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Ever since he moved to Castle Town, Tenna had been avoiding the little creature that lived in the dumpster behind the Top Bakery. Not that he had any reason to avoid him, because he wasn't Spamton. He couldn't be.
So when Ralsei stopped by for an "urgent talk," Tenna assumed it was about finding him a new home or some way he could help the team with their latest adventure. Unfortunately, it turned out that Ralsei had something else in mind.
"I told you," Tenna said. "That 
is not my partner, and even if it was, I don't care. I moved on a long time ago."
"I think we both know that's not true."
If Tenna had known the little fluffball was going to bring up things that were best left buried, he'd have slammed the door in his face. Not that it would have mattered, because Tenna was his guest in this place and Ralsei was bound to find a way no matter what excuse he gave. It was the thought that counted.
"He's been bothering people on their way out of the bakery," Ralsei said. "He keeps asking them for 'kromer' and rambling about how they can't trust TV. I offered him a room to stay in, but he wouldn't accept it. Something about when he used to live in a mansion and calling his own shots. Maybe you could get through to him?"
Tenna knew he should leave well enough alone. Sure, the phone call had haunted him for years, and he still had nightmares about that day, but Spamton had over a decade to get in touch. It wasn't like Tenna needed closure or anything. Never mind the joy in those eyes when that little man looked up at him and said "you really do care," which made no sense because of course Tenna cared. How could he not care? He'd spent years caring, even when he wanted nothing more than to forget. Even when he wished he'd never met him. Especially then.
He meant to say no, but something else came out. Some words that he hated as soon as they left his mouth with the way they were dripping with insecurity.
"What if he hates me?"
"I really don't think he does. But you'll only know if you talk to him."
If that thing was Spamton, he'd be right to hate him. He made his reappearance on the second worst day of Tenna's life and Tenna was less than welcoming. And what had happened to him? He'd seen the man he loved in his face and hair, but only as a twisted mockery of who he used to be. His voice was distorted, unmistakable but distorted, and he asked if Tenna recognized him, and he did, but it couldn't have been Spamton. Except it was.
"And you're sure it's him?"
"Trust me, it's him."
The worst case scenario was that Spamton told him he never wanted to speak to him again, but at least that was something. Hearing something was better than all these years of nothing, no matter what it was. That was what he tried to tell himself, even though part of him still wanted to pretend that Spamton didn't exist. Everything was easier when he pretended nothing was wrong, but that hadn't gotten him anywhere good lately.
"Fine," Tenna said. "I'll think about it. As long as I'm the one who gets to decide when it happens."
"I won't push you."
Mercifully, Ralsei dropped the subject for the rest of their visit. Tenna had already been pushed far enough, thank you very much. He tried not to think about which tie would suit him best, and he definitely wasn't going to bring any sort of gift, because that would be trying way too hard to appeal to someone that wanted nothing to do with him.
Tenna should have been happy that the man who left him without a word was living in the garbage. After all, wasn't that what every broken heart wanted? The only way it could have been better was if Tenna was still at the peak of his fame.
Except the Spamton he knew only wore the finest clothes and only drank top-shelf battery acid. One of the few things he loved more than money was reveling in how many more sales he got than those uppity Addisons. Tenna should have gotten a vindictive little thrill out of his fantasies coming true, but all he could feel was a heavy weight inside his chassis. The thought of Spamton living any other way was just plain wrong.
As Tenna stepped into the alley, the pressure sensors in his chest were going wild. Trying to shake it off, he scanned the area by the dumpster, searching for any sign of life. A shadow moved across the wall so quick that Tenna nearly missed it.
"Um, hello?"
No response. The shadow seemed to shrink away from him. Carefully, Tenna drew closer, until he was only inches away from the dumpster.
"I know you're there."
The shadow remained quiet. Tenna finally stepped behind the dumpster, only to find himself looking into the same eyes that he'd always loved.
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, [Trash Heap]?"
"Is it really you?"
Spamton glanced to the side, like he was calculating how fast he could run. Tenna thanked the heavens they were in an alley with nowhere to go. He didn't want to make a scene chasing that little bastard through Castle Town.
"EV3RY BUDDY'S FAVORITE [Number 1 Rated Salesman1997]."
He didn't look at Tenna while he said it.
"What happened to you?"
"A LITTLE [botched plastic surgery]. MADE A [Deal] WITH THE WRONG [barely even a person]."
"Someone did this to you?"
Spamton didn't respond, but Tenna's mind filled in the blanks. He could hardly forget the sinister figure from Spamton's past, the way Spamton used to drop everything to take those calls and the white-hot panic in his eyes if he thought he might miss one. Tenna's throat felt dry.
"I'm so sorry, Spamton. I never should have forced you to sign that contract."
"FORCE? EAHAHEHEHEH!!"
Spamton's laugh was off-putting. Tenna tried not to let it show.
"I WANTED TO [sign here now] AND MY [Specil Helper] USED MY [pre-existing condition] TO MAKE ME [Scam Likely]. YOU COULDN'T HAVE FORC3D ME IF YOU TRIED."
"You mean you wanted to be partners?"
