Chapter Text
Cyno had sat across from literal criminals, and even then, he still didn’t feel as tense as he did sitting across from a couple who bore a striking resemblance to his boyfriend. Ausette and Uzi, otherwise known to Tighnari as Mom and Dad. One thing that Cyno learned was that Tighnari was the spitting image of his mother, everything from the slope of his jaw to the deep set of his eyes to the forest green of them.
Ausette was a slender petite woman with long, curly, dark green hair that almost moved like water when she did. She was affectionate, immediately taking her son in her arms the moment she walked through the door, Tighnari nearly a full three inches taller than her. She spent almost a full five minutes examining her only son. “Have you been eating enough?” She asked as she poked her fingers against Tighnari’s cheeks. It was cute.
Uzi was a tall man. His hair was the same color as Tighnari’s and his wife’s, though it was pulled tightly into a ponytail at the crown of his head. He’d greeted Tighnari warmly, but Cyno hadn’t missed how his green eyes immediately found him the second he walked through the door.
Now, Cyno sat beside Tighnari, across from his parents over the kitchen table. He had to admit, he’d thought there would be a bit more planning for this occasion, and he imagined Tighnari had too.
“Almost a whole year, Tighnari?” Ausette fussed, though her voice lacked any real heat. “How could you not tell us you’ve been in a relationship for a year?” Tighnari’s ears flattened against his head. Of course, Cyno knew why he didn’t tell them. They weren’t supposed to tell anyone. He reached over and took Tighnari’s hand under the table, interlacing their fingers. Tighnari glanced over at him, flashing him a quick smile.
“I just…hadn’t found the right time yet.” He’d probably been hoping to wait until graduation. “I wasn’t expecting you guys to show up so suddenly.” Apparently, they hadn’t even sent a letter announcing that they were making a trip back from Liyue just to visit their kids.
“He didn’t tell us because his boyfriend’s a Matra.” Uzi cut in. His tone wasn’t unfriendly, but it was pointed. And it pointed directly at Cyno. His eyes narrowed at the accusation though.
“How did you-“
“Matra all hold themselves the same. Straight backs, level shoulders, always ready to jump into action if needed. You’re easy to point out in a crowd.” Cyno almost wanted to be offended. Was he just called predictable?
Ausette stared wide-eyed at her son, then at Cyno, then back at Tighnari. “…I see…” Ausette looked at him. “So, you’re a…Matra.”
Lying was probably not in Cyno’s best interest…as awkward as this was. “Actually,” he started, and he felt Tighnari squeeze his hand. “I’m the General Mahamatra.” You could have heard a pin drop.
Until Uzi started laughing.
And laughing hard.
Cyno and Tighnari glanced at each other, each hoping to find some kind answer in each other's eyes. They found nothing. Tighnari’s mother just stared at them.
“Wow! Haha!” Uzi started as he settled down. “Ausette, Tighnari really did take after you, didn’t he? He even has the same taste in men! Haha!” What?
Tighnari looked toward his mother, who currently had her forehead cupped in her hand. “Mom?”
“Back in the day,” Uzi started. “Before your mom and I even started dating, well before you were born, she was fooling around with the then General Mahamatra too. Nothing came of it obviously, but it’s just funny that it apparently runs in the family.”
“You make it sound so scandalous, Uzi.” Ausette scolded.
“It was scandalous.” He retorted.
“General Ibrahim?” Cyno clarified. Ausette scoffed at his name. He knew General Ibrahim well…well he had before he retired. Cyno had worked under him for a few years before he himself was promoted to the position. He’d like to say they got along, but that would be a lie. General Ibrahim was easily bought and frequently turned a blind eye to those who gained his favor. He and Cyno had butted heads since the beginning. Ibrahim hadn’t even shown up to Cyno’s coronation.
“You know him?” Uzi asked.
“I worked under him before I took over the position.” Cyno admitted.
