Chapter Text
When Cyno first laid his eyes on Lord Kusanali, he became infatuated with the little figure. Her bright green eyes sparkled and glowed with curiosity, her hair flowing behind her back and curling up at the end. The archon's lips slightly quirked up into a gentle smile, and her entire presence radiated with pure, elemental power.
The Lord Kusanali then and now… They were one and the same, were they not? The message that Alhaitham showed Cyno and the others revealed the truth about King Deshret and Lord Kusanali, who had turned into the form of a small child. Was that not the little girl that stood before him?
He could see why Priest Kasala revered Lord Kusanali and their King. Her grace and elegance were ever-flowing, even in the reborn form she had now.
"Nahida," was what she called herself. Cyno could not figure out why she would get rid of the name Kusanali. Was it because the sages spat on that name? It was possible, considering how cruel they treated her.
The thought of their cruelty to his god made Cyno's blood boil. How dare they mistreat her, Sumeru's current god, like she was nothing?! To transgress every rule the Akademiya enforced in order to take advantage of the innocent and create a new god, which in itself is a vice of the gods. A sin and misdemeanor to everything the Akademiya should stand for. He should enforce judgeme—
"Cyno, is it?" A soft, familiar voice cut through Cyno's inner thoughts, almost startling him. He looks up, then down to see big green eyes staring up at him.
"...Lord Kusanali," he spoke, his breath hitching as his heart accelerated.
"You can just call me Nahida," informed the girl, twirling strands of hair that curled around her face.
Cyno nodded. "Lord Nahida," he corrected himself, her name somehow foreign on his tongue despite saying it before.
Nahida's expression looked rather disappointed. She pouted dramatically, even crossing her arms for some extra effect.
The short man stuttered, "N-Nahida?" His cheeks flushed from his stuttering, red eyes begging to look away, yet were still transfixed on Nahida. Her expression took a complete turn, now joyful and radiant.
Nahida was adorable, Cyno realized.
She then held out her small hand in front of Cyno. "How do you do?" she asked with a big grin.
"How do I do what?" responded Cyno, his joke coming out almost instinctively. He then quickly slapped a hand over his mouth in embarrassment, nervously glancing at Nahida's confused expression.
After a few moments—seconds for Nahida, minutes for Cyno—her eyes lit up and her mouth quirked into a big smile. She started laughing at his poor joke and Cyno just watched her giggle, cheeks flushing as his heart fluttered from her adorable reaction.
"Was that a joke? Tell me more!"
That was their first true conversation together after the events of saving Sumeru and Iminsul. This very encounter set off a spark within their hearts, one that attracted the two like polar opposites of a magnet.
As deity and follower, the two came to be infatuated with one another.
Nahida was Cyno’s god.
That much he could tell, from the way her appearance made his heart accelerate, to how her motives drove his soul to continue to work hard for her and her city. He could speak for hours praising her very name, kissing the ground she walked upon. However, Nahida disliked such revering notions, so he kept those feelings all to himself.
Butterflies fluttered in Cyno’s stomach every time she laughed at a joke of his. That sight wasn’t common in general, even Tighnari would tilt his ear in confusion. But Nahida, the Dendro Archon, something about her made her click perfectly with Cyno.
He felt that he didn’t deserve it, especially from someone with such great power.
While Cyno called their hangouts him slacking off, Nahida called them much needed breaks. They both were busy dealing with the new Akademiya, Nahida finally getting it back under her control, and Cyno once again as the acting General Mahamatra.
“What do you call a fish that only appears during storms?” asked Nahida, her hand held in Cyno’s as they watched the stars atop the Divine Tree. This was a normal occurrence for the two of them, used to this rhythm of taking a break together and watching the heavens.
“What?” Cyno looked down at Nahida’s expression, always filled with awe every time they go stargazing. After she escaped from her cage, she would watch the stars every so often. Stargazing in person was so much different compared to researching them in the Akasha Terminal. It was such a sight, and while Cyno never really thought about it, he too supposed that the stars were beautiful to look at.
