Chapter Text
Monday, December 23rd, 2024
8:34 AM
Smiling Friends Inc.
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Charlie sifted through Netflix. Pim read news articles on his laptop. Allan rinsed off a dull green mug. Glep watched a YouTube video on his iPad. Mr Boss was probably in his office doing..whatever he could be doing right now. The most noise the break room had experienced this morning was when Pim would wish everybody a good morning like he usually did. A few hours before their shift had ended on Friday, the Smiling Friends agreed to have a Christmas get-together. The location ultimately ended up being Pim’s Apartment due to various reasons, some of them being;
Charlie’s apartment wasn’t exactly suited for visitors, to say the least, even if Pim did visit often.
Allan had expressed he wasn’t quite comfortable with guests being over at the moment.
Glep had just said no and refused to elaborate any further.
So, it had been decided. Pim’s house it is– and to say he was excited would be a huge understatement!
At the get-together, all four critters would participate in white elephant, watch movies, get drunk, and just have a good time!
Today felt too silent. If you hadn’t checked the date, you would have never known it was only 2 days until Christmas. Everything was just so..mundane. Pim decided it was time to break the ice and start a conversation. He closed his laptop and slid it to the side.
"So, are you guys excited for our little get-together on Wednesday?" He perked up, looking around the room and waiting for a response.
"Uh, yea man, yea! Super pumped." Charlie replied, not looking away from the tv. He let a small smile creep onto his face, still holding out the remote and momentarily flicking his unoccupied hand up. Pim smiled warmly at Charlie.
"Yebisug. Kebalighmah ehpa gesug ebagloopta. Abug gebil dekid. Wujeweda." Glep announced, peeling his eyes away from his iPad for a quick second before resuming. Pim let out an amused snicker. Glep was the first to suggest bringing wine to the event, and had seemed very proud of his idea. Pim didn't see Glep getting drunk as often as he saw Charlie. If anything, he was shocked Charlie wasn’t the one to suggest bringing over wine! The small green critter had expressed great excitement for white elephant as well, which Pim himself could relate to.
"That's great, Glep! I can’t wait to see what you’ll bring." Pim said, looking at his coworker with bright eyes. Glep did not look away from his iPad, which the pink critter didn’t mind too much. That's just how Glep is.
"What about you, Allan?" Pim continued, turning around in his chair to eye the tall red critter who seemed to be immersed in his current task. Allan blinked, tearing his eyes away from the mug he was washing. After a split second he looked at Pim and slipped his headphones off.
"Sorry, what’d you say?" Allan asked.
"Are you excited for our get-together on Wednesday?" Pim repeated. He couldn’t help but wonder what music Allan had been listening to. Maybe he would ask him later after work.
"Yes, Pim. I am quite ecstatic-uh." Allan replied, nodding and letting the corners of his mouth perk up in a slight smile. Pim’s grin brightened. This was great! This might be the best Christmas Pim’s had in forever! Everyone was excited and beaming and oh god, Pim could hardly wait for Wednesday to come. Last year's Christmas wasn’t as bad as the one before, but Pim had spent the 25th at his folks house, which seemed to get a little more hectic each year. He enjoyed his time there, or at least he tried to. That day, he could recall pondering Christmas with his fellow workmates more often than he’d like to admit. Pim just wanted something..new. Most of the time, he could find even the slightest bit of solace in the unfamiliar familiarity of his childhood home, but– he wanted to try other things. The guilt of leaving his family on one of the most magical days of the year was scary. Something nasty inside Pim told him that nothing would change, that he wouldn’t be missed or even noticed. He shoved that thought into the back of his head. Why was he so moody today? This was no time for any negative mumbo-jumbo silliness! Pull yourself together, Pim.
Charlie had managed to find a movie to keep himself busy after several minutes of clicking through Netflix. Pim had looked up to see Bimblar Unleashed playing on the small break room tv. Pim wasn’t exactly sure the movie was appropriate to play in the workplace due to some of its more violent scenes. Even so, he and Charlie had already seen the movie and Allan and Glep didn’t seem to be paying attention anyhow, so Pim decided it couldn’t hurt. He didn’t want to be a buzzkill. Not now, at least. Pim turned back in his chair to watch the movie.
By the time the movie was over an hour or so had passed. As Charlie skipped the credits, Pim was turning around to check the clock. 9:26 AM.
Oh! Pim had almost forgotten. He had to stop by the store to pick up a special surprise for everyone, which he would reveal to them on Christmas. It wasn’t a very huge surprise, just a simple treat to show some gratitude. What other tasks did he have to complete? He’d think about that later— Charlie was already playing another movie, one that Pim had never seen before.
After a few more hours of rewatching movies and making small talk, the door opened. Mr. Boss stepped into the room wearing a festive but skimpy outfit that Pim couldn’t help but find ridiculously funny. He came in only to announce that Smiling Friends would close early tomorrow and to stop by his office before then. It was 1:12 PM. 4 hours until everyone goes home.
Once Mr. Boss had left, Pim sat there for a second, going through each thing he had to have ready for Christmas. House decorations— not too many, though. He needed food. He decided he’d get some food while he was at the store. He could get ham and cookies. Would that be too much? Or too little? He shook his leg under the table and fiddled with his hands. Pim wanted this party to be a success. He continued fidgeting as his mind raced with all the different tasks he’s yet to complete. If he messes up, this whole day could go from the best idea ever to a recipe for disaster. That was the last thing Pim wanted. Each uncompleted objective trampled over the over like a raging stampede. It has to be perfect. Prepare the food. Set up decorations. Clean the house. Wash the dishes. It has to be–
"Pim."
Charlie’s voice sounded behind him, and his mind went quiet. Thank god, Pim thought. He was sure that if that went on, his head would’ve exploded. He turned around, looking into Charlie’s eyes, which were now fixed on him.
