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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Mhm.

[ a light hum responds, two-toned eyes observing cyno further. tighnari assumes there's probably more to it but he cannot really fantom why at the moment. it isn't as if something as small and quaint as a flower shop will bring in heavy revenue. and any perks would be generally nonexistent except the occasional bouquets, he supposes. well, he won't question it. not when he's more distracted by the way his hand flexes a little against the workings of the other man's fingers. even more so as those fingers weave through his own and he finds his heart leaping a bit. it's tempting to curl his hand against the other's, to intertwine them further together... something he quickly refrains from doing.

it isn't so strange coming from cyno. he's always been a little affectionate, with lingering touches between them, that he knows better than to think anything of it. knows better than to overreact to it. so, tighnari remains where he is, taking another drink of his wine as if to chase off his own feelings about it. ]

I am, though it's closer to the outskirts. A group of old colleagues requested some help on a project a while back so I've only just recently moved in.

[ it's an old dance between them, and one that it seems they are easing back into without a problem, as if no time has passed at all. cyno's affection, tighnari's denial.. this is nothing new, for them, and ten years has not changed it, it would seem. though he knows that tighnari is not interested in him, he cannot help but be affectionate with him, to touch him at any and every given opportunity.

and gods, how he's missed it.. ]

I see. Outskirts is probably best for you.

[ less loud, out there. more peaceful along the fringes of the city. he takes another sip of wine. ]

It's really good to see you again, Tighnari.

Closer to work, and easier on my hearing. With how busy the city gets - I'd probably get sick of it quickly, haha.

[ it would be the most obvious lie to say he didn't miss this, miss cyno, especially with how everything sweeps him up so easily. feeling as if he's falling face first into familiar waters.

but it comes with an ache. because he wants more of it. wants these affections to be real and true. to be something more than simple platonic touches shared between friends. which is why he downs the rest of his glass, gently pulling away his hand afterwards from the other man to move his now empty glass onto a nearby table. ]

Mm. It's good to see you again too, Cyno. I hope these years have been good on you otherwise.

[ tighnari draws his hand back, and it's like a little needle in cyno's heart.

he had hoped that these years apart might have dulled his feelings for tighnari, that perhaps he might've met someone else, that his heart might have moved on. he's dated around here and there, when he could, but.. no one could light that same spark in his chest that tighnari could. no one could make his heart race in the same way. perhaps he was fated to suffer this doomed, unrequited love for the rest of his life. tighnari's withdrawing of touch leaves him feeling cold, and lonely.

but cyno's expression remains stony, disciplined, only a flicker of a shadow in his eyes. ]

They've been well enough. The military was hard, but rewarding.

[ two-toned eyes flicker up to cyno, but seeing that his expression remains unmoving has his own heart sink in his chest. though really, he shouldn't hope for anything else, someone of his vampiric ancestry only spells trouble for the other man in the end. it will only ever boil down to wishful thinking. it burns a little in his stomach, but it could just be an effect of having drank the rest of his wine so quickly.

he turns to face cyno more properly, legs crossing with an elbow propped on his knee to rest his chin in his palm. already he misses the warmth of cyno's hand intertwined with his own, a thought he tries to distract himself from with light tapping of a finger against his own cheek. one ear flicks idly with a slow nod. ]

Knowing you, I'm sure you gave it your all. [ cyno never half-asses anything. when he does something, he puts everything into it. it's one of his many traits that tighnari admires. that tighnari has always liked about him. his head tilts a little, smiling softly over. ] Do you have any military stories to share?

[ no, cyno never half-asses anything indeed, he whole-asses everything in his life. it makes him a bit of an intense man at times, but you certainly won't meet anyone more dedicated. as for stories, though..

he frowns thoughtfully. many of his stories wouldn't be pleasant to tell, and he doesn't want to bring the mood down, but surely he has something. ]

One of my lieutenants.. she was a painter, she used to paint caricatures of everyone. She was very talented. [ he taps a finger to his chin. ] She made my scowl very prominent, said I should try to smile more.

[ he chuckles, leaning comfortably back. ]

I still have it.

[ tighnari cannot imagine there are many pleasant stories in the military, but surely there's something that has left an impression on cyno. and when he shares that something does his tail flick with interest. ]

You do tend to have a very prominent scowl. I agree that smiling more would do you some good.

