Chapter Text
Tenna was late.
Tenna was never late for a shoot.
Everyone was starting to freak out and talk about what was going on.
"Think he… had trouble getting changed?" Elnina asked softly to her husband.
"He'd never get changed any later than 2 hours before filming. I hardly think he had a wardrobe malfunction for 2 hours" Lanino pointed out worriedly, which only helped to increase his wife's concern.
"Maybe he got distracted by something important" Shuttah offered as an answer.
"Or maybe he's doing some 'coping' in his dressing room" a Pippins added unhelpfully, getting a dirty look from the three chatting darkners.
"Don't even insinuate that!" Lanino said in an angry voice, but was quickly calmed by Elnina.
"Well if he ain't's here den he's gots ta be in dere. Doin' what, I dunno. But dat's where everyone saw him last."
They looked to the Zapper slowly, already in agreement that was most certainly the case. The silence lingered for a moment on the set, no one wanting to break the silence and bring up the big, obvious, glaring elephant in the room. Most people probably knew what had happened, they just wanted to think there could be a less uncomfortable reason.
"... … … So… who's checking up on him?" Shuttah asked nervously, looking around and catching the awkward faces of everyone in the room, clearly not wanting to be the one. That awkwardness held until a loud groan was heard from the backstage area, footsteps coming down the walkway stairs.
"Of course none of you will. That's my job after all. Lazy, unhelpful, good for nothing…" the ever outspoken Mike was heard grumbling angrily as he shoved his way past everyone and headed immediately for the changing rooms.
"Pl-please inform us when you find out what happened!" Elnina shouted after him, gaining another groan from him. Then he was gone, rushing down the hallway towards Tenna's whereabouts.
How could Tenna be late!? How could they have not been informed earlier of something being wrong?! How didn't they go to check immediately when he didn't show up at least half an hour before filming started?! Battat was kicking themself for being so stupid and undeservedly optimistic. It was just that Tenna had been so upbeat and happy recently, so no one was expecting another breakdown so suddenly. The Mikes had all kept an eye on him like usual and nothing seemed wrong.
Maybe Tenna was acting a little funny, but nothing too weird. Just small things that could be shrugged off. Like him asking Mike to help him with a script, saying he was having a hard time getting the lines right. Or him throwing his arms around restlessly more than usual. Or him getting a bit more impatient with Mike in the most pouty way possible. Nothing that was concerning.
But here they were, missing out on Tenna having another one of his episodes somehow. They should have been paying more attention!
Arriving at the changing room, Battat stood outside and took a second to listen in on anything happening inside. It was quiet. Not unusual for a situation like this, but still not ideal.
They gave a big knock on the door, hoping it might be enough to snap the host out of his spiral. They didn't expect to hear a startled shriek from the other side.
"Uh- m-mr. Tenna, sir?"
"GO AWAY!!!"
"It's me, boss! Mike!"
"M-m-mike… D-DON'T COME IN!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
That wasn't good. Tenna was never the type of person to wanna be left alone. At least when it came to the people he held close, like Mike or even Elnina and Lanino. That gave Battat both a small hope that it wasn't something serious and a pit in their stomach saying that it was really bad.
"Hey! Come on! It's yer pal! Motormouth Mike! Ya know you can trust me to-"
"JUST GO!!!"
They weren't getting anywhere like this. "Sir, you're late for filming. Ya got the whole crew waiting on you!"
"I DON'T CARE! JUST GO AWAY ALREADY!"
Ok, now he was just being difficult. He couldn't make everyone prepare an episode and then bail on them. That wasn't very professional of him. So, despite feeling bad about going against their boss' orders, they opened the door and entered the dressing room.
The room was brightly lit like normal, but with no obvious TV heads in sight. So they walked further in and glanced around for him, wondering where he could be. But eventually, they found him huddled up behind the privacy screen, tucked into the corner while hugging his legs tightly. He was basically just a big ball trying to hide wherever he could fit. It made Battat frown, getting annoyed with him already.
"Sir. Come on. What's wrong?"
He only responded with a grumpy whine, shifting away from them and continuing to hide his face. They crossed their arms and tapped their foot impatiently. The noise seemed to make Tenna tense.
