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It was Easter Sunday.
Tenna didn't know a lot about the day, but it was important to his Lightner family. They would leave in the morning, then return for a lovely meal - but the true highlight was watching movies starring special Easter bunnies and magical eggs!
However, in Castle Town, there were no movies to be screened and no shows to broadcast. Instead, some Darkners were hosting some games later in the afternoon. Spamton and Tenna had talked about it the night before, and had agreed to wait until late morning on Sunday before deciding whether they should go.
But when Tenna turned on his screen and looked around, there was no sign of Spamton or their daughter. The puppet normally stayed even if he woke early, while the egg usually remained nestled in blankets in the cot beside the bed - assuming she hadn't rolled out of them during the night. For both to be missing… that was unusual.
Slowly, Tenna rose from the bed, gently rubbing one shoulder at a time to help ease the joints after a night of sleep.
"Spamton? You awake?"
No answer. The bathroom door was shut, but both the door out of the bedroom and the wardrobe were open. Curiosity struck as he approached the wardrobe to see whether something had gone amiss.
Instead, everything was precisely where it should be. Perhaps Tenna hadn't clicked it shut and it swung open overnight. Not that it really was worth the thought. If anything, it made it easier to snatch his pale pink satin dressing gown. It had been gifted to him as a joke, but he had grown rather fond of it. It even had pockets! What could be better than clothing with functional pockets??
Grinning at the memories, Tenna shoved both hands into the pockets, only for each one to bump onto something. A small, oblong orb was grabbed and pulled out.
"What the… eggs?"
Tenna recognised them. They were Pipis. Spamton had explained that they were projectiles that he could use in battle. It didn't explain why they looked like small, royal blue eggs that were half the size of their daughter - a pale blue egg that almost had a purple tint when a Pipis was placed next to them.
Eggs hidden on Easter morning. What a cute plan. That sneaky little puppet!
"Spamton! I found the first two Pipis! Is this why you're awake today? I didn't know you were going to surprise me with an egg hunt!"
Something dropped in the bathroom. The joy was put aside as Tenna bolted across the room. He tried the handle. It was locked.
Spamton never locked the bathroom door. In fact, he never shut the door when he needed to go in. He only ever needed to use the mirror and the sink for his morning routine. When Tenna had first reminded him that he was okay to shut the door for privacy if he wanted, Spamton looked nervous. Tenna had decided that it was better not to ask.
"Spamton? Are you in there? Is everything alright?"
The former host's antennae adjusted in the air in an attempt to tune in and hear what was happening inside. Something was shuffling. The sound of something tapping against the tiles - Spamton was walking barefoot! - slowly grew louder.
The door clicked and slowly opened. Spamton was indeed in the bathroom, but it was clear something wasn't right. When Spamton looked up, the puppet's face was completely devoid of emotion. The smile that the head defaulted to lacked any sort of warmth. The Dealmaker that Spamton constantly wore lacked the black pupils that manifested on the surface to help show where he was looking. For some reason, one of Tenna's screen cleaning cloths was in his hand.
The first word that came to Tenna's mind was 'dissociation'. He remembered hearing it in the Dreemurr living room, when Toriel was explaining it to someone just out of his line of vision. She described it as someone being 'disconnected' from their body, like the mere act of existing was hazy and dream-like.
Spamton's expression was completely hollow, like he had no idea how to give any sort of reaction. Usually, the carved smile would widen, and the eyebrows would raise. Sometimes, the pupils even dilated like he was a cat. It was odd, but utterly endearing.
Tenna knelt down, smiling softly at the former salesman. "Good morning, handsome. How are you today?"
"FEEL1NG [soooooo good] NOW [that's you] A RE HE4R IN TEH [Dark World] OF THE [wake up]!!!!" Spamton beamed, nuzzling into Tenna's hand.
"AWFUL! T3RIBLE! [This establishment has only negative reviews] !! [So sad!]" The puppet teased with a cackle, diving under the blankets to nestle in closer to Tenna.
"[feeling lucky?]... S0 LUCKY…" Even with damaged eyes, the affection from a lifetime ago sparkled so brightly.
A familiar question, asked so many times before. But this time, there was only silence. Spamton stayed where he was, looking expectantly at Tenna like he was still waiting for a question to be asked.
Spamton always had an answer to every question, even if it was a physical gesture rather than a verbal response. He had never blanked entirely before.
For Tenna, that was proof enough that Spamton had dissociated and was having a 'bad day'. The past was something that Spamton chose to bottle up and ignore. He never spoke about what happened, but with how many things had been forgotten in the time apart it was clear that it was something traumatic. Tenna knew there was never a right time to ask, not when Spamton had a habit of pivoting the conversation when he didn't want to talk about something. Sometimes, he would disappear for the day without warning rather than admit something was wrong.
