Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The living room was quiet. If you ask anyone, it was too quiet for a house with two kids in it.

Somewhere near the kitchen, the fridge hummed. A pot sat cold on the stovetop. The smell of reheated soup lingered in the air, and Kris sat upside-down on the couch, legs hanging over the back, head nearly touching the floor.

"You're gonna fall and hit your head, Kris," Asriel muttered without looking up from his math worksheet. Kris replied by shaking their head side to side, hair dusting the floor as their headband loosened slightly.

On the fridge was a note in their mother’s clean cursive: 'Back late. Leftover stew from Asgore in the fridge. Do NOT touch the thermostat. -Mom'

Asriel had dutifully microwaved the stew. Kris had dutifully avoided it. They hated their dad's cooking, and reheating only meant double the amount of damage. A risk they weren't willing to take. Cookies sounded better, but despite having the ingredients, nobody had time to make them, apparently.

So, instead of sitting in there, they had both migrated to the living room, where the big, old, CRT TV loomed like a dormant creature from some older time. Dust clung to its sides. The remote was probably hidden in a couch cushion somewhere, channels being changed by using the TV's buttons. It barely worked on a good day, always sticking to a select few channels.

Kris suddenly flipped over and sat up, scrambling over to Asriel in the middle of the carpet and pushing them aside by their face. They grabbed a red crayon and began writing frantically on the back of their homework. Asriel wasn't affected too much by this behaviour and moved Kris' hand away, looking at the page. "What do you want now?"

The note said something along the lines of: 'The TV. Sideways. We can lie down and see it. Like. . . side way movie night.'

Asriel squinted and laughed softly. "That's dumb."

Kris grinned and didn't listen to their warning, already dusting themselves off and beginning to try and push the heavy TV.

A pause. Asriel sighed. "Fine. But if it breaks, you're telling Mom."

Asriel approached the TV like it was a sacred object. It was heavy, and awkward, and sat atop an old wooden stand that creaked when Kris tugged on the wires and cords behind. With a pillow placed on the floor, Asriel helped, muttering warnings the whole time but knowing they couldn't convince Kris otherwise.

It took effort, some stumbling, and one near-toe-crush incident, but finally- finally- they managed to somewhat tip it sideways, off the stand, and attempt to gently lower it onto the pillow, the screen now facing sideways.

"Success," Asriel whispered, dramatically collapsing beside it. Kris lay next to them, but their older brother was still unsure. "This is so dumb, let's get to the couch. I'll plug it back in."

As Kris got up first, the TV made a soft clicking noise. Probably mechanics inside resting or just some other logical explanation. Both kids turned to look. The screen, dark moments before, flickered. A single line of blue raced across the middle, then split into four. It glowed faintly, a pulsing beat.

". . .D-did you touch something?" Asriel asked, scooting back. Kris shook their head frantically, looking over to see it wasn't plugged in, so how was it on? The screen went completely white, a low hum emitting from it. Then, a vertical line of static appeared, squirming like a worm.

"Kr-" BOOM 

A loud bang happened internally. Thick, black smoke hissed out of every direction, both children covered their faces and winced. "Mom's gonna kill us, Kris!"

Still too worried to look, the TV lifted- stood Upright. All on its own-? A mechanical whrrrr echoed from inside it. The base groaned as the heavy machine righted itself with slow, unnatural grace, clicking in place like it was clicking its joints after an eternal slumber.

Kris ran over and took hold of Asriel, backing away, eyes wide as they grabbed their brother's sleeve and tugged. Asriel followed along as they both hid behind the couch.

"HELLOOOOOOOO, MY FAITHFUL VIEWERS!" a voice boomed from the speakers in the sides. Once just a screen, there now stood a figure- tall, flickering, humanoid but stretched like an old VHS tape paused at the wrong moment.

From spinning test patterns, there was now a 'face' as a fuzzy screen with a simple cone-shaped nose, mouth beneath with teeth just as shiny. Two bent antennae stuck out wildly. His suit was bright red with a shiny 'TV' badge stuck on it.

"WELCOME! WELCOME!" he said as he began to bow frantically, the sound of an audience cheering emitting from him. "You're JUST in time for today's LIVE PREMIERE!"

As the two of them crouched behind the couch, they tried to focus on not breathing too loudly. Peeking just barely over the cushion’s edge, this wasn't good.

The figure- whoever, whatever he was- was now examining the coffee table. "Wow! What a set! Really going for the suburban-void aesthetic, huh? Who's your production designer, sadness?" It leaned over and slapped it's knee, hand waving frantically as if to say 'stop'.

"I'm KIDDING! This is a lovely home you've got, you two. Now don't be shy, come out, I KNOW you're hiding!" He leaned down to sniff a half-empty juice box, curious. Then stuck a tongue out to try it. Static hissed.

Asriel whispered, "What is that thing? And more importantly, how do we get rid of it-?" Kris just shrugged their shoulders. They seem oddly unfazed at this whole event now. "Who even ARE you?!" Asriel called before slapping his hands over his own mouth. It looked his way. Or he assumes it did.

The figure paused, straightened itself as much as it could in the short room, then turned slowly toward the couch. "Well, I'm your GOOD friend, Tenna! You named me after all, Asriel." His voice switched tones all the time, from old-timey radio to cartoon jingle to quiet news anchor, empathise on certain words.

"Look, I don't know what's happening, but BOY is it GOOD to finally speak so freely to you both! And might I say, this room looks a lot prettier from this angle. But hey! It’s really nice to be out of syndication!"

Kris and Asriel didn’t respond. Tenna wandered toward the microwave, pressing buttons that did nothing. And then he got smaller, shrunk somehow. Now standing at an appropriate height where he could stretch properly, only his antennae getting caught in the doorframes now and then. "Where’s craft services when you need 'em? Am I right? Haha! Ha-."

He tapped his chin at the lack of a response. Then, turning around sharply, he pointed both fingers toward the hallway. "Bathroom's that way, right?" Neither child answered. "Ehhhh. . . I'll hold it."

With the tough crowd, his posture faltered slightly, seeming less confident. Then, with an idea, he strolled the best he could towards the TV stand. "Stay tuned, Kiddos."

And with a quick puff of smoke, it was like nothing happened. Just their regular, same, and dusty TV sitting there, a flicker of white and then the empty nothingness reflecting their confused expressions.

The room was silent. Asriel turned to Kris. "We're telling Mom." Yet Kris was clearly reluctant, crossing their arms and flicking their head side to side. But Asriel pushed. "She needs to know-"

Kris went and grabbed the crayon and homework again, scribbling that 'They take TV'.

Asriel hesitated. "If we wait, it- that-. . . Tenna might come back! Who knows what it wants? Kris, it's unsafe."

Kris was clearly upset, and Asriel was completely unsure of what to do. Torn between safety and loyalty. The safety of everyone was at risk because of this unknown being in their house, but Kris would be so sad and probably hate Asriel forever and ever! So, he tried to choose both.

Their parents came back about an hour later, shopping in both of their hands as they unpacked everything in the kitchen. Asgore mentioned something about the food and Kris could only wince. They decided to have some toast instead.

As both the kids enjoyed spreading their own jam on the toast, Toriel settled down and grabbed her book along with her reading glasses. On the other hand, there was Asgore, taking up practically the whole couch, unlike Toriel in her chair, as he put his feet up from walking all day.

"Be a dear and turn the TV on, would you?" He said with a vague gesture towards the general direction of the device. Toriel somewhat scowled but tapped the power button anyway, only to get no response.

Standing up, she sighed and placed her book down, looking behind the TV. "Asriel? Kris? Have you unplugged the TV?" She somewhat yelled to be heard from behind there. They both froze up, exchanging a quick glance to each other that their mother couldn't see.

"Uh, we just wanted to save power? It made a weird noise." Asriel made up quickly, putting a thumbs up to Kris.

"A weird noise? Perhaps it's time for a new television then. . ." At this, Kris shook Asriel aggressively, jam on their hands now all over his jumper.

Asgore looked over at them both at this reaction but assumed they were just playing about. Asriel once again yelled over to their mother. "N-no. There was no noise. Weird noise? I meant- weird. . . Uh. Nothing."

Once it was powered back on again, the kids held a breath, like it would magically come to life again, but nothing happened.

What was so different now? How did Tenna control such a thing?

Brushing their teeth for bed, Kris was done quite quickly, heading into their shared room, as for Asriel, he stayed behind a little longer.

"Mom?" His voice was soft, quiet due to the night but also from something else. Toriel looked down and smiled softly.

"What seems to be the matter, hun?" Her voice was just as soft, it was warm and welcoming. Just like the pies she made. Asriel debated telling her, saying what they really saw today. But what if Kris is right? It was way too heavy on their mind.

"Nothing. I love you." He said defeated, washing his toothbrush and putting it away.

"Well, I love you too. Now let's get you to bed." And with that, the night felt long. Kris stayed up most of it, sitting there watching the door. Astriel tried to sleep but kept their lamp on just in case.

What had they gotten themselves into?

Chapter Text

The school day had been long and noisy, but as they pushed through the front door into their quiet house, Kris felt a prickle of anticipation. Late afternoon light slanted into the Dreemurr household, making warm streaks across the wooden floor. The house was as quiet as it had been yesterday, which wasn’t really surprising.

Asriel slung his backpack onto the floor and kicked off his shoes. Kris followed suit, then tucked their hands into their jumper pocket. It had been two days since they’d seen Tenna, and the house had felt emptier ever since. Maybe that was silly; maybe Asriel and Kris were imagining the whole thing.

Over these two days though, their parents had been hovering more closely than usual, sticking like glue to them both and trying to 'interact' more. Both Asriel and Kris secretly agreed to each other that this was weird- but tonight was different.

Instead of the awkward nods as each parent loomed over their children, peace was finally restored. For now.

"Your father and I have a meeting," Toriel quickly explained while grabbing her purse, flicking a scarf over herself. "Some business to attend to at school. Be good while we’re out. Remember there are leftovers if either of you are hungry."

Asgore was already halfway into his coat. "We won’t be long," he added warmly, fixing the item of clothing and kissing them both on the forehead. "And don’t stay up too late! We should be back within a few hours, latest by 11."

"You can do homework," Toriel added, making a meaningful look at Asriel and then Kris. Looking at Asriel because she knows he enjoys learning, and Kris because they simply need to learn.

Asriel nodded dutifully, though the moment they heard the door click and the car engine hum to life, his face split into a grin. "You know what that means," he whispered.

Kris nodded, already running past the kitchen, dashing up the stairs as Asriel followed closely behind, both of them nudging each other playfully on the way up there.

As they hurried to their room and returned to the living room, Asriel was like a knight, arming himself for battle as Kris quickly did something in the kitchen.

A pillow was tucked under one arm like a shield. A wooden toy sword gripped in the other. Kris had grabbed a similar 'shield', and tucked a crayon and notepad into their pocket- just in case. Wasn't it something like 'the crayon is stronger than the sword' anyway?

"Okay," Asriel puffed out, "let’s do this."

Kris nodded and took their place beside him, eyes locked on the dormant television.

They set their shields and swords down carefully, scattering a few offerings on the carpet before the screen: a crayon drawing of Tenna holding hands with them both, a few action figures, and even a small bowl of cereal they’d grabbed hastily, Kris' idea.

The TV sat like a sleeping monster, dead and blank. Asriel held his breath with the shield held tighter.

And then- click.

The screen glowed blue, then bright white, and finally, the sound of static filled the room. The kids grabbed their toy swords again, hearts pounding. Who knows what to expect?

When Tenna finally appeared, he didn’t explode into a flashy show intro like last time. This time he just. . . Stepped out of the smoke. Calmly. Almost shyly.

"HELLOOOOO my faithful viewers," Tenna sang, though much softer this time. "And what’s all this?" His blank, glowing face turned toward the floor and the tiny pile of offerings. He was lucky he didn't step on them, being placed awfully close to the initial resting spot of the TV.

