Babylon
"If you don't tell, I won't tell." Makkari signs and raises her eyebrow at the perpetually snarky Eternal. She's never been able to understand why he incites such stillness within her, as if her feet are rooted to the earth. It's not an unpleasant feeling, not around him at least. It startles her, for someone who can't sit still - she finds that she doesn't mind it. Doesn't mind the woodsy scent that envelops her, or the gentle swoop in her stomach when he watches her.
And oh, he watches her.
Makkari thinks he does it on purpose. He must know that she catches him, especially after the slow smirks he gives her. Much like he's doing now. Druig's eyes are soft, with a twinkle of mischievousness as he contemplates her offer. The corner of his smart mouth is raised the smallest bit and she holds her breath in as the familiar swoop snakes through her.
"Deal." he finally says, she can feel how his lips form the word in a gentle caress and the smooth, deep vibration that Makkari can pick apart despite the busy atmosphere. She's come to distinguish Druig in a sea of activity. It's not that she can't do this with others, but with him..it's a different category. Druig takes a small step forward and pushes into her space, and Makkari can't help but raise her chin towards him and stretch her lips into a smirk. He looks beautiful in the glow of the torches. Druig instantly mirrors her, tilting his chin and pinning her in place with that layered gaze he reserves for her.
Beautiful, beautiful Makkari.
Oh. Later, she'll swear her heart stops briefly at that moment. The way she recognizes his murmur. But he hasn't opened his mouth, hasn't picked up his hands to sign back to her. His eyes are still twinkling, as if he knows something she doesn't. That's impossible, seeing as she's the one with the answers and he's the one with the endless questions. Makkari's cheeks heat up, he must be projecting his thoughts to her.
She lets out a huff and raises her hand to his face. He stands still. She can feel his stuttered heartbeat, he's nervous - as much as he projects otherwise. Her fingers come into contact with his cheekbone, skin smooth and warm. He breathes. Makkari can feel it. The permanent woodsy scent intermingled with the sweetness from whatever he'd been munching on surrounds her. She breathes in. Suddenly they're much closer. In each others space - as they always have been. The warmth from his body teases her own skin, not quite touching..but almost. She drags the pads of her fingers down his cheek and jaw, never losing eye contact with him. Druig slowly inches his head down until their foreheads softly touch. His eyes are sparkling, and something about this melts all of her muscles. Her nose brushes his and suddenly his hand is covering her own.
They don't do much but stand there, breathing in each others scents. Becoming one as everything suddenly clicks.
You can hear me.
Druig hums. Makkari feels it, the breath of his exhale, the soft rumble she's accustomed to. He pulls back and she craves the grounding touch instantly. He doesn't get very far, like he physically can't go further than that. Like they're tethered together.
"Only when you offer up your thoughts to me." Druig both signs and says. Makkari has never had the dilemma of focusing, but at the moment she doesn't know where to direct that focus to - his pretty eyes, the way his hands gracefully move or to those smart snarky lips that form each of his words carefully. "I meant what you heard. I say it twice, because I don't quite think calling you beautiful once is enough. You deserve to hear it multiple times."
"You're such a flatterer." Makkari can't help but smile at his praise. Druig mirrors her again. He gives her a boyish grin, full of humor, full of tenderness. He's such a distraction that she doesn't even manage to pull them aside in time, as a Babylonian couple bumps into him as they make their way to the dancing. Druig pushes up against her once, twice - his shoulder nudging her gently. The couple offers their apologies to them and gesture for them to join in. Makkari notes Kingo and Sersi already among them.
Come on. You're dancing withme.
Druig's eyes twinkle with mirth as he lets her lead. Let's her take his hand and pull him towards the dancing crowd. Babylon is a city of beauty, but nothing compares to tonight. The stars are above them, the fire glows softly, she can feel the beat of the music and Druig squeezes her hand gently. She's prepared to lead them, when he takes over. His dancing is graceful and smooth, like the flow of water.
