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"May I ask what exactly are you doing right now?''

Tao, who was sitting on the floor and was painting his face and his whole body in orange with what seemed like gouache from his art class, looked up at the voice and smiled cutely at the man who just entered the bathroom.

"Mama!" he answered, showing his work, his face, proudly at Suho who was standing at the entry "Look! I'm a pumpkin!!"

Suho frowned and Tao's smile faded.

He began worrying and fumbled with his fingers, 'did he do something wrong?’ he looked around him and saw that besides his body, he had succeeded to paint a good part of the wall and the floor in the same color as him. He shook his head, ‘no his mother wouldn’t be mad for this: one day Tao had broken a glass of orange juice on the carpet and they had to throw it away; Suho had comforted a crying Tao, and didn’t get angry, telling him that they will buy a new one and that it will be better and prettier…

So why did his mother looked at him like that? Pumpkins are orange aren't they? Or was it that Tao was an ugly pumpkin? Why his mother didn't look proud of him nor smiled?'

"Mama?" Tao asked in a shaking voice, on the verge of crying even if he was a big boy and he knew that big boy shouldn't cry, "Mama? You don't like it? I don't look like a pumpkin?''

Suho came by his side, bend over and hugged him tightly.

"Taozi, I'm so sorry, I forgot what day we were today" Suho finally said, apologizing to his cute 9 years old boy "I forgot that today was Halloween and that you have to go to the Wu's son party, what a bad mother I am, I'm really sorry!"

Tao didn't like when his mother said things like that. His mother was the best, the most caring, the most loving and the most beautiful mother on the world. He put a reassuring and gentle hand on Suho's right cheek and told him that it was alright and that Tao wanted to be a good boy and got ready alone to not bother him, he was a big boy!.

Suho took him into a hug again "You're too gentle my Taozi, you'll never bother mama okay?" when Tao nodded his cute head in agreement Suho stood up, told Tao to stay still and went to his room. He fumbled in his dressing room for a moment and then came back in the bathroom with a pretty blue box in his hands. Suho sat near his son who was very curious about what was inside the box his mother was holding. Suho, to tease his impatient boy who was making cute faces in his excitement, opened the box slowly with a small smile on his lips when he saw Tao’s eyes widened.

Tao could now see a multitude of tubes, pencils, brushes and little boxes with colors inside. He picked one of the items, a cute sharpener with pandas drawn on it, which was in the blue box and asked what all of those things were.

"Well, that's make-up Taozi" answered Suho, taking a black eyeliner and testing it on the back of his hand "you already saw those at the store and on woman before, you see?”

Tao nodded, he had seen those 'make-up things' before; he remembered that one day he had wanted to see once again his favorite film, Kung Fu Panda, but didn't know how to do when the TV was on so he decided to watch what was on the TV programs. There was a broadcast where pretty women used what Suho had in his box, they tried clothes too and then were doing what his mother had called a 'fashion show'. He remembered that they even had prices when they were really pretty. He was wondering, though, why did his mother had all of those things; his mother was a boy wasn't she? And boy didn't put make-up, did they?

Sure, he had seen his aunt Baekhyun put some eyeliner before, but he was sure that his aunt wasn’t a real boy: he was way too pretty; it was the same for Luhan his other aunt, Tao was sure at hundred percent that he was a girl who cut her hair and put man’s clothes to try looking like a man; but failed.

Tao wanted to ask his mama why did he had so many things because he told him that he was a boy for sure but Suho had already choose what he judged was necessary to transform his little boy in a cute pumpkin, closed the box and asked Tao to close his eyes and don’t move.

“Here Taozi, we will make you the cutest pumpkin in the world”

Tao didn’t want to be the cutest in the world, he was a big boy!; but his mother seemed so happy and excited by the idea that he smiled and nodded again, letting Suho do everything he wanted to him.

……………………………………………………

Tao was stressed. More than stressed he was terrified, and sensed his stomach do weird things like turning and tearing up his belly.

He was now in front of the Wu’s house, still in the car, and was looking at the gate so deeply that it could have melted on the spot. He didn’t want to go anymore, he was feeling sick and wanted to go back home and just eat sweets with his mother and his father, looking at the TV until it was time to sleep.

His mother had told him a million times by now that he was perfect and that nobody will be as good looking as him at the party but he was, nonetheless, really unsure about his disguise. His face, arms and legs were painted in orange and he wore an orange short with a white shirt under an orange ed vest, Suho had gave him a black bow tie and, on his head was a cute little green hat. His shoes were black and his socks were long black and white striped socks that they bought earlier on a little shop. He wasn’t sure that pumpkins wore those kinds of socks, if they wore any.

