Pan was really cute. But he just wasn’t WW’s ‘type’… Or that’s what he told his cousin when she asked about the plant man. “I-I don’t know, we only talked for like five minutes, and he’s just so… I don’t know… He gives me a good vibe, ya know?” WW rolled his eyes. Cori and her ‘vibes’… The day went by slowly, just as WW had expected it to. He talked to his mom when there were no customers, though. She apologized for freaking out. He apologized for not eating. Everyone was in a better mood, after that. Sunlight filtered in through the shop windows, and Katelyn let WW choose the music. Upbeat, happy songs flowed through the shop the entire day.

Corrine kept heading to the back of the shop, where Pan, once the ability was discovered, had been put to work healing some of the flowers that had begun to wilt. There was a big window in the back, too, and he sat next to it as he worked. It made him happy to. He loved helping when he could, especially if it meant taking care of flowers. He didn’t mind Corrinne’s company, either. WW kept finding her sitting on the windowsill next to him, smiling and batting her eyelashes as they chatted. He got that Pan was interesting, and attractive, but for gods’ sakes, at least he was doing his job.

“Cori, seriously?” WW scowled the tenth time he had to go into the back. “We’ve got customers.”

“Lighten up, Walter! I was just getting him to show me how he can grow little flowers!” She crossed her arms very  strategically, to hoist up her boobs at the same time. Pan looked to her, then to WW.

“I can show you, too, if you want?” He offered, holding a hand out.

WW crossed his arms over his flat, thin chest. Why was he so irritable all of a sudden? “Your bandana’s slipping again. Come on, Cori.” He huffed, turning on his heel and going back out to the shop.

Cori frowned as she followed. “Maybe later, Pack~” She hummed.

“What did you call him?” WW asked when they were out of earshot.

“Pack. It’s all I can pronounce of his actual name, for now… It’s so cool, don’t you think?” She grinned. “He’s really cool.”

WW rolled his eyes. “He’s a plant.”

WW’s mom kissed his head when they finally closed up shop and hugged him to her side. “Time to go home,” She hummed, “Hey, Cori, want to come over? We were thinking of having a bonfire.”

“We were?” Frank raised an eyebrow over at his wife, “Were we?”

Katelyn grinned, “I may have forgotten to mention it to you, but I was thinking…?”

“It sounds good to me,” Frank kissed his wife softly, “WW? Cori? Pan?”

“You know I could never pass up a bonfire.” WW leaned into his mom’s side. He felt sluggish, and hungry. “I could go for a hot dog.” He chose to ignore the little relieved sigh his mom let out.

“I’m down! I’ll just let my mom know.” Cori grinned.

Everyone could hear when Pan leaned in close to Cori’s ear and whispered, “What’s a bon-fire?”

Cori giggled, “Well, sometimes we like to sit around a little fire and chat and eat and stuff.” She smiled up at him, probably loving  how close he’d gotten to ask her the question.

“Oh, okay…” Pan said quietly.

Cori bit her lip, “I’m assuming you didn’t have those in Amarai?” What’s Amarai? WW frowned for a moment, before remembering. Magic-land. He should try to remember that...

Pan shook his head. “Not my people… But some of the others did. They just didn’t call them bonfires. I was in an elven town once, and they had this massive fire… There were elves playing music, and dancing around it… It was rather beautiful.”

“What were you doing in an elven village?” Cori asked, completely entranced.

“Could she be any more obvious?” WW muttered, still walking really close to his mom.

“Oh, hush…” Katelyn nudged him. “He’s a newcomer, she wants to know more.”

“She wants to get in his pants,” WW huffed, “She already told me all about how hot she finds him.”

“Oh…” Katelyn looked back at the two as Pan explained that he’d just been doing odd jobs for his queen. When she looked back to WW, she had a little smirk on her lips. “Are you jealous?”

WW nearly tripped on his feet. “What?! No! As if! It’s just annoying that she spent so much time flirting instead of doing her job.”

Katelyn opened her car door, shrugging. “If you say so.”

“I do say so!” WW growled as he got in.

On the way home, WW listened to Cori ask Pan hundreds of questions, and Pan return them with his own. The conversation was lively and both of them were smiling, and WW just wanted them to shut up. But at the same time, he liked listening to Pan explaining how his people lived… They had a queen, and laws, and money, of course, but only as a supplement to their trading system. Kindness was valued, laws were respected, and everyone helped to care for the forest, which was always especially lush around their cities, in their free time. Pan had been living on his own since he’d been fifteen, and Cori didn’t see the way his smile dipped to something bittersweet when he told her how his good friend, who was a few years older, kept an eye on him… He asked her about what she liked to do in her spare time before she could ask why he was on his own so young. WW saw the bitterness of the smile, though… And he was glad when Cori accepted Pan’s subject change. She was eager to tell him all about video games, and music, and how she was studying botany in university. Botany, with a minor in creative writing. How those two went together, no one knew but her, and that was fine.

They were still chatting away when they got home.