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Cyno’s pace was slow. Deliberate.
He didn’t allow a single thread of emotion to show outwardly even as he felt excitement rolling in his veins.
He walked with ease and confidence down a familiar path in the Akademiya. When the familiar door finally came into sight, he didn’t allow even a second’s worth of hesitation before knocking.
The call to come in came with a small amount of relief that Alhaitham hadn’t escaped back to his home yet. Cyno had taken the shortest route back to the city after his latest mission, however, he still cut it close with office hours soon to end.
Reigning in his relief to sit alongside the excitement, he made sure to push open the door with the same familiarity as always.
Alhaitham glanced up from his desk with a bored look, likely fully intending to only grant his visitor half of his attention while continuing his work with the rest. To Cyno’s immense satisfaction, however, the bored look transitioned into something much more akin to pleased surprise as he registered Cyno as the one entering the room.
“Hello,” Cyno greeted, “I’ve returned,” he said with a small smile.
Alhaitham offered a small one of his own in response, “So you have. Everything went well?”
Cyno hummed, feeling the way the question left him warm all over, warm enough to finally ease out of the stiff posture of his job and into something more relaxed.
Something happier.
“Yes. There were no issues,” he replied.
“As expected of our capable General Mahamatra,” Alhaitham said, with a nod. “So is there anything I can do for you? Or am I being treated to a rare personal visit?”
Cyno felt the urge to shift a bit at the question but kept himself steady.
“Just a personal visit this time,” he confirmed.
He resisted every urge to fidget or flee or get closer as he said it because - as he kept reminding himself - this was normal . There was no reason he shouldn’t visit his partner after being away for the past few days.
It only felt a little odd to visit because he’d never done it before.
But he’d only never done it because they’d only started dating a few days before he left on the mission he had just returned from. So he felt a little out of depth and a bit nervous that Alhaitham might not appreciate an impromptu interruption but he made sure to keep it together because he wanted this to work.
He’d missed Alhaitham. Missed him just as much as he had before they’d entered a relationship but now he could DO something about it so Archons above he was going to. Even if it turned out a little awkward or weird, Cyno would push through it because seeing Alhaitham was both a worthwhile cause and one that he now - with their new relationship - had all the reason to fight for.
Still, he braced himself for Alhaitham’s response. In case it was too awkward or too much too soon or just strange or-
“I see. I’m glad you took the time to come see me, your mission was long,” Alhaitham told him as he slumped into a more relaxed lean on his desk.
Cyno blinked and, finally, allowed just the smallest breath of relief to escape and crack the stiff mask he’d maintained since deciding on this visit.
“It was only a few days but…yes. It felt long,” he agreed.
Alhaitham looked pleased enough at that so Cyno figured he’d said something right.
“I brought something back for you,” he blurted out before any other conversations could start up.
“Oh?” Alhaitham asked, his whole body practically lighting up with curiosity as he eyed Cyno.
“Yes,” Cyno said as he made his way closer to the desk.
He was acutely aware of the way his embarrassment was probably obvious on his face and in the way he moved, but he didn’t bother to go through the effort of trying to hide it. There was no point with just the two of them in the room.
“It’s- ah, well it isn’t much though,” Cyno warned as he dug through the pockets of his cloak.
The statement didn’t seem to deter Alhaitham in the least as he leaned just the slightest bit further over the desk when Cyno approached. Cyno thought that the proximity should probably make him more nervous but instead, Alhaitham being within arm’s reach only seemed to further calm him down.
His fist closed around the object he was looking for and he pulled it out and held it to himself for a moment as he examined Alhaitham’s face.
He looked well. Looked the same as always really. Though Cyno was sure he also seemed just a bit happier than usual.
Cyno smiled at him and held his fist out.
Alhaitham’s eyebrows rose but he didn’t hesitate to stretch out his own hand, palm up to Cyno to place his gift into.
Cyno gave it with ease and pulled his hand back, still a little nervous and embarrassed but mostly just content to watch.
There was no frown or disappointment, in fact, Alhaitham simply just looked more curious as he examined the object in his hand.
“A rock?” He asked.
Cyno nodded.
Alhaitham turned it over and over again, examining every part of it.
“Why this one?” He asked curiously as he continued looking it over.
“I picked it up while resting by the river on my way back. It was just something I grabbed to fiddle with while I took a break,” Cyno explained, his hands landed on the edge of Alhaitham’s desk picking a bit absentmindedly at the worn wood.
“I stayed there for a long while and when I was preparing to leave I realized that I’d spent most of my time there thinking about you.”
Alhaitham looked up at him at that.
“So you brought it back for me?”
Cyno nodded.
“I know you said my job won’t bother you but just in case you ever needed one, I thought I could still give you that to help you remember that I still think of you even when I’m away.”
