＃GENSHIN IMPACT !! ♡ — BLOOM WITH YOU (TIGHNARI X READER).
#. synopsis! — the three times tighnari was there to look out for you, and the one time you’re tasked with returning the favor(s) .
#. characters! —tighnari .
#. warnings! — nongraphic depictions of wounds .
#. word count! — 5.1k .
#. alt accounts! — @ddollipop (nsfw) @yyolkchi (reblog/spam) .
#. others! — navigation & masterlist .
First impressions die hard.
You met Tighnari a long while ago, back when he was less of a renowned researcher, and more of an awkward young boy who loved to roam the forests in search of nothing in particular and hadn’t quite grown into his ears yet. He was smaller, as were you, and those big, sprouting ears atop his head looked fake if you stared at them for too long. Back then, you’d almost been convinced he was wearing a little costume. . . Until you saw them twitch for the first time, and then all such thoughts were thrown out the window.
Still, they were almost comical. When he, in all his youthful inelegance, all but tumbled over himself to check on your well being after you’d managed to land yourself in a precariously sticky situation, they shivered with worry (even for a stranger.) —A stranger who would become his “assistant” in the future— but a stranger nonetheless.
That was the first time you met Tighnari. Your right foot had been swallowed up by a sopping hole in the earth, which sent you falling directly onto your butt. At your age, panic set it fairly quickly, and you were less hurt by the odd way your ankle had bent, and more startled by the suddenness of it all. Whatever it was inside that hole had you in a deadlock, and the more you struggled, the less it seemed to want to let you go. But you were young and scared, and picking up on the subtle patterns wasn’t exactly going to be your forte in a moment like that. Instead, you found yourself tugging on your own leg, and when that didn’t work, you anchored yourself with your arms and your one viable foot, attempting to use the leverage to pull the other from the hole.
Needless to say, —it didn’t work. Fear set in quickly enough, and you found yourself crying. Though such a reaction certainly wasn’t irrational, it was painfully unhelpful. Or maybe it wasn’t. After all, it was thanks to those sniffles and muffled sobs that you were able to attract the attention of a certain someone with a keen sense of hearing and a (thankfully) kind heart.
Tighnari tracked you down from your whimpers quickly enough, and was somehow able to calm you down through his flustered pleas to stop crying and a jumbled explanation of “I can help!” —And help he certainly did.
“J-Just relax! Flailing around like that will only sink your leg farther in!” He stammered, reaching out to grab at the middle of your calf, but pausing and jerking himself away just before he made contact.
“Can I touch you?”
You all but froze at the ill-worded request, but quickly concluded that he had no malintentions. Sure, maybe it was unwise to judge a book by its cover, but those big, twitching ears paired with his shaky hands and his doe-eyed stare that watched you nervously as he waited for approval told you that he wasn’t planning anything nefarious. Plus, you really did need the help. . .
After an affirmative nod, he took hold of your calf, lithe fingers encircling a part of it with a surprising level of gentleness. His touch was akin to the soft pitter-patter of butterfly wings against fresh, spring air.
“Your muscles are tensed up,” he said, sounding almost clinical about it. “Relax them and let your foot hang limp.”
“A-Alright,” you said.
Somehow, despite your nerves and the anxiety flooding through your veins, you managed to do as he’d requested. From there, the removal process was easy, and if you hadn’t been so elated, you likely would have been more ashamed about the tears stains on your cheeks.
Still, Tighnari didn’t mock you for it. Not back then, anyway. . . Years later, that event would be fair game to poke fun at you for, but at the time, he was kind and gentle, even when his fingers shook as he wiped tears from your undereyes. He asked if you were okay, laughed with you (not at you) about the unfortunate loss of your shoe, and walked you out of the forest safe and sound.
It wasn’t until after you parted that you realized you hadn’t caught his name.
It would be quite a while before you ever saw Tighnari again. He’d grown both several inches, and into his large ears that seemed much less disproportionate by the second meeting. He also seemed to have matured quite a bit, —walking with more confidence, and appearing to be much more comfortable in his own skin. Unfortunately, you didn’t have much of an opportunity to admire said changes.
