Canon-Compliant, Fluff

"Here," Cyno held out a book to Collei. "For you."

Collei, after a brief hesitation, took the book in her hands. "Um..."

Ever since Collei decided to become a forest ranger, Cyno visited Gandharva Ville more often than he used to. He'd always come bearing gifts, anything from jewelry from the border of Fontaine to Candied Ajilenakh Nuts all the way from the depths of the desert.

One of the first things he'd brought for Collei was a book. "I know how much you liked Mondstadt," Cyno hummed, watching as she ran her hand over its smooth cover. "So I thought you would like to read this." He was quick to notice the way Collei's brow furrowed. "What's wrong? Do you not like Mondstadt?"

"N-no, no! It's not that," Collei shook her head as she looked up at Cyno, a bit dumbfounded. "I just can't really... read well."

"Oh, that's it?" He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Just save it for when you can read it. Or have Tighnari help you with it."

"O-okay," Collei nodded, hugging the book to her chest. "T-thank you, Cyno." She smiled softly. "I'll be sure to treasure this!"

^w^

This routine would continue for quite some time- and somewhere along the line, Cyno started bringing gifts for Tighnari as well. The two were currently chatting outside of one of the huts in Gandharva Ville, when a loud yell roused both of them mid-conversation.

"Master Tighnari!"

Both Cyno and Tighnari flinched at the sudden shout. The former instantly brought his guard up, whipping his head to the door. "Is she alright?" He asked, shoulders as stiff as a board.

"She's fine, don't worry about it," Tighnari waved his hand dismissively, flicking his ear. "She just has a tendency of yelling when she gets excited." He assured Cyno, who still looked rather tense. "Wait here, I'll go see what she needs."

Tighnari didn't bother to wait for Cyno to respond, stepping into the hut before he could protest. "Collei, what did I tell you about your volume?" Tighnari grumbled lightheartedly as he made his way to Collei's side.

"Sorry! But come quickly, it's important!" She waved her hand, not bothering to look up from her desk.

This piqued Tighnari's interest- what could she possibly be doing that had her so excited? "What's up?" He hummed, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Look! I'm doing it!" She exclaimed, an airy laugh to her words. She pointed at the open book laid out on her desk. "I can actually read this!"

Tighnari peered over her shoulder to look at the text she was reading. It was much harder in comparison to what she would normally read- he wasn't even sure he had seen it before. "That's amazing!" He smiled, patting her head softly. "What's it about?"

"Cyno got me this book years ago!" Collei closed the book to its cover, holding it up for Tighnari to see. "It's a book about Mondstadtian folklore and legends! And this chapter," she opened her book back up to the page she was previously on, "Is about the legend of the Edelweiss!"

"The Edelweiss..." Tighnari clicked his tongue in thought. "If my memory serves, that flower comes from the northernmost parts of Mondstadt, right?"

Collei nodded excitedly, flipping a page and pointing to an illustration of the flowers in question. "Yes! It only grows high up in the mountains near Dornman Port. Legend has it that centuries ago, people would often go to the highest parts of the mountains in order to pick a flower. Many wouldn't make it, and those who did would bring the flowers back to their lovers, which is why the edelweiss stands for courage and love! Isn't it wonderful?"

Although the myth in itself wasn't true (something which he decided not to tell Collei), the story she told Tighnari lined up with the words on the page. She really was reading the text. He smiled sweetly. "Sure sounds like it, Collei. You seem very interested in your book, so I'll leave you to it." He ruffled her hair softly before he exited the hut.

"See?" Tighnari mused as he stepped out of the hut. "I told you it wasn't anything to worry about."

Cyno merely hummed in response. He was currently leaning against the wall of the hut, arms crossed over his chest as he stared off into the forest.

Tighnari raised an inquisitive brow at how Cyno was presenting himself. He had probably heard what they were talking about- nothing life-threatening, to say the least- so why was he still so stiff? "Is there something on your mind?" He asked.

Cyno blinked in confusion, taking a second or so to process the fact that Tighnari was asking him a question. "Huh?"

"You seem a little out of it," Tighnari sat on the edge of the hut's balcony, turning his head to his companion and patting the space next to him. "What's troubling you?"