Cyno’s eyes moved away from Alhaitham’s and to the desk as he spoke. He wondered again if Alhaitham would find it presumptuous. If he’d be offended at the idea that he might need or want something like a random rock to remember that Cyno cared for him.
“Oh,” Alhaitham said.
His tone made Cyno look back up and he found Alhaitham turning the rock over in his hand once more as he looked it over, eyes a bit wide.
“Thank you,” he said, closing his hands around it and looking back at Cyno.
“Oh,” Cyno replied dumbly, “You like it.”
“Yes,” Alhaitham agreed immediately, nodding along as if to further enforce the point.
“I said I’m not bothered that your job takes you out of the city so often and that’s true but I never said that I wouldn’t miss you. Knowing you’re going through something similar puts me at ease,” Alhaitham said, looking down at the object in his hands.
“I like this gift,” he reiterated, looking back up, “And your reasoning for it. Leave it to the General Mahamatra to provide rock-solid evidence of his care,” Alhaitham said with a small mischievous smile.
Cyno gaped a bit at him.
“That was a good one. I’m almost disappointed that I didn’t think of it myself.”
“I’m sure you had other things on your mind,” Alhaitham reassured knowingly, likely seeing right through him and the nerves that had accompanied him the whole way to Alhaitham’s office.
Cyno hummed noncommittally as he mirrored Alhaitham and slumped a bit onto the desk. He reached out to gently pull Alhaitham’s hands towards him so he could look over the rock again as well.
“Well I have always been good at gathering evidence,” he noted thoughtfully, his own hands squeezing a bit at Alhaitham’s.
“I can always bring back more. If you’d like,” he offered, making sure to catch Alhaitham’s eye as he did.
“I’d like anything you care to bring me,” Alhaitham told him plainly, nothing but certainty in his tone.
Somehow it felt almost like a promise.
Cyno basked in the feeling of it as he brought Alhaitham’s hands closer to place a kiss on them.
Alhaitham gave a pleased hum in response.
“Welcome back, Cyno.”
And Cyno, more so than usual, was very thankful to be back.
---
He didn’t find himself in Alhaitham’s office again until a week later when he was picking Alhaitham up for a lunch date.
“I’ll be just a moment,” Alhaitham muttered, as he moved to lock up some documents and grab all of his things.
Cyno watched patiently, his eyes drifting across Alhaitham’s desk when he spotted it.
The desk, always littered with papers and pens, had one small, clear spot right at the head of it. Easy for both Alhaitham and even any visitors he might have to see.
And in that singular spot of calm in the middle of Alhaitham’s space, enshrined as if it meant something sat the innocuous rock that Cyno had mindlessly plucked from the river last week.
Cyno’s face felt as if it was on fire as he stared at the rock and its proud display.
“Ready to go?” Alhaitham asked easily, stretching a bit as he made his way to Cyno.
Cyno just barely managed to pull himself together enough to respond.
“Yes,” he said, though he didn’t bother moving to leave yet.
“You…should come over for dinner tonight too,” he added.
Alhaitham snorted as he looked up at him.
“We haven’t even gone on this date and you’re already planning for the next one?” He asked.
Cyno let out a breath as he grabbed at Alhaitham’s hand to begin leading them out of the room.
“I just- feel like I want to see you a lot today.”
Alhaitham hummed, his thumb rubbing circles into Cyno’s hand.
“I see. We’ll consider it a date then. For now and later that is.”
“Perfect,” Cyno nodded, already wondering if he should try to plan a date for breakfast the next day as well.
***
“You’re as difficult to track down as ever,” Cyno commented as he sat down on the bench on the outskirts of the Akademiya next to Alhaitham.
Alhaitham looked up from his book to blink at Cyno.
“And you’re as adept at finding me as ever,” he replied, hand reaching up to fiddle with his headphones.
Cyno watched, belatedly glad that Alhaitham hadn’t had his full noise canceling on and rendered his carefully planned entrance for naught.
“Welcome back,” Alhaitham offered.
“Thank you. I’m happy to be back. I missed you,” Cyno replied easily.
Alhaitham shifted so that their shoulders were pressed together.
“I missed you as well. Meetings are more boring when you aren’t there.”
Cyno snorted a bit at that, allowing himself to soak in Alhaitham’s presence and the warmth of where they touched.
Eventually, he allowed his forehead to flop onto Alhaitham’s shoulder, a sigh involuntarily coming out as he did.
“What is it?” Alhaitham asked, “Tired?”
His hand had tentatively come up to stroke at Cyno’s hair and Cyno felt a bit bad for making him worry.
“No, no it’s nothing like that. I just…I brought something for you again.”
