Outside Work We... •[TNN One-shots]•

Try Not To Laugh •|| EVERYONE ||•

Prompt: Everyone witnessed a once in a lifetime scene.

The living room of Autumn and Winter’s house buzzed with the kind of chaos that could only come from a group of friends and family unwinding after a long week. Snacks and drinks littered the coffee table, and laughter rang out as Carly, ever the instigator, stood in the center of the room.

“I’m telling you, we need to play something! Let’s make this Friday night memorable!” she declared, hands on her hips.

Winter raised an eyebrow from where he lounged on the couch, his arm draped lazily around Autumn’s shoulders. “Carly, every Friday night ends with someone doing something ridiculous.”

“And that’s why we should up the stakes!” Carly shot back, grinning mischievously. “Let’s play Try Not to Laugh!”

The room buzzed with murmurs of agreement, with Charlotte rolling her eyes playfully at Carly’s enthusiasm. “Fine, but you’re going first since this was your idea.”

The rules were simple: the person in the “hot seat” would fill their mouth with water, and the rest of the group would try to make them laugh. Predictably, Carly failed spectacularly, spitting water everywhere when Mia pulled a face that rivaled a cartoon character. Charlotte followed, and despite her attempts to hold it together, Clodagh’s uncanny ability to mimic bizarre accents had her in stitches within seconds.

Marjorie, ever competitive, eventually crossed her arms and demanded a challenge. “I want someone who’s actually hard to crack! Come on, Autumn. Take the seat.”

Autumn stiffened. “No.”

“Please!” Marjorie begged. “It’ll be fun. And, honestly, you need to loosen up. We all know you’ve got the best poker face here.”

Autumn groaned, her head falling back against the couch. “Fine. But only because I want this over with.”

Her reluctance didn’t deter the group. Autumn was soon seated in the chair, arms crossed as she glared at everyone. She took the obligatory gulp of water, cheeks puffing out as if daring someone to try her.

The first few attempts were pitiful. Charlotte tripped over her words during an impression. Sorcha tried a knock-knock joke that was so bad even she couldn’t get through it without laughing. Winter put in an admirable effort, but his attempt at a dramatic reenactment of a nursery tantrum earned him nothing but a stone-cold stare.

The group was starting to grumble when Reece, Mia, Shibhon, and Clodagh exchanged a look.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Reece asked Mia.

“Obviously,” she replied with a smirk.

The four stepped forward like a team of conspirators. “Let the professionals handle this,” Shibhon said, cracking her knuckles.

Autumn raised a single eyebrow but didn’t flinch as they began their routine.

Reece started with a straight face, delivering the first line in a dry tone. “'Isn’t it amazing how I can feel so bad and look so good?’”

Autumn’s eyes narrowed, but her lips twitched.

Mia jumped in next. “‘I’m not one to blow my own vertubenflugen!’” she said, imitating a ditzy voice that sent a ripple of muffled laughter through the room.

Clodagh followed, deadpan and perfect: “‘I will never pick up another man. My life is over.’”

The cracks began to show. Autumn clenched her fists, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Finally, Shibhon delivered the coup de grâce. “‘Why do blessings wear disguises? If I were a blessing, I’d run around naked!’”

The room erupted as Autumn doubled over, water spurting from her mouth as she burst into uncontrollable laughter. She laughed so hard her glasses slid down her nose, her face red and tears streaming down her cheeks.

For a moment, everyone froze.

“Did… did we just break Autumn?” Marjorie whispered, her jaw dropping.

“I didn’t know she could laugh like that,” Sorcha said, wide-eyed.

When Autumn finally caught her breath, she wiped her face, her grin lingering even as she glared at her brother and his accomplices. “You guys cheated.”

Reece shrugged innocently. “It’s not cheating if it works.”

As the group cleaned up, questions flew.

“How the hell did you guys know how to do that?” Winter asked, clearly impressed.

Mia rolled her eyes, offended. “It’s from The Golden Girls! You’re telling me you’ve never seen it?”

Charlotte shook her head. “Nope.”

“Unbelievable,” Reece muttered. “Autumn and I grew up watching that show.”

Shibhon nodded. “It was our guilty pleasure whenever we needed a good laugh. Timeless humor.”

“It’s Golden Girls. It’s a classic!” Clodagh chimed in, still grinning.

By the time the night ended, the group was debating who the best character was, with Autumn reluctantly joining in. It wasn’t often that she let herself laugh that hard, and as Winter wrapped an arm around her, whispering a soft “You needed that,” she couldn’t help but agree.

[A/N: I am practically fishing out people who like the same things as me. Someone PLEASE know Golden Girls, I promise, it will change you.]