Chapter Text
The ring of tiny bells signaled to the café that the door was being opened. A short, magenta creature stepped outside, holding a steaming cup of coffee. Today was just like any other day; Pim would spend his time looking for activities to occupy himself. He knew that if he didn't keep himself busy, he would start to overthink.
Unfortunately, in this rundown part of town, especially without a car, you quickly run out of things to do. Pim didn't mind too much; he had lived here his whole life and was okay with the familiar scenery.
Though most things had always stayed the same, he noticed a change recently. Between the mysterious mental asylum and the toilet emporium, a new building appeared. It was shaped like a large yellow ball with a smiling face. He hadn't investigated it quite yet, but he had no desire to. He didn't usually go to that side of town.
As the small man walked down the street, a paper pinned to a telephone pole caught his eye. It had a photo of the large yellow smiling building on it, and big red letters that spelled the words "HELP WANTED" with far too many exclamation points. He read closer, eyes straining from the rainbow Comic Sans font:
HELP WANTED!!!!!
The Smiling Friends is a small local charity that is dedicated to making people smile! We are looking for anyone willing to make someone's day brighter! :)
A phone number was listed at the bottom of the page.
So that's what that building is!
Wait.
Getting paid to make people smile?
"Oh . . . my . . . GOODNESS!" Pim exclaimed in disbelief, eyes wide with excitement. It was as if this job was made for him. He reached for his phone and quickly dialed the number on the paper.
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"Oh Charlie, isn't this amazing?" the critter told his best friend, who had invited him to come over for pizza. The news was so great that it only felt right to tell him in person.
Charlie slouched on the sofa, scrolling through his phone. "Yeah, that's uh, really great Pim. Proud of you."
"Charlieeeee!" Pim whined and nudged the yellow man's arm gently. "This is a big deal! You should be thrilled! Maybe it would be a good fit for you as well, considering you're currently without a job."
"Hey, I'm unemployed and proud," responds Charlie, looking up from his phone to smirk at the smaller man. Pim rolled his eyes and grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza from the box as his friend continued.
"All jokes aside, uh, I do think this job will be a good fit for you. I know you really like to make people smile." He took a sip from his off-brand soda. "And it's an easy way to make a quick buck."
"Thank you, Charlie! I do hope you consider it as well."
"No problem man. I'll think about it."
They hung out for a while, eating pizza and binge-watching low-quality action movies with terrible CGI. Even though Pim was laughing and chatting with his best friend, his mind was filled with anxious thoughts about his family. He was terrified to tell them about his interview tomorrow. What if they weren't proud? What if they thought the concept was ridiculous?
Regardless, he didn't want to go back home. He had spent enough of his life dealing with his father yelling at his mother all day and his sister making him feel worthless. As much as he loved them, maybe it would be better if he distanced himself.
As the ending credits on another awful movie rolled, he sighed and turned to his best friend.
"Charlie... should I tell my family? About the job thing, I mean."
"If you want to, you, uh, you can," Charlie shrugged. "But you don't have to. After all that you've been through, they're not obligated to know anything about your life."
Pim lowered his brows and looked down at his feet.
"I know, I know, you always say that. It just feels wrong. They're my family."
"This family of yours," the yellow man remarked, putting air quotes around the word family, "makes you cry every single holiday."
The smaller critter did not respond, instead leaning back to stare up at the ceiling.
"Well, it's your choice if you wanna tell them or not, but no matter what they think, just know that I'm proud of you, okay?" the other critter comforted, smiling warmly. "It's getting late, you should, uh, get some rest. So that you're ready tomorrow."
"You're right. Thanks, Charlie," Pim said as he stood up.
"Hey, anytime, man." After saying their goodbyes, Pim walked out of Charlie's apartment and began heading home.