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Intertwined Fingers is a particular way of Holding Hands that indicates a more than close relationship between two people. This is commonly done by lovers, or whenever a creator wants to indicate a pair are more than friends without going out and saying it.

This is in particular a staple of lesbian related works and scenes. Intertwined fingers can often indicate lesbian relationships without getting explicit about it. In fact, see the Yuri Genre article for other good illustrations of this trope.

Yaoi Genre comics and their other forms will also occasionally use this trope, often as a subtle Ho Yay or Discretion Shot to turn their relationship up a notch.

Has absolutely nothing to do with Finger-Tenting or Fingore—probably.


Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Anime and Manga 
  • Used as Ship Tease in Sound of the Sky between Filicia and Rio shortly before Filicia sacrifices herself... in an alcohol-fueled watergun war.
  • Aimi and Kaoruko of Akahori Gedou Hour Lovege do this as part of their In the Name of the Moon-speech.
  • Najimi and Yell do this in episode 7 of Akikan!. This may be part of the summoning process which also includes kissing.
  • An unromantic example from Bakemonogatari in Suruga Monkey. While Senjougahara intertwines their fingers Kanbaru confesses her love. Senjougahara's response is to reply that she knows and that she can't see Kanbaru as anything but a friend.
  • Berserk: Pre-eclipse Guts and Casca did this occasionally, most notably during their love scene. Unusual in that they were now an Official Couple, so the Ship Tease aspect was not present.
  • Female!Yuki and Luka do this in Betrayal Knows My Name.
  • Akihito and Mirai in episode 12 of Beyond the Boundary, when he tells her to close her eyes and not be afraid. Significant in that it serves as a nonverbal declaration of their love for each other. The actual verbal love confession and subsequent Relationship Upgrade happens during the finale movie, and again the couple employs this trope during said scene.
  • Hansel and Gretel do a very delicate and sensual version of this in Black Lagoon. It's a bit unnerving.
  • When Mari and Hagino from Blue Drop start holding hands in this fashion it's quite obvious what happened between them.
  • Kanade and Yukino from Candy☆Boy do this a lot. Yes, they are sisters—but it is hinted that there's more to it.
  • In the last episode of Chrono Crusade, Chrono and Rosette intertwine their fingers right before they breathe their last. *sob*
  • Ryou and Nagisa in CLANNAD do this when the latter "confesses" to the former, much to Sunohara's excitement.
  • Occurs between C.C. and Lelouch near the end of Code Geass R2 while they sit back-to-back. Notable due to the two characters' mutual asexual behavior and/or untrusting natures toward each other and everyone throughout the series, but completely understandable when you consider all the crap they've been through together at this point.
  • Shigeru and Mai do this right before leaving Quindecim in episode 3 of Death Parade.
  • In Destiny of the Shrine Maiden, Chikane and Himeko do this after confessing their feelings for each other.
  • Near the end of Double Arts, this was the default position of Kiri and Elraine during combat. Considering the titular style they created is based on synchronized duet dancing, this is kinda understandable. Somewhat necessary since they are struck hand to hand by default.
  • In Dragon Ball Super during the Tournament of Power, Goku fights two Saiyan girls named Kale and Caulifla. Kale has self-loathing and massive hidden power that manifests as a huge buff transformation that goes on an uncontrollable rampage. When she goes into the form to help Caulifla fight Goku, Caulifla holds her hand and praises her for being so strong and willing to use that strength for her sake. Kale pushes her down into the ground by her hand, but Caulifla's words eventually get through to Kale and she gains control over her power. She and Caulifla then look at Goku, ready to fight him together as a team, still holding hands with fingers intertwined.
  • Rose and Ryuuji in Dragon Crisis! do this fairly often, since it's used to kick off their Engage abilities.
  • In The Five Star Stories, Amaterasu & Lachesis hold hands this way after defeating Juba and his goons with the Knight Of Gold. Not exactly Yuri, as this Amaterasu isn't a Shinto goddess, but rather the hermaphroditic god-king of an entire planet. Yeah, it's that kind of manga.
  • In Full Metal Panic!: The Second Raid, Xia Yu Fang and Xia Yu Lan do this after one of them gets a Pistol-Whipping from Bad Boss Gates. It hints at their twincest relationship, as if the earlier Les Yay Shower Scene wasn't evidence enough.
  • Yuno and Yuki during their sex scene in Future Diary.
  • This happens between Makoto and her younger sister Miyuki in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, when Miyuki thinks that her sister wants to jump out of the window because she ate Makoto's pudding.
  • Haru wo Daiteita: When Iwaki declares his love, he entwined his fingers with Katou and held them to his heart - awwwwwww.
  • Sae and Hiro in the OP for Hidamari Sketch x365 come to mind. Sae quickly pulls away with a blush.
