[Folkmore IC Inbox][un: forestwatcher]

[forestwatcher]

forestwatcher

You've reached Tighnari. I'm not able to answer right now, so just leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can.

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[cashewlater]

[ and he does sleep well indeed.

pressed close to tighnari, cyno falls into a deep sleep, and the nightmares do not again touch him. his dreams are strange, disjointed, but warm - memories of avidya forest, of tighnari and collei - and they wrap him like a soft blanket. he doesn't wake again, not until the morning sun streams through his window to strike his closed eyelids.

cyno stirs, shifting, murmuring something low and soft and nonsensical. his arms are wound around tighnari's middle, cyno's face pressed into his throat, and everything feels warm and perfect. he inhales, catching the familiar floral scent of his friend's skin, and opens his eyes. golden sunlight fills the cozy little room, flooding the space, streaking across the bed, and everything feels perfectly good and still. their legs are tangled, their bodies close, and slowly the previous night's memories crawl back into his mind. right. he'd had a nightmare. bloody hands, ripping and pulling..

but there's no place for that, now, not in this warm atmosphere, with tighnari pressed so close to him. cyno inhales his scent, his fingers still buried in tighnari's tail, stroking gently. ]

[forestwatcher]

[Despite thinking he will not be able to fall asleep Tighnari does eventually doze off, lulled by the regular beat of Cyno's heart and the soft sound of his peaceful rest.

When the other man wakes up, the forest watcher is pressed in close to his side with his forehead tucked down against Cyno's shoulder, his long ears draped over the other man's head. His tail is still wrapped up around his friend's waist, and during the night he has hooked one leg over him as well.

It's warm and cosy, and when Cyno stirs Tighnari's gradual return to consciousness is reluctant. He grunts, lightly butting his head against Cyno's shoulder, then slowly opens his eyes.]

Ah... [He did sleep, after all. Tighnari stretches, yawns, then snuggles back in close and comfortable. One of his ears flicks against the top of the other man's head.] You slept well?

[cashewlater]

[ ah yes, waking to the ears in his face..

it's not the first time, and it certainly isn't likely to be the last. but cyno doesn't mind, it's just one of tighnari's idiosyncrasies that cyno loves. still half-dozed, cyno turns his head to nuzzle his nose against the soft fur of tighnari's ear, breathing in its soft, musky scent. ]

I did, thanks to you.

[ without tighnari's comforting warmth beside him, cyno is quite sure that the nightmares would have returned to plague him in the night. but he slept well and deeply, and now, cuddled in close with his dearest companion, he feels entirely at ease - an uncommon feeling, for one so vigilant as cyno, but he won't complain. one arm stretches, curving over tighnari's shoulders to pull him closer still, while the other slips his fingers out of his tail to curl behind his own head, supporting it. he yawns. ]

Did I keep you up?

[ this isn't the first time they've shared sleeping space before, after all, and cyno knows how sensitive his hearing is. ]

[forestwatcher]

Mrgh, don't chuff in my ear like that.

[He pulls away from Cyno's breathing him in with a light laugh and a smile, and shifts away just a little to smooth them both with his hands - almost cat like.

Then Cyno's arm slips around him and he 'eep's softly, half leaning up against the other man's chest. It leaves him able to slide one hand into Cyno's hair, the pad of his thumb smoothing against his temple, and he looks down at him with a soft half smile.]

Only a little, at first. I fell asleep eventually. [It would have been worse, he thinks, to have had to listen to Cyno tossing and turning all night at best and more of him yelling at worst. At least like this they both slept comfortably and without any disturbing dreams.]

We haven't done this for a while, have we?

[cashewlater]

Then don't slap your ears on my face.

[ he retorts easily, though there's certainly no bite to his words, and cyno's mouth is slanted into a warm smile. he likes tighnari's ears in his face. he likes tighnari leaning against him like this, and touching his hair. cyno rumbles like a pleased wolf, closing his eyes for a moment, leaning his head into the gentle caress of tighnari's fingers. ]

But no, we haven't.

[ he murmurs, eyes still shut, his expression all soft around the edges, warm, yielding. cyno doesn't relax easily, and he certainly doesn't feel at home in this place, but at the very least, he has no enemies here, he can allow the near constant tension to flood out of his body. idly, cyno's hand coasts down tighnari's back and up again, his thumb tracing the curve of his spine. ]

I missed it. I always sleep more easily beside you.

[forestwatcher]

[They haven't.

He likes seeing Cyno relaxed like this. It's such a rare thing, especially lately, when so many things have seemed to weigh on the mind of his friend. In Folkmore they are safe, but it has taken far longer for that to sink in to Cyno's mind than it did for Tighnari (and understandably so).

