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"Okay, for this one..." Panda started, his voice gradually raising because he honestly had no idea how Charlie would react.
Charlie was letting himself be carried bridal style into the bathroom, his guard completely down the whole trip until they got closer to the bath rippling nearly to the brim with warm water. With Charlie's limp, noodly body tensing up, Panda felt his own heart tensing up with suspense. Better break out a more soothing voice for this.
"... You're gonna pretend you're a zen sponge." Panda said in a misty tone, glancing down at Charlie.
"Pan-man? I think I wanna pass on this one." Charlie said with uncertainty.
"Nuh- C'monn!" Panda said with an encouraging grin. "This is just as fun as eating out of the ice cream container- I promiiisssse."
"I know what a bathtub full'a water looks like, Panda." Charlie said, eyeing the tub as if there were a shark making rounds within the confines of it. "I don't think I CAN-!!"
Without leaving any room for Charlie to finish his sentence, Panda lifted his friend high over his head and tossed him into the bath with a great, sloshing splash, getting water on the floor.
“Hah! That was fun.” Charlie remarked, tossing a splash of water in Panda's direction. “I'm good now, nice n’ self cared up-”
"Nonono just let the water wash over you." Panda said in a soft voice, kneeling close and trying to hold Charlie in place. This caused Charlie to flail, and Charlie's flailing caused Panda to try harder to hold him under the water.
"PANDA!" Charlie shrieked, grabbing at the sides of the tub with all his limbs like a frightened giant squid. “PAN.”
"TREAT YOURSELF!" Panda forcefully shouted back, pinning Charlie's torso underwater, and, completely on accident, forcing Charlie's head underwater as well.
There was a hand tossed in his face like a dead jellyfish and Panda adjusted himself so Charlie's head came gasping back up on the surface. “OKAY, OKAY,” Charlie said in a disoriented, wide-eyed manner.
“SORRY BUT IT'S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD CHARLIE YOU SMELL LIKE OWL PELLETS!” Panda aggressively insisted, pushing Charlie back down when he felt him trying to escape again.
“THAT'S MY NATURAL MUSK- NO!!”
After roughly thirty seconds of more yelling and wrestling in the water, two pairs of paws were yanking a wheezing Panda away from the tub and away from Charlie, who oddly resembled a miserable, soaking, algae and moss encrusted, matted sloth.
“OHMYGOSHPANDAWHATAREYOUDOING!?” Grizz scandalously cried with Panda's shoulder clamped tightly in his paws. Claws were dug into the other one alongside the bone snapping grip.
“Ice Bear does not tolerate homiecide. Try something less bold. Like, theft.”
“Charlie are you okay!?” Grizz inquired.
“It's all good you guys, honest!” Charlie huffed, standing up and hugging his dripping self. “But I'm gonna be real with you, I don't think this whole self care thing is agreein’ with me. Not this part at least.” Around the end of his sentence, Charlie had started shivering. There was a noticeable pause where Charlie glanced back down at the water and gulped audibly. “I just gotta go dry m'self outside real quick.” He chuckled, focusing his gaze on the three bears instead.
With an awkward “hyuup,” Charlie hefted a matted, drippy leg over the edge of the tub and touched the floor with a soft squelch. He squelched his way out of the cave with his elbows bent, as if compressing himself would minimize the trail of greenish-beige water he left behind.
Once Charlie was outside, Grizz and Ice Bear let Panda have his shoulders back. Panda groaned and rolled both of them before acknowledging the acidic staredowns his brothers were giving him.
“Drowning your best friend.” Grizz said judgmentally. “Real smooth, Pan-Pan.”
Ice Bear shook his head and tutted.
“You think I was trying to kill him!?” Panda asked, tossing his paws above his head in rage. “I just was trying to- oh man,” Panda covered his heating face before his brothers could see him blush. “I am so sorry you guys, this is probably the worst thing I've ever done.” He groaned into his paws.
“Don't apologize to brothers.” Ice Bear said. “Apologize to Charlie.”
“Yeah man.” Grizz agreed.
“You're right, I know.” Panda said, dragging the upper half of his face above his paws, unknowingly painting himself the same color as the dirty bath water.
“Uh, Pan, you got some Charlie on your face.” Grizz pointed.
“I'll deal with it later.” Panda said offhandedly, passing through Grizz and Ice Bear to meet with Charlie outside.
It was dark out, but the sky was clear enough that the stars and moon illuminated the front yard for Panda to see. A couple feet away Panda could spot Charlie out rolling around in dirt, grabbing dusty handfuls and rubbing himself with it like someone else would with a bar of soap. In that moment of observing Charlie wallowing in the elements, Panda felt like he understood his friend a little more.
Panda approached, hoping Charlie wouldn't be startled when he finally noticed him, and sat down close by, folding his legs and alternating his gaze between Charlie having his dust bath and the white-freckled sky.
There was a sigh so sudden it got Panda’s heart to bump hard into his ribs. He looked down from the sky to see Charlie splayed out in the patch of dirt he'd been rolling in, his arms folded under his head, a big smile rested on his face.
“Beautiful tonight, ain't it?” Charlie asked peacefully.
“I have a confession to make.” Panda blurted, getting Charlie's undivided attention. He braced his paws hard against the ground, feeling his face heat up again. “Uhh, y'know like. How you look, when you're completely clean?”
Charlie was seated on his elbows. “Yeah! S'been awhile but, I’m actually yellow, right?”
“You're golden, man.” Panda chuckled.
“P'shaww,”
“Sorry, I mean- I wanted to apologize for just now. I just wanted to see, you, and I tried to force you to go back to that, even if it was just for one night- or, even just a few minutes,” The brief memory of Charlie's head disappearing underwater flashed by, “and I just can't imagine how scary I must have been-”
Charlie’s silence was deafening. Panda brought his legs close to his chest and hugged them tight, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt tears forming.
“Ugghh,” Panda groaned into his knees. “I'd understand if I ruined baths forever for you. And our friendship. I was being a mega-dingle."
“Nah, I get it's hard to understand… It just makes me feel like I'm a snake without any skin, y'know? … Hey, Pan-man, look at me again?”
Panda looked up and saw Charlie on his knees, hunched to be eye level.
“You got somethin’ on your face.”
Panda tried hard not to get goosebumps at the single finger Charlie prodded his face with. In that short amount of time, there was a sensation in Panda's chest as sudden as a match being stricken to life.
“Hm, I think you got somethin’ on your face, too.” Panda said, feeling the smoke rising through his throat.
“Is it moss? Because-”
Charlie shut up as soon as Panda's lips pressed something chaste against the matted fur of his cheek.
“Oh, actually it looks good on you, don't worry.” Panda said with a smug smile.
“Y-you…” Charlie shook, touching the spot where Panda kissed him.
“I think I understand you a little better, Charlie.” Panda said, cooly. “If you wanna take dust baths and smell like owl regurgitations and petrichor, who am I to try and stop you, y'know? Besides, you're all over my face anyhow.” Panda gestured to the blotch of greenish-beige that stained his face.
“Awwww, you!” Charlie said sweetly, tossing his arms around Panda’s neck and covering his face in little kisses.
Panda awkwardly fell backwards from the force of Charlie's weight. He laughed and snorted uncontrollibly underneath Charlie. "NO- CHAR, NO!"
“I'm all over your faaaace! I'm all over your face, Pan-Pan!”
Panda choked on his own laughter.