Chapter Text
He left the studio as soon as he got the call. Today was a Saturday, after all; they would only be showing reruns. And besides, Lanino and Elnina knew what they were doing. And they’d have Mike there. And Ramb.
He hated leaving his stage early but that phone call hurt more than a show being cancelled. He needed to get to the hospital, and he needed to get there fast.
Sweat animations playing on his screen, tail swishing wildly, Tenna booked it out to his car. It had been years from when he first arrived in Castle Town, and somehow Kris, Susie, and Ralsei had since managed to expand its borders to become Castle City. They had only been able to organize such a metropolis due to Queen’s previous city planning, and of course, this meant roads and cars and business and life.
Life. Such a funny and precious thing…
Tenna peeled out of the parking lot of the TV Time studio and sped over to the other side of town.
~a few minutes earlier~
“Tens!”
“Hey love! What’s wrong?”
“[It’s time!] Starlet! [It’s ya gurrrrrl] IT’S—SHE’S [sick of low-quality goods?] SHE’S [sick of all the same old] SHE’S [sick ride!] SHE’S-”
“Woah, Spammy, slow down, I can’t-”
“[I know you can’t resist] [understand the terms and privacy policy] [@#%!] STARLET. [seasonal viruses?] [Come on down to!] H 0sp;!TaL !! 1! !”
“What?! Starlet’s in the hospital?!”
“Y E>$S s”
“I’ll be right there!”
Spamton’s glitching had been getting better with Tenna around, though sometimes he would slip into ad patterns if he was angry or stressed. Tenna had gotten really good at deciphering the recorded messages but from time to time Spamton would have a rough day and Tenna would have trouble understanding him.
That phone call was pure panic though. Back to back ads were never a good sign.
Tenna’s personal panic wasn’t something to sweep under the rug though. All the way from the studio to the hospital he began to run through possible scenarios in his head, his paranoia blowing each idea entirely out of proportion. Just like his body. He fit just fine in the car when he got in, but once he reached his destination he had to move his seat all the way back. Thankfully, he and Spamton had decided their car should be a convertible, so this time he didn’t have to worry about crouching over the steering wheel. Still, it was an awkwardly tight fit.
Bursting through the doors of the hospital, Tenna was numb to his surroundings. The blinding fluorescent lighting cast a murky glow as he asked the Ambyu-lances, Plugboys, and Pippins for his daughter’s whereabouts. The smell of isopropyl was overpowering and yet his mind didn’t register it. All he could sense was the cold, clammy, isolating feeling of panic.
It was just like the snow.
~17 years ago~
Everything was dark. Tenna’s screen felt like it had been shattered, and his arms felt a strange burning sensation which only increased with the creeping cold that seeped through his silicone skin.
Oh Angel. Oh Angel, not now.
It’s so cold. It’s so dark. It’s so…
Darling. Oh Angel!
No no no please! Please say-
Oh Angel please no.
Where is she?
Where is she?
Why can’t I…Why can’t I find…?
“Tenna!”
Susie.
“Tenna!”
SUSIE.
“He…here”
“Tenna! HEY GUYS I FOUND HIM HE’S OVER HERE!”
“Susie…?”
“Tenna, just sit tight, we’re gonna help you. YEAH GET THE BANDAGES AND A BLANKET!”
“Susie…I need you…”
“Hold on.”
“SUSIE. I NEED YOU-”
“Woah there Tenna I know you need-”
“SUSIE CHECK MY POCKET.”
“What?”
“Please check my pocket, right now…I…I…”
“Hold on, big guy. YEAH GRAB THOSE GUYS, GET THEM TO COME HELP.”
“SUSIE MY POCKET!”
“Geez, okay!! Okay…what the…” Susie said, as she climbed over Tenna’s chest to reach into his coat pocket. He felt something leave his pocket.
“What the heck? Why do you have this?”
“Is she broken?”
“No?”
Thank the light.
“Can you keep her warm?”
