Archive of Our Own

Battat was two seconds away from taking his costume off when Tenna knocked on the door.

"Come on in!" Battat called.

The door opened to reveal Tenna with a conspicuous bundle in his arms.

"Mike, I'm so sorry to ask this, but would you mind watching Mercy for a while?" he asked.

Battat blinked, trying to process the request. Tenna was so protective of his daughter, Battat had only gotten to see her egg after months of singing to a cupboard, and even then, Tenna had needed more convincing to allow him to hold her. He hadn't seen her since before she hatched, and it had been a shock for everyone when Tenna reported she actually had. Even so, that had been months ago, and Tenna had kept her well hidden from them.

Battat had sorta believed that she was just a figment of Tenna's imagination or some sort of weird grief hallucination stemming from whatever happened to his ex. He knew he wasn't the only one. Her continued absence after hatching had caused the rumors that Tenna had snapped and made the whole thing up to persist.

But apparently not. Because there was very clearly a little girl propped up on Tenna's hip. If not for the shape of her nose and her lack of eyes, Battat might have thought he'd stolen someone else's baby.

"It'll just be for half an hour," Tenna pleaded, seeming to take his surprise as a refusal. "I just haven't slept in four days."

Now that he said that, Battat could clearly see the static prickling at the edges of his screen, the droop of his antennae and tail, and the way he swayed slightly on his feet, as if he was about to drop at any second. That definitely wasn't good; if this kept up, Tenna wouldn't be able to perform. And what would they do without the star of the show?

"No, I—! I can take her! No problem!" he assured. "Take as long a nap as ya need. I got this!"

Tenna looked relieved enough to cry, but he still hesitated a moment before adjusting his hold on Mercy to better look her in the face.

"Be good for Mike, okay? Daddy's gonna be right back," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

She giggled in delight, and Battat's heart melted a little at the sight. Then, Tenna carefully settled her in his arms, and Battat grunted in surprise at her weight. She'd looked so small in Tenna's arms, but she was at least a third of Battat's size. It seemed likely she was going to inherit her dad's height.

Now that he was holding her, he could see the faint glow she emitted and feel the slight static buzz similar to Tenna's screen. And were those fluffy bits popping out of her hair... antennae? If he'd had any lingering doubts about who her father was, they were solidly dispelled.

"You got her?" Tenna asked worriedly.

Battat hefted her up a bit higher. "Yup, I was jus' surprised, that's all."

"It's just for a bit, okay sweetpea?" Tenna said, ruffling her hair. "Mikey'll take good care of you."

She cooed at the attention. Tenna sniffled, seemingly contemplating taking her back. It was cute, but Battat's arms were already starting to ache, and he was kinda dying to set her down.

"Just go sleep already," he muttered.

Tenna stood up and took a couple cautious steps backward, keeping his gaze on the two of them. Battat rolled his eyes but gave Tenna a reassuring thumbs up. Tenna bit his lip, nodded, and put his hand on the doorknob.

"Thirty minutes," he said.

Battat hummed in agreement, and Tenna gave him a tired smile before slipping through the door.

The moment he was out of sight, Mercy's face crumpled, her lip wobbling and static buzz getting stronger.

"Oh no no no," Battat mumbled. "Come on, don't cry..."

She didn't seem to care what he wanted, because she began wailing at full volume, tears rolling down her cheeks and plopping onto the floor.

"Shit! I mean— Shoot!" Battat hissed, bouncing her up and down in a miserable attempt to soothe her.

What did babies even like? He didn't know how to take care of a baby? Why did he agree to do this? No wonder Tenna looked so tired. Tenna... No, he had to do this. Tenna was counting on him. He just had to think of something to calm her down.

"Hey, Boss, I—" Jongler froze in the doorway, staring at Battat and the wailing baby in his arms.

Battat nearly cried himself from sheer relief. "Oh thank god," he muttered, gesturing for them to come over.

"Is dat Tenna's?" they asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Please take her for a moment. My arms are gonna fall off."

They obliged, and Battat shook his arms out, trying to restore feeling.

"Dere, dere," they said soothingly. "It's okay, baby."

They rocked her gently, and Battat watched in amazement as her sobs turned into quiet sniffles. Battat pulled out his handkerchief and dabbed at her cheeks.

"What's her name?" they asked.

Battat blinked, tearing his gaze away from Mercy's now calm, if slightly wet, face to look up at Jongler's.

"Oh, um. It's Mercy," he said.

"Dat's real pretty," they muttered.

"Yeah, uh, do you know what to do with a baby?" he asked. "Tenna said it'd only be half an hour, but he was dead tired. I'd feel bad giving her back so soon."

Jongler shrugged.

"I thought not," Battat muttered. "Is Pluey around anywhere?"

"Yeah, he's on break too," they said, frowning as Mercy's lip wobbled.

"Oh my god," Battat groaned. "Are you fucking serious? It's been a minute." 

"Be nice, Boss," Jongler scolded, bouncing her soothingly. "She don't knows us."

Jongler's rocking did nothing to appease her, and within moments, she was crying just as loudly as before. Battat fiddled with his gloves helplessly. It seemed pretty clear what she wanted, and there was no way that was happening. He couldn't imagine telling Tenna he'd failed him. They needed backup.

Reaching into his pocket for his headset, he turned on his radio and froze. Elnina and Lanino would probably be way more helpful, but was that right? He didn't want to show off Tenna's baby to the two of them without permission. But Pluey probably wouldn't know any better than him and Jongler...

He tuned into their Mike frequency. If Tenna wanted Lanino and Elnina, he would have asked them. This was a Mike problem.

"Pluey," he hissed.

Immediately, there was a questioning note on the other end.

"Get your ass over here pronto," Battat huffed. "We've got a situation."

She let out a joyful note.

"Don't bring your gun!" Battat barked.

There was no response. He sighed.

The door flew open and banged against the wall, startling Mercy and Jongler. Pluey stood in the doorway, brandishing her tommy and looking around wildly. Mercy wailed even louder.

"Great job, you scared her!" Battat grumbled.

Pluey deflated and walked over, her gun clattering as she dragged it against the floor. She made a questioning tune, pointing at Mercy.

"She's Tenna's baby," Battat explained. "We were trying to get her to calm down, before you made it worse."

Pluey hummed apologetically and ran a hand through Mercy's hair. The little puffs that Battat suspected were antennae bobbed at the motion. He tapped his chin and let out another note.

Battat frowned. "What do you mean? We don't have anything to give her."

With a sharp note, Pluey huffed in frustration and pointed emphatically at the baby.

Battat looked at her cluelessly.

She shot him an irritated glance and reached over, pulling out an object that had been wedged between Mercy's side and Jongler's chest. She popped it in Mercy's mouth, the baby's cries instantly abating. It was a pacifier clipped onto her onesie. Battat hadn't even noticed it.

"Oh," Jongler said dumbly.

"Um, thanks, Pluey," Battat mumbled.

Pluey shook her head in exasperation.

With the baby finally calm, the three of them sat on the ground, quietly discussing work. Mercy seemed content to watch them, her head occasionally turning to look around the woefully empty room. Battat was grateful that she was somewhat okay with them and that Jongler and Pluey hadn't asked follow-up questions. He didn't have any answers to give.

Before they left him to go back to work, Pluey had slipped into Tenna's room to see if he had any easily accessible baby supplies. Jongler had fixed a bottle, and then they were gone, and it was just Battat and Tenna's baby.

Battat sat leaning against the wall, holding Mercy against his chest. She was big enough that her legs rested against his lap. It was oddly comfortable, but Battat found himself wishing they had a couch or something in here. Battat wasn't sure if she was hungry, but she accepted the bottle without fuss, so that had to be a good sign, right?

It should probably be difficult to tell where she was looking, what with her lack of eyes, but somehow, as he did with Tenna, Battat could tell innately. He found himself in what he could only describe as a staring contest, even if she didn't have any eyes, and his were obscured by the costume head. With her calm and him having nothing better to do, he studied her features, trying to identify what her other parent could be.

It seemed like an easy task. She looked quite different from Tenna at first glance, but the more he looked, the more similar they appeared. The shape of their noses, the natural upturn of their lips, the glow of their faces, the soft staticky buzz that surrounded them... Hell, the antennae lacked Tenna's mechanical nature, but they were still there. Battat couldn't help but wonder if Mercy was capable of sprouting flowers too. It seemed the only differences were Tenna's robotic body and Mercy's fluffy hair. That did basically nothing to narrow it down.

He frowned, studying her innocent little face. Maybe he was thinking about this wrong. Instead of guessing what darkners were different from Tenna, he could guess which ones were extremely similar. A type of darkner who would be so compatible with Tenna that you could argue their daughter was the spitting image of either one of them.

The answer came to him so quickly he was embarrassed he hadn't thought of it right away. It had to be something like an Addison, which was an interesting tidbit to file away for later. And if that was true, that must make her... what? A commercial? An infomercial? Ah. "Mercy." He got it.

"Hello, Mercy," he mumbled. "It's really nice to meet you."

She looked at him blankly, and he chuckled.

"Oh, right, you haven't actually met me yet, have you?" he mused. "This mask is... Well, it is me. In a way. It only exists because of me, but it's not the same. Your dad, he... he doesn't even know what I look like. Strange, huh?"

Predictably, she had nothing to say to that.

"It gets really stuffy in here, ya know?" he continued. "I put a fan in once, but he noticed, and I panicked. I almost put it back in when I realized I overreacted, but then I would have to explain why the fan noise wasn't there, then went away, then came back. It was easier to just tell him I wasn't feeling well that one day."

He usually got some time to take the mask off and cool down for a minute, but with constant company like this, he hadn't been able to. How long had it been, two hours? Three? It felt more like four.

He hesitated for a second. Who was Mercy gonna tell anyway? Poor little thing didn't even know she was alive. And it really was hot in here.

