Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“As long as you carry the box with you, fame and fortune will come your way. However, you must never open it under any circumstances.”

That was what the person on the phone told Sampson when he mysteriously received a black trunk case. Despite the eeriness of this request, he took those words to heart and became the number one salesman of 1997.

Whoever this Pandora chick was must’ve been an idiot, the salesman thought. Opening something that was told not to be open; he would never do something as foolish as that.

Then again, he does get curious from time to time after carrying that box for so long. It was surprisingly light despite its importance, and the painted smile with pink and yellow eyes on the front gave him the creeps.

The worst part was during the nights where it kept Sampson awake with a loud knocking noise from the inside. No matter how far he puts it away, he would still hear the knocking as if it were right next to his ear.

But even with all the strangeness surrounding the box, he still kept to his word. He even went as far as never telling anyone about it; always hiding it from plain sight during work.

Although he had lost contact from his brothers over bitter jealousy, and sometimes he may even wonder if his talent was ever legitimate or just all the box’s doing, as long as he doesn’t have to worry about struggling to pay rent like before, Sampson G. Sampson would consider his life to be perfect.

The salesman never expected to be this close with a TV star of all people, but that was probably to be expected from his newfound fame

When the two started their collaboration, they began with a bitter rivalry; trying to outshine one another with their egotistical flair. But as the years went by and the more they began to know each other, Mr. Anthony Tenna went from being an obstacle to overcome into Sampson’s closest friend (if not his only friend).

…However. Somewhere in the deepest parts of his mind, the salesman wanted to consider Tenna as more than just a friend. Of course, being the early 2000’s, it wasn’t that easy to admit without some sort of backlash, especially to someone as old fashioned as his partner.

Even if he was able to, Sampson was just too stubborn and full of himself to admit something as mushy as love to his partner. After years of being belittled by his peers and coworkers, he wanted to form a mental image of himself being stronger and more independent. This, of course, brought him against the idea of commitment.

So for now, Tenna was just a business partner and nothing else.

…

After a long day of work, Sampson was asked by Tenna to visit him at his office. It wasn’t that unordinary of a request, since the two would normally visit each other to brainstorm ideas.

As the two sat on the couch together (but not too close), they did the usual activity of discussing new ideas for TV Time; physical challenges for the game show, script approval for their skit section, etc.

Sampson was in the middle of taking a huff on his cigar when Tenna looked at him with curiosity. “So, I’ve been meaning to ask you about something…” Those words made the salesman clench his cigar out of irritation.

Oh God, here we go again…

He couldn’t keep track of the amount of times someone tried to pry the secret of success out of him. Every interview he would either dismiss the question or give some half-assed answer like ‘Guess I was just lucky’ or ‘It takes hard work and perseverance’.

Tenna, of course, isn’t innocent from asking the same damn question. Since day one, he had tried repeatedly to get his partner to spill the beans on his secret. Sometimes subtly like taking him out for drinks and getting him super drunk, other times he would be more straight forward and use their friendship as leverage. But no matter how many times, the salesman would stand his ground.

“Ant, I’ve told you a million times. I’m not gonna-”

“Just hear me out on this!” Tenna interrupted. Despite knowing where this was going, Sampson lets his partner continue.

The TV host clasped his hands together in front of his face, preparing for his life-changing statement. “I know we’ve only worked together for a few years, but I feel like I can trust you enough to take on this important proposition.” He reached over to the side table and opened the drawer, pulling out a thick sheet of paper.

“This contract will legally bind our partnership; meaning you’ll own 50% of TV Time as a cohost. Of course, this also means you’ll have to share your secret with me, but I think that owning half the studio would be worth the price, wouldn’t you say?”

Although Sampson predicted right about what his partner wanted, he honestly wasn’t expecting him to sign off half of his assets to him. From a small time partnership to being one of the main stars of such an influential network, it almost felt too hard to believe.

The salesman combed nervously through his greasy, black hair with his free hand. “Gee, I dunno Tens. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Of course I do, Sammy! There’s no one else in this studio I trust more than you.” Tenna leaned over to his partner, trying to wrap his arm around his shoulder. Sampson flinched at the gesture and scooted away.

“Oh, sorry. Forgot about your ‘personal space’ thing.” Tenna tried to apologize.

“No, it’s fine.” Sampson reassured him. It was easy for someone as clingy as Tenna to forget how sensitive his partner was about unwanted contact. However, the big lug still tries his best to keep his hands to himself, giving him more ammunition for Sampson to trust him.

“Look Sam…” Tenna clings both his hands to the contract, the reflection from his glasses obscuring his eyes as he looks down. “I know this is a lot to take in, and you don’t have to accept this deal. I just think that we can both benefit from working with each other full time. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Sampson taps on his cigar in contemplation. As sudden as this proposition is, being able to work this close to Tenna doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Besides, the only rule he was given was to not open the box, so maybe he could still split the wealth with his partner. Hell, maybe Tenna could take the box from him for once and he could finally get some sleep.

After a moment of pondering, Sampson looked back at Tenna with a sigh. “Fine, I’ll take the deal.” he answered nonchalantly.

With this answer, the TV host shot up to his feet with glee, reaching out to his shorter partner and lifting him with a spine-crushing bear hug. “Oh Sampson! Thank you! Thank you!” he gushed like an overgrown child.

Surprised by his tall, dramatic friend, Sampson tried to forcefully pry himself from his arms in frustration. “Jesus Christ, Ant! Don’t do that!” he snapped at his partner. Tenna instantly got the memo and immediately dropped him to the ground.

“Sorry, guess I forgot again.” Tenna chuckled sheepishly. Sampson just groaned as he dusted off his suit. “Let’s just sign the damn thing.”

…

After Sampson had put out his cigar on the TV Time branded ash tray, he sat himself on the seat in front of Tenna’s desk. His partner sat in front of him, placing the contract down for him to sign.

Tenna smiles in anticipation as the salesman reads carefully through the lines. Everything seems to be legit, not that he wouldn’t trust his closest friend, of course. Once he reached the dotted lines, Sampson grabbed the pen next to him and hovered it over the sheet of paper.

…But the moment he began to press it down, the office phone started to ring.

Tenna was about to reach for the receiver on his desk, but Sampson stopped him halfway. “I’ll get it.” the salesman told his partner. He doesn’t know why he felt the need to answer the phone, but for some unknown reason, he felt that the call was specifically for him.

Sampson placed the receiver to his ear, but was unable to respond as the caller immediately answered him.

“You have opened the box despite my warnings. Consider our agreement terminated.”

It was as if the entire world just stopped as he heard that sentence. Sampson’s face went pale as he dropped the pen from his hand. Tenna noticed this and looked at his partner with concern. “Who was it, Sammy?” he asked in a worried tone.

Sampson’s heart began to race as his trembling hands made him drop the receiver. His breath became more and more shaky as beads of sweat rolled down his face. “I…I have to check on something.”

In a split second, he bolted out of his chair and rushed out the door, leaving his partner confused on what just happened.

It didn’t make sense. Sampson had double checked that his dressing room was completely locked and requested that no one under any circumstances should ever go inside without him knowing. But if the person who gave him the box said it was open, who else was he to question?

The salesman quickly darted through the green room, shoving everyone and everything out of his way. All of the employees looked at him with concern, but he didn’t care. He needed to check the box.

As he finally reached the outside of his dressing room, he noticed that the door was still locked. Either someone locked it in advance or no one had gone in at all. It didn't matter. Sampson shoved his hand into his pocket as he desperately reached for his key. With shaky hands, he opened the door and immediately locked himself in.

After making a b-line towards his couch, the salesman crouched down as he pulled the box from underneath. Sure enough, the latches from the trunk case were unlocked, proving his suspicion. Sampson places his hands to his face, sighing in defeat.

I am so fucked.

…Although. Now that his connection has been voided, he supposed that it wouldn’t hurt to finally have a peep inside. Dragging the box closer towards him, Sampson carefully opened the lid, facing away in case something jumped out at him. Once the box was fully opened and nothing came out, he peaked inside to see…

…a doll?

Much to his surprise, a ventriloquist dummy was laying at the bottom of the trunk case. It almost looked like him… almost… if it wasn’t for the pasty white skin and long, pointed nose. It even wore these weird, two-tone glasses that Sampson had never owned in his life. The salesman looked at the doll in frustration. 

