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Since it was their final day on vacation, Charlie and Pim decided to spend it staying inside the Boss’s cabin, eating snacks and playing Super Monkey Ball™.
After all, almost getting killed by the literal physical embodiment of mother nature, then killing said mother nature all in one day would warrant a day of recovery for the two of them.
They fortunately had the cabin all to themselves for today. With Alan and Glep going on a fishing trip, and Mr.Boss going hunting solo. Pim was sure that there was some tension they missed between the three. Especially since Glep seemed really shaken about something.
Oh well, they were on their own adventures today. Right now, Pim wanted to try to relax with his best friend after the stressful day they had yesterday.
Pim and Charlie were now in the kitchen ransacking it for snacks and drinks.
Pim was using a stepstool to move around and help with the search, now using it to try and reach some cabinets near the fridge.
Pim peered towards the fridge, watching as Charlie searched it with one arm while the other arm held a large jar of pickles.
Pim didn’t know why he thought this, maybe he was just weird, but seeing that jar in his friend’s arm made him think back to yesterday. How Charlie was being really handsy with him.
It wasn’t anything inappropriate, just Charlie having his hands on his shoulders, at times gripping them almost protectively when they were in danger.
Pim was in no way upset at these touches, not at all, he actually really liked Charlie’s touch. Especially when it was meant in a protective way.
But why was Charlie suddenly all touchy with him now?
He was never this handsy with him before in their seven years of friendship. In fact, he always thought Charlie didn’t really like physical contact.
So, what’s different now?
Did something happen between them that caused this change?
If something had happened Pim hadn’t noticed yet, in his mind their friendship has been the same and constant for these seven years.
Charlie suddenly got up from where he was looking, turning his head towards Pim.
Pim now realizing he was staring at his friend, quickly looked away, hoping Charlie didn’t see how red he was.
“So, find anything good Pim?”
Pim stared at the floor, now pushing the stepstool towards a set of cabinets.
“Uh, yeah… I just want to check these cabinets here.”
Charlie gave him a warm smile.
“Alright man just hurry up, I want to start a round of Super Monkey Ball™ as soon as possible!”
Pim gave him a soft smile in response as he stepped onto the stool.
“A-alright.”
As he climbed the steps Pim suddenly found himself in a predicament. The Stepstool didn’t take him high enough, he could open the cabinets, he just couldn’t reach into them and grab its contents.
Pim could’ve just skipped these cabinets and continued looking somewhere else, but one of the cabinets just HAPPENED to have his favorite chips in it.
Pim sighed, he could ask Charlie for help, but he was currently invested in fishing a pickle out of a jar.
Well fortunately Pim was used to situations like this.
Now on his tippy toes he reached as far as he could, straining his arms and legs and using the tips of his fingers to push the chips towards him.
Pim, using all his effort, was able to move the chips enough to make it fall towards him.
“Got it!”
But before Pim could completely celebrate, he felt his balance falter and suddenly he was now falling backwards.
Well shit.
Pim shut his eyes tight, anticipating the impact on the hard ground to hit his body. But instead, he fell on something soft.
Something was suddenly holding his waist tight.
“Woah dude! You alright?”
Pim didn’t respond, he only slowly opened his eyes. He felt his face become hot as he realized who was holding him at the moment.
“Pim, you know you could’ve just asked me to help you reach something, don’t want you getting hurt over something stupid like chips man.”
Pim didn’t respond, he couldn’t respond. His friend currently had his hands tightly grabbing his waist, and Pim liked it, more than he should be.
The silence must’ve gone for too long since Charlie finally broke it.
“H-hey man are you good? You’re kinda scaring me here…”
Pim suddenly turned towards Charlie, the other flinching backwards from the sudden movement.
“Oh, I’m just fine Charlie! Thank you for catching me haha! I can get a bit clumsy at times! Silly me!”
Pim gave Charlie an awkward toothy smile.
