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The most anticipated and peer pressure-driven holiday has to be Valentine’s Day. Sure, it was one of the most profitable holidays with it’s cheap chocolate and immense rise in proposals–however, it was also hell on earth for anyone in a relationship. With all the highly expected, over the top gifts and gross lovey-dovey bullshit, it’s almost as if you’ve failed your partner when you don’t oblige. It may as well be worse when you're trying to keep your “relationship” a secret.
Ask anyone of his ex-partners; they’ll tell you just how awful Spamton was at being affectionate to any degree. He always saw love as just a marketing scam to sell mushy romance movies and teenage fantasies. But recently, he had to rethink his perception of love as a certain special TV had snuck his way into Spamton’s big shot life. Tenna was ecstatic about Valentine’s Day and all things romance, he’d even theme his whole show plus the studio around pink and red and cupid or any other symbol of this extremely talked up holiday. It was intense, to say the least.
With this passionate of a partner, you’d have to imagine the extra pressure on top of the already existing expectation that weighed on Spamton, especially when it’s a guy he has feelings for??? WHAT!?!? However this February, the salesman hatched a plan to not only woo that boobtube, but also outdo him in the process. All he had to do was wait for the end of their “Tv-tastic” Valentine’s Day Special and boom!
As the curtains fell, they cast a shadow upon the two co-hosts who continued to stand still in a deep bow as if scared to give up their pride. It had been a good show as always, despite the Weather Duo getting a bit too handsy with each other during their segment, but the crew was proud regardless. Perhaps going through the trauma of an extremely picky boss bonded them together, so seeing the TV so happy with the result was rewarding. Speaking of the host, he soon straightened himself along with his partner, turning to the man dressed in similar attire, a black suit to nicely contrast the pink explosion of the set.
The two looked at each other for a moment, both out of the strange need to shoot the other a loving glance and the fact they were at a loss of how to move on from such a moment. The salesman spoke up first, giving a playful nudge to the much taller man, “Not too bad tonight Tens, the Fun-O-Meter was off the charts during the fanmail section!” A grin took over his face as he talked, taking note of the slight blush on the TV’s face after the compliment.
“Oh me? That was all you Spammy!” Tenna teased, earning a scoff as he bent his back to better see on his partner’s level, “The audience just adored your little cupid outfit!” His partner in question crossed his arms, clearly still pissy about that stupid board.
“By the audience, I think you mean you.” Spamton replied, a guilty smile sneaking its way onto Tenna’s screen. He spun on his heels to make his way offstage, his partner following close behind him. The two continued their quiet banter as they made their way to Tenna’s dressing room, too engrossed in conversation to even acknowledge the celebratory chaos the crew had brought to the studio, the chaos they would never take part in if Spamton’s special night had gone according to plan.
Upon arrival, the two took their usual seats–Spamton on the couch and Tenna just across from him at the vanity. The salesman couldn’t help but slightly awe at the room he’d seen numerous times, still struck by how decorated it was. The walls were green, littered with stars and the letters “TV” in a just subtle enough pattern to not be too distracting from the main event, which had to be the several different posters of Tenna throughout the years, long before Spamton even stepped foot in TV World. Other than the self-centered decorations, the room had quite basic necessities; just a closet, vanity, and couch, when not used for Spamton, it was piled with clothes. He felt comfortable in that room, but always felt slightly overwhelmed.
“Soo~ any plans for tonight? It is Valentine’s Day after all.” Tenna inquired as he fixed his tie, clearly just fishing for a date. Not that Spamton minded, this exact question was what he needed to nicely segway. Despite his confidence in his idea for a date, a small part of himself felt nervous about asking, a feeling that made Spamton sick to his stomach. Stupid holiday, why’d there have to be so much pressure? But then again, it was nice to see that boobtube smile…
“Yes actually,” Spamton responded after a far too long beat, standing up and making his way over to the other man. He hesitated slightly before continuing, covering his weariness by grabbing Tenna’s hand. Godmannit Spamton, the worst he can say is no! “I was going to spend the night at the bar alone, unless any beautiful women join me.” He gave one last glance to the TV before kissing his hand, waiting for a reaction before looking back again.
