Height
No thoughts, just height difference
The General Mahamatra carries a presence with him. He’s adept at hiding it–capable of sneaking up on almost everyone–but generally, his presence is loud and overwhelming. He enters a room and he instantly demands attention.
Alhaitham had the privilege of witnessing it more than once already. There’s just something to the way Cyno carries himself in official meetings and it scarcely has to do with his headset. It might be the most distinctive sign of the General Mahamatra, but even dressed down and bandaged up Cyno manages to command the attention of everyone present with merely a look and the way he carries himself. Sometimes it feels as if the General Mahamatra is larger than life itself.
Alhaitham also has heard what people say about the General Mahamatra; how his reputation is huge and his legacy will carry on, long after he’s gone.
Alhaitham doesn’t disagree with any of that, though to him the General Mahamatra is even more. To him, the General Mahamatra is Cyno.
And Cyno is small.
His presence might be great, the power he commands terrifying and overpowering, but physically, he’s just a sliver of a man. Alhaitham knows of course, just what kind of power lies behind the deceptively slim body–has felt it first hand during their clash at Aaru Village–but that doesn’t change the fact that Cyno is almost an entire head shorter than him.
He’s not even of a good height for forehead kisses, something that Alhaitham laments every morning, when he awkwardly has to bend down until his lips connect with the crown of Cyno’s head. Not that a little discomfort is going to stop him because nothing can stop him from showering Cyno with his love. Not even the glower he gets in return.
“Stop that,” Cyno says, very notably not rising on his feet to make it easier on Alhaitham, but Alhaitham knows it for the token protest it is.
The blush dusting Cyno’s cheeks gives him away.
“Tomorrow, maybe,” Alhaitham says, and they both know very well that he won’t stop it, not tomorrow or any day after.
Cyno huffs, but doesn’t protest anymore, and Alhaitham just catches the hint of a smile on his face when he turns away from him.
~*~*~
Cyno’s wrists are delicate. His arms are capable of wielding the spear with a frightful power and they are able to block the heaviest of attacks but to Alhaitham, his wrists seem fragile, as if they could splinter apart at any given moment.
It doesn’t help that he can easily wrap his hands around Cyno’s wrists, his fingers circling them with space to spare.
“What are you doing?” Cyno suspiciously asks him, eying the hand around his wrist and Alhaitham isn’t even sure why or when he reached out for him.
Something about Cyno just calls to him, he guesses.
“This,” Alhaitham answers, trying to smoothly cover up his unconscious gesture and uses the grip he has on Cyno’s wrist to raise his hand to his mouth, pressing a lingering kiss to his knuckles.
“Alhaitham, we’re at work. I was handing you important documents,” Cyno sighs out, clearly exasperated, but Alhaitham only shrugs.
“And I’m thanking you properly for it.”
Cyno narrows his eyes at him.
“You’re insufferable.”
“You like it,” Alhaitham shoots back, noting the fact that Cyno has not wrenched his arm free of his grasp yet, even though they both know he easily could.
Cyno’s hesitation with that gives Alhaitham time to put the grip he has on him to another good use; he tugs on Cyno’s arm until he stumbles right where Alhaitham wants him to be.
“What am I supposed to do with you?” Cyno whispers from his spot between Alhaitham’s legs but the only answer he gets is a kiss.
It should be answer enough, anyway.
And it seems to be, because the instigator of the second kiss is certainly not Alhaitham.
~*~*~
Alhaitham eyes Cyno's hands. They are strong around his spear, sure and steady with their grip and Alhaitham knows just how hard the fingers can cling on to him.
It doesn't change the fact that Cyno's fingers are slender and his hands are small. Probably small enough for Alhaitham's own to fully engulf his hand.
"What is it now?" Cyno asks with a sigh, coming to a stop with his training and Alhaitham smiles as he hears the exasperated fondness in his voice.
"Come here?" he asks and even though Cyno rolls his eyes at him, he vanishes his spear and makes his way over to Alhaitham.
That alone is cause enough to immediately kiss him when he's in reaching distance, Alhaitham thinks and then does exactly that.