He could feel the way Alhaitham perked up slightly at that, the way he set aside his book and turned further into Cyno. Cyno’s stomach rolled anxiously.
“Don’t get too excited. It’s- well it’s worse than last time.”
He could practically hear the frown in Alhaitham’s voice as he replied, “I liked last time.”
Which was true. The rock still sat proudly on Alhaitham’s desk and still made Cyno feel the same sticky all-consuming affection for him every time he saw it.
“Yes…but-” Cyno cut himself off with another sigh, “It would probably be easier just to show you,” he said reluctantly as he sat up to rummage carefully through the pack that was at his feet.
He’d left the item near the top in the hope of preventing further damage, but he wasn’t hopeful for how intact it would be. He grabbed the cloth he’d wrapped it in carefully and placed it into Alhaitham’s waiting hands with a bit of shame.
Before Alhaitham could try to catch his eye, he let his head fall back onto Alhaitham’s shoulder, refusing to watch and see how badly his gift had deteriorated since he last saw it.
Alhaitham was still and silent for a moment before unwrapping it and Cyno appreciated the lack of questioning. He could feel each movement made to remove the cloth. They were gentle, careful - miming Cyno before he even knew why and Cyno loved him a little bit more for it which also served to make him feel even worse about what Alhaitham was currently receiving.
“A kalpalata lotus,” Alhaitham observed. His voice was as neutral as ever and Cyno was desperate to look up to try and gain some kind of reaction from his face.
Instead, he peeked an eye open to glance at the flower carefully cradled in Alhaitham’s palms.
It did, indeed, look worse than he’d last seen it.
The petals were crushed and torn and the overall wilting appearance indicated that Cyno’s clumsy and unpracticed attempts at watering it with his canteen had not been at all sufficient for the plant.
Cyno sighed as he forced himself to pull away from Alhaitham.
His hand reached out to brush against the edge of one of the petals.
“I didn’t even mean to pick it,” he explained, continuing to refuse eye contact with Alhaitham.
“I was climbing and I was thinking of you and that peculiar way you use your vision to leap up places.”
Alhaitham didn’t comment on that as Cyno continued.
“I wasn’t paying enough attention and accidentally grabbed it while pulling myself up.”
“So you kept it and brought it back to me?” Alhaitham asked.
Cyno nodded.
“Kalpalata lotuses can be difficult to find. I felt bad that I ruined this one. While it was still a new bloom too,” he sighed again at the flower.
Alhaitham hummed thoughtfully at it.
“You brought it back to me even though it made you feel bad?”
Cyno shrugged forlornly, “It felt right to bring it to you. I tried to take care of it on the way back and help it bloom better before I had to give it to you but I think it must have become a lost cause when I grabbed it.”
Cyno wondered again why he was doing this. Presenting Alhaitham with something he had, by all accounts, ruined. He could have found something else to give or even given nothing at all. There was no reason he had to present Alhaitham with evidence that Cyno couldn’t fix everything, that he made mistakes.
“A lost cause,” Alhaitham repeated thoughtfully, “I’m not so sure about that.”
Before Cyno could ask what he meant, he watched as Alhaitham’s hands began to glow a soft green. Dendro wove carefully around them as Alhaitham shrouded Cyno’s poor little bloom in it. Cyno held his breath as he watched the energy help the flower to perk up slightly, its crushed petals managing to straighten themselves just a bit more and the browning spots retreating under Alhaitham’s careful efforts.
As the energy faded, Alhaitham moved his hands to offer the flower back to Cyno who accepted it with wide eyes.
It wasn’t perfect by any means. The dendro infusion certainly helped, but it couldn’t fix all of the damage the bloom received or make it grow any larger than it already was; however, Cyno still felt the knot in his chest unwind at the sight of the little flower looking relatively healthy again.
“I- didn’t even think of using dendro,” he admitted, finally looking up to Alhaitham.
Alhaitham was looking at him expectantly, as if he had been the one to give Cyno a gift and not the other way around. Though Cyno supposed that in a way he very much had been given something.
Cyno took one last glance over the flower and offered it back.
“For you,” he said.
Alhaitham smiled as he took it.
“Thank you.”
He took the chance to examine his work himself.
“It recovered better than I expected,” he admitted, “I won’t be able to maintain it forever though,” he said, disappointment clear in his voice.
“I can preserve it for you if you want,” Cyno offered. He’d been planning to offer it even before Alhaitham had aided the flower but he felt significantly more sure of himself as he did it now.
“Hm, I would like that,” he agreed.
When Cyno’s hands reached for it, however, Alhaitham pulled it out of reach.
“Not yet,” he admonished.
Cyno’s eyebrows raised in surprise.
“I want to keep it as it is for a few days,” Alhaitham said defensively, cradling the bloom protectively.