“What…?” Tenna defeatedly whispered, shrinking about two feet in disappointment. Oh yeah, he was Tenna, nothing got through that thick shell around his wires. Spamton stood back up straight to see the TV’s screen off, turned away in sadness. He groaned to bring his partner’s attention back to him.
“Tenna, baby–this is roleplay.” He stated as if talking to a child, smiling once again upon seeing the TV perk up, “I’ll see you then, partner.” With one more peck to the hand, Spamton was on his way. Had to prepare for this night of basically making their relationship public, not to mention the fact they had to pretend they were different people to each other. Guess he really didn’t think this through. Nevertheless, Valentine’s Day was once again a difficult step.
Spamton sat in the leather seats of his car, hands anxiously rubbing the wheel as if the friction would bring him back to Earth. He was only about twenty feet away from the tall building that, beside from many hotel rooms, held the Cyber City Bar & Grill. It was cold that night, just like always, each breath he took stinging ever so slightly. However, this time with a chill of uncertainty. Any other day Spamton would never take such a risk to his image, especially just to fuck that Cathode’s brains out after. If he hated this holiday so, then why would he entertain it this much?
Another chilled wind blew by, lifting the strands of hair and the feathers on his neck. The night cast a lovely deep blue over the city, only the bright lights that served as the trim of each floor illuminated the otherwise pitch black city. Spamton let go of another breath, watching as it turned white before floating too far to see. He lightly slammed his head against the wheel, closing his eyes almost like he was saying a quick prayer before getting up.
He traveled to the third floor of the intimidating building, the smell of steak, cigars, and wine hitting as soon as he entered. It was once again a lowly lit place, having warmer lighting rather than cool. It was slightly crowded with couples at every corner other than the bar, which was almost empty besides the lonely drunks who he could just tell were regulars. He made his way over to them, not bothering himself with conversation and opting to sit near the middle. There was a giant wall of expensive wines behind the semi-circle counter which all gave the same warm, yet bare welcome.
The bartender was a Swatchling per usual, who Spamton ordered a single glass of battery acid from. As he sat there waiting for his drink and therefore his date, he couldn’t help feeling almost naked. Someone who had such fame sitting there so sad, even if it was just to have a little fun with his partner. It felt too dark in there, too cold, too alone. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all. Maybe he shouldn’t have–
“Hey there Big Shot,” A voice came from Spamton’s left, a tired yet flirty voice. The salesman looked beside him and– woah. Tenna leaned almost seductively on the countertop, a sparkly, tight black dress hugging his what-could-be-described-as curves. The dress brought out the pink tint on his lips, and the deep purple of his robotic limbs which were at most times covered by the restraints of his suit. Spamton’s eyes darted back and forth, taking in the sight of his partner. “Mind if I join you?”
He took a second to respond, still taken back by the unexpected attire, but (attempted to) nonchalantly said, “Suit yourself, doll.” Damn that sexy dress for getting him like this. Tenna pulled out the chair behind him and sat down, still leaning on the table to better look at Spamton with an almost lustful gaze, though it was hard to tell what he was really thinking. “Tell me, what’s a girl like you doing out here on Valentine’s Day all alone?”
“Well sir,” Tenna replied, straightening himself to put a hand on his chest, “I am… uh… Cassandra! The wife of a very famous and rich man. However, ‘tis a loveless marriage.” Spamton immediately burst out laughing once Tenna finished, earning a gentle punch from his partner. “It’s my character! Who are you anyway?”
“The name’s… Marvin?” Spamton answered, searching around the room as if he’ll find an idea from there, “Doctor Marvin Handsomeface, PhD!” He put out a hand as if to shake that was met with Tenna mirroring Spamton’s earlier reaction, making the embarrassed salesman roll his eyes. “I would’ve picked a better name if you gave me a sec!”
“No, no. I love it, Spammy.” Tenna reassured, grabbing the smaller man’s hand from the table and giving it a squeeze before finishing, “Why are you here alone, Mr. Handsomeface?” Spamton, face still slightly flushed from the earlier interaction, cleared his throat before relaxing into his seat.