Asriel tightened his grip on his wooden sword. "We’re prepared," he said, voice trembling but brave as he crouched next to the couch, close to the dinner table. Kris was hunched next to them, pillow-shield held close to their body as they peeked over it.

Tenna tilted his screen-like face. "Prepared? For what?" He smiled, a toothy smirk while hands were placed behind his back, slightly bending over to look down. He wasn't as big as when he first arrived, keeping that same height of being rather tall, but not excessively, antennae still lightly brushing the ceiling now and then.

Kris pointed with the sword at Tenna to signify 'you'.

That made Tenna smile for real. This was a fun game. "My, my- a welcoming committee," he said warmly. "And these drawings of me are just lovely. Did you make these, Kris?"

Kris nodded behind their shield, mostly obscured but from such a height there's not much of a place to hide. The home was small, too. Comfortable.

"You both flatter me," Tenna continued as he waved a hand about and sat in a chair, legs crossed before them, careful not to knock over the bowl of cereal. “And those swords look quite dangerous.”

Asriel narrowed his eyes, stepping closer. "Yeah, they are. So don't try anything."

Both the kids shuffled a bit closer, not as deeply crouched over now. Then, an idea popped into Asriels head. The plan he and Kris discussed a night ago. "Hey, you’re an adult. Right?"

Tenna gave a deep, dignified bow, or as much of one as he could in a chair whilst sat like that. "That I am! Television presenter by trade. Connoisseur of entertainment!"

Asriel gave Kris a look that settled it. "Good. Then you can do adult stuff," he declared.

Tenna blinked- or rather a quick flicker of colour across his face- clearly caught off guard. "Adult stuff? That's at 10 pm and you know it, you're not allo-"

"You know," Asriel said, using his wooden sword and pointing toward the kitchen. "Like make cookies."

Tenna paused for a beat too long, then broke into delighted laughter. "Cookies? . . . Why, my dear boy, I’d be honoured, flattered, perhaps I'll even make 2 batches at this rate!"

He stood up suddenly, the kids bracing themselves at this quick movement. It was almost uncanny how smoothly he could spin and twist.

"I won't lie, I got worried for a second there, but it would be my pleasure- our pleasure. Pleasure- uh. . ." He trailed off, looking down and twisting the end of his shoes in one place, unsure of himself. Now mumbling beneath his artificial breath, "I need to upgrade that child-friendly filter. So many innuendos!"

Kris nudged Asriel with their pillow and then pointed at Tenna, wanting to speed things up. "Stop talking about fancy words and get to work!" Asriel somewhat pushed, gently poking the wooden sword into his leg.

And just like that, the toy swords were slowly put down, and pillow-shields set aside. Tenna glided gracefully toward the kitchen, now humming a theme song under his breath like nothing ever happened.

And within a few minutes, the kitchen was alive with clinks and clatters. Kris dug through cabinets for bowls and measuring cups, and Asriel prepeared to read the chocolate-chip cookie recipe aloud.

And who would have known that Tenna was a surprisingly graceful chef? You'd expect something that formed from an old dusty TV to be clumsy and sort of wreckless or fragile. But the kids watched, eyes wide, as ingredient bags and all sorts of unmade items seemed to float under Tenna’s careful control.

Kris managed to sign "Wow", a small smile appearing. It had been a while since anyone really saw them reveal a smile so innocent. Usually, it was a grin of some sort before they got up to mischief, or perhaps a fake one so you stopped pestering them.

"Why thank you," Tenna replied with a slight bow, taking the tools gently from Kris' hands as the rest of the items were shoved ungracefully onto the counters, height being a bit of a limiting factor for 7-year-old Kris.

"You two make a wonderful sous-chef team. Very cooperative!"

As the kids smiled, Tenna took off his blazer and tie, placing them on the back of a chair, making sure to not get any crinkles in either item.

Spinning around, he rolled up his sleeves and took off his gloves, placing them aside as Tenna reached for a simple baking apron and tied it easily behind his back. "How do I look?"

Asriel grinned. "Like you're ready to bake cookies. And if you’re gonna be our babysitter, this is part of the job," he teased.

After a quick rinse of Tenna's hands, Asriel read out the first ingredient out loud to him as both the kids stared at the box, Kris was more intrigued by the image than the words, though. Honestly, they looked like they were going to eat the cardboard image at this rate.

"Hm. Babysitter," Tenna echoed, amused. "I like the sound of that. Almost feels. . . human. Like I'm wanted, o-or even needed." His gaze flicked up to the ceiling like he was thinking, hands stilling for a second as he gazed upwards.

"You okay?" Asriel asked, noticing. With a long stare and squint, there wasn't much time to respond on Tenna's end, a thought popped into Asriel's head.

"Hey, wait," He broke the moment by jumping up on the counter, scrambling up from a chair he dragged over. "Tenna? You kinda look like one of us," he mused. "Your head wires are like Dreemurr horns. And your teeth match mine too!"

Tenna seemed genuinely touched. "Do I? Ah, I-I suppose you’re right," he chuckled, stirring the cookie mix slowly. "Never thought of myself as part of a family before. But if you say so. . ."

As Tenna now slightly lectured Asriel for jumping on the counter and helped them down safely, there was a heavy silence that went unnoticed.

Kris tilted their head, fidgeting with their headband's horns, their smile had long gone. Tenna paused again after washing his hands.

"Oh," Tenna added quickly, lifting a finger like a professor. "That reminds me- this stays between us, yes?" His screen almost glinted mischievously as he hovered the bowl of batter up high like a treasure.

Asriel crossed his arms and gave a serious nod. "Yeah, yeah. Of course. Parents wouldn’t understand. Cookie business."

Kris wrote on their notepad roughly and held it up, reading 'Our secret.'

Tenna beamed. "Exactly! Our secret. Consider me your personal babysitter, chef, and star of the show!" Now came the easy part of just waiting for everything to bake, balls of dough ready for the oven.

"Now the baking is almost done, a word from our sponsors!" Tenna exclaimed, spinning around to look at seemingly nowhere. He froze for a few seconds in this pose.

As the kids shared an unknowing glance, they heard the TV clear his mechanical throat for no reason. "Right. That doesn't happen here. Or now, rather. Or both, take your pick."

Tenna was in his prime, everybody watched him all the time and demand was high. Lately, it had gone down a little though. So the hours that are meant for resting were dedicated to making TV all the more exciting.

Perhaps the rest and self-care was more necessary than he thought it was. Especially if he is actually around the children. Maybe a light dusting wouldn't hurt.

By the time the cookies were baking, the warm sugary smell filling every corner of the kitchen, Tenna had perched himself casually on the counter with everything washed and back to normal, his blazer back on him and spotless.

"You know," Tenna said breezily, "I could run this entire show forever, but why not see some other channels there are to offer?"

Asriel tilted their head confused and looked over to Kris, not getting much of a response as they seemed distant.

"Cookies first, though," Tenna declared as the oven timer chimed. He pulled them out- his gloves put back on- and set them steaming on a plate.

"You kids deserve this," Tenna told them with a wink. "Very brave, very talented, and frankly, very helpful!"

He set them aside to cool down, talking more to the kids about their favourite shows. There were a lot of agreements on certain topics. As for others? It would be wrong to yell at a child, even if they were in the wrong. Right? Right?

Finally bringing the plate over, Asriel reached eagerly for one. As a response, Tenna held the plate up just a bit higher, wagging a finger in his direction.

"At-tata, one last time," Tenna said with a conspiratorial tone, wagging a finger, "you have to promise. No one- no one- tells the grown-ups. This is our special secret show. Our contract. Remember?"

As Tenna now placed this hand on his hip, Kris nodded slowly, but it seemed as genuine as it gets. They wouldn't be telling a soul anytime soon. Or ever telling, if that. Asriel smirked. "We promise. Right, Kris?"

Kris gave a thumbs up and decided to write quickly, 'Pinky swear.'

Tenna’s face glowed bright at that. "Ah! A pinky swear? Nothing could be more binding!" He walked over and now extended one long gloved finger toward them.

Kris and Asriel hooked both their pinkies with one of his. Warm fuzz tickled their hands- Tenna felt less like a screen and more like someone real for a moment. He was happy with that. He'd say he can die happy, and that much is true, but saying he will die infront of kids doesn't really set a good impression.

So, they spent the next hour seeing the other chanels Tenna was on about, watching cartoons together in the kitchen, Tenna projecting shows on his face for them as they crunched into warm cookies and giggled at silly jokes.

With a glass of milk to wash everything down, as reluctant as the kids were, Tenna urged them to do their homework now.

"Hey, we just had fun making cookies. This is- it's-" Asriel began to stand from his chair, words stuck in his throat as he searched his mind.

"If you can't find the word for it in 10 seconds, then you're wrong." Tenna challenged, placing an elbow on the table to rest his head in his palm. This was fun.

"That's manipulation and unjust." Asriel stated calmly, crossing his arms. Kris nodded in the background, crossing their arms too.

Tenna was slightly stunned, antennae standing up and his posture now straightened too. "Who taught you that one- you're like 8," he quized, slightly annoyed that Asriel actually got a fair answer in.

"9, and I know my rights."

Tenna just murmered under his breath, "I can tell," and stood up himself. "Now, do the homework anyways. It should be easier since you're so smart."

He now huffed and looked to the side, Kris copying their brother. "Its so boring though. I'll die of boredom after all that fun."

"You're boring. Now do it." There was a silence, "you can have sideways TV next time I babysit you two," and then there was a reluctant agreement, Kris and Asriel walking to the livingroom with their heads bowed, sitting on the carpet as they pulled their work out their bags. 

It was roughly 9pm now, homework done after lots of careful explinations, and yawns spread like wildfire. It seemed that is was time for the Dreemurrs to have some dreams. Neither child seemd impressed with that joke. But who can blame them? Maths homework does that to you.

So, Tenna carried them both up to their room, one child resting in each arm. Asriel mumbled something about their dad doing this in the past, and Kris did nothing but hide their face in Tenna's chest.

Tucking them both into bed was pretty easy since they were so tired, a simple 'goodnight' to them both and a reassuring pat as they were snuggled up in their blankets.

Tenna would have opted in for a kiss on the head, but he didn't want to scare them or anything. Having a glowing screen come at you isn't the best idea in the dark. Nightmares bound to happen.

Kris glanced up at Tenna one last time, wondering if this was real or a dream. Either way, as they were in the room together- a human, a monster, and a TV come to life- it felt safe.

And that was what mattered most.

With the room now dark and sleep coming easy, Tenna made sure the place was just as they left it, cleaning all the counters one last time, placing the toys away, getting too curious about cereal and regretting his actions. All normal late-night TV stuff.

Oh, and getting dressed again, his gloves already on, so just the blazer and tie to be added to his physique after placing the apron back. Or whatever it was. It didn't go over the shoulders, just wrapping around the waist. Maybe it was for another task, but it got the job done either way.

Finishing up, Tenna glanced at the drawing on the floor again, picking it up to have a closer look. It was quite a sweet drawing. Perhaps this would do nicely in his studio. Class it as 'fan mail' anyone asks.

And with that, Tenna went to 'bed' himself.

Chapter Text

The morning light fell in long, sleepy slithers across Kris’ bedspread as they groggily blinked up at the ceiling. The house was already alive with small, comforting noises- the clang of a spoon on a bowl, the scrape of a chair as someone sat down for breakfast. Dad was home this morning too, humming some old song as he rifled in the fridge. Wonder why he wasn't at work yet.

Kris yawned and sat up slowly, rubbing their eyes. They glanced around their room, then at the empty corner where Asriel usually rested. But Asriel was nowhere to be seen. They must have gotten up early for the day, he always loved doing that.

He really was a goody two shoes when it came to these things. And honestly, it annoyed Kris at times. Especially since it made them look bad. Kris wasn't bad, they were somewhat neutral, an undecided path. But when compared with their sibling? There was no competition for who would come out on top.

In school, it was even worse. The town was small so they were the same class, the teacher giving a general lesson and the worksheets being different skills for different ages. So, everyone they knew already met their brother. He was the talk of the town sometimes.

