The years have passed since flaming red has died out of their lives. Now they live amidst calming blue, passing their days one at a time. They live their own lives still, sometimes together and sometimes apart; but when they touch, it is like a confession of having too little feeling, or perhaps too much.
They sleep cocooned in each other's arms, as a soft blanket protects them from the cold. Saruhiko breaks out of it first, blinking into the brightness of day, reaching out for the correct pair of glasses so that he can see every detail of Reisi's face as he traces it with light fingertips until he wakes.
They are content to sit side by side in silence, mere touches being enough to convey emotion that words can no longer accurately describe. Reisi knows exactly when Saruhiko's soft touch means 'I love you', 'come closer'or simply 'I'm hungry, bring me food'. He loves reading books over Saruhiko's shoulder, arms around the younger's waist. That way, they are always touching and a comfortable silence settles over them.
In a world where everyone was mute, they would survive perfectly. Words are unnecessary when everything can be conveyed in a brush of fingertips or an arm around a waist. But when they do speak to each other, it is often in hushed whispers, and even these imprint themselves lightly on their skin, just like a touch.
Some would say that their relationship is cold and lacking in warmth. But of course this is the case; they have no warmth to spare to display their love to outsiders. It is a waste of warmth that could otherwise been spent wholly on the other. When the gemstones in the rings they wear are noticed, there is no doubt in the strength of their love.
For the gemstones are unique creations: a fusion of sapphire and amethyst, created by each only for the other.