Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After their world's dark fountain was sealed, Banner, their siblings, and the rest of their world's Darkners were invited to Castle Town by the “Fun Gang.” At first, everyone struggled to adapt to the new environment, but eventually, everyone settled in and started doing their own things.

Banner and their siblings, on the other hand, struggled to decide what they should do. They all knew they wanted to sell things, but with each one of them having their own vision for what that thing was, it was hard to find a middle ground. But in the end, they were able to compromise. They decided that they wouldn't just sell one thing, but multiple. The plan was that they would each have their own section to sell their own items, while also having specific duties to keep the business up and running. The idea was Banner's, and though they wouldn't show it, they were really proud that their “sales pitch” was good enough to stop their siblings from bickering. In the end, the siblings all started to pick out what they would be selling.

Click was the first to decide, as they were already very passionate about their personalized tea. Sponsor was next, choosing to sell the clothes they made since they already had experience selling them. After Sponsor decided what they would sell, the other two Addisons realized they needed to pick up the pace if they wanted to get the shop up and running.

After a lot of contemplation, Banner finally decided on selling shoes, since Click—who had previously sold shoes—wasn’t going to anymore. Survey was the last one who needed to decide, but was having a hard time. Since they were mainly in charge of inventory previously, they had no clue what they would sell. That’s when Sponsor came up with the idea to have them work together, and that Survey would make accessories to go with the clothing. After a moment of consideration, Survey accepted the offer—after all, they always had an eye for fashion.

Though they now had a solid plan for what to sell and how to keep the business running, they would soon run into another problem: how would they market their items to the Darkners from the other Dark World? Since none of them had any clue what those Darkners were like, they decided they would deal with that later.

After everything was decided, the shop was finally opened and ready for anything that came its way…

—

It was late in the week. Banner was at the shop, which he would be closing soon. Since his sibling had gone home earlier to work on some—as Yellow put it—“boring-@$$ paperwork,” he was the only one there.

As Banner looked at the clock, he contemplated closing early—after all, no one really came in toward the end of the day. But just as he was about to get up, the bell above the entranceway door chimed. This startled them, nearly making them fall to the ground. As they slowly began to recompose themself, they briefly glanced toward the front—but strangely enough, the front of the store was empty.

Their face shifted to a more confused look. They began to wonder if something like a Maus had snuck in. This thought was quickly shattered when, all of a sudden, the bells on the front counter rang. Not only did this scare the life out of them, but they also ended up falling face-first onto the floor.

Banner, not wanting to make even more of a fool of themself in front of a possible customer, attempted to get up. This was ultimately pointless, since two seconds into his attempt, a hand was extended toward him. So much for not making a fool of themself in front of the customer…

Banner slowly looked up at the person they had just embarrassed themself in front of—and realized it was one of the Lightners, more specifically the blue one who kept to themselves.  They remembered that when all of them were being invited to the castle by Ralsei and the other Lightner, the blue one had just stared at them. It was almost like the lightener wanted something from them, but they had no idea what it could have been.

These thoughts were short-lived, as the Lightner cleared their throat, snapping Banner out of it.

“Oh, I deeply apologize for my unprofessional behavior, but is there something I could help you with?” Banner said in his classic customer service voice.

The Lightner began to reach for something in their pocket, taking a weirdly long amount of time, making Banner question how big their pockets were. After what felt like a while, the Lightener seemed to have finally found what they were looking for. Banner watched as the Lightner fiddled with the object before delicately pulling out a pair of glasses and placing them on the counter.

Banner looked at the Lightner, then back at the glasses, confused. Since the Lightner didn’t look to have anything to say, Banner just decided to ask the first thing that came to mind.

“Oh… um, did you get them from one of the other shops? I'm not in charge of the clothing and accessories, so I wouldn't know.”

Banner, who was already weirded out by the whole interaction, tried to recompose themself. Which the lightener must have noticed since they quieted down a little.

But before he could even take a moment to breathe, the Lightner shook their head, signifying no. This filled Banner with even more unease and made him even more confused. The Lightner must have noticed, because they began to open and close their mouths as if they were going to speak. After a minute of doing that, the Lightner stopped, took a deep breath, and in a very hushed, mumbly voice, started talking.

“Take them. I— I think they would be better in your hands.”

Banner, who was kind of shocked that they would speak to him of all people, just stood there for a moment, thinking about what to say.

“Um, I’m really sorry, but we don’t accept other people’s items here. We really only sell handmade stuff. It would be a little dishonest to sell something not homemade. Though I could  probably try to sell them.”

Although this was a lie, Banner wasn’t in the mood to tell them that Survey would probably call them a “fashion no-no” and refuse to sell them.

But then the Lightner suddenly spoke out in a semi-frantic tone.

“NO.”

As the Lightner realized how loud they’d just spoken, they quickly quieted down, their next words coming out much more smoothly.

“Keep them… They meant something to someone.”

Banner was a little shocked at the random outburst that quickly turned into quiet mumbling. Their words confused Banner; it was like they held some meaning—and maybe even a hint of sympathy?

Just then, Banner realized the Lightner was shaking. Not in an angry way, but like they were burdened by some unseen knowledge.

Banner looked at the Lightener and sighed.

“Okay, kid. I’ll take them.”

The Lightener looked at him. Their expression returned to the same blank look they’d worn for most of the interaction—though this time, with a hint of relief. When the Lightner began to give Banner the glasses, they hesitated a little before carefully placing them in his hand, then turning to leave. But before they exited, Banner noticed them glancing back with a sort of melancholy expression. Then, just like that, they were gone.

When the Lightener was completely out of view, Banner pressed his back against the wall, sliding down until he was on the floor. He put his hands to his head and just sat there for a moment.

Though it was hangout night for the Addisons, Banner honestly didn’t feel like going at all. But since he knew he’d be berated if he didn’t, he decided he would just try his best not to let the stressful day show.

So, after a while of stalling, Banner finally decided to get up and close the shop. Grabbing the glasses and shop keys, he headed to the door. He quickly locked the shop up and pocketed the keys. He couldn’t help but take a closer look at the glasses the Lightner had tried so hard to get him to take. They had black circular frames, accompanied by pink and yellow lenses, and looked very well used.

Chapter Text

The Addison's basically free-load at the cafe for like an hour or 2 and discuss Banner's interaction with the lightner 

After a rather tiring walk to the Castle Town's café, Banner finally arrives. Taking a deep breath, they try to settle their nervous, sleep-deprived mind. This makes them think about how they probably should ease up on the work and start going to bed earlier, like Sponsor suggested.

Opening the door, they are greeted with a warmly lit, bustling environment. As the half-warm air hits their face, their shoulders instantly relax, releasing the breath they didn’t know they were holding.

Walking over to their usual meeting place, Banner is met with none other than the Pink Addison, Click.

“Well, where have you been? I know you like taking your sweet time, but you're 30 minutes late,” Click reprimanded in a joking manner.

“Sorry, I was kind of tied up with a customer…” Banner said whilst scratching their wrist, then sitting down.

After a moment of silence, Banner looked up to realize that Sponsor, Click, and Survey were all looking at them.

Like clockwork, Sponsor looks at Banner with a concerned expression, then begins to speak in their usual composed tone, which is also laced with a lot of concern.

“Banner, is something wrong? You don't look too good. Have you been overworking yourself again?"