"Mr. Tenna, ya know I'm here to help you, but ya gotta tell me what's wrong so I can help!"
"I don't want your help! I just wanna be alone!"
"Sir! Everyone is worried about you! You didn't show up and gave no warning or explanation for it! I think you owe them something at least!"
The TV whimpered miserably and reached up to pull on his antennae, growing more stressed from all these demands. They didn't notice it until they stepped closer, but Tenna seemed quite a bit smaller than usual. That did tend to happen when he was having an episode. They felt a little confused on how to proceed, seeing as they were given nothing to work with. So while he was turned away, they sent a message to the other two to come and give them a hand. Maybe Jongler or Pluey could get through to him.
"... … … Why are you still here?"
"I'm sorry, but it's my job to keep the show going when you're having issues. Or cancel it when you're having issues issues. So I need-"
"No! I don't wanna!"
That took them off guard, hearing the CRT speaking in such a blunt, hostile, petulant way. It sounded so juvenile. So unlike the charismatic gameshow host and very different from his insecure and anxious self while having a bad day. It felt weird.
"What do you mean 'you don't wanna'??? You have to! It's your job!"
"NO!!! NO NO NO! I DON'T WANNA DO IT! I DON'T WANNA!" Tenna had started shouting at them again, this time with a tearfilled voice that betrayed exactly what was happening on the screen facing the wall.
"Mr. Tenna…?"
"IDONTWANNAIDONTWANNAIDONTWANNA!" he continued loudly proclaiming whilst covering the sides of his head, a subtle hiccup sneaking into his ramble as he began to shiver.
Ok. This was really freaky now. This wasn't Tenna. At least not the Tenna they knew. He would never devolve into this type of childish argumentation. He probably wouldn't even fight Mike about it this hard in the first place. He was rather compliant a lot of the time, which made this even more strange.
They heard the door quietly open and close, followed by the other two Mikes approaching the screen where small Mike was standing. They quickly pointed to Jongler and motioned them to take over, which they did. The tall microphone hopped behind the screen and over to Tenna, kneeling down beside him.
"Hey. What's da matter, boss? Why're you's upset?"
The gentler voice seemed to coax Tenna to at least turn and look at Mike, sniffling and gasping between sobs. He was still shaking, messing with his antennae roughly. Jongler decided to slowly move to take his hands away from them, knowing how sensitive they were.
"Please don't do dat. It's gotta hurts."
His frown only grew into a grimace, wavering with fresh, harsher sobs. Tears rolled down his screen and he gripped onto the hands clutching his.
"I-I-I… I… c-c-can't go."
"Why's dat?"
"Because they'll hate me!"
"Huh? Whys would dey hate you?"
"B-b-because I didn't come! I made them wait for me! So they hate me!"
Jongler let go of his hands and instead sat down beside him to rub his back calmly. They noticed how small he was right then, almost close to their own height. "Dey ain't hate you. Just worried."
"B-b-but I can't do it! I can't do it! They'll hate me for messing up!"
"Messing up what?"
"The show!"
"Why do ya think you's gonna mess it up?"
"Because I will! I can't do it! Everything is wrong! I forgot everything I was gonna say, the lights are too bright, I keep stumbling and dropping stuff, my clothes feel tight and I can't stop crying!" He sounded so devastated as he leaned against Mike for support, finding it easier to talk with this one instead of small Mike.
But Jongler caught onto something in particular in his rant. "Oh. Ya suit ain't sittin' right? Yeah, dat's da worst. My suit gets real itchy sometimes. Makes it hard to focus."
"R-really?" Tenna muttered weakly and glanced back up at Mike, sniffling and pressing even closer to them.
"Yeah! No wonder you's forgot your lines. I forget da mouthwash Mike thing all da times because da suit keeps rubbin' me wrong."
That seemed to make Tenna laugh softly, hearing them mess up the name again. Battat facepalmed themself at this idiot's inability to get the name right, but felt thankful for it right then as it at least made Tenna cheer up a little.
"Wanna get changed?" They then asked, taking the CRT by surprise. He looked away and shyly wrung his hands together.
"... … … Yes" he mumbled shamefully.
