Shining-nebula

He hadn't been expecting to go unnoticed with Cyno's sharp eye and senses, yet he wasn't greeted with a spear at his jugular at any point of his journey. He followed the man until he reached the café and headed in. Haitham followed.

Dressed in a cloak with only his signature jackal ear headpiece to signal it was him, Cyno sat down before pulling out something from his pocket.

Straining his eyes was a worthless effort because he realised that it was Cyno's deck of TCG cards, the leather bound box enough to make his lips curl up in half disgust half amusement. He was a classic case of a try hard.

Nonetheless, Cyno was clearly waiting for someone and he couldn't help but feel a little anticipation. It couldn't have been Tighnari since he was still tending to the sages that had been assigned to the forest, and he doubted the matra would mix their private live with Cyno.

So he watched and leant back, pulling out his book on the theory of perpetual motion only to be stopped as he flicked to his bookmarked page by the sight of someone sitting down.

His eyes went wide involuntarily. Cyno... Was meeting them?

The person sat in front of him was someone that Haitham had his fair share of run ins with, though mostly through none of his own desires. Their occupation was an author, one with mystery shrouding their name and the question on how their works so accurately depicted grisly and deplorable acts of depravity. He had once tried to read one of their murder mystery stories but it had even his stomach feeling unsettled (though he powered through it, of course).

What were they doing with Cyno?

They pushed a plate of food towards the centre of the table and Cyno glanced at it briefly. "You should know by now that food doesn't work as a distraction."

Their laughter was warm, bright eyes shining with what looked like admiration. "Who said I was trying to distract you? Can't I feed my habibi?"

Cyno's fingers curled up for a moment before he let out a small huff.

Haitham gasped out loud and ducked away the second after. Habibi?

He felt a smile grow on his lips. There were few and far between who dared to say such things to Cyno of all people and, judging from his lack of reaction, he wasn't against it.

"Are you going to play?"

"You must love losing," they said with such nonchalance that it was astounding - like Haitham was watching cats begin to breakdance. "Did you bring your best deck?"

"I did."

"Even the Land of Thunder limited edition?"

Cyno's mouth opened ever so slightly in shock. "You have that?"

"I do."

"How? It's only in Inazuma and there's 200 prints."

They stuck out their tongue at him. "I have my ways. Do you want to start or shall I?"

"You can go first."

And then they started to play the card game, an activity that had Haitham almost falling asleep in boredom. The only thing keeping him alive and awake was the increasingly disgruntled look on Cyno's face. His eye brows furrowed ever so slightly and his grip on the deck was tight.

And then Cyno groaned, slumping into his chair for a moment while his opponent had a sly smile playing on their pretty lips.

"I win, you lose."

"How do you win every time?" He asked, getting up with them as they split the last cake slice in half. "I don't understand."

"I told you, I have my ways."

"You didn't even play the Land of Thunder card."

"It's just for bragging rights." They pressed the uneaten half to his lips and Haitham almost laughed out loud when he opened his mouth ever so obediently. From jackal to a mere lapdog, it seemed. "Now, where's my reward?"

Cyno's expression was neutral as he stayed still, letting them lean in and press a soft kiss to his cheek, one that they wiped away right after with a cheeky grin.

"Same time tomorrow?" Cyno asked.

"Of course, Hababi. I'll play as many times as you want."

“What do snowmen call their offspring?”

Cyno watched as Xiao pondered his question. Confused at how that was a joke, Xiao responded.

“I do not understand-“

“Chill-dren.”

The two sat there in silence, quietly blinking at one another. Though it was only a brief moment as Cyno was the first to break the silence.

“Did you get it? It’s a play on words. The term 'children' is synonymous to the term 'offspring' however, I substituted in the word 'chill’- referring simply to the cold temperature of the snowman.”

Xiao crossed his arms and placed his hand over his mouth. He stood there, contemplating this so-called joke.

“I see.” he hummed.

Cyno’s amber eyes watched Xiao with anticipation. He hasn’t always had the best judge of humor when it came to others.

“Pretty funny, isn’t it?”

Xiao, who was once deep in thought, looked up.

“Yes, actually. I found it quite humorous.”

Cyno froze in place.

What.

“Wait…really?” he said a little louder than expected. Cyno quickly cleared his throat in attempt to hide his initial shock.

“Hm. Well in that case,” he whipped out a small book seemingly from nowhere and had flipped open to a page.

“Would you like to hear another?”

"Just came and stop by to deliver these lovely flowers to the lovely lady." Cyno says, handing you the bouquet. He was very particular to give you a more manageable size of bouquet, since the first time he gave you one it was rather... big.

The Grand Bazaar ended up using those flowers to decorate the stage for a whole week, which irritated the Akademiya quite a bit (they saw it as a donation from the General Mahamatra).

