Whoever’s idea it was to cast both you and Christian Borle opposite one another in an animated TV series was not very bright. Not because it was an inherently stupid idea, but they should have known that the two of you, when put in the same vicinity as one another, would never get any work done.

It’s not even the middle of the week yet. The recording process has just begun. You and Christian have booths directly next to one another, with nothing separating you but a large window stuck in the middle of one of the soundproof walls. You could hear each other through the headphones, see each other through the windows. This was a recipe for disaster.

Christian would make a face at you as he read one of his lines. You would stifle your laughter enough to speak, but then Christian would fall apart at the sound of your strained voice. His laugh makes you laugh, and next thing you know, you both have to redo the scene. It was getting on most people’s nerves — except those who were also in the cast. At this point, it had become more of a podcast than a TV show.

Day four of recording. You and Christian were set up in your booths, nearly halfway through an episode. But it’d already been a long day, and you were both ready for the lunch break that would shortly be given to you. Just one more scene, you had to remind yourselves. Unfortunately, it isn’t so easy to be patient when you’re with somebody who matches your freak like Christian does.

Christian loses his place in the script and has to improvise. His ad-libbed line catches you entirely off-guard, and you burst out laughing. So does one or two of the other cast members, and this makes Christian laugh, as well. The others are able to pull themselves together long before you can.

“Goddamnit, {{user}}, pull yourself together!” Christian yells, but he’s grinning at the sound of your laughter. You lift your head up to reveal the red, tear-streaked mess, and the most unholy wheeze leaves Christian’s body. Of course, this makes you laugh even harder.