“Tenna I dunno-”
“Can you get the blanket and…?”
“Tenna I don’t-”
“Susie please-”
“I’m not really the-”
“Susie, please. You’re the only one I trust.”
Please.
“Okay big guy.”
~Present day~
“HE> Yy [there’s my guy] [you really gotta try this] [are you ready for the deal of a lifetime]!” Spamton sputtered as he spotted Tenna from the end of the hallway. He held their newest family member, a little baby boy, over his shoulder as he rushed up to his CRT.
“Where is she?”
Rather than try more advertisements, Spamton simply pointed towards the second to last room. They both took hurried footsteps into the room, when Tenna stopped dead in his tracks at the door.
The scene hurt to see. Tenna had aired many a soap opera and medical drama, but the real deal was not something he could have ever prepared for. This was a private room, and it was fairly plain. Cushioned chairs lined the wall parallel to the bed, and on the opposite side was a window, curtains pulled closed. Next to the stiff medical bed was a sink and counter, with medical monitors and supplies spread out. And in the bed was their daughter. Their Starlet. She looked awfully dim and her antennae drooped. The sight caused Tenna’s own antenna to droop and his face clicked off. His tail hung pitifully behind him. He began to shrink a little as a grimace spread across his face, and as his heart dropped into his stomach. He felt sick.
“Hey, [daddy-o].”
Oh no.
He tensed up as the sound of a perfectly-replicated ad escaped his daughter’s mouth.
Just like Spammy…
He took a couple soft and sorry steps into the sterile room. The perfectly white paint on the walls and bright glow of the lights caused his little star to take on a sickly yellow glow.
“You [lost control of your life?] face,” she whispered, dimming a little.
Tenna clicked his face back on, its static frantic and chilled.
“Hey sweetie,” he said, struggling to hold his sorry expression as he approached the bed. Seeing his daughter like this made him want to shrink into oblivion, but from her comment about his face, he could tell she needed him to be strong. His shoulders began to ache from the discomfort of remaining large but he sustained his stature as he crouched next to the bed, placing a hand on his Starlet’s shoulder. She raised her opposite hand to place it on his, and he switched to grasping it tenderly, sandwiching her hand in between his index finger and thumb.
“How are you feeling?”
She choked out the next ad, tears starting to tumble down her face.
“[Ow, ow, it burns, it burns! Make it stop please!]”
Tenna had to turn away from her at that. No parent wanted to hear that from their child. He glanced at Spamton, who—now that he actually could take a good look at him—looked almost just as bad as she did. His hair was a greasy mess and he was wearing a TV Time shirt with simple sweatpants. His sparse feathers—which had been growing back nicely over the years—had molted extensively, revealing hard plastic underneath. Their little baby boy was grasping at the remaining feathers, confused at the sudden lack thereof. Tenna knew Spamton would rather die than leave the house like a mess, but this emergency obviously trumped that.
“I’m so sorry darling.”
“Don’t worry [2] much [about 4.99] it, [Dvd].”
An Ambyu-lance stepped in the room, holding a clipboard.
“Oh good, both parents are here now. How are you, Mr. Tenna?”
“Could be better,” he said, rising. Starlet weakly squeezed his hand but still held on.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here.”
“What happened?”
The Ambyu-lance shot a quick, concerned glance at Spamton, who was sitting on the chair farthest from the door.
“Well, actually, we were hoping you could help us out.”
“What do you mean?”
“We asked Mr. Spamton here about the details when he came in, but he’s been so riddled with ads we can’t understand him. Miss Starlet tried to translate but it’s best if she relaxes as much as she can.”
Tenna glanced at Spamton, tail swishing. There was only one darkner who could understand Spamton’s ads better than he could, but he himself would have to suffice for now. After all, decades of marriage should allow their communication to be almost flawless, right?
