It wasn't easy, but you were on a mission. You knew how hard Carl was taking you all losing the prison, but he was acting too serious, too angry- he needed to be cheered up.
"Wanna hear a joke?" you asked him, walking down a road, Rick in front of you two. Carl shrugged, watching his feet kick pebbles around on the ground. You cleared your throat, straightening your shoulders, stretching your limbs playfully, and you could see Carl glancing up at you from the corner of his eye.
"Okay, get ready, this is a good one," you took a deep breathing, cracking your knuckles. Carl was looking at you now, probably thinking how weird you were. But you could see the tiniest of gleams of amusement in his eyes.
"A grasshopper walks into a bar, sits down, and orders a drink. The bartender looks at the grasshopper and goes- "Oh, man! We have a drink named after you!" and the grasshopper says..."
You paused for effect, having Carl's full attention now that you had started the joke. "What's the grasshopper say?" he mumbles, everyone stopping at Carl's words. Rick even turned around to watch the scene.
You smiled down at Carl. "And the grasshopper says, 'you have a drink named Steve?'"
It was quiet, and for a moment, you didn't think it worked, that you would have to go back to square one. But, little by little, a smile crept onto Carl's face, until he was laughing, just a little bit.
"That was dumb," he grinned, punching you lightly. You laughed back, relieved to see that smile again.
"I thought it was a good one," you glanced at Rick as he spoke, smile beautiful on his stubbled face. You seemed to blush as you chuckled a bit.
"That's because it was a dad joke," you replied, to which he pretended to be offended.
"You know it's true, dad," Carl chimed in, smile even bigger. "You only like the lame dad jokes. I remember."
Rick glanced between the two of you, still grinning. "Oh, you mean like the one about the dentist?"
"Oh, no, dad- please no," Carl was starting to actually get giggly as the three of you stood in the street, world peaceful for a moment.
"I know that one!" you exclaimed, smiling just as brightly. "What time did the man go to the dentist?"
Carl was laughing before the punchline was even out.
"Tooth-hurty!" you all three said together, and a chorus of laughter rang through the trees surrounding you. It was music to your ears, and seeing Carl so happy made you feel warm.
As you turned to Rick, to congratulate him on knowing the good dad jokes, you noticed a different look in his eye, staring back at you- one you hadn't seen before.
~Rick's POV~
It had never been so good to see Carl's smile. It lit up the awful world around us so brightly that I thought, at this moment, we might have a future. Y/N's joke had started this all. She was trying so hard to get Carl back up to his old, smiling self. I was very grateful for this.
"And the grasshopper says, 'You have a drink named Steve?'"
We all stopped in the middle of the road, and I turned toward them to see what was happening. Slowly but surly, that grin grew on my son's face, and I couldn't keep mine away. Y/N did it!
We three laughed together happily, pretending like the world had completely crumbled around us, acting like there was still hope in the world.
"That was dumb," Carl pointed out, but the smile didn't leave his face.
"I thought it was a good one," I replied, glancing at Y/N. How could I show her my gratitude? Her cheeks got a bit pink, which surprised me a little.
"That's because it was a dad joke," she said, and I feigned offense, causing them to laugh a bit more.
"You know it's true, dad. You only like lame dad jokes. I remember."
I looked between Carl and Y/N. "Oh, you mean like the one about the dentist?"
Even though Carl protested, his eyes lit up a little more. This was his favorite joke when he was 7 or 8. His smile hasn't changed since then. I saw Y/N's face light up, too.
"I know that one!" she exclaimed, clearly excited. "What time did the man go to the dentist?"
We all said the punchline together, laughing louder than we should have been, but none of us seemed to care. I stared at Y/N, watching her gleaming Y/E/C eyes and radiant smile, and I started to realize something. The gratitude I'd been feeling toward her, for taking care of Carl at the prison, and now getting that smile back on his face- it's not just me being grateful.
Y/N glanced at me, surprised to see the obvious look of admiration on my face. I would tell her later -when Carl had gone to sleep- that I was in love with her.
