Work Text:
"No, no! That isn't right either! This script has to be perfect, Thomas!" Prince Roman exclaimed while reading over Thomas's shoulder. They had been working on a new script for a video, and Prince was started to get frustrated with writer's block. "Add in another joke! Wait, maybe that's too many jokes."
"You can never have too many jokes!" Patton butted in. He began listing off his seemingly endless supply of dad jokes and puns Thomas could use.
"Patton, you are going off track from what this video was supposed to be about," Logan reminded him. Prince seemed to grow more frustrated at that statement.
"Logan is right! We've been sidetracked! Delete that last scene!"
"Kiddo! We spent an hour writing that! You worked so hard to make it perfect," Patton said sadly. "Our fans love the jokes we make! I don't think they'll mind a few jokes thrown in there."
"We can't just throw words onto a page like some animal!" Roman yelled. "We have to make sure our fans enjoy it!" Patton was about to retaliate, before someone else interjected.
"If you ask me, our fans will hate it regardless of the quality." Anxiety was laid back on the couch, his arms behind his head as he put in his two cents. "With the time you need for filming and editing, not to mention finishing the script, the video's going to be late and your fans are going to be furious!" Thomas shrunk down as his Anxiety began stirring up to worst possible scenarios in his mind.
"No! No! We do not have time for that negativity, Page of Pessimism!" the Princely side yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the anxious trait.
"Well, your fans aren't going to laugh anyways. Have you seen the dislikes on your last video? So many people you upset. So many people whose time was wasted with your-"
"Now, now, Kiddo," Morality interrupted him, seeing the anxious face on Thomas. "There were still a lot of likes on that video. We just have to make sure people laugh, they'll like the video if they have a good time." Anxiety rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling above him.
"Whatever," Anxiety scoffed. "They aren't going to laugh."
"What do you mean?" Logan asked. Emotions were confusing for him, but he knew people found Thomas's content funny. "Isn't this what people laugh at? The silly puns and randomness?" Roman rolled his eyes, not liking his creative content to be called "randomness".
"They've never made me laugh." Anxiety closed his eyes to relax himself. Thinking of disappointed fans always made him anxious, but it was his job. He waited for the others to say something. For Roman to call him a joyless emo. Maybe Dad would say a joke to make him laugh. When silence fell on his ears instead, he opened one eye to look at them. They were all staring at him silently. Not in shock, but just dumbfounded. "What?" he spit out, not liking the unnecessary attention.
"Surely you've laughed before," Logan spoke first. "You laughed at one of Patton's silly jokes, I remember. You covered your face." Roman and Patton nodded in agreement. They remembered.
"Pity laugh," Anxiety excused it. "Doesn't count."
"Well, there was that time-! No, wait..." Patton tried thinking up another time Anxiety laughed. Logan swore he could smell his brain frying from overuse.
"You laughed when I called you Hot Topic, right?" Princey shot out.
"Nope," the anxious trait replied as he popped the P.
Writing was done for today. Logan suggested they take a break to let Roman's creative juices flow again and start up in the morning. Roman couldn't rest, however. How could he, when he found out Anxiety had never laughed? He had never felt out of breath from happiness and joy. All that was good in life, he had never experienced.
"I'm gonna make him laugh." Roman had made up his mind. He stayed up all night in his room, trying to think up different ways to make his emo counterpart laugh. His room's creative air helped him think up plenty of jokes, puns, and one liners. The next morning, Roman was ready.
"Hey, Anx!" Roman yelled as he appeared next to Anxiety in the kitchen the next morning. Anxiety seemed to jump ten feet in the air. He was not prepared for any jump scares this early in the morning.
"Jesus, Roman! You do not sneak up on the embodiment of fear like that!" Anxiety was breathing heavily and trying to slow his heart rate.
"Sorry," Roman quickly apologized. This was already going horribly. Once the anxious trait calmed down he looked back up.
"Woah," he said. "Did you get any sleep?" Roman had bags under his eyes that could rival Anxiety's and his usually finely combed hair was a mess. Roman smiled.
"You know, I had stayed up all night wondering where the sun had gone, then it dawned on me." Roman waited with baited breath to see if Anxiety would laugh. Instead, he just raised an eyebrow and looked at the creative side skeptically.
"I think you need a nap." Anxiety turned around and walked away. Roman sighed in defeat. He needed to up his game.
"Joan and I, Thomas, not me and Joan," Logic corrected Thomas as he typed out the script. Roman was distracted, watch Anxiety lay on the couch, just like he had the day before. "You've been writing in past tense this whole time, Thomas. Don't switch to present tense now."
"The past, present, and future walk into a bar," Roman blurted out. "It was tense." The room was silent, besides Patton cracking up at the joke. Anxiety hadn't even flinched.
"Please do refrain from making silly puns," Logic stated as he fixed his necktie. "I can only stand one side making those jokes."
"Awe, Logan," Patton said. "Are you getting TENSE?"
"Please, stop."
Roman sighed dejectedly as he sunk down back into his room. He had made jokes all day, but none of them worked. Anxiety didn't laugh. Roman was brought from his sad thoughts as he heard someone else pop up into his room. He turned and saw the black-clad trait staring at him. He couldn't quite make out what his expression was though.
"What's wrong with you?" Anxiety asked, getting straight to the point. His tone didn't sound rude or mean-spirited. He seemed to genuinely want to know what was up with Roman.
"You don't laugh!" Roman blurted out. "You're missing out on such a great part of life, and yet you refuse to laugh!" Anxiety blinked and stared at Roman. A moment passed and he slowly walked towards him.
"It's not my job to laugh," Anxiety said as he stopped in front of Roman. "I have to keep Thomas safe. That's all I'm here to do. I don't have to laugh or be happy."
"Well neither do I!" Roman retorted. "None of us have to! Not even Thomas! But we laugh and have fun, because we enjoy it. It makes life so much better and you should experience that too!" Roman poked the emo trait's stomach as he ended the sentence. Anxiety immediately flinched as he covered his mouth with his hand and slouched over. Roman stared at him, struck with realization. Anxiety was ticklish. A devilish smirk crossed Roman's face as he put his hands on Anx's sides. Anxiety let out a small squeal as Roman began mercilessly tickling him. Anxiety tried to curl in on himself and block Roman, falling to the floor in the process, but Roman continued. Anxiety began letting out small high-pitched laughter, but Roman wasn't done. As one hand kept tickling his side, he used his other to tickle Anxiety's neck. Anxiety's laughter got louder and more high-pitched, until finally he let out a small snort.
Roman's hands stopped and pulled back, staring at Anxiety as he laid curled up on the floor, trying to catch his breath. "That was adorable!" Roman squealed. Anxiety slowly sat up and looked over at Roman, a look of pure maliciousness in his brown eyes. The Ego's room had begun sending waves of confidence through Anxiety's body.
"You are so going to pay." Anxiety tackled Roman. He was about to get a taste of his own medicine.