Trees had begun to disperse and all Taemin saw in the light of dusk were fields and cottages. They were following a clear, straight path, at a speed that brought butterflies to his stomach, giving him no time to grasp onto the details of his changed view. Minho had justified that they had to reach the Capitol before the gates closed, otherwise they would have to spend a night out in the open, prone to dangers unshielded by the wilderness. It would be a night wasted, he had said, but Taemin would not mind it either way. After all, no moment of his with Minho had been a waste or dull in any aspect.

The sky had darkened and Minho halted for a while, letting Taemin finally take in his view better. Taemin shifted from behind Minho, looking ahead on his signal, finding what he recognised as a town with a huge palace in the centre, adorned with lights. It was nothing like he had ever seen, or could have ever imagined, the dark of the night bringing out the warmth of the lamps, making the silhouette of every dwelling seem all too marvelous.

“It is the first time I have been here as well.” Minho spoke, breaking Taemin’s daze, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Taemin nodded, smiling.

Minho pulled the reins, “Endure it a bit more. We’ll be inside in no time!”

They barely made it in, riding inside with the carts for the festival that was to begin the coming day. Taemin watched in awe, the night, the hat and the bustle around them disguising him.

After ambling ahead, Minho brought the horse to a halt, dropping it off at a stable and paying for his horse to be groomed and fed for a day. After the matter was settled, he took Taemin's hand and began dragging him ahead, where truly the town began, but Taemin stood his ground, his eyes flashing with hesitance.

There were too many people, too many things he had not seen before, too many things he did not even know of, too much he did not understand. The place seemed like a maze, the walls being people and their uncertainties, things he cannot believe in as of yet, things he cannot take support of to find his way.

“I’m here with you, right?”

Taemin looked to Minho from the colorful, swift mob, calm spreading within him at his smile, the warmth he could feel from his hand- reassurance that everything will be alright.

Minho was the only wall he could take support on, the only light he could blindly follow, the only uncertainty he did not fear.

He tangled his fingers in Minho’s, stepping beside him, “I am glad that you are.”

They watched the town prepare, feasted at what the stalls had to offer, and withdrew from the crowd, sitting at the side, leaning at the wall of a closed shop, watching the lights be dimmed one by one, watching night truly reign over the Capitol, hiding the beauty of it all in its darkness.

“I wonder how it will look in the day.” Taemin spoke, gazing at the palace towers and the stars twinkling in the skies above.

“I wonder too.” Minho sighed, resting back, a peaceful smile on his face.

Taemin rested back too, his gaze still stuck at the view ahead, “It is my birthday tomorrow too.”

Minho straightened up, looking to Taemin, who continued, “Mother and I were born on the same day. Is that not wonderful?” He fidgeted with the pendant lying beneath his shirt, feeling it’s gems and carvings through the cloth, “There’s a date engraved behind my pendant...and I learnt how to read a calendar to be able to know when our birthday would be, because in the books birthdays are always special days. But she always forgets. She is out most of the times, and when she arrives, I make her favorite pie and then she remembers that our birthday had passed. She apologises, wishes me and brings me back so many gifts from her next trip. This year was going to be the same when I saw her step out for a week long journey. I knew she would be back when both of ours would have passed. I wanted to change that, I wanted her to remember, I wanted her to stay. I realized that I always remembered because of the pendant around my neck. If mother had something like that too...she could remember as well. I stepped out in hope of next year being different...being less lonely.”

Minho remained silent, watching Taemin finish speaking and sigh, seeming at ease, having finally said what he had been suppressing inside his heart.

He took Taemin’s hand, making the boy turn to him, odd eyes wide in surprise. “I don’t know how much you can change...but there is definitely something I can. Trust me, you will never have to spend your birthdays alone anymore. I’ll come by and whisk you away to a birthday drink at Kibum’s pub. Hate to admit it, but he bakes good cakes too. I’ll have a little convincing to do over there but-”

Minho stopped short when he realized Taemin was leaning closer, his lips meeting his cheek softly, “You have already changed a lot.” He signalled to the sky, making Minho look to the rays bleakly breaking the dark skies, “I am no longer alone.”

Minho gazed at the break of dawn, then gazed at Taemin, his rosy cheeks, his beautiful smile, those sparkling wisps floating around him. He was ethereal, he was special, he was so much more, and Minho wanted him to know, wanted to make him feel that way, wanted to say so much, say everything that his mind had made coherent from his bursting heart.

But instead he just said, “Happy Birthday, Taemin.”

And Taemin laughed, relieving Minho of his failure of choosing proper words, reassuring him that his words had been perfect for the moment and there certainly existed another, where in he could utter his heart.

“Thank you.” Taemin replied, his sweet voice reassuring him more, sparking another desire within him then on.

The desire to hear Taemin requite his heart.

After catching up on sleep, Minho entered the little shelter they had rented, fresh from a shower, dressed in his clean sleeveless black shirt and brown pants, passing Taemin a new pair of clothes he had bought from the early market, claiming that birthday boys always wore new robes. Taemin accepted them with a chuckle and was soon ready himself, coming out dressed in a prim white shirt, a deep purple waistcoat with light golden embroidery, and matching dark pants. The boots were the same- Minho’s extra pair, and so was the hat, sitting handsome on his head; and Minho caught himself staring at Taemin too long, clearing his throat before leading the way. They decided to venture into the festive town, but Taemin halted at the edge again, not due to hesitation, but due to the awe that was filling him on sighting the town in gold, silver and shades of purple, the bellflower from his pendant on every flag, on every banner, on every wall. There were so many more colors Taemin had never seen, so much of joy he could spot on everyone’s faces as they roamed, feasted, sang and danced.

After having a look around, there was no stopping him, for his hand grabbed Minho’s instead, dragging him into the bustle he had been scared to enter yesterday, having overcome his fear, having opened up to welcome the new, determined to make his day memorable.

They played, they danced, they sang, though a bit cautiously, they still managed to grasp an enjoyable time, before Taemin’s eyes caught the library, and he dragged Minho along with him inside, wanting to see what one looked like.

It was empty for everyone was out rejoicing, and Taemin ventured in excitedly, finally letting out the small specks of silver he had suppressed with quite effort when out. Minho was follow