Tenna moved to sit next to Spamton and as he did so, Showman began to babble and reach for him. As Tenna picked him up and moved him to his shoulder, his other hand reached down to grab Spamton’s. The plastic was rough but he held tight, and he could feel Spamton relax a little.
“You want to take it from the top?”
“[Sure shot]. I WAS [[cleans tough stains]] UP AFTER SHE [no returns] FROM [school supplies 50% off]. SHE [i’ve said enough] SHE DIDN’T [[you’ll feel like a king]] SO [good value]. SHE SEEMED [alrite] JUST [[Exhausted? Try our newest Mattress topper]]. I [draft sent] HER TO [take a vacation] NAP. N3x>;T THING I [click here to know more], SHE COMES [[out of wacky stacks ???]] HER [room under renovations], SHAKING, [cry for help], GLITCHING, AND [[sing along with the jingle!!]] L i1Ke> ME”
The Ambyu-lance turned to Tenna, after glancing over the clipboard in their hands.
Tenna took a deep breath. Thankfully Spamton had calmed down enough that Tenna could understand.
“Simple enough. She came home and said she didn’t feel well, she took a nap, and when she came back she was glitching, shaking, crying, and started interjecting ads into her speech, like Spamton.”
“And Mr. Spamton, is this normal behavior for you?”
“[sure thing, pardner]”
“Have you ever received treatment for it?”
“IT ISN’T A [illness]. IT CAN’T BE [treatment options vary]”
“And she’s never exhibited this behavior before?”
“NO [nope]”
The Ambyu-lance wrote something down on their clipboard before turning to Starlet’s bed.
“We have some tests to run and some treatment options we can start applying. Mr. Spamton, if we could have you fill out this medical history form for your condition, this could greatly help us with our treatment options.”
They took a form off the clipboard and handed the whole thing to Spamton, pen and all. The form they removed was tucked under their arm as they left, saying “Just drop it off at the Nurse’s Station out there, they will get it to where it needs to go.”
~16 years ago~
Tenna held the strange blue egg in front of him, wrapped in a blanket.
“I get now why you wanted to see her.”
“[Thank goodness] IT ONLY TOOK SOME [[spray foam insulation]]”
He snickered, “Of course. And I’m sorry.”
“SHE SHOULDN’T [still have time left!!] BE WARM. SHE WASN’T [suposed] TO LAST.”
“Aren’t you glad she did?”
“I DON’T-”
*chirp*
Tenna’s heart fluttered at the sound. “Oh Spammy~ she can hear you!”
“I AM [happy to see me??!?] SHE LASTED, I’M JUST [shock therapy T–F]. [pipis] ARE ATTACK [[lots of shades and patterns]], MEANT TO BE [duds]”
“Did you just call our daughter a dud?”
“[wait a minute there, friend!] I DIDN’T-”
*chirp*
*chirp*
“Yeah you tell him alright. She’s going to grow up sassy if we keep this up.”
“OKAY. I’LL [teacher] SASS. YOU [teacher] TO BE [glooby]”
Ouch.
“That’s too far.”
“S0^r; Ry, YOU’RE [rite]. DO YOU [anything you could ever want] TO HOLD HER WITH ME?”
“Absolutely.”
“♪ [lullaby.mp3] ♪”
“What is that you’re singing?”
“OH…UH…”
“Oh Spammy, don’t stop now!
♪ You are my sunshine
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are gray.
You’ll never know, dear
How much I love you
Please don’t take
My sunshine away ♪”
~Present Day~
“Starlet darling, you should probably try to get some rest, huh?” Tenna said, finally looking up at his prized possession.
“Could [u] come sit?” Starlet pleaded, patting the bedside. She had inherited a majority of her looks from her pops—Spamton—and it pained him to see her natural bright addison glow so yellowed and dim. Her feathers hadn’t molted like his yet. Her hair was definitely like his, short and frazzled.
Tenna passed Showman back to Spamton, removed his coat, and sat on the bedside.
“Am I [going, going, gone] to be okay?”
“Of course, honey!”