"ALWAYS DID. BUT DON'T PRETEND YOU WANTED [the real deal]. I KNOW WHAT YOU WERE REALLY [Aftermarket Auto Parts]."
"Was that why you ran?" Tenna took a step forward and Spamton took a step back. He tried not to think about what that could mean. "Did you think I'd turn my back on you just because someone hurt you? I would never. Not in a million years."
"YOU SAID I WAS [some kind of rat]."
It played in a perfect imitation of Tenna's voice, down to the rise and fall of his tone. Tenna cringed.
"You came out of nowhere and I was having an 
bad day. I wasn't even sure it was you and if I'd known, I never would have said that. I'd have slapped you across the face like you deserved."
"WHY NOT [slap these on] NOW>?"
Without waiting for Tenna to respond, Spamton closed his eyes and braced for the impact. Tenna felt himself shrink down a few feet as the horror sank in.
"Spammy, I was exaggerating. You didn't really think I'd hit you, did you?"
"I DON'T [ERROR]."
The way that Spamton shied away from him told Tenna all he needed to know about how he'd been faring on the streets. As much as he wasn't a violent person, he wished he could find whoever made Spamton feel this way and show them exactly what fifteen feet of steel could do.
"Why didn't you ask me for help? I would have done something. Gotten you out of this."
"THAT'S [Richest Men in Cyber City] COMING FROM YOU!! ALL YOU WANTED WAS [W1ld Pr1zes]. I WAS [nothing matters] TO YOU."
Tenna drew in a steady breath and tried to calm himself down. Nothing good ever came from the things he said in anger, but his force sensors were on the fritz and his processor was overheating so much he could hardly stand it.
"How 
you. After you walked away from me without a word, you're lucky that I'm willing to speak to you, let alone help you. I spent 
thinking you up and left me for a shiny new flatscreen. You don't get to have the moral high ground just because you had a stroke of bad luck."
"IF YOU CARED SO MUCH, WHY DID YOU [unsubscribe]? YOU MADE ME FEEL LIKE [pond scum]. PRETENDING THAT YOU [Hyperlink Blocked] ME AND [hit ignore] WHEN I NEEDED YOU."
"I didn't ignore you. I 
for you. You're the one who let your pride get in the way."
"YOU CHANGED YOUR [credit card number]."
"What are you talking about?"
"[The number you have dialed is no longer in service]."
"I never got any call from you."
"LIAR."
"I'm not lying. I waited by the phone every day, barely taking breaks to perform. And when I wasn't there, I made sure it was monitored 24/7. It took 
before I gave up."
Even behind his glasses, Tenna could see Spamton's eyes grow wide. His arms started glitching in and out of existence, turning into a pixelated blur of red and blue. It made Tenna dizzy just looking at it.
"YOU NEVER [$4.99] GOT THE [$%#!] CALLS."
"No, Spam, I didn't. I thought you'd moved on to bigger things, something better than my stupid shows. I was getting old to everyone else, so why not you too? But you mean to say - "
"NO ONE ELSE COULD COMPARE TO YOU."
The glitching got worse, spreading to Spamton's face. If Tenna hadn't known better, he'd have sworn it looked like tears.
"THERE WAS [if you file a claim or do nothing] I WANTED MORE THAN [Accept Our Terms and Conditions]. I RAN BECAUSE I WAS>. I WAS SCARED. I THOUGHT IT WAS BETTER TO LET YOU [Don't Forget] THAN TO FACE [thrown away like a dirty napkin] BUT I COULDN'T TAKE IT AND I CALLED YOU. OVER AND OVER. AND YOU DIDN'T. YOU DIDN'T YOU DIDN'T !! "
Slowly, Tenna knelt down and held Spamton's hand. The glitching stopped. It was cold behind that dumpster, but Spamton's hand was still warm to the touch. Tenna gave it a gentle squeeze.
"If I'd known you were calling me, I'd have picked up on the first ring. It's been hard living without you, Spam."
"PLEASE FORGIVE ME."
"I want to. You don't know how badly I want to."
"W3 CAN BE [Two For The Price Of One] AGAIN."
Tenna paused. There was nothing in the world he wanted more than to accept his offer, but that familiar voice in his head told him it was too good to be true. What if Spamton just ran away again? What if he refused Tenna's help? A contract would be too much, and besides, it's not like that had worked last time. He had to find some other way to make him stay.
"On one condition."
"[Name Your Price]."
"You have to let me take care of you in whatever way I want to. And I'm going to make you feel so safe that you'll never leave again."
"IT'S A [Deal]."
Standing up a little taller, Spamton shook his hand. Even now, he kept his handshake firm, just like he used to. Tenna remembered how self-conscious he used to be about it, practicing with Tenna behind the scenes until he'd committed the perfect handshake to memory. He held back a smile.
"I wish you'd done that years ago."
"I DO TOO."
With a soft sigh, Tenna pulled Spamton into a close embrace. He was stiff at first, like it had caught him by surprise, but as Tenna ran his hand along Spamton's spine, he slowly relaxed into the touch. Tenna had to stop himself from squeezing until it hurt, keeping his embrace as gentle as he could. Even after all these years, it was like Spamton was made to be held.
If Tenna had any say in the matter, he'd never let go.