[ He's going to be quiet for a while, watching you with concern and patience, his fingers tangled with yours. He had a conversation once, with the other man who loves you the way he does, about strength and what really makes a strong man. It seems both like ages ago and just yesterday: him falling to pieces on that wall because he couldn't bear losing you, but he didn't know what the fuck to do. ]

You probably know this already, [ his voice is soft as he looks down to where you're wearing the ring from another promise fifty years ago. ] But I didn't, so Makoto told me to look it up.

Apparently puzzle rings were a symbol of fidelity. [ He pauses, leans in and presses his lips to your hair. ] But when I first started wondering what it would be like to see it on your finger, the only think I could think of was the fact that it reminded me of you. Of all those lives you lived and still have to look forward to.

[ He breathes in shakily. ] And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be a big part of that.