"It'll just be our secret, okay?" he muttered, pulling the costume head off.

It was a bit clumsy with one hand, but he managed to get it off without dropping it on Mercy and while keeping it within reach, so it was a success in his book. If Mercy was alarmed she didn't show it, instead letting out a little yawn.

"Oh, are you tired?" he asked, squinting slightly as his eyes adjusted to her brightness without the thin film of the costume head. "I could go for a nap too, if I weren't in charge of watching you."

They stayed like that for some time, with Battat rambling pointlessly and Mercy yawning. Despite her clear tiredness, she refused to fall asleep. Battat wondered if this was what Tenna had been dealing with. He ran a hand over her hair, idly wondering what it felt like. Pluey's was soft and whispy, but hers was made of shadows. Mercy was presumably purely electrical.

"Come on, Mercy," he mumbled. "Fall asleep, will you? We both know you need too."

She reached up, pushing at his face, and he snorted.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop talking," he huffed.

It was an awkward position for it, but he rocked her as well as he could, humming softly under his breath. She seemed to respond well to that, going more limp in his arms and smacking her lips tiredly. Encouraged, Battat raised his voice, singing a soft lullaby he'd sung countless times before. Mercy cooed at the sound, her head pressing into his chest. A moment later, her glow flickered and went out, turning her a pale shade of gray. For one heart-stopping moment, Battat feared she had petrified, but pressing his cheek to her forehead confirmed that she was simply asleep. He breathed a sigh of relief.

It was then that he realized he was an idiot. She'd only fallen asleep after he sang to her. Which was something he'd done every night when she hadn't yet hatched. Thinking about it now, he wouldn't be surprised if that was a big reason Tenna had handed her off to him. He could always get her to go to sleep.

Realistically though, it was probably also due to the fact that Tenna trusted him more than anyone else. As limited as it had been, Battat was the only one Tenna had allowed to have contact with Mercy even when she was just an egg.

Battat would have liked to say that he'd felt in awe getting to hold Mercy's egg, but the truth was that he was too worried about Tenna's mental state to think about it. And now, he'd been so caught up on the fact that Tenna wasn't have some sort of mental break that he hadn't really registered that Tenna really did have a daughter until she was asleep on his chest.

Holy shit. Tenna had a daughter, and he had entrusted her to Battat. He'd placed his daughter's life in Battat's hands. Sure, it was "only for thirty minutes," but still. 

She looked so sweet and peaceful lying against him. He brushed a hand over her cheek and through her hair. She really looked so much like Tenna. The urge to cry was almost too strong to suppress, and he couldn't even explain why.

Loud, heavy footsteps in the hall gave Battat only a few seconds of warning—just enough time to put the costume head on—before the door flew open, allowing a disheveled Tenna in.

"Mike, I'm so sorry!" Tenna exclaimed, wringing his hands. "I swore I set an alarm, but five hours? I..."

"Shh," Battat whispered. "She's sleepin.' And don't worry 'bout it, okay? Ya really needed the rest."

Tenna came over as quietly as he could and crouched next to them. "You got her to sleep?"

"Sang to her," Battat mumbled. "She nodded right off."

He glanced up to see Tenna having the exact same realization he'd had.

"She wanted her lullaby," he muttered. "I guess I should have let you see her sooner, huh? I mean, ha... a-assuming you would want to, uh..."

"I'd be happy ta sing ta her every night," Battat affirmed.

A flower bloomed from Tenna's nose. "You would? Oh Mike, you're an angel!" he said, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Battat's cheek.

Battat flushed. "It's no big deal, really."

Tenna beamed at him, his tail wagging happily.

"What?" Battat grumbled. "Why are you so happy?"

"You just look so cute," Tenna cooed.

Battat's blush deepened, and he huffed in irritation. "Would you mind taking her? She's pretty heavy."

"Oh, sure!" Tenna agreed, carefully picking Mercy up.

She pressed her face into his chest and let out a little sigh but remained fast asleep. Battat felt like cooing himself. She really was a cute kid.

At Tenna's behest, he followed them back to Tenna's room and watched awkwardly from the doorway as Tenna gently laid her in her crib. It was even bigger than his bed. Everything in Tenna's room was big though. It made Battat feel a bit like a plushie.

Tenna collapsed on his bed and stretched out, letting out a small sigh of satisfaction. "Come on over!" he encouraged, patting the spot on the bed beside him.

Battat swallowed and closed the door before scrambling onto the bed. He probably looked ridiculous struggling to climb up, but thankfully Tenna didn't comment on it. He flopped next to Tenna and gasped for breath. Tenna let out a snort of amusement.

"It would be faster if you'd let me pick you up," he said mildly.

"I can do it," Battat grumbled.

Admittedly, he liked it when Tenna picked him up, but he'd heard one too many teasing comments from the other staff, so he'd told Tenna to stop. Mike needed to be a respectable presence! Even if he was a cat sometimes.

"You wanted to ask me something?" Tenna prompted.

Battat blinked in surprise. He did actually.

"You've been all exhausted and stressed lately. Why'd it take ya so long to ask for help?" he asked.

He'd tried seeing what was wrong only for Tenna to brush him off time and time again. If he'd known Tenna just needed a break, he would have bent over backwards to make it happen.

Tenna sighed, running a hand over his casing. His expression flickered. "I wanted to... I wanted you to meet her, but..."

His tail lashed anxiously. Battat wanted to comfort him, but he didn't know what to say.

"You know, I knew that... you all, uh, thought I was crazy," Tenna said haltingly. "And maybe it was that I felt like you didn't deserve her, or that you'd be right, and I'd lose her. I don't know. Maybe it was both."

Battat felt a little sick. "She's definitely real. Yer not gonna lose her," he assured.

"Gotta be honest, there were times where you guys had me thinking, 'maybe it is all in my head.' But then she would chirp again, and I was sure I was right," Tenna murmured.

Battat winced. "I... I'm really sorry, Tenna. That was super shitty. I shoulda believed you."

Tenna gave him a tight smile. "It's fine! No harm done, right?"

Battat wasn't really sure what to say to that. There kinda was harm done if it made Tenna afraid to let his baby around them, not to mention how that must have affected him mentally.

"But really, Mike... Thank you. I appreciate it," Tenna muttered softly.

Battat didn't deserve to be thanked for that.

"It's the least I can do," he muttered.

He had to make it up to Tenna. Mike was supposed to be someone Tenna could rely on no matter what, and Battat had let him down. He'd left Tenna feeling completely alone and overwhelmed. He couldn't let that happen again. From now on, whatever help Tenna needed with his daughter, Battat would be there to support him. He had to be.

He cleared his throat. "I gotta say though, I'm a little surprised ya didn't go with somethin' more catchy fer her name. Ya know, like yours."

"I couldn't possibly choose a stage name for her!" Tenna gasped. "It's an important step to becoming a full-fledged performer!"

Battat frowned. "Are ya sayin' your name... ain't Ant Tenna?"

Tenna gave him a puzzled look. "No, it is, but my first name is Anthony. I swear I told you this, Mike."

The thought that "Ant" might be short for something had never occurred to Battat. That was a little embarrassing.

"Ya did, but that's hardly a difference!" he huffed.

Tenna giggled. "Why change it more when it was just so perfect?"

"Ain't that a contradiction?" Battat muttered. "Well whatever. It's a pretty name for a special kid, so I guess it's fine."

"You really think so?" Tenna asked, beaming at him.

His tail thumped happily against the mattress. Battat's heart squeezed painfully. He was so endeared to this man.

"Yeah," he breathed. "And whatever ya need, anythin' at all, ya know ya can count on me, right?"

Tenna's smile softened. "I know that, Mike."

"Are ya sure you'll be fine without me?" Battat asked. "I know someone real trustworthy who can watch her."

Tenna didn't need to know that "someone" was himself. That way Jongler and Pluey could still be Mike.

Tenna looked hesitant. "I... can't lie; it'll be hard without you, but leaving her with someone I don't know..."

Battat sighed. He understood, but...

"Yer gonna have to introduce her to more people too, ya know," he said. "I get why yer worried, but I guarantee they'll love her."

If she got introduced to more people, it would make things easier for Mike, and it would likely make the employees ease up on Tenna. Tenna had sworn him to secrecy about her, but there were only so many times Mike could be off set before it got suspicious, and a week of skipping out was already pushing it. But if Tenna showed her to everyone, they would see she was real and probably have pity on him. That was his hope at least.

Mercy interrupted his train of thought by pushing her hand into his face, and he grunted, taking her hand in his. Tenna snorted a little laugh before his expression turned pensive again.

"I will, but..." He paused, wringing his tie. "I'm just..."

"It'll be good fer her to see new faces," Battat pressed. "I can give the crew a talkin' to fer ya."

One of Tenna's antennae twitched. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'll warm 'em up fer ya. Get 'em used to the idea," Battat assured. "It's not good for her ta be cooped up in the same two rooms."

"With the same two faces," Tenna added in a murmur.

Well. Considering their disguises, there were five additional faces with him, Pluey, and Jongler, but Tenna not knowing that strengthened his case.

Mercy tugged on his bowtie.

"And she needs more toys," he added. "What do you think, Mercy?"

"Gah," she babbled. "Bab puh."

Battat nodded knowingly. "I couldn't have said it better."

Tenna rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, you're probably right..." He froze before pulling his hand away to look at his watch. "I have to run! You got her pacifier?"

Battat's eye twitched. "Yes."

"And her bottle?" Tenna added.

"Yes," Battat sighed. "And her blankie and her plushie and her favorite book, and I've got a nice cozy spot for her to sit. Now get goin'!"

"Alright, alright," Tenna huffed. "I just want to be sure."

Battat rolled his eyes affectionately. "I've been handlin' her. We'll be fine."

