Prompt: Ponytail
Rating: K
It had been a while since he had seen her, and it showed on her body.
Her hair, once chopped to a no-nonsense length, was now long enough to be put in a ponytail, the inky strands ruffling in the breeze.
Her face was starting to lose babyfat, high cheekbones and sleek angles peeking through. Her eyes, while always expressive, now seemed to convey a maturity that wasn't there before. They had seen more than they should have, more than anyone should have.
Though she wore the same style of clothes she always did—a yellow tank top, a pair of shorts, sneakers— he could tell that she filled them out differently. Before more straight up and down, now he could see her hips starting to flare out, her chest starting to form. And when she stood next to him, they were no longer the same height.
When he looked at her, he saw time passing.
She was only thirteen, but she wouldn't be for long. Soon she would be twenty, fifty, eighty—and then what would he do?
He, who had lived her lifetime ten times over. He, who was perpetually a little boy.
Visiting her had become something that he looked forward to. But how long would he be able to keep doing it?
She was going to make new friends, maybe even a few enemies. She was going to fall in love, get married, have kids. She was going to go to school, to get a job, to live, to learn, to laugh, to cry.
Her life was going to go by in a blink of his eye. And where would he fit in it?
"Why are you staring?" Karin asked, smiling self-consciously. Her spoon was suspended in air, halfway between her ice cream and her mouth. "Is there something on my face?"
Could he fit in it?
"Sorry," he mumbled, averting his eyes to his own bowl. "I was just thinking that you look different."
"Oh." She fingered the end of her ponytail thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess I'm growing it out. Do you like it?"
He wondered if she understood how loaded her question was, if she even knew what she was asking. Did he like the physical proof of their differences, of the distance between them, of the line that probably shouldn't be crossed?
"It looks nice," he said quietly.
She gave him a little shove, her cheeks pinking in pleasure.
Should he fit in it?