"Why thank you, Cyno. You're so sweet."

"It's your favorites. I picked them myself." He smiles with pride and you giggled and place the modest bouquet on your desk.

"They're beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you, my dear." He chuckles, taking off his helmet and pecking a kiss on your cheek. You swooned, giggling and lightly kicking your feet as he takes an empty chair and takes a seat. You've been dating Cyno for quite some time now, but it is barely what most people think.

You were both still getting to know each other and so far, most of your conversations were trivial. Work, preferences, abilities, etc. You told each other that only minimal affection would be enough; cheek kisses, hugs and friendly gestures. Though, you know Cyno wanted to escalate things sometimes, he had self-control and awareness.

You both aren't ready for anything too serious.

"So, how did the case go, Cyno?"

"Nothing too bad. Only a few years behind bars, his crime wasn't too serious anyway. However, his associates are still out there. One member out of the way does nothing to their operations." He says as you slowly and carefully take off the jewelry on your person before replacing them with casual jewelry.

"I assume you'll be on duty right now?"

"Contrary, I have some business to conduct with Alhaitham regarding the recent case. Plotting better advances and trying to catch the bandits behind the smuggling case." Cyno sighs as you nod.

"So that's why you came here to the city ahead."

"Indeed. Plus, I got a new TCG card from a bet and get to watch your new dance. The new choreography was splendid. The times you summoned those blooms and when they detonated? Synchronized and with the rhythm. I'd say you're better than Nilou."

"Oh, stop it! We're both good dancers. No need to make a tier list for us." He chuckles at your comment before you stand to change your costume. He stands up and undoes the ribbons of your dress before turning away from you as you changed.

"We might have to reschedule date night as well, I moved in my shift a little early so that I can take a day off with the holidays."

"That's fine with me. I realized I was quite busy then as well. So it's next week instead?" He nods his head as you finish changing to your casual clothes and pack your belongings.

"Alright. I'll head back home now."

"I'll escort you then, my lady." You sputter out a laugh as he looks at you with confused eyes.

"What? Isn't it how your male dance partner says it?"

"Yeah, but it sounds so funny coming for you!!"

===

"Thank you for taking me home, Cyno. I hope you find something soon." He nods before you give him a kiss on the cheek.

"I appreciate your support, but they will be caught eventually. As long as you stay in the city, you won't be harmed." He says before reciprocating the cheek kiss with a kiss to your forehead.

"Of course." You smiled as he starts walking away. You waved at him as his figure got smaller and further away. You then sighed in dismay...

It sort of made you guilty for hiding this, but you were always in danger no matter what.

You were a mercenary after all...

From ash to ash

And from dust to dust.

===

"She would never do such a thing!" Cyno denies as Alhaitham shakes his head.

"You can't be biased about this, Cyno. I know your affiliation with your dancer is important, but you have to consider the possibility. They were a new addition to the dance troupe only a week after the first incident. Don't you think that's kind of suspicious?" Alhaitham reason as Cyno shakes his head.

"But I've been to every one of her shows and brought her home for every time. And yes, I may have expended my power to having some of the matra members watch her, but they have not reported any suspicious activity on them. I vetted her well enough to know that she is definitely not associated to the bandits we're investigating." Cyno says as Alhaitham hums. To think the General Mahamatra would be fueled by such attraction, surely Cyno is better than that.

"You're biased... and emotional. Be logical for a moment and think. Don't you think they could possible be a mercenary that's active at night?" ===

You walked along the path of the desert, keeping eyes on the Seelie Courts and torches lighting up the sandy desert. The sand in your eyes didn't bother you ask much as you were simply used to it from living here every since you were a child.

And you were familiar enough to know that someone is following you.

"I know you're there! Show yourself!" You yelled out to the empty road, slowly getting dimmer as the sun sets in the distance. Your eyes scanned through the ruins and a light gust of wind.

A light step.

You turned and clashed your polearm with another and retaliate with a counter-attack, only to get locked in a draw. You met the face of your attacker, it was--.

"Cyno..." He pushes you back and points his polearm at you.

"What are you doing here, (Y/N)?" He asks in a demanding, dark tone; one he uses when he's in work or questioning his criminals. Seems like even you can be subjected to the same kind of treatment.

"Work... What else?"

"As an Eremite?" You chuckles, shaking your head.

"Of course you'd be upset."

"I wouldn't be upset if you had told me in the first place." He retorts, his form dropping as fellow matras followed him and stood their ground. Cyno sighs, raising his hand to cease before looking at you.

"What tribe?"

"I'm from Tanit, but I left and joined Dehya's squad about eight months ago." You explained curtly, not wanting to get into the details. You know he's acquainted with Dehya to an extent, she's a mutual friend so to speak. That doesn't mean you're in the clear though.

