[he hadn't really expected much else; it's reassuring, in its own way. they both might have changed, but not enough to not know each other.]

Aah. I knew it was supposed to heal, eventually, but it still feels strange for it to finally have happened.

...You've gotten taller?

[not actually the first thing he noticed, but like hell is he going to let any variant of "you're pretty" come out of his mouth without heavy thought first. some mistakes he has managed to learn from.]