Chapter Text
The snow beneath Tenna’s feet began creeping through his socks, cold slowly biting at his ankles. He was wandering around the vast cold outside of his studio.
He was definitely lost. His memory was hazy, he couldn’t remember how or why he was so far away from his workplace, but he knew that he was supposed to be looking for something. He only knew he was looking, and he didnt know where it would be and if he had stranded too far. Maybe the thing he should be looking for is himself!
He paused and took a breath. Wind was gently blowing his antennae as he took two and a half turns to take in his surroundings. He saw snow, snow, and even more snow. Taking another long breath out, he just now realised how far he had walked. He looked down at the ground, his footprints werent even visible, the wind had already blew snow over the pits. Which was weird, because it wasn’t windy much at all.
“Maybe I should head back..” Tenna sniffed, as if snot were to come from his digital nose, “I might just catch a cold if I stay out here any longer!”
He couldn’t help cracking a joke. Despite that, he still turned back to where he was walking originally.
He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he just had the strongest gut feeling that whatever he was looking for was utterly important. Should he really stop looking?
He looked between where he suspected his studio was and wherever he would look for the mysterious object.
Tenna took a step away from the studio before rememebering something.
An image of kris flashed in his mind.
“How could I forget! Kris! Susie! I need to see them out! Can’t let them leave without an encore!!”
Tenna started running back to the studio. It felt surprisingly easy to run through the snowy landscape. It actually felt easy to run overall, maybe he still had a bit of adrenaline from the fight..
Tenna slowed to a stop. He took a couple of breaths as he clamped his hands together.
He recalled what he had done earlier. He had had a taste of attention for the first time in who knew how long, and blew it. He ruined what could have been a great adventure and even worse, tortured his #1 viewer! He was blessed to even have been be forgiven!!
“Forget an encore.. I need to speed over there and apologize to them…! To everyone!!!”
Tenna took a running step before hearing his name be called by an all too familiar voice.
He face planted into the snow, skirting a few feet. After a couple heartbeats he got up and shook the snow off himself. His heart was racing while he looked for the origin if the voice.
It couldn’t be, could it..?
His eyes finally locked onto a steadily growing shape in the distance. It was small, smaller then any of the kids. Could it really be him?
As the shadow climbed into sight, Tenna anxiously waited for any hints that it might be his mailman.
Once he could see their silhouette, he knew it was him.
“Spamton!!?” He cried, stumbling toward him.
Once he could properly see him, he noticed that it might not be?
“Spamton..?” He stopped where he was, staring at the puppet who stood infront of him instead if his mailman.
“It’s.. It’s a rat??”
“[Tennis ball] IT IS [it’s me] [[S- SPAMTON G. SPAMTON]]!!!”
“Don’t even try to convince me that you’re him you malnourished rat!! I’m kind of busy right now!!!” Tenna shot back, tapping his foot.
“IM NO [ratatouille]!! LIST[ENG] [Tenor]I AM [#1 rated salesman Spamton G. Spamton-Spamton]!!”
Tenna had no time for this creature. He needed to go back to the kids! (He could even look for that object instead of talking to this guy!!)
“Okay pal, if you really think your the true Spamton G. Spamton, maybe try answering a few quick questions!! Mike! The board please!!”
…
“..Right.” Tenna facepalmed himself.
Of course Mike wouldn’t be able to summon the board out here. They werent on set, nonetheless the studio!
“..Whatever! We can do this without the board.”
Tenna pulled a microphone out from thin air and brought it up to “Spamton’s” face.
“First question! What is Mr. Spamton’s favourite colour?” Tenna quizzed him.
The little rat scoffed before answering “RED.”
“Correct!! But anyone would know that if the tuned into the 1 year anniversary questionnaire! Next question!! When did Spamton join TV Time?!”
“I [I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME]”
“That’s incorrect!! He joined TV Time studio as a mail sorter on October 11, 1998, and eventually made his first appearance on TV time on February 21, 2000!!” Tenna gave the answer effortlessly, he forced himself to remember everything about his spammy mailman.
Third question!! What was Spamton to Tenna??”
“[boobtube] THIS IS [Dumb and Dumber]”
“Answer the question!! Or are you not Spamton G. Spam?”
The Spamton poser glared at Tenna for a moment before finally answering. “WE WERE [101 facts about ships].. [Save the date!! This Jul-]” His voice abruptly cut off before the weird voice clip finished.
An animation of sweat cascaded down his forehead.
“HAHA!! I don’t quite get what you mean!! We didn’t..” Tenna trailed off.
Was this really him? Who else knew that they were together? Elnina and Lanino, maybe Mike..? Would they have told anybody? He swallowed.
“..Final question!! Only the real Spamton G. Spamton would know this! What was the reason Spamton brutally cut himself off from me and never responded ever again??”
