in difficult prey before. if stealth could only get him so far, he has other methods, though he must take care - should the rumors prove true, this witch is powerful, tricky, wise, and cyno could easily find himself on the wrong end of his quarry's wrath. but he was ready for a fight, if it came to it, and it would.

for five days he simply watches. listens. the witch hears him, he knows, but cyno is well hidden, and cannot be found. he scales the trees and watches from the branches, stock still, his clothing camouflaged, his pale white hair tied up and rubbed with charcoal to keep it from standing out. for hours he sits, vigilant, watchful, learning the witch's patterns and strengths, behaviors, taking their measure, and even that is not easy, but cyno learns over time that his adversary favors the bow and dendro magicks, that they know the forest well, and make use of all of its parts. in the end, cyno can only hope to overpower them by force and speed alone, striking fast, getting in close before the bow can be drawn on him. it'll have to be enough, with the element of surprise unavailable to him. but he'll use the tools he has.

his eyesight, for example, sharp in the night. his keen sense of smell. his own good hearing, and his powers of observation. his patience.

cyno strikes in the night, when the witch is far from their hut, gathering samples of bioluminescent moss. he's fast as a bolt of lightning, moving comfortably in darkness, taking them from behind and knocking them to the loamy earth, with his spearhead at their throat. ]

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[ a harder shudder rocks through his own body, legs trembling as that length drags deep inside. every part of him is so hyperaware of the man around and in him. ears flicking a bit wildly at the peppered kisses that has a soft laugh bubbling out of him, shivering at the ticklish feel of lips over skin until he kisses him again.

he's glad that he kisses him when he does, muffling the soft pleasured noises that each single rock and grind of those hips into him tug. there's no way tighnari can last for very long and that he knows for a fact. all that attention from earlier, to now, feeling their bodies entangle until he can hardly tell apart himself from cyno.

lashes flutter, gaze half-lidded as he peeks at his partner at the soft whisper of those words. ah. the most simplest three words, and yet it pulls such an emotional reaction out of him. one arm wraps around cyno's shoulders tighter, his other hand soothing white hair over those tanned shoulders while he whispers so fervently against that mouth. ]

I love you.

[ oh, that laugh.. it's so sweet and gentle, so warm and fond that cyno can hardly stand it, and it makes his own mouth curve into a soft, easy smile as he swallows up that laugh, and those returned words. he's already known it, didn't really have to hear it, or say it himself, for the words to be true and their reality, but.. cyno is a surprisingly romantic man, and he wanted to say it. needed to say it, really, before it ate him up inside.

rather than say anything further, cyno simply kisses tighnari again, deep and warm, tasting him, breathing him in, closing his eyes and falling fully and completely into him.

they move again, one of cyno's hands snagging tighnari's thigh and hiking it higher over his hip to better facilitate the movement of their bodies as cyno's hips rock deeper. his length drags, squeezed by tighnari's incredible body, and it isn't long before cyno's breath is coming quickly, his bronzed skin growing dewy with sweat from the effort it takes. cyno's free hand slips into tighnari's dark hair, claws gently scraping his scalp, his tail beginning to lash as he moves his hips more and more quickly, until the bed is creaking beneath them.

but every moment he is still looking out for tighnari, listening to his sounds, his breathing, ready to slow or pull away should he sound pained, or distressed. nudging their noses together, he's soon panting hard against tighnari's lips. ]

I'm close..

[ tighnari is more than relieved when cyno kisses him so deeply, muffling all the sweet cries and breathy moans that escape him with each drag of that length. feeling his legs tighten with each thrust, feeling his body in a tight tension as he urgently squeezes him back. his body so tightly wound that he can hardly handle being separated from him much longer.

one hand drags claws over skin, leaving lines in their wake while he helplessly keeps trying to pull him closer with little to no distance between them both. his ears tremble back, catching the sound of the bed that creaks under the weight of the notions, the heavy breath against his lips while his gaze begins to blur over. tears begin to cling to his lashes, fluttering open and close as he starts to become overwhelmed by the pleasure.

he's so close, his own length straining and sensitive as it twitches against any friction it brushes along. his chest tightens as their noses nudge together, whimpering softly that he tries to muffle with a kiss to the corner of those lips. his other hand raises to brush aside white hair to clear his face, before he cups that jaw with a trembling hold. ]

Let's.. finish together, like this - [ with their bodies pressed so close together that he cannot tell which part belongs to him or the other. to release so deeply intertwined with him, so that tighnari can remember this moment for all the days to come. he won't last a moment more, but he's trying- he wants to alongside him. ]