“Yeah,” Click chimed in. “You look kind of… unkempt. Did something happen at the store? Was it a rude customer again?"

Banner sighed. “Yeah. Something did happen at work with a customer. It was one of the Lighteers—the blue-haired one.”

“Really? They came by again?” Click groaned. “It was already annoying enough when they came around the first time, asking us about them. After all, some things deserve to stay forgotten.”

After finishing their sentence, the table's once cheery atmosphere was left with nothing but emptiness. Banner knew what the Pink Addison was referring to, reminding them of a still-healing wound.

The Orange Addison sighed. “Banner, whatever happened looks to be really affecting you. So please don't hold back from telling us because a certain someone doesn't like talking about it. After all, all of us are in this together. Whether that be as business partners or siblings—all of us are here now, and that's all that matters.”

Strangely enough, Banner could have sworn they heard a cough from the empty chair next to them at the end of the sentence, but ultimately decided not to question it for too long because they now had an audience.

“Yeah, you've got a point, Sponsor.” They took a breath, looking at everyone else at the table, who looked at them, signaling them to go on. “Though the Lightener came in, they didn’t really say much. All they did was try to get me to take a pair of glasses. But the little they did say just made me more confused—especially when I told them I could try to sell them. They started shaking and yelled no. But the thing that bothers me the most is when they told me to ‘keep them’ and that ‘they meant something to someone.’ Who that someone is, I have no clue.”

After finishing the thought, it occurred to them that they should probably show everyone the glasses. After digging through their pockets, they finally pull out the colorful glasses and place them delicately on the table.

As the three Addisons take their time looking at the glasses, Survey chimes in with his own input.

“I don't think I've ever seen those glasses before, but they do kind of remind me of Swatch’s. Maybe he would know who they belonged to.”

Click, who was the next to speak, bluntly looked at Survey before sarcastically saying, “Yeah, that's a great idea. Why don’t we ask Swatch? After all, it’s not like it's their day off.”

Survey, clearly annoyed by the Click’s retort, just looked away with a face similar to a pout plastered on their face.

“Well, at least I now have a lead,” Banner said while tiredly yawning and resting their head on the table.

“Banner, when was the last time you slept a decent amount of sleep?” Sponsor said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Banner, who was tiredly nodding off, mumbled, “Two weeks ago.”

When Banner finally realized their mistake, they shot up, looking at Sponsor with pleading eyes.

Sponsor, smirking at them, looked Banner dead in the eye and said,
“You remember when I cleaned the house even though it was your turn? And you said I could ask for a big favor in return? Well, I’m cashing in that favor now.
You have to stay in the storage house for a day.
You also have to sort and organize everything in there—but only for four hours max, since you tend to get stuck in your work.
And um… you’re not allowed to do anything related to the shop, aside from organizing the inventory!”

Sponsor, who was literally glowing with a soft orange hue, looked at Banner with a pure, shit-eating grin.

Banner just sat there, clearly annoyed.
“Uuuuggghhhh,” they groaned.
“Fine.”

They knew they were getting off easy, but that didn’t mean they had to like it. They were busy and had better things to do than sleep and clean out the storage house.

Snapping out of their tired haze for a moment, Banner glanced over at the orange Addison. That’s when they noticed their other sibling’s state. They were glowing—which most Addisons do when they’re feeling strong positive emotions or are near someone they’re familiar with or have strong feelings toward—but this wasn’t a glow of genuine happiness. They were just buzzed.

“Well, I'd better get going if I want to get settled before I pass out,” Banner muttered sleepily.

They figured they should probably do something about Sponsor, but they’d already noticed Pink watching from a distance and knew they had it handled. After all, Sponsor didn’t usually drink enough to get tipsy, let alone drunk. It was strange—and definitely something Banner planned to talk to them about later, just to make up for leaving so suddenly.

As they waved goodbye and started walking toward the house, their thoughts wandered to how they’d ended up with the storage house in the first place.

While it was primarily used to store supplies for the shop, it also had a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and living room. That was because the building was originally one of the temporary houses meant for any new Darkners arriving in Castle Town.

But Click—being Click—decided to bargain with the Dark Prince to take the house for themself. The reason? They wanted something that was both a studio and a storage space.

Banner chuckles under their breath at the memory of Click using their salesman voice to persuade the prince (which, in all honesty, didn’t take too long if they were being honest).

These thoughts made Banner smile, all these memories reminding them of all the fun times the brothers had. When Banner snapped out of their thoughts and looked up, they realized they’d passed the house. Backtracking a little, they finally made it to the brothers’ house.

They knew they needed to grab some things from the house, so they began to do that.

After grabbing the essentials, Banner headed over to the storage house, unlocking it with the key they got from the brothers’ house. When they opened the door, they were greeted by a floral aroma, which they recalled to be from Click’s tea stash. As they locked up the door, placing the house keys and store keys on the counter near the door, they remembered they had totally forgotten to give their brother the store keys. Mentally slapping themself, they went to grab their phone and texted them that they would leave the door unlocked so they could grab the keys in the morning.

Though this could be a bad idea, they didn’t really care—since all they cared about was going to bed.

After setting the rest of their things down in the bedroom and getting changed into their pajamas, they plopped down on the bed. But before they could get comfortable, they felt something poking their back. Sitting up to check what they had laid on, they saw their pair of pants on the bed, but before they moved them, they noticed something glimmering in the light.

After pulling it out, they realized it was just the glasses. Curiousness getting the best of them, they opened the glasses and put them on. After looking around the room a little, their eyes drifted to what looked to be a mirror behind the door. Getting up, they wandered over to the door before shutting it to see into the mirror.

But as the mirror started to reflect them, something changed. They saw something that wasn’t their reflection. Freaked out, Banner quickly went to rip the glasses off their face—the glasses falling on the ground with a clink.

For a good minute, Banner just sat there trying to make sense of what they just saw. After their breathing returned to normal again, they finally got up and turned the light off—not caring to pick up the glasses—and then wandered over to bed.

As they tried to fall asleep, they tried to convince themself that the person they saw would be gone if they tried the glasses on in the morning.

After all, they were just really tired… right?

Chapter Text

Banner began to slowly open their eyes. As they rubbed their eyes, they briefly glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
It displayed 3:00 a.m.

Great. It’s three in the morning, they thought to themself.

As they contemplated just getting up, they were suddenly jolted out of their thoughts by a loud noise coming from downstairs. Banner, who had been half asleep, was now fully awake.

They wanted to just go back to sleep, but knew that if the noise came from inside the house, that wasn’t good. After all, they knew if anything was stolen, it would be their fault for not locking the door. And they would never hear the end of it if it were Click’s stuff.

So Banner crept to the bedroom door, tiptoeing as quietly as they could so as not to alert whatever was down there—if something was down there. They hoped not.

Just as they were about to open the door, they paused. If someone really is in the house, they thought, I should probably have something for self-defense.

Quickly scanning the room, their eyes landed on a bat. It was from one of Survey’s phases, where they insisted they’d form a team—but that idea vanished after the disappearance of Sp-.

Another loud noise snapped them out of their thoughts.

Grabbing the bat, they made their way to the door. Wrapping their fingers around the knob and slowly turning it, they were met with what sounded like frustrated mumbling.

Swallowing hard, they prayed it wasn’t a person—maybe just a Maus that had gotten lost. But even though they were scared out of their mind, they swallowed their fear and pushed forward.

