His entire life had been lived by a code of honour and rules. They had been ingrained into him from such a young age, that he no longer could remember a life without them. Morals so carefully built and arranged that they had become who he was. Everything Tyr did was impacted by that code. Women, soldiers, it mattered not who they were. They were all treated with the same form of respect. When it came to Makkari, that was no different. And one of those rules he held was to never, ever touch her hands.

He had no qualms with a guiding hand on her shoulder, or a lingering touch of fingertips against her cheek, watching as her skin blushed a rose colour. He could link her arm in his as they took a stroll together, pointing out the stars in the night sky. An arm slung carelessly around her shoulders was acceptable even. But to touch her hands was a sin he would not dream of. To him, they were her voice, her mouth, and touch them without her express permission would be as bad as him stealing a kiss without even asking. So despite the other casual touches that he may have placed upon the eternal, he never ever touched her hands.

Even now, her head resting against his shoulder, body tucked against his, and his back lying against the ground, he wouldn't break his sacred rule. He could trace patterns on her inner forearm with his own fingers, swirling patterns of old runes, both of protection and love, though she would not know what either looked like. But his hands never strayed anywhere else, didn't move to lace their fingers together like he would have with another. Wouldn't let their hands brush together accidentally as he pointed out the stars in the sky, forming their names both with his mouth and his hands for her.

He missed it though, blind in his morals and rules, her subtle reaction as he skilfully evaded those touches. It was maybe those reasons why he didn't notice when her hand tried to brush against his. Perhaps anyone else, and he would have noticed it, but love was a blinding thing, and for his lovely Makkari, Tyr would have done anything. Even if that meant the rigorous disciple it took to ensure that he never stole that kiss from her. He had forever and he would wait until the moment she had told him with her own words that such a thing was okay.

Her gentle nudging against his shoulder drew him from his thoughts, and his eyes flickered towards her face. His fingers tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear, and he was rewarded once more with a little smile from her and her cheeks dusted a light rose. He could have kissed her then, for the sheer beauty of Makkari was enough to make his heart ache and wonder how he could have possibly found anyone quite like her. He was a soldier, with more blood on his hands then most. He had slaughtered countless souls on the battlefield. To come so close to someone so pure and to stain her with that very blood was another reason he kept them to himself.

[ Hi, ] he signed to her, a small grin of his own tugging at the corners of his lips, watching as she wriggled closer to him, if such a thing was possible.

[ Hi yourself, ] she replied, that sweet smile still evident on her face. And before his mind could even register what had happened, she had slipped her hand into his, fingers interlacing with his own.

To say he had froze would have been a vast understatement. But in that moment, it felt as if his heart had stopped, his entire world had stopped, unable to start again. It lasted maybe a second or two, but for him, it felt as though it had lasted for a lifetime. Her hand was warm, soft against his calloused one, and for one fleeting second, he thought about how it fit snugly, almost as if they had been made for each other. Perhaps the look of disbelief had registered on his features, for her hand had left his as quickly as it had grasped it. He could see it had upset her, watching in numb shock as she pushed herself into a sitting position, away from him. But his mind finally caught up with him, and Tyr was pushing himself up, reaching out for her, only to hesitate.

[ Is there something wrong with me? Did I do something I shouldn't have? ] she signed to him at a furious pace, leaving him both dumbfounded and shaking his head all at once.

[ Wrong? Makkari, you could never be wrong, or do something… ] He had trailed off, unable to understand why she would even think such a thing. [ Do not ever think that. You are perfect, in every sense and form. There is nothing you do that could ever be considered wrong. Do you understand me? ]

[ Then why won't you hold my hand? No one else seems to avoid it. ] She had seemed genuinely confused, and a little upset. To see her like that broke him and once again, he was shaking his head. Did she truly think that she was at fault? How could she have ever possibly been anything less than perfect?

[ That is not it. I didn't want to… Makkari, your hands are your voice. I couldn't… ] He was cradling her face then, his forehead resting against hers, the pad of his thumb rubbing circles over her delicate cheek. "I couldn't steal that from you," he whispered aloud that time, and his voice had a rough edge to it. Just like he wouldn't kiss her, because that was hers to give, not his to take.

Her hands were cool as they came to rest on his face, softly, slowly, like she didn't want to startle him again. His eyes half closed, her touch sending small shivers up along his spine, before they flickered back open, losing himself in those beautiful brown eyes. "But what if I want you to?" she mouthed to him, silent words that carried more meaning, more weight, than if they had been spoken out loud. "Do you not love me too?"

He moved then, his head turning slightly, pressing his lips against her palm, watching as he elicited the same response from her that she had in him. "Oh Makkari, beautiful, brave Makkari, I have loved you from the moment I met you. But I did not think anyone like you could ever love someone like me," he murmured, turning his head back to face her so she could see the words he formed. "And I did not dare take anything that wasn't mine to take."

Leaning back, ever so slightly, he let his hands fall. [ I love you, Makkari. I will always love you until the world ends, and Ragnarok comes. You have my heart and my soul. Of that, you have nothing to doubt. I am yours, for as long as you will have me. ]

And with that, he slowly slid his hand back into hers, watching her face light up in delight, fingers squeezing hers, before he leaned back in, this time taking the kiss she had been waiting to give him.