[ cyno can feel it, the tight, twisting heat in his gut that signals the inevitable release he's only seconds from. he wants it to last longer, wants to stay in this moment as long as he can, as if it'll somehow disappear should it end, and he's too greedy to let it go. but there can be no more pushing it off, tighnari feels too good, too perfect, and he can hardly pass up the chance of them finishing together.

with a quick nod, cyno slides his free hand down tighnari's side, over his ribs and along his waist, before he's moving it between them to touch him, to wrap rough fingers around his length, pulling in deep strokes to help him come nearer.

only when he feels tighnari beginning to arch does cyno finally let go, a low, deep groan muffled against tighnari's shoulder and throat as he finds his peak, spilling hot and slick deep into his partner's body. it's messy and warm and the pleasure is fierce, grasping him in tight claws. cyno's hips stutter, his entire body shuddering, heat rolling over his body in wave after wave as his mind goes blissfully white, full of thick, static cotton. ]

Nari -

[ he whispers, his voice gone harsh, rough and low, his pulse rocketing. all cyno can feel is tighnari, surrounded by his heat, his touch, his scent. ]

[ it would be wonderful if it could last longer, but tighnari knows he can't. a single touch to himself and he knows he won't be able to hold back. which is why his body shudders at the drag of that hand, pressing up into that calloused palm that smooths over his skin that he wants nothing more than to chase after. and yet the second those fingers envelop his length, his hips stutter and his back arches almost immediately.

his claws drag over the man's back for any kind of purchase, trying to hold on as his release spills so easily into that hand and coats over skin a sticky mess a she's blinded by his own orgasm. in a spur of the moment, he bites down hard onto cyno's shoulder, fangs piercing skin enough there's a metallic taste of blood that touches his tongue. his legs squeeze around that waist even when those hips stutter, though it weakens as he tries to keep cyno as close as he can while he pants heavily against dewed skin.

ears tremble back at the sound of that harsh whisper of his name, feeling his stomach churn so deeply at the satisfaction that he became so debauched because of him. lashes flutter weakly, feeling sensitive all over but wanting to soothe that bite he left behind with slow laps of his tongue in apology. ]

Haah... [ oh, but that satisfaction, the pleasure of feeling so full. it strikes a deeper instinct out of him, rumbling a deep purr from his chest while he affectionately rubs his nose along the man's jaw and throat. as if the man wasn't already drowned enough in his own scent but he wanted more of it. his tail swishes wildly against the sheets, never once having ever expected he could reach such completion and the fact it was with cyno... he does not think he could ever want anything else. when he finally finds his voice again, it's in soft, broken whispers of "I love you"s. ]

[ they've come together so perfectly, two halves of a whole that seemed destined to meet. from the moment cyno laid eyes on tighnari he knew - he knew that tighnari was something special, something different, as if his soul and heart were guiding him somewhere his mind could not entirely understand.

thankfully, cyno has always been an instinctual man.

and now here they are, tighnari bucking against him, their bodies tangled in intimate need as they unravel together. cyno feels the telltale slippery heat of tighnari's spend against his fingers, but that does not stop him - though his movements slow, he continues to stroke the fox's length between them while his hips rock downward in an attempt to wring every last drop of pleasure from them both that he possibly can.

still, in the end, they are spent, and cyno trembles, folding down onto tighnari, his heart pounding against the back of his throat. he fights to catch his breath, nudging his nose and mouth along tighnari's jaw in return, scenting him, breathing him in, lost in those sweet words that his lover whispers. ]

[ his voice keens into a soft whimper at the overstimulation, his body twitching at the sensitivity it finds itself in. feeling tears cling to his lashes but not in pain - it was overwhelming, certainly, but this is not a moment he could ever regret. all that build-up, the momentum, it feels more complete to have come like this.

hands gingerly cup the other man's face, stilling him just enough to dip it so he can give each of those curved soft white ears a kiss before following with an instinctual nip to their shell. his tail starts to sweep with rejuvenated energy, quietly thumping against the mattress at the knowledge that cyno is scenting him. the earlier heat churning again to know he will have cyno's scent clinging to him, to have him molded so perfectly with him.

he shifts to kiss the man's brow after, following with one to the tip of his nose. a swell of affection spilling over that he wants nothing more than to share with him. ]

..I really can't imagine my life without you, do you know that?