As they made it through the hallway and toward the stairs, their heartbeat grew faster with each step. By the time they reached the top of the stairs, their chest felt like it was going to explode.

Step by step, they descended the staircase, holding the bat in a ready position.

As they reached the final step, the mumbling grew louder.

They followed the sound, moving through the kitchen and stopping at the entrance to the living room. They knew they might have to fight—so they readied their bat and summoned as much courage as they could.

Slowly, they peeked into the dark living room. All they could make out was a figure near the door.

Then—it moved.

Banner quickly ducked back behind the wall, trying to calm their heartbeat and breathing. But then came footsteps—approaching.

With no time to think, they gripped the bat tightly. If they could land one good hit, maybe that would be enough.

As the figure stepped into view, they swung with everything they had.

CRACK.

The bat made contact. They watched as the figure stumbled back and crashed to the ground. For a moment, they thought they’d knocked them out—until a groan escaped the figure’s mouth.

Then it spoke.

“WATCH THE [[100% AUTHENTIC MERCHANDISE]], BUDDY.”

Banner, still trembling, took a cautious step back. That voice—it couldn’t be. Could it?

It sounded just like—

They kept backing up until their back hit the wall. Frantically fumbling with one hand, they found the light switch.

Flick.

The sudden white light blinded them for a moment. But when their vision cleared and they saw the figure lying on the floor—

They froze.

They had no idea how… but they looked like—

“Spamton?”

Chapter Text

They had no idea how… but they looked like—

“Spamton?”

Before Banner could make another move, the person dashed toward the door.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Banner summoned a barrier to block the doorway.

Although his barriers were mainly meant for battle, Banner—and all the Addison siblings—could still use their attacks outside combat.

Now staring at the person’s back, Banner didn’t know what to say, so they blurted the first thing that came to mind: “Spamton, if that’s truly you, please calm down. I don’t want to fight—can we just—”

The person whipped around, and their eyes met Banner’s. As they started to look away, Banner noticed something: a faint glow. It was barely visible, but it was there.

At that moment, Banner knew. This really was Spamton—the brother they’d thought they’d never see again, the brother they’d believed was dead—standing alive in their house.

Trying not to tear up, Banner simply stared at him. Spamton, who finally fully turned around, seemed to realize the blue Addison was glowing too. He glanced down at his own hands in shock and mumbled, “I didn’t think I could—”

Sensing a chance, Banner spoke softly. “Spamton, please, can we just talk?”

“[Nope, no, nada] WE HAVE [nothing nada zilch] TO TALK ABOUT,” Spamton snapped, shaking his head and crossing his arms.

Before Banner could respond, Spamton vanished—and all that remained were those pink and yellow glasses.

Confused and distraught, the banner just stood there for a moment. Not even bothering to catch the tears that fell from their eyes. 

As their knees gave out, they collapsed to the ground, letting their emotions overcome them. 

They stayed there for a while, with their tears finally stopping. The n as their eyes got heavy and then everything went black, and they drifted off into a relatively peaceful sleep.

As Banner’s eyes fluttered open, the pang of last night’s memory jolted them upright from their lying position.

Wait… was that a memory? They thought to themself. Or was it a dream?

It would make sense if it were a dream—after all, how else would they have ended up in bed?
But it felt so real.

To confirm their suspicions, Banner glanced over at the nightstand—and sure enough, the glasses were there.

A strange feeling welled up inside them, one they couldn’t quite place.
Was it sadness? Anger? Just… disappointment?
They had no clue.

But as they sat there, a single tear slipped down their cheek.

“I guess after all this time, I still can’t get over you, eh, Spam?” they whispered.

Yet no one replied. 

But as they sat there, a single tear slipped down their cheek.

“I guess after all this time, I still can’t get over you, eh, Spam?” they whispered.

Yet no one replied. 

Chapter Text

After a while, Banner started to feel numb. They hated how, whenever they thought they could move past Spamton, the past kept coming back to bite them. Suddenly, their phone buzzed, snapping them out of their trance. Reaching over to the nightstand to pick it up, the first thing they noticed was 12 new messages and 2 missed calls.

Great, they thought. I wonder what went wrong while I was gone.

This thought was quickly shattered after opening their phone and realizing it was 10:30. Opening their group chat, they went to confirm that no, they did not, in fact, die—since their siblings had sent some worried messages.

Banner: Hey, sorry, I just woke up
Clicky: Oh, hey, banban, good to see you’re not dead, nice.
Sponsor: Yeah, guess you did need the sleep after all, shocking
Survey: You never sleep this long. How was it to sleep for more than 5 hours? You're so lucky, Sponsor was so buzzed that they used one of their favors to make you sleep in. So jealous right now: l
Banner: I slept well except for this weird dream I had, but I'll tell you guys about that later. Right now, I should probably go make coffee and get started on cleaning. Wish me luck :)

As they all wished them good luck, Banner pocketed their phone and made their way downstairs. After entering the kitchen and making their coffee, they headed over to the couch and were about to sit down when something in the corner of their eye caught their attention.

Looking over at the door, they noticed a glowing blue pop-up banner. Putting their coffee down, they headed over to check if they were seeing straight. Walking up to the door, they took their time to inspect it and confirm their suspicion. Though the banner looked more saturated than it usually did, it was definitely one of his barriers.

When they hesitantly touched it, the barrier faded into tiny blue particles of magic that dispersed into the air. Banner was now really confused—why was one of his action spells in front of the door? As they looked toward the entrance to the kitchen, realization dawned on them: they never turned the living room lights on that morning.

They were already on.

As these facts all came together in Banner’s mind, they could only think of one thing:
It wasn’t a dream.

Before they knew it, they were rushing up the stairs to the bedroom. Slamming the door open, they quickly walked over to the nightstand—only to find that the glasses were no longer there. Luckily, they heard a noise from the closet, so they hastily rushed over.

Slamming the closet door open, their gaze landed not on who they thought it would be, but on the glasses sitting on the floor. As they went to pick them up, they cursed at themself for not questioning whether it was just a dream. Sure, the signs weren’t that obvious—but if they had just looked a little closer…

Sighing, they looked at the glasses, opened them, and placed them on their head. Leaving the closet, the broken part in the corner managed to catch their attention before they swiftly refocused on the task at hand.

Stomping down the stairs and practically running to the front door, they had one thought in mind: Tell the others!

But as they were about to turn the doorknob, a thought suddenly crossed their mind.

Should I tell my siblings?

They knew they might be happy to see that Spamton wasn’t dead after all—but what if they weren’t? Contemplating for a second, a different thought crossed their mind:

Is this what Spamton would want?

But before they could think about it more, their thoughts were interrupted—by the glasses.

Which had begun to talk.

HEY [[hot-shot]] WHAT DO YOU THINK THE [[big deal]] IS HERE? 

I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE [doing].  UR GOING TO [$!$!] ME OVER BY TELLING THE OTHER [[colorful advertisement]]

Banner, who was understandably a little startled by that, calmly took the glasses off and held them in their hands.
“So it wasn't a dream,” they sighed, looking relatively relieved. They continued, "Spamton... I—I just want to talk. Please come out.”
As their voice began to crack a little, they could feel tears slowly starting to form.

But after a brief moment of silence, the glasses spoke.
“LIKE I [said], WE HAVE [nothing nada zilch] TO TALK ABOUT,” Spamton retorted.

Trying to fight back tears, Banner took a deep breath.
“Spamton, please.”