"So this is where you go off to after I drop you off at your place?" He asks in an accusing tone. You blushed at his accusation before irking your lip.

"Sometimes... Dehya's been cutting my hours because she knows I'm planning on being a full time dancer at the Grand Bazaar." That was no lie. You were desperate to leave this whole Desert to its own demise.

He walks close to you before a loud sigh escapes his lips.

"Have you ever lied about yourself to me?" Your mouth holds ajar at the question... It was no General Mahamatra asking this question, it was Cyno himself.... From the bottom of his heart.

"Never." He hummed, before looking to one of his companions.

"Do you think they're telling the truth?" The matra flinches, probably not expecting that he'd be the judge.

"Why are you--?"

"This is a case of conflict of interest. I'd be considered as bias to let them go." He says as the matra scratches the back of his head.

"There's no enough evidence to determine that." Cyno nods and looks to the other matra. The man also shakes his head, most likely agreeing to what the first matra said. Cyno could only sigh and put his hand down.

"We'll take it from here. Report to Alhaitham that the issue of suspicion has been resolved." The matras nodded before leaving Cyno and you alone.

"When we get back we're going to have a long talk." You nodded, knowing that you have to tell him the whole truth this time.

"Yes, sir."

===

"Dehya said that there would be a band here any moment now." You mumbled to yourself as you sat by the high dunes, looking down at the camp. Lo and behold, the band of smugglers were in the vicinity, but there wasn't just the run-of-the-mill Eremites.

"Fatui?" Cyno gasped, seeing a Pyro Fatui Agent and a Cicin Mage walk towards the Eremites. You took out your blow pipe and blew a dart behind a rock formation before switching places with the dart.

"Wait!" He whisper yells before he silently slides down the dune and hide by the rocks beside you.

"This is dangerous! We need to--."

"Shh!!"

"We have the files that you needed. It was quite trouble delivering this to you guys. We keep getting attacked by this flower lady. Plus we're getting tailed by the Mahamatra himself. He caught our associate just this morning." The leading Eremite says as the Cicin Mage shakes her head.

"Oh, whatever. At least we receive this, and you receive your share." She giggles before snapping her fingers. The Pyro Agent tosses a few plump bags of mora onto the ground before crossing his arms.

"Huh?! Where's the rest of it?!"

"We still require a few more things from you." The Eremites groaned in frustration before the Eremite Leader yelled.

"You liar! You said that this would be the last!! Ugh, forget it! This better be the last, otherwise we're done with you Fatuus." He grumbles as the Cicin Mage smiles.

"Splendid! The Doctor has a request... A withdrawal to copies or original copies of all studies under the name of Tighnari and.... Hat Guy." Your eyes widened. He came by sometimes to kill time or get some new books for Collei to read. His researches didn't seem like much, but to an experienced scientist like the Doctor, they were very valuable...

As for Hat Guy, you met him couple of times. He's rather coarse and blunt, but he has extensive knowledge of forgotten histories, theories of the Divine and even the truth of Celestia. Despite those topics being subjected to the label of 'conspiracy', his reasonings were beyond evident in the geography of Sumeru. The Fatui can easily fact check this and use it as a potential branch to create a new organization or even worse.... take it to reality.

"This is grounds for piracy, theft of valuable documents of the state and collaboration with a criminal association." Cyno mumbles as you nodded in agreement.

"I've been tracing them for weeks, only getting to some of their camps and returning the studies before anyone noticed their gone." Cyno blinks before looking to you.

"Is that why most of the books weren't in their respective shelves?"

". . . ." He chuckles under his breath before peering into the conversation.

"We can perhaps reach for Tighnari's copies. The man is quite open with them and isn't interested in hiding them. Even hands out some books in Gandarvaville. But Hat Guy? What--... What kind of pen name is that?"

"Whatever the case, that is all we require from you blokes." The Cicin Mage hums as the Eremites only glared at her bossy yet care-free nature.

"The deadline is next week. Same time, place and day. You know what happens if you fail."

"Yeah, you'll all be in jail."

"The General Mahamatra?! And--."

"They're the one who kept attacking the camp!!" The Leader Eremite growls as you snapped your finger, causing a dendro explosion between the group. Cyno dashes into the group and releases his burst, taking out the Fatuus with relative ease, while you captured the Eremites.

===

You dusted your hands as the matra chart the Eremites and the Fatuus away while Cyno comes out of the camp from investigates the crime scene. He crosses his arms and looks to your excited smiles before looking back at him.

"What?"

"We make a pretty good team." He says, a touch of red on his ears as you smiled at him.

"Thanks." You smiled, looking at the distant sunrise of the desert. You felt his hand slip into yours, a sigh of relief and peace escapes his lips. You slowly leaned onto his shoulder as his hand combs through your sand-ridden hair. He smiles and closes his eyes feeling all the pieces come together.

