This may be a bit too much friendly fire.
Giggling, frolicking and play-fighting are all the trademarks of a pair of young, fun-loving siblings — or two close friends who are secretly in love with one another, according to suspicious social media sleuths.
The internet is hopelessly divided over questionable TikTok footage shared by a woman named Courtney Ebeling, 21, featuring the “sibling”-like camaraderie between her boyfriend, Brandon, and best friend, Sam.
The controversial clip is a montage of ultra-chummy moments between Branson and Sam gleefully romping while Courtney films them from the periphery.
And although Courtney’s post, which has scared up a staggering 24.5 million views, was meant to celebrate the buddy-buddy bond between her beau and her bestie, online skeptics believe Branson and Sam are carrying out an illicit affair behind her back.
“They are sleeping together,” wrote a mistrustful commenter beneath the viral video, which was echoed by “They’re in love,” from another spectator.
“He’s hittin that,” remarked an additional bearer of bad news.
“[They’re] f- -kin,” a separate doomsayer said.
Now, an army of pessimists is warning Gen Z that the pair’s handsy play is a major “red flag.”
The fallout is eerily reminiscent of the digital eruption that occurred when North Carolina bride Heather Lynn shared eye-popping photos of what appeared to be her bridesmaid groping her groom’s crotch during their October 2022 nuptials.
Equally explosive outrage flared this month, when a groom was caught texting someone else — presumably another woman — mere seconds after his wedding.
And it seems TikTok viewers are trying to help Courtney avoid a similar fate.
“They look like they dating and you’re a 3rd wheel just talking vids,” penned a killjoy under her video.
“This is not how siblings fight,” added another.
One woman even weighed in with her own experience in a similar relationship, saying, “Me and my guy best friend play fought all the time….. yeah we got married and have been together for 12 years now.”
However, in response to social media’s many misgivings, Courtney said, “You guys are REACHING…They’ve known each other for years.”
And supporters agreed, backing her up with encouraging comments like: “The comment section seems to forget that relationships are built on trust… I love this,” and “ I would literally be so happy if my best friend and boyfriend got along like this. IDK why people are making it weird.”
Courtney, too, shot down an antagonist who commented that Branson and Sam’s intimate connection would be her “canon event” — a trending term harvested from the new film “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse,” which refers to a pivotal, world-changing moment or event in a person’s life.
“Bro, imagine posting this and everyone just [says] ‘It’s a canon event.’ I would never recover,” wrote the hater, to which Courtney replied, “Ain’t that hard when I’m secure in my relationship.”
In the caption of a follow-up clip, Courtney reemphasized her trust in Branson, writing: “Today I learned the internet is more insecure about your relationship than you are.”
But online trolls sidestepped Courtney’s veiled shade, and mercilessly branded the blond “delulu” — Gen Z slang for “delusional.”
