Chapter Text
Today he turns nineteen.
And perhaps, he turns older, wiser.
He turns better.
Or perhaps he doesn't.
Growth.
They say it’s something that happens to all of us.
They say it’s the love we feel for ourselves.
They say it’s the love we feel towards others. Specifically, him.
Change is inevitable, growth is optional.
He chooses whether he grows.
He chooses whether he grows into his dreams, his life.
He chooses whether he grows from one suffering to another.
He chooses whether they grow together. The two of them.
Today he turns nineteen, and in the decade and a half he has spent, he has seen so much.
And nothing at all.
Today he turns nineteen, and he has experienced so much, and they shape him.
But is it a shape he wants, he likes?
He doesn’t know yet.
And that’s okay.
Today he turns nineteen.
And today, he turns into a better version of himself.
Or perhaps he doesn't.
Perhaps they do so together.
Because growth happens every day, every minute, every second.
And just because he turned nineteen doesn’t mean he will magically grow overnight.
And just because he survived a war doesn’t mean he will survive life and all the rollercoasters it has to offer.
Because he’s only nineteen, and this is the first of many milestones to come.