"Of course you will," Tenna murmured, petting Battat's head gently.

He ruffled Mercy's hair and blew them a kiss, and then he was gone.

"Okay, kiddo, looks like it's just you and me," Battat said, closing the door.

She pawed at his mask, and he huffed a laugh. 

"Alright, alright. I'm taking it off," he muttered.

She cooed happily as he set the mask aside and sat down on the pile of blankets and pillows Pluey had assembled. Her hand pushed at his face again, causing him to wince from the painful zap.

"We've gotta get you to stop doing that," he muttered, taking her hand.

He wondered if Tenna had even noticed she shocked people now. It made sense; she was basically pure electricity, but Tenna wasn't fazed by the pushy hands—he was far bigger than her after all—and considering his own electrical nature, he probably didn't even notice the shocking. He'd probably have to lie about how he discovered it since Mike was supposed to be immune to electricity, though only one of them actually was.

Mercy whined, trying to pull away from his grasp. He already knew what she wanted.

He sighed in amusement. "Demanding, aren't we?"

He released her to give his head a good spin, hoping desperately for a good roll. She gurgled happily, clapping her hands as he landed on a four. Not bad. She reached for his head again, but he shook his head, pushing her dog plushie into her hands instead.

"Nope," he said cheerily. "How 'bout we find something else to do?"

Her face scrunched up, and Battat found himself wondering just how much she understood. She had been in that egg for a long time, so maybe her development was farther along than a baby's should be?

Rather than pitching a fit, she let out a yawn, and Battat relaxed. No, he was just overthinking as usual.

Tenna's hands shook as he fumbled with his tie, attempting to tie it correctly for the third time in as many minutes.

"Do you think they'll like her?" he asked for the tenth.

Battat laughed. "Tenna, she's a baby. If they have a problem wit' her, that's on them."

Tenna's expression remained tense, and Battat sighed, gesturing for him to come over. He complied, allowing Battat to tug him closer and do the tie himself.

"They ain't gonna have beef with a baby," he said resolutely. "No matter what they think a' you. She's gonna grow up so loved, okay?"

Tenna relaxed as Battat smoothed his hands over his tie and lapels.

"Yeah, you're right, Mike," he said. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Battat hummed, watching Tenna scoop Mercy up from her crib.

Despite his words, Battat felt nerves of his own. He'd given everyone a good lecture about the gossip they'd been spreading about Tenna, but he doubted any of them truly felt remorse. He'd been a little vague, simply assuring them that Tenna was definitely not delusional and hoping that seeing the living proof would quell any doubts.

Why he was nervous he couldn't say for sure. It probably came to the protective feeling he got when he thought of her. While he could expect most of the employees to act like adults, there was no telling how Mercy would respond. She had taken to Pluey and Jongler well enough, but he wasn't sure how her personality fell. Sometimes she seemed perfectly content to just sit there silently and watch her surroundings, but others, she would whine and cry and make demands. Would she be calm, maybe even eager, to see new people, or would she be upset and scared?

He wondered if Tenna was thinking the same things.

When they stepped into the green room, the room went quiet, everyone turning to look at them. Battat had told them filming was starting a little later because Tenna wanted to speak to them, but he hadn't said what about. A flurry of whispers came from the crowd as they registered the baby Tenna held. She squirmed in his arms, his grip on her tightening ever so slightly. Otherwise, he remained motionless, and Battat knew he had to step in.

He cleared his throat exaggeratedly. "Everyone, pipe down!"

The murmurs died down, waiting for him to continue.

"Thank you," he huffed. "Tenna's got someone he wants ta show ya. Tenna?"

Spurred on by his words, Tenna jolted into motion, crouching down and taking a deep breath. His hesitance reminded Battat of the first time he had allowed Battat to do maintenance on him, like he was afraid to expose his heart.

"E-everyone, this is my daughter," he said. "Her name is Mercy. Mike thought you should get to see her."

There were some more whispers from the crowd as a couple Pippins at the front curiously stepped closer. Tenna's fingers twitched like he wanted to hold her out of their reach, but he stayed still.

"Mercy, say hi!" he encouraged.

Her face scrunched up, and she pushed her face into Tenna's chest with a whine.

"Ah, she's shy," Tenna said apologetically.

"Aw, what a cutie," one of the Pippins cooed.

Tenna relaxed, and in response, Mercy turned her head slightly, peaking down at the Pippins.

"Hello there!" it greeted softly.

Her fluffy antennae twitched, and she turned to look at it fully. She stared for a moment before reaching out to it. A small part of Battat wondered if she was confusing it with him. The Pippins moved to reach out itself, and Tenna squawked in alarm.

"Don't touch her!" he exclaimed. "She'll shock you."

The Pippins laughed. "That don't bother me!"

It pressed its palm against hers, wincing slightly at the shock. Still, it didn't pull away. Mercy giggled innocently.

"That's quite the shock you got there," it said cheerily. "Looks like she'll be nearly as tall as you, huh?"

Tenna looked surprised at being addressed. "Uh, a good bit shorter I'd say," he countered.

The Pippins shrugged, wiping its hand on its poncho—probably trying to get rid of the tingles. "Eh, tall is tall. Who cares?" it mused. "Let her out more, will ya? She's a real doll."

"Sure," Tenna said, an undercurrent of disbelief in his voice. 

With the ice successfully broken, the rest of the staff surged forward to get a better look at the baby. Mercy's initial shyness seemed to have dissipated somewhat in the presence of all the Pippins, but Battat stayed alert, ready to holler at the crowd if they got too pushy. This was probably going to take at least another hour.

Tenna's tail thwacked against the tile happily, preventing Battat from being too annoyed at the change in schedule. He couldn't help but hope that this could change Tenna's relationship with the employees for the better.

Battat tied off the thread and snipped it, turning it so the correct side faced out. He grabbed the other finished one and held it up triumphantly.

"Done!" he declared.

Tenna and Mercy turned to look at him in unison, their antennae perking up at the noise.

"Amazing, Mike!" Tenna praised as Mercy shoved more crackers in her mouth. "You're sure this will stop the shocking?"

"Yep!" Battat said confidently. "I did a lotta research, an' this fabric's the best option."

Mercy wriggled on Tenna's lap. "Dah! Buh."

Tenna carefully set her down, watching as she crawled over to Battat's armchair before standing himself.

"Hi," Battat greeted. "Do ya want somethin'?"

Mercy patted his leg insistently, letting out a little whine.

"She wants you to let her up," Tenna said helpfully.

"Oh hell no," Battat huffed. "I'm jus' gonna get down."

"You're so mean," Tenna snorted as Battat scooted onto the floor by Mercy.

"There's not enough room. She'd suffocate me," Battat huffed.

Mercy immediately crawled onto his lap, pushing her face into his chest affectionately. He smiled, ruffling her hair and wrapping an arm around her. Tenna sat next to them and held out a hand.

"The gloves?" he prompted.

"Oh right," Battat muttered, adjusting her to hand the gloves over.

Tenna held them up to the light and whistled in appreciation. "Wow, these are really well-done! Now let's see how they fit."

Battat held her hand steady as Tenna pulled the glove on. Mercy grumbled unhappily, fidgeting in Battat's arms and generally making things difficult.

"I think it's safe ta say she hates 'em," Battat observed.

Tenna grumbled in irritation. "I've almost got it."

Battat hummed, rubbing her back soothingly. "Maybe I shoulda made 'em a little looser."

"Ha!" Tenna exclaimed as the glove went over the heel of her palm. "It fits perfectly."

Mercy balled her hand into a fist and made an unhappy noise.

"Is she 'boutta cry?" Battat asked worriedly.

He knew logically that it wasn't hurting her, and it would be better to get her used to the gloves early. There was no telling if her powers would get stronger or if she'd be able to control them well when she got older. And it would be better for everyone if there wasn't what was essentially a three and a half foot tall sentient livewire running around shocking people—not that she was quite at the running stage anyway. But emotionally it felt awful to know he was actively making her upset. 

"Mercy, sweetie, I know it's uncomfortable, but you really gotta wear it," Tenna said gently.

She whined, trying to wipe her hand on her shorts.

"Maybe... we should wait a bit longer?" he suggested. "The Zappers and Elnina and Lanino are immune..."

"And Ramb," Battat added.

Tenna's expression soured. "Yeah."

"We already talked about this," Battat said sternly.

"I know," Tenna pouted. "But she's so sad..."

"Feels bad, huh?" Battat murmured.

Mercy shook her hand and looked up at him in distress. He closed his eyes and brought a hand to his forehead. For two people with no eyes, they sure did good kicked puppy impressions.

"How 'bout we give her a treat?" he suggested.

Tenna perked up. "Oh, that's a great idea!"

He stood up and strode over to the cabinets, pulling out the cookies he'd made yesterday. Mercy's head turned to follow him as he set the bag on the table and took one out before walking back over.

"Dah!" she exclaimed, reaching up for him.

"You want a cookie?" he asked, sitting down again.

She cooed and made grabby hands.

"Okay, okay," he laughed, passing it to her and taking her um gloved hand. "Now let's try to get the other one on," he murmured in a lower tone.

With Mercy appeased by the cookie, the second glove went on much easier, and thankfully, she seemed less bothered by it. Battat let out a sigh of relief. He had a feeling she would give them trouble the next time, but at least they knew she was willing to wear them with a little bribery.

She shifted in his lap, jamming a hand into his throat as she adjusted herself. He choked, tears welling up in his eyes. Why the hell did Tenna have to have such a big baby anyway? He noted with a twinge of panic that he could feel her gloves against his bare neck, her hand having pressed into the sliver of a gap between his shirt and the costume head.

"Mercy!" Tenna exclaimed, scooping her onto his own lap. "Be careful, baby! Oh Mike, are you okay?"

"Peachy," he rasped, rubbing his throat.

