How did they get here? It happened to fast to keep track of. As if the world was setting everything up in his favor.
"Do you... want to come back to our house after the open house? To formally meet our mother?" And who was Cyno to refuse? He found out that they moved from Gandharva Ville to Port Ormos so that Faranak could be close to them if anything ever happened while at school. It was just working out. It was all falling into place. Just like Pactsworn said it would.
And not to mention he got along with Kaveh very well. He made sure of it after the God said Kaveh was a deal breaker. And he handled everything just as told.
"So... why'd you chose Teyvat Akademiya?" Kaveh asked, staring at Cyno with a great deal of judgement.
Repeat after me, young one.
"They have one of the best criminal justice programs in the world. It was only natural. Along with fate just leading me here. It was the only place that worked for both me and my family," and the best possible future.
Kaveh tsked slightly, looking over at Tighnari who was sitting next to him, nervously shaking his leg. Was Tighnari just as nervous? They were on a lunch break currently at a rather close pizza restaurant. The only person eating though was Cyno. Then they'd be free to roam the school on their own. A huff left Kaveh's lips before he faced Cyno again, "And what's your plan with my brother? You like him?"
"Like?" Cyno said, bewildered, "No I don't like him. I love him. I knew that since the first day I laid eyes on him."
"You can't love someone you just met!" Kaveh groaned, furrowing his eyebrows in frustration, "You don't even know each other and you're talking about love? Cyno, be honest, are you just interested because you have some kind of fascination with what he is? That you just want to, I don't know, sleep with him and quell that curiosity of 'what it's like to have sex with someone who isn't human?'" Kaveh's voice was just over a whisper as he spoke to Cyno, the only ones able to hear them were the three.
Cyno couldn't help but feel a bit flustered, hearing Tighnari bicker with Kaveh, saying things like 'you can't just ask someone that.' But Cyno didn't even need to wait for Pactsworn to be able to answer that question. "Kaveh, I didn't find out about who you two were until after I made my mind up about who I want to spend the rest of my life with. And even then, I could really careless. Even now, seeing Tighnari blending in, he's just as beautiful. And just as much the one for me. I believe in fate. And fate has led me here. And fate has led me to Tighnari." He smiled gently at Tighnari, "Tighnari is my present and my future." Cyno watched a mix of emotions play on Tighnari's face. But the most prominent one was adoration.
You did well.
Cyno heard a sigh come from Kaveh, focusing back on the blonde in front of him, "Fine fine. I guess you passed the test. But," Kaveh looked over at Tighnari with accusation, "You need to tell him."
The fennec's face flared red, leaning away from Kaveh, "I'm not gonna tell him that!"
"Then I'll tell him. He needs to know. What if you change your mind?"
"I won't!"
"You say that every time."
"No I don't!"
What... were they bickering about? No matter. "I'm willing to wait, if you're not comfortable now. Whatever it is... I'm willing to be patient and wait. If it's that personal, it might be better to find a more private location." Kaveh and Tighnari looked at each other for a moment, as if silently communicating. He noticed the two did that a lot. It was kind of cute, in a way. They both nodded before Tighnari looked back at Cyno.
"Do you... want to come back to our house after the open house? To formally meet our mother?"
And that's how he found himself sitting on the couch in their living room. The three had walked there, Kaveh and Tighnari's mother... it's been so long... her name was Faranak, correct?
Indeed.
Faranak was caught up with work, so she wasn't able to pick up Kaveh and Tighnari. Kaveh said it was better that way anyways. He didn't question why. But he understood when she came home.
The door to the front opened and Kaveh muttered, "Here we go," under his breath, standing behind Cyno's spot on the couch, blocking his body, "Hey Mom! How was work?"
Faranak's eyes focused in on her son and she glared, "What did you do?" Before Kaveh could respond, she took a big sniff in the air and then glared, "Who did you bring into my house without permission?"
Kaveh chuckled awkwardly, putting his hands up in defense, "Mom. Mama. Mommy. Dearest mother of mine. Please just relax first."
"Kaveh wh-"
"Yes mom?"
"Kaveh-"
"Mom?"
"No, Kaveh-"
"Yes, mother?"
"Stop it!"
"Stop what?"
Faranak groaned, rubbing her temples and muttering, "I can not deal with this today." She finally stepped around him, finally coming face to face with Cyno. She... sighed in relief? Sitting down at a separate chair, Faranak smiled sweetly, "Hello dear. It's been a while? How are your mothers?"
She was talking to him normally? How strange. Wasn't she the one adamant about leaving when Cyno found out about them? "Good. They're coming to pick me up tomorrow since I was supposed to stay the night at the school. But Tighnari and Kaveh invited me to come over so I thought I'd just go back later tonight. But I'm sorry to intrude."
"Oh dear, don't worry at all. You can even stay the night if you'd like," she chuckled, "I'm not upset at you at all, if that's what you're worried about. I'm completely and utterly pissed at my two sons for bringing home a human without my permission." There it was. Kaveh and Tighnari both cringed in unison. "Are you two crazy? At least it was this sweetheart. But still! A warning would've been nice. If you had asked to bring Cyno home, I would've said yes."