"Alright. Come on, boss." Jongler stood up and helped the shaky man on the floor up to his feet, still supporting him as they took him towards the couch. Battat and Pluey quickly rushed to hide behind a full body mirror, glancing out at Jongler as they sat Tenna down carefully.
"Dere we go. Let me just gives ya some privacy" they said and motioned to the screen again, suggesting they wait back there for him to change. He looked at the screen before turning his face towards the floor, nodding meekly and pulling on the collar of his suit. So the disguised Zapper quickly dashed back to behind the screen and waited for someone else to take over for them. They felt that they weren't gonna get much more out of him.
But as they waited for Tenna to finish changing, they soon heard a distressed whine coming from him and all peeked out in confusion. Tenna seemed to be starting to cry again, hands fumbling with the buttons and failing to open them. "I- I c-can't get it off! I can't get it off!" He yelled as the tears started up again, only making it harder on himself to undress.
Battat could tell this wasn't good. So they grabbed Pluey by the arm and dragged him over towards the couch, throwing him over to Tenna before diving behind it. Cat Mike stood awkwardly in front of him, watching him flail helplessly at his own chest while sobbing uncontrollably.
"Here, boss. Let me help you with that" Battat said from behind the couch, hinting for Pluey to do just that. He quickly caught on and reached out to assist in unbuttoning the suit. It was a little awkward with his microphone gloves on, but he had enough flexibility in them to at least manage that. Once it was off, Tenna looked down at his dress shirt and nudged his fingers together nervously. He obviously didn't want to ask for more help, but wouldn't be able to take it off himself, if the mishap with the prior layer was any indication.
"Uh… what would you like to change into, boss?" Battat asked hesitantly, looking back at the closet in the corner of the room.
"... … … I… don't…"
"It's ok. Whatever you's want" Jongler spoke up, suddenly appearing beside their fellow Mike and startling them, almost giving away the cover.
"... Can… can I… get some jammies?"
Pluey looked up in surprise, not expecting to hear Tenna say 'jammies' of all things. Battat was equally shocked, giving the responsibility of answering to Jongler. "Of course, boss. Give me a second."
They both started pointing towards the closet in the back, making Pluey snap out of his shock and immediately run to rummage through the closet for some pyjamas. He found two pairs. The normal star covered button up ones and a more casual Super Smashing Fighters themed tee with matching pants. He turned and held up the pair, silently asking which one.
"Uh- which one do ya want? The star ones or the Smashing Fighters one?" Battat asked, not sure themself on which was best.
Tenna perked up slightly at the question, getting a little giddy at the last alternative. He didn't hesitate before answering with the last one. So Pluey ran back over to him with a big smile, placing the set down and starting to undo his dress shirt. It took very little time, leaving the host in only his pants. He shifted uncomfortably at the thought of Mike helping him get his pants off. It felt really gross for some reason, even though something like that would usually not bother him as much. Sure, it was weird, but now it just felt really yucky.
He was brought back to reality as the pyjamas were put onto his lap. He looked up to see the cat smile at him and cover his eyes in an exaggerated manner, making him giggle softly at the silly gesture. He took a while to get changed, but was eventually dressed in the pyjamas and sat comfortably on the couch, relieved to be out of the suit.
"So. Now that you're in better clothes, wanna tell me what happened?"
Tenna stiffened and yelped out a startle, feeling himself shrink a bit at the question. He was reluctant to talk about it. He frankly couldn't even talk about it because nothing had happened. Everything had been going fine until he had changed and was rehearsing his lines. He couldn't read the text, like at all. It was impossible to even comprehend what was written on the paper, which seemed to be a development that had started about a week ago. But this was the worst it had gotten. Plus he was getting really overwhelmed by the bright lights in the changing room and the suit thing started to really bother him. It all just kept building and building until he couldn't take it anymore and collapsed into a sobbing mess.
He was, again, brought back to the moment as a weight suddenly appeared on his lap. He looked down and saw Mike sprawled out over his legs on the couch, rolling over to his back and swishing his tail against the TV's arm. Tenna smiled softly and started rubbing his tummy, gaining a satisfied purr from him as he took his other hand into his own.