"Let me get you a drink," Tenna said worriedly.

Despite the pain, Battat couldn't help but feel proud. The gloves worked.

A commotion at the door had Battat looking away from his theory board. Pluey sat up and stretched, flicking her tail against the floor lazily. Moments later, Jongler burst into the room, an excited Mercy cradled in their arms.

"Boss!" they called.

"Ahb bah!" Mercy exclaimed.

Battat frowned, a funny feeling in his chest. Usually Tenna gave Mercy to him.

"Tenna's gettin' the stage remodeled," they said, coming to a stop in front of him. "So he's gave her to me."

"Ah, I knew I was forgetting something," Battat grumbled.

Mercy reached down and grabbed his poncho, babbling happily. Battat noted with some apprehension that her gloves weren't on today. Oh well. It was probably better for him to get used to being shocked. It would be bad if Tenna realized Mike wasn't as immune as he should be.

"I'm guessing you want me to take her," he sighed, moving one last paper.

"Please," Jongler said. "Dis jacket's real uncomfy."

Battat held out his arms, helping them settle Mercy on his hip.

"Fuck, she's heavy," he grunted.

Pluey gasped and pointed at him, letting out an accusing note.

Battat scoffed. "Obviously I'm not gonna say it around her when she's older. But she's still a baby; she can barely say 'daddy.' It's fine."

"Daddy!" Mercy repeated, as if to prove Battat's point.

He shot Pluey a vindicated look before directing his attention back to her. "That's right, Mercy! Daddy!" he cooed. "Daddy's not here right now though."

"Why youse talkin' like dat?" Jongler asked, shrugging off their jacket.

"I'm trying to encourage her to keep talking!" Battat huffed. "What if she gets self-conscious and never talks again?"

Their eye furrowed. "Dat can happen?"

"I don't know! That's why I'm trying to prevent it," Battat explained.

Pluey trilled a high riff.

"No!" Battat shouted. "We are not getting her to call us 'Papa'! She already has a papa, and it could upset Tenna."

Pluey crossed her arms and let out a low note.

"Uh, 'Mike.' Duh," Battat snorted.

"Dat might be hard fer hers to say," Jongler observed.

"Probably," Battat conceded, "but it's fine for now. She doesn't say much of anything. Except for 'daddy'."

"Daddy!" Mercy chirped happily.

"Wait, she's gots a papa?" Jongler asked.

Battat raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What, did you think she spawned out of nowhere?"

"No. She's hatched," Jongler huffed.

"And where did you think the egg came from?" Battat asked incredulously.

Jongler frowned and tapped the lower half of their face thoughtfully. Their eye widened in realization, and Battat shrieked,

"Tenna can't lay eggs, ya numbnuts!"

"Oh," they muttered.

Mercy cooed, and Battat ran a hand over his face. Regardless of how stupid the argument was, they probably shouldn't be fighting in front of a baby.

"Where's he at and how do youse knows it's a 'he'?" Jongler asked.

"Tenna doesn't even know where he is. And be honest, can you really see our boss being into women?" Battat countered.

They rubbed their face thoughtfully. "Um..."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Battat interrupted, "because Tenna told me it was a 'he.' So she has a papa somewhere. Even if he doesn't know she's alive and hasn't tried to contact Tenna."

Pluey let out a snide note.

"Maybe I am bitter!" Battat huffed. "Maybe I have a right to be bitter! If anyone should be Papa, it should be me! I'm the one who looks after her when Tenna can't! I'm the one Tenna goes to for help! I'm Papa! Me!"

"Pa!" Mercy said.

The three of them froze and looked at her. She giggled and clapped her hands but didn't say anything else.

"Okay, do not use that word around her anymore," Battat said cautiously. "We don't need to upset Tenna by making his daughter call us 'Papa'."

"Pa!" Mercy repeated.

"Shit!" Battat hissed. "Don't say that, Mercy! That's a no-no word!"

"Youse making her self-conscious!" Jongler grumbled.

"Argh!" Battat groaned.

"Gah," Mercy babbled.

He let out a sigh of relief. "See, it was just baby talk. She doesn't know anything."

Pluey shook her head and scoffed, making a low melody.

She was probably right. Mercy was a bit of an oddball, and there was no telling how much she understood or how quickly she would develop. Sometimes Battat thought she was leaps and bounds beyond where she should be—though he was no baby expert—and others, he and Tenna feared she was behind where she should be. With all that in mind, it was probably a bad idea for him to be around her out of costume. He couldn't help but feel a little melancholic about it. It had been nice the past few months to not worry about keeping his disguise up around someone else, even if she was just a baby.

One of her hands pushed at his head, shocking him slightly and sending it into a light spin. He grunted and hefted her up higher on his hip.

"Next time," he said. "I'll put it on next time."

She clapped and babbled as he landed on a three. Jongler looked unsure.

"If youse think dat's best, boss," they said.

Battat hummed, taking her hand in his and wincing slightly at the shock. Her hand was still smaller. How much longer would that be true? She pushed her fingers between his, and his heart squeezed painfully.

He wasn't her Papa, but he was going to do his damn best to make sure she never missed him.

The first few days Mercy had tried to get him to take the mask off, but he'd remained firm in his decision. She'd pouted and whined and seemed generally confused, but eventually, she had stopped. It hurt to think she might not remember his true face, but what could he do? It wasn't like he could ask her to lie to her dad, and the longer he let her see him out of costume, the more likely it became that she wouldn't forget.

For Tenna's part, it seemed he hadn't noticed anything was amiss beyond commenting on Mercy's inexplicable fussiness. Though he had told Battat in great detail about her taking her first steps, tears prickling at his screen as he did so. Battat wished he hadn't missed them, but it wasn't like he could stay by Tenna's side 24/7. He was just relieved she'd decided to do it in Tenna's presence, or he never would have heard the end of it.

The two of them walked solely down the halls, Mercy held in Tenna's arms as they ran through the script. Every so often, she would interject with a new word she'd learned, and Tenna would react like she'd just delivered the most moving speech he'd ever heard. Watching the two of them, Battat's cheeks hurt from smiling.

"I don't know about that last line," Tenna muttered. "It seems a little clunky. Doesn't flow well at all!"

Battat skimmed over the script and hummed. "I see what ya mean. It sorta says the same thing three lines later too, but it's much better there."

"Cut it then," Tenna decided.

"Pa!" Mercy babbled.

Battat hadn't heard that in a while. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her shoes kicking as she wriggled in Tenna's arms.

"Mercy, sweetie, don't kick," Tenna huffed. "Just a moment, Mike."

Battat dutifully stopped walking, taking the chance to fish out a pen and cross out the line, jotting down a couple notes in the script margins.

"What is it, baby?" Tenna cooed.

"Papa!" Mercy repeated.

"You want Papa?" Tenna asked.

Battat raised an eyebrow, pen stilling against the paper. It was the first time he had ever heard Tenna bring him up in front of her. Given that, he'd expected Tenna to sound distraught at the prospect of Mercy wanting her estranged parent.

Mercy whined. "Down."

"Mikey, I know she's heavy for you, but do you think you could carry her a bit?" Tenna asked.

Battat blinked and looked up. Tenna didn't seem stressed in the slightest; in fact, he looked rather pleased. Mercy, on the other hand, was squirming impatiently and reaching down to him.

"Papa!" she demanded. "P'ease!"

Oh. She... she really meant him. He hadn't wanted to hope.

Battat's lip wobbled, and he drew a deep breath. "Yeah, jus' take this for me, will ya?" he asked, holding up the script to Tenna.

Tenna took it, and after a bit of repositioning, Mercy was situated on Battat's back and clinging happily to his bowtie. Tenna trailed behind, watching carefully to make sure she wouldn't fall. Battat was immensely grateful that the padding of the suit kept him from being strangled.

Tenna's words washed over him as he felt Mercy's cheek nuzzle against the side of his mask. If Tenna wasn't upset by it, then he would be the best Papa she could hope for. Of course, it would hurt all the more to lie to her, and the thought of her also calling Pluey and Jongler "Papa" made him seethe with jealousy, but he pushed those feelings aside for now. Instead, he focused on her chirpy little laughs and the comforting lilt of Tenna's voice.

Sleep never came easy for him, but some nights it came more gently than others. He was used to horrible nightmares that had him tossing and turning, ranging from Tenna finding out and wanting nothing to do with him to some horrible amorphous black creature hunting him from the shadows. Any pleasant dreams were forgotten the moment he woke up.

Lately though, he'd been having the same dream. Not every night, just often enough for it to play at his mind constantly.

In his dream, it was usually just him, Tenna, and Mercy having a picnic under the Cold Place's Christmas tree. Occasionally, Jongler or Pluey would show up, but for the most part, they stayed away. Battat loved them, but he was grateful for that.

There weren't any costumes in his dream. Mike had never been a thing. Tenna loved him the way he was, wrapping his tail around Battat's leg and giving sickeningly sweet smiles. Mercy leaned against him, her staticky skin buzzing comfortingly against his plastic, and laughed adorably whenever he rolled. She called him Papa, and he didn't feel like he was just filling someone else's place. No mysterious Addison could ever take her away, because he was her Papa.

Everything was so peaceful, he woke with a warm feeling in his chest, tears prickling in the corners of his eyes.

It was cruel of his mind to turn on him like this. Whether Mike or Mercy's true Papa, Battat was always going to be a placeholder. Sure, he may have developed some significance of his own to Tenna and Mercy, but he would never be able to escape the shadow of the people who should still be around.

He would only get to experience their love through the screen of his mask.

He threw an arm over his eyes and rolled on his side, taking a deep breath. He'd known what he was getting into from the start. He deserved feeling like this, and they deserved so much more.

Normally, Tenna would be backstage by now, preparing to make his grand entrance, but instead he was fretting over Mercy in his dressing room.