Kris decided to stop dwelling on that and to think about Tenna: how he appeared only when it was just them two. Parents gone, the house quiet, just them and their brother. Otherwise, Tenna was a rumour only Kris and Asriel could share. It's like he could see them. Had he been watching them all along? As they, too, watched him? Best not to think too deeply about it.

A knock at the door. "Kris, are you up?" Toriel’s voice was warm. She came in and Kris replied with a soft yawn, swinging their legs off the bed and stretching off the sleep.

In a few minutes after throwing clothes about to get Kris dressed, they were at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal. Asriel was already there, legs swaying under the chair, eyes bright with mischief once they could finally talk to Kris.

"Do you still think Tenna will want to do Sideways TV tonight?" He whispered when Toriel was turned toward the sink, making a drink for Kris.

Kris nodded quickly at Asriel, eyes lighting up at the thought. They pictured Tenna lying comfortably sideways on the floor next to them, tuning into one of their favourite episodes and making his funny, crackling comments.

They kept their voices low so nobody else could hear. Even though Mom and Dad wouldn’t understand, Kris felt the usual thrill of sharing a secret. They were so lucky to have Tenna. Was he listening now?

That sense of luck carried them all the way to school. Even in math class, even when the teacher droned on about multiplication tables, Kris kept doodling in the margins of their workbook- tiny little sketches of Tenna as they imagined him: Tenna as a superhero, Tenna telling jokes, Tenna wearing ridiculous sunglasses.

Asriel poked them in the side with their half-chewed pencil. "Psst," he whispered. "Do you think he’ll come up with something new tonight?"

Kris nodded, sliding their notebook so Asriel could see the drawings. In the centre of one of many pages was Tenna grinning wide with a bag of candy. Around him were speech bubbles full of inside jokes only the three of them would understand. Silly little quips and even the 'you're boring' bubble being there. Asriel let out a small huff at this but continued looking anyway, a subtle smile appearing.

"Looks cool," Asriel whispered back. "Hey- we could show everyone at school some of this stuff one day!" Kris perked their head up at this and began rummaging in their pocket, Asriel still mumbling something. "Well. If we can ever tell people. I hope we get to."

That was when Kris’ fingers brushed a badge in their pocket. Tenna’s badge. The one they’d carefully slipped off Tenna’s blazer last night as they were being carried to bed. Warmth spread through them at the thought- they weren’t even sure why they’d taken it, but they liked having it. A tiny, secret piece of Tenna they could keep close. 

It was so shiny and cool to the touch. Well, when it hadn't been in a pocket for a few hours. Now it was quite warm actually. Kris kept this in their pocket, not revealing anything as Asriel continued mumbling more nonsense about 'what-if's'.

That’s when an idea struck. Show-and-tell was happening soon since it was Friday. Kris glanced up at the clock, and when show-and-tell began, one by one their classmates went up to the front with things they thought were special. A new comic book. A handmade bracelet. A photo of someone’s dog.

And then it was Kris’ turn.

Heart thumping, they felt the smooth badge under their fingers as they walked to the front of the room. A few students glanced up, curious.

Kris looked around, cheeks slightly warming. This was strange. They held it up- it glinted gold under the classroom light. There's no way it was actually gold though. Right?

Asriel sat up straighter in his chair, eyes going wide. He dashed up there to Kris, sputtering something about "Forgot we're doing this together, haha. The badge is from mine and Kris' favourite show. It’s, uh, super rare."

They weren’t sure what to say. Tenna’s badge wasn’t from any show that they could explain, but that was the best lie they could come up with on the spot. Why did Kris even have this? And why bring it to school of all places?

"Ohhh," someone murmured, impressed. A few kids leaned forward for a closer look.

Before anyone could ask too many questions, Asriel jumped in again, a hand stretched out in front of Kris to almost block everyone's view. "Yeah, and since that’s one of those limited edition ones," he added hastily. "Kris never lets anyone touch it. Pretty cool, huh?"

Asriel felt a flood of relief as the teacher smiled and told them what a neat treasure they’d brought in. Kris gave a small, shy grin back at Asriel as they went to sit down. They seemed relieved too, like they showed it off without thinking.

The badge was slightly cooler against their palm now as they slipped it back into their pocket. They worried they would have to return it to Tenna tonight. Was he going to be mad at them?

But despite this, by the time the school bell rang and they got in the car together, both kids were buzzing with anticipation. Toriel and Asgore weren’t going to be home this evening- they’d explained that they would be back late after errands.

It wasn't unusual for them to be gone so much, but it did feel more frequent lately, for longer amounts of time now too. But to them, this meant all the more time with Tenna. And that was perfect. That was exactly what they wanted and claimed they both needed.

"Do you think Tenna will already be there? Like, activated or whatever?" Asriel asked, attempting to change into some comfier clothes as fast as they could in their shared room. Small horns got caught on the jumper's neck, both of them too excited to run downstairs and play with their new friend to concentrate on their actions.

Kris helped him out and gave him a quiet thumbs-up, then returned to undoing their shoes.

And sure enough, when they pushed open the door and ran downstairs, Tenna was perched cross-legged on the couch like he’d been there forever, humming to himself as a little channel-static crackled from within him.

"Heyyy," Tenna greeted, lifting one gloved hand as he looked over to the two of them. "There you both are. What took you so long? Thought you got lost up there, haha. Imagine that, getting lost in your own room." Despite his mocking words, it seemed like he was speaking from experience.

Both the kids rushed over, Kris diving onto him as Asriel stood by the side, hands behind his back. Kris was fidgeting with everything and anything they could grab, so many different textures from their suit to tie, shirt to buttons, colours the most vibrant they'd ever seen them.

"Now, now. I think you need to keep your hands to yourself after what you've done." Tenna said, slightly stern with his smile faded, but there was nothing to this warning, it feeling hollow. Like something unnoticed demanding attention, something lower making decisions.

Kris froze at this, hands stilling and looking away with their head down. They were embarrassed they got caught. Asriel passed him the badge, hands emerging from their back as they gently placed it in Tenna's own hand. "We're sorry. I think Kris just got a little attached or excited. They really like you. A-And I like you a lot too."

His voice went quieter, wobblier, he was unsure of what to do now. "Plus it was shiny, you were kinda asking for Kris to bring it to show-and-tell." Kris nodded at this, head still bowed.

Tenna took it carefully, examining it for a short while before clipping it back on where it belonged. "Wait- you brought this to school, you said?" He asked, one 'brow' raised. His casing was plastic, yet it bent under his will to show a range of emotions. What was he?

Kris nodded again, looking up at Tenna. "Well, you’re brave, I'll give ya that." Tenna paused, "and also extremely stupid. Anybody ever told you that one before?" Tenna laughed, voice warmer with that gentle crackle they knew so well.

"Look, I-I know I'm great and all, but you have to be more careful! Heha- I mean- you're going to raise suspicion. You know, like- unwanted attention?" Waving a hand about to explain this, his other hand was on Kris' back to stop them from falling.

"And if that ever happens-" There was a cut, not the usual 'oh I should stop speaking' but an audible stop, the crackle that hums under every word gone too. It's like he muted himself for a second.

"Mr.Tenna? I'm hungry." Asriel stated, giving him an easy thing to talk about instead of his inevitable demise or whatever they do to sentient TVs.

"There's some food in the kitchen, it should be easy to-"

Asriel bounced on the balls of his feet. "No, none of that. We were thinking," he began, then paused, looking at Kris for help. What were they going to ask for now? A whole cake? Maybe the cookie deal they sealed wasn't so great after all.

Kris nodded their head and shuffled towards the cabinets, returning with an empty bag of bread. Is that all they wanted?

"Ah," Tenna replied. "A quick supply run?"

"Yeah," Asriel agreed, walking over to Kris and placing a hand on the bag, it was like they were mourning it or something. Creepy.

Tenna sat back, a hand laced behind his head as the other waved around. "But there's so many other yummy foods. Surely you don't want just plain toast?" he said smoothly. There was no response.

They really wanted that damn bread.

"Kris, Asriel. Nobody can see me. Won't your parents get suspicious of the bread turning up anyway?" Both the children pouted at this. And Tenna was a weak link when it came to the two.

After Kris put the bag in the rubbish, they sat on the floor and began to doodle in their notepad, Asriel voiced his perspective. "Our parents will just think the other bought it and not bring it up. They never talk anymore, so that's good for us."

With a small shock and a stiffened body, Tenna sighed and hunched over. That was said way happier than what Asriel is implying, but that was a conversation for another time.

Kris made an annoyed sound and began scribbling wildly, then calmly drawing again, often glancing up.

"Nobody can see me, Asriel. You know this." Tenna once again warned, but this one just sounded saddened, antennae drooping over the front of his screen.

"They don't know you're our TV. They may think you're just a normal monster." He urged, tugging on Tenna's pants and his heartstrings alongside the action.

This kid wasn't giving up. Not even something home-baked could tear him away from this. "I am a stranger to all of them, especially with you two by my side."

"Say you're visiting."

"That's still weird, and they will tell your parents about me! Oh, the horror." He dramatically collapsed over the entire couch, arm draped over where his eyes should be. "So, no. We're not going shopping."

Kris flipped to a page that was near the back of the book, writing 'What if you went without us' in quite messy handwriting. Guess that happens when you write fast.

Kris then flipped back to the non-lined pages, drawing once again. The kid had a talent.

"I'm still- flashy, strange. I don't fit in." And that was true, Tenna was very much Tenna- all sparkling grin and bright red blazer, a bit too theatrical to wander down a quiet neighbourhood street unnoticed.

With a smirk from Kris and a glance between the two of the Dreemurrs, they both struck a pose. "Say no more, Mr.Tenna," was all that could be said before they dashed off upstairs, leaving the TV to sigh dramatically and cover his face with a pillow.

After a few minutes, small giggles and the sound of items being dragged across the carpet arose. "You’re too showy," Asriel decided, tapping his chin. "You’d stand out!"

Kris nodded seriously, they looked through a bag the both of them had just made, Tenna now removing the pillow from his screen to look over to the kids.

Tenna paused, blinking. "You're going to- dress me up?" There was a little bit of hesitance in his voice, an unsure smile as he sat up.

And to that Kris nodded again, a shy smile tugging at their lips. Asriel was thrilled. "Something more casual. Something that looks like Dad. That way nobody will look at you."

Kris clapped their hands. Tenna felt a little pained but got the general message, it was so he could blend in. Vocabulary used by children was very restricted. 

"All right," he said at last, reaching up properly to straighten his blazer as if he could already imagine what they had in mind. "You two got any favourites?"

The next thing they knew, they were standing in the middle of the living room. Tenna stood awkwardly in the centre like some kind of mannequin awaiting its next outfit. He still wore his bright red blazer, gold buttons shining and antennae perfectly styled like he was stepping onto a stage. The way he held himself did not speak confidence, though, frozen and unsure where to look besides down in the general direction of the kids.

Kris hummed, arms crossed, tapping a finger against their chin. Asriel nodded. "The coat is too showy, you're right."

Kris also nodded in agreement, leaning into Asriel's shoulder. Scribbling 'Way too showy', quite seriously.

Tenna glanced down at himself now and chuckled. "But it's nice, right? I know it's not what we need for this current set, but it's still good." A small pause. "Right?"

'Definitely not', Kris wrote with a small smile. Asriel panicked and disagreed, saying they were just joking as they pushed the notepad aside. Tenna could tell immediately from the smirk it was a joke, but the reassurance was still nice.

Asriel was already rummaging through a bag again, "We got stuff Dad usually wears," he announced, pulling out a green floral shirt with sleeves messily rolled up at the cuff.

Kris agreed, stepping closer and offering Tenna a pair of comfortable brown slacks they’d dug up from the back of the closet.

Tenna tilted his head. "Very uh. . . Asgore!" He remarked with amusement. How else would you describe it?

That was when it hit Kris-, a strange sort of ache that fluttered up from their chest and settled in their throat. Tenna was going to look just like Dad. Or more specifically, like one of the Dreemurrs. Effortlessly. Naturally.

