Time
It's funny how time doesn't change a person.
At least that is what crosses their minds as he lightly brushes his fingers through her hair, and she acts as if she didn't notice.
They spent more time together these days-just being together. It was as it had always been. People didn't notice anything different in their relationship, since they always used to hang out. It wasn't a new thing to see them walking side by side on the busy streets of Konoha, or sitting together eating ramen in Ichiraku, or even sitting on the top of the Hokage Stone Monument, just gazing out at everything.
No, they haven't changed at all. It's just that now….
She lets him touch her more often.
And he has stopped trying to impress her, knowing he already has her approval.
She lets him see her smile more than her fist.
He sacrifices ramen for another dinner.
She eats more ramen than usual.
She laughs more.
He doesn't shout so much.
When they meet, she's the first to reach for his hand.
He lightly presses his hand to her back as they talk with their friends.
When they're alone, she lets him kiss her anywhere he wants.
He lets her too.
They haven't changed at all.
No, time doesn't change a person.… it just blossoms what was already there.
"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." - Aristotle