===

"See you tomorrow Dehya!!" You waves as the lioness mercenary runs back to the docks with her stash in tow. You held the files and the maps in your hand, another mission by the guild.

It was three months after the incident in the Desert. Your relationship with Cyno became stronger than ever. He sometimes helps out in the track downs just for 'fun' (but you know it's because he doesn't want you getting hurt).

The Desert didn't seem so bad after that, in fact that's where you often go whenever you finished a performance or when he finished a hard case. You both sat by the mountains overlooking Fontaine. Maybe you'll both go there for a vacation whenever Cyno's vacation comes around...

===

"So, they're part of Dehya's group... I see." Alhaitham nods before looking down at the papers underneath his books, an extensive classified file hidden under heaps and piles of other files and books.

He pulls out the classified file as it shows your face, along with your background and details... You told him the truth about four months in the relationship with Cyno. Alhaitham knows that your secret was so trivial, that it would upset him even more if you kept it.

He might as well give that nudge...

He is not angry at you and he wants you to know that

He wishes he had known sooner and blames himself for not paying enough attention to your feelings and if you had been acting different at all

He isn't the best at words and comforting so, he would be more physical in this matter if you let him

Is terrified to lose you but, he puts his feelings aside for the matter and focused on you only

You sat on the foot of your shared bed, staring with teary eyes at the fresh wounds you just created. Xiao wasn't home at the moment so, you didn't bother locking the door. You once again, put the small blade in contact with clean skin and, unexpectedly the door flung open. The first thing that Xiao's eyes land on in the blade in your hand.

He knew.

''Hey, stop!'' Those words slipped out unconsciously, startling you. You weren't going to try and hide he knew now and he can't unsee it. Realizing that he scared you, he repeats quite apologies and slowly walks to you. He puts his hand out to take the object from you, giving in, you let him take it.

''Hey... look I am not mad.'' Tears flow down your cheeks, they are unstoppable at this point. He sits on his knees in front of you and takes one of your hands in his.

''Xiao I- I am sorry.'' He shakes his head at these words and opens his arms, asking if he can hug you. You bury your head in his shoulder and he takes your trembling body in his arms and rubs gentle circles on your back, hoping that it will calm you down. From this day forward he will do anything in his power to help you see and feel how special you really are.

✧Cyno

He tries to be calmer in this situation

Gives you plenty of words of affirmation

He gives you eye contact and listens to everything you want to get off your chest

You will never leave his sight until he knows you're better

Takes really good care of you, he'll change out your bandages as needed, disinfect, and will stay home with you a lot more.

Cyno decided to surprise you by coming home early today. He arrives at your shared home and enters with a smile, ready to be greeted by you with your kisses.

But you weren't there this time.

Confused, he closes the door behind him quietly and sits on the couch, waiting for you to come out to surprise you. About 20 minutes pass and there is still no sign of you, and so, he goes to the bedroom to look for you. And to his relief you're there but, something is off. You're sitting on the floor, with your back turned to the door. Your eyes are wide. You didn't know he was coming this early.

''Doll? Are.. you alright?'' You hear him take steps towards you and you quickly slide the shinny object under in your sleeve. You turn to him with a smile.

''Cy! You're home early!'' Yeah. He wasn't buying that. You were trying too hard to look expressive.

''What are you doing?'' He doesn't sound angry but, concerned. He sits in front of you and looks down at your arms to see a light shade of crimson seeping through the fabric. You look down to see what he was looking at, as if you didn't already know.

''Roll up your sleeves, love.'' It makes you so anxious. What if gets mad? What if he thinks you're a sick freak a leaves? Though, it's not like you have much of an option so, you do as you're told. The blade slips out as you do so and you lightly hiss at the stinging pain.

He hitches his breathe a little, his heart shatters as he looks at what's in front of him. He quickly stands up and grabs a first-aid kit.

''Can I clean the wounds for you?'' He tries not to ask too many questions at the moment to make you upset. You nod your head and he begins working on the open wounds.

''Are you mad at me?'' You say quietly, also slightly embarrassed that he has to see you this way.

''I could never be angry at you for something like this.'' His words are soft and gentle. He's always been caring like this. He finishes up and puts away the kit.

you’re pretty confident in thinking that your voice wasn’t that boring, well, at least not to the greatness of making the acting grand sage alhaitham fall asleep. it was either that or the shiny new title had taken its toll on alhaitham much harder than you had anticipated. but being sure of alhaitham’s abilities, you'd doubt that your boyfriend wouldn’t let something like that beat him so easily. however, rather than dwelling on it, you put the pile of papers back down onto the table you were sitting on before settling back onto the table.

