(Why I care meme!) 2019!Bingbing ➡️ 2019!Nezha: "You've given me the opportunity to experience a kind of joy that I've never felt before. The joy of... fun - of excitement and play. A taste of the childhood I never got to have. Thank you for showing me that there is so much more to life - by changing mine forever."
The boy handled Bing's embroidered sleeve with a lot more care than he would his own possessions (strewn about the floor of his room in various states of disrepair). Turned it inside out, flipped the seams, picked at the threads, folded it back overー all distractions from having to directly address what he could have gloated over. Or made a joke of. But nothing about Ao Bing's oppressive upbringing deserved laughter. He'd spent other nights being angry about it. Other nights fighting with Bing over things that were out of their control. Venting for both sides on ways they agreed that the world should be different.
"You sounds like you're going away or something when you talk like that." He tried sounding light-hearted, but how soggy he felt created a ripple effect in his voice. "We still have our whole lives to do whatever we want. You'll see. In ten years, we'll still be playing jianzi and chasing Simang around the courtyard."
Nezha dropped the sleeve and started playing with his fabric of his pants instead. Then mashed his hands together and pushed his fingers back until he could feel the stretch.
"I never got to play with other kids in the village. Or, well I did, but they didn't like me. Or wanted anything to do with me." What he considered as playー never quite synchronised with the other boys. Or adults.
"I meant it when I said you were my first friend. It's not so bad anymore, but you're still the only one who gets me. You make everything fun. And I'm aliveー... I feel alive because of you. I'm happy, cause you're here and you make me happy... So thanks."
He wiped his eyes of forming tears with both forearms.
"Your hair got in my eye... It's so long..."