Cyno couldn't help but break the tension with slightly laughter. Utterly relieved laughter. The focus turned back on him. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh or make light of the situation. It just... feels really good to know that you're not mad at me. I felt so guilty after having been the reason you left Sumeru City. I was scared to meet you because of it. I'm truly sorry for having done that."
Faranak glared at Tighnari, "Really, Tighnari?" She huffed as she watched her fennec son shrug. Faranak reached over, taking Cyno's hands in, "Honey I knew you were different already. After all my years of living, it's easy to sense when there is something not so human about a person. I don't know if what's inside of you is good or evil, but I know it's there," she moved one hand to Cyno's forehead, muttering something. He felt... light. Clearheaded. What did she do? "When Tighnari came home that day and told me what happened, I wasn't surprised. I wanted to talk to you and make sure everything was alright. Demons can be nasty creatures. But my son was so upset and begged us to leave. And who was I to say no to him? I apologize, because I did come into your room one night, just to check up on you and see if you were physically okay. I spoke to him. He told me to wait. That everything would fall into place. Of course, I never trusted it. Demons hide in facades of kindness and wisdom. But who was I to accuse?" She pulled away, sitting back down. "He takes a toll on your body. Just communicating with him is hard, correct?"
Cyno nodded in agreement. But at this moment, he felt... normal. Stable. "Yes. When I was young and he first took me as a host was when I was still in the orphanage. I was very young and they couldn't provide the extensive care I needed. I was lucky enough my mothers adopted me. They were able to help me and not only get me medical help, but psychological help as well. Unfortunately so, they did end up misdiagnosing me with Dissociative Identity Disorder. But, as you know, that isn't the case."
Foolish humans.
"I understand," she said with a hum, "Your body wasn't created to withstand a nonhuman entity. Say, this entity was to take control of Kaveh's body. He wouldn't have gotten as sick as you did and would probably be able to communicate with it a lot easier and let it use his body. He says he is a God, am I correct?"
"Yes. He calls himself Pactsworn Pathclearer," Cyno confirmed, receiving a strange look from Faranak. Concerned? Confused? Enlightened?
"Oh dear, if that doesn't ring any bells," she chuckled before standing to her feet, "Are you hungry dear? Let me whip up something for you. I don't cook much, but I keep food in the fridge so it doesn't look to suspicious. I should be able to make something." He was a bit hungry.
Tighnari leaned over and whispered, "She's an awful cook. Be nice about it. She gets excited and really happy when she cooks for other people." And nice he would be.
"Going on the assumption that the entity in your body is telling the truth, you are quite the important man. Has he told you everything?" She asked from afar.
Cyno thought it'd be best to get to her feet to finish the conversation, approaching the kitchen island, "I believe so. I'm to be next in line for the General Mahamatra position."
Faranak nodded, chopping up some vegetables swiftly, "It's quite an honor. The current General is a kind man even though he can be rather intimidating. I don't know him too well, but I've briefly met him after my husband had passed. I don't know how he'll react to a human being his successor. The current General Mahamatra is a Wyvern. I've never really seen how he behaves with humans, so I can't really tell you much on that topic, but I can educate you on wyvern culture and behavior."
"That would be wonderful ma'am!"
"They have two penises!" Kaveh said from afar.
"Kaveh! Watch it!" She scolded before looking back at Cyno, "Excuse my son's vulgarity. He's just like his father. And honey, just call me Faranak." She smiled sweetly to Cyno, ruffling his hair before making his plate. "Wyvern's are greedy creatures. And very territorial. But it's typically more so towards other wyverns or those they see as threats. They tend to stick with inner circles and can be a bit reclusive. That being said, I've never met a wyvern that hasn't been kind to me." She handed the plate over to Cyno, who took it. It looked... really good! Cyno grabbed his fork and excitedly dig into the meal. It was... bland. And mushy. And had a weird aftertaste.
But even so, "This is really good, Faranak. Thank you so much." At the end of the day, food is food. And now he knew what Tighnari was talking about. Faranak lit up like a candle, trying not to show her excitement too much.
"You think so?" She said, excitement bleeding through her words, "I don't cook too often since food isn't a necessity, so I'm not the best. But I do enjoy it."
"It's very good," Cyno smiled gently at her and took another bite to prove a point. She was adorable. How could he ever let her down like that?
Tighnari had approached them and Faranak gushed, "Oh baby, I like him. He's sweet and respectful. I'm glad you brought a good one home." She liked him... From the look on Tighnari's face, he knew he was feeling the same way. Elated. "But," she sighed. But? "We gotta talk about the serious stuff now. Okay?" Cyno watched Tighnari's eyebrows furrow and he nodded. "Cyno, honey, being with Tighnari won't be easy. He's a sweet boy, but he's not like you." Faranak made her way to her son, hugging him tightly, "Don't be sad, baby. You know we gotta talk about this. Which topic do you want to do first? You wanna tell him?"