  • The second season of Higurashi: When They Cry (Kai) has Hanyuu and Rika do this in the ending credits.
  • Intertwined hands are part of the Discretion Shot in His and Her Circumstances during their love scene.
  • At the end of IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix Takeshi and Liz are seen holding hands and, when Liz gets flustered and tries to pull away, Takeshi re-grabs her hand and entwines her fingers.
  • Two unnamed women in the audience are seen doing this at the beginning of Interstella5555 as they enjoy the concert.
  • Junjou Romantica: Usagi and Misaki on occasion.
    • Pretty much all three couples are eventually shown this way (plus the opening theme has them Holding Hands as well).
  • In King of Thorn, twin sisters Kasumi and Shizuku intertwine their fingers during a flashback Furo Scene. Kasumi was a Shrinking Violet and very dependent on emotional support from Shizuku.
  • Taki and Klaus do this before kissing in Maiden Rose, as least, when their relationship is going smoothly.
  • Maria Watches Over Us:
    • Sachiko and Yumi hold each others' hands this way in the second season finale.
    • As do Yumi and Touko in the finale of season 4.
  • This trope pops up even in older Yuri Genre works like Maya's Funeral Procession.
  • This happens once in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED with two Gundams. Considering the context, it likely wasn't meant to show anything more than friendship.
  • Setsuko and Yukino do this in Octave.
  • The first three seasons of Pretty Cure have multiple instances of this, notably when Cure Black and Cure White use their Marble Screw attack together.
  • Kyoko and Sayaka in Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion for a sweet, quick moment before it gets killed.
  • Ayato and Haruka of RahXephon are a heterosexual example, which occurs once during the series and twice in the movie.
  • Revolutionary Girl Utena has this between Utena and Anthy at times.
    • Also Akio and Utena do this during their sex scene.
  • In the manga version of R.O.D the TV, Anita and Hisami do this ever so often, clearly showing the intensity of their friendship.
  • Souseiseki and Suiseiseki, two of the closest characters in the series Rozen Maiden do this in the second opening and elsewhere in the manga.
  • Kenshin and Kaoru intertwine their fingers when they make love in Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection.
  • Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus do this quite a few times throughout the series.
    • Most notably during the "I like your hands" scene, on the morning that they go to the Marine Cathedral expecting to have to kill an innocent person and again while they're dying/fading out of existence at the end of Stars.
  • In Saki, Saki and Nodoka hold hands like this quite a bit.
  • Sumika and Ushio do this in the first chapter of Whispered Words. They are Just Friends, even though both are identified as lesbians early on — and Sumika has a major crush on Ushio. The fact that Ushio heavily favors cute, petite girls causes Sumika enormous angst over Ushio's obliviousness to her feelings.
  • Haku and Chihiro in Spirited Away do this as they are free-falling from the sky after Haku transforms back from his dragon form into his human form.
  • Done rather overtly in the ending credits of Strawberry Panic!.
  • It's used between Hikari and Akari in the opening of This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, though that doesn't really have romantic overtones (unless you choose to interpret it like that...)
  • Actually a valid piloting input in Vandread. Done only by Hibiki and Dita though.
  • Lucia and Sumire from Venus Versus Virus do this a lot in the anime, perhaps as a hint that there might be more going on between than just friendship.
  • Shown between the eponymous pair of Sumi and Kina in the first chapter of the Slice of Life manga series, Wife and Wife (aka Fu~fu.)
  • Kirito and Asuna do this when they are finally reunited in the hospital in Sword Art Online.
  • In the second new chapter of Morinaga Milk's Yuri Genre manga Kisses, Sighs, And Cherry Blossoms Pink, Nana and Hitomi hold hands on the bus like this. When more people come on, Nana gets embarrassed and suggests they stop, which Hitomi agrees to...only to covertly kiss her.
  • In No. 6 chapter 13, Sion is nervous about going to rescue Safu, and Nezumi calms him down by grabbing his hand and his fingers with Sion's.
  • Sharon intertwines her fingers with Alice's in one scene in PandoraHearts.
  • This shows up reasonably frequently in Sakura Trick. It's exactly the kind of series where this is reasonable.
  • Snow White with the Red Hair: Shirayuki and Zen hold hands this way outside of an inn after he accidentally brushes his hand against hers and then asks for just five minutes of hand holding. They are the Official Couple but still need to hide their relationship in public.
  • Yuri!!! on Ice's Yuri Katsuki laces his fingers with his coach Victor's right before going in for a Headbutt of Love in the sixth episode. They later get engaged.
  • Koshiro and Nanoka from Koi Kaze hold hands like this on the train after finally becoming a couple. It's an image of calm acceptance after all the turmoil they have gone through before.

