Chapter Text
Cyber city is as bustling and busy as it always is. It takes several hours for Spamton to get there from TV world, and longer still for him to find any of the people he’s looking for.
Especially since he won’t go near the actual shopping district that the addisons work.
Maybe it’s a little childish! Maybe he’s petty! Spamton doesn’t want to go anywhere near other Addisons in general, let alone his brothers. He still feels the bitter anger burning in the pit of where his SOUL would be when he thinks about them for too long.
It’s just –
Spamton winces as his stomach churns, and presses a flat palm against his abdomen as he tries to fight down the nausea with a swear itching under his breath.
Yeah.
He needs. Not help, but… advice.
Pulling his car in a no parking zone (he’ll pay the fee later, it’s fine, it’s fucking fine) Spamton steps out of his Cungadero, locking the door with a click of his key fob and glancing around behind his sunglasses. He… actually hasn’t seen the other Addisons in a long while. He’s been avoiding them. Avoiding… most of the people in Cyber City these days. Spending most of his days (and nights) in TV World, lounging around with Tenna when not pitching commercials and ads. Going out to dinner with Tenna. Drinking with Tenna.
Fooling around with Tenna. Sometimes fooling around with Tenna sober —
Spamton squeezes his eyes shut as another wave of nausea rolls through him.
“Fucks sake,” he grumbles under gritted teeth, squeezing his keys in his palm until it stings as he stalks down the street, glancing around. Again, he knows it would probably be easier if he actually went to the shopping district, but — fuck! He doesn’t want to! He can barely tolerate seeing one of his brothers, let alone all of them! His throat itches at the idea of stepping back there.
It feels like an eternity of searching. But eventually, he spots one of his brothers. Yellow is sitting perched in a table outside a popular cafe closer to the mansion, stirring what looks to be a fancy coffee. They glance up, and meet Spamton’s gaze — and their mouth immediately makes an ‘o’ shape.
“White?! What are you doin’ back in town?”
"Spamton." he corrects briskly as he adjusts his jacket nervously. He pauses before continuing, a little more bashful than before, “Can I…talk with you? Like, now." He is trying his best to be polite. The mailman didn't necessarily have any beef with Yellow, but… sometimes they disagree on how he reacts to Blue, and a lot of times they disagree on how he reacts to Pink.
Spamton clears his throat, adding, "I don't really have anyone else I can go to."
“You don’t? Did your bigshot TV guy break off your deal?” Yellow asks with no ill intention. They’re curious. Gesturing to the seat for Spamton to sit, they give a smile. “Go ahead! Though, uh, youse know I ain’t exactly the smartest of us. Pink an’ Blue are way more, uh… you know.” They take a sip of their coffee. “They’re better at everything. Even Orange is. I’m the bottom of the heap since you left.”
"He didn't cut me out, no, but I can't really… tell him this. You're smart, Yells, and besides, I'm looking for someone who won't jump down my throat."
Yellow takes another sip. They’re enjoying their coffee, and the additional tea that Spamton is providing. They watch their baby brother curiously, but also…
“You can’t tell the big TV guy? Oh, this has gotta be serious.”
Like a wolf about to pounce.
“So uh,” Yellow adds, stirring their coffee a little bit as they worry their bottom lip, “Is this gonna be, like. Super bad? Cause if it is, you should really ask Pink, he’s the one that knows everythin, I ain’t — I ain’t gonna be any good to ya…”
Spamton slumps in the seat across from Yellow and takes a deep breath. "I uh, well."
He stops. Puts his head in his hands, and tugs gently at his hair. Like that’ll change things, somehow? Like things will be different. Spamton barks out a hiccup as he pulls himself back up, thumbing at his eyelid.
“I fucked up, like, royally." he laughs with a grin. "I uh… I'm not ready to be a dad, Yellow. Or, uh, more accurately.
I'm going to be a dad and it's… fucking terrifying."
“Huh? Ready to be a… huh? Wait, are youse for real?! You fertilized a pipis?!”
Yellow shouts. They don’t mean to shout, bless their heart, but they do. Spamton forces a smiles, thin and awkward.
"Two of them, actually." he clarifies, face heating up as he sinks lower in his seat.
Yellow’s eyes grow wide, a hand coming to their mouth.
“White! That’s a huge deal?! Especially — wait. Was it with another Addison? Youse know we’re only supposed to fertilize with other addisons, right? Didn’t Blue give ya the talk?”
(Spamton knew the rules, the talk, the everything, but hey! Here he was! Saddling up nice and cozy with a boss darkner!)
"It … wasn't another addison, no."