For a minute, Banner just waited in silence. As they began to give up hope, the glasses began to speak again.
“PUT THE [glasses] ON THE FLOOR.”

Banner knew this could be a trick, but decided to trust him. They took the glasses and placed them on the floor. Slowly, the glasses began to float. As they rose into place, the white outline of a person began to appear—until Spamton was finally standing in front of them.

“THERE. HAPPY NOW?” he spoke in an annoyed tone.

Banner stayed silent, lost in thought as they looked at their supposedly lost brother, who wasn't so lost anymore.
They took in his appearance: his hair was jet black, with some white roots growing in. He wore a black blazer that looked like it was falling apart at the seams. He had on the same glasses that the Lightners had given them. Which, now that they thought about it, technically were Spamton—but they had no idea how that worked.
Looking further down, Banner noticed his hands had black grooves in them—something that definitely hadn’t been there before. Not to mention, he looked smaller than they remembered.
All these details began to paint a rather upsetting picture, causing Banner’s expression to shift into one of concern.

Snapping out of their thoughts, Banner looked down at their hands. They were shaking.
“Spamton, there are so many questions I just want answers to. What happened to you? Where have you been? Why didn’t you tell us you were alive?”
Though Banner already felt they knew the answer to that last one.

When Banner finally looked up, they realized Spamton was no longer in front of them. Turning their head to look around, they quickly spotted him standing at the door, hand on the knob.

Sighing, Banner looked at him with tears gently flowing down their cheeks. As they turned slightly to the side, they spoke in a soft, low voice,
“If you truly want to leave, I won’t stop you... But could I at least say goodbye? I never really got to back the Queen’s mansion.”

“THE [mansion]? [when] WERE YOU THERE [[On A Saturday Night]]?” Spamton asked, confused.

“Oh, you didn't-. Um, well, on the day you were going to be evicted from the Queen’s mansion, I went to your room to check on you... But it looked like you’d just left,” Banner recalled.
They knew they were leaving out the phone part, but they’d rather not focus on that right now.

Banner looked solemnly away, then back at Spamton.
“YOU CAME TO [check] ON ME…” Spamton said as the glasses flickered with static for a moment.

“Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I? Sure, we probably hated each other, but you’re still our brother after all,” Banner said, offering a weak smile.

“WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER [[advertising adverts]]?”

“Oh... I didn’t really tell them. I was just going to bring you home and then play it by ear after that.”
After speaking, Banner looked at Spamton—and saw his whole demeanor shift in an instant.

As Spamton’s glasses began to fade again, he whispered something under his breath.
“Home…”

That caught Banner’s attention instantly. The voice he just used—it sounded exactly like how he used to sound.

Along with making Banner want to cry, it also gave them an idea. Instead of trying to convince Spamton to listen... Why not make an offer he couldn’t resist? Just like old times.

Straightening up and putting on the best salesperson facade they could muster, they began:
“Spamton, you're trying to go see that one Lightner, right?” Spamton nodded.
“If you want to leave, you can—but I can’t guarantee I won’t tell the others, or that they won’t see you. So... I have a once-in-a-lifetime offer for you.”

Banner, seeing how this sparked Spamton’s interest, took it as a sign to continue.
“And since the Lightners might not be back for a while, you’ll need somewhere to stay. So, how about we make a deal:
You can stay here, in our storage house, while you wait for the Lightner. I’ll make sure no one comes here, and I won’t tell anyone you’re alive.

But when the Lightner comes to get you, you have to come back—once you're done with whatever you guys do—and tell me what happened to you.
Those are the terms I offer. Do we have a deal?”

Banner was out of breath by the end. Looking hopefully at Spamton, they saw he was at a loss.
His face shifted, clearly contemplating his decision.

As Banner looked down at their hands, they noticed the shaking had stopped. Looking back up, they saw a hand stretched out toward them.

“WE HAVE A [deal].”

Chapter Text

Overview 

Spamton takes a shower while Banner is reminded of past events 

Banner, who was understandably a little stressed out by the whole Spamton situation, took their time showing him around the house and where everything was. When they finished, they stopped at the end of the hallway. Just then, a thought dawned on them: how would they get food to him without raising suspicion? For that matter, how would they get anything to him?

Looking back at Spamton, they saw he was just fiddling with his hands, staring at the ground. Then an idea formed in Banner’s head.

“Hey Spam, I—” they caught themself and glanced at Spamton's way to see his face turn to a more sorrowful look. 

“Spamton, I was thinking of staying here with you, just to make sure no one else comes around. It would probably also make others less suspicious about me bringing food here. You know how they are. I’ll just sleep on the couch—I'm pretty sure it folds out.”

As Banner finished, they gave Spamton a weak, outward smile. Spamton nodded in recognition, seeming lost in thought. Banner was about to say something when Spamton spoke up first.

“HEY, COULD I USE YOUR [PREMIUM PLUMBING FOR ALL TYPES OF SHOWERS] PLEASE?”

Banner paused for a second, trying to decipher what he just said.

“Oh! Um… the shower. Well, you already know where it is, so don’t let me keep you waiting.” As Spamton went to leave, Banner stopped him. “Oh, and, um… Spamton? You don’t have to ask to do anything around here. You live here, too.”

For now, they thought.

Quickly pushing that thought away, Banner headed to the storage room to assess the mess. As they walked down the hall, it dawned on them that Spamton probably didn’t have any clothes to change into. Though their room might have something, they doubted it would fit him, so they decided to search the storage room. After all, they knew Sponsor liked to keep clothes they didn’t particularly like. There would probably be something small—there were a decent number of smaller Darkners in Castle Town, after all.

After digging through pile upon pile of clothes, they stumbled upon what looked like a suit for a Plugboy. Grabbing it, they realized not only was the tie missing, but the pants were too. Without even questioning why there were no pants, they figured they'd spent enough time worrying and decided to just grab the first pair that looked like they might fit him.

As they started to get up, their foot suddenly fell through the floor. Doing their best not to scream, they pulled their foot out and saw something beneath the floorboards. Bending down to inspect it, they discovered a neatly wrapped box with red wrapping paper and a yellow bow. Picking it up, they noticed a tag. The tag looked worn but was still intact. Opening it reads, Congrats, big shot, we're proud of you. Form Click Sponsor Survey and Banner.  

Banner, who didn’t recognize it at first, was suddenly hit with a wave of memories.

—

It was a day like any other. Banner and their siblings were getting ready to go to the Cyber Grill to give Spamton a special gift to show they were proud of him for trying so hard. He had missed a few nights out for business-related reasons but promised to make it to this one.

Since the four Addisons had been out shopping all day, they were rushing to get the present wrapped. When they finally finished and left, they were surprised to find Spamton wasn’t there. Hours passed as they waited. No one said a word after the first hour. They just kept waiting.

But in the end, he never showed up…

Click, of course, was furious and tried all night to get in touch with him, but never could. Survey fueled the fire by complaining alongside him, while Banner and Sponsor tried their best to calm everyone down. A week passed with no word. When the day of their next night out came, they finally received a message from Spamton:

Spam: Meet me at the Cyber Grill.

When they got the message, they were relieved—no one had known where he was or heard from him. But when they met him there, the mood began to shift.

—

As the Addisons walked into the grill, they found Spamton sitting alone in a booth. Walking up to him, they stood in silence, waiting for him to speak.

