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A low growl, followed by a grimace flickering across his black screen,Tenna sits down heavily on the edge of his bed. He doesn’t even need to look to the side to know the space next to him is empty and cold. Alone. That’s all he deserves. Spamton is drifting further and further away from him and no longer seems to want to spend time with him. Since they arrived in Castle Town and have been patiently waiting for TV World to be rebuilt, the puppet has regained a clearer state of mind. No more strange ad-laced speech or recordings, no more sudden episodes that only the CRT could calm with hypnosis. Spamton is somewhere between who he used to be and who he is now. In between. A new personality, naturally pulling away from Tenna.
It’s normal,Spamton never loved him. All he has to do is remember their big shot era. Back then, the Addison could order him around however he pleased, make his knees buckle with sharp words, or just a smile full of delicious promises. Tenna had loved him. Desperately. He gave him flowers, chocolates, valuable items, his time, his affection. Spamton accepted everything politely, never refusing. He cared too much about his privileges and authority in TV World to risk ruining that stupid relationship.
Tenna still remembers the day Spamton struggled to negotiate a contract with a sponsor. The Addison had pressed himself against his arm, eyes half-lidded, giving the TV man a mocking smile, urging him to use his hypnosis to force the deal. Tenna did it without hesitation. All that just to receive praise and a few pats (and sometimes a little scratch under the chin, if Spamton was feeling generous)… But never, never did Spamton respond to the CRT’s “I love you.” Every time, he got a cold look and a simple wave of the hand from the Addison. Tenna, madly in love, preferred to tell himself that his partner simply had his… own way of showing his love.
(A tool. You were just a tool to him, and your relationship was one-sided. All he ever wanted was your power. He was only nice to you because you were still his “boss.”)
And then there was that phone call and Spamton running away without any explanation, shattering the poor CRT’s heart. In the end, he stepped back and realized he had been fooling himself from the very beginning. And there he was, heart in pieces, trying to pick up the phone… only to hear nothing at all.
The irony is that Spamton eventually came back to the studio. Small, twisted, and filthy. A hideous puppet with demon wings, dropping to his knees in front of him, begging to be taken back,telling him how much he loved him, how much he had missed him. Words that the old Tenna would have loved to hear from his Addison’s mouth. But the new Tenna had hardened, and had long since strangled his naive self. Affection and love could no longer hurt him,he had built walls to protect himself, a coldness to push others away, and violence to deter them.
Tenna was very rough with the puppet afterward. Seeing him cling to his leg filled him with waves of disgust, and the bouquets of roses ended up in the trash. He wanted to make him go through what Spamton had once made him go through—to show him how painful it is to love and not be loved in return. The TV man kept the puppet more like a pet than anything else.
Until, little by little, the puppet was allowed to handle some paperwork. And if Tenna was in a bad mood, the little Darkner would be forced to clean the ENTIRE studio. The TV man took a certain pleasure in spilling his coffee on the floor, just to complain that the puppet hadn’t done a good job.
Tenna had convinced himself that he hated him… but it was just a sad lie. How many times had he let the puppet sit on his lap? How many times had he played with Spamton’s strands of hair once he had fallen asleep there?
(He’s the only one who can cheer you up. You remember perfectly well his hands wrapping around you after you shrank, his thumb gently brushing along the edge of your screen, the little puns he tries to make, hoping to make you laugh a bit.)
A part of him, deep down, still loves him. He wants to pull the puppet into his arms, cover him in kisses. Explore that small body and learn it all over again… But that’s forbidden. Spamton doesn’t love him. Even if the puppet seems to be his biggest fan,showering him with praise and following him around like a good little dog… Tenna won’t fall into the trap. He won’t let him break his heart again.
Since they’ve been in Castle Town, Spamton has been spending less and less time with him, even though he knows that after the Knight’s attack, Tenna suffers from chronic pain in his legs and needs help from time to time. At first, the puppet took great care of him… Now…
A weary sigh escapes Tenna. Everyone will end up abandoning him,he doesn’t deserve to be loved. Especially an old model like him, obsolete, who now has to depend on others for his own well-being. Once TV World is rebuilt, will all his employees even want to come back and work for him? Probably not all of them.