That? 

THAT was the cause of my success!?

Not only was it hard to believe that this thing was helping him all these years, but it felt like an insult that someone would make such a hideous parody of himself.

As Sampson was about to shut the lid, he felt a sudden force from behind pushing him downwards. His face hits the doll as he completely blacked out.

Chapter Text

“So, any questions?”

Battat had just finished his spiel on why the Sampson G. Sampson on the news isn’t the same person as the Sampson G. Sampson that worked at the studio 20 years ago. He came prepared with his presentation with a corkboard listing all the slight differences and backing sources to prove it.

Jongler and Pluey were already wiped out from listening to their friend’s ramblings for almost 2 hours while sitting uncomfortably in their folding chairs.

The taller friend lets out a sigh of exhaustion. “Yeah, I thinks youse needs more shut-eye.” Pluey giggled silently at Jongler’s response.

Battat bended his pointer in frustration. “That wasn’t a question!” he furrowed his brows at his lackeys.

Feeling a pang of sympathy, Jongler tried to reason with him. “Look boss, I’s just don’t see how dere can be two Sampsons at once.”

The smaller one slaps his palm to his forehead, realizing that neither of them were listening. “No bonehead, I’m saying that the guy from the news is an imposter!”

Just as he was about to explain, the radio hanging off his belt started going off.

“MIKE! I need you in my office NOW!”

His boss, Mr. Tenna, sounded more pissed than ever. Pluey and Jongler noticed how terrified their friend looked and leapt off their seats.

“Here boss, let us handle dis one.”

Battat waved his hand, trying to dismiss them. “No, guys, I got this.” he tried to sound confident, but on the inside, he feared for his life.

Ever since his partner left, Tenna had become more and more explosive with his anger. Even the slightest technical difficulty would set him off. With no one else to control his rage, Michael Battat had taken on the responsibility of being his right-hand man.

However, having to balance between his and Tenna’s personal needs had exhausted Battat to the point of hiring two assistants who just so happened to also be called Mike.

For now though, Battat wanted to handle the responsibility himself, so he put on his uniform and left his friends behind at his dressing room.

Tenna was at his desk, holding a lit cigarette in one hand while drumming his fingers with the other. As Battat walked in, he tried his best to feel jovial as to lighten the mood.

“Hey HEY Tens, how’s it go-”

“What took you so long!?” his boss berated, clearly not in the mood to feel jovial.

Battat lets go of his act and sighs. “Sorry, boss. Whaddaya want this time?”

Tenna holds up the paper on his desk and faces it to his employee. “Tell me Mike, what do you see?”

Battat walked up to his desk and stared closely at what was on the sheet of paper. It appeared to be a Cease & Desist. “Is this about the paper mache head we built?” he asked.

The TV host held his hand to his face in frustration. “I can’t believe that little… slime would take it this far. We even censored its eyes for Christ’s sake!”

Out of all the things that Tenna had created out of anger, making a giant paper mache head of his ex-partner to be used as a punching bag for a game show has got to be one of the most pettiest things he’s ever done. No wonder this studio was losing money.

“Well, what do you want me to do about it?” Battat couldn’t help but feel a little pissed being called over for something he had no control over.

Tenna forcefully stamped his cigarette out on his ash tray. “Go call my lawyers! We are not gonna bend over to that little traitor!”

Battat gave a mock salute. “Aye aye, boss!” and off he went.

This has to end. He needed to prove that the Sampson suing him wasn’t the real deal.

After contacting Tenna’s legal team, Battat stormed straight towards the Z-rank room. He learned from older employees that this used to be Sampson’s dressing room.

Although, as the name suggests, this is the prize room for Z-ranked contestants, no one has ever gone inside in years. The game show was too easy to get a rank lower than a C-rank, and for some reason, no employee is ever allowed in the room.

This was about to change, as Battat had acquired the key to the room through totally legal means. He twisted the key and opened the door, letting out years of stale air into the studio.

…

The room clearly showed its years of neglect, with mold growing on the ceiling and piles of dust covering every piece of furniture. Battat felt like he needed to wear a hazmat suit before walking in here.

He noticed that the mirror on the wall had been broken into shards. Probably the result of one of Tenna’s many crash outs.

The deep history of this room gave him an uneasy feeling, making him want to scope out as fast as he can so he can leave.

He walked over to the vanity table. A cigar box and makeup still laid on the counter, collecting dust. Battat opened the drawer and saw nothing interesting until he noticed the backside of a photo. He flipped it around and saw a younger looking Sampson surrounded by four other men that looked slightly similar to him.

Based on his guess, they could possibly be related to him. Battat slipped the photo into his pocket for safekeeping.

Next, he went over to the couch. The cushions were way too dirty for any sane person to sit on. He didn’t even want to soil his hands digging through the cushions, so he settled on looking under the couch.

Battat nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw an eerie, smiling face staring back at him. It took him a second to realize that it was painted onto a black trunk case.

He pulled the box out to further examine it. It was strange, out of all the information he’d gathered, no one had ever told him about Sampson carrying such an ominous looking case.

Holding his breath as to not inhale dust, Battat unlocked the latches and opened the lid.

Chapter Text

Even after waking up, Sampson could still see nothing but darkness. He tried to move his legs, arms, anything, but his whole body felt stiff.

Am I dead?

Is this what happens when you die?

He heard the sound of a door opening followed by footsteps. Someone was calling out for him. Someone familiar.

Tenna!

Sampson tried to shout out to his partner, but he couldn’t manage to make a sound. He could only hear his partner getting more and more frustrated, eventually leading to the sound of glass breaking.

He heard the door slam, and after that, nothing.

…

Occasionally he would hear distant footsteps, but nothing else afterwards. It felt like ages since he last heard Tenna’s voice.

The last thing he remembered before being sent to this endless abyss was having his head shoved inside a box by some unknown perpetrator. By that logic, the same person must have trapped him inside.

Although he was shorter than average, it seemed impossible for him to get trapped inside such a tiny space. Unless, of course, the culprit removed his limbs, but that theory is out the window since he could still feel the floor below him.

It didn’t matter, anyway. All he knows is that he became a prisoner of the dark. A prisoner of his own mind.

This was probably his punishment for opening the box. But why was he being punished? Those damn latches were probably opened by someone else, why didn’t they get trapped instead?

It just wasn’t fair.

Without anything to do, all he could think about are his memories. He tried to remember how he looked, how he sounded, how his sales pitches would go. He even thought about his brothers and what they’re doing by now.

They probably wouldn’t give a damn if I went missing.

Not like… Tenna.

If only he could see his business partner once again. Sampson could still remember his bright, orange hair and cute, pointy nose; the way he would always laugh at his lame jokes like it was the first time he’s ever heard them. Hell, he would kill to be caught in one of his bone-crushing hugs right now.

But after not hearing from him again for so long, Sampson started to doubt if Tenna really did care about him.

No. He’s probably still looking for me.

It’s just.. been a while.

…

Just as he was thinking about his partner, he heard the door open once again. It probably wasn’t Tenna, but as long as it was someone that could let him out, he didn’t care.

The person sounded like they were wandering around the room until the footsteps reached closer to him.

Sampson could feel the vibration of the box being pulled, followed by the sound of latches being flipped.

Thank God, I’m finally getting out!

His eyes burned as the light from outside had finally reached inside the box. When his vision became more adjusted, he saw the face of his rescuer.

It was.. someone he’s never seen before. A young man with platinum blonde hair and bright green eyes. Maybe he’s one of Tenna’s new employees?

The young man looked at him curiously, as if he had never seen a number one rated salesman in his life.

A giant hand suddenly grabbed Sampson by the waist as he was pulled out of the box, giving him a closer look at his captor.

Christ! This kid’s bigger than Tenna!

The stranger kept examining him further, making the salesman’s limbs flop around lifelessly. He felt like an alien species being studied. If only he could talk or move just to get him to stop.

Now that he can see outside the box, Sampson finally noticed the state that his room was in. It looked absolutely filthy. When was the last time someone cleaned this place?

But what was more strange was how large everything looked. It was as if the room had doubled in size from the last time he was here.