"It's gonna be loud; do you think she'll be okay?" he asked nervously.

Battat rolled his eyes. "She's sat in on karaoke night; I think she can handle it."

He cast a glance toward the toddler in question, who was bunching her dress up and hopping on the tiles, careful to not stay in the centers. A soft smile crept over his face.

"An' if she can't, I'll get her out right away. Ya don't gotta worry about a thing," he assured.

Tenna ran a hand over his casing, his antennae bobbing back into position. "Right, yeah, of course," he muttered. "I just really want her to enjoy it."

Ah, Battat understood now. He gestured for Tenna to lean down and pushed himself up onto his tiptoes. Tenna obliged, one hand coming down to steady the chair Battat stood on. Battat muttered a thanks, gripping onto Tenna's shoulder and planting a kiss on the corner of his screen. He smoothed his hands along Tenna's casing and down his chest.

"Even if it ain't her thing, she's not gonna love ya less, okay?" he murmured. "Plus, she's a li'l kid. Ain't no guarantee her taste stays the same."

TV wasn't just Tenna's thing; Tenna was TV. If his own daughter didn't like it, he would definitely feel rejected, no matter what Battat said. It wasn't going to stop him from trying though.

Tenna pursed his lips doubtfully. "If... if you think so, then..."

"I know so," Battat insisted. "But I think that ain't gonna be a problem anyway. She'll love it because she loves you. Yer her whole world, so she'll be happy. I'm positively certain."

Tenna looked at him carefully before giving him a soft smile. "You always know what to say, Mike," he breathed.

Any response Battat might have had died in his throat as Tenna leaned in, sweetly kissing the corner of his mouth. Battat froze, his breath catching in his throat. Before Tenna could pull away, he caught his tie, boldly pressing a kiss to his lips. He'd only just closed his eyes when a small voice interrupted them.

"Me too!" Mercy demanded.

Tenna hummed and broke away, beaming down at her. "You want a kiss too, sweetie?"

Mercy stamped her foot and raised her arms. Tenna chuckled and picked her up before letting out an exaggerated "Mwah!" as he kissed her cheek.

She laughed in delight. "Now Papa!"

Tenna held her out to Battat, who dutifully kissed her other cheek. With Mercy satisfied, Battat turned his attention to something more pressing.

"The show's s'posed to start soon," he pointed out.

Tenna checked his watch and gasped dramatically. "Oh heck, you're right!"

"Drop us off?" Battat suggested.

Tenna's expression wobbled like he was trying not to look too pleased before he scooped Battat up into his other arm.

Mercy looked over at him and giggled. "Papa small!"

If she was pointing his height out this early... Battat fought a scowl. He was not going to beef with a toddler over a comment he heard on a near daily basis. He was better than that. Plus, she wasn't just any toddler.

"That's right," Tenna chuckled. "Papa is small. So, so small. And very cute. I don't think I really noticed before."

It didn't bother him as much coming from Tenna though. His cheeks warmed, and he hoped his blush wasn't visible through the costume.

"Are you two seriously ganging up on me?" he sighed.

Tenna shook his head. "Of course not. It's rude to pick on people smaller than you. Don't you think so, pumpkin?"

"Yeah!" Mercy laughed, and Battat snorted.

"Stop weaponizing our daughter," he scolded. "You know she doesn't understand."

A flower burst out of Tenna's nose, but he wrestled his smile into a pout and shook his head dejectedly. "Papa's such a meanie," he sighed.

"Mean Papa!" Mercy echoed.

It was only after Tenna left them to go backstage that Battat's words and Tenna's delight at them caught up to him.

Frantic knocking had Battat getting up and trudging over to the door. He was pretty tired of all the knocking on what was supposed to be a private room, but he opened the door regardless.

Pluey stood on the other side, holding Mercy in her arms. She let out a relieved note and darted inside, depositing Mercy on the couch and patting her head gently.

Battat watched in connfusion, ignoring the stab of jealousy at the ease with which Pluey had held her.

"Stay put, Mercy," he ordered. "We'll be right back in."

At Mercy's nod, he grabbed the scruff of Pluey's suit and dragged her out, ignoring the strangled saxophone sounds. Once the door was safely shut, he whirled on her.

"Why did you bring her here?" he hissed. "You're the one who said I shouldn't be around her like this!"

He gestured to his work uniform emphatically.

Crossing her arms, Pluey huffed and let out a few high notes.

"I can't, genius! I told you I was washing the suit today! It's still soaking wet!" Battat grumbled.

Pluey's tail lashed as she made a flurry of low notes.
"What?!" Battat screeched before dropping his voice to a whisper again. "A fire?! I can help! Why don't you stay here with her?"

Pluey shook her head, letting out a frantic tune.

With a groan, Battat ran his hand over his face. "Why would you tell him that? Okay, fine. It's probably... She hasn't seen my face in like a year, so it's probably fine, right?"

Pluey gave him an uncertain look and shrugged.

"I'm guessing Jongler's on set?" he asked, internally groaning at her nod. "Damn. I guess we just gotta risk it."

He opened the door again to find Mercy standing exactly where he'd told her to stay, which was a little surprising. She perked up at the sight of them.

"You can go back to Tenna now," Battat muttered.

Pluey ignored him and made a high tune, waving to Mercy.

"Bye-bye, Pwuey!" she said, waving back happily.

Pluey closed the door, and Battat suddenly felt intensely awkward. How was he supposed to interact with her? He couldn't treat her like a stranger. It felt wrong; he'd known her for most of her life. But if he treated her like normal, that might weird her out. Wait, would a toddler clock that as strange?

"I'm hungry," she said, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

"It's not suppertime yet, but I could get you a snack?" he offered.

"Snackie!" she cheered.

Battat dug through his cabinets in search of Mercy's favorite: cheesy crackers in the shape of TVs.

"Okay, go sit at the table," he directed.

She plopped down at her seat while he poured her a generous bowl. It was funny in a way, that they had only gotten around to furnishing the room because of her, and soon enough, she would be too big for most of the furniture. He liked to think it would take quite a few years for that, but it seemed like only yesterday that she couldn't even say two words, much less string them together, so he knew it would feel like it happened much faster.

"How was the show today?" he asked, sitting across from her.

"Fun!" she exclaimed. "It had a big boom! And lights all over!"

She paused, her face scrunching up in thought.

"You mean fire?" Battat suggested.

"Yeah the owange!" she agreed. "So pretty. I wanna see more."

"It's dangerous," he warned. "Pluey did the right thing by bringing you somewhere safe." He chuckled at her pout. "Maybe if you ask nicely, your daddy will show you some. Safely."

He wasn't going to tell her Papa was more likely to cave. She was already too powerful as it was. Tenna seemed to have gained some immunity to her charms though, almost as if to balance him out.

She nodded enthusiastically and popped some crackers in her mouth.

"Chew with yer mouth closed," Battat said automatically.

Her mouth clicked shut before she gasped and pointed behind Battat. "Whoa, what that?"

Mid-turn he realized he'd been tricked by a toddler, but he might as well play along at this point. Plus, it could have been something bad, like that weird fucking cat thing that had been lingering a while ago, so it was better to show her he took her seriously.

Predictably though, there was nothing there, and when he turned back around both Mercy and her bowl were gone. Though there was a suspicious glowing lump under the blanket on the couch and a couple crackers spilled on the ground in front of it.

"Mercy?" he called. "Where'd ya go?" He peeked under the table. "Not here..."

A hand darted out from under the blanket the grab the crackers. He ignored that and got up from his chair and strode casually around the room, making a show of opening cabinets and drawers.

"Hm, I wonder where she could be," he said loudly, biting back an endeared smile.

There was a chance she was peeking at him after all.

Mercy's giggles were muffled, and he could picture her pressing her fingers to her mouth, thinking she was so sneaky.

"I just don't see her anywhere," he sighed, putting his hands on his hips and facing away from the couch.

On cue, Mercy threw the blanket off and hopped off the couch, tackling him in a hug. If he hadn't been prepared for it, she definitely would have knocked him over.

"Here I am!" she declared proudly.

He spun in her hold, putting on a shocked expression. "Whoa, where'd you come from?"

She pointed at the couch, which now had a light dusting of crumbs. Ah well, that could be dealt with later.

"I had no idea," he fibbed.

He wrapped an arm around her, bringing free hand up to brush the crumbs off her cheek. She chirped happily and leaned into his palm, a bright pink flower sprouting from her nose. Battat feared his heart might explode from affection.

"You really look just like your dad," he murmured.

"T'anks!" she giggled.

"Thanks? For what?" he asked, raising a brow.

She pulled away from the hug and puffed out her chest, declaring, "My daddy's the prettiestest ever." 

He huffed a laugh. "You won't catch me arguing with that."

Mercy frowned, trying to parse his meaning.

"You're right; he sure is," Battat amended.

She beamed at him, clasping her hands together and swaying back and forth. She reached up and plucked her flower.

"For you!" she said, holding it out to him.

"Thank you, sweetheart." He said, tucking it into his shirt pocket and patting it lightly. "There," he said with smile. "Nice and safe."

The door burst open, and Pluey came back in.

"All figured out?" Battat asked. "Everyone okay?"

Pluey nodded in confirmation and let out a questioning tune.

"Nah, I'll ask Tenna later," Battat said. "You should probably take her back now."

Mercy frowned at the suggestion, twisting her fingers in the ribbons of her dress. "I don't wanna," she muttered.

Pluey shot him a concerned look, and Battat shrugged helplessly. He pried Mercy's fingers free and began straightening the bows.

"You don't want to spend time with your daddy?" he asked casually. "He'd be so sad to hear that."

Her expression look conflicted. "I do!" 

"So you want to go then?" Battat pressed.

