Panda Eyes and Monkey Tail
Panda Eyes and Monkey Tail
In a world where humans are born with one or two animal features, Tao was born with dark black circles around his eyes. It was his panda eyes. It wasn't cute. It made him ugly. He hated it. He got teased by other children a lot because of it. Why couldn't he be like his mother who had cute panda ears or his father who had a panda tail instead?
"Are you a panda or a racoon?"
Tao was amazed when another child talked to him for the first time to simply ask that question and not to bully him. "P-p-panda..."
The other child had a long tail behind him which was raised and the tip curled slightly. "I'm Zelo. I have monkey blood. I'm really good at climbing trees. Would you like to climb with me? The others prefer to play on the ground."
Tao wanted to play with the other because nobody ever wanted to play with him but..."I don't know how to climb trees. I'm not a monkey."
"I'll teach you. Come on!" Zelo enthusiastically climbed up to the nearest tree which made Tao stare at him in amazement.
It was hard for a panda-like child to climb a very large and tall tree, but every time Tao was about to fall, Zelo was there to grab his arm and pull him up higher. Tao was sweating a lot and out of breath by the time he got to the toppest branch of the tree. When Tao looked downwards, he realized just how high he was from the ground. His body began to shake in fever from the height.
"Don't worry. I'm here. I won't allow you to fall." Zelo said reassuringly as he sat beside Tao. "There aren't any other monkeys around here, so I'm really happy that you decided to climb with me. Ah, you never told me your name!!!"
"T-tao..." The panda-like child held onto Zelo's arm because he felt safer that way. "I had to climb for you to like me. Nobody ever likes me. They don't want to be my friend."
"Huh? Why is that?" Zelo swung his legs as he asked Tao curiously. The motion made the branch shake slightly which prompted Tao to sit closer to Zelo and hug the other's arm tighter.
"Because my panda eyes make me look ugly..." Tao felt like crying, though he wasn't sure if it was more because he was scared of heights or from the memories of being bullied.
"Close your eyes." Tao immediately closed his eyes when Zelo instructed for him to do so. Then he felt a soft pair of lips on his right eye and then on his left. "I wouldn't kiss someone who is ugly." Zelo said.
"Oh..." Tao opened his eyes and blushed. "Um... can we go down now or at least go down a few branches?"
Zelo laughed as he saw that Tao was turning pale. "Okay. I'll guide you down."
A friendship between the monkey-like child and the panda-like child has been formed since then.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The forest where Zelo and Tao loved to play was caught on fire. Tao was worried because he was supposed to meet up with Zelo there to play. Being late to their favorite place to play was a blessing in disguise for his own safety, but what about Zelo's safety?
The entire forest turned into ashes. How was Tao supposed to know if Zelo's body has become one with the ashes or if the other was still alive when he doesn't know Zelo's real name or where the other had lived. Tao visited the burnt forest everyday since the day of the fire hoping that Zelo would show up to let him know that he was fine.
Tao asked the other children, but they haven't seen Zelo since then either. Tao asked older people and adults, but they don't know what happened to Zelo either. Tao asked other monkey-like people, and they said that Zelo's family haven't been home since the day of the fire and that a few workers from a moving company simply came to their house to get their things. The monkey-featured people tried to ask what happened to Zelo's family, but those workers don't know because they weren't given such information. They only needed to get their job done with transporting the things, and they couldn't disclose the information to where they are taking the things.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ten years later...
Tao woke up from his sleep and sat up on his bed. He was breathing hard and drenched in sweat. He had a nightmare about the forest fire and losing his first friend. Why was he dreaming something from so long ago? He couldn't even remember how Zelo looked like anymore. In his dreams, he could see what Zelo's face looked like, but when he wakes up, he couldn't remember it.
He looked at the clock on his bedside table. It was too early for school, but he knew he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep. He never has to worry about eyebags though since he naturally has panda eyes as his animal features.
There was a new student at school. Tao doesn't usually notice new students unless the student became his classmate, but this particular student stood out because of his pink hair. Choi Junhong's name floated around and that his animal feature was a mystery.
"For a panda, you seem to be good at climbing trees."
Tao liked to spend his lunch on a tree branch. It was the perfect spot as nobody would be able to see him and thus, nobody would , but now, this student had found his favorite spot. He would need to look for another tree tomorrow. He really wasn't fond of new students. Having a new student would just mean another person teasing him for his panda eyes and ugly looks.