" Can you tell me what's wrong?" Battat asked, picking up on his difficulty speaking pretty fast.
"Um… I don't know… it's hard to explain. Lots of stuff, stupid small stuff. Don't know why…"
"Like what?"
"... The lights are… They're hurting my eyes…"
"Um… ok? Maybe… uh… w-we can go back to your bedroom instead! That should be a good change of scenery!"
He liked that idea. He wanted to not be in the changing room anymore. He wanted to get as far away from the production part of the studio as possible. So he nodded with a soft hum, still petting Pluey in order to soothe himself.
Battat peeked over the back of the couch and motioned for Pluey and them to switch out. So the cat jumped out of his lap and ran around the back, scaring Tenna briefly before he was replaced by the short microphone, offering him their hand. He accepted, getting up to his feet and, shockingly, not towering over them at all. He was still significantly taller, but way shorter than normal. He was probably even shorter than Jongler at this point. Why was he so small still? Wasn't he comfortable? He should have returned to his usual height by now.
But they didn't question it out loud as they led the way towards the star's private room. The other two trailed behind far enough so there was no way for them to be noticed. But Tenna was far too distracted to notice them anyway. He was just looking down at Mike quietly and thinking. He felt the need for contact in some way, something to ground him and help him not to get lost in this thick mind fog that was growing more and more dense. He felt lost and confused, like he wasn't familiar with his own studio or his own body, like everything was growing around him and dwarfing him in comparison. It was scary. He didn't like it at all.
Without thinking, he had reached out and grabbed Mike's hand, stopping him completely in his tracks. He turned to look at him in shock, hand stiff in the other's grip. Tenna felt so stupid for doing that. Why did he do that? It was dumb and he was being a dummy.
"S-sorry, Mike. Sorry…" he mumbled and turned his head away from him. But he couldn't let go of his hand. He tried to release his grip, but just couldn't do it. It was frustrating and made him feel so upset again. Why couldn't he control his own body?! Why was everything so hard?! Why couldn't he understand anything?!
"Hey… um… it's alright. J-just breathe, ok? I don't mind if ya… need some support. Seems like you're not feeling yourself right now, so I better be here to help ya out. We'll get ya right back to normal, alright?"
Battat tried to keep their voice composed and reassuring, knowing that whatever was happening was just as frightening to him as it was for them. The poor guy was barely functioning properly, wobbling slightly as he walked and unable to do any precise hand movements. Whatever it was, it had Tenna reduced to a small and helpless lookalike of the showstopping TV Time host. He needed someone to take care of him right then.
"Alright, Tenna?" They asked again as they moved his head to look at them, giving the most reassuring smile they could muster. That seemed to do the trick, as he soon gave a resigned nod and a meek, "Ok."
The walk was mostly quiet, save for the occasional word of comfort from Mike as they made their way through the empty studio. Lucky for them that everyone was still waiting by the set. The disguised Pippins would tell everyone that the episode was cancelled, but didn't want to have them all out and about until Tenna was in his room and away from any prying eyes. He was fragile right then. He couldn't handle any more attention.
Soon enough, they reached the door to Tenna's room without any trouble, aside from the CRT almost stumbling over his own feet once or twice. But he was fine, Battat caught him before anything could go wrong. They opened the door and ushered Tenna inside. But before entering themself, they turned to the other two that were sneaking over and whispered to them, "Jongler, inform everyone on the set that today's stuff is cancelled. Don't give any specifics, at all. Just say it's private. Pluey, could you make sure no one tries to bother him and that everything is running properly? I'll try to handle Tenna for now."
They both gave them a salute before running off to complete their given tasks. The Pippins sighed, feeling like this was going to be a long and confusing night for them. But they composed themself and turned around to lock the door behind them before walking over to Tenna. To their surprise, he was sitting on the floor and messing with a bobblehead of himself. He seemed absorbed in the activity, not noticing himself nibbling on something he picked up.
"H-hey" Battat called out, but kept their voice low so it wouldn't alarm the man. They rushed over and pulled the thing away from his mouth, finding that it was just a pencil. A thoroughly chewed pencil at that. It had only been a few seconds, how fast can he chew?