Even now, as they dance - he watches her. Perhaps watches is the wrong word. He studies her. The Eternal with infinite questions, with never ending curiosity..seems to always study her. His eyes roam her face, her hands, the way she is laughing, moving. And a permanent ghost of a smile attaches to his lips as he does. This time he does form the words and speaks.
"My beautiful, beautiful Makkari."
"Do you ever think about why we don't remember much about home?"
Makkari breathes in deeply before looking away from his hands and finds that his face is already turned towards hers. They're both laying on a lower tier of the Hanging Gardens, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. She can feel the gentle lapping of the water against the structure, the gentle hum of Domo and the uncertainty and curiosity that radiates from Druig's question. Makkari ponders for a moment, tucking her forehead against Druig's shoulder. He's warm, solid and still. She tries to remember him, tries to think about their home in Olympia. On one hand he feels like home, on the other..well she can't recall any memories she might have had with him.
"No.." she starts off, signing and offering her thoughts to him. Druig twitches, as if he wasn't expecting her to trust him with her thoughts again. He shifts so he is propped on one arm, laying sideways and facing her. Twinkling stars forgotten above them, endless precious horticulture becoming a background to them. She lays on her back, only her face turned to him - and before she continues, Druig encircles her waist and carefully shifts her closer. They both crave to breathe shared air. "I don't remember much from Olympia. Perhaps it's because we had to flee. Perhaps Arishem, and the Celestials put us to sleep so long for our safety that we can only recall it as a dream. Or perhaps our time away clouds our memory."
Druig is silent for some moments. He lays back again, this time tucking her into his side. Her head rests on his shoulder and his breathing is slow..deep. Again, she is fascinated by how rooted she feels when she is with him. Makkari finds she doesn't need to use her speed..not always. Not for this. They are both so quiet in that moment that her eyes start closing. She feels lulled, by the steady beat of his heart under her, the gentle movement of his fingers on her exposed arm. Makkari thinks of Thena and Gilgamesh..of Ikaris and Sersi. She never much thought of feeling so in touch with anyone. Not with a mortal, not with her other Eternals that she sees as family. Not until she looks at Druig.
It's as if they exist in an orbit, two powerful beings circling each other since the beginning of time.
"I hope so." he shifts to sign, while projecting his own thought into her mind. Makkari likes this. They don't need to actually move to communicate all the time. It's intimate. Their little secret, just like their earlier deal of stealing and his need to intervene during conflict. "I love our family. Even Ikaris. Don't tell him I said that. But I never feel so complete unless you're there. You feel like my home sometimes, my beautiful and smart Makkari."
Druig opens his eyes at that moment, and he looks over to her. His eyes sparkle with moonlight, with affection and with..something else. Makkari has never felt so simultaneously light and grounded at the same time. She grins. He mirrors her. As always.
I feel home with you too.
Gupta Empire
It's the moments during Ikaris and Sersi's union that Druig takes his time to study Makkari. Her smile is so wide, so full of sunshine. Her garment is beautiful and fiery, flowing off her lithe frame. Her eyes are full of unshed tears. He knows it's affection for the couple. He feels it. She took his hand a couple of times upon seeing them, squeezing it whenever she caught him looking. He really can't help it. In a sea of Eternals & mortals - endless conflicts, emotions, love, power..she is his grounding force. In a world of his own curiosity, endless need for knowledge and understanding, Makkari offers answers for everything. So he studies her. His favorite subject. The glint in her eyes when she's up to nothing good, the sibling interaction she seems to have with Kingo. Her love for reading, for exploring, for collecting. He knows almost everything about her. The way she offers her thoughts so freely when they're in a crowded room, her way of wanting to be private with him.
Druig revels in the light flush whenever he compliments her, the pretty smile she sends him, the way her hair flips when she speeds from one place to another. The way Makkari can't be still unless he initiates some sort of physical contact with her. What they have is special. He thinks that it's a blessing to live with her for eternity. He doesn't quite believe in Arishem, doesn't understand what the purpose of their mission is, if not to teach them how to coexist and love even in conflict. But he thanks the Celestial for picking them to be a family, and for Makkari.
