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“It’s so great having another girl in the family again,” you hear Mari say, but you aren’t sure how to respond.
“Yeah, for what it’s worth, I think it’s really dope, too,” Noah joined in a conversation, but you are still not sure how to feel after the induction when you had to read fanfiction. Although the crew made sure it was still monetizable, you found the concept a little off-putting. Bearing in mind it was only a month since her debut as a personality, as opposed to a background actor for the main channel videos, it was weird that there were already some works written about her.
“Uh, thanks, I guess,” you mutter, but it’s a little too late for them to stop staring at you with concern. “I just never thought about it this way. Or at all, really.”
“Oh no, it’s way too early to have this existential crisis, miss,” Noah was quick to lighten up the mood, but you are certain it isn’t all jokes and that he spoke from experience. You are fairly new, but you know both of them have been here for a long while now, Noah being one of the first additions to what became the Squad, and Mari actually being a co-founder to Smosh Games.
“Don’t worry, Kimmy. And if you have any questions, feel free to ask them any time. And if you don’t want to bother us for any reason, I’m sure all the others are okay with that, too. I think you’ll soon realize that we’re called family for a reason,” you see Mari smile and can’t help but smile back.
“Thanks, guys, will do. You can’t imagine how helpful this is, even though I might seem a little out of it,” you reply, smiling at them both and before you know it, Noah’s long arms envelop your upper torso, resting his head on your shoulder, with no intent to let go.
“I’ve been quiet all shoot, but I swear to god, Rhett and Link are smoking dirty shoes again,” Noah frowns furrowing his brows after they finish playing a new game that promised to sponsor the video, and that doesn’t fail to make Kimmy laugh, and that makes you smile, too. Noah rarely joined in for the Games shoots, so having him and Kimmy too on one shoot was actually a new dynamic you had yet to explore, not that you mind. You love having Joven, Wes and Lasercorn around, it’s fun to play with Shayne, Damien or Courtney, too, but this was… just easy from the get-go. Kimmy is actually a good shot, or maybe that was just beginner’s luck, you’ll have to see. If the video is perceived as good enough by the sponsor, you could try negotiating to make it a series, if everyone else was down for it.
“I really liked it guys. The game has great graphics, it’s also an open world, so there’s a lot of potential. And you both are really good. Well, mostly Kimmy, but Noah, you make it up with the humor,” you say, taking off your headphones and making your way to stand in between their gaming stations while they both say their thanks, Noah chuckling a little, too. “What I’m trying to say, this was fun. We should do it again, if you’re down, that is? Like, I’ll try to talk to their marketing team to suggest a series, but if it fails, we could just, you know, hang out and play together sometime?”
“Hm, sounds good to me!” Kimmy lits up, and you feel yourself shooting a smile back at her.
“Yeah, I’m up for that, too! That is, when they stop SMOKING SHOES AT THIS GODDAMN PLACE!” You all share a laugh, before Shayne barges into the gaming room, wearing that ridiculous Courtney Freakin Miller wig.
“Young man, you watch your tone and language, or I’ll snap your freaking neck! And you better believe that I’m going to enjoy the frick out of it!” he said at the usual CFM tone, pointing his finger at Noah and he disappeared out of the room just as quickly as he appeared, before you even start laughing, still a little shocked by how quickly he managed to pull off the bit.
“You guys want to grab lunch together?” you find yourself next to Kimmy and Mari again, it seemed like these two hit it off really well, and you are just glad you get to see this friendship blossom first-hand. You didn’t really hear what they were talking about, though, so you hope you don’t ruin it with this little inconsideration, and subconsciously bite your lower lip.
“Yeah, we were just talking about it. How does Chipotle sound?” Kimmy suggests.
“Not too bad. I don’t think I have many scenes left, so my butthole probably won’t explode on set,” you answer, and Mari shakes her head.
“Come on, your butthole isn’t as bad as Joven’s,” she replies with a snide remark, smirking. “I’m fine too, I think I only have one shoot after lunch and I didn’t hear any whispers of hot pepper punishments around the office, so I should be safe,” Mari agrees.
“I mean, I think Joven is a pretty low standard to hold Noah against, but I digress,” it feels like Kimmy defends you and it warms your heart. You can’t imagine a purer soul than her, and you feel a little unworthy of her attention.
“Thank you, at least someone understands me here!” you pretend to be offended, but Mari’s disapproving look forces you to stop. “Meet us in the writer’s room when you’re finished?” you suggest lifting up your eyebrows, thinking that it would be easier for Mari to find you two together than the other way around.
“You got it,” she nods and shoots finger guns at you two as a goodbye for now.
“I can’t stop thinking about that time Joven mooned us at camp when we played dodgeball,” you say, a few bites deep into your burrito.
“Noah!! Not in front of my salad!” Mari protests, using a meme that was so 2017. But then again, she’s eating a burrito bowl, so that’s almost a salad. “And definitely not in front of the new girl,” she adds, in a lower volume.
“Hey! I heard that!”
“Come on, she’s family now, stop teasing her,” you defend her as she did defend you in the morning.
“Yeah, I’m family now,” she nods, a little braggadocious, and grabs one of your chips, double-dipping it in guacamole, after she had a bite. Luckily, you aren’t Damien and don’t freak out about germs that just got into your guac and it does make you think of your brothers. “Now, dish everything you have on Joven, I’m all ears,” she grins, and Mari inadvertently rubs her palms in preparation.
The anticipation builds up and both you and Kimmy tense up, but your giddy smiles aren’t wiped away from your faces yet.
“Where do I even start?” she sighs.
You stare at her.
A silence.
A hearty laughter.