“Taozi?” Suho called Tao’s name for the third time and snapped his fingers in front of the boy sat at the back of the car “Taozi, you have to go inside! Otherwise you will be late and it’s impolite to be late at a party!”

Seeing the panicked and pleading expression on his son face, Suho get off the car and went by Tao’s side, opening the car’s door and unbolting him. Tao immediately took hold of his mother’s neck and tighten his embrace.

“Look at me Taozi” Suho asked in a gentler and softer voice than earlier “Hey, you are perfect okay? Trust your mom… you will go in this house, say hello to the other kids and play all the afternoon with them, plus you know them, they are classmates… it will be fun alright?” he looked at Tao, who had loosened his embrace, in the eyes and after adding a last ‘okay?’ to be sure his son wasn’t scared anymore, took his hand and went to the front porch with him.

They rang the doorbell and waited; not long though, as a beautiful witch came welcome them. Tao was marvelled: witches were supposed to be ugly, with pustules, scary smile and big nose, they weren’t supposed to be like the one standing in front of him: tall and beautiful with an elegant black dress and a warm smile.

“Hello Mrs.Wu” Suho greeted her and pushed Tao, who was hiding behind him, forward.

“Hi Mr.Kim, Tao” she answered back and looked down at Tao with sparkling eyes “omo, Tao you’re so cute today, you really look like a pumpkin straight out of a book”

Tao felt a blush creep on his cheeks and said thank you in a shy but a little proud voice. He added that it was the work of his mothers’ work and that she was the best at make-up because she had a lot of products in her room, making Mrs.Wu and Suho laughed at his cuteness.

Suho finally left and Tao was taken to the back garden were the party had already began.

There, he saw ghost, monsters, witches, gremlins and a lots of other Halloween’s creatures enjoying their afternoon. He spot a wolf and a mummy near the buffet and knew right away that it was Jongin and Sehun, his best friends from school; they were apparently arguing about who, between the two of them, would be the one to have the last piece of the marshmallow log.

“Hey guys!” Tao greeted them taking the last piece that Jongin was holding on a spoon in his mouth, ‘whaaa that’s delicious! Too bad that it was the last piece’.

He felt pain on his left arm and looked at Sehun who had a pout on his face and Jongin who made a very angry face.

“Tao…” Sehun whined and punched him lightly again.

“Yaaa Tao” shouted Jongin “I was going to have it!”

“Sorry” answered Tao half-heartedly and stuck out his tongue “but it was delicious”

The argument didn’t last long as Mrs.Wu went near the buffet with a delicious looking strawberries cake decorated for the occasion with little bats drawn on it. The three monsters each took a piece of it and went to sit on the terrace stairs to savour it. They began talking and made fun of the others, throwing at them plastic spiders, that Jongin had bought for the occasion, and laughing hard as their poor victims cried and ran in fear.

Tao was having fun but he was looking for someone in the crowd. He hadn’t seen him already and that was strange; it was his house after all. He stood up and said to his friends that he was going to the restroom; in the kitchen he found Mrs.Wu who was reading on a chair and he shyly cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked up and closed her book when she spotted Tao.

“Is there something you want sweatie?” she asked and the nickname made Tao blush again.

“I… I was wondering wh-where Kris was, and why he wasn’t w-with us?” he answered quietly, shy to ask Kris’ mother and bother her.

“Oh, Kris?” Mrs.Wu repeated, she pointed upwards “he’s in his room, he doesn’t want to join because ‘he’s too old to attend a baby-party like this one’” she finally sighted.

Tao was a little disappointed by what Kris had seemed to say, he wasn’t a baby but he liked those kinds of party, but he was also sad because he wouldn’t see him. He wanted to show his ge that he had succeeded in becoming a pumpkin; few days back, Kris had said to Tao that he didn’t believe him when he had said that he will become a pumpkin for Halloween, he promised even though, to give him something if his costume was well done.

“Hey! I have an idea” Kris’ mother suddenly said while smiling in a suspicious way at Tao “why don’t you go see him and take him to the party! I’m sure he will come if you ask him”

Then she told to Tao where Kris’ room was and wished him good luck with a ‘hwaiting’ motion. Tao went upstairs but stopped at Kris’ room’s door; he was nervous once again and began thinking that it wasn’t that bad not to have the ‘something’ Kris promised him and that it was a better idea to return playing with Jongin and Sehun. He was beginning to take a few steps back when the door flew open suddenly, startling Tao.

Kris was standing there, in a wizard attire and with a determinate look on his face; it disappeared though when he saw Tao standing in front of him and he looked surprised.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in a rather cold tone.

Tao’s voice was shivering in nervousness and he stared down at the floor, not daring to look Kris in the eyes “H-hu…m I-I was g-going to s-say hello t-to you a-and …”

“Stop.” Kris cut him “Come inside the room”

Tao looked up in surprise but didn’t move an inch.