"I'm a raccoon." Tao lied for a change, so if someone was going to , they would wrongly and they'll be laughed at the others who knew that he was actually a panda and not a raccoon.
"Nope. I'm pretty sure you're a panda." The new student said as he climbed up the tree so easily and effortlessly.
"If I'm a panda, then you're a monkey." Tao said, feeling a sense of de ja vu as Junhong sat beside him on the brance. It was like before with Zelo.
"That's right." Junhong smiled at him.
Tao looked at the other suspiciously. The new student's animal feature had been a mystery for quite some time. He shouldn't admit his true animal self so easily now, would he?
"Is that your lunch?" Junhong asked as he looked at the half-eaten ham and cheese sandwich that Tao was holding. ''Are you really going to be full with just that? Here, I'll share some of mine with you." Junhong opened his lunch box to reveal lots of food. He picked up a tempura and tried to feed Tao with it.
Tao wasn't going to reject any delicious food and gladly accepted the tempura with his mouth. After chewing it a bit and swallowing, he spoke again. "Why are you being nice?"
"Because we're friends." Junhong spoke even though his mouth was full.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tao and Junhong grew closer as they hanged out more with each other. Students have stopped teasing Tao and became nicer to him now that he was labeled at Junhong's bestfriend. They kept on asking Tao what Junhong's animal feature truly is, but even Tao doesnt know.
"Hey, I'm supposed to be your bestfriend and yet, I don't know what animal you are or have seen your animal feature."
Junhong blinked and tilted his head slightly. "I thought we already established the fact that you're a panda and I'm a monkey."
"Eh? You were actually serious with that? You do climb well, but I haven't seen any monkey features on you or any other animal features, so I'm assuming they're underneath your clothes."
A sly smirk slowly formed on Junhong's lips. "Do you want me to strip in front of you then?"
"WHAT?! NO!!!" Tao's face had a lovely shade of red.
Another idea formed in Junhong's mind. "Give me your hand."
"Huh? Why?" Tao asked but still offered his hand anyway. Junhong took his hand and guided it behind him and inside his pants. "JUNHONG!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH MY HAND?!?!?!" Tao freaked out.
"I'm letting you feel my scar." Junhong simply laughed at Tao's reaction.
"Oh." Tao fanned his face with his other hand. His face was feeling hot from all the blushing. His fingertips felt a different texture on Junhong's skin which he assumed was the scar. After feeling it, he immediately took his hand out of Junhong's pants. "Why do you have that scar?"
"It's where my monkey tail used to be, but the forest fire years ago burnt my tail along with the nerves in it. Since it became limp and useless, I decided to have it removed. My family moved to America, so we could start a new life because my parents had anticipated me falling into depression for losing my tail and the possibility of being teased or pitied. Anyway, that was years ago."
From Junhong's story, Tao could only form one word. "Zelo?"
"Yeah, that used to be my nickname, but I don't use it anymore. I can't believe you really didn't recognize me up until now." Junhong pouted, but the disappointment from the lack of being reocgnized that Junhong felt was dissipated with Tao's hug.
"You're alive!" Tao hugged the other tightly. "I was worried! I've been having nightmares! I've been going to the burnt forest everyday for a whole year hoping you'd show up!!! The only reason I stopped going there was because my parents and I moved to a different neighborhood far from it."
"That's why I came back here. I was hoping to see you again and let you know that I'm fine." Junhong hugged Tao back and sighed contentedly somewhere at the juncture between Tao's neck and shoulder. "I felt happy when you accepted me as your friend even though you didn't recognize me."
"I had no choice but to accept since you just went ahead to announce to everybody that I'm your bestfriend." Tao received a friendly punch on his chest from Junhong.
"So if I'm going to announce to everybody that you're my boyfriend, you're going to simply go along with it and accept it too?" Junhong pretends to ask innocently, but they both knew that it was Junhong's way of asking him to be his boyfriend.
"Yeah." Tao automatically closed his eyes when he saw Junhong leaning towards him. He felt Junhong kissing his left eye first before going to the right and then finally landing on his lips.
THE END
A/N: What I wrote isn't even half of what I had in mind ^^;; but as always, my writing really doesn't follow the plan ;;>_> This is more like the shortened version because I'm telling myself not to write a multichaptered fic when I have 2 going on ^^;;
I hope you guys like it neverthless. Comments please? ^^
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