Tenna had multiple sweat drops on his screen now. His nose was almost touching the rats rather familliar one. Tenna’s smile was awkwardly wide.
“[Trash heap] I [Sorry, I can’t pick up the phone right now, please call again later.] THAT.”
“TELL ME!!” Tenna grew a foot in size, shaking with the need to know. Know why his sweet partner left him.
The puppet didn’t respond, just looked up at him.
“Tell me Spamton!! WHY!! Who was on the phone? TELL!! ME!!” Tenna pressed.
His claws unsheathed, and he raised his hands toward the little fiend. The microphone was gone by now.
“Tell me!! Or else I’ll..” Tenna stoped himself. He remembered what he had done to those kids. He realised he was doing it again. He sheathed his claws. “I’m sorry. I’m being too violent again, aren’t I?” Tenna sighed.
He promised himself that he wouldn’t do that anymore. That he wouldn’t hurt people for stupid reasons any more. He shrunk more than he grew earlier. His antenna drooped and his screen turned off.
“You are Spamton, aren’t you?” Tenna’s lower lip shivered.
He only nodded.
“Why? Why did you leave me?” Tenna asked fir the final time as tears clouded his vision.
“[I’m sorry, don’t leave me, I want you here with me] I [show don’t tell]”
Tenna exhaled sharply, biting his lip to hide any more unwanted feelings.
He slowly, ver hesitantly reached his hand out to Spamton. He doubted he would get anything reciprocated at all, but it was worth trying.
Instead of what Tenna was expecting, Spamton just jumped up and hugged him. Tenna gasped, screening turning back on as he fell from a crouch to land on his butt.
The tears he had been so diligently holding started to pour from his screen. Finally after ten years, ten years of searching, ten years of suffering, he finally found his Spamton.
Spamton even emitted some sort of bit crushed sob. Did he really miss Tenna as much as he missed him? He doubted that. Why did he come now, of all times? Tears dripped down onto the top of Spamton’s head. He hugged him tighter, rubbing his face against the small puppet.
What even happened to him? Why did he look so different now?
Tenna wished the embrace could’ve lasted longer, but Spamton suddenly let go of Tenna and jumped out from Tennas lap.
He faced away from Tenna as he adjusted his outfit. It could only make him feel warmhearted. Spamton just couldn’t let himself seem vulnerable for too long. It was how he was. He almost started tearing up again.
“[tinnitus] LET”s GO [back to the future] NOWw.] he turned to face him, waving his little nub of a hand.
“R- right! Let’s go see those kiddos!” Tenna stood up and brushed himself off.
Spamton looked away as he nodded, making him look almost.. guilty? He decided to not question it.
He followed Spamton as he lead them back to the studio. It ended up that if Spamton hadn’t come, he would’ve gotten even more lost. The studio was in a totally different spot then where he thought it was.
…
Tenna was his normal size by the time the studio was in sight. He would’ve thought that Kris, Susie, and Ralsei would be there waiting for him, but they weren’t.
As they approached the fountain, Tenna saw something laying on the ground near the Christmas tree where Toriel was supposed to be. It almost looked like.. himself?
…What?
What was happening?
Why was there an exact replica of himself laying in the snow? Where were his arms? His screen was broken. What happened?
What happened? What was this? Was he dreaming? His heart began to race.
“Err? Spamton? Is that a giant plush of me that has no arms and just so happened to be a present you were planning to give me? Or is that just me hallucinating? Honestly, maybe I am! Who knows how long I was wandering around there in the snow? (Seriously though, what is that?)” Tenna tightly gripped the sides of his pants.
Spamton was mute. He didn’t respond. Just kept walking, almost as if Tenna hadn’t even heard him at all. Tenna stopped where he was.
“Spamton? Earth to Spamton!! Don’t tell me you’re ignoring me!!?” Tenna’s antennae whipped back.
He stared at the body near the tree. He couldn’t look away from it. It was him, lying in the snow with his arms chopped off. Spamton didn’t stop.
“Spamton I’m scared. What is this? This isn’t a very good time to play a joke!!” He bit his cheeks. Spamton didn’t stop.
Letting out a broken sort of breath, he quickly ran back up to Spamton. Picking him up by the armpits, he stared into the mailman’s eyes. It was almost like he was avoiding his gaze like the plague.
“Spamton.” He let out another shaky breath. “What is this? What trick are you playing on me? Whatever it is it isnt funny.”
Spamton finally looked at him. His gaze was sympathetic as he held eye contact.
“[Tennis], IM NOT [clown around town]” Even in the disheveled voice that was Spamton’s he could hear the empathy in his voice. “[despite everything its still you]”
“Th- then HOW am I standing here right now!????”
Spamton took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder to Tenna #2.
He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It took a moment before Spamton actually spoke.