I'll Grow Tall For You - M I N S U N G

𝙩𝙚𝙣

Chan stepped into the shop on the first of the new year with sparkling cider in hand.

"We are old enough to drink you know."

"You're on the clock." Minho would like to remind him that he was his own boss and he could drink whenever he wanted.

"Where's Jisung?"

The boy in question raised a hand from the counter, waving dramatically in Chan's direction.

"Happy New Year!" he cheered.

Chan's expression dimmed and he turned to Minho.

"Could I talk to you for a minute?" He set down the bottle and lured Minho further away from the front. Where Jisung couldn't hear. "What happened to confessing?"

"What?"

"We discussed this!" he stressed.

"Did we?" Minho acted dumb, but they both knew what Chan was referring to.

"You can't hide your feelings forever." he whispered and Minho could already see his best friend blaming himself again.

"It's different."

"Is it?"

"Yes! This means so much to him. If I'm not able to break his curse, he'll think I'm not being genuine." He'd never told another soul these thoughts. They lived with him in the early hours of the morning, when Jisung was still tucked away on his chest. "I want him to be normal, Chan. What if I can't give him that?"

"You won't know until you try."

Chan didn't stay long. He chatted with the both of them for a bit, bringing them up to speed on his family and his Mother's insistence for more blind dates.

"I did go on one recently that wasn't too bad."

"Oh?"

"His name was Hongjoong." Minho was happy to hear it.

After he'd left, Minho turned the sign to closed.

"Closing up early?"

"I wanted to show you something." Minho said, already helping the doll into his pocket.

The bell chimed as Minho stepped out. The sun was in it's last wisps of daylight, painting the sky in pinks and reds.

They walked far, according to Jisung. He sprung out the second Minho said it was okay for him to do so, gulping in air like water.

"Where even are we?"

Wherever they were, the land was big and open, surrounded by a few buildings and a fence.

"A museum."

"Why'd you bring me here?" Jisung probably thought it was closed, there wasn't a single person milling about. Minho knew better.

"You'll see."

He wedged them through one of the doors in the back, like he'd done his second year here. When it had gotten to be too much. When he didn't know where to go.

He'd been to the museum with Chan once, when his best friend had decided to do all the touristy things that came with the city and he all but dragged Minho to four different places in one day.

They'd saved this place for last, because Chan said it was prettier at night, which Minho had failed to understand when they'd first arrived. Chan had shown him the hidden entrance- not really hidden- and Minho had worried the entire time they'd be caught.

Words lost him, though, when he saw what Chan so desperately wanted to show him. The same went for Jisung.

"Wow." he breathed, taking it all in while Minho smiled down at him.

It was as beautiful as he remembered it. Stars dusting across the sky, bold and bright in the otherwise dark night. Constellations could be pointed out and Jisung's head was titled up in wonder. Minho knew the feeling. Awestruck by the beauty of place he hadn't known he would call home.

"It's incredible." he finally whispered and by now, he was sitting on Minho's shoulder. He tugged on the hair by his ear. "Look!"

And Minho did look, watched as a star flew by, the light ray behind it leaving a trail. Like pixie dust floating through.

There was something so magical about it. He'd heard stories of people wishing on stars and for the first time, he'd made a wish too.

Please, let Jisung be himself again.

He was too hopeful the next morning. Waking up and finding Jisung exactly as he was made him moody. It had been a long shot, but the options seemed to dwindle, even if Jisung made it seem like he didn't mind at all if he stayed this way forever.

Dynamically, everything seemed okay. Emotionally, Minho knew there was more. More to his light bumps and pokes, more to the smiles he wore, more to the feelings that came with housing Jisung and just wishing with everything that it could be enough.

"About your theory..."

"Are you going to call it dumb again?"

"No. I just wondered what exactly you thought would need to happen for you to change back."

Jisung had been sitting at the kitchen table, milling through the comic books Minho had received that morning. They had been dumped outside the shop's door.

"Well, with true love comes true love's kiss."

Minho barely managed not to spit out his coffee.

"A kiss?" Lips on lips. Minho's lips on... "Are you sure?"

"Positive." The comic he'd flipped open sat idle. "Or well- I hope at least. There aren't many options left."

"Does that mean you've tried other things before?"

"I dabbled. When you've got not much else to do, it's all you have."

He was hit again by his words, the implication that there had been literal years between them.

"I've been meaning to ask, how old are you?"

Jisung chuckled. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Minho shrugged. He'd been curious for a while now.

"It's definitely been a while, I was born in the seventies." Minho dropped the book he'd been holding. Jisung found it funny. "It doesn't matter much, though. I'm stuck at nineteen."

"Ah."

"What about you then? I know your birthday passed, but you never said anything."

"I'm twenty-five."

"A quarter to life."

"If I live that long." Jisung smiled, all teeth.

"I don't see why not? You look healthy enough for it." As if he hadn't watched Minho consume two helpings of ramen just yesterday.

"Whatever."

"Can I ask you something else?"

"You just did." Jisung scowled. "Fine, what is it?"

"How come you're still single?"

"Well, aren't you intrusive."

"Oh come on, I've been dying to know! You don't look like someone who would still be single."

He was well aware. Growing up, he'd had a reputation. The boy with the cold face everyone wanted to crack. There were many who tried, though none succeeded.

Even after moving to Australia, he'd kept up the façade. People were always curious about him. Such a stony face, people were bound to seek answers, most of them wrong. None of them dared break down his walls. The one who did couldn't get him to love him back.

"I guess I haven't found my person yet."

Jisung seemed to want to rebuttal, but thought better of it, going back to his comic.

"Do we have any of that cheesecake left?"