“Let’s just get to relaxing yeah?”
Pim ran quickly to the cabin’s living room, leaving a very confused Charlie Behind.
Pim watched as Charlie set up the GameCube™ on the TV.
They didn’t really talk after what happened in the kitchen. Both a bit apprehensive to cut the awkward atmosphere that has built around them.
When Charlie finished setting up the device he sat next to Pim on the couch, reaching towards the TV remote that was on the table in front of them.
But before he grabbed the remote, Charlie finally broke the silence.
“Uh- sorry if I grabbed you in a wrong way Pim, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t fall and hurt yourself-”
Pim looked up at Charlie in surprise, he didn’t want Charlie to think that he though of him as some sort of pervert.
“Oh, no Charlie! It’s not that at all! I appreciate you catching me before I fell…”
Charlie looked back at him, now a bit confused.
“Then what’s with this weird silence man?”
Pim started to twirl the blanket he wrapped himself with between his fingers.
“It’s Just-“
Pim sighed, might as well just get it over with.
“It’s just, I’ve noticed you’ve been a lot more, y’know, handsy with me and you’ve never been like that with me before…”
Charlie looked a bit taken aback.
“Oh- dude, if you’re uncomfortable with it, I wish you could’ve told me sooner. I-I don’t want to cross any boundaries-“
Pim shook his head.
“N-no, I don’t want you to stop. I-I actually quite like it when you touch me- that’s the problem…”
Charlie’s eyes widened at the sudden confession.
“Oh”
Pim, with a bit of hesitation, put his hand on Charlie’s arm.
“When you put your hands on my shoulders or like when you grabbed my waist.”
Pim looked away embarrassed.
“I felt comfortable, almost… safe?”
Pim was blushing so much and his face felt like it was melting off.
Pim put his hands on his face too flustered to face Charlie.
“What am I saying??? Just forget what I said- I just ruined everything didn’t I?”
Pim suddenly felt something wrap around his wrists and pull his hands from his face.
“Well for what its worth… I- uh- like holding you too.”
Charlie looked away also embarrassed at his sudden confession.
Pim moved his hand to hold onto Charlie’s.
Charlie was now watching Pim’s movements intently.
“Hmm… do you like holding me here?”
Charlie swallowed the growing lump in his throat.
“Ye-ah”
Pim then moved Charlie’s hands towards his shoulders, his eyes becoming lidded.
“How about here?”
Charlie’s attention was now fully on the pink critter, Super Monkey Ball™ now totally forgotten.
“Y-yeah dude.”
Pim too entranced with the yellow critter to care about Charlie’s lack of romantic banter moves the yellow hand up to his cheek. Pim leaned his head towards the touch.
“How about this?”
Pim looked up at him with as much love as he could convey.
Charlie was now a sweaty blushing mess, he was suddenly flirting with his friend of seven years, and now he’s asking himself why it took seven years to get here.
“Yeah I- I like that a lot-“
Pim giggled, which almost made Charlie melt right then and there.
Pim suddenly grabbed Charlie’s shirt, pulling him closer, their breaths hot on each other’s faces.
“Well then~ how about this?”
They both leaned in, lips brushing for a moment, then…
Suddenly the front door of the cabin burst open.
Which causes both critters to toss each other across the couch as far away from the other as possible.
Alan walks in, turning towards the two. Alan didn’t seem to notice the two blushing messes in front of him, and if he did, he didn’t seem to care.
“The Boss wants to know if you two want a be-ur-ger.”
Charlie swallowed down a nervous lump before he answered.
“Uh- yeah sure.”
Pim nodded in response.
“Yeah- I’ll have one too, I guess.”
Alan stood there awkwardly for a bit.
“Ok.”
Then he went outside again slamming the door behind him.
Pim and Charlie sat there in silence for a bit, attempting to regain their composure.
“I actually could really go for a burger right now.”
“Yeah, me too.”