[ he chuckles at that, gaze gleaming a little. ]

Really? Would you mind showing me?

[ ah yes, he should have known that tighnari would want to see it. cyno chuckles. ]

Well, I suppose since you asked so nicely..

[ cyno doesn't embarrass too easily though, so it's fine. swallowing down the remainder of his wine, cyno hefts himself off of the sofa again and meanders off into an adjacent room. there's the sound of a few things shifting around before he emerges with a small framed drawing. it's in a style similar to this, and very clearly cyno, his most prominent features exaggerated. his hair is shorter, too. ]

Here.

Aren't you kind.

[ tighnari watches him curiously, his ears twitching upright when cyno disappears into the adjacent room. exploring further and checking the whole place out is definitely tempting but the vampire stays where he is. knowing better than to wander off without permission.

he glances around for a moment until cyno makes his way back and when he sees the drawing he

immediately bursts into laughing. ]

O-Oh.

[ he's gonna need a moment here! ]

[ YEAH YEAH, laugh it up, fang boy!!

cyno frowns, then drops back down onto the sofa again with a huff, though after a moment he's smiling despite himself. he can't help it, tighnari's laughter is sweet and contagious. ]

Yes, yes.. it's very funny.

[ he says, and shakes his head. ]

Go on, get it all out.

[ laughter rings loud and clear, not bothering to try and stifle or hold back from it. though really, can he be blamed? it is a charming art style, but more so it fits cyno perfectly. a high quality gift, he thinks. ]

I- It's perfect! It looks just like you!

[ the sound continues to bubble out of his chest, a hand coming to wipe at the corner of his eyes a little as the laugh even begins to pull tears out of him.

eventually he does start to calm down, but he's still smiling so widely, giggling after. ]

Whew, it's been a while since I've laughed that hard.

[ it certainly does fit cyno. it's captured his frightening scowl quite well, though it's clear the artist also saw the soft kindness in his eyes, a little touch of warmth that betrayed the truth of the man behind that frown.

really though, cyno can't be angry when tighnari is laughing so jovially, lighting up the space around him like the summer sun. gods, but he's missed this man, missed him more than words could rightly convey; being around tighnari again.. it just feels right, feels warm, and pleasing. it makes cyno happy, even if they can never be what he truly wishes they could be.

the temptation to reach out is strong enough that cyno can't deny it - he gently swipes the corner of tighnari's eye with his thumb, wiping the tear away. ]

Well, I'm glad my face is funnier to you than any of my jokes.

[ a soft sigh escapes him once he's able to properly catch his breath, nudging a little at the hand that reaches out to him with a tilt of his head. it happens before he even realizes it - his subconscious need and desire to stay close whenever a touch comes between the two of them. even though he knows he shouldn't.

though the other man's words pull a few more chuckles out of him, his hand now brushing aside some of his own longer strands of hair. ]

I'm afraid your jokes just were never my kind of humor.

[ they were never really the kind of jokes to get any laughing out of tighnari. even though the vampire didn't react well and overly positive to them, he didn't entirely hate them. not that he'll ever tell cyno that. but cyno's jokes were always a good sign of the werewolf's good mood so, how could he ever truly hate them? ]

[ the way tighnari tilts his head into cyno's touch can't help but give him a little, foolish flicker of hope that perhaps his feelings might be reciprocated, but.. he shouldn't assume as much, he knows. tighnari is very patient with him, he thinks, very kind to accommodate cyno's affection with him, and that is the extent of it. after all, tighnari has never outright rebuked him, but..

well. he remembers the night of their kiss, remembers it well. tighnari hadn't been receptive then, and there's hardly more that cyno could do to express his feelings if a kiss hadn't been enough of a clue. tighnari isn't interested, and while that makes his heart ache, cyno respects it. he won't push. he would never push, lest he lose tighnari entirely, a fate worse than a lifetime of unrequited loneliness. he should be happy simply to have tighnari in his life to begin with, especially after so much time has passed.

still, he lingers, his thumb smoothing down the curve of tighnari's cheek. his skin is so incredibly soft, still so nicely warmed from his feed. ]

Yes, yes. I'll continue to delude myself into thinking that someday I'll find the perfect joke to make you laugh.