"S-s-sorry, Mike…" he mumbled and dropped it on the table, putting his hands in his lap shamefully.
"I-i-i-it's fine! I just… uhhh… nevermind. Do you need something?"
He looked down at the table quietly, not entirely sure what he did need. He needed something for sure, but what was alluding him. It was hard to pinpoint the thing, it was more so just a desire for calm and security. But that wasn't a very helpful thing to say. What was Mike supposed to do with that?
"... … … Dunno. Head feels weird…"
"Does it hurt?"
He answered with a head shake and a mumbled, 'mh mh' in lue of an actual no. It didn't really hurt. He felt a little lightheaded but it wasn't painful, unlike earlier with the bright lights. But Mike still helped him up and started leading him towards the bed. "How about you lie down anyway? Get comfortable."
Tenna put up no struggle and simply allowed himself to be handled with such care. It felt nice, making him feel even more fuzzy in the brain. It was like there was a layer of static over his thoughts, making them harder to access and use properly. He could only really think and communicate simplicially, anything more complicated getting lost in the fog.
Once he was tucked into bed, he glanced up at Mike, waiting for the usually vocal man to say something else.
Battat faltered under the gaze, unsure what else to do. They were absolutely not leaving him alone like this, lest he fall out of bed and hurt himself or his condition turn critical. No, he was in need of someone to watch over him right then and damn it if that wasn't what being Mike was all about! Even if the real Mike didn't care about that principle when Tenna needed him most, instead opting to disappear without a trace.
They shook their head to clear up their wandering thoughts, telling themself that they could ruminate on that later. Tenna was top priority right then.
"Hey, do you feel tired? Or hungry?"
A head shake to both of those things. Damn, guy gave them nothing to work with here! Alright, think, think… What might help Tenna feel more relaxed…?
"... Game?" The television spoke up quietly, shyly hiding himself slightly under the blanket so Mike couldn't see his blushing screen.
Game??? What the hell does he mean by a game??? Why is he acting like a-
No, Battat. Don't start to spiral into making sense out of all of this. He's not feeling like himself right now. Just humour him and make him feel safe.
"Alright. What game? Something quick and simple, maybe?"
Tenna put a thoughtful finger to his lips before lighting up with a bright grin. "Oh! I spy! That's simple!"
"Good choice. Yeah, we can do that. Do you wanna start?"
He nodded happily before exploring the room with his eyes, inspecting all the beautiful and intricate details. "Hm… I spy with my little eye… something… brown!"
Battat looked back at the room with a hum and did the same scan as Tenna did before. "Hrnnnngggg… is it… the bedside table?"
"No."
"Maybe… the vanity?"
"No! That's red!"
"That's clearly some sort of rosewood color or something!"
"That's not brown!"
They groaned and rolled their eyes. "Whatever! So… is it… the door?"
"Nope! Try again!"
"Ghhhh… is it… … the bed frame?"
"Yes! You got it!"
"Alright! Sweet! Guess it's my turn! Well my thing is-"
"Hey! You didn't say the thing!"
"Ugh. Do I have to?"
"YES!"
"Fine! Fine. I spy with my little eye… something green."
"Umm… hm…" Tenna looked around, trying really hard to find something that was green in the room. "... … … The cactus?"
"Nope."
"Nghhhhhhh… the… um…"
"Need a hint?"
"No! I got it!"
They couldn't help the laugh escaping at his grumpy reply, finding his childish reactions kind of endearing right then.
"Ummmmmm… is it… oh! Is it the floor?"
"The heck? You actually got it!"
"Yay! Only two guesses!"
"Ha ha ha! Alright, ya big gloat! It's your turn."
"Alright, ok! I spy with my little eye, something red!"
"... Is it the vanity?" Battat asked incredulously.
"Nope! But you just agreed it's red!"
"Damn it!"
Tenna laughed before giving them a light push, barely able to even tilt them with how weak it was. "No swearing!"
"Yeah yeah" they grumbled before smirking amusedly at the little blep Tenna's face made at their resignation. "Is it… the couch?"
"No!"
"The armchair?"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Your bobblehead?"
"Noooo!"
"Your sheets?"
"Nope nope nope!"