“Hurry!” Kris commanded. After a minute and seeing that Tao won’t move by himself, he sighed and grasped Tao’s arm, taking him inside his room and closing the door behind them.

He made Tao sit on the couch he had in his room and sat himself on his bed; Tao was looking around the room with big eyes: this room was huge!, it was twice his in size and there was a lot of books on the shelves. Kris was twelve and was already in middle school while Tao was still in elementary school; Tao knew that he was too young for Kris to paid attention to him but he didn’t care, he liked his ge since kindergarten and refused to let Kris forget him would it even be for a single minute.

The first time he met Kris, he was crying because a bug was flying near him and he was really afraid, he didn’t know what to do and was too scared for to move, then a 6 years old Kris came and caught the bug in a box; giving it to the teacher who put it in the little insectarium they had in class. He returned to see Tao after that and told him not to cry cause it made him ugly, and that he didn’t like ugly things. He saved Tao and became his model.

“So…” Kris started, getting Tao back to reality “what do you really want?”

“I win” Tao simply said smiling proudly at Kris, his shyness forgotten, replaced by the excitation of having something from him

“You win?” Kris said in confusion.

“I’m a pumpkin!” Tao stood up and himself to show Kris that he was indeed a pumpkin and that he won the little ‘bet’ they made.

“Oh….” Kris remembered teasing Tao a few days ago, saying that he bet that Tao will not be able to disguise himself properly. That’s right, he even promised him a surprise if he won.

Tao was still showing off on the middle of the room and Kris started staring at him with a genuine smile; he looked at his cute orange face, at his cute smile and at his whole cute being. Honestly, Kris didn’t want to do this Halloween’s party thing in the first place, his mother had insisted and had planned everything without taking care of Kris’ opinion even when he said that he wouldn't attend; he was twelve, he was too old to play in the garden with other kids. But seeing Tao like that, turning in his room in his orange short and orange vest, smiling proudly at him, Kris had to admit that this Halloween party wasn’t totally a bad idea. He had secretly hoped that the youngest will come today and that he will be able to see him; he even put a wizard attire and was on the verge of getting down and joining the party to see if Tao was here. Luckily, he had found Tao behind the door, standing alone on the hallway and had avoided to see the others and his mother’s teases about his sudden will to participate.

Tao had always being special for Kris, he was more than a friend but different from a brother, he was Tao, the cute and clingy little panda, his Tao. Tao always followed him and asked for attention, at first Kris found it annoying and he didn’t want to be near Tao, but as time passed and Tao didn’t let go of him, Kris grew attached and started to like Tao more and more.

“Tao” Kris called Tao gently, stopping the youngest from his previous movements “I have to admit that you’re a really cute pumpkin… you win”

Tao sensed, that below the makeup, his cheeks became red from the words that Kris said to him, ‘I’m cute? He finds me cute! I’m okay with being cute if it’s for Kris’, he will have to thank his mother later for making him this cute.

Seeing that he had made the youngest blush even if his cheeks were covered by painting, Kris smiled sheepishly and asked Tao to come closer to him to receive his ‘surprise’. He then, when Tao stood in front of him, less than a feet away, leaned in and quickly peck Tao’s lips. He felt his whole body heat up at the action and he knew for sure that his cheeks were crimson red; he turned his head away from Tao but looked at him discreetly.

Tao was stunned. He couldn’t move. ‘H-h-h-he j-j-just k-ki-kiki-kissed me d-didn’t he???’. He felt his heart beat loudly in his chest and his whole face burned. He was too young for those things, his mother had told him that kissing was reserved for the adults when they loved each other. Did that meant that Kris loved him?

“Y-you l-love me?” Tao asked while touching his lips and looking Kris straight in the eyes.

Kris turned his head back to Tao but didn’t look back at him, he was twelve but for those kinds of things he was feeling like a shy little boy; he had to answer to Tao's question though, he looked up and he whispered in a quiet voice “I-I don’t know, i-if I love you. But wizards love pumpkins and pumpkins belongs to the wizard” he took a more convinced voice and took Tao’s hand in his “Yeah, that’s right. It’s because I’m a wizard that I kissed you, a pumpkin because wizards love pumpkins; and you’re a pumpkin so you belong to me because I’m a wizard… okay?” he said the last word in an hesitant voice, unsure that Tao would understand what he was trying to say, or not say.

Tao found that it was a complicated thing but nodded nonetheless and smiled widely at Kris before hugged him tightly, his heart beating faster when Kris hugged him back. He was happy that he was a pumpkin and that Kris was a wizard. Because he didn’t want to belong to anyone else.

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A/N : Sorry if that wasn't what you expected _(_ _)_

Thanks for reading ~