She hesitated before nodding and taking Pluey's hand. They headed for the door when Mercy let go and darted back to Battat, squeezing him tightly and running back to Pluey.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her wave, but he turned back to his desk, pretending he didn't see. He imagined her face dropping, which felt shitty, but it was better this way. She wasn't supposed to get attached to Battat.

Tenna was reclined on the couch, his screen dark and one arm wrapped around Mercy, who was using his chest as a flat surface for her drawing. Battat winced at the sight of the markers. They were definitely going to bleed through the paper into Tenna's shirt.

He'd thought they were sticking to just crayons for a while. Were markers okay? She seemed to know not to eat them, so it was probably fine, right? If anything happened, he could yell at Tenna for it later, but he decided to trust Tenna's judgment.

When Mercy saw him, she perked up and whisper-yelled, "Shh! Daddy's sleepin'."

"I can see that," Battat murmured. "Ya keepin' him company?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

He hummed and ruffled her hair. "Good girl."

After setting Tenna's coffee on his desk, he took a seat and began sorting through the stack of papers Tenna had left strewn across it. Schedules that needed to be approved, budgets that needed revision, script notes that needed to be organized. He sighed and got to work, casting a glance up at the couch every so often.

Mercy kicked her legs back and forth through the air while Tenna remained motionless. If Battat hadn't seen him sleep countless times before—in a totally normal and not creepy context—he would have thought he was legitimately dead.

A good twenty minutes later, Mercy was squirming out from under his grasp and coming up to the desk. She clambered up on to the giant chair with Battat, and he quickly pulled her closer to keep her from falling off. He caught a glimpse of Tenna rolling on his side, an assortment of marker lines decorating his shirt, before paper was being shoved in his face.

"Oh! What's this?" he asked, taking the paper to get a look.

From what he could tell, it was a depiction of Tenna on stage, and a crowd consisting of what he guessed was himself and Mercy, plus some other colorful blobs, and what could charitably be described as Shadowguys and Zappers.

"Me and you and Daddy," Mercy confirmed, pointing to each figure. "Daddy's on stage, and all us watch. And Nino and Nina and Pwuey and Jon too."

Ah, that made sense. If he squinted he could kinda see the resemblance.

"Wow, you're so talented!" he praised.

She smiled bashfully and handed him the other paper. "And this one too!"

This one was a lot more incomprehensible. There was Tenna for sure, but there was a lot of red and black everywhere drowning most of the details out.

"...What am I looking at?" he asked after a moment.

"The Pippins kills you, and Daddy got real sad," Mercy said matter-of-factly.

He blinked. Inspecting the paper again. Yes, now he could see a sad Tenna hunched over his dead body and surrounded by Pippins. He decided to not think about it further.

"That's... very creative, Mercy. Thank you," he said.

She grinned.

"Is my bowtie green?" he asked.

She nodded sadly. "Red got gone."

Battat pursed his lips. He was pretty sure he knew why she'd chosen that color as the replacement, but he hoped he was wrong.

"That's too bad," he muttered. "You're not mad at me, are you, baby?"

She shook her head and leaned into him, tucking her head under his. "I'm sleepy," she murmured, her glow dimming as she drifted off.

He really had to envy her and Tenna's ability to fall asleep instantaneously.

With a sigh, he set the drawings on the desk and leaned back in the chair. So much for getting work done.

Battat barely registered the door creaking open when a weight slammed into him, nearly knocking him over.

"Oof!" he grunted as arms wrapped around him.

He looked down to see Mercy's grinning face.

"Papa!" she exclaimed.

So she did now then. He'd expected it, but he was surprised it had taken a couple weeks to get confirmation. It wasn't like he could have asked though.

Despite his conflicting feelings, he smiled and pet her hair. "Hi, Mercy."

She was only a foot shorter than him now, though she was still a toddler. Battat guessed she would be around ten feet or so when she was done growing. She raised her arms in the universal "pick me up" gesture, and he sighed.

"I can't, sweetie. You're too big and heavy for me," he said apologetically.

She sighed disappointedly. "Daddy can."

"I know," he murmured. "Daddy's bigger and taller than everyone else though. I bet he could still do it when you're grown up."

"Whoa," she breathed. "Daddy's so cool. What you doing?"

He cast a guilty look at his theory board, even though he knew she couldn't understand it.

"I'm uh, thinking," he said. "Weren't you supposed to be with Jongler?"

It was Mercy's turn to look guilty. "I... tricked them," she muttered, staring at the floor.

Battat put a hand to his forehead and sighed. They were probably freaking out, looking everywhere for her, and it was only a matter of time before Tenna realized she had slipped away and panicked.

"I know you want to see me, but don't run off, okay?" he said. "We need to know you're where you're supposed to be."

She frowned. "Are you mad?"

"No," Battat assured, "but you probably made Jongler really worried. Ask next time, okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Okay. Sorry."

"It's okay, baby," he said. "You want to sit with me until they find you?"

"Yeah!" she agreed, allowing him to get her situated on a cushion he set up by his board.

Regrettably, the only papers he had lying around were either important TV Time documents or covered in his notes, so he handed her a miniature whiteboard instead, giving her a brief demonstration of how the eraser worked. He cringed a little watching her completely cover the whiteboard in color just to erase it, but he could just get Tenna to replace it later.

With Mercy occupied, he turned his attention back to the theory board. He'd long since determined that her other father had to be tied into the whole Mike thing somehow, but he should really explore all the possibilities and see how the evidence supported them...

Battat lost track of time, so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly missed the heavy knock that signalled Tenna's arrival. He quickly flipped the board to the inconspicuous doodled Pluey had done of herself on the other side, just in time for the door to fly open.

"Have you see— Oh!" Tenna cut himself off at the visible answer to his question.

"Daddy!" Mercy exclaimed, holding up her whiteboard for him to see.

Battat only caught a glimpse, but he was pretty sure it was a drawing of him.

"Wow, this is very good!" Tenna praised, looking at Battat questioningly.

Battat swallowed nervously. He was probably wondering why Mercy seemed to have taken such a liking to him.

"She came in here," he said lamely. "Maybe she got lost and was looking for Mike?"

Tenna hummed. "What were you thinking, honey?" he asked.

"Papa," Mercy explained, pointing at Battat.

Battat did his best to keep his expression neutral. Tenna shook his head.

"That's not Papa, honey," he sighed. "Papa's busy looking for you."

"It's Papa," she insisted, latching onto Battat's waist.

"Go with your daddy," Battat coaxed, gently prying her arms off and giving her hands a squeeze.

Her lack of gloves gave him a slight shock, but he was far too used to it to react. He could feel Tenna's curious gaze, but he ignored it in favor of Mercy. Her hands were limp in his, her expression confused and upset.

"Papa? It's me," she said pleadingly. "Tell Daddy."

The words "I'm not your Papa" sat on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say them. He didn't know what to say; Tenna was standing right there. He cleared his throat.

"I'll see you later," he promised. "It was fun to hang out with you, but you gotta go with your daddy, okay?"

Despite the small frown on her face, she nodded slowly and turned back toward Tenna, who picked her up.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what got into her," Tenna said. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble?"

"No, she was great!" Battat assured. "She's a really great kid."

He could feel Mercy's gaze boring holes into him, but he did his best to not look at her.

"That's a relief," Tenna sighed. "Thanks for keeping an eye on her."

"No problem," Battat said, his mouth feeling like cotton. "It's lucky I was looking for Mike too."

Tenna hummed in acknowledgment and turned his attention to Mercy. "When we meet up with Mike, I want you to apologize for running off, okay?"

"Okay," Mercy grumbled.

"Chin up, buttercup," Tenna said, lightly pressing his thumb at the furrow in her brow. "No one's mad at you."

She whined and swatted his hand away, a small smile forming on her lips.

"There you go!" Tenna cheered. "Now let's go find Mike."

He headed for the door, and Mercy looked back over Tenna's shoulder. Her smile dropped, the confused and hurt expression returning as she watched Battat. He smiled at her and gave her a small wave.

"Bye-bye, Mercy," he said.

She beamed and waved back. "Bye-bye!"

As soon as they were gone, Battat turned and knocked his head against the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a loud sigh.

He was an idiot. He shouldn't have gotten so careless with Mercy. Her hurt expression at Battat's refusal of her hug and her confusion at Tenna's denial were like knives to his heart. Maybe... Maybe he could still salvage this. Maybe if he just wore the mask all the time, she would eventually forget! She was still a toddler after all.

That wouldn't actually be all that different from what he'd been doing before though, and there two big problems with it. He knew better than anyone that constantly being Mike just wasn't feasible, and Mercy had still recognized him somehow even after not seeing his true face for months. Whether it was his behavior, the sound of his voice, or that she was an exceptionally smart toddler, he couldn't say, and she probably wouldn't be able to explain.

He didn't know what to do. In all likelihood, his time as Mike was going to come to an end very soon, and he wasn't even remotely prepared for it. Battat wasn't one for giving up though. With a little luck, perhaps he could delay the inevitable.

It had been two weeks, and Battat was feeling pretty pleased with himself. He'd successfully avoided Mercy out of costume, and with a bit of convincing, Jongler and Pluey had agreed to be the buffer between him and Tenna in that time. It was a pain in the ass, but they would take Mercy from Tenna and bring her to him. The only times he spent time with Tenna was on the odd occasion she was with Elnina or Lanino instead.

Tenna seemed unusually withdrawn and quiet, which would normally concern him, but he was a bit preoccupied with not having his cover blown. He could guess what was bothering him though. The thought felt like rocks in his stomach, so he tried not to think about it. He should have expected Tenna would throw everything off for him.

He wasn't supposed to be on the stage during equipment inspection, and he definitely wasn't supposed to have Mercy with him. Battat turned away from them, hoping that if he didn't acknowledge them, they would go away.