He managed to catch a glimpse at the mirror on his vanity table. He couldn’t see himself, but he did see the reflection of the person carrying him. For some reason, it showed them holding a doll instead; the same doll that he saw inside the box before he was pushed inside.

It felt like his heart stopped as he began to realize.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to kick or slap himself just to wake him from this nightmare. But his stupid puppet body wouldn’t let him. Instead, he could only watch. Watch… and feel.

His captor started to turn the doll around, making Sampson fear over what this person could do to him. He suddenly felt a hand reaching towards the back of his neck. The salesman cringed as the hand dug deeper and deeper inside him, like a parasite invading his body.

Suddenly his jaw started to open on its own. His mind bursted into panic. Oh God, he’s controlling me! The controller must’ve felt the same awkwardness, because he heard a gasp as he felt the hand jolt out of his skin.

The young man turned him back to face him with a horrified expression; his hands trembling as he held the doll. Does he know I’m alive?

After having a moment to breathe, the captor held Sampson close to his chest as he went out the door.

Although his room looked absolutely terrible, the hallway still looked exactly the same as he remembered; albeit with some slightly peeled wallpaper and more stains on the floor than usual.

It’s funny how after spending so long in darkness, Sampson could still remember such simple details about this studio. From the constantly flickering fluorescence lights near the restroom to the sound of the ice machine vibrating through the thinly layered walls, it felt as if nothing had changed throughout all this time… well, nothing except him of course.

The young man holding him came to a sudden halt as he heard loud footsteps approaching. Sampson nearly got whiplashed as he was quickly pulled behind the person carrying him.

The sound of the footsteps stopped, and he felt his carrier’s hands start to sweat as he spoke nervously. “H-hey Tenna! What are you doing here so late?”

A familiar voice he hadn’t heard in so long responded. “I was gonna ask you the same thing.”

The young man twiddled his fingers on Sampson’s torso as he tried to think of an excuse. The salesman wanted nothing more than to bite said fingers and call out to get Tenna’s attention.

Why are you hiding me! Let me see him, dammit!

“Oh, y’know just.. doing some errands and whatnot.” the employee answered sheepishly.

There was a pause for a moment, and Tenna finally spoke. “What are you hiding behind your back?”

After a moment of hesitation, the young man obliged as he revealed the puppet towards Tenna.

The TV host looked almost exactly as Sampson remembered; from his bright red suit to his bulky lavender glasses. His face, however, looked exhausted and wrinkled from stress. The once cheery partner he knew and loved was now jaded and worn out. Even his previously glowing hair was starting to gray.

How long have I been gone for? What happened to you?

Tenna looked at the doll with curiosity, and then began to furrow his brow. “Where did you get this?” he asked his employee sternly.

Sampson felt the vibration of his carrier’s hands from shaking out of nervousness. “Oh uh… just.. on the ground somewhere.” he lied terribly. “Y’know how people sometimes lose their stuff.”

Obviously Tenna wasn’t buying it. “You went into the Z-rank room, didn’t you?” He crossed his arms like a stern father disappointed at his child.

His employee was flabbergasted. “I.. wh.. how did-”

“I’ve heard from some coworkers about you stealing a key. Mike, I thought we’ve been over this; no one is allowed in that room, period!”

The young man (who is apparently called Mike) sighed in defeat as he reached into his pocket and handed Tenna back the key. “I’m sorry, Tens. It’s just that, well, after hearing you talk about Sam-”

“Don’t! Just.. don’t mention it, please.” Tenna looked exhausted by the sound of that name. He then reached out his hand. “Just hand me the doll and let’s forget about this whole thing.”

Mike faced the doll towards himself, looking hesitant at first to give it up. But not wanting to get in more trouble, he handed it over to Tenna. “I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow then, boss.” he parted as he left the building.

There was a lot for Sampson to take in now that he was alone with Tenna. What happened between that long time gap? Why is his dressing room renamed to the lowest of ranks? Why doesn’t his partner even want to talk about him?

Maybe he still felt resentful after the salesman left without an explanation. After all, he never got to sign that contract and reveal his secret.

But is that really all you cared about?

Didn’t you miss me?

The TV host stared at the doll for a while, and Sampson started to worry that he might be taken back to the dressing room and locked inside the box once again.

With a heavy sigh, Tenna went the opposite direction of the Z-rank room and followed the same path as Mike as he headed outside the studio.

Chapter Text

I can’t believe Mike would do such a thing! I’m gonna have to dock his pay later.

It was pitch black outside as Tenna started driving home. He placed the doll next to him in the passenger seat, even pulling a seatbelt over it as if it were a real person.

Today had been a rough day; from the constant technical difficulties to the sudden lawsuit, and now Mike going against his wishes and snooping around his ex-partner’s old dressing room. He desperately needed a drink.

Tenna took a slight glance at the puppet beside him as he drove. He should’ve sent it back to the Z-rank room like he intended, but something inside him felt the need to take it home with him. Maybe it was the sentimentality of it once belonging to his old partner, or even the fact that it slightly looked like the little salesman himself.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized how weird the idea was that Sampson would own a thing such as this. His partner never showed any interest in ventriloquism, and the TV Time official merch store would never sell something as hideous as this.

Maybe it was some kind of bootleg, or a family heirloom that somehow resembled him. Either way, he supposes it’s just one of the many secrets that Sampson refuses to share with someone that once considered him as a friend.

Typical Sampson, always hiding things from me. The TV star scowled. Ever since that fateful phone call, it felt like Tenna’s life had gone through a downward spiral.

…

At first, Tenna thought that the call was for a family emergency or something else important, so he let Sampson go and hoped that he would return and explain everything later. This, of course, didn’t happen as Tenna tried calling him time and time again only to be met with no answer.

Days went by, and no one had heard from the salesman since. He even contacted his family, but apparently they haven’t heard from him in years. Tenna became even more worried as his partner had officially been reported missing.

For years, the TV host assumed that his little salesman was gone forever. He blamed himself, thinking that the deal had somehow scared him off for good. Unable to deal with his guilt, Tenna went into full denial and avoided anything that involved his old partner. When his coworkers ask about what he would do with Sampson’s old dressing room, he decided to create a new rank that was impossible to achieve and made it the prize room; making sure that no one ever goes inside and opens up old wounds.

This was how things were until a few months ago. Tenna was watching the news and learned that they had finally found Sampson after 20 years. It turned out that he was living on a remote island under a different identity, and is now returning home.

Ecstatic, Tenna immediately booked a flight to finally reunite with him after all these years. But when they actually met, Sampson didn’t feel the same enthusiasm as his partner. Instead, he greeted him, as one would greet an absolute stranger, and left.

It wasn’t amnesia; Tenna had already checked. Instead, the salesman simply felt nothing for his former business partner, even after all the years they’d spent together.

The TV host had tried repeatedly to contact him again only to be completely ignored. And now that Sampson had finally responded with a Cease & Desist, well, that just further proved that they were never friends to begin with.

After a long, quiet drive, Tenna had finally reached his house. It wasn’t as massive and luxurious as many other celebrity homes, but it was still fairly big enough to reflect his wealth.

He took the doll inside and plopped it carelessly on the couch along with his coat. Walking straight towards the kitchen, he immediately opened the liquor cabinet and took out a previously opened bottle of wine.

Tenna sat on the barstool next to his kitchen counter, and without bothering to pour a glass, he pulled out the cork and started chugging the bottle down his throat. This course of action had become almost routine for him over the years.

…

It wasn’t always like this, though. A long time ago, this now empty and saddened house used to constantly be visited by his sister, Tori, along with her family. After a hard day of work, Tenna would look forward to spending time with her and her husband while their two adorable children would play around the house. Even though they lived far away, it warmed Tenna’s heart that they would spend their time visiting him.

Tenna had always brought toys and activities for his niblings to keep themselves entertained. He also learned a lot about botany and sewing thanks to Tori and her husband. His favorite time was during the holidays, when they would bring their neighbor friends over to bake cookies and watch Christmas specials in the living room.

Of course, all good things weren’t meant to last. After the divorce, his sister didn’t have enough time as a single mother to visit him. He does still meet her at least once or twice a year, but it never felt the same as before. Her children are now too old to play games with him, but he still kept the toys in his attic in case they were ever needed again. Even their neighbor friends hadn’t visited in ages since their eldest daughter went missing.