“Hey, hey, guys! It feels like it's been a minute. I've been very busy, so I wouldn't know. But oh boy, do I have a story for you!” Spamton said, flashing the group a wide smile. “You won't believe the deals I’ve been making and the people I’ve been talking to! I’m making big deals—bigger than anything we’ve ever witnessed!”

Click, who was leading the group, scowled. As Spamton continued, Click suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

Looking directly at a startled Spamton, Click began, “Spamton, you better have a damn good explanation for why you never showed up at the grill and then ghosted us for a week. We were all seriously worried something might’ve happened to you.”

Spamton’s expression shifted from shocked to a more laid-back smirk.

“Cool your jets, Pinky. Like I said, I’ve been busy,” he said, nonchalantly.

Banner and the rest saw Click’s face begin to turn red.

“Spamton, I don’t give a damn if you were busy—you could’ve at least told us where you were. We all get busy, but you don’t see any of us ghosting each other. We make time, and so can you,” Click said, his anger clear in his voice.

“Yeah, Click's got a point, Spam. You can’t just vanish without a word,” Sponsor added.

“Hey, I’m sorry for not saying anything,” Spamton said, gesturing toward the seats. “But how about you guys sit down, and I’ll tell you what happened?”

—

After they all sat, Spamton began explaining. But all he did was brag about his big break, the luxurious room he’d moved into at the Queen’s mansion, and the people he was doing business with. As the night went on, the Addisons' expressions gradually shifted to ones of discomfort and annoyance.

When Spamton’s phone rang, he answered it and told them he had to leave.

After that night, everything began to spiral. Spamton started bragging more and more every time they met up. Then, when Click said he wasn’t coming anymore, the others slowly followed. One by one, they stopped coming—until, eventually, Spamton was the only one left.

Chapter Text

As Banner came back to reality, they realized they had been kneeling there for a while. Looking at the present again, Banner contemplated what to do with it when the sound of the shower turning off snapped them out of their thoughts. Rushing to grab the clothing and present, they stumbled out of the room and into the next one over. Placing the present in the nightstand and taking a deep breath, they quickly ran over to the bathroom door.

Just as they were about to knock, Banner could hear rustling from behind the door.
“Hey Spamton, I heard the shower stop, so I’m guessing you’re done. I have some new clothes for you, since your old ones looked like they’ve seen better days. If you want to unlock the door, I can just hand them to you.” Banner awkwardly spoke through the door while retracting their hand.

Hearing more shuffling—and what sounded like someone jumping down from somewhere—the door handle finally made a clicking sound and was pried open. Through the crevice, Banner could see a head pop out.

Handing the clothes over, they were just about to turn when a buzzing came from their pocket. Slowly reaching for what they assumed was their phone, they groaned. Why now of all times? I thought I was supposed to be shunned today.

Fishing the phone out of their pocket, they were pleasantly shocked to see the name Clicky on the screen. Putting the phone to their ear, they could hear shuffling and yelling on the other end. Oh dear lord, please no, they thought as they spoke.
“Um, Click? Everything good over there? There seems to be a lot of yelling.”

“Yeah, everything’s great. Doesn’t it sound like we’re having a blast over here?” Click said, sarcasm lacing their tone.

Banner awkwardly looked at the bathroom door, praying Spamton wouldn’t come out. After all, they already had enough drama for one day.
“Well, you’re calling me, so it must be important, right?” Banner laughed awkwardly, cursing themselves for pointing out that Click and they never really called each other anymore, not since—

“Banner, you there?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m here. Sorry, zoned out.”

“Okay, well, I’m gonna need you to stop what you’re doing and come down to the shop, ’cause a Maus got in somehow and chewed up some of our inventory. So if you wouldn’t mind bringing some stuff from the storage house, that would be awesome.” Click finished with a sigh.

Although Banner couldn’t see them, they knew Click must have been really stressed. Especially since Click usually took over their section when Banner was out. Must’ve also dealt with an annoying customer, they reasoned in their head.
“Yeah, I can do that. Just give me a minute.”

“Thank you, you’re a lifesaver. I’ll text you a list of what we need.”

Hanging up the phone and pocketing it, Banner began to slowly walk back toward the bathroom door. Just as they went to knock, the door suddenly flew open.

Standing in the doorway was Spamton, who looked somewhat surprised to see Banner still there.
“Hey, Spamton. You probably heard—I need to go down to the shop to bring Click and the others some things. I don’t expect you to want to come, so if you’d like to stay here, I can give you my number and you can call me if you need anything. Would that be alright?”

Banner saw Spamton’s face slowly shift from fear to embarrassment.
“I DON’T HAVE A [[get our new phone on us now only—]]” Before Spamton could finish, he suddenly raised his hand and hit his bottom jaw with what looked like a lot of force.

Banner cringed at the display. As they went to ask if he was okay, Spamton interjected,
“I’M [ok]. I don’t need [Press F1 For] HELP.”

“Oh, um, well, if you don’t have a phone, I could probably find an old one in the storage room,” Banner offered with a nervous smile.

Standing there awkwardly, Spamton gave a slow nod. Banner took that as a signal to leave and headed to the storage room.

After a few minutes of searching, Banner finally found one of Click’s old phones—the one Click had insisted on getting for the business but ended up losing. Banner wondered for a moment if one of the others had taken it from Click for some reason, but ultimately brushed the thought aside. Grabbing the items Click had texted them about, they quickly walked back down the hallway.

As they turned the corner, they could have sworn Spamton’s glasses flickered—changing from the static of a broken TV back to their usual pink and yellow hue. Shaking their head, they went over, grabbed Spamton’s hand, and plopped the phone into it. But before Banner let go, they noticed deep grooves on his hands, making them look like the joints of some kind of doll. Before Banner could react, Spamton quickly retracted his hand.

“[&*%$] Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Banner quickly apologized, scratching the back of their head with their other hand.

“Well, the others are probably wondering where I am, so I’d better get going. You know how Click is.”

Heading toward the stairs, Banner turned back, giving Spamton a sympathetic look. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to call.”

Turning and walking down the stairs, Banner began to get a bad feeling in their stomach, but chalked it up to being nervous about leaving Spamton alone. After all, how much could really go wrong within an hour?

Chapter Text

Walking down the walkway, Banner noticed there were a lot more Darkners out and about. Although this was usually a good thing, since it brought more customers to the shop, it also sucked that they had that Maus show up now of all days—especially after the events of the past few days. At this thought, Banner couldn’t help but feel the pit in their stomach they were desperately trying to ignore. Looking over their shoulder, they contemplated turning around. Sure, this would ease their nerves, but they knew the others (mainly Click) wouldn’t be too happy about it. So, they decided to keep walking.

After a few more minutes, they finally saw the store come into view. Picking up the pace, they felt the bags they were holding dig into their skin, but they ignored the discomfort, practically running to the store.

Walking in, they were met with the sound of someone yelling in the back. Hurrying to the storage room, the door suddenly flew open.

“Oh, Banner! Great timing,” Survey greeted.

Before Banner could say anything, they were dragged through the door, almost dropping the bags.

“Click, you can stop your whining now. Banner’s here with your stuff,” Survey yelled.

Click, who was basically right in front of them, rolled their eyes at the volume of Survey’s voice.

“You don’t need to yell. I’m literally right here,” Click stated, giving them an are you serious? Look.

Grabbing the bags from Banner and opening them, Click skimmed the contents before giving an approving hum.