As if she can read his thoughts, Makkari turns to him. A knowing grin on her face. He catches another person staring. Ajak smiles softly at them, like a mother does. Her eyes full of approval and love. And suddenly, Makkari stretches her free hand towards him - a sweetened pear in her hands. His lips stretch into a smile, always mirroring her. He reaches for the fruit, and takes it..she knows him completely. Knows his habit of constant eating. Always teasing him for it, but always feeding him as well. Makkari offers a gentle squeeze to his hand and he bumps her softly twice, once her back is to him.
Pay attention!
Her sweet melodic thought enters his mind and he rolls his eyes. He can feel her smiling though. He presses closer to her, his now free hand coming to rest on her hip as he bites into the delicious pear.
Thank you, beautiful.
I thought you promised to always say it at least twice.
He huffs out a laugh, quiet enough that only Makkari will feel.
Of course. My apologies, my sweet beautiful wise and precious Makkari.
Her breath catches, as it always does. Her cheeks flush, he can see it from this angle and she hides a soft shy smile. His hand squeezes her hip gently and he tugs her back until they're practically breathing the same air. Her temple rests gently bumps his chin and her back is against his chest.
You're such a sweet talker.
Druig keeps his eyes on the celebrating couple, they're exchanging words now. The braided flower chains are being placed on each other and there's a soft love in their eyes. Something that Ikaris reserves specifically for Sersi. He understands.
Only with you.
He glances down, and Makkari is smiling beautifully.
After the ceremony, when humans and Eternals alike are celebrating - he finds Makkari again. She's quite busy between Sprite and Phastos, rapidly moving her hands in a spirited debate. Thena and Gilgamesh sit near them, laughing as Kingo attempts to counter Makkari. He sits with them, watching as she talks about Egypt. How they had named her Thoth. How they had worshipped her as the god of learning. He remembers. She was so wise. How could anyone not worship her?
"Do we have another union on our hands?" Gil startles him and Druig glances back to where Thena is trying not to laugh. Gil is smiling gently. A big contradiction to his brutal fighting style and size.
"Be quiet Gil." Druig coughs, glaring at him with no heat behind it. His cheeks must be flushed.
"All I'm saying is-"
"I get what you're saying." Druig pleads for him to stop talking. Thena laughs. She reaches out and ruffles his hair.
"It's beautiful. What you have together. Whether you define it or not, the connection you share is precious. Makkari feels the same." Thena raises her brow and fixes him with a stare. Gil and her glance at each other, smiling softly before standing. Gil offers Thena his hand and she takes it gently, they glide to the group of people dancing. At the same moment Sprite seems to pull Kingo and Phastos along, towards the happy couple dancing. Makkari signs that she'll meet them there soon enough and then makes her way to him.
"Let's walk." she signs and he hears her thought in his mind. She has an amount of unbridled trust in him and he hums.
"You don't wish to dance?" he asks, forgetting to use his hands as she enters his orbit again. Makkari takes his hand in hers and leads him out to the steps of the building. Her dress flows beautifully around her. And he notes that they match. Him, wearing black with red and gold accents and she, wearing red with delicate gold threading.
In a bit.
They stand near the very top of the steps leading down. The sun nearing it's bed on the horizon. The music inside follows them gently. They both look out towards the lush green mountains and he turns her slightly until they face each other.
"You look so very beautiful today. You always do." he signs and speaks. Makkari is watching him, reading his lips and flicking her eyes to his once he finishes. Her hands raise and for a moment he thinks she might say something. She doesn't. There's an intimate look in her eyes as she reaches to grasp his shoulders. Druig lets his head fall gently until their foreheads touch. They are breathing the same air. She smells like citrus, sandalwood and honey. His nose is nudges hers and his hands come to cradle her softly against him.