with alhaitham, defenceless under your regard, you decide to use every moment to further soak his features into your brain. his arms laying on both armrests as his head leaned off to the left. shamelessly watching from above as he bathed in the afternoon sunlight, which only seemed to enhance his glowing complexion. even after the longest time, you are still awestruck at how gorgeous and lovely he is. however, you were only able to truly appreciate this after he let go of his tight guard.

but still, there isn’t a single day you don’t remind yourself of it, not that you have to. it feels like you can’t pull your eyes away, stuck in a trance with him as your man focal point. that was, until you realise you've blown your horribly disguised cover for how sickeningly infatuated you are with him. alhaitham, now staring at you with both a surprised and an embarrassed expression on his face, his ears starting to redden before his eyes close again.

pulling yourself out of your daze, you slowly bring your hand to his cheek, softly caressing it. his skin soft as you feel your lover lean into your touch. dragging your thumb across his face as you watch his eyelashes fluttering, his eyes still shut. you notice a small smile sprawled across his lips, the upwards tug on alhaitham’s lips becoming apparent.

“i know you’re awake, pretty boy,” you tease, using your fingertips to gently move his hair covering his eyes.

alhaitham chuckles as he opens his eyes, crimson red and green, gazing into you. you look at him as he places his hand on top of yours, caging your hand on his face. the action feeling both needy and almost desperate. your boyfriend laughing inwardly before looking you in the eyes.

“let me indulge for a bit longer, just this once, habibti.”

❈ CYNO

the title ‘general mahamatra’ is a hefty title to uphold, many become overwhelmed by the responsibility, therefore, avoiding the title as a goal. yet cyno maintains it, and he does it well. so much so that it occasionally stresses you that your boyfriend doesn’t rest enough and might become overworked. albeit, a habit to visit him while he's working just to make sure he's okay. so when you come across him fast asleep in his office, you can’t help but sigh in relief, glad he’s resting up for once. sumeru’s general mahamatra deserves to slack off every once and a while, no? this is deeming that he does a vast majority of sumeru’s upkeeping.

quickly and quietly, you slip through the small gap between the wall and the door, the door slightly squeaking as it brushes against your chest before you get through. you sigh once you're inside and swiftly shut the door to cyno's office. observing your, your view the few nicely potted plants and the tall bookshelves in the back with hundreds of untouched books. and the centrepiece to complete; cyno’s desk, with him, slouched in his chair, arms crossed and his hat still on.

you don’t understand why the akademiya even bothered giving him an office. cyno is supposed outside for almost all of the day, the exception being when he comes back to report things that have happened throughout his duties. he enjoys being outdoors and in action. him, being inside the office defeats the purpose of being a matra. although it is a good place to cool down when the time is presented.

speaking of which, you’re feeling a bit brave today, enough so that you’ve chosen to approach the unconscious general. your body shifting around objects until you're behind his desk, standing beside his figure. keeping a close eye on him in case of any sign of consciousness.

unsurprisingly and one would debate, fortunately(me), you got distracted, your boyfriend being the distractant. spacing out, your only focus was cyno’s sleeping figure whose body moved up and down as he breathed. his lightly tanned skin putting you in a trance, remembering how you reminded him to moisturise for the thousandth time. and his sweet, sweet-toned abs that others swoon over while you are fortuitous enough to rest your head on every night whenever you two are home together relaxing.

it was only after a good five minutes of just marvelling at his abs do you decide to do the next big thing. take off his hat. the hat which was ever so kindly shadowing his facial features. slowly reaching out with your hand, grasping the thing in your hand before gently lifting off your boyfriend's hat.

“boo.”

cyno blatantly said, his monotone voice echoing off the patterned walls as well as your scream. his hat was surprisingly nowhere to be seen as it bounced onto the ground.

“archons, i think i died for a second. baby, that wasn’t funny,” you exclaimed.

“it was pretty funny,” he smiled, biting back a laugh.

“was not,” you mumbled, his arms welcoming you as you fell into his touch.

❈ KAVEH

you were just returning from work, the sun already setting as you arrived at your doorstep. today had been particularly tiring. while there was no problem at hand, your energy levels seemed unusually low. the only thing motivating you to finish well was your desire to go home, have a nice dinner and snuggle in bed with your boyfriend, kaveh, who often stays the night even if he didn’t get locked out of his shared home. even so, you found the man knocking at your door almost every two days, his keys suspiciously disappearing every time.

as this occurrence became a near routine, you decided to give kaveh the spare set of keys to your place. hoping that he would let himself in when you would work late and generally when you weren't available. although, when you first proposed the idea he was far from with it, saying he'll lose the keys like he does his own. it’s only when you dropped it in his hand, closed it up and held it promising to him that you wanted him to have it did he hesitantly agree.