But for Spamton to be vulnerable enough to show something was wrong without lying? Today was a really bad day - and Tenna could finally use it as a chance to repay the kindness Spamton constantly offered him when the TV couldn't lift himself out of a depressive state.
If Spamton couldn't speak, then Tenna needed to ask simpler questions.
"Are you hurt?"
Spamton shook his head. That was good. He was responsive.
"Can I come in?"
There was a moment of hesitation, but Spamton stepped back to allow the host to enter.
The bathroom was a mess. There was dirty laundry in the sink, items on the counter had been toppled over, there was some water on the floor, and the shampoos that normally sat in the bath were scattered across the floor. All of this was ignored by Spamton as he approached the bath and climbed in using the stool. He sat down and placed the screen cleaning cloth just in front of their daughter. This closed a rather flimsy looking circle that consisted of Tenna's tie and a clean pair of "TV Time" branded socks. Then, once he was sure everything was in place, he stretched forward until both wooden hands were planted against the ceramic on the opposite side of their daughter.
Silence fell once more. This time, Tenna opted to watch rather than try and interrogate. Spamton stayed perfectly still, head lifted to face the bottom of the bath - which, coincidentally, also had the door in that line of vision. With an expressionless face, it was like he was on guard.
Protecting the egg.
Surrounded by a random assortment of Tenna's belongings in a ring.
On Easter, which was a commercial holiday that focused on eggs (for some reason).
As an Addison, Spamton never acted out like this. However, when Tenna accompanied him to a medical appointment in Castle Town, he learned that Spamton was now part virus. With it in his system, there was a chance it jumbled his mind to create new habits.
And at last, pieces fell into place.
"Spamton? Are you protecting our daughter?"
The puppet nodded, his vacant stare unmoving.
"Thst is very brave of you. And is this why I found two eggs in my pockets?" To provide clarification, Tenna fished the two items out and held them out. The contrast between them and their daughter was stark.
The movement caught Spamton's attention, prompting him to slowly turn his head to examine the Pipis. Then, it tilted upward to to focus on Tenna's screen.
The mouth opened, then closed. Tenna wondered whether Spamton could remember how to speak at all. The puppet's teeth clacked together twice, as though trying to think. Then, the eyebrows raised.
"S4Fe."
Tenna felt his antennae shudder from one simple word. That couldn't be right. Tenna was the reason Spamton was like this. Tenna had ruined everything for everyone.
"Y-you think I'm safe…?"
Spamton nodded, and Tenna tried to block the surge of emotions with a sniff. Spamton could barely talk, was acting purely on a strange instinct, yet he deemed Tenna 'safe'.
That only cemented the idea that Tenna would dedicate the entire day to making sure Spamton was happy.
"I think you're safe too." Tenna's answer prompted Spamton to let out a soft chatter that vaguely sounded like dial-up internet. "I have an idea. Do you want to make a proper nest together? We can keep all three eggs safe if they are in the one place. I bet we could keep them warm too."
At first, Spamton didn't move. Then, after a few moments, he slowly pulled himself back to look down at his daughter.
"WwARM ."
"That's right. We can keep her nice and warm. Will we do that?"
"Y-y-YE4.h"
Carefully, Tenna placed the two Pipis on the floor so he could lift Spamton out first, then the baby. He couldn't help but smile while brushing a finger against the top of her shell. She chirped softly and pushed into his hand, a cue for wanting to be held closer.
"Good morning to you too, my little treasure," hummed Tenna as he planted a kiss on the top of her shell.
Spamton tilted his head. Tenna's gaze lifted just in time to watch Spamton lift one of the Pipis and repeat the action. Nothing happened. Spamton was the one who taught Tenna how to handle their daughter. He knew the difference between the egg and a Pipis. Had he forgotten that too?
"Don't worry. That egg is a lot younger than this one. I'd bet it's too young to make any noise." The lie slipped out far too easily, but it helped ease Spamton's concern. He lifted the second egg and spent a moment brushing his cheek against both of them.
Tenna led the way to the living space, only stopping along the way to fetch four pillows from the bed. At first, he had considered using the bed itself, but ultimately decided that it would be better to have Spamton in a different space. The couch - a larger piece of furniture to accommodate Tenna - was a perfect alternative.
Spamton tucked himself into one corner of the couch, while Tenna knelt on the floor to better reach everything. He didn't know how to make a nest, but he did know how to build a pillow fort. If he applied some of that logic, he could likely make a nice alternate design.