A hollow feeling took hold. Tenna had their weird wire horns, but even without them, something about his face and build carried that same warm presence and gentle nature. It wasn’t fair. Kris had spent their whole life trying to look like they belonged, hoping they had inherited some part of that softness or strength that Dad and Mom and Asriel had.

And Tenna could do it without even trying.

"You okay, Kris?" Tenna asked, his glowing gaze fixed on them as they didn't let go of the item of clothing (a key part in passing an item). Kris blinked and realized they’d been staring too long. They hummed a short tone, forcing a smile, signing 'thinking' towards Tenna.

Tenna’s 'brows' furrowed as he watched them. Ever perceptive, as usual. "Hey, you don’t have to pretend around me," Tenna said after a pause, voice slightly erratic. How do you deal with such a situation? "I can t-tell what you’re feeling. It's okay." There was a crackle as this was said. He tried to fight off certain words being more exaggerated than the others, but habbit got the best of him.

Kris shifted their weight from one foot to the other, eyes on the floor. Asriel was half paying attention, more focused on finding shoes but realising they don't have any, Tenna's will have to do, not much 'wrong' with them anyway. Besides the fact they're neon yellow, that is.

Kris glanced up. Tenna wasn’t teasing. He just knew. And that alone sickened them. How dare he attempt to break down their walls.

"Between you and me," Tenna told them quietly, stepping a bit closer and kneeling. "You're like them more than you realize. Especially your soul. That’s what really counts."

Kris felt some of the sadness unfurl in their chest like a loosening knot. They nodded, lips pressing together, and hid their face once again. Kris gave a small 'thanks' despite despising what had just happened.

Tenna smiled at them before patting them on the shoulder, picking up the clothes they were about to wear. "Your bathroom is-" Both kids pointed in the direction of the room. They really liked cutting him off.

The next few minutes were a jumble of fabric and confused mutters, Tenna changing into clothes that sort of fit him. Height-wise only that was. No offence. Thank God for his belt, TV buckle covered by the floral shirt now.

As he tugged himself into the green floral shirt, straightened the collar, and draped an old scarf around his neck to hide the wires that made him 'him', he was ready. Or as ready as he will ever be. Gosh, the things he is willing to do for these kids are stupid. They aren't even his. Are they? 

Tenna did raise them technically. Sure, they weren't glued to the screen, but he was part of the family. He wasn't like those other toys that got broken and thrown away, he was respected. Besides the odd slap on the side of the head to get working again, that is. Animals.

'You look good' Kris decided finally, brushing a bit of lint from Tenna’s sleeve. His arms were visible, but that wouldn't be too much of an issue. There were lots of strange monsters here, the objective was to just not look like a disco ball.

"You really do," Asriel added, grinning up at him, tail slightly wagging as he pulled at Tennas other arm, both kids admiring their hard work in picking out the perfect outfit.

Tenna laughed at this and straightened himself, posing playfully in front of the kids, the scarf hanging casually around his neck. "Very incognito," he joked. "Bravo!"

Kris nodded, reaching into their pocket. They offered Tenna a worn, empty grocery tote they’d dug out from under the bed. It said 'Tote-ally cool' on the side. How fun.

"Oh," Tenna accepted it, then paused. "Well thank you, I'm sure this will come in handy." Tenna glanced down at them, grimacing a little at his outfit but their tight expression turned more peaceful. "No worries," he said breezily. "This will be fine. Do it for the kids." He said more of to himself than anything.

And that was the end of that conversation. 

The sun had already begun its slow descent as Tenna slipped out the front door. Kris and Asriel watched him go from the hallway window, peeking through a gap in the curtains like spies on a secret mission.

He strolled casually down the street, hands tucked into his pockets, whistling a familiar tune. The relaxed neighbourhood was calmer than he expected, nobody seemed to be outside now, families all huddled together inside their cozy homes probably. 

He was just popping into the shop for a quick errand. No biggie. What issues could arise? None if he didn't talk to anyone and just left.

"You think anyone will recognize him? Like know he isn't a normal monster?" whispered Asriel.

Kris shook their head, signing that 'nobody would look' as they began drawing once again, Asriel still gazing out the window, waiting for their return.

The shop was quiet inside, shelves humming gently under the fluorescent lights. Tenna moved along the aisle like he belonged there, humming under his breath and giving friendly nods to strangers who glanced his way.

He paused in front of the bread shelves, running a hand along the white and brown loaves as if choosing very carefully. He found the bag the kids were holding. Or rather the full version with the loaf inside.

And then- just for a second- Tenna glanced over his shoulder. Somebody was watching him. With a small shock through his wires, he turned around fully, looking down at who was standing there.

"O-oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to- uhm. . . Stare." 

They looked like a small yellow Lizard of some sort, Tenna just waving a hand about dismissively. What was he meant to do? Hopefully, he could get this over with quickly.

"No biggie. I was just grabbing this and about to leave." And as Tenna went to stick to his word and leave, the other monster seemed to perk up at this, sweating profusely. Were they okay?

"Oh, well. I'm Alphys. If- If you were wondering." A silence. She pulled a confused expression and twiddled her thumbs with the lack of a response. It was rude to leave right now.

She looked to the side, and when no response came, she prodded again. "You live nearby?"

"Just visiting." The answer was short. Simple. Absolutely undeniable. Who could argue with such an answer? Tenna couldn't. That word-art may just be the death of him though, messing up his tone.

"This may sound a little strange but do- do you have a partner?" She now seemed even more unsure about herself, almost hitting the negatives on the charts. How could one being have so much anxiety?

She spoke again, sputtering something out. "Not for me, or with me rather, my friend had- had asked me to come and ask you. Ha. Hah. . ." And that was a clear lie. But Tenna didn't push. Who would have even seen them to ask? The store was pretty empty, and Alphys wasn't walking about with anybody.

"Eheh- well, yes. He's great at what he does, too. Little crazed, I may admit, but we're going to be Big Shots one day." This seemed to make Alphys go quiet, so Tenna took that opportunity and left. Why was she promoting a business in the middle of a store to a random guy? Did she know who he was? The show was only broadcast to Darkners. There was no way.

Although. . . Tenna can't say he hasn't tried to attempt some 'crazy' marketing schemes before. There were dark places on the internet, a few VHS tapes that need to be burnt, too.

And on that happy note, he left. Well, left that aisle. He grabbed a bag of some 'popping candy' sweets, placing both items in the small bag. Yet despite all this, he could still feel eyes on him. Maybe there was a time he didn't want to be perceived, actually.

Patting down his pockets, he realised. He had no money. Anything he had was in his other clothes, but it was unlikely this place took that kind of currency anyway. What was he meant to do?

That was when he lifted one palm and a familiar static danced across his fingertips. With a tiny flicker of screen light and a soft, staticky pop, a camera could no longer see him. A fun trick he learnt, only worked with older technology than him though. He got lucky this time around.

"Sorry," Tenna murmured under his breath. "Promise I’ll pay you back later." He sighed, looking out for any wandering eyes and left as fast as he could, regretting not grabbing some small change to pay with.

A quick trick, then home before anyone could notice. That was a lot more intense than it seemed. This bread better be worth it.

By the time Tenna pushed the door back open and stepped into the house, Kris and Asriel were sitting eagerly at the window like they hadn’t moved an inch.

"You’re back!" Asriel squeaked, bolting over and launching himself into Tenna's leg, almost knocking him over. Kris followed close behind, eyes going straight to the tote Tenna held like a treasure chest.

"Brought the goods," Tenna announced, walking over to the kitchen with a child hanging from each leg.

Kris glanced up at what Tenna was pulling out of the bag, face brightening whilst poking Asriel to look too. "You got candy!" He exclaimed, reaching up for the packet like they’d just discovered gold.

Tenna grinned. "Figured you deserved a treat," he replied warmly. "I may be spoiling you two a little too much, but I'm not too worried about it. Just make sure to brush your teeth." (That last sentence was sort of squeezed on to the end there.)

The evening was one of those perfectly cosy ones that felt like they could last forever. They pulled cushions and blankets into the living room, anytbing they could find to make a nest on the floor where they could all fit.

Without any more waiting, Sideways TV flickered to life in a warm haze of colour, Tenna 'working his magic' so that their favourite channel played clearly and crisply.

Kris settled into the pile of blankets with a bowl of various pieces of candy balanced on their knees. As Tenna lay on his side, the ghost of a satisfied smile traced his face. Asriel tucked Kris into his arms like he always did, warm and familiar, sitting behind them with his arms wrapped around their stomach. 

With a nod, Kris set the half eaten snack bowl to the side and they both flopped onto their side, laying down comfortably in this mess as they finally- finally got their Sideways TV.

And for a while, none of them thought about school, or parents, or badges, or bread.

(Tenna can't believe they didn't think about the bread.)

They thought only about the strange magic that was Tenna, the soft light of the TV casting gentle shapes on the walls with shadows making other shapes, and the feeling of being together- safe, secret, and themselves.

They got to stay like this for a while, and Tenna got to make them their toast too, them demanding two rounds of it. Tenna was just happy his efforts didn't go wasted and that his technique of buttering toast was 'the best there ever was'. Kris' words, not his.

Tenna didn't agree with how Kris poured popping candy on their toast, though. They claimed to like it, but their expression only showed regret as they took a bite, determined to prove a point my eating the whole thing. It felt painful to even watch.

Cleaning lightly again, the kids eventually helped out too, giving Tenna some time to change back into his normal clothes. As he shrugged off the outfit and changed back into the familiar, it hit him. That lizard meant romantic partner.

Curse those child-friendly filters, he'd have to get them updated again. Or, perhaps Tenna was just that oblivious to everything anyway, there being no fix.

. . . No, that couldn't be it. Tenna was perfect just the way he was. Unless there's a better update or option he can take, then he is perfect.

Romantic partners. What a joke. Of course, Tenna loved to see them in all types of media, but he could never see himself in such a relationship. Business is his one true love, he supposes. Or rather the fans. Platonic love above all others.

But, perhaps this hatred of such a love for himself came from somewhere else. Because he too wishes to have it. But all he has is that forsaken, crazed, little-

"Tenna! The car!"

With a quick unlock of the bathroom door, Tenna dashed into place, tie in hand with no time to put it back on. The usual puff of smoke appeared and Kris tried to wave it away, revealing the normal TV as Asriel grabbed the used clothes and bag, throwing them into their parent's closet.

As he dashed downstairs, tripping over the carpet slightly, he stood tall next to Kris. Their parents came in, complaining about the long day and asking about how their kid's days went.

"It was good."

Chapter Text

Tenna has been through a lot in the past month. Keeping up secrets and also appearances simultaneously is not an easy job. In one world, he was a star with fans who demanded attention, and in another, he was a babysitter for two little rascals he practically called his own.

Lots of things have happened, from unwanted attention, silly movie nights, miscommunications, and deep talks. There wasn't much left besides repetitive days of fun ahead of them, not that anybody was complaining, that is.

But, there were some honourable moments over the past few weeks, moments that made the three of them realise just how much more complicated their lives have gotten.

- -

Tenna's confusion:

It started, as many things did in the Dreemurr household, with roughhousing in the livingroom. Asriel was sprawled over the couch, Kris half-pinned beneath him, both giggling in the soft, lazy way of siblings on a Saturday afternoon.

"Victory is mine!" Asriel declared, but the triumph was short-lived. With a mischievous glint in his eye, Kris jammed a cushion into his face.

Tenna chuckled, perched awkwardly on the chair, knees pulled up so he wouldn’t be in the way of the two. His screen cycled through images: an old-timey referee blowing a whistle, then a cartoon 'ROUND 2!' graphic.

But as Asriel wriggled free, disaster struck. His claw snagged on the couch fabric, pulling loose a thin thread. "Ow- hey!" he grunted, trying to free his hand.

Tenna looked over, the glow from his screen casting soft blue light across the scene. "Hold still, brave one!" He chuckled out, trying to keep the atmosphere light "Let me assist." Kneeling at the scene, with a careful motion he freed Asriel’s claw, inspecting the small tear in the cushion with a sympathetic hum.