and it's true, you do trust him, you've trusted him more than you ever have with someone. you trust him with the key to your home, not only because you love him but because your boyfriend has a kind heart. the kindest you've come to know and you couldn't dream of kaveh doing something to break your faith in him. besides, the interior of your home has never looked better, and it still feels like home despite the altercations.(fr)

speaking of which, you let out a loud sigh as you shut the front door behind you. kicking off your shoes as you announce your presence. however, you get no response. placing your things down, yelling out your lover's name this time, quietly listening for any signs of kaveh being here. but again nothing, making you think that you've been talking to the house the entire time instead of a person.

still not convinced, you search through all the rooms of your house until you catch a glimpse of blonde hair through the gap between the bedroom door. your eyes lighting up as you quickly walk closer, pushing the door open and walking in to see him sleeping sprawled out on top of the bedsheets. his back facing you as soft breathing filled your ears.

you've come to feel relieved whenever you see kaveh, his presence alone is enough to make your body relax naturally. your body unconsciously moves closer to him when he's nearby. you sigh as you sit beside his figure, the mattress sinking under your weight and the sheets rustling as your hands explore, eventually reaching his exposed back.

since the start of the relationship, you've gained a habit of running your hands across kaveh's skin, tracing shapes and letters into it. constantly drawing random words and shapes into any body part of his you had access to, obviously, if he let you. occasionally peppering kissing on the area as you doodle to your heart's content. as for this instance, your eye caught sight of his open back seeing as the perfect opportunity to trace the shoulder blade and draw little basic shapes.

kaveh secretly loves it. he loves that you make him feel special with your undivided attention solely on him, a smile appearing on his lips as he's under your gaze. he loves the drag of your fingertips against his skin, the warm touch calming him down. kaveh loves you as you draw stars into his sensitive skin, unbeknownst to the fact that he's awake as you whispering "i love you"s under your breath, loving that you secretly pine over him too.

❈ TIGHNARI

tighnari had been particularly worried about a certain deadline he had to meet. while he often does lectures at the akademiya, this specific class he’s been taking lectures for, hasn't been absorbing the lecture’s content as well as anticipated. thus, his need to edit the coursework in a way the amurta students would both understand and fascinate them.

although, you wouldn't imagine your boyfriend being so concerned. perhaps it's due to the lack of idea of how to teach or that the new method mightn't work either, yet he can’t seem to let it rest. sure, it is normal for professors to worry a healthy amount about their students’ studies yet he almost seems obsessed with it. it's the only thing that has come out of his mouth all week.

even as you two are doing reports of the forest’s impending health, he avoids talking about anything but the upcoming lecture. oh? you’re trying to fill out some unfinished paperwork—tighnari is talking his head off about the plans he has. even when you finally think that you'll be free of his chattering the man still manages to mention it when the two of you are lying in bed.

while you do enjoy listening to your boyfriend’s most obscure ramblings you'd very rarely hold him against it's becoming more than something he's interested in. observing it now, it's now borderline obsessive. so much so that you've decided to put some distance between the two of you for now, opting to take another forest ranger’s patrol of the forest. this was in hopes that it would help you clear your mind and start a new leaf before speaking to your lover again.

taking a deep, much-needed deep breath fills your lungs, letting your cheeks puff up before exhaling slowly. you shake your hands at your sides which seemed to be a nervous habit, and then push aside the leafy doors, calling out his name to announce your presence. however, to your surprise, you soon find him sound asleep, using a stack of papers as a pillow.

you gazed at him as his dark, silky locks of hair shined in the sun, his unreasonably, pale porcelain skin giving him a natural glow. the sight stopping you in your tracks for a few minutes just to admire his utterly cute face. yet the position tighnari was sitting in and the way your boyfriend was leaning over the desk seemed far from beneficial to both his posture and neck.

“nari, my love.” you hummed as you walked to his side.

you could only watch as your lover’s fluffy ears twitched in your direction due to the sweetness in your tone. yet you only hear a grumble and some squirming in his seat from the man.

“come on, hun.” you whisper as your left hand travels to his shoulder, your thumb rubbing back and forth into his skin.

tighnari lifts his head this time, his eyes barely open, hair sticking to his face and forehead only to see you looking with your gentle gaze he can never say no to.

“what time is it?” the man asks, rubbing his eyes and looking around.

your partner’s ears perk up when you giggle, smiling as he listens to your angelic voice, the sound always hitting his ears in the best way imaginable. his eyes lighting up and sparkling as soon as sees you smile.

“its afternoon now.” you reply, feeling him nuzzle into your touch when you run your free hand through his hair.

“why did you leave me for so long?”