“Oh.” Yellow’s voice goes hush in awe. “Blue is gonna flip. Holy macaroni. How are you so sure there’s two? Did you check? Do…” their voice goes quieter still, “do you need to get rid of it? I know Pink knows where to—”
"No! No, I'm not getting rid of them." Spamton snaps, feeling his feathers bristle, before melting back with a sigh. He pops a claw into his mouth and begins to chew quietly on it. "Sorry, tender emotions. But.. no, I'm keeping them both. I'm positive there are two. I just don't know what to tell Tenna."
“Ten — you let the big TV hotshot get to your pipis? TWO OF THEM?!” Yellows voice goes high again. They lean in, coffee forgotten. “They’re gonna be HUGE! You know that, right?! Pipis take on the magic around them — that’s why we’re only supposed to be with other Ads! White, what were you thinking?”
"I didn't think they'd take!" The smaller addison squeaks, indignant, clearing his throat and trying again. "I didn't expect this, okay?! And stop yelling! I don't like the stares we're getting. I'm going to lose my fuckin mind."
“I can’t help it! TWO babies, White! Two BOSS DARKNER babies!”
Despite it all, Spamton’s big brother looks pretty excited about the prospect. They giggle, leaning in close.
“I mean, you just gotta lay 'em. It should only take like a week, maybe… unless it’s different for televisions. I don’t know. No addison has ever been dumb enough to do that before.”
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Yells." Spamton deadpans. But… he can't blame them, not one bit. He'd have a similar reaction if Orange was banging the weather duo. "I dunno how it is for TVs, but I'm gonna guess it's generically the same when it comes to fertilising a pipis?"
“I mean, there’s only one television Darkner we know. And I doubt we can ask him, cause. He’s the one you’re hiding this from.” Yellow crosses their arms and leans back. Frowns to themself. “What are you gonna do after you lay it? You seriously want to keep it? Them?”
Spamton groans, covering his face and slumping backwards. "I'll. Do something! I don't know! Maybe give one to him? That's not too unheard of but I doubt he even knows what a pipis is.”
“You didn’t tell him? So like, this totally happened accidentally? White! You can only fertilize pipis if both people want it!” Yellow looks startled, but then. Something dawns on them. Something. Something devious. They smile, and lean in, fingers tenting together.
“Wait… that means… you wanted a baby with this guy. And he — he wanted it with you! Oh, White, that’s totally — unprecedented! A boss like that, going with a small fry like you…”
Spamton squawks. "SMALL FRY?”
Someone nearby huffs, and Spamton clears his throat, hissing.
"Small fry? Seriously? I'm strong! I'm big! He,” Spamton groans, hands pressing against the bridge of his nose, “I am not explaining this to you. This is so beyond embarrassing."
“Noooo. You HAVE to! Seriously! Queen doesn’t even hardly look at us, except for you, since you became a big shot.” Yellows smiling big. They look pleased as punch. They’re so going to tell Orange about this. They’ve already got the perfect text message written in their head. “So? What’s he like? The big guy.”
Spamton feels himself going red. Yellow is just – smiling at him, hungry for information, and it’s embarrassing, but – Spamton has to admit, it’s nice to talk about him. About… Tenna. Tugging down his sunglasses, Spamton tucks them in his pocket, leaning in as he whispers.
"He has a whole — You cannot tell anyone I said this, got it? I'll hunt you down — he has this.. it's a kink, I think? Where he wants. Babies. It's sort of… intense." He mutters. "But, in the middle, I was just. Epiphany or some shit, that I wouldn't mind it. Mind them, since he wanted … two.” He pulls back, and sinks lower in his chair. “Like… twins”
“He has a breeding kink?!”
Inside voice? Yellow? As if. The bright Addison doesn’t even seem to notice that people are still staring at the two.
“That’s soooo … cute! Hahaha! Wow! I can’t believe you managed to have pipis on accident. That’s really something only you could do, White!”
"I am going to wring your neck." Spamton hisses, head sinking onto the table, hands tangling into his hair and pulling. "I don't think I would've ever seen this happen to me, maybe Orange, but me?" He looks at Yellow, expression sober and exhausted. "I'd be such a shit dad. You know?”
“Awww. You wouldn’t be any worse than Pink was at raising you.”
“The bar is in hell, then.”
Yellow giggles, shifting their coffee mug around, watching their little brother for a long moment, eyes going soft.
“So… have you built the nest yet? For the babies, I mean. It’ll only be a week before they’re out. Then you just gotta wait for ‘em to hatch.”
"Yeah, I … still gotta build it, I'm not sure how to break it to him, to be honest. He knows next to nothing about us," Spamton snorts. "When he figures I can get pregnant well, that's gonna be a trip."
