midorisakura

Title: Summer Shenanigans: Handholding

Pairing: Panda/Charlie (pre-slash)

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of this work of fiction, and no profit is being made through the writing of this, monetary or otherwise.

Word Count: 680

Summary: After spending a day with Charlie, Panda starts to realize that he may have feelings for him. Feelings that are more than those associated with a begrudging, one-sided friendship.

Authors Note: A tag to the episode, “Private Lake” (contains spoilers, and one line of dialogue - the first in the story - for that episode). Hints at Grizz/Ice Bear, and may be the first of a series of drabble-like one-shots.

"Ice Bear ready to bounce," Ice Bear announces when he gets a good look at the deplorable state of Charlie's once private lake.

"You guys, we really should help Charlie clean this up," Grizz, ever responsible, says.

Panda sighs. "Yeah, I guess."

"It was our social media post that brought all of those people here, spoiling Charlie's special place," Grizz reminds them.

"Ice Bear will pick up trash," Ice Bear says, a grim, determined look on his face as he starts to work on picking up the litter on the beach.

Grizz smiles and pats Panda on the back as he watches Ice Bear wrestle with a particularly loud, disgruntled looking bird. Charlie bounces into their space, pushing them apart, and wraps his arms around Panda's shoulders. "You're with me, little buddy."

"Oh great," Panda says, casting a pained, pleading look toward Grizz as Charlie drags him off to clean up the debris in the lake.

After about an hour of splashing around in the lake -- being pulled under the water by an overenthusiastic Charlie; hoisted onto the yeti's shoulders and tossed into the water with a shout of, ‘Bomb’s away, little buddy!’; swimming around on their backs pretending to be whales; racing each other to the other side of the lake, seeing who can pick up the most trash (Panda wins, but lets Charlie take the credit because it makes the yeti smile) -- the place is clean, and everyone is exhausted, and Panda's discovered that picking up trash and splashing around the lake with Charlie is fun. Actually, that just being with Charlie is fun.

It’s eye opening, and it leaves Panda kind of breathless, or maybe that was all of the running around that he did. He takes a couple of puffs on his inhaler, and catches Charlie looking at him with concern, eyes soft and mouth turned slightly downward until Panda gives him a shy smile to show that he’s alright. When Charlie smiles in response, his entire face lights up, and Panda’s heart does a funny little flip-flop-flutter in his chest.

They all flop down in the sand, much like they had on the day that Charlie had first showed them his special place. A place that a photograph and social media had very nearly ruined.

"Thanks, guys," Charlie says, squeezing Panda's paw, the paw that he's been holding for a few minutes now as they lay, sprawled out on their backs on the beach, looking up at the clouds.

A heart shaped cloud passes overhead, and Panda blushes as he casts a sidelong look at Charlie. Charlie is staring at him, a huge, loving smile on his face, and Panda's heart skitters in his chest.

"A...anytime," Panda stammers, and is rewarded with another squeeze of the paw that makes him blush even harder.

"You're my bestest pal, Pan Pan," Charlie says, voice soft. The way that Charlie looks at him makes him feel special and warm.

Panda swallows, his throat suddenly dry. He can feel his cheeks heating up, and his whole body is tingling.

"Thanks," he manages to whisper, heart thudding in his chest so fast and hard that it's a wonder no one else can hear it.

Panda isn't sure what this is, but it feels an awful lot like love, and not at all like the crushes that he's had on girls he's met through internet dating services, or out in public. It feels a lot like the love that he has for his brothers, except much, much bigger, and it makes his stomach flutter, and his palms sweaty, and his skin itchy (or maybe that's just the sand from the beach drying in his fur).

Whatever it is, Panda kind of wants to explore it, and hold onto it, and never let it go.

It makes him feel good, and happy, and light, and like he's on top of the world.

It's summer, he's got nowhere to be, nothing to do. He might as well get to know Charlie better. See if there's something more than just friendship between them.