The TV man growls as he tries to stand, but a spike of pain in his legs stops him from moving. He has to… force himself to do it. Ralsei gave him medication to ease the pain—no one is going to suddenly open the door, apologize for leaving, and open one of the panels on his leg to untangle the wires.
(He won’t do it anymore now.)
With difficulty, Tenna manages to get up and drag himself to his kitchen. Without thinking, he grabs the potion and downs it in one go, sighing as he feels the pain in his legs fade away. Good. Now he can… do what? Wander around Castle Town aimlessly? He could also stay in his room and mope,no one would even notice.
He… HAS to do something. A part of him refuses to let himself die of boredom. Being alone isn’t that terrible, he should get used to it… Maybe it’s just a sign meant to make him understand that he’s destined to endure loneliness and not get attached to anyone.
And then, the moment he takes a few steps, the unpleasant voice of that damned rat is heard. Probably to taunt him, mock him. Or just to show him that he’s better off without him now. It doesn’t matter,he doesn’t care.
“Hey hey hey, [BELOVED]! I was just about to head back [HOME], and since you’re here, I might as well ask you if—”
“Shut up. You don’t need my permission anymore,you’re free. You don’t have to stay with me either, I don’t care. Leave me alone and go live your life, ungrateful rat.”
Tenna is about to walk away from the puppet, having no desire to look at him or give him even the slightest bit of attention. To protect himself, to avoid getting hurt again,even if pushing Spamton away makes him uneasy too.
(You still love him. You still have feelings for that thing, and you hate it.)
“NO! [PLEASE], wait! It’s [IMPORTANT]. I want you to come with me to the [BASEMENT] under the café tonight.”
Spamton clings to his leg like usual, that hopeful look in his eyes. The TV man just wants to rip him off and crush him under his foot.
“Oh yeah? You leave me, you spend less time with me, and now you’re inviting me to one of your weird dates? I’m… tired, Spamton. I know you enjoy playing with me, like you used to, but it’s over. You live your life, I’ll live mine. It’s better for both of us.”
Tenna speaks softly, even though his own words hurt him. No, he doesn’t truly want to erase him from his life, even if he keeps voicing his hatred out loud. But it’s what has to be done to heal, to try to move forward.
“[HONEY], that’s exactly why I couldn’t take care of you much. I had to [NEGOTIATE] and [WORK] to get something very [IMPORTANT]. Give me one more chance! I’m going to [SAVE] both of us with this!”
“I don’t understand why you—”
“Just give me one [LAST CHANCE]!”
The puppet looked desperate… but he had always been good at acting. What if it was some kind of trap? An attempt to get revenge for all the things Tenna had put him through? …Honestly, Tenna isn’t sure he could fight again,his body would eventually give out, and the puppet could easily take him apart piece by piece.
“…Fine.”
Spamton lets out a small cry of joy, praising “heaven,” while rubbing his face against the fabric of the TV man’s pants. Tenna is already starting to regret his decision.
—-----------------
For a date spot, it was really creepy. Tenna looks around the basement. Large. Dark. An ideal place to kill someone… or hide an inconvenient body. Or to torture someone and extract important information from them.
His foot taps against the floor as he looks around for the puppet. Tss, so it really was a prank,making him believe there was something between them, giving Tenna hope, making him dream that maybe, just maybe, the puppet’s feelings were real! Impossible. Spamton doesn’t love him. He’ll always see him as a tool.
Tenna is about to turn around and leave, but suddenly stops when he hears heavy footsteps. Something big is coming toward him! He slowly turns to see… Spamton? But much, much bigger. In a different body—thin, with strange wings. The puppet is taller than the TV man, though not by much.
(He could so easily grab you and smash you against a wall. You don’t even feel like fighting.)
“…Let’s just get this over with. If you’re going to kill me, hurry up.”
Suddenly, Spamton drops to one knee to bring himself closer to Tenna’s height, even if it isn’t necessary. He runs a claw under the TV man’s chin, forcing him to lift his face and look at him.
“WHY SO GLOOBY, BIG SHOT? I’VE GOT SOMETHING MUCH MORE INTERESTING PLANNED!”
Like what? Tear his limbs off one by one? Cut his wires? Tenna says nothing, waiting for the verdict. Spamton pulls his finger away, then straightens up. He holds out a hand to the TV man, while sliding the other behind his back.
(…He… what?)