[ the vampire has always been careful, and will continue to be, even if he indulges in such smaller touches now and then. after all, cyno he feels has been patient to extend such gentle platonic touches. which he surmises has to boil down to a werewolf's instincts and their attachments with their packmates. clans with vampires, they are hardly one to be touchy with another, always a respectable distance and any approval met with either a shake of a hand or nod of the head.

but he has noticed it differently with werewolves. notice cyno does not seem to shy away when it comes to tighnari, and though the first time it happened it surprised him greatly - he's gotten used to it, adapted, grown warm and soft under small attention. like a man almost touch-starved. however, though he may be, he knows it is nothing to see differently. it's precisely why he has to surmise it as at most something familial coming from a jackal with no pack, something shared between two close friends. though.. could he really call them close after all this time? after the two of them drifted off, after tighnari ensured their friendship was simply a thing in the past...

one ear flicks to the side, tail twitching as he wants nothing more than to tilt his head to kiss the palm of that hand. press smaller kisses down to that wrist, lap at the skin there and - his thoughts are getting ahead of him again. he shakes his head, both to chase off that soft brush of the thumb, and the sound of cyno's words with tease. ]

Keep dreaming, my friend. Because I highly doubt there will ever come a day when that comes to be.

You break my heart.

[ someday.. someday he might think of the perfect joke!

honestly, though, tighnari isn't entirely wrong. werewolves tend to be much more affectionate with their pack than others are, touch is common, a way to express themselves, for they are social animals in the end. but of course, that isn't the only reason he loves to be affectionate with tighnari. it isn't the reason he wants to lean in, to press his mouth to tighnari's and finally learn how he tastes..

cyno's throat bobs as he swallows thickly. ]

More wine?

[ good luck on cyno's endeavor for the perfect joke.

at the question, the vampire glances over to his empty glass. he can hold his alcohol well enough, so he knows one more glass should be fine, it isn't as if he goes too crazy with his drinking like another certain vampire he knows. so, he nods, resuming leaning back on his side of the couch to prop against the armrest. ]

I can do another glass, sure. Thank you.

[ but here he is asking away question after question, and while he knows cyno is more of the type to listen and has no issue doing so, tighnari encourages him nevertheless. ]

Got anything you're curious to ask me?

[ cyno is glad that tighnari accepts, if only because it gives him a good reason to stand up, to move away for a few moments to collect himself properly. to breathe. he inhales deeply, then pushes himself to his feet, snagging both of their glasses. ]

Just a second.

[ not that tighnari would lose track of him. in this open plan space, he'll be able to see cyno even in the kitchen, as he refills both of their glasses. this time, he brings the bottle back with him, setting it onto the coffee table before handing tighnari down his glass again. for a moment, his eyes linger, distracted by just how nice tighnari looks with his hair grown out. not that he hasn't always been beautiful - ]

What am I not curious about, is the real question.

[ he says, dropping back into his seat. ]

I want to know everything you've been up to.

[ instead of allowing his gaze to drift around his surroundings again, he does watch cyno while he moves about in his kitchen. watching as the man juggles both glasses and the rest of the bottle on his way back again.

tighnari extends one hand to take hold of his own, lips quirking in a brief smile with a murmur of thanks until he brings the glass up again. a soft inhale of the wine's scent, anything to distract himself from instead the smell of cyno that has settled around him. ]

You could take example from my own questions, start with something simpler and not so grand as that.

[ because everything?? he leans back on his side of the seat, swirling the liquid within the glass. ]

Well, I won't bore you with the details of everything, otherwise we'll be here all night and I do plan on trying to get some rest tonight. [ rest is said lightly, a habit really when it regards his vampiric behavior and instincts. ] As I mentioned before, I'd been mostly traveling around for work after school was over. Had to take the opportunity to learn whatever I could. Get as much experience.

[ after all, to excel in work and rank are ways to make one's clan proud and content. not that tighnari particularly cared about the details in satisfying his extended clanmates but he wanted to at least do the minimum of leaving them out of his own hair. allow him some freedom to do what he pleases and wants. ]

Find what it is I want to do for the next coming years.

You could never bore me. I want every detail.

