Impractical Jokers: [Joker]x[Joker] Collection

One Day You'll Laugh (Joe/Sal)

 "Sal."

He's been trying to get the other man's attention for the past five minutes now. It's the equivalent of screaming into the void, trying to get Sal to look at him when he sees the room in such a state, and as he sinks to the floor, apparently unable to cope with the mess, Joe knows that something has clicked in his head that he can't even begin to understand.

"It's okay, man... they must've just freaked out... they're not badly-behaved."

Joe crouches beside the other before looking at the scratches on the door. It's hard to believe that two little Bichon Frises had gone crazy enough to all but turn the room upside down, furniture haphazard across it. And that was the least of the mess. Everything just seemed wrong, upturned or askew in some way... it was chaos, a true mess if ever he'd seen one.

Imploringly, Joe looks at his pets. They're still barking (a factor he's certain contributes to Sal's current space out) and Cannoli appears to become agitated enough to tackle Biscotti to the ground, the pair struggling and nipping at one another. Gatto breaks it, grasps one and hauls them away by the scruff of their neck before supporting them in his arms. The struggle to get away and back to the couch is immense and Joe finds he can't hold her for very long before she's squirmed out of her grip. To continue holding her would put her in pain due to the awkward angle she's slithered down his body at.

"Hey!" he calls, trying to regain control. Barking, howling, padding paws– they're all noises the Joker is so familiar with and yet he can't seem to get a grip on how reality shifts around him as they fill his ears and leave him all but winded. "Stop."

His hand is removed from Sal's shoulder now, slipping away and hanging by his side. He hates having to do this... but if he doesn't, they're going to carry on. Taking a breath, the dog owner squares his shoulders and takes a breath before overruling the cacophony of noise with a single booming order.

"ENOUGH!"

The room falls quiet. It's all an almost static silence as the dogs stop barking and turn their heads to look at their owner. Even they seem to understand that he rarely shouts, particularly so loudly. From beside him on the ground, Joe is fairly certain even Sal flinched. Now able to think, the Joker smooths a palm over his forehead and sinks to his knees beside his boyfriend, hand returning to his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Sal, I don't know what's gotten into them, I–"

At that moment, he hears a scurry. Tiny feet that belong to nothing thatshould be there. Joe's voice trails off into silence, Sal's head picking up as he catches it too. Slowly, he elevates to his feet and clutches the other man's sleeve, glancing slowly behind him and then stiffening.

"Joe..."

"Yeah...?"

Sal takes a quiet breath. "...there's a squirrel on your couch..."

"Yeah...?"

For a tense second, everything is dead silent. Even the traffic outside seems to fade away into the background as the four occupants in the room feel out the invader with heightened senses. Gatto's eyes swivel to catch sight of the open window; the bastard must have climbed in through there, though God knows why. He'd left nothing there, nothing to be described as 'bait' for the damn thing.

It's an entire whirlwind of chaos the second Cannoli makes a leap for the small creature, the ball of fur flinging itself across the coffee table and the complete disarray of his living room makes complete sense. They'd been trying to apprehend the blasted thing.

Slowly, Joe turns to give Vulcano a sheepish smile, shoulders raising high in the form of a guilty shrug when Sal does nothing but glare. A nervous laugh escapes him. "...you'll laugh about this one day, Sal. Trust me."

Sal gives his partner a wry smile before shoving him. "That day is not today."