“Well, Banner, looks like everything’s in here. So now you can go clean the storage house like you said you would,” Click said while rocking back and forth on their feet.

Looking past them, Banner gave a questioning look. “Are you guys sure you don’t need some help? Things look a little hectic here.”

Before Banner could say anything else, Sponsor came up from behind, placing a hand on their shoulder.

“Banner, I know you’re concerned about things here, but I think Click’s right—you should go back to the storage house. We’ll be fine here. You’ve overworked yourself enough. Just relax a bit. There’s nothing to worry about,” Sponsor spoke in an understanding tone.

Nodding, Banner began to walk out of the storage room with the others in tow, when they suddenly saw something out of the corner of their eye. It looked to be a black-and-white figure, looking around frantically. As the figure turned, a mortified look crossed Banner’s face. It was Spamton.

Slamming the door right in their siblings’ faces, Banner ran to the front. Nervously, they yelled, “Well, it’s like you guys said—I should go relax! So you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine!”

Running out the door and looking around, Banner saw Spamton heading toward the castle in the distance. They began to chase after him, their heart pounding out of their chest. Though they tried to keep a steady pace so as not to tire themselves out, they could see Spamton slowly getting farther and farther away. Realizing they could lose him, Banner started to pick up the pace.

Taking another glance ahead, they saw him dodging multiple Darkners, as if he were trying not to be seen. But this chase was short-lived—suddenly, Banner ran straight into someone, falling right on their butt.

As the adrenaline started to fade and their head stopped spinning, they were met with the concerned look of Queen’s former head butler, Swatch—now the one who ran the Café in Castle Town.

“Ah, are you okay? That was a rather rough-looking fall,” Swatch said, extending a feathered hand out to them.

“I’m okay, just a little dizzy.” They paused. “Sorry for running into you. I wasn’t really looking where I was going,” Banner said, grabbing his wing.

“Ah, do not fret, as long as you’re okay.” Swatch paused, looking at them curiously. “If you don’t mind me asking, what has got you in such a hurry, anyway?”

Banner began to feel their nerves building. Pondering whether or not to tell Swatch the truth, they decided against it—after all, Spamton had lived in the mansion for some time. At least, until he was evicted by presumably Swatch or the Swatchlings. Breaking away from their thoughts, Banner decided to tell a half-truth.

“Oh, well, there was a Maus in our store and it ran off with some items, so I was just trying to get them back.”

“Oh my, I’m sorry to hear that. Maus can be quite troublesome. But I won’t keep you here any longer,” Swatch said, looking at them with contentment.

But as Banner went to leave, Swatch spoke again. “Oh, also—if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, if you see a pair of pink and yellow glasses, could you perhaps bring them to me?”

Without turning around, Banner could feel eyes on them. As a bead of sweat formed on their head, they felt the unease in the air.

“Ugh… yeah, I can keep a lookout,” Banner said before quickly running off.

Chapter Text

After running into Swatch, Banner couldn’t help but think about what they had said. It could have been a coincidence, the mention of the pair of pink and yellow glasses—but Banner couldn’t shake the feeling that Swatch knew something they didn’t. Still, this was the least of Banner’s worries, since they had no clue where Spamton had gone.

After running around for a while, Banner couldn’t help but lose hope; it seemed like Spamton had simply disappeared. After a few more minutes of searching, they decided to stop and think about where he might be. Running around aimlessly wasn’t doing them any good. Spamton could be hiding somewhere, doing that weird glasses trick he had pulled at the storage house, but since Banner hadn’t seen his glasses anywhere, they decided to discount that possibility for now.

Rubbing their temples, Banner realized where they had stopped: right in front of the castle—the one place they hadn’t checked. Smacking their forehead, they couldn’t help but think how dumb it was not to have checked there. After all, Spamton had basically been running right toward it.

Walking up to the door, they considered knocking, but weren’t sure anyone would hear. Instead, they chose to peek inside.

Peeking in, they were met with the sight of a giant cauldron sitting in the middle of the room with a large door behind it. On either side were two more doors, each marked with symbols above them and a sign Banner couldn’t read. Since no one seemed to be there, Banner decided it would be best to leave—it would be rude to come in uninvited—when suddenly the door slammed open.

Through the door walked Ralsei, who looked shocked to see Banner peeking inside.

“Oh—sorry for intruding. I was just looking for—” Banner stopped mid-sentence. Sitting right on the prince’s head was a pair of pink and yellow glasses—the very same ones the Lightner had given them, the same ones Spamton had turned into.

The prince must have noticed their stare, because he quickly spoke.
“Oh, yes—you’re the one Kris went to.” He cleared his throat. “Ah, excuse my rudeness. I don’t think I’ve had the chance to properly introduce myself. Hello, I’m Ralsei, the prince of this dark world.”

“My name’s Banner. I’m one of the Addisons. I ran Cyber Shoes II back in Cyber City.”

“It is very lovely to meet you. I saw you peeking in. Is there something you need?” Ralsei asked with a warm smile.

“Well, I was looking for—” Banner paused. “Those glasses you’re wearing,” they said nervously.

“Oh, you mean Mr. Spamton’s glasses? Ah, yes—he came here asking where Kris was, so I offered to bring him to them when we saw them next. Kris would probably like his armor back, after all.” The prince continued kindly, “But if you’d like to talk to him, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” He started to hand Banner the glasses—

Suddenly, the glasses began to speak.

“[$!$!] K1D, DO YOU [seriously] NOT KN0W WHEN TO [shut your yapper]?! I COULD HAVE BEEN [I’m home free]! I COULD HAVE BEEN—COULD HAVE BEEN [[Hyperlink Blocked]]! YEAH, GO [premium rat traps], YOUR OLD PAL SPAMTON G. SPAMTON OUT—SEE WHERE THAT GETS YOU! AND TO THESE [traitors]—MISTER [Bluelight Specil] OVER HERE THINKS HE CAN BUTTER ME UP, [sweet delicious drink now only 4.99], TALK ME INTO THE GOODS! WELL [I ain’t buying what you’re selling]. NO WAY, NO HOW!”

Banner stood there, dumbfounded. “What?” they said, looking very confused. “Spamton, I’m not using you. I just want the truth. I want to know why you left and never came back, where you were all this time, and what happened to you.”

“YEAH, YOU WANT TO KNOW ALL MY [trade secrets]! YOU WANT TO USE THEM TO BECOME A [BIG SHOT]! BUT YOU’LL SEE WHERE THAT [[get this new TV for only 99.99 now for a limited time]]—YOU, ALL YOUR FRIENDS, [[abandoning you for the slime]]—SALES GONE DOWN THE [[Drain]] [[Drain]]?? LIVING IN A GODDAMN GARBAGE CAN!!!”

Spamton finished with a bit crushed sigh.

This only left Banner more confused. Although what Spamton said carried some heavy implications, they decided not to dwell on it; it wouldn’t help the conversation.

Sighing, Banner began to speak. “Spamton, please, I just want some closure on the—”

“THEN WHAT?” Spamton cut in.

“What?” Banner asked, baffled.

“YOU GUYS ALWAYS [want want want]! THEN AFTER YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT, YOU JUST [throw] IT AWAY LIKE [it’s just trash]—JUST. LIKE. ME.”

Banner stood there breathlessly. Sure, they wanted closure—but they had never truly thought about what would happen after that. They wouldn’t abandon him like they had in the past, but they had never considered what that closure would really mean.