…

With nothing but his memories to reflect on, Tenna felt himself slowly wilt away as he heavily drank his bottle of wine like a depressed, middle-aged housewife. It felt pathetic being a well known TV star veteran now wallowing in his own self pity, constantly haunted by his nostalgia of the good ol’ days when his family and partner were still by his side.

He looked back at the living room across from him. What was once filled with loved ones huddled against each other as they watched their favorite programs was now empty and barely used. Tenna let out a heavy sigh as he finished off his bottle.

How did things turn out like this…

He stared at the puppet laying on the couch. It looked like it was facing back at him, with its pink and yellow glasses and uncanny grin as if it were mocking him.

“What are you smiling at?” Tenna threatened the inanimate object. The doll, of course, said nothing in return.

Sampson could’ve at least left him with something better than this; perhaps a memento to their friendship or, even better, the secret to his rapid success that could’ve helped his show stay out of irrelevancy. But instead, Tenna gets left with a 

stupid, 

useless, 

DISGUSTING LOOKING DOLL!

He couldn’t stand staring at that thing any longer. Tenna threw his empty bottle towards it, but it missed, crashing on the floor in front of the couch. The doll still looked at him with its taunting smile.

This made him more irritated as he got off his barstool and stormed into the living room. He grabbed the doll by the arm and violently threw it against the wall. The puppet made contact with a heavy slam, causing its glasses to fly off of its face.

Tenna looked over the battered doll as it laid lifelessly on the ground. Without its glasses, it revealed its tiny black slits for eyes. It looked so pathetic the way it was limped over, like an injured animal.

A thought occurred to him as he realized that this doll must have been trapped in that room the entire time when Sampson left. He didn’t know if it had any importance, but the fact that his partner would leave it behind made the TV star feel a little sympathy towards it.

The poor thing. It probably feels as abandoned as I do.

Solemnly, Tenna walked up towards the doll and crouched as he gently picked it up. He also picked up its glasses, which were thankfully not broken, and placed it back onto the doll.

With the puppet closer towards him, he notices the thin layer of dust on its body from years of neglect. Given how long it’s been, Tenna expected it to be dirtier than it is now. The doll must have been locked inside a closed space for it to remain this clean.

I should still wash it though. Just to get rid of that old smell.

Tenna sat the doll on the counter as he filled the bathroom sink with warm water. He had already removed its shirt and glasses so as to not get them wet, revealing its plush torso and arms. When the sink was full, he turned off the faucet and poured hand soap into the water, turning it into a makeshift bubble bath.

The TV host had no idea how to properly clean dolls, but since it was so human-like, he assumed that giving it a bath with soap and water wouldn’t be so harmful. He grabs the puppet and places its body into the tub, leaving its head out of water.

He then grabs a washcloth and soaks it in the soapy water, using it to scrub the plastic parts of the doll’s body. Starting at the bottom, Tenna thoroughly cleansed its feet and legs, making sure to reach inside the crevices of its joints.

Next, he scrubbed the puppet’s hands. He noticed how the fingers were very articulate despite their size, making him wonder if this was also once a marionette of some kind.

Finally, Tenna had reached the head. He held the back of it in one hand as he gently washed its face with the other. As his cloth delicately grazed around the puppet’s facial features, something deep inside Tenna’s subconscious made him wish he was doing this to the real thing. He could only imagine holding the back of his old partner’s head as he sweetly caressed his hand around his delicate, picture-perfect face. But of course, that dream would never happen in any sort of reality.

As he turned the puppet around, he noticed a deep, dark hole at the back of its neck. Even for someone who’s never owned a ventriloquist dummy, Tenna could obviously tell that this was for controlling the mouth. At first, he contemplated on reaching his cloth inside to clean it out, but decided to opt against it in fear of whatever could be lurking inside. Instead, he submerged the hole into the water, hoping it would automatically wash out any grime in there.

Tenna felt like he was done with cleaning the doll, but after feeling through its coarse black hair he couldn’t help but feel the need to clean that as well. After grabbing his shampoo & conditioner bottle from the shower, Tenna soaked the puppet’s hair using the remaining bath water and began lathering it with the contents of the bottle.

He wanted to replicate the style that Sampson would do his own hair, but without any hair gel in his bathroom, Tenna would have to make do with what he had. He brushed its hair back with his hands to mimic the sleek sharpness that his old partner had.

Now with its hair pulled back and without wearing glasses, Tenna could almost see the resemblance to his little salesman. He imagined what life would’ve been like if he and his partner were more intimate with each other. If Sampson would ever allow him to comb or wash his hair like he is now with this doll.

…No. Sampson already showed that they meant nothing to each other. All Tenna could do is play pretend with a puppet that barely looked like his ex-partner.

After letting the conditioner soak into its hair for a while, Tenna drained the sink and washed the shampoo out with the running faucet. He then took out a towel and wrapped it around the doll, squeezing the plush parts of its body to drain out any absorbed water.

With the doll now completely dry and its synthetic hair all frizzled from the towel, Tenna pulls out his hair comb from a nearby drawer and reshapes the puppet’s hair to its original style, hoping that without hair gel he could still maintain its form.

Finishing off with putting on its shirt and glasses, Tenna set the now clean doll on top of his bed and prepared to take his own shower.

…

Tenna later returned to his bedroom, now donning his infamous cap and night gown that Sampson used to make fun of when he visited to work with him late at night. The puppet on the bed looked a bit nicer than it did before, but its face still held some slight dents from hitting the wall not too long ago.

When Tenna started to lay down beside it, he could smell the citrus scented hand soap emanating from its body. As he dug his body deep into the covers of his bed, he grabbed the doll closer to him to feel its soft, silky hair on his face. He gave the doll a gentle kiss on its forehead as he wrapped it around his arms.

“G’night Sampson.” Tenna mumbled before falling asleep.

Chapter Text

God, what a roller coaster of events this day had been.

Not long after Sampson learned that his mind was trapped in a puppet, he had been manhandled, violated, kidnapped, threatened, and abused in under 24 hours. All the while he could feel pain in every infliction and couldn’t do or say anything about it.

From the moment he got out of that box, life had been utter hell.

What felt worse, though, was when he watched his old partner slumped over a barstool as he haphazardly drank an entire bottle of wine. Normally, when Tenna drinks that much, he’s usually with a friend at a bar. And while Sampson had seen his friend down in the dumps before, he’s never seen Tenna like this; with heavy, lifeless eyes staring past the living room as if he was mourning something. Seeing his once optimistic partner this depressed made him feel a pain that got worse when he was thrown against the living room wall.

But just when he believed that things would only get worse from here on out, Tenna must’ve felt a pang of sympathy when he decided to give the doll a bath of all things.

While being gently held by Tenna as he thoroughly washed the puppet’s face, Sampson somehow couldn’t help but feel butterflies in his stomach as he stared into his partner’s eyes. The intimacy of his old partner’s touch was even strong enough for the salesman to ignore the sudden taste of soapy water coming from the back side of his head.

The TV host even tried to style the doll’s hair similar in fashion to what the salesman used to have. It honestly surprised him that Tenna could still remember something like that, even when it looked like he was trying to forget him.

And now he was laying in Tenna’s bed, with his partner’s arms tightly wrapped around him. At any other day, this unwanted touch would have freaked him out to no end. Sampson always secretly felt a little threatened when his abnormally taller partner tried to hold him in any way, and with him seemingly even bigger than before, it should’ve felt ten times worse. However, after being isolated without any form of human contact for so long, it felt so… relieving to have Tenna holding onto him so affectionately. Even with his partner donning his ridiculous Ebenezer Scrooge outfit, Sampson felt safe in his arms like it would protect him from ever going back in that horrid box.

Though it was nice to be with his partner again, Sampson couldn’t help but worry this might be his new life now. To be stuck inside a plaything for Tenna to project his feelings onto, all while not knowing that his old friend was trapped inside it. Hopefully he could think of something tomorrow, because for now, he just wanted to sleep.

As Tenna slowly started to wake up, he could feel something held deep in his arms. From his blurry vision he saw some familiar jet black hair in front of him.

Sampson?

He opened his arms to reveal the puppet from yesterday.

