Of Pandas and Ace (taoris)
Stuff 'nd More Stuff
"Gege, wat's dat?"
Kris looked at where his panda was pointing and chuckled when he saw it was a hippo.
"Dat's a hippopotatumus...no wait, it was a hippopotamus...wet's just call it a hippo."
Tao pressed his nose to the glass along with Xiumin and Lay. The three stared at the hippo and then at Henry. "Uncle Henwy, whai iz da hippo sreeping undew da watew?" Xiumin asked.
Henry happily answered the question.
After the twelve boys and two adults had gotten to the zoo, the boys were told to pair up and then six boys went with Henry in one direction and the other six went with Zhoumi in the other direction. They decided both groups would meet up with each other at the children's discovery part of the zoo all the way in the back.
"Awe dewe unicowns hewe?" Lay asked his angel. Suho shook his head. "Not at dis zoo, Lay. You'd hafta go to a magical zoo to see a unicown."
Tao looked at Kris. "Gege, wen awe we gonna see da pandas? I wanna see da pandas."
Kris looked the map of the zoo. "Umm... We awe here by da hippos," he pointed to a spot on the map with a picture of a hippo, "nd whewe you wanna go iz ovew hewe," he pointed to a picture of a panda, "nd in between dem awe da giraffes nd tuwtles. We gotta go see dem befowe we get to da pandas. Be patient, okai Taotao?"
Tao nodded.
"Okay, children! We have finished seeing the hippos so lets move on to the giraffes!" Henry said and pointed foreward, making some of the children giggle.
Tao held on to Kris's hand and Kris looked at him suprised. This made Tao smile. "I hold Gege's hand so I don't get lost."
In a little bit, they got to the giraffes. All the kids ran up to the fence and looked up.
"Whoa, dey awe tall..." Chen said as he watched a giraffe walk by.
Xiumin nodded.
Lay stared at the giraffe, wondering if it could be a unicorn in disguise.
"Ah, Lay, you're drooling." Suho said and dabbed at the younger boy's mouth with a napkin.
Tao pouted. "Gege, I can't see." he whined and pulled on Kris's sleeve. Kris bent down. "Get on mai back." Tao did as he was told and wrapped his arms around Kris's neck before jumping onto the older boy.
Kris slowly stood up and Tao was amazed at how far off the ground he was now.
"Gege you awe so tall! I wanna be tall someday too!" Tao said excitedly as he looked at everything around him.
"Only if you drink milk nd eat all of your vegetabwes."
Tao nodded. "I will!"
The group eventually moved on and went to look at the turtles and tortises.
Henry decided to take a picture of some turtles and sent it to Yesung.
Not even a minute later, his phone vibrated.
To: Mr. Mochi
From: The Turtle Man
'TURTLES?!?!?! You must steal one for me!'
Henry could only shake his head at the message.
Tao smiled as he watched a turtle swim in front of him. "Dat one is so big!" he said and pointed to a far away one.
He was still enjoying being tall.
Then he thought.
"Gege, wat'z da diffewence between tuwtles nd towtises?" Tao asked.
Kris thought before shifting a bit so that Tao wouldn't fall.
"Well tuwtles ummm... they live in da water nd I think dey awe flatter than towtises. See?" he pointed at a tortise, "It's shell iz more roundish dan a tuwtles nd look at deir feet."
Tao did as his gege instructed and he saw the difference.
"You awe so smawt Gege!" Tao said.
Kris smiled at the compliment.
"Okay, it's time to move on to the next exhibit." Henry said.
Hearing this, Tao immediately jumped off Kris's back and began running ahead. "Taotao!" Kris yelled before running off after him. Chen saw this and ran after Kris, making Xiumin run after the troll. Suho gasped and grabbed Lay's hand and sprinted off after everyone, hoping they wouldn't get into any trouble. Henry sighed, "Hey, wait a second!" he yelled and ran to catch up with the six kids.
***
"Look at da pandas, Gege!" Tao yelled as he excitedly pointed at the furry black and white creatures.
Kris smiled.
"Look at da baby pandas! I wanna be a panda! Am I a panda? No, I am Taotao... I can be Taotao da panda!" he suddenly declared, causing everyone to laugh.
Tao pouted.
"It'z true." he mumbled.
Kris looked at Tao and hugged him. "I know it iz. You awe mai panda aftew all."
Tao smiled.
He liked when his gege said nice things like that.
Suddenly a thought popped into his head.
Tao looked at Henry, "Uncle Henwy, can I keep one?" he pleaded.
"Keep what?" Henry asked.
"A baby panda!!!"
Henry shook his head. "Sorry Tao, those baby pandas live at the zoo. It's their home. They live here with their umma and appa. How would you like it if someone suddenly took you away from your home and your umma and appa?"
Tao looked down. "I wouldn't like it..."
"Exactly. Maybe you can get a panda when you grow up, okay?"
Tao sadly nodded and looked back at the pandas.
Kris looked at his now sad panda. He wondered if he could do something to make him happy again. His eyes scanned the area and stopped on a little gift shop.
He walked over to Henry. "Uncle Henwy, can you distwact Taotao, while I go in dat gift shop? I wanna get him something."
Henry thought, and nodded. "But on one condition."
"Wat iz it?" Kris asked.
Henry smiled. "I want you to act cute."
Kris stared in disbelief.
"You only have to do it once! And I promise that I won't tell anyone or ask you to do it ever again!"
Kris looked down.