They were still standing there. He wrote a couple notes on his clipboard. What did Tenna want? Most of the equipment was in working order. Were they standing a little closer, or was he overthinking? One of the lights made an ungodly squeaking noise when it was moved. Oh they were definitely coming over. Two of the mics had frayed wires, probably from Ramb's Maus, though possibly from a hyperactive Shadowguy. Tenna was standing about twenty feet behind him.

He turned in surrender, but Tenna seemed more interested in the big screen that covered most of the backdrop.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. "The colors look so vivid now! Great work, Mike!"

Battat blinked. He'd forgotten about that. "Ah, yeah. It was no big deal. Just like a bigger version a' yours."

Mercy wriggled in Tenna's arms, stopping any answer he might have had.

"Oh, you wanna get down?" he asked.

"Yes! Down now!" she huffed impatiently.

"Alright, alright," Tenna chuckled, carefully setting her on the ground.

The moment he released her, she bolted over to Battat and jumped at him.

"Mer—!" he exclaimed, before her weight knocked him over, setting his head into a spin before he hit the floor.

"Mercy!" Tenna exclaimed in alarm.

In Battat's wooziness from the roll, he could barely detect her pawing at his costume head before popping it off. She poked his cheek a couple times, and Battat gently caught her wrist.

"Yes, hello," he grumbled in defeat.

His luck never held for long.

"Got you," she giggled.

"Mhm, you sure did," he agreed, his eyes flicking past her to see Tenna's shocked and distraught expression.

"Silly Daddy. Told you it's Papa," she declared, looking back at Tenna triumphantly.

Her words seemed to spur Tenna into action, because he crouched down and called out,

"M-Mercy, come here, honeybun."

She dutifully clambered off of Battat, trotted over to Tenna, and hopped into his arms. Tenna propped her up on his hip and stood up, looking down at Battat with a pinched expression.

Battat sat up and licked his lips nervously. "Tenna, I can explain, I—"

Tenna held up a hand, cutting him off and drawing in a shaky breath. "Don't. Not... Not in front of her."

Mercy's brow furrowed as she looked between Tenna and Battat, clearly confused as to why her daddy and papa were suddenly upset.

"I-it's okay, Mercy," Battat soothed. "Your daddy's just really tired."

Tenna shot him a grateful look before letting out an exaggerated yawn. "Man, that's right! I am pretty tired."

Mercy yawned in imitation and smacked her lips blearily, slumping against Tenna's chest.

"Wow, seems like you're tired too! How 'bout I put you down for a nap?"

She mumbled in what Battat could only assume was agreement. Tenna have him a cold look, causing shivers to shoot down his spine.

"I'll be back. Stay here," Tenna ordered, the unspoken "or else" hanging over them.

Battat nodded mutely. His stomach churned, and he swallowed.

To his relief, the remaining staff scattered, leaving him alone. He felt kinda stupid standing there with everything but the costume head on, so he shed the rest, piling it up on the stage and sitting next to it.
Tenna made him wait for half an hour, though Battat couldn't tell if Mercy was being difficult or if it was a torture tactic. If it was, Battat supposed he didn't have a right to complain. What he'd done to Tenna was far worse.

He blinked and found himself staring at Tenna's shiny golden shoes. Supressing a yelp, he scrambled back and bowed, pressing his head to the stage.

"I-I'm so sorry!" he said. "I—"

"I'd like an explanation," Tenna interrupted, "of why you thought it was a good idea to impersonate my friend, and lie to me for years, and bring my daughter into it—"

Tenna's voice cracked, and that, combined with his drooping tail, clued Battat in to the fact that he was more upset than angry. Battat almost felt worse at the realization.

"I was trying to help you," he said pathetically, looking up at Tenna. "You wanted Mike, so I thought I could find him for you, but there wasn't any sign of him, and you were getting worse, so... I thought I could be him. Just until we found Mike."

"'We'?" Tenna prompted, his screen frustratingly dark.

"Pluey and Jongler," he explained. "They helped, b-but it was my idea! Don't blame them!"

"I see," Tenna muttered. "Is that all?"

Battat swallowed. "I, um, I really was looking for Mike. I swear. But he's just vanished. And I began to really like being him. I wanted to be the person closest to you. I liked making you happy."

Tenna hummed. "So you were just thinking about yourself?"

"No!" Battat exclaimed. "I mean, sorta, but you seemed to like me too. And you'd get affectionate with me and trust me more, and I guess I thought that in some ways, I might be better than Mike."

Tenna's tail flicked, and Battat knew he was unimpressed.

"I shouldn't have assumed though. I should have never tried to be Mike in the first place," Battat said regretfully. "I... should have just told you I was looking for Mike from the start. But I really didn't like you then, and being him made more sense because it would get you to stop acting up." He cringed at his word choice. "I— Fuck, that sounds bad. I was selfish and wrong, and I'm so so sorry."

"Were you ever gonna tell me?" Tenna asked, his screen flickering back to life.

His expression was blank, which made Battat even more nervous. He was probably just making things worse for himself, but he knew he couldn't lie or sugarcoat anything now. If he did, there was no way Tenna could ever begin to trust him again.

"If I could have avoided it, probably not," he admitted. "I only realized Mercy knew a couple weeks ago, when she called me Papa out of costume."

"You didn't intentionally involve her?" Tenna asked, crossing his arms.

"No," Battat sighed. "I wasn't very careful when she was a baby, and maybe she remembered me. I don't know."

Tenna was silent for a moment. "I think I've heard enough."

Battat took a deep breath. "I'll take any punishment! You can shun me or banish me to the Cold Place or— Or anything! God knows I deserve it! But if you do, I just have one request," he said.

Tenna gave him a questioning look. "Go on."

"If..." Battat blinked, trying to keep tears from forming. "If you don't want me to see Mercy again... Can I at least say goodbye? She'll be confused if I disappear without warning."

Tenna's expression softened, and he ran a hand over his casing, his antennae bobbing back into place. "You're putting me in a difficult position here," he sighed.

"I'm sorry. I really..." Battat sniffed and rubbed his cheeks. "I really do love you and your daughter. I only want the best for you two, and if that doesn't include me, I... I understand. What I did was such a betrayal of trust."

Tenna laughed incredulously. "You love us? This is too weird for me. I don't even know anything about you!"

"You do!" Battat insisted. "All those things I said and did as Mike... All of that was real! My real feelings!"

"How am I supposed to believe that?!" Tenna asked. "You've been lying about... about everything! You just said you never planned on telling me!"

"It's true though," Battat insisted. "I know you don't have a reason to believe me, but it's really honestly true. I swear on my life!"

"You should have told me!" Tenna shouted. "The moment Mercy got involved, you should have come clean!"

"I know," Battat cried.

"Why didn't you?" Tenna hissed.

"I don't know," Battat said, wiping his face. "I guess I didn't want to lose you."

No matter what he felt now, the truth remained that he hadn't seriously considered doing it. Not even once. He'd been content to ride this lie out. He'd done everything he could to keep it going.

Tenna groaned. "God, she's practically yours now too. I don't really have much of a choice here."

Battat swallowed. He hadn't thought through the ramifications of his actions. He'd only been thinking about how Tenna might react. But with Mercy in the mix, Tenna had to think primarily about her instead of himself. Battat had been unbelievably selfish to push this on Tenna.

He felt like he was going to throw up. The only thing worse than never getting to see them again would be the knowledge that Tenna only kept him around because he had to.

"You do," he said. "I can tell her that I have to leave. That I'm choosing to leave. It'll be my fault, not yours."

Tenna didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. Battat had inserted himself into their lives so intrinsically that whether he was present or not, to Mercy, he would always be Papa. His deception had robbed Tenna of any input on the matter. He was beyond scum. He wished he could curl up and die right on the stage of it would take this burden off Tenna.

Tenna ran a hand over his screen. "I can't even look at you right now."

Battat looked away. "Do you want me to—"

"Go," Tenna ordered. "I need time to think."

Battat nodded and scrambled off the stage, leaving the costume behind. It felt wrong to go back to the Mike room, so he went to the Pippins dorms instead. He crawled into an unclaimed bed and pulled the blankets over his head, hoping against hope that they would leave him alone.

Battat spent two days hiding in the Pippins dorm and feeling like the lowest of the low. The Pippins had harrassed him for an hour the first night, but when he only cried instead of getting mad, they'd decided to stop.

He cried for himself. He'd messed his life up so badly by getting so involved with a Dark World ruler in such a horrible way. There were a lot of good things that came with being close to Tenna, but with the way he did it, it was bound to end poorly. Even if Tenna decided he could stay, things could never go back to normal for him. He'd always miss them; he would feel unfulfilled and empty as just another Pippins.

He cried for Tenna. He'd taken advantage of Tenna's trust for his own gain. He'd selfishly put Tenna in a difficult position and broken his heart by lying and lying and lying. He knew Tenna was fragile and vulnerable, and he had used that to get closer to him under false pretenses. He deserved whatever punishment Tenna had in store for him.

He cried for Mercy. She was just a little kid. She didn't understand what Battat had done. She was completely innocent, but she would suffer the consequences of his lies. He hoped she wouldn't be upset with Tenna. He couldn't bear to imagine her reaction to whatever would happen to him.

By the time the third day rolled around, he felt completely hollowed out. It was then that Jongler appeared with a message from Tenna.

"Tenna don't wanna see youse," they said. "But he's gonna let youse see Mercy."

Battat's heart flipped in his chest. "To say goodbye?" he asked, his voice scratchy from disuse.

They shook their head. "Not yet."

"So in the future then?" he sighed.

"He ain't sure," they said, shrugging helplessly.

That was fair. It was clear Tenna was thinking through this very carefully.

"And he's not mad at you two?" he asked hopefully.

"He... yelled a bit, but he's was just too sad," they said. "We's back to regular work."

"That's good," Battat muttered.

At least he hadn't ruined their lives too.