Oh. Right. I was sleeping with a doll.

Tenna groggily remembered the events from last night; from having an emotional outburst over a toy of all things, to then giving the same toy a bath before cuddling with it in bed and calling it Sampson. He really needed to lay off the wine.

Tenna pushed the doll aside as he slowly began his wake-up routine. Getting dressed, putting on his glasses, brushing his teeth, etc.

Today was another work day, so he needed to leave early if he wanted to eat breakfast in town. Though technically he could make his own meal, after the type of day he had yesterday (as well as having a slight hangover) Tenna wasn’t exactly in the mood to cook.

He looked over at the puppet on his bed while putting on his shoes and a stray thought occurred to him about bringing it to work. Of course, Tenna knew that that idea was ridiculous; dragging along a doll in front of everyone at the studio like some weird manchild. But from the short amount of time that he had this thing, he somehow felt a strange sort of comfort being around it. Besides, it was small enough to hide and could perfectly fit amongst his shelf of knick knacks in his office.

Reaching under his bed, Tenna pulls out an empty briefcase. It was large enough to hold the doll, yet small enough to easily carry it around. He placed the puppet as well as some paperwork inside before shutting it and headed out to his car.

…

Tenna stopped at his usual coffee chain for breakfast. Normally he would get his meal to go, but since he left so early, he may as well dine at the outdoor patio. It was a nice cool day this morning, and he wanted to enjoy some time outside before having to work inside that stuffy windowless studio (not that he hated it, of course).

He sat down as he ate his breakfast sandwich and drank his large sweetened coffee, viewing the scenery around him. The scenery, of course, being nothing but shops and streets, with an occasional tree here and there. What caught his attention, though, was the clothing store nearby.

The TV host had already shopped there before. They specialize in custom made suits that he would wear on the show or during certain events. When thinking about the doll, Tenna wondered if they could make smaller suits for it to wear. Although its black V-neck shirt wasn’t in terrible condition, it would be nice to give it some new clothes (as well as some pants to wear). Maybe something red to match the one his old partner used to have.

Right now, it's too early for the store to open. Maybe he’ll come back during his lunch break. After finishing his sandwich, Tenna took his coffee with him and went back to his car to drive to work.

It was just another typical day at the TV Time studio. Everyone was preparing for the morning news that would air in 30 minutes as Tenna arrived. Although employees still question why they would even need to broadcast the news on a channel mainly for entertainment, the TV host insisted that, as a variety show, they need to keep true to their brand.

He wandered into the green room with his suit and briefcase as he spotted the two weather forecasters flirting near the water cooler. Their passionate love for each other always made Tenna a little jealous of them, despite how much he says that he’s happy for them.

Without asking for an invitation to join, Tenna walked up to them and interrupted their conversation. “So, what are you guys doing afterwards?” he asked awkwardly. The two, of course, were confused by their boss’s sudden appearance. “Any, uh, big plans tonight?” he tried to keep the conversation going.

The couple looked at each other with concern before facing their boss. “Well..” the weather lady finally spoke. “we were just talking about going to a movie tonight.”

“But just Elina and I.” the weather man instantly added in. “As a date.”

The TV host felt a bit deflated after hearing that. “Oh.” he simply responded. “That’s…that’s fine.” 

By the way they acted around him, they were probably still wary over yesterday when he practically blew his lid off over a technician who missed his cue during a live bit. He doesn’t blame them, really, but he still hates it when people treat him like a ticking time bomb.

“Just let me know how it goes. Y’know, for the movie review segment?” he parted before heading to his office.

…

As he made his way inside, hoping for privacy, Tenna was instantly met with Mike near his desk. Not the Mike from last night, though; this one was taller and liked to wear a cowboy hat during work.

“Mornin’ boss.” the larger Mike greeted. “Thought you’d wanna know ‘bout da lawsuit.”

“Oh, good morning, Mike.” Tenna responded kindly. “Shouldn’t the other one be telling me this?”

Mike waved their hand dismissively. “Nah, he’s takin a phone call. Told me to tell you aboutit.”

“Alright.” Tenna always hated listening to legal jargon (unless it was his own), but sadly these are the types of responsibilities you have to deal with when running a corporation.

After placing his briefcase down, the TV host sat at his desk as he mentally prepared for a long, boring session. “Fire away, Mike.” he lazily pointed a finger-gun at them.

“A’ight.” his right-hand partner cleared their throat. “Turns out dere is no lawsuit.”

“WHAT!?” Tenna immediately shot out of his chair, his hands slamming against the desk. “What do you mean there’s no lawsuit!?”

“D-dat’s what dey just told me!” Mike stammered nervously. “Says dey dropped da charges after youse try ta counter-sue ‘em.”

Tenna should be thankful that he didn’t have to deal with it anymore, but something feels off about how Sampson had given up so easily. Normally, when the salesman was determined at something, he would keep pushing until either he succeeded or it all blew up in his face. Could he have possibly been humbled after all these years?

After calming down a bit, Tenna sat back on his chair. “Alright, then. Anything else you wanted to tell me?”

Mike thought through their words carefully before they spoke. “Nothin’, just… youse ain’t gonna fire Mike for last night, aren't cha?”

Tenna was a little surprised that the other Mike told them this. But then again, why wouldn’t he tell his close friend about his near-death encounter.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about him.” he reassured them. “We’ve already talked it out yesterday.”

“Dat’s good den. See ya, boss.” As Mike was about to head out the door, Tenna suddenly remembered something he forgot to do yesterday.

“Wait, Mike!”

The right-hand partner stopped and looked back at their boss. Tenna pulled out the key to Sampson’s old dressing room that was still in his coat pocket.

“Make sure you lock up the Z-rank room for me.” he said as he tossed his key towards Mike. They fumbled the catch for a bit until finally holding the key in their hand and exiting the office.

Phew. Finally some alone time.

Leaving his desk, Tenna walked over to the door and locked it from the inside, making sure no one else barges in. He then goes back to pick up his briefcase and place it on the desk, opening it to reveal the puppet still inside. Its nose was a little crooked from the tight space, but otherwise it was completely undamaged from the trip.

Tenna gently picked up the doll and straightened out its hair. He felt a bit more relaxed after holding on to this thing, but he couldn’t risk showing it off in public. Taking it to his shelf, Tenna moved a souvenir snow globe aside as he made space for the puppet. It was hard to make it sit upright with its massive head causing it to fall on its side, but after supporting it by placing a book behind it, the puppet finally stood still.

The TV host couldn’t help but smile as he admired the little doll proudly placed amongst his prized possessions. His trance was immediately broken when he heard a knock at the door.

“15 minutes ‘till we’re live, Mr. Tenna.” the person on the other side responded.

“I’ll be right there.” he reassured his employee behind the door.

Before heading out, he leaned over to the puppet as he whispered into its non-existing ear. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” he joked as he left his office with his briefcase, forgetting to lock the door.

Chapter Text

“For the last time, we don’t know anything! NOW STOP CALLING US!”

*click*

Those were the last words Battat heard when trying to contact the Addison brothers. He had spent all night trying to figure out who those people were in Sampson's old photograph, and just as he found the phone number to the salesman’s old family business, they refused to mention anything about him.

Great. Back to the drawing board.

He should’ve checked the Z-rank room more before he got caught by Tenna. There were probably some more useful clues in there that he could’ve snagged besides a family photo and that… doll.

Battat shuttered as he thought of the strange puppet he found last night; how it was hidden inside an ominous looking box and the way it almost resembled Sampson. It looked normal at first, but when he reached his hand in to operate its mouth, the inside felt strangely damp. Damp and slimy.

He could swear that he felt the walls of the inside sometimes constrict his hand for a bit only to let it go in a rhythmic motion; almost like it was breathing. When he reached the jaw, it felt something similar to the inside of a mouth; a human mouth. And once he opened it, he could almost feel a small groan escaping the doll’s throat.

There was clearly something going on with that puppet, and he couldn’t believe that he gave it up to Tenna so easily. He needed to get back in that room, even if it gets him fired in the process.

…

As he reached the hallway to the Z-rank room, he saw Jongler outside the door as they locked it up. Figures that it wouldn’t be this easy.

“Hey Jongler, could you open up the door? Tenna wanted me to check on something.” Battat asked the other Mike. It was highly unlikely that his friend would fall for this, but it was a long shot.