    Comic Books 

    Fan Works 
  • Hetalia: Axis Powers fanfic Gankona, Unnachgiebig, UnitĂ : Italy intertwined his fingers with Japan even before either confessed, hinting at his feelings for Japan.
  • Used for massive feels in A Pleasant Surprise. Fluttershy and her lover hold hands like this during the Relationship Upgrade, and also when she takes his virginity.
  • Some Shipping fics in the Star Trek fandom do this, not only because it's romantic, but also because Vulcans have very sensitive fingers.
  • Advice and Trust: Shinji and Asuka linked hands and interwined their fingers as they explained their relationship to Misato:
    Together they brought their hands between them up from below the level of the table and let them rest on the table. Asuka's left hand was on top of Shinji's right, fingers interlaced in a tight grasp.
  • The Child of Love: Shinji and Asuka entwined their fingers shortly after their kiss during the Obon festival in chapter 5:
    Asuka takes one of Shinji's hands in her right one and clasps it so that their palms are against each other and their fingers weave together.
  • Enoby and Draco do this in My Immortal, while simultaneously sticking their middle fingers up.
  • RE-TAKE: This is the last image of the End of Evangelion Shinji and Asuka in volume 4.
  • A Growing Affection, chapter 17, Hinata puts her hand on Naruto's, and as a sign of his growing feelings towards her, he intertwines his fingers with hers in response.
  • Two Halves: After a pretty rough beatdown from his master (Naruto tried to use a forbidden jutsu he just read about 2 minutes ago. His master was displeased at his recklessness.), Hinata is tending to Naruto's wounds and places her hand on his forehead. He reaches for her hand and intertwines them after a brief heart-to-heart.
  • In the Miraculous Ladybug fic Spots Off, Marinette takes Chat Noir's hand like this right before she takes his ring off to find out who he is (with his permission). They stay like this for most of the following chapter and she gives Adrien's hand a squeeze a couple of times to show her appreciation for his support during her unmasking.
  • Subverted in the Gunslinger Girl fanfic "Porcupine Love". When cyborg Triela and assassin Pinnochio do this, it's to tie up each other's hands so they can't easily kill the other while going to have sex.
  • In Dragon Age: Inquisition fanfic Walking in Circles, Solas and Evelyn are often specifically described to do this and not just simply holding hands. In fact, it's rare for them not to do this when they're with each other.
  • In Supergirl fanfic Hellsister Trilogy, Kara Zor-El and Dev-Em hold hands in this fashion when they fly back to the present time after getting together.
  • In chapter 23 of A Prize for Three Empires, Carol Danvers tells Gladiator about human courtship customs and the importance of touching as a sign of intimacy. As their conversation gets more intimate, they end up entwining hands.
    "My God, I really cannot believe I’m having a conversation about American mating customs with a dad-blamed alien from the Shi’ar system. And I mean that in the most complimentary way, Glad. Really I do." She lay a hand gently on his wrist. "Really," she repeated.
    He looked into her eyes. "And is the touch usually a sign of a wish for intimacy?"
    "Often, it is," she said. "Just as... the right look... can be an even greater sign."
    He entwined the fingers of his hand with hers. "Would this also be a sign of some significance? In this context, that is?"
    "In this context, it would often be significant, indeed," she said.
  • In Fire Emblem: Awakening fanfiction Golden Threads Tie Us, Severa intertwines her fingers with Lucina's when the latter gets badly wounded.
    Lucina moved her hand from her wound and her fingers trailed along the ground, as if searching for something. Without thinking, Severa reached and grabbed it. Lucina turned her head so that her forehead was pressed into Severa's shoulder and sighed.
    Severa threaded their fingers together. "Lucina, don't you dare go out on me. Got that!?"
    Lucina didn't respond, but her fingers squeezed back.

