You didn’t view him as he was - a monster. You accepted him.

You were nothing but one of the many children of the Iwagakure chief. Since the Iwagakure chief had felt that Gabimaru’s worth was proven, he rewarded him with you. Nothing but an arranged marriage and you offered as a nice little present, wrapped in a bow and all for Gabimaru the Hollow. A monster wearing a human’s skin. Though even that wasn’t entirely human it seemed.

You changed him. You made him smile. You made him flustered. You gave him new experiences. A new normal. Just a…normal.

He held you close, still a bit awkward in his affections though the two of you were married now. It was barely like he was holding you, more like his arms ghosting around you but still just there. “Stay with me…” he murmured into your skin that was so delicate to him. It was so quiet that he wasn’t sure you even heard it. That was okay. It was probably best just to think it.

If the Iwagakure chief caught wind of this, of him gaining emotions, a weakness, it was all over. He wasn’t supposed to be weak. But all his defense crumbled away when it came to you and he allowed it. He allowed himself to be just a bit selfish.

And in true Gabimaru fashion, he gave a small pat to your head because he didn’t know how to properly express his feelings to you, though he didn’t want to hide them from you. He wanted to try. With you by his side.