Cyno raised his hands in surrender and laughed a bit.
“Okay, you can just give it to me when you’re ready then,” he offered and Alhaitham nodded in agreement, a satisfied look on his face.
“I told you before that I would like anything you cared enough to bring me,” Alhaitham told him as he continued admiring the flower.
Cyno stared at him, “You did,” he confirmed.
Alhaitham’s gaze shifted to slant towards him.
“Don’t let yourself forget it again then,” he said simply.
Cyno, feeling an odd mix of scolded and reassured, just nodded in response.
“Understood.”
---
The flower spent, in Cyno’s opinion, far too long on Alhaitham’s desk before he finally convinced the man to give it back to him to press it.
He had planned to dry the flower, but Alhaitham insisted that he press it instead. Pressing was an exceedingly simple procedure, one that Alhaitham certainly could have done himself, but somehow they both seemed to agree that Cyno should be the one to do it. So, he kept it carefully pressed in one of his books at his home and was treated to two weeks of more attention from Alhaitham than he had ever received before.
So long as Cyno was in the city, Alhaitham made sure to catch him at least once a day to ask after it and then, naturally, after Cyno himself when there were few updates to be given on the flower.
Cyno almost felt a little reluctant as he led Alhaitham to his home and began to unearth the flower, he’d come to like the hovering Alhaitham had been doing.
As he carefully pulled open the book he let out a breath of relief as he saw that it had pressed well enough. With a smile, he held the book out for Alhaitham.
Alhaitham let out his own breath as he carefully picked up the flattened flower and Cyno couldn’t be sure whether his relief was over the quality or if he was simply happy to finally have it back.
He only looked it over for a moment before reaching into the pockets of his belt and pulling out his latest book to place the flower in.
“Ah, lucky you always have a book on you so you can transport it back safely,” Cyno teased, fully aware that he would have loaned Alhaitham one if it had been needed.
Alhaitham shrugged.
“No need to transport it back. I’ll use it as a bookmark from now on.”
Cyno paused.
“What? You don’t even use bookmarks,” he argued inanely.
“Didn’t,” Alhaitham corrected, “I didn’t use bookmarks. Now I do,” he said with a satisfied nod.
“What, so you're just going to transport it into every new book you read? And carry it with you all the time?” Cyno asked.
“Yes.”
Cyno stared at him.
“You- …you’re going to be the death of me,” he replied, his head falling into his hands.
When he forced himself to look back up it was to the sight of Alhaitham’s pleased and smug smile.
Cyno huffed and shoved lightly at him.
“Well I’m glad you’re happy at least,” he said with a huff.
“I am,” Alhaitham agreed, “I’m glad you’re happy too,” he added, an infuriatingly knowing lilt in his voice.
Cyno huffed again as he reached for Alhaitham’s hand.
“I’ll be happier if we make it to our dinner reservation on time,” he said, completely ignoring Alhaitham’s comment.
Alhaitham let out a light laugh as he allowed himself to be led back out of the house.
“Of course, let’s hurry then,” he agreed.
***
“I’m back,” Cyno announced as he entered Alhaitham’s office.
Alhaitham's head perked up from where it’d been lying on his desk.
“So you are,” he replied, looking Cyno up and down as if scanning for any issues.
Cyno frowned at him as he rounded the desk, “Were you sleeping?”
“Not yet,” Alhaitham shrugged without an ounce of shame.
Cyno sighed at him but still reached to grab at Alhaitham’s hand once it was within reach, cradling it between his own.
“You were gone for a long time,” Alhaitham noted as he turned his chair towards him.
Cyno nodded absently as he continued petting at Alhaitham’s hand.
“There was a secondary group funding the group we were after so it took longer than expected to track everyone down,” he explained.
“Hm, I hope you brought me something back after leaving me for so long,” Alhaitham prodded.
Cyno glanced at him, trying to keep himself from smiling.
“You’ve barely even greeted me after we’ve been apart for two and a half weeks and you’re already asking for gifts?”
Alhaitham raised an eyebrow at him before pulling his hand from in between Cyno’s.
Cyno was about to protest but was abruptly cut off as that hand instead moved to his neck to yank him down into a kiss.
The speed with which he moved into a kneel to reach Alhaitham better was nearly akin to his knees buckling. They really had been apart for too long.
It was only once he realized that their current positions wouldn’t allow them to get any closer and remembered that they were still in Alhaitham’s office during work hours that he managed to pull himself away.
They both stared at each other as they recovered their breath.
“I did bring you something,” Cyno offered after a beat passed.
Alhaitham huffed a laugh and bumped his forehead against Cyno’s.
“Of course you did,” he confirmed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, as if he hadn’t even bothered to consider that Cyno might not have something for him.
