Cynari

Genius Invocation TCG

"Why did I even ask..." He groaned. Kaveh just smirked, wrapped his arms around Alhaitham and kissed his neck. 

~

Hours passed and the clock finally ticked to 6:45. Tighnari breathed in deeply, and pulled out his  phone to text the group chat he was in with Cyno, Alhaitham, and Kaveh.

(Over text:)

Tighnari--Hey are you guys ready for TCG

Kaveh--yea

Alhaitham--Yes. Lambad's Tavern, correct?

Cyno--Yeah. Prepare to lose Nari >:)

Tighnari--Yeah yeah stfu

Alhaitham--You two have such a weird dynamic. Anyways, Kaveh and I will see you soon.

Cyno--Bye

Tighnari--Byeee :p

(End of text)

Tighnari changed into more attractive clothing, in hopes that a drunk Cyno might want to make a move. 

~

Cyno POV

I exit my home, covering my eyes with my hand because of the sun's glare. I keep my face calm, but I feel weird and nervous on the inside. I'd met many girls in my life; it seemed like I was some weird desert magnet. And I wasn't a 'player' of any sort, but I've experienced sex more than once. I knew what it felt like. It felt secure. But recently, I felt differently towards Nari. He's not like those girls. He's so beautiful, and special, and...goddamnit. 

I'm in love with my best friend.

I shake my head, clearing my mind. I can't let him distract me. Because if I get drunk, all hell will go loose. And damn, if Nari doesn't like me back, I'll kill myself. I'm like a human lie detector. And either he's a secret pro actor, or he liked me as well. I shrug, and just assume the latter is true. Despite how cold I act, similarly to Al; we are actually hopeless romantics on the inside. 

I keep walking towards the tavern, before spotting Nari outside waiting for me. I wave and smile, as he notices me. 

"Hey!" He says brightly when he sees me.

"Hello, Nari. Ready to lose?" I smirk and elbow-bump him playfully. He simply elbows me back and replies, "Hah, no. Tell me that again when you're sobbing in the corner because you lost!" 

"Cocky much?" I ask. He shakes his head 'no'.

"I'm not being cocky, Cy. I'm being optimistic." Tighnari says. 

"You've never called me 'Cy' before." I say, tilting my head a bit. Nari immediately blushes and looks away.

"W-would you prefer if I just called you Cyno? Or just 'No'? Haha." He asks me. 

"It's ok, you can call me Cy if you want, I guess. It's just...new." I reply. I have a strong urge to say: 'but you can call me yours', but I don't. I make awful jokes, but I know when to shut the hell up too.

~

Alhaitham POV

A thoroughly tired Kaveh and I walk together towards the tavern, holding hands. I see Tighnari and Cyno talking together, and smile to myself a bit. 

"Hello, you two." I say dryly. That's just how I am: straightforward. I don't feel a real need for small talk or random, pointless add-ons to a conversation. That, and my voice is pretty much gone from what Kaveh and I had been doing earlier. Cyno nods in our direction and waves us into the bar.

"What took you so l--" Cyno began to ask, but quickly realized and stopped himself.

"...Nevermind." He finished. Kaveh looks at me and stifles a laugh. I smile at him and kiss his cheek. 

We get weird looks from the other tavern guests and I quickly let go of Kaveh's hand. I give him an apologetic smile. Sumeru is a relatively progressive city, but there are homophobes wherever you go, honestly. Once we got inside our own reserved room, I went back to holding his hand. 

Spectator POV

The four sat down and Cyno pulled out his deck of cards, and the others did the same. He cleared his throat and started the game. 

"Roll your dice everyone." Cyno said. Kaveh rolled first and clawed at his face in frustration.

"FUCK! None of these are my elem--Ahem, I mean, I got a great roll!" He said, voice turning from anger to excitement. Alhaitham smirked and grabbed the dice from Kaveh, showing no expression as he jotted down the results.

The other two rolled until the game was ready to start. 

~

It was clear very early in the night that not only was Kaveh losing miserably, but there was tension growing between Tighnari and Cyno. Both had gone through more than one drink minimum, but one was acting way more drunk than the other. 

~

Tighnari equipped one of his cards with a weapon, but was instantly defeated with Cyno's cards. He clawed his nails into his thighs, but from under the table Cyno grabbed his hand and squeezed it. 

Alhaitham, being the only sober one there, was catching on easily, but decided not to intervene with whatever the fuck those two were doing. 

Cyno had never really come across as gay, or even bi. Really, he seemed aro/ace if anything. Tighnari seemed to be uninterested in romance, and more in his studies, but with Cyno he lost all interest in literally anything else. Sure best friends can get really close physically and share a lot of personal information, but the two seemed a bit more than that. 

~

Kaveh was slumped over, his grip on his cards loosening. He was on the verge of being completely passed out from drinking, but Alhaitham was motivated to keep him awake. He rested his hand on Kaveh's thigh, and rubbed it a bit. Kaveh immediately jerked awake. 

"W-what's happening?" He asked, slurring his words. Alhaitham propped his head up.

"TCG, that's what. If you're actually really tired, we can finish up and go back home." Alhaitham replied. Kaveh shook his head no. 

"Nah, I can stay here for another round...." He said. Alhaitham shot a look to Tighnari and Cyno, wordlessly telling them to finish the game asap.

 ~

After a grueling five more minutes, the game was over. Cyno won, because of course he did. Tighnari was still pissed, but Cyno just held his hand to keep him from abusing his legs. 

Alhaitham stood up and helped Kaveh stand as well. 

"We're going now. Kaveh seems to be completely out of it and it's best I let him rest." Alhaitham said, waving the two goodbye. 

"I think Cyno and I will keep playing a bit more," Tighnari said, looking over at Cyno. He nodded.

"Yeahhhhhh! See you *hic* later, Alhaithammmm.." He said. 

Kaveh and Alhaitham exited the room leaving just Cyno and Tighnari alone together.