"Hmm. A casualty of playtime. But fear not! Easily mended." Asriel flexed his paw, looking at his claws. 

After examining the pillow, Tenna looked over to Asriel "Now, how about we clip these? They get caught on everything when sharp."

Before Asriel could protest, Tenna rummaged through the drawers in the kitchen, retrieving a battered nail clipper. With exaggerated care, he snipped the tips of Asriel’s claws, each clip punctuated by a little ding sound from his speakers. No harm in some lighthearted fun.

Concentrating on this, Kris nudged Tenna's arm so he could look at what they were seeing, Asriel picking his nose. "Hey, no nose-picking with these newly shorn weapons!" Tenna teased, and Asriel groaned but put his hand down, embarrassed he got caught.

Then it was Kris’ turn. Tenna turned expectantly, holding up the clippers. "Now, where are your clippers? These are made for round claws, and you have nothing of the sort!

Kris hesitated, tucking their hands into their sleeves. What was wrong? Asriel snorted. "Kris doesn’t use those."

Tenna tilted his head, screen flickering in puzzlement. "I know that, I meant clippers in general. Their ones." There was a confused look between them all. "How then are the keratinous shields of their phalanges kept tidy?"

Asriel shrugged, even more confused with Tenna's words. Right, he had to keep it simple. "They, uh. . . I think they bite them?"

Kris flushed faintly but didn’t argue. And with that, Tenna fell silent, the gentle hum of his cooling fan the only sound. His screen flicked through a few confused expressions like you could actually see his thought process, reaching into the back of his mind.

"You’re the only human here, aren’t you?" He said at last, softer, gesturing to the town outside. "Is this. . . is this normal for you? As in- does anybody know how to look after you?"

Kris shrugged again, looking down. Tenna knew there were a few books in the house about human care, but they were incredibly wrong in what they said. Having access to all media was handy when pointing out flaws. He even wrote a few notes in the books, pointing out their errors. Hopefully they weren't from the library.

Now thinking about it, there were books more about snails than anything else in this house. What was with that? Tenna's surprised he didn't end up a snail, the antennae were already close enough in looks.

Tenna watched them a moment longer, then gently set the clippers aside. "No matter. Nails are but tiny shields for one’s soul. And I daresay yours shine brightly, even without trimming tools."

Kris gave a small, grateful smile. Asriel rolled his eyes fondly. "C’mon, Tenna, let’s play something else."

"Hold on." And with that, Tenna reached into the draws again, pulling out a nail file. It seemed quite new, or rather unused. "You do still need to get them shorter though. Without biting that is."

Silently, they filed down Kris' nails, careful not to harm them and attempt to show them it's fine. They sat there for a few seconds afterwards, just staring at the work done on them. 'Weird' was scribbled down after some time.

Tenna chuckled, the sound warm and crackly. "Weird is in the eye of the beholder, my friend." But later, as the kids set up another game, Tenna sat back a little, watching Kris with a thoughtful flicker. In all his years of watching humans through the static of old shows. . . he’d never seen one so quiet, so overlooked, so small in a house full of love.

And yet here they were, biting their nails because no one had ever thought to check in on them. Maybe Tenna should leave a few more notes in that book. Some not so kind.

- -

Tenna shopping. (Like teleshopping, get it?):

At another time, Tenna tugged the brim of a big floral hat lower over his screen, doing his best to blend into the crowd. A large coat- buttoned all the way up- disguised his figure well enough, and his screen flickered dimly behind the thin mesh of a scarf. He didn’t want attention. Not today.

The bell over the door jingled as he slipped into the shop. A comforting smell of bread, coffee, and old wood filled the air. This time, he had real money. Crumpled-up that were shoved in his pocket, coins that clinked softly as he walked. He was determined to do it right this time and leave a tip. (If he had spare change, that is.)

He kept his movements slow, deliberate. No wild gestures, no dramatic exclamations. Just another face- or what passed for a face- in the shop. He filled his basket thoughtfully: a loaf of bread, some eggs, a jar of jam that caught the light in a way that reminded him of home, wherever that was now.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted someone familiar. A lizard-like monster- Alphys- was at the fridge, tucking a carton of milk under her arm. She didn’t seem to notice him, thank goodness. She was focused on checking the date on a tub of yogurt, muttering to herself.

Tenna turned quickly down the other aisle. His large frame made the shelves feel narrower than they were, and he had to hunch a bit so his head didn’t bump the hanging signs. 

As he rounded a corner, he nearly collided with someone. "Oh, dear-!" Tenna took a careful step back, raising one hand in apology. What was with him and this shop? Maybe he was cursed.

The monster before him blinked, adjusting her sunglasses. She was short but her crazy purple hair made up for that, sleek-furred, with a swish of a tail that matched the confident set of her shoulders.

"OH, IT'S SO NICE TO FINALLY MEET YOU," she said, tilting her head just slightly up, her sharp eyes flicking up and down. Her kids were looking through the shelves as she was distracted, they may be here for a while.

"You know me?" That wasn't good. He was meant to be a secret. Which kind of hurt to admit to himself.

"Of COURSE, now where about you live? I just HAVE to drop off some baked goods sometime for you! Our new neighbour. What do you prefer, hm?" 

Tenna tried to smile with his screen, settling it on a polite, sheepish face. "Just a traveler, madam. Passing through and sampling the delights of your little town, haha. I'm all good for food."

The woman crossed her arms, studying him openly. "OH! A traveller, huh? We don’t get many of those. Where are you staying?" Tenna hesitated, watching her tell off one of her kids for throwing an item in her basket without asking. 

"The uh-. Cemetery?" Was the best he could come up with. Which was actually a horrible answer. Not the best answer at all.

She didn’t look convinced, but she smiled anyway- the kind of smile that said she was filing this conversation away for later. "You're funny. You'll tell me one of these days though! And what do we call you, traveller?"

Another pause. The flicker of static that betrayed his inner scramble for an answer. "Anthony Tenna," he said finally, with a small bow. "But Tenna will do just fine, nobody really calls me Anthony or Ant."

"Well, Mr. Tenna," she said smoothly, her tone polite but curious. "Hope you’re enjoying your visit. We’re a quiet place, mostly. Folks like to know who’s who around here, that’s all."

"Of course, of course! Entirely reasonable. I admire such neighborly spirit." His hands fidgeted with the basket’s handle. It wasn't like it was a lie either, he did admire it a lot, he was just sort of- jealous? And wanted to leave fast.

She began yapping again, almost in a world of her own. "Well, sometimes you TALK and DON'T GET A RESPONSE around here. For example, I asked Alphys to come over and say hi to you the other day when I was in the shop with her, and she NEVER reported back to me! Can you believe that?"

There was a hitch in Tenna's artificial breath. Alphys really was telling the truth the other day? Why did she have to act so suspicious about it then? These monsters get stranger and stranger.

She sighed and flicked around, picking up a tin of tea from the shelf beside them. "You have a GOOD day now, don't go causing any trouble like these two!" She ruffled the smaller cat's hair, an immediate complaint bubbling up from them, trying to fix their fur along with it.

"And to you, madam!" Tenna gave a slightly too-deep bow again, then turned on his heel, eager to finish up and be gone.

At the register, he paid with all the change he had, the coins smooth and unfamiliar in his gloved hands. The cashier barely glanced at him. Perfect.

As he left the shop, the bell jingling behind him, Tenna felt the weight of unseen eyes on his back. The woman was probably still watching him. He didn’t look back. No time to. And he didn't want to.

Out in the fresh air, he let out a slow breath, the sound crackling softly in his speakers. These people were trying too much. Getting too close. He had to come up with a better excuse soon and fast.

- -

Noelle's worry:

The school day had just ended, and kids were trickling out in pairs and clusters, their voices carrying on the breeze. Parents talked lovingly about what they would do for the day, and as for the Dreemurr children, their mother was taking them to church.

Kris and Asriel walked side-by-side down the path, kicking at the occasional stone or scrunched-up leaf. They hadn’t gotten far when they heard hurried footsteps behind them.

"Kris! Asriel! Wait up!" They turned to see Noelle hurrying toward them, her backpack bouncing and her antlers catching the light. Her face looked troubled, her brow furrowed in a way that made Asriel straighten up instinctively.

"Noelle? What’s up?" Asriel asked, genuine concern in his voice, slowing down a bit with Kris so she could catch up to them both.

Noelle fell into step with them, hugging her arms around herself. "I. . . I just needed to talk to someone. You two are good at listening, I guess." She glanced at them, trying for a smile, but it came out thin. She looked tired.

Kris just tilted their head, watching her silently. Noelle sighed. "It’s my mom. She’s been really stressed lately- more than usual. And I think I finally figured out part of why." Both kids listened in, Toriel talking to another parent ahead of them on the walk. They weren't listening to the kids. "It’s this. . . this guy."

Asriel blinked. "A guy?"

"Yeah. This weird guy no one knows. She’s the mayor, right? She knows everyone in Hometown. Who they are, where they live, how long they’ve been here. But this guy? She can’t find anything on him. No records, no address, nothing. It’s driving her crazy."

Kris and Asriel exchanged a glance. Asriel tried to keep his face neutral, but he felt his stomach flip a little. As they did this, Noelle kept going, her voice picking up speed.

"A-Apparently he’s been seen around town a few times. Hanging out near the shops, lurking by the library. Mom asked Undyne, Mr. Cattenheimer, and even Miss Toriel if they knew him. None of them seemed to. She thinks he’s hiding something."

"Huh," Asriel said, keeping his tone casual. "That’s. . . weird. We hadn’t heard anything about that, right Kris?" He said, nudging them slightly. Kris nodded, wide-eyed, giving their best innocent look. It was pretty convincing.

"I mean, she described him from some 'reports'." Noelle went on, glancing around as if the guy might be eavesdropping. "She said he’s tall. Wears this huge coat sometimes, like he’s trying to hide in it. And something about his face- she couldn’t get a good description, but said it glowed? Like, flickered? I don't know. It sounds creepy."

Asriel rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh. . . wow. A glowing face guy. Doesn't sound all that bad if you ask me."

"Yeah. My mom says she saw him once, right outside the town hall, late at night. She tried to go out and talk to him, but he disappeared before she could. And she’s sure he’s been at the store, too. Catty and Catti’s mom mentioned meeting him and asked her about him. . . but no one can say where he came from. It’s like he appeared out of nowhere."

Kris, who was thinking too deeply, began to go bite their nails, Asriel now holding their hand so they couldn't. "Maybe he’s just passing through."

Noelle looked at them, hopeful for a second. “Maybe. I mean, I hope so. But. . . this is Hometown. Nobody just passes through and hangs around for a month without someone knowing something. Right?"

Asriel gave a nervous chuckle. "Heh. Yeah. Pretty strange. Hope your mom figures it out." When was this conversation going to end?

"Yeah," Noelle murmured. "Me too." They walked a little farther in thoughtful silence, the sound of their shoes crunching on the sidewalk filling the space where conversation had been. Noelle soon turned off toward her gates, waving tiredly. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, Noelle!" Asriel called. Kris lifted a hand in farewell, watching her go. And when she was out of earshot, Asriel let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Dude," he whispered to Kris, "that was way too close." Kris just stared ahead, their expression unreadable, but their fingers tightened briefly in his hand.

Neither of them said it, but the thought hung heavy between them: Tenna needed to be more careful. They actually prayed for him at church that day. Well, more of for them as a collective, in hopes they got to spend more time with him and he could be known freely, not some secret.

- -

The strange showing:

It was one of those slow, lazy afternoons where the air felt heavy and everything seemed a little quieter than usual. The sky outside had clouded over, casting the living room in a soft grey light. Asriel and Kris had been bored out of their minds- they’d already gone through their comics, played their usual games, and even tried to build something out of empty cereal boxes. Nothing stuck. It was way too warm to even move anymore.

That’s when they found it- the TV remote, wedged between the cushions of the couch where Tenna usually liked to sit when he wasn't in that chair.