Cyno let the easy confidence wash over him and held the feeling close.
He pulled away from Alhaitham just enough to dig through his pack and pull out his latest offering. He’d wrapped it as best he could in a bag he normally kept spare rations in, he made sure to check and tighten the covering as best he could before passing it over to Alhaitham with a satisfied smile.
Alhaitham shook his head a bit at the display but still unwrapped the cloth carefully, just the same as if he’d been unwrapping a beautifully wrapped and expensive gift.
As absurd as it still seemed, Cyno would be lying if he said he wasn’t expecting the way Alhaitham lit up once he finally caught sight of the item.
He didn’t bother to hide the fond smile as Alhaitham pulled the stick out from the worn bag to examine it.
“Oh,” Alhaitham’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he examined it closer.
“You carved it,” he noted, running his fingers along the curves and dents of the wood.
Cyno rubbed his neck bashfully.
“Attempted to carve it anyway,” he confirmed.
“This was the most suitable branch I could find but it was still a bit too thin for it I think. And my knife isn’t exactly suited for detail work like that.”
He had tried his best, but there really was only enough room on the stick for a simple lined design over the length of it - barely even noticeable if one wasn’t examining it up close.
“I like it,” Alhaitham replied, “You’ve never added anything to your gifts before,” he noted.
Cyno hummed, reaching a hand out to run through Alhaitham’s hair.
“Maybe I wanted to branch out.”
Alhaitham let out an amused breath at that as he looked over at Cyno.
“Did you pick it just for the pun?” He asked.
“No, but I was significantly more excited about it once I thought of it,” Cyno informed him proudly.
The hand in Alhaitham’s hair drifted down to his cheek and Cyno felt a renewed wave of affection as Alhaitham leaned into it.
“I was gone for so long and I wanted to bring something special back for you,” he explained, “So I tried adding a personal touch.”
Alhaitham hummed in response.
“I like it.”
“You already said that,” Cyno pointed out.
Alhaitham shrugged, “It’s worth repeating.”
He fell out of Cyno’s caress as he stretched and leaned forward.
Cyno watched him fondly before realizing what he was doing.
“Are you…going to leave it there?”
Alhaitham glanced back at him.
“Yes. Why not?”
Cyno stared at the branch now lovingly placed at the head of Alhaitham’s desk for all to see, right next to the rock Cyno had given him all that time ago. It reminded him vaguely of the gifts some of the kids in Aaru village would present him with whenever he stopped by.
“Well, it’s not the most…visually pleasing set-up is it?”
“I don’t care much for that,” Alhaitham informed him and Cyno felt that he was able to experience what it was like to be Kaveh for a brief moment.
“What if people ask about it?”
“I’d probably ignore them,” Alhaitham shrugged, “Or I’d simply say they were gifts from my partner.”
Cyno could only imagine how the rumor mill would react to that and winced. Alhaitham wouldn’t be bothered since he didn’t care much for what other people thought but Cyno figured it would probably be best to try and avoid rumors that he was quite possibly the worst romantic partner in the nation.
“You don’t have anything I’ve given you at home yet do you? Don’t you want to put it there?”
Alhaitham paused at that and looked at the branch thoughtfully.
“Good point. Though I know you’re only making it because you’re embarrassed.”
Cyno coughed and made a mental note to get Alhaitham some more aesthetically pleasing gifts from the city at some point. He’d already had some in mind anyway.
Alhaitham obligingly moved the branch away from the rock’s spot and closer to his bag before giving a pointed look at Cyno.
“ You gave it to me,” he pointed out.
Cyno groaned in embarrassment, “I’ll make you a better one that you can display,” he promised as an apology.
Alhaitham rolled his eyes at him.
“I’ll like it just the same as I like this one so I don’t see the difference but fine, if it makes you happy.”
Cyno pressed a brief kiss that was both thankful and apologetic to Alhaitham’s mouth.
“Are you going home for the day?” Alhaitham asked.
“That was the plan,” Cyno confirmed, already knowing how Alhaitham would respond.
“I’ll take the rest of the day off with you then,” he offered.
It probably wasn’t a habit Cyno should encourage but it wasn’t like Alhaitham didn’t have the vacation days for it plus he always finished any essential work before leaving so Cyno could never actually bring himself to be bothered by it.
Also, it had been weeks since they’d seen each other.
Cyno’s capacity to resist anything Alhaitham offered him right now was dangerously low so instead of taking what was likely the more responsible route and telling Alhaitham to stay and work, he simply gave a nod.
“I’ll wait for you to put in the request so we can leave together.”
---
“This is not what you said would happen,” Cyno pointed out accusingly.
