Laughing together for Jon/Michael?
This one took a while to come together. It’s not very shippy, but I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the prompt!
*
“I have a joke for you, Archivist.”
For a moment the Archivist looks deliciously startled, then simply wary. Michael sighs, mourning the loss for just a moment; startled is how they like the Archivist best.
“A joke?” the Archivist says. His eyebrows arch and then furrow, as if they can’t decide whether to be surprised or annoyed. “What on earth does that - no, actually, never mind. No, thank you.”
“You don’t want a joke?” Michael is not offended, as such, because a sense of rejection requires a sense of self. But they are surprised; humans are known to enjoy jokes.
“I, ah, let’s say I’m a little concerned about what you might consider to be a - a joke.” The Archivist’s voice is low and harsh and gentle at once. It is a pleasant static buzzing in Michael’s consciousness. Michael laughs, echoes rippling back and forth through their being.
“I have a wonderful sense of humor, Archivist.”
“I’m sure,” says the Archivist, not sounding very sure at all. Michael’s mouth stretches. He will see.
“A person goes to the doctor,” they say. “And tells the doctor that they’ve broken their arm in two places. So the doctor tells them to stay away from those places.”
The Archivist is looking at them with a questioning expression, his hands flat on the desk as if bracing for something unpleasant. Michael spreads their hands, wide and wider.
“It’s a joke. Because the doctor and the person didn’t understand each other. It’s often funny when people don’t understand each other.”
“I see,” says the Archivist carefully. “Well, thank you, Michael. That was, ah, very funny.”
“You didn’t laugh.” The Archivist’s mouth makes a rough noise that sounds a bit like a nervous dog. It isn’t a laugh. Michael sulks, and opens a door.
“I’ll find another joke for you, Archivist.”
“That’s fine, really - ” the Archivist starts to say, but Michael is already gone. They leave an echo of their own laugh behind to keep the Archivist company.