“I mean.” There’s an uncomfortable pause, as Yellow glances down at Spamton’s hands. “You don’t have to tell him.” They lean back, now, frowning, looking very carefully over Spamton. Yellow fidgets nervously, like they’re about to poke an angry, tiny bear.
“You could always … come home. Build your nest here and leave the pipis with us. You said you don’t even want them, right? So why keep 'em?”
Spamton tenses, and thinks for a moment, long and hard, the cogs in his brain practically visible.
Did I want them? I'm not really a family guy, lone wolf and all —
He imagines Tenna's smile at the news; of two pipis swaddled together in a nest made by their hands; their little chirps and cries, wobbling with every emotion that passes through their blue shells; cradling eggs he’s made with the man he might actually lo –
"Yeah. No, fuck that," Spamton grunts, itching for a cigarette. He scratches at his wrist instead, but it’s a poor substitute. The smallest Addison looks unsure, but… he was always a convincing liar otherwise. He grounds his teeth and sticks a claw in his mouth again. "They grow up too fast and cause so much trouble,” he adds, sounding more and more like he’s trying to convince himself more than Yellow, “why would I want kids? Especially twins?"
“I mean,” Yellow replies, more timid than Spamton’s probably ever heard them, “I’m sure if you wanna give ‘em to Blue, they’d be over the moon,” Yellow adds, “you know they can’t have them. Uh, you know. A glitch when they were young, they can’t … hatch viable ones. Trust me. They’ve tried. Don’t tell them I told you, though.” they glance into their coffee cup, suddenly more interested in that than the conversation. They play with the handle a little. “You never really cared about anything or anybody before, White. So I was kinda surprised when you said you wanted them with this TV guy…”
Spamton feels his shoulders grow tense, and he frowns. "I care about people. Why else would I be talkin' to you about this?" He drags a hand down his face. "Tenna is. different, from other darkners I've met."
“Well, duh. He’s ten feet tall. I don’t know no other darkners like that.”
Seems that point went straight over Yellow’s head. woosh
“Sides,” they add, knowing smile on their lips, “aren’t you only talkin to me cos you’re desperate?”
"Stop overanalysing shit. Is there a law somewhere that says...." Spamton has no comeback. He grits his teeth and pushes his hair back, scowling. "I don't want to shackle Blue with a pipis created by his estranged brother and the boss of a studio who has a negative braincell count."
“Okay, so. Youse don’t want it, and you don’t want Blue to have it neither. Do I got that right?" Yellow frowns. They’re trying really, really hard to connect the dots here. It doesn’t make sense. “So are you just … here to bitch and moan ta me expecting me not to go gossipin to our siblings?”
"Yeah, basically." Spamton drones, voice monotone. "If you do gossip, I'm coming after your head. You have to keep this shit to yourself for once. Blue would be pissed, Pink would make fun of me, Orange would... I dunno, something negative. You're decently nice compared to those three."
“Blue might be upset, yeah, but. I don’t think Pink would make fun of you.” The older Addisons voice goes quiet. “I’m not…nice. I just go along with the flow…”
"Good job taking the compliment, asshole."
So he is going to have to talk with Blue. That’s fantastic. That’s fucking. Great. Spamton curses whatever assholes have control of his life, because they sure as hell don’t have any sympathy for him. He can never catch a break, can he?
Finding no point in continuing the conversation, Spamton shoves his chair back and stands, "I'm going then, I guess. If I hear that you told anyone before I could—" He makes a slicing motion across his neck. Not at all scary for the runt, but he thinks he's intimidating for the most part.
“Wait!”
Yellow startles — it seems they didn’t expect to make such a loud noise, by the looks of their expression — but tenses up, looking Spamton up and down.
“White, why don’t you come back? Things will be better! You don’t need to cater to some dumb kinky tv hotshot anymore…”
Spamton feels the back of his neck blush. Why… doesn't he go back? Is his infatuation, his – his appreciation for Tenna, that strong? Does it really mean more to him than being in Cyber City? Hanging out with Tenna – fooling around with Tenna – watching the way Tenna’s screen follows his every move, glowing with – with –
He shakes the thoughts out of his head, and quirks the corner of his mouth upward.
"I'll.. I'll come back when I'm ready."
“But you’ve already showed us all up! Bein a big shot. You’re breakin Blue’s heart, White! Why can’t you be ready now?” Yellow tenses. “You don’t … have to keep havin this little tantrum about proving yourself. You already did it! You made it! So come home.”