“I know. I’m honestly surprised too,” Alhaitham shrugged as he looked between the two branches in his hand.
One was the original one Cyno had gifted him and the other was Cyno’s latest attempt at making a decent carving.
“I took classes to be able to do that,” Cyno argued, pointing at the new branch.
“I remember. You canceled one of our dates for them,” Alhaitham replied sourly.
Cyno rolled his eyes at him.
“I made it up to you. And I’m trying to make it up to you again now by giving you a better carving that you said you would like just as much as the first one I gave you,” Cyno reminded.
“I do like this one…,” Alhaitham said, looking over the new one closely.
“But you like the old one better,” Cyno said with a defeated sigh.
Alhaitham shrugged.
“Alhaitham! Have you seen my- what are you two doing?” Kaveh asked as he walked into the room.
They both looked up from where they were hunched over closely together to examine the two pieces.
“Alhaitham doesn’t like my carving,” Cyno said.
Alhaitham’s head whipped over to him, “I already told you that I liked it just not as much.”
Cyno tugged the carvings out of Alhaitham’s hands and pushed the newer one toward Kaveh.
Kaveh let out a low whistle as he looked it over.
“You’ve gotten pretty good at this Cyno,” he noted genuinely, “Are those flowers?”
Cyno nodded proudly.
“And yet he likes the old one more,” he said sourly, gesturing at Alhaitham.
“This one?” Kaveh asked, reaching out towards the original branch that was clasped in Cyno’s hand.
Cyno yanked it out of reach before he could even think about it.
The room stayed silent for a beat before Alhaitham started quietly laughing beside him.
Cyno pulled the branch back to glare at it.
“Seems he isn’t the only one to like that one more,” Kaveh noted, giving Cyno’s shoulder a sympathetic pat.
Cyno silently offered the branch back to Alhaitham whose eyes were shining at him.
“Thank you,” Alhaitham offered and Cyno ignored the way his cheeks heated up in response.
“Gross,” Kaveh said, his nose wrinkling as he watched.
Alhaitham turned to him blankly and held his hand out for the other branch too.
Once Kaveh handed it over he held them together and gave a satisfied nod to himself.
“I’ll keep them both here,” he decided.
Cyno’s head fell into his hands.
“All that work so he can display something nice in his office and he doesn’t even want to take it there,” he bemoaned.
Alhaitham patted his back consolingly.
“Guess you’ll have to keep trying then.”
***
Cyno let out a breath of relief as he reached a familiar door. He looked disapprovingly at the night sky and prayed it wasn’t too late for him to get an answer as he knocked.
He smiled as he heard the muffled sound of a complaint that was indecipherable through the door.
It didn’t take long for the door to be yanked open, however, as Alhaitham stared at him in surprise.
“You’re back late,” he said in concern as he pulled Cyno into the house.
“There were a few hold-ups,” Cyno said sheepishly as he pushed his hood down.
Alhaitham steered him straight to the couch to sit.
“You didn’t have to stop here tonight. I would have been fine if you’d gone straight home,” Alhaitham said, concern coloring his words.
Cyno shrugged.
“I wanted to see you.”
Alhaitham huffed at him, “You’re lucky you caught me. I was about to go to bed.”
Cyno could tell, he had already changed out of his day-to-day wear and into the loose clothing he tended to sleep in. It made Cyno feel even more tired just looking at it.
“I brought you something,” Cyno said, already rummaging through his pockets.
Alhaitham frowned at him, “You seem tired. It can wait until tomorrow-” he cut himself off as Cyno grabbed his hand and insistently pressed his latest gift into it.
Alhaitham looked down to examine the small piece of cloth that he held.
“Is this from your cloak?” He asked, looking over the cloth covering Cyno with concern.
Cyno nodded.
“There were a few hold-ups on my way back,” he repeated with a sigh.
Alhaitham frowned at him.
“What happened?”
Cyno slumped against Alhaitham’s side.
“A small ambush.”
“...Did you get hurt?”
“A little.”
Alhaitham shifted slightly away from him to look him over and Cyno let out an unhappy noise.
“Where? How bad? Have you gone to the Bimarstan yet?” Alhaitham asked, gentle hands running up Cyno’s arms looking for wounds.
“I went before coming here. Which apparently almost made me miss you,” Cyno noted unhappily. A light swat landed on his shoulder.
“That isn’t an excuse to skip it next time. You can wake me up if you need to.”
“Oh? I get special permission to disturb your sleep?”
Alhaitham looked up and quirked an eyebrow at him, “Obviously. If you need me then I’m happy to be there.”
Alhaitham paused for a moment then rolled his eyes, “Also it’s not as if you don’t disturb my sleep already- ow,” he cut off as Cyno returned a swat to his arm.