“So, you know why the sages…gave him the opportunity to retire.” His tone was incredulous, like he was planning on judging Cyno’s own character based on his answer.
“Ibrahim was incapable of being impartial. He took favors and showed favoritism openly. He was not fit for the role.” He answered. Uzi regarded him, crossing his arms over the table and leaning forward a bit.
“Yet you yourself are breaking how many rules by fraternizing with a student?”
“Dad!” Cyno held his hand up. He was familiar with this kind of behavior. Uzi was a loving and protective father. He wanted to make sure his son was in good hands. If he wanted to challenge Cyno a little bit to do that, he’d let him. He mimicked Uzi’s pose, it wasn’t a show of dominance, instead it was an attempt at gaining equal ground. He did this a lot with criminals who were being particularly difficult. Put yourself on their level, they’ll open up eventually. One of the first pieces of advice Taj had given him.
“Several.” He confessed. “The only reason I ever met Tighnari was because I suspected him of academic corruption. I investigated him, found him innocent, and stuck around.”
“And if you’re caught?” Uzi almost seemed to lean in closer, and as a result, Cyno did too. He wasn’t in the habit of letting himself be bulldogged.
“Ideally we won’t.” He said. “If we are, however, I have plans in place to protect Tighnari’s standing in the Akademiya.”
“Even if it costs you your own position?”
“Of course.” Cyno paused, but decided if he was already here, he might as well commit. “And if it came down to it, I would willingly step down in order to be with Tighnari.”
He heard Tighnari’s shallow gasp beside him, but Cyno held Uzi’s eye contact. After a few moments, Uzi looked away and toward his son. “I was wrong,” he started. “You have much better taste than your mother.” That got him a solid whack to the shoulder by Ausette.
After the initial awkwardness had faded, things went back to normal. Tighnari had rushed to take advantage of having his mother home, insisting she help him with a few pieces of clothing he was trying to mend and failing at. Tighnari was a genius, but surprisingly clumsy with a sewing needle. Uzi had naturally gravitated toward Cyno and had been more than happy to share stories of his and Cyrus’s youth once he’d learned that Cyrus was Cyno’s adoptive father.
“It’s been, archons, well over fifteen years since I last saw you. I didn’t even recognize you.” His tone had quickly turned friendly after he’d challenged Cyno at the kitchen table and had turned even friendlier when he learned who his father was. “How is Cyrus? Last I heard, he’d retired from sagehood.” Cyno nodded.
“He retired about two years ago, right after I became General Mahamatra.” He explained. “Partially because of the risk of a conflict of interest. Partially because he was tired of it.”
They all chatted about nothing much at all. Tighnari told his parents about his studies and his teachers and Cyno had been happy to just sit and listen. Eventually, morning turned into afternoon, which turned into evening, and soon enough Tighnari’s parents were bidding their goodbyes. Cyno even got a hug from his mother which had certainly been a win in his book. Tighnari waved them out the door as Cyno began straightening up the house again. He had just started on washing the dishes from when Ausette had insisted on helping Tighnari prepare dinner when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest from behind, Tighnari perching his head on his shoulder.
“That went better than I could have expected.” He mused as he planted a kiss to Cyno’s shoulder over his shirt. It managed to make Cyno’s heart beat a little faster than it had before. He hummed in agreement. “Did you mean what you said?” Cyno turned his head to look at his lover. “That you would willingly step down if it meant staying with me?”
“Of course.” He didn’t even hesitate. “Tighnari, I can do anything all day and make money doing it, but I will never meet another you.” They were the truest words he’d ever spoken. He set the plate he was washing back down into the sink and turned in Tighnari’s arms, bringing his hands to grasp at his hips and pull him a little closer. “I am going to spend the rest of my life with you, as a Matra or not.”
Tighnari kissed him. He kissed him like they’d been separated for months. Like he was afraid he’d never taste Cyno again. And Cyno kissed him back just as desperately.
Cyno wasn’t going to say he was surprised when he found himself ushered toward the bedroom.