Chapter Text
Alcohol-Induced Sisterhood.
-
An Invitation.
You’ve only just dragged yourself awake, with memories of last night still making their way through the haze. You remember staying up far too late again with Tenna, the two of you snowballing conversations that started somewhere normal before derailing into absolute nonsense. Though, you can't remember exactly what you talked about, even if you tried.
All that stuck in your memory was the uncontrollable bursts of laughter as you both tried - but ultimately failed - to convince the other to go to sleep, broken up by telling each other to be quiet. Though every time one of you tried to settle, the other would set it off again soon after; a process that cycled until you both became too exhausted to think. You’ve learned by now that once together, neither of you are particularly good at being serious - even at times when you probably should be.
A foggy wave of lethargy still muffles your focus, all before you notice the bed beside you is empty. Though, this doesn't bother you the way it used to, Tenna's absence no longer fills you with waves of anxiety as it once did. For better or worse, Tenna has always a been restless sort. Ideas strike him at even the most inconvenient hours, manifesting as urgent tasks that apparently can't wait until morning. This isn’t the first time you’ve opened your eyes to find him gone, and honestly waking up to peace and quiet is sometimes better than being met with his onslaught of energy first thing in the morning. Not like you'd tell him that.
Though, usually, he'd at least leave a note for you.
At some point Tenna started leaving them again. Always full of apologetic and overly worded reassurance in scribbled cursive, explaining where he’d gone and promising he’d be back soon - with Tenna sometimes having a more abstract understanding of the word 'soon'. Part of you figures it's more for his sake than yours, as by now you've made it abundantly clear that you’d much rather head back home than wander through the endless maze of corridors trying to track him down. The notes seem to act as his compromise. His way of telling you that he didn’t forget you, he just couldn’t stop himself from acting on whatever impulse possessed him at the time.
You turn onto your side, half expecting to see one tucked under a pillow or folded neatly on the bedside table.
But there’s nothing.
Figuring you're not getting back to sleep now, you sit up slowly and begin searching for clothes - yours, his, it doesn't matter anymore. Everything now smells faintly like cigarettes, old cologne and coffee regardless; remaining even when you go back home.
You drag yourself into the bathroom to tidy yourself up on autopilot, before eventually wandering into the kitchen, still half asleep. Sure, food here doesn't fill you, but the routine has still become part of your daily life here, giving you a moment to catch up with yourself while you wake up.
You’ve got the whole day ahead of you before you’ll need to head back anyway, already planning idly who you’ll see, where you might wander, what corners of this world you haven’t visited in a while. According to Tenna, everyone has returned now, and there's no need to spend your time searching for lost Darkners; but its still another habit that has somehow wormed its way into your life.
To your surprise, Tenna stands at the counter with his back to you, shoulders slightly hunched in deep concentration over a pan hissing to itself. He doesn't notice you, clearly lost in his own head as he cooks. The smell fills the room, instantly kicking in your hunger and giving you the unfortunate realisation that you'll need to head back home soon.
You don’t bother to announce yourself, you don’t have the energy yet. Instead, you shuffle forward and wrap your arms around his waist, pressing your face into his back.
He’s always so warm…
Tenna freezes in surprise before letting out a soft laugh. You feel one of his hands come to rest over yours before his thumb runs slow, absentminded circles against your wrist.
“Morning, Sweetheart. You should still be asleep!” As Tenna speaks he glances over his shoulder, catching you with an expression of faux annoyance. “You barely got any rest...”
You tighten your hold on him, refusing to meet his concern with any form of reaction. “Neither did you,” you mumble, the words muffled into his back. “Don’t pretend like you’re not responsible for this!”
''Haha yeah, sorry. But it's not like you was helping!” As Tenna argues back, his tail curls around your waist. You've noticed he leaves it out more often now, at least when it’s just the two of you. A sign he's growing more comfortable, you suppose.
Though, Tenna quickly learned that was a dangerous privilege to grant. Already you've found yourself tugging on it a few times, mostly in retaliation to his teasing. It didn't take long for him to start returning any sarcasm you throw at him, now that he’s comfortable enough to be playful without worrying about how you'll take him. Still, you don’t bother this time. You just stay there, taking in his warmth.
