Chapter Text
Mike pushes his door open, popping the weird lock on the room with his name on it that Tenna had customized because of course Tenna did. What in Mike’s life hasn’t the CRT touched? Down to the damn room in the weird town that he never asked for.
He doesn’t leave his room often at all these days, and tonight was exactly why. Running into Shuttah was the first sign of a bad time. Shuttah, who was always happy, and excited to see everyone and anyone. They rolled Mike up in a bubble of excitement, snapping a picture and demanding to know all the nothing he’d been up to.
There was a time when Mike would have indulged. Found hours of conversation over nothing but organizing his old radio scripts, just so Shuttah could smile back at him.
That was before all this. Before Tenna, even. Now, Mike shoved the camerathing away and told them to get to the point. There was a point. They were too tense for there not to be.
Tenna’s gone.
Off to some new lightener. Couldn’t take being out of the spotlight and decided to settle in a new dark word somewhere else. It made Mike sick.
Not angry sick, though it should have. Bastard went off to make a new name for himself. Replace a new sound system. Steamroll over a new couch and assert himself just like he did over what Mike and Shuttah had. The loud, selfish, arrogant bastard-
But instead it made him feel…
He doesn’t want to think about how never seeing Anthony again makes him feel.
He sought out some Tasques and cuddled with them until their owner lady chased him off with her whip. Helped.
Now he’s peeling off his cat hair covered jacket as he shoulders open his main door.
“And I heard that she’s actually-“
The conversation that Mike had walked in on cut off abruptly. In Mike’s room was a Shadowguy, a Zapper and a Pippins, all engrossed in….. something. Was that one of his old suits on the floor?
“Who the hell are you?” The Pippins looks bewildered. Like the idea that the owner of this room returning home was absolutely absurd.
“Mike? My name’s on the door?” He genuinely didn’t know what else to say.
“You’re Mike?” The Pippins points at him, looking almost like a confused kid.
“I’m Mike. What are you three-“
“YOU are Mike?”
“Yes-“
“You? You’re mike?”
“What are you, a broken record? Yes! I’m-“
“No you’re not.” The little Pippins smiles, eyes blown wide like he was on the brink. “No you aren’t, there’s no way- cause if you were, that means I’ve been losing my MIND wondering where and who the hell Mike is for AGES only for you to be RIGHT! HERE!”
Oh, well-
“I haven’t really been on the job, so-“
“SHUT UP!” One of the signs to cut applause behind the group blinked on, “shut up!” Accentuating the Pippins. Would have been cute if Mike knew what in God’s name was happening. “You’ve been GONE! VANISHED! DISAPPEARED! leaving US to pick up your slack while wondering if you ever even existed in the first place! I thought Mr. Tenna was insane! I thought I WAS INSANE-!”
“Uh, Sylvia? You’re kinda-“ The Zapper starts, but the Pippins, Sylvia? Turns to him and glares so lethally the poor thing shuts up.
“Look, I’ve been awol, I’m sorry- I noticed someone’s been pickin’ up for me and I really do appreciate it.” Mike decides to try and pacify the kid. He turns on the soft fuzz in his voice, lowers it to a level that isn’t too much. “Y’really thought I was- what, Tenna’s imaginary friend?” He tries to laugh it off, amuse the kid.
Didn’t work.
“YES? NO? I DON’T KNOW! What am I supposed to think!? Mike, do this! Mike, do that, and it’s all US! Or Tenna or- or the fucking AIR?”
“That might be me, I do the easy shit-“
“And you just fucking MATERIALIZE!?” The Pippins is pacing. “Out of nowhere! Going crazy trying to figure it out and it just falls into my lap! Spits in my FACE!”
The Shadowguy and the zapper step back as the kid works himself into a lather, and then, as his words start to slur together, the poor thing just collapses. Faints right there on the floor.
The other two are creeping away, trying to get out of the scene. Mike feels a little pang at that. No worry about their friend, just wanting to get the hell out. It’ll be your own boys.
He decides this technically is his responsibility and scoops up the guy. He’s light and easy to carry to Mike’s bedroom in the back, where he proceeds to grab some old script pages to fan the kid.
Upon closer look, he’s kinda cute.
His green jacket and tie disheveled, an irritable crease in his brow that persisted even without consciousness. His slumped form on the bed making his cheek squish to the side.
“Adorable little thing…”
“Mhg-“ He sits up, scrubbing at his eyes in a way that made Mike kinda want to scoop him up. “Where…?”
“Still in my room, kid- well, the back of it now.”
The Pippins scrambles to sitting, right back to being tense to the breaking point.
“You!”
“Me.”
He scrubs at his face, trying to erase the sleep that was still clinging to him. “Alright, Mike- if that’s even your real name-“
“It is.”
“Why? If you’re really him? WHY are we only seeing you NOW?”
“Seems fate just lined up. Was wondering who was moving my shit around out there.”
The pippins’ eye twitches. “We’ve been doing our jobs AND your seemingly endless list of jobs for ages now! Always at Tenna’s beck and call while he fawns over YOU and treats us- all the rest of us- like garbage!”
Mike can’t help himself.
“You’re a real life saver, kid. If I had to do anything for that bastard I’d have heaped my lid!”
“And you don’t even like him?!” Sylvia is up out of the bed now, and Mike is fighting an impulse to pull him back. “You’re his favorite and you don’t even have the sense to appreciate it? I’d KILL to be you! And here you are throwing away all his good will-”
“His good will?” Mike’s voice freezes over whatever Sylvia was about to say next. “His favor? Kid, don’t talk about shit you can’t understand- that man’s favor is the last thing on my mind.”
“I-Well, I mean I don’t really like him myself, but-” Sylvia doesn’t finish his thought, the poison look Mike was giving him enough to make him think twice.
“Kid-”
“S-Sylvia…”
“Sylve.” Mike tugs the Pippins to sit next to him. “Obviously my relationship with Anthony-”
“Anthony?”
“-Has affected more people than I anticipated. How’s about this?” Mike leans closer, looping his arm around the Pippins like they were old friends. “You’ve been keepin’ me from havin’ to put up with Tenna, and recent events have made it clear he won’t be around to boss either of us for the foreseeable future. How about you work for me? Whatever Anthony was paying you and your boys out there, I’ll double it and then some.”
“And then some!” Sylvia laughs anxiously at his own outburst. “Um, well-”
“I never really used my paychecks from my service under the old idiot box, not beyond food and a phone bill that I won’t be needing anymore. All my riches are yours until the well runs dry. Wanna work in radio, kid?”
“Yes, totally, completely, immediately.” If Mike didn’t know any better he’d say Sylvia had dollar signs in his eyes.
“Good answer.” He leans closer, talking into the Pippins’ ear. “Come back on Monday with your little friends, and we can hit the airwaves.”
Indulgently, Mike presses a kiss to the Pippins’ temple as he helps him stand.
“Yes! Monday! I’ll be- WE’LL be there, totally! Yes!” Sylvia walks into the wall on his way out, then stumbles out the door yelling for the others.
Mike chuckles to himself, closing the door. He really can make anyone do whatever he likes.
He’s still got it.