After a shower and a quick change of clothes—which left Battat feeling much better physically if not mentally—he found himself standing in front of the Mike room. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but things looked almost the same as he'd left them. The papers on his board were askew, and his costume was lying on top of the cabinets, both likely Tenna's doing, but everything else was untouched. As promised, Mercy was waiting for him, flanked by Elnina and Lanino, "fer supervision," as Jongler had put it.

"Papa!" Mercy shrieked in delight, running over to him.

He squeezed her tightly, closing his eyes and trying to memorize the feeling of her in his arms.

"Hello, Mercy," he whispered. "I'm so happy to see you."

Lanino and Elnina move to stand at a distance, which Battat was grateful for. As much as he wished they would leave, he couldn't begrudge Tenna this.

He pulled away from Mercy reluctantly, swiping his fingers under an eye. Free from the hug, he took in her appearance. She looked a little more tired than normal, and her antennae were a little droopy, but otherwise she seemed okay. Though she had a sparkly, poofy purple dress he'd never seen before, which was a little unusual, given his familiarity with her wardrobe.

"What's this?" he asked, plucking at the fabric of the skirt.

"Fairy dress!" she exclaimed. "Daddy made it!"

He should have guessed.

"Hm, he doesn't really make clothes anymore," Battat mused. "You must be really special."

Tenna must be awfully stressed if he was breaking out the sewing machine for relief. At least he was doing something positive, unlike Battat.

"It's really pretty," he praised. "You look very magical."

Mercy blushed and twirled for him, the skirt poofing out dramatically. He clapped in appreciation, and after a couple twirls, she stopped, stumbling a bit.

"Whoa," she giggled. "Spinny."

"How 'bout we sit down?" Battat suggested.

"Okay," she agreed, allowing him to lead her over to the couch.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Fine," she said, her smile dimming. "Daddy's sad. I said you come back soon, but he got sadder."

Battat hummed. "I don't know if I'll be back."

Mercy frowned, bunching her hands in her dress. "You... don't love Daddy?"

"I love him very much," Battat assured, "but I did something bad, so he's upset with me right now."

She mulled his words over before shaking her head. "Daddy forgive you," she said firmly.

Battat chuckled. He wished it could be that simple, but he was the one who had complicated things in the first place.

"It was something really bad," he emphasized. "He'd be right not to."

She frowned, trying to understand. Battat combed a hand through her hair soothingly.

"It's gonna be okay," he assured. "Don't worry about it, baby. Here, do you wanna finish coloring the picture you started last time?"

He grabbed the picture in question from its resting place. Mercy instantly perked up and eagerly snatched it from him. He pushed the coffee table closer to her, allowing her to color from her perch on the couch. While she was distracted, he set about making himself a cup of coffee.

"So," he began in a murmur, "how are things? Jongler didn't tell me much."

Elnina sighed. "Not great."

"But it could be worse!" Lanino added.

"That's not very helpful," Battat sighed.

"He misses you," Elnina elaborated, "but he's trying not to."

Battat frowned. "What does that mean?"

"He'll almost call for Mike, before he gets upset and then acts as though he's completely fine," Lanino said.

"Makes sense," Battat muttered.

Tenna relied on Mike for a lot after all. It had to be difficult for him to suddenly lose that. He probably didn't want to give Battat the satisfaction of being missed. Not that he felt very satisfied. He mostly felt bad.

"Is the show okay?" he asked.

The duo exchanged glances. 

"With some adjustment, it will be," Lanino decided.

"I think he'll forgive you," Elnina said, resting a hand on his arm. "Everyone misses having you around. You're like the glue that holds us together."

"I don't know about that," Battat sighed. "But thanks."

He grabbed his mug and walked back to the couch.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"All done!" Mercy declared, holding up the finished coloring for his approval.

She'd surprisingly been very good at staying in the lines, even if her color choices were a bit unusual.

"It's very nice," he said. "You did a great job."

"Let's play trains now," she said, jumping off the couch and running over to her toy box.

Battat pushed himself off the couch with a groan and followed her.

After a good ten minutes of them assembling what he would consider to be a pretty cool train track, he sat back and watched while Mercy tested it. He took a big sip of his coffee as the train rolled down a hill.

"I wanna sister," she said casually.

He choked, slapping a hand over his mouth and forcing himself to swallow instead of spewing hot coffee all over her. He gagged and choked, tears springing to his eyes.

"You okay, Papa?" she asked worriedly.

Battat cleared his throat. "Yeah," he rasped. "Why, uh, do you want that?"

"To play with!" she said cheerily. "Can I?"

He'd never really thought of it before. Even if the staff was sweet to her, and he and Tenna showered her with love, it was probably a little lonely being the only kid.

"That's um..." he tapped his fingers against his mug. "That's something that me and your daddy would have to discuss."

Assuming Tenna ever wanted to see him again, he didn't even know if it was possible. He didn't want to think about this right now.

Mercy pouted for a moment before brightening with an "Okay!"

His visit ended an hour later, and it was only the assurance that he'd see her soon that got Mercy to let him go. If he had his way, he'd have held her for as long as she wanted, and he'd never leave her again. But he didn't get to have his own way anymore. He had to be satisfied with what he got.

Things continued like that for another week, with Battat only getting to see Mercy for about two hours, and only under supervision. He didn't catch even a glimpse of Tenna either. At least Jongler and Pluey were coming around to see him more often, though bizarrely they were almost more busy than they had been with Mike duties. Battat suspected Tenna had done that on purpose, but he couldn't bring himself to be upset. Tenna was probably afraid they'd collude to kidnap his daughter or something dramatic like that.

Though, with what Battat actually had done, maybe it wasn't all that dramatic an assumption.

Battat had taken to sitting around in one of the console rooms in the back, mindlessly messing around with one of the old games Tenna had stored in there. It beat sitting around in the dorm, and officially, he was on vacation because Tenna didn't want to see him until he'd decided what to do with him. He was nearly about to beat his high score when there was a knock on the doorframe.

He jumped in surprise, pressing the wrong button. He watched in dismay as his character died, a "Game over" appearing on the screen.

"What?" he snapped, whipping his head around to look at the open doorway. "I wa—"

His complaint died in his throat as he registered Tenna stepping into the room.

"Got a minute?" Tenna asked.

Battat wordlessly shut off the console and nodded. He licked his lips nervously. "Y-yeah."

His heart was beating so fast he was sure it would explode, his palms were sweaty, his stomach was twisting into knots, and his throat felt dry.

"Please just get it over with," he said, staring at the ground and balling his hands into fists.

Tenna walked over to him and knelt down, forcing Battat to look at him.

"I've thought a lot about it," he said. "What you did and what you said. I wanted to be sure."

"O-okay?" Battat murmured.

"I decided that... I think you're right," Tenna said softly. "I do know you. You did a lot of things that Mike never would've done, because you aren't Mike. I like having you around. And you proved that you meant what you said."

"I did?" Battat asked, scrunching his face up in confusion.

"You never tried to turn Mercy against me. You told her it was your fault, and you tried to keep her happy anyway," Tenna explained. "And you tried to stay out of my way and give me space."

Battat brought a hand his head to make sure it wasn't spinning. "So... what are you saying?"

"Get to the point, huh?" Tenna laughed.

Battat nodded. Tenna couldn't mean what he thought he did, right?

Tenna took one of Battat's hands in his and squeezed it lightly. "I'll keep it simple. I'm choosing to trust you. I want you to stay with me, and Mercy wants you around too. So I forgive you."

Battat swallowed thickly. This couldn't be real.

"It's real," Tenna confirmed. "But no more lies."

"No more lies," Battat echoed.

With that, he turned and threw up on the floor, which was extremely embarrassing, but Tenna rubbed his back soothingly and cradled him in his arms, so it wasn't all bad.

Battat woke to the sound of conversation in the kitchen. The smell of Tenna's delicious cooking wafted in, and his stomach rumbled in response. Part of him wanted to roll over and go back to bed, but the memory of what day it was and his hunger convinced him to get up. He rolled out of bed and stretched, letting out a sigh before padding into the kitchen.

He climbed into his chair and smiled as Tenna immediately set a plate in front of him.

"Good morning, Battat," Tenna greeted, leaning down.

Battat turned his head, letting the kiss fall on his cheek. "I have morning breath," he grumbled.

"I don't care," Tenna laughed, cupping his cheek and leaning in again.

Battat pressed into him, sighing softly against his lips.

"Good morning, Papa!" Mercy exclaimed.

"Morning," he murmured as he pulled away. "And happy birthday! You're getting so old."

"I'm not old!" she huffed. "I'm three!"

"And that means we have a lot to do today, so eat up!" Tenna said, undoing his apron.

"You're not gonna eat?" Battat asked worriedly.

Tenna laughed. "We already did. You woke up late."

Battat glanced at the clock. "Oh."

"You'll do my hair, right, Daddy?" Mercy asked. "You promised!"

"I did," Tenna said, grabbing her brush and moving to stand behind her. "What does my little princess want?"

"Curls!" she chirped.

"Okay, birthday curls for the birthday girl!" Tenna said, brushing through her short hair.

Battat worked through his meal, watching as Tenna wrapped locks of hair around his finger and zapped them to keep them in place. Mercy babbled excitedly about their plans and her hopes for presents, with Tenna humming and nodding along, making comments whenever appropriate.

Watching them, he felt so unbelievably lucky. If Mike had never left, if Tenna's ex had stuck around, if Tenna had never forgiven him all those months ago, Battat never would have gotten to experience this. He would keep doing everything he could to prove to Tenna that he'd made the right decision. That he'd picked someone who would stick with him forever. 

"Whatcha lookin' at, Papa?" Mercy asked.

"Nothing," Battat said, smiling softly at her. "I love you, Mercy."

She beamed. "I love you too, Papa!"