“oh you know why.”

do not copy or repost any of my works.

you’re pretty confident in thinking that your voice wasn’t that boring, well, at least not to the greatness of making the acting grand sage alhaitham fall asleep. it was either that or the shiny new title had taken its toll on alhaitham much harder than you had anticipated. but being sure of alhaitham’s abilities, you'd doubt that your boyfriend wouldn’t let something like that beat him so easily. however, rather than dwelling on it, you put the pile of papers back down onto the table you were sitting on before settling back onto the table.

with alhaitham, defenceless under your regard, you decide to use every moment to further soak his features into your brain. his arms laying on both armrests as his head leaned off to the left. shamelessly watching from above as he bathed in the afternoon sunlight, which only seemed to enhance his glowing complexion. even after the longest time, you are still awestruck at how gorgeous and lovely he is. however, you were only able to truly appreciate this after he let go of his tight guard.

but still, there isn’t a single day you don’t remind yourself of it, not that you have to. it feels like you can’t pull your eyes away, stuck in a trance with him as your man focal point. that was, until you realise you've blown your horribly disguised cover for how sickeningly infatuated you are with him. alhaitham, now staring at you with both a surprised and an embarrassed expression on his face, his ears starting to redden before his eyes close again.

pulling yourself out of your daze, you slowly bring your hand to his cheek, softly caressing it. his skin soft as you feel your lover lean into your touch. dragging your thumb across his face as you watch his eyelashes fluttering, his eyes still shut. you notice a small smile sprawled across his lips, the upwards tug on alhaitham’s lips becoming apparent.

“i know you’re awake, pretty boy,” you tease, using your fingertips to gently move his hair covering his eyes.

alhaitham chuckles as he opens his eyes, crimson red and green, gazing into you. you look at him as he places his hand on top of yours, caging your hand on his face. the action feeling both needy and almost desperate. your boyfriend laughing inwardly before looking you in the eyes.

“let me indulge for a bit longer, just this once, habibti.”

❈ CYNO

the title ‘general mahamatra’ is a hefty title to uphold, many become overwhelmed by the responsibility, therefore, avoiding the title as a goal. yet cyno maintains it, and he does it well. so much so that it occasionally stresses you that your boyfriend doesn’t rest enough and might become overworked. albeit, a habit to visit him while he's working just to make sure he's okay. so when you come across him fast asleep in his office, you can’t help but sigh in relief, glad he’s resting up for once. sumeru’s general mahamatra deserves to slack off every once and a while, no? this is deeming that he does a vast majority of sumeru’s upkeeping.

quickly and quietly, you slip through the small gap between the wall and the door, the door slightly squeaking as it brushes against your chest before you get through. you sigh once you're inside and swiftly shut the door to cyno's office. observing your, your view the few nicely potted plants and the tall bookshelves in the back with hundreds of untouched books. and the centrepiece to complete; cyno’s desk, with him, slouched in his chair, arms crossed and his hat still on.

you don’t understand why the akademiya even bothered giving him an office. cyno is supposed outside for almost all of the day, the exception being when he comes back to report things that have happened throughout his duties. he enjoys being outdoors and in action. him, being inside the office defeats the purpose of being a matra. although it is a good place to cool down when the time is presented.

speaking of which, you’re feeling a bit brave today, enough so that you’ve chosen to approach the unconscious general. your body shifting around objects until you're behind his desk, standing beside his figure. keeping a close eye on him in case of any sign of consciousness.

unsurprisingly and one would debate, fortunately(me), you got distracted, your boyfriend being the distractant. spacing out, your only focus was cyno’s sleeping figure whose body moved up and down as he breathed. his lightly tanned skin putting you in a trance, remembering how you reminded him to moisturise for the thousandth time. and his sweet, sweet-toned abs that others swoon over while you are fortuitous enough to rest your head on every night whenever you two are home together relaxing.

it was only after a good five minutes of just marvelling at his abs do you decide to do the next big thing. take off his hat. the hat which was ever so kindly shadowing his facial features. slowly reaching out with your hand, grasping the thing in your hand before gently lifting off your boyfriend's hat.

“boo.”

cyno blatantly said, his monotone voice echoing off the patterned walls as well as your scream. his hat was surprisingly nowhere to be seen as it bounced onto the ground.

“archons, i think i died for a second. baby, that wasn’t funny,” you exclaimed.

“it was pretty funny,” he smiled, biting back a laugh.

“was not,” you mumbled, his arms welcoming you as you fell into his touch.