[ slowly but surely they are coming down from their high together, unwinding and unraveling, sinking into one another as if they're trying to become one. maybe they are. maybe they will.

and then tighnari is showering him with kisses - his ears, his face, his nose, brow, cheeks.. the sheer volume of tighnari's affection is almost overwhelming, or it would be, were cyno not drinking it up like a man parched. he chuckles, low and soft in his chest, nudging his nose alongside tighnari's and seeking his mouth in a series of warm, but deep kisses, those sweet words ringing in his mind as their lips meet again and again until cyno's mouth begins to feel sore. ]

Neither can I. Meeting you.. it was the best thing that's ever happened to me, aside from Collei.

[ and how easily the three of them have come together, as well, like a proper little family. collei is so fond of tighnari, despite how fearful she had been to leave her papa, now she's spending every day full of excitement and hope and learning. ]

[ ah, his heart leaps at the feel of that mouth against his own, more than content to take the series of those warm kisses. chasing after lips any moment they part away, smoothing fingers through white strands and tickling the curving edge of those soft white ears. a thumb massages an inner shell, cupping the area until he's struggling for his breath. which shows in the breathless chuckle that leaves him. ]

Are you sure your plan wasn't to steal a witch's heart all along?

[ with how sweetly those words are murmured against his lips, his tail coils around cyno's leg more securely, knowing they should probably get cleaned up and remove themselves from this deep intertwine but. he wants to stay here a moment longer, almost afraid it'll slip from his grasp the moment he lets go.

just like that small growing fear that one day he would lose collei and consequently cyno. how close they've come together, how much tighnari appreciates collei's daily presence, like a small sunny flower that blooms stronger every passing day. he knows if they were ever to leave his life completely - he would not be able to fill that hole, and it's a terrifying thought. it spurs on a moment of weakness, bumping to press their foreheads together as his gaze blinks up at the other man. ]

...Don't go anywhere that I can't go.

[ please. ]

[ tighnari's words.. they wrap around his heart like a warm hand, squeezing. ]

I won't.

[ he hardly needs to hesitate to think about that answer. cyno can hardly stand that look on tighnari's face, the gentle vulnerability in his eyes - it makes his chest ache and tighten with fondness and protectiveness both. he doesn't want to give tighnari any reason to think that he would be left alone.

no, they are family, now. he, tighnari, and collei - they're bonded in a way that cyno never thought he would know, never thought he would experience. he had been happy when it was just he and collei, of course, but he'd hardly realized how much more happy he could be, now that the three of them had become this little unit. like broken pieces forming a healthy whole again; that's what it feels like.

dipping his head, cyno kisses tighnari's warm, welcoming mouth, slow and soft, savoring the feeling now that the lusty tension has passed. ]

I'm not going anywhere, Tighnari. [ he whispers, soft and reassuring. ] You two are my entire heart, and I can't live without my heart.

[ for a moment, he closes his eyes, taking in that quick reassurance. perhaps it's the aftermath of everything that ended up with making him feel so vulnerable - surely if not for that, he would be capable of taking whatever decision cyno comes down to in the end. but he can't help being soothed over by what sounds like a promise.

his gaze flutters open again, half-lidded as cyno leans in and feels the languid taste of those lips against his own again. it's sweet, gentle, a slow drag that has him pressing back. he looks up at him when they pull enough back, the whisper of those words reassuring him further. ]

...Okay. [ It's a soft whisper back, until he nods, nudging their noses together as he tries to chase away that vulnerability. not wanting to ruin this moment any more than he may have. ] You'll always have a place here, both of you. No matter what.

[ no matter what happens or may come to happen. he will always welcome them here. ]

[ of course, tighnari hasn't ruined anything at all, he's only voiced what cyno himself is also feeling. the idea of losing tighnari.. no, he won't allow it, no more than he would allow himself to lose collei. cyno does not do things by halves - if he says that they are his heart, he means it, well and fully. tighnari is family, now. cyno can never pay him back for everything he's done for them.

at last he shifts, turning onto his side so as not to crush tighnari too much with his weight. ]

I know.

[ he says, with a smile, and brushes the hair back from tighnari's eyes, looking into his beautiful face. ]

To be honest.. this place feels more like a home to me than anywhere ever has.

