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If you went back in time and asked Muhyo what his least favorite color was, he wouldn’t hesitate to say brown. It reminded him of dirt and cardboard, two things that were dull and bland and boring, just like the color itself. On more than one occasion he wondered why his soulmate couldn’t have green eyes or something, so the few things that he could see in color didn’t look so… meh. He almost spited his soulmate for making his world black, white, and brown, the three most uninteresting colors, but he knew his soulmate couldn’t control it so he settled for just being slightly annoyed at them all the time.
If you asked Roji what he thought of the color blue, he would tell you that he thought it was too cold and unwelcoming. It was the color of sadness and the rainy days that broke through his normally cheery exterior and made him feel gloomy. When your whole world was colored in shades of black, white, and blue, everything could seem so cold and lonely even if it really isn’t. Sometimes he’d wonder if his soulmate would be as frigid and unwelcoming as the color itself, and hope that wasn’t the case.
When Muhyo saw Roji for the first time, even with the colors swirling into focus around them, all he could see were those gentle brown eyes. Where Muhyo used to see dullness and boredom, now he saw kindness and hidden strength. Where he used to think of water stains and that ugly antique in Page’s office, now he thought of hot chocolate in front of a toasty fireplace, of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven and the leaves fluttering to the ground around him in the fall. Now instead of inspiring feelings of listlessness and displeasure, brown reminded him of honesty and reliability, of kindness and warmth.
Even though the world was bursting with color around them, Roji couldn’t look away from those striking eyes to admire it. Where once he saw apathy and despondency, he now saw passion and intelligence. Thoughts of bruises and storm clouds were now fresh flowers in the spring, clear skies and his favorite cozy blanket. Feelings of dreariness and melancholy morphed into confidence and hope.
With one look, their entire outlook shifted. Now, years later, if you asked them what their favorite colors are, Muhyo would look away and mutter “brown”, and Roji would grin and say “blue”.