"OH, SCORE! There it is," Asriel grinned, snatching it up like it was treasure. "Let’s see if there’s anything good on Tenna."

Kris just gave a small shrug and flopped down beside him. Tenna was perched in his spot on the armchair, one knee crossed over the other. But today, he seemed. . . off. 

Not like his screen was off, but he was distant, seemed to have stared past them, his mouth a little too fixed, a little too sad(?). The kids didn’t notice- not at first. They were too busy flicking through the channels, the familiar fill of static going through the room between programs.

He must have been asleep. Or really zoned out, completely in his own mind. As one hand held up his face, elbow on the armrest, his screen was at the kid's mercy.

Click. A cooking show.

Click. A monster news anchor mumbling through the local headlines.

Click. Static again.

"Man, nothing’s on," Asriel groaned, leaning heavier into the couch cushions after a few minutes of endlessly checking.

But then- click.

The static parted, but instead of a normal channel, the screen filled with a hazy, washed-out commercial. The colours were all wrong- oversaturated in some places, drained in others. The kids blinked at the unfamiliar images. A jingle played, cheerful but tinny, like it was coming from a broken music box.

"Are you tired of ordinary television? Tune in to WonderWave- the channel that brings imagination to life!" The ad showed strange gadgets, things the kids didn’t recognize at all. A blender that levitated off the counter. A toaster that danced on tiny legs. A vacuum that followed its owner like a pet. The monsters on-screen had unfamiliar shapes, more angular and almost. . . rubbery, like costumes in an old, cheap show.

Kris and Asriel stared, fascinated.

"Where’s this from?" Asriel asked, glancing at Kris. Kris shook their head slowly, shrugging their shoulders. They’d never seen a channel like this before. The numbers on the corner of the screen didn’t match any local stations either. It was out of this world.

Tenna didn’t react. He sat perfectly still, his gaze locked on whatever it was that had such deep interest. His fingers twitched at the edge of his chair, but he said nothing.

Curiosity taking over, Asriel started cycling through more of these strange channels. They were all like that- ads for bizarre products, fake-looking soap operas with stilted dialogue, animated segments that looked like they’d been made on ancient computers or futuristic tech.

And then, the recordings started.

These weren’t channels anymore. These were personal files. Title cards appeared: 'Bumper Reel 3', 'Theme Mockup 7', 'Ad Concept: Friends Forever'.

The kids flicked through them, half-laughing at the weird, low-quality graphics. Word art spun across the screen: 'COMING SOON!', 'THE FUTURE OF FUN!', 'YOU WON’T BELIEVE YOUR EYES!'

Some videos had nothing but swirling colours and droning tones. Others showed fake opening credits to shows that didn’t exist. The music was always just a little off-key like it had been recorded from memory and not quite right. A lot of these were from Tenna's perspective, too, like memories he stored away. Wow, he was super tall in that other world. At least 15 feet, give or take.

But then- every so often- he appeared.

A small figure. A little man with a pale face, slicked-back black hair that looked more like grease than just a strange product. His suit was boxy, his tie sharp, matching Tenna's. He grinned at the camera, waving with stiff enthusiasm. His eyes were round and black as buttons, sparkling with an eerie kind of charm.

The first time he showed up, the kids barely noticed. But he kept appearing- at the corner of an ad, hosting a fake game show, in the background of a cartoon as a cameo, having a drink with Tenna. "Hey. . ." Asriel said slowly, leaning forward. "Who is this guy?"

They stayed on one of the videos- a low-budget theme song playing as the little man spun in a circle, arms wide, welcoming the viewer to some random program.

And then there was a- strange recording. He was close to the screen, very close, seemingly above it as a ceiling-fan was behind him. His voice was low, it felt so real, not like the static audio the others had, it was like he was right in their ears, crisp audio. This was a memory Tenna took care of, probably refining.

Like a puppet with its strings yanked taut, Tenna snapped upright. His head turned sharply away from the kids, his hands placed over his speakers.

"Ohhh, no no NO," Tenna said, voice muffled but with a strange edge, as if he were trying hard to sound- well- like anything, speach sounding distressed and stuck in his throat. He sprang from the chair in a fluid, too-fast motion, crossing the room before the kids could even react.

He smacked the side of his head- hard. A crackling noise filled the room, like static fuzzing out as he whacked his head again. The recording finally stopped, colour tests appearing temporarily with some dust floating about.

"Alright, kids!" Tenna’s voice chimed, a little too loud. "That’s plenty of 'TV time' for today! Gotta rest those eyes! Don’t wanna get screen-fried, do we? Heh!" His voice sounded slippery, squeaky almost. He sounded sad. Or like he had been caught and was trying to plead innocent.

Kris and Asriel blinked up at him, startled. "But-"

"Nope! Off it goes!" Tenna grabbed the remote from Asriel’s hand, his fingers gently wrapped around it to not click another button. He placed the remote at the front of the room, for a moment, the air was silent except for the hum of the overly warm TV.

Tenna stood there, smiling stiffly. His other hand lowered slowly from his head, antennae trembling slightly. He seemed so erratic, more than usual, clearly on edge. What was going on?

"L-Let’s do something else, huh? How about a-. . . A uhm- nice board game? Maybe a puzzle! Or we could even- even bake something sweet!" His words tumbled out too fast, too eager. He wanted to cover up whatever memory they just formed.

The kids exchanged a glance. Something about this wasn’t right. But Tenna was already ushering them away from the livingroom, his grin never faltering. As they left the room, Kris dared a glance back at the remote, then up to Tenna's face.

For just a second- they could’ve sworn they saw the pale little man’s face reflected there. Same expression smiling right at them.

Chapter Text

Sunday mornings in the Dreemurr house always carried a kind of stillness. A softness that wrapped itself around the walls, heavy with the promise of a quiet day. Today, that stillness felt even heavier, like the house itself was holding its breath. It was stuffy.

Kris awoke to the faint glow of sunlight peeking through the blinds, casting soft stripes across their door. For a moment, they simply lay there, watching dust float lazily in the golden light. The weight of Asriel's arm was draped over their middle, his head buried in the crook of Kris's shoulder, breathing slowly and even. He was like a big teddy bear.

It wasn't often they slept in the same bed, but sometimes the night felt a little spooky. Or, perhaps they just decided on it since they can. Who's to stop them? Sometimes their mother complained about them not getting enough rest for school, but that wasn't a worry for them both.

Kris carefully shifted, lifting Asriel's arm and slipping free. Asriel made a small noise of protest, his tail giving a sleepy flick, but didn't wake. Kris padded to the window, pressing a hand against the cool glass. Outside, the streets seemed slightly empty. No kids on bikes, no families heading out for early errands. Just the long shadows of trees stretching across the sidewalk with the odd one or two people heading to work or a neighbour's.

The house was so quiet.

Their fingers traced little circles on the windowpane before they turned back toward the bed. Asriel was stirring now, blinking up at Kris with blurry eyes. His fur was a mess, sticking up at odd angles. "Kris?" he mumbled, voice thick with sleep. Asriel had his own blanket wrapped tightly around him, Kris had the same with it draped over them like a cape.

Kris offered a small smile and a sign: 'Come on.' Asriel yawned, stretching, then scrambled out of bed to follow. The two moved down the hallway, their steps light. Kris kept glancing at their parents' door. Closed. No voices. No sound of Mom on the phone or Dad fiddling with the TV. Just more silence, unusual for the morning. It was almost tradition that they would be up before the kids.

They didn't want to disturb that. Not yet. In the living room, everything felt the same as the night before. The pillows and blankets were no longer piled up from their nest in front of the TV, but the scent of toast lingered faintly in the air. 

Kris knelt in front of the television and hesitated. Then, with a breath, they reached out, fingers brushing the side of the screen. It felt warm. Like Tenna was already waiting for them. And sure enough, the static flickered to life, colours blooming across the glass, and then there he was: Tenna, sitting cross-legged as if he'd been there the whole time. His wire 'horns' glowed faintly in the soft light. His screen lit up when he saw them.

"Morning, kiddos," he greeted, voice soft but bright. "You're up early, my internal clock must be off, haha."

Kris just sighed, glad to have some company. Asriel rubbed his eyes and grinned, telling Tenna to be quiet as a small reminder. "Also, we're kind of hungry."

Tenna's smile widened, dusting off his knees and standing up with a big stretch, accidentally touching the ceiling. "Of course you are, not to worry. Breakfast time, huh? Let me guess, toast?"

Asriel grabbed his hand, tugging at him eagerly. "You make the best toast," he insisted. Kris scribbled quickly on their pad and held it up: 'Yes. But you are better than toast.'

Tenna gave a soft laugh, his voice crackling faintly at the edges like a worn-out speaker. "Well, can't argue with that logic. Toast it is." He clicked a few joints and walked carefully over into the kitchen, the house now slowly seeming more alive. "And better than toast? I must still be dreaming."

He moved easily through the small space, like he'd lived there forever, humming some off-key jingle from one of his ancient shows. The kids followed, still wrapped in their blankets and nudging each other.

Tenna made a show of the whole thing, holding up slices of bread like they were fine treasure. "Behold: the sacred bread," he intoned dramatically. Kris snorted softly. Asriel giggled, clambering onto a chair to watch.

Toast popped up at the perfect shade of gold. Butter was spread with exaggerated care. When he finally presented the plates, Tenna gave a flourishing bow. "A masterpiece," he softly declared.

They ate together at the table, the quiet broken only by the clink of knives for jam and the occasional half-muffled laughter when Tenna made another ridiculous comment about the 'fine cuisine'.

But as the meal finished and the plates were cleared up, something shifted. Tenna grew thoughtful, gaze distant for a moment as he washed up at the sink. The kids noticed, of course. Kris especially, observant as ever.

"You okay?" Asriel asked after a moment, small and tentative.

Tenna glanced back, offering a quick smile that didn't quite convince them. "Oh yeah. Just thinking." His voice had that soft distortion again, like a VHS tape left in the sun too long. "I do that a lot. Thinking. In a world of my own really."

The kids ate their toast as they accepted that as an answer, and then there was a quiet thump. Something must have fallen over upstairs, perhaps their mother dropped a bottle of perfume.

Then there was the loud slam of a door, Tenna rushing off to the TV stand as the kids looked over to the stairs. What was happening?

Their dad was yelling about something, passing through the rooms without glancing around and opening the front door with a clumsy urgency. It was slammed just as fast as it all happened. The house shook.

Not long after, their mother rushed down, following with determination. She motioned to the kids about 'being back soon' and some other information before leaving too, the door opened and closed with just as much hurry yet no bang.

Now it really was silent. Asriel began to tear up. Neither of them understood what was happening so there was no reason to get upset, right? But sobs were ripped out of his throat as Kris also sniffled, wiping them away on their blanket.

Tenna didn't need an invitation, rushing over once the coast was clear, crouching down to their level. "Hey, come on now, it's going to be okay. This happens all the time, right?"

And that caused a louder wail. A broken 'this never happens' coming from Asriel. Tenna became motionless. That was right. The kids never knew the behind the scenes because they would have the TV on loud as they fought in the living room, noise drowned out enough to sound like a blur. They never had to witness it because Tenna saw it all. He wasn't cut out for this, he was a kid like them at heart, never given the chance of a childhood.

"Come on now- we can-. . . We can go someplace else, yeah?"

Kris exchanged a glance with Asriel, who looked equally surprised but also nervous. "Really?" Asriel mumbled as he wiped away tears, sleeves soaked. His tail gave a single hopeful swish.

Tenna nodded. "I mean-only if you want to. It's quite different over there. Not like here. But I thought maybe. . . Maybe it'd be nice. You've always been curious."

"Over there?" Asriel questioned.

"My world."

Kris tapped their fingers on the table, thinking. Of course, the kids were curious. How could they not be? Tenna was their protector, their friend, their weird big-brother-uncle-dad-thing who made everything feel safe. Obviously they wanted to see. But also, there was that quiet coil of fear in their stomach. The unknown.