Before they could think further, the prince’s voice interjected.
“Oh my! Excuse me, but this conversation will have to wait. I believe a dark fountain has opened. We must go now, Mr. Spamton .”

Banner’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came. They knew that if they let Spamton leave now, they might never get the chance to speak to him again. But they couldn’t just stop him—Lightners needed them.

Breathless, Banner watched as the prince began to walk away. In a split-second decision, they finally spoke.

“Wait!” Banner called. Ralsei turned to them with a confused look.

“Spamton, I know you must hate us, and I know we kind of deserve it. But I just want you to know I never forgot about you—and I never will. I don’t just want the truth for closure. I want it so that maybe—just maybe—I could have my brother back. So please, after this dark world, just consider coming back. You can stay as long as you want. I just want some answers. So please—just think about it.”

Banner walked toward the castle door, stopping before turning back to say one last thing:

“Also, I still won’t tell the others about you. That’s not my job.”

As Banner left the castle, they felt a few tears slip from their eyes.

__

Walking back to the storage house was a grueling experience. All the events that happened in the past days left Banner in an emotional mess. All these revelations left Banner feeling at a loss. Though seeing Spamton for the first time in about 10-ish years was stressful, they still felt relief. After multiple years, they could finally fully stop searching. Though they gave up looking a long time ago, they still caught themselves taking detours to look now and then. Well, until they came to Castle Town. When they arrived in the castle, there was a glimmer of hope that he would be there, but after a few weeks of nothing, it felt like that final glimmer of hope was shattered. It wasn't till the day before the day the Lightner came by that it finally sank in that he was truly gone. This was one of the reasons why they were so impacted by the Lightners' visit. After all, it was basically the equivalent of mourning the loss of someone. 

As Banner saw the storage house come into distance, they couldn't help but let out a long sigh. They knew they still had to clean the storage house, which could have preoccupied him for the time being, but that didn't make them want to do it any less. 

Unlocking and opening the door, they were met with the sight of the empty house. Making them question when everything went so wrong. As they closed the door and walked up the stairs, they couldn't help but wonder how the others were doing. But slowly the thought subsided as they began to comb over the past event while cleaning their storage. 

End of section one 

Chapter Text

After Kris dropped him off with those [traitors], Spamton looked for any chance he could get to escape. Sure, he made a deal with [Bluelight Specil], but Kris didn't keep up their part of the deal—so why should he?

Spamton, being the salesman that he was, knew that the Addisons always wanted something in return for their services.
They were advertisements, for fuck’s sake—it was in their very nature, he reminded himself.
He knew it all too well. They’d offer him a sweet deal without telling him the [terms and service]. Then, when he couldn't fulfill them, he’d be thrown out like yesterday’s trash. It always happened that way.

When the chance to leave finally arose, he took it—booking it out of the house.
But of course, out of all the ways he could’ve gone to get to the castle, he picked the one right in front of their store. Naturally, he was spotted and followed.

Though he managed to lose [Bluelight Specil] for a bit, he was eventually found—and then exposed by that damn goody two-shoes prince.

But when the prince interrupted the conversation, he silently thanked the Light for that dark fountain opening up at that exact moment.

Though... he would soon start to regret going to this dark world, from the second he heard that voice. That oh-so-unmistakable voice, a voice he wished he could forget.
Out of all the Darkners he never wanted to see again, that damn [CRT] was number one.

At least he had the comfort of hiding in Kris’s inventory, since no one there would recognize him by his glasses. So, he stayed there and watched from the sidelines.

Well, that was until...

The pips happened.

—-

“What the HECK is THAT THING!?
Some kind of RAT!? Some kind of CREATURE!?”

—-

But he'd rather not think about that right now—he was more preoccupied with other things.

After Kris and their friends defeated Tenna, Spamton finally thought Tenna would get what was coming to him. What he deserved.
Spamton would get to see him feel what he had felt all those years ago.

But when Tenna met his demise, Spamton didn’t feel the joy he thought he would.
All he felt was... empty.

He didn’t know why Tenna’s end made him feel that way.
Sure, Tenna keeping the pips had made Spamton think maybe he cared—a little.
But all those feelings were very quickly squashed by the foam canister. He didn't care what happened to him, not after everything he caused him to go through. 

But then why did he feel nothing? 

Well, not completely nothing

—

After the dark fountain was sealed, Kris went to Castle Town to talk with the new TV Darkners.
All while Spamton was left there—alone—with the constant ringing and his thoughts.
Until it all started to get too much.

—

Suddenly, the Dealmaker came out of your inventory!?

“KRIS YOU [[Little Sponge]] U DONT MIND IF I TAKE [A Ride Around Town on Our Special Cungadero],” he blurted.

Before Kris could answer, Spamton was already gone.

Running off, Spamton dodged and weaved around the passing Darkners, avoiding any prying eyes.
Sure, he knew it was risqué being out in the open like this, but he didn’t have it in him to care at the moment.
Running between the dark alleyways of Castle Town, he couldn’t help but double-check for [[Easels]] or the other Swatchlings—they’d probably turn him in.

Dodging into another alleyway, Spamton couldn’t help but stop.

Why did I leave Kris’s pocket in the first place?
All I needed was a distraction from the constant ringing.
That was it... Wasn’t it?

Choosing not to dwell on it too much, he began to run out of the alleyway—
—but was stopped in his tracks by what felt like a brick wall.

Falling backward with force, Spamton could feel his whole body vibrating from the impact.
After what felt like an eternity, the spinning started to slow, and his vision began to stabilize.

Something wasn’t right.

Putting a hand to his face confirmed it—his glasses had fallen off. 

Looking up, he realized one of two things: his glasses were nowhere to be seen, and what he had presumed to be a wall turned out to be a rather tall Darkner. A darkner who wore a striking red tailcoat and bright yellow shoes...

But before Spamton could get a better look, tiny black specks began to fill his vision.

[$#!%]—not now.
Why now?
I couldn’t have used up that much magic already.
I need to know if that’s—

“T-Tenna.”

Chapter Text

After everything that happened in the TV World, after everything Tenna did, he didn’t think he deserved to be forgiven. He put Kris through so much, just because he was told he could be watched again. Just because he wanted to be watched again, like old times. He just wanted things to stay the way they were forever. He didn’t want to fade into obscurity. No, he couldn’t. He was the host. His main job was to entertain, to keep people watching. Yet he failed. He couldn’t even keep one viewer.

Then he was unplugged.

They can’t just abandon me like this. Not after all we’ve been through. Think about all the Christmases I would entertain, all the video games we played. It can’t be over. It just can’t be.

But then he was given the chance of a lifetime. A single chance to have them all watching again. A chance to turn things back the way they used to be. Yet he couldn’t even do that. After everything, was he really just destined to be thrown away?

Asriel was in college, Kris was growing up, and Toriel—sweet, sweet Toriel—rarely gave him a passing glance. Everything was moving on while he just stayed the same. So, in a desperate attempt to get them watching, he trapped them there, forced them to play his game, and even captured Toriel. Heck, during that time, he didn’t even treat his employees right.

But in the end, after everything he did, Susie offered to help him find a new home. She told him he didn’t need to accept being thrown away and gave him hope for the future. But this hope was soon cut short—because, just as he was about to give them back Toriel, his arms were severed by two clean slices.