The forest has always been both undeniably beautiful and horribly intense. Creatures big and small lurk just around the corners, and some of them are painfully easy to aggravate. Even glancing in their direction can set some of them off, and that doesn’t bode well for curious eyes.
You learned that lesson the hard way.
On your way home from a taxing day, you decided that it would be a good idea to take a shortcut through the thick of the forest. It wasn’t the most familiar route, but you’d taken it several times over the years, and figured that you could manage it before late evening. That assumption likely would have panned out just fine if not for a sudden detour.
With time to spare and nothing to lose, the sound of a trickling stream somewhere off in the distance enticed you closer and closer. You thought it would be nice to sit along the land with your feet in the water for a bit, enjoying the natural beauty of Sumeru. Despite having grown up there, it came as no surprise to you that there were many areas you’d left completely unexplored, and though you weren’t much discontent with that, you also didn’t think a little adventure would hurt. After all, it was a straight shot through some thicket and trees to return to the “path” that weaved through the forest, and you made mental markers of the landscape on your way.
Getting lost wasn’t really the issue this go around, though. . .
As you sat along the bank of the stream, shoes off with your toes just barely submerged in the cold water, a sudden splash from somewhere farther up had your shoulders tensing and your head whipping to the side. A trio of Spindocrocodiles were angrily making their way towards you, their tails sputtering up water ferociously as a yelp escaped your lips.
You’d seen them before, but always knew to keep your distance. They were known to be aggressive, but typically wouldn’t cause any troubles if you left them be. Today, however, just your presence within their general vicinity alone was enough to tick them off and rouse them from their places upstream. In spite of their stubby appendages that were clearly ill-equipped to function on land, they were no less frightening as they bounded over one another, bumping into each other to see who could take a chunk out of you first.
Those razor-sharp teeth were truly nothing to sneeze at.
This time, both of your shoes were lost to the forest. You scrambled to your feet, forgetting all about them in your rush to get away. Having heard your little yelp from not-so far away, as well as the commotion in the water, Tighnari rushed to find the source of the sound and was shocked to find you of all people. You may well have changed since he last saw you as well, but he could never forget those eyes.
“This way!” He shouted, and you had little time to process who he was or why it was significant before you were bounding off in his direction.
He wasted no time, reaching out to grab your wrist and promptly leading you through the bushes and branches until the ill-outlined path was in sight.
“You really don’t know how to stay out of trouble, —do you?” Tighnari questioned, sounding a little breathless from the sudden sprint.
“I-It’s not like that!” You insist. “Maybe it’s your fault! You always seem to be around when these things happen!’
His eyes widen and the ears atop his head that now look much more appropriate there twitch a bit in surprise.
“M-Me?” He stammers, “If anything, you should be thanking me! This is the second time I’ve stepped in to save you!”
“You’re giving yourself way too much credit this time,” you say, shaking your wrist free of his grip to cross your arms over your chest stubbornly, “I would have run whether you told me to or not.”
“Knowing you, you would have run through the forest and gotten lost,” Tighnari refutes, mimicking you by crossing his own arms over his chest as well.
“Or maybe you would have gotten your foot stuck in another hole.”
Your jaw slacks a little at his mention of that.
“You don’t know me at all,” you answer, “—even if that did happen, I know how to take care of it myself this time anyway.”
“Are you sure about that?” He cocks his head to the side with a look of disbelief crossing his soft, rounded features.
“Yes,” you reply curtly, “I am.”
Silence reigns for a short while before Tighnari breaks it, returning his arms to their proper places at his sides.
“Seems you’ve lost three shoes to the forest now,” he says pointedly.
You glance down at your bare feet, sighing at the sight of them.
“One really was enough,” you mutter. “I really liked those shoes.”
“In any case, I’m Tighnari,” he says, reaching his hand out for you to shake. “If I’ll be acting as a guide for you again I figure we should get to know one another.”