"The eyes of the shadow on the wall?"
Tenna shot up straight and turned to look in the direction the microphone was looking, only to find nothing there. He heard them cracking up and turned with a frustrated blush on his face.
"Seems like my next guess would be your cute face now!" They snickered into their hand.
"Not funny!" The TV exclaimed before falling back into bed with his arms crossed and a pout on his face. The Pippins took a moment to compose themself before reaching out and rubbing his head.
"Awe, c'mon! I'm only teasing!"
Tenna just huffed and sank further back into the pillows under his head, grumpy in the same way a little kid would be.
"Ok, ok. I give up. What was it?"
"... … Your bowtie."
They looked down at the bowtie on their costume, feeling silly for not even considering that. They laughed gently and gave him a pat on the head. "Shoot! Ya got me with that one. How can I ever beat an I spy mastermind such as yourself?"
Tenna started laughing excitedly and grinned at the man beside him, feeling really good about his victory and Mike's compliment. It was ridiculous and clearly said flippantly, but it felt special to him for some reason.
"I win! Thank you bowtie for helping!" He gave a giddy thanks to Mike's bowtie of all things, making Battat feel another chuckle escaping them from just how silly it was. He was being such a goofy goober. It was honestly kinda cute, in the same way a kid was being cute when they got really excited about things.
Something seemed to click for the Pippins right then, considering how many times they had compared Tenna's behaviour to that of a child. It all just seemed to be reminiscent of a little kid. Even the coordination issues and the unsteady balance reminded them of someone very young who hasn't quite mastered their motor functions yet. Was Tenna… turning into a kid???
No no no! That's ridiculous! How would that even be possible!? He's just… sick! Yeah! Just sick! He's probably running a fever right now if I just-
Battat placed their hand on Tenna's screen, making him look up at the hand with innocent curiosity. "What are you doing?"
He's… he's completely normal. But… why… could it be another illness without fever symptoms? Could it have something to do with his mental state? L-like he got so overwhelmed that his brain just shut down so he wouldn't have to process it! That- that… would… actually make a lot of sense. Is he… trying to feel like a kid to avoid the darker stuff happening in his head?
"Mike…? Did I… do something bad?" Tenna asked nervously, pulling the blanket up further, as if it would protect him from danger. They couldn't help the coo that escaped them, feeling like crap for making him say that in such a sweet and timid voice. They weren't exactly a fan of kids, but they also didn't like seeing someone so helpless be hurt and scared.
"No! Of course you didn't, buddy- I mean boss! I was just thinking about something!"
"... … …" Tenna stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly considering something before speaking again. "I… I like buddy more…"
"Oh! A-alright then! Buddy it is!"
Battat rubbed his head gently and watched him smile back up at them. It felt… sweet. Just being able to soothe the guy like this was satisfying in a way that made them feel big and capable. They were so good at handling anything thrown at them!
"Hey. Think you might feel better if you take a little nap."
Tenna shot up straight and looked at them like they were suggesting to cancel the whole show. "What?! I don't wanna sleep!"
"Are you sure? You look completely beat!"
He crossed his arms and pouted stubbornly at them. "Am not! I'm not tired at all!"
"Alright. Then… how about I put on one of your bedtime programs?"
That earned the Pippins a suspicious glare as he remained seated, eyeing the TV in the room occasionally. "So you can make me go to sleep?"
"What?! Noooooo! I would never!" They replied light-heartedly as they watched him for a reaction. He simply huffed and looked away, turning his nose up at the joke.
"Ok. Then how about we… watch something else?"
"... Like what?"
"Like uh… one of those old western movies! That should keep you wide awake, right? Horseback riding, gunslinging, lasso throwing action to keep you on your toes!"
That was the ticket, gaining Tenna's interest as he agreed with it quickly. Battat laughed proudly and went to prepare the movie for them to watch.
*~*~*
It went… not completely as planned.
While at first Tenna was watching with wide eyes and excitement, the thrill quickly died down at the first gunshot. He jumped at the sudden noise and grabbed onto Battat from the freight. They turned to him and rubbed his arm, sitting comfortably on the bed next to him. There was actually quite a lot of space for both of them to fit, seeing as the CRT was still the same size as when they left the changing room. It also made it a lot less suffocating when he squeezed them in his arms from another loud bang coming out of the speakers.