They nodded to each other then spun to face Tenna, Tenna's grin turned sheepish. "All right, all right. But listen, it's not like stepping into some magical fairyland. My place. . . It's messy, cluttered even. And it might feel kinda strange. So you'll have to stick close, okay?"

Wiping away the last of their tears and getting up from the table, Kris nodded with a sureness Tenna hasn't seen in a while. Asriel nodded slowly, still thinking but unable to deny the pull of curiosity.

"Now, I mean it. Stick close. No wandering off. There are things over there I don't want you near. Not everything in my world is as nice as me." Which was meant as more of a little joke, but the warning was real beneath it.

"Stick with me and I'll introduce you to my most trusted members. Maybe we can even play some games! Oh, won't that be wonderful?" Tenna asked more to himself than the kids, clasping his hands together and looking away.

He cleared his throat and returned his attention to the kids. "Promise me now."

Kris signed back: 'Promise.' Asriel echoed, "Promise!"

Tenna studied them for a long second, then nodded. "Okay then! Go get your shoes on. And maybe a jacket. The studio can be a little chilly at times. In a different way than here."

The kids scrambled to obey, excitement bubbling up now. Tenna stayed there for a moment longer, watching them go. His smile faded as soon as they were out of sight. His hands trembled faintly.

"What am I doing?" he sighed out to himself, but he already knew. They wanted this. And. . . maybe he did too. It was just some harmless fun. Nobody would get hurt. Nobody would hate him for this. This was the right choice.

Chapter Text

The kids closed their eyes like Tenna told them to, hiding their faces in their blanket-capes as he held them close. There was a static sound, and then it felt like they were falling, still tightly held on to Tenna.

There was a thud, and they stopped falling. And as they went to look up, Tenna hushed them and told them not to look yet. Apparently, it would 'ruin the surprise'. So, they waited, carried around in his arms.

It took some time, but now placed down, the kids now found themselves standing on a brightly lit stage. Spotlights gleamed overhead, casting colourful beams across polished checkered floors. Huge cardboard props lined the set: oversized dice, glittering wheels, giant foam letters.

It was the most extravagant thing they've ever seen.

A theme song played from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Welcome, superstars!" Tenna’s voice boomed from a microphone that appeared in his hand. He was standing centre-stage now, suit pressed sharp, antennae perked high.

He looked different. The shape and colour of his face didn't look like their TV anymore. His movements were smoother, voice richer. He looked healthy.

 He spun in place, spreading his arms wide. "Live from your house, It’s the Mr. Ant Tenna's Tv Time Celebrity Special!"

Confetti rained from the ceiling. A studio audience cheered and sounds played from various speakers. He was in his element. Asriel blinked, his ears perking back up. "Whoa. . ."

"Yup! That’s right!" Tenna chuckled, ushering them toward the blinking platforms at the centre of the stage. "You two are Lightners! That makes you practically celebrities in this broadcast space. Haven’t you heard? Everyone here knows just how special you two are!"

Kris furrowed their brow slightly but said nothing, Asriel nudging them. Glancing at eachoter they realised they looked different too, their blankets now actual capes, outfits in neon colours and wild shapes impossible in the real world.

"How long can we spend here?" Asriel questioned excitedly, practically jumping in the same spot.

Tenna explained the mechanics of his world as simply as he could, saying how 'a day here was only half a day in the real world'. Kris went to question this but was overlooked.

"Now, let’s give ‘em a show!" Tenna winked as he leaned down, suddenly smoothly falling back in a standing position. And, as he snapped his fingers, the games began.

They played round after round of surreal games, their worries forgotten and left behind. Asriel spun a giant prize wheel while laughing uncontrollably. Kris had to balance on an oversized foam block while answering trivia questions that made no sense- things like, 'How many colours are in a laugh?' or 'What’s the sound of tomorrow’s cereal?'

It wasn't very educational but Tenna let it slide just this once, he wanted to see them laugh, not give them a lecture. He wanted to strengthen their creativity and have fun for the whole family.

Every right answer made fireworks shoot from below. Wrong answers turned into gentle booings or clouds of glitter. There were no points, no losers. The whole thing was a loop of chaotic fun, held together by bright lights and Tenna’s cheerful narration.

But sometimes, if they looked just past the cameras, they noticed strange things. Beyond the studio walls was. . . Well- nothing. A vast, empty void, like Tenna built this place up from nothing himself. Every time Kris blinked, the shapes in the darkness seemed to shift, like something was watching from just beyond the edge of the signal.

Still, they played on. It was better than thinking about home.

In the middle of a particularly silly round- where Asriel was trying to guess the weight of a cartoonish rubber duck- Tenna’s antennae twitched sharply. A loud RING echoed across the set.

"Oh- one second, kids!" Tenna’s smile didn’t drop, fixing his tie and sliding off to the side. His shadow lengthened behind him as the lights moved to face the kids more. "That’s, uh, important business. Won’t be a minute!"

He stepped past the curtains and vanished from the stage.

The kids stood there, still on their platforms. "Uh. . . do we keep playing?" Asriel asked, looking around. Kris shrugged but pressed one of the buttons on the console in front of them anyway. The rubber duck exploded into confetti. They both giggled, their shoulders relaxing for the first time all day.

So, they kept playing. They bounced on the foam squares, made silly faces into the cameras, tried to 'win' games that didn’t have real rules. Time stretched strangely in this place. They had no idea how long they’d been there now.

The curtains shifted and Tenna stepped out. Something was different. His smile was still there, but it was thinner. Stretched tighter. His screen was rimmed with a faint glow, his antennae drooping slightly at the ends. His suit was just a little wrinkled, his tie a bit off-centre.

"Alright! I’m back!" Tenna announced, clapping his hands. The sound was loud but hollow. "D-didja miss me?" Asriel looked up, still laughing from the last game. "That was fun! We’re winning, right?"

"O-Oh- of course you are!" Tenna said, his voice just as cheery as before. But if you looked close enough, his hands were shaking just slightly. Asriel opened their mouth, maybe to ask if he was okay, but Tenna clapped again, cutting them off.

"Well! That’s about enough for now!" he said, voice a bit too loud. "Let’s get you two back to your home before anyone starts worryin’, huh? We’ll play again real soon. Perhaps even a video game or two!"

At some point, Asriel yawned, rubbing his eyes. Even Kris felt the weight of time catching up to them. Sadly, Tenna was right. It was time to head home.

Tenna knelt in front of them, softer now. His smile was gentler, just for them. "You did great. Both of you. Best guests I've had in forever." He ruffled the fur on Asriel's head, the same to Kris being mindful of the headband. "Thank you."

"Now, close your eyes again," he said, holding them both close again and picking them up in his arms. He was so much taller here, no roof to restrict him.

And just like before, the world folded in on itself. The falling-sideways feeling came back, stronger, sharper. The bright stage melted into streaks of colour, and the warmth of Tenna's games fell away.

They landed in the living room. 

But something was wrong.

The room wasn't as they'd left it. The sunlight was gone- night had slowly fallen. The static on the TV was loud, harsh, filling the space like angry insects buzzing before shutting off. And they weren't alone.

Unknown voices came from the other room. "Ma'am, please- we need you to-"

"Mom?" Asriel's voice trembled.

There were police in the house. Two officers, one near the bathroom door, one by their mother at the table. Their mother stood behind them, eyes wide and wet with tears. When she saw the kids she let out a cry that was part relief, part fury.

"Kris! Asriel!"

She rushed forward, dropping to her knees, pulling them both into a hug so tight it hurt. Kris felt her shaking. Asriel clung to her, sniffling.

The officers exchanged looks, relieved but confused. One of them spoke gently. "We've been searching for hours. Your mother said you vanished without a trace. Where have you been?"

Asriel opened their mouth, but no words came. How could they explain? How could they tell these strangers about Tenna's world, about the games and the lights and the cold at the edges? Would they take him away?

Kris felt their heart pounding. Tenna was a hard secret to keep. He was watching, waiting. Somewhere beyond the glass but so far. Their mother held them tighter.

Kris and Asriel were sitting side by side on the couch now, hands in their laps, backs straight as boards. Their eyes followed Toriel as she stood at the front door, thanking the police officers softly.

"Thank you again for coming over, officers. Truly. We appreciate it."

One of the officers nodded as they stepped outside. "No trouble at all, ma’am. Just glad the kids are safe."

The door clicked shut.

Toriel’s smile disappeared the second the lock turned. She spun around, her eyes narrowing, lips pressed into a firm line. Her arms crossed over her chest as she looked down at her children.

"Where," she asked, her voice sharp but trembling at the edges, “have you two been all day?”

Kris and Asriel both tensed. They glanced at each other, searching silently for a plan. None came. 

Kris gave a shrug, lips pressed together. Asriel fidgeted with his sweater paws and muttered, "Sorry, Mom. . ." under his breath.

Toriel sighed heavily and crouched down to their level. Her hands reached out, resting softly on their knees. Her face was still serious, but her tone softened.

“I am not mad at you,” she said quietly. "I was worried. I called everyone I could think of. Nobody had seen you since this morning. I-" Her voice caught for a second before she smoothed it back down. "You scared me."

The kids’ shoulders relaxed just a little. "We didn’t mean to run off," Asriel said, head dropping low "It’s just. . . this morning, when you and Dad were yelling, we-"

Toriel gently interrupted, "It was not yelling, my child." Her brow pinched, but she kept her voice gentle. "It was a disagreement. Adults sometimes have those. It's all better now though."

Kris looked down, picking at the couch cushion. Asriel looked about. "Where’s Dad now?" He mumbled. 

Toriel gave a small sigh and stood back up, smoothing her skirt. "Your father is at his shop for the night. We. . . could not finish our conversation."

She looked thoughtful, glancing out the window at the rain. It ran smoothly down the panes of glass.

"But listen to me, both of you," she said, looking back down and meeting their eyes. "You cannot run off like that. I understand you were upset. I understand you needed space. But you are still children. You need to be safe."

Asriel’s ears twitched. "We are safe," he whispered. Kris nodded slowly, eyes darting toward the blank TV screen across the room.

Toriel smiled, just barely. "And for that, I am grateful. And because you came back, and you are unharmed, I will let this slide." She reached out, brushing Kris’s bangs from their forehead, then giving Asriel’s shoulder a soft squeeze. "Just this once."

Relief washed over the kids like a warm blanket. Their bodies loosened. Their secret- the strange, otherworldly place they were taken to- could stay between them and Tenna a little longer.

Things could go back to normal. Tomorrow, they’d play again.

"But-"

They froze. Toriel’s ears flicked back just slightly. "Starting tomorrow, you will be having babysitters when your father and I are both away."

"Mom!" Asriel groaned, sitting up straight and getting his hands on the couch, jaw dropped. "We’re old enough!" he blurted, eyes wide, heart thumping.

"I know you think you are." Toriel’s voice stayed calm, but there was no room for argument. "But after today, I cannot take any more chances. Not after what happened."

"But we came back-"

"I said no." Her tone was final, but her eyes were sad. Both kids sank lower into the couch cushions.

"Now come, let’s get you some dinner and then straight to bed." She began walking into the kitchen, already grabbing some items from the fridge. "Tomorrow is another day."

As they followed her to the kitchen, Kris glanced back at the television. The screen was black, but a faint shimmer of static danced at the corners. Just for a second. Then it was gone.

Chapter Text

Kris and Asriel sat slumped on the living room couch, the afternoon sun sinking lower behind them, casting long shadows across the carpet. Outside, the faint sounds of distant cars and cicadas buzzed in the warm air. Inside, the only noise was the ticking of the kitchen clock.

They already knew today was going to be different. Toriel had made it clear this morning- there were going to be babysitters. Not a suggestion. Not a maybe. A definite.

Kris’s arms were folded tightly, knees pulled up against their chest. Asriel tapped his foot against the couch’s edge, restless, ears and nose twitching now and then.

"I don’t need a babysitter," Asriel muttered for the tenth time that day. Kris didn’t answer. They just stared ahead, eyes empty, brain swirling in quiet dread.