Unfortunately, as much as you want to avoid the impending subject, Tenna doesn’t. He never does. A small sigh escapes as he reins himself in, just enough for concern to make its way through his usual overexcitement. “You still need to head back today… okay?” he says gently, trying not to disturb the peace. “You’ve already spent yesterday here and-”
You don’t have the reserves of effort to argue back. Instead, your displeasure escapes as a tired groan as you gently bump your head against his back in protest. Not hard, but enough to make your feelings known.
Still, Tenna's brightness doesn't take long to return. You've come to notice that his mood often changes rapidly, like a switch flipping in his brain. “I’ve got some good news for you too!” The tip of Tenna's tail swings back and forth as he speaks, brushing against your legs as an outlet for his excitement.
“How do you have so much energy this early, Tenna…” you mutter through a yawn.
Reluctantly, you untangle his tail from around your waist before dragging your feet over to the table and collapsing on a chair. As you watch Tenna move around the kitchen, you rest your chin in your hands, waiting for whatever news that's got him so worked up.
On a prior outing, you made a point of buying a clock to keep in Tenna's house, something he thought was a waste of money, all until you reminded him that just because he has an internal one, doesn't mean that you do. Over time, a lot of trial and error, and more than a few panicked miscalculations, you’ve learned how to translate this world’s sense of time into your own.
Your phone on the other hand is useless. Whatever force governs this place only scrambles it beyond recognition, causing any sense of time to distort and sometimes skip entire days. Annoying, sure, but it does have its benefits, saving you from answering unread messages and giving you a break from the world.
You squint up at the clock, blinking until the numbers finally shift into something readable.
And if you are reading it right - it's around 1pm.
You sag a little in your chair as a sigh escapes - so much for having the whole day to yourself. Your body was clearly making decisions last night that your brain wasn’t consulted on.
That also explains why Tenna is here.
He’s always done the early broadcasts, ones that - unfortunately for you - drag him out of bed before the rest of the world has even thought about waking up. By the time afternoon rolls around, he usually disappears into whatever whim or project catches his attention first. Though, that usually means finishing one show and immediately planning the next. Or tweaking something that didn’t need fixing. Or taking on work that could have been left to literally anyone else.
Yet today, Tenna priorities making you breakfast. His sleeves are rolled up as he plates up food, thinking three steps ahead while tripping over the step directly in front of him. You're not sure how someone can be so intently focused and absentminded at the same time, finding yourself having to get up a couple of times to stop something burning before he notices and gets overly disheartened. There's definitely something on his mind today, he's not usually this bad.
You sit back down to watch Tenna work, full of restless energy and practiced efficiency. Though you know he would refuse any offer of help, even if at times it would benefit him.
This man seriously does not know how to take a break.
Tenna brings your food over, proudly displaying his work with a little too much ceremony for something that’s meant to be casual, before placing a letter beside. He then drops into the chair opposite, elbows on the table, chin propped in his hands as he watches you with eager anticipation. You can tell he's trying very hard not to say anything first, but it's painfully clear he's waiting for you to comment - on the food and the letter.
The letter immediately feels… different, to say the least.
There's nothing objectively wrong with it, but you've come to learn even the most simple things here are significantly different than in your world. As you turn the letter over, you watch as bands of colour ripple across its surface like oil on water. There’s no papery feeling beneath your fingers and no resistance when you pinch the edge, like it has no weight to it at all. It feels less like a tangible object and more like an email notification come to life.
Definitely not from Tenna's world - that's for sure. Too modern.
''Cybers World?” You murmur.
Tenna's screen lights up in excitement, though you can't help but notice him absentmindedly chewing his thumb claw.
Once you open it, the contents pixelate into view rather than appear all at once, finding that it’s an invitation. Formally written sure, but it's soon dragged back to reality by the oversized image of a smiling robotic woman at the bottom, who you can only assume to be Queen. The letter requests its reader to visit her world for a celebration, though the wording sounds more like a demand anything else. This time it's an open showcase of her mansion, with the words seen, admired, and witnessed more than notably highlighted.