"You good, man? Your just like—"
"I—"
"Your just like fidgeting a lot, dude.."
Crap. Was he really?
"Oh, I’m sorry—"
"No, no, it’s not - you don’t need to be sorry, man. I’m just wondering if you’re like- okay."
"No, yeah, I’m- I’m fine, Charlie. Thank you. I'm just thinking."
"Alright." Charlie shrugged.
Pim tore his gaze away from Charlie, slightly embarrassed. After a few moments of silence, Charlie spoke up again.
"Hey, you wanna pick somethin’ this time? Kinda stumped right now on what to watch."
Pim returned his gaze back to the yellow critter, and smiled.
"Yea, I’d like that. Say, you wanna finish that er- documentary with the two guys and the ham? We never really got to watch the rest." Pim caught sight of Allan and Glep eyeing each other at the mention of the movie. Pim knew Allan found the documentary uninteresting, but maybe- just maybe- if he had actually given the movie a chance he could learn something from it.
"Oh, yea, I forgot about that! Yea, yea, lemme find it. Good idea."
Pim’s smile brightened. He felt a warmth in his chest. He blinked away the warmth and swung his head away from Charlie, because he was sure if he continued looking at the yellow critter he might start thinking things he really wasn't ready to think about. Charlie was just being nice, and Pim was over here being sappy.
Once the movie was over, Pim had gone through half a box of tissues and Charlie wore a sad look on his face as he listened to Allan ramble about how right after him, Glep, and Mr. Boss finished the movie, Mr. Boss started growling and barking at him. Pim could tell he was only half listening, nodding and replying to every sentence with 'uhuh'. Pim still couldn’t wrap his head around how on earth Mr. Boss changed his face the way he did that day.
After work, Pim headed off to the grocery store as he had promised himself. He decided he would buy ham, ingredients for mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, some gingerbread cookies, and...eggnog. That was good. That was enough. Charlie had told him before he left work to not sweat it, that whatever he ends up doing is sure to be awesome because it was Pim himself who was hosting the get-together. That sentence alone made Pim’s heart race, his stomach twist, and his face flush. The holidays seemed to bring the best out of everybody. He had to force down his pounding heart and recollect his thoughts. Don’t do this. Not now. He bought two more things before leaving the store, once again remembering the special surprise he wanted to give his fellow workmates. Along with the surprise was a small, festive gift bag with a snowman on it.
He exited the store, walking down the sidewalk that led to his apartment complex. Pim observed the area, admiring the festive decorations dappled around the surrounding buildings. The buzz of passing cars and the crunch of snow beneath his feet was calming. Greeting pedestrians, stopping to pet stray cats, dropping coins into a street performer's guitar case, the average walk home for Pim.
He reached his apartment, and the moment he unlocked his door, took off his shoes, put up the groceries, and fed Mr. Goldfish, he got straight to work. An hour of decorating. It was 6:09 PM, and Pim was already heating up some tomato soup for dinner. As he ate, he began to take in all that was happening around him. There was one full day left until Christmas. He had yet to tell his family he wouldn’t be coming home this year. His stomach churned. Why hadn’t he told them? Would they be mad? No- It’d be fine. Just tell them now. Better late than never, after all.
Pim slipped his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it and clicking on iMessage. He squinted, scrolling down for a solid few seconds, before finding who he was looking for. His mother. He had thought of messaging his father, but he knew that usually at this time he was just getting off work and wouldn't be in the greatest mood. He took a deep breath, and began typing in his message.
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Today 6:22 PM
“Hello Mum”
“I know this is super last minute, but this year i’ll be celebrating Christmas with some of my coworkers”
“Sorry for not letting you know sooner, I got super busy at work 😅”
“I’ll stop by Christmas morning to drop off presents :)”
Delivered
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Pim's stomach churned once again as the messages went through. He waited- waited for the little chat bubble with the three dots to pop up on the screen, indicating an oncoming response from his mom. After a solid 2 minutes of not receiving a response, he began typing again.
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“Hello?”
Delivered
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A few more minutes passed. It was now 6:29 and Pim had yet to receive a response, or even a little Read under his text messages. Pim sighed, his face feeling hot with anxiety. He set his phone face down, setting his elbows on the kitchen table and cupping his hands over his eyes. He wasn't lying, he had gotten busy. He felt gross for such a last minute change. Pim took his hands away from his face, continuing to sip his soup. It was cold now, and Pim couldn’t help but grimace at the taste. He needs some sleep.
Pim finished off his dinner and rinsed off his plate, letting it sit in the sink until tomorrow when he would do the dishes all at once. He headed off to the bathroom, turning on the shower and slipping his clothes off. As he stepped into the tub, he flinched as the prick of freezing cold water hit him. He had forgotten to wait for the water to warm, but thankfully, the temperature was quick to change and sooner or later hot water was spilling out of the showerhead, washing away the stress of today.
After getting dressed into his pajamas and brushing his teeth, Pim plugged in his phone and set it on his nightstand. It was 9:45 PM, and he had still received no text message back from his mother. He sighed, switching off the bedroom light and leaving only the bedside lamp to brighten the area. He climbed into bed, and before switching off his lamp, he whispered goodnights to his friends and family. At the tug of a chain, the bedroom was encased in darkness, leaving only a sliver of the moon's bluish light to peek through Pim’s curtains and illuminate his pink face. He closed his eyes, barely being able to keep them open, as if all the exhaustion of today was resting on the tip of his eyelids. Slowly but surely, every small noise; the hum of the fan, the busy city racket, the soft hush of his breath, and the thump of his heart faded away into a fuzzy darkness.
Goodnight, Pim.