    Films — Animation 

    Films — Live-Action 
  • Corky and Violet's final scene together in Bound (1996) — an especially nice touch considering what other things happened to fingers in that movie.
  • Mathesar sees Laliari and Fred doing this towards the end of Galaxy Quest, and realizes she intends to return to Earth with the humans.
  • Secretary Dee does this to her boss Mack in Grand Canyon. It helps establish that Dee and Mack have had some kind of romantic involvement before the main action of the film. See Sleeping with the Boss.
  • In High School Musical, this can be interpreted as the moment of the Relationship Upgrade between Troy and Gabriella.
  • Used in the scene where Eli crawls into Oskar's bed in Let the Right One In. It's probably for the best that that's where the focus is, as Eli's naked and bloody, Oskar sleeps in his underwear, and both are 12 years old. Nevertheless, the scene is painfully sweet.
    • In the remake ''Let Me In' rather than linking their fingers as they cuddle Abby instead takes Owens hand and gently rests it on her cheek. Its equally a sweet gesture to demonstrate their budding romance and distract from the fact that Abby is naked and covered in blood.
  • The first part of Hou Hsiao-hsien's art-house movie Three Times ends on a close-up of the boy and the girl holding hands that way. It's a very heartwarming moment.
  • Tropic Thunder: In the parody trailer for Satan's Alley (Brokeback Mountain set in a 12th century monastery), it showed Kirk and Tobey Maguire's characters standing there with their fingers intertwine showing their commitment towards each others.
  • In En kärlekshistoria (A Swedish Love Story), young teenage lovers Per and Annika walk through the woods holding hands with their fingers interlinked, swinging their hands between them. It's very natural and touching, like the rest of their love scenes.
  • Used for Unresolved Sexual Tension in The Lover. The Chinaman gives The Girl a lift in his chauffeured car. As they sit in the back seat, his finger lightly touches hers. When she doesn't object, they silently move to this trope in the course of their journey into Saigon.
  • Used for the love scene in The Terminator. As Sexy Discretion Shot is averted, it's meant to show the moment of climax when their entwined fingers relax, given that Sarah Connor being impregnated is a crucial plot point.
  • This happens in 13 Going on 30: When young Jenna is blindfolded in the closet and believes that Chris has come for her, she holds out her hands, and intertwines her fingers with Matt's; until Matt reveals that he is not Chris.

    Literature 
  • In #8 of the Animorphs series, Ax makes a point of noting Cassie and Jake doing this in his observations of human culture.
  • Anne and Diana do this when making their vow of friendship in Anne of Green Gables.
  • Tavi and Kitai do this on occasion in Codex Alera.
  • Hands Held in the Snow makes this such an important visual element that it appears in practically every chapter once the Official Couple finally gets together.