The botanist sighs and shifts slightly against the touch along his back, his spine, and flops down against Cyno's chest with a puffing exhale.]

Then there's nothing else to be done about it. I'll just have to sleep in here with you, at least until your dreams settle.

[It makes sense, right? If he'll sleep more easily, it saves the both of them being woken up every night, and surely this will pass more quickly if he's well-rested.]

Or you can come to my room. My bed is bigger.

[cashewlater]

[ feeling safe is such a strange and alien thing, for cyno. he hasn't felt safe in years, he's all but forgotten what it's like. and he's fine with that, it's the life he'd chosen when he took on the mantle of general mahamatra, he doesn't mind. but when you're used to feeling a certain way for so long.. it can be very difficult to go back on that, to change to something else. he's not sure that he'll ever be able to be anything but vigilant.

but he feels safe with tighnari, here, in this moment. the bed is warm, tighnari smells good and familiar - coming to this place would have been much more difficult, without his best friend and closest companion here by his side. ]

That's - are you sure?

[ that's a lot to offer, he thinks. tighnari can be a very private person sometimes, and cyno would never begrudge him that; the last thing he wants to do is to invade tighnari's space any more than he already has. granted, he knows that tighnari wouldn't have offered if he didn't mean it..

gently, he smooths his hand over tighnari's hair, rubbing the base of his ear with his thumb, in soft circles. ]

I suppose it might be better than disturbing you every night..

[forestwatcher]

[Cyno knows better than to think that Tighnari would offer such a thing if he wasn't sure, so the question doesn't get a verbal answer and only a look from the other man. Much like his friend he finds comfort in the familiar warmth and scents of this situation and he would not mind doing it again. Why would he mind?]

Exactly. We have to be sensible about these things.

[But then Cyno is rubbing close to the base of his ear and Tighnari shuts his eyes, his tail whipping from side to side as a barely audible purr of satisfaction rumbles up from somewhere deep in his chest.

Ugh... that feels so nice.

There is a misconception shared by most people who know Tighnari that he does not like to have his ears or tail touched, with the persistent rumour being that he will get angry if anyone tries. In truth he doesn't mind at all, as long as he knows the person trying to touch him. He doesn't think that's so odd. Who wants to have every random stranger touching them?

One of his ankles bends as his toes curl against the bedsheets.]

Ex... actly.

[And then he grunts, embarrassed, and flicks both ears back as he turns his face against Cyno's chest.]

[cashewlater]

All right. If you're sure.

[ and that will be the end of the debate, because cyno does indeed know full well that if tighnari didn't want to offer his bed in the first place, he wouldn't have. he's not the sort of person to go out of his way to make himself uncomfortable just for the hell of it. he's weighed the pros and cons. so cyno won't argue. in the end, it's probably for the best, he'll sleep better beside tighnari, and won't be waking him shouting in the middle of the night. besides, if the worst comes to pass and it doesn't help, he can simply move back to this room. or move out of the house entirely, if he can't get his nightmares under control. they'll figure it out.

more important is tighnari's reaction, the soft purr and the way his ears fold back. cyno smiles, his entire expression softening around the edges. he, of course, also knows tighnari well enough to know just how he likes his ears and tail rubbed, and to know that he doesn't mind it, when it's coming from someone he's close to. cyno has this privilege. when tighnari turns his face away, cyno chuckles, the sound warm and low, vibrating in his chest. ]

Good?

[ because he isn't stopping. he continues rubbing gently at the base of that ear, before drawing his thumb halfway up the velvety fur. it's so warm, and soft.. ]

[forestwatcher]

You know it's good.

[Bastard.

Tighnari would not be so uncouth out loud, but...

Bastard.

Cyno knows exactly what he's doing and Tighnari knows that he knows exactly what he's doing, and it's only their closeness and familiarity that allows it to go on like this. The young man does not mind people he knows petting his ears, even if he will always warn them that they aren't miraculously soft as some seem to expect, but for it to go on for so long and to a point where he's all but melting into it..? That is a special privilege.

A special privilege that leaves Tighnari almost entirely immobilised under Cyno's hand, letting out little purring growls of comfortable pleasure.]

[cashewlater]

I do know.

[ cyno's smile is lopsided, and warm. maybe he's being a bastard, but he's enjoying himself, and for all his shortness, tighnari is enjoying it too - if he weren't, he wouldn't be allowing it; tighnari has always been particularly vocal about his wants and dislikes.

so cyno keeps at it. for how strong his hands are, how stained in blood, right now they are gentle, his callused fingers massaging in slow circles at the base of one ear, then the other, fingernails scratching gently at the soft tufts of fur. thoughtlessly, cyno lowers his head and closes his eyes, pressing his nose and jaw against the crown of tighnari's head, and breathing him in. his scent is so comforting. his voice is low and muffled when he speaks. ]

Tell me when you want me to stop.