“Nice try, boss. Tenna just gave me orders to lock it up.” Their loyalty to the studio was almost as admirable as it was annoying to Battat. However, Jongler looked over at him with concern. “Ya know, ya could’ve gotten fired for whatcha did last night.”

Battat was highly aware of that fact as he let out a sigh. “I know, Jong, but I need to prove this for Tenna’s sake. How’s he gonna get over Sampson if he doesn’t know the other guy’s a fake?”

“Den why not just tell da boss about dis?”

Battat rolled his eyes at that question. “Oh, great idea, rubberbrain. That would really not get me fired.” he said sarcastically.

Sadly, his friend looked actually serious about their suggestion. “No, really boss. Maybe he’ll listen to ya.” 

As ridiculous as Jongler’s request sounded, maybe they were on to something. Perhaps Tenna would be more cooperative if he were more honest about his intentions.

“Well…” Battat finally spoke. “he’s still busy announcing the news, so I should probably wait ‘till he’s available.”

Jongler gave him a warm smile. “Knew you’d understand, boss.” They left the hallway with the key still in hand, as Battat went over to the green room to wait.

…

Battat squirmed uncomfortably as he waited on the couch. There was no real hurry to tell Tenna, but he always felt like he was running on a time limit when it came to these important things. The morning news usually takes a few hours to finish. He checked the clock on the wall; it’s only been less than an hour since they started.

UGH! Why did I agree to this!?

He could still look around more since everyone was at the news room. Maybe Tenna has some memorabilia of his partner hidden in his office. He wouldn’t steal anything, of course; just write some notes, maybe take a few pictures.

Feeling his curiosity starve for attention, Battat jumped off the couch and headed towards his boss’s office. He knocked at the door to make sure no one was inside before barging in.

Sampson was all alone in Tenna’s office, sitting amongst his partner’s useless trinkets. Is this what he thought of this doll? Just another one of his collectibles meant to rot on a shelf?

He did tell him that he’ll be back, so maybe he’ll bring him back to his house afterwards. Hopefully, not via that godforsaken briefcase again.

According to the time on the wall, Tenna must be announcing the morning news by now, which means that it will take a while before he gets back. Despite how long it’s been, it’s funny how Sampson could still remember all of his partner’s programs.

The salesman even used to guest-star in some of his shows. The audience would always go wild whenever he appeared; laughing at his witty one-liners and adoring his and Tenna’s chemistry together. Sometimes the studio would even get fan mail of people begging to bring Sampson back for another episode.

Sadly, those glory days might never come back again. Not without Tenna’s contract, not without his benefactor’s deal of success, and definitely not without his original body.

A sudden knock from the door disturbed his train of thought.

Please, God, let it be Tenna.

The door opened, and in the corner of his eyes, he could see the same young man that released him from the box and yet proceeded to violate him. Mike, if he remembered his name correctly.

Mike proceeded to head straight to Tenna’s desk; opening its drawers as he thoroughly dug through them. His eyes lit up when he probably saw something of interest, and proceeded to pull out a strange, small rectangular device from his pocket. From the way he positioned it, as well as the small click sound it made as it flashed a white light, Sampson assumed that it was a camera of some sort.

It’s only been a day and this guy is still sticking his nose into people’s privacy. He’s probably taking pictures of the items that he wanted to steal. How could Tenna even trust this creep?

Sampson needed to do something. Using all his strength, he tried to force his puppet body to move. He also tried to make a sound, any sound, from his mouth in order to distract this thief and protect Tenna’s belongings.

Suddenly, he felt his little plastic foot tap against the hardwood shelf, causing Mike to divert his attention towards the puppet. The employee looked confused when he saw it, as if he weren’t expecting it to be there. “What are you doing here?” he wondered as he walked closer towards the doll.

Shit! This was a bad idea!

Sampson tried forcing himself to move again, but his body remained stiff as Mike reached over and grabbed him by his torso. The puppet tried to scream and call for help, but all he could muster was slightly moving his jaw.

This sudden movement still terrified Mike as he dropped the doll out of fear. Sampson laid on the floor motionless as Mike stared at him with the same horrified expression he had yesterday.

Before he could pick up the doll again, he heard footsteps coming from outside the door.

“Shit, Tenna!” he whispered.

Hastily, Mike yanked the puppet by the arm and quickly placed it back on the shelf, not caring that it appeared lopsided. He then rushed towards the desk and pulled out a feather duster, pretending to clean as the door started to open.

“J-just wanted to clean your office Mr. Ten- oh it’s just you, Pluey.” he stopped dusting as he saw the person outside the door.

From his angle, Sampson couldn’t see who Mike was talking to, and for some reason, he couldn’t hear what the other person was saying. However, Mike nodded as if he could hear them clear as day. “Yep.. Uh-huh.. I’ll meet you on set.” he responded, taking one last look at the puppet before heading out.

And with that, Sampson was all alone again, this time with the world tilted on its side.

It was hard to tell the time from this angle, but from the way the little hand was near the 10 once again, he could tell that it was late. For some reason, Tenna hasn’t returned to his office since this morning, and now Sampson was really starting to worry about getting left behind.

Thankfully, all that worrying came to a halt when he heard a familiar, joyful humming approach the office. After entering inside, Tenna went to his shelf and tilted his head to match the doll’s angle as he faced it. “Time to go, Sammy!” he said as he smiled.

It was nice to see Tenna in such a good mood after yesterday, but what was even more nice was being called “Sammy” by him. Sampson hadn’t heard that nickname in so long, and hearing his partner call him that made his heart swell with joy (if he even had a heart in this body).

However, the salesman’s giddiness came to a screeching halt when he saw Tenna bring the briefcase over.

GOD DAMMIT! Not again!

The moment Sampson could talk again, he’s gonna let him know how much he hated that thing. He closed his eyes and mentally held his breath as Tenna picked him up and placed him inside.

The case somehow felt even more cramped as his plastic nose bent uncomfortably. It also didn’t help how Tenna constantly swung his briefcase while walking. All Sampson could do to comfort himself is remember that he wouldn’t be stuck here forever like before.

…

After the still period of a car ride home, followed by more swinging, Tenna finally opened his briefcase after laying it on the coffee table. The TV host picked up the doll and straightened out its hair and nose before propping it in front of a sturdy vase on the table.

Sampson was facing Tenna as he reached back into the briefcase and pulled out something completely new. “Look what I got you.” he said in a sing-songy tone as he revealed a small, red suit that came with a white dress shirt and yellow tie; all of them looked to be about the doll’s size.

“Can you believe they already had these in stock? Too bad I couldn’t find you any pants, though.”

Without getting to look at his gift more, Tenna immediately started removing the doll’s shirt and placed it aside. He then took the dress shirt and pulled the sleeves through Sampson’s arms before buttoning it up; doing the same for the coat before finally adding the tie. It wasn’t a clip on, so Sampson wondered how his partner would get it on without his help, but to his surprise, Tenna had already figured out how to properly fix it up. He even tucked the tie into his suit like how the salesman used to keep reminding his partner to constantly do, only to be ignored as Tenna claimed that it was his “signature style”.

The TV host smiled as he admired his handiwork, but couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was missing. His face lit up when he realized and reached over to his coat lying beside him, removing the TV Time pin on the front and placing it on Sampson’s instead.

“There we go.” he exclaimed, now beaming with pride. “Don’t you look handsome, now?”

Once again, Tenna picked up the doll and carried it with him towards the living room mirror. He proudly stood tall as he sat the puppet on his arm as if he were presenting it towards his audience. “Just like old times, eh Sammy?” he grinned as he stared at the mirror.

Sampson looked at his reflection, now wearing a similar suit and pin that he used to have during his prime. The two of them being side by side reminded him of the times when he and his partner would do the same while performing on live television. He wanted to be as happy as Tenna right now, but all he could stare at was his face.

He looked nothing like he did before; with his long, crooked nose hanging over his uncanny smile that showed off his ridiculously large teeth, all tied together with his cartoonishly rosy cheeks painted over his stark-white plastic skin. He looked like a joke! Nothing but sick, twisted parody of what he once was; now escalated by wearing his old suit.