[ when given something you've never had before, it's quite hard to let go. for once, he's faced with an opportunity that he wants to be selfish with, wanting to hold close and never let go. though, it could very much still be wishful thinking in the end. after all, tighnari is still anchored in one place at the end of it all.

but he tries not to think about it. allows himself to be comforted by the sweep of that hand, leaning into it as he turns with cyno.. to stay close, to not be separated by him. even if they're both a bit sticky and should clean up - he nuzzles into him, a purr-like sound emitting. ]

The forest is quite fond of you both. [ so that feeling of being welcomed is genuine. a strong contrast to the day they met. he grows quiet after, wanting to say that cyno could stay here with them. but even now he keeps cyno's work in mind, doesn't want to pressure him to say yes. ]

[ there will be time for cleanup later, for now, cyno wants to bask in their afterglow for as long as he can, and sink into the moment, fully and completely. he keeps close to tighnari, pressed as near as he can manage, and when that soft purr begins to roll in his partner's chest he smiles, warm and soft. he loves that sound. it soothes him.

a soft hum, and cyno closes his eyes, nuzzling tighnari in return, pressing a soft line of kisses along his jaw. ]

Mm, well I'd say I'm quite fond of the forest as well.

[ it's connected to tighnari, after all, and through its efforts, his dearest daughter is being given her life back. how could he not want to do everything in his power to protect it? to protect them all? cyno's free hand smooths down tighnari's back, his thumb rubbing slow, gentle circles into the base of his tail. ]

It makes me never want to leave.

[ that soft purring grows a bit louder when he catches sound of the other's hum, feeling the return of that nuzzling and trail of kisses. it provides a kind of comfort and safety that he's never felt from another person before. slipping his arms around to keep himself comfortably settled here. ]

..You should come meet it sometime. At its "heart." It would be happy to hear that.

[ it's a place he has only ever brought collei to, needed to when they were beginning her healing process. after all, the heart is where it feels the strongest, and being able to directly intervene with collei's sickness required of it. but he has yet to show cyno - he knows the forest wouldn't turn him away, and given the importance of it... it would be good for cyno to be introduced to it properly.

his body shudders at the feel of that hand, squirming against the slow circles to the base of his tail. it's a very sensitive spot... and an area that does have an effect on him, seen in the way that he groans a little against skin. his tail flicks a bit wildly for a moment until he tries to recompose himself. ]

Haah... it - it wouldn't mind your staying here, to be honest. But I know how important your work is to you.

[ it's nice, discovering new things about tighnari, like where he's sensitive, what makes him squirm. he wants to learn every inch of the fox's body, to kiss every patch of skin, to find every little ticklish and pleasurable spot on his body. that little groan excites him a little, and cyno pulls him even nearer, their bodies flush. ]

I'd like that.

[ he'd like the opportunity to beg forgiveness for his transgressions, for daring to tread under these boughs without being welcomed, for daring to harm the forest's guardian. cyno still has not forgotten how they met, has not forgotten how he nearly killed tighnari - gods, what a terrible, horrible mistake that would have been.

dipping his head, he drags his mouth along tighnari's shoulder, before he's pulling back to look into his eyes. ]

The forest wouldn't mind.. or you wouldn't mind?

[ tighnari's own hands roam along cyno's back, mapping out the feel of those back muscles as they flex a little under the motion of pulling him nearer. his own body becoming quite lax, pliable for cyno to maneuver around as he pleases.

his eyes flutter to a close, breathing out softly as tighnari's head tilts at the attention that cyno showers him in. he knows very well that the forest has long since forgiven him, but the jackal would surely appreciate the opportunity anyway. to see and hear for himself. knowing the nature would accept his sincerity and words happily. after all, it is never one to hold grudges. ]

Both of us. [ he meets that gaze, expression fond and full of affection for his partner that shows in the smile he gives him. ] But I especially would not mind.

[ ah, that's what he thought. cyno smiles warmly. ]

Well.. there's nothing more important to me than my family.

[ he says softly, looking into tighnari's eyes with all the fondness he can muster, all the warmth and love that rises in his chest and fills every chamber of his heart. his voice is soft, gentle, and incredibly warm. ]

Being with Collei, and with you - it's what I want most.

[ and besides, he worries. he worries that other hunters will come for tighnari, that they'll be hurt while he's busy with other jobs. hurt, or worse. being here with them means he'll be able to protect them, to keep them, and this forest, as safe as he can, safer than tighnari could all alone. ]

[ family... it's has such a nice, warm ring to it. of course tighnari technically has family, far abroad, but it's been so long since he's seen them... it's almost easy to forget what it feels like to have a family, the forest was the closest to it that he can remember. but with collei, with cyno -

a family sounds perfect. it sparks a warmth in his chest, a more suble feeling churning in his stomach, something he can closely describe as excitement. anticipation. ]

Then... stay here. With us.