You look handsome. Always in black, but it suits you.
Her lips quirk up into a troublemaker smile, and he does the same. Makkari leans in and presses her lips to his. Where she is the fastest, her kiss is slow. Their lips move together as the last rays of sunshine shine on them. He can't help but shake lightly, for immortal powerful beings nothing should shake them by now. Except what they're doing now is like nothing he's ever felt. His body is tingling, just like upon waking in the Domo. He can feel everything. He feels her little hums, the softness of her lips, the way her breath hitches when his hand cups her cheek, the exhale when he tugs her bottom lip between his. This must be his purpose.
When they pull back, Makkari is breathing harsher. Their noses bump together again, and he kisses her nose before pressing his head against hers again. They are so intimate, their touches, their smiles. Their thoughts.
I cannot believe I had to kiss you first.
Druig laughs and rolls his eyes. Makkari smirks.
"If you don't tell. I won't tell." Druig signs and says playfully. Makkari's eyebrow raises and he knows she remembers Babylon. He ducks down to press his lips against her cheeks, her nose, her hairline..before pressing his last kiss to her lips. They revel in it for a few moments before pulling away.
"Deal."
Makkari tilts her face to look up at him, and he lets his gaze wander down like in Babylon. Their lips quirk up at the same time and she grabs his hand again to lead him back into the party. Druig follows, letting her set the tone to their dance. And as they dance amongst the humans and his family, he can't help but think that he could spend eternity here.
Tenochtitlan
It is in Tenochtitlan where they have their own union.
Makkari loves the city. Loves the people. Loves the atmosphere. Druig finds it beautiful too. He praises Phastos for the work he has done with the chinampas, the pyramids, the temples. He helps the people trade and barter, celebrates unions. He aids them with tasting their food, like he always does. He is so free here it makes her heart soar. He hunts, he learns, he teaches them what she once taught him. The rest of the Eternals seem at home here too. They seem to talk less about Olympia and more about Tenochtitlan. Of Babylon, of Greece and China. Of the islands.
They are starting to feel more at home on Earth.
It should come as less of a surprise when Druig leads her away from where she had been helping prepare a jaguar skin for the celebration tonight.
"Where are you taking me?" she playfully signs. He takes her hand before she has time to set it down and raises it to his lips. He presses a quick kiss to it, and doesn't let her go. Instead he tugs her closer and wraps his arm around her shoulder. Makkari's breath catches slightly. After so many centuries, she could never get used to his easy affection with her. The way it makes her come alive.
"If I told you, it would not be a surprise" he says looking down at her. Druig is smirking and she bumps against his shoulder.
Bastard.
"Well that's not very nice." he murmurs and Makkari laughs, she raises herself on her toes and kisses his nose. "Ah, you're being a menace I see."
"Menace? If anyone that's you, curious god of fruit." she signs and he tugs her to his chest. His black jaguar pelt brushes against her arms as he leans down to take her lips with his. Druig's hand carefully wraps around the back of her neck and holds her as they kiss softly. There's a familiar wave of sound that she feels during their kiss and they pull apart to look around. A group of children and two women are cheering for them. Druig hides his face in the junction of Makkari's neck. His breath comes out in pants and his lips press chastely against her skin. She looks towards the group of onlookers and laughs.
"We love you both." she sees a familiar child signing towards her and she frees her hands to sign behind Druig's back.
"And we love you."
Druig steps back from Makkari at that moment, and takes her hand again. He speaks to the group, smiling easily as they run off giggling. The sun is starting to set again, and he quickly leads her towards one of the temples. He stops at the bottom and looks towards her. Makkari rolls her eyes knowingly, stepping behind him and transporting them to the very top in less than a second.
He breathlessly laughs before turning towards her and pressing his forehead to hers. His hands come to her tunic, bunching it a bit and stepping closer to her. She furrows her brows in a silent question. He smiles before tugging at the fabric and tying it to his own. Makkari's breath stops in realization. Her eyes water, and she feels a tear escape. When he finishes the knot he looks back up to her, their noses brushing. He uses the pads of his fingers to brush off her tears, still touching foreheads. They don't need to speak. Not yet anyways.