[ cyno's voice is warm, his expression soft - he clearly means it. tighnari could drone on for hours about his work schedule and cyno would listen raptly, hanging on every detail. of course, he won't ask that of him, but.. he would. cyno takes a long sip of wine, reclining back with one arm flung across the back of the sofa. ]

But all right.. specifics, then. Where have you traveled? What's the best travel story you have for me?

[ his eyes settle on tighnari's face, watching him with hooded eyes.

gods, he's missed him. missed him terribly, in a way that makes his chest tighten up, in a way that makes this moment feel incredibly special. whatever it takes.. he must keep tighnari in his life, he thinks. he can't allow him to get away again. ]

[ tighnari meets his gaze for a moment, and he knows cyno well enough that he means well by his words. but, even so, he would rather not ramble on for too long. especially the more boring details of work. he returns for another sip of his drink as he tries to give it some thought. ]

I've gone as far as to Mondstadt. It's not that bad of a place, it's no Sumeru but, the species growing there are certainly one of a kind.

[ the vampire pointedly keeps his gaze leveled away from cyno, knowing full well he'll get distracted by him otherwise. possibly enough to lose his train of thought. best travel story... that's difficult for him. at some point, his travels just became work, overly digging himself deeply into his research and projects. ]

I'm not sure about best.. but I do have one that was quite memorable. Our guide assigned to us for when we went out into the wild had the worst possible luck imaginable. I hear stories now and then, from acquaintances and coworkers being unlucky sometimes. But you could imagine the worst-case scenario happening, and with our guide? It would DEFINITELY happen!

Weather would be fine and clear, next thing we knew there would be a crazy enough storm that would almost blow my ears out that I couldn't possibly stay in. Or we would find a perfect example and somehow our contained fire blew out of proportion and started a small fire in the area and burned everything! You would think the man was truly and completely cursed. And I definitely mean of the supernatural kind.

[ as expected, cyno hangs on to every word, listening intently.

of course tighnari's travels involved plants - of course that would be his commentary on another nation; cyno smiles to himself, feeling warm, and soft, even when tighnari looks away, lost in thought.

at the story, however, cyno laughs, the sound light and easy, his tail thumping gently against the sofa cushions, his fangs catching in the low, warm light. just imagining tighnari's large ears turning inside out in a storm - the imagery alone was enough to tickle him. he'd seen it for himself in the past, and remembering it.. ah, what a good memory. ]

That sounds like an interesting man. I remember that storm our freshman year, when your ears blew inside out while we were walking back to the dorms..

[ hehe ]

[ the laugh does have tighnari's eyes drawing back to the man, pupils sharpening a little - he's always captivated by the sound of cyno laughing. he rarely did it when they first met, but now it's a sound so common when they're together. it's familiar, it's something he always enjoys hearing.

though that brought back memory has both of the vampire's long dark ears folding back immediately with a light scoff. ]

That storm was terrible. Had I known, I would have probably brought along ear muffs in my bag. Not that they help too much but it would have been better than my own hands.

[ a shake of his head, his ears flopping a little. ]

.. I remember you offering to rub my ears once the storm died down, to help soothe them.

[ it was a very kind offer, and one he did not expect from anyone - much less cyno, but it was.. incredibly nice. it felt good. ]

Mm.. I remember that, too.

[ he loved touching tighnari's ears, liked to take any opportunity to do so, but the night of that storm had been the first time. they hadn't been particularly close yet then, they were only classmates and roommates, toying at the idea of friendship but neither of them felt right taking that step. in many ways, that was the true beginning of their relationship, their closeness.

but ah, tighnari looks so cute when he's being crabby like that.. ]

You got me hooked, hmm? I really enjoyed touching your ears.

[ a beat, before his eyes lift to those ears again.. ]

Can I.. ?

[ tighnari recomposes with a considering hum, before being caught by surprise by that admittance. ... huh. ]

You do realize you have your own set, right?

[ though, his tone is in a clear airy tease, because it is... interesting, that he would enjoy it. his ears flick back, as if self-conscious over them being talked about.

well.. it isn't as if he really minds. cyno is anything but gentle, especially with a part of himself that's so easily sensitive. so after a moment he does sit just a slight bit closer, dipping his head slightly with ears swerving forward within reach. ]

Go for it.

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