The salesman felt something wet form around his eye as it started streaming down his cheek. Tenna noticed it and wiped it down with his hand. “Sorry, Sam. Guess there was still some water left in you.” his partner apologized. And yet Sampson felt that it didn’t come from the bath from last night.

Chapter Text

“And that was today’s news! This is Mr. Ant Tenna, signing off!”

The cameras stopped rolling as Tenna finished his announcement. Thankfully, nothing so far had gone wrong during recording. Perhaps bringing that doll along had brought him some good luck.

Just as he left the stage, Tenna was stopped by the smaller Mike from yesterday. “Hey, boss! Got a moment to talk?” he asked.

The TV host was just about to head to his office to check on the doll, but he supposes a quick chat with his right-hand man wouldn’t harm him. “Sure, Mike. Go on ahead!” Tenna encouraged him.

“Great! Just.. I wanna talk somewhere private. Not in your office, though.”

The request was a little strange, but Tenna obliged anyway as he was led to a small corner away from his crew. Mike looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before taking a deep breath. “Okay…” the small assistant fumbled through his hands as he spoke. “I know how much you don’t like talkin’ about… you know who..”

The good mood that the TV star was in suddenly ended as he pinched the bridge of his glasses in annoyance. “Mike, we just had this discussion last night.” Tenna said in frustration.

“No! Wait! Just hear me out, sir!” Mike waved his hands as he defended himself.

Despite the warning not to talk about a certain salesman, his assistant still seemed desperate to say something to his boss. Because of that, Tenna caves in and allows Mike to continue his explanation.

“Y’know how that guy just suddenly appeared after being gone for 20 years? With no explanation for why he disappeared, might I add?”

The TV host was curious on where his young assistant was going with this, but remained silent in order to listen.

“Well..” Mike nervously rubbed the back of his head. “Did’ja ever find him a bit… off compared to how he used to be?”

Tenna felt insulted when asked that. “What kind of a question is that!?” he spat, but tried to stay quiet so as to not cause a scene. “Of course he’s been off! He’s been acting like a real jerk since he came back!”

Mike jumped a bit from his boss’s sudden outburst, but tried his best to remain calm. “I know, Tens. And I know how close you two were before. But doesn't it strike you as odd the way he treats you like a stranger?”

As much as Tenna didn’t want to hear anymore from Mike, it was hard to ignore the idea that his assistant had just placed inside his brain. Ever since Sampson had returned to the public, he’s been acting very out of character compared to when they used to work together. Unlike the salesman from 20 years ago, he’s become very antisocial; always straying from any social gatherings, whether it’s for business or pleasure. He’s also less of a risk-taker now when it comes to business decisions and always went with the safer, predictable option.

At first, Tenna looked past his ex-partner’s actions and focused more on how the salesman betrayed him. But now, after thinking about them more clearly, he couldn’t help but notice that something was off about Sampson.

“So what are you saying? That he’s not the same guy from before?” Tenna merely joked about the idea, but from the look on Mike’s face, he could tell that this is what the conversation was about.

“It’s only a theory for now. But I have a bunch of evidence to prove-”

“Mike!” Tenna immediately cuts him off, the disdain in his voice shot through any attempt the young assistant could do to save his case. “You weren't there, alright? You never knew him, so don’t tell me WHAT TO THINK!!”

The two of them now noticed the unwanted attention they were gaining from Tenna’s sudden outburst. The TV host started to blush in embarrassment. “Let’s just not talk about this.” he sighed as he walked away from the sudden crowd.

Mike tried to chase after him. “But Ten-”

“NOT! ..Another word.”

His assistant caught the message quickly as he stopped following Tenna. The TV star stormed out of the studio, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and lighter from his front pocket.

…

God, that was embarrassing!

Tenna sat in his car with the windows down, lighting up a cigarette hanging from his mouth. Just when things were going smoothly, Mike just had to jump in and tell him that.

Sure, Tenna would admit that Sampson had been acting strange since he returned, but calling him an imposter? As if his closest friend couldn’t tell the difference? It felt like a complete insult, what Mike just said.

And if this guy somehow was an imposter, then that would mean Tenna had completely fallen for their lie, and the real Sampson was still missing, or possibly dead.

The TV host took a long drag from his cigarette to try and calm himself down. He needed a distraction.

All he could think of was going back to his office and holding onto his little salesman doll. It seemed childish, but the thought of wrapping his arms around its soft, plush body while nestling his face on its now lavender scented hair sounded comforting.

However, it was hard to go back inside after all the unwanted attention he just gained. Perhaps he should just wait outside until he’s needed to host the game show coming up. And besides, he still wanted to go to that clothing store to order a custom outfit for his doll.

Tenna started up the car and began driving into town, trying to stay positive. He tried to imagine how appealing the little puppet would be once it looked a lot more like the person it’s supposed to represent. Sure, it would still have its bizarre features, but it doesn’t have to be one-to-one.

Instead, it would be the ideal Sampson. The better Sampson. The Sampson that wouldn’t run away and betray him.

It’ll be like the little salesman I used to know.

“Just like old times, eh Sammy?”

Tenna had just finished dressing up his little salesman doll and is now facing the mirror alongside it. It was a miracle how the store had the exact same suit that he wanted (and thankfully the exact same measurements).

Even though it was smaller, plastic-y, and had water dripping out from yesterday’s bath, it felt like his old partner was back with him.

While gazing into the mirror, Tenna suddenly started to feel his stomach growling. He didn’t eat much during lunch time, and all he had for breakfast was a coffee and a sandwich. Now he was in the mood to start cooking dinner, but this time he wouldn’t be dining by himself.

“You hungry for dinner, Sam?” Tenna asked the puppet. Without waiting for a response, he made the doll nod its head in agreement. “Good, ‘cause I’m starving, too.” He then carried it towards the kitchen.

…

After setting the doll on a makeshift booster seat using a stack of books, Tenna came to the conundrum of what to make. Normally, he would care less about a proper meal and heat up some tv dinner, but that wouldn’t be good enough for the guest of honor. No, he needed to make something from scratch.

While he hadn’t been grocery shopping in a while, that wouldn’t stop him from scrounging up the things he could find around the kitchen. After all, he even used to run a tv show based on the concept: “Someone’s in the Kitchen with a College Student!” (With a name like that, it’s no wonder why it only lasted for one season.)

After digging through his fridge, he managed to find a half-empty carton of eggs, some greens, and a slice of ham. An omelet for dinner. Sure, why not? He placed the ingredients down and grabbed a frying pan from the cabinet, spraying it with non-stick cooking spray as he turned up the heat on the stove.

Tenna puts on his cooking apron before bringing out a bowl and whisk, and just as he grabs three eggs from the carton, his inner showman decided to show off to his guest as he started juggling them. This trick has always impressed his audience, although Sampson used to jeer at his talent and called it a “cheap parlor trick”. Tenna never minded his taunts, knowing that the salesman could never juggle for the life of him.

He tossed the eggs through his lifted leg and tried to land them into the bowl, only for them to end up breaking on the counter. “Sorry, folks. Can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.” Tenna joked to the invisible audience before grabbing three more eggs. This time, he perfected the toss as they all landed directly into the bowl. He imagined the audience going wild for that performance before removing the eggshells and whisking the yolk.

The pan was starting to sizzle as he poured the bowl of eggs in. Grabbing a large knife and cutting board, he started chopping up the green onions, bell peppers, and ham into small pieces. “Don’t try this at home, kids; I’m a professional!” he boasted before going back to the pan and moving the corners of the omelet with a spatula. With the eggs nearly cooked, he carried the cutting board over and pushed the chopped ingredients inside with his knife.

After folding the omelet, it was ready to be flipped. Hyping himself with an inner drumroll, Tenna used all the strength in his wrists to fling the food into the air. The force from the land caused it to break apart, but the TV star didn’t mind, knowing that it would still taste the same.

He grabbed a plate from the cabinet and placed the omelet on top of it. After placing it on the dinner table, he also grabbed two wine glasses along with a bottle of wine. “Bon appetite!” he said to his puppet. “Sorry I couldn’t find any cheese to add, though.”

…

Tenna had already turned off the stove and took off his apron before sitting down next to his salesman doll. He cut off a small piece from the omelet with his fork and held it towards the puppet. 