As they stand there, the magnificent city underneath them, the sun setting for the day - Makkari looks into his stormy colored eyes. They don't seem so stormy right now, they're full of bliss, happiness and love.
"I'll always help you collect, not steal." his familiar voice laps at her mind, like a slow wave of the ocean. Makkari looks down smiling before letting him read her own thoughts.
I'll always answer your questions. Always. And I'll never tell.
Druig smiles beautifully at her. After thousands of years he manages to stun her into stillness. They've never needed to move to communicate. He never even needs to use his telepathy with her. She doesn't have to sign for him. They just know. He can look at her and she will always know what he thinks, what his troubles are. Makkari thanks the universe for her family. For him. She has read endless books, studied endlessly for thousands of years and she will never have an answer as to why this came to be. But she doesn't need a reason. Not for them.
When the city is burning and she is aiding to the best of her ability, she hears his thoughts.
Why can't I help them? Nothing about this is just. This is horrifying.
Her heart breaks. Druig, her snarky Eternal has his hands tied. Not towards the Deviants, with those he has the agility of a jaguar, the strength of a panther. Makkari speeds off in the moment, collecting the beloved citizens of her Tenochtitlan and grouping them towards the edges of the city. Where they will not be found by the power hungry invaders. Where hopefully they can outrun and move themselves deeper into the jungle. Where they won't be touched by evil.
"Thank you. For all that you've done for us." the familiar child signs to her when she nudges them towards the group.
"I am so sorry I couldn't do more."
Her eyes fill with tears and she bows her head before speeding away. When Makkari gets back, Ajak forbids her from interfering. Thena wounds her heavily as the fierce warrior starts to lose her sense of reality. Druig senses her pain and his anger intensifies.
Once they are back at their temple, Druig silently moves to her. He examines her for wounds as though Ajak doesn't have the capacity for healing and he presses his head with hers. His hand grips the nape of her neck as they stand there. Makkari breathes in the smoke infested air, the same one Druig is breathing in. They are together. She offers him comfort, he waits a few moments and pulls away, waiting for the others before he questions Ajak.
Oh, her ever so curious Druig. She can feel the heartbreak in his voice as he questions their purpose, their mission, Arishem. Even Olympia and Ajak. He voices his pain, in being able to guide their thoughts or feelings towards peace. Makkari knows he is going to leave. For him, he had found a home within Tenochtitlan. With her. As they had for the past thousands of years. She speeds to his side and signs.
"Stay strong." she signs with tears in her eyes. You're my home, please don't leave. Makkari presses her thought into his mind and she sees the pained look in his eyes.
His love for humanity and these people..it's finally bursting. He has been so patient throughout their life, although it has always pained him to see conflict this way. Druig has walked amongst the humans for thousands of years, celebrated with them, brought them together through food..through interests. Makkari's lip trembles, he is so exhausted from caring for them while not being able to influence their emotions towards harmony. He closes his eyes for a moment, breathing her in without touching. She can smell his woodsy scent again, amidst the smoke. Makkari understands. She knows she will not see him for some time. Not after Thena and Gil are on the verge of leaving as well.
I have to.
He doesn't communicate with her again. Not while he raises his arms to control the people. Not while he walks down the steps, not as he walks towards the entrance to the city. Not when those under his spell follow him. It's not until he passes their temple. He stops. The others rush to view what he is doing, Makkari feels her heart break.
I will always help you keep collecting. You are my home. But I cannot break you, my beautiful and wise Makkari.
And I will always answer your questions. I'll wait for you.
Makkari silently cries.