It was just acting cute. How hard could it be? His Taotao did it all the time! So he should be able to do it...right?
Closing his eyes, Kris brought one hand to his cheek.
"B-bbuing bbuing..."
When nothing happened, Kris opened an eye. He immediately closed it again when he felt Henry pinch his cheeks. "Omo! Kris you are just so adorable!!! Now go to that gift shop while I distract Tao~"
***
"Whewe iz Kris gege?" Tao asked when he realized Kris wasn't with them.
Henry smiled. "He just went somewhere, he'll be back soon."
Tao pouted but nodded.
Where was his Gege? They were seeing his favoritest animal in the world and his gege wasn't here.
"I'm back."
Tao looked behind him and immediately ran up to Kris who was holding something behind his back. He hugged him. "Gege, whewe did you go?"
Henry winked at Kris and brought the other four kids a little farther from the panda and the dragon.
Kris smiled and leaned down to Tao's eye level. "I went to go get you somethin. Wanna see wat I got you?"
Tao nodded.
Suddenly he was face to face with a panda.
He reached out and grabbed it. It was a panda hand puppet. Kris spoke up again. "I got dis fow you since you couldn't get a panda nd you awready had a panda pwushie."
Tao looked at the puppet at his hands once more before smiling and jumping into Kris's arms.
"I wuv it Gege! You awe da bestest Gege evew!!!"
Kris chuckled.
"I know."
***
"Whoa, look Taotao! Look at all da alpacas!" Kris said and pointed at the many alpacas on the other side of the fence.
Tao giggled, he doesn't remember the last time he had seen Kris so excited about something. He looked down at the panda puppet on his hand and smiled.
It was still warm when he had put it on his hand and he was not gonna take it off for the rest of the day!
Then he thought that he should get something for his gege too.
He looked at his gege, and then his brothers, and then Kris's brothers, and then at Henry.
Suddenly, a little store caught his eye.
He'd just be gone for a little while...
After deciding that, he quietly slipped away from the group with the stealth of a ninja and ran to the store.
He paused to catch his breath and then looked around the store. His mouth dropped open. There were so many alpaca things here! How was he supposed to choose from all of them?
Tao walked up and down the isles of the little store.
So many alpacas to choose from, so little time.
Suddenly, he stopped.
He took a couple steps back and looked at the big alpaca plushie on the shelf.
There was only one of them.
A smile spread on Tao's face and he immediately grabbed the plushie and rushed to the cash register.
He put it on the counter and took out the $20 Henry had given him when they had first gotten to the zoo and placed it next to the alpaca.
The cashier looked down at Tao and then the alpaca toy and then to the $20 bill.
"So... Who are you buying this for?" the cashier asked.
Tao smiled. "Taotao, is buying it fow his Kris gege! Earliew today, my Kris gege bought me dis panda puppet!," he raised his hand, "Nd I thought dat since he gotted sumthin fow me, I would get sumthin fow him!"
The cashier thought for a bit before smiling and accepting the $20 dollar bill. Then he handed the alpaca plushie back to Tao. "You be good to that plushie, okay? And make sure that your gege takes good care of it. His name is Ace, by the way."
Tao grinned from ear to ear and waved to the nice cashier before running, more like waddling, out of the small store.
The cashier waved back and then pulled out his wallet. He took out another $20 dollar bill and put it in the register. He didn't have the heart to tell the boy who was so excited to buy the toy that he didn't have enough money for it so he decided to pay for the rest of it.
Consider it an early Christmas present.
Suddenly his phone rang.
He smiled when he saw who it was and answered it.
"Hello?"
There was a pause on the line.
"Hi Appa!" two voices yelled at the same time.
The cashier smiled.
"Hi Kibum. Hi Taemin. Is Umma there?"
There was another pause on the line.
"Hi Hannie~ How's work?"
Hangeng chuckled.
"You'll never guess what just happened."
***
Tao ran back over to the alpaca exhibit where his name was being called over and over.
He saw everyone looking for him.
Was he gone that long?
Suddenly, Kris spotted him and he rushed over, making Tao hide the toy behind him. Or well try to.
"Taotao whewe did you go?! I thought dat someone tooked you or you got lost or somethin!!!"
Tao looked down.
"I'm sowwy Gege..."
Then Kris noticed the thing behind his back. "Wat's dat?"
Tao immediately began smiming again.
"Well, since Gege gotted me a panda, I wanned to get something fow Gege too." he said and pulled out the alpaca from behind his back.
Kris stared at the alpaca toy and slowly took it in his arms.
"His name iz Ace. He was da only one in da stowe." Tao said happily to the still stunned Kris.
Kris stared at the alpaca for a while more and his face began to get warmer.
His Taotao had gotten this toy for him. For HIM.
Kris shoved his face into the soft alpaca plushie and although he could barely hear it, Tao knew what was said. He walked over to Kris and hugged his gege as the words repeated in his head.
"Thank you Taotao. I love it."
~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~
Yay the weekend is here!
I feel exhausted after only four days of school.
So far no destruction of the zoo, only fluffiness.
I have introduced Ace and Tao's panda puppet!
How do you like the part where I added Hangeng?
He works at the zoo for no particular reason~
I hope that this chapter didn't too much.
So please leave me some COMMENTS, SUBSCRIBE, and or UPVOTE!
Get ready for the next chapter, the fluffiness and the bunniness.
Xiuchen, yay!!!
^ ^
=(O u O)=
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