“Ya’ know; no wife, no kids, and no where to go on a night like this, so full of young love.” He sighed, flashing a small smile to the CRT. Although he was nervous out of his mind, for fear of being discovered and of disappointment, the fact that Tenna showed up brought a new light to this otherwise dull bar. Spamton couldn’t help the gross, warm feeling growing inside him as he joked with his partner, even if it wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for the night. Plus, Tenna looked stunning in that dress, who knew he’d go as far to wear heels, too?
As his drink arrived, he made sure to also order a cocktail, being a bit too specific considering he “just met” the person beside him. Thank goodness hardly anyone in Cyber City tuned into TV Time, otherwise Tenna would be bombarded with not only crazed fans, but also those who were way too curious about his personal life, and therefore why he was there in a dress as he flirted with his co-host.
“Tell me more about this husband of yours,” Spamton sipped on his glass of battery acid, the liquid stinging the corners of his mouth ever so slightly. To be completely honest, he didn’t feel like drinking, especially something so sour. “And maybe about why this marriage is so loveless, as you said?” He teased Tenna, knowing that Cathode couldn’t think of a celebrity other than himself for the life of him.
“Ah! Yes, you may have heard of him before, he’s a… TV host!” There it is, thought Spamton, taking another sip of that God-awful drink. Tenna gave a suspicious glance to the mailman before he straightened himself, looking proud as ever. “His name is Spamton G. Spamton.” The man mentioned choked upon hearing his name. Tenna dramatically sighed, putting a hand on his forehead and arching his back in the most damsel-in-distress way.
“Oh, he’s horrible!” The TV exclaimed way too loudly, “Always showing up late and never picking up his cigarette buds, his poor co-host.” He whispered that last part, moving his hand to peer at his partner, who angrily scoffed as his face reddened. This damn guy. Tenna brought his face close to Spamton’s, their cheeks grazing each other as he gave a gentle poke to the tip of his nose. “He’s extremely adorable though, not to mention handsome.”
“You’re lucky you're hot, Tenna!” Spamton shouted, pushing the CRT’s head away with a force that could’ve been much more gentle, “I let you get away with so much, Goddamnnit.” Tenna’s screen turned pink at the comment, suddenly twiddling his fingers like a schoolgirl. “Seriously? I just said that you’re hot, Tens–” A flower appeared at the tip of Tenna’s own nose, interrupting the two as they sat in an awkward silence for a minute. Fuck, he was cute.
Spamton gently plucked the flower off of Tenna’s nose, sticking the stem in his hair where an ear would be. “How do I look?” He asked in a low voice, scooting as close as he could to the CRT. The night had really been perfect, even though they could never take roleplay like this seriously despite both being actors. The way the warm light hit Tenna made him look stunning, almost as if he were the light itself, and the fact they got to spend what would be a shitty night together, flirting like lovesick teens only heightened that.
Tenna’s lips curled into a smile as he followed his partner, scooting closer to the edge of his seat. He gently grabbed his lover’s face, stroking his cheek with his thumb as he brought his own head down. “Perfect, my dear.” He whispered, closing the space between them with a lingering kiss. Stupid Big Shot life, stupid Valentine’s Day, why spend so much time making everything perfect and up to expectation if the main point was to just be with your lover? They pulled away from one another, still staring at the other’s lips in a sort of longing.
A possible child’s voice shouted Tenna’s name from behind them, bringing the pair back to reality. “I think that’s our cue…” The host said, standing up and holding out a hand to his partner. Spamton took it without hesitation, keeping their fingers intertwined even as they walked to the car, which was a silent walk at that. Once they were both inside, Tenna spoke up first with a simple, “What now?”
“Now,” Spamton responded, looking over at the TV with a soft smile. The cold air from earlier still circulated the pair, but this time, he could barely feel it over the radiating warmth of his lover. “I’d like to take a very special person to my hotel room, would you mind that Mr. Ant Tenna?”