"Nothing," Cyno shook his head, pushing himself off from the wall he was leaning against and joining Tighnari. "It's just," his voice trailed off for a second or so as he lifted his head to the sky. "I didn't think that Collei would keep that book after all these years."

"Of course she has." Tighnari followed Cyno's gaze to the sky. "It was all she could talk about for a while," he chuckled softly, "When I asked her if she wanted me to read it for her, she insisted that she wanted to read it herself."

Cyno turned his attention back to Tighnari, red eyes peering curiously at him. "She did?"

Tighnari nodded "She said something along the lines of wanting to read it first. It took her a while, but she finally did it." His tail curled up in his lap, his hands absentmindedly running through the warm fur. "It's a little weird, honestly; just yesterday it feels as if I was teaching her the basics. Collei's come really far in her studies," Tighnari's eyes glistened under the moon, expression filled with nothing short of fondness. "I'm glad."

"She must have one hell of a teacher, then." Cyno mused, his lips curling upward into a cheeky smile.

"Oh, shut it, you." Tighnari elbowed Cyno softly. "Quit ruining the moment."

^w^

Not too long after that particular visit, Tighnari could hear the sound of Cyno's bare feet against the wooden walkways from a meter away. It was a bit odd; normally, there'd be at least a month or so in between his visits- yet not even a week had passed since he had last stopped by and he was already approaching his hut.

"Back so soon?" Tighnari watched as his friend ascended the ladder, an amused smile on his face. "Did you forget something?"

Cyno shook his head as he approached Tighnari. "I got you something." He grabbed Tighnari's hands in his own, placing something soft in his palms. When Tighnari pulled his hands away, what awaited him was a singular Kalpalata Lotus. "It's not an edelweiss," Cyno mumbled softly, averting his gaze. "But that doesn't mean it wasn't a pain in the ass to get."

"So that's what this is about?" Tighnari chuckled at Cyno's little comment at the end. "Is this your way of professing your love to me?" The forest watcher admired the Kalpalata Lotus in his hands. It wasn't as if the flower itself was special- it was just a regular specimen from what he could tell- but the way that Cyno had picked it just for him had made it all the more beautiful.

"And if it is?" Cyno challenged, daring to meet Tighnari's expectant gaze.

Tighnari rolled his eyes, chuckling at how awkward his companion was being. "Come inside," He flicked his head to the side. "I have something I want to show you."

Cyno followed without a word, standing next to Tighnari as he rummaged through one of his desk drawers for something. After a few seconds, Tighnari pulled out a container, setting it on his desk alongside the lotus. Much to his surprise, the only thing inside the container was... "Sand?" He asked.

Tighnari hummed in agreement. "This is the silica sand that I asked you to bring me a while ago." he answered, pushing aside the small scooper that resided in the container. "Do you know what it's for?"

Cyno shook his head. "All I know was that it was kind of hard to come across."

"It's used for preserving flowers." Tighnari picked up the Kalpalata Lotus that Cyno had gifted him, setting it gingerly atop the sand. "Just cover it in the sand and leave it sit for a few days." Cyno watched on in silence as Tighnari used the scoop to shovel some sand atop the flower's petals. "The sand dries out the moisture from the flower's petals and leaves, suspending the decomposition process." Once the flower was essentially submerged, he properly sealed the container.

"You're saving my flower?" Cyno sputtered, genuine surprise in his gaze.

"My archons, Cyno, is it so hard to accept that people actually appreciate you?" The uncertainty that flashed in the General Mahamatra's eyes made Tighnari frown. "Of course I'm saving the flower, you doofus! It means a lot to me, so, thank you." He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Cyno's cheek.

Despite all the time he had spent in the desert, Cyno had never felt so warm in his life. "Don't mention it." He mumbled, a faint blush spreading across his face.

He made a mental note to get Tighnari some more flowers sometime.

Author's Note

I made a shitpost on twitter and it blew up... Out of all the things I post why does it have to be a dumb cynonari meme that gets 6k likes LOL?? Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I did, I think the idea was soooo cute! I just had to write it! Please let me know what you think in the comments, it would mean a lot to me :D

Word Count: ~1.6k