Spamton swallows, suddenly feeling like there's a blaring spotlight burning down on top of him. He takes a deep breath. Spamton closes his eyes, and digs his fingernails into his palm. Tries to ground himself through that pain.
"Thanks for listening."
He speed walks away, dodging other darkners. Yellow stands up, as if to follow, but … falters. Watches as Spamton leaves, until he's far enough that he disappears around a corner, and then settles back down at their table, cradling their cup of coffee.
It’s gone cold now.
Spamton doesn’t stop walking until he can’t keep going. His burning feet turn around a corner, and finally, Spamton’s pressing his back against the wall and pulling at his hair.
“Tenna,” he hiccups, squeezing his eyes shut, “what the fuck are you doing to me?
The minutes tick by. Spamton’s been hunched in that alley for a while, when a voice breaks through the dark.
“ — Spams? Is that you? The hell are you doin, hiding out here like a rat in the trash?”
Pink.
Why the fuck is this happening. Spamton curses the universe. The universe is going to keep typing. Hastily wiping his eyes, Spamton stands back up, keeping his gaze down and away. He doesn’t want to have Pink making fun of him for crying in an alley.
"None of your business. What are you doing looking down random alleys?"
“This is the fastest way to get from the wholesale store to the shop,” Pink explains flatly. He’s looking Spamton up and down with a hard gaze — one that Spamton is very familiar with.
“So. You get booted out of that uh. TV Times studio? That why you’re back here?”
"No!" Spamton coughs into his hand, finally raising his head to look directly at his big brother. If Pink sees the redness, the swollenness of his eyes, his expression doesn’t show it. "No. I was meeting up with Yellow, is it illegal for me to visit, now?"
He really, really hopes Pink just lets him scurry off; he can't let him know about the tw – the pipis, but. He wouldn't be surprised if Yellow already texted whatever group chat they had yelling about it.'
“Uh. Yellow? Mister can’t keep track of a date or commitment for their life? That guy?” Pink scoffs. Folds his arms. He looks Spamton up and down, frowning. “You dyed your hair, spams,” he says, voice flat. “And you’re covered in red. Who dressed you, a fucking bull?”
"I needed to stand out." Spamton retorts, voice hard and flat. "You can't blame me for originality. Besides, I never liked my hair white."
“Hn.” Pink presses their lips into a thin line. “So? You gotta tell me what was so important you rushed to tell Yellow? Or am I gonna have to kick the crap outta them for them to spill?”
Spamton groans, rubbing his hands down his face. There’s really no way out of this. He feels his sins crawling down his neck. He can’t do this back-and-forth with Pink, and he can’t escape, so he does the only thing he can do.
He mumbles the truth, the I have two pipis thanks to Tenna so quickly that he hopes Pink doesn't hear, and Spamton can make a mad dash out of Cyber City and never come ba –
“Pipis?”
Pink goes stiff. Moves closer, and then grabs at the back of Spamton’s shirt before he can make an escape.
“Pipis? Did I. Did I hear that right? You wanna repeat that for me, baby brother?” They ask, smiling tight and nervous. Spamton eep!'s and turns his head.
"Y-yeah uh. Two of them."
Spamton waits for the explosion. For the anger. For Pink to absolutely lose his mind, because that’s what Pink does. Right? Pink gets angry. Pink gets angry when Spamton fucks up. And then he lectures Spamton, about exactly how he fucked up and what went wrong and how Spamton was going to fix this, down to the detail.
He waits, and he waits, but.
It doesn’t come.
Pink’s grip on Spamton’s shirt is tighter, somehow, the strength of the oldest of the five not to be taken lightly. The Addison takes a deep breath, and exhales it out carefully.
“Okay.” He finally says. “And? What’s your plan. Uh. Don’t think any Addison has ever had the balls to fuck a boss Darkner. I don’t think Yellow coulda given you any useful advice.”
"He said I should come home." Spamton admits, momentarily stunned by how – how calm his brother is. He is still as Pink holds him in place. "Give… Blue a chance to raise one since he can't. I uh.. my plan was to......"
He didn't have a plan.
“That’s stupid. I know this is the last place you wanna be. You’d be miserable, Spams.” Pinks voice is hard, but gentle. His grip doesn’t loosen any, though. “So? Any thoughts on what your plan is? Cause we can go to an ambyu-lance and get this taken care of in minutes. Especially if it’s early.”
"I don't want to– !! Ugh. Look, judge me all you like but I like Tenna a decent amount even if I'm uh. Questioning if he's the type of darkner I'd want to raise twins with. I'm not sure what to do.” Spamton pauses; clears his throat, “Are you going to let go of me anytime soon, by the way?"