Somehow, you find it within yourself to not give him a snarky response. Instead, you take his hand in an awkward handshake. His skin is soft and warm, and his eyes all but sparkle in the dying sunlight that filters in through the breaks in the fickle canopy of leaves above.
“Y/n,” you introduce yourself begrudgingly.
But as it turned out, he wasn’t that bad.
The third time was just plain overkill, in your opinion. By then, you were fairly certain that Tighnari really was some kind of bad luck charm.
In your defense, whoever thought it was a brilliant idea to set a trap for prey along a forest pathway was both stupid and wrong. Seriously. . . Who does that?
You were innocently walking along, attempting to decompress from a stressful morning with a stroll through nature, only to find yourself trapped in a deep, man-made hole when a stretch of leaf covered dirt ended up being nothing more than a trap. One moment you’d been striding along, minding your own business, and the next you were breathless at the bottom of some ugly little pit.
To add to the annoyance of it all, you didn’t even have time to try and get out yourself. As if he’d been watching from the trees, Tighnari was kneeling down on the ground above you, golden earring dangling in the late afternoon sun as he peered into the hole you’d found yourself in. He knew it was you from the pitch of your sudden scream, and an amused smirk clung to the corners of his stupid lips.
“Your luck is absolutely abysmal,” he laughed.
“I’m aware,” you grumbled in return.
He was amused by the situation you’d found yourself in, but it was clear that he was concerned for you beneath it all. Sure, he didn’t know you all that well, but he felt a sense of responsibility for you. The forest isn’t easy for most to navigate, after all. Heck, it hadn’t been easy for him to get around in for a very long time, and he’d found himself in plenty of unpleasant situations as a result of its vastness.
“Would you like some help?” He asked.
You didn’t have the nerve to be acerbic, so you folded easily. You just wanted to get out of that dumb hole.
“Yes please.”
Upon seeing your dejected expression, Tighnari began to feel quite bad about teasing you the way he had. It was irrational to think his presence was poison in your well, watering your luck down to nothing the moment you stepped into the thick of the forest, —but a part of him began blaming himself for the unfortunate mishaps you’d been experiencing over time. It was a small part of himself that he could easily stifle with logic, but it gnawed at him nonetheless.
“Can you stand?” He asked.
It took you a moment to contort your body and make your way to your feet, but you managed it easily enough. The hard part had yet to come. Even perched on the tips of your toes, you’d have likely been screwed if not for Tighnari. He reached one hand out to you, the other digging into the dirt in hopes of steadying himself for what was to come.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” You asked, tentatively reaching up to grasp at his palm and fingers.
He held your hand with a firm grip, but it was gentle in many ways in spite of that. In fact, many things about Tighnari had always been undeniably gentle.
“I’m not as fragile as I might look,” he brushed your concerns away swiftly. “Just reach for solid ground as soon as you can and use it to pull your body up, alright?”
There didn’t seem to be another available option, so you nodded in confirmation and let Tighnari count to three before he began yanking at your arm. It wasn’t the most pleasurable experience, but it worked well enough in the end. Though his fingers dug into your skin uncomfortably, you grasped at the overhanging edge of the hole the second it was in reach, using the bulk of your strength to force your body up and over. Even if it didn’t take long, you let out a deep breath the moment you collapsed onto the dirt. That was a lot of energy to expend in such a short period of time.
With a huff, you turned to lay on your back, head resting uncomfortably against the ground. Tighnari could have easily joked about pulling your feet away from the hole a bit more, lest you find yourself tumbling back down in it, but he chose not to, Instead, he laid back beside you, turning his head to look your way.
“I hope I didn’t hurt you,” he said, reaching out to take your wrist into his tender hold.
His sudden sympathy had your lips pursing together, heart skipping a little beat in the cavern of your chest.
“. . . you didn’t,” you mumble softly. “Thank you for helping me.”
As the old story goes, —the rest was history. Tighnari insisted on taking you back to his little research lab just a ways off to keep an eye on you for a bit, and that day, your perception of him completely changed. As he worked, you found yourself lost in every moment, in every flick of his wrist as he jotted down notes along scraps of parchment.