Tenna wouldn’t be able to visit them tonight. Babysitters meant no strange game shows. No secret TV adventures. No slipping away into static worlds or simply just having fun together. They were trapped in the ordinary. Caged.

The doorbell rang. A long, slow, droning tone. Kris and Asriel flinched in unison. "Guess that’s them," Asriel whispered. Their parents had just left and said to wait a few minutes then answer the door.

Neither of them moved for a few seconds. Then Asriel sighed, got up, and shuffled over. Kris followed, dragging their feet along.

When Asriel opened the door, two pale figures floated just beyond the threshold. "Um. . . hi," murmured who Asriel assumed was Napstablook, their form barely visible in the late afternoon light. They wore a wide-brimmed hat, slightly tilted, covering half their face. A pair of headphones hovered beside their head, music so soft it was practically part of the air.

"Hey, kiddos!" Happstablook said cheerfully, their tone brighter but still awkwardly stretched thin. They wore a baggy hoodie that floated along with them, sleeves dangling like loose threads in the wind. Their ghostly body shimmered faintly pink, as if they were half-here between planes of existence.

"We’re the, um. . . babysitters."

"Yeah," Happstablook added, blinking slowly. 

"We… sit. With babies. Not that you’re… babies. But. Y’know."

Kris and Asriel stood there in the doorway, staring. An awkward wave was given by the kids before moving aside. Asriel forced a smile. "Come in, I guess."

The two ghosts drifted inside, making almost no sound. Napstablook hung up their hat for it to only disappear immediately. Their misty forms left faint trails in the air that quickly faded. "Your mom and dad, um. . ." Napstablook started, trailing off. "They said we could just. . . hang out. Make sure you don’t- get eaten by something."

"We don’t do much else," Happstablook sighed softly, their ghost eyes half-lidded, voice barely louder than the hum of the fridge. "We’re more of a presence."

Kris and Asriel returned to the couch, slumping back into the cushions. The ghosts floated nearby, hovering just above the ground, swaying gently like weeds in a pond. Minutes passed in a weird, heavy silence. This was so boring.

Napstablook rifled through the little ghost bag they carried, pulling out a snack-sized bag of ghost pepper chips. "We brought, um. . . snacks. Hope that’s okay."

Kris and Asriel glanced at each other. Ghost snacks? "Do those actually have peppers in them?" Asriel asked, Kris glaring daggers at the bag.

"Sort of," Napstablook replied, examining the bag. "They’re mostly made of like- vaporised memories. . . of spicy food. But, you can pretend."

Kris reached out, attempting to take a chip for it to only fall through their fingers. Disappointing. They probably wouldn't have liked the flavour anyway.

The evening stretched on. Napstablook put on some music- old, warbling lo-fi beats that sounded like they were playing from beneath a blanket underwater. Tenna was so much better.

Happstablook tried telling a few ghost jokes at least. They weren't awful but they weren't great either. Didn't help that the kids' vocabulary was so limited.

"What does a ghost like to eat?"

". . . What?" Asriel asked for the 100th time today.

"Spook-etti."

Asriel smiled weakly as Happstablook laughed to themself. Kris stared at the floor. Another hour passed, soft and strange, the house filled with the subtle pulse of ghostly ambient sound. The TV remained off. Tenna wasn’t coming tonight. That was clear.

And then, as if summoned by their thoughts, the TV crackled. Static hissed from the screen, loud and sudden, breaking the calm.

Kris and Asriel snapped their heads toward it. Neither of them had touched the remote. What was he doing? Couldn't he see this was a bad time?

Happstablook squinted. "Did you guys turn that on? I thought your mother said 'no more than an hour or so of TV' for a bedtime movie."

"I-I must have accidentally hit the remote, whoops!" Asriel claimed, throat tight as he stared the the remote across the room, clearly untouched. Should he run for it and turn off the TV? Would that hurt Tenna? He didn't want to do that.

Napstablook floated closer, eyes reflecting the white noise. "We. . . don’t usually watch TV," they murmured. "Too many. . . jump scares."

The screen flickered. Lines of distortion ran up and down the display, like something was pressing against the inside of the glass. Then black smoke puffed out.

The ghosts turned and began trying to get the children to back away, worried about a malfunction or harm. But this smoke was different. It was otherworldly.

Tenna's outline stretched unnaturally for a second, blurred before snapping into focus. He tripped slightly as he landed, his yellow shoes clicking against the hardwood floor.

"Ah- sorry I took so long to get here, I was busy talking with-. . . nevermind." Tenna’s voice glitched at the edges, static trailing his words before smoothing out. He hadn't seen the ghosts yet.

Kris and Asriel’s eyes went wide. "Uh-oh," Asriel whispered. Tenna dusted himself off rapidly, his antenna flicking back and forth. His mouth twitched into his usual showman grin, but there was a sharp edge to it tonight. And then he saw them. The unexpected company.

"Oh fudge." he stammered, suddenly standing not-so-tall, crouched a little like he was ready to run for it, his hands seemed- sharper? Did he have nails?

The Blooks stared silently. ". . .You’re not supposed to be here. Who are you?” Napstablook asked after a long pause, voice soft as ever.

Tenna’s fingers twitched, buttons on his sleeves blinking briefly like glitching pixels before focusing in too. "Well, uh. . . I'm- I'm Tenna. The TV-"

Happstablook rotated slowly in midair, floating upside down closer to the man. "Neat."

Tenna’s face froze, mouth slightly open in confusion. His frame relaxed more, standing fully. "Wait. That’s it?" He questioned, still as a statue, afraid to move. "You’re not gonna- scream? Or, like, exorcise me?" Tenna realised his poor choice of words too late.

"We’ve seen weirder," Happstablook replied, spinning lazily back upright. "One time a haunted toaster followed us home. Oh, that was funny, haha. We let it live in the cupboard for a while."

"Yeah," Napstablook added, voice soft as rainfall. "One time Happsta found a cursed VHS tape. . . and accidentally became friends with the ghost inside."

"It was lonely, Blooky." Happstablook sighed, letting off an embarrassed chuckle.

Tenna's expression was twitching between confusion and relief. This was some sort of trick, right? They would get him when he was least expecting it. But nothing came. . . "So, uh. We’re good?"

Napstablook floated closer, inspecting him like one might inspect a weird bug on the sidewalk. "Are you. . . dangerous?"

Tenna’s teeth clicked together. His gaze flicked toward Kris and Asriel, then back to the ghosts, twiddling his thumbs.

"No," he said quietly.

"Okay," Napstablook said, drifting about.

"We get paid either way," Happstablook hummed.

Kris let out a breath they didn’t realise they were holding. Asriel’s shoulders relaxed, his ears drooping back to normal. "So, um. This is fine, right?" He said, pointing towards Tenna.

"Totally," Happstablook said, nudging Napstablook in a reassuring way. "We won't snitch, especially on such a handsome TV."

Tenna flicked his antenna nervously, his static settling down a bit. He crouched by the TV cabinet for a moment, trying to adjust the dials on his face like he was fine-tuning a radio.

"Explains the. . . Disappearance. . . And the reports." Napstablook hummed, Asriel looking shy and nodding. The reports of a new town member had spread to everyone over the past month but nobody could really wrap their heads around it.

"Well!" Tenna said, his voice forced back into cheerful show-host mode. "What are babysitters for, if not entertaining the kids?" He began to shrink down, only about 6ft tall excluding antennae.

"We don’t really do that," Happstablook hummed out, calm about it until he saw Tenna's expression, jaw dropped.

"We mostly. . . exist nearby," Hapstablook added. "Sometimes we cry in the bathroom, but softly."

"But- that sounds so boring! And honestly a little upsetting. There's so much opportunity, we can't waste a second!" Tenna clapped his hands together, his smile warm as ever.

"What do you. . . Suggest?"

"Nothing extreme, nothing wild. We need a break from that." He waved his hands about, looking about. "How about some board games?" 

The kids seemed to light up at that, looking up at Tenna as he sat on the floor to ruffle the kids' hair. "Remember that Kris? Asriel? How the family would all get together and all the neighbours, huddled together around the lovely TV!"

Asriel giggled, nodding their head and going to tackle Tenna as he lifted them into the air. Kris decided to play too as they went for his torso, Tenna busy holding up Asriel and vulnerable. There was a lot of built-up energy from such a boring day.

"All the neighbours?" Napstablook questioned, sitting down on the couch with another ghostly snack. Happstablook followed them, having something to eat too.

"A-. . . Nothing, it's nothing." Tenna claimed, a soft pink blush appearing on their screen. Whoops. He's heard of the Blooks before, sure, but never really seen them besides the odd one or two chats. Especially Happsta.

The rest of the night unfolded in a quiet, strange blur. Tenna, Kris, and Asriel played a few calm games on the couch- simple trivia, little guessing games, easy puzzles that the kids made way more dramatic. Nothing world-bending tonight. Just simple fun.

They didn't have many games here, usually the Holidays brought them over. But, there were ones they could make up, ones that didn't require physical items. 

The ghosts sometimes played but mostly hovered in the background, occasionally chiming in with facts about 80s synth music or weird haunted antiques they saw once at a garage sale, Tenna glad he could finally talk about cool trinkets to someone. (Even if his were a little different. It was fun to learn and exchange 'cultures'.)

At one point, Tenna flicked his screen to a different show and made a small hologram of sorts appear, filling the living room with soft, looping clips of clouds, pixel art cities, and weird little jingles from a world that wasn’t this one.

Kris and Asriel leaned back, letting the warm images drift over them. Happstablook floated upside down again, humming softly. Napstablook curled up near the window, eyes half-closed, soft music still playing in their headphones.

For a while, everything felt okay. Different, but okay. This secret was going to get out sooner than Tenna had hoped for, but he was grateful for the time he had with the kids. Glad he could finally show he is always there for them.

Eventually, the clock chimed.

Napstablook checked the time, somewhat stretching off and coming over to the couch. "We should probably, um. . . get you ready for bed."

"Yeah," Happstablook agreed, drifting toward the kitchen to put away the untouched snacks. "Your folks will be home soon, and you need energy for tomorrow."

Tenna nodded, collecting games and putting them back to where they belonged. "Right!! We don’t want to overstay. Haha."

Kris felt their heart sink a little. Asriel rubbed his eyes, yawning.

Napstablook floated over to them, their ghostly form soft and cool like mist. "Oh, we won’t. . . tell anyone by the way," they whispered, barely audible.

"We promise," Happstablook added.

Tenna smiled, his glitchy edges softening. "Thanks, friends."

"Don’t mention it," Happstablook whispered. "Literally. Ever."

They put the kids to bed with ease, some small complaints being made but sleep getting to them despite fighting it off as hard as they could. This was nice.

It took some time before Toriel returned, the three of the babysitters exchanging small words and information, sometimes about themselves, sometimes about interests. An honourable mention would be when Napstablook joked about possessing something such as Tenna since they're mostly an 'item', Tenna too afraid to find out and Happstablook just listening intently.

It was nice to have some genuine friends outside of work, even if this was sort of a job in Tenna's eyes. Did they consider Tenna a friend too?

When Toriel returned that night, she peeked into the living room to see Napstablook playing soft music from their headphones on the couch. Happstablook was sitting on the carpet way too close to the TV, Toriel was about to tell them it would turn their eyes square but was not exactly sure if it's the same for ghosts.

The two cousins hovered over silently, nodding politely as Toriel thanked them for watching the kids. "Were they any trouble?" she asked, setting her keys on the counter. And placing her purse away.

Napstablook shook their head. "Nope. They. . . played games. We. . . supervised."

Hapstablook hummed. "It was chill. No need to worry, Darling."

Toriel smiled gently. "Thank you. Really."

As she walked them to the door, the ghosts exchanged one last glance. No words passed between them, but the message was clear: We’re not telling.

The door closed with a soft click, and the house returned to its normal, quiet state. Kris and Asriel lay in their room, their hearts still fluttering with the strange events of the evening. How much longer could they keep up this act? And what would it mean if this information got out?