[ because he could lie like this all day. ]

[forestwatcher]

Mmf.

[Though his tail is flicking from side to side it isn't in any way a movement of agitation. The sway is a lazy one, almost in time with the slow circles that Cyno is drawing against his ears, and a small smile comes to his lips when he feels the press of nose and lips against the top of his head.

They have always been so comfortable getting close like this, haven't they.

Tighnari stretches out and sighs, and he curls his arm around to dig his fingers gently into Cyno's hair.]

You're spoiling me.

[cashewlater]

Yes, I am.

[ and cyno knows tighnari more than well enough to be able to read his body language as easily as words on a page - he's content, he's happy, comfortable, and that makes cyno happy and comfortable. even better once tighnari's hand slips into his hair, chasing a low rumble from his chest. cyno closes his eyes, leaning his head into the attentions of tighnari's hand. ]

Feels good..

[ they have always been comfortable getting close like this. for so long. cyno can hardly remember a time before they were affectionate with one another.. it's one of the few things that can make cyno feel safe, warm, fully content. ]

[forestwatcher]

[Tighnari sighs and relaxes by degrees, melting into both the hand on his ears and the warmth of the body he's currently ungracefully flopped on top of. One of his ears twitches and he feels the tip of it thwap against Cyno's face.

It's enough to have him raising his head with a crooked smile, and he tucks one forearm under his chin to keep it there. At least this way, the other man isn't going to end up with ears his his face again... even if he never actually seems to mind. His eyes soften, and he idly swings his feet back and forth.]

If you keep having nightmares like that, I'll try to think of something to help medicinally. Though... it really would only be a temporary fix.

[And should, since numbing the mind like that is something that shouldn't be done in the long term and Tighnari does not have enough experience with dealing with bad dreams to be meddling too much in them.]

But it seems my being here worked well enough last night.

[cashewlater]

[ it feels good, feeling tighnari sagging into his touch, feeling him slowly relax. for all cyno's job might be stressful, he never forgets that tighnari works hard, too, that he deserves to be able to relax just as much as cyno does. to be able to bring him that relief.. it feels nice. it makes him feel useful, needed. when he feels tighnari shift he opens his eyes again, gazing down into tighnari's lovely face. he looks good bathed in morning light. ]

Mm.. you don't have to trouble yourself. Though it might help.

[ cyno doesn't mind dealing with the nightmares, he's dealt with worse. he's a patient, tolerant man, he can handle it. though he doesn't love the idea of it keeping tighnari awake.. he needs his rest, and cyno doesn't want to be a bother to him when tighnari has been kind enough to take him in.

his hand drops a little, knuckles dragging along the crest of tighnari's cheek. it's an intimate gesture, he realizes after the fact, but it's just so easy to touch him. ]

But you're right. I slept better next to you. I'm glad you were able to get some rest, too.

[forestwatcher]

[Tighnari hums softly, a patient and content sort of sound as he tilts his head slightly into the touch against his cheek and half closes his eyes. It is an intimate gesture, but not a kind of intimacy that he has any objections to.]

I could hardly have rested well with you waking up all night, in any case.

[So his proposition is really for the best for both of them. He would rather have his friend nearby than have him move off on his own simply because he was having bad dreams, because what kind of a friend would he be if he dismissed someone in need like that? No, that wouldn't do at all.

Tighnari sighs again, his ears flicking under Cyno's touch, then he grunts and pulls away to sit up and stretch his arms up over his head.]

Mmmn. That's enough of that. [Enough pampering. He could fall asleep again.] I'm hungry. I think you owe me breakfast.

[cashewlater]

[ noooo cuddle time over? :(

cyno tries not to pout, but it's quite clear that he's disappointed when tighnari finally pulls away. even if he's quite right. the morning is drawing on, and they should both get some food in them. still, he misses the heat of tighnari's body right away. sighing through his nose, cyno sits forward as well, stretching his back until it pops, the blankets all rucked up around his hips. ]

All right, all right.

[ breakfast it is. ]

.. thank you, Tighnari.

[forestwatcher]

[Already, he has a feeling that they are going to make a habit of this. He doesn't mind. Having Cyno close has always felt natural and why should it not right now, when the man surely needs him the most? Besides, it would only be until he became more settled... then it wouldn't be needed anymore.

But for now - breakfast. Tighnari hops out of bed and stretches again, his tail swishing behind him and his ears twitching, then he shoots the other man a warm smile.]

I'll get started. Take as long as you need to wake up and join me, all right?