He found that you weren’t half bad to have around. Despite your limited knowledge of the forest, you were surprisingly adept at keeping up with his ramblings, and he appreciated that. Your interest in his studies was practically everything he could have asked for. You didn’t stop him or cut him off when he began rambling about mushroom temperaments or the medicinal properties of various Sumerian regional specialties. You sat and listened, engaging with every fun fact he threw your way like a kitten pawing at a ball of yarn.
Tighnari definitely wasn’t one to fall easily, —but he was no fool. The way his heart stuttered upon seeing your captivated smile was anything but typical. The warmth that pooled in his stomach the moment you took the initiative to ask him questions was special. It wasn’t just general excitement. It wasn’t something he could write off as an anomaly to check back on in three weeks time.
This was different.
You were different.
He’d have been a fool to ignore it, —and far be it from Tighnari to ever willingly play the role of court jester. Instead, he sought your presence again, again, and again. Hours passed in what felt like the blink of an eye, and he couldn’t possibly ignore how easy it was to bounce off you, or how simple it was to keep the flow of conversation moving with you. Even the moments of silence were comfortable, and he never felt pressured by your curious gaze as you watched him go about his duties.
Those daylight hours bled into dusk, and he nearly asked you to stay the night before coming to his senses and realizing that such a proposal so soon would likely be misinterpreted and off putting. He didn’t want to scare you off, so he walked you to the edge of the forest, taking you the long way round.
As you walked alongside him, he pointed out various greenery and told you of their origins or of their healing properties.
Tighnari took your departure harder than he thought. He felt ridiculous for mourning the loss of your presence after no more than a day’s worth of light, —but he couldn’t help himself. You’d woven your way into his heart so easily, like it was child’s play. He was putty in your hands the moment he watched you walk away, and you didn’t even know it.
“Tighnari!” You call out, slipping inside his little research lab with the basket of sunsettias he’d requested just a bit before.
Working under him has been an interesting experience, to say the least. Especially because it just sort of happened. It was nothing you’d actively signed up for, but by the time he first referred to you as his “assistant,” you were so attached to his general presence that you hardly cared if he were to have you do small tasks for him here and there. In fact, you’re quite thankful that he chose you to fill the position! It’s given you lots of interesting opportunities to experience sides of Sumeru you didn’t think you’d ever get to partake in so intimately, and by no means did Tighnari skimp on knowledge to offer you.
It also doesn’t hurt that he’s exceptionally adorable. His ears twitch when he’s excited, his tail swishing back and forth until he remembers that it’s there and does his best to quell it to save himself the embarrassment. He’s loveable, even when he’s doing nothing at all. And you. . . Yeah, maybe you’ve come to love him just a little too much.
It was so easy to fall for him, though. One minute he’d been explaining the various sleeping habits of various fauna, and the next, your heart had been in the palm of his gentle hand, —the ones he holds quills with as he scribbles down important (and unimportant) notes.
“Tighnari?” You repeat when you don’t hear his expected response. “Are you here?”
It appears not.
Though Tighnari did mention he’d be stepping out for a bit just before you headed off, it seems strange to you that he hasn’t returned by now. You’d been a bit slow at locating sunsettias this time, so your task had taken a bit longer to complete than usual, and Tighnari knows the forest like the back of his hand. Anything you can get done quickly, he can finish in what feels like the blink of an eye. He’s efficient and fantastic at what he does, so for him to still be gone. . . It’s raising multiple red flags, to say the very least.
You sit the basket of sunsettias down on the floor beside his desk, quickly rushing off to look for him. Even if it’s nothing, you’d much rather be safe than be sorry. When it comes to Tighnari, being safe will always be the superior option.
After all, you know quite well what wrenches the forest can throw your way, and having been on the receiving end of it many times over, you’re not keen on leaving Tighnari to suffer the same fate on his own. He could obviously handle most things that would come his way, but what kind of assistant would you be if you left him high and dry?
Better yet, what kind of friend would you be if you did such a thing?