“YOU STILL KNOW HOW TO DANCE, RIGHT? NOW THAT I’M BIG, WE CAN DANCE TOGETHER!”
He’s inviting him to… dance? Tenna is shocked, confused. He stares at the offered hand, as if expecting Spamton to pull it away and mock him. But the tall puppet doesn’t move and simply waits for an answer.
The CRT grows a little, then slips his hand into Spamton’s. With a quick motion, Spamton pulls him close and starts to lead the dance. It’s clumsy at first,Tenna’s body struggles to keep up with the rhythm. When was the last time he danced with someone?
When was the last time he stopped thinking and just enjoyed the moment? The two of them dance slowly, in silence. Spamton pays attention to the slightest sign of discomfort, knowing full well that Tenna’s legs could start hurting at any moment.
They dance together for nearly an hour, until they part,until Spamton suddenly returns to his normal form with a small poof, and Tenna has to catch him in his arms.
“It was only [TEMPORARY],[NEO] takes a lot of energy and focus. I’m [LUCKY] the butler finally let me use it a bit!”
Spamton exclaims cheerfully, before looking at Tenna’s black screen. The latter doesn’t respond and just stares at him in silence.
“I’m really [SORRY] if you thought I was abandoning you [ONCE AGAIN]. I had to [WORK] really hard to [CONTROL] [NEO]. And! For another [SURPRISE]!”
Spamton slips a hand into his pocket, then pulls out a small box and opens it. Inside is a small golden ring. A. Ring. Tenna feels dizzy at this new surprise, but he stays silent,he says nothing.
“[You & Me], we’ve made a lot of mistakes. We’re not [PERFECT], and we’ll probably make more [MISTAKES]. But one of the mistakes I regret the most is ignoring your feelings in the past. I realized my [FEELINGS] for you after I hung up that [DAMNED PHONE], and I ran away and lost everything. I love you, [TENNA], and if you accept… we could try to [START OVER] from scratch, without holding back our feelings?”
Tenna can feel Spamton trembling in his arms, and he can see the fear of rejection in his eyes. He doesn’t want to believe this lie,he tells himself it’s just manipulation, a way to regain his place and his former authority. He misses the taste of power; he just wants to use him like a…
But oh, he wants it. He wants it so badly. It feels like a dream, full of cliché romance. Tenna wants to be loved, and to love someone in return, knowing it’s mutual. Start over from scratch? No problem. He wants to improve, to lessen his flaws. He can learn to speak, to communicate. He wants to learn to manage his anger. Change has always frightened him,but living in the past hurts him, and the future fills him with rage. So… maybe… he wants to accept, even if he’s afraid that one day Spamton will throw him away once he grows tired of him. He’s afraid of failing to change, of being the one who ruins everything. He’s afraid of…
-…Are you [CRYING]?
The puppet’s hand lifts, gently wiping the tears from the screen… and that alone is enough for Tenna to let out a guttural growl before baring his teeth and throwing himself into the body in his arms. Spamton lets out a sharp scream, which quickly turns into little squeaks and giggles. His body wriggles, trying to escape the static tickling of the CRT screen covering his face and hair with a rain of kisses,a gesture Tenna had wanted to give for years, but never could.
“Promise me you won’t run away again, and that you… really love me. I’m willing to give us another chance. I’ll make the effort needed. I can’t promise I’ll be a better person tomorrow, but I’ll do what’s necessary.”
“We have all the [TIME] in the world for that, [DOLLY]! I PROMISE I won’t run away anymore, and if I have to say [I LOVE TV] 99 TIMES, I can do it! Even right now! You [READY]?”
Spamton immediately started spamming the famous “I love TV”, making Tenna slightly blush… Is that the beginning of a smile appearing on his screen? Clearly, he’ll have to find a way to make Tenna laugh and smile! It’s been ages since the TV man last laughed in such an innocent and genuine way.
Spamton’s voice is interrupted again by little giggles, while his legs twitch uselessly. Tenna bends down again, this time to quiet him. Butterfly kisses now land on his neck, and Tenna’s antennae gently brush through his hair and across his face.
“…That’s enough for now. Let’s go back to my room, we can talk more there.”
“Your wish is my command! I’ll follow you wherever you go, [MY LOVE].”
The puppet nestles against Tenna, while the CRT leaves the basement, holding his partner tightly against him.