First, two pillows were lifted and bundled together. Tenna had discovered his lounge sweater from last night had been left behind on the couch, and so that was wrapped around the pillows to make a steady base.
"Once I add a frame, we can place the eggs on the base. See?" He lifted the baby as an example, placing her on the soft platform. Spamton's head tilted left, then right, as he took in what he saw. With careful movements, he approached and put the two Pipis beside their daughter.
"That's it. Now, I'm going to use this yellow throw to wrap around our base. If I can do this right, then no one will roll out."
The puppet's eyebrows lowered, then bolted upright.
"[Y][hello?]."
"Yes! That's right. Yellow! This is your favourite throw that you've had longer than I've known you. It's one of your favourite possessions because you loved wrapping yourself up in it when you felt a little cold."
"YEL0W. SAFe."
"Yellow is a safe colour? Why is that?" The question had been asked before Tenna realised it was open-ended. That would be difficult for Spamton to answer.
However, the puppet chose to point at Tenna, then back to himself. The finger drew a line from the neck down to his stomach, just like…
"M-my tie?"
Spamton gave one, firm nod. Something inside Tenna squeezed from the surge of affection. Spamton had always said yellow was a special colour but never said it was because it reminded him of Tenna.
"I'm happy to know that this yellow throw could keep you safe when I wasn't there." He didn't mean to bring up their muddy past. He didn't want to ruin the day with the regret and pain that dragged Tenna down like anchors, but Spamton's face shifted.
For the first time all day, the smile curled upward a fraction of an inch with genuine emotion.
If Tenna wasn't careful, a flower would blossom from all this love that was building inside him, and he hastily lifted their daughter to try and distract himself.
"I want you to try and hold her before we let her stay in the nest. She likes knowing when we're both here." Tenna's instruction was simple, and Spamton dutifully reached out and placed a hand on either side of the egg.
Tenna snorted at the literal reaction. "Good start, but how about we try this instead?" Reaching forward, he helped Spamton reposition the egg to allow the puppet to cradle her.
She let out two soft chirps, a combination that Tenna believed meant "Dad". Whether Spamton knew that didn't matter as he brought her close to his chest in an action that more resembled how Tenna did it earlier than how Spamton normally would hold her.
"That's it… she's happy to know that you're here."
Spamton's head sharply turned to Tenna, who only had a moment to flash a supportive smile before Spamton looked away. He lifted the hand on top and pressed it against the couch. The change in position lowered his chest to provide that missing support as he began to crawl toward the nest.
"That's a good idea to put her back… In?" Instead of stopping, Spamton continued until he was also inside the makeshift nest. There was a shuffle to allow himself to lie on his side, holding the egg against his chest.
Whatever instincts had taken over were strong in the parental department. If Spamton wanted to stay, Tenna wouldn't object. Instead, he gambled reaching across and moving the two Pipis closer. This was rewarded with a low, positive hum.
"Don't you four look all snug. But I think there is one last thing we can do…" He trailed off, glancing around to find the red couch throw. This was folded twice to allow it to be small enough to comfortably wrap across everything except Spamton's head. "There. That's perfect."
At the same moment that Tenna spoke, Spamton lifted his head to look at Tenna. The lack of expression was a little unnerving, but Tenna could tell he was concentrating. Spamton wanted to speak, but couldn't remember the word.
"Do you want me to get you something to eat?"
A shake of the head.
"Would you like a drink?"
Another shake.
"What about -" Tenna paused. Spamton was nodding. But as he watched, he realised the puppet was nodding at him.
"Me?"
"SAFe."
"Me. Safe…" The antennae bolted upright. "Do you want me to stay?"
For a brief moment, recognition flashed in Spamton's damaged eyes behind the glasses; and Tenna knew the missing word had been heard.
"[Stay]. [S tay]."
"I'll stay." Two words that Tenna had whispered in the middle of the night while Spamton was asleep. "But I'm too big for the nest. I'll have to stay outside. Okay?"
"0 K.."
The remaining two pillows were lifted. One was placed on the ground to give his knees extra support, and the other was placed at the back of the couch cushion. It was just far enough for Tenna to rest the side of his head against once he lowered his upper body to lie over the cushion. Then, as a late thought, he gently draped his outside arm over the lower half of the nest.
"There. Now we are all here," he whispered, planting a soft kiss on the side of Spamton's head.
Spamton always went above and beyond when Tenna couldn't handle his bad days alone. Right now, Tenna was here for Spamton, and nothing would change that. He had years of small moments to catch up on, and this was far more meaningful than some social event in the town.