“A surge- eon,” the archon giggled, proud of the joke she came up with herself. That brought a small chuckle out of Cyno, making her brighten up even more.
“You’re learning,” commented Cyno. “Soon enough, you’ll be a master of comedy just like me.” He knew that he wasn’t even close to becoming a “master” of comedy, judging by everyone’s reactions to his tasteless jokes. But seeing Nahida’s expression, her mouth grinning from ear to ear and her eyes sparkling with pride, made it worth complimenting her.
“Please teach me more, Master Cyno!” The man stiffened, her response suddenly striking a chord in him. Nahida giggled once more. “What, you don’t want me to call you Master?”
Cyno shook his head sheepishly. “No, it’s just… strange hearing it from you, Nahida.” He refrained to call her “Lord Nahida” in front of her, respecting her wishes to be greeted normally by the Mahamatra.
“Master Cyno,” Nahida repeated. “I like the sound of it!” She looked up at him, big eyes quizzically staring at his face. “Are you okay with me calling you that, though?”
“You may call me whichever name you want to call me, Nahida.” She frowned, however.
“You have a say in this too, you know,” Nahida insisted.
“...Unfortunately, it is hard to sway me in this. I want you to call me whatever you want.” Nahida stuck her tongue out, causing Cyno to chuckle at her response. He slowly reached his hand out to pat the archon’s head. “Do you want to call me Master Cyno, Nahida?”
Nahida blinked, now the one flustered. “It’s… I… It was funny at first! But now, I don’t know…”
The two were birds dancing together in the air, fluttering close to each other, but never touching. Their feelings bubbled and popped in their hearts, boiling in their stomachs as emotions forbidden for ages to come.
“We shouldn’t,” concluded Cyno. “You are the Dendro Archon and I am a mere follower. Wouldn’t it be blasphemous to refer to me as your master?”
Nahida hummed, considering his question. She leaned into his hand, absorbing his affection like a sponge. “But masters can be many things. It would not be blasphemous if an archon had a master, because archons can learn many things despite being the gods of Teyvat.”
She sighed, moving languidly against him and adjusting herself so that she could comfortably rest against Cyno’s body. “None say that you cannot be my master in the art of jokes.” Cyno wrapped his arms around her, cradling her protectively. Perhaps he acted possessively as well, yet he would never admit that, even to himself.
“I suppose…” the white-haired man trailed off, his gaze focused on Nahida’s calm expression as she looked off into the distance. “I suppose I would not be opposed to you referring to me as Master.”
“Hehe, I guess you can never say no to me, can you?” asked Nahida, now practically nuzzling against Cyno’s chest. His fingers trailed up to card through her hair, taking in this peaceful moment as if were the gods’ nectar.
“You’re right, I can never say no to you.” He could feel her breath against his chest as she sighed. Cyno bit back the thoughts that fed into his… romantic fantasies.
“Isn’t that a bad thing?” Cyno looked up at the sky, considering Nahida’s question.
Nahida adjusted her sitting position once more so that she was in between his legs, her back on Cyno’s chest and his chin on her head. Her hands found his big ones, and gently placed them on her lap with a smile.
“No, not to me at least,” replied Cyno with finality.
Nahida hummed, considering his words, but never objected. The two gazed up at the heavens, watching the stars move above them.
They have named several constellations in the sky before, Nahida putting her extensive knowledge to the test. Cyno had learned the many stars and constellations they were part of from her, and in exchange, told her the many folk stories that were spread among the desert people regarding the stars. The night sky in the desert was beautiful, Cyno would tell her, but seeing the stars atop a large tree was a more beautiful experience.
And Cyno had a star in his arms, glittering just like the rest in the heavens. It was like she was plucked out from the sky and created as a symbol of wisdom for humans.
Archons, he was down bad.