67 Talking with Tyr

Wishing Luna good luck, Macha entered her apartment. No one was home, and a Tyr left a dirty plate on the counter. Her annoyance at Tyr provoked her to have resentment over cleaning the dishes all the time. Macha ignored the plate, she guessed Tyr left to search for Luna again. She felt too tired to do anything, so she used the ear-cuffs to clean herself off.

Macha turned her head and traced her middle finger along the metal flowers. The skin on her body grew warm and a golden light flashed for a second. She liked how convenient this way of cleaning was, but it lacked the nice smell that soaps gave and the calming touch of water gliding across her skin. The ear-cuffs made Macha think back to the day Tyr gave her the gift. The ending of that day left her with so many questions about their relationship, even now she was not confident where they stood, but it was clearer.

Macha changed her clothes and climbed into bed. As soon as she closed her eyes, she fell asleep. She had a long night and the lack of sleep hit her hard.

When Macha woke up, night had fallen. She opened her door and the image of Tyr in the kitchen eating leftovers entered her sight. Macha looked at him and frowned. Her joy and relief at finding Luna was a separate issue from her irritation at him. Taking one look at his happy face, she went back to her room. Macha promised Luna that she would not yell at Tyr so she chose to take a shower to relax. Rationally, she understood Tyr's motives, but emotionally she had a hard time overcoming the disappointment that he did not trust her.

Tyr saw Macha and wanted to thank her for finding Luna. Before he could swallow his food, she frowned at him and closed the door to her room. He got up and turned the handle to her door. She locked it. "Macha?" Tyr did not understand what he did wrong. When he talked to Luna, she warned him his actions had upset that Macha but did not go into detail. He heard Macha start her shower, so he figured she needed to clean herself. Tyr finished his meal and decided to get her some food from the mess hall.

When Macha got out of the shower she wanted to talk to Tyr, but he was not in the room anymore. She viewed this as a sign to cool off a bit more, so she left to do her training at Mia's. On the way there, she would pick up dinner.

As she rode through the streets, she mulled over her emotions. The feelings of Tyr not sharing something as important as Luna missing hurt her. She thought they had a closer friendship than that. Aside from not telling her, if something terrible happened to Luna, it would have been better for more people to search for her. Macha did not have confidence in their love relationship, but she knew they were supposed to be friends.

When Tyr returned, Macha was gone. He assumed she stepped out for a minute, so he waited patiently. He saw this as an opportunity for him to catch up on the paperwork he ignored while Luna was missing. Time passed without him realizing it and daylight started to creep into the apartment. The changing sky caused Tyr to looked up from the papers in his hand. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the cold steak that he had gotten for Macha. Tyr glanced over at the clock and realized Macha did not come home last night.

This was the first night Macha failed to return, and it put his nerves on edge. Tyr put on his shoes and moved to the front door. He was not too concerned, but he wanted to look for Macha. Before he turned the handle, the door opened. Macha had her training clothes on and looked tired. Tyr's prior unease caused his voice to sound cold, "Why didn't you train with me last night? Luna's back so we can continue with our lessons." After the words left his mouth, he cleared his throat.

Macha's mood improved after the training session, but coming back and hearing Tyr's cold voice annoyed her. On the way back she had a whole speech worked out to express her concerns calmly, but the reaction Tyr gave her caused the speech to fly out of her head. Trying to stay calm Macha took a deep breath, "Tyr can we talk?" She moved to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of juice before sitting down at the dining table.

Tyr could sense something was amiss. Macha looked at him differently today and it caused his chest to tighten. He sat down and waited for her to start. Her voice sounded as if she strained to stay calm. He noticed her lips, which usually curved up, now formed a flat line and were pursed.

Silence filled the room as Macha worried how to begin the conversation. She twirled the juice in her cup, "I know you were worried about Luna when she was missing, but it hurts that you didn't tell me. I," she paused, organizing her thoughts, "I feel hurt that you didn't trust me enough to let me know." She did not understand why, but her voice cracked at the end.

Tyr listened to what Macha said. It never occurred to him to inform her of the situation. Fenrir always told him not to bother her with his problems. He ran a finger along his lower lip, "I didn't think you would have wanted to know. I thought it would burden you." His brows came together, he never meant to hurt Macha's feelings. Seeing Macha almost cry because he did not share his problems broke his heart. "I trust you as much as I trust Luna and Krystof."

Looking into his green eyes, Macha could only see concern and confusion. "Of course I'd want to know if you encountered a problem. We're friends above anything else. You can depend on me for anything." She was happy that she listened to Luna and remained calm. Macha was unsure if it was a cultural difference or his personality, but he had good intentions behind not telling her. She gave him a small smile and a tear rolled down her cheek, "Please, tell me when there's a problem."

Macha had an infectious smile and Tyr's lips curved up into a grin. He never imagined he would make her cry because of something like this. Tyr thought it was too adorable that she worried about him so much. He reached his hand over to comfort her. Macha felt warm from climbing the stairs and he pulled her in for a hug.

As Macha's warm body pressed against him, he thought about how her expectations were different from what he grew up with. His mother and Fenrir both did not want to hear about his problems. His mother had always been that way, but this was one more thing that made him question the relationship he had with Fenrir. "All right, I'll try to remember to let you know from now on. Thank you," he was not sure if he thanked her for showing him that love can be warm, for finding Luna, or for coming into his life.

Macha hugged Tyr back. "You don't have to thank me. It's something anyone would do." She turned around in his arms, "Now let me go, I want to wash up and sleep so I can work in the afternoon." She tried to wiggle out of his arms, but he embraced her firmly.

Stray strands of Macha's hair tickled his face as she moved about in his arms. Tyr closed his eyes and a rueful smile crossed his face at how wrong she was. Not everyone was as caring as Macha. He kissed her ear lightly and whispered, "Just let me stay like this a little longer." Holding her had a healing effect on his soul. The years of pain that Fenrir inflicted on him eased up a little when he held Macha.

The pain in Tyr's voice concerned Macha. She did not know why he was so desperate to hold her, but she wanted to comfort him. Macha lifted her hand and stroked Tyr's cheek. She found it damp, yet he made no sound of crying. Unsure of what to say or why he cried, Macha just stood there, consoling him as best she could.

Tyr squeezed her a little harder and took a deep breath. He used his sleeve to wipe away the moisture from the few tears that fell from his eyes. Tyr wished he could express how much he adored Macha, but he was never good with words. Putting his forehead on her back he said, "Macha, You have no idea how glad I am that I met you."