As he felt himself crash down into the snow, his consciousness began slipping. After what felt like hours, he heard footsteps approaching. A black-and-white, blurry-looking figure came into view. Spamton? Mustering what little energy he had left, he strained to see. Oh—it was just that thing from earlier. He tried to move. He couldn’t. He tried to talk. He couldn’t. So he just waited there, waiting for everything to go black.

But then the thing started to talk.

“HE’LL OF A [show your ID to complete purchase] YOU PUT 0N [ten percent off with purchase]. I GUESS THIS IS THE [this deal ends in less than 24 hours].”

The figure began to turn, before a breathless, static-filled voice spoke out:

“EHAeha, I guess there was truly nothing we could have done in the end.”
“...”
“Goodbye, Mr. Bigshot.”

Before Tenna could process what had just happened, he felt himself powering off. Then everything went black.

—

The first thing Tenna felt was immense pain in his shoulders.

Wait… shoulders? I thought my arms were—

Springing up, sharp pain shot through his body. As his display powered on, things began to clear. He was in a bed—that much was obvious. But what wasn’t so clear was where he was.

Looking around, he saw a medium-sized room with orange-ish red walls, similar in shade to parts of the TV World. Next to him sat a nightstand with an assortment of cards decorated with the words Feel better soon and We miss you.

As the weight of everything that had transpired finally set in, panic overtook him.

How am I not dead? I should have died. How did I get here? Where is here?

Adjusting himself upright, the pain in his shoulders and arms grew sharper. Looking down, his face shifted. He wasn’t wearing a shirt—and more notably, there were soldering marks where his arms met his body. A grimace spread across his face as his heat rose.

Why? Why did everything have to come crumbling down so quickly? I thought things were gonna be okay. I thought I was gonna get a chance for a new life. But now, by some cruel twist of fate, I’m broken. Who would want a broken TV?

No. I can’t think like that. Kris and Susie will find me a new home, like they promised… right?

Turning, Tenna’s eyes landed on a lone suitcase tucked in the corner. He walked over, the throbbing pain in his arms nearly unbearable, and brought it back to the bed. Inside were neatly folded clothes—mostly red.

“Mike, add buying more clothing for my wardrobe to my to-do list.”

The silence after was deafening. No laugh track. No cheering. No Mike. He was alone.

Hurriedly, he grabbed the first jacket he saw and headed out.

—

Prying open the door, he was met with a spacious room divided into two sections: a living room with a couch in the center, and a large kitchen decked out with a fridge, oven, and more.

As he stepped inside, his coat snagged on the door handle. Pulled backward, a jolt of pain shot through his arm.

“Shit,” he muttered.

Bending over, he began untangling his coat when a folded slip of paper fell out of his pocket. He hesitated before picking it up. Something about it made him uneasy.

Carefully unfolding it, his screen dimmed. It was an old poster, with the TV Time logo in the corner and a handwritten note:

Here’s to us, Mr. Big Shot. Yours truly, Spamton G. Spamton, 19XX.

In the center stood the pair in their signature red suits, smiling brightly and pointing up at the sky.

Tenna’s grip on the paper tightened. His hand shook. Then a memory surfaced.

“EHAeha, I guess there was truly nothing we could have done in the end.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Bigshot.”

That thing. It said that in the snow.

No… that can’t be right.

 That’s not possible. 

That can’t be him. 

But then why did it sound exactly like—

Before he knew it, Tenna was sprinting out the door.

—

Outside, rows of houses stretched before him. In the distance loomed a large castle. He ran toward it. 

He knew the prince of the dark Ralsie had invited some of the TV world denizens to what he called “castle town.” So, guessing by the big castle and the town-like house, he presumed that was where he most likely was.

As the castle came fully into view, he halted. Ahead, Ralsei was walking toward him.

Standing there, Tenna thought he felt something bump his leg, but ignored it as the prince approached.

“Mr. Tenna? What are you doing here? I thought you were still sleeping. Kris and Susie will be so happy to hear you woke up! But why don’t we get you back to your room? You should—”

Ralsei’s eyes drifted toward the alleyway behind Tenna.

“Oh my! Um, e-excuse me for a second, Tenna!” Ralsei said, darting past him.

Confused, Tenna turned to see where the dark prince was going. Instantly, he felt the color drain from his screen. Their lying on the floor of the alleyway was that thing, but their glasses were no longer on.

Without the glasses, they look so much like Spamton.  

With all the evidence piled out in front of him, Tenna didn't know what to think.

If that truly is him, then what happened to him?

 Why does he look shorter? 

Why does he look like this? 

What happened to him?

“Mr. Tenna?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, he realized Ralsei was standing in front of him, holding the unconscious Darkner.

“A-ah, yes, Ralsei, my star contestant. What is it?” Tenna said with a crooked smile.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to leave you to go back to your room on your own. I need to find someplace for Mr. Spamton to stay.”

“Ah, Ralsei, my esteemed contestant—you seem busy. Let me take him off your hands.”

“Oh, Mr. Tenna, I couldn’t make you do that.” Ralsei smiled kindly—then suddenly frowned.

“Ah, actually… I’ll have to take you up on that. I fear a Dark Fountain has just opened.”

Before Tenna knew it, Ralsei was handing over the unconscious Darkner and glasses before hurrying off. 

Tenna, now left standing dumbfounded, slowly began to process what had just happened. He had run off to find the Darkner he was now holding, and not only had he found him, but he was now responsible for him. To make matters worse, this Darkner shared a few too many similarities with his old partner and could very well be him. With each thought weighing on him, he felt as though he might shrink (which he very well might have already done). 

Snapping himself out of those thoughts, he began to ponder his next course of action. Though he could go to someone for help, the only one he knew who could use healing magic was Ralsei, and asking him was out of the question. He could ask someone else, but in Tenna’s honest opinion, he would rather not have anyone see him like this. 

With only one option left, Tenna began to run back to where he had woken up.

—

Meanwhile…

After the Spamton had left, Banner tried their best to hide their stress from the other Addisons. Trying to ignore everything that happened wasn't working, so in the end, they tried to keep themself busy as much as they could. Though when Sponsor invited them to meet up with the others, they could already feel the stress building. 

“Hey, Banner, what took you so long?” Survey asked.

“Yeah, sorry, I was busy with other things,” Banner replied vaguely. He couldn’t exactly say Sorry, I was checking to see if the Lightners returned—because Spamton, who we thought was dead, is actually alive and with them.

Before he could continue, Click’s voice rang out.

“Is that Tenna?!”

“Wait—Tenna? I haven’t seen him in agessss. What’s he doing here?” Survey chimed in.

Looking where Click was pointing, Banner’s eyes widened. Tenna was running in the distance, carrying something in his arms.

Is that Spamton?

Banner’s face instantly fell.

Sponsor noticed and placed a hand on Banner’s shoulder. “Hey, you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Startled, Banner quickly recomposed himself. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just don’t feel that good. I should probably go back to the storage house. I think I might be coming down with something.”

Click frowned. “Banner, what do you mean you don’t feel good? You were fine earlier. Is there something you’re not telling u—”

Before they could finish, Sponsor gently put a hand on Click's shoulder. “If you don’t feel good, then you should probably go home. But if Click is right, just know we’ll understand whatever’s going on.”

Guilt churned inside Banner, but he didn’t have the strength to deal with it. “No, I really just don’t feel good.”

Without another word, they turned and walked away.