[ he presses closer, words whispering so softly against the jackal's lips. lashes flutter low, his half-lidded gaze drinking in sight of cyno here who looks as if he was always meant to be here. gods, how quickly tighnari's become such a love-stricken mess already. ]

It won't be long until Collei can step out of the forest again, and it would be good for you to be there when she can. You can take her to neighboring towns and cities to see new things.

[ tighnari is not the only one. cyno, too, is a mess of a man at the hands of this fox, wrapped around his little padded pinky finger, ready to dance to whatever tune tighnari sets. he's hopelessly, completely, desperately in love, but it is not a new feeling, either, it's one that has been nurtured slowly over their time together. he has tighnari in his arms now, yes, but this is not the first time he's felt this fondness.

those sweet words whisper in a breath against his lips, and cyno sighs softly, closing his eyes. ]

I'll stay.

[ he whispers back, pressing kisses to tighnari's mouth. collei, he knows, will be over the moon to know that he's going to stay here with them. she had been so hesitant to live without him, so afraid of losing her papa, but now.. now they could live like a family. ]

She'd like that, I know. But.. what about you? Are you unable to leave even for short periods of time?

[ the fox can't help but be a bit surprised at the return of those words. not necessarily about the fact that he agrees to it, but that cyno says it so easily. his tail starts to wag as it settles in. to think that cyno will be staying here... rather than waiting until his next visit, something he knows collei will be ecstatic to know of later. it brings a wash of relief, joy.

those thoughts fizzle out at the kisses pressing to his lips, nerves dancing excitedly as he happily returns each one. one hand sweeps up into white hair, cupping a white curved ear to gingerly scratch fingers at the base of one. though he rests their foreheads together at the words that whisper afterward. ]

I'm.. not too sure. I've never tried before. [ he's never considered leaving if only for a short while, but even if he did... he sighs a little. ] I shouldn't try. I couldn't possibly leave the forest alone without its guardian, even if it would only be a short while.

[ cyno is nothing if not a decisive man - he doesn't do things by halves, and once he has made a choice he tends to stand by it. he knows what he wants, and he grabs for it. saying those words was very easy, and the expression on tighnari's face tells him that he's made the right choice. ]

Mm.. I understand your dedication.

[ a soft rumble moves in his chest when tighnari rubs his ear, and he closes his eyes for a moment, exhaling softly. ]

But it seems so unfair. There's so much to see beyond this forest.

[ and while this forest is indeed beautiful and wondrous, there's an entire world beyond it, there are things tighnari deserves to see, and experience. ]

[ fingers continue to rub at that ear, tilting cyno's head after to press a kiss to the shell of it. encouraged by the sound of that soft rumble to give him more and more small touches of affection. ]

Mm, I know but... I enjoy the stories you bring back from your travels outside here. Especially when you write about them in your letters to me. It almost feels like I'm experiencing them for myself.

[ maybe it seems unfair but tighnari doesn't feel too much at a loss. yes he may not be seeing it for himself but.. he likes to hear of it in cyno's words. even though he knows he would like it more to be able to experience and witness it with cyno's company. ]

..Maybe someday I'll be able to witness the world outside these woods.

[ cyno is a dedicated person, he completely and fully understands tighnari's position, and his sense of responsibility. cyno, too, operates by his own code of ethics, and he would stop at nothing to protect the things that are important to him, so of course he could never fault tighnari for doing the same, even if he would love nothing more than to introduce him to the outside world.

but that maybe is good enough. cyno nods. ]

Maybe. I hope you can.

[ but he's patient, he can wait. settling an arm around tighnari's waist, he hums softly. ]

Until then, I'll continue sending letters, and bringing you things. Though you can't blame me if I don't want to leave nearly as often, now.

[ gently, he buries his face against cyno's shoulder, tail sweeping under the sheets as that arm settles around him. ]

Mmm.. no, I wouldn't blame you.

[ after all, tighnari has certainly had moments where he'd wish cyno would stay longer. so how could he possibly blame him for not wanting to leave? gently he presses a kiss to that shoulder, nuzzling the area afterward.

he still feels as if he's in a dreamlike state. constantly reminding himself that what he has right here... is real. his world truly has changed for the better. ears fold back as he sinks into this feeling of love, the warmth that embraces him so closely. ]

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