“Here, you can have the first bite.”

After manually opening the puppet’s jaw from the outside, Tenna shoved the fork full of food into its mouth. He then proceeded to remove the fork and move the jaw up and down to help it chew before moving its neck back to swallow. “Good, huh?” he said to the puppet as he cut up another piece of omelet with his fork.

Tenna proceeded to feed the doll this way until it was fed one-fifth of the meal. As much as he wanted to feed it more, Tenna still needed to eat as well. “I know you want more, Sam, but you don’t need that much.” he light-heartedly scolded the doll before pulling the plate to himself.

Although he would’ve preferred adding cheese, the meal itself wasn’t too bad. The peppers and onions certainly helped add flavor to the bland tasting eggs. After finishing his plate, Tenna poured his bottle of wine into the two glasses.

“Whatdya wanna toast to, Sammy?” he held the glass to his fingers. The doll said nothing as it stood there in the same position that Tenna left it; the other glass remained on the table, unheld.

Tenna reflected on his position as he soaked in the silence. There was no show, there was no audience, and there was definitely no guest of honor. It was just him; sitting alone in a chair with a puppet full of wasted food.

“…Cheers.” Tenna said melancholicly as he took a sip from his glass.

Chapter Text

After spending a full day with Tenna, Sampson can officially confirm that the man has completely lost his marbles. At first, the bath and new clothes seemed normal enough, and he could forgive the whole “sleeping with a doll” thing if it was only done once, but wining and dining with a puppet was when it became concerning.

It’s not like he wasn’t thankful for being fed, though. Even without a tongue, tasting Tenna’s cooking after not eating for so long felt like heaven. Although now he probably has to worry about rotting food being stuck inside him.

Sampson laid in bed with Tenna again as he pondered on what to do with this situation. As much as Tenna needed to go outside and hang out with actual people, he still didn’t want his partner to completely abandon him. The salesman needed to prove that he was alive, but the slight twitches he made in front of Mike wouldn’t be enough to prove that it was him. He needed a way to communicate.

The puppet dozed off under the warmth of Tenna’s arms as he hoped that things would get better by tomorrow.

…

It was completely bright outside when Sampson finally woke up. He checked the time on the alarm clock and saw that it was way past Tenna’s work schedule. Either he was sleeping in or this was one of his days off.

He felt the pressure of Tenna’s head on his own as his still sleeping partner drooled on his face. Work day or not, he needed to wake Tenna up in order to get him to stop. Using all his strength, the salesman made his puppet body move with a sudden jolt and startle his partner’s sleep.

The TV host lazily woke up as he lifted his head from the doll. “G’mornin, Sammy.” he mumbled. After wiping the drool off the puppet’s face and kissing its forehead, Tenna slowly got up and started getting dressed. This time, he wore something more casual, confirming that it was his day off. 

He carried the doll by the arm everywhere he went; from brushing his teeth to going down the stairs to cook breakfast in the kitchen. Sampson’s arm was starting to feel sore from all the constant pulling, but the pain was soon alleviated as he was fed some toast along with a glass of orange juice.

For some reason, he was now left on his seat while Tenna wandered off somewhere else. Did he somehow forget to take him?

Apparently not, because the TV host later returned to him with a cardboard box full of cassette tapes. The box had the name: “TV Time 1999-2004” written in sharpie.

“Wanna watch some old tapes, Sammy?” Tenna asked eagerly. Judging by the years listed on the box, Sampson could easily guess where this is going.

Surprisingly, Tenna has still kept his old CRT and VHS player in the living room. Sampson used to try and convince his partner to upgrade his electronics, even buying him a new DVD player for his birthday, but apparently this old fart is still too stubborn to keep up with the times.

After manually pressing play on his VCR, Tenna sat down with his bowl of popcorn in one arm and the doll in the other as he started watching old recordings of TV Time that guest-starred Sampson G. Sampson during his prime.

The present day salesman didn’t know what to think when he saw his younger, more presentable self in front of him. At first, he felt nostalgic seeing his old performance on television; watching the previous Sampson gaining a roar of applause from his fans in the audience just for his sheer presence and charming personality. But all that past love and attention brought the puppet to grieve over what he once had.

Although, past the rose-tinted glasses, even his previous fame and fortune wasn’t always perfect. Countless nights, he used to lose sleep from being constantly haunted by that trunk case. The last time he ever talked to his brothers was during an argument at their usual hangout spot, leading to severed contacts and a change in last name to disassociate with them. And before he learned about Tenna’s true feelings for him, the salesman had always feared over confessing his love to his partner; not just because of his fear of commitment, but also his fear of rejection.

Sampson looked over to his partner’s face as he silently watched the tape. He also seemed to be grieving with sentimentality over a part in history that he dearly missed. Sometimes he might give out a slight chuckle at certain funny moments, only to become quiet again as he reflected on the golden age of his career.

Once the tape had ended, Tenna just stared in a daze before realizing that he was watching a blank screen. He must’ve been sitting on the TV remote, because just as he got up to eject the VHS tape, the channel suddenly changed to something different.

This time, they were watching a live recording on the news about some celebrity salesman giving a presentation. The presentation itself didn’t matter to Sampson, since he was more focused on the person’s name at the bottom.

It was his name.

After watching his old self on television, the resemblance between the man on the news and the man in the recordings became completely uncanny; both with slicked-back hair, a sharp pointed nose, and a signature award-winning smile. The only difference is that the person he was watching looked a lot older and wore the same glasses that the puppet has.

This wasn’t just a person that looked like him.

That was his body.

Someone had stolen his body.

As the puppet inwardly panicked about this new information, Tenna merely stood in front of the couch as he watched the imposter on TV. The more he listened, the more his hands trembled as they clenched into a fist. “Why do you keep doing this?” he seethed at the man on screen. “Why do you keep running my life?” He turned around to face the doll, now with fury in his eyes.

Tenna, wait! That’s not me!

Unfortunately, his partner wouldn’t be able to understand the truth to this situation as the real Sampson stood there completely immobile and mute, with the same taunting grin that insulted Tenna two nights ago. The pain in the salesman’s arm stung worse as he was forcefully yanked and thrown across the room.

Sampson’s vision started to blur as he painfully laid on the floor, looking at Tenna holding onto one of the puppet’s arms before blacking out.

“There we go! Feeling better, Sammy?”

The first thing Sampson saw after waking up was Tenna’s face close to his. His partner held him with one hand by his back while holding a threaded needle in the other. The pain in his arm had completely vanished, and for some reason he felt a little different from before. A little less… restrained.

“I’m so sorry about throwing you. I didn’t know you were that damaged.” the TV host attempted to apologize, looking at the doll with regret. After placing the needle down, he then suddenly wrapped his arms around the puppet, giving it a tight hug. The sudden squeeze after just waking up from excruciating pain made Sampson feel a small groan escape his lungs, and for some reason, Tenna stopped hugging as he looked around curiously.

Did he hear that? Did I… make a sound?

Desperately wanting to push his limits, the salesman tried to make another sound, this time as a way to communicate.

“T……

……..

tEn…

……

……….

a…..”

His voice felt weak and full of static, but he needed to keep talking in order for Tenna to notice.

“TEn…….

……na….”

His partner looked down as he figured out where the noise was coming from. He stared at the doll, mortified, as his hands started to tremble.

“ITs………mE………”

Tenna gave out a sharp shriek as he dropped the doll out of panic. He backed away from it only to trip on the briefcase left on the ground and landed on his bottom.

Sampson wasn’t about to give up, yet. Using his upper strength, the salesman slowly moved his weak, cotton filled arms and grasped the carpet with his tiny plastic hands in order to crawl towards Tenna. His partner, still on the floor, scooted back as the doll slowly made its way forward.

“WAiT…..Ten…na”

He didn’t want to scare his partner, but the struggle in his voice and movement made it difficult to assure Tenna to not be afraid of a seemingly possessed puppet that suddenly became alive. Tenna looked at the briefcase in front of him, and quickly got up to his feet as he grabbed it and made his way towards the doll.

No, PLEASE! NOT IN THERE!

Sampson was so close, but there was nothing he could do as Tenna scooped him inside the open case and closed it along with snapping the latches shut. Now Sampson was all alone in the dark again, maybe forever this time.