“Fine, fine. Point conceded,” Cyno said, ignoring the way he could feel his face heat up.
“Finish your story,” Alhaitham reminded as they both settled back into place against each other.
“Mm,” Cyno agreed, “It was just a lucky hit to my side. None of the healers who looked at it were particularly concerned. I’ll have to do the usual salve and bandage treatment for a while though,” he said while scrunching his nose, already knowing that Alhaitham would make sure he kept up with it.
Alhaitham nodded along next to him.
“And this?”
“Ah. My cloak suffered from the blow more than I did,” Cyno said with a frown.
“Since I was still in the desert I had to get someone in Aaru village to repair it for me,” he said, apologetically.
They had both gotten into the routine of Alhaitham repairing any wear or tear that occurred to the cloth and Cyno hadn’t been happy at all that he’d been forced to take it elsewhere for an emergency fix.
Alhaitham let out a sigh of relief next to him.
“If that’s all that happened then that’s fine.”
Cyno frowned at him.
“I thought you’d be more upset,” he admitted.
“That you’re hurt? I am upset.”
“No. About the cloak,” Cyno clarified.
Alhaitham frowned and grabbed at the hem of it to look over the parts he could see.
“Why? Did they do a poor job?”
“No, it’s just- you usually fix it for me,” Cyno pointed out.
Alhaitham looked up at him, “I do like repairing it for you, but I’d much rather you have it when needed than to have exclusive rights to sewing it for you.”
“Oh. That…makes sense,” Cyno said with a blink. Abruptly he had to wonder if he’d actually expected Alhaitham to be upset that someone else had touched his cloak or if Cyno had just hoped he would be.
He narrowed his eyes at himself as he considered.
“You kept a piece of it for me because you thought I’d be upset then?” Alhaitham asked, turning his attention back to the small, frayed bit of fabric Cyno had given him.
“Ah, yes. In the moment though I just thought it would be nice if I saved a scrap piece for you. So it would still feel like you were involved. In a way.”
And, huh, when he said it like that it did sound as if he was more concerned about the whole thing than Alhaitham was. Looking up at Alhaitham told him that he had caught on to that as well.
“I guess I wasn’t happy about it,” Cyno admitted to both of them.
“I’m sorry then. That I couldn’t be there to fix it for you,” Alhaitham said, his voice just a touch softer than usual.
Cyno nodded, hands fiddling with the cloak beneath his hands.
“Do you want to sleep here tonight?” Alhaitham offered.
Cyno breathed out carefully and nodded, “Please.”
Alhaitham began to stand up but Cyno pulled him back down.
“Sorry, I know you were about to go to bed but could we sit here…just for a while,” Cyno asked, feeling all too exposed as he did.
Alhaitham easily assented though, settling right back in next to him.
Cyno only got to enjoy it for a moment however before Alhaitham sat back up.
“Ah, sorry, wait there. I’ll be right back,” he said, placing a quick reassuring kiss to Cyno’s head as he rushed off.
Cyno stared in the direction he disappeared to blankly before simply flopping back onto the couch and crossing his arms impatiently.
Alhaitham, luckily, kept his word and came back shortly - sewing kit and his own cloak in hand.
Cyno lifted an eyebrow, “You’re going to let me watch you fix your own cloak to make up for mine?” he guessed, already warming up to the idea as Alhaitham slid back down next to him.
“Almost,” Alhaitham said with a smile as he reached back towards the little scrap Cyno had given him, “I’ll add this to mine.”
“And,” he continued, lifting up the scissors as he did, “we’ll take a piece of mine to add to yours.”
Cyno’s hands shot out to grab his.
“You can’t cut up your cloak,” he hissed at him.
“Why not? It will just be a small piece.”
“Yours is too nice. You don’t need to cut it for me.”
Alhaitham’s brows furrowed as he looked at him.
“You don’t want me to?” He asked.
Cyno swallowed thickly.
He did actually. He really wanted it.
But Alhaitham’s clothes weren’t like his. They weren’t meant to be torn and dirtied. Cyno couldn’t bring himself to ask to be the cause of the only blemish on the garment.
Alhaitham rolled his eyes at him.
“I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to do it. I want you to have it. If you’re okay with it.”
Cyno could only resist for a moment before relenting.
“I want it,” he admitted, releasing Alhaitham’s hands.
He watched as scissors were brought carefully to one of the edges of Alhaitham’s perfect, ornate cloak and a small piece was cut away.
Alhaitham passed the piece to Cyno as he began to pull out a needle and thread. Cyno thumbed at it reverently. It was thinner than his own cloak, not meant to protect as much against harsh weather.
He looked up again as Alhaitham began sewing, aligning the scrap Cyno had given him onto the torn edge. It blended in close enough since both pieces were black but it’d still be easy to see the added piece, especially once someone knew it was there.
