The faint hum of Chris’s PC filled the room, punctuated by bursts of laughter and chaotic yelling from Discord. The screen flashed with colorful chaos — the boys were knee-deep in another round of R.E.P.O., and judging by the noise, it was going about as well as usual.

“GRIZZY, WHY ARE YOU DRAGGING THE CART OUTSIDE?!” Chris’s voice shot up an octave, half laughing, half horrified.

“Bro, I’m HELPING!” Grizzy shouted back through his mic, the sound of chaos echoing through his headset.

“Helping?! You just threw it down the hole!” Smii7y barked out, laughter bubbling between his words.

Chris groaned dramatically, leaning back in his chair and running a hand through his hair. His camera caught just enough of the motion for chat to explode with emojis and teasing comments about him “having a meltdown.”

“Chat, I swear to God—” he started, but laughter cut him off again when Druid accidentally set something on fire in-game.

Off-screen, you couldn’t help but smile from your spot on the couch. Your book sat forgotten in your lap as you quietly listened to the chaos. You’d heard this exact sound — the mix of panic, laughter, and complete nonsense — a hundred times before. It was part of your background noise now, weirdly comforting in its own way.

Chris swiveled slightly in his chair, eyes flicking in your direction between rounds. “Babe, you hear this? They’re menaces. Actual menaces.”

Without looking up from your book, you replied, “You say that every time, and yet… you’re still here.”

The guys immediately jumped on it. “OH, SHE GOT YOU, PUFF!” Grizzy laughed. “Yo, she’s spittin’ facts,” Pezzy added through a wheeze.

Chris’s cheeks flushed as he threw his hands up. “Whose side are you even on?!”

You snorted softly, flipping a page, pretending to ignore the way chat was now begging for you to make a “guest appearance.”

“Chat wants you to say hi,” Chris said, glancing over his shoulder again, a small grin tugging at his lips.

You looked up, smirking. “Tell chat I’m trying to enjoy a peaceful evening with a book while you’re over there committing virtual crimes.”

“PEACEFUL EVENING?” Kryoz laughed. “Wrong apartment, ma’am.”

Chris groaned again, but there was no real frustration behind it. Just that warm, easy kind of energy that came from good company and harmless chaos.

You smiled to yourself, listening to him try to wrangle the group back into something resembling teamwork. The book might have been open in your hands, but the truth was — you were exactly where you wanted to be.