    Live-Action TV 
  • This is a well-used trope in most Korean Drama, as a showing of romantic feelings.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    • Willow and Tara hold hands this way as part of their Homoerotic Subtext before their Relationship Reveal.
    • Subverted in "Tough Love". Tara has had a fight with Willow and is sitting alone on a bench when a woman entwines fingers with hers. Tara turns with a big smile...only to find herself facing Glory who proceeds to torture her for information by crushing Tara's fingers until they bleed.
    • In "I Only Have Eyes For You", Buffy realises James and Grace are having a Teacher/Student Romance because they do this while one hands the other a book.
    • Buffy and Spike do this in "Chosen" even when Spike's hand bursts into flame, during his Heroic Sacrifice that collapses the Hellmouth.
  • Ditto for Brittany and Santana in Glee, though they prefer linking pinkies. Though, they do intertwine fingers in "Hold On To Sixteen".
  • Doctor Who. As there is increased Ship Tease in New Who, yet producers want to maintain the Doctor as a Celibate Hero, this is one way to show a romantic subtext to the Doctor/Companion relationship.
    • The Doctor and Rose do this all. The. Time.
    • The Eleventh Doctor and Clara; who couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other for five seconds.
    • The Twelfth Doctor found himself with a Hates Being Touched persona, so it takes more than a season before he and Clara are back to the point of holding hands again. As far as intertwined fingers, there is a key moment in "Hell Bent" where, in an attempt to calm the Doctor down (due to him undergoing a major sanity slippage - long story) not only intertwines her fingers with his, but specifically and deliberately grasps his ring finger, which led to much discussion in fandom over the symbolism given the long-term Ship Tease involved in their on-screen relationship.
  • A heartbreaking one in an episode of Farscape, where John and Aeryn do this across one of Moya's grates as they're about to be separated from each other.
  • Friends Monica and Chandler do this a lot. Not a big deal for much of the series when they're dating and later Happily Married, but they did it before hooking up as well when quite a few scenes had them cuddling together or playing with each other's fingers. No one seemed to find it strange despite the implications of interwined fingers.
  • Heroes: Claire told Gretchen she wants to hold her hand.
  • Stefan and Elena from The Vampire Diaries intertwine their fingers and hands together when they make love for the first time in season one.
  • The L Word uses this all the time, even focusing directly on it during lovemaking scenes. Of course, one would speculate that hands are of larger significance in lesbian sex, given that women tend to be much more tactile than men and have slightly fewer useful appendages.
  • Torchwood has Captain Jack Harkness and the real Captain Jack Harkness intertwine fingers in "Captain Jack Harkness".
  • Star Trek
  • Pepa and Silvia in Los Hombres de Paco usually intertwine their fingers when Holding Hands.
  • Emma: Emma and Mr. Knightley do this behind her back when they break the news of their engagement to her father.
  • Game of Thrones. In "The Kingsroad" Daenerys' bed-slave Doreah instructs her on the importance of this (along with Held Gaze) during her Les Yay-filled sexposition on the art of making love to a man.
  • Supernatural. In "Fan Fiction", Dean isn't happy when he sees the two actresses playing Dean and Castiel doing this, and is informed that yes, they are a gay couple.
  • Person of Interest. Another lesbian version between Root and Shaw in "The Day the World Went Away". Given that their Homoerotic Subtext usually involves Belligerent Sexual Tension, it's an oddly sweet gesture.
  • Daredevil (2015): Matt Murdock and Karen Page tend to be intertwine their hands after they start dating.
  • NCIS: After listening to recordings from the Vietnam War, Gibbs and Sloane (both of whom are Shell Shocked Veterans — him from Desert Storm, her from Enduring Freedom) are visibly shaken by the memories. Sloane reaches out to put her hand on his arm in comfort, and he responds by taking her hand in his and lacing their fingers together. They aren't dating... yet.
    • In a Mood Whiplash example, in season 10's "Berlin," Tony and Ziva share a heartwarming moment driving back from surveiling a suspect for a case. Tony gives her a compliment, and takes her hand in emotional support. A moment later, they're T-boned by a car at top speed. The final shot of the episode is Tony, barely conscious, reaching out towards Ziva. The back of his hand has a wreath of cuts on it—the imprints of Ziva's fingernails where their fingers were laced together.
  • Arrow
    • In "Vendetta", Oliver Queen takes fellow vigilante Helena Bertinelli to the gravestone of Sara Lance and explains how his grief and guilt made him the man he is now. Helena has her own issues of grief and guilt, and as he talks a close-up shows her reaching out her hand and intertwining her fingers with his.
    • A platonic version occurs in "Vertigo" when Thea Queen is being swarmed by reporters when she turns up for a court appearance. Oliver takes her hand with this trope as he fends them off with the other hand.