Cyno slumped against Alhaitham as he watched him work. Alhaitham didn’t react in the slightest, used to it from all the times he had sewn Cyno’s things for him before.
“Feeling better now?” He asked.
Cyno clutched the fabric in his hand a little tighter, waiting for its own turn to be transplanted onto a new piece of cloth.
“Very much so,” he confirmed, his eyes slipping closed as he relaxed and waited.
---
“Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea,” Cyno bemoaned a week later, his face pressed into Alhaitham’s neck.
“If you’re asking me to agree with that, I’m not going to.”
Cyno looked up to glare at him.
“This is not good workplace conduct,” he insisted.
“You started it,” Alhaitham reminded him.
And, Archons help him, Cyno had .
“ You were the one who was holding the piece of my cloak that I gave you that way,” Cyno accused anyway.
Alhaitham laughed a bit at him.
“That’s as incriminating as being the one to pin the other to his chair and kiss him in the middle of the workday?” He questioned.
“No, it’s not,” Cyno lamented. “Maybe we should take them off…”
“Absolutely not,” Alhaitham said, flicking Cyno on the head for suggesting it.
“Then maybe I should visit you less,” he said, glaring as he rubbed at his head.
Alhaitham shrugged, “Sure. I’ll come see you more then.”
Cyno sighed and flopped further onto Alhaitham.
“So I’m doomed no matter what?”
“Yes,” Alhaitham confirmed, completely unrepentant.
Cyno couldn’t help the small laugh that left him.
“Well there are worse things, I suppose.”
Their eyes caught on one another’s again and as they both leaned in together-
A knock sounded at the door and Cyno leaped across the room to put space back between them.
Alhaitham sighed in irritation as he looked at the door.
“Worse things like that?” He asked.
Cyno gave him a sheepish smile.
“I’ll make it up to you later?” He offered.
Alhaitham perked back up at that and only bothered straightening himself out a little before calling for the person to come in.
***
“Would you want a ring if I proposed to you?” Cyno asked as they walked through the market.
Alhaitham side-eyed him but gave no other reaction to the question.
“Don’t ask me about that unless you’re planning to do it,” he said with a shrug.
“Okay, would you want a ring if I proposed to you?” Cyno repeated.
Alhaitham stopped then and looked fully at him with a frown.
“You would marry me?” He questioned.
“Yes,” Cyno replied easily, absently wondering if that counted as a proposal and Alhaitham had beaten him to it.
Alhaitham considered that as he started walking again. Cyno followed, leaving him to his thoughts. They passed three booths before Alhaitham spoke again.
“I’ve never thought about it,” he admitted, “I wouldn’t know what I would want. Have you already started planning something for it?” He questioned.
Cyno nodded.
“It’s still in the works so not too soon but I wanted to give you a nice proposal.”
“Huh,” Alhaitham said, still sounding a bit surprised by the whole thing.
“I won’t if you don’t want me to.”
Alhaitham shrugged, “I’d say yes if you did.”
Cyno smiled at him, “I don’t think you’re supposed to tell me your answer ahead of time.”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to tell me you’re planning it ahead of time,” Alhaitham shot back.
“True. But you would have figured it out anyway and I already knew how you would answer so it’s not like I ever planned to hide it,” Cyno admitted.
Alhaitham frowned, he picked up a trinket for sale at the shop they’d stopped at.
“I’d never even considered it but you knew my answer?”
“Yes.”
Alhaitham squinted at the item a moment longer before inclining his head at Cyno to concede the point.
“Fair enough,” he allowed.
“So…a ring?” Cyno asked again as they started walking.
“Would you wear one too?” Alhaitham asked.
“If you want me to. I’d definitely want one for the wedding, though I’ll probably have to wear it on a chain for missions.”
Alhaitham nodded at that.
“Would you want me to wear one?” He asked.
“Does it matter?” Cyno asked, dodging Alhaitham’s eyes.
“Maybe,” Alhaitham stated simply.
“I’d…like to give you something you could wear. A ring, a brooch, an earring - I don’t really care what it is but it would be nice…to give you something like that and to be able to see you wearing it,” Cyno admitted.
“I see,” Alhaitham replied, pivoting on his heel to turn around.
Cyno panicked for just a moment before Alhaitham’s hand caught his to drag him along too.
“Let’s go browse then. I’m not accustomed to jewelry so we should try some on to get a feel for it.”
“Oh,” Cyno said dumbly as he stumbled after him, “That’s practical of you,” he noted.
Alhaitham shot him a small smile over his shoulder, “I always am.”
Cyno’s mouth went dry.
Idly, he thought that he should probably speed up those proposal plans.