#u can tell i wrote the majority of this at the Less Sane Hours of the night

[june-again]

TIGHNARI: # something tremendous.

word count. 1k. genre. brainrotted scenario. potentially platonic or romantic.

overview. life at the akademiya was never what you wanted it to be. you didn't just want to read and report, you wanted to learn, to experience. all it took was sitting through one of tighnari's lectures to spark this into a brand new life.

author's note. i planned to entirely trash this fic, but at the request of @duckymcdoorknob , i finished it and am now posting it. perhaps not the best example of my plot-generating potential, but if you just wanna hang out with tighnari for two minutes, this lil fic is for you.

Tighnari’s goal had always been to train you, to do his duty as a Forest Watcher and instructor to pass on his knowledge to yet another rookie in the rainforest. As for taking you on as his apprentice, he hadn’t exactly foreseen it, but it was necessary and reasonable. The fondness he grew for you, unlike that which he’d had for anyone before you, however, was far from what he might have predicted.

He met you on one of the days he requested to give a lecture on a Forest Watcher's duties, after which you approached him with a question. An innocent question, indeed, but not a common one. “Master,” you said, “is there any chance you might teach us about more complex herbal medicines in future sessions?”

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Perhaps I must clarify. You do realize, young scholar, that my specialty lies in botany and ecology, not pharmaceutical sciences, don’t you? Anything I may have mentioned during my talk was only to illuminate differences between species, as well as highlight practical uses of common ones.”

“I realize this, yes,” you said, “but your knowledge already surpasses that which I have accumulated during four years of study.”

“Is that so?”

You nodded briefly. “I studied medicine at the Akademiya, but found it all a bit cold and detached. As interested as I am in the subject, I cannot learn under such underwhelming conditions. Friends referred me to you and your practices, advising me that if I didn’t like libraries and desks I would be better off in the rainforest cleaning statues of bird feces.”

Tighnari lightly sucked air in through his teeth at this. “Your friends may not have meant well by such counsel.”

You tilted your head, as if such a thing hadn’t occurred to you. “Perhaps not. But I cannot believe that, because of how I enjoyed your lecture.” You shook your head, smiling assuredly. “No, I am quite sure they knew this would be best.”

“And you are interested in herbal medicine?”

You shrugged. “It’s what I have the most background in. But… really, I feel as if I could be interested in anything, if I were to learn it from you.”

Such a comment of flattery—of interest—was hardly rare, but there was something grappling about the way you had sat through his lecture, hanging on every word as if it might change your life… The Forest Watcher scrutinized your expression, looking for any hint of ill-intent. Satisfied to find none but a sparkle of curiosity, he laughed. “Alright, then. I suppose we’ll meet again soon.”

“Master, you haven’t answered my question!”

“You’ll find out the answer soon enough.”

The following morning, you found an envelope addressed “to the young scholar,” below which was your name, and inside, a succinct letter requesting your presence that afternoon for an “herb-securing excursion.”

From there, you went from a new pupil to an apprentice… to a dear friend. You managed to shed the title of “young scholar” quickly enough, as your remark upon how similar your ages most likely were had been met with an obliging “you may be right” — but you did not escape, nor intend to escape, the seniority he held over you. You remained a humble and dilligent apprentice, striving first to learn and second to lessen his workload in ways that you could.

Once, a quarrel broke out between the two of you because of this secondary habit of yours. He was just arriving home, the sun barely disappeared behind the hill, and you were tending to the greenery just outside his hut.

“As my apprentice, I know you take on as much as you can to learn. But you must stick to your own duties.”

“You’re tired, Master,” you pleaded. “I see it every day when you finish with everyone, when you finally drop your mask at the doorway of your own home.”

“It means I’ve worked myself hard enough. It isn’t something for you to be concerned with.”

“I just want to help, Tighnari. I just want to repay you somehow.”

Tighnari’s chest tightened and he gazed at your earnest expression. People like you were the people that made it worth it. People like you were the reason he could hold it together, and love his job. “I think that means you’ve learned all I can teach you.”

Your mouth opened but no words came out.

“Would you like to take on a full Ranger position? I won’t pester you so much anymore, and you will be able to declare your own responsibilities. Gandharva Ville is in need of a nurse.”

You drew your mouth into a line, processing. He was offering you a position, but at the same time… “Are you trying to get rid of me? You’re going to station me in the village and forget about me?”

Tighnari shook his head, a green twinkle in his eye. “No, of course not. You would come along on our excursions. You would take on the role of tending to fellow rangers as well as anyone we may encounter who is in need of care.”

You gasped. “R-really? Tighnari, you mean that?”

He smiled gently. His soft ears flattened sideways, and you knew he was in earnest. “Yes. Now, leave my plants be, as I prefer to tend to them myself, and get a good night’s sleep. You’ll start tomorrow.”

You smiled widely at him, feeling relieved and elated.

“Hurry along now. Don’t gawk, Forest Nurse.”

You bowed out and walked along the path to the hut you were staying in. This was far from what you had expected your life to become; and he was far from the person you thought you would form such a respect for. You paused under a lampstand, and turned around once more to catch one more glance of him.

Tighnari was tending to his plants as he had said, leaned over to inspect the stem of a flower. He seemed to sense your eyes on him, and turned his head up the path. He sent you an encouraging, perhaps expectant, smile.

You briefly smiled back and turned back to your walk. Something told you that this was only the beginning of something tremendous.

thanks for reading! reblogs are always appreciated :)

#love our lil serious fox boy #tighnari x reader #tighnari imagine #genshin x reader #genshin scenario #gi x gn!reader #tighnari x gn!reader #genshin impact fic #we're just ignoring collei's existence for 1k words and that's okay #(in this one case) #u can tell i wrote the majority of this at the Less Sane Hours of the night #tighnari