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“I found another!”
Cyno excitedly bent down to pick up another scarab off of the desert sand.
Having been born in the desert, Cyno seemed to almost thrive in the unrelenting climate. However, not everyone proved to be so fortunate with their tolerance.
Such as Tighnari, who lay flat on the sand, confined to the small portion of shade he was able to find.
He hated how he constantly found himself in the same situation.
When Cyno had visited Gandharva Ville, just a day before, he had asked Tighnari to accompany him on the “small” expedition.
“It’ll be fun,” Cyno had said, holding Tighnari hands in his own. “I look for scarabs quite often, and we could take frequent breaks.”
Tighnari sighed. “It doesn’t sound like fun.”
Cyno frowned, squeezing Tighnari’s hands in ernest. “Please?” he asked, pleading with Tighnari as if him being there on the trip would create world peace.
Before Tignari could even register his answer in his mind, a “fine” found its way out of his mouth.
Curse him and his Cyno-weakened heart.
Now, laid on the sand, clad in Cyno’s cloak to cover his ears and occasionally sipping out of a water flask, Tighnari groaned. “Cyno, are you done yet?”
Tighnari could have sworn that they had already spent hours searching for a scarab to meet Cyno's standards. Or at least Cyno had been searching for hours, within 5 minutes of simply standing around, Tighnari had fallen weak, once again, to the heat.
Cyno walked up to him with the scarab in his hand, showing it off to Tighnari. “I just thought this one has a cool shell,” he said, turning it around in his hand.
Tighnari sluggishly nodded in agreement. The pattern certainly was cool, with all its swirls, but Tighnari wasn’t necessarily sure what exactly Cyno was looking for. They had been out there for a while, and the only thing Cyno would point out was the shell of the little critters.
As much as Cyno seemed to be enjoying himself, Tighnari was nowhere near the same boat.
Noticing Tighnari’s slow movements, Cyno’s brows furrowed. “Do you want to return to Aaru Village? I don’t want you to pass out.”
In all honesty, Tighnari wanted to leave the desert in its entirety, but instead, he shook his head. “No, no, I’ll be fine,” he sighed, taking the scarab from Cyno's hands, inspecting the shell.
As he paid closer attention, Tighnari began to recognize the pattern. With his father being an entomologist, Tighnari had been on the receiving end of plenty of bug information. Though, none of it really stuck in Tighnari’s mind.
However, as he paid closer attention to the shell, Tighnari recognized the look of it. Not too long ago was his father raving about the scarabs with that type of shell. Tighnari could still hear his father’s complaints of not being able to find many.
“Hey, Cyno?” he called.
Cyno, who had already gotten up to search for more scarabs, turned to Tighnari. “Yes?”
Tighnari held up the scarab in his hand. “Do you know anything about this type? I remember my dad talking about it.”
Almost immediately, Cyno perked up. “He did?” he asked, excited.
“Uh, yeah,” Tighnari said, nodding his head dumbly.
Cyno scrambled around, finding and picking up every other scarab that had a similar shell. He then held out his hand for Tighnari.
“Let’s leave,” Cyno said.
With his mind fogged by the desert heat, Tighnari found himself barely able to keep up with Cyno’s quickened pace. Tighnari took his hand, wobbling slightly as he was pulled up.
Cyno snickered as Tighnari stood. “Do you need me to carry you?” he teased.
Tighnari glared at Cyno, who laughed once more before pulling them along.
-----
A week later, Tighnari prepared for a short visit to his parents’ house, alongside Cyno who was adamant in tagging along.
On their way to his parents’ house, Tighnari noticed the box Cyno held in his hands.
“Did you get a gift for my parents?” he asked, smiling. “They’re already quite fond of you.”
Cyno blushed slightly. “I just wanted to do something special. I haven’t necessarily had the chance, so far.”
Tighnari huffed a laugh. “Such a sap.”
They continued on their way to the house, taking the route that Tighnari had been ever so familiar with since he was young. Once they reached the doors, Tighnari couldn’t stop the smile on his face as he unlocked the door.
As it opened, Tighnari was immediately hugged by his mom.
“‘Nari! It’s so nice to see you again!” his mother said, squeezing him tighter every second.
Tighnari smiled, returning his moms hug. “Hi, mom,” he chuckled.
She released Tighnari, and held Tighnari’s shoulders, looking him up and down. “You’ve been taking care of yourself, right?”
Tighnari nodded, smiling, as she combed through his hair. “Yes, I have.”
“Good,” she said, then turned to Cyno with a large smile, hugging him as well. “And Cyno! Are you doing well?” she asked, moving to hold Cyno’s face in her hands.
Cyno nodded, preening under his mother’s attention.
Tighnari sighed, despite the smile on his face. “Is dad home?” he asked his mom.
She nodded, removing her hands from Cyno’s face. “Yes, yes, come on in,” she said, ushering the two men into the living room where Tighnari could see his father sitting on the couch, book in hand.
“Hi, dad,” Tighnari said, standing in front of his dad.
His father groaned as he stood up. “Ah, there you are,” he said, pulling Tighnari into a hug. “I was wondering when you would come say hi.”
Tighnari smiled into his father’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you just come say hi first?”
“I need to make sure my only son still loves me, of course!” his father said, laughing bodaciously at his own joke.
Tighnari removed himself from his father’s arms, ears pinning back at his antics. “Of course,” he sighed.
His mother dragged Cyno by the wrist to bring him closer to the couch. He seemed reluctant to talk to Tighnari’s father, even though he was already quite well acquainted with him.
Before Tighnari could ask what was wrong, Cyno began tapping his thumbs on the box he was holding.
Oh, right. The gift.
Tighnari nudged the box in Cyno's hands, and smiled at him once he got his attention. The action has somewhat relaxed Cyno as he stopped fidgeting with the box.
“Darling,” his mother said, holding onto her husband's head to turn it in the direction of Cyno. “Cyno is here as well.”
Tighnari’s father exaggerated a gasp once he looked at Cyno, patting him firmly on the shoulder. “You must forgive me, I don’t have my glasses on,” he snickered to himself. “Everything is good with you, I hope? I know Tighnari here can be quite the hassle,” he said, shaking Tighnari lightly.
Tighnari scoffed, swatting his dad’s hand away from him as he laughed.
Cyno nodded, smiling softly. “Yes, everything is great. We actually prepared a gift for you.”
Tighnari whipped his head around to look at Cyno. We?
He racked his brain, trying to remember anything he had gotten for either his mom, or his dad.
Then he remembered. The desert. The scarabs.
Tighnari sighed at himself, suddenly he wished he brought an overnight bag for this.
His mother sighed right along with him. “You spoil him too much,” she said, shaking her head disapprovingly.
“For me?” Tighnari’s father asked, ignoring the comment from his wife. He crossed his arms in an attempt to look intimidating. “Go on, impress me.”
Cyno slowly opened the box, playing along with the act, revealing 3 scarabs with the similar swirly shell.
Tighnari’s father froze in place before carefully picking a bug out of the box and gasping. His eyes twinkled with an almost childlike fascination.
Which was then promptly followed by an hour long lecture on the bug. Tighnari, his mother, and Cyno all listened intently. Though, admittedly, Tighnari was paying less attention than both his mother, who always listened adamantly to her husband's ravings, and Cyno, who already had an interest in scarabs to begin with.
Tighnari smiled to himself as he nodded along to his father's rambling and Cyno’s occasional interjections with his own knowledge.
Being in the desert and suffering from the excruciating heat was nowhere near fun. But being surrounded by his family?
Yeah, that was fun.