Holding back a laugh, you cant help but feel the more you learn about her, the more you think Queen and Tenna have a lot more in common than he lets on.
You glance up at Tenna once you've composed yourself, then back down at the letter. “So, this is a big deal?”
Tenna’s projected grin widens as his tail flicks behind him. ''You're coming with me, right?” He asks, though his intensity alone tells you he's already made up his mind on this.
You hesitate. “Ah, I don’t know. I don’t really know anyone there and-”
“Please, it’ll be fun! I promise!” he cuts in, unable to stop himself. As his excitement ramps up, his form stretches taller, as it always does when his emotions get the better of him. “Elnina and Lanino are going too! And- and you like going to Cybers World anyway AND you said you wanted to meet Queen!”
At this point it sounds less like a request and more like he's listing the pros and cons of a deal. You watch him pace in place for half a second before realising he’s doing it, finding it strange how adamant he is about this - more than he usually is when he wants something anyway.
What confuses you is, he's mentioned before that he doesn’t really like going to Cybers World. Something about old business ties, or feeling like he doesn’t fit in, though he’s always brushed it off with a laugh before you could press him on it. For someone so at home in front of a crowd, you find it strange how the idea of that place unsettles him.
“I mean… sure, but-” you start, though you're not able to finish before he continues.
“You’re not going to make me third-wheel another one of their breakups, are you?” Tenna interrupts again. As he speaks, he leans forward over the table, determined not to take no for an answer, acting as if he's making a business proposal instead of asking you out. You watch as his tail sways anxiously behind him like an emotionally charged metronome, only making him look more akin to a needy dog begging to be taken for a walk.
“Angel, I want you to meet everyone, I want to show you off!” Tenna continues, barely pausing for breath in between his rampant begging. “Not everyone has a human with them, you know! You’re the only one! You're special! Also it’ll be boring without you, please!”
Each reason blurs together into a dizzying mass of noise. As Tenna speaks, his posture leans further across the table, as though when words fail, proximity alone might convince you.
This of course, isn't a surprise to you. You've come to find that Tenna has a habit of doing this. Asking, and then asking again, and again and again, all until whatever resistance you had crumbles under his sheer persistence. Each request is adorned with his sickly sweet host persona, warm, enthusiastic and overflowing with relentless reassurance. Like his drive alone can fill in gaps that he hasn’t fully thought through yet.
Overall you've come to find Tenna as quite… impulsive, to say the least. Once he decides something is a good idea, it becomes the idea, and everything or everyone else in the way simply falls to the wayside. You know him well enough to see through it. You can tell when he’s already made up his mind and is just waiting for you to catch up.
Then there’s also the way he talks about you - to everyone.
Sure it can feel flattering, hearing yourself woven so naturally into his stories as he'd speak about you with pride. But sometimes it feels like a spotlight you didn’t ask to stand in. Like you're being ushered on stage when you were perfectly content sitting in the dark, watching him shine instead.
Still, you can’t deny that there's an upside to this too.
When your energy dips, when your thoughts start to drift, or when you just want to exist in peace and quiet for a while, Tenna's boundless energy fills the space effortlessly. He talks enough for the both of you. He's able to carry conversations so other's don't notice your silence. And somehow he still manages to make you feel included, even when you’re barely participating. It's true that his extroversion can be exhausting at times, but it's also comforting to know that he'll step in when you can't.
You sigh and give in, realising that this is one of the growing number of things that Tenna has no plans on letting up on. Anyway, you don't have the energy to argue with him first thing. If it makes him happy what's the worst that could happen, right?
“Fine,” you relent, defeated. “Fine, I’ll come! You don’t need to be so pushy about it.”
Tenna immediately goes quiet as the tension bleeds out of him. You watch as his size shifts back down and his tail gives one last relieved swish before settling, instead of its prior frantic wag.
“Really?” he asks, needing to hear it again. Proud of himself that he finally got you to agree.
“Yes, Tenna, I'll come with you.” You repeat through a laugh, though you still have to hold yourself back from rolling your eyes.
You have wanted to meet Queen for a while now, you suppose.