Domo (Present Day)
Makkari didn't expect to see him. Not after 500 years. Not after Thanos. Not after she'd been cooped up in the Domo for a long time. She has heard from him, a handful of times since their parting. She knew he wasn't ready. He has sent her books, artifacts, things he makes. In return she has sent him notebooks, with answers to his everlasting questions..solutions to his problems. She hasn't heard from him in fifty years. Hasn't seen him in half a millenia.
"So how did you end up scoring this..Emerald Tablet-" the familiar rumble of his chest makes her spin to face him. He's smug, smirking while holding her tablet. Makkari grabs for it, not using her speed. Druig always distracts her from it. He holds it away from her, while leaning in closer. "My beautiful, beautiful Makkari?"
He lets her snatch the tablet away as she blushes. Bastard. Makkari breathes, his subsequent praise for her and their shared secret from Babylon makes that familiar swoop in her stomach appear. She is hyper aware of Ikaris, Phastos and Kingo watching them interact.
"Did you miss me?" Druig signs flirtatiously, somehow closer than before and knowingly smirking when she's distracted by his presence.
Maybe.
Druig lets out a small hum, maintaining their eye contact as she holds her tablet. Makkari smirks, tucking their secret onto one arm and raising her brow.
You know I did, my curious god of fruit.
I love the tablet.
Of course you do. You helped me steal it.
I won't tell-
If you won't tell. Makkari finishes his thought for him, Druig starts to raise his hands again when their intimate reunion is interrupted.
"I-I'm sorry. What are we watching because this is..this-" Phastos stutters out, he looks confused yet understanding.
"Is this new? Because I hate it." Kingo says and Makkari raises her brow.
He's just annoyed because I broke his camera. Druig is smug and she turns back to him with a twinkle of shared amusement. They had to have seen this coming, at least three of their family knew already, was it really not obvious? As the topic changes to what just uprooted her entire belief, her gaze remains on Phastos' designs. Makkari is bumped forward by the familiar snarky Eternal surrounding her. She looks behind her, only to find Druig still looking at the bracelets. She rolls her eyes and he looks down briefly before bumping her again. He smirks softly and keeps his eyes forward.
Who's the menace now?
Oh, it's still you my darling Makkari.
They're interrupted again by Kingo and Phastos, who are nonstop peppering them with questions about them. Druig is trying not to laugh, but he takes her hand in his anyways and brings it up to his lips. He presses a soft kiss to her knuckles and she squeezes his hand before releasing it.
"It started in Babylon. Or maybe that was the time we first noticed." Makkari signs, and Kingo pretends to gag. Phastos is so curious that he starts reminding her of Druig.
"Oh no, I noticed you long before then." Druig counters and keeps bumping her until his chest presses against her back.
"No more. No more details, I can't believe you're with him. He sucks!" Kingo interrupts.
"I do suck. Especially when I'm-"
"No. Shut up. Stop talking."
They both share a laugh as Kingo walks off and Phastos chuckles before offering his congratulations, telling them of his own family. And a bit after that, Druig leads her into the mass of books and the collection of things she now has.
"You waited." he looks less lighthearted than before. But far less troubled than when he walked away from her in Tenochtitlan.
"I said I would. I made sure to always come back to Domo, so that if one day you appeared instead of some package.." Makkari trails off, her hands dropping down to her sides as she recalls the years of loneliness without him. The 500 years of perpetual movement she had to endure, even as she tried being still - for him. Her breath is shaky, Makkari was so used to him and their family, without him..she had forgotten what it was like to feel tranquil.
"I'm so sorry my beautiful, smart Makkari." Druig looks pained, his eyes are glassy with tears. His hands tremble. "I became someone you wouldn't be proud of. I wed you in Tenochtitlan. It became the last place we called home together. But I also broke there. There was too much pain, too much sorrow, the genocide..the look in your eyes as you tried to intervene with the people, even if it went against Ajak's orders. I had to go, with the people..the people under my spell. The spell I swore I'd never put them under."
I missed you. I'm glad you're back.