❈ KAVEH

you were just returning from work, the sun already setting as you arrived at your doorstep. today had been particularly tiring. while there was no problem at hand, your energy levels seemed unusually low. the only thing motivating you to finish well was your desire to go home, have a nice dinner and snuggle in bed with your boyfriend, kaveh, who often stays the night even if he didn’t get locked out of his shared home. even so, you found the man knocking at your door almost every two days, his keys suspiciously disappearing every time.

as this occurrence became a near routine, you decided to give kaveh the spare set of keys to your place. hoping that he would let himself in when you would work late and generally when you weren't available. although, when you first proposed the idea he was far from with it, saying he'll lose the keys like he does his own. it’s only when you dropped it in his hand, closed it up and held it promising to him that you wanted him to have it did he hesitantly agree.

and it's true, you do trust him, you've trusted him more than you ever have with someone. you trust him with the key to your home, not only because you love him but because your boyfriend has a kind heart. the kindest you've come to know and you couldn't dream of kaveh doing something to break your faith in him. besides, the interior of your home has never looked better, and it still feels like home despite the altercations.(fr)

speaking of which, you let out a loud sigh as you shut the front door behind you. kicking off your shoes as you announce your presence. however, you get no response. placing your things down, yelling out your lover's name this time, quietly listening for any signs of kaveh being here. but again nothing, making you think that you've been talking to the house the entire time instead of a person.

still not convinced, you search through all the rooms of your house until you catch a glimpse of blonde hair through the gap between the bedroom door. your eyes lighting up as you quickly walk closer, pushing the door open and walking in to see him sleeping sprawled out on top of the bedsheets. his back facing you as soft breathing filled your ears.

you've come to feel relieved whenever you see kaveh, his presence alone is enough to make your body relax naturally. your body unconsciously moves closer to him when he's nearby. you sigh as you sit beside his figure, the mattress sinking under your weight and the sheets rustling as your hands explore, eventually reaching his exposed back.

since the start of the relationship, you've gained a habit of running your hands across kaveh's skin, tracing shapes and letters into it. constantly drawing random words and shapes into any body part of his you had access to, obviously, if he let you. occasionally peppering kissing on the area as you doodle to your heart's content. as for this instance, your eye caught sight of his open back seeing as the perfect opportunity to trace the shoulder blade and draw little basic shapes.

kaveh secretly loves it. he loves that you make him feel special with your undivided attention solely on him, a smile appearing on his lips as he's under your gaze. he loves the drag of your fingertips against his skin, the warm touch calming him down. kaveh loves you as you draw stars into his sensitive skin, unbeknownst to the fact that he's awake as you whispering "i love you"s under your breath, loving that you secretly pine over him too.

❈ TIGHNARI

tighnari had been particularly worried about a certain deadline he had to meet. while he often does lectures at the akademiya, this specific class he’s been taking lectures for, hasn't been absorbing the lecture’s content as well as anticipated. thus, his need to edit the coursework in a way the amurta students would both understand and fascinate them.

although, you wouldn't imagine your boyfriend being so concerned. perhaps it's due to the lack of idea of how to teach or that the new method mightn't work either, yet he can’t seem to let it rest. sure, it is normal for professors to worry a healthy amount about their students’ studies yet he almost seems obsessed with it. it's the only thing that has come out of his mouth all week.

even as you two are doing reports of the forest’s impending health, he avoids talking about anything but the upcoming lecture. oh? you’re trying to fill out some unfinished paperwork—tighnari is talking his head off about the plans he has. even when you finally think that you'll be free of his chattering the man still manages to mention it when the two of you are lying in bed.

while you do enjoy listening to your boyfriend’s most obscure ramblings you'd very rarely hold him against it's becoming more than something he's interested in. observing it now, it's now borderline obsessive. so much so that you've decided to put some distance between the two of you for now, opting to take another forest ranger’s patrol of the forest. this was in hopes that it would help you clear your mind and start a new leaf before speaking to your lover again.

taking a deep, much-needed deep breath fills your lungs, letting your cheeks puff up before exhaling slowly. you shake your hands at your sides which seemed to be a nervous habit, and then push aside the leafy doors, calling out his name to announce your presence. however, to your surprise, you soon find him sound asleep, using a stack of papers as a pillow.

you gazed at him as his dark, silky locks of hair shined in the sun, his unreasonably, pale porcelain skin giving him a natural glow. the sight stopping you in your tracks for a few minutes just to admire his utterly cute face. yet the position tighnari was sitting in and the way your boyfriend was leaning over the desk seemed far from beneficial to both his posture and neck.

“nari, my love.” you hummed as you walked to his side.

you could only watch as your lover’s fluffy ears twitched in your direction due to the sweetness in your tone. yet you only hear a grumble and some squirming in his seat from the man.

“come on, hun.” you whisper as your left hand travels to his shoulder, your thumb rubbing back and forth into his skin.

tighnari lifts his head this time, his eyes barely open, hair sticking to his face and forehead only to see you looking with your gentle gaze he can never say no to.

“what time is it?” the man asks, rubbing his eyes and looking around.

your partner’s ears perk up when you giggle, smiling as he listens to your angelic voice, the sound always hitting his ears in the best way imaginable. his eyes lighting up and sparkling as soon as sees you smile.

“its afternoon now.” you reply, feeling him nuzzle into your touch when you run your free hand through his hair.

“why did you leave me for so long?”

“oh you know why.”

do not copy or repost any of my works.