Canon-Compliant(?), Hurt/Comfort(?), Fluff, Contains Spoilers for Tighnari's Story Quest and Chapter V of the Sumeru Archon Quest.

"Get a good night's sleep." The traveler had told them. Sure, a good night's rest could indeed make the difference between a successful mission and a bust, but how in the hell could he rest after finding out Tighnari got injured? By a Fatui harbinger, at that?

A part of Cyno wanted to believe he was fine- this was Tighnari, the most capable Forest Watcher in all of Gandharva Ville's history. Yet, the fact that the traveler had felt it was important enough to mention it had to have meant something- something bad, he feared.

It was as Tighnari had said himself: "Trust in your senses in experiences." It just so happened that all of his senses were telling him to make sure Tighnari was alright. And so he did, heading straight toward Pardis Dhyai as soon as he stepped foot out of the Grand Bazaar.

There would normally be researchers there from the wee hours of morning all the way until midnight- but by the time Cyno had arrived, night had already fallen, and there wasn't a single soul in sight. The only signs of life were the abundance of footprints fleeing away from the research site. Judging from the way they were all smeared together, it seemed that everyone had left in a hurry.

Cyno pulled his attention away from the footprints and the thoughts that came with them, marching forward to the main building. "Tighnari?" he called out softly, stepping in with caution.

He heard a low groan. "Cyno?"

Cyno rushed forward at the sound of the voice. Just behind the fountain sat Tighnari, resting atop his mechanical companion, Karkata. "I came here as soon as I could."

"Aren't you supposed to be in Sumeru City?" Tighnari's surprise seemed to outweigh his pain for a moment, until he suddenly surged forward, gripping his chest and gritting his teeth.

"Don't worry about me." Cyno stepped closer, gingerly placing his hand on Tighnari's knee. "What happened? I heard you were injured by the Balladeer."

"I mean, I guess you could say that." When Cyno met Tighnari's gaze with confusion, the forest watcher reached for the hem of his hoodie, slowly lifting it up. "If what the Traveler told me about the akademiya's god creation plan was true, then the storm was probably his doing."

Just a little below his shoulder was a bright red wound, with hundreds of little marks branching down all the way past his stomach and stopping at his hip that gave it an appearance similar to a barren tree. It wasn't a common wound, but it was one Cyno had seen enough times to recognize. "You... You got struck by lightning?"

"Yep." Tighnari nodded. He exhaled sharply through his nose, clenching his eyes shut. "It hurts like a b-" his obscenity faded into yet another loud groan.

Cyno could only stare at the wound, a mix of awe and horror in his gaze. When the hoodie fell from Tighnari's grip and obscured the wound from him, the latter feeling took over, causing him to lower his head to Tighnari's knees. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, his fist involuntarily clenching. "I should've kept you as far away from this plan as possible."

Tighnari's tail flicked Cyno's head in irritation, prompting him to lift his head up and meet his gaze. "Are you kidding me?" he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest- only to immediately regret the decision, lowering his arms and hissing out in pain. "I would argue that it was my concern over my master that led me here, but now's not the time to play the blame game."

"Still," Cyno frowned, his hand trailing up from his knee to rest on Tighnari's thigh. "You never should've gotten hurt."

"I'm fine-" Tighnari suddenly jolted once again, gripping his shoulder and yowling out in pain. Cyno gave him a skeptical look. "I'll be fine in a few days. We can reconvene after you get to the bottom of this and make sure Sumeru City is safe, okay?"

Although reluctantly, Cyno nodded his head. He wouldn't dare argue with Tighnari. "Alright. Here, at least let me escort you back to Gandharva Ville."

"Ah, ah." The forest watcher shook his head. "You think I'm gonna head back home and just leave Haypasia here?"

Cyno was so worried about Tighnari that he didn't even notice Haypasia laying down not too far away from them. "I can get some others to bring her along."

"Don't bother." Tighnari waved his hand dismissively. "We're not going anywhere until Haypasia wakes up and I make sure she's alright, and that's final."

Cyno sighed softly. "You got struck by lightning and you're still putting others before yourself?" he asked, his red eyes glistening in concern. "It's admirable, but I'm worried for you, 'Nari. Who's going to take care of you if you can't take care of yourself?"

Tighnari's expression softened at such compassionate words, resting his hand atop Cyno's. "That's why you're here, isn't it?" he asked.

Cyno's breath hitched in his throat as he turned his hand up, entwining their fingers together. Tighnari had never looked so beautiful, with the moonlight shining through the stained glass panels of the roof and lighting up his smile. It was a smile he wanted to protect. More importantly, a smile he wanted to maintain. He could swear revenge upon the Akademiya and the Fatui some other day- for now, he opted to stay here, by Tighnari's side for the time being.

Author's Note

Since it's been a little over a week since the archon quest came out, I figured it'd be alright to post a oneshot about it. These two have taken up my mind for the past WEEK and I've been DYING to write about it. Also, sorry for no update on Monday, my grandma came to visit me. You can find more status updates if you check out my twitter :D As always, thank you so much for your support!

Word Count: ~900 Words