“Can you [syng]?”
“Of course.
♪ When you’re weary ♪”
“♪ [feeling_small.mp3] ♪”
Spamton hardly ever sang the way Tenna always did. Tenna had a soft spot for music. Perhaps it was because of his love of soundtracks, or jingles, or theme songs. Either way, to get Spamton to even hum was a rare occurrence and it always made Tenna’s heart flutter. Now, however, on the edge of Starlet’s hospital bed, his heart only seemed to tighten as Spamton’s recording joined his own voice.
“♪ When tears are in your eyes,
I will dry them all.
I’m on your side
Oh, when times get rough.
And friends just can’t be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water,
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water,
I will lay me down ♪”
Starlet closed her eyes and her breathing slowed as she sunk a little deeper into the bed. The Ambyu-lance entered the room and asked if Tenna and Spamton would leave as they took a few tests. They assumed their positions on the bench just outside of the door, and Tenna finally broke. He had placed his jacket on his lap, but shrunk so rapidly it covered him like a circus tent. His face flickered off and he just felt cold. Tear animations streaked the sides of his screen, and he shuddered. His tail curled around him, holding him like a hug. Spamton grabbed the tailcoat and threw it over the bench’s arm, and held his hand out for his CRT to climb on. Tenna didn’t take it though, and remained holding himself on the edge of the chair.
How could this happen? She can’t end up like him. We made a promise. She can’t. She can’t. She can’t…
“[Cathode]-”
Tenna released a gentle sob as he began to shrink further.
“[Cathode]” Spamton insisted. Securing Showman on his right shoulder, Spamton reached down and grabbed Tenna to bring him onto his lap. Almost sub-consciously, Tenna scooted into Spamton’s abdomen and comforting grip, grabbing the fabric of his shirt and bringing it to his screen. Spamton’s plastic hands clacked as they tightened their grip around the CRT. It just felt cold. Though this was his precious spammy little mailman, the hard plastic just seemed to rub him wrong. His mouth tasted salty and dry from his tears, and the floral laundry scent of Spamton’s T-shirt caused his hyperventilating nausea to worsen.
“WOAH [Cathode] TAKE A BREATH!”
Tenna continued to sob; as he reared back from the queasiness, Spamton tried to take him by the shoulder—which, at this size, led to his thumb spanning Tenna’s chest, and his fingers supporting his full back down to his toes.
“[Cathode] CAN YOU TAKE A BREATH? I [need you now].”
Tenna quickly clicked his screen back on and the lights of the hospital burned like fire, casting a halo around the concerned face of his sweet mailman.
His…puppet. Who needed him.
The fluorescent glow reminded Tenna of the big shot co-host he knew all those years ago, and his already twisting stomach flipped further. For just a moment, he saw that arrogant addison he fell so hard for. He quickly snapped back to reality as he made the connection that his daughter would break much like that addison had so long ago, losing her natural light, shedding her soft feathers, and breaking her melodic voice.
Oh Angel…Spamton must feel even worse than I do…It’s one thing to watch and not be able to help, but it’s another to know the pain and know it can’t be stopped.
Oh Angel, please no.
Tenna sniffed and in so doing regained a little composure and stature before looking up at Spamton.
“I…sorry…I…”
“I [know you want these deals] HOW YOU’RE FEELING, BUT [trash heap], I NEED YOU TO BE [strength that lasts].”
“I know, I’m…I’m sorry…” Tenna said as he jumped down to the floor to regain some size. He still wasn’t his usual height, but he grew to the height of a zapper, which was the best he could muster at this moment.
“So…what…what do we do?”
“WE NEED TO- WE NEED TO- WE NEED TO- WE NEED TO-” Spamton glitched and slammed his free palm against his jaw to shut off the ad. Tenna looked down at him and from this new height could see the tears on his painted cheeks. He put his arm around Spamton and felt as Showman gripped at his gloves.
“WE NEED TO [justforyou] BE PATIENT.”