"That was not what you wanted," Cyno says when they part and in answer Alhaitham holds up his hand.
"I want to see," he simply says, not bothering to explain himself further but—like always—Cyno indulges him by placing his hand against Alhaitham's.
Alhaitham’s hands are bigger; his palm broader and his finger longer, just like he knew they would be.
Seeing it though, is entirely different than just knowing.
"Satisfied?" Cyno asks, clearly eager to get back to his training but he's stopped when Alhaitham intertwines their fingers.
"Never, when it comes to you," he honestly gives back and watches Cyno's face go soft.
"Good," he whispers right before he steps in for a kiss and Alhaitham marvels at that just as much as he marvels at the smaller hand in his.
~*~*~
Alhaitham eyes Cyno’s waist. His midriff is always exposed, for everyone to see, and Alhaitham thinks it might rankle him more if he wasn’t so certain that he’s the only one to touch. And he wants to touch.
“Alhaitham,” Cyno warningly says, clearly already picking up on what Alhaitham is thinking about, but now that the thought entered his head, he can’t stop himself.
He wonders if Cyno’s waist is small enough and his own hands big enough to touch once he encircles it.
Only one way to find out, Alhaitham thinks.
“I want to try something,” Alhaitham says already marching up to Cyno who puts a hand out to stop him.
“We’re in public,” he says, giving a pointed look to the people around them at the market but Alhaitham couldn’t care less.
Everyone knows that they are in a relationship, so he fails to see how it matters. Well, almost.
“Are you uncomfortable with that?” Alhaitham wants to know, because that really is the only reason he could see to not go through with his experiment right now.
Cyno huffs out something that could be called a laugh and then levels Alhaitham with a look.
“I let you kiss me during an official meeting where every high ranking person in Sumeru was present, including our Archon. You’re so smart; take a guess as to what the answer could be.”
“Good,” Alhaitham nods and continues to close the distance between them. “I just want to–” he mutters and trails off as his hands make contact with Cyno’s bare skin.
His fingers don’t quite touch, but only barely. He thinks if he squeezes–
“Alhaitham!” Cyno’s voice is choked and Alhaitham’s gaze snaps from his hands around his middle to Cyno’s eyes.
He tries to put up a stern front, but Alhaitham can see the fire burning behind that.
“I think we’re done with our shopping, right?” he innocently asks and lets his hands slide off Cyno’s skin when he whirls around, marching back to his home.
Alhaitham guesses that is answer enough, though the way Cyno sucks in his breath once they are in the bedroom to make Alhaitham’s hands fit more easily around his waist certainly is an answer as well.
~*~*~
Alhaitham wakes up when Cyno’s cloak hits the floor. He has to blink against the sleepiness still clinging to him but once his eyes fall on Cyno, he’s fully awake.
Cyno seems fragile and especially small in the moonlight that’s filtering into their bedroom. He’s clearly exhausted, tired from days of pursuit and it makes him look delicate in a way Alhaitham isn’t quite used to.
“Welcome home,” he whispers out and readily scoots back in bed to make space for Cyno.
Cyno hesitates at the edge of the bed before he crawls in and Alhaitham fully expects him to bury into his chest.
What he gets instead is a Cyno who puts his back to Alhaitham and curls up small.
It takes Alhaitham’s breath away how little space he takes up in bed like this and it seems it takes him a moment too long because Cyno harshly breathes out.
“Would you come here already?” he demands, glaring over his shoulder. “You’re usually so quick to lord your height over me and now you can’t even do this?”
Not a good mission, then. Alhaitham makes a mental note to ask about it tomorrow. For now, he has other things to do.
“I’m here,” he promises and moves forward, until he can curl his entire body around Cyno’s smaller frame. It’s startling how tiny Cyno feels in his arms and how easily Alhaitham wraps around him like this. “I’m here,” he says again, this time accompanied by a soft kiss to Cyno’s head.
It’s enough to finally get Cyno to relax and he melts into Alhaitham’s bigger body.
He loves Cyno, always, but there is something especially soft in his chest when Cyno is like that in his arms; small and fragile and trusting Alhaitham to keep him safe.
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