“If I let you go,” Pink deadpans, “what are the chances of you making a break for it?”
"...80 out of 100."
“Thank you for your honesty. I’m absolutely not letting you go.”
Pink snorts softly. His face grows a little less firm. “Okay. So. Talk me through this. You fucked the lord of screens cause, wait, no, actually I don’t wanna know, and you somehow got it in your head in the thirty seconds before he fucked you that you wanted a baby with him. Two. But now you ain’t sure if this is what you want. Tell me if I’m missing some information here.”
"I hate how smart you are sometimes." Spamton grumbles, looking none too happy. "Look, he has this thing, and it was a bit infectious, and now we're here. I didn't even know Addisons and Boss Darkners could mesh like that, it's not my fault!"
“It’s partly your fault for not thinking these things through,” Pink chides, though he’s definitely not as cruel as he could be. He starts to walk, hauling Spamton along with him. “Though I wouldn’t think we’d mesh with somethin like a tv world honcho, so i can’t blame ya. Have you told him yet?” A beat, and the silence answers that question. Pink rolls his eyes as he keeps walking, and Spamton scrambles to keep his feet on the ground. “Are you gonna tell him? Or are ya gonna wind up running away when things get hard again?”
"I don't run awa-- " He stops short at Pink's look and goes quiet for a bit, the two walking in silence for a few long moments. They’re nearly to the shopping district when Spamton manages to find the determination in himself to speak again.
"I… explained to him what pipis are, but I don't think he processed it completely? I don't want to drop two of them in front of him like I'm babytrapping him."
“So? What are your options.” Pink keeps a level gaze. Doesn’t look at Spamton. He keeps walking. Doesn’t let his grip on the younger Addison loosen in the slightest. “You could give em up. You could move home. But you don’t want the first one and the last one’ll make you miserable. So, let’s think about it. Stick with me here. Maybe, just maybe? You could go explain to your lord of screens what’s going on. How you didn’t know. Accidents and shit, Lightners fuck things up all the time, don’t they? I’m sure he’d get it, if he’s as Lightner obsessed as rumors say.”
Spamton’s quiet, then sighs, before scrubbing harshly at his face. "Okay,!! Okay, I – fine, just– would you quit dragging me? I won't run off!"
“Dragging you is half the fun.”
"He just – !! Tenna deserves to know."
Pink finally stops, though he doesn’t let Spamton go. Pink looks Spamton up and down, expression masked.
“See? Wasn’t so hard to figure out what the right thing to do was.”
Spamton growls deep in his throat, feathers fluffing, attempting to shake himself free like a dog might. "Can you let me down, now? I said I'll go tell him, okay? I just... gotta figure out how."
“Yeah, sure.”
Pink drops him, shaking out his hand as he does. He rubs at his wrist idly for a moment, before…
“You know, uh. You don’t gotta be a stranger to us. You should come back to the grill sometime. Show your face to Blue every once in a while. They worry about you.”
They both fall quiet; Pink rubbing against his wrist while Spamton rubs the back of his neck. What does Spamton say to that? He jumped ship the moment Yellow asked, too. And... well.
"They worry about how it looks for people to know I ran off. I doubt they actually care about me in comparison to their precious image." he replies, bitterness poisoning every word that drops from his mouth. Pink narrows his eyes, before holding up his hands, as if to say he’s done.
“— you know what? Fine.” He glares down at the ground, instead of at Spamton, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Believe what you want, it’s not my business to argue with you anymore. You’re a big boy now. You’re all moved out, an’ what you think ain’t my business. But just know, when the world falls apart, you might not have any brothers left to pick ya up.”
Spamton flinches at the harsh words, but doesn't say anything, instead looking away and rubbing one of his arms — uncharacteristically subdued and insecure. But what can he say? That he was scared of Blue, secretly? Their opinion of him?
He swallows.
"Thanks." He says, tired. "I'll keep it in mind. I–I gotta, go find Tenna."
“Yeah, yeah. I know you do.” Pink squares up his shoulders. He looks even taller now. “I’ll make sure Yellow don’t go blabbing your business, either. Know you don’t want us cramping your style with your big shot world.”
The younger Addison thinks he understands Tenna's complex with shrinking now; Spamton wants to disappear, really and truly. He mutters a quick Thanks, Pink. before turning on his heel and rushing down the alley, hopefully to find his ‘dero without a ticket on it, and get the fuck out of this stifling city.
His stomach churns with unsettled nausea, and his eyes burn, but Spamton won’t turn back. He can’t. Not when he’s worked so hard to be a big shot. The big shot.
He can’t let anyone block his way from climbing higher.