Makkari isn't sure who steps forward, maybe it's him who super speeds to her. He cups her face in his hands gently, and touches her forehead to his. The familiar scent envelops her, the familiar sensation of being rooted to the earth washes over her entire being and they orbit one another again. Like the pull and push of the waves in the ocean. He is warm against her skin. Druig is exhaling harshly, the puffs of air fan her face. She knows he is coming to terms with the entirety of what happened, what is going to happen and what is currently happening. She needs to feel him. Makkari tilts her face towards his, brushing her lips against his.
After 500 years, she expected to never experience kissing him again.
It's slow, demanding and constant. But the feeling is that of their first. When her body tingled as if she had just sped across the globe. It feels like her home.
The Beach (post-failed Emergence)
They are mourning.
In the quiet sands of the beach, her remaining Eternals surround each other. They mourn Gil. The soul and protector of their family. They mourn Ajak, the loving mother figure who encouraged their pursuits and sent them off to the world when she noticed her family's tie to Earth. Makkari can't help but mourn herself as well. After 500 years, they reunite - only for her to lose her partner in crime again.
She mourns for Ikaris too.
Ikaris with his misguided belief in Arishem. A belief she had started to let go of upon being with Druig. Her eyes well up with tears, when she remembers the way he was slammed deep into the core of this planet by his former brother figure. She thinks she can forgive Ikaris, for realizing that his love for Sersi overpowered his faith in Arishem. But she doesn't think she'll ever forget the true pain she feels in her heart, when she remembers that he took Druig from them. From her. The twist in her stomach as if she was the one who had died.
There is no regret in her actions, not when she screams for the first time or when she drags Ikaris through the island and almost beats him to pulp. Makkari doesn't know if she would have killed him. All she knows is that she wanted to make him hurt.
She tries not to dwell on it right now, not when her remaining family needs her. They all gravitate to one another, and for being the quick and graceful Eternal..her feet have never felt heavier than now. Thena looks at her, with the familiar pain of losing a soulmate. Makkari grasps Thena's arm, and the warrior covers her hand with her own. Sersi stands between her and Phastos, a sad but resigned expression on her face. The love between her and Ikaris had spanned since the beginning. It had been the most prevalent, and they all feel the weight of losing someone you loved for thousands of years. The stillness she feels now is no comparison to the one Makkari has always felt with her sweet, wonderful Druig. This is heavy.
They separate after some moments, sniffling and processing the events passed.
As they stand there, Makkari feels two oddly familiar vibrations. Whirling around, she first spots a forlorn looking Sprite - who makes her way towards them and then she spots him...Druig.
Makkari's heart beats faster and she feels the tears in her eyes as he approaches them. Her legs feel less heavy, and she finally runs to him. Not the speedster run, or the powerful run, not the run she used as her fingers had gripped onto Ikaris' shoulder and took off, full of anger and pain.
Druig incites a stillness within her, a peaceful standstill that makes her feel present. Her eyes track him as he reaches out for her, weary..shoulders slumped. When she meets his eyes there is no stronger juxtaposition between how he physically appears and the look in his eyes, his half lidded gaze is so full of love and that look he's always given her.
They don't speak as his arms encircle her waist. Druig holds on so tightly to her. Makkari's hands grip his shoulders, her fingers trembling. This time, it's her that initiates the forehead touching. She needs to feel him, to make sure he's there, to make sure he's real. He lets her process, lets her close her eyes and breathe in his familiar woodsy scent mixed in with the permanent sweetness of fruits. A tear tracks down her face as she basks in his hold. When her eyes open, he's already staring. His nose is touching hers, and they are breathing in the same air. Like they always have.
I love you.
I love you, my sweet beautiful beautiful Makkari.
Makkari's eyes well up with tears again, Druig sways with her gently. He rocks them back and forth, always touching.
"I missed you." he says.
Me too.
"I'm home." he murmurs both in her mind and aloud. Makkari smiles and they sway once more before letting go as she leads him by the hand towards the others.
It started in Babylon. But maybe it really started before then.