    Music 
  • Lady Gaga and BeyoncĂ© do this at the end of the music video of "Telephone". It goes with the fact that in the video, they're heavily implied to be a Les Yay version of Bonnie and Clyde.
  • The picture made for the Vocaloid song "magnet" speaks for itself.
    • This is also a popular pose for the Kagamine Twins, both fanon and canon wise.
  • Tarja and Sharon den Adel do this at the end of Within Temptation's "Paradise" music video. As a bonus, two other girls (the main focus of the video) do this too.

    Theatre 
  • This is an important moment in We Will Rock You when Scaramouche and Galileo end up holding hands like this during 'Who Wants To Live Forever' and they realise that actually they've been falling in love since they first met.

    Video Games 
  • Used as part of Yukari and Yuyuko's fairly Les Yay combination save in Touhou Soccer. Similarly used with the guys Rinnosuke and Ehrlich with their combination attack which is made even more homoerotic.
  • In Super Robot Wars, Princess Shine and Latooni also do this as the finale to the Royal Heart Breaker, in the same way as the above.
  • Used in Xenosaga between Shion and KOS-MOS before they are forced to separate by the plot, most likely for thousands of years.
  • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: While they do not quite manage a kiss, Cloud and Aerith hold hands like this during their Gold Saucer date as they cuddle and watch the fireworks togther. The two also do this in the ending, symbolizing the resolve of a pair of Star-Crossed Lovers trying to stay together against a universe quite literally conspiring to separate them.
  • In Final Fantasy XIII, Fang and Vanille do this at the end of the game, when both of them are in crystal stasis.
  • Tales of Xillia: Jude and Milla first hold hands before intertwining them when Milla chooses to become the new Maxwell.

    Visual Novels 
  • The Yuri Genre series of Visual Novels, Sono Hanabira Ni Kuchizuke Wo loves to use this trope often with its various couplings. Referenced in the seventh game between Runa and Takako:
    Takako: Wawawah, o-our fingers... our fingers are intertwined!
    Runa: This is how lovers are supposed to hold hands.
  • Used in Shizune's route in Katawa Shoujo to help show the relationship between three characters. In one picture Hisao holds hands with both Shizune and Misha. He's very close to both, but the difference between the relationships is made apparent by how his fingers are intertwined with the former, but not with the latter.

    Web Comics 
  • Happens between Jordi and Jeremy in this page of Cuanta Vida, right before Jeremy confesses to Jordi that he's in love with him.
  • Slightly Damned: Kazai does this with his fellow warrior angel. His sister reacts accordingly.
  • Sun Jing fantasizes about doing this with her crush Qiu Tong in Their Story.

    Web Original 
  • Seems to be a regular occurrence in Under the Van Gogh, at least in the early acts.
  • Mille and Iriana in Ilivais X do this all the time. They have a joined scar/ Red String of Fate on their pinkies, so they keep those joined while all the rest intertwine. It's notable that this particular hold is a symbol for their relationship as a whole- it wants to fit, and it should fit, but it's definitely strained and it takes a bit of awkward fidgeting to get it right. Go on. Try it.

    Western Animation 
  • Mentioned in the As Told by Ginger episode "Stealing First", as the popular girls ask Ginger how far she has gone with a boy. She held hands once, but since it was "hands cupped" rather than "fingers interlocked", it counts for less.
  • The Dragon Prince: The end credits of the episode Heroes and Masterminds shows Rayla and Callum's hands intertwined, her four fingers fitting perfectly between his five.
  • In Steven Universe, Pearl does this with a hologram of Rose, apparently reenacting the moment she decided to fight for her cause on Earth.
    Pearl: (talking about Rose's sword and scabbard, but intertwining her own hands alluding to this) Nothing could fit so perfectly inside...
    • Steven holds hands with Connie this way in "Nightmare Hospital" while searching for Rose's sword in aforementioned dark, creepy hospital. They do this several other times in the series as well.
  • In Book 2 of Infinity Train: MT and Jesse start doing this as a sign that they've come to care more about each other, most notably when Jesse is forced to leave MT behind when he tries to take her off the train with him, and when the two are reunited after Jesse gets picked up by the train again.
  • Young Justice (2010). At the end of Season 2, Superboy sees Wondergirl and Robin standing side-by-side, clasping hands with fingers intertwined, and wonders out loud when they became a couple, as it's the first indication everyone (including the audience) had that they were dating.


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