"Hey. Hey. You alright, buddy?"
"S-sorry… it surprised me."
"You want me to turn it off?"
"N-no! I'm fine! I'm… I'm big and strong! I'm not scared of anything!"
They frowned before pulling him in a little closer, giving him a light squeeze of reassurance. "Hey, it's fine to be scared. Loud noises can really rattle you, ya know?"
"I'm fine! I'm not-"
Before he could finish, an explosion went off from the TNT the bad guy had planted around the bank. It was worse than the gunshots, causing Tenna to scramble back and quickly dive under the blanket, shaking like a cold wet dog during a thunderstorm. Battat paused the movie before they shimmied over and lifted the blanket to look at the cowering darkner underneath.
"Little buddy? Are you ok? You're sure you don't want to change to another movie?"
Tenna covered his face, both out of fear and embarrassment from Mike seeing him act like that. He didn't like feeling so small and defenceless, jumping at the littlest of things and crying like a baby. He was acting like a wimpy toddler!
"Hey…"
He looked up, seeing Mike offer him another hug. He crawled back out and accepted the invitation for more comfort, despite feeling embarrassed about needing it less than a minute ago. His head was making so little sense and he didn't have the willpower to question it.
"Maybe cowboy action isn't the right thing for you right now. Let's find something else and continue this one when you're ready."
He hesitantly nodded into Mike's shoulder and held onto him tightly until he could hear the current movie being removed. Instead, his caretaker decided to pop in a musical. Maria Poppers would be fine. The movie started and the two got themselves comfortable again, Tenna hanging onto Mike's arm despite the scary stuff being over.
"What's with the clinging, buddy?" The disguised Pippins asked with a playful lilt to their voice, giving the CRT another pat on the head. He looked away with a faint pink blush on his screen, moving a little closer at the harmless teasing.
"... I don't wanna be alone."
"Good, because I ain't leaving."
He looked surprised, turning to the slightly smaller darkner with a stunned expression frozen on his face.
"I can't feel confident in leaving you alone like this! You need someone to watch out for you right now, more than usual. I'm not going anywhere until you feel like yourself again."
After a few more seconds of stunned silence, a smile spread across the TV's screen and tears were pooling in his invisible eyes. He dove back into the other's shoulder and thanked them weakly between sniffles.
… … … Yeah. I made the right call. He needs me right now. I'm not going to let him get hurt like this.
The movie played as normal and Tenna was watching with rapt attention as he held Battat to his chest like a plushie. And that was fine. They actually didn't mind this time, unlike most other times that the host would randomly hug them or pick them up. This was gentle, done out of a need for security rather than just friendly affection.
It had only been about an hour before they felt something nudging the top of the costume head. Looking up, they saw Tenna leaning against them, sleepily staring at the movie while obviously not paying attention. They hummed out a soft chuckle before pulling the blanket up over him, making him sigh softly and nuzzle up with Mike in the bed. His screen was dimming, signalling that he was about to fall asleep.
"Goodnight, buddy."
"Night-night, papa."
Battat froze, feeling like they just had water splashed in their face. That nickname or tongue slip or whatever it was supposed to be hit them like a ton of bricks and almost knocked the sense right out of them. They turned to question that strange word choice, but stopped as soon as they saw the dark screen of the sleeping TV.
He's… asleep. Huh… I… that… was so weird. Did he mean to call me that?! Did he think I was someone else?! Who would this other person be?! The real Mike?!?! Was Mike Tenna's DAD!?!?!?!
They stopped panicking as they heard a soft jingle from the TV, looking up to see the nanny tucking in a child for bed while singing a sweet lullaby. They huffed quietly and sank further into the bed, their mind swirling with conflicting emotions and burning questions.
Hm. There's no way he was his dad. Aside from it being logically impossible and absolutely insane… … … you can't call someone who would abandon his own kid a father.
Battat reached out and wrapped one arm around Tenna, electing to not think about that anymore and try to get some sleep as well. Maybe they would feel better after a nap too.