///////////

"that's a nautilus?"

ringo nodded. "since you're wearing gloves, i could pass it to you."

george nodded silently. ringo, with careful hands, placed the shell on his hands.

george's fingers brushed against the slopes and the curves of the shell. he touched it with careful hands as if it could break.

"it's so..." george tried to find the right word to describe it. "it's so... pretty." he finished. "i never saw things like this. where does this... this nautilus come from?"

"well, it used to be a creature's home." ringo said, delicately tracing the edges. their fingers bumped but ringo wasn't burnt.

"i..." george stumbled out, blushing furiously in embarrasment. he was making a fool of himself in front of him.

ringo raised his head. "yes?"

george blushed. "n-never mind..."

ringo pouted. "oh! what is it?" he asked, bringing himself up more on the rock.

"i wanna hold your hand." george mumbled shyly. "i-i have gloves but..."

"okay."

george looked up, brown eyes meeting his blue ones.

john's words echoed in ringo's mind. he pushed him away and, slowly, placed his pale fingers in george's gloved ones.

/////////

he was cold.

a nice type of cold. cool, rather. like when the waves reached his bare toes. except the fact the pain wasn't here.

the gaps between his gloved fingers were filled with ringo's pale ones. his fingers were so different from his tanned ones.

george curled his fingers, practically holding his hand right now. ringo squeezed happily. george's heart skipped a beat.

"you should wear gloves more often," ringo mumbled, smiling at him.

"yeah," george trailed off, heart thumping in his chest. "yeah, i should."

he wished that he could hold his hand without gloves. but he knew that he would end up freezing while ringo's hand would be burning in pain.

george sighed. he should stick with gloves.

////////