“Hey, Tighnari!” You cup your hands around your mouth to amplify your voice, calling out to him through the trees in hopes that his keen ears will pick up on your voice.
He hears you, but stays quiet. Crumpled on the ground with a gash across his hand, the flowers he’d collected left scattered all around him, —he’s not exactly keen on letting you see him this way. . . It feels humiliating that he of all people would have found himself in a situation like this. He should have known better! He did know better.
“Tighnari!”
Guilt hits him like an angry Sumpter Beast when he recognizes the worried edge that clings to your call. You care, and he knows that you do, —but with what little humility he has left, he’d rather not be seen like this.
He considers standing up and slipping through the trees, making his way back to the lab to patch himself up in record time before you make your way back there as well, but all hope of that goes out the window when the ears atop his head jerk, alerting him of your sudden approach.
“There you are!” You say, but the relief that floods through you quickly reverts back to worry as you catch sight of the blood on his hands.
“What happened, Tighnari?” Comes the dreaded question, —the one that he’s overwhelmingly tempted to lie in response to.
But it’s you. . . And he just can’t bring himself to be anything less than truthful when it comes to you.
“I was overzealous,” he sighs. “I saw a Rishboland Tiger cub nosing around, and from where I was standing, it seemed to me that it was limping. I approached it slowly, but when it didn’t immediately run away, I assumed I was right about the injury and reached out to let it sniff my hand.”
He glances down at his injured hand, and you can easily infer the rest without him having to say it.
“Why didn’t you answer when I called for you?” You question, gently taking his hand into yours in order to gauge the seriousness of the wound. “With those ears, there’s no way you didn’t hear me.”
“I. . .” He starts, but quickly swallows the words down.
You wait just in case he has anything to say, but when he stays quiet, you think it best to leave it be. If it was something he wanted to reply to, he’d have done it. His hesitance speaks volumes, and you won’t be the one to force an answer out of him.
“Come on,” you say instead, reaching out to gather the scattered flowers he’d dropped in the scuffle. “Let’s head back to the lab. I can take care of you there.”
You offer him help to aid in standing, and he takes it without complaint (or thanks.) His cheeks are perpetually red, and you know that he’s feeling ashamed of himself for having wound up in this position, so whatever happens from there, you’re more than willing to give him more lenience than you otherwise would have afforded to him.
“I can take care of it myself,” he objects, “—you don’t have to go to any trouble. I brought this on myself.”
“Oh come on Tighnari, aren’t you the one who always says I owe you for the times you’ve helped me?” you remind him.
He parts his lips to insist that this is different, but the words falter on the tip of his tongue. He swallows them down.
“. . . yeah,” he shrugs, “I guess so.”
The tentative way he holds his hand on the trek back is depressing, but it’s also cute. It reminds you of the way he’s held your wrist a few times here and there, as if he were certain of himself, but worried that if he squeezed too hard you’d fall apart at the seams right in front of him. Looking at him now, you can relate to such a worry. He seems so vulnerable, both physically and emotionally, and the last thing you want to do is take advantage of that.
He sits and waits with no complaints as you rifle through the jars around his desk. You know what you’re looking for, but Tighnari is the only person who knows the true methods to all of his madness, and though you’ve watched him work for months now, it’s all too easy to forget what jars house what now that all the options are seemingly staring back at you with eyes of their own. It’s like they’re scrutinizing your performance, and it’s driving you up the wall.
Tighnari, on the other hand, makes no move to assist or offer criticism. There’s a sense of pride welling up within him. You’re not the fastest, but you’re not flailing. It’s just that you’re scanning your options to be certain you’ve obtained the correct ones.
“Can I see your hand?” You inquire.
Wordlessly, he gives his injured hand over to you. His trust in you is immeasurable and unwavering, and it makes your heart swell.
Under the natural light that pours in through the windows, you’re able to assess the wound better. It’s nothing terrible, but you’re certain that it hurts, and when you make the first move to use fresh, clean water to clean it off, you hear Tighnari hiss under his breath. You weren’t too rough by any means, and you were likely more gentle than he would have been with himself, but the area is freshly agitated and just about anything is enough to irritate the nerves.