They had such a loving family. Cyno watched as Tighnari leaned back against his mom for comfort as he responded with, "Probably the age first. I can tell him." She pulled away, but continued to rub her son's back soothingly. "Cyno, I am much older than you. And will continue to live much longer than you. Meaning that some day, you will die and I will continue to live. And that will be something I have to accept."
Ah.. that was not something he thought about... "I'll count every day in the afterlife then." Was... was that smooth?
Not at all.
Tighnari giggled for a moment before quickly shaking his head, "It doesn't work that way. It's nearly impossible for me to die. Meaning that if we are together, I need to accept the fact that our relationship will only be a small portion of my life." Cyno would make it the best portion then.
"Is this your way of asking me if it's okay for you to move on after I die?" To that, Cyno received another shake of his head.
Now this is where I go.
Huh?
Faranak pressed a kiss to Tighnari's head before shouting, "Kaveh. Room. Now. We need to have a talk." Kaveh's groan was heard from across the room as he trudged upstairs, Faranak close behind him. He was definitely in for it.
But that wasn't important now, "Tighnari, I'm a little confused on what you're trying to tell me." Cyno watched a conflict go on within Tighnari's head. Was he flustered? The red tint on his cheeks made him assume so. He was even more adorable this way. How could he fall more and more in love with a person.
Finally, Tighnari managed to clear his throat, taking Cyno's hand and squeezing it gently, "The Valuka Shuna are... a very odd race. We share many qualities of fennec foxes. Ears, tails, kinship. All of that. But there is one specific quality that we share that make relationships... rather hard for us to make. Especially with humans." Cyno didn't know much about fennecs, leaving him with absolutely no idea where this was going. Tighnari averted his eyes and pulled away, his internal conflict rising again. "Fennec foxes only take on one life partner. They're very particular when it comes to that. And just like the fennec fox, so do I. Meaning if I choose you as my life partner, it will only ever be you for me. Hence why... Kaveh was so particular about asking you about... um... sex..."
The pieces were slowly coming together in Cyno's head as he continued to look at Tighnari grow redder and redder. He kinda looked like a Christmas tree. "That's... that's okay. I don't need that in our relationship at all. If you don't want me to be your life partner, then I understand." Yeah... he could live without sex if it meant being with Tighnari. "Don't worry. I'll never push that boundary. If that's what you want, the consider it done."
Out of nowhere, Tighnari whimpered. Was he gonna cry? No. Instead he pulled Cyno into a hug. It was... a different type of whimper. Is this what people meant when they said consent was sexy? Did Tighnari find that attractive? He wouldn't complain. Having Tighnari pressed against him like this, feeling so warm and soft. This was a blessing. He felt the fennec's breath gently fan against his neck as a tail snaked tightly around his waist, "Cyno, I meant quite the opposite. I want more than anything for you to be my life partner. But if it were to happen, we'd have to do it soon. Very soon. Or we'll have to wait another year." Another year? What?
Then it hit him. Fennec mating season. "Wait, don't fennecs uh... m-mate... during the spring? It's fall." It's way too early. Maybe he was crazy. Maybe he just said something stupidly embarrassing.
But Tighnari confirmed it, "Yes. Forest fennecs mate in the spring. But the Valuka Shuna started as a desert species. Desert fennecs have the window between January and February. And it seems my window came a bit early. Three days before the winter." This was all happening so fast- what did Cyno do with this information? "My mother and Kaveh will be upset. They'll think I fell into my emotions a little too hard this time. But they'll get over it."
Cyno pulled away, making direct eye contact with Tighnari, "Fell too hard into your emotions? Which means you're not as clear-minded with your emotions as you typically are?" No way in hell was he going to take advantage of Tighnari. "I can wait a year. But it's too soon and I want your full lucid consent to do this. And I want to be able to ask your mother for your hand. I want to do this right." Did... Tighnari just purr?
"My mother loves you already, Cyno. You're worrying over nothing. And I'm clear headed enough to know what I want," Tighnari coaxed him, running a hand up Cyno's back. And man was it getting to him. Here was everything he waited for. Everything he's wanted and he was losing his patience. Pactsworn promised him everything would fall into place. That nothing should change the outcome of the best possible future and his desired future with Tighnari.
"Not now," Cyno said, finally starting to give in, "I want to do this the right way. Really. Not when your mother is here. Not when Kaveh is here. I want to take you on a nice date. Make you feel special. Make sure you know how much I love you."
A small whine left Tighnari's lips, "But when will that be? You're all the way in Sumeru City." Tighnari started gently nosing at Cyno's neck, nipping gently at the soft, sensitive skin.
"It's a thirty minute drive, love. I can visit frequently. And I can even pick you up and bring you there to formally meet my moms. They'll love you. I want them to meet you first too." Yes. They would do this the right way.
He felt Tighnari grow slack against him, finally giving into what Cyno wanted, "Okay... okay. I can wait a little longer." A little longer. That's all they needed.
"Just a little longer," Cyno muttered, squeezing Tighnari close to him and peppering kiss over his head.
All they ever needed was just a little longer.