“Sorry,” you mumble, eyes flickering up to meet his gaze.
“Don’t apologize,” he replies sternly. “You know what you’re doing.”
“This is the paste we made last week,” you continue without missing a beat, urged on by the little nod he offers you in response. “It’ll stop any swelling, numb most of the pain, and kill any bacteria in the wound. It’ll make it easier to wrap it up at the end, as well.”
He already knew that, of course, but he’s proud of your knowledge retention nonetheless. Tighnari doesn’t move a single muscle as you dip your finger into the yellowish paste made of natural ingredients each of you helped to gather. As you apply it as softly as you can whilst still being thorough, he clenches his jaw, but refrains from making any noise.
“You’ve learned a lot,” he says instead, a smile tugging at the corners of his pretty mouth. “I’m proud.”
There’s been many times when he’s felt that way over the months, but this is one of the few times he’s actually said it. Of course, you always feel it, —but there’s no denying that it’s a completely different feeling to hear him actively say it.
Tighnari’s words are so genuine that they make little pin-pricks stab at your waning heart.
“I’ll grab the bandages and that should do it,” you tell him, attempting (and failing to) bite back a happy smile.
You snatch them up from one of his drawers, closing it behind you with a little thud. Turning back to him, it’s obvious that the atmosphere has shifted, although nothing tangible has changed. His gaze meets yours, and your heart sings for him. He’s strong, yet vulnerable and gentle. Stern, but welcoming and tenderhearted. And above all else, Tighnari is warm.
As you take his hand into your own again, little trickles of electricity fire off through your veins. You’re hyper-aware of everything he does, from the way he swallows quietly to the fluttering of his lashes as he blinks.
He watches closely as you wrap the bandages along his hand, but his stare isn’t scrutinizing in the slightest. If anything, he’s admiring your handiwork and the precision you’ve managed to accomplish with every fold.
“That. . .” you pause for a second, tucking a loose end into the previous layers to keep it secure, “should do it. Does it feel okay?”
Tighnari bends his fingers carefully. The bandages don’t budge, nor do they dig uncomfortably into his skin.
“It’s perfect,” he assures you, and you breathe an internal sigh of relief.
You’re perfect, he wants to add, but can’t find the courage to manage it.
But a part of Tighnari knows that now’s as good a time as any. You’re so close, and you smell of flowery medicinal paste and the sunsettias you’d gathered that now sit beside his work desk on the floor. He reaches out to cup your cheek with his newly bandaged hand, matching the curve of your face. You still, muscles tensing a bit, —not because you’re scared, but because you’re worried that you’re getting the wrong idea. Although you're not certain what other ways this could possibly be interpreted.
“T-Tighnari. . .”
“Can I. . .” he pauses, swallowing down the lump that tries to form in the back of his throat, “—can I kiss you?”
For a moment, you’re completely at a loss for words. You know what you want to say, but it takes a few moments to muster up the courage. Tighnari doesn’t rush you, doesn't act before you’ve given him permission, and you know you’re free to say yes or decline.
“Y-Yeah,” you confirm, “please.”
Any worry that you might come across as a bit too desperate have gone out the window, and Tighnari certainly didn’t take it that way. He’s more elated that you said yes than anything else.
He leans in and places his lips over yours. His lips are soft and he tastes of nothing in particular, but there’s an edge of sweetness to his motions that floods through all your senses. Your body relaxes into his, tension dissipating as he soothes you with his kiss. Your heart hammers away loudly, but you’re too caught up in the moment to worry about whether he can feel it against him or not. Tighnari was the one to ignite it, and he’s the one to break it as well. His forehead comes to rest against your own, and he sighs ever so softly in content.
“Thank you,” he mumbles, —and somehow, you doubt he’s just referencing the bandage on his hand